Latest news with #EricKnowles
Edinburgh Live
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Edinburgh Live
BBC Antiques Roadshow guest speechless as £1 vase bought at boot sale makes staggering value
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Antiques Roadshow's Eric Knowles was left gobsmacked when a glass vase, purchased for a mere £1 at a car boot sale, was valued at an astonishing amount. A woman from Ayrshire, who wished to remain anonymous, brought the vase to the BBC show for evaluation, not anticipating the staggering valuation she would receive. The vase was identified as a 1929 piece by famed French designer René Lalique, after being scrutinised by experts at Dumfries House near Cumnock, and was valued at a minimum of £25,000. The five-inch-tall glass vase was crafted using an ancient technique known as cire perdue. This complex method involves creating a wax model that is encased in plaster, then melted away and replaced with molten glass, with the plaster mould being broken away once the glass cools to reveal the final creation. The market value for Lalique pieces has seen a significant increase in recent years. Antiques Roadshow expert Eric Knowles shared his excitement with the Irvine Herald: "It's wonderful to find treasures like this beautiful vase during the programme's filming," reports the Express. (Image: BBC) He continued: "It certainly gives us all a buzz and we thoroughly enjoy meeting people everywhere we go. I've been waiting over 25 years for such a piece to come in, and this was the stuff of dreams. They'd dumped it in the attic after the plant in it died and were about to throw it away. We had a lot of clouds in Dumfries, but this was the cloud with a silver lining. It's worth at least £25,000." The vase ultimately fetched a whopping £32,450 at auction, exceeding its previous valuation by £7,000. This follows a rerun of the beloved BBC programme, which aired on Sunday, June 8. Viewers were transported to Brodie Castle in Scotland, where a parade of treasures awaited appraisal. Among them was a man who wowed Richard with a 1960s Rolex GMT-Master, inherited from his uncle. Richard, peering intently at the watch, informed the owner: "All Rolex collectors refer to these things by their reference number," and "You know as well as I do, because it says so on the dial, that it's a GMT-Master." (Image: BBC) Richard explained: "It's the reference 1675, which is the classic GMT-Master. When you said 60s, I think we could fairly safely say 1960 to 1961, so that all fits in." Upon closer inspection, Richard was thrilled to find the watch unaltered, noting that many watches are often modified during servicing, much to collectors' dismay. He said: "They would've changed the bezel and they would've changed the dial with an upgrade," before adding:"You would've had it back thinking, 'Oh, it looks like new'. Collectors hate that, it's absolutely original, spot-on." The expert told the owner: "It's a Rolex product, of course, but it says 'Made in the USA'. So perhaps he specified that he did not want the oyster bracelet; he wanted a jubilee bracelet, and they put this one on for him. "Which sort of detracts from it a little bit, probably detracts from it by a couple of thousand pounds." However, Richard had some good news as well, revealing that the watch is worth "£12,000 to £15,000." You can catch Antiques Roadshow every Sunday at 8pm on BBC1.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bargain Hunt back in town several residents make TV appearance
A Wiltshire auctioneer and residents have made TV fame once again after a popular daytime show returned to town. This isn't the first time RWB Auctions in Royal Wootton Bassett has been used as a filming base for the BBC show Bargain Hunt, but residents of the town were still just as thrilled. The episode, which aired on BBC One at 12.15 pm on April 14, 2025, was filmed back in November 2024 and saw two teams compete to make the highest profit at the auction house near Swindon. Host Eric Knowles sat down with Royal Wootton Bassett head auctioneer Gareth Wasp to find out exactly what he thought of the antiques up for sale. The Bassett man predicted that one ceramic vase, which contestants paid a whopping £195 for, would only sell for £30-50. With a final sale of £45, he was spot on the money. Eric Knowles sat down with local auctioneer Gareth Wasp (Image: BBC) "It's early 20th century in age and pomegranate pattern. It's a nice shape and it's got that well-known name, but it's one of the more common patterns," said Gareth. "That's a big challenge for me, so I'll look for the audience for that one." The episode made it clear that auction rooms such as RWB Auctions are for everyone, no matter their price range. "I think studio pottery is very popular now and it's an affordable piece for someone that doesn't have a huge amount of money to spend," added Gareth. Residents were invited to attend the filming day (Image: BBC) (Image: RWB Auctions) Izzie Balmer, a familiar face to Bargain Hunt lovers, was on hand in Royal Wootton Bassett to lend a hand, and Antiques Roadshow specialist Serhat Ahmed was also featured. Despite having achieved TV fame multiple times, RWB Auctions only opened its auction house in Royal Wootton Bassett's former Co-op site in January 2024. But the popular auction room has already attracted thousands of rare items, collectors and buyers to the town. Recommended reading: Popular festival returns for 32nd year with events for all ages 'We've got a lot to offer': Hope Escape to the Country appearance will boost town Work begins on 15th-century landmark in town Flash sale alert🌟 Dive deeper into the stories that shape Swindon with Swindon Advertiser Unlimited local news, an ad-free app, and a digital replica of our print edition—all with 80% fewer ads on our site Subscribe now for a faster news experience - — Swindon Advertiser (@swindonadver) April 11, 2025 In their first year, the team at RWB Auctions has sold over £2 million worth of goods to more than 2,000 clients. A spokesperson for RWB Auctions said: "It was lovely hosting BBC Bargain Hunt for a second time last November. "Teams were guided by experts Izzie Balmer and Serhat Ahmet, with the fabulous Eric Knowles hosting, and our very own RWB Auctions Head Auctioneer, Gareth Wasp, on the rostrum."
