0:00:48 > 0:00:51Today we're back at this beautiful Victorian mansion
0:00:51 > 0:00:53in Caversham in Berkshire.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55And behind this imposing facade
0:00:55 > 0:00:57are various departments of the BBC,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00including BBC Radio Berkshire
0:01:00 > 0:01:02and the BBC's written archives which contain
0:01:02 > 0:01:05every historical document related to the BBC,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08back as far as its founding in 1922.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11So, we're on home turf for this week's Antiques Roadshow.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20The building as we see it today was rebuilt in 1850
0:01:20 > 0:01:23after the existing one was destroyed by a fire.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Ironworks manufacturer William Crawshay, known as the Iron King,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33owned the mansion, but he didn't get round to insuring it.
0:01:33 > 0:01:34Not that it mattered -
0:01:34 > 0:01:36he was so wealthy, he could rebuild the whole thing,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39and this time around an iron frame,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41and it was one of the first houses in England to be built in this way.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Behind me is where we're going to be holding today's show,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51and soon our usual tables and chairs will be put up there.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Some of this parkland was designed by the great Capability Brown
0:01:55 > 0:01:56in the 1760s.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00He's widely regarded as England's greatest landscape architect.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06He wasn't scared of moving hills and making lakes and flowing rivers,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08and his designs often featured ha-has,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11those hidden boundaries separating the park from garden,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14and keeping deer at bay while providing a seamless landscape.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20This refined setting has attracted some important visitors.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22In 1789, Thomas Jefferson visited
0:02:22 > 0:02:25while he was on a tour of English gardens.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27He was the US ambassador to France at the time,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30before he went on, of course, to become America's third president,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33and he thought Caversham Par, was beautiful,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35and described it as a large lawn,
0:02:35 > 0:02:40separated by a sunk fence and well-disposed with clumps of trees.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44I suspect he'd be impressed to see
0:02:44 > 0:02:47this magnificent Cedar of Lebanon tree today.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51It was part of Capability Brown's design, and 220 years on
0:02:51 > 0:02:52it's providing a wonderful backdrop
0:02:52 > 0:02:55for our team on the Antiques Roadshow.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01It's a really good-looking table, but why the exercise books?
0:03:01 > 0:03:03The exercise books came about
0:03:03 > 0:03:05through the efforts of my grandmother.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10In the '50s, she decided to try and prove that this piece of furniture,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13which had come down from her family,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15had been in her family and my family for generations,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18to prove that it was actually a piece of Chippendale.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22These books represent the efforts she put into research
0:03:22 > 0:03:26in trying to prove that they were Chippendale.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29It's that magic word in furniture, isn't it?
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Chippendale. Everybody hopes that they have
0:03:32 > 0:03:35- a piece of Chippendale furniture. - Absolutely.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38And so, did she feel, then, that she couldn't get
0:03:38 > 0:03:40- the correct value for this piece of furniture?- Very much so.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45Dealers would come down from London to look but were offering her
0:03:45 > 0:03:48what she thought was silly prices, and saying...
0:03:48 > 0:03:49Silly prices low?
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Low. "You have no bill of sale, we don't think this is Chippendale,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55"how can you say this is... Where's the bill of sale?"
0:03:55 > 0:03:59So, if Chippendale is a magic word in terms of furniture,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03then provenance is the next sort of magic word that you need,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06- and I see, they wanted provenance, they wanted proof.- Very much so.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09And she said, "I'm jolly well going to give it to you."
0:04:09 > 0:04:10In the form of these books.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12And that's what she tried to do.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16And so, this was the start of it all, book one,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20when she was trying to give those dealers the proof they required,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24that it was in fact by Chippendale.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Chippendale, in 1754,
0:04:26 > 0:04:31published a directory of designs for furniture,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33and it's really what... He'd been working before then,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36but it's really what established him
0:04:36 > 0:04:39as being a top-class furniture maker,
0:04:39 > 0:04:41and that's why this word of Chippendale
0:04:41 > 0:04:43is attributed to so many things,
0:04:43 > 0:04:47because workshops all over the country and overseas
0:04:47 > 0:04:52were referring to this directory and working in his style.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56So, looking at the table, well, to start with,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00it really is a weighty piece of furniture, isn't it?
0:05:00 > 0:05:01It's quite elegant looking.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04It's quite surprising when you try to lift it, just how much it weighs.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08It is great quality mahogany.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11In fact, it dates from around 1740,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15so it was made at some point in the reign of George II, around 1740.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Maybe slightly before that date.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19I very much like these outset corners
0:05:19 > 0:05:23and the way that they're reflected in the frieze.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26And then the cabriole leg that was all the rage
0:05:26 > 0:05:29in this sort of mid-18th-century period.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33So, Chippendale or not, it is brilliant quality.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38In fact, my instinct is that it is NOT Chippendale.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40I'm glad it's you standing here today and not your grandmother,
0:05:40 > 0:05:44- because she was obviously a very determined lady. - Very, very determined lady.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48I think it was almost certainly made in Ireland.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51- Ah, that's interesting.- It has that quirky combination of features
0:05:51 > 0:05:54that you don't quite see in this form,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57and I just don't feel it's quite as mainstream as Chippendale
0:05:57 > 0:06:01would have been, even in that sort of period.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04- Right.- And, as such,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07its value...
0:06:07 > 0:06:08About £4,000.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10- Goodness me. Right. - CROWD COO
0:06:10 > 0:06:12That's quite a surprise.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Now, I hear that you're a great fan of the Antiques Roadshow.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19- Is that true?- Massive, yeah.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23And I also was told that when you were driving down,
0:06:23 > 0:06:24who were you driving with?
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- Who were you driving with? - These guys.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29- Hello! - THEY CHUCKLE
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Now, what happened in the car as you were driving here?
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Made us play the theme and sing to it.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39You made them sing the theme?
0:06:39 > 0:06:41- Yeah.- And you played it?
0:06:41 > 0:06:42- Yeah, yeah, we did, yeah.- Really?
0:06:42 > 0:06:46- Yeah.- But also, when you came to my table,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49you had arms sort of laden with jewellery
0:06:49 > 0:06:53and I just thought, my goodness, there's a girl after my own heart,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55and on my same wavelength,
0:06:55 > 0:07:00because when I saw the collection and the variety that you had,
0:07:00 > 0:07:01that really intrigued me.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04So tell me a bit about your collection
0:07:04 > 0:07:08and why you collect and what it means to you.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10I just buy what I like,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13and I always have, from a very young age,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16loved sparkly things and pretty things.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19And I guess I've got a design background
0:07:19 > 0:07:24and I like clean lines and I like fancy stuff.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28- I like it all.- This one here, which is sort of the Odeon-esque style,
0:07:28 > 0:07:29tell me about this one.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33It was bought almost exactly ten years ago,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36actually, for my engagement.
0:07:36 > 0:07:37And I just got it at a little...
0:07:37 > 0:07:41I went up to my local little antiques junk shop
0:07:41 > 0:07:43and I said to him, "I'm after Art Deco,"
0:07:43 > 0:07:46and then I saw this and I was like, yes!
0:07:46 > 0:07:48You were buying your own engagement ring?
0:07:48 > 0:07:51- Yeah.- Right, OK. - I didn't trust him at all.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53LAUGHTER
0:07:53 > 0:07:54So, that's ten years ago.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- Yep.- And then we have over here something very different,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- and where did you buy this? - The same place.- The same place?
