Antiques Roadshow

One item taken onto the BBC show was valued at ‘well over a million pounds’

Antiques Roadshow regularly wows viewers as hopeful guests discover whether they are sitting on fortunes.

Over the years the BBC favourite has served up plenty of big surprises, from disappointments as people are told that heirlooms they thought might be valuable are higher in sentimental value than pounds, to delight as people discover that knick-knacks from their attics could be worth thousands.

For a lucky few, their visit to the long-running programme proves to be potentially life-changing, with some items reaching the one million pound mark.

In 2008 a maquette of the Angel of the North by Antony Gormley was taken on the show, which is hosted by Fiona Bruce. It ended up being valued at £1 million, becoming the first ever item in Antiques Roadshow’s history to be valued that high.

Then in 2018 another treasure reached the same lofty seven-figure height, when a Faberge flower taken on to the programme was also priced at £1 million.

However, the highest-valued item ever on the show was actually worth even more than a million pounds.

What is the highest-valued item ever on the Antiques Roadshow?

In an episode in 2016, silver expert Alastair Dickenson was asked to appraise an actual FA Cup.

The huge silver trophy was taken onto the television show by presenter Gabby Logan and Leeds United’s former manager and 1972 FA Cup winner Eddie Gray.

It turned out that cup had been made in 1911, although Dickenson felt the fact that it was engraved with a pattern of grapes and vines suggested it might “have been used as a wine cooler or a champagne cooler”.

“I’m sure it’s had plenty of champagne inside over the years,” Gabby agreed, as the TV star laughed: “More than you and I could possibly think of, I think!”

After Dickenson outlined the cup’s history and how it was likely to have been made in Yorkshire, Gabby asked him: “Is it possible to put a value on something like that, with all that history that you’ve just described?”

The expert replied: “This is probably, along with maybe the Wimbledon Trophy, the most famous cup in the country.

“So, I think, quite comfortably, this has got to be worth well over a million pounds.”

“The highest value piece of silver I have ever valued on the Antiques Roadshow,” he added, as Gabby exclaimed: “Wow!”

Antiques Roadshow airs on BBC One at 8pm on Sunday October 12.

Antiques Road Trip descended into bitter clash on Sunday afternoon’s episode as an expert abandoned co-star during a heated row that saw them split up at the auction house

Antiques Road Trip descended into a bitter clash on Sunday afternoon’s episode as an expert abandoned co-star during a heated row. The BBC afternoon favourite returned over the weekend with a previous instalment when Paul Laidlaw joined fellow expert Margie Cooper on the valuation programme, and the pair ventured from Lincolnshire as they set off on their way to the auction house in Harrogate.

With Paul behind the wheel as Margie set out on an expedition that would see her try to contact spirits from beyond, she warned him ‘not to start with all this war stuff’ as they made their way to the auction house.

Paul began: “I don’t know much about it, airfields! Lincs, East Coast. I’ve got to bring the war up.” Margie then joked: “Oh, don’t, you’re not going to start with all this war stuff!”

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Paul shot back: “My tactic is… but you won’t. I’m sure this won’t upset you. I will just be hovering behind, ready to snatch. Is that the best you can do?”

Margie hit back: “Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare!” Paul, who was pursuing the purchase of military memorabilia and did go on to discover some rather interesting artefacts, joked to his co-star: “We may end up in the same shop this morning. I’m talking about militaria.”

Not quite satisfied with that stance, Margie shot back: “Sniffing around! Oh no! Please! You’re not still buying that old rubbish, are you?” and she suggested once they had arrived: “Shall we divide and conquer? I’ll just abandon you by the roadside!”

Once inside, Margie deliberately crept up on her co-star and he fumed: “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you familiar with the concept of trespassing? I thought you were,” but she fired back: “I am allowed to go where I want to! I was told!”

Paul, furious at this stage, ranted: “is this? An interrogation? You come in here and interrogate me!” Despite this, the pair still maintained a good rapport on screen for the rest of the episode and were on civil terms by the time the auction came around.

It comes just days after dealer Paul was gobsmacked after he stumbled upon a rare vintage camera in an antique shop. The camera later fetched a whopping £20,000 at auction.

