The question Fiona Bruce is asked most about Antiques Roadshow is what happened next to the heirlooms featured on the show. Do the owners of precious treasures sell them or keep them? Is more information about them uncovered?
The answer is all three, as we discover in tonight’s Christmas special, which trawls the archives to bring us stories from as long ago as 35 years to find out what happened next – it’s an episode packed with poignant and surprising stories.
Fiona presents the episode from Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire, a 17th-century pile bequeathed to the National Trust by the fantastically wealthy collector Lord Fairhaven. It’s packed with valuable trinkets and even boasts a special ‘royal’ window.
‘The names of all the members of the Royal Family that stayed are carved on the windowpane with a diamond stylus,’ explains Fiona. ‘Princess Margaret, Elizabeth II, she stayed a few times, and then our current king, Charles. What an incredible guest list!’
It’s just one of many uplifting stories featured in this year’s Christmas episode. We set out the most surprising stories below.
An unexpected bequest
What’s the item? In 1990 a woman named Janet Hewlett-Davies – who incidentally had been deputy press secretary to Prime Minister Harold Wilson (and allegedly had an affair with him), but that’s another story – brought a gorgeous neoclassical tiara set with citrines to the Roadshow in Brighton.
Valuation? Jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn loved it but said it was worth only £500.
What happened next? That was more than 30 years ago. ‘And halfway through the 30 years, I get a letter from Janet, and she said, “I want to leave you the tiara in my will,”’ reports Geoffrey Munn. ‘Well, that was an extraordinarily generous thing to do. Hugely touching.’
Janet died in spring last year. Geoffrey received the tiara and intends to donate it to a museum. ‘I think one of the national museums is highly likely to accept it, and I think that they ought, because it’s not conventional; it’s extraordinarily beautiful, and it comes from an age increasingly remote from us.’
Says Fiona: ‘This is the first time I’ve heard of someone leaving something to one of our specialists in their will.’
A hero is recognised
What’s the item? The Albert Medal in gold, an extremely rare civilian medal awarded for extraordinary bravery and sacrifice, was brought to an episode at London’s Pitzhanger Manor last September by relatives of Royal Navy medic Arturo Fanconi, who died trying to save wounded soldiers during D-Day operations in June 1944.
Valuation? Roadshow expert Robert Tilney valued the medal at £20,000-£25,000. Arturo’s relatives intend to donate it to a museum.
What happened next? Arturo’s great nieces and nephew learned after the programme that his hometown of Ilminster, Somerset, still commemorated his sacrifice every year as part of their Remembrance Service, and that a wreath was laid at the service in Arturo’s memory. This year his relatives attended the service.
The Roadshow also tracked down a woman, Rosa Dyer, who was Arturo’s next-door neighbour over 80 years ago and who shared her memories. ‘He was handsome, he was a very gentle and considerate gentleman,’ says Rosa. Arturo’s relatives were delighted to learn that their beloved great uncle had not been forgotten.
Spoons with a secret
What’s the item? A set of silver spoons made from Dutch coins, given as a gift by a Dutch jeweller who made them to a British soldier in the Royal Engineers during the Second World War. They were brought to the Roadshow at Sefton Park, Liverpool, in 2022, by the soldier’s daughter, Kate. ‘I have never seen anything like them before,’ said jewellery expert Kate Flitcroft. ‘They certainly caught my eye because they’re made of a coin. It’s not just any coin, they’re Dutch guilders.’
Valuation: £100-150.
What happened next? ‘After the programme, we were contacted by a viewer in the Netherlands who let us know that these spoons held an unusual secret,’ explains Fiona Bruce, who invited Kate and Dr Bastiaan Willems, a history lecturer at Lancaster University, to Anglesey Abbey to learn more.
Willems explained that when Dutch guilders had been replaced by German money during the Nazi occupation, the act of using Dutch guilders to make spoons was an act of silent resistance, a symbol of patriotism by the Dutch for their homeland. ‘I’m so grateful I’ve got them to give to my children and my grandchildren, and they’ll be kept within the family forever,’ says Kate.
Maritime treasure
Pictures specialist Dendy Easton with the painting on the Antiques Roadshow in 2015
What’s the item? A very early painting of a maritime scene by celebrated British marine painter Montague Dawson was brought by its owner to a Roadshow episode in Plas Newydd in Wales in 2015. Her husband had inherited it after his great grandfather bought the painting in 1935 from the National Gallery in Birmingham.
Valuation: Pictures specialist Dendy Easton valued it between £40,000-£60,000.
What happened next? ‘Dendy’s valuation was correct,’ says Fiona Bruce. ‘The painting sold for over £57,000 at Bonhams earlier this year, the top end of the valuer’s estimate.’
Big ticket brooch
What’s the item? A brooch in the shape of a ballerina was brought in by its owner to an episode at Beaumaris Castle shown last month. Created of turquoise, rubies, 18-carat gold and diamonds, the brooch looked to jewellery expert Joanna Hardy as if it had been made by renowned French jewellers Van Cleef & Arpels. ‘I was just doing cartwheels in my head,’ said Joanna. ‘I thought, “This can’t be true.”’
Valuation: Joanna Hardy said that if it is found to be an authentic piece by Van Cleef & Arpels, ‘it would be worth tens and tens of thousands of pounds.’