0:08:00 > 0:08:04- Yeah.- Very typical '60s with this bark finish.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08And you've got these marquise stones and the round brilliants,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11and, yes, that would have come from an earlier piece of jewellery
0:08:11 > 0:08:15and put into a later mount which they did a lot of that in the '60s.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20But the one piece out of all the jewellery that you showed me today,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24just made me go, "Oh, I love it," was this ring here.
0:08:24 > 0:08:30Now, this is such a bold ring for anybody to buy.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33And of course, you've got these ones here which are quite...
0:08:33 > 0:08:35um, sort of discreet in comparison.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Yeah.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40So, how... Where did you buy this and how did you buy this one?
0:08:40 > 0:08:42I got it on an internet auction site,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45and I was just kind of searching one day
0:08:45 > 0:08:48and I was, I don't know, looking to treat myself.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50- As you do.- Yeah.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54And I saw it and I just, I kind of had to have it.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57It is just the detail.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02It's a 1940s, quintessentially of that period.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06And this is just a wonderful amethyst.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10This very rich, velvety purple.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12So, we have this one here,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16and it's 18 carat white gold with synthetic rubies.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19With those wonderful diamonds, sort of cushion shaped diamonds.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21And I would say at auction
0:09:21 > 0:09:24you're looking in the region of about £1,500 for that one.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29And then, this ring here, the '60s with the marquise,
0:09:29 > 0:09:34you would be looking in the region of about £900 for that one.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36How much did you buy this for?
0:09:36 > 0:09:38£450.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Well, it's a very bold move, but I think you did very well,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44cos in the right auction today,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48I would say that would go for at least £2,500.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Wow. Yay!
0:09:51 > 0:09:52Excellent.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Now you will all definitely be singing on the way back, won't you?
0:09:55 > 0:09:56Yeah!
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- Thank you.- Well, thank you so much, for bringing it in.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Well, this toy dinner service is mid-Victorian,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10so it dates from the same time as the house here at Caversham.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12And I suppose I can imagine
0:10:12 > 0:10:15fortunate little children playing with this
0:10:15 > 0:10:19in a house like this, learning how to entertain in style.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Do you have a memory of it being played with?
0:10:22 > 0:10:24No, not that all. Not at all.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25So where did it come from?
0:10:25 > 0:10:27It was in the house
0:10:27 > 0:10:31which my great-grandfather and great-grandmother had,
0:10:31 > 0:10:35and then, when they both passed away, it went to their daughter,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37who was my great aunt, who never married.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41And when she died in the 1980s,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43everything was being cleared,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47and there was a lovely corner wall cupboard that I rather fancied,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50and I was told I could have it, but I would get what was in it as well.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52And this is what was in it.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55- Oh, so this came free with a cabinet, then?- Yes.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Oh! A lovely thing to find, I suppose,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00cos it's really everything's there, it's so complete, isn't it?
0:11:00 > 0:11:03When you look around you've got all the shapes
0:11:03 > 0:11:05for serving the different courses of dinner.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08You've got some splendid big tureens,
0:11:08 > 0:11:10a large soup tureen,
0:11:10 > 0:11:11these are vegetable tureens
0:11:11 > 0:11:13and they've got their separate stands,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16and even the little ladle there which would go inside.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19So you'd learn to serve the soup and vegetables
0:11:19 > 0:11:22- on to the right sizes of plates. - Yeah.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27So you've got dinner plates there, those will be soup plates.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30- Soup plates, yes.- And then these, well, two different sizes,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33so for other courses, little dessert plates,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36and you've got vegetable dishes,
0:11:36 > 0:11:38gravy boats,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41and lots and lots of platters for serving wonderful food.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43What fun one can have with it.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47In there. And so little, different landscape views.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49They all look like different views.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52I believe so, yes. And some of them are marked on the back
0:11:52 > 0:11:54- as to where they are. - Right, so let's have a look.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Oh, I see,
0:11:56 > 0:11:57on the printed mark, there.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- Yes.- So that's a view of Tewkesbury church.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04So you would learn about your popular views of England
0:12:04 > 0:12:06as you played with the service.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09And of course, there it tells me what I need to know which is,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13who made it? And there's the stamped mark which is Minton.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16- Minton, yes.- And little letter BB means "best body".
0:12:16 > 0:12:19- Oh, right.- That was their trade name for this earthenware.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21And little stamped in code
0:12:21 > 0:12:24is the year stamp to say that was made, well,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26that would be 1870.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27Oh, wonderful.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28And, so...
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Often these little sets were given as a special christening present
0:12:32 > 0:12:35in some way, and played with.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39Normally these child services are in blue and white
0:12:39 > 0:12:42like the sets that you would have had for,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44grown-ups would have had in the same houses.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Red's an unusual colour,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48but I think it's actually rather attractive.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50- Very subtle, isn't it? - Yes, it is, yes.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54So, surviving in remarkable unbroken condition.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57So, quite, I suppose, a lucky find inside your cabinet.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01- Absolutely.- Because I suppose it's going to be worth £700 or £800.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08It's a lot more than I thought.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Wow, that's some colour, isn't it?
0:13:11 > 0:13:14It is. The colour's, as you're probably aware,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17down to uranium in the glass.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20It is very slightly radioactive,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22but also it's a very nice colour,
0:13:22 > 0:13:26and under ultraviolet light, it does change colour suddenly.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28I've got a small collection of this stuff
0:13:28 > 0:13:30and I'm planning to have a display with a switch,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32to put the ultraviolet light on.
0:13:32 > 0:13:33You won't be the first.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38This is an area that attracts...
0:13:38 > 0:13:40people of a certain persuasion.
0:13:40 > 0:13:41They tend to all be technical.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- What's your background then? - I am an engineer.- Engineer.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46You be had to be, that or a chemist.
0:13:46 > 0:13:47And there's...
0:13:47 > 0:13:52It's true. Uranium oxide is used as the colouring agent.
0:13:52 > 0:13:58This little...what is it, a dish, I suppose, dates from 1891.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03That is provable because it has a design registration number that
0:14:03 > 0:14:08dates it to George Davidson & Co of Gateshead 1891.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10It's called Primrose Pearline,
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Pearline being a series.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16You had blue Pearline and yellow Pearline.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19So, are you going to show us how radioactive it is?
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Because there's the key.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23This is a...
0:14:23 > 0:14:25a fairly basic Geiger counter.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27IRREGULAR RAPID BEEPING
0:14:27 > 0:14:30And that's what happens when you hold it up to the piece.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32I'm getting messages. Hold on.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33They're calling me back!
0:14:33 > 0:14:35LAUGHTER
0:14:35 > 0:14:40So this is uranium glass, which is the generic name for this type.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44It's not harmful to health?
0:14:44 > 0:14:47If you've just got it under a display case, I don't think it is.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49The only way it's dangerous is if it gets broken
0:14:49 > 0:14:52and you breathe in the dust from the breakage.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55And what sort of money are you paying for your...
0:14:55 > 0:14:58I've got a collection of getting on for ten pieces now.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02I've paid between about £10-40 for them.
0:15:02 > 0:15:03That's one of the better ones.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06That was about... I think about £35, I paid for that one.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09It's worth £35, exactly what you paid for it.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11It's certainly worth 35 quid to me
0:15:11 > 0:15:13in terms of how nice it is to have it on the shelf and look at it.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25You brought your little battered case to the table and opened it up.
