An Antiques Roadshow guest was gobsmacked after discovering the staggering value of his silver gambling box and joked he needs a ‘bodyguard’ to keep it safe.
The BBC show saw expert Alastair Dickenson left in utter shock as he looked at the 17th Century piece which featured a portrait of Charles I.
Alastair said: ‘My favourite period of English silver is the 17th Century and you’ve brought along a charming little box with a portrait of Charles I on the top’.
Interrupting, the pensioner exclaimed: ‘Is that what that is?’
Confirming the history, Alastair replied: ‘Yep. And before we have a look at it, what can you tell me about its past?’
An Antiques Roadshow guest was gobsmacked after discovering the staggering value of his silver gambling box and joked he needs a ‘bodyguard’ to keep it safe
The BBC show saw expert Alastair Dickenson left in utter shock as he looked at the 17th Century piece which featured a portrait of Charles I and had 32 counters
The owner explained: ‘Well I know very little about it Alastair apart from the fact that I was in business and one of the people in my office came to me and said he was a bit short of cash and was I interested in this.
‘And I was in the insurance business, specialising in antiques, I said, «yes, I don’t know anything about it but it looks interesting. What do you want for it?»
‘So he mentioned a figure and I said it was a bit rather on the high side so I said to him I wouldn’t go more than £2,000, he said, «OK, I’ll take it» and I’ve had it ever since and that was in 1988.’
Expert Alastair then examined the unique item and said: ‘As I said, on the top, we’ve got the portrait of Charles I and underneath we have his wife Henrietta Maria.
‘What I particularly like about this box is these fantastic, fanciful, almost demonic figures around the side here.’
The owner explained how when he bought the antique he was told by the previous owner it was ‘gaming discs’.
He said: ‘Absolutely beautifully pierced and engraved but we should actually say what it is. Well I understand, when I bought it, I was told it was gaming discs, produced by this awful gentry many, many years ago who did nothing but eat, drink and womanise’.
Laughing Alastair added: ‘Well there we are! Nothing more to be said! It is a counter box, you’re absolutely right and I think if we take the lid off, we’ll see inside these fantastic counters, each one beautifully engraved with different kings and queens of England.
Expert Alastair delivered the unexpected news to the owner: ‘Well, I can tell you it’s more than £2,000. It’s now £6,000 to £8,000’
‘Now there’s a maker associated with these and that’s a chap called Simon Van de Pass and he died in 1647. So we know that this box, with the portrait of King Charles I has to be before 1647 so I would date it to about 1640.’
The pensioner was shocked and replied, ‘good gracious’ before confirming there was 32 counters in the box.
The expert replied: ‘That’s pretty much near the capacity number of counters you can get into one of these boxes.
‘Over the years, a few of these have come up at auction and not that many of them have as many as 32 counters, because each one of these is a little piece of art in its own right.
‘It’s absolutely fantastic detail. 32 little gems all add up to a reasonable sum.’
The guest was left in disbelief and said: ‘Do they? I’m waiting for you to tell me what that sum is!’
Expert Alastair then delivered the unexpected news to the owner: ‘Well, I can tell you it’s more than £2,000. It’s now £6,000 to £8,000.’
The owner was left gobsmacked, ‘No! Golly’ before joking, ‘I need a bodyguard!’.