Paul had snapped up the camera for a mere £60 and was left stunned alongside competitor Kate Bliss at the Bury St. Edmunds auction in Suffolk when the hammer fell at such an astronomical price, especially after watching the bidding increments soar.

The specialist found the camera while hunting for curiosities and collectables in Margate, Kent. The shop owner explained: “Three floors, the upstairs is mainly furniture, but there’s stuff everywhere. And on this floor, there are four rooms through, and in the middle, there’s a staircase which goes down to a room full of chairs and another room full below!”

Faced with the daunting task ahead, Paul joked: “Don’t send the cavalry, okay?” After spending a considerable amount of time rummaging through the treasures, Paul returned to the counter and proposed: “In your cabinet over there, optical instrument… £75 on that, I bid you £50.

“Give me £60 and I’ll shake your hand, but I’m not doing any better than that, I’m afraid,” the proprietor responded. “Shake my hand!” Paul retorted, and the owner added, “Good man, deal done.”

He then turned to the camera and revealed: “What do you get for your money when you open it up? That looks like a peepside and it is!”.

“I think this is a very early camera. If I’m right, that could be quite exciting. The photographic market is very much in the ascent, it’s a hot market, I think that’s a good thing.”

Antiques Road Trip is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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An Antiques Roadshow expert was left stunned after inspecting a “never seen before” item

An Antiques Roadshow expert went “raving mad” for a never seen before item that was worth thousands.

The popular BBC show, filmed at Beaumaris Castle in Anglesey, North Wales, saw locals bring their antiques and fine arts for appraisal.

During the episode, jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn was shown a pendant and an aquamarine brooch crafted by Fabergé, the renowned jeweller from 1900.

The guest revealed that her friend owned the items and had asked her to bring them along for valuation.

“Well, I’m jolly glad she did because they’re very, very exciting things for me,” Geoffrey enthused, reports the Express.

The pendant featured someone’s initials encrusted with diamonds, set over a geocache ground – a machine-created sun ray effect.

Inside the pendant was an inscription in Cyrillic, loosely translated as, “Maybe it’s better not to wait.”

“Then it’s flooded with pink enamel and you can see through the enamel onto the geocache, which looks like a sunburst behind,” Geoffrey elaborated.

“I think we can possibly assume that this is somebody who could afford to go to Fabergé. Absolutely the highest level of elite.”

Meanwhile, the Siberian aquamarine brooch was encircled by diamonds, topped with a true lover’s knot.

“It’s a remarkably deep stone, and when you turn it up, you can see there’s a gallery beneath which is really quite extravagant, quite wide,” Geoffrey noted.

“The reason that it’s there is because the stone itself is actually very deep.”

The expert continued: “This is court jewellery at the highest possible level by Fabergé.”

Geoffrey then revealed that the pendant could fetch up to £10,000, while the brooch was worth a staggering £35,000 to £40,000.

“This one is an unusual prototype, never seen the like before, I’m going to say £10,000 for this one,” he said.

“And I’m going to go absolutely raving mad for this one, which is sort of predictable, and tell you that I think it ought to be worth £35,000 to £40,000.”

The assembled crowd let out a collective gasp, with the guest excitedly exclaiming: “Isn’t [my friend] going to be happy!”

She added: “My friend is out of the country, so she asked me to bring them. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to bits to hear about all that I shall tell her.”

Antiques Roadshow is available to stream on BBC iPlayer

Antiques Roadshow expert Will Farmer was left stunned by one guest’s knowledge of his two chairs

Antiques Roadshow expert Will Farmer was left gobsmacked by a guest’s knowledge about his two chairs, leading him to jokingly walk away in awe.

During a repeat episode of the BBC series, the expert started off by saying: “Well, here we are before a bold and striking architectural building, and we’ve got two bold and striking architectural chairs.

“I’ve got to ask the question, are we cut from the same cloth? Are you a bit of a design nut?”

“I think I am, yeah,” the guest responded, adding, “I love the fact that chairs have a fairly simple function. They just have to hold up someone’s weight, but the different materials and different designs they can be made of are just fantastic.”

Will then shared the backstory of who made the chairs, saying, “And what we’ve got here are two amazing examples, but by one designer, that designer is the great Verner Panton, and Verner Panton, for people who’ve not heard of him, is a Danish architect and designer,” reports the Express.

