"The One and Only Y Front" is the slogan emblazoned on the base of a statue of a man in underpants and matching vest.

It's hardly an ornament for the mantelpiece yet this item is classed as an antique and could fetch something in the region of £120.

From a different era but even more bizarre, an anti-strangling gun which once enabled the wearer to blast the stomach out of his attacker is also a collectable item and notched up a cool £400 for the seller.

"We go from day to day and see things which are relatively ordinary but every now and then we get something which stands out," said Arthur Bickerstaffe, who has dabbled in antiques at Samlesbury Hall for 30 years.

A thousand visitors a week stream through the hall to view antiques which are up for sale. The enterprise raises a massive three-quarters of a million pounds every year to pay for the upkeep and maintenance of the historic building. "People are fascinated by antiques," Mr Bickerstaffe said. "Many people possess an instinctive knowledge as to what something is worth. It is a very basic piece of human nature to gather things together. It is like collecting money in the bank. Most of us collect something like bottles or CDs. Almost everyone will have something in their house of value. It may have been passed down through generations."

"And there is a psychology about it. Owning a hand-made antique is almost connecting with the person who touched it and made it all those years ago. It is wrapped up with the nostalgia thing - an antique is something from the good old days, a piece of social history."

Millions of viewers tune in to TV's Antiques Roadshow but Mr Bickerstaffe does not watch the show.

"It started with the nostalgia theme but it got twisted and it is all to do with money now," he said. "We tune in in the hope that someone will have something worth thousands of pounds. A lady who owns a pot which she keeps Green Shield stamps, suddenly finds out it is worth £10,000 and she can't keep it any more. She has to sell it. It's quite sad really."

Antiques provide unexpected windfalls for many. Mr Bickerstaffe said: "Some people bring an item in with no idea of its value. They are quite honestly expecting a few pounds and when they realise it is in the thousands it is a pleasant surprise.

"