Antiques Roadshow guest barely reacts after discovering real value of late brother's items

An Antiques Roadshow expert was unsuccessful in convincing a guest to part with her valuable and "rare" Chinese artefacts.

During an episode filmed in Ramsgate back in 2002, the BBC show featured expert David Battie evaluating a pair of ornately decorated candle holders.

When he enquired about their history, the owner admitted: "I know very little about them. They were left to me by my late brother and all I do know is that he thought that they were from the Dutch East India Company and we come from South Africa and my brother lived in Cape Town."

Battie probed further, asking if she believed there was a connection to the Dutch East India Company because they were thought to be Chinese, to which she confessed she had "no idea where they come from".

The expert clarified their origin, stating: "Right, they are Chinese and they are based on English silver originals of about 1720 but actually, these date from about 1760.

"So they were copying something that was out of date by 30, 40, 50 years even maybe. “But they are 1760, they’re quite rare survivors.”

Delving deeper into the craftsmanship, Battie explained: "Another interesting point about this, when the Chinese model it or cast it or mold it, they fire it in the Kil, take it out, glaze it and fire it at full temperature.

"The first firing is just to harden it off and normally nothing happens at that first hardening up off stage.

"But this one has split. Now normally you chuck it away but this cost, in Chinese terms, quite a lot of money to make, it's a complicated object."

Rather than discarding it, the artisans ingeniously repaired it with glaze and another round in the kiln.

An expert explained that after being salvaged, the items journeyed to Guangzhou, China, for further embellishment.

"This would have been done specially to European taste and I think French taste...made for the French market."

With meticulous care, they were adorned with hand-painted famille-rose enamels and noted that they had "an unusual iron red band of stiff leaves around here, not common at all."

He posed the question: "They are, apart from that firing crack which doesn't count, they're in perfect condition. You like them dear?"

To which she honestly responded: "I'm not mad about them. But they've got sentimental value so they are very special."

Acknowledging the emotional attachment, Battie proposed: "Well the thing about sentimental value is that you offer enough, [and] that will overcome it."

She quietly said "Possibly" even as he ventured: "£2,000? £3,000?" but nevertheless, the guest wasn't swayed by the figures, shaking her head.

Increasing the ante, Battie offered: "OK that's as high as I can get, well maybe £3,500", yet it still fell short of enticing her.

She explained: "No I think I would rather... because of the memory of my brother."

To conclude, Battie smiled and warmly said: "Well that's a nice thing to remember him by, I think they're utterly utterly charming and you're very, very lucky."

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.