0:00:45 > 0:00:47Today, we are revisiting Hanbury Hall
0:00:47 > 0:00:49near Droitwich in Worcestershire.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50For more than 300 years,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53home to successive generations of the Vernon family.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Today, it's looked after by the National Trust.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00It's an elegant country house in the style of William and Mary,
0:01:00 > 0:01:04surrounded by perfectly symmetrical, formal gardens,
0:01:04 > 0:01:09but not everything is it seems, both outside and within.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Completed in 1708,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14the house was built for Thomas Vernon,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17who made his considerable fortune as a lawyer.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20And he spared no expense when it came to designers and craftsmen.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Perhaps the most striking feature of the hall is this series of
0:01:23 > 0:01:27wall paintings all up the grand staircase and on the ceiling.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31It really is art on an epic scale.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Thomas Vernon had amassed a fabulous fortune and then,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38as so often with these grand old houses,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42successive generations did a very good job of spending it all.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45By 1920, Sir George Vernon had to sell off pretty much the
0:01:45 > 0:01:48entire contents of the house, and pockets of the land as well,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51to settle hefty bills and pay rising taxes.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54And this is just one of many of the sale catalogues.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59So, what you see today are not the original furnishings and fittings,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03but an interpretation of how the house would have looked.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07This wallpaper was bought as recently as the 1980s.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09These gardens aren't what they seem either.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12One of Thomas Vernon's descendants, Emma, along with her new husband,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15decided they were terribly out of date,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19so they were unceremoniously dug up and replaced with what was then much
0:02:19 > 0:02:21more fashionable, natural landscaping
0:02:21 > 0:02:23in the style of Capability Brown.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27So what you see today is, again,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30a recreation of what the original gardens looked like,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32based on 18th-century plans.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36The gardens were finally restored as late as the 1990s.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Let's hope our experts get to see the real thing today
0:02:38 > 0:02:40as they welcome our visitors.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46This is a lovely object. Tell me what it is.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50I haven't the faintest idea what that is!
0:02:50 > 0:02:52- Not a clue.- Not a clue.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54We don't have a clue.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58It currently sits on a shelf next to a lava lamp, if that's any help.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02OK, well, it's not a lava lamp, so that limits the ideas.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03I'm going to ask you,
0:03:03 > 0:03:08obviously...you live up here now in the, sort of, Birmingham area.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Where did you live when you got that?
0:03:10 > 0:03:14- Kent.- That's jolly interesting because what you have,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17it's got a title to it, which is a Sussex something.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Now, obviously Kent borders Sussex
0:03:19 > 0:03:21and some of these were made in Tunbridge Wells.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Shall I tell you what it is?
0:03:23 > 0:03:25- Yes.- Did you live in Tunbridge Wells?
0:03:25 > 0:03:28No, no, no. I worked in Sussex for a long time.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30- No, we lived in Sevenoaks.- OK.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34This is a Sussex spice tower.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36THEY GASP
0:03:36 > 0:03:37Really?
0:03:37 > 0:03:39LAUGHTER
0:03:40 > 0:03:43A Sussex spice tower?!
0:03:43 > 0:03:48But... And I can see why you don't know what it is, because the clues,
0:03:48 > 0:03:55which were all on these little labels here, have worn off.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00It would have said, cloves, mace, cinnamon, whatever.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04And, look, when you undo each of these...
0:04:05 > 0:04:09..it's a fabulous, sort of, almost like a construction toy.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12It's a beautiful piece of woodcraft.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Often these were made of Sycamore, and this one,
0:04:16 > 0:04:21probably dating from the early part of the 19th century, so 1820, 1830.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23- Goodness.- It's getting better and better.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25It is getting better and better. Amazing.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28How much is the lava lamp worth?
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Well, I think we bought the lava lamp for 9.99.
0:04:31 > 0:04:32- OK. - LAUGHTER
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Is that £9.99?
0:04:34 > 0:04:35£9.99.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39- Not 999?- No.- OK, so, it's worth a bit more than a lava lamp.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42In this condition - which is missing its titles,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45slightly knocked about inside,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48but it's obviously been used, which is fab -
0:04:48 > 0:04:51I would put it at around 200 to £300.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54- Oh, my goodness.- You're joking.- Wow.
0:04:54 > 0:04:55That's just amazing.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59I wonder, do you think it actually even still smells of spice?
0:04:59 > 0:05:00It might do.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- It smells of something. - Oh, it does smell of spice.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07- You're right, yes.- There's something there.- Definitely.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09So, there we go.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11We've learned something today -
0:05:11 > 0:05:14if you don't know what it is, take the lid off and smell it.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15LAUGHTER
0:05:15 > 0:05:16And that'll give you a clue.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23So, what have we got here, then?
0:05:23 > 0:05:25It's a travelling decanter case
0:05:25 > 0:05:28that I inherited from my godfather this year.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30The only thing that I know about it is
0:05:30 > 0:05:34- this piece of paper was inside it.- OK.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37This says that on the 17th of October, 1992 -
0:05:37 > 0:05:40which is what, 23 years ago? -
0:05:40 > 0:05:43this tantalus, which it isn't,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47was estimated at dating between 1850 and 1860
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- and a valuation of 1,400 quid. - Apparently.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53So, let's examine that.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56It's not a tantalus. A tantalus is a lockable device.
0:05:56 > 0:05:57It's tantalising.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59It comes from Tantalus,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02who was punished by being thrown into a river,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and he was crazed with thirst,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08and every time he went to drink the water, the waters pulled back.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11So water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13And the tantalus was a locking thing
0:06:13 > 0:06:17- to keep the servants' thieving mitts off your booze.- OK.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20So, this is a decanter case. You've correctly described it.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23And the date? 1850, I'm sure that's about right.
0:06:23 > 0:06:29If you went to the Great Exhibition in 1851 and you went to one of the
0:06:29 > 0:06:32French stands there, of which there were many,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35this is the sort of thing precisely you would have seen
0:06:35 > 0:06:38at the Great Exhibition in 1851.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40It's really good quality.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43And I'm going to focus on the metal, funnily enough.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47If you look at the casting of that, it is absolutely gorgeous.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48I mean, crisp...
0:06:48 > 0:06:53Er, the gilding on the decanters is super.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57It's completely, apart from some ingrained filth...
0:06:57 > 0:06:58SHE LAUGHS
0:06:58 > 0:07:02- Thank you.- ..it's in really perfect condition.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03There's really nothing wrong with it.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05And there lies the problem, you see.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Why is it in such good nick? Because nobody ever used it!
0:07:08 > 0:07:10- Nobody used it. - Cos nobody ever used it.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14I'm looking at a valuation of 1,400 quid in 1992...
0:07:16 > 0:07:18..and I'm going to ask you guys...
0:07:19 > 0:07:24..if this was in your house, ladies and gentlemen, would you use this?
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Would you use this at all? What would you do with it?
0:07:27 > 0:07:29You just wouldn't... You would use it, would you,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31- you cheeky little monkey? - LAUGHTER
0:07:34 > 0:07:37The only one is seven years old, who's going to...
0:07:37 > 0:07:40I'm not seven years old! I'm five years old!
0:07:40 > 0:07:42I do beg your pardon!
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Well done, guv!
0:07:44 > 0:07:48So, look, the irony is that this is worth, today,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51exactly what it was worth 23 years ago.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53It has not moved at all.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55It is just static.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Because, whilst some people appreciate the fab quality
0:07:59 > 0:08:03that we're seeing here, it just doesn't fit into modern lives.
0:08:03 > 0:08:04- No.- That's the issue.
0:08:04 > 0:08:09It's a fabulous object that is wanted by very few people,
0:08:09 > 0:08:14which is the reason that relative to its quality, it's dirt cheap.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Yeah. Well, it's still beautiful.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17- I agree.- Yeah.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23We rarely encourage people to bring their whole library
0:08:23 > 0:08:26to the Antiques Roadshow, it's just too much to deal with, but...