0:15:25 > 0:15:26Yours was the case that kept on giving
0:15:26 > 0:15:28because all these fabulous
0:15:28 > 0:15:30pieces of scrimshaw kept coming out.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32And sailors passed their time
0:15:32 > 0:15:35by doing all these lovely little designs,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37usually depicting places they'd been and ships they were on.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46These were actually made by my great-grandfather,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49who was a merchant seaman in the 19th century.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51He made these when he was at sea.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54You know exactly who did it and when they were born
0:15:54 > 0:15:55and you have photographs of the family.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57I mean, it's extraordinary.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05And a group of wonderful scrimshaw like this
0:16:05 > 0:16:07would go for between
0:16:07 > 0:16:13£4,500-6,000 in a maritime sale, easily.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18And I can't believe you've brought these here to me today!
0:16:21 > 0:16:26Well, this is a very, very lucky young lady in here.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29My goodness.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31What a beautiful bed.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33Trunk, clothes.
0:16:33 > 0:16:34- She's lovely.- She is.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37- Tell me about her. - Well, her name is Winnie.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39She's always been Winnie.
0:16:39 > 0:16:45And she was given to a sort of aunt of my mother's.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49Not a proper aunt but she was more or less was an aunt to my mother...
0:16:51 > 0:16:52..when she was a little girl.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56And then my mother had her when SHE was a little girl.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- And now I've got her. - That's marvellous.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Well, she's a lovely little French doll.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04- French?- She's French.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08And she's from, you know, she's probably 1880,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11as with this English bed.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Very, very smart bed.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19And the trunk bought from Cramer and Son in Regent Street, London.
0:17:19 > 0:17:25Now, what we don't understand now is just how rare this was.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Dolls were very expensive.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31- Really?- A doll's bed like this was very expensive.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35And a trunk full of clothes, amazing!
0:17:35 > 0:17:37- I know.- And is this the little girl?
0:17:37 > 0:17:43Yes. That is the little girl who was given the doll.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Her name was Isabel Salt.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49And she did come from quite a grand family.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Her father was Sir Titus Salt of Saltaire.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54This is a picture of Isabel Salt...
0:17:56 > 0:18:00..with my mother, and she gave that picture to my mother,
0:18:00 > 0:18:04and I believe she was actually wearing fancy dress in that picture.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07And they did entertain royalty...
0:18:08 > 0:18:12..so, possibly that was some event like that.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Well, exactly. That is the sort of social area
0:18:15 > 0:18:17we're talking about here.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20- Yeah, I think it was. - And Winnie has seen all of this.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Yes, she has!
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I hope she wore her ball gown at the time.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26- And not her nightdress. - Not her nightie!
0:18:26 > 0:18:27THEY LAUGH
0:18:27 > 0:18:30I think I'm going to lay her down before she gets her ball dress on.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Yes.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36It is very rare to find such a beautiful array of clothes.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40- She's lovely.- You must have all looked after these very, very well.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Well, she's always been terribly special.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46I can remember when I was a child,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49it was a great thrill to go and see Winnie.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51She was always there.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55And when she was in my great aunt's house, she was always in that house,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57and then when Mummy had her, even now,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00every time I went to see my mother,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02you know, I had to go and see Winnie.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04This is an amazing bed.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07This is one of the best beds I've seen for a doll of this period.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09- Is it? Oh!- It's so special.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12And you can tell that Winnie has been greatly loved.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17- She has.- And much as we don't want to talk too much about it,
0:19:17 > 0:19:18because she's just so special...
0:19:18 > 0:19:21- Yes.- But she's also valuable.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23With this little set up,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25with the trunk and with the bed and with Winnie herself...
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Yes.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30..they would easily make £800-£1,200.
0:19:30 > 0:19:31- Really?- If they were sold.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33Really? Well, they won't be.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41It was found in the south of Holland,
0:19:41 > 0:19:45on the Dutch/Belgian border near Maastricht, by a friend of mine,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48who found it as a heap of rust.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50And when he saw
0:19:50 > 0:19:53this heap of rust, he thought, "There's something in there."
0:19:53 > 0:19:58And he then buried it in his stables in horse manure,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00to get the ammonia to work,
0:20:00 > 0:20:01to get rid of a lot of the rust,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05and he managed to unearth this.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Wow. Well, I hope he's cleaned it since then.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11- Yes, he has.- I think the lovely thing about doing this show
0:20:11 > 0:20:13is that from time to time people bring us in something
0:20:13 > 0:20:15that we've never seen before.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18What it is, very simply, is it's a folding key.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23I think it's probably going to be 16th or 17th-century.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25I mean, I suppose being a folding key,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28one's going to assume it was made
0:20:28 > 0:20:30for something that probably travelled.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32That's what we were thinking.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37So maybe a travelling chest or something of that nature.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40You really rather hope that somewhere there is a wonderful chest
0:20:40 > 0:20:44sitting full of treasures, they're waiting for this key to be found.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48- Yeah.- And you could reunite the two.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51But, look, I think it would carry a presale estimate
0:20:51 > 0:20:52of between £200-300.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56That's huge.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Now, these very pretty little flower vases or posy holders,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05I would normally associate with Victorian ladies
0:21:05 > 0:21:07in massive crinoline dresses.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09I wouldn't necessarily have you down
0:21:09 > 0:21:10as an owner of them, so...
0:21:10 > 0:21:13So perhaps you could tell me why
0:21:13 > 0:21:15you're particularly interested in these.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18As a result of a break in the family,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22and that my grandfather was killed at the end of the First World War,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25we... The family history was not known
0:21:25 > 0:21:28and has not been passed down through the generations.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30And, I...
0:21:30 > 0:21:34I then researched my grandfather and found that he had...
0:21:34 > 0:21:38There are three generations of silversmiths before him,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40all called William Neal,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43and I have been collecting their silver ever since.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Amongst that has been these four posy holders
0:21:46 > 0:21:48and I'm very pleased to say
0:21:48 > 0:21:55I have four granddaughters who will use these on their wedding day.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58And walk down the aisle with them with flowers in.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01And then they will stand as they do here on the table
0:22:01 > 0:22:03at the head of the wedding breakfast.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05- Fantastic. - So, we've got representation
0:22:05 > 0:22:08from one, two, three, four, five generations of your family.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09Indeed. Yes.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13And you've presumably bought these not too long ago?
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Over the course of the last eight or nine years.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Right. You probably know that the idea was
0:22:18 > 0:22:20that you'd take them to a dance
0:22:20 > 0:22:22and if a gentleman gave you flowers,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25if you pinned your flowers into your posy holder,
0:22:25 > 0:22:27you had accepted his gift.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29They would then either carry them with them and dangle them
0:22:29 > 0:22:34from their dresses or they would put them on their little tripod stands
0:22:34 > 0:22:35so they could be shown off.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Over the last sort of 20 years, posy holders have boomed
0:22:39 > 0:22:43and then slumped again in their collectability, shall we say.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45I think if you've been buying them for the last eight or nine years,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47that's probably quite a good thing,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50because they've sort of fallen off their great high perch
0:22:50 > 0:22:52which was a little longer ago than that.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56They are all, nonetheless, quite valuable things.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58These two are, as you probably know, a pair.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03This one is absolutely gorgeous with its openwork pierced edge.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05It's just a little bit extra.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07It's just a little bit uncommon.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10And therefore probably worth a little bit more than the rest.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14These are 1870s and this one is 1864, as you know.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Now, you've bought them recently.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19So I'll tell you what I think they're worth now.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21- Go on, then.- And hopefully...
0:23:21 > 0:23:24- I won't faint. - Hopefully you won't faint.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28- But then they're presents for very special relatives.- Absolutely.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33I'm going to say that if we said that one was worth 850.
0:23:33 > 0:23:34Mm-hmm.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36These two about 750 each.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38And this one about 650.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41- Right.- Which makes £3,000.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Right. I think I need to go back to the auction house
0:23:44 > 0:23:46and get a discount.