“When we look at his catalog of designs, the one nearest to you is considered an icon of 20th-century design. This chair is featured in collections and museums all over the world. This is strictly called the Panton chair, known as the S-Chair.

“And it’s so clever because it was a single moulded piece. It took him 10 years to actually get to a production-ready design. It didn’t get shown until 1967 in Geneva.”

However, Will went on to highlight a “problem” with the earlier designs of the chair as the guest revealed: “They snapped.”

The BBC expert added, “I’m a fairly sturdy chap, I’m not going to plonk myself on that, and actually, they enhanced the design by inserting strengthening supports under the back. This chair woke the world up.”

Shifting his focus to the second chair, Will explained they were created for IKEA. He revealed: “This is where they became really clever. They actually employed a number of key designers.”

Will soon turned his attention to the chairs’ value, but before revealing their value, he asked, “So come on, you know your stuff. You tell me which is the rarest.”

Gesturing to one chair, the guest responded: “I think that one is because I think IKEA didn’t sell very many of them.”

Will concurred: “I think it didn’t sell well, so they didn’t make many more. It’s believed around 4,000 were made. So, throwing the ball back at you again, what are they worth?”

The guest didn’t hesitate as he estimated one chair was worth £500 and the other between £800 and £1,000. However, Will was stunned as he joked, “I’m done” before pretending to walk away from the guest.

“You take the table. It has been really nice meeting you,” he said before promptly returning to the guest. He grinned: “You are spot on!”

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Harry Clark has joined Pause For Thought in a permanent role just one day after viewers saw The Traitors star leave Celeb Sas: Who Dares Wins

Harry Clark has joined Pause For Thought in a permanent role. The reality star, who won The Traitors in 2023, has just left Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins after being dismissed from the tough military programme, and appeared on BBC Radio 2’s long-running segment where he opened up about his religious beliefs.

Joining Scott Mills live on air, he said: “I know that some of your listeners will know me from winning The Traitors, and I wanna know more about that next week but for now, for this Pause For Thought, I thought I’d tell you more about what makes me tick. So, I’m Harry, I’m 24, and I come from a massive family.

“There’s five of us children, I’ve got two brothers, two sisters and a mum and dad. Despite achieving something, I’m still just a normal kid from Slough who lives with his parents and sisters in a council house. Both of my brothers have now moved out. Luckily, thanks to my mum, religion has always been a big part of my life and has helped me all the way through.”

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“Faith has been, and it means a lot to me always and it’s amazing to be a part of something bigger that is outside of myself. As soon as I could I decided I was off to North Yorkshire at the age of 16 to become an avionics technician, which is technically a helicopter engineer, which is easier to understand but it’s still just as crazy as it sounds. I’d never seen a helicopter before I left Slough, so becoming a helicopter engineer is the coolest thing ever.”

The engineer, who has also appeared on celebrity editions of The Weakest Link and Antiques Roadshow since winning £90,000 on the hit BBC game show, recalled tough times when he was in the army and how he found solace in turning to God. He added: “My first real connection with Christianity though was when I went through a hard time in the army and being away from home. My mum said ‘Listen, Harry just try praying and do what you know,’ and that has saved me throughout my life. Suddenly, I didn’t feel alone and I managed to get myself out of the hole I’d dug myself into.

“I was asked to go on Traitors series two, which to my surprise, I actually managed to win somehow. Since then, it’s been a rollercoaster of ups and downs and around summertime again last year, I seemed to lose myself mentally but then the thing that saved me for a second time was my faith. When I prayed, I didn’t feel alone and I felt that there was something there for me just like there always has been.”

Harry also admitted that while he used to be a regular churchgoer, it is not something he needs to do on a weekly basis now and then Scott said: “It’s so good to have you as part of your Pause For Thought team and to hear a bit more about you,” and added: “I’ll see you next week!” as the segment came to an end.

Earlier this year, Harry turned down a reported £300,000 to appear on Celebrity Big Brother in favour of an appearance on the BBC Two show Pilgrimage instead, Speaking about the choices he made, Harry said: “I think it was just because it meant so much to me that I wanted to do this show. It was just me as a whole, and when my manager brought it to me, it was like, again, this whole career that we’re trying to carve out in this industry is one of authenticity.”

