Top 10 Antiques Roadshow Items with Incredible Stories
#10: A Unique Tiara
Sometimes, just being on the “Roadshow” makes an item notable. In the 2024 Christmas special, Fiona Bruce caught up with one of the resident experts, Geoffrey Munn, who transported us all thirty years back in time, to when he valued this gold tiara on the “Roadshow”. In the years since, the original owner passed away, but actually left the tiara to Geoffrey in their will. More remarkable, it had once been bought by the husband of Harold Wilson’s press secretary. So, the tiara got much of its remarkable story AFTER appearing on the “Roadshow”, with Geoffrey dedicated to finding the right museum to donate the tiara to.
#9: John Lennon’s House Number
Everybody was waiting for Beatles memorabilia to turn up when the “Roadshow” went to Sefton House in Liverpool, and turn up it did. One of the more bizarre Beatles objects ever presented for appraisal had to be the number from the house John Lennon grew up in, 251 Menlove Avenue, named “Mendips”, which is now a listed building. The interesting bit of the story, though, is that the people who moved into the house after Lennon’s Aunt Mimi moved to a bungalow apparently hated the Beatles. Then again, anyone would hate the Beatles if they constantly had Beatles fans pitching up in their front garden taking pictures of their house. The current owner was the nephew of the Beatles-hating residents.
#8: Poetry Prize
This young man’s great-great-grandfather won this unique crown 125 years ago, for winning a Welsh poetry contest. It’s now technically owned by the man’s grandmother, but she didn’t accompany him to the Roadshow when he brought it on, along with a photograph of his great-great-grandfather unveiling a war memorial. Fascinatingly, the literary genes have gone down through the family, with multiple generations of poets and writers emerging. It’s a fascinating look at Wales’ literary history, too, since it was a Welsh language poetry contest. They even persuaded him to put the crown on, which was valued at over a thousand pounds.
#7: Art by Roland Penrose
Rupert Maas had this fascinating picture to value, something that looks incomprehensible to the untrained eye. The owner said it once belonged to his grandmother, and that they always knew it was a picture by noted surrealist artist and collector Roland Penrose. It features imagery from the Isle of Wight, chiefly postcards, to create this dazzling picture of a lighthouse. Interestingly, though, nobody had ever taken the frame apart, so there was no way to prove it was by Penrose. That was until Rupert cut the frame open and revealed the personal message on the back, proving that it was given as a gift to the owner’s grandparents David and Judy.
#6: Welsh Violin
To the untrained eye, this may look like an ordinary musical instrument, but it has a very intriguing story behind it. The current owner is related to the original violin maker, her great-great-uncle, Lewis Roberts, and found the violin after years of hunting for one out in the wild. She brought it onto the “Roadshow” to get a valuation and share the family history, as it’s very rare to find a violin made in Wales. Extraordinarily, he taught himself to make violins and made his own tools to do so, crafting them after work during his free time. It ended up being worth a few thousand pounds, though after the lengths she went to to buy it, we doubt she’ll sell it.
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#5: Royal Nightclothes
When the “Roadshow” visited Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, famously built to Prince Albert’s specifications as a summer home for him and Queen Victoria, the experts eagerly awaited any Victorian memorabilia. They certainly got it, with a woman bringing on two nightgowns, one owned by Queen Victoria and the other by her youngest child, Princess Beatrice. Beatrice stayed by the Queen’s side for her entire life, with much of that spent at Osbourne House, where the Queen eventually died. The garments were valued at about a thousand pounds each and, despite being over 100 years old, were in pristine condition.
#4: Leech Jar
This baffling item could have been mistaken for some kind of urn or elaborate biscuit tin, if it wasn’t for the word “LEECHES” written on its side. The story behind it is that, of course, it used to be a piece of medical equipment, containing the leeches doctors would use when they would bloodlet their patients in order to balance the four humours. Interestingly, leeches are still occasionally used in medicine to this day because of the anticoagulant properties of leech saliva, but no longer will you find an enormous, purpose-made leech jar in a GP surgery. It ends up being worth a fair amount, too, thanks to its royal connection.
#3: Operation Mosaic
This photo album was brought on by the descendent of the man who made it, who happened to be a sailor in the Royal Navy who witnessed Operation Mosaic, a British nuclear test in Australia in 1956. They also have the camera used to take the pictures. While it seems doubtful that the family would ever sell this, since it’s a lot of pictures from their own family history, it ended up being worth anywhere between £500 and £800, and it may only get more valuable with time as we slowly lose records like this. As people forget the realities of Britain’s nuclear program, it’s certainly a valuable educational resource to look at these pictures.
#2: Homemade Chess Set
We’re surprised Ronnie even managed to value this fascinating item, which was a homemade chess set made by the current owner’s grandfather. Her grandfather was an engineer who created the chess set out of old nuts and bolts during the war, which has been played by the family for generations since. More interestingly, though, Warrant Officer Williams was in the RAF and flew missions to protect Britain’s shores from U-boats during World War II, something he apparently didn’t discuss very often. It’s a very interesting family story and we’re glad they brought it onto the “Roadshow” to share it with us, even if they say they’ll never sell it.
#1: The Christmas Message
During the coronation special, celebrating decades with Elizabeth II on the throne, the “Roadshow” went aboard the royal yacht Britannia to see what royal artefacts could be dug up. Some of these were letters typed and sent by the Queen’s personal private secretary to the BBC, saying that the Queen had decided to televise the annual Christmas message. Generally known as “the Queen’s speech”, the Christmas message remains an institution, with King Charles III now delivering the annual speech each Christmas Day. These memos were being kept in the BBC’s archives, with others talking about the Queen and Princess Margaret’s first radio appearance when they were both children.
Let us know if you have any unique antiques in your house that you want to get valued.