What happened next? Because Joanna could not find the original maker’s mark on it, she headed to Paris to consult a specialist. Joanna learned that the ballerina brooch was definitely made by a jeweller whose workshop made the brooches for Van Cleef and that such workshops were occasionally granted permission to make their own pieces as a special gift but not for sale. This brooch is one of those pieces.
‘It is not a Van Cleef & Arpels brooch because it is not signed and it hasn’t got its number,’ explains Joanna. ‘Even if it’s not, it’s a fabulous jewel.’ Her revised valuation isn’t shabby, either: ‘At auction, you’d be looking between £40,000 to £50,000.’
A legacy of slavery
What’s the item? An extremely rare carved ivory bangle issued as a warrant [a contract giving the owner the right to buy or sell] to a slave trader in Africa called Prince Jemmy, whose name is carved on the bangle.
It was brought by its owner, Susan, to the episode at Alexandra Gardens in Cardiff, early this year. After pointing out that the trade in ivory is illegal in the UK, expert Ronnie Archer Morgan explained that the bangle has historic significance.
Valuation: None given.
What happened next? The International Slavery Museum in Liverpool invited Ronnie and Susan to meet curator Miles Greenwood to learn more about the bangle.
Greenwood told them that in the 18th century, Liverpool was at the forefront of constructing slaving vessels. ‘So numerous ships, including the one that is mentioned on this disc [Ship Anna], left Liverpool laden with commodities such as textiles, cowry shells, glass beads, that were destined for the West African coast to trade in captives who were then trans-trafficked in enslavement to the Caribbean,’ says Miles.
Ship Anna carried more than 400 African slaves to the Caribbean under the aegis of this ‘Prince Jemmy’, whose name was probably adopted by the owner to make himself sound royal. Part of a dark chapter in human history, indeed.
A nativity scene with a twist
What’s the item? A Christian nativity scene carved out of ebony was brought to an episode at London’s Pitzhanger Manor this autumn. ‘I was blown away,’ says expert Ronnie Archer Morgan, who said the figurines were of ‘staggering quality’ and believed they were carved by the Makonde people of Mozambique.
‘The Makonde are among the finest carvers in Africa,’ says Ronnie. ‘What I love about the figurines is that their physiognomy is African.’ All of the figurines depict black people with African features.
Valuation: The owners bought them in Ireland for €1,300 (£1,074). ‘I think they’re worth quite a lot more than that,’ said Ronnie, who valued them at £3,500-£4,000.
What happened next? ‘They’re not going [anywhere],’ said the owner ‘They’re going to have pride of place now.’
A flying war hero
What’s the item? A Dickin Medal, an award given by the PDSA to animals that have shown bravery while serving with the Armed Forces – it’s the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. This medal, awarded to a pigeon called Mary, was brought into an episode at London’s Pitzhanger Manor this autumn by the owner, whose grandfather owned Mary.
During the Second World War Mary was dropped behind enemy lines, transporting messages between the British and the French Resistance. She was wounded three times in service by gunfire and by hawks sent up by the Germans. ‘Mary is the James Bond of the pigeon world,’ said expert Mark Smith.
Valuation: The owners were stunned when Mark valued the medal at £30,000.
What happened next? ‘After the programme, someone from Mary’s home town of Exeter got in touch to let us know that, as well as the medal, Mary is remembered with a public mosaic and her own blue plaque detailing her heroism under fire,’ says Fiona Bruce.
The end of the Glenn Miller story
What’s the item? A diary written by teen planespotter Richard Anderton during the Second World War was brought to Hartland Abbey, Devon, in 2012, by his brother, Sylvan. It contained fresh details about the infamous night in December 1944 that the big band leader Glenn Miller’s plane disappeared over the English Channel.
Richard had logged every plane that he saw going over the Berkshire airfield where he worked. He noted that on that afternoon, a UC-64A Norseman military transport plane went over, heading east-southeast. It is known that Glenn Miller took off in a Norseman, the only Norseman that flew that day. ‘It puts you completely in touch with a well-known moment in history,’ says Roadshow expert Clive Stewart-Lockhart.
Valuation: Stewart-Lockhart valued the diary at £1,000.
What happened next? ‘Since then, this diary has been on an incredible journey,’ says Fiona Bruce. ‘It now sits in the best possible place for it, as part of a special exhibition in the Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum in Iowa.’
A Beatles Tale
These Beatles figurines were among the vintage items belonging to Tony Quinn
What’s the item? Toy and record shop owner Tony Quinn brought an amazing collection of vintage toys and vinyl records to a 2022 Roadshow held in Sefton Park, Liverpool. Tony’s shop, The Musical Box, is a Liverpool landmark, and has been in Tony’s family since it opened in 1947.
Valuation: Expert Wayne Colquhoun valued the collection at £2,000-2,500.
What happened next? After the Roadshow, Wayne Colquhoun visited Tony and was so bowled over by his vast collection that he convinced Tony to create a mini-museum upstairs in the shop.
While doing so, Tony unearthed some Beatles memorabilia and got in touch with the Beatles Museum in Liverpool. Tony had been told years ago by his grandmother that two of the Beatles regularly visited the shop, but she didn’t know which. Via the museum Tony was able to ask one-time Beatles’ drummer Pete Best, who confirmed that he used to visit The Music Box regularly, always with John Lennon.
Antiques Roadshow At Christmas will be shown tonight at 7.30pm on BBC1