Millionaire Hoarders UK S02E02
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Behind the doors of our mansions, castles, and houses, lie piles upon piles of forgotten treasures.
00:14I've been looking for that for two years.
00:17I can't get away from them. They are simply everywhere.
00:20Am I a hoarder? Yes.
00:22But when tough times come knocking...
00:25When you're saying movement, what's it doing?
00:27Come and have a look.
00:28How much is this all cost?
00:29I'd try to think.
00:31Do they have a hidden gem that could be their salvation?
00:34Not sure what's in there. Could be anything.
00:37I'd love to think that there was a master painting in here.
00:41They will need the best in the business.
00:43People do call me Mr Miscellaneous. I just love all sorts of objects.
00:49It's all about creating a look. That's what really sells.
00:53Rock stars, A-listers, they're all in my little black book.
00:56Experts determined to track down valuable finds...
00:59The book alone would command an incredible amount of money.
01:04Oh, wow. Okay. Well, that's a big name.
01:07Ooh, this is a bit of money.
01:09...and deliver life-changing sums.
01:11Solve!
01:12Oh, my goodness.
01:14This is the only copy anywhere in the world.
01:18It's unbelievable.
01:27Heading to the heart of the Nottinghamshire countryside
01:30is antiques expert, Ronnie.
01:34I'm really excited about today.
01:38Just feel that I'm going to find something great.
01:44Horse-mad Sally is the owner of a very unique hoard
01:47that she started when she was a young girl.
01:52Poppy!
01:54Poppy!
01:55Poppy!
01:55Come on, Poppy.
01:59Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
02:02Don't be so silly.
02:03Here.
02:05I was an only child, and they didn't know what to do with me.
02:08And one day a friend said,
02:09why don't you let her go riding with our daughter?
02:11So they did, and that's where it all started.
02:14Well, I was about six or seven.
02:16Good girl.
02:17Wait, wait, wait, wait.
02:18So I soon had my first pony.
02:20I've never been without something since.
02:23Don't be silly.
02:24Don't be silly.
02:26Come on, you're not a racehorse.
02:28You silly pony.
02:31That's better.
02:34Sally's obsession has grown over the years,
02:37and she can now claim to have one of the biggest collections
02:39of horse memorabilia in the country.
02:41I've been fascinated by old horse things ever since I was a child.
02:50Collecting started for me late teens, early 20s.
02:56I don't expect I'll ever stop collecting.
02:59They'll be pushing me down under, and I'll be saying,
03:01hang on, there's another lot coming.
03:04Her latest haul has just arrived,
03:07and partner Mal has been roped in to help out.
03:10I think it's more of a disease.
03:12You just can't pass anything without buying it.
03:15She sits at the auction site,
03:17and if there's nothing she needs,
03:19she just buys somewhere anyway.
03:20I've got about 25 shovels somewhere.
03:23It came as a lot.
03:25And garden rakes, all broken.
03:28You're very unfair.
03:29You do use some of them.
03:34As Sally's hoard grew,
03:36she needed somewhere to put it.
03:40On the top floor of the art gallery
03:42that she runs with her son, John,
03:44was the ideal place.
03:45I've known my mother as somebody who collects.
03:48I think that's a very nice description.
03:52Hoarding is perhaps a more accurate word than collecting.
03:57Yeah, that's a good girl.
03:59But with space no longer being a problem,
04:02there was no reining her in.
04:03When a van load of rusty horseshoes and bits and stirrups turn up
04:10and then we have to find a spot for that,
04:13there are days when I just really despair.
04:16This is one of my storerooms.
04:21That's a lawn boot.
04:23That's what they used to put on the ponies for mowing the lawn.
04:28I'm not sure what's in there.
04:29Could be anything.
04:30Oh, old buckles, I think.
04:32Certainly not organised.
04:34Now, I bought that ages ago
04:36because I was curious as to what it was.
04:38I don't know what it is.
04:40Never have found out.
04:41That's an 18th-century lantern.
04:46Its glass is actually boiled, rolled cowhorn.
04:50I think things like that are lovely.
04:56By 2014, Sally's collection had become so spectacular
05:00that she couldn't keep it to herself
05:02and decided there was only one thing for it.
05:06I just thought, what a shame it was
05:09that England didn't have a museum of the horse
05:12because England's a very strongly equestrian country.
05:20She opened the country's only museum of the horse
05:23where she now houses all her beloved equestrian treasures
05:27across nine rooms and two floors.
05:32It's fascinating.
05:33And a lot of the things I find I didn't know existed
05:36until I found them.
05:37The whole family, they think I'm mad.
05:41Hey, hey, hey, stop it, stop it, stop it.
05:46Good old boots, those.
05:48You know what they are, don't you?
05:49No.
05:50They're National Hunt boots.
05:52She's very good.
05:53It justifies purchases.
05:56That's a real talent.
05:57I mean, they're worth what I paid for the two pairs,
06:00so really, they didn't cost me anything.
06:02The museum relies upon donations,
06:06but Sally's constant collecting plus mounting running costs
06:10means that money is tight.
06:13There are a massive amount of costs,
06:15just the heating, the lighting.
06:17Insurance is a big cost.
06:18Insurance, yes.
06:19Yeah, good point.
06:20Insurance is massive on this.
06:22The list is endless.
06:23It goes on and on and on.
06:24And after dedicating her life to the collection,
06:30Sally's beloved museum now faces an insecure future.
06:34I've never taken to horses.
06:36I mean, they're very nice, don't get me wrong,
06:38but I am slightly allergic to them.
06:41It's not something I see myself as, you know,
06:44taking over as a curator.
