Shocked Antiques Roadshow guest refuses to sell family heirloom despite eye-watering valuation
AN Antiques Roadshow guest left expert Alastair Chandler gobsmacked after they refused to sell their precious item.
Fiona Bruce fronted the episode where antiques experts helped members of the public discover the true value of their items.
During an episode of BBC’s Antiques Roadshow in Powis Castle, clock specialist Alastair was in for a surprise after a guest refused to sell his grandfather's miniature clock.
The expert, who has been on the show for eleven years and has seen many unique items, was intrigued to learn the history of the man's inherited clock.
As he analysed the clock, Alastair said: "Wow, this is certainly a lot smaller than you would expect from a long-case clock.
"Despite the small miniature size, it is a magnificent example. One of the main problems people face is that long-case clocks or Grandfather clocks are the size of them and where to house them, but this clearly isn't a problem here."
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The guest replied: "It was bequeathed to my father when I was 10, which is 65 years ago, from his great aunt.
"When it came into the family, it was actually painted black, so we used a dining room table with newspaper and terps, and we started cleaning it, and my mother wasn't very happy.
"But the first thing we managed to find was the inlay at the very bottom, which we realised then it was a particularly nice clock."
Alastair then explained to the man: "Yes, as you can see, you started finding this wonderful little detail here, and then it must have been quite magnificent to reveal the beautiful inlay and the wonderful figuring to the wood.
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"It is a perfect miniaturisation, and I would date it from the early 19th century, the 1920 period. It is 200 years old, and it is still working.
"These clocks are very difficult to value because they are so unusual when they come up, and they're so unique when they come up.
"I think this one is so lovely and so well-proportioned and so small, and I could see someone paying between £1000 and £1,500 quite easily."
After learning the eye-watering valuation of his family heirloom, the man was impressed and shocked but stated: "Oh right, ok, well it won't be for sale.
"It will stay in my family and handed to one of my daughters, but I am not prepared to say which one."
Elsewhere in the episode, Duncan Campbell discovered a 1600 ‘very rare’ silver tobacco box, while Serhat Ahmet examined a porcelain egg with a royal association.
Expert Paul Atterbury was also taken back to the earliest days of Doctor Who, while Alexandra Aguilar valued a jade ornament bought at a car boot sale for 50 pence.
Geoffrey Munn also uncovered a diamond and ruby jewellery collection ‘of the highest quality’ dating from the 1700s during the Antiques Roadshow instalment.
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
