AR: £20 17th century Filigree box now valued at £5000
An Antiques Roadshow guest was left “absolutely staggered” upon hearing the value of a box he picked up at a watch fair.
The BBC daytime series ventured to Baddelsey Clinton in Warwickshire to film another fascinating episode of Antiques Roadshow with experts getting their hands on some extraordinary items.
Among them was expert Alistair Dickenson who met with the owner of a 17th Century filigree box, an object which he nearly ruined.
Explaining how it came to be his, the guest said: “Well I bought it at a watch fair 10 years ago and I was looking for a box I could house a 16th Century watch movement.
“I’d been looking for a number of years and it fit the bill. It cost the princely sum of £20.”
“When I got home, I was anxious to drill the back of the box for the winding square, only to be told by my wife that I promised to do something else so it was postponed.
“And on the evening when we were sitting in bed, I thought ‘I’ll just check those marks out' [in the box], because I hadn’t recognised them and the book fell open, Jackson’s book which I got, at the page which was the Glasgow Goldsmiths and there it was, the same marks.”
Straight from the off, Dickenson showed how he impressed he was with the box, stating: “Now if I tell you in 45 years of looking at silver, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a piece of filigree from the 17th Century that’s had marks.
“In fact, I’m trying to think of a piece from the 18th Century that had British marks in.
“This is unbelievably rare. Not only are filigree boxes seldom marked, but to have one made in Glasgow.”
As well as the marks, Dickenson also pointed out the “scratchy decoration” at the base of the box which was “typical for the late 17th Century”.
“Now, I’ve got to put a price on this. You paid far too much wasn’t it? £20?" the expert first joked before adding: “I’m pretty comfortable in saying £3,000 to £5,000.”
The surrounding audience members gasped as the guest exclaimed: “Well I’m staggered, absolutely staggered. It was so good that book fell open at that page, because in the morning it would have been drilled.”
Dickenson agreed: “I’m a great believer in fate, because the value would have been quartered if you had.
“You’ve got an exceptionally rare, museum object here. A massive pleasure to handle it and see it.
“Wonderful object. Thank you so much for bringing it along.”
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
