- 2 months ago
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CreativityTranscript
00:00Today the Roadshow is in North London, in the leafy suburb of Finchley.
00:10Set in ten acres of beautiful gardens, this imposing Victorian mansion is Stephen's house.
00:17It was owned by Henry Stephens, he went on to become a local MP.
00:23He made his fortune out of ink, which enabled him to try new types of agriculture on his estate.
00:30And when he died in 1918, he left it for the enjoyment of the public.
00:35We can enjoy ourselves today? Yes!
00:38Absolutely. Let's see if any of our experts can make them even happier.
00:45Gold, gold, gold. There's nothing like the colour of it, is it?
00:49Do you remember what you paid for any of them?
00:51My husband's standing there.
00:54Its creation is at the hand of the great Pablo Picasso.
00:57Not a piece of work for the cupboard.
00:59Yeah, definitely take it out of the cupboard.
01:01Welcome to the Antiques Roadshow.
01:21He seems to be smiling. Yeah?
01:28The dog's now smiling. I'll see if I can make you smile.
01:31So, first of all, you're going to tell me what's his story.
01:35Well, I was back in about mid-70s, I was walking down the High Street in Surbiton, and I just came across this junk shop, stroke antique shop, and I saw this in the window.
01:46I just liked it.
01:48I think, you know, if you're buying anything and you're collecting anything, I think the rule number one is you've got to like it.
01:54Yes.
01:55And if you like it, it doesn't actually matter what you pay for it or what it's worth.
01:58So that's rule one, I would say.
01:59Yes.
02:00Yeah, definitely.
02:01Well, I think he's probably late 18th or even possibly early 19th century in Qing Dynasty.
02:08He's made of soapstone.
02:09Yeah.
02:10And actually, if you pick him up, you know, he actually does have that quite sort of soapy softness of the stone.
02:16And a lot of happy hands have held that over the years.
02:19Yeah.
02:20But actually, it's done it a great service because it's just put so much colour into the stone.
02:24Yeah.
02:25And what he is, he's a low hand.
02:27And the low hands were the sort of guardians of Sakyamuni Buddha.
02:31And they went through the four stages of enlightenment.
02:34So I feel much more enlightened with him sitting there with me today.
02:38Yeah.
02:39If I turn it around, we'll see that he was actually holding something.
02:42Yes.
02:43You can see on the back here, he was clearly had something which he was reaching back over and it's probably a back scratcher.
02:50That's probably what it was.
02:51So he's giving that a good go at scratching his back.
02:55And then it sits really, really nicely.
02:58You often don't see them on this type of waved finish base.
03:02Yeah.
03:03And I suspect on each of these, he probably would have had an incense burner or a vase or something of that type.
03:08Yes, yes.
03:09Now, the other thing with him, not only is he missing part of his arm, so he was obviously like that when you got him,
03:14I think at some point he's had a bit of an accident and his head's been off.
03:18That was my nephew did that.
03:20Right.
03:21When he was tiny.
03:22Okay.
03:23So, you know, you couldn't really blame him for that.
03:25No, no.
03:26He is. I have to say, I mean, I think he is beautifully carved.
03:29You see a lot of these types of soapstone carving and actually they became very popular in the latter part of the 19th century and indeed into the 20th century as kind of tourist souvenirs.
03:40And, you know, some of those, I'll be honest, they look like they were kind of carved with a trowel.
03:44Whereas him, you know, you can just see the softness of the folds of the robe and the hair.
03:50I mean, look at the way that hair is delicately painted and almost kind of etched into the stone itself.
03:56It's amazing.
03:57So we know it's Chinese.
03:58We know it's soapstone.
03:59We know it's a Lohan.
04:00And we know he's got a bit of damage.
04:02So you paid five quid.
04:03That's it.
04:04For it.
04:05So I've got to improve on five quid.
04:07Oh, good.
04:08Right.
04:09And I think, even in the condition he is in, I think that would make a thousand to fifteen hundred pounds.
04:14Wow.
04:15Even in the condition he's in.
04:18That's a matter.
04:19I just have no idea.
04:20That's amazing.
04:21Wow.
04:22And when you go back and see your nephew, if he'd not knocked his head off, it was worth two to three thousand.
04:27So he owes you a thousand quid.
04:29And then if you can find the rest of the arm, I reckon he was worth three to four thousand.
04:32Wow.
04:33I'm really shocked.
04:34I had no idea.
04:35It's not a bad return on five quid, is it?
04:37No.
04:38Excellent.
04:39So where's the junk shop?
04:41Ah.
04:42Surbiton.
04:43Right.
04:44We're all off to Surbiton.
04:53I love a jewel that has impact.
04:56And when you brought this to me, and with the sunshine, it really was impactful.
05:00So do tell me, how did you get this beautiful jewel?
05:03Actually, this was in our family for about 60 years at least.
05:08We grew up in Tehran, Iran.
05:10Initially, it was my mum who was the bearer of this gift.
05:15My dad surprised her.
05:17And actually, I think he proposed to her on that day.
05:20So do you think he proposed with this bracelet rather than a ring?
05:24Yes, I definitely think so.
05:25Oh, really?
05:26Because ring is not that common in our culture.
05:29Oh, that's interesting.
05:30Yes.
05:31Well, you get more diamonds if you have a bracelet as an engagement than a ring.
05:36More like that.
05:37At least you get a yes as well.
05:40And my mum used to say, whichever of my daughters marry first, they will win the bracelet.
05:46Is that you?
05:47Yeah.
05:48And basically, she just beat us to it.
05:52What I love about it is that it's very unusual.
05:55I think that these two did not start life together.
05:59This part here, the front part, is separate to the bracelet part at the back.
06:06So I think this has come from another jewel.
06:09Oh.
06:10But they're all diamonds.
06:12And a rose-cut diamond means that it is a flat back and a faceted top.
06:18Right.
06:19And if I turn this over, do you notice that the principal stones are all backed?
06:25You've got the smaller stones, which have open backs, and these ones here are closed.
06:31Closed, yeah.
06:32And that is because there is like a tin foil underneath so that the front here, these rose-cut diamonds really sparkle.
06:42Because you've only got the facets at the top, unlike the modern brilliant cut that we have today,
06:48when the facets are at the back as well, and so it gives it a lot of brilliance.
