0:00:04 > 0:00:07Can it really be true that behind the civilised facade
0:00:07 > 0:00:10of the Antiques Roadshow, there are simmering tensions?
0:00:10 > 0:00:14I can reveal that a father and son have been at loggerheads for quite some time.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Welcome to Priceless Antiques Roadshow.
0:00:41 > 0:00:46What's the collective noun for a collection of collections?
0:00:46 > 0:00:51Well, whatever you call it, that's what our miscellaneous expert Mark Allen has to make house room for.
0:00:51 > 0:00:57In this episode, Mark tells us why he's been bitten so badly by the collecting bug.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01I seized upon antique drinking glasses when I was very young,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04as a collectible, because they were just easy to buy.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08I found I could go out and buy them for 20p, 30p, 50p and what better
0:01:08 > 0:01:13than drinking out of a beautiful 18th century glass like that?
0:01:13 > 0:01:15If you've got room for more stuff at home,
0:01:15 > 0:01:19jewellery specialist John Benjamin has a hot tip for the future.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24Well, I thought what could I bring along in these rather difficult times that we're in, that would be a
0:01:24 > 0:01:29piece that's affordable, wearable, beautiful?
0:01:29 > 0:01:31It's quite difficult, isn't it?
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Then, I thought, yes, there has to be something.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36And a grudge is revealed.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41Henry Sandon explains how his son John got the better of him one memorable roadshow day.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45I didn't do the Whitney Court roadshow, son John it did it, curse him.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50He got the most magnificent slipware that has ever turned up on the roadshow.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53If I had been there, I'd have fought in tooth and nail to have it.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Lots of buildings bear scars from bombing raids of World War Two.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03This place, Kenwood House in north London,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07miraculously survived assaults on the capital during both world wars.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11While the damage done to buildings during conflict is usually easy to
0:02:11 > 0:02:16repair, the impact on human memory is often much harder to erase.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Our military expert Graham Lay recalls some moving encounters
0:02:20 > 0:02:22with descendants of prisoners of war.
0:02:30 > 0:02:36Between 1939 and 1945, more than 230,000 Allied servicemen were
0:02:36 > 0:02:40captured and imprisoned in camps within German-occupied territory
0:02:40 > 0:02:43but for many, the war was far from over.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50I feel the roadshow is terribly important from one aspect in particular.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54It helps to uncover, to show to the general public
0:02:54 > 0:03:00those stories that the individual stories, that people could tell
0:03:00 > 0:03:02that are mainly kept within the family.
0:03:04 > 0:03:05This is presumably him, is it?
0:03:05 > 0:03:09It was my father, when he first joined up.
0:03:09 > 0:03:15- What's this group photograph? - It's a group photograph of the Stalag camp he was in.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Which one is he there?
0:03:17 > 0:03:20- He's got the curly hair. - The one at the end, the far end.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24In the prison camps, there were specialists of all types, particularly radio specialists.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29It was my father's water bottle during the world wars.
0:03:29 > 0:03:30OK.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36Within it, it actually reveals a small crystal set radio.
0:03:36 > 0:03:41This looks like it's just been cobbled together out of old screws
0:03:41 > 0:03:47and bits of wood and bits of metal, that he must have come across while he was a prisoner.
0:03:47 > 0:03:48- Yes.- That's astonishing, isn't it?
0:03:48 > 0:03:53What I find amazing is the ingenuity of people.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56The knowledge they had in the 1930s and '40s,
0:03:56 > 0:04:02it was possible to put together a crystal set which was capable of receiving signals from England.
0:04:02 > 0:04:08He survived the five years in a prisoner-of-war camp and conveyed messages to the rest of the camp
0:04:08 > 0:04:12about what was actually going on back home.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14To make something like a radio
0:04:14 > 0:04:20must be quite an astonishingly brave thing to do because you ran the risk of being discovered.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23If you were discovered, there were pretty severe penalties.
