Antiques Roadshow guest left 'speechless' as expert shares incredible value of family brooch
An Antiques Roadshow expert found himself chuckling and claiming he was "going home" after a guest outpaced him in revealing the fascinating backstory of an exquisite brooch.
Filming at Brodie Castle in Scotland, the show's specialist Geoffrey Munn was on hand to meet with people from across the UK came to showcase their treasured items.
In this particular instance, a guest presented an eye-catching brooch, which prompted Munn to express: "The sun's coming out and here we see gold and we see rubies and we see diamonds. But what does it mean?"
The owner of the brooch then shared its history, explaining: "So it's a brooch which I inherited via my mother from my great-aunt.
"They come from Silesia which is today, southern Poland, and they had to flee from the Russians during the end of the war and they made it over to west Germany.
(Image: BBC)
"She was cook and housekeeper to Prince Ernst August of Hanover for 37 years."
Acknowledging the importance of such a token, Munn observed: "Well this is a very typical gift from a royal personage, there's no question at all" before recognising the guest's pre-emptive research.
"And the hallmarks have revealed, and I think you've rather cleverly found this out before me, haven't you? And so, what does it tell you?"
The guest proceeded to unveil that the jewellery piece was Russian, bore a 56 Kokoshnik mark signifying 14 carat gold, and featured an assayer's mark attributed to Ivan Lebetkin, hailing from late 19th and early 20th Century Moscow.
Clearly taken aback by her preparedness, Munn replied in jest: "I'm almost redundant! I think I'm going home! You found it all out.
"It took a lot of squinting and turning to make that out", she chuckled.
He responded: "Well you're a very expert squinter in that regard because you've got it all right and the style of it is absolutely typical of pre-Revolutionary Russian style.
"And then as soon as you say pre-Revolutionary Russian style, then one thinks of one particular maker, which of course, was Karl Faberge.
(Image: BBC)
"And everybody wants to hear that name because, for context and for value."
Regrettably for the guest, the brooch wasn't actually a Faberge piece, as Munn clarified: "I think it's probably one of his competitors, because I've spent my whole life looking at his work and there's something about the handwriting of it that isn't quite him but nonetheless, it's de l'epoque.
"It comes from exactly the same period, exactly the same place, with exactly the same clientele.
"So that is a rose by any other name that smells as sweet, but perhaps not as sweet financially, which is the real rub.
"But I really do mean it. The craftsmanship is the same, the quality of it is the same."
When it came to revealing the price, Munn had an impressive figure in mind: "So what's it worth? Well, I'm going to say £7,000, £8,000."
Instantly, the guest's eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the figure, causing a stir among onlookers.
She exclaimed: "Speechless! I never believed that. Wow.
"You've got to believe it", the expert teased as she thanked him, covering her face in shock.
The guest uttered in disbelief from behind her hands: "No, really?", followed by Munn's chuckle as she affirmed: "Yes, really."
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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