Antiques Roadshow guest speechless as unusual collection worth a fortune

Daily Mirror

29-05-2025

An Antiques Roadshow expert labelled a late husband and father's valuable shoe buckle collection as an "obsession".
WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.
A late husband and father's cherished shoe buckle collection was dubbed an "obsession" by an Antiques Roadshow.
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Taking place in the scenic setting of Burton Constable Hall and Parkland, expert Judith Miller encountered a senior lady attended by her three adult daughters, granddaughter, and an expansive array of shoe buckles, prompting her to inquire: "So absolutely surrounded by Georgian shoe buckles. How did you get them?"
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The woman explained the origin of the haul, stating: "Well my late husband, it was his collection and he collected them for over 50 years."
Judith described the collection as "marvellous" before delving into the history: "They had buckles in the Medieval period but then they went out of fashion and then they came back in the mid 17th Century.
"People like Samuel Pepys wrote about putting buckles on his shoes but of course a lot of these are from the golden period of shoe buckles from 1750 to 1780."
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On probing into the root of her husband's interest in buckles, the widow revealed it started with his own father gifting him a couple, which set off his collection spree.
The owner mused on their quest for the items, saying, "From then on, he just liked them.
"When we went to antiques fairs, we were always looking for shoe buckles.
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"We could go into quite an upmarket antiques shop and we were probably paying £2 10 shillings, something like that, for Georgian shoe buckles."
Miller couldn't help but probe: "And did it become a little bit of an obsession?" to which the guest, chuckling, admitted: "Yes. Just a bit."
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Turning to the daughters, Miller inquired about their perceptions of their father's buckle collection.
One daughter expressed admiration: "I think it's amazing he collected it over so many years, he was so proud of it.
"He researched them, he cleaned them, he catalogued them, he loved showing people, he loved talking about them."
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Another daughter humorously interjected: "And yes, there are even more."
Interest piqued, Miller pressed for details on the extent of the cache, prompting the guest to laugh and say "an awful lot".
When encouraged to spill the beans, the guest revealed a staggering number: they had about 1,500 buckles.
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"So I think we're going back to a little bit of an obsession" Miller observed, eliciting another round of laughter from the guest.
The owner, reflecting on the collection described as "fabulous" by the specialist, mused: "It's hard to think it was men who wore these, not the women."
They discussed the use of silver buckles for special occasions versus everyday paste ones.
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A particular pair of cream ware buckles caught the expert's attention as "absolutely beautiful and so impractical", triggering a response from the owner regarding their rarity: "Well this is partially why there aren't that many around. Because obviously they got broken."
A trip to Northampton Museum unveiled a rare discovery for a vintage shoe buckle enthusiast, as the curator had heard of only around five pairs like those in the collector's stash.
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Miller pointed out: "Obviously as soon as you put them on, they would break. You can't imagine they survived one single wearing.
"But of course the others are much more practical and beautiful."
When it came to valuation, Miller pegged the ordinary ones at a modest £100 each, but the lovelier cased pairs he estimated at £600, with a particular cream pair seen as likely to amass a grand £1,000 alone. Yet, the biggest revelation was yet to come.
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Wrapping up, Miller delivered the jaw-dropping estimate: "So if you look at the collection as a whole, and it's pretty staggering to me, I think we're looking here with your collection, at £200,000."
The revelation left the owner dumbstruck amidst audible gasps from bystanders and family members.
One daughter let out an astonished "Oh God", while the camera captured the lady, her daughters, and granddaughter overwhelmed with emotion.
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As the family composed themselves, the matriarch reflected: "We don't really sort of think of that. I mean, they are a collection and we are keeping the collection."
"They will get passed down to my three daughters and possibly even further down the line than that. He just loved them. Absolutely loved them."
Miller summed up the moment sentimentally: "Well isn't it lovely you've got this lovely inheritance, you've got your daughters and granddaughter, it's a lovely family story."
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.