06:46With John not keen to take over the museum,
06:49Sally is planning ahead.
06:51Well, I built this, basically,
06:52I built this out of my pension.
06:55I want to be able to preserve it for the future.
06:58To raise money is something I really should be doing
07:01whilst I'm still able,
07:04because if I don't, I don't think anybody else will.
07:09Sally's hoping that she has some hidden treasure
07:11that could help to fund the museum's future.
07:13But she's going to need a helping hand.
07:23I've specialised in so many different categories
07:26that if it's there to be found, I will find it.
07:29Well, this is more impressive than I expected.
07:46Lovely old building.
07:52Oh, hello.
07:53You must be Sally.
07:55I am. It's very nice to meet you.
07:56What a lovely place.
07:58Lovely sense of space and light.
08:00I mean, I think horses are amongst my favourite animals.
08:04I've come here to see what you've got upstairs,
08:07and I just can't wait.
08:09Well, I shall enjoy showing you.
08:11With thousands of horse artefacts to rummage through,
08:15Ronnie will certainly have his work cut out.
08:17Oh, my God, I can't take my eyes off everything here.
08:22You haven't seen anything yet.
08:24Oh, my God, everything just draws my eye.
08:27And that framed collection of buttons there
08:31reminds me of money.
08:33Yes.
08:34To preserve...
08:35That's right.
08:36..this collection.
08:37I mean, have you got a figure in mind that you need to find?
08:39We're developing the back half of the building,
08:42turning that into a conference room.
08:44We've still got to find about 60,000.
08:46That's not insurmountable, actually.
08:49And have a fund to help maintain the collection
08:52so that when I've popped my clogs,
08:54I would like it to be able to be preserved.
08:57With Sally's money mostly going on the museum's upkeep,
09:00there's nothing left to finish the conference room,
09:02and so she desperately needs to bring in cash.
09:05Well, we just don't know until we see.
09:08Right.
09:08Well, I'll give you the keys, and you can have a route.
09:11I will. I can't wait.
09:14Gives me a great deal of pleasure,
09:15and it gives me a lot of pleasure showing it to people.
09:18I would hate to have to let go of anything, really.
09:22Before Ronnie gets to work...
09:24God, there's so much stuff.
09:27So many things I've only ever seen in books.
09:30He wants to experience the museum to see what is at stake.
09:35Seeing this, I can't believe
09:37if one person has put this together.
09:40What's the next room?
09:42I mean, this is just visual senses overload.
09:46Medieval.
09:47First to 10th century.
09:50It's extraordinary.
09:53What a passion.
09:54What dedication.
09:56What hard work.
09:58I'm surprised.
09:59I really am.
10:01I knew it would be interesting,
10:02but I didn't know it would make me feel kind of emotional.
10:05You know, I can just see this is a labour of love,
10:09and it's extraordinary that she's done it on her own,
10:13and so I just can't wait to see it in those storerooms.
10:16Oh, first time lucky.
10:25Put the light on.
10:28Oh, wow.
10:30Oh, I can't believe it.
10:32It's everywhere.
10:34Paintings, saddles, prints, engravings.
10:39That looks like a watercolour.
10:42It's not the winner we're looking for, though.
10:45Often, the big money is in two-dimensional works of art.
10:50Old master drawings, an oil painting, a good watercolour.
10:55It's just a coloured engraving.
10:57It's getting excited, then, for a minute.
11:00This looks like a Doris Sinkheiser.
11:02This is a bit of money.
11:04Probably early 50s.
11:06Could make eight, nine hundred, a thousand.
11:08It could make three thousand.
11:10Great interest.
11:11There's a lot of quite nice things,
11:13but nothing that I can see immediately
11:16would raise for anything like the money that's needed.
11:22This is nice.
11:24It's a Japanese saddle.
11:27Carved wood, tooled leather with gold leaf in the toolie.
11:34That looks imperial quality to me.
11:37Beautiful.
11:38It's great, actually.
11:42Beautiful carving.
11:44Chinese dragons, but Japanese work.
11:47Very interesting.
11:50Probably 17th century, that.
11:53Craftsman was very proud of his work,
11:55because I signed it on the bottom.
11:58I know those saddles, the beautiful lacquered ones.
12:01They're in the most prestigious museums in the world,
12:04like the Metropolitan Museum.
12:07This could be even more important.
12:08It's got all that calligraphy on the bottom.
12:11I need to get a specialist to read it,
12:13and I'm just dying to see what it says.
12:15If Ronnie can determine the saddle's history,
12:18then it could be a great start towards the money
12:20Sally needs to secure her museum's future.
12:24Can you remember what you paid for it?
12:25I think it was around nine hundred to a thousand.
12:28It was quite an expensive buy.
12:29It might have been a very cheap buy.
12:32It could make up to 15,000, 20,000.
12:34Good.
12:35Good.
12:36This is special.
12:40Sally seems happy to consider selling the saddle.
12:43So, while she's in the mood,
12:45she's keen to show Ronnie something special.
12:48So, where are we now, Sally?
12:50This is what used to be the ballroom.
12:52Really?
12:52Yep.
12:53This is what we're going to convert into the conference room.
12:56I see.
12:57So, there's nothing much really in...
12:59There were storerooms, and we've been clearing them out.
13:01Oh, I can see, yeah.
13:03But I do have something down here that I think you might like.
13:06Really?
13:07In here?
13:08Oh, no, not in there, but I'm looking in here.
13:11Hey.
13:14Oh, that's beautiful.
13:16That's, uh...
13:18Ooh.
13:19That's a masterful bit of painting.
13:21Beautiful head on that horse.
