AN Antiques Roadshow guest was left in utter shock at the value of his old heirloom.
BBC expert Alastair Dickenson sat down with one pensioner who innocently brought a small silver box to be appraised.
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Fiona Bruce, 60, took to the airwaves to host another edition of the popular show.
Every week, members of the public seek to trade in their precious family heirlooms for waddles of cash.
On a recent edition, Alistair – a silver specialist – seemed initially impressed by the shiny round item as he noted that it was extremely old.
He explained: “My favourite period of English silver is the 17th Century and you’ve brought along a charming little box with a portrait of Charles I on the top.”
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The Antiques Roadshow guest appeared to be completely shocked as he interrupted the star in full flow.
But the professional wanted to know more about the history of the mysterious object.
He asked: “And before we have a look at it, what can you tell me about its past?”
The guest then went onto explain: “Well I know very little about it Alastair apart from the fact that I was in business and one of the people in my office came to me and said he was a bit short of cash and was I interested in this.
“And I was in the insurance business, specialising in antiques, I said: ‘yes, I don’t know anything about it but it looks interesting. What do you want for it?’
“So he mentioned a figure and I said it was a bit rather on the high side so I said to him I wouldn’t go more than £2,000. He said: ‘OK, I’ll take it.’ and I’ve had it ever since and that was in 1988.”
Once Alastair took a closer look at the small round item, he appeared to be completely taken a back by the condition of the box.
“What I particularly like about this box is these fantastic, fanciful, almost demonic figures around the side here,” he remarked.
“Absolutely beautifully pierced and engraved but we should actually say what it is.”
The pensioner couldn’t help but make humorous comments as he remembered more information that he was previously told.
Antiques Roadshow presenters through the years
Antiques Roadshow launched all the way back in 1979 and has become a staple BBC programme. Here is a look at those who have hosted the show over the years.
- Bruce Parker (1979): Journalist and presenter Bruce Parker was the original host of Antiques Roadshow when the programme debuted.
- Angela Rippon (1979): Broadcaster and former newsreader Angela Rippon briefly took up the hosting reins in 1979.
- Arthur Negus (1979-1983): The first long-term presenter, the television personality and antiques expert had a four-year stint with the show. He died in 1985, two years after leaving Antiques Roadshow.
- Hugh Scully (1981-2000): Hugh, a journalist, radio and television presenter, is the longest-serving presenter of Antiques Roadshow. He died in 2015, at the age of 72.
- Michael Aspel (2000-2008): Retired presenter and newsreader Michael Aspel hosted Antiques Roadshow for eight years. He is also known for his work on shows including This Is Your Life and Crackerjack.
- Fiona Bruce (2008 – present): The current host, journalist, newsreader and presenter Fiona joined the BBC show in 2008. She remains the ongoing presenter to this day.
He joked: “Well I understand, when I bought it, I was told it was gaming discs, produced by this awful gentry many, many years ago who did nothing but eat, drink and womanise.”
In return he couldn’t help but cackle with laughter in front of the gathered crowd as the duo sat on a grey branded bench.
“Well there we are!”, he exclaimed.
“Nothing more to be said! It is a counter box, you’re absolutely right and I think if we take the lid off, we’ll see inside these fantastic counters, each one beautifully engraved with different kings and queens of England.
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“Now there’s a maker associated with these and that’s a chap called Simon Van de Pass and he died in 1647. So we know that this box, with the portrait of King Charles I has to be before 1647 so I would date it to about 1640.”
The guest couldn’t believe his luck after he confirmed that there were 32 individually engraved counters inside.
This is when the expert revealed more about the object, what precisely it was used for, and just how rare it was to find.
Alastair commented: “That’s pretty much near the capacity number of counters you can get into one of these boxes.”
“Over the years, a few of these have come up at auction and not that many of them have as many as 32 counters, because each one of these is a little piece of art in its own right.
“It’s absolutely fantastic detail. 32 little gems all add up to a reasonable sum.”
He then gave his full appraisal verdict, as he stated that the gambling box was worth far more than the £2,000 he originally paid.
“Well, I can tell you it’s more than £2,000. It’s now [worth] £6,000 to £8,000.”
The contributor couldn’t quite believe his luck, as he exclaimed: “No … Golly!”
Before he jokingly added: “I need a bodyguard!”, much to the delight of the surrounding audience.
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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