A shopper paid $25 for a Victorian brooch at an antiques market in 2024; experts identified William Burges’s work, and the piece later sold for $15,000 at auction

An ordinary purchase at an antique market can sometimes turn out to have a remarkable history. For Flora Steel, a brooch she purchased in England over three decades ago for just under £20 (around $25) remained a cherished piece of jewellery for years before a television programme helped disclose its designer and possible value.

Steel found that the unusual brooch was designed by William Burges, the popular Victorian-era architect and Gothic Revival designer, after watching an old video from the BBC programme Antiques Roadshow. The discovery has resulted in renewed attention to the piece, which is anticipated to sell for up to $19,000 when it goes to auction.

A television clip helped identify the brooch

Steel originally bought the brooch at an antique market in central England. Its unique appearance caught her attention, but she did not know who had designed it.


Made of silver, lapis lazuli, malachite and coral, the brooch has a flat, circular shape with a cross running through its centre, as per a statement from Gildings, the auction house dealing with the sale.

The breakthrough happened when Steel watched a 2011 Antiques Roadshow clip showcasing jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn. During the programme, Munn presented sketches from London's Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) featuring many brooch designs attributed to Burges.

One of the designs was remarkably similar to Steel's jewellery.

The discovery made Steel to examine the drawing more closely and contact Gildings Auctioneers regarding her piece.

A treasured piece with an unknown designer

Steel had primarily been attracted to the brooch because of its unique appearance. Although she appreciated its design, distinctive lettering and colourful stones, its creator remained unidentified for several years.

As per The Washington Post, Steel wore the brooch on her lapel for years before her daughter-in-law found it in her wardrobe. Steel subsequently passed it on to her, and the jewellery gradually slipped from her quick attention.

The television video brought the piece back into focus, leading Steel and her family to send images to Gildings. The auction house recognised its link to Burges, whose designs had earlier appeared in two similar discoveries linked to Antiques Roadshow.

Two earlier brooch discoveries followed a similar path

Steel's discovered is not the first Burges brooch to emerge after a viewer recognised a design on the BBC programme.

Jill Cousins, from Leicestershire, identified a similar piece after watching Munn discuss Burges's jewellery sketches. As per a report by PA Media published by The West Australian, Cousins had almost sold her brooch for £10, or around $15, before taking it to Gildings.

The piece eventually sold for £31,000, worth over $39,000 at the time.

Later, another viewer recognised a brooch in the sketches and brought it to the same auction house. Gildings subsequently sold that piece privately to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Steel became the third viewer to find a Burges brooch through the programme. As per Jo Lawson-Tancred's report for Artnet, she encountered the relevant clip in a compilation of Antiques Roadshow's “Most Wanted Finds” in 2023.

She later presented the brooch to Munn during the programme's At Christmas episode, where the jewellery expert explained it as a “breathtaking discovery.”

Brooch valued at up to $19,000

Reportedly, following its identification, Steel's brooch was valued at around $19,000 and is scheduled to be offered at auction in the spring. Its final selling amount remains uncertain.

Will Gilding, director of Gildings, cited that the discovery was remarkable, especially because two earlier brooches had emerged via the same television programme.

In a separate statement, Gilding said the outcome of the auction and whether further examples would be discovered remained unknown.

Also Read:Archaeologists discover rare bronze ring engraved with the lighthouse of Alexandria at Egypt’s sunken royal palace

A discovery with personal significance

What began as a modest antique-market purchase has therefore become both a remarkable discovery of Victorian design and a personally meaningful event for its owner. With the brooch currently identified and awaiting auction, its next chapter will depend on the interest it attracts from possible buyers.

Source: Smithsonian Magazine and All That's Interesting