Harry, who is a practising Catholic, added: “It’s like, I want it to be authentic to me, and what means the most to me, and that’s religion, and that’s my family. Also I know it made my mum proud. But also for me personally, I knew that my religion itself had got a little bit cloudy.”

Harry, who is a practising Catholic, added: “It’s like, I want it to be authentic to me, and what means the most to me, and that’s religion, and that’s my family. Also I know it made my mum proud. But also for me personally, I knew that my religion itself had got a little bit cloudy.”

Continuing about his spirituality, Harry said: “It was always strong faith. I was always still praying, but then I never really knew… It’s easy to go off the rails a little bit and see, well, what am I even actually praying for?

“The pilgrimage was that sort of wipe where it made it a clear vision again.”

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An Antiques Roadshow specialist was taken aback after a guest unveiled what she had been using her rather valuale jug for.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.

An Antiques Roadshow expert left a guest almost speechless after discovering she’d been using a highly collectible jug as a simple watering can for her plants.

The beloved BBC programme visited Hopetoun House in Queensferry, near Edinburgh, where Roadshow expert Steven Moore encountered a visitor clutching a green jug that sparked memories of a beloved 1960s children’s series.

“Were you by any chance a fan of The Clangers?”, he enquired.

She replied: “No I wasn’t a fan”, prompting him to ask: “So was this the reason you bought this very ugly jug?”

“No, I bought it because I needed something to water my plants.”

The guest revealed she’d snapped up the piece for a mere £2.50, adding that it “certainly lives up to its purpose”.

“Right so this was last used for watering plants when?” he probed as she admitted it was just a “couple of days ago”.

Moore then warned the guest: “Well, we might want to stop you doing that.

“It’s made by one of the Ewenny Pottery’s in Wales, very conveniently dated to 1902 and even more conveniently, we have a Welsh member on our team and she tells me that this literally means ‘The Wild Pig’.”

He tried to pronounce the inscription ‘Y Mochyn Gwyllt’ but quickly chuckled: “I apologise if I’ve said that wrong!”

Moore went on: “But I think it is a wild pig, not a Clanger, although there’s some suggestion it could be a hedgehog but I’m not even going to go down that route.

“But Ewenny Pottery is very collectible so your £2.50 flower jug to a Welsh pottery collector, in the right sale, would be estimated at £800 to £1,200.”

Upon hearing the staggering valuation, the guest took a sharp intake of breath before simply responding: “OK.”

The specialist added: “So if I give it back to you, will you promise not to water any plants with it? And go buy a nice £2.50 plastic jug.”

Grinning, she replied: “I promise. I will do that.”

Antiques Roadshow can be viewed on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Antiques Roadshow fans were left amazed as one guest was told his collection of items he saved from a skip were worth an eye-watering amount of money

Antiques Roadshow fans were left in awe during Sunday’s episode at Clissold Park, Stoke Newington, as a savvy guest discovered the astonishing value of a collection he rescued from a skip.

The episode featured a remarkable find when a man brought in an archive belonging to renowned designer Althea McNish, who emigrated from Trinidad in the 1950s and became a titan of fashion and textile design.

Expert Ronnie Archer-Morgan was visibly impressed by the “treasure trove” of McNish’s work that the guest had salvaged, which included pieces designed for prestigious clients like Liberty, Christian Dior, and even the Royal Family.

Recounting his lucky encounter with the items in December 2020, the guest said: “2020, December, builders were throwing stuff away. I was a cheeky chappie, asked them if I could have a look, buy some bits and bobs, done a deal.”

Expert Ronnie then highlighted McNish’s significant impact on British post-war textile design, noting her vibrant contributions that brightened up Britain’s shores with the essence of Trinidadian colour during a dreary post-war period, reports the Express.

Ronnie from Antiques Roadshow then left the guest utterly gobsmacked after valuing their collection at a staggering sum. “I’d like to try and value this, I know that half a square metre of certain of her designs can be £2,500 or a textile design itself can be that sort of money.

“From what you’ve told me and what you’ve described and what I know, I think this archive that you’ve brought to us here is worth in excess of £250,000… in excess of and it needs to be calculated.”

