BBC Antiques Roadshow guest quips ‘don’t tell the children’ as £35 pottery fetches 100x greater value
Antiques Roadshow expert Will Farmer sparked a hilarious reaction from one guest in a classic episode which saw a very unexpected valuation.
The classic instalment of the BBC show, which originally aired in 2022 and it set to be repeated on Sunday, showed the ceramics, glass and 20th century decorative arts specialist revealing a price 100 times greater than what the guests had originally paid.
Farmer was presented with a collection Clarice Cliff ceramics belonging to a couple. Impressed, he explained: “Here in front of us, we’ve got such a broad spread of works by Clarice Cliff, everything from her landscapes, her geometrics, her fruits and florals.
“So I’ve got to ask the question, is this an inheritance, or is this a collection?”
One of the guests replied: “Well, it’s a bit of both, really. We started collecting in 1971, stopping in an antiques place not far from here, and saw this large bowl.”
She continued: “We thought, ‘well, that’s something worth having to brighten up our room at home.’
“So we bought it for about £2.50. But I said, when I saw that, ‘well, that reminds me of the tea dishes that we have at home.’
“So I spoke to my mother, and I said, ‘well, what about those plates?’ And we looked, of course, at the back of these geometric plates, and there’s the sign Clarice Cliff, bizarre.”
Pointing towards one of the sets, Farmer clarified: “So these are the ones that were owned within your family? And what’s the backstory with these? How did these come into the family?”
“Well, my grandparents used to host garden parties in a big garden that they had, and so my grandmother ordered, believe it or not, 100 plates, cups and sauces – all the same design – 100 of these,” the owner detailed.
“And of course, they were on the table every single day. We thought nothing of them. And if one broke, it didn’t matter one bit.
“We just went to the cupboard and got another one out. But those are the ones that bring back childhood memories to me, those cups and sauces.”
“Can I ask one question, what’s the most you’ve ever paid for a piece?” Farmer probed.
“Oh, probably about £60 pounds, no more,” the guest responded.
“Ok, and for example, the big charger at the back. Do you remember what that cost?” the expert inquired.
“I think that cost £35 from an antique shop in in Cardiff,” explained the guests.
“You really shelled out that day, didn’t you?” quipped Farmer, to which the guest answered: “We did, we did.”
“I mean, this is a fabulous example – this is an 18 inch charger in a pattern called Bridgewater, Bridgewater Green dating from around 1933 and again, just a spectacular display of her work,” Farmer enthused.
Getting to the big revelation of pricing, he went on: “So we’ve got to talk numbers. The jugs here, umbrellas and rain, melon, but in a rare colour, red melon – you’re talking there between £500 and £700 each.
“Then we move down to the sugar sifter, lovely, conical sugar sifter, there. Brilliant design and again, another £500 or £600.
“But then we’ve got to come up to the charger. And, as I say, you really shelled out that day at £35!” Farmer exclaimed.
“Well, your £35 investment is now £3,000 to £4,000 pounds,” he revealed.
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“Can I sit down?” the guest joked before Farmer continued: “But I’m going to leave one last note, because you’ve bought three cups and sauces here, and you say, once upon a time, there were 100.
“The pattern is called zantic. It’s a very rare geometric design, right? A cup and saucer in perfect condition… Between £300 and £400. A plate £200 to £300. How many are left?”
“I still have some, but they’re not in such good condition. Some are cracked or chipped,” she revealed.
“Well, you’ll have to do the maths yourself, but certainly, what’s on the table here in front of us, you’re looking here alone, somewhere between £10,00 and £15,000,” Farmer shared eagerly, prompting the guest to quip: “Don’t tell the children!”
“You might have to tell them not to watch…” Farmer joined in, adding: “But no, it’s a wonderful collection. So thank you so much. Thank you.”