13:23Oh, it is the master.
13:24It is.
13:26This plaque here says,
13:27G. Stubbs.
13:29The George Stubbs.
13:30And I can see it is.
13:31It's a fantastic portrait.
13:34One of the finest horse painters ever.
13:36In Nottinghamshire.
13:50Ronnie is trying to raise £60,000 to help secure the future of the UK's only horse museum.
13:58And he thinks he may have hit the jackpot.
14:02Love it.
14:03It tastes lovely, isn't it?
14:05It's really odd.
14:06It kind of makes you go a bit weak at the knees when you see a painting of this quality.
14:12Yes.
14:14Born in 1724, George Stubbs was a renowned English painter.
14:18He is remembered for his pictures of horses, and having studied anatomy, his work is prized for its accuracy.
14:27Today, his art is of great importance, and his masterpiece, Whistlejacket, is displayed at the National Gallery.
14:34Recently, one of his paintings sold for £2 million.
14:37How long have you had this?
14:40Oh, about 50 years.
14:42And how did you acquire it?
14:43I bought it in Christie's late 60s, early 70s.
14:47There's a record of it in here.
14:49Is that the catalogue resonate?
14:50It is.
14:51Hmm.
14:52Interesting.
14:53There it is.
14:54Rainbow's the name of the horse.
14:56Rainbow, yes.
14:57A grey cob facing left by a stream, being sold at Christie's the 29th of March, 1974.
15:06S. Mitchell Private Collection.
15:09That's you.
15:09That's me.
15:10You're famous.
15:11Do you remember how much you paid for it back in 1974?
15:16I think it was around £3,000.
15:18Which was a considerable amount, then.
15:19Well, it was.
15:20It's a lot of money.
15:22It's a lovely thing.
15:24You don't hang it.
15:26Is it time to let it go?
15:30Well, you can't take it with you, can you?
15:33No.
15:33I mean, I'm very fond of it.
15:35My commitment now is to the museum.
15:38And what do you think it would be worth today?
15:41I don't really know.
15:43I guess somewhere between £40,000 to £80,000.
15:46Hmm.
15:49OK.
15:49What do you think?
15:50What do you think it might even make more?
15:53I seem to remember one recently making a six-figure sum.
15:59That's good.
16:00Oh.
16:01Stubbs was second to none.
16:02And, you know, we've got to raise its profile by investigating a little further.
16:08And you write up.
16:09It's history.
16:10All its history, yeah.
16:11Yes.
16:12Because it hasn't been on the market for 50 years.
16:15Yes.
16:15It will be fresh to the market.
16:17And people love that.
16:19Selling the Stubbs painting could raise all the money for Sally's cash-generating conference room.
16:24I've just been handling and looking at and talking about her Stubbs, you know.
16:28It's been in my hands.
16:30I've touched it.
16:31It's a wonderful thing.
16:34This is why I love my job.
16:36Bringing it to auction and getting the best price possible for Sally so she can carry on her dream.
16:42Just under 200 miles away on the south coast, Curio's expert, Ed, is on the way to meet someone who's hoarding is breaking world records.
17:01It's a lovely day for a rummage.
17:05This one's not going to be quite as straightforward as what I think, though.
17:09That's not stopped me before.
17:10This seaside town is home to former actor Adam and his collection of festive bling.
17:17Broaches are simply everywhere.
17:19They're over there.
17:20They're in my drawers here, on my computer screen.
17:23I've got books over there.
17:24We've got broaches in the broach cabinet here.
17:27We've got a whole set of the non-tree ones.
17:30We've got my Guinness World Record.
17:32And then if I go through to my storeroom, I'm not even...
17:35I can't get away from them here either.
17:37They are simply everywhere.
17:39But I love them, so why not?
17:43Adam's world record was for having a staggering 7,929 of them verified in 2021.
17:50Because no one has more broaches than in this collection.
17:55I mean, it's insane.
17:57But now he has smashed through the 8,000 mark.
18:01For not only the largest collection of Christmas broaches,
18:04but the world's largest broach collection as well.
18:07Out of the whole collection of 8,000 broaches,
18:12if you average that 50 quid is about the sort of average for a broach,
18:17that would make the whole collection about 400 grand.
18:20Whoa!
18:21Which is scary, to say the least.
18:24And there's one which is cheap as chips.
18:26And I know that that wouldn't have cost more than probably $15 or $20.
18:31It could be that its rarity means that it's worth £100, £150.
18:35Actually, it is fascinating, that one.
18:38I paid $175.
18:39Bloody hell.
18:40I must be mad.
18:45I've always been utterly obsessed with Christmas,
18:48right away from being a little nepper.
18:51And my mother used to put a Christmas decoration facing out of the window
18:54for the people on the buses, which was rather sweet.
18:57So, she inculcated in me this extraordinary sort of happiness,
19:01the joyfulness of Christmas.
19:03And that has been with me all the way through my life.
19:06And I celebrate like a lunatic every year
19:09from really December the 1st onwards.
19:14With Adam's collection taking over his home,
19:17there's one person who has had to embrace it too.
19:20His husband, Andrew.
19:21It was quite a surprise when he first told me.
19:25I think it was like our third date.
19:27And it was on the lines of, you know,
19:29so what do you do?
19:30What are you into?
19:31All of a sudden, he's a Christmas tree brooch collector.
19:33Thinking, that's not the bloke I met in the pub last week.
19:37But I was wooed straight away.
19:38As soon as you see them, you're just wooed.
19:44Adam and Andrew have just bought the property upstairs
19:47and building work is underway.
19:49So, the plan is to combine the two flats to one forever home.
