I’ve Peckham Spring Water and Mont Chernobyl champagne – are my Only Fools and Horses props beneficial? DAN HATFIELD replies

For more than 30 years I worked for the BBC as studio crew member. 

I had the pleasure to work on many different shows over the years but one of my highlights was working on the set of Only Fools And Horses. 

I was able to take home some props from this show. They include three bottles of Peckham spring water and a bottle of Mont Chernobyl champagne. 

All were used in the actual episodes. I would love to know what they are worth… this time next year, could we be millionaires? James, via email.

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Dan Hatfield, resident This is Money expert valuer, replies: Lovely jubbly… as Del boy himself would say. 

In my long and eventful career, I’ve been fortunate enough to value many remarkable items. 

Everything from Fabergé eggs, jewellery worn by royalty, and even Dame Shirley Bassey’s diamonds live on This Morning. 

I’ve appraised a car driven by James Bond and examined Elvis Presley’s very own jukebox but let me tell you, dear reader, this is right up there with the best of them. 

You see, I’m a lifelong Only Fools and Horses fan. 

A classic and still to this day, remains the most-watched sitcom of all time in the UK, which is probably why, I can gleefully lose hours of my free time to re-runs. 

It followed the adventures of Del Boy, played by David Jason, his younger brother Rodney, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst, as they lurched from one hare-brained money-making scheme to another in the south London borough of Peckham.

Created and written by the brilliant John Sullivan, Only Fools and Horses wasn’t an overnight success. In fact, it almost got the chop. 

The first two series attracted modest ratings, and the BBC considered pulling the plug. But they stuck with it, and that faith paid off in spectacular style. 

As the series developed, it struck a chord with audiences, and its popularity soared. 

Its sharp wit, unforgettable one-liners, and realistic portrayal of working-class life cemented its place in television history. 

By 2004, it was voted Britain’s best sitcom, and to this day, it remains one of the most beloved shows in UK history.

I could wax lyrical about this show for hours but let’s move onto the star of today’s valuation, your incredible pieces of TV history.

First up you have bottles of Peckham Spring Water and for any OFAH devotee, the sight of Del Boy and Rodney bottling tap water and flogging it as luxury mineral water in the 1992 Christmas special, Mother Nature’s Son, is one of the most memorable moments in the show’s history. 

A classic Del boy hustle and a stroke of genius in its ridiculousness. 

At the time, bottled water was still considered something of a posh novelty, so the Trotters’ attempt to cash in on the trend was both timely and side-splittingly funny. 

The fact that you’ve got not just one but three of these original bottles is extraordinary. Back in 1992, you’d never have imagined they’d become such iconic pieces of memorabilia. 

Anything connected to Only Fools and Horses tends to fetch impressive sums, and these bottles are no exception. 

Let’s just say they’re worth a lot more than your average bottle of Evian! Given their desirability, I’d estimate their value at around £2,500 to £3,000 each. 

And if you need proof of just how sought-after these bottles are, one sold a few years ago for a staggering £6,000.

That said, I wouldn’t necessarily count on hitting that number again because it all depends on the right buyers battling it out in the right auction. 

My advice would be to sell them individually rather than all together. One of my golden rules with rare items is not to flood the market – no pun intended. 

Selling them one at a time, perhaps a year apart, will help maintain their exclusivity and keep prices high.

Now, let’s move on to your other drinkable memorabilia, a bottle of Mont Chernobyl champagne. 

If ever there was a product that screamed ‘Del Boy,’ more than Peckham Spring water, this is it. 

Trust Del to snap up a crate of champagne supposedly produced near the world’s most infamous nuclear disaster site.

Made from apples grown in the area, no less, this hilarious prop appeared in the 1996 Christmas special Modern Men, an episode packed with classic gags but also tinged with emotion.

This item though, really gets my valuer head in a spin because unlike the Peckham Spring bottles, which are instantly recognisable and have already proven their market value, this bottle of Mont Chernobyl is a real rarity. 

In fact, I’ve never come across another one in an auction, so putting a definitive price tag on it is tricky. 

On one hand, it’s exceptionally scarce, which pushes the value up. 

But on the other, it’s not quite as instantly iconic as the Peckham Spring Water, which could limit the bidding frenzy. 

That said, it’s the perfect conversation piece and something that could sit proudly in any collector’s home, guaranteed to strike up lively conversation and raising a smile. 

Taking all this into account, I’d estimate a safe, if somewhat conservative value at around £3,000 to £4,000. 

As with the water, if you find the right buyers in the right auction, it could well go a lot higher especially with its rarity.

So, there you have it. Two utterly brilliant pieces of television history, tied to one of the greatest British sitcoms of all time. 

As Del would say: He who dares wins… and in this case, you’ve dared to keep some truly special relics of TV comedy history, proving you are by no means a plonker. Cushty!