0:23:46 > 0:23:47Oh, no!
0:23:50 > 0:23:52That's exactly what I didn't want to hear you say!
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- I'm sorry! - HE LAUGHS
0:23:55 > 0:23:57But still, they're going to very good homes.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00- Yes.- So it shouldn't really matter. - No.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03I've always fancied an Aston Martin.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05HE LAUGHS
0:24:05 > 0:24:09And as for a 1934 Aston Martin, it doesn't get much better than this.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11This is your car, you lucky thing.
0:24:11 > 0:24:12It is, yes. It is indeed.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Now, it was used in the RAF, I gather?
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Yes, that's right. There were two people, in fact,
0:24:17 > 0:24:19who we know owned the car.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22One was a Group Captain, the other was a Sergeant.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25- And this is during the Second World War?- During the Second World War.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27And obviously, they bought...
0:24:27 > 0:24:31I think one of them bought it pretty well at the beginning of the war
0:24:31 > 0:24:35and it stayed in the RAF right through to about 1948.
0:24:35 > 0:24:41I can just imagine, dashing pilot gets out of his Spitfire,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44climbs into an Aston Martin, roars off the runway.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Well, you see, that's what I like, the idea, you know,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50the car is sitting there outside the Nissen hut.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52And somebody shouts, "Scramble, scramble!"
0:24:52 > 0:24:55So they all rush to the car like this,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58and drive out to the Spitfire and off they go.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00- Wow.- And you think, yes, that must be wonderful.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02And then you come back and you pick up your mates
0:25:02 > 0:25:05and you go off to the pub and you have your pint.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09And it becomes part of the team then.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11The RAF team, in a sense.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15And it's such a romantic, glamorous, dashing history, isn't it,
0:25:15 > 0:25:16- for this car?- Well, it is. It is.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19And now you're driving it round the country lanes.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Are you feeling glamorous and romantic and dashing?
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Oh, very much so. When I don't feel too tired.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25It's a heavy car to drive.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28- Is it?- Because you've got this massive steering wheel.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Because that's the only way you can get the car round a corner.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35I mean, sometimes, you know, if you're at a junction,
0:25:35 > 0:25:36you're trying to change gear,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39because you have to, what they call, double declutch.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40I know that, yeah.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44And you have to remember that you have got the centre accelerator.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48You've got to turn the wheel, you've got to indicate,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51and by the time you've done all that, you're exhausted.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54So you feel worn out at the end of it.
0:25:54 > 0:25:55But otherwise, it's fine.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59- It's a gorgeous, gorgeous thing, I have to say.- Thank you very much.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05A Royal Air Force observer's flying logbook.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Who did this belong to?
0:26:08 > 0:26:11This was my father John Mitchell's logbook.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14And he died recently aged 97.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15He was in the war.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18To begin with, he did a bomber tour.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21And then he went to Canada for specialist navigation training.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23And worked on an astro simulator there,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27so became an astro navigation expert.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31On return to England, from 1943-1945,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35he was assigned to Churchill's special crew -
0:26:35 > 0:26:40at the beginning it was the York Ascalon, which is his VIP aircraft -
0:26:40 > 0:26:43and flew Churchill to North Africa,
0:26:43 > 0:26:48to Cairo, to Yalta, and Moscow and Tehran,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52and during that period he found foreign banknotes
0:26:52 > 0:26:54and got some of the VIPs who flew on the aircraft,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56because it wasn't just Churchill,
0:26:56 > 0:27:00it was all the major generals, and DeGaulle...
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Actually he flew the King at one point.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06And he collected these notes
0:27:06 > 0:27:09and got some of the VIPs to sign them.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11We have a banknote here
0:27:11 > 0:27:15which your father has got signed by two reasonably famous people
0:27:15 > 0:27:17from World War II, as far as I can tell.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20And I think most people will know their names.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22We see Bernard Law Montgomery,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24of the Desert Rats.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28- Absolutely.- And of 21 Army Group who landed in Normandy.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31And then underneath it, Louis Mountbatten.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35- Absolutely.- Again, another very well-known person.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38So, your father is there, flying these V-V-VIPs
0:27:38 > 0:27:40- around the world.- Yes.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43He went to the Yalta Conference.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45And if we look inside the logbook here...
0:27:46 > 0:27:52..we can actually see that flight here on 3rd February, 1945.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Your dad saying, here he is, duty as navigator.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56And as we've said he was the master navigator.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59- And it's from Luqa...- In Malta.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02In Malta. To Saki which is in the Crimea.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Which is the closest airfield to Yalta itself.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07- Indeed.- And list of passengers.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Right Honourable Winston Churchill.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Then, on this banknote, the Russian one, there,
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Winston Churchill himself.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18- Yep.- Do you have any more of these?
0:28:18 > 0:28:22Yes, I've got a number of other notes signed by various people.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26Tedder, Auchinleck, Anthony Eden,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28the Turkish Prime Minister.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32If we were going to have to say a price for them,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35I think you would probably be having to look at somewhere between...
0:28:37 > 0:28:40..well, £700-900,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43for the logbook and your unique notes.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46- Right.- I've never seen anything like this.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48So thank you very much for bringing them along.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50- Fascinating.- It's a great pleasure.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Here in this gentle breeze we've got the most curious gang
0:28:56 > 0:28:58of little people here, nodding away.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00And they just make me smile.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03But tell me, how did you end up with a collection like this?
0:29:03 > 0:29:04Where do they come from?
0:29:04 > 0:29:08Well, I go on holiday to Mevagissey in Cornwall every year.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11And about 20 years ago I stayed in a bed-and-breakfast down there
0:29:11 > 0:29:13and the lady had a little collection of them
0:29:13 > 0:29:15and I just fell in love with them
0:29:15 > 0:29:17because I thought they were so quirky.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21So, she sold me this one, the first one I ever bought,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24and then every year we've been down there, we've been looking for them.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26And this is the little collection I've managed to accumulate.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29So, over how many years has this taken you to put these together?
0:29:29 > 0:29:31About 20 years ago I started,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34but to be honest I haven't seen any for about the last ten years
0:29:34 > 0:29:37- when we've been down there.- So they're getting a bit hard to find?
0:29:37 > 0:29:38I think they are, yes.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42Well, they are the most wonderful creation of a fantastic mind.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46And they are the work of an artist potter called Bernard Moss.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48- Right.- And he actually was born in 1923
0:29:48 > 0:29:53but ended up settling down in Mevagissey in around 1949.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57And one of his loves was this sort of mechanical element,
0:29:57 > 0:30:00making things move, making things bounce.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02Hence the nodding figures.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04The one story I love about him
0:30:04 > 0:30:08is the fact that he took one of his nodding figures
0:30:08 > 0:30:10up to Heal's of London,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13took it into the ceramic buyer's office to show him,
0:30:13 > 0:30:16feeling that Heal's would take these on board,
0:30:16 > 0:30:17and he was rejected.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20They said, "No, thank you. Not for us."
0:30:20 > 0:30:23And as he walked out of the store feeling very dejected,
0:30:23 > 0:30:26he bumped into a very well-dressed gentleman who actually said to him,
0:30:26 > 0:30:28"What's the matter? What's the problem?"
0:30:28 > 0:30:32He explained, got the little nodding figure out of his bag.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34And the gentleman said, "You go back to that office and tell him
0:30:34 > 0:30:38"that Mr Worthington says we require one dozen of them.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40"Thank you." He was the director of the store.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42LAUGHTER
0:30:42 > 0:30:45And what came out of that was this lovely relationship.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48And if you look, your three nicest figures for me
0:30:48 > 0:30:49are these at the front.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53- Right.- Which, as you can see, all have on them, Heal's for fabrics.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56- Right, yeah. - And from thereon after,
0:30:56 > 0:31:00he had an order each year of between 80-100 figures only
0:31:00 > 0:31:03that would be given to their best customers.
