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Privacy NoticeAn Antiques Roadshow guest was left gobsmacked when she discovered the staggering valuation of her great-grandfather’s collection of cycling badges. Expert Paul Atterbury was on hand during Sunday’s episode (September 22) to assess the badges, which belonged to the guest’s great-grandfather, a one-armed man who impressively cycled from Swindon to London and back in under nine hours. The guest shared that her ancestor, William Albert Cooper, born in 1888, lost his arm during the First World War but remained an avid road cyclist and was part of the Swindon Wheelers Cycling Club. Paul described William’s bike as a “To me [his bike] looks like a fairly conventional gents’ tourer it’s got drop handlebars, it probably had three or four gears, and it was heavy.” He explained: “Of course he was a member of this club – the Swindon Wheelers Cycling Club. Club cycling was so important in those days – there were clubs all over Britain, competitions… it’s not like it is today.” Speaking about the badges, Paul said: “That’s what takes us to all these badges, that he won in various competitions. Some of them are local, some of them are national. In a sense this is the history of his career.”
One guest brought in her great-grandfather’s badges
(Image: (Image: BBC))
Reading from the certificate accompanying the badges, Paul revealed that William completed the race in eight hours and 55 minutes, a feat he described as “It’s unbelievable. Just think about that. It’s about 84 miles in nine hours, a one-armed man on his own on a fairly old fashioned bicycle. How did he do it?” He marvelled at the thought of a one-armed man covering about 84 miles in nine hours on an old-fashioned bicycle, leaving viewers and the guest wondering, “It’s unbelievable. Just think about that. It’s about 84 miles in nine hours, a one-armed man on his own on a fairly old fashioned bicycle. How did he do it?”, reports the Express.
Paul was blown away by the badges
(Image: (Image: BBC))
The guest proudly declared, “I’m very proud,” reflecting on William’s tenacity. Antiques Roadshow expert Paul then give the big reveal about the value of her collection, highlighting, “What you’ve got to think about are these badges. Some of these are gold. They’re all dated and they all relate to particular events.” Adding to the excitement, he estimated, “There’s probably getting on for £1,000 worth there. Think of the weight of the gold ones! “. But even with the impressive valuation, the owner’s response was appreciative yet firm: “Thank you. It’s not going anywhere, as everyone says.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnAntiques RoadshowWilliam
