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1820s rifle appraised by Bill Harriman
Both Bill Harriman and the owner of the rifle are bemused by the
writing on the top of a rather curious rifle. It turns out to have
a mixture of Greek, French and German writing on it. Bill thinks
that someone in Turkey or the Balkans must have seen a good-quality
European rifle and tried to copy it. The lock is English from about
1790 and signed by Daniel Moore. The rifle was put together sometime
around the 1820s and may well have been used in the first struggles
for Greek independence around Lord Byron's time. Bill estimates its
present-day worth at about £1,000 ($1,500).
Suffragette material appraised by Clive Farahar
A sizable collection of Suffragette material that has been passed
down through generations of the owner's family includes several
interesting prison letters. There is one from the governor of Holloway
Prison returning a letter to inmate Alice Lea saying she is not
entitled to receive mail or visits. Another is from Alice Lea
herself, describing how those who stopped walking outside the prison
were sent back in againand therefore those who were too sick to walk
and most in need of fresh air and exercise were denied it. There is
also a letter written by another inmate, Edith Law, on toilet paper,
which was subsequently thrown out a prison window. The letter warns
the readerwhoever it may have beento be wary, and asking that a
Mrs. Pankhurst be told Edith is well and longing to be free. The
collection also includes an anti-Suffragette pamphlet. Clive Farahar
thinks the collection is strangely "gruesome" but feels that if
properly catalogued it could fetch £1,000 ($1,500).
Penny Lane postbox appraised by Hilary Kay
Penny Lane was of course made famous in a Beatles song and expert
Hilary Kay explains that it was particularly important to them as
Paul McCartney used to get his school bus from there every day as
a boy in Liverpool. The owner of the postbox likes the fact that it
says Penny Lane on it. He bought it from a man who used to work for
the Post Office and didn't have room for it anymore. Hilary explains
that the value for the postbox alone would be £200 ($300), but a Beatles fan
might be prepared to pay £600 to £800 ($900 to $1,200) for this one.
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