06:52We are always talking about diamonds being flawless.
06:55Well, with today, when we've got a lot of the synthetic diamond market, things are shifting.
07:01Yeah.
07:02In that we love to see character in a diamond, and these have characters.
07:06And you can tell immediately that they are not synthetic diamonds.
07:10Yes.
07:11You know, if you gave me a flawless natural diamond and a flawless synthetic diamond, I would not be able to tell the difference with the naked eye.
07:18But this, I can instantly see that they are natural, billions of years old, and they are unique to you.
07:27Yes.
07:28Because every inclusion in a stone is going to be different.
07:30Yes.
07:31Yes.
07:32And set in silver.
07:33And I love the way these are all beautifully scrolled and settings.
07:38And then it is set on a yellow gold bracelet mount.
07:42So I think both parts were sort of around about the 1920s.
07:46Oh.
07:47Wow.
07:48That 1930s.
07:49value-wise, at auction, you would be looking in the region of about 5,000 to 6,000 pounds.
07:55Wow.
07:56That's good.
07:57That's amazing.
07:58That's good.
08:00Thank you very much.
08:01That's amazing.
08:02We didn't think it would be that much.
08:03No.
08:04We won't sell it, by the way, everyone.
08:05We're keeping it.
08:06No.
08:07No.
08:08Do you know, over the many years I've been doing Antiques Roadshow, there have been a couple
08:24of items I've always wanted to turn up on my table, and this is one of them.
08:29I love beautifully made miniature works of art and this beautiful little Maximilian suit of armour
08:37is made by, I think, one of perhaps the best makers ever.
08:41Now, before we go in to who he is, I want you to explain to me where you got it from.
08:47It was at the Park Lane Antique Arms and Armour Exhibition.
08:53The actual dealer was in Stratford-on-Avon.
08:56So, a few days later, I drove up and I bought it there and then.
09:00What year was this?
09:011988.
09:03Right, OK. Now, you know who it's by, don't you?
09:06Yeah, Granger, or Granger, I'm not sure.
09:08Yeah, well...
09:09Edward, Edward Granger.
09:10Yeah, Edward Granger, who was based in France.
09:13And if you say Granger, I think that's absolutely fine.
09:16And he was working quite early, in fact, with these kind of miniatures from the 1840s.
09:22And so, when we come to date a little object like this, in my mind, this to me probably
09:26dates from about the 1850s or 60s.
09:29Yes, yes.
09:30Now, the reason I'm so mesmerised by it is the sheer quality of the craftsmanship of this
09:37little armour.
09:38And when we start to look at it carefully, there isn't anything that isn't accurate
09:42about it.
09:43Yeah.
09:43Everything from the spurs down to the articulation of every piece of the armour.
09:50Every rivet, every finger armour, every hook that keeps the armour together.
09:57And, interestingly enough, one of the things about Granger, or Granger, is that, essentially,
10:04he always mounted them on little mannequins as well.
10:06You can tell his mark.
10:08Yes.
10:08Because he went to trouble with what was underneath, too.
10:11So, if we take off the helmet there, we can see this rather kind of medieval-looking
10:17face, which has this articulated mannequin underneath it.
10:22And, one of the problems with these is that they're so beautifully made and articulate
10:29that they need to be supported, don't they?
10:31And I can tell this isn't its original support.
10:33Did you make this?
10:34Yeah, I made that, because otherwise, without that, he'd be at that angle.
10:38So, this is actually holding him up, otherwise he'd sort of collapse.
10:42So, we've got a couple of his arms here.
10:45We've got his sword and medieval flail.
10:47They're probably quite difficult to place on him, aren't they?
10:50Yes, because he just cannot grip them.
10:51I said the arm will fall off if I put this.
10:54Right, OK.
10:54OK.
10:55Now, the thing is, he's in good condition.
10:57Do you keep him under a dome or something?
10:59He's been in a display case since I bought him.
11:03It's the first time he's ever been out of it.
11:05Oh, really?
11:06Well, actually, that's good, because that is obviously why his finish is good,
11:11and he's not really showing any signs of what I would call rust or real degradation.
11:17Would you mind telling me how much you paid for it, please?
11:19Yes, £1,000.
11:20£1,000.
11:21£1,000.
11:21Yes.
11:22At the time, did that seem like quite a lot of money?
11:25It seemed like a lot of money then, yes.
11:26Yeah.
11:27If this came up for auction in a good arms and armour sale,
11:30you could happily expect to get £7,000 to £10,000 for it.
11:37And I might even be being a little bit on the miserly side.
11:42Yeah, OK, thank you.
11:43It is absolutely fabulous, and you've really, really made my day bringing this in, so thank you.
11:50And mine too.
11:51Thank you very much.
11:52Thank you very much.
11:59Wasn't that the most incredible object?
12:00I mean, masterful craftsmanship, and a beautiful, beautiful object, really highly collectible as well,
12:06and the kind of item I always dream of seeing on any given row show day.
12:15Do you know, you've brought something in today that I've been looking for for as long as I can remember.
12:20A happy life.
12:21Yeah.
12:21Does it stop?
12:24No.
12:25Once you wind it, it will go on for a very, very long time.
12:29It belonged to my mother, and I inherited it, and it was always in my grandparents' house.
12:35The first thing to say is, it's a toy.
12:36It's made in Japan, late 1940s.
12:39These were exported widely at that period, and were very popular.
12:44Still are.
12:45I think at auction today, I can see that fetching between £100 and £150.
12:50Very nice.
12:51So, the question is, has she brought you a happy life?
12:54Oh, definitely.
12:55I have very happy memories of that.
12:57Good.
12:57So, yes.
13:05Well, it looks as though you've brought in four walnuts,
13:11but I've learnt that you never judge a book by its cover.
13:18They are absolutely sweet.
13:21So, these are real walnut shells.
13:23Walnuts that might have been cracked open in the inside have been eaten,
13:27but they've actually been turned into these tiny little boxes or etuis,
13:32and had scent flasks and needlework sets with tiny pairs of scissors placed inside them.
13:40The hinges and the mounts are silver that's been gilded.
13:44They're so appealing, aren't they?
13:46They are.
13:47Where do they come from?
13:48The very first one I found was in Portobello Road.
13:52I just thought, wow, and I bought it.
13:56And from then on, the hunt was on.
