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Cue Antiques Roadshow theme music
Announcer: Welcome to the new season of Antiques Roadshow.
Today our setting is none other than the Party Field
in Hobbiton, nestled in the heart of The Shire. The
weather has been beautiful, and the turnout overwhelming.
Cut to a table, around which are seated an elderly
hobbit couple and an appraiser. On the table are several
miniature instruments: flutes, pipes, horns, and the
like.
Appraiser: Well, we certainly have a lovely collection
here. May I ask how you began collecting miniature instruments?
Woman: As a matter of fact, it began right on this very
spot, at The Party.
Appraiser: You mean the party after which the field
here is named?
Woman: Yes. I received this flute as a gift at The Party,
and since then I've picked up the others for a few silver
pieces each. My husband keeps telling me I'm spending
too much on them.
Appraiser: Well, it's a good thing you haven't listened
to him, because you've done really very well with these.
If you look here, you can see dwarven runes that spell
out DALE, the famous city by the Mountain, and these
are really top quality manufacture, and much sought
after by collectors. At auction, I should have to say
pieces of this quality would sell for 5 to 10 gold pieces
each.
Woman: Oh my!
Man: Goodness, I had no idea!
Cut to another table. A young hobbit lass sits across
from the appraiser. He is examining a small leather
pouch. He pulls several items out of the pouch and lays
them out in a nice row.
Appraiser: Here we have a bit of a curiosity. It's a
ranger shaving kit. Here's the miniature silver mirror.
Here's the straight razor. And here we have the shaving
brush. Can I ask how you came by this?
Girl: Those rangers are just sooo dreamy, I collect
all the ranger stuff I can find. I pestered my father
for months before he finally caved in and took me to
Bree, where I found this kit in a second hand shop for
only 10 silver pieces. I just HAD to have it! It's in
such good condition; it looks almost new!
Appraiser: Well, I'm sorry to tell you this, but while
you're right that it's in very good condition, every
ranger shaving kit I've ever seen looks almost new.
In fact, I've never seen one that's looked like it's
been used at all. This is a delightful curio, but it's
only worth 2 to 3 silver pieces.
Cut to a mail shirt hanging from an armour rack.
An appraiser and a middle-aged hobbit stand next to
it.
Appraiser: I must say, this is truly a delight. I don't
think I've ever seen any piece of this quality before.
Here we have a mail coat of dwarven manufacture, and
judging by the style of the jewel settings, I should
say produced around about the 11th century, Second Age.
We can tell exactly where it was produced because it
is, in fact, made of mithril, and as is well known,
the only source of mithril in Middle Earth was Khazad-dum,
or, as we call it now, Moria. Judging by its size and
shape, we can tell that it was not produced for a dwarf
- it is much to small. Considering the expensive adornment
with these lovely white gems, and the age, it seems
most likely that this would have been produced for a
young Noldori prince in Eregion. This IS truly remarkable.
Can I ask where you got it?
Hobbit: Well, I inherited it from my uncle, actually.
He'd done some contract work for a group of dwarves,
this would have been back in 1341.
Appraiser: 1341 Shire Reckoning?
Hobbit: Yes, Shire Reckoning. Anyways, as I said, my
uncle had done some work for these dwarves, and the
mail shirt was a part of the payment. My uncle passed
it on to me a few years back when I had to make a lengthy
journey to the south.
Appraiser: Well, it certainly is a magnificent piece
of metalwork. Tell me, do you have it insured?
Hobbit: No. No, I don't.
Appraiser: Well, I'd recommend that you get it insured
as soon as possible. Here in Hobbiton, of course, it
wouldn't bring that high a price, but at auction in
Minas Tirith, I would have thought it should bring at
least 30 to 40 thousand gold pieces.
Hobbit: Really, so much as that?
Cut to table where an appraiser sits across from
an elderly man with a long grey beard and bushy eyebrows.
The appraiser is examining a ring.
Appraiser: This really is extraordinary. If this is
what I think it is... (Long pause while he turns the
ring over and over in his hands. We can see the ring
consists of a large ruby set in a plain gold band.)
...yes, I do believe that what we have here is the work
of an elvish smith named Celebrimbor who made this ring
as part of a set of three back in the latter part of
the 16th century of the Second Age. Have you had it
long?
Man: I received it as sort of a welcoming present upon
my arrival in Middle Earth, about 2000 years ago.
Appraiser: Really? So long as that! Well, I must say
that it's in truly fabulous condition for an item of
such age. Rings such as this, made by the elvish smiths
of the mid-Second Age, most of them belonging to sets,
of three, or seven, or nine, are really very collectable
and highly sought after. I've heard stories of one rather
wealthy and powerful collector sending entire armies
to search for them. Sadly, a great many of them have
been destroyed. You wouldn't happen to know whether
the other rings belonging to this particular set have
survived?
Man: Yes, in fact the other two rings in this set are
in the possession of good friends of mine.
Appraiser: Well, you really ought to think about getting
these rings together. Do you have any idea what it's
worth?
Man: I have always thought its true value could not
be measured in gold.
Appraiser: Well, be that as it may, I would have to
say this ring, on its own like this, would bring, say,
6 to 8 thousand gold pieces at auction. But, if you
had the set of three, that would be much more desirable,
and might bring as much as 50 thousand.
Cut to announcer standing in front of an extraordinarily
beautiful tree.
Announcer: Well, there you have it. We'd like to thank
the people of Hobbiton for sharing their treasures with
us. Until next week, when we'll be coming to you from
Frogmorton, farewell.