After two of Princess Margaret’s personal possessions, which she had bought, were appraised at a combined value of £50,000, one Antiques Roadshow participant was left gasping ‘heavens’.
The newest edition of the BBC favourite saw expert John Benjamin inspecting the woman’s inherited valuables, which included a Cartier pill box and a bigger box made of volcanic material.
The items were acquired by the guest’s grandmother at a large auction of Princess Margaret’s jewels and homewares in June 2006.
‘I’ve done a bit of homework to establish what was paid for them in the auction in 2006,’ John said.
‘This little Cartier pill box or whatever you want to call it, sold at the auction for £4,200,’ he continued, adding that the heavier box was bought for £9,000.
‘What are they worth today?’ he asked. ‘I’m going to give you a very broad estimate of value. I think that gold egg between £10,000 and £20,000 today.’
Turning to the larger of the two items, he went on: ‘I’m going to say between £20,000 and £30,000.’
The guest was visibly shocked by John’s colossal numbers, and simply replied: ‘Heavens, wow.’
‘I think these are absolutely fabulous,’ John concluded.
Christie’s organised a large auction in London in June 2006, featuring many of Princess Margaret’s personal items.
John explained that the Cartier trinket was nicely textured and completely hallmarked after inspecting it thoroughly.
The second item he mentioned was’very uncommon,’ and it was formed of kimberlite, which is the primary host matrix for diamonds.
Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays at 8pm on BBC One.