0:08:26 > 0:08:29when it's a library like this, we'll make an exception.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31It's so cute.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33It's a miniature library.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37It looks like a glazed bookcase, but it's tiny.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41And we open the door, which I can't resist doing,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43and it's full of tiny, miniature books.
0:08:44 > 0:08:45- How many have we got?- 55.
0:08:45 > 0:08:4755, you've counted them.
0:08:47 > 0:08:48- Yes.- Fantastic.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50And what sort of books have we got?
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Oh... Well, that's a fairy story, I think, isn't it?
0:08:54 > 0:08:55Fairy stories, that one?
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- Yes, Cinderella and Other Fairy Tales.- Yes.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Very nice fairy tale book.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02What about this one? The Thumb Confession Book.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04I don't know about that one.
0:09:04 > 0:09:05I've missed that one out.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08But how lovely. Tiny little books that fit in the palm of the hand.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Tiny little books for a 13-year-old girl.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13- A 13-year-old girl?- Well...
0:09:13 > 0:09:17- Who are we talking about?- We are talking about Beatrice Selfridge,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21daughter of Gordon Selfridge of Selfridges,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23and she was born in 1901,
0:09:23 > 0:09:28and these books were given to her for Christmas in 1914, as it says.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29She's signed every one.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33So, you knew about them as a much younger girl.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Yes. My grandmother had the...
0:09:35 > 0:09:38She bought the... We have the receipt in here.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42She bought these in...
0:09:45 > 0:09:47..1949.
0:09:47 > 0:09:48And why did she buy them?
0:09:48 > 0:09:51What attracted her to this little library?
0:09:51 > 0:09:54The Selfridges and my grandparents were great friends.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58They had the shops next door to each other in Oxford Street.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00My grandparents had Penberthy's,
0:10:00 > 0:10:05which was basically gloves by royal appointment, and they were great
0:10:05 > 0:10:06friends with the Selfridges,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10and obviously Granny saw this in an antiques shop
0:10:10 > 0:10:11and thought, "I'd rather like it."
0:10:11 > 0:10:13- She couldn't resist? - She couldn't resist.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16- I can completely understand that. - Yes, yeah.
0:10:16 > 0:10:17It's wonderful in many, many ways.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22There are collectors of miniature books in my world,
0:10:22 > 0:10:23the world of the book collecting.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26There are people who will want an example of every miniature book
0:10:26 > 0:10:30ever printed, and they love the individual books themselves,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34- although I would say they're not fantastically rare as books.- No, no.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39These are miniature books that we see occasionally, from time to time,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42and if you'd brought me just a few of the books on their own, I'd say,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45"Well, that's very nice, but probably not terribly valuable."
0:10:45 > 0:10:48But the fact you have a whole collection of them, 55 of them,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52and they're in this gorgeous bookcase, and the Selfridges.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55I mean, everyone knows the Selfridges all over the world.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58- Yes, yes.- So, if you were a collector of miniature books
0:10:58 > 0:10:59in America and you knew that...
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- These were all signed by...- Little Beatrice...
0:11:02 > 0:11:06- ..little Beatrice... - ..Selfridge in 1914...- Yes.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08..you'd really want it, wouldn't you?
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Yeah, I suppose you probably would.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Well, I think it's lovely.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- It's seen some life, unfortunately, hasn't it?- Yes.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Are you responsible for that?
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Probably! As a child, I probably was.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Yes, exactly. I did use them.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24You know, I really enjoyed it.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26And, in a way, all of that is as nothing.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29It just doesn't matter. What's important here is,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31what we're looking at is just a beautiful object
0:11:31 > 0:11:34and the fact it has this wonderful provenance
0:11:34 > 0:11:35- with the Selfridge family.- Yes.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40I think I would stick my neck out and say probably 1,500 to £2,000.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Good. Thank you very much. I'm not going to sell it.
0:11:44 > 0:11:45SHE CHUCKLES
0:11:47 > 0:11:49One of our visitors has brought in an object
0:11:49 > 0:11:52that's got our experts rather foxed.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54So, here it is.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55Any ideas?
0:11:58 > 0:12:04When I look at these, I think of... the spirit of the 1920s.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- Jazz, energy, Hollywood.- Yeah.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08What do you think of?
0:12:08 > 0:12:10They are quite theatrical, I think.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14What about now?
0:12:14 > 0:12:15Any clearer?
0:12:16 > 0:12:19It has a really great action, look, if we operate it.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22It mechanically chugs up and down the string...
0:12:22 > 0:12:23and you can vary the speed,
0:12:23 > 0:12:25depending on how fast and how hard you pull it.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28What about if I added this?
0:12:31 > 0:12:32Now what do you think?
0:12:32 > 0:12:36They were made in the 1920s, 1930s...
0:12:37 > 0:12:41- ..by Joseph Lorenzl, but, as a group, worth £2,000.- OK.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48What if I added this?
0:12:50 > 0:12:51Still not sure?
0:12:52 > 0:12:56So, I think this one is going to be more or less £2-300.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59- Fantastic.- Great little things. Thank you.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Maybe the final piece tells you all you need to know?
0:13:05 > 0:13:07- Anyone?- Spices.
0:13:07 > 0:13:08Spices.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- Church.- Something to do with the church?
0:13:11 > 0:13:13- Fondue.- Fondue?!
0:13:13 > 0:13:15LAUGHTER
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Well, the truth is... we don't really know.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21I've shown it to almost all of our experts here.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Hilary Kay thought maybe sewing accessories.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Spice is a possibility.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Salt, pepper and nutmeg.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32And Eric Knowles said it was a TOP.
0:13:32 > 0:13:33A thing of purpose.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37A little birdie has told me
0:13:37 > 0:13:40that you've actually made quite a journey to get here today.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Absolutely.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44We left home at 4:30 yesterday morning
0:13:44 > 0:13:46from the West Coast of Ireland to come here.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48I'm a huge fan of the show.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50I've been watching it for donkey's years.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54My children do not come near me on Sunday night.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Yeah, so, we've been travelling since yesterday to get here.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59And why this year particularly?
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Well, it's my 60th birthday this year.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06I don't believe you for one moment!
0:14:06 > 0:14:09- I've never seen such a young 60-year-old.- Thank you.
0:14:09 > 0:14:10She does not look 60.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Thank you. The gift is a 60th birthday gift,
0:14:15 > 0:14:16and my son's godfather,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19who lives in Jamaica Plain in Boston,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22gave me this cos he knows that I like unusual jewellery,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24but I don't really know much about it.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Well, the jewels date from around late 19th century,
0:14:28 > 0:14:33- so about 1880, 1890.- Oh, really? I didn't know it was that old. Yeah.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36And this is when you had people going off round Europe
0:14:36 > 0:14:41- on the grand tour...- OK. - ..and they would collect souvenirs,
0:14:41 > 0:14:48and this is a wonderful example of a souvenir from a trip like that
0:14:48 > 0:14:51and this is what's called Roman mosaic.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- Oh, mosaic.- Sometimes you also hear micromosaic,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57but it was made in Rome.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59This is quite brash. It's quite colourful.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Yeah, particularly the wings of the top insect there.
0:15:02 > 0:15:03They're very colourful.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Also, that's really interesting that you point out the bugs,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09- because, during this period, the Victorians loved bugs.- Did they?
0:15:09 > 0:15:11LAUGHTER
0:15:11 > 0:15:14- OK!- Well, they are like a jewel themselves.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17They would wear a lot of beetle wings and... You know,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20so the fact that they were depicting insects and beetles in jewellery
0:15:20 > 0:15:24was, again, sort of, you know, they were inspired by that.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28- It's in silver-gilt, so it's not gold.- OK.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31This would have been worn as a pendant and, of course,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33these wonderful drop earrings.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35- Fabulous earrings.- They're gorgeous.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38And in fact, you're going to wear this, I hope?