19:53We're going to knock all the walls down upstairs.
19:55There's a lift between the two for when I'm old and can't walk.
19:58So, it's going to cost a ton of money.
20:01But the electrical plan, I'm particularly pleased with
20:04because it shows all the socket positions
20:06for where the Christmas trees are going to stand.
20:08Obviously, out on the balcony as well
20:10because there's going to be a marvellous display.
20:14The building works are costing about $250,000.
20:17Now that I'm really short of money,
20:20if actually the collection could pay for that,
20:22oh, gosh, that would be such a relief.
20:26But I'm sure it's exactly the same for any obsessive collector.
20:29Giving up any part of that collection
20:31is a sort of agony that rips you down in your solar plexus somewhere.
20:35With money needed for his building work,
20:38Adam plans to trade some of his dream collection for his dream home.
20:42And he's going to need some help.
20:46Curios expert Ed has been seeking and selling antiques for over 20 years.
20:52It's all about digging deep, learning about an item
20:55and finding that provenance.
20:56That's what really makes it pay.
20:59Turning hidden gems into cash is all part of the job.
21:05Hey, hello.
21:09Hi.
21:09It's nice. Come on in.
21:10And here are the brooches.
21:11Yeah, exactly.
21:13All 8,000 of them all just tucked away.
21:16I mean, how did it all start?
21:18Well, it all started up here, actually, in 1984 in Copenhagen.
21:22OK.
21:22And I just saw one in the shop, bought it,
21:24and then next year bought another.
21:26Before I knew it, I had 8,000 brooches.
21:29And he spends hours and days and weeks reorganising them and rearranging them.
21:33I love your passion for these.
21:35I really do.
21:36It's amazing.
21:37And to see such a vast collection.
21:39So is it every day he's here?
21:40Most days, yeah.
21:41Pretty much.
21:42So he doesn't spend any time with you?
21:44Kind of, yeah.
21:45He'll just disappear in Christmas tree brooch heaven.
21:47Yeah, and so you have a Christmas tree up early, do you?
21:49It might be a tree, Ed.
21:51Oh, right.
21:51A series of trees.
21:52And sparkles like this just bring the magic.
21:56Well, it unleashes a kid in all of us, Ed.
21:58That's the whole point.
21:59And we become children again.
22:01Well, let's go and see if we can find some.
22:02Go on.
22:02Free to go.
22:08This room, well, it's a bit of a minefield, really, of brooches.
22:12All looking the same when you just look at them.
22:14But I need to get in amongst it, find the decent ones,
22:18pick out the real gems in the collection.
22:20This tray has got some real belters in, to be honest with you.
22:24But this one here is the one that I really like.
22:28It looks to me as if these are diamonds.
22:30Definitely pearls.
22:31So we've got some good sort of jewels in here.
22:34Maybe rubies.
22:35Possibly platinum.
22:36Do you know, it's an extraordinary thing to feel you've built something exceptional.
22:41And it's weird because it's just the fact of buying stuff.
22:45But it's also the hunt, the tracking down, the joy,
22:49the pleasure, the conversations you've had.
22:52That's what makes up the collection, not just the items within it.
22:56There's a lovely Art Deco one down here.
22:58Probably from the 30s, I would say.
23:00Possibly French, German, Austrian.
23:03And also, it's Mark Sterling Silver.
23:06There's Art Deco collectors out there.
23:08They would love this.
23:11Flooding the market with so many brooches.
23:14I mean, first of all, it's a seasonal thing.
23:16You've got to sell them near Christmas.
23:18Even a thousand, I think, would flood the market.
23:20I mean, even a hundred in one auction would flood it.
23:23There's so many possibilities, though.
23:24But I think we're going to have to try loads of different options.
23:27While Ed wrestles with the best way to sell Adam's unique collection for the money he needs.
23:36Back at the museum of the horse,
23:38Ronnie has already found an ornate Japanese saddle and a George Stubbs.
23:43But with Sally's conference room to fund, he is not giving up yet.
23:47I just want to sort of take this in.
24:03I love rooms like this.
24:05It's a nice canvas.
24:07Pleasant portrait.
24:10Over-varnished.
24:12But not bad.
24:13Nice old canvas.
24:15Victorian.
24:16Slightly Etty-like.
24:19Interesting.
24:23Hmm.
24:25The third thing I look at is most interesting.
24:29Tucked behind there.
24:31I mean, what a frame for a start.
24:33I'm going to move this.
24:35See if this will lean here.
24:37That's early.
24:39That is.
24:41And it's got cracks all over the surface,
24:44which we call crackleur in the art world.
24:48It looks like bitumen has been used in the varnish.
24:52But they didn't use bitumen until the 19th century.
24:56And this looks like 17th century Dutch genre painting.
25:01It makes me very suspicious.
25:04Early Dutch paintings have been highly sought after for centuries.
25:08And so forgers have tried to pass off counterfeit works as originals.
25:12But remarkably, some of these famous fakes are now worth a lot of money.
25:16Fakers have become quite popular in the 20th and 21st century.
25:23And people collect their work.
25:25Well, have you found that?
25:26Yes, it was behind that one.
25:28My father bought that in about 1947, just after the war.
25:33Oh, really?
25:34Hmm.
25:35Yes.
25:35How interesting.
25:37The satin of this is well painted.
25:39The dust are there if you want to give it a dust.
25:41Yeah, look at that.
25:43Let there be light.
25:47There's detail that's being revealed just as I dust the glass.
25:51Look at that.
25:52Bring it towards me.
25:54Oh, what a team we make.
25:55Don't we just?
25:56As if we'd done it a million times before.
25:59It's a woman, isn't it?