0:04:23 > 0:04:29The threat of reprisals didn't stop prisoners coming up with brilliant plans to escape.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Those who made repeated attempts were sent to one of the most famous
0:04:33 > 0:04:37camps, Colditz, deemed escape proof by the Germans.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Colditz is Colditz. Now, come on, tell us the story.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47At the beginning of the war, Dad joined up with the Royal Engineers
0:04:47 > 0:04:49and he was sent as a Royal Engineer to blow up bridges.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54He didn't get too far into the countryside, I think he might have blown up one bridge and then
0:04:54 > 0:05:00moment, some tanks appear and some bullets come through the windscreen and for him, the war is over.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04- Did he go into Colditz straight away? - No, first of all, he went to Laufen.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08We feel terribly privileged when people come to us
0:05:08 > 0:05:13with these objects that tell an incredibly powerful story.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Being a mining engineer, he built an enormous tunnel,
0:05:15 > 0:05:20- contributed largely to it and for this, he was sent to Colditz.- Right.
0:05:20 > 0:05:28- I see this is dated 1941, so it must have been done there. - It was done in Colditz.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32The portrait was sent back to Britain and was featured in the Illustrated London News.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37Now we come to this album. I'm sure it's full of wonderful things.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39It's actually the forged work papers.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42My dad had worked in Yugoslavia before the war in the 1920s, and
0:05:42 > 0:05:48spoke fluent Serbo-Croat so he was down there as a Croatian,
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Petar Gribiksch, I think is the name, as a Croatian worker.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54When he escaped, these were his work papers.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- Wonderful.- All forged.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00The prisoners' ingenuity didn't stop at forging new identities.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04It was also vital to keep morale high with entertainment.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15It was possible for the prisoners to organise various entertainments to keep them busy.
0:06:15 > 0:06:22I remember at Leicester, a lady coming in with some concert party items.
0:06:22 > 0:06:28My father was captured at Dunkirk and was in fact a prisoner for the whole of the war, for five years.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32He was in three different Stalag camps, the German prison camps.
0:06:32 > 0:06:37They were allowed to put on productions and my father had done amateur productions at home.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40I see his name here as Aladdin.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43It was a wonderful album made by the
0:06:43 > 0:06:47cast and the crew, if you like,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49of the concert parties that he had organised.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53It was fascinating because it also contained photographs.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57They also have comments written by the prisoners who were in the shows
0:06:57 > 0:06:59and they're very, very personal.
0:06:59 > 0:07:05I was surprised and I think a lot of other people had been surprised that they did so much.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07They were allowed to do so much.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13We don't realise how ingenious these prisoners were.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Where did they get all the equipment from?
0:07:17 > 0:07:20They made the costumes in the camps, there were
0:07:20 > 0:07:26thousands of prisoners in each camp and Dad used to say that they were somebody that could do anything.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30They had lock pickers who went and stole the cameras to take the pictures.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33They had tailors who made the costumes out of blankets.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37- Right.- They used to volunteer to carry the washing for the Germans from the washhouse,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41things would disappear en route that they used to make costumes out of.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43One of the questions that children used
0:07:43 > 0:07:47to ask their parents, their fathers, what did you do in the war, Daddy?
0:07:47 > 0:07:53- Yes.- One answer that you wouldn't expect to come back is, I used to dress up as a woman and act on stage.
0:07:53 > 0:07:54Some of them did!
0:07:56 > 0:08:01It was every officers' duty to try and escape of course and what I think is to me amusing
0:08:01 > 0:08:09about the concert parties was the fact that they used the suits, the dinner suits, the lounge suits
0:08:09 > 0:08:14that they made for the plays in order to wear when they had escaped,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17right under the noses of the Germans. Quite incredible.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Since I've been on the roadshow,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23I've discovered a diary of Dad's, which is in the bottom of a box.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27It's only a small diary, literally a blow-by-blow account. Fascinating.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30But I was never told any of the bad things that happened,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33just the fun things they did and the funny things they did.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38Treading the boards wasn't the only way for prisoners to keep their spirits high.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43They were amazingly adept at making use of odds and ends for sports too.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48Here we are in the Lord's pavilion bar with an object that would be more at home in a golf club.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Originally, it was made in a prisoner of war camp.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Its story is quite remarkable.