0:31:03 > 0:31:04What were you paying for them?
0:31:04 > 0:31:06The first one I paid £20 for.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10And the most I've paid for on the others is about 70.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Well, I have to tell you, that's a good buy.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16- Is it?- Because a standard nodder at the back here
0:31:16 > 0:31:20is £200 now. A double, £250.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24And one like this with the chick, you're looking in excess of £400.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27No! Wow.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29Collectively, on the table,
0:31:29 > 0:31:34you've got somewhere in the region of £1,500-£2,000 worth of figures.
0:31:34 > 0:31:35Oh...
0:31:35 > 0:31:38- It's amazing. - Well, these have made me smile.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40- I've made you smile. - Yeah. Absolutely.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43Take them home and continue to smile. They're just fun.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45And I think what better way to finish,
0:31:45 > 0:31:47shall we just let this little Sputnik
0:31:47 > 0:31:50have one last bounce over the planet?
0:31:58 > 0:32:00What a fantastic brass dog collar.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02Can you imagine the size of the dog that is came off?
0:32:02 > 0:32:05- Definitely.- Probably a mastiff or something like that.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09"Mr G A F Bush is the master I own.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13"I know nothing of you, and so let me alone.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17"Best I foolishly fancy your hand as my bone."
0:32:22 > 0:32:24Well, as you probably know, it's probably a late 18th,
0:32:24 > 0:32:27- maybe early 19th century brass dog collar.- Right, yes.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29What's really nice, it's got
0:32:29 > 0:32:31a little handmade lock with it, as well.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33And it fully works, as well.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35With its key. Excellent. It's fabulous.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41Where did you get it? Is it something you've bought?
0:32:41 > 0:32:45It was. It was at an auction room and I paid the grand sum of £50.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Well, you did fantastically well.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Personally, I think it's probably worth 300-400.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52- Really? Excellent. - Yeah, it's fabulous.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54- Thank you so much for bringing it. - You're welcome.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01You know, I've been handling Japanese figures like this
0:33:01 > 0:33:04for over 40 years,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06and I've never seen this particular model.
0:33:08 > 0:33:09Very unusual.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12I've not seen it illustrated anywhere either.
0:33:12 > 0:33:13Where did you get it from?
0:33:13 > 0:33:16It belonged to my aunt, who had a guesthouse in Jersey.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19She bought it from an elderly lady
0:33:19 > 0:33:24who lived on the island of Jersey about 45 years ago.
0:33:24 > 0:33:25And that's all I know about it.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Well, how interesting.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29And you inherited it? And do you like it?
0:33:29 > 0:33:31Yes, very much.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33And how do you make it stand?
0:33:33 > 0:33:35It's not happy, is it?
0:33:35 > 0:33:37It's not very happy at all.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39You go round it very gently.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43And if you have people in who might be a bit...
0:33:43 > 0:33:47- Clumsy.- It gets moved. - I don't even want to try it.
0:33:48 > 0:33:54Interestingly, had you shown me just the stand,
0:33:54 > 0:33:57I would have known who this was by.
0:33:57 > 0:34:02- Really?- Yeah. That is a classic bit of gilt,
0:34:02 > 0:34:06wood stand by a very well-known maker,
0:34:06 > 0:34:08one of the best, called Miya-o.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15And it's spelt M-I-Y-A, hyphen O.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19And people who don't know read it as "meow."
0:34:19 > 0:34:23LAUGHTER
0:34:23 > 0:34:24Cat bronze man.
0:34:24 > 0:34:25Oh, right.
0:34:27 > 0:34:32He was working in Tokyo in the 1880s.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37And did some absolutely splendid figures.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39Do you know what's going on here?
0:34:39 > 0:34:44Well, I was told that he was probably an overseer
0:34:44 > 0:34:47for people who were working in paddy fields.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Hence the stilts, so he didn't get his feet wet.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52Or didn't get his clothes wet.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56Yeah. At least you're not saying, oh, he was a stilt walker.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59Was just sort of entertaining people.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02I think he's an absolutely fantastic figure.
0:35:02 > 0:35:07I mean, just look at the quality of that hair engraving.
0:35:07 > 0:35:08It's a knockout.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10- It's lovely, isn't it? - Absolute knockout.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13So, how much are we going to put on here?
0:35:14 > 0:35:18I think he would probably be 1,800-2,500.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20CROWD GASP
0:35:20 > 0:35:21- Very nice.- All right?
0:35:21 > 0:35:23Yes. Very nice, thank you very much.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28Well, this is one very attractive lady.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32And I believe your mother shared my opinion.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34She did. It belonged to a friend of hers.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38But every time she visited, she absolutely loved this picture.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41And eventually her friend agreed to sell it to her.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44Did she? Now, don't mind me being a bit cheeky,
0:35:44 > 0:35:47but did your mother tell you how much she paid for her?
0:35:47 > 0:35:49- £150.- 150.
0:35:49 > 0:35:50And this was some years ago?
0:35:50 > 0:35:53Yes, I think probably in the '50s.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55- OK.- So, a lot of money then.
0:35:55 > 0:35:56A lot of money in the 1950s.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58Was she a big art buyer, your mama?
0:35:58 > 0:36:00Not at all. As far as I know,
0:36:00 > 0:36:03she never had anything else in our house that was any value at all.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06But this, she just fell in love with.
0:36:06 > 0:36:12Well, this is a girl who a lot of people fell in love with.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16We both know, because it says on the back, Countess Sophie Potocka.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19And one person who fell in love with her big time
0:36:19 > 0:36:22was a 19-year-old Frederick Chopin.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24One tends to think of Chopin and George Sand,
0:36:24 > 0:36:27that's the usual lady in his life,
0:36:27 > 0:36:30but she was the first. She was a Polish opera singer.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33- Oh, was she?- And so they had their love of music together.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36This is a picture on porcelain.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38But not just any old porcelain.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40This is on Viennese porcelain.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43As far as the date's concerned, it's late 19th century.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47The quality just shouts at you, it really does.
0:36:47 > 0:36:48And not just the quality,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51but when you look at the border
0:36:51 > 0:36:55and this wonderful and opulent gilding
0:36:55 > 0:36:58all against this lovely burgundy ground,
0:36:58 > 0:37:03it is a treasure in every sense of the word.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06It's not easy to paint on ceramic
0:37:06 > 0:37:10because quite often some of those colours don't materialise
0:37:10 > 0:37:12until you actually fire the piece.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14So, it is a tour de force.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16It's not only a tour de force from a painting point of view,
0:37:16 > 0:37:19it's a tour de force from a potting point of view.
0:37:19 > 0:37:24Because to actually make a flat circular plaque like that,
0:37:24 > 0:37:26it really takes some doing.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30So, £150 back in the '50s.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32You know, a fair chunk of money today.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36So, what price a pretty face?
0:37:36 > 0:37:38If she turned up at auction...
0:37:39 > 0:37:44..the estimate would be between £3,000-4,000.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48Wow.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51I'm sure if the Countess was with us today,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54she would be delighted to know that everybody still loves her.
0:37:57 > 0:37:58Absolutely.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04When it comes to First World War poets,
0:38:04 > 0:38:09arguably the most famous and the most important is Wilfred Owen.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11Absolutely.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13You've brought something in that actually relates to Owen.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16Can you just give me a bit of background on it?