14:00And I've just found them, not very frequently, but they seem to pop up and I spot them.
14:06And I'm not sure of their age or where they were made, but I think they come mostly from France and I think they were made about 1830 to 1860.
14:181830 to 1860.
14:20Well, I think you're definitely right on the France thing.
14:22Right.
14:23And in fact, one of them's got a really lovely little secret.
14:27You obviously haven't opened this one for a while, but there's a very small book just in here.
14:36And it's a book of songs.
14:39It's French.
14:41And these were produced every year.
14:44And this one has the date that it's from 1817.
14:49So this one, we know, is slightly earlier than you thought they might have been.
14:54But I wonder, were they made for adults or is it a toy, do you think?
15:00I think it's a toy for adults.
15:03I think you wouldn't trust a child with these.
15:05The fact that they're so complete means that they were probably barely even used for needlework.
15:11They were just little immaculate little novelties, beautifully made.
15:16I love what you've collected.
15:19Do you remember what you paid for any of them?
15:21My husband's standing there.
15:24Well, then...
15:26Don't listen.
15:27Pents.
15:28Quite a lot of money.
15:30When these appear at auction, they often fetch between sort of £300 to £500.
15:35And so for your collection, I would value them at around £2,000, these four.
15:41They're not going anywhere.
15:42I just love them.
15:45You've made my day.
15:46You really have.
15:47To see one is lovely.
15:48To see four is really something special.
15:51Thank you so much.
15:53I've slipped away from the specialists and their tables for a moment to find out more about the house
16:04and its remarkable owner, Henry Stevens.
16:09Stevens' indelible ink was invented by his father, Dr Henry Stevens.
16:14But it was Stevens Jr. who created the international brand
16:17and used the fortune he made to pursue his own scientific interests.
16:24This nine-metre tower is a huge water purification system.
16:28The water filters down through four separate tanks.
16:32And even its construction is groundbreaking.
16:36Made from reinforced concrete, it was built in 1880.
16:41Now, reinforced concrete is very commonly used these days.
16:44But it's thought this is the earliest example of its kind.
16:49In the 1860s, contaminated water had caused a cholera outbreak in Finchley.
16:55And Stevens took up the campaign for safe water supply.
16:59He later set up his own private water company.
17:03And he brought innovative ideas to his gardens, too.
17:08And usually for the time, Stevens wanted to make his estate self-sufficient.
17:11There was a herd of highland cattle, a flock of sheep, and a dairy,
17:17as well as underground heating so he could grow exotic produce.
17:22This is now a raised flower bed, but in Stevens' time,
17:26it was a pond for fresh fish.
17:30Making Stevens' house and gardens a fascinating blend
17:33of Victorian technology and nature.
17:41This is an interesting collection of scarves.
17:50They're obviously Second World War propaganda scarves
17:54issued by a number of the fashion houses during the Second World War.
17:59I love them.
18:00They're so colourful in a time of austerity
18:03because a scarf brings an outfit together.
18:07Yeah.
18:08I know.
18:09Not colourful, but it's a scarf.
18:12Yeah.
18:12So how long have you been collecting?
18:14I've been collecting scarves for about 40 years.
18:1740 years?
18:1840 years, yeah.
18:18Why such a short amount of time?
18:21Because I think when I first went to work with my first pay packet,
18:24the first thing I ever bought was a silk scarf.
18:27Ever since then, I just like fabrics, I like textiles,
18:30and I like things that portray social events of the time.
18:35Well, these really do that.
18:37I love this one in particular.
18:40Dig for victory.
18:42Implying that you grow your own vegetables and fruit.
18:46They're remarkable.
18:47And this one, shoulder to shoulder with the Americans.
18:50Yeah.
18:51And this one here, Time Gentleman Peas.
18:53Oh, that's Time Gentleman Peas.
18:54That's all about the pubs.
18:56Yeah, pubs.
18:57All the pubs' names.
18:59And they made a special feature of including ex-servicemen because that was an important part of life during the war.
19:05This is also fascinating.
19:07This is about all the radio programs that were broadcast during the war.
19:11And this one about keeping the lights out.
19:13For heaven's sake, turn that light off.
19:15Again, the blackout.
19:16And so that's telling people, reminding people, they've got to observe that discipline.
19:21That's correct.
19:21And so you wear the messages.
19:25I mean, it's amazing.
19:25It's bringing fashion and politics and the war effort together.
19:30And I think they're all by Jack Ma, except for that one, aren't they?
19:34Yes, I believe so.
19:35And Jack Ma was an English company.
19:38There was a designer for Jack Ma called Arnold's Lever.
19:40Yes, yes.
19:41Who designed these.
19:42But in their day, they would have looked very modern and contemporary.
19:45I'm going to value these scarves.
19:47And I think this little collection here that you've got, which I think are fabulous, honestly, I'd love to own these.
19:52It's about £1,000 for the lot here.
19:54Oh.
19:55It really is.
19:57Yeah.
19:57And so when you pack these up and go home, what will you do with them?
20:02They'll be packed up and left in boxes.
20:04And when I get depressed, I open a box, lay them out on the bed, and I feel very, very happy.
20:08Really?
20:09So it's like reading a book.
20:10But it also makes you happy, like it would have made the people that wore them originally happy.
20:14Yeah, I just like looking at them.
20:15It would have lifted their spirits then, as they lift your spirits now.
20:19I think that's amazing.
20:21Thanks so much for bringing them.
20:22Thank you very much indeed.
20:23Oh, it was a delight speaking to Ronnie about something that we both love.
20:30A little bit surprised at the pricing, but they are treasures and I adore them.
20:36And I like them even more.
20:37He's told me more about them.
20:38You've brought along two quite curious-looking objects, very interesting.
20:50How did you get them?
20:52They came out of my loft.
20:53And at some point recently, I had to clear it out to have some work done.
20:58And the obvious junk went to the tip.
21:00The rest of it went to my neighbor.
21:02One of the boxes included a lid of old tatty silver, which I gave to her to take away.
21:08And an hour later, she came back to me and gave me these and said, you might want to keep those.
21:12So I took them back off her.
21:13I plunked them on my dining table and they've been there ever since.
21:16And what have you found out about them, apart from the fact you think they're silver?
21:20That they're silver pots.
21:22And that I should keep them.
21:23That's it.