The owner was visibly shocked, expressing their amazement: “That’s blown me away! It’s just been an incredible journey of learning and knowledge, I’ve loved every minute.”

They gratefully added: “Thank you, you’ve made my day, honestly!” to which Ronnie responded with equal enthusiasm: “Well, you’ve made mine too!”

Social media buzzed with excitement over the episode, with one Twitter, now X, user exclaiming: “First time I’ve heard of Althea McNish, but this collection seems amazing, #AntiquesRoadshow” and another chiming in: “Hope it can be properly archived/ displayed.”

Another tweet read: “Incredible valuation of £250000 for the Althea McNish archive on the #AntiquesRoadshow.”

Catch more surprising discoveries on Antiques Roadshow, airing Sundays at 8pm on BBC One.

Antiques Roadshow expert John Benjamin was on hand to deliver a valuation on a pair of drop earrings and a sapphire ring

On Sunday’s Antiques Roadshow, expert John Benjamin gave two hopeful guests some disappointing news at the stunning Wollaton Hall in Nottingham.

The episode featured locals bringing in their treasures, with a pair of guests presenting family Art Deco jewellery for valuation. At first glance inside an old tin, John discovered exquisite platinum drop earrings and a sapphire ring.

One of the guests related the tale of his mother receiving the jewels from a friend, who was acquainted with a man with connections to France.

John, upon closer inspection, found a significant alteration: “Someone who has owned these in their history has taken them to a jeweller and said: ‘I’m not sure if I like the fittings!’

“So what they’ve done is they’ve removed the original fittings from the back and they’ve soldered on these long gold sort of posts with nine carat gold screw fittings at the end”, reports Edinburgh Live.

While examining the ring, John revealed a surprising fact about its authenticity, revealing: “Here’s an interesting point, in the 1920s, when that was made, synthetic rubies and sapphires were beginning to appear on the market.”

He delivered the blow when he declared: “The sapphires on the shoulders in the ring are actually synthetic. They’re not real. So, there we are.”

During the valuation, he revealed: “Here’s the bad news, those drops, today, if they were having the original fittings on them. I think would be worth between £4,000 and £5,000.

“But because the fittings have been changed, I think we’ve got to now drop that price to probably £2,500 to £3,000 simply because of a clumsy conversion.”

Regarding the sapphire ring, he estimated: “The ring about £1500.”

This led to one of the guests quipping: “How much is the box worth?” which prompted John to respond with a chuckle: “Priceless, absolutely priceless the box!”

In another segment, art expert Rupert Maas appraised a monochrome painting of Princess Daisy of Pless, an icon of Edwardian high society.

The owner explained how her father had found the artwork in a Watford junk shop for a mere £13.50.

Rupert encouraged her to keep it on display, especially after revealing its surprising value of £2,000 to £3,000.

The owner was shocked, saying: “Really? Gosh! I was thinking you were going to say a couple of hundred,” to which Rupert acknowledged it wasn’t a huge sum but definitely a significant increase from what was paid.

Antiques Roadshow continues on Sundays at 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Antiques Roadshow expert Joanna Hardy was left gobsmacked as she shared the true value of a guest’s family heirloom – and even admitted that the item had made her ‘tingle’

An Antiques Roadshow expert was left astonied as she revealed the astonishing value of a guest’s treasured family heirloom.

The beloved BBC show rolled out another episode on Sunday (May 18) with Fiona Bruce once again steering the ship. This week, the team set up camp at the majestic Beaumaris Castle on the Isle of Anglesey, North Wales.

Eager individuals flocked to flaunt their cherished items to the Antiques Roadshow connoisseurs for appraisal. But the atmosphere intensified when expert Joanna Hardy stumbled upon a simply “extraordinary” bracelet.

Basking in the sunlight, Joanna exclaimed: “This bracelet is just glistening in the sun here,” and marvelled at its appearance with “And we’ve got the gold nuggets which is as if they’d come out of the ground. I mean they just look extraordinary.”

The owner of the bracelet recounted its history, saying: “This was a bracelet that my grandfather gave to my grandmother.”, reports Edinburgh Live.