0:15:38 > 0:15:39I intend to, yeah, I do.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Because it is silver-gilt,
0:15:41 > 0:15:43it is sort of made for the tourist industry.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45It's not, erm...
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- it's not something that's going to...- Fabulously wealthy or...
0:15:48 > 0:15:51- But then, that's not what it's about, is it?- No, it's a gift.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55And the fact that this started off life in 1880 in Italy,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- it's found its way over to America...- And back to Ireland.
0:15:58 > 0:15:59..back to Ireland...
0:15:59 > 0:16:01And here in Britain!
0:16:01 > 0:16:03I think that's just a fabulous journey!
0:16:03 > 0:16:05It's wonderful, for my 60th birthday,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08to actually hear what it's about, so thank you so much.
0:16:08 > 0:16:14Oh, well, at auction, if you were to put this in a sale, you know,
0:16:14 > 0:16:18- it might get £3-500, but it's not about that.- No.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23It's about the journey of the jewel and its continued journey with you.
0:16:23 > 0:16:24Great.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28You like? You don't like?
0:16:29 > 0:16:31- Like.- Like?
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- Yes.- OK, how long have you liked it for?
0:16:34 > 0:16:36I've liked it ever since I've known it.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40My parents had it for their wedding in 1936
0:16:40 > 0:16:44and I've absolutely loved it cos I love the feel of it.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46You know, it's just beautiful.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49The colour is right and the feel is lovely.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52I've no idea what it is, but I love it.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55I tell you, I was the first person to take these things seriously
0:16:55 > 0:16:59- as an auctioneer in the early- '70s. Right.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Nobody liked this stuff. It was just dismissed.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08But it seemed to me that it was such fantastic quality...
0:17:08 > 0:17:13- Hmm, yes.- ..and there was so much meaning in what was going on,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16and blow me, they were marked on the bottom.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18I know, and I don't know what the marks mean at all.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19OK, well, let's have a look.
0:17:21 > 0:17:22That's the right way up.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Erm...
0:17:24 > 0:17:28We've got on here a Shimazu mon.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32That's one of the princely families of Japan.
0:17:32 > 0:17:39And in the area was the Satsuma factory.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41I did wonder, because of the...
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Are they chrysanthemums on there?
0:17:45 > 0:17:48- Or not?- When we turn it up, we'll have a look.- OK.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52We've got "Dai Ni Hon" - "great Japan".
0:17:52 > 0:17:53Right.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55We've got "Satsuma" -
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Satsuma, they've abbreviated the mark.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00It's a more complicated character than that.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02And then "Niyaki", which is "fired" or "kiln".
0:18:04 > 0:18:06We've got white dragons.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11- Yes.- Dragons in... in Europe are bad news.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14They come and eat you, we lock the city down.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18In Japan, or in China as well, they are good news.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21- Right.- And they are always associated with water,
0:18:21 > 0:18:25so this white dragon is over the water.
0:18:25 > 0:18:26Yes.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30- They bring food, they bring harvests...- Right.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32..because they bring the rains.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34- Hence the water. - Oh, I see. Hence the water.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37And they often fly about in the sky and bring the rain down.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42We've also got various panels of flowers, as you rightly say,
0:18:42 > 0:18:44chrysanthemums, we've got peony,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47we've got... There's your chrysanthemums.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49And we've got lilies.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51A great pot.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54- I love it.- Whether it was made in Satsuma as it says on the bottom,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57I don't know. I have my doubts.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59I'm beginning to suspect that these Satsuma pieces
0:18:59 > 0:19:01were actually made in Kyoto.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05I'm trying to prove it, but I'm not getting very far, but we'll see.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06Erm...
0:19:07 > 0:19:12I have found dated pieces of this so-called Satsuma.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17I think if they're anything, this is probably about 1870.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21The interesting thing about these is that in the early '70s,
0:19:21 > 0:19:22I would have got...
0:19:23 > 0:19:25..3,000 for that pot.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28- Not now.- What's happened to the Japanese market?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Yeah, afraid you're right, afraid you're right.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36You could buy that today for £800-1,200.
0:19:36 > 0:19:37Right.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39- It will go up.- Yes.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42When, I can't tell you.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45- Hang on to it, because you love it. - I would anyway. I love it, yes.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47- Absolutely.- Thank you very much for bringing it in.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Thank you very much. I now know what it is.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50- I never did before.- Good.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58The size is just ridiculous, isn't it?
0:19:58 > 0:20:00- They say size is everything, but... - SHE LAUGHS
0:20:00 > 0:20:04- Where did you get it from?- Well, he came into my family in 1957.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07He belonged, originally, to a German lady
0:20:07 > 0:20:10who was a very close friend of my grandmother's.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13When she died, my grandfather went up to the house
0:20:13 > 0:20:19and her adopted son was just about to throw him on a bonfire.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22- Erm, originally, he was one of a pair.- Oh!
0:20:22 > 0:20:25There was a bear that was a similar size and they stood either side
0:20:25 > 0:20:27of this lady's front door.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31My grandfather managed to rescue the owl but we're pretty sure that the
0:20:31 > 0:20:34- bear succumbed to the flames, I'm afraid.- Wow.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35And what about the owl?
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Have you found out... Which country would you say?
0:20:37 > 0:20:40- My guess is Black Forest.- Exactly.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44It's a native softwood to that area, pine or something like that.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46That's what we all associate with Black Forest,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49that sort of souvenirware, for want of a better word.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50I mean, this is great quality.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53You have the hall stands and you have one of this size.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55- And when you say that would have been one of a pair...- Yes.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59..it's just mind-blowing to think one went on the bonfire.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01- The restoration hasn't been great.- No.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05You know, there are bits which are dodgy about it. It's got...
0:21:05 > 0:21:07er, worm damage.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09All of that can be, sort of, sorted out.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12I think this dates from 1890s, 1900,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16and whether it was an exhibition piece in the beginning,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19I think that's possible, or a commissioned piece for...
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Literally a house like this, you'd say,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25"I want a piece that big because my house is so impressive."
0:21:25 > 0:21:26And this is as good as it gets.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33The bear, sadly, that went on the bonfire, er...
0:21:33 > 0:21:35You know, it's a shame, it does spoil the value.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37The damage will spoil the value.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40But £3-5,000.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41SHE GASPS
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Oh... Right!
0:21:43 > 0:21:46I know it sounds awful, but they burned the right one!
0:21:46 > 0:21:47LAUGHTER
0:21:50 > 0:21:54Well, we've had many strange glances and some curious guesses
0:21:54 > 0:21:58as to just what this extraordinary contraption is in front of us.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Now, who did this device and the two cases of stuffed fish
0:22:02 > 0:22:04originally belong to?
0:22:04 > 0:22:08They belonged to a gentleman called John Henry Hirst,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11who was a Yorkshireman who actually patented
0:22:11 > 0:22:16this, er, rather unusual fishing rod in 1928.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- That's John Henry Hirst.- OK.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Now, he's in First World War uniform and I already had a look at the
0:22:23 > 0:22:30carp and there's a reference to him having caught these fish in 1915.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33He caught them at a place called Ypres,
0:22:33 > 0:22:38which was a flash point of the First World War.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39Of course, two famous battles.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41The first Battle of Ypres
0:22:41 > 0:22:43and the second Battle of Ypres,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45- which, indeed, was fought during 1915.- Yes.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49But what on earth was this man, enjoying himself fishing
0:22:49 > 0:22:52when he should have been at the front with the other lads?