21:23They went to the dining table.
21:24I got on with my life.
21:26And here you are today.
21:27And here we are today.
21:28Right, let's have a closer look.
21:29They are salt sellers.
21:30It's a form that I know and it's copying an earlier style.
21:34They were commissioned by the Salters Company of London in 1897.
21:40And they were to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, 60 years of the reign, 1837 to 1897.
21:46And that's why we've got that on the front there.
21:48We've got Queen Victoria's cipher and we've got the dates.
21:51And the other marks on the top half is the Salter Company coat of arms.
21:56Oh, well, the family name is Salter, so that might explain why they were in my loft.
22:02Whether my family has any link to the company, I have absolutely no idea.
22:06Or maybe the reason that someone just bought them originally.
22:09You never know.
22:09Yeah.
22:10We'll just have a closer look at the mark.
22:12I'm sure it's going to be by a silversmith.
22:15Most of them were by, yeah, it's Garrard and Co of London.
22:20Crown jewelers.
22:21Oh, crown jewelers.
22:22Yes.
22:23And when I pick that up there, I can feel the gauge of the silver.
22:26It's much, much heavier than you'd imagine.
22:28So these are super quality.
22:30Now, the form is based on a much earlier form.
22:33Salt, back in the 1500s, Henry VIII's time, was a very precious commodity.
22:39So if we just look, I mean, they're very Gothic.
22:41They're very 1500s.
22:42And look, we've got these Gothic trifoils, like a three-leaf shape.
22:46And just that shape, that kind of tapering octagonal shape is very Gothic, as are the
22:51finials with these beaded pieces on the top.
22:55And salt cellars back in the medieval times were quite big.
22:57Okay.
22:58You know, it was an important piece of silver to have on your table.
23:01So these, in a way, are quite small.
23:03So what are they worth?
23:06I have no idea.
23:07Well, they're comfortably worth about £1,000.
23:13We want to know what else you've got in your loft.
23:17Or might have in your loft.
23:18Oh, it's all gone now.
23:19It's all gone.
23:20It'd have been up there for decades.
23:22It's too much.
23:23At least you've got something.
23:24Yeah, yeah.
23:25Well done.
23:25Thank you for sharing them today.
23:37I just think it's so wonderful how something so simple, so small, but with just a few brushstrokes,
23:44can convey such a huge amount of impact.
23:47And what we have here is this fabulous little jug in the form of an owl.
23:51But, of course, its creation, you know all too well, is at the hand of the great Pablo Picasso.
23:57So I've got to ask, how did it come to be in your life?
24:00Well, I got this from my parents.
24:02My father was serving in the U.S. military and stationed in Germany in the mid-50s.
24:07They decided to go away for the weekend to the south of France, and they met a lady there
24:12who was apparently a very good friend of Picasso's, who said, you absolutely must come and meet him.
24:17Come and have lunch.
24:18I know where his studio is.
24:19So she took them up there, and sadly he wasn't there.
24:23He was out for the afternoon, but they saw this.
24:27So, of course, well, you mentioned that wonderful region.
24:30You mentioned going to the studio.
24:31Well, it wasn't quite Picasso's studio.
24:34Where he went was to the studio of Madura in Valois, which was owned by Suzanne and George Rane.
24:40And they handed over a small part of their studio to him.
24:44Over the following 24 years, from 1947, he created 3,500 unique pieces.
24:51Wow.
24:51And 633 edition pieces.
24:56Now, when we say edition, that means that these could be remodeled into limited edition runs.
25:03Right.
25:04And they went from anything from 50 to 500 pieces.
25:08You haven't given me the year, I don't believe, so I'm going to predict the year.
25:11This was conceived in 1954.
25:15Hmm.
25:15How does that fit?
25:17That fits perfectly.
25:19This is called Hibu.
25:21Hibu.
25:22So, which owl?
25:23In terms of the edition, this is a lower-level edition.
25:26Mm-hmm.
25:27There were 200 of these.
25:29Right.
25:29If we look underneath, we've got all the things we want here.
25:32We've got the painted mark here for edition Picasso.
25:36Mm-hmm.
25:36We have the Madura.
25:38Right.
25:38Which is, of course, the name of the pottery that Susan and George Rane had.
25:42Yes.
25:43And again, we've got edition Picasso.
25:45So, all the elements that you want to see within the base of the jug to give you that identification.
25:51So, when we look at values, well, of course, Picasso as a name is a globally recognised phenomenon.
25:56It's this market that just year on year has grown and grown and grown.
26:00The record price for one of the unique pieces currently stands at nearly $2.5 million.
26:07Okay.
26:09When we look at the editions, as I say, we look at sort of the volume of the editions.
26:14And this being one of only 200 that were made makes it, you know, a nice rare little find.
26:19As such, being a Picasso edition, Ibu Jug, I'm going to say somewhere in the region today of £3,000.
26:29I'm very happy with that.
26:32I'm very pleased that you're very happy because I think it's just exquisite.
26:38We are just the custodians for this.
26:41Well, look after it because it's a wonderful thing and thank you for sharing it.
26:44Thank you very much.
26:45I think from the moment that you brought this to the table and opened the box
26:58and revealed what you were bringing along, I just fell in love with it.
27:03It's a beautiful watch.
27:04But not only that, it's also by one of the best watchmakers in the world
27:09and certainly one of the most collected, Patek Philippe in Switzerland.
27:14Yes.
27:14So where did you come across it?
27:16It was given to me on one of my birthdays.
27:19I can't remember when, but it was quite some time ago by my late husband.
27:24And he was a Patek Philippe lover.
27:27Patek Philippe have got a rich history in watchmaking.
27:30It's not like normal watches.
27:31Normal watches, you expect them just to be circular or rectangular or square.
27:36But this has got this lovely, what's called a Torno case.
27:40And it's not only Torno, it's also got a curve X.
27:44So it's got a curved back.
27:46So it's shaped to the shape of your wrist.
27:48It's very comfortable.
27:50And you've got that all-important Patek Philippe signature.
27:54And I can see from your archive certificate here that it was made in 1919, sold in 1920.
28:01Now, it's a very, very pretty watch.
28:04And it originally states it's on a leather strap.
28:08I was discussing this with my colleague and we both came to the conclusion that it's probably been a man's watch.
28:15Oh, how interesting.
