Copyright walesonline
An Antiques Roadshow expert was moved after valuing a Swansea diver's "incredible" items. In a recent episode of the popular BBC programme, broadcast last week (October 19), which took place at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea , locals brought their treasured possessions to be valued by specialists. During the show, antiques expert and auctioneer Raj Bisram listened to the poignant tale of a father who devoted his life to diving. Two sisters presented a photograph of their late father, along with an array of his diving equipment. "Unfortunately, we lost our dad about a year and a half ago. It was his wish to have all of his memorabilia on Antiques Roadshow," the guest revealed, reports the Express . The items included a diving helmet, diving boots, a diving watch, and log books. The guest went on: "Dad was originally from here, he was from Swansea. He started diving when he was about 11 years old, and got into commercial diving in the 70s, so he had over a 20-year career diving. "He worked in the North Sea, Middle East and off Nigeria. So, he worked on the Piper Alpha, worked on the Claymore, worked on the Pharos, and many other places in the Middle East and Nigeria." Raj observed: "So, some famous places that people will know of." The guests then recalled fond memories of their father placing his helmet on them as youngsters, as well as attempting to wear his oversized diving boots. She added: "He was very good at his job, he was very thorough. You can tell by his log books." "Absolutely. You've got all these log books, which I briefly had a flick through. I mean, they're incredible," Raj continued. He then revealed that the helmet was the "Rolls-Royce" of helmets, stating: "What I like is that it's got the dents. When antiques experts look at things, we look for them to be perfect, but in certain situations, this tells a story. It's fantastic. And the boots, how worn they are." Raj confirmed that the helmet could fetch between £1,500 and £2,000 at auction, with the boots valued at around £1,000. Moreover, the Rolex watch could command a minimum of £10,000. "So, if you add all this up... I mean, as a collection, this is going to be somewhere between £15,000 and £20,000. So, your dad has left you a nice little legacy. Although, whether you would sell this, being part of him, who knows?" Raj added. The guest responded: "I don't think we would. We love the story and we love the fact that we can reflect back on this." Raj concluded: "Yeah, it would be nice to make somewhere to show it all off as well, you know? I think it's a fantastic story. It really got to my heart when you would tell me about it. Thank you so much for telling us and coming in. Brilliant." Antiques Roadshow is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