0:38:16 > 0:38:21When Wilfred Owen came to Dunsden, which is a village close by here,
0:38:21 > 0:38:24he came with very high religious ideals
0:38:24 > 0:38:27that had been pressed on him, really,
0:38:27 > 0:38:29by his mother through their family life,
0:38:29 > 0:38:33and through the person that gave him this small book.
0:38:33 > 0:38:38And then Wilfred Owen himself came down to this area from Birkenhead.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41How long was he in the area here for and what did he do?
0:38:41 > 0:38:42Well, he was here for two years.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47He was the lay assistant to the vicar of All Saints Church Dunsden,
0:38:47 > 0:38:52- the Reverend Wigan.- So, this book that you've brought in,
0:38:52 > 0:38:53was actually given to Owen.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56Yes, it was given to Owen by the priest of the church
0:38:56 > 0:38:59that he was going to when he was living in Birkenhead.
0:38:59 > 0:39:06- Yes.- And it was given to him on the day that he was going to be...
0:39:06 > 0:39:08He was going to take his first communion.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11- On his confirmation day? - Yes, that's what I'm trying to say.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14- Absolutely.- Yes.- So that's what it... We have the inscription here
0:39:14 > 0:39:16that is to him and we just read...
0:39:16 > 0:39:23"Wilfred Owen, from his affectionate old pastor WCF,"
0:39:23 > 0:39:24I think it is, "Robson."
0:39:24 > 0:39:27- Yep.- And then February 6th, 1910.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30"Confirmation day. And the Lord bless thee and keep thee."
0:39:30 > 0:39:34You know, the great irony, of course, of Wilfred Owen's life,
0:39:34 > 0:39:39is that he was killed literally one week before Armistice happened.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44This is something that really is close to my heart in particular,
0:39:44 > 0:39:46that Owen owned this book.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48That he touched this book, that he read this book.
0:39:48 > 0:39:55It has some value because there's so little Owen material out there,
0:39:55 > 0:39:59that we know actually belonged to him or relates directly to him.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03So I think that if this came up for auction
0:40:03 > 0:40:04it would make, to a collector,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06to a museum, even, a First World War museum,
0:40:06 > 0:40:09something like the Imperial War Museum would be interested.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12I can easily see it making somewhere between £3,000-4,000.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15- Really?- It's just the fact that Owen owned it.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18- Yeah.- Absolutely. It's a wonderful little thing.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28Well, it says, Her Majesty's Yacht.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31- Yes.- So how did you come to have a cup off Queen Victoria's yacht?
0:40:31 > 0:40:34Well, it was my mother's great uncle
0:40:34 > 0:40:38and he was an officer on board the Royal yacht.
0:40:38 > 0:40:43And when she went on her last voyage,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46she gave each one something personal of hers.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54He handed it down to his brother who was my mother's grandfather.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58And then to my grandmother.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00And then to my mother. And then to me.
0:41:00 > 0:41:01And down to you.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10So this was made by Copeland for the Royal yacht,
0:41:10 > 0:41:14for Queen Victoria, in around about 1890-1900.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16So it's well over 100 years old.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19- Oh, really? - It's been touched by a Queen.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21It's your breakfast cup.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24- My breakfast cup. - And it's worth £150.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28Well, it's very nice that it's £150.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31I think I'll drink some more tea out of it,
0:41:31 > 0:41:32and maybe then sell it.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40There's nothing more exciting for a specialist
0:41:40 > 0:41:42than to be presented with a box
0:41:42 > 0:41:47because you never know what's going to be inside it.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49SHE CHUCKLES
0:41:49 > 0:41:51- Yes.- An exquisite clock.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53It's a feast for the eyes.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55So, tell me about it.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57It was...
0:41:57 > 0:42:02a wedding present to my grandmother in 1904.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06From either her cousin or her uncle, I'm not sure...
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Those Victorian families were rather like that.
0:42:09 > 0:42:10..who lived in Paris.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14And I know nothing else about him, except that he lived in Paris,
0:42:14 > 0:42:18and he gave her this clock as a wedding present.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22Well, I always thought that there was a protocol with weddings,
0:42:22 > 0:42:25that nobody should outshine the bride.
0:42:25 > 0:42:26LAUGHTER
0:42:26 > 0:42:28I know.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30She was very beautiful, my grandmother, but...
0:42:30 > 0:42:32It's a visual feast.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35- Yes.- It's fabulous.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38And it's faded over 100 years.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42When this was new, this would have been gilt,
0:42:42 > 0:42:44the paste would have glistened.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46It would have looked magnificent.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50- Yes, yes.- This is such a typical French clock.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Really top end.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54- Yes.- Made in Paris.
0:42:54 > 0:42:591900. The decoration we're looking at, these really sumptuous colours -
0:42:59 > 0:43:05you've got turquoise, blues, lilacs, reds, everything in there -
0:43:05 > 0:43:09this is all enamel work and it's called champleve enamel,
0:43:09 > 0:43:11which I believe in French is raised field.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14- That's right, yes. - But what they actually do,
0:43:14 > 0:43:16is they scoop out the metal.,
0:43:16 > 0:43:19so this is all carved out, engraved out...
0:43:19 > 0:43:22- Yes, and then it's filled in... - ..with the enamel,
0:43:22 > 0:43:24and then it's polished back,
0:43:24 > 0:43:26and then it reveals this wonderful colour.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30And then they enhance it with this wonderful engraving,
0:43:30 > 0:43:33so you might not have noticed but there's even engraving there.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36- Yes, yes. - And then it was fire gilded.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38So that would have been a mercury gilding,
0:43:38 > 0:43:42it would have been a beautiful rich gold colour.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44And the clock itself
0:43:44 > 0:43:46is a miniature cartel clock.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48You can see you've got the bow here.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50That would have been designed
0:43:50 > 0:43:53to hang it on the wall. Not only can you hang it on the wall,
0:43:53 > 0:43:55because I know it's also got a strut on the back.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59- Yes, it has.- So a lady could have it on her dressing table, as well.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01- Yes, yes. - Well, it's a wonderful clock.
0:44:01 > 0:44:02Very, very pretty.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05As you can probably tell, I'm rather in love with it.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07If it came up for auction,
0:44:07 > 0:44:12I would imagine it would come with an estimate of between £700-1,000.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14Yes, yes, yes.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16That's very interesting. Very interesting.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19- Thank you.- That's a pleasure.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22Well, this is something I really didn't expect
0:44:22 > 0:44:24to see here today in Reading.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27A bronze by South Africa's foremost sculptor
0:44:27 > 0:44:30from the early 20th century, Anton van Wouw.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32What can you tell me about it?
0:44:32 > 0:44:34Well, this is a family piece.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36I married into a South African family,
0:44:36 > 0:44:38and it's been in their family for quite some time,
0:44:38 > 0:44:40and now we have it in England.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43Of course, Anton van Wouw is predominantly known for
0:44:43 > 0:44:45his large municipal works,
0:44:45 > 0:44:49for instance, the figure of Kruger which is in Pretoria.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51Born in 1862 in Holland.
0:44:51 > 0:44:56He then moved to South Africa in the early part of the 20th century.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59You know, this is called The Accused. If you look at it,
0:44:59 > 0:45:02you can see that this was actually sculpted from life,
0:45:02 > 0:45:05which is what he preferred to do, he didn't do it from photograph,
0:45:05 > 0:45:07it was all done from life.
0:45:07 > 0:45:12And you can see, gosh, he is the accused, standing in the dock.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14It's beautifully, beautifully executed,
0:45:14 > 0:45:16and beautifully observed, as well.