26:00It's a woman, yeah.
26:01With a servant, I suppose.
26:02Yeah, it looks like a servant.
26:03It's interesting to see why your father was drawn to it.
26:08Yes.
26:09Looks like a Dutch old master from the 17th century,
26:13but it almost certainly isn't.
26:15If it's a well-known faker whose work is sought after,
26:19it could be quite a few thousand pounds.
26:23And Sally suspects it could be by one of the most famous forgers
26:27of the 20th century.
26:29I wonder if it's a van Meegren fake.
26:32If we could establish, if this is a van Meegren fake,
26:36it becomes even more desirable.
26:39Having Ronnie picking out things I have forgotten are there.
26:43I can't wait to see what he finds out.
26:46There's all to pitch for here.
26:48And we're going to pitch.
26:49Ronnie's come to Milton Keynes.
26:59He's trying to raise £60,000 to help save Sally's Horse Museum.
27:04Today, he has a contact who's agreed to meet him.
27:08Katja Belaya-Seltzer has over ten years as a fine art conservation expert.
27:13Ronnie wants to show her Sally's potential van Meegren painting.
27:16If it's by the famous faker, she will know.
27:20We're going to take it out of the frame
27:22and see what more we can discover about this painting
27:26that we know is a copy from the 17th century.
27:29But who by is the question?
27:34Hi Katja.
27:35Oh, hi Ronnie.
27:37Oh, I see you've got it on the easel.
27:39Well, I'm just trying to get a good look at it through the glass,
27:42but there's not very much you can see.
27:44It's very dirty.
27:45It is, isn't it?
27:46It is, yeah.
27:47What do you know about this painting?
27:49Sally thinks it could be by a famous forger
27:52called van Meegren,
27:54who copied Dutch old masters,
27:57and they're collectible.
27:59So there's a lot to unpick, really, I think.
28:02They want to take it out of the frame.
28:03Well, let's do that.
28:07Han van Meegren is considered to be
28:10the most prolific art forger of the 20th century,
28:14specialising in copying and selling
28:1616th and 17th century Dutch masters.
28:20In 1947, he was caught and sentenced,
28:23but since then, a market has grown of buyers
28:26who are willing to pay thousands for his work.
28:29He has a little bit of a dust, I think.
28:33All of this cracking looks like it's happened
28:36over a short period of time.
28:38And yesterday.
28:39And yesterday.
28:40There isn't really a pattern to it.
28:42And it almost looks as though it's been drawn in
28:45with the end of a brush.
28:46That sort of reticulating, drying cracks
28:49that you get in Victorian paintings.
28:52Can you put a UV light on it?
28:54Yeah.
28:55I think that's a good idea.
28:56See if that throws up anything.
29:04But the surface is quite fresh, isn't it?
29:07It is.
29:09And what's interesting is that the varnish
29:10doesn't go into the cracks.
29:12No, exactly.
29:13This could have easily been painted
29:15in van Meegren's time in the 30s.
29:19And that's good for Sally.
29:21She would like that.
29:21And then it's been cobbled together
29:24to make it look older.
29:28If it's by the hand of the famous faker,
29:30its value could be in the thousands.
29:33But it's the forensic detail that counts.
29:36And Ronnie makes a discovery.
29:38Can you see these wiggly lines going down?
29:45It's like when you varnish paper
29:48and then the paper gets wet with the varnish
29:51and starts to deteriorate and cracks in curvy lines
29:55like paint doesn't do.
29:57This is a process.
29:59It's a very clever one.
30:01But this has tones of what I've seen in oleographs,
30:06what I've seen in early reproductions.
30:08They are really convincing.
30:12I'm afraid.
30:15Oh, dear.
30:16That's really dreadful.
30:18I'm so sad about that.
30:23An oleograph is a process by which a print
30:25is attached to canvas
30:26to produce the texture of an oil painting.
30:30It means it can't be by the hand of van Meegren.
30:33It's wrinkled like paper stuck on canvas.
30:38Oh, dear.
30:40Oh, dear.
30:41Oh, dear.
30:42It's just no evidence of actual painting.
30:47Well, that does change things.
30:49It changes things dramatically.
30:51I don't want to be the harbinger of bad news.
30:55What was probably worth tens of thousands of pounds
31:02has now been reduced to mid-hundreds.
31:05But nevertheless,
31:07I'm happy that I've done my job
31:09and we've solved the mystery.
31:15Curio's expert, Ed,
31:17has been challenged by Adam
31:18to sell his world-breaking collection
31:20as one single lot.
31:22But he's struggling.
31:23I've tried everywhere with these brooches.
31:26I've tried collectors.
31:27I've been all round the world.
31:29It's time to bring in Susan Kaplan.
31:31She is the vintage expert on this.
31:33She is the guru
31:34to see which is the best way
31:35to get them on the market.
31:37The sheer amount of brooches
31:39is a concern for Ed.
31:41Susan, thank you so much for your time.
31:44And so he's speaking
31:45to one of the UK's leading curators
31:47of vintage costume jewellery,
31:50Susan Kaplan.
31:50The majority of them
31:53are really not worth a lot,
31:55but a few could be worth
31:57a couple of thousand.
31:58I would say separate them
32:01and sell the high-end ones separately.
32:04I mean, I in auction
32:05can pay up to £1,000
32:06higher, you know, end pieces.
32:09Mm, yeah.
32:09And that retail
32:10could retail for £2,500.
32:12Hopefully, I can get some funds for him.
32:16Costume jewellery
32:16has just grown and grown and grown.
32:20Year on year, our sales are up.
32:22Broaches always sell.
32:23That's amazing.
