An Antiques Roadshow guest was stunned to discover the value of a dish she rescued from a dumpster not once, but TWICE after her husband tried to throw it away.
This week the much-loved BBC series made its way to Firstsite in Colchester, where expert Chris Yeo met a mother-daughter duo to discuss the history and value of their dish.
Chris complimented their outfits, saying: ‘You both brought some real color to the Roadshow today, you even added a peacock which takes some work!’
The mother explained that the dish, which originally belonged to her mother-in-law in Cornwall, had been thrown in the bin by her husband.
“My husband didn’t think it was that big of a deal and I found out he had put this dish in the bin,” she said.
A surprised Chris asked: ‘In a bin?’, with the mother confirming: ‘In a bin. So I put it aside and about half an hour later I went back to check and the dish had gone back in.”
An Antiques Roadshow guest was stunned to discover the value of a dish she rescued from a dumpster not once, but TWICE after her husband tried to throw it away
This week the much-loved BBC series made its way to Firstsite in Colchester, with expert Chris Yeo meeting a mother-daughter duo to discuss the history and value of their dish.
Chris replied: ‘Well, that doesn’t make any sense, does it?’, while she agreed: ‘No. So I took it out and said, ‘No, I don’t want it thrown away.’
When she asked the daughter what she thought of the item, she replied, “I absolutely love it.” It’s been on the dresser all my life and I’ve just been admiring it there and I really hope that one day Mom will give it to me.”
Chris then delved into the history of the unique item: ‘Let’s take a quick look at the front first because we have this quite beautiful, proud peacock and then this beautiful curlicue work on the outside.
‘We said at the beginning that it was made of copper, but everyone knows that copper is supposed to shine and be orange, but this is not orange. It’s more of a different thing, what’s going on, it’s really boring.”
The owner then explained that she was concerned about cleaning the item, so “took the easy way out and didn’t clean it.”
Chris then confirmed that her decision was correct: “Well, I’m really glad you decided not to do that because that’s what it’s supposed to look like.
‘Because the original intention was that this was to imitate bronze, so it is absolutely correct, it is in its original state.’
Created by John Pearson, the dish emerged in 1891 and marked the ‘starting point of the arts and crafts movement’.
The mother explained that the dish, which originally belonged to her mother-in-law in Cornwall, had been thrown away in the container by her husband.
Expert Chris Yeo valued the item at between £600 and £800
The guest was shocked to discover the value of their item, while the mother gasped, “Wow. Excellent’
Chris explained Pearson’s background: ‘He was an interesting character. He started working in London with the Guild of Handicraft, one of the first organizations involved in the arts and crafts ethos.
“But he was fired because he was moonlighting and doing his own thing, and that was strictly against the rules, and he was sent away.
‘And then he went to Cornwall to the industrial school where he was a master metalworker there.’
The expert then happily informed the duo: ‘Well, I have to say I’m very glad you rescued it from a dumpster not once but twice because I think with the right sales I can see this doing quite well . . And I think it will be £600 to £800 at auction.”
The guest was shocked to discover the value of their item, while the mother gasped, “Wow. Excellent.’
Expert Chris then joked: ‘So you can go home now and crow to your husband and say, ‘See? I was right.”
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.