The Antiques Roadshow event which raised eyebrows in Sunderland 40 years ago
Imagine the reaction of the Antiques Roadshow experts when they came to Sunderland - and came face to face with Adolf Hitler.
It happened in 1983 when 3,000 people turned up at Crowtree Leisure Centre for the visit of the TV cameras.
Adolf Hitler in a chamber pot
And what a collection of items they brought along.
Possibly the most unusual was a chamber pot with Adolf Hitler strategically placed inside it. Tell us if it was yours and how much it was worth.
An oil painting worth £1,500 was another of the gems but they were just two of the hundreds of items that Wearsiders brought along, as shown in these Echo archive photos.
Sunderland people were ‘absolutely charming’
But the hit of the day with the seven antiques experts were the Wearsiders themselves.
China and glass expert Hugo Moorely-Fletcher commented at the time: “The standard of people was higher and much more pleasant than in many other places we visited. They have been absolutely charming.”
Ornaments, watches, objets d’art, glassware and paintings were all brought along and while there were no priceless antiques discovered, the experts were kept enthralled by the exhibits.
A painting as big as its owner
Art specialist Marcus Halliwell was delighted with a number of water colours including one brought in by an elderly woman. “It turned out to be worth £500 and was painted by Andrew Wilson Cox, ” he said in 1983.
For him the find of the day was an old French master brought in by another elderly woman. “It was nearly as big as her and was painted in 1740 and is worth at least £1,500.”
Tell us if you were there by emailing [email protected]