0:08:55 > 0:09:02There were all these prisoners in Stalagluft three who had
0:09:02 > 0:09:04plenty of time on their hands obviously.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09I've never seen a golf ball that has been made by a prisoner of war before.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13I didn't even realise that prisoners of war played golf,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17although I suppose they must have played all sorts of different sports.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19But golf? That's astonishing.
0:09:19 > 0:09:25To see that golf ball so beautifully made was quite astonishing.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30If you were anyone with a pair of leather shoes, where you could get the ingredients if you like for
0:09:30 > 0:09:34the ball, and this was the tongue of the shoe,
0:09:34 > 0:09:39they cut it into shapes of eight, folded it over, stitched it.
0:09:46 > 0:09:52I get to see every day, particularly on the roadshow,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54family effects.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57I do value
0:09:57 > 0:10:00every time somebody comes in with something like that, it's terribly
0:10:00 > 0:10:04important to me and in fact it makes me feel quite emotional sometimes.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12Graham Lay with some remarkable reminders of the ingenuity shown by PoWs.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17Every news bulletin at the moment is a stark reminder of the tough economic times.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21So we've asked our team to see if they can spot smart investments deep in the credit crunch.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26Jewellery expert John Benjamin has an eye for bling that won't break the bank.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29I thought, what can I bring along in these rather
0:10:29 > 0:10:36difficult times that we're in, that would be a piece that's affordable, wearable, beautiful.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38It's quite difficult, isn't it?
0:10:38 > 0:10:44Then of course I thought there has to be something and my choice for my £100 buy, if you like,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47are butterfly brooches.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Have a look at those. Don't you think they're absolutely fantastic?
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Very different, very colourful.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58They're covered with enamel on silver.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02That looks like a swallowtail butterfly there.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06But it's the sheer diversity of these that you can get and you buy them in
0:11:06 > 0:11:10antique fairs and car-boot sales all over the place really.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13They can be as little as £50, as much as £150.
0:11:13 > 0:11:19The ones that were made in the 1920s to the 1950s are probably going to be better quality.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21The modern ones tend to be perhaps a little bit tinny.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25So do be careful when you look at the backs in particular.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29Also, there were an awful lot of makers for them because they were so popular.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33I wouldn't look out for anything in particular except possibly Scandinavian butterflies.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37They're going to cost you a little bit more. Highly collectible though.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Having an eye for a bargain can be a real asset but things can get out of hand
0:11:44 > 0:11:48when a modest interest in antiques becomes something of an obsession.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52You'll have seen Mark Allen talk about all sorts of objects over the years.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56What helps his knowledge is the fact that he's probably got one of
0:11:56 > 0:11:59practically everything that has ever been made.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11I don't consciously go out there looking for them, I don't think, a lot of the time.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13They're things that have kind of come to me.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17I've been influenced by things which have happened in my life,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21that pushed me into wanting to acquire something at some point, for a short while.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26I started off very young, maybe eight or nine years old.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31I started off with old bottles and fossils, stuff I could pick up for free or dig up.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34My bedroom when I was a kid was my own little museum
0:12:34 > 0:12:38because it wasn't going to be allowed anywhere else in the house.
0:12:38 > 0:12:45I seized upon antique drinking glasses when I was very young as a collectible because they were
0:12:45 > 0:12:53easy to buy. They were an unsung object and I found I could go out, I could buy them for 20p, 30p, 50p.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57What's better than drinking out of a beautiful 18th century glass like that?