0:22:52 > 0:22:54He was actually at the front
0:22:54 > 0:22:58and because he was such an obsessive and very skilful angler,
0:22:58 > 0:23:03he was excused all other duties, which enabled him...
0:23:03 > 0:23:07- Really?- It enabled him to catch fish for the men to eat.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Fantastic. A bit of fresh meat, a bit of protein,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14which would have raised morale.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19- Absolutely.- And indeed, he was sat there fishing as missiles,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22shells blew over his head, exploding not far away.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24I mean, the guts of the man.
0:23:24 > 0:23:30I mean, this is true British grit and eccentricity, isn't it?
0:23:30 > 0:23:32I think you've hit the nail on the head with "eccentricity"!
0:23:32 > 0:23:36But, yes, he was an obsessive and very, very skilful angler.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37Sure, sure.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42Of course, he sent the two carp back to London from the Western front
0:23:42 > 0:23:44to be actually stuffed.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47And, in fact, they're labelled "John Cooper and Sons",
0:23:47 > 0:23:51who's one of the most famous historical fish taxidermists
0:23:51 > 0:23:52of all time.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57The firm was established in the early part of the 19th century
0:23:57 > 0:23:58and became famous for its fish,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02and to have two provenance carp from the First World War
0:24:02 > 0:24:04is a quite exceptional.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06After the war,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10he obviously took fishing even more seriously and came up with this.
0:24:10 > 0:24:11He did indeed.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15He was a match angler and he had a theory that he needed to
0:24:15 > 0:24:19- be further out from the bank than his competitors...- OK.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24..so he produced this very long, very sturdy fishing rod
0:24:24 > 0:24:27that wouldn't have been available in the materials of the day,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30so this was to give him an advantage in match fishing.
0:24:30 > 0:24:331928, he patented this particular rod.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38- We have seen photos of him with a similar, but longer, rod.- Oh!
0:24:38 > 0:24:42So, somewhere out there, there may be another.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46- Can I have a go?- You can have a go, by all means.- OK, have a look.
0:24:46 > 0:24:47Yep, here we are.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51Now, there's a bit of a screw thread there, presumably for tensioning.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54- That tensions the rod, absolutely. - Here we go.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59Gosh, well, immediately, it's just incredibly light.
0:24:59 > 0:25:00- It is, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04And it's made, interestingly, of bamboo and it's painted,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07it looks like aluminium, but bamboo, look.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Fantastic, but, er...
0:25:10 > 0:25:12I feel kingpin here with this!
0:25:12 > 0:25:13THEY CHUCKLE
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Incredible. So, he would cast
0:25:16 > 0:25:19and obviously steal a match on his competitors.
0:25:19 > 0:25:24There was an attempt by John Hirst to market them,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27- but his son tells me it wasn't at all successful.- Right.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29But what was successful, of course,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32was his match fishing exploits with this rod.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34He was thought of as almost unbeatable
0:25:34 > 0:25:35when he had this rod in his hands.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38OK, well, look, the second case of fish
0:25:38 > 0:25:43is four dace caught with this rod on the south River Tyne,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45and, again, a Cooper case.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48The case of carp with the provenance,
0:25:48 > 0:25:54it's a £1,500-2,500 case of fish, as long as it stays with the rod.
0:25:54 > 0:25:55The dace, probably a little bit less.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Perhaps 1,000-1,500.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00But the rod, goodness me.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03How do you value something that's never been on the market before?
0:26:04 > 0:26:07I think when it comes to it, I'm going to put...
0:26:07 > 0:26:09an auction estimate of maybe £3-5,000.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Have you ever been to the railway station at Braintree in Essex?
0:26:17 > 0:26:20No, I haven't. Never.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Never? And did you know that this was Braintree?
0:26:22 > 0:26:24I didn't, actually, no.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27I mean, this is just the most extraordinary, brilliant design.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31You really feel the railway station has just been placed
0:26:31 > 0:26:33in this very simple, green landscape.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36And of course, it's by a real sort of powerhouse, an amazing artist,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Edward Bawden, who was one of the great designers,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42illustrators and artists from the 20th century.
0:26:42 > 0:26:43Tell me, where did it come from?
0:26:43 > 0:26:48It was actually given to my parents as a wedding present in 1961,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52which is the same date on the actual label
0:26:52 > 0:26:55on the reverse of the painting.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58There is a Zwemmer Galleries label on the back, and what's interesting
0:26:58 > 0:27:02about that is that Zwemmer Galleries had a great relationship with Bawden
0:27:02 > 0:27:05and gave him his first major show in 1934.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06Right.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11So, here we have what seems to be a very simple design but, of course,
0:27:11 > 0:27:13it's actually very, very sophisticated,
0:27:13 > 0:27:17and he's really focused on the architecture of the railway station.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20This is a very modern image from 1961
0:27:20 > 0:27:23and, of course, you're looking at a diesel train.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27Hardly any human element to this print at all,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30apart from the rather humorous driver in the front.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33And the diesel train would be replacing steam, of course,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35so it would be very much a modern statement from Bawden.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39He would have known this railway station
0:27:39 > 0:27:41because when he was a student
0:27:41 > 0:27:45going down to Liverpool Street train station from Braintree as a student,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48he would use the station a great deal.
0:27:48 > 0:27:49So, have you done your own research?
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Do you know anything about Edward Bawden?
0:27:52 > 0:27:54I did actually look it up on the internet,
0:27:54 > 0:27:58where I actually found a picture exactly like this.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02I took the picture down and had a look on the back
0:28:02 > 0:28:04and it actually said number one,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06as though the first purchaser,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10and that's when I found out it was by Edward Bawden.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13So, apart from being a great designer, water-colourist, painter,
0:28:13 > 0:28:17he was also a brilliant printer and this is a linocut print
0:28:17 > 0:28:21and these sorts of prints have become very, very popular,
0:28:21 > 0:28:25and the artists would cut out the design with a sharp implement,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28and on the surfaces that haven't been carved out,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31ink would be applied and then the paper would be pressed against that,
0:28:31 > 0:28:36and in some instances, artists would use several pieces of linoleum
0:28:36 > 0:28:37to make this design.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41Of course, you're only really looking at three or four colours.
0:28:41 > 0:28:42We come to value.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Now, value's quite complicated with this print
0:28:45 > 0:28:48because a print like this should be signed.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Now, we're not going to take this print out of its frame,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53purely because the paper is touching the glass,
0:28:53 > 0:28:56- so there's a further journey with this picture.- Yes.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00Without a signature, it's certainly worth £2-3,000.
0:29:00 > 0:29:01Nice.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Now, if a conservator can put that right
0:29:04 > 0:29:08and not damage the surface of the print and take it out easily,
0:29:08 > 0:29:11and, on the lower right-hand corner or lower left,
0:29:11 > 0:29:13there is a signature by Bawden,
0:29:13 > 0:29:15then it's worth three or four times that.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19It's worth £6-8,000, possibly even £7-10,000.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23You know, you've got the Zwemmer Galleries provenance,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26you've got a fantastic image by a great British design
0:29:26 > 0:29:28from the 20th century.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31I hope that we can prove that there's a signature under there -
0:29:31 > 0:29:33there should be - and that it's not trimmed,
0:29:33 > 0:29:37and then it can be conserved, and then it will be a perfect story.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40That's nice to know. Thank you very much.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Now, I imagine that this is going to tell us something.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46- Can you tell us who these people are?- Yes.
0:29:46 > 0:29:47It's my dad's family.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50The baby with the wondrous bonnet is my dad,
0:29:50 > 0:29:54erm, with his sister, mother and father.
0:29:54 > 0:29:59That was 1905, because my dad was born early 1905.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03The belt has come, I think, from her via mum and dad.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06It's very small, so I think it had probably belonged to her,
0:30:06 > 0:30:08his mother, Harriet.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10And this is Harriet in the photograph with the hat on?
