An Antiques Roadshow expert admitted they were ‘touched’ and had to fight back their emotions as two guests took to the BBC One programme to fulfil their late father’s dying wish.

The recent episode of the series, which sees everyday people bring items from the past for valuation from a series of experts, saw Raj Bisram take a closer look at some very special diving gear. 

Raj, who was joined by the guests at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea, was left hanging on the two sisters’ every word as they revealed the backstory. 

Showing off the old diving equipment, made from metal and rubber, the pair explained their father had held onto the diving gear in the hopes it would one day make it to TV.

One of the guests opened up: ‘Unfortunately, we lost our dad about a year and a half ago. It was his wish to have all of his memorabilia on Antiques Roadshow.’

Looking tearful, her sister continued: ‘Dad was originally from Swansea. He started diving when he was about 11 years old, and got into commercial diving in the 70s. 

An Antiques Roadshow expert admitted they were ‘touched’ and had to fight back their emotions as two guests took to the BBC One programme to fulfil their late father’s dying wish

Raj, who was joined by the guests at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea, was left hanging on the two sisters’ every word as they revealed the backstory

‘He had over a 20-year career diving. He worked in the North Sea, Middle East and off Nigeria. So, he worked on the Piper Alpha, worked on the Claymore, worked on the Pharos, and many other places in the Middle East and Nigeria.’

Impressed, Raj replied: ‘Some famous places that people will know of!’

The guests then sweetly recalled how their father would dress them up in the diving helmet as children, and explained they had tried on the heavy diving boots.

One added: ‘He would put the helmet on my head when I was a young child. It’s very heavy,’ as another said: ‘Yes, we’ve tried [the boots] on.’

Heaping praise on their late father’s career, they added: ‘He was very respected. He was very good at his job, he was very thorough. You can tell by his log books.’

‘Absolutely. You’ve got all these log books, which I briefly had a flick through. I mean, they’re incredible,’ Raj responded before offering up his valuation. 1the dents. When antiques experts look at things, we look for them to be perfect, but in certain situations, this tells a story. It’s fantastic.

‘The helmet itself, without a doubt £1,500 to £2,000, and the boots another £”So, if you add all this up… I mean, as a collection, this is going to be somewhere between £15,000 and £20,000. So, your dad has left you a nice little legacy. Although, whether you would sell this, being part of him, who knows?” pounds.’ 

The two women revealed how their father had hoped the diving gear would make it to TV

Showing off the old diving equipment, made from metal and rubber, the pair explained their father had held onto the diving gear even after his career ended

But it was the price of the Rolex watch, which the guests’ father used to take diving with him, which was the real show stopper, worth TEN times the amount of the boots. 

‘I’ve showed the watch to someone today and it would fetch a minimum of £10,000,’ Raj revealed to the very shocked pair. 

‘If you add all this up… I mean, as a collection, this is going to be somewhere between £15,000 and £20,000. So, your dad has left you a nice little legacy. Although, whether you would sell this, being part of him, who knows?’

The sisters replied: ‘I don’t think we would. We love the story and we love the fact that we can reflect back on this.’

‘It would be nice to make somewhere to show it all off – I think it’s a fantastic story, it really got to my heart,’ Raj said, getting emotional. 

It comes after the crowd in attendance as Antiques Roadshow took to Braford’s Lister Park were left gasping in awe as a guest’s watch was valued at a life-changing sum. 

The 1970s Patek Philippe watch was brought in by a woman years after she had been gifted it as a wedding present from her mother, who had kept it for some time before passing it down. 

‘A lovely box with the unmistakable logo of Patek Philippe. To my mind, the very best watchmaker over the last one hundred years or so,’ Richard began, as the woman explained the item’s backstory. 

Raj revealed it was the price of the Rolex watch, which the guests’ father used to take diving with him, which was the real show stopper, worth TEN times the amount of the boots

Read More

Antiques Roadshow guest’s eyes bulge as she learns chest of gold coins found in her attic are REAL

Richard continued: ‘It’s a typical 1970s product, and the material, which I’m sure you know, is tiger’s eye, and that is what we call a chatoyant stone. 

‘It has this wonderful lustre, and when it moves, these lines shimmy, looking like a tiger’s eye, and that is what we call a Chiastolite stone, and has this wonderful lustre when it moves, these lines shimmy.

Asked whether she could guess how much it was worth, the guest said she had imagined to get £5,000 for it if she decided to sell it.

But the expert left her shocked when he revealed: ‘No, no! It’s a little bit better than that, and if you went to a decent jeweller to buy that, he’d be asking for between £25,000 and £30,000.’

The crowd surrounding the woman let out a loud gasp, as she laughed and looked around at the stunned faces of those watching on. 

‘I have to say, it’s probably the most generous wedding present I’ve ever heard of,’ Richard added, before thanking the guest for bringing it in to be looked at. 

Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.