Antiques Roadshow guest stunned after learning value of £1 vase he saved from being thrown away
AN Antiques Roadshow guest was left in shock after he was told that a vase he found at the dump was worth thousands.
The gardening enthusiast explained how he picked up the pot for £1 after taking a shine to it.
He explained that his local tip keeps items aside that could be reused, selling them on for a small cost.
“Well, I take my gardening rubbish from time to time to our local recycling centres. They have a shed there where they put out things that might be reusable.
“I noticed this pot sitting on the shelf, so I asked the guy at the tip there how much he wanted for it and he said he’d like £1.”
The show was broadcast from Portchester Castle on the Hampshire coast.
He was met by antiques expert Eric Knowles, who was very excited about the guest’s find.
“Your vase encapsulated the best of Pilkington lustreware,” he said, joking that he wanted to “hug it”.
Pilkington’s lustrewear was a manufacturer of vases, tiles and bowls, based in Clifton, Lancashire.
It was established in 1892 and employed some of the leading designers at the time.
“The man who was responsible for starting all the lustre decoration was William Burton,” he revealed.
Burton was one of the leading antiquaries in the Midlands from the 1590s to 1650s.
“But the decoration, you know what? You can think I’m bonkers, I want to hug it,” the expert added.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous and it just amazes me that anybody should want to throw it away,” the guest agreed.
But he was left truly stunned after he was told: “The market is very healthy and the moment. This would make well in excess of £2,000.”
“Good heavens, good heavens. I love it even more now if you think it’s worth that much,” he said.
“I certainly won’t be parting with it,” the guest vowed.
This comes after another guest was shocked to hear that a toy left to her by her grandad was worth several thousand pounds.
The show was once again back in Aston Hall in Birmingham.
Viewers were introduced to one woman who brought a toy that she had been gifted by her grandad years ago.
The wooden figures depicted characters from children’s favourite The Wind in the Willows.
Antiques expert Hilary Kay was on hand to inspect and value the old toy.
While the woman initially thought the items would fetch around £100, she was left gobsmacked when she heard its true value.
Hilary explained that each of the wooden figures could fetch between £100-200 each and that the woman had the full entire set.
“I would value these at between £1,000 and £1,500,” she said as the woman looked at her stunned.
She concluded: “Thank you for bringing to life that wonderful times in the 20s and 30s on the Thames in Berkshire.”
Antiques Roadshow airs on BBC One and iPlayer.