But it was £250, and we tried not to fall on the floor, because the most he had spent was £30. So it was a very big purchase. It was a very big purchase. And i just knew, foolishly, if you like, that i had to buy it for his birthday. And i did, and he told me what a fool i was, but how nice. Im sure he was very pleased. It remained the prize of the clection. A while later, i was having work done in the flat. Graham was away. And i packed everything away and put things that i wanted safe in a wardrobe that wasnt going to move. And months later, the work was still going on. I was invited to an evening event, long dress needed. So i went in the wardrobe, pulled out my dress, and out with the dress came the pot, onto a concrete floor. Oh, no and smashed into smithereens, oh, my goodness. With me frozen to the spot. And thats what it looked like. Really . So that is this. Thats astonishing, though. So how did you put it all back together again . Thank goodness for accidental damage, because i found a wonderful restorer who did this, put it back together. You did this on your insurance. I did it on insurance, because it cost, to have it put back together, what i paid for the pot in the first place. And i still love it, and its absolutely worthless. Not worth anything. And did you ever pluck up the courage to tell your partner that you smashed the thing . Well, not for ages and ages. Because i was so upset about it. I did tell him in the end and his initial reaction was, why on earth did you get it restored . But i think hes quite glad that i did and it is still, certainly my favorite pot, and i think hes quite fond of it, too. So what about your pride and joy then . Well, this little book is my pride. Its not particularly rare. But again, the story has to go back to 1938. December, my mother had just turned 20, and she was invited to a sherry party. A sherry party. How lovely. And she said no, she couldnt cause she was going to a dance. And the friend said, what a pity, because my brothers great friend jack lambert is coming. And my mother said that she felt a tingle of shock run up the back of her neck at the name. And she immediately changed her mind and said yes, she would go to the party. So she went to the party, she met my father, she absolutely fell in love with him. They spent the whole evening talking to each other on a sofa, and found that they lived very close. And he held her hand for a very long time and said, i would love to take you out but i cant for a month because i have to finish writing the penguin guide to cornwall. And after a month, he did get in touch with her when hed finished the book. And it came out in 1939 when he was 22. So its 70 years old. And there he is. And it started a relationship of 48 years because in august, 1940, my father had joined the navy, and he was on about two or three days leave and they got married. And the morning of the wedding was the first time that my mother had seen him in his bell bottoms. He was then a naval rating. And he looks fairly happy about it. He looks chuffed to bits, as he should be on his wedding day. What a wonderful photograph. So this little book, although it looks nothing, this is a prized possession. Worth a lot more to you. It certainly is. Thanks, deborah. Its the most extraordinary longcase clock ive ever seen. All put together with bits. Tell me more. It was in the garage of a house we bought about a year and a half ago, and it just sat there. Lets look at the clock. This door is obviously something off a japan clock from the 1770s. So thats been put on to this extraordinary plywoodmade hood. So you didnt make any of this yourself . No, not at all. Just found it there, covered in dust. Do you know anything about this chap, john hamm . Wouldnt know anything about it at all. I havent even interneted it at all. Right. Well, john ham. And i think this has been repainted. I think that shouldve said kingsand. Kingsand is in cornwall, is it not . There is a john ham of kingsand, round about 1840, 1845, which would fit in with this sort of 30hour dial. But nothing fits in with this sort of case, cause it is absolutely weird. Its quite extraordinary, isnt it . And somebody has just cobbled it up together from bits of oak and bits of ply. The tea chest . All sorts of things. Its just a fun object. Theres some strange carving here, as well. Naked ladies climbing up trees. Very african. Yes. Im not going to associate a very high value with it. The movements quite fun. I wasnt expecting it to be worth anything, actually. Probably, if you put it to auction like this as a bit of fun, it might make £250, 300 top whack. Thats not bad. But im far more intrigued. How you going to get it home then . Its gonna go back the way it came. We are gonna row it home. Youre being serious. Yes, well put it in the sailboat, and well row back with it. The way it