28:16From this period, men's watches were quite small.
28:20Ladies' watches were very small.
28:23And in 1920, this would have probably been a man's watch.
28:26Oh, interesting.
28:27But a very stylish man's watch.
28:31If it was to come up into auction today, I would suggest a pre-sale estimate of around £4,000 to £6,000.
28:43Very nice.
28:46Thank you very much.
28:48It's not bad for a little watch.
28:49Not bad for a little watch.
28:50So we have on the table a bomb fuse and a George medal.
29:04I have a feeling I know where this story is going to go.
29:07Who is the gentleman in the top photograph?
29:09Ronald Smith is Simon Smith's uncle and Simon is married to our cousin.
29:18On the onset of war, he joined the Royal Navy Volunteers.
29:23Being a keen engineer, he was an obvious choice for bomb disposal and when asked, he volunteered.
29:30So he becomes a Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve bomb disposal officer during World War II.
29:36Yes, he does.
29:38Now, the George medal is a very high up gallantry award.
29:43Above it, only the Victoria Cross and the George Cross.
29:46Now, this chap here is actually quite a famous bomb disposal officer because this is the man who defused the German parachute mine at St. Paul's Cathedral in April 1941.
30:01And without him that day, that landmark that we all know so well, people all over the world know, wouldn't actually probably be standing today.
30:14Now, as with all gallantry medals, there is always a citation.
30:18And I have the citation here for Ronnie's day out.
30:24On the 17th of April 1941, an unexploded mine lay in the churchyard of St. Paul's Cathedral, about three yards from the cathedral itself.
30:36The mine was completely covered by the parachute, which it was impossible to remove.
30:41And so, Lieutenant Smith had to crawl underneath and inside the parachute to get at the mine.
30:47In this dark and difficult position, he commenced to unscrew the disc from the bomb prior to fitting the gag,
30:53which is a device for rendering the fuse inert.
30:58Before he was able to fit the gag, a large fire engine was driven past at speed only some 10 yards away.
31:05The vibration set up by the passage of the fire engine started the clockwork mechanism of the bomb fuse.
31:12Under the best circumstances, Lieutenant Smith had 17 seconds to make good his escape.
31:19But very gallantly continued his operations and was able to insert the gag before the mine exploded.
31:26Had the mine exploded, there is no doubt that a major part of the cathedral would have been devastated.
31:32That's incredible.
31:34Now, I read also somewhere else that when he stopped it, there were two seconds left on the fuse.
31:40Yeah, I've read that too, yes.
31:42That's terrifying.
31:43Yeah, yeah.
31:44What do we owe to these people?
31:47So much, so much.
31:49I always find it incredibly difficult to put a value on these things because this is someone's life.
31:55Lieutenant Smith is a very famous bomb disposal officer.
31:59And this is one of the most written about accounts of bomb disposal during World War II.
32:07I think if this came up for sale, it would sell between 15,000 and 20,000 pounds.
32:13Wow.
32:14I never thought it was that much.
32:16Wow.
32:17This has been a real privilege to meet this man today.
32:21I do know that he was a very quiet man.
32:25Never spoke much about his wartime exploits after the war, which I find so incredible, you know.
32:32He's another one of those unsung, unlooked-for hero who we owe so much to for those days of World War II.
32:43Yeah.
32:44Real privilege.
32:45Thank you, Matt.
32:45So I was really drawn to this watercolour because the colours are really, really bold and it's quite abstract,
33:03but there's this very sort of dreamlike quality about it.
33:07It's signed with the monogram R and it's dated 1954.
33:10Now R, he's not that well-known, he's a German artist called Hans Reichel,
33:17who died shortly after this was painted in the later 1950s.
33:20So I'm wondering how it came to be here and to be yours.
33:25So I went to Paris in 2006 when my grandmother's sister passed away.
33:32I assumed this was something that was of meaning to her and I didn't want to do anything other than look after it.
33:38So I brought her back to London with me.
33:41So Hans Reichel was born in Germany.
33:45After the First World War, he moved to Munich and he was very lucky to meet Paul Klee.
33:51He's one of the most famous, if not the most famous German artists working in the early 20th century,
33:55who developed very distinct colour theories and I think you see that in this.
34:01You have these sort of different passages of colour and these notations
34:06and there's a sort of musical quality about them that I feel that Reichel must have seen in Paul Klee's work.
34:14So the medium is a mixture of ink and watercolour on paper and I really love how Reichel has used wet paint
34:26merging into other pools of wet paint so you get this kind of murky, mysterious, kind of dream-like quality.
34:36Even though it's entirely abstract, I do feel it sort of transports you to another place.
34:43And is it something that you like?
34:45Yes, but I mean, I like it but I've never put it up, you know, since coming back.
34:50It's been in a cupboard.
34:51It's been in a cupboard!
34:53That's probably helped the colours stay so strong because they haven't kind of faded in the natural sunlight.
34:59As I say, although he was German, he did then go on in the 1920s to move to Paris.
35:05So it's not inconceivable that your aunt may have met him at some point.
35:12Couldn't surprise me.
35:13She didn't go there to the 40s but he didn't die to the late 50s.
35:16So if she loved her art, who knows?
35:19It's the sort of work that if this was to come at auction today,
35:23we'd probably put an estimate in the region of £1,500 to £2,000.
35:27Wow, not a piece of work for the cupboard.
35:30Yeah, definitely take it out of the cupboard.
35:38Our experts are always on the lookout for exciting pieces of pop memorabilia.
35:44And today our specialist Claire Tolmore has challenged me to guess the value of a group of objects
35:49linked to a legendary musician and one of my heroes.
35:52This has to be one of my favourite images of all time.
35:58I've actually got a copy of this on a wall at home.
36:011973, David Bowie, Aladdin Sane album cover.
36:05Just iconic and fabulous.
36:09Claire, tell me about it.
36:10So these are the items from Brian Duffy's archive.
36:15Brian Duffy, of course, being the photographer behind this iconic album cover.
36:19And he had already been a fashion photographer before in the 60s, so he was established.
36:23But it was this collaboration with Bowie that really sort of took him far and wide.
36:28And this is what one of his photographic prints then?
36:31So this is a printer's proof.
36:33So this is working out how the record sleeve would look.
36:36And what's really great is we have some hand annotations in Duffy's hand.