0:45:16 > 0:45:17I think he's very, very moving.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20- It's very moving, yes.- I defy anyone to look at him
0:45:20 > 0:45:23- and not feel his sadness. - Absolutely.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25You know, that is very apparent.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27If we look at...
0:45:27 > 0:45:29We can see the signature there.
0:45:31 > 0:45:32And it's dated 1907.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34Which is basically, he was at his height at that time,
0:45:34 > 0:45:37even though he didn't actually die until 1942.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40These works were mainly, actually, cast in Rome,
0:45:40 > 0:45:43cos that's where a lot of the best foundries were, actually,
0:45:43 > 0:45:44was in Rome at the time,
0:45:44 > 0:45:47and this is one of those such pieces.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50The strongest market for these bronzes is in South Africa
0:45:50 > 0:45:55but the market is quite volatile. It is very up and down, I have to say.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58So, realistically, I would think, certainly in the UK,
0:45:58 > 0:46:01you'd be looking at an estimate somewhere in the region, at auction,
0:46:01 > 0:46:03of 5,000-7,000.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08We would never sell it. It's a family piece that will stay with us.
0:46:08 > 0:46:09Well, that's nice to know. Yeah.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14My mother-in-law bought it in the Lanes,
0:46:14 > 0:46:18from an antique shop in Brighton in 1973.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20And it was rather grubby but she rather liked it
0:46:20 > 0:46:22cos she liked primitive pictures.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24Now, let's look at it.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28It's an incredibly primitively painted
0:46:28 > 0:46:29oil on canvas.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32And it depicts a scene at the Battle of Waterloo.
0:46:34 > 0:46:35Tell me what it's about.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38It's a British cavalryman, a dragoon,
0:46:38 > 0:46:42fighting two French cuirassiers at the Battle of Waterloo.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45Which actually means you can just about time it
0:46:45 > 0:46:48- to about 2.30 in the afternoon. - How interesting.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52- Extraordinary.- He's got what is called a sabretache
0:46:52 > 0:46:54hanging at his side which shows that
0:46:54 > 0:46:56he's a dispatch rider.
0:46:56 > 0:47:00And in fact if we look at the writing on the bottom,
0:47:00 > 0:47:04it says, "Thomas Abbott attacked by two..."
0:47:04 > 0:47:05- What's that word?- Cuirassiers.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07"..cuirassiers...
0:47:07 > 0:47:09"..while riding dispatch.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13"18th of June, 1815, at Waterloo."
0:47:13 > 0:47:16And here he is, Thomas Abbott,
0:47:16 > 0:47:19and here are the two French cuirassiers.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22He seems to have wounded one but I wonder if he got away?
0:47:22 > 0:47:26He apparently survived the battle and got the Waterloo medal.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29- So he's listed as having the Waterloo medal.- He is?- Yes, yes.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31Now the interesting thing is,
0:47:31 > 0:47:35that you'd have expected this to be painted around that time.
0:47:36 > 0:47:42But, in fact, this oil on canvas is a Victorian copy.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46This would have been painted in the 1860s.
0:47:46 > 0:47:51It has the Highlanders here. Which regiment is that?
0:47:51 > 0:47:5242nd of Foot, Black Watch.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55Black Watch. There they are, with their tartan.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58- Yes.- And then the French over the other side,
0:47:58 > 0:48:02and it also has this poor drummer boy right in the corner.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05And by the drummer boy, a burst cannon.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07And there seems to be a very, very...
0:48:07 > 0:48:10small signature there.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12"J Miller pinxit",
0:48:12 > 0:48:15which means painted it in Latin.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17Well, it's a wonderful picture.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20The picture itself...
0:48:20 > 0:48:24has a value. Not as much as you'd like to hope, I suppose.
0:48:24 > 0:48:30I think, today, it's worth something in the region of £600-800.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32That's fine. I'm not going to get rid of it
0:48:32 > 0:48:34cos it has too nice a story attached to it.
0:48:39 > 0:48:40Harry, you're only 16.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42But you've brought along
0:48:42 > 0:48:46one of the oldest objects we've seen on the Roadshow for a while.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48Certainly of this kind.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50And you know quite a lot about it. What can you tell me?
0:48:50 > 0:48:55Well, it's a late, mid-to-late 17th century stumpwork box.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57Now, tell us about stumpwork.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59It's raised embroidery,
0:48:59 > 0:49:02which sort of died out into the Victorian era.
0:49:02 > 0:49:03We're talking Charles II.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06Charles II. And I'm wondering if that's what it depicts.
0:49:06 > 0:49:11It's anti-Puritan, you know, with butterflies and these little pearls.
0:49:11 > 0:49:16It's sort of celebrating a return to prosperity to Britain, essentially.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18Now, where did you come by this, Harry?
0:49:18 > 0:49:21This isn't something that's just lying around in your bedroom.
0:49:21 > 0:49:22No, this doesn't belong to me, actually.
0:49:22 > 0:49:24I'm the tour guide of a historic house
0:49:24 > 0:49:26called Milton Manor in Oxfordshire.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28- Which is not far from here.- Not far.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31And this is, I think, is one of the jewels of the collection.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33Well, we're so glad you brought it along.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35It is just exquisite.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38- Oh, I think so.- And it's such a rare survivor of its kind.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40John Foster's going to be looking at it.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43I've spoken to him already. I know he's hugely excited.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45- So, he's your man.- Great, thank you.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50A fabulous piece you've brought us in to look at today.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53It looks as if any minute this wonderful eagle on the top
0:49:53 > 0:49:56is going to fly away and take everything with her,
0:49:56 > 0:49:57so before that happens,
0:49:57 > 0:49:58tell me how you came by it.
0:49:58 > 0:50:02My grandfather worked in Colebrooks game department.
0:50:02 > 0:50:06Colebrooks was a huge butchers in the centre of Reading
0:50:06 > 0:50:09and my grandfather was travelling between houses,
0:50:09 > 0:50:11buying and selling game
0:50:11 > 0:50:15and I think that when he was in the big houses,
0:50:15 > 0:50:19he saw things like this and he absolutely loved them.
0:50:19 > 0:50:20They weren't very well off.
0:50:20 > 0:50:24They lived in Liverpool Road in Reading down by the railway line.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26This was broken.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29The bird had come off at the ankles
0:50:29 > 0:50:32and the elephant heads were all very loose,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35so I think that he was able to afford it
0:50:35 > 0:50:38and was intending to mend it but never quite did.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41- Got round to it.- I took it to a restorer in Woodley.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44He did it all back and he put the bird back on
0:50:44 > 0:50:47and it's now sitting in pride of place
0:50:47 > 0:50:50on top of an equally fabulous Chinese cabinet
0:50:50 > 0:50:52in my front sitting room.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55Wonderful. It's, in fact, Japanese.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57This is called Shibayama,
0:50:57 > 0:51:00and it's a Japanese technique of inlaying and relief decoration
0:51:00 > 0:51:04that they've been using to decorate pieces like this
0:51:04 > 0:51:06since the 18th century.
0:51:06 > 0:51:11You've just got these fabulous panels, of which there are four.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13This piece itself is not in fact 18th century.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16In fact, this dates from the 19th century and it would date within
0:51:16 > 0:51:20the Meiji period, so 1868-1912.
0:51:20 > 0:51:21And what we have here is
0:51:21 > 0:51:24a koro, or sort of covered urn.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28Very much a sort of, you know, Japanese shape.
