Antiques Roadshow guest shocked by value of her brooch
A recent episode of BBC’s Antiques Roadshow was filmed at Brodie Castle in Scotland where the experts were thrilled with the sights of weird and wonderful antiques. Geoffrey Munn was amongst one of the experts who left his guest stunned when he revealed despite her item not having a maker’s mark, would be sold for a staggering amount if she ever put it up for auction.
Geoffrey asked: “The sun is coming out and here we see gold, and we see rubies and we see diamonds but what does it mean?”
The guest explained: “So, it’s a brooch which I inherited via my mother, from my great-aunt and they come from Silesia, which is today Southern Poland.
“They had to flee from the Russians during the end of the war and they made it over to West Germany.
“She was a cook and housekeep to Prince Ernst August of Hanover for 37 years.”
Sharing his knowledge with the guest, Geoffrey explained: “Well, this is a very typical gift from a royal personage, there is no question at all.
“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?”
Laughing at the remark, the guest revealed: “So, it’s Russian and it’s got a 56 kokoshnik mark I believe.
“Which is 14-carat gold and it’s got an assayer’s mark of Ivan Lebetkin in Moscow between 1899 and 1908.”
“I’m almost redundant! I think I am going home!” Geoffrey quipped. “You found it all out,” before she admitted: “It took a lot of squinting and turning to make that out.”
Adding an extra piece of information, Geoffrey said: “Well, you’re a very expert squinter in that regard because you 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 marker.
“Which, of course, was Karl Faberge and everybody wants to hear that name because for context and for value.
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“Sadly, I’m not going to tell you that, because maddeningly, this brooch neither of us can find a maker’s mark on it, can we?
“I think it’s probably one of his competitors because I 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. The craftsmanship is the same, the quality is the same.
“So what’s it worth? Well, I’m going to say £7,000, £8,000.”
The guest stood across from Geoffrey in shock and claimed: “Speechless! I never believed that! Wow.”
“You’ve got to believe it,” Geoffrey told her before she thanked him for his help.”
Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays from 8pm on BBC One.
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