BBC Antiques Roadshow expert stunned by man's unusual obsession which is worth a fortune

Daily Record

29-05-2025

Antiques Roadshow expert Judith Miller was left stunned as she valued a man's huge collection of shoe buckles, which he had been collecting for over 50 years.
Antiques Roadshow delivered a poignant moment when a widow and her family presented a vast collection of Georgian shoe buckles, once the passion of her late husband.
Expert Judith Miller was surrounded by the impressive array as she asked: "So absolutely surrounded by Georgian shoe buckles. How did you get them?". The lady recounted the origins of the extensive collection: "Well my late husband, it was his collection and he collected them for over 50 years."
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Judith praised the collection as "marvellous" and provided a brief history lesson: "They had buckles in the Medieval period but then they went out of fashion and then they came back in the mid 17th Century."
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She added that diarists like Samuel Pepys mentioned buckles, noting that many items were from the peak period of buckle fashion between 1750 and 1780, reports the Mirror.
Upon enquiry about her late husband's fascination with buckles, the woman shared that it began with a gift from his father and grew into a lifelong pursuit.
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Reflecting on their hunt for these historical pieces, the owner reminisced: "From then on, he just liked them." She recalled their experiences at antique fairs, where they would find bargains on these elegant accessories, sometimes paying as little as £2 10 shillings for genuine Georgian pieces.
Miller couldn't resist asking: "And did it become a little bit of an obsession?" to which the collector, with a chuckle, confessed: "Yes. Just a bit."
Turning his attention to the daughters, Miller questioned their thoughts on their father's buckle collection. One daughter shared her awe: "I think it's amazing he collected it over so many years, he was so proud of it.
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"He researched them, he cleaned them, he catalogued them, he loved showing people, he loved talking about them."
The second daughter added with a hint of amusement: "And yes, there are even more." Intrigued, Miller queried further about the size of the collection, at which point the owner laughed and hinted "an awful lot".
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Pushing for specifics, the guest conceded they owned roughly 1,500 buckles, prompting Miller to remark: "So I think we're going back to a little bit of an obsession" followed by laughter from the assembly.
Reflecting on the collection, hailed as "fabulous" by the expert, the owner pondered: "It's hard to think it was men who wore these, not the women."
Their conversation touched upon silver buckles used for special events versus those made of everyday paste. A pair of cream ware buckles demanded the specialist's focus as "absolutely beautiful and so impractical", to which the collector confirmed their scarcity, explaining: "Well this is partially why there aren't that many around. Because obviously they got broken."
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A shoe buckle collector from Northampton was in for a shock when their vintage collection caught the eye of an expert. Miller remarked, "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."
Upon valuing the buckles, Miller valued the mundane ones at £100 apiece but attributed a hefty £600 to the prettier cased sets, while a particularly exquisite cream pair was tipped to fetch a lofty £1,000 by itself. Yet, the ultimate surprise was still to be unveiled.
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Concluding with a breathtaking valuation, Miller asserted, "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 astonishing figure elicited stunned reactions from spectators and the collectors' family alike. An astounded daughter exclaimed, "Oh God" as emotions ran high amongst the lady, her daughters, and grandchild.
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Upon regaining her composure, the collector shared: "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."
Touched by a tender family narrative, Miller shared poignantly: "Well isn't it lovely you've got this lovely inheritance, you've got your daughters and granddaughter, it's a lovely family story."