Two guests on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow were left astonished after a glass bottle they dismissed as 'junk' was valued at up to £150. The episode, filmed at Ebrington Square in Derry, featured expert Andy McConnell examining an intricate green perfume bottle brought in by a mother and daughter.
The mother explained that the bottle was a gift from an elderly friend, while her daughter admitted she had long admired it in the china cabinet. McConnell quickly identified the piece as a scent bottle from 1898, made by Mappin & Co in Birmingham, with glass likely by Richardson & Co of Stourbridge. He noted the colour came from uranium oxide.
Despite the mother's initial indifference, McConnell's valuation of £100 to £150 prompted a change of heart. 'Lovely thing, I'm beginning to appreciate it better!' she joked, as the expert quipped, 'Oh, now you tell us!' The daughter, Pauline, was promised the bottle on the spot.
