Antiques Roadshow guest refuses to part with chess set worth 'small fortune'
An Antiques Roadshow guest refused to sell their old chess set after being told that it was worth a 'small fortune' during an auction at Wollaton Hall. Antique expert Ronnie Archer-Morgan was left surprised when the guest insisted on keeping the battered chess set despite being told that it was worth a substantial amount of money.
Antiques expert Ronnie explained to BBC One viewers that a collector would potentially pay a small fortune for the special vintage chess, set but the owner was unwilling to part ways with the family heirloom as they insisted that it should be handed down to generations to come given the sentimental memories behind it.
During the episode, Ronnie quizzed the antique owner on the history behind the vintage chess set, as they explained it dates all the way back to World War II. "Well my father was a flight engineer flying Sunderland flight boats from Pembrokeshire dock and in his downtime, he modelled this chess set out of nuts and bolts and spare parts from dare I say the engineer's store and he played with it in the wartime and we've played with it as children and my son now plays with it.
Antiques Roadshow guest refuses to sell 'scruffy' chess set worth small fortune (BBC)"So it's survived the test of time and we've still got all the pieces," the BBC One guest continued. "My grandfather was very much the make-do and mend, He'd never buy something if he could make it," the owner continued while detailing the story behind the nuts and bolts in the chess set. "I think this kept them entertained. Chess can take a long time but also making it would have taken up some of his downtime as well."
To which Ronnie replied: "I just love the ingenuity of it. It's made from wing nuts here. You know then this looks like a spark plug or something and he's just sawn the turrets of the castle in there. I don't know where he's got these balls to put on the end there but he's obviously sawed these balls and he's cut this ball to make the Bishop like that. It really is clever. I love the carrying box it is in with its handle here and its legs if you want to make it into a little low table."
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The Chess set was worth £500 (BBC)The antique expert went on to reveal the worth of the vintage chess set, as the owner was left gobsmacked by the potential buying price of his grandfather's precious heirloom. Ronnie confirmed: "With the story, with that connection with the flying boats, I think someone would give £500 for that if it ever came up for auction, which it won't."
After hearing the selling price for the family heirloom, the guest decided against ever selling the chess set, insisting that the sentimental price of it was worth much more than £500 in cash: "No, we'll keep it for sure. Thank you ever so much," they said.
Antiques Roadshow continues at 8pm on Sunday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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