AN Antiques Roadshow guest was left stunned after learning the staggering truth about their ‘ugly’ jug collection.
In a recent episode of the BBC show, expert Eric Knowles met a lady who had brought in a collection of ceramic by the Martin Brothers and others.
Eric said: “In some ways, these are almost relatives of yours, they’re family members but would you like to elaborate?”
She replied: “They were my grandparents, they lived in Southall where the Martin Brothers factory was and that inspired them to buy local pots.”
Eric said: “Some of them I can see have been through the wars, but they are, for my money, some of the finest pots that were ever made in early 20th century England.
“And I’ve got to say the ones that attract me more than anything else are things like this, because it’s like a gourd, it’s organic.”
He then picked out a taller cylindric piece which he loved, saying: “That could have been done today couldn’t it, in so far as it’s very contemporary, you can’t help but stroke it, I’d rather have this than have a cat I really would honestly.
“But then of course, we come to the man with two faces, they specialise in this type of jug and in this case, quite a jolly-looking character not necessarily a face you want to bump into on a dark night.”
He then revealed the small pots were worth £50, £200 and £300 to £400 each, while his favourite one was worth up to £400 because it wasn’t in peak condition.
As for the face jug, he said: “They come in different sizes, this is a middling size.
“If I wanted to go and buy that today I’m not going to get it for less than £1,5000 to £2000.”
The lady was stunned and could only manage to reply: “Wow”.
Antiques Roadshow is available on BBC iPlayer.
