BBC Antiques Roadshow guest's shock as she's told how much 'forgotten' item is worth

A guest on Antiques Roadshow was left gobsmacked after learning the true value of her grandmother's teapot, which had been gathering dust in her garage. Expert Gordon Foster couldn't hide his excitement at Belfast's Botanic Gardens as he examined the items, exclaiming, "Well you've brought along this teapot and milk jug today".

He added, "People at home will be shouting at their screens, people who know what it is."

He revealed that the pieces were designed by Christopher Dresser, a significant figure in design at the end of the 19th Century, saying, "And I heard someone saying 'it looks art deco' and it does look art deco from the 1920s or 1930s but it's actually early 1880s."

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The owner, surprised, recounted how she stumbled upon the forgotten items: "Well, I found it one day when I went to sort out the children's football boots in the garage."

She discovered the teapot instead of the expected football boots, wrapped in an old newspaper. Upon Foster's inquiry about the origin of these items, she replied, "Yes, it's actually from my grandmother's family."

Foster praised the piece for being "so ahead of its time", noting that Dresser was creating Art Deco-like designs long before the movement took hold.

"At this same time, 1880s, Victorian era, tea services were much bigger, covered in floral decoration. So this was completely in contrast to all of that", he explained. "Christopher Dresser went to Japan in 1876 as part of a trade delegation and he was inspired by Japanese shapes that he saw there."

"He saw early Japanese teapots, cooking vessels, and this is what he drew inspiration from."

"It was completely against the flow of fashion at the time so he was really, truly, avant-garde in what he was doing."

Upon closer examination, Foster noticed the item's silver-plated exterior and handle bar design reminiscent of Japanese bamboo handles.

He observed the particular angle of the handle, which he termed "very decorative but also functional" due to its perfect pouring position. "I love it, because it's so simple. So when would he have started getting the ability to make these sort of things? ", asked the owner.

"He trained at a very young age. He went to design school in London in his teens. He had an eye for design and it culminates in something just like this. It's a work of art really rather than a teapot", Foster declared. Regarding the teapot's value, Foster predicted: "Well, we come to the valuation. If this were to turn up on the market, there would be many people interested in buying it."

"You are looking at, comfortably, £3,000 to £5,000", he estimated, to which the guest responded with a surprised chuckle and expression, remarking: "OK."

Foster concluded, "It's an outstanding example". The guest on Antiques Roadshow gave a light-hearted confession, saying with a laugh: "No idea! If I'd known that, I wouldn't have put it in with the football boots! " and added, "I don't know how they got into the football boots."

When expert Hilary Kay asked about her intentions for the newfound heirloom, the guest humorously responded: "Take it to the bank maybe", which brought a chuckle from the antiques specialist.