Two guests on were taken aback when their Steiff teddy bear was given a five-figure value.
During Sunday night’s instalment (December 15) of the hit programme, the experts were greeted by members of the public with hidden treasures at Belfast’s Botanic Gardens.
When Marc Allum was handed a Steiff teddy, he immediately recognised its rarity.
The expert said: “I’ve been working in the world of antiques for some 36 years and I’ve handled many amazing items in that time but I have never handled a black Steiff bear like this.”
Mark admitted it was an “honour” to speak with the owners, revealing the object had a great connection to Belfast.
The guest revealed the teddy bear’s name was Edward before Mark explained how he was issued in 1912 for the sinking of the Titanic.
“And that’s why Edward is black,” Mark said. “He’s a mourning bear.”
He added: “Edward himself was part of what I would call a strict convention of mourning and he would’ve been treated with reverance and respect for the many people touched by the great tragedy of the event.
Mark said how Steiff sent around 600 of the bears to Great Britain which were “expensive” at the time.
The expert noted how the scarf had been on Edward afterwards, with the owner speculating it must have been his mother.
He went on to tell the duo that he could “instantly tell” that the bear was a Steiff as the condition and form of originality cannot be copied.
Mark pointed out that all Steiff bears have buttons in their ears, and while Edward didn’t, he could spot the whole where the button originally was.
Edward is filled with a material called excelsior which is similar to wood shaving strands. Gently moving the bear’s arm, Mark realised that it was broken due to being “dragged around” by this part of its body.
Moving on to the value of the bear, Mark confessed it was a “difficult one” to pinpoint.
“To be frank, these bears have made more at times,” he told the guests. “I think, being honest with you at the moment, I think he’s worth £10,000-£15,000 at auction.”
Those watching the interaction gasped as the owners looked completely shell-shocked.
This is a breaking live TV story, theteam will be updating this story with the latest information as soon as we receive it. For further updates, please refresh the page
You can also get email updates on the day’s biggest TV stories straight to your inbox by
Get all the very best news, pictures, opinion and video on your favourite TV shows by followingevery time you see our name.
-
Follow Express onGoogle News –
-
Follow Express onApple News –_ available on Apple devices_
-
Follow Express on _Flipboard – _ and click follow
You can also sign up forTwitter alerts for breaking news and all the latest updates by following , or for the latest TV and showbiz news, follow
Keep up-to-date with your must-see TV stories, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us onFacebook at
The bear was given a five-figure value (Image: BBC)