BBC Antiques Roadshow expert requests 'proof' from guest over authenticity worry: 'Could be FIVE times more!'

"When you came to our table today, it was fantastic to see this lovely piece of early Georgian silver," Flitcroft beamed. "Is it your silver cup?"

The guest replied: "The cup actually belongs to my mum. It's been handed down the family since around about 1745 I believe."

Scanning over the item, Flitcroft said: "As a shape, it's exactly what you'd expect from a piece of early Georgian silver.

"I can see that there's very little decoration but we do have some initials here. S about W and M, whose initials are those?"

The guest revealed she held familial ties to the jug, telling Flitcroft: "That's William and Mary Sadler who were my fourth or fifth great-grandparents. They were from the Derbyshire area and I believe they were farmers.

"When Bonny Prince Charlie came down from Scotland, I think that they basically went into all the farmhouses of the local farmers and took away their carts and horses. And I believe he was given this for his cart and horse."

An impressed Flitcroft began delving into the backstory of the cup, providing a history lesson along the way.

She told the guest: "You've got some hallmarks here which tell me it's by a maker called William Darker. It was made in 1726 here in London.

"William Darker first registered his mark in 1719 and this was made fairly early on.

"Interestingly enough, a few areas of this cup may have been restored over time. Here on the foot, I can see there's quite a bit of solder here and here and they've used silver solder and not lead."

Looking over the imperfections, she added: "Something that is quite common with silver of this shape is that the handles can get pushed in.

"If you look inside the cup here, you can see they've been sort of split away on both sides, so there are a few condition issues."

Flitcroft then cut to the chase and turned the conversation towards a monetary valuation.

"If I had to value this without the story, I would still be valuing it somewhere in the region of £1,500 to £2,000," she said, prompting gasps from the owner.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• BBC Antiques Roadshow expert defends refusal to value controversial items: 'You mustn't!' - EXCLUSIVE
• BBC Antiques Roadshow guest left lost for words after £30 painting slapped with five-figure price tag
• BBC Antiques Roadshow expert makes urgent demand over guests' WWII medals as he calls for action
  

"That's amazing," the guest replied but Flitcroft wasn't done there as she imparted some rather exciting parting words - but only if the guest was able to validate her story.

Flitcroft said: "If you were able to prove the Bonnie Prince Charlie connection, you might find it making five times that!"

The guest was gob-smacked before Flitcroft asked: "What do you think you'll do with the cup?"

"I'll take it back, it belongs to my mum, and I imagine in some time it will be passed to my niece," she confirmed before thanking the antiques expert.