TV

Antiques Roadshow viewers stunned as unlikely object is valued at £50,000

The gents who brought it in had no idea it was worth that much

By Nancy Brown

Two brothers on Antiques Roadshow were stunned when a fascinating object they brought along was given a five-figure value by the experts.

The pair featured with a plain wooden box containing an intricate clockwork model of the solar system.

The brothers played with it when they were younger (Credit: BBC)

Read more: Viewers slam Antiques Roadshow as a “mockery” over £1 million Faberge flower

Expert Ben Wright explained that the “innocuous” box actually contained a tellurion and a planetarium, which together made an orrery.

The term, Ben revealed, came from the fourth Earl of Orrery, who commissioned a clockmaker to create a planetarium for him in the 18th Century.

Demonstrating how the model moved, Ben said: “What we have is the moon running round the earth.”

Ben explained who made it (Credit: BBC)

When asked where they got it, the brothers told him: “It belonged to our father and he bought it probably around immediately after the war.”

They said they played with it occasionally when they were boys and joked it was a “miracle” it survived.

Viewers were stunned by its beauty and value (Credit: BBC)

Shedding light on the history of the object, Ben said this particular orrery was crafted by a scientific instrument maker called Jones.

What set it apart from the other that occasionally showed up at auction, Ben said, was the fact it was in full working order and came with its original papers, which were in good condition.

Ben asked the brothers if they had any idea of its value and they admitted they didn’t .

The brothers were surprised to hear how much it’s worth (Credit: BBC)

He said simply, “£50,000” and the brothers, clearly shocked, said: “That does make it special. Thank you very much.”

It was a beautiful antique but its value nevertheless caused viewers’ jaws to drop.

Orreries get their name from an 18th-century earl (Credit: BBC)

Taking to Twitter, one wrote: “£50k? That’s worth more than the Concorde plane behind them.”

Another said: “I’ve just let out a very loud and probably unnecessary WHAT!!?? When two of the most beautiful orreries I have seen were valued at 50k!”

A third joked: “Was thinking of buying the four-year-old a planetarium for her obsession with the solar system but don’t think I’ll bother!”

Someone else commented: “OMG £50,000 for ‘an innocuous looking box’ (and its contents).”

https://twitter.com/fabauctions/status/1114981098755379200

Read more: Antiques Roadshow presenter John Bly admits he didn’t film a single show sober

What did you think of the brothers’ orrery? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.

Nancy Brown
Associate Editor