32:24Thank you so much
32:26for your help, Susan.
32:27Bye-bye.
32:30The news that a single brooch
32:32can fetch thousands
32:33is the spur Ed needs
32:35to consider splitting up the collection.
32:37But will Adam agree
32:39and be able to let his best ones go.
32:47Ronnie is in London.
32:51It was great to find
32:53the stubs at Sally's.
32:55And now I'm coming to Sotheby's
32:56to meet Julian,
32:58who has the painting
32:59in his possession at the moment.
33:00And he's going to give us
33:01an assessment and then value it.
33:03And I can't wait.
33:06Hi there.
33:07Nice to see you again.
33:09Julian Gascoigne
33:10is a senior director
33:11at Sotheby's Auction House.
33:14Ronnie, hi.
33:16Nice to meet you.
33:16Nice to meet you, too.
33:18Rainbow's here.
33:19She's here.
33:19This is very exciting.
33:20And it's not the usual thoroughbred
33:23that Stubbs painted.
33:24It's a cob, as you can see.
33:26Absolutely.
33:26Rather than painting, you know,
33:28the grand racehorses
33:28of his early career,
33:29by this stage,
33:30he's painting sort of much-loved pets.
33:31Yeah, that's right.
33:32It's a domestic portrait.
33:33Absolutely.
33:34This is a later work.
33:35I mean, he must have been
33:36in his 70s when he died.
33:37He's well into his 70s.
33:38I think this is probably
33:39about sort of 1800, 1802,
33:41and he dies in 1806.
33:42It doesn't have the clarity.
33:44Stubbs was very experimental
33:45with his technique
33:46and his pigments.
33:47And particularly
33:48in the latter part
33:49of his career, he starts
33:50to experiment, mixing all sorts
33:52of things into the pigment,
33:54you know, wax and varnish
33:55and things, which in their
33:56original state would have
33:57given the surface
33:58this wonderful luster and depth.
33:59But unfortunately,
34:01didn't necessarily stand
34:02the test of time.
34:03And this is very much
34:04the case with this painting.
34:06As you can see,
34:06it's got quite abraded
34:08in the foliage.
34:09The greens have deteriorated
34:11slightly and sunk
34:12into the canvas.
34:13You can see with the naked eye,
34:15there's a bit of retouching
34:16to areas in the horse itself.
34:18In the sky, I can see.
34:20Particularly, yes,
34:21up in the sky here
34:21in a raking light,
34:22you know, you can see.
34:23You can see it across there.
34:24See these retouchings.
34:25It's not bad, is it?
34:26But it's not too bad.
34:27It's a charming picture
34:28and it's absolutely
34:29what you'd expect
34:30from this period of his work.
34:31But the million dollar question is,
34:34what estimate
34:34would you put on it?
34:35Well, as an initial...
34:39Ballpark?
34:40Sort of ballpark.
34:41I think it does have
34:42its condition issues.
34:43You know, it's not
34:44a famous racehorse
34:45but it has its own innate charms
34:48and I think
34:50you'd probably be looking
34:51at a valuation
34:53somewhere in the region
34:54of £100,000
34:55and I'd probably suggest
34:57an auction estimate
34:58at around £80,000 to £120,000.
35:01I'd thought something
35:02like that myself.
35:04Fantastic.
35:04Yeah, great.
35:05Well, it's been a pleasure.
35:07Sally is expecting the picture
35:09to make between £40,000 to £80,000.
35:12Hi, Sally.
35:13I'm smiling from ear to ear
35:15like a Cheshire cat.
35:17What was his estimate?
35:18He thinks it's going to make
35:19between £100,000
35:20and £120,000.
35:22Does he really?
35:23I know.
35:24Your voice went up
35:25a few octaves then
35:26as mine did when he told me.
35:28Well, that's really good news.
35:30Better than I'd expected.
35:32If the painting does sell
35:33for its top estimate
35:34then it will smash
35:36through Sally's target
35:37of £60,000.
35:39Wow.
35:40Let's get it going.
35:41Ronnie is helping horse lover Sally
35:51raise money
35:52so that she can secure
35:53the future of her
35:54Museum of the Horse.
35:56Here is a good girl.
35:59He has sent her ancient saddle
36:01to Asian art expert
36:02Lee Young
36:03so that he can find out
36:05more about its past.
36:06I sent this on a head.
36:10What did you find?
36:11Normally you get these things
36:12and there's very little
36:13there to go on.
36:15Of course with this
36:16we've got these lovely
36:17inscriptions here.
36:19What we established
36:20is that this was
36:21a commissioned piece
36:22and it was a once
36:24in a lifetime work.
36:25By the carver?
36:27Correct.
36:27The saddle itself
36:28I think is 17th century
36:29but importantly
36:30and I think importantly
36:32what the inscriptions
36:33go on to tell us
36:34is that this
36:35is signed
36:36Shimizu
36:36which is the
36:37Shimizu clan
36:38who were a very
36:40powerful family clan.
36:42Were they samurai?
36:43They were samurai
36:44on Kyushu Island.
36:47They feature prominently
36:48in the history of Japan
36:50and in fact
36:51I think they're the only
36:51family to feature
36:52from medieval times
36:54from the 12th century
36:55right the way through
36:56to sort of modern times
36:57to the 19th century.
36:58That's fabulous.
36:59It's fabulous.
37:00I mean it is fabulous.
37:01And that really
37:02elevated won't it?
37:03Yeah.
37:03You can see
37:03it's no ordinary saddle.
37:05The carving is sublime.
37:07What do you think
37:07you'd put this
37:08in the auction at?