She continued with tales of her grandfather’s time working at the Frontino mines in Segovia, Colombia during the ’30s and ’40s as an engineer, stating: “And my grandfather worked in Segovia, in Colombia in the Frontino mines in the ’30s and ’40s.

“He was an engineer so I don’t believe he mined those from hand, but I think he must have got those from there.”

Joanna discussed the jewellery’s avant-garde style for its era: “It would have been ahead of its time for the ’30s. If we think about ’30s jewellery and the Art Deco jewellery and its diamonds and it’s all very geometric.”

The guest had also brought along photographs of her grandparents from their time in Colombia. Further enamoured by the piece, Joanna commented: “It’s just got that raw energy about it.”

The guest expressed her affection for the heirloom, revealing: “I love it when I wear it.”

Regarding the item’s value, Joanna revealed: “Gold has never been higher than today, so at auction I think you’d be looking at around £5,000.”

Instantly, the guest was taken aback and exclaimed: “Wow!” Overwhelmed and struggling to articulate her surprise, she continued: “Okay, wow… that’s quite a lot more than..”

She then expressed her astonishment further by saying, “Oh everybody says that I know. It’s really a lot more than I thought. Thank you very much!” Joanna, delighted by the guest’s response, shared in the excitement: “Oh you’ve made me tingle as well!”.

Fiona Bruce is a household name thanks to her role as an Antiques Roadshow presenter

Fiona Bruce, a household name in the world of television, owes her fame to her extensive broadcasting career. The 60-year-old presenter has been a fixture on our screens for decades, starting her journey with the BBC as a journalist in the 1990s before moving up the ranks to present the BBC News at Six and BBC News at Ten.

While Fiona Bruce is a familiar face on the BBC thanks to Antiques Roadshow and Question Time, what do we know about her life away from the camera?

Fiona’s home life with her husband of 30 years and children

Fiona is married to businessman Nigel Sharrocks, who serves as the non-executive chairman at advertising firm Digital Cinema Media, which supplies cinema advertisements to Cineworld, Odeon, and Vue cinema chains.

He previously held the position of Managing Director of Warner Bros Pictures UK in the 2000s. The couple exchanged vows in July 1994, reportedly first meeting when they both worked at an advertising agency.

The couple share two children, Sam, 27, and Mia, 23. Discussing the challenges of balancing motherhood with her career, Fiona once admitted to Good Housekeeping: “Did I spend enough time with my children? I think scratch the surface of any working woman and she will always think, ‘Probably not.’

“I don’t think there’s such a thing as quality time with your children,” she added. “I think it’s quantity. But there’s never been any question that they take precedence over everything in my life, and always have done.”

In another chat, Fiona disclosed that she became a “light drinker” after having children. “I’ve turned up for work with a hangover before, but not since the kids came along,” she admitted to Woman & Home in 2024 ahead of celebrating her 60th birthday party.

“I’m a very light drinker these days. If I’m out, I don’t particularly want to go to bed early, and if I have more than a couple of glasses of wine, I get really sleepy, and I don’t want to be sleepy because I want to enjoy the night!”

Fiona’s ‘life-changing’ passion

Having taken the helm of Antiques Roadshow in 2008, Fiona’s fascination with all things vintage has grown into a ‘life-changing’ hobby.

During a sincere conversation with The Sunday Post in 2019, Fiona shared insights into how the series has influenced her personal life. “I know more than when I started, that’s for sure, and I’m a hugely enthusiastic antiques buyer, auction bidder and junk shop devotee,” she disclosed.

“It sounds a bit dramatic, but it has changed my life. I’m not interested in shopping for modern things. It started as an interest on the programme and now it’s a passion,” she added.

Fiona’s hobby away from TV

When the cameras stop rolling, Fiona digs into her gardening, where her affection for plants and veggies comes to life.

In a warm-hearted segment on The One Show in 2022, former host Jermaine Jenas probed her about this off-screen pastime, prompting Fiona to playfully admit: “Not a very talented one though!”

You can catch up on Antiques Roadshow on BBC iPlayer

Antiques Roadshow presenter Fiona Bruce was left stunned by one ‘hideous’ item that was presented to her.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.

Antiques Roadshow experts grappled with placing a value on a “hideous” piece that they’d never laid eyes on before.