0:30:10 > 0:30:13- Yes.- And does she had any connection with China,
0:30:13 > 0:30:15- where this belt comes from? - Not that I'm aware of.
0:30:15 > 0:30:20Where it originated or how she came by it, I have got no idea.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24You've already tried, no doubt, to buckle this belt up.
0:30:24 > 0:30:25No chance!
0:30:25 > 0:30:27HE LAUGHS
0:30:27 > 0:30:31I'm not a fat man, but this is not going to be anywhere close.
0:30:31 > 0:30:37I think if we put it on the average hole on this belt,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40you've got a waist of about, I don't know, 18 inches, maybe 20.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44Which is why I thought of her, because an Edwardian lady
0:30:44 > 0:30:46wouldn't be outside the door without a corset.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50No, she must have pulled her corset pretty tight, I think.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52That's incredibly small.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56This has been made in China in about... Hmm, around about 1900.
0:30:56 > 0:30:57OK, right.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01- It's not something that you can wear these days, clearly.- No.
0:31:01 > 0:31:06- So it's more of a collector's item than a fashion item.- Oh, yes.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09- But its Chinese silver, which is always interesting.- Right.
0:31:09 > 0:31:10It's got a dragon over the front,
0:31:10 > 0:31:15so I think if you went into a shop to go and buy one of those again,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18it's going to cost you about somewhere between £2-250.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21Good gracious! Good heavens above!
0:31:24 > 0:31:28I'm looking at a mini Austin, an Austin J40 pedal car
0:31:28 > 0:31:31and we're within about ten miles of the Longbridge factory
0:31:31 > 0:31:34where the full-size Austins were made.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36I think you worked there, didn't you?
0:31:36 > 0:31:41- Yes, I did.- But you bought it for your son because of that connection?
0:31:41 > 0:31:46I also bought it because when I was very young, about seven, eight,
0:31:46 > 0:31:50they were introduced and I liked it very much,
0:31:50 > 0:31:53and my parents wouldn't buy it me
0:31:53 > 0:31:55because I was a little bit too big for it
0:31:55 > 0:32:00and I was very upset about that, so when I found one nearby for sale,
0:32:00 > 0:32:04I bought it for my son to make up for me not having one.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07I bet you were the envy of all your mates.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10I was, yeah, and I think my mates had something to do
0:32:10 > 0:32:13with the condition it's in now, unfortunately!
0:32:13 > 0:32:14LAUGHTER
0:32:14 > 0:32:17It had a bit of a rough ride, did it?
0:32:17 > 0:32:19I think it did, yeah, I think it certainly did, yeah.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23Well, let's talk about the car for a moment because it was this
0:32:23 > 0:32:27extraordinary visionary, the chairman of Austin, Leonard Lord,
0:32:27 > 0:32:34who knew of the plight of the miners in Southern Wales,
0:32:34 > 0:32:36who had... A lot of them had a terrible lung disease
0:32:36 > 0:32:38from working in the mines,
0:32:38 > 0:32:42and they were looking for alternative employment for them,
0:32:42 > 0:32:47and he set up this company in South Wales to make the J40,
0:32:47 > 0:32:51the Junior 40, which was loosely based on the Austin A40,
0:32:51 > 0:32:52the Devon, wasn't it?
0:32:53 > 0:32:59And that factory in Wales started producing the J40 in 1949
0:32:59 > 0:33:03and had a 22-year-run and went right the way through until 1971,
0:33:03 > 0:33:06so it was second hand, this, then, when you got it?
0:33:06 > 0:33:09- Yes.- OK. But look under the bonnet.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11I mean, this is just great, isn't it?
0:33:11 > 0:33:13There's the space there for the battery,
0:33:13 > 0:33:18which would have powered the Lucas headlights and the little horn.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21And then I love this sort of child's version of what they thought an
0:33:21 > 0:33:23engine might look like with the spark plugs.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Just great.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29It's missing its little Austin motif off the top.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34Coming round to the cockpit here, with the steering wheel,
0:33:34 > 0:33:37you've got all your instruments in the panel,
0:33:37 > 0:33:41the pedals and the handbrake.
0:33:41 > 0:33:47And then, coming down to the boot here, you've actually...
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Oh, a nice bit of carpet in there. That's good.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52But you've actually got the serial number,
0:33:52 > 0:33:57which you probably have seen, which is 31923.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01And that will date it precisely.
0:34:01 > 0:34:08I think just over 30,000 were made in that 22-year-run,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11so there are a lot around, but there's still a huge demand.
0:34:11 > 0:34:17I would put the value at around £2,000 for a car.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19Wow.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21Gosh. Wow.
0:34:21 > 0:34:22Not bad.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26Erm... Because it does need a little bit of work to it.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29I want to know if it still works.
0:34:29 > 0:34:30OK, Oscar, give it a go.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32One, two, three, in you get.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36- Now, Dad, are you going to give it a push?- I'll give it a push.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38Who are you going to aim for?
0:34:38 > 0:34:39Straight ahead.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41HE LAUGHS
0:34:44 > 0:34:46Cool, kitsch and colourful cats.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48- Exactly, yes. - I take it you're a cat lover?
0:34:48 > 0:34:50I am, yes.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53He's papier mache and he's china.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56You've spotted the main difference and I'll come to that in a moment.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01Well, I came into the tea tent for a cup of tea and I've immediately been
0:35:01 > 0:35:04distracted because what do I find? I find this fantastic tin-plate toy,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07and I suppose I'm going to have to ask you, does it still work?
0:35:07 > 0:35:09Yes, and I can demonstrate it
0:35:09 > 0:35:11cos I've been running it for the last 24 hours
0:35:11 > 0:35:14- to make sure it's working! - THEY LAUGH
0:35:14 > 0:35:17They're by a lady called Joan de Bethel,
0:35:17 > 0:35:19who, with her husband, David,
0:35:19 > 0:35:23set up a company in Rye in Sussex in 1960 to produce papier mache cats.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Now, they might look, sort of, slightly gaudy,
0:35:26 > 0:35:28but, actually, they took up to a day to paint and decorate.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32- OK, so give me a demonstration, then.- Will do.
0:35:34 > 0:35:35WHIRRING
0:35:37 > 0:35:39- Yes! - HE LAUGHS
0:35:42 > 0:35:45That is brilliant. I love the way he gets on and off.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50These are really quite sought-after, particularly in papier mache.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52They were only produced for a limited period,
0:35:52 > 0:35:55they were quite expensive and they're quite sought-after.
0:35:55 > 0:35:56There's a good collectors' market for these.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58You're probably looking at around...
0:35:58 > 0:36:02- I suppose around £80-120, maybe, for the ceramic one...- Hm.
0:36:03 > 0:36:08- ..and probably £250-ish for the papier mache one.- Oh, right.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13I think if you were going to put that into a good toy sale,
0:36:13 > 0:36:17you would get £4-500 for that.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19- Never!- Absolutely. Absolutely.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22- You're joking. No. - You're not going to though, are you?
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Oh, no! No, no, absolutely not, no!
0:36:25 > 0:36:26Even my son hasn't played with this!
0:36:26 > 0:36:28- Oh, really?- I won't let him!
0:36:33 > 0:36:35I know what those things are.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41What I don't know is, why are they cut to different lengths
0:36:41 > 0:36:43and, to be absolutely honest, what is it?
