An original water bottle, made for the iconic British sitcom Only Fools and Horses, is currently up for auction by Bristol-based Auctioneum with an estimated value of between £3000 and £5000. The bottle will be part of an auction of items from various British comedies to be held by Bristol-based auction house Auctioneum Ltd on December 8.
The bottle was prepared for a Christmas special in 1992, a year after the series was released.
The bottle was made by the dubious character of merchant Derek "Del Boy" Trotter (played by David Jason), who tried to get rich by trading in questionable and cheap products that he sold on the market at exorbitant prices on the grounds that they were original and very expensive.
The rare bottle, photo: Auctioneum
In this context, the character filled water bottles in her home and sold them as mineral spring water of "primordial and natural origin", called "Peckham's Spring" (the neighborhood where the character lives).
Throughout the episodes, Derek "Del Boy" Trotter made several hundred bottles of this type. Some were distributed as souvenirs to the players and technical staff. However, most of these bottles have been lost or destroyed and today there are probably fewer than 20 original bottles that are kept as souvenirs from the beloved British series.
The person who saved the bottle in question is a camera operator who received it after the Christmas special in 1992. In recent years, the holder thought of throwing the souvenir in the recycling bin. The bottle was saved at the last minute, after being evaluated at the auction house last year - where its owner had a nice surprise when he realized its estimated value.
Andrew Stowe, a spokesman for the auction house, explained: "Most bottles have been broken or thrown away over the years, but since this series is much loved, the bottle is worth a few thousand pounds among collectors."
Almost thrown away, photo: Auctioneum
A spokesperson for the auction house also said: "This is a real historical item from British television. Holding a real bottle of Peckham Spring is a surreal experience," he said, adding: "The 1992 episode is one of the most famous in the series and the bottle is one of the most significant props in the episode. Seeing something like that makes you really smile."
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