‘It’s not going anywhere!’ insists Antiques Roadshow guest despite blowing expert away with ‘never seen before’ item
AN ANTIQUES Roadshow expert was left stunned after a guest refused to sell their ‘never seen before’ item despite a whopping evaluation.
The guest made history with heirloom but insisted it was “not going anywhere” in Sunday’s episode.
Expert Gordon Foster – who specialises in the arts, crafts and silver- was left very impressed by a unique silverware model of a famous landmark.
It was a replica of the famous Indian landmark, the General Post Office in Kolkata – formerly Calcutta – which was made to contain betel leaves, traditionally used as a stimulant.
Gordon said: “Well, I have to say I have never seen a piece like this ever before on the Antiques Roadshow.
“I’m not quite sure whether it was especially made for order, or it was just bought off the shelf, which seems a bit unlikely.”
The guest informed him: “This actually belonged to my father, and that was a present from my maternal grandfather – a wedding present.”
He added the gift was received in 1942.
Gordon chimed in: “I’m sure there’ll be lots of people intrigued by this. It’s absolutely amazing, isn’t it?
“With no maker’s marks, no no silver marks… It’s clearly silver, you can just tell by the way that it’s been done.
“Calcutta – at that time – there was one firm that is a possibility. They’re a firm called Cooke and Kelvey. They made a lot of quite large scale pieces.
“They tend to have a maker’s mark on it, though. But if this was a special commission, they wouldn’t have had to put their mark on it.”
The expert pointed out the initials – GS – on it, which stood for the guest’s father name Govind Sharan, adding a personal touch.
He continued: “So when it comes to the valuation, it’s quite a tricky thing to put a price on. We’ve never seen one before. [There are] a lot of different collectors who would be interested in this.
“It’s Indian silver. It’s decorative, and it’s a known building. My gut feeling for an estimate for that… I would say £1,500 to £2,000.”
The guest was pleased with the evaluation, however, he plans to keep hold of the item confirming: “Yeah, it’s not going anywhere. We’ll pass it on to our daughter.”
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.
Gordon commented: “She’s a lucky girl.”
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.