came. Ive never heard anything so strange. Clocks and water dont go terribly well together. Make sure its safe. It arrived here safely, it will go back safely. Wonderful. This picture belongs to the Royal Marines. The Royal Marines, yes. Its hanging up in the mess at Royal Marines in stonehouse. Its one of the unusual paintings, because most of the paintings in the barracks are figures, and this one. Or portraits. Portraits, yes. This one is particularly interesting because its a navy ship, and its looking over towards the edgcumbe estate and manor house. I love the way its signed over here. Thats just completely brilliant. By j. T. Serres. I dont know much about him at all. All i know is its a wonderful painting, and i wish to know more about it. Okay. Well, his father was dominic serres. And he was one of the great marine painters of britain. Often, they were imported; lots of dutchmen. In this case, a frenchman. I love all these little figures massed on the deck, ready to change all the sails and get around. Shes heading out. Shes heading out, yes. The little ship here that we refer to where the guy has signed his name, i think thats the cremyll ferry that flies between plymouth and the edgcumbe estate. Oh, i see. Ive been looking at this picture for quite a long time, and i looked at the far end, at your end there, and i can see slight ghosts. The same pattern of the ship. I think i can see where you mean. The sail running down here. You can see it. Theres the shadow of the sail, which has been covered over by new paint. Why do you think it would have been moved to there . I think its because it may have been commissioned by the edgcumbe family, cause they did put a lot of money for the fleet, and because thats their manor house and they commissioned the painting, they probably thought the boat was too near. Yes, i see what you mean. Its obscuring his house, in fact. Getting in the way. Thats the most important thing, is my house. I paid for it, so i want it visible. Fair enough. Well, now, j. T. Serres had a wonderful reputation for painting the sea, and he has this gloriously airy way of doing so, and its lovely and transparent, as well. You can see through everything, and the rigging is very finely observed. It takes a mariner to understand this. And often, pictures of this vintage what is it, its late 18th century, isnt it . Yes, i think so. And theyve been cleaned a lot, and the first thing that goes is the riggings. The riggings painted on the top and if you overclean a picture, it comes right off. In this case, its all still there. So its in terrific condition. Yeah, its in really good condition. Well, its a big picture, and its a good picture, and its by one of britains best marine painters. I think its worth between £60,000 and £80,000. Crumbs. Um, thats slightly more than what the books say. Its valued at the mess at £400. £400 . yes. Well, you need to update that. I think we should. Definitely. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you. I see youve got a family day out. Whose is the ugly brown jug . Its mine. I bought it on tavistock market about ten years ago. It had a little sign on it saying medieval jug, and id done a pottery night class, and i remembered that this base round it is very distinctive of medieval pottery. So i thought there was a chance that it might actually be as old as it said it was. But since then, there have been family debates and arguments about whether it is or whether it isnt, and hopefully, you can tell us today whether it really is as old as that, or whether its something completely different. I will certainly do my best. Yes, its not the prettiest thing thats ever been brought along. No, nobody has said they liked it. But it is what early pottery is all about. Its a wonderful handmade thing. Its got all the features youd expect of a medieval pot. Theyre made all over the country from the local clays. The way the handle is finished at the bottom, its been pushed out by somebodys thumb. The way the base is finished here, you see this in the 1300s and 1400s. If you were going off to agincourt, you wouldve been drinking beer or mead or Something Like that, out of a jug like this. It really is that old . It really is that old. And its in amazingly good condition, as well. When you look at copies of these, you wouldnt get this surface wear. This is a fired stoneware. Actually, if you put beer in it, it doesnt matter whether its glazed or not. It shouldnt soak through. The pottery ones would need to be glazed in order to hold water, beer, mead. Whatever youre gonna put in it. Ive never used it for that. Ill have to give it a go now. Watch whats in it. You might find theres a dead mouse inside. Theres got a label on the bottom. Has it . Oh, that label. Yes. You paid what . £9. 