It was a sunny day in mid-May 2025 when I jumped in the car with my colleagues Ronan Sulich and Lauren Boustridge and we set off for the Norman Lindsay Gallery & Museum in Faulconbridge. Nestled in the heart of the Blue Mountains district in New South Wales, this historic National Trust house and garden is the former residence of Australian artist Norman Lindsay and provided the perfect backdrop to shoot the pilot episode for Antiques Roadshow Australia with BBC Studios.
We arrived early, suited and booted for a cold mountain’s morning, only to find the sun shining and the place bustling. The Norman Lindsay Gallery was hosting its annual vintage fair which featured an array of market stalls showcasing vintage, retro, and collectible goods, as well as a display of classic vehicles, a vintage fashion parade and live music and dancing. As the fair goers began to trickle in, we met with the producers, camera operators, and other valuers and presenters who were there to capture the many stories from those members of the public who had brought treasures in to be valued for the show.
I was up first to film a collection of over 30 vintage musical powder compacts from a local resident. Whilst this particular story didn’t make it into the final cut, it was a wonderful warm up. I wasn’t prepared for the number of takes that were required for the various camera angles, nor to hear my own voice repeating itself so many times.
Meanwhile, with another camera crew operating simultaneously, Lauren Boustridge, our Head of Fine Jewels & Timepieces in Sydney, met with a gentleman who had amassed a large collection of ‘Man in the Moon’ jewellery. I was able to have a brief respite before jumping into my second valuation for the day while I waited for Ronan Sulich, our Senior Advisor in Sydney, to speak with a woman who had brought in her family’s embroidered devotional image dating back to the 18th century.
My second valuation proved to be quite an interesting snapshot in time. They were a pair of Neoclassical silver candlesticks which although appearing identical happened to have hallmarks dated one year apart, one was made in 1796 and the other was dated 1797. The interesting thing about the one from 1797 is that it had a double duty mark composed of two stamps of the head of King George, this represented the duty on silver being doubled for a nine-month period in that year to raise funds for
the Napoleonic Wars. The candlesticks had belonged to the owner’s father and so whilst she was interested to hear that they might fetch between $3,000-5,000 at auction, she certainly wasn’t ready to part with them any time soon.
For my last filming segment, I met with a gentleman who was a luthier by trade. He had picked up a broken guitar at auction in the USA which came with a fascinating back story, having once been owned by Jack Bruce of Cream and then gifted to his friend and producer Andy Johns (who also produced albums for the likes of Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones). The story went that Jack and Andy had been enjoying a few drinks together one night when one of them knocked over the guitar and the headstock broke off. The next morning when the two awoke to discover the damage they each blamed the other and no one ever found out who was responsible for the damage. The broken guitar remained in Andy’s collection until his passing in 2013 and was later put up for auction by his estate along with a letter from his widow detailing the ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ tale to accompany it. The luthier had lovingly restored the guitar to its former glory. It was such a joy to speak with him about his love of music and guitars that I think the valuation became secondary to the story, however, I did receive a fantastic reaction when I revealed that the guitar might well be expected to fetch $25,000-35,000 if offered at public auction today.
Alongside the stories I uncovered on that day my colleagues and other valuers were shown all sorts of rare and wonderful objects, including a Black Forest ‘bear’ hall stand, a pair of ivory gate passes in the name of the Archbishop of York which allowed passage to visit Buckingham Palace, and a beautiful Victorian horseshoe brooch which was gifted as part of a brief romantic dalliance in the 1970s. As Ronan, Lauren, and I bundled ourselves back into the car exhausted after a busy day of filming, the crew and other participants were still working hard late into the afternoon. It was a busy and jam-packed day but one filled with wonderful stories, connections and a shared love of history and antiques.
Watch Antiques Roadshow Australia on YouTube @BBCAntiquesRoadshow
By Madeleine MacKenzie, Head of Decorative Arts & Art, Sydney
Top Image: Issa Schultz, Madeleine Mackenzie, Lauren Boustridge, Ronan Sulich, and Elizabeth Hastings / BBC Studios
October 2026