Antiques Roadshow expert to auction off collection

Items from the private collection of an Antiques Roadshow specialist are to go under the hammer.

Bunny Campione, an expert on the long-running BBC series, included antique birdcages and miniature furniture among the 20 lots up for grabs.

They are due to go on sale between 10 and 11 September at Sworders' auction house in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex.

"Who else but Bunny would collect beautiful Georgian birdcages?" said Guy Schooling, the chairman of Sworders.

Campione has become known for her unique specialism in dolls, doll houses, automata, birdcages and corkscrews.

She worked at the fine arts company Sotheby's for 23 years until 1996, followed by a stint as a senior consultant for auctioneer Christie's until 2002.

Sworders said Campione's collection of birdcages dated back as far as the 18th century, when the keeping of exotic birds was a popular pastime for affluent families.

It estimated that one of the items could fetch up to £4,000 at auction, while others could also go for thousands of pounds.

"Bunny is a well-known and much-loved member of the Antiques Roadshow team, revered for her style and great taste," Mr Schooling said.

"These are very much in evidence in her sense of interior design and in her esoteric collections."

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