0:51:28 > 0:51:29We have lacquer.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32It's on silver, so you've got silver here.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34These wonderful elephant heads are silver.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36The eagle on top is silver.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39If I just take off the cover there, we can see inside, again,
0:51:39 > 0:51:42we've got silver both inside and out there.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45The one thing you might not have noticed, or maybe you have,
0:51:45 > 0:51:49but if we turn it all the way over there, we'll see a signature...
0:51:49 > 0:51:50- Ah.- ..on the underside.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53We know that that's by an artist called Kuroki,
0:51:53 > 0:51:57and he was making this type of Shibayama and lacquerware
0:51:57 > 0:51:59in the Meiji period.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02Today, in fact, the Japanese market is becoming stronger and stronger
0:52:02 > 0:52:04and actually these are the pieces they're going for.
0:52:04 > 0:52:08Condition is key and the condition here is very good.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11All of that said, I think if this came up for auction today,
0:52:11 > 0:52:14it would easily fetch between £3,000-£5,000 at auction.
0:52:16 > 0:52:17Yes.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19I just love it.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24So, over the years, we've seen on the Roadshow
0:52:24 > 0:52:26quite a lot of stumpwork
0:52:26 > 0:52:31and needlework, stumpwork being the raised panel sections of this box.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34You can date it quite easily to the reign of Charles II,
0:52:34 > 0:52:36sort of 1675-ish,
0:52:36 > 0:52:37because his image is on top.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40Now, how has something like this...
0:52:40 > 0:52:43Because usually, when we see it, it's faded, torn.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47How has something survived for so long in this condition?
0:52:47 > 0:52:49Well, it came from Milton Manor in Oxfordshire
0:52:49 > 0:52:51which is where I'm the tour guide,
0:52:51 > 0:52:54and the house was unoccupied for about 40 years
0:52:54 > 0:52:57and then when the family decided to move back in,
0:52:57 > 0:53:01a maid discovered this in one of the old sort of servants' bedrooms
0:53:01 > 0:53:05wrapped up in brown paper and a tablecloth.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08So she brought it down and said, "Ta-dah!"
0:53:08 > 0:53:11- The tablecloth is an interesting thing.- Yes.- The white gloves...
0:53:11 > 0:53:14Usually I always think people go a bit over the top with white gloves.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16With something like this, absolutely.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19- It's so important.- Because the salt from your fingers will rot this.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21You know, it should not be touched, basically.
0:53:21 > 0:53:26- No.- So for a young chap like you, why have you brought this in?
0:53:26 > 0:53:28Look at it, it amazing. I think...
0:53:28 > 0:53:32All the visitors that come to the house are fascinated by it.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35You know, you have to push them away, you really do.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38And it's just beautiful. Every time you look at it,
0:53:38 > 0:53:40you notice a different detail.
0:53:40 > 0:53:41The quality is incredible,
0:53:41 > 0:53:45and that's what's fascinating for everybody that looks at it.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48And what research have you done as to what it was for,
0:53:48 > 0:53:50- who made it?- Well,
0:53:50 > 0:53:54we can be fairly confident that it was made by a gentry family
0:53:54 > 0:53:58called Calton because it's exactly contemporary
0:53:58 > 0:54:02- with the building of Milton Manor. - Oh, really?- So it was...
0:54:02 > 0:54:06The house was in the hands of the Calton family for about 100 years
0:54:06 > 0:54:09and then my employer's family got it 250 years ago.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13- Wow.- So we think it's stayed with the house its whole life.
0:54:13 > 0:54:17That's interesting in itself because with something like this,
0:54:17 > 0:54:19you're showing where your allegiances lie.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22- Completely.- You've got the royals on the top there
0:54:22 > 0:54:26and when you think of what was going on politically around that period,
0:54:26 > 0:54:28you had just the end of Oliver Cromwell,
0:54:28 > 0:54:30you had then the return to the monarchy,
0:54:30 > 0:54:33from the Commonwealth, of Charles II,
0:54:33 > 0:54:36this was saying, "I am for the royals."
0:54:36 > 0:54:38And you have the royals there.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40- Yes.- Who's this?
0:54:43 > 0:54:44Are these the sort of...
0:54:44 > 0:54:45I have no idea. Tell me.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47Well, that's the thing.
0:54:47 > 0:54:49I don't think we'll ever really know,
0:54:49 > 0:54:52but why not be the owners of the house?
0:54:52 > 0:54:56- Wow.- They're giving themselves status just below the royals.
0:54:56 > 0:54:58But showing they are below the royals.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01- Yes, completely.- Again, it's like a "We're for you."
0:55:01 > 0:55:03And then when you spin it round,
0:55:03 > 0:55:07it's full of all the symbolism from couples, leopards...
0:55:09 > 0:55:11Rebecca, presumably, at the well.
0:55:12 > 0:55:16And another sort of well-known biblical story of Abraham and Isaac.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac
0:55:18 > 0:55:21and was stopped at the last moment by God.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25And again, it just sort of shows that allegiance, not only to God,
0:55:25 > 0:55:27but to the royal family of the day.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30You've got a mixture here of woolwork,
0:55:30 > 0:55:35needlework and most stunningly of all, stumpwork.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39Which is basically like the raised panels, stuffed panels.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42Stuffed with straw and all sorts of bits and pieces in there,
0:55:42 > 0:55:44but to give it this 3D image.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47And wooden hands.
0:55:47 > 0:55:48I know, they're amazing.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51- Just...- Someone with the intricacy to carve...
0:55:51 > 0:55:53- I've never seen it. - ..in such a detailed way.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55Pearl, seed pearl details.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57Yeah.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01Rabbits, butterflies, I mean, you could go on about this endlessly.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05Like I say, it's just stunning to see it like this.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07Obviously, you know what it's for.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09Yes, it's a lady's toilet box.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11Exactly. And then when you open it...
0:56:13 > 0:56:16All lined. And I know you've got the mirror here.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20I've left it out because it was just a little bit delicate in here.
0:56:20 > 0:56:21Little scent bottles.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25- Yes.- And then drawered section inside.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29And then these, all silver mounted.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32- Amazing.- It's just... It's staggering to see.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35I mean, this is museum quality at its best.
0:56:35 > 0:56:36Wow.
0:56:36 > 0:56:37OK, so...
0:56:41 > 0:56:42Value.
0:56:42 > 0:56:47At auction, easily £50-70,000.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50- Oh, my God!- Oh...!
0:56:52 > 0:56:53That... Wow!
0:56:53 > 0:56:55Shame it's not mine.
0:56:55 > 0:56:56LAUGHTER
0:56:56 > 0:56:59Er... It is a shame it's not yours.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01I can't believe it's travelled down in our car
0:57:01 > 0:57:05- and it spent the night in our sitting room.- No.
0:57:05 > 0:57:06It's...
0:57:06 > 0:57:08I've never seen anything like it
0:57:08 > 0:57:10and I don't think I will in a long, long time. Thank you.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12Thank you.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17Well, that was a great moment, wasn't it? What a reaction.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20And what a survivor, down through the centuries.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22To see something like that here on the Roadshow,
0:57:22 > 0:57:25that is a real thrill for us and for John.
0:57:25 > 0:57:27And talking of the Roadshow,
0:57:27 > 0:57:30this is what it looks like as our day draws to a close.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32We're taking the umbrellas down, people have departed,
0:57:32 > 0:57:36everyone who has come today has been seen and has gone home
0:57:36 > 0:57:39either thrilled, as that chap will, or thinking, well,
0:57:39 > 0:57:41maybe we'll just stick it back in the cupboard.
0:57:41 > 0:57:42Let it gather dust then.
0:57:42 > 0:57:45From the whole team here at Caversham, bye-bye.