0:12:59 > 0:13:02I'm not precious about objects. I believe objects are to be used.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06I'll lay a table with period cutlery because
0:13:06 > 0:13:08it's an experience.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10It's what makes it good fun.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19My parents were wonderful and I don't think I appreciated enough of the influence my
0:13:19 > 0:13:22parents did have on me because they weren't interested in antiques.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25There was nothing old in the house.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28I can remember one singularly important event.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33My parents took me to this amazing house
0:13:33 > 0:13:36and one of the rooms, it was full of samurai armour,
0:13:36 > 0:13:42and the samurai were arranged around an imaginary fireplace.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Here is the postcard I bought when I was a kid.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46I couldn't get out of that room.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49I was filled with a complete sense of wonder
0:13:49 > 0:13:53and also, it pushed me into wanting to own a suit of samurai armour.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57So there he stands, a testament to my visit to Snowshill Manor when I was a little boy.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10As I became a teenager, I was interested in everything.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14I started playing the electric guitar and I discovered girls and I was still collecting.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19By the time I got to college and I was doing my degree, I was still collecting but
0:14:19 > 0:14:26I was really starting to get the bug on a serious level because I found that essentially I could buy things
0:14:26 > 0:14:29with knowledge that were extremely good.
0:14:29 > 0:14:36And there were a couple of occasions where I did find good items very cheaply that set me up, bought me
0:14:36 > 0:14:41a car and enabled me to move forward and gave me some money in my pocket to go and buy bigger and better.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45That was important. I knew that the thrill of
0:14:45 > 0:14:49the chase existed then because there was stuff out there to find.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56Mark also found a kindred collecting spirit in his wife, Lisa.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59It's like a cut in half water tank.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02- It is.- It's two of them.- Yes. - Two of them.- It's a big, steel...
0:15:02 > 0:15:04That's really interesting.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07I suspect it's heavy. We're not gonna get it in the back of the car.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09So, where on earth did they find
0:15:09 > 0:15:13space for 30 years' worth of combined collecting?
0:15:13 > 0:15:17A 25-room chateau in France, of course!
0:15:17 > 0:15:22Although even this spacious house is beginning to feel rather full.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30But Mark and Lisa are confident that they still have a sliver of space for a few more treasures.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Pardon, monsieur, qu'est que c'est ca?
0:15:33 > 0:15:36C'est un boule pour per'ruque, dix-huitieme siecle.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- It's an 18th century wig stand. - That's like nothing I've seen.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41You never see them in glass, do you.
0:15:41 > 0:15:47- We don't need it.- It's superfluous, but then so is everything. - Well we don't need any of this.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Interestingly enough, many of the things that
0:15:49 > 0:15:54I've wanted to own, I've come to own because I had the skill to find them
0:15:54 > 0:15:59and was able to buy them cheaply, so there are many objects in the house that were acquired in that way,
0:15:59 > 0:16:05through patience and waiting and after many years, just coming across one and the right situation,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08knowing that it was just an absolute bargain.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14As Mark and Lisa wait for their latest delivery from the local antiques market,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17they wonder how they're going to cope in the future?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20We either need a bigger house or we'll have to move next door.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22I can't cope with a bigger one.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25We'll just have to move into the pigeon house next door there.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34So, now you know where a childhood interest in digging up bottles can lead you.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Like Mark, we make room for just about every
0:16:36 > 0:16:42and any object at Antiques Roadshow, all shapes and sizes are examined, sometimes that can mean booking an
0:16:42 > 0:16:46articulated lorry or dusting down the magnifying glass.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51We have unearthed some of the largest and the smallest finds ever seen on the show.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55This has to be the smallest book that we've ever seen.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02I think it's at times like this when I realise my first love in horology is actually watches.
0:17:02 > 0:17:09We had a full-size model of a horse that was appropriately brought in in a horsebox.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Just the scale of the thing, it's so fantastic.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Because it's absolutely massive!