37:09I think I would put it in
37:11at an estimate
37:11of four to six thousand pounds
37:13but I'm going to say
37:14I think it is a very
37:15difficult thing to estimate.
37:17We've got a perfect sale
37:18coming up for it.
37:19It's an Asian sale.
37:20It's going to find itself
37:21in great company.
37:23Sally will be over the moon.
37:26I think she thought
37:26it was worth
37:27about a thousand pounds
37:28or something.
37:29So she's going to be delighted.
37:30Good.
37:30It's a fantastic looking thing.
37:33You know
37:33look if it made ten thousand
37:36would you be surprised?
37:37Not really.
37:37If it made twenty thousand?
37:38No you wouldn't.
37:39And it could make more than that.
37:40I mean it just depends
37:41how passionately people feel
37:42about it for the clan
37:43that's on there.
37:44I mean there's a lot
37:45of interest from Japan.
37:46It could go anywhere.
37:47Brilliant.
37:48I'm going to rush off now
37:49and tell Sally.
37:51Hello.
37:52How are you?
37:53I'm well thank you.
37:54How are you?
37:54I'm very well thank you.
37:56I've got some great news for you.
37:57How do you?
37:58The saddle was commissioned
37:59to be made
38:00for one of the most enduring
38:03Japanese warrior clans.
38:05Really?
38:06He's going to put an estimate
38:07of four to six thousand pounds
38:09on it.
38:10That's excellent.
38:11Would you be happy
38:12to sell it for that?
38:13Yes I certainly would.
38:14Yes that's tremendous.
38:16That's all I'd expected.
38:17Sally's considering
38:20putting her saddle
38:21into a specialist auction
38:22and if she does
38:23she's hoping
38:24it could race past
38:25Lee's valuation.
38:30200 miles away
38:32on the south coast
38:33Adam's reticent
38:35to break up
38:36his collection
38:36but he's had a moment
38:38of inspiration.
38:39I need to let go
38:40is the whole point.
38:42So actually
38:43just divesting myself
38:44of some of them
38:45and not all of them
38:46is a really good solution.
38:48By selling
38:49the hundreds of duplicates
38:50he has
38:50he can make money
38:52while still keeping
38:53the rest of his
38:53beloved brooches together.
38:54So Ed has brought
38:59along costume
39:00jewellery dealer
39:00Jean Archer
39:01to see if she
39:02will be interested
39:03in buying a selection
39:04for her London shop.
39:06It's not proof here.
39:07Yes.
39:08Hello.
39:18Oh hello.
39:19Come on in.
39:19Come on in.
39:20It's cold.
39:20Hello.
39:22You get a hug.
39:23Well you get a hug as well.
39:25That's only fair.
39:26I've seen you.
39:27Come on through.
39:28Straight through.
39:29Straight through.
39:30So this is where
39:32all my bits and bobs are.
39:34Jean has a shop in London.
39:36Fabulous.
39:36which is obviously
39:37a good outlet.
39:38Oh I've got hundreds
39:39for you to sell.
39:40I know I'm this.
39:41I'm looking forward
39:42to seeing them out of me.
39:43Well I'm going to leave
39:44you two at it.
39:45I've got builders
39:45to worry about.
39:46Thank you so much.
39:47We'll see you later
39:48at the pair of you.
39:51There's so much
39:52to go at isn't there?
39:53There's so much.
39:55So many to...
39:56He's a bonon bay.
39:58And I'm thinking
39:58if he's got duplicates
40:00which I know that he has.
40:01Yes I would be interested
40:03in buying some of them.
40:03Shall we have a look at them
40:04because I know...
40:04Yes I think so.
40:05I mean there's so
40:06many exquisite ones.
40:09So I mean look at that
40:09beautiful little brooch.
40:11I'm going to wait.
40:12I'm going to see if Adam notices.
40:14Well he will.
40:16It's lovely.
40:17Would there be a chance
40:18that you could
40:19speak to Adam
40:20maybe he could put some
40:21of these into your shop
40:22on a commission?
40:23Yes that's right
40:24fair enough yes.
40:25A contact like Gene
40:28could be just what Adam needs
40:30to give him a route
40:30to market.
40:35What have you been up to?
40:36Well we've been looking
40:37at broochies.
40:37Oh look.
40:39Rifle through my drawers.
40:40I'm very impressed.
40:41So I think there's a place
40:42for all of them
40:43in your shop.
40:44Oh I do.
40:45I think so too.
40:46Bring some up maybe
40:48on approval
40:49on a sale or return
40:51of these.
40:52Super happy.
40:53Super happy.
40:54And it will make us
40:55start with some funds
40:56for this building work.
40:57Of course.
40:57Thank you Mr. Ed.
40:59Have you noticed
41:00by the way?
41:01Go on.
41:02He's got to put that back.
41:03No you can have that.
41:04No I'm not.
41:05If you like it
41:06of course you can.
41:07We'll bring it out
41:07every Christmas.
41:08Well I'm pleased you chose
41:09it because it's really cheap.
41:14Excellent.
41:15Shall I make
41:16a little selection
41:17now then?
41:18Take them home today.
41:18Like that for instance.
41:20Yes straight in there.
41:22And that is very beautiful.
41:23How are you feeling
41:24that Gene is picking these
41:25up and they're going
41:25to be taken away?
41:26I love the fact
41:28that Gene has got
41:29so much energy
41:30and passion
41:31and because we share
41:32that actually it's
41:32rather lovely to know
41:33that they're being
41:35loved and appreciated
41:36as well.
41:37Well by the looks
41:37of things I think
41:38my job might be done
41:39here.
41:39I think it is.