36:40The 31% refers to the sort of colour density, colour balance and things like that.
36:45And then there's also a little annotation there in his hand.
36:481973, Bowie cover.
36:50I photographed and designed.
36:52And of course, what strikes you about it is this lightning bolt through his face.
36:55Absolutely.
36:56So that's a really interesting story.
36:57Pierre Laroche was the makeup artist on the shoot.
37:00The shoot took place in Swiss Cottage just down the road.
37:03But it was Duffy who did this lightning bolt in lipstick and Pierre Laroche filled it in.
37:08And we've got a little note here that describes it as well, this lightning bolt.
37:12It was about Bowie's split identity as he moved away from Ziggy Stardust into a new era.
37:17And the camera, is that what created this fantastic image?
37:19This is the camera.
37:20This is Duffy's 1970 Hasselblad camera.
37:23This is the one that shot that image.
37:25And you've got a stool here.
37:27I mean, how does that fit in?
37:28So it looks like a humble stool.
37:30But this is actually the stool that Bowie sat on for the shoot.
37:33But not only that, it was Duffy's stool in his photographer's studio.
37:38So it's been sat on by a host of stars.
37:40A host of famous bottoms.
37:42Yes, basically.
37:43Marianne Faithfull.
37:44Right.
37:44John Lennon.
37:45Basically, anyone who came through Duffy's studio sat on it.
37:48So what are the three values we're talking about?
37:51Of this photographer's print, the handwritten note, and then the stool?
37:57So one is £500, one is £800, and one is £2,000.
38:02£500, £800, £2,000.
38:05Right.
38:06What do you think?
38:08I think the stool, £500, the note, £700, and this amazing print, £2,000.
38:15Yeah, I'm thinking that as well.
38:16Yeah.
38:16Different?
38:17Anyone think any differently?
38:19I think the note, £5, the stool, £8, and the print, £2,000.
38:22Print, £2,000.
38:23Agreed?
38:24Print, £2,000?
38:24I think the stool, possibly.
38:28You think the stool is worth £2,000?
38:29Yeah, possibly all those derriere's.
38:31Really?
38:34What do you think?
38:35I think the stool is £2,000, and the picture is £500.
38:40A picture's £500?
38:41Yes.
38:42I'm weeping inside at that.
38:45OK, so you're not alone with the stool, then.
38:48I mean, this surely has to be the thing that's worth £2,000.
38:52This is incredible.
38:53So I would say, starting at highest value, £2,000, £800, £500.
39:01If it is the stool worth £2,000, well, I don't know.
39:05I'm going to be very embarrassed.
39:06Go on, Claire.
39:07Spot on.
39:08Oh!
39:10Great.
39:11Why are the values what they are?
39:13Well, this one, it's unique.
39:14It's got the hand annotations.
39:16This one is, it's a stool.
39:18It's a standard, typical stool.
39:19Worth about a tenner, really.
39:20Yeah, but lots of famous people have sat on it.
39:23This is about the make-up and the title, and it's in Duffy's hand.
39:26It was very integral to the design.
39:28So that's really charming, and again, his handwriting.
39:32Overall, if we were to see this at auction,
39:34I think you'd be sort of looking at around £20,000 to £30,000 for the whole collection.
39:39So altogether, it's worth an awful lot more.
39:41Yeah.
39:42Well, I have loved hearing about this, I have to say.
39:44Thank you so much.
39:54This is a chess table that I've inherited from my granddad.
39:59I know absolutely nothing about it, to be fair.
40:02I've got guesses from £10 to...
40:05I think I was the highest.
40:06... £2,000, haven't we?
40:07Yeah.
40:07So maybe in the middle somewhere.
40:13We thought it'd look a little bit more interesting and useful if we popped a chess set on there.
40:19OK.
40:20All right.
40:20Well, thank you for doing that.
40:21You're welcome.
40:22And so I gather none of you play chess?
40:25No.
40:26No.
40:26Right.
40:27So why do you have this little table?
40:29Because it originally was in my granddad's house in a Welsh cottage,
40:34and then it moved to my parents' house, and now I have it.
40:39So it's lived most of its life in Wales?
40:42In Wales.
40:42OK, so the table, it's Victorian.
40:45Oh, OK.
40:47When we look at the top, we can see it's all beautifully veneered, figured walnut.
40:50The wood around the outside is originally tulip wood, which was originally pink.
40:57The wood here, the inside, is holly.
41:01And that was white.
41:02And then the wood here, this is satin wood, and this would be yellow.
41:08Wow.
41:08So you've got these lovely colours.
41:09So it would have been quite colourful.
41:11Really, really colourful.
41:12Wow.
41:12Then, of course, you've got the gold lacquer, which is on the brass, like a gilt lacquer.
41:17I really congratulate you that you haven't polished it.
41:23That's not a backhanded compliment, but some people can get a cleaning product for cleaning
41:30brass, and they take away this lovely gilt lacquer.
41:35For me, the little part of the detail is this lipped edge.
41:39Yeah.
41:40And do you know what that's there for?
41:42Stop the chest pieces falling off.
41:43Of course.
41:45To me, this is exhibition quality, and you had the Great Exhibition of 1851.
41:50This is good enough to be made by one of the exhibitors of the Great Exhibition, such as
41:55a company called Holland & Sons.
41:57They made furniture of this quality.
42:00This is superb.
42:02Victorian furniture isn't as saleable as it used to be.
42:06In today's depressed Victorian market, it's worth around three and a half thousand.
42:13Oh.
42:14But enjoy it.
42:15Don't get any products.
42:17I'm not going to.
42:18I'm going to carry on ignoring it.
42:20Just flick a duster over it occasionally.
42:23Yeah.
42:24It's such a pleasure to see a great piece of, may I say, Victorian piece of furniture.
43:02No, this is Keats' third book of poems, and this is the final one to be published in
43:08his short lifetime.
43:10It is Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes and Other Poems by John Keats, published in
43:16London in 1820.
43:18There is a special connection between John Keats and the place that we are filming this
43:25piece today.
43:26I don't know if you know, but Henry Stephens, the inventor of Stephens, Inc., he was at medical
43:32school with John Keats.
43:34Wow.
43:35And they shared a room.
43:37That is amazing.
43:38One of the poems that's not in this volume is Endymion.
43:42The first line of Endymion is, a thing of beauty is a joy forever.