The hit BBC series ventured to Derby Roundhouse where fans saw a plethora of unique items being evaluated for their worth, both sentimental and monetary.

Stepping into the role usually filled by the experts, Fiona Bruce experienced firsthand the intrigue of uncovering an object’s past as she encountered a guest with an extraordinary purse.

Fiona turned to the viewers, questioning: “Can you guess what this is? There are three, what could be claws here, and then this lizard-like skin.”

Upon enquiring about its composition, she was informed by its owner that it involved a swan, which led her to the realisation: “It’s a swan’s claw isn’t it! And made into a purse. It’s hideous isn’t it?”

As the guest agreed with a chuckle, Fiona continued: “Now swans have been owned by the monarch since, it’s thought, the 12th Century so whoever had this either illegally killed a swan or was connected to the Royal Family in some way.”

Adding to its mystique, an Elizabethan coin found within the swan’s foot when bought from an antiques shop provided a significant clue to its history, suggesting a “pretty good start” for dating the peculiar item.

The item’s current owner explained: “It was part of his [the antiques shop owner’s] own collection and he was just wanting to move it on.

“But he did say that he believed it was connected to the court in the Elizabethan times and would have been given to somebody who had done some sort of favour or was in favour with the court.”

Fiona said: “I was talking to our experts about this coin and there’s no doubts in their minds that it’s genuine, it’s an Elizabethan coin, it’s from the 16th Century.

“I was quite surprised to learn that it’s worth about £40.”

She then shifted the focus back to the swan’s foot purse as the guest revealed she had paid roughly £400 for the item.

The presenter added: “Well I talked to our experts again about that and the thing is, no one here’s ever seen one before so it’s almost impossible to value.

“We had estimates ranging from £200 to £700 so £400 is probably about right.”

Fiona then commented: “Certainly, I think it wins the prize this series for the strangest thing we’ve ever seen on the Roadshow.

“And on that basis alone, thank you so much for bringing it in!”

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

aN Antiques Roadshow expert was thrilled when a guest showed him a stunning bird cage that she had inherited from her husband’s family – and, unbeknown to her, it was worth thousands.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.

An Antiques Roadshow guest could only whisper “gosh” as they discovered the eye-watering worth of a birdcage passed down through the family.

BBC’s Antiques aficionado Lennox Cato was part of the expert crew descending upon Helmingham Hall, where a woman brought in a rather extraordinary birdcage.

Cato couldn’t help but express his amazement: “So we have this wonderful, almost exotic looking bird cage.”

Curious about its history, he probed the guest who shared: “Well it was inherited by my husband from his family who lived in Suffolk but I’m afraid he doesn’t know anymore than that.

“He doesn’t know where they got it from, I’m sure they inherited it but I don’t know who from.”

Cato, suspecting the cage to be a British creation dating back to 1790-1800, enthused: “The colours, well, they’re just amazing. I love the idea, looking from the top and working down.

“Even the little finials carved here and these baubles hanging are bone to signify it’s a bird cage.

“And then we have this tiny bird set within this delightful oval. The bars themselves are brass but have been treated to appear black,” he explained.

He even noted a coat of arms gracing the front, but the owner admitted: “I’m afraid we’ve never looked into who that is.”

Delving deeper into the piece’s features, Cato showcased how it operated, pointing out an endearing “dove of peace” figure used to secure the miniature doors.

He detailed further: “And then we have the little feeding drawers left and right and on the lower section, you can turn these round and we have a little tray for cleaning.

“This is what we call parquetry work, little pieces of wood, nicely simulated, to form patterns.

“Let me just spin it around to show everyone just how nice it is.”

Cato went on to explain that the antique was crafted from a blend of maple, padauk, and ebony before moving towards his conclusion.

He expressed: “All the years I’ve been dealing, I’ve seen a number of bird cages but I’ve never seen a bird cage as interesting and as beautiful as this.

“This to me, wow, it breaks all the rules. And I think if you saw this for sale, it could quite easily cost you £15,000.”

Despite the astonishing valuation, the guest appeared to react with muted surprise, barely whispering “gosh”, before Cato happily concluded: “It’s a jolly good thing.”

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.