41:41But I'm going to
41:42leave you both to him.
41:43I love these.
41:43Yeah.
41:44And I will look
41:44at some of the others.
41:46I've got a whole tray
41:47full so yeah
41:48thank you Mr. Ed.
41:49How marvellous.
41:51And have fun.
41:52Try and stop us.
41:53It's lovely.
41:55I'm going to get
41:55the other tray
41:56straight over Gene.
41:57Right I've got another
41:58tray over here.
41:58Let's do it.
42:00Her passion for Christmas
42:02broaches was like Adam's.
42:04I mean she's just amazing.
42:06They're going to sort of
42:06do a deal now
42:07I'll leave it to them.
42:09She's got that shop.
42:10There's just going to be
42:10a friendship there for life
42:11and it's going to be
42:13a friendship that's going
42:13to make Adam some money.
42:17With sales today
42:18and a chance to sell more
42:20through Gene's shop
42:21Adam's dream home fund
42:23is one step closer.
42:31It's a big day for Ronnie.
42:36Sally's painting
42:37by George Stubbs
42:38is at Sotheby's auction house
42:40and is about to go
42:41under the hammer.
42:42As long as it makes
42:44the estimate
42:45Sally will be delighted.
42:48I mean she really
42:49deserves it.
42:49What a day
42:51this has the potential
42:52to be.
42:55Fingers crossed.
42:56Cheers.
42:58Nice to see you.
43:01The sale's started.
43:02I'm at the door
43:03of the sale room now
43:04so I better keep quiet
43:05because I don't want
43:06to accidentally
43:07buy something.
43:10Here we go.
43:10Thank you very much.
43:19Our painting
43:20has got pride in place.
43:22It's in the middle
43:22of the bank.
43:23Oh, it is.
43:24£3,200.
43:26£3,200.
43:28It's all the way over it.
43:28Rainbow is lot 185.
43:32Heart's starting to race.
43:34£18,000.
43:36£18,000.
43:37Sally has fixed
43:39a reserve
43:39of £80,000.
43:42Sold.
43:43I won 55.
43:44Thank you both very much.
43:45This is it.
43:47£100,000.
43:48George Stubbs.
43:50Portrait of Rainbow.
43:52Very cool.
43:53And I'm a little bit
43:55of interest here.
43:55I'm looking for bidding
43:56at £70,000.
43:58£70,000.
43:58£85,000.
43:59£80,000.
44:01So I can sell
44:02£80,000.
44:03£85,000.
44:04£90,000 back with me
44:05on my book
44:06against you on line
44:07at £90,000.
44:09£95,000.
44:10I'm very much on line
44:11that clear to my book
44:11would be £95,000.
44:13At £95,000 then
44:16£100,000
44:17I'm very much
44:18at £100,000.
44:20£110,000.
44:22£110,000 back
44:23to the original
44:23I could have
44:24at £110,000.
44:27At £110,000
44:30£110,000
44:30it's just
44:31still on the phones.
44:32The bidding
44:33stalls
44:34at £110,000
44:35£110,000
44:36£110,000
44:38away from
44:38its top estimate.
44:41Oh my gosh.
44:43This is...
44:44On the expense.
44:53Burn the ring.
44:54I said thank God.
44:55I said thank God.
44:59On the expense.
45:00On 20.
45:01And I've put
45:04130.
45:05At £130,000
45:06online.
45:07At £130,000
45:08on the internet
45:10and coming in
45:11children.
45:12£140,000
45:12back online.
45:13At £140,000.
45:16Fair warning there.
45:18At £140,000
45:20£140,000
45:21sold.
45:25Yes!
45:25Hi Sally.
45:28I've been sitting
45:28here so tense
45:30worrying about it.
45:32It made
45:32£140,000.
45:35Did it really?
45:36It really did.
45:37Wow!
45:38That's amazing.
45:39If anybody
45:39deserves it
45:41it's you
45:41and it's
45:42payback
45:43for the hard work
45:44you've put into
45:45the museum
45:45and I'm really
45:46thrilled.
45:47That's very kind
45:48of you.
45:49Great start
45:50to the funding
45:50for the museum.
45:52It is.
45:52Bye.
45:53Bye Sally.
45:53Bye.
45:54Well done.
45:54Bye.
45:56Well I'm as thrilled
45:57as if it were mine.
45:59Actually more so.
46:01It's more important
46:02when you help
46:02somebody else
46:03especially somebody
46:04as deserving
46:05as Sally.
46:06I'm over the moon.
46:07And the good news
46:09isn't over for Sally.
46:10If she chooses
46:11to auction the saddle
46:12it could bring her
46:13a further £20,000
46:14to safeguard
46:15the future
46:16of her beloved
46:17museum.
46:18The museum
46:19to me
46:20is very important.
46:21Raising these funds
46:22is the beginning
46:23to keep the museum.
46:24Monday night
46:31at 8
46:31Danny Dyer
46:32pits pasties
46:33against pasties
46:33in Greggs vs McDonald's
46:35tummy rumble
46:35titans clash
46:36in the fast feud.
46:38Tamsin Greg
46:38and Simon Bird
46:39are busy chowing down
46:40on pillowy challah
46:41moorish veggies
46:41and a Szechuan squirrel
46:43streaming Scran
46:44on all episodes
46:45of Friday Night
46:46Dinner Comedy.
46:47Next up
46:47the crummy
46:47the catty
46:48the chaotic
46:49is all going to get
46:50a good goggle in.
46:50is all going to be
46:53in the fast babe.
46:59you
47:00are
47:01going to be
47:01up to
47:02the
47:02this
47:03is all going to be
47:05tule