'Antiques Roadshow' Uncovers Historic Gift With Royal Connection
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A recent episode of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow showcased a valuable heirloom broach.
The appraiser explained that the broach, likely a gift, has a unique royal connection.
The specific style of jewelry was made famous by Queen Victoria.
Think of those old family heirlooms sitting around in your grandma's attic. What are they worth today? Well, it could very well be that they have the potential to "fly" at auction, especially if they have a royal connection.
That's certainly the case for one lucky guest on an episode of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow.
For those unfamiliar with the program, Antiques Roadshow is an unscripted program where regular people bring heirlooms and other antiques from their homes, and expert appraisers help identify the objects and tell them what they expect the thing might fetch at auction.
Sometimes the showcased item is appraised to be worthless; other times, it may fetch the owner a pretty penny—the only thing guaranteed when it comes to Antiques Roadshow are the top-shelf memes it delivers.
The popular program even recently aired an appearance from Camilla, the Queen Consort, for an episode filmed in Cornwall. But that's not the only royal connection the program has uncovered.
One hopeful who appeared on the program brought a broach that had been in his family home. As Wales Online reported, the owner of the broach—made from agate and gold and decorated with "crystals such as Cairngorm, bloodstone, carnelian, and greystone"—said, "It was found in my house, but we've no idea how it got there."
"On the reverse, it is signed Mackay, 1868, lovely inscription there. But that name, it doesn't correspond with your family's," explained appraiser Susan Rumfitt upon examining the broach.
Rumfitt determined that the broach's origin was either that "somewhere down the line, it must have belonged to a family member" or likely was a gift.
As for why such a gift would be so desired then and so valuable today, it all comes back to a Queen:
"Scottish agate jewelry became very fashionable after Victoria and Albert purchased Balmoral in 1852, and Victoria just loved walking around and seeing all the beautiful vibrant colors of the agates on the estate. And then she would have them fashioned into a piece of jewelry."
Ultimately, Rumfitt told the owner that she suspected the broach would "fly" at auction, fetching more than $1,200 because of its elaborate gold work.
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