Right, its sunday evening so naturally it is time for the Antiques Roadshow. For those of you who don't know. It's a BBC show in which people take their antiques to be told the origin and age of them and usually most importantly the value at auction. With people often interested in the history and occaisionally screaming "flog it!" at the tv.
So, across the varied histories and worlds similar shows appear on television. In various nations and roughly at the same time (the last 1/4 of 20th century, early 21st) what antiques are brought to be valued? They can be any timeline, from any time, valued in any currency and from any nation. Furthermore the show doesn't have to be British and the origin of the item, or how it came into the persons possession can explain the timeline.
I hope this doesn't count as ASB. I just thought it'd be an interesting idea.
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An expert and an owner are sat at a table, others stood around them and look on. On the table is a series of small coins, rather worn, but readable
Expert: Now we have an interesting coin here. Very rare. How did you come about them.
Owner: Well my father owned a shop and occaisionally we'd get people paying with foreign or old coins. He always said it must've been a busy day if someone managed to pay with these.
Expert: Did he get given these in one go?
Owner: No, this was over the space of about fifteen years.
The expert picks them up in turn, the camera cuts to a close up shot. The first is a corroded wide copper coin and then a smaller copper coin
Expert: Two from roughly the same period, Charles the third penny and ha'penny dating to 1803 and 1814 respectively both in excellent condition.
The owner nods. He picks up the most corroded coin in the collection, barely readable. It has a shield on one side and a faded face on the other.
Expert: the one that caught my eye was this. You can't read the text but by the design this dates back to 1604 and is in fact a penny of King James the first.
People around nod, some impressed, some trying to look smart.
Expert: Which is impressive as it narrows it to a two year period. Because as you probably know, James was killed in an explosion at the state opening of parliament and his daughter, who then became Elizabeth the Second, ascended to the throne and as we know, returning Catholicism to the country.
Owner: So its quite rare
Expert: Few were minted during his rain and even less survive. Many of them being destroyed following his death. So its impressive to see one here. With the right interested parties this could go for several hundred pounds. The others for anywhere from twenty to fifty pounds each.
Owner: Wow, thats incredible.
The crowd nod as well, some of them whispering to each other
Owner: Certainly, um, something to consider.