Antiques Roadshow expert swipes at guest’s ‘horrible’ book picked up for a tenner – but she gets the last laugh

AN ANTIQUES Roadshow guest got the last laugh after one of the show’s expert took a swipe at her “horrible” book. 

During the episode the BBC One show filmed at Powis Castle in Wales, expert Clive initially scoffed at the scruffy tome.

The Antiques Roadshow expert quipped: “You’ve brought in the most horrible copy, I think I’ve ever seen, of a late 19th-century flora.”

However, as he continued to look at it he revealed it had been written by esteemed British botanist George Bentham, who died in 1884.

Identified as a sixth edition of The Handbook of the British Flora, which had been revised by fellow botanist J.D. Hooker in 1896.

After his initial reaction to the “horrible” book, Clive went on: “It’s a perfectly ordinary flora, one that you would carry around in your pocket, but the great thing about it is these incredible floral gems inside it.”

Flicking through the old book, the expert showed viewers a series of stunning hand-drawn illustrations of the many different plants and flowers.

Clearly taken back, Clive asked the book’s owner how it came to be in her possession.

The guest replied: “I brought it just as a flora book because I like that kind of thing, I had no idea about the illustrations inside it, so it was a great surprise when I opened it.”

The guest then informed Clive the book had been owned by someone called Mabel Hannan, who got it as a present from her husband in 1897.

Revealing it was she who had done the beautiful illustrations, she replied: “…She journeyed around, mostly in Britain.

“She noted where she saw her different plants and flowers and recorded it by illustrating it and writing the dates and the place by the side of them.”

The last date the guest said she could find in the book was 1938, three years before Mabel died.

Clive went on: “That’s extraordinary, I mean this is just incredible. There are over 400?”

After confirming there were actually 412 illustrations within the book, Clive continued: “Well, I’ve never seen anything like it or of such enormous quality.

“I think something like this, of this quality, I’m going to put £1,500 on it.”

Surprised and delighted, the guest replied: “Gosh!” before revealing she had only paid £10 for it.

Clive said: replied: “I think you had an incredibly good buy and it’s so lovely to see it here”.