Two visitors to the Antiques Roadshow were stunned to discover the actual value of what they believed was an ordinary item worth no more than £5. After consulting with one of the programme's specialists during the September 13 episode, they quickly realised they were mistaken.
The latest edition of the BBC antiques show was recorded at Devon's expansive Dartington Estate, with expert Lennox Cato meeting a woman and young girl who had brought along a variety of objects. They showed him three old books, a wooden sculpture and a tea caddy.
A family collection
"Are these from a treasure box?" Lennox asked the young girl, who described how the collection came into her possession. She explained: "We've kind of gathered them over the years, for instance this one [tea caddy] has been here forever, since before I can remember, but this one [wooden sculpture] we got it for my brother which means that it's only about four or five years old."
Lennox politely interrupted, revealing that it was the tea caddy specifically that had captured his attention. "Right, so this is the reason why we're here," he emphasised, gesturing towards the item. "Because this has quite an interesting story."
The older woman with the girl recalled that it had formerly belonged to her grandmother who utilised it as a tea caddy. She revealed that now it's in her possession, she instead employs it as storage box for "little treasures".
An 18th century piece
Examining the piece, Lennox revealed it was an 18th century tea caddy crafted in Sheffield. It had been fashioned from copper before being coated in a layer of silver.
"When this was made, tea was extremely expensive and people who could afford tea were high-society people, and because it was so valuable it was kept under lock and key," he explained, gesturing towards a small keyhole positioned at the front of the piece.
Lennox highlighted the fact that the copper was beginning to show through the silver plating, giving it the appearance of two distinct colours. Rather than being a drawback, he noted that certain collectors would consider this a desirable quality, though he did emphasise that a damaged finial could affect its overall worth.
Valuation revealed
"Because the finial needs to be replaced, this really is worth between £200 to £300," he disclosed, drawing an astonished response from those present.
"Wow, just for a little tea caddy? Oh my goodness," exclaimed the older lady, while the young girl admitted: "I thought it was just going to be like £5." It meant the valuation was a whopping 60 times more than she had anticipated.
Antiques Roadshow airs on BBC One and iPlayer Sunday nights from 8pm.
