BBC Antiques Roadshow owner’s 1000-year-old pots fetch huge four-figure value after £30 purchase
Antiques Roadshow expert John Sandon left one guest rather delighted when he shared the valuation of his collection of ancient Peruvian pots during a trip to Clissold Park, London.
In a classic episode of the BBC weekend favourite, Sandon beamed as he detailed the unique history of the items.
The glass and ceramics specialist made the revelation in an episode set to be repeated on Sunday that originally aired in 2023.
“Your pots give us a history lesson from the other side of the world. They’re all from ancient Peru. What are they doing in Hackney?” he asked the guest who’d brought along the unusual collection.
“Good question,” the owner replied, adding: “Well, they belong to my dad, who actually grew up in North England, County Durham.
“[He] loved Indian, loved African, but he specifically loved South American kind of cultures, and became fascinated with them.
“He would go to some of the auction houses, maybe in the ’70s and ’80s, and buy whatever it was that took his fancy, I think.”
“I mean, that was a great time to be collecting pots like this, I think. And he had an eye for the rich history of the Andes, because you’ve got really almost every culture from Peru is represented here,” Sandon detailed.
Delving into the incredible history of the items, he continued: “I love pots like this, not just because of their age, but for their time, they were incredibly advanced and incredibly modern.
“You look at these groups there from the north coast of Peru. Those are all the Moche or Mochica culture.
“They were made in 500, 800, 900 AD, and they’re simple pots – the handle is genius. It’s wonderful.
“It’s called a stirrup handle, and it sort of combines a spout and a handle together.
“Most pots, you have to have a separate hole at the top and a handle – that doesn’t, they just all work in one and are water carrying vessels. And they’re lovely.”
“They’re beautiful,” the guest agreed, pointing out: “And the colour is still there, which is amazing as well.”
“Yes, that’s right, after 1,000 years in the ground,” Sandon noted. “The blackware ones usually are slightly later.”
“They observe these animals moving down the coast. This is sort of central Peru; this was in the Chancay culture. So that’s sort of 1200, 1400AD – it has real spirit, hasn’t it?”
“And this bowl there is from the south. This is from the Nazca culture. This would be from 200AD to 500AD, something like that.
“They specialised in fine painting. Unlike the Mochica, who did the modeling. This is an incredible painting. Then you’ve got fish going round this bowl, swimming all the way around. Wonderful modern design.”
Getting to the valuation part of the analysis, Sandon probed: “When your father was collecting these 40, 50 years ago, do you know what he paid?”
“I’ve got all the receipts, and I’ve got, like, an index box of the things that he kind of paid for them. I know, like in the ’70s, he probably paid about £30 for something, and maybe up to £100 in the ’80s. Whatever we could have saved up and afforded.”
“We’re looking at a reasonably increasing value from those times,” Sandon teased.
“Most Peruvian pots like these tend to be in the £300, £400, up to £1,000. I suppose a beaker like this from Nazca is certainly going to be four figures now.
“And I suppose what you’ve got on the table here is going to be about £4,000.”
The stunned guest replied: “Nice, very nice,” before Sandon added: “You’ve inherited a lovely collection.”
“Me and my sister adore them, and it’s heritage passed down from my dad. Thank you very much,” the owner concluded.