43:48That line was written, apparently, by Henry Stephens, not by John Keats.
43:53Well, you've really told me something I had no idea about.
43:57It's a really desirable book, and this copy has been rebound more recently.
44:03It's missing a few pages of advertisements at the back, which make a bit of an impact
44:08on the value.
44:09Even so, if you were to sell it, I would expect it to make, at auction, at least £5,000.
44:16Oh!
44:17What do you think you're going to do with it?
44:21I'm keeping it.
44:22I don't know whether, if it's £5,000, I'll actually have it buried with me.
44:29I think there's a poetry to that that John Keats would have appreciated.
44:34I'm glad it's valued as much as I value it.
44:37Well, this is a thing of beauty, and it will be a joy forever.
44:39Yes, thank you very much indeed.
44:47I was really enamoured of this piece of glass as you pulled it out of the kind of towel that
45:05you brought it along in, because it's just so fine and fragile, isn't it, as well?
45:09Where does it come from?
45:11Well, Mark, I inherited it from a good friend, and she always used to refer to it.
45:17As a juror, and that's all I was ever told.
45:20I could see it was depicting something.
45:22I wasn't sure if this was the hunter-goddess.
45:26I hadn't got a clue, so I thought you were here today, so I'd come along and see if I could find out.
45:31Well, the joy of that is, as soon as you pulled it out of the towel, I knew exactly what it was.
45:37And one of the biggest clues was this little cartouche in the bottom, which says A.D., and that A.D. stands for Albrecht Dürer.
45:46So the Dürer, which was probably something she said to you and you probably never heard her quite right, was kind of halfway there in a way.
45:57So Dürer was basically the pre-eminent engraver and creator of woodblocks, and most of his work was biblical.
46:04His most famous woodblock was Adam and Eve.
46:06So what you have is a stained-glass version of one of Albrecht Dürer's very famous woodblocks, called The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple.
46:16And these all date from the 15th and 16th centuries, so the original woodblock for this particular impression was done in about 1503.
46:28Oh.
46:28So very, very old.
46:30Yeah.
46:30Now, this isn't that old. I think this is a Dutch piece of glass.
46:35Oh, right.
46:36But I think what has happened is that the person who has created this piece of stained glass has obviously looked at one of his original engravings.
46:43Yes.
46:44And has obviously religiously and very accurately copied it.
46:48Oh.
46:48Now, when you had it at home, did you have it displayed in a window?
46:52I did, yes.
46:53Yes.
46:53And that's, I utilised the chain.
46:54You've got a suspension chain.
46:55Yes.
46:55Yes.
46:55Now, which way round did you have it? Did you have it that way round?
46:58No, the other way.
46:59You had it the other way round.
47:01So you had it the right way round.
47:03Oh, did I? Right.
47:03Yes.
47:03OK.
47:04OK. And sorry, I don't mean that to sound patronising in any respect, but sometimes it's kind of quite easy to get stained glass the wrong way round.
47:12But of course, the clue is that the initials AD are the right way round, down in the bottom right-hand corner there.
47:18OK.
47:19So how old do I think this is?
47:21Well, I think this is 17th century.
47:24Oh.
47:24So it's somewhat after the original.
47:27Right.
47:28But it's still a very, very old piece of glass.
47:31I think it's absolutely wonderful.
47:34This really comes to life when you hold it up to the light.
47:37Yeah.
47:38And isn't that absolutely wonderful?
47:40And luckily, it is completely undamaged.
47:43Yeah.
47:44And for that reason, I think if this were to come to auction, it would make between £1,000 and £1,500.
47:51Wow.
47:53And long may you enjoy those rays of sunshine shining through it.
47:57Thank you, Mark.
47:58That's lovely.
47:59That's really nice to know.
48:00And to know what it is.
48:02That's brilliant.
48:03I love these snow goggles.
48:13Inuit snow goggles, I think, are one of the most enigmatic items and objects from Arctic culture.
48:20So tell me how you come to own them and if you like them.
48:24I love them.
48:25I bought them off an online marketplace during COVID.
48:28I used to live in Canada in my early 20s.
48:32It's a very remote island off the coast of British Columbia.
48:35And I picked up a book one day and that's where I learned about them.
48:38And obviously, they were very striking.
48:40Early incarnation of sunglasses.
48:42There's something very enigmatic about them, isn't there?
48:45I mean, they're a cool thing and they're practical.
48:47They're functional.
48:48And did you know they were usually specifically carved to fit a person's face?
48:53And they're obviously to stop the glare from the snow and the ice, you know,
48:58because little crystals reflecting that sun can blind a man.
49:01And they would put soot inside the goggles to reduce any light that might have crept in.
49:08And that's why they're black in there.
49:11They're made of caribou antler.
49:13Really?
49:14Yeah.
49:14And they would have been held on with caribou sinew.
49:18They're probably Bering Straits.
49:21They're certainly 19th century.
49:22People collect them.
49:23People love them.
49:25I would value these at £3,000 to £4,000 and rising.
49:29How much did you pay?
49:31I paid £203 for them.
49:33You did so well.
49:35And you wear them.
49:37I've worn them.
49:38Yeah.
49:38Probably hard to see.
49:40Hard to see.
49:40Don't cross the road when you're wearing them.
49:42You won't see anything coming from the side.
49:44No, no.
49:45But lovely objects.
49:46I'm glad you like them.
49:47Really cool.
49:48Really, really cool.
50:01Gold, gold, gold.
50:03There's nothing like the colour of it, is it?
50:04But what was the first time that you saw the colour of this ring?
50:08Well, I found it with a metal detector like six months ago.
50:11It was in Sussex in an orchard.
50:13Maybe like less than a foot deep.
50:16I handed it into the local finds officer and we've got it back recently.
50:21Yes, and so that's the portable antiquity schemes.
50:24That's an obligation in law to report it.
50:27So you did the right thing and boy, did you do the right thing in finding it.
50:31This would come out of the ground as it appears here because it seems to be absolutely pure gold.
50:38Incorruptible.
50:39You could bury it for a million years and nothing would touch the surface of this.
50:42So was it like that?
50:43Did you have to wash it much?
50:44No, I thought it was a prop ring or like a modern something.
50:49Well, that's the point about pure gold, I think.
50:51And having handled this, it's enormously heavy.
