A WOMAN who bought a brooch for €20 from a market stall has now made her €11,000 richer thanks to a special detail.
Flora, a jewelery enthusiast from Rome, bought the brooch at a Midlands antiques market in 1988.
The silver, coral, lapis lazuli and malachite brooch remained in her personal collection for years.
But little did she know that the brooch was actually worth a staggering price until a chance encounter revealed its true value.
She was watching an episode of The Antiques Roadshow when she saw a similar design.
Her innocent £20 purchase turned out to be a valuable treasure worth thousands of pounds.
The BBC show featured the silver item during a 2023 Christmas special.
Flora said: ‘The whole process of making the discovery, appearing on one of my favorite TV shows and now seeing the brooch sold has been such an unexpected and joyful experience, especially after a difficult time.
“And of course this has confirmed that selling it is absolutely the right decision because I don’t think I would dare wear it now that I know what it’s worth.”
Experts confirmed it was a long-lost original by Victorian Gothic Revival architect William Burges.
The jewelry was given as a wedding gift to a relative of the British military leader.
It was made 160 years ago for Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson’s grandniece Caroline Bendyshe.
Gildings director Will Gilding said: “160 years after the wedding for which it was created, it is wonderful to see this incredibly special piece of jewelery emerging from obscurity as it moves towards its next one chapter with a new owner who will cherish it for years to come.
“It just goes to show that you never know what hidden gems might be hidden in your jewelry box.”
The valuable artefact fetched a whopping £11,780 at Gildings Auctioneers, in Market Harborough.
Flora, who battled breast cancer for two years, now plans to give the money away to her family and cancer charity.
But this isn’t the only time a William Burges brooch has been spotted.
A pensioner previously discovered a similar piece, which subsequently sold for £31,000 in 2011.
Later that year, another viewer realized they had the same one.
Mr Gilding added: “We are absolutely delighted to have achieved this fantastic result for Flora’s very special piece of jewellery.
“After a local lady brought her brooch to us instead of the local market in 2011 after seeing the sketches on Antiques Roadshow, we were amazed when another owner got in touch after seeing images of that first find.
“So when this happens again thirteen years later, as Flora brings us a third example of a lost Burges brooch, it is almost beyond belief.”
It comes as a couple bought a dusty old chair for £5 at auction and found a £5,000 treasure trove in the chairs.
Angela Milner-Brown and husband Angus from South Lanarkshire, Scotland, were struck with luck after discovering diamonds in the plain chair.
What to do if you find a treasure?
UNDER the 1996 British Treasure Act, finders of potential treasures are required to report their discoveries to the local coroner within 14 days.
The British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme helps inform treasure hunters of their legal obligations, in addition to writing reports for coroners on each individual discovery and administering the treasure release process.
The Treasure Act facilitates the purchase of finds by both national and local museums for the public benefit – with a reward typically given and split between the finder and the landowner.
The size of the rewards is equal to the full market value of the finds, as determined by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the advice of an independent panel of experts called the ‘Treasure Valuation Committee’.
The act also helps determine what is and is not considered treasure – in the final determination of individual items made during an inquest.
For example, the following are currently defined as treasures:
- Finds of two or more coins 300 years or older from the same location, unless they contain less than 10 percent gold or silver. In that case, the find must contain at least 10 to qualify as treasure.
- Two or more prehistoric base metal objects found in association.
- Any artifact that is not a coin, that is at least 300 years old and contains at least 10 percent gold or silver.
- Any object found in the same place as another treasure.
- Deliberately hidden objects whose owners or heirs are unknown and which are less than 300 years old, but are mainly made of gold or silver.
However, following public consultation, a new definition should be developed in the future – one that takes into account the cultural and historical significance of a find, and not just its material qualities.