BBC Antiques Roadshow expert brands item ‘junk’ as he delivers underwhelming value on family heirloom
A BBC Antiques Roadshow mother-and-daughter guest duo were left blindsided as glass expert Andy McConnell slapped a piddling value on their “junk” heirloom.
This week’s classic instalment gives fans another chance to see the Roadshow travel to Ebrington Square, Derry, in a rerun from 2023.
During the episode, the eccentric appraiser’s eyes were drawn to a cut glass perfume bottle, with the body featuring a latticed style design with the neck rendered in extruded pentagons.
The intriguing piece was rendered in a clean bright green gradient with an ornate silver lid.
The bottle was completely covered with curving leaf motifs carved into the surface.
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“This is a really pretty, feminine object,” McConnell mused, adding: “It really is! This is an object for a woman’s dressing table in the day.”
One of the guests revealed the object had been a gift from her mother, who had received it from a “very elderly” friend.
The woman revealed she “didn’t appreciate it half enough,” while her daughter had always loved the intriguing piece.
“As a child growing up, I always noticed it in my mum’s china cabinet because it is really, really pretty,” the younger guest recalled.
“Hopefully, she’ll give it to me!” she said while hugging her mum, to which the parent was quickly convinced to part with the less-than-loved item, declaring: “I might!”
“My grandmother must have kept her perfume in it because you can still smell it,” the daughter continued.
McConnell, uncorking the object and taking a sniff, emphatically agreed: “Oh, you can too!”
Beaming, the younger guest added: “Brings back a bit of nostalgia!”
The expert then explained the glass and silver had been produced by “entirely different” makers.
He revealed the intricate glass bottle had been produced by prolific Birmingham based Mappin and Co, famed for their quality.
Holding the glass aloft, McConnell commented on the clear to brilliant green gradient, which was “bizarrely” based on uranium oxide.
“A tiny bit of that in there to give you that colour,” he revealed, drawing attention to the strength of the shade at the top of the neck.
While this added a certain character to the piece, the appraiser soon explained that it would not increase its chances of impressing potential buyers.
“So, you’re keen on it, and mum doesn’t give a hoot?” McConnell asked the daughter, as the audience braced for a valuation. “Best thing is you go home with it and save mum from having to handle this junk!”
The expert revealed the piece would fetch a paltry £100-150 at auction, charitably adding: “Nice thing, eh?”
“I’m beginning to appreciate it a bit more,” the mother joked, to which McConnell laughed and shot back: “Oh, now you tell us!”
The trio shared a laugh before the mother-and-daughter duo headed home with the bottle.