0:17:15 > 0:17:17It's quite a size, isn't it?
0:17:17 > 0:17:20What a whopper!
0:17:20 > 0:17:23I've seen huge objects on roadshows.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28I've valued cars and then down to tiny, tiny little
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Viennese bronzes which would fit on your little finger nail.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34This is a little fox, isn't it? Yes.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37There's something about a small version of a bigger version which
0:17:37 > 0:17:41appeals to all of us, so miniature furniture,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45John Bly would go all gooey over a little apprentice piece.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48What an absolute little treasure. It's lovely, isn't it?
0:17:48 > 0:17:52But is size really important when it comes to what it's worth?
0:17:52 > 0:17:54In certain circumstances, size can add value,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57middling size stuff makes middling money.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Tiny things make a lot of money, and really big things make a lot of money.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06It's sometimes suggested that large pieces of furniture are seen as status symbols.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11There again, a status symbol could be equally represented by a fine jewel.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Not necessarily the biggest jewel.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Size is completely irrelevant.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Size doesn't matter.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23One thing's for sure, our experts have all got big opinions on how size affects value
0:18:23 > 0:18:27and they've all got favourites.
0:18:27 > 0:18:28One of the smallest items we regularly
0:18:28 > 0:18:34see on the roadshow is a big hit with our Oriental specialists.
0:18:34 > 0:18:40I suppose the epitome of miniaturisation is the Japanese netsuke.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45That toggle that you wear from which you suspend your pouch, your tobacco wallet, whatever.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50I think this is the most wonderful little carving.
0:18:50 > 0:18:56I mean this really shows the skill of the Japanese netsuke carver.
0:18:56 > 0:19:02It's fantastically well carved. It's one of the nicest netsukes I've ever seen on the roadshow, I have to say.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07You need to insure it, I think you need to put £5,000 on.
0:19:07 > 0:19:14- Oh, gosh.- When the Japanese netsuke is by one of the great masters, it's £100,000 plus.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18A gigantic price for a tiny piece, and at the other end of the scale,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Hilary's dwarfed by old style surround sound.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24We've seen a lot of gramophones on the roadshow,
0:19:24 > 0:19:25but nothing quite as big as this.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27I feel as like I'm being sort of eaten by it.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29One of the biggest things I saw was a
0:19:29 > 0:19:34gramophone, which had an enormous horn, I mean it was huge,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36that diameter, it must have been.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40The horn is made of papier mache, and there was always the rumour
0:19:40 > 0:19:42that it was made of old telephone directories.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45- I heard that.- I'm not going to melt it down to find out, are you?- No.
0:19:45 > 0:19:53I think, as people, we're drawn to either huge things or tiny things, because they're unusual.
0:19:53 > 0:19:54We love extremes.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58It's a super gramophone.
0:19:58 > 0:20:03I think the value would be around £1,200 to £1,800.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Big enough to make a noise in the saleroom.
0:20:05 > 0:20:10And Bill thinks his next miniature find is right on target.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14I have to say, that in some 25 years of looking at guns,
0:20:14 > 0:20:19I've never seen a pair of tiny pistols that are as good as this.
0:20:19 > 0:20:25They are exact miniatures of pocket pistols from about 1840-1850.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28These tiny pistols were never made for use.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33Although I expect if you could have found the percussion clamps that were small enough, they
0:20:33 > 0:20:38probably would have worked on the basis that they were made in exactly the same way as a full-size one.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- Have you any idea what you think that might be worth?- No idea.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43No, they've just been in the drawer.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46I'm going to say £3,000 at auction.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48- Good heavens!- Gosh!
0:20:48 > 0:20:51I just put them in my pocket at the last minute!
0:20:52 > 0:20:55To find two in exceptionally good condition, in a
0:20:55 > 0:20:58tiny, tiny little fitted case,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00with the majority of their accessories,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02I just thought, that was exceptional.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06Those owners were amazed by the value of their little treasures.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08And John's about to reveal that finding houseroom
0:21:08 > 0:21:11for that huge piece of furniture can sometimes pay off.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Wonderful! Look at the life and the joy in all of this.
