An Antiques Roadshow guest discovered their medieval key collection was worth thousands of pounds, in the latest instalment.
On Sunday, BBC One aired the latest episode of Antiques Roadshow, which saw the owner of a vast collection of medieval keys left stunned over the true value of his beloved items. The guest explained he had been gifted a key from his grandfather as a child and his love of the unusual item had grown from then.
He explained he'd built his collection by picking out keys at car boot sales, with some of his pieces dating back to the 15th century. The guest revealed he began tracking down more exclusive and rare pieces from private sellers and auctions as his collection took off.
Expert Marc Allum was thrilled with the collection and noted he was impressed by the volume of it. The guest's collection included keys from the 14th, 15th and 16th century.
Marc pointed out he liked the look of a "gothic monster" of a key, in particular. He continued: "There's a lot more to keys than the fact they unlock things, there's a lot of myth associated with keys and the one thing I like is the symbolism with them. We can also see here there's a lot of religious keys."
Sharing some of the symbolism associated with keys, Marc explained that some keys were thought to aid with fertility if placed in the bed with a couple trying to conceive. The Antiques Roadshow expert went on to leave the guest stunned as he revealed the collection could be worth a total of £20,000.
The guest was stunned over the value but refused to confirm whether he would consider selling his collection or continue to add to it. Elsewhere, another guest on the beloved BBC show discovered the huge value of an antiques brooch she bought for just £1.
The woman revealed she had purchased the beautiful gold jewelled brooch from a second-hand shop in Whitstable market in the early 1970s, where it was hiding amongst a collection of costume jewellery, and said: “The moment I saw it, I knew it was special. It wasn’t like the other brooches sitting amongst it, and so I bought it.”
Expert John Benjamin complimented the guest on the condition of the intricate brooch, revealing it dated back to the Georgian era from 1717 to 1837 and is made of real gold with emerald and a rare pink topaz stone.
Revealing it's worth, John said: “Right, ok, so it cost a pound. What do I think your £1 investment in the early seventies might be worth today? A lovely looking pink topaz, super looking emeralds around the outside and cannetille gold frame - £2,500.” The guest was left stunned before thanking the expert.
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