0:36:44 > 0:36:48They are German cartridges, as far as I know,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51which were made by a German soldier in the trenches
0:36:51 > 0:36:52in the First World War.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56When we made one of our pushes to push them out of their trenches,
0:36:56 > 0:36:57he left them behind.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00My grandfather jumped in the trench, saw them there -
0:37:00 > 0:37:04I presume they were hanging on a piece of string along the wall -
0:37:04 > 0:37:06cut them down, put them in his kitbag,
0:37:06 > 0:37:10and bought them home for his son and two daughters. And here they are.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Do you know what those things are? You say they're shells.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16- No, that's why I'm here. - OK, those are, technical fact,
0:37:16 > 0:37:1937 millimetre quick firer.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22Fires a one-pound projectile.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26Germans used them. We used a similar thing, a pom-pom.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30But I still want to know why they've been cut to different lengths,
0:37:30 > 0:37:32cos that doesn't seem to make any sense.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Well, it's entertainment value. He was bored.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39He was sometimes in the trenches for weeks, I'm told,
0:37:39 > 0:37:41and you can play a tune on them.
0:37:41 > 0:37:42You can play a tune on them?
0:37:42 > 0:37:43- I can play a tune on them. - Go on, then.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47I don't believe a word of this, but go on, play a tune for me.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52HE PLAYS DO-RE-MI
0:38:01 > 0:38:03APPLAUSE
0:38:05 > 0:38:09It's a great thing and I love the story.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12One little interesting thing - those are all German shells,
0:38:12 > 0:38:15but it's held together there and at the other end,
0:38:15 > 0:38:18those two projectiles are British 303 ones.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21Looking at it, I'm desperately racking my mind,
0:38:21 > 0:38:22trying to put a value on it.
0:38:22 > 0:38:23Erm...
0:38:23 > 0:38:26For a musical instrument, it's about 30p.
0:38:26 > 0:38:27Erm...
0:38:27 > 0:38:30I would think something like that, because it's First World War,
0:38:30 > 0:38:33it's trench art, it's got a fantastic story to it.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38It's not a vast amount, I would have thought, perhaps, £200,
0:38:38 > 0:38:43but it's brilliant and your musical skills are just phenomenal.
0:38:44 > 0:38:45Thank you.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50- Well, it's made as a baking dish for cooking on...- Ah!
0:38:50 > 0:38:52..and it clearly has had a lot of use!
0:38:52 > 0:38:55- WOMAN LAUGHS - How do you use it at home?
0:38:55 > 0:38:59I just have it on the coffee table full of cones or goods.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03I've been looking at it and trying to work out what way up is it?
0:39:03 > 0:39:05Has it got a top or bottom?
0:39:05 > 0:39:08I don't know. It's like a child's painting, isn't it?
0:39:08 > 0:39:10It's awfully childlike, isn't it?
0:39:10 > 0:39:12And that's what slipware was all about,
0:39:12 > 0:39:14a type of very basic pottery,
0:39:14 > 0:39:17made all over the country, all over Britain.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19Probably, this wasn't made that far away.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21It could be a Midlands piece.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24It could have been made in Worcestershire or in Staffordshire.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27And the design just done by dribbling on
0:39:27 > 0:39:30one colour clay onto another.
0:39:30 > 0:39:31Sometimes, these dishes,
0:39:31 > 0:39:34when they have little, fingered shapes like that,
0:39:34 > 0:39:37are said to be related to glovers or gloving.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41Sometimes you get... It's meant to be a little hand or a glove.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44That seems to be a design you sometimes find on these dishes.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46That would fit with Worcester.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49It's a big area for glove-making, isn't it?
0:39:49 > 0:39:51So maybe it was always used there.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54But, but you're local. Has this always been in the family?
0:39:54 > 0:39:59Yes, I inherited it when my grandmother died.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03She would be about 100 now, if she was still alive, so.
0:40:03 > 0:40:08Dating these is terribly difficult because they are such basic objects,
0:40:08 > 0:40:12but looking at the appearance, we've got to be several hundred years old.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16I think we're going back to perhaps the middle of the 18th century,
0:40:16 > 0:40:191750 or something like that.
0:40:19 > 0:40:24- Wow.- It's got a bit bashed and worn around the edges,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28but it's still, inherently, a great object.
0:40:28 > 0:40:29I love it, yeah.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32And slipware is always expensive,
0:40:32 > 0:40:37so even rubbed, even bashed and knocked around, erm,
0:40:37 > 0:40:39it's still going to be £2,000.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41Oh, my goodness!
0:40:41 > 0:40:42SHE LAUGHS
0:40:42 > 0:40:44Oh, wow. Gosh.
0:40:45 > 0:40:46Thank you.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49Whenever I see a little Morocco case like this,
0:40:49 > 0:40:52I know there's going to be something pretty exquisite inside it,
0:40:52 > 0:40:54but I can also see that this is annotated.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56There's a name on the front, there.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58I can't quite read it and it's dated 1906.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00What does the name say?
0:41:00 > 0:41:03That's the name of my great-great grandfather, Ioannis Peridis.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05Right, OK, we'll come back to that in a second,
0:41:05 > 0:41:07but let's open the case up,
0:41:07 > 0:41:12and what we have inside is a really, absolutely exquisite-looking medal.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15Now, I know that that medal pertains to the date on the front of it and
0:41:15 > 0:41:20this is actually a 1906 silver Olympic medal,
0:41:20 > 0:41:23so I'm assuming that your great-great grandfather
0:41:23 > 0:41:26won this medal at the 1906 Greek Olympics?
0:41:26 > 0:41:28- He did, yeah.- He did? That's absolutely amazing.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30How fabulous is that?
0:41:30 > 0:41:32What event did he win this silver medal for?
0:41:32 > 0:41:35- It was single trap shooting. - Single trap shooting.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39OK. One of the problems with the Greek Olympic Games in 1906
0:41:39 > 0:41:41is that was what was called an Intercalated Games.
0:41:41 > 0:41:47It was kind of inserted and wasn't strictly official in that sense.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49It then subsequently became unrecognised
0:41:49 > 0:41:51as an official Olympics.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54So, basically, the International Olympics Committee
0:41:54 > 0:41:56doesn't recognise the medals from this Games.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58- Strange, eh?- Yeah.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01- What did you know about him? - Not a lot, really.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05I mean, it's been in the family for over 100 years,
0:42:05 > 0:42:06sitting in a cupboard, really,
0:42:06 > 0:42:09and I just thought, since it's passed down to me,
0:42:09 > 0:42:13I really want to, you know, bring it back to this proud state
0:42:13 > 0:42:16that it should be in and I'm very, very proud of him,
0:42:16 > 0:42:20that he did get to compete, let alone win a silver medal.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Yes, well, I'm glad you feel like that about it
0:42:23 > 0:42:25because it is something to be proud of,
0:42:25 > 0:42:28you know, one of your ancestors obviously competed in one of the
0:42:28 > 0:42:29- greatest Games in history. - Absolutely.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33I have to say, I would be really chuffed to own something like this.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36You know, in many ways, it's kind of almost... I don't know,
0:42:36 > 0:42:38I don't really want to talk about value in some ways
0:42:38 > 0:42:40cos you can't attach a value to that,
0:42:40 > 0:42:42that kind of sentiment,
0:42:42 > 0:42:44but - I will be honest with you -
0:42:44 > 0:42:48these are very, very sought-after and very, very collectable.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51If this were to come up in a good sporting sale at auction,
0:42:51 > 0:42:53this could make as much as £3,000.
0:42:53 > 0:42:54Wow.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00It's a nice thing. It's a really lovely thing and quite rightly,
0:43:00 > 0:43:02you should be very proud of it.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04I mean, I am. I mean, that's...
0:43:04 > 0:43:08I couldn't put a price on it myself and I was never really thinking
0:43:08 > 0:43:10of selling it at all.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13This is very much, in my mind, priceless to me.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18So, a tusk with a tail.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21- It is indeed. - This extraordinarily long tusk.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23How on earth did it get to the Roadshow,
0:43:23 > 0:43:25let alone into your possession?
0:43:25 > 0:43:28Well, it came in my old Saab, literally!
0:43:29 > 0:43:32- It belonged to a customer of my husband's...- Right.
