Yahoo News Antiques Roadshow reveals value of Winston Churchill artefacts rescued from rubbish dump
A guest on the BBC show revealed he worked at a rubbish tip and had three sheds full of treasures he had saved from landfill.
Watch: Antiques Roadshow reveals value of Winston Churchill artefacts rescued from rubbish dump
A guest on the Antiques Roadshow has refused to reveal the location of the rubbish dump where he rescued Sir Winston Churchill mementoes worth thousands of pounds.
Military museum specialist Mark Smith confessed he was eager to visit the rubbish tip where the guest worked, after he confessed he had three sheds full of antiques he had salvaged over the last 15 years.
The guest said: "I've worked there for 15 years and I get to pull out whatever I like, mostly antiques."
Read more: Antiques Roadshow reveals 'incredible' value of Live Aid poster found in rubbish
Smith showed viewers a signed photograph, cigar, cigar case and top hat which all once belonged to the former prime minister, who led Britain during the Second World War.
The items had been found in the rubbish dump accompanied by bundles of letters to prove they had been given by Churchill to his former cook.
The guest said: "I've got loads of letters, over 200 letters, from this same load and it was from a mother to her son. The mother used to work for Winston Churchill, she was a cook and the husband was a butler for Winston Churchill as well.
"She used to write to her son every day about the daily goings [on] of Winston Churchill, what he was getting up to and how he was feeling and just interesting stuff about him...
"There's letters that say 'I've got a gift from Winston today'. He used to share out quite a lot of his stuff."
Smith explained on the latest episode of the BBC Sunday evening show, filmed at Eltham Palace, south London: "You've caused me a bit of a problem because if you'd come to me with all of this stuff and said, 'I've been buying this over the years and I buy it from auctions and all of that sort of stuff,' I would have thought to myself, well, very likely it's not real, it's been bought together and given a provenance.
"But I've seen all those letters from that lady to her son. Daily letters saying this is what Winston is doing today. And this is during wartime as well, so she is sending home all sorts of information which corroborates all of the things you've got. And it's not just these bits here, you've got lots of other things which Winston touched, Winston signed, Winston owned."
Antiques expert Smith went on: "We had a think about this. I think that your box. Remind me where you got it from again? The dump. We think that your box is worth £10,000."
The guest exclaimed: "Oh my God, no way! That's crazy."
Smith said: "And you found it on the dump – it's fantastic! Truly, everyone that I've told about this today, they've all gone 'Wow!' The other thing they've asked is where's the dump Because we all want to come down there."
The guest replied: "Dozens of people have asked me, I haven't told anyone."
The latest series of the BBC antiques show, which has run for 45 series since 1979, recently featured a poster from the original Live Aid concert in Wembley Stadium in 1985, which had also been left out with the rubbish.
Other antiques on the show this series have been the first ever Beatles logo designed by a sign-making friend of the band who revealed he never got paid.
Read more: Antiques Roadshow: Guest 'astonished' by valuation of charity shop painting
It it also revealed a signed helmet and overalls belonging to Formula One star Sir Lewis Hamilton to be worth £10,000.
Watch: Antiques Roadshow guest finds out value of picture bought in charity shop
