Antiques Roadshow fans were taken aback as a guest’s excitement turned to dismay upon the revelation that his pots were, in fact, “modern fakes” and not valuable antiques.
Appraising the items was resident expert John Sandon, who encountered the hopeful collector during the show’s visit to Ebrington Square, Derry.
The guest presented two attractive pots, immediately recognized by many as Moorcroft due to their distinctive look.
Sandon acknowledged the public’s familiarity with the Moorcroft name: “Well hundreds of people are going to be shouting at their TV screens the name Moorcroft, because it’s just so distinctive, isn’t it?”
The owner of the pots, a potter and collector himself, admitted his affinity for Irish ceramics but also his interest in earlier works by English ceramicist William Moorcroft.
The guest believed he had found something special, saying: “I have a couple of new pieces which are kind of 2004, whereas these, I thought they were kind of around 1900, 1905.”
Antiques Roadshow guest disappointed by ‘modern fakes’ he bought in ‘strange’ car park meet-up (Image: BBC)
An Antiques Roadshow guest brought in two pots that he thought had been made by designer William Moorcroft. (Image: BBC)
Sandon brought attention to the significance of finding such pieces: “Of course, it’s what he called Florian Ware which was the most exciting Art Nouveau productions that the factory made.
“This is the lilac pattern and to find a matching pair, and they look in pretty good order too, they look in wonderful condition. Where did you find them?”
The guest recounted: “I found them on the local adverts and it was a guy selling off his late uncle’s collection.
“I drove down to Cork to meet him at the house but ended up meeting in a car park which I thought was a bit strange.
“And he opened the boot of the car and he had loads of stuff from the car, and he had those, and that’s what I went for.”
Examining his £550 purchase, the expert noted: “Right. I’ll just see what you bought. Well, there’s all the markings you’d expect to see on the bottom.
“The mark there imprinted in brown is for Macintyre. That’s, of course, the factory who produced them he was working for, Florian Ware.
“It’s a little bit [of a] smudgy mark but that’s printed on there. But the signature is what we look for. ‘W Moorcroft, des’, designer.”
However, he soon voiced concerns about the authenticity of his find, remarking: “What worries me when you see them here is, are they too good to be true?”
“Because they would be 1905, so 110, 120-years-old, you’re going to expect to see defects here and there, a bit of signs of crazing.
Antiques Roadshow expert John Sandon confirmed that a guest’s pots were ‘modern fakes’. (Image: BBC)
“There’s some fine cracking in the graze. It is there but you can hardly see it.
“Underneath there, smears of old – has that just been dipped in tea? You know, the more I look closely, the mark there is…”
“Instead of being printed on a transfer print, that’s a sort of photograph and a photo litho that’s been done.
“A photograph of a genuine mark has been put on there. Not looking good.”
Sandon concluded with disappointment: “I think they’re brand new. Had they been real, I think you’d have got a bargain at that price, because they should be three or four times that.
“So you’d be looking at £1,500 or something, or more.
“They’re modern fakes and therefore they’re just pretty.”
The guest, though visibly let down by the news, attempted to stay positive: “Well, it’s good to hear. It’s good to know, you know? Better than me thinking I have a masterpiece on the mantelpiece.”
Sandon, with an encouraging grin, concluded: “But next time, let’s hope better.”
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on One and iPlayer.