A couple on Antiques Roadshow were floored when they learned the life-changing value of motorcycle memorabilia.
Sunday’s episode of the popular BBC show saw various heirlooms and collectables brought along to Belfast’s Botanic Gardens.
Two guests brought an original jig to expert Raj Bisram, which was crucial in constructing the Norton Manx, a well-known motorcycle designed by Rex McCandless in 1949.
Rex’s nephew, John, had brought the jig as well as trophies his uncle had won during his career.
‘John, your uncle didn’t just invent bikes; he came up with many other inventions as well, didn’t he? He was quite a genius, wasn’t he?’ Raj commented.
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‘Rex was a genius and it’s not easy growing up in a family of geniuses,’ John quipped.
The camera panned to reveal a range of trophies and memorabilia and the other guest explained how they were ‘Isle of Man replicas’.
Raj turned his attention to the jig and commented: ‘This is no ordinary piece of metal, this actually changed the face of motorcycle racing in the 1950s, almost for the next 30 years.’
‘We have the jig for the Norton Manx, it was called the featherbed because one of the trial bikers took it out on the road and he actually said, ‘I could fall asleep on this’,’ the expert explained.
The woman revealed the surprising tale of how the jig came into her families possession.
She said: ‘Rex gave it to these brothers, mutual friends with my dad, and they lived on a pig farm and my dad visited one day and it was lying in a heap of pig manure and my dad said ‘What are you doing with it?’ and the brothers said ‘Take it with you!’.’
Raj admitted it was ‘very, very hard to value’ and commented on the rarity of the item.
He said: ‘There isn’t a single motorcycle museum in the world that wouldn’t want to have this and I honestly believe these items would be worth anything from £30,000 to £50,000.’
The two guests looked visibly shocked and John commented: ‘I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere.’
Another episode of Antiques Roadshow saw a guest left floored by the whopping value of a ‘grotty’ item that had been abandoned in her garage for 20 years.
Expert Marc Allum was presented with a designer piece of luggage at Beaumaris Castle.
‘It’s a pretty kind of grotty looking old piece of luggage this, it looks like it’s had a really hard life,’ Marc commented.
The guest had acquired the Louis Vuitton chest after a family friend passed away and didn’t originally realise the possible value of it.
‘When we cleared the house it was covered in a blanket with a lamp on it, we just thought it was part of the clearing,’ she explained.
The guests cousin who lives in Texas owns the item and she is the ‘custodian’ of it.
‘We opened it and it said Louis Vuitton and I’ve actually had it in my garage for the past 20 years covered up,’ she revealed.
The expert explained how the trunk featured an ‘unpickable lock’ and inspected the inside details of the luggage box.
He dated it to around 1890 and noted that though it needed ‘quite a bit of work’ he still gave an impressive valuation.
‘As this stands, it’s worth in the region of £2,500 to £3,500 at auction. It’s a really nice thing,’ Marc explained.
‘Wow, wow,’ the guest remarked.
Antiques Roadshow airs on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.