50 for it. I reckon if you went to a specialist, i reckon the label on the bottom would be £1,200. Really . Its a great thing. Its a lovely piece of pottery. Its what pottery is all about. Even though it is an ugly brown jug. That is amazing. This is just lovely how it is just shiny and sparkling at me. When did it shine and sparkle for you . My mother bought it about 30 years ago on a market stall in exeter for a very small price. For a very small price . Yes. How much . Two pounds. Two pounds . Yes. And it didnt look like that. When she brought it home, it was completely black, and she dropped it in a glass of gin and cleaned it up, and thats what appeared. Good old gin. So thats amazing. So for two pounds, and she cleaned it up, and then what did she think . She thought it was something special, and she sort of hid it away for the next 25 years, as an insurance policy, i think, never having had much money. And then it came out, i remember, for a family wedding when she put it on a black dress, and it absolutely sparkled. And its been handed down to me. And have you worn it . No, i havent, because i dont really know how to wear it. Im not really a brooch person. I thought about putting it on a pendant, on a chain or something, and i can see it has done Something Else in its life, but id like to know more about it before i actually risked wearing it really. So do you know what the stones are . Well, i hope theyre diamonds. When the sun is shining, even glass and paste look amazing. And these are literally sparkling, and thats because theyre diamonds. Thats great. You can be relieved about that. What is lovely about this is that it is 1900. Its made in platinum. And the delicacy of the design. Its a cartoucheshaped design. And platinum was allowing white stones and especially diamonds to come alive, and with a minimum of metal around it. So the stones were cut in about 1895, 1900. And it really is lovely. It has had a later safety chain, and its had a later catch. But otherwise, i think its intact as it is. It is how it started. Something like this would have been quite an amazing piece to have commissioned by then, let alone now. It looks fantastic now, doesnt it . And so, then, it would have been even greater value, really, for them. And they would have worn it in the evening, with either black velvet behind and very elegantly. And you said your mother. Wore it with a black dress. And thats the only thing it would really go with. Yes, yes. Absolutely right. Oh, thats lovely. Well, value. I think your two pounds, or your mothers two pounds, has been very wellspent. And i would suggest that at an auction, youd probably be about £2,500 to £3,500. Thats brilliant. Okay. Thats brilliant. Thank you. Enjoy wearing it. I will do. Thanks im going through a phase of object association. So im looking at this magnificent piece of victorian pottery. So why am i thinking of Gracie Fields . Why am i thinking of Gracie Fields . No idea. Ill tell you why. Because one of her favorite songs was the biggest aspidistra in the world. You see, youve gotta be of a certain generation to know about these things here. Its not in your record collection, is it . No. But it used to have one in it. Oh, did it . Im glad to know that. So im told that this was actually a gift. It was, yeah. It was a friend that lived in london who, i admired this every time we went up there. A few other pieces, as well. But she decided to move to wales, and brought this with her, but it just wouldnt fit in the small house she was moving into. Thats remarkable. So you just admired it. I admired it. And it ended up. I ended up owning it. Forgive me, i dont mean to pry, but you do need a house of a certain size for this. I live in a large house. Youve got a large house. And what about conservatory . Ive got a conservatory, where this lives. Because thats what it was destined for. Is it . Way back in the 1870s. But lets have a look at this combo, if you will. Because the pedestal is quite breathtaking, isnt it . Yeah, its beautiful. And you know and i know theres a mark under there that says minton. And minton, for me, the great factory. The great ceramic manufacturer of the entire 19th century. Daltons, yes, wedgwood, yes. But when youre talking victoriana, it doesnt get any better for me than minton. I mean, this is pottery that makes me smile. I love it. You do. Well, youve been smiling ever since we started. Lets just look at the construction, because the thing about the victorians, they were into novelty, they were into inventive forms, so youve got these sort of hooves on a triform base. Acanthus leaves. And these lovely rams. Or are they goats heads . Im not quite sure. Then you move up to the jardiniere. Ive had this before in my previous life with an auction house. Ive had several versions of this in different colorways. But always with these lines, these pilasters, lions heads and ring handles. This time using this lovely