0:43:32 > 0:43:34..who became very ill, retired,
0:43:34 > 0:43:37and he used to go and see him until he died.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41And then his sister gave that to Duncan
0:43:41 > 0:43:43as a thank-you for going to see him.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47So, the gentleman who gifted it,
0:43:47 > 0:43:50was he out in the Arctic waters
0:43:50 > 0:43:53where this tusk would once have belonged
0:43:53 > 0:43:56to a great whale called the narwhal?
0:43:56 > 0:44:00Yes, I was told he was an Arctic explorer in his youth,
0:44:00 > 0:44:02then he became a builder and decorator or whatever.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05So the original explorer would have been out there,
0:44:05 > 0:44:07perhaps in 1910?
0:44:07 > 0:44:08I should think so.
0:44:08 > 0:44:12- Probably around them.- Yeah.- But now I understand it belongs to you.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15- It certainly does.- So you have a passion for natural history?
0:44:15 > 0:44:17I've always loved natural history.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20My stepfather came home one day with this and said,
0:44:20 > 0:44:22"I bet you don't know what that is."
0:44:22 > 0:44:25And I said, "Well, it's in a narwhal tusk", and he was so staggered.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28That's why she's got it now!
0:44:28 > 0:44:30So he's left it to me.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34Well, you lucky thing, because it's a magnificent narwhal tusk.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36I'll be honest, it's the longest narwhal tusk
0:44:36 > 0:44:38I have ever come across.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41And this, indeed, erupted
0:44:41 > 0:44:45from the lips of male narwhals
0:44:45 > 0:44:51and they can grow, really, up to about ten feet long.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54This is nearly ten feet long.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58- And because it's covered in enamel, it's just a huge tooth...- Mm-hm.
0:44:58 > 0:45:04..it acquires this lovely patina and, of course, the tusk spirals.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06Indeed, back in the 16th century,
0:45:06 > 0:45:09- they thought these were the horns of unicorns...- Yes.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12..and that had come from centuries before.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14- Looks just like it, doesn't it? - Well, it does, yeah.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17Now, there are laws governing the sale of narwhal tusks
0:45:17 > 0:45:20because it is a near-threatened whale,
0:45:20 > 0:45:23so it would need a Cites license.
0:45:23 > 0:45:28To prove, basically, that it's before 1975,
0:45:28 > 0:45:30because it's such a good large one,
0:45:30 > 0:45:35I think at auction you could expect between £15-25,000.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37- Goodness me.- Good lord! That much?!
0:45:37 > 0:45:39LAUGHTER
0:45:39 > 0:45:41So look after your tusk!
0:45:41 > 0:45:43- We will.- Absolutely, we shall. - Clean it regularly.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50Two small girls in this photograph.
0:45:50 > 0:45:51Yes.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54Who are they?
0:45:54 > 0:45:58This one on the right is Violette Szabo as a child.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02This one on the left is a lady that was a good friend of mine,
0:46:02 > 0:46:05who was Vera Maidment - that was her maiden name -
0:46:05 > 0:46:09and she... In turn, they were lifelong friends.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11And we know Violette
0:46:11 > 0:46:15because Violette is one of our heroines of this country,
0:46:15 > 0:46:21SOE operative, went to France, fought behind enemy lines...
0:46:21 > 0:46:22That's right.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25..was killed at the very end of World War II
0:46:25 > 0:46:27in one of the infamous concentration camps
0:46:27 > 0:46:32and she won the highest award that, er...not even as a civilian,
0:46:32 > 0:46:37- but a non-combatant can win, the George Cross.- That's right.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40But this little lady had another job in Violette's life,
0:46:40 > 0:46:42- didn't she?- She did.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46When Violette went off to do her missions,
0:46:46 > 0:46:48she looked after Violette's little daughter, Tania.
0:46:49 > 0:46:54And she... Violette asked her if, in the event of her death,
0:46:54 > 0:46:56she would become guardian to Tania.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59You see, that's just a dreadful thing to have to do, isn't it?
0:46:59 > 0:47:04To actually set off on a mission and actually know
0:47:04 > 0:47:06- that you're not going to come home. - That's right.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10But she had the foresight to leave her most treasured possession,
0:47:10 > 0:47:13her little girl, to her best friend.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15And then we have this wonderful photograph
0:47:15 > 0:47:19of the beautiful Violette, signed to Vera
0:47:19 > 0:47:22and dated January 1944.
0:47:23 > 0:47:27One year before she was killed in the concentration camp.
0:47:28 > 0:47:30I would think that...
0:47:31 > 0:47:36..you would have to say, for the two photographs, £500.
0:47:36 > 0:47:37Gosh.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41- Thank you very much. - It's a pleasure. Wonderful.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44- Thank you. Lovely. - And what a gorgeous-looking lady.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47- Yes.- Wasn't she beautiful? - Very beautiful.
0:47:49 > 0:47:54So how many years has this lady been lodging with your family?
0:47:55 > 0:47:58Er, I can't give you a precise number of years,
0:47:58 > 0:48:01- but it used to belong to my grandparents...- Mm-hm.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03..maybe my great-grandparents.
0:48:03 > 0:48:07So they would have purchased it back in the what?
0:48:07 > 0:48:08The 1930s, maybe?
0:48:08 > 0:48:11- Yes, I would think so. - Right, OK.- Yes.
0:48:11 > 0:48:18We are looking at a woman who represents an age,
0:48:18 > 0:48:21- and that age is the interwar years.- Right.
0:48:22 > 0:48:26And we're looking at the emancipated woman.
0:48:26 > 0:48:30She's holding a bow and it may well be that she is a friend
0:48:30 > 0:48:32of Diana the Huntress.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35She has got that Amazonian look to her.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38She's stood with a very assertive posture,
0:48:38 > 0:48:41so this is a woman that,
0:48:41 > 0:48:43not only does she go out doing her own archery,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46she probably, you know, is driving her own car.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48She may be even flying a Tiger Moth.
0:48:48 > 0:48:49LAUGHTER
0:48:49 > 0:48:51And she's built for speed.
0:48:52 > 0:48:58She's got this wonderful athletic body and this was the age of...
0:48:58 > 0:49:02"Stay young and beautiful if you want to be loved."
0:49:02 > 0:49:06They were the sort of things that you wouldn't actually buy
0:49:06 > 0:49:08in an art gallery, as such.
0:49:08 > 0:49:12You'd buy them at jewellers' shops or if you were playing golf
0:49:12 > 0:49:15at Gleneagles, you might have bought one in the shop there.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18They were seen as art objects.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20So, what's the family view on this?
0:49:20 > 0:49:24I mean, is this something that's revered
0:49:24 > 0:49:27or is it something that's just there in the corner?
0:49:27 > 0:49:29Well, both, I suppose. Erm...
0:49:29 > 0:49:32I mean, I've had it for the last 15 years.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35It does take pride of place, actually, in the sitting room.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37- She is liked.- It's by a bay window.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40Well, she is nigh on near as good as the day she was made.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43I'll tell you just a couple of things that are missing.
0:49:43 > 0:49:44- Yeah.- And that...
0:49:44 > 0:49:48and that is that the cheeks would normally be slightly rouged
0:49:48 > 0:49:52and the eyes would be painted in and sometimes you get the girls
0:49:52 > 0:49:53with dangly earrings as well,
0:49:53 > 0:49:56and it's a bit like a Petrushka-type character.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58You know, you think they're going to talk to you any minute.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00Erm... What about the maker?
0:50:00 > 0:50:02What's the name you've come up with?
0:50:02 > 0:50:05- Preiss is the name that I've seen...- Yes.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07- ..at different antique fairs...- Right.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10..and I thought she might be similar.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12- Ferdinand Preiss.- Oh, right.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14Ferdinand Pre...
