One Antiques Roadshow guest hoping they were sitting on a fortune was left rather underwhelmed when they brought their ancient sideboard to the team during their visit to Dyffryn Gardens back in 2022.
In the instalment, which will air once more this weekend, expert Elaine Binning couldn’t hide her excitement at seeing the bespoke piece of furniture cross her path.
However, despite her enthusiasm towards the piece, when the conversation veered towards a monetary valuation, it’s safe to say the price tag didn’t reflect the optimism.
“This sideboard really is a one of a kind. How did it come to you?” Binning asked as she kicked off the discussion.
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BBC Antiques Roadshow: Elaine Binning was one of the experts at Dyffryn Gardens
The sideboard’s owner replied: “This belonged to an aunt of mine.
“She bought a house in Cardiff in the early 1950s and this was in the house when she bought it.
“I came along in the mid-60s so from a little boy in the 1970s onwards, every visit I had, I was fascinated by this.
“The quirkiness of it, the magic of it, and the mystery of it, and it’s got a secret little drawer tucked away,” he added before gesturing towards the compartment.
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BBC Antiques Roadshow: Elaine Binning conceded the item wasn’t worth a lot
“Oh, go on, show me,” an excited Binning said. The owner went on: “To me, as a little boy, it was proper pirate’s chest.
“It was magical and mysterious and my aunt said whenever anything happens to her, she’d pass it to me.
“So I inherited it and the magic and the mystery has been part of my life for 50 years.”
Binning then delivered her expertise. “Well, I think you have what they call the eye, because it is a very unconventional piece of furniture,” she stated.
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BBC Antiques Roadshow: The Dyffryn Gardens guest’s sideboard had a hidden compartment
“On the face of it, it’s a small sideboard and it is the antithesis of cabinet-made furniture.
“So the first way that it differs is the materials. Now, you’re holding a drawer there, the handle on it looks like it dates from the 1930s.
“But it sort of looks like it’s been made from old orange boxes and you can even see where the nails have been hammered in.”
Binning’s eye continued to be drawn to the hidden compartment. “The secret cover to the drawer looks to me like it’s come off a table, you know a table with a drop leaf?” she asked.
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BBC Antiques Roadshow: The Dyffryn Gardens guest’s sideboard wasn’t worth much
“That hinged opener looks like it would have originally supported a table leaf. The handles… they’re late Victorian, so we’ve got a wonderful mixture of bits of wood that have been combined together as one piece of furniture.
“So when was it made? Well, who knows? But my hunch is that post-war when make-do-and-mend was still going strong.
“There might have been lots of houses that were bombed and broken bits of furniture and somebody has put this together.”
Bringing up the topic of price, she tried to remain upbeat as she revealed: “As far as value goes, if you were to sell it at auction, you might not even get £100 for it, but that’s not the point is it?”
“Doesn’t matter, no, it’s part of the family,” the owner replied with a smile, and while the sideboard may not be a lucrative piece, its uniqueness left a lasting impression on Binning.
She explained: “What I love about it, is that for most pieces of furniture I see, they’re very conventional, they don’t really tell you though much about the person who made the furniture.
“This, I feel, really reveals something about what was going on in the mind of the person who made it.”
The owner soon departed, telling the Antiques Roadshow star: “Sure, that’s great. Thank you.”