turquoise, which is almost synonymous with minton, although wedgwood and george jones all use that sort of color. I suppose. I dont know the price of an aspidistra. But id have to say that the antique market is subject to the same foibles of many other markets insofar as prices change, and prices alter. But youre looking at somewhere between £6,000 and 8,000. Gosh. Its pin money to people like this, i realize. But having said that, the bad news is, if we were having this conversation lets say, ten or 12 years ago, it may have been worth £8,000 to 10,000. But the good news is that the price of aspidistras is very much the same. laughter thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks very much. What do you think this is . I thought it was a golf club. You thought . Have you done some research on it or looked into what you think it is . I had a look on the internet, and couldnt find anything like it. No golf clubs like this at all on the internet . No. Not at all. How extraordinary. Lets look at some of the features. First of all, on the head, this is just beautiful, isnt it . Ivory and ebony inlaid. It really reminds me of the 1920s. Art deco. Thats what it says to me. This wonderful fan shape. Very contrasting colors of the ivory and the ebony. Nice little collar here. Again with ebony and ivory. And then, a bit of inset metal at the back there. Its quite unusual, though, to see a golf club thats decorated quite so much. Where did you get it from . I had a friend that lived next door to me for 22 years, and when she died, she left me the contents of her house, and that was amongst it, so i dont know anything. She never showed it to me when she lived there. So i dont know. Im in a quandary. Im waiting for you to tell me. Well, i can tell that youre not a golf player, are you . You are absolutely not a golfer. No, not at all. And this is no golf club. It is actually a walking stick. Oh i thought it was too wobbly to be a walking stick. It is the most beautifully designed walking stick. I have seen so many walking canes with the hand grip being carved out of ivory into the shape of an animals head. All sorts of walking canes with gold and silver handles. And i love this one more than all of those. Ive never seen one like this. Its just beautifully designed, and at about £400. Worth a bit more than your average secondhand golf club. Yes. Yes. Youre right. No wonder it didnt come under a golf club on the internet. I love it. So do i. I liked it before. I like it even more now. A clock from bath. Whats it doing down here on the devoncornish border . Well, my parents very kindly gave it to us as a wedding present about four years ago. Before that, my grandfather had bought it in 1946 for £25. Its all youd want from an english bracket clock, dating from a few years prior to 1800. Thomas field of bath, a good maker. In business from the mid1770s through to around 1820, but i would happily say that this is just prior to the turn of the century. And its got the classic dial that all the collectors want. Twin subsidiaries in the arch, the strike silent, and this one for slowfast, which is the rise and fall of the pendulum. And unusually, youve got a rather nice subsidiary date dial, as well. Many bracket clocks down here wouldve had a little window with a calendar aperture, but this has got the full date subsidiary. Its a fabulous dial. It really is. And lets just have a quick whiz round here to the movement. Where weve got the holdfast for the pendulum, which is just what youd want to see. Its got the anchor escapement. Everything youd want. Would thomas field, the name on it, would he have done the whole thing or just the mechanism, or just the case . Well, now you mention it, i see theres something here, which says, Movement Made by thwaites london. But thats perfectly legitimate. Perfectly legitimate. Next is the case. Again, its what they all want in the current market. The triple pad, all brass bound, lovely flame veneers. Mahogany . Mahogany. Absolutely. Bit of brass inlay, little ivory escutcheons. Its super. So how much is it worth . Oh, i knew youd ask me that eventually. In the current market, i could see this happily making £6,000 to 7,000 at auction. Good grief. And after a little sympathetic restoration, for instance, the hands dont match. And theres a bit of paint down there. I was gonna say, i noticed a little bit of white gloss paint there. I trust that wasnt you. Oh, it clearly was. No, i dont know. In any retail outlet, that is going to be at least £15,000. Good grief. Its of its type, top of the range, and just what everybody wants. Thank you very much. Glad youre happy. I am. There are certain categories of glass that you can put a tenner on are gonna turn up at every antiques roadshow location. And one is cranberry glass, and the second is mary gregory decoration. This handpainted deco