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19th-century boxing belt appraised by Roy Butler
Host Michael Aspel is surprised to discover that a champion's boxing
belt was awarded to the owner's mother! The owner's mother started
exhibition boxing with her husband where he invited the audience to
experience boxing with a lady. Roy Butler is impressed by the fact that
the Boxing Champion's Belt was made before British women even had the
vote but says that women boxers were actually less controversial in 1915
than they are today. It's very rare to find female boxing belts, however, and he
thinks that it could fetch over £1,000 ($1,500) today.
Jewelry collection appraised by John Benjamin
Treasure from the most unexpected places often turns up at the ROADSHOW
but never before have such wonderful objects been discovered in the
trash. The owner, a garbage woman, has brought along a selection of
jewelry and other items that have been dumped in her trash over the
years. She digs very deep for her finds and sometimes looks in rubbish
that "other people wouldn't touch." John Benjamin is amazed to find
among the collection some beautiful jade and gold jewelry made around
1925, a gold brooch with a Sri Lankan sapphire and diamonds, a necklace
made of valuable fire opals with diamonds on a platinum chain, and an
intense blue-green opal ring made around 1915. This whole collection,
all of which had been thrown out with the rubbish, is worth between
£4,000 and £6,000 ($6,000 and $9,000). On hearing of the value the owner
says to her son, "Find yourself a woman and you can have them!"
Stanley Spencer sketch appraised by Peter Nahum
Local artist Sir Stanley Spencer came from Cookham, which is just down
the road from Cliveden, so it is appropriate that one of his sketches
should be brought to expert Peter Nahum. This one is of Frank Francis,
the local baker, and as Peter says, "The people of Cookham were the
people of his paintings." The owner, who is the daughter of Frank
Francis, agrees and says that he did indeed appear in several of
Spencer's religious paintings. Surprisingly it only took him half an
hour to complete this drawing. Although the family was promised the
sketch, it ended up at auction in London but was bought by her
sister-in-law for £160 ($240). Peter says Spencer was a very important
artist in British art history and a great draftsman, "It's a beautiful
drawing" and has that 'x' factor, which would make it worth £20,000 to
£30,000 ($30,000 to $45,000).
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