I bought a brooch from a market stall for £20 – it turned out to be a treasure worth an eye-watering £30k
AN Antiques Roadshow guest who bought a brooch from a market stall for £20 was left stunned to find out it was worth a whopping £30k.
Flora Steel snagged the item 35 years ago not knowing that it was a hidden gem from the 19th Century.
After noticing the design looked similar to one that was featured on Antiques Roadshow and later sold for £31,000, she contacted auctioneers.
She was floored when the experts confirmed her brooch was also an original by the great Victorian Gothic Revival designer and architect William Burges.
Burges, dubbed as "the greatest genius of 19th-century design", is famous for creating Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch in South Wales.
The silver, coral, lapis lazuli, and malachite brooch was purchased at a Midlands antiques market in 1988.
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Flora's brooch is set to be auctioned off this spring at Gildings Auctioneers in Market Harborough, Leics.
The estimated price range for this little gem is £10,000 to £15,000.
Gildings director Will Gilding said: “It was clear this was another one of the designs on the page of sketches.
“So, now a Burges brooch has again been discovered via a chance sighting via the Antiques Roadshow.
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"For it to happen once, amazing. Twice, remarkable. A third time? Pinch me!
“Whether this brooch reaches the heights of the first one we auctioned or indeed results in any more examples being unearthed remains to be seen.
“However, as a fascinating piece of jewellery with an even more intriguing backstory, we’re honoured to be playing a part in its continued history as we present it to the open market next year."
Flora's find marks the third time that Gildings and Antiques Roadshow jewelry expert Geoffrey Munn has unearthed a William Burges brooch.
