Antiques Roadshow guest issues stern warning to expert as she reveals harrowing story behind nan’s brooch | The Sun
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW expert John Benjamin came face-to-face with a guest who did not want to part with her grandmother's 19th Century brooch.
The guest refused to sell the brooch no matter how much it was worth and went on to share the harrowing story behind it.
Expert, John Benjamin valued the treasurable brooch on a classic episode of the popular BBC show, Antiques Roadshow, which had been picked up in a forced labor camp in Siberia.
After all these years, the guest's grandmother had kept the brooch secretly hidden away and passed it onto her granddaughter.
The guest told John that since then, she refuses to part ways with it, saying even if it was worth £1 million, she still wouldn't sell it.
The striking brooch clearly caught the expert's attention, as it was covered in gold and silver, and it had a small 56, which meant the item was most likely from Russia.
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John added: "The star itself, which is a typical design of the 19th Century, is set with a cluster of white stones."
He revealed that they were real diamonds, and he was intrigued to know the story behind the piece.
The guest explained that in 1939, 10 days after the German’s invaded Poland from the west, the Russians invaded from the east.
She continued: “They were trying to reach an aunt's house in Warsaw, Poland, but they were arrested en route by the army.
"They were accused of being spies and without trial, or any evidence, they were sentenced to five years of hard labor in Siberia.”
An amazed John commented: "They were sentenced to five years of hard labor for doing nothing?"
The guest nodded and admitted once her family arrived in the prisoner camp, the men and women were separated and her grandmother never saw her father again.
"For the next couple of years, my grandmother and her mother were moved from camp to camp and all of their possessions were stolen from them," she revealed.
"But even with all the searches and the delousing which went on, the brooch survived in the cardigan.
"My great-grandmother would throw it around like it was a rag so no one paid any attention to it."
She added: "It's the only thing left of their life in Poland before the war."
The guest spoke candidly about how much the brooch meant to her, after it had been kept in her family for generations, and she has plans to pass it down to her daughter.
Looking closely at the stunning item, John asked: "If I were to value this, it really wouldn't be of any consequence would it?"
"You could tell me it was worth £1million and I still wouldn't sell it," she snapped.
John revealed the brooch was worth about £1,000 but felt the item's value went far beyond his valuation.
"It is a piece which connects us with the past and it's an extraordinary piece to have," he explained.
Antiques Roadshow episodes are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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