0:21:13 > 0:21:18The biggest thing has to be a particularly big chestnut chest at Chugborough.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20This is the period I grew up.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25The third quarter of the 18th century, the quality, the proportions are so good.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Prior to that, they were no where near as beautiful, to my mind.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33It's the sort of furniture that was broken up such a lot in the 18th century.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36In those days, the farmer went to the lord of the manor's sale
0:21:36 > 0:21:40and would buy things made for the castle to put in his cottage.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43When the farmer got it home, he couldn't get it in,
0:21:43 > 0:21:47so he'd take it to pieces and put a top on the bottom, use it as a
0:21:47 > 0:21:51chest of drawers and put feet on the top part, use that as a cabinet.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54And that's how so many pieces of furniture were split up.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56They were modified for use.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01- To replace it, you'd have to pay between 30 and 35,000.- What?!
0:22:01 > 0:22:05I haven't seen a better one for years and years and years.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10And of course, in the 1960s and '70s, people tried to put them back together again.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Usually, unsuccessfully, which is why they're known as marriages.
0:22:14 > 0:22:20But when it came to the smallest item ever on the road show, it took some children to amaze our experts.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24I have to say that in doing 20 years of the Antiques Roadshow,
0:22:24 > 0:22:29this is the smallest object we've ever had on.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31It's just a seed. Isn't it?
0:22:31 > 0:22:32No.
0:22:32 > 0:22:38I had a little pod, and you take the stopper out, and up end it,
0:22:38 > 0:22:39and out came 12
0:22:39 > 0:22:43small ivory animals.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45I don't believe it.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48All of these are tiny, tiny little animals.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50I can see an elephant there.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Quite appropriately. Because of course, they're made from ivory.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57And it seems these tiny animals come on the roadshow two by two.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01- These are the smallest animals I've ever seen. What have we got? - Should be nine.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04- What's there?- There's a lion.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06There's a giraffe.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09When I recorded it, David Battie came up to me afterwards and said,
0:23:09 > 0:23:10I had one of those last year.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12The camera was on it.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15But there was a little bit of fluff which showed up in the frame,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17so the camera man went up and went...
0:23:19 > 0:23:22And suddenly, there were no animals there.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27And it took one-and-a-half hours to find all of the animals which were somewhere on the floor.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30They found them in the end.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34- How much pocket money do you get? - We normally get about
0:23:34 > 0:23:36£1 for doing jobs.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38£1 for doing jobs a week, OK.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42The little animal zoo would certainly be a couple of years pocket money.
0:23:42 > 0:23:43Woah!
0:23:45 > 0:23:48As the saying goes, size isn't everything!
0:23:48 > 0:23:52Our last item tonight shows that the mild-mannered exterior
0:23:52 > 0:23:55of the roadshow often disguises a much stronger emotion.
0:23:55 > 0:24:01Some objects are so special, they stir up passionate rivalry, even between father and son.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04The competition between John and Henry Sandon began when Henry found
0:24:04 > 0:24:08the ultimate piece of slipware back in 1990.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17I suppose my favourite recording of all time on the roadshow has to be with Ozzie the owl.
0:24:17 > 0:24:23It's a remarkable example of a rare class of thing.
0:24:23 > 0:24:29So rare, that for many, many years I've never had the privilege of handling one
0:24:29 > 0:24:32so it's a joy to have it.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35And it was wonderful. It was a lovely item and a beautiful pot.
0:24:35 > 0:24:42Of course, John was also on the programme, but he deferred to seniors and I saw it first, so I got it.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Do you know what I think its value is?
0:24:44 > 0:24:49- No.- Are you comfortably sitting.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Yes. I'm OK.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56Something between about 20 and £30,000.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Good gracious. Never!
