Antiques Roadshow Interesting Item, Jane Austen’s Toys By Jamie

I found a very interesting clip today from Antiques Roadshow. I always like to look for the unique items that you won’t find in an antiques price guide and this one didn’t disappoint. The featured collection consisted of items that belong to one of Jane Austen’s direct descendents and some of them were used by Jane herself. There are several pictures of her relatives, an ivory cup and ball game, along with a beautiful board game and other toys. Check it out!



Jane Austen was an English Novelist in the late 1700s and early 1800s. She is one of the most celebrated writers of all time. I have always been a huge fan of her work. Many of her books have been made into movies such as Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Predjudice and Persuasion. My personal favorite hands down is Sense and Sensibility, though most people love Emma. There are even recent movies about her life like Becoming Jane.

Apparently Jane’s family was very close-knit. She had six brothers and one sister. Her sister, Cassandra was her closest friend and a gifted artist. Jane was also very close to her brother Henry, who was her literary agent and a clergyman. The descendent on the show was from Edward, another of Jane’s brothers. I haven’t seen any of the movies about Jane Austen’s life, but now my interest is piqued and I’m going to have to go out and rent one. It will be fun to see if Edward is heavily featured in the films. I can’t help but value collectibles like this, that make historical figures seem so much more real.

Besides being interesting, this appraisal was one of the more entertaining antique appraisals I’ve ever seen. It almost seemed as if the appraiser didn’t believe the owner of the collection that he was directly related to Jane Austen. I imagine antique appraisers really have to be careful what they believe. To truly value collectibles accurately, they need reliable information and facts. He had the family tree there to prove it, but I guess you are always better safe than sorry.

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