50:54I'm pretty confident that it's sort of 22 carat.
50:57And so we don't even expect to see any tarnishing.
51:00Having been in the ground, for how long do you think it was in the ground?
51:05Could have been at least 150 years, I think.
51:07Well, I think there's plenty of signals here that this is actually a 17th century ring,
51:12if not an early 17th century ring, because of the shape of the ring,
51:17but also the engraving of the front with this wonderful heraldic eagle.
51:22And that's surrounded with a sort of dot and pellet pattern.
51:26We turn it over and we can see the initials T-I-W.
51:31And they're joined, tied together with a sort of rope pattern,
51:35which is absolutely typical of the 17th century.
51:38And so the most obvious function of this ring is that it's a signet.
51:42So it's a way of sealing letters in sealing wax,
51:46because it's carved in what we call intaglio.
51:48It's set back.
51:49This was a man of some considerable wealth,
51:52because even then, gold would have been enormously valuable.
51:57But you had an idea about the eagle, I think, didn't you?
52:00Yeah, someone told me it could be the eagle of St. John.
52:03Yes.
52:03So if this is the eagle of St. John,
52:06it might point to somebody ecclesiastical,
52:08possibly a high-ranking priest, bishop of that sort of thing.
52:12And so this is a very grand individual indeed,
52:15who can afford a ring like that.
52:17Let's kind of evoke him, if you like.
52:18He's on horseback.
52:19It's freezing cold.
52:21He's hurtling to get somewhere, a bishop's palace or whatever.
52:24And it falls off his finger and it's gone.
52:27400 years later, along come you, and we relive that moment.
52:33So this is magic, magic stuff.
52:35This is the biggest, bestest, most enormous signet ring
52:40from the 17th century that I've had that privilege of handling.
52:44If it were to be sold, it could fetch as much as, well, £10,000.
52:51Yes.
52:53Look at that.
52:54And I think it's worth every penny of it.
52:56I think it's a hugely evocative thing.
52:58There are very few things in applied and decorative arts
53:01that you can say is exactly the same as it was 400 years ago,
53:05because most of it is faded, rubbed, damaged,
53:09compromised in some way or another.
53:10This is exactly the same as it was when that owner lost it.
53:15So thank you very much for bringing it.
53:17Brilliant.
53:18Thank you so much for bringing this fantastic Duncan Grant in.
53:29It's signed and dated 1952.
53:31How did you come by it?
53:33Well, I used to work in the West End of London,
53:35and occasionally at lunchtime I'd pop into the local auction houses.
53:40This caught my eye one day and I said, wow.
53:43Went back the following day and then I said, I'm in love with it.
53:45I've got to buy it.
53:47It's been hanging in our home ever since.
53:49That was 53 years.
53:5053 years.
53:51Well, that's testament to Duncan Grant, isn't it?
53:53So how much did you pay for it at the time?
53:56I paid £280, which for me was quite a significant sum of money.
54:01So Duncan Grant was a British artist and member of the Bloomsbury Group,
54:06which was quite a radical group of British artists
54:10at the turn of the 20th century,
54:12along with people like Vanessa Bell and Roger Fry.
54:16They wanted to create art that was different,
54:18and this seems less extraordinary now,
54:20but at the time it was really unusual.
54:22They were breaking away from the confines of the 19th century
54:25and trying to create something that was a little bit more informal.
54:28Duncan Grant went to Paris and was blown away by the works of Cezanne,
54:33and you can see that here in this fruit.
54:35It's very Cezanne-esque with all these wonderful, rounded, bright colours.
54:39He was also influenced by Picasso and Matisse,
54:43again, bringing in these wonderful, bright colours.
54:45Well, what's really fascinating about this is so unusual for a still life.
54:49We can see exactly where this was painted.
54:52Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell moved to Charleston Farmhouse in East Sussex in 1916,
54:58right at the height of the First World War.
55:00This is the original wallpaper in the dining room at Charleston House,
55:05and this piece of furniture is still there.
55:09Duncan quite often would have a still life on a tray,
55:11but here he's put it on the table,
55:13and you can see that wonderful informality.
55:16It's as if everybody has got up from lunch and walked off,
55:20and he's just got his paints out and thought,
55:22I'm going to just do that.
55:23It's absolutely fantastic.
55:25What do you love about it?
55:26Well, it's Tentitle, still life with coffee pot,
55:31but actually it's the other items in the picture.
55:34They've got such vibrant colours.
55:36The fruit comes to life.
55:38I love the oranges, the pears, the peaches, the melon.
55:42It's all Matisse-like colouring,
55:44and the perspective is very good, and they look balanced.
55:47They don't look as though they're going to fall off the table.
55:49You're absolutely right.
55:50Although it looks very informal,
55:51he's probably spent quite a lot of time arranging it, hasn't he?
55:55Yes.
55:55And if you look at that lemon, particularly in the middle,
55:58I mean, that is a really psychedelic yellow colour.
56:01It's so bold.
56:03In terms of value, it's in really good condition.
56:06It's a really good size.
56:07So I would have thought at auction,
56:09you're probably talking something in the region of £20,000 to £30,000.
56:12Wow.
56:14Wow.
56:16That's a shock.
56:18So now I've given you this prize, what are you going to do with it?
56:21I think I'm going to hang on to it
56:23and let the kids fight over it.
56:26Well, I think they...
56:27I think they will be.
56:29I think it's fabulous.
56:30Thank you so much for bringing it in.
56:31It's been an absolute pleasure to look at.
56:33Thank you for enlightening me.
56:38The valuation came as a bit of a surprise.
56:40I never expected it to be anything
56:42approaching the sort of figures that were given today.
56:45But we're going to just continue to enjoy the picture.
56:48It brings back a lot of happy memories, actually.
56:54You've got to admire the dedication of someone
56:56who's prepared to lug something as heavy as this
56:59all the way to the Antiques Roadshow.
57:01It's a Victorian recliner chair.
57:05Place for a drink.
57:06Place for your book.
57:08And I'm sure a Victorian lady wouldn't have had to do this herself.
57:10Thank you very much.
57:20All I need now is a gin and tonic
57:22for the Antiques Roadshow at Stephen's house.
57:25Bye-bye.
57:26APPLAUSE
57:28Thank you very much.
57:58Bye-bye.
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