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Oh, my word! I carried him on the bus!
0:25:01 > 0:25:03You brought him in on the bus!
0:25:03 > 0:25:06- I should get a taxi and take him back home!
0:25:07 > 0:25:12Henry's discovery of Ozzie the owl was top of the roadshow tree for 14 years.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Until he was knocked off his perch one fateful day at Witley Court,
0:25:16 > 0:25:21by none other than his son, John, who had been waiting quietly in the wings.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24I didn't to the Witley Court roadshow. My son, John, did it.
0:25:24 > 0:25:29Curse him. And he got, I suppose the most magnificent slipware that
0:25:29 > 0:25:32I've ever seen in my life.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34It has these multiple handles, which you'd use to pass it
0:25:34 > 0:25:39around amongst your guests for celebration and drinking.
0:25:39 > 0:25:45Here, we've got the owner's name written in wonderful letters, and the date, 1678.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48An early date, isn't it? What an amazing object.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52'If I'd been there, I'd have fought him tooth and nail to have it.'
0:25:52 > 0:25:58When the piece comes in that you want, you've got it in your hands and you hang on to it like grim death,
0:25:58 > 0:26:03- and no one else is gonna get it. - I saw it at this auction.
0:26:03 > 0:26:09It had an estimate on it which seemed reasonable by a Staffordshire slipware estimate.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11How much did you have to pay for it?
0:26:11 > 0:26:13With the commission, it was about £500.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18You're not going to find another one of these in a hurry, in a little local auction.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21The purchaser told John that he bought it at auction
0:26:21 > 0:26:25because he thought it looked a bit like Ozzie the owl.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30It's decorated with joggled clay or at this lovely clay, it's joggled about.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32It comes in a harlequinade of colours.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35With little tiny dots.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37White slip put on dark slip.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40That's just like the decoration around the face of Ozzie the owl.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41Isn't it?
0:26:41 > 0:26:44I went to look at Ozzie the owl to try and do a comparison.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46It's one of the things I did when I got it.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50There's no doubt in my mind that this is exactly the same as Ozzie.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52I'm just so glad you said that.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54There's absolutely no doubt about it at all.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57So, thinking about what it's worth?
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Um, about £50,000.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01No! Really?
0:27:05 > 0:27:08It's better than Ozzie! It's wonderful!
0:27:08 > 0:27:09Sorry, I just got goose bumps.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14I mean, I'd hoped, but I didn't think it was gonna be anywhere near that.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19I was so excited that I rang my father and said, guess what, I've beaten Ozzie the owl!
0:27:19 > 0:27:21I've found an even better piece of slipware.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24And you could feel the jealousy on the phone as I described to him
0:27:24 > 0:27:27how wonderful this piece was.
0:27:27 > 0:27:33He said, don't you worry, I'm going to find an even better one next time! And he's still looking!
0:27:33 > 0:27:36The best pot that has ever turned up on the roadshow.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38That's what I'd have liked to have had!
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Henry Sandon on the one that got away.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44I'll keep an eye on that rivalry.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49That's just about it. Tomorrow, meet some of the most curious collectors to pass our way.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52I have to say, this really is a collection to die for.
0:27:54 > 0:28:00When I see collectors that are really living the dream and kind of dressing like their heroes,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02I think it's fantastic.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
0:28:05 > 0:28:06MAKES QUACKING NOISES
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Well, thank you, I can see you have a lot of fun in your household.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12I think we do!
0:28:13 > 0:28:17And Michael Aspel chooses his favourite moments from the roadshow archives.
0:28:17 > 0:28:23I was so lucky that in my very first show, an object came up which meant something personally to me
0:28:23 > 0:28:28and that was the watch that had belonged to Lawrence of Arabia.
0:28:28 > 0:28:34It's one of the most fascinating characters of the early part of the century and it's actually his watch.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Good God! I'd better get it insured then.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39Bye bye.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd