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World War II wooden bicycle appraised by Nicholas Mitchell
The first time the owner saw the wooden bike was at a cycle show in 1952
and he fell in love with it, but it was not for sale. Then, two years
later he saw one for sale for £25 outside an Italian cafe and,
although he was saving to get married, he bought it. These bicycles were
built during the war by two brothers, using wood because of the steel
shortage. One of the brothers used his skills as a ski manufacturer on
this new type of bike. As well as saving on steel, these bicycles were
lighter and faster than the older models. The owner has never seen
another complete bicycle, and Nicholas Mitchell notes that it is very
rare and would be worth £2,000 to £3,000 ($3,000 to $4,500).
World War I postcards examined by Michael Aspel
Michael Aspel is astounded to find a pack of postcards, which probably
saved the life of a First World War soldier and thinks it's a story that
might have come straight from a film script. The army-issue, khaki-cloth
packet containing postcards belonged to the lady's father and was
carried as part of a backpack or breastpack. The postcards are French
and one is marked "souvenir de la guerre." On the outside of the packet
is a bullet hole and lodged inside the pack of postcards is the bullet
itself. The owner says that her father was 17 years old when he signed
up and, like a lot of young men at the time, he was underage. Michael
notes that if her father hadn't been wearing this pack of cards, she
herself might very well not be here today.
"All Blacks" team rugby shirt appraised by Tim Wonnacott
Tim Wonnacott comes across a "very exciting object"a jersey belonging
to Duncan McGregor, who was a member of the first official New Zealand
rugby tour to England in 1905. The team became known as the All Blacks
because upon arrival, when the press asked them what colors they would
be playing in they answered "all black." McGregor's cap and ball are
also among the memorabilia. The shirt has McGregor's signature on the
inside of the leather neck, along with those of other players, which
makes it "the earliest piece of antipodean rugby memorabilia that anyone
could ever wish to find". Tim thinks it could make between £5,000 and
£8,000 ($7,500 and $12,000) at auction.
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