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Well, I know she is definitely Ferdinand Preiss
0:50:16 > 0:50:19because I've seen the signature on her.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21- Oh!- Oh, right.- Right.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23That was, erm, through your monocle?
0:50:23 > 0:50:25You don't know she's signed at all?
0:50:25 > 0:50:28- No!- Oh, right, so you've been living with her for all these years...
0:50:28 > 0:50:29LAUGHTER
0:50:29 > 0:50:32OK, well, if... I'm going to turn her around very quickly
0:50:32 > 0:50:38because we will see on this plinth, the name F Preiss.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40- It's inscribed... - I've never seen that before.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42..into the black Belgian slate.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44So, Ferdinand Preiss,
0:50:44 > 0:50:47he's in partnership with a man called Kassler
0:50:47 > 0:50:52and sometimes you get the PK monogram
0:50:52 > 0:50:54on the back of a piece for the foundry mark.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57They're based in Berlin and they produce
0:50:57 > 0:50:59a whole range of subject matter.
0:50:59 > 0:51:03A lot of the figures are quite athletic -
0:51:03 > 0:51:07tennis players, skiers, skaters.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09The thing I like about her is the fact
0:51:09 > 0:51:12that she's on this lovely stepped plinth.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16- It's an architectural plinth. It just raises the game.- Yes.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20- I think with the way the market is today...- Yep.
0:51:20 > 0:51:24..bearing in mind she's in such lovely condition, because, you know,
0:51:24 > 0:51:27- just look at the enamelling on her. - Despite a lack of make-up?
0:51:27 > 0:51:29Despite the lack of rouge, erm,
0:51:29 > 0:51:32if I told you she was worth...
0:51:32 > 0:51:34£7,000, would you be pleased?
0:51:34 > 0:51:36Yes, I would, yes, of course. Yes.
0:51:36 > 0:51:41So, I know that she's worth £10,000, so would you be delighted?
0:51:41 > 0:51:46I would be delighted, but I didn't come here with those expectations!
0:51:46 > 0:51:48- No? No? - LAUGHTER
0:51:51 > 0:51:55Let me ask you, sir, where did they come from?
0:51:56 > 0:52:00My wife found them in some buttons in a box of sewing things
0:52:00 > 0:52:02that she picked up at a local auction.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04All right, when did this take place?
0:52:04 > 0:52:07Friday night. About eight o'clock.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09LAUGHTER
0:52:09 > 0:52:14- So, we're talking about a day and a half ago, you bought these.- Yes.
0:52:14 > 0:52:19What was special about the box that made your wife buy these?
0:52:19 > 0:52:23The ribbons, the cotton reels and the price, I think.
0:52:23 > 0:52:24Which was?
0:52:24 > 0:52:26£2 plus commission.
0:52:26 > 0:52:31- So £2 plus the auction house's premium on top.- Of 26p.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33So, in other words, £2.26.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36- Yes, that's correct. - LAUGHTER
0:52:36 > 0:52:38- That's not very much, is it? - Not a lot, no.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40I assume that they didn't even really know
0:52:40 > 0:52:42that this was in this box, did they?
0:52:42 > 0:52:44- No.- All right.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46First of all, what are they?
0:52:46 > 0:52:50- They are four little buttons.- Mm-hm.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54Each of the buttons is pretty, it's very well matched.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56You can see it is a set.
0:52:56 > 0:53:02And the surface of each of the disks is covered with enamel decoration.
0:53:02 > 0:53:07- Mm-hm.- And if I just pick up one of these and turn it over,
0:53:07 > 0:53:09we see that, typically,
0:53:09 > 0:53:13the back of it is mounted in a rose-coloured metal.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17Now, the first thing to say is that this isn't base metal,
0:53:17 > 0:53:19this is gold.
0:53:19 > 0:53:23This is 14-carat rose gold.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27So, right away, we are moving up from your £2.26...
0:53:27 > 0:53:28LAUGHTER
0:53:28 > 0:53:32..to a value which is far, far more dramatic than that,
0:53:32 > 0:53:36maybe in the region of 40 or £50,
0:53:36 > 0:53:39just because of the fact that they're, you know, gold.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43The little loop, which you can see at the back there,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46do you see that there is a little impression
0:53:46 > 0:53:48of what looks like a mark?
0:53:48 > 0:53:50- Yes.- Right.
0:53:50 > 0:53:57On that mark, I see a stamp of the number 56.
0:53:57 > 0:54:01Big, important feature, that, because if it's stamp 56,
0:54:01 > 0:54:06- it suggests, to me, that it's Russian.- Mm.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08Gold, and it's Russian.
0:54:08 > 0:54:15Now, on the back as well, there is a little engraved date,
0:54:15 > 0:54:20which is the 5th of December, 1904,
0:54:20 > 0:54:23which means we're talking about something which was Russian,
0:54:23 > 0:54:26made at the start of the 20th century.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29- Are you following me along here? - Oh, yes.- Right.
0:54:29 > 0:54:30LAUGHTER
0:54:30 > 0:54:35The little mark on the back, the little pair of letters...
0:54:36 > 0:54:42..is the mark of a goldsmith by the name of August Hollming.
0:54:42 > 0:54:43Mm-hm.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47This man, Hollming, is quite an important man
0:54:47 > 0:54:51because he used to be one of the principal workmasters
0:54:51 > 0:54:54for Peter Carl Faberge.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56- CROWD MURMUR - Ooh.
0:54:57 > 0:55:03In other words, what you bought for your £2.26...
0:55:03 > 0:55:06- LAUGHTER WOMAN:- Oh, my Lord!
0:55:06 > 0:55:08- My wife bought.- Your wife bought.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10Don't know if you'd have bought it, but your wife bought it.
0:55:10 > 0:55:15..was a set of Faberge gold cufflinks.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19I say cufflinks because you could make them into cufflinks...
0:55:19 > 0:55:20Indeed, yes.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24- ..although they are ostensibly four little buttons.- Yes.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26Each of the buttons matching up,
0:55:26 > 0:55:32guilloche, which means the engraving underneath the colour
0:55:32 > 0:55:37gives a reflection of almost like a secular sunburst or whirling effect,
0:55:37 > 0:55:40- which is a delicious feature of Faberge.- Yes.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43One of them is damaged.
0:55:43 > 0:55:47In other words, yes, they are inconsequential.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50If they were not by Peter Carl Faberge or this man, Hollming,
0:55:50 > 0:55:53they would be worth considerably more than you paid,
0:55:53 > 0:55:56- but probably no more than £50.- Right.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58But they're not worth £50, are they?
0:55:59 > 0:56:00- I hope not.- No.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05They're going to be worth £1,000-1,500, aren't they?
0:56:05 > 0:56:09- CROWD GASP - Oh, wow.- Gosh.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11- They've been in the family for 40 hours.- 40 hours.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13LAUGHTER
0:56:13 > 0:56:15- APPLAUSE - Thank you.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19Oh, Lord.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25At £1,500, that's more than 600 times what they paid for them.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30Now, one last surprise for Roadshow veteran, David Battie.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34David, I wonder if we could interrupt you just for a second
0:56:34 > 0:56:37because Christopher Payne's got something
0:56:37 > 0:56:39that he wanted to show you and get your expert opinion on.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41Can you possibly identify the sitter?
0:56:44 > 0:56:46Oh, no!
0:56:47 > 0:56:49No, I can't help you with that.
0:56:49 > 0:56:50Oh!
0:56:50 > 0:56:51No, I'm sorry.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53I've no idea why you brought me that.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55Everyone, who do you think this looks like?
0:56:55 > 0:56:56CROWD: David!
0:56:56 > 0:56:59LAUGHTER AND MURMURING
0:56:59 > 0:57:00Thanks a bunch(!)
0:57:02 > 0:57:05From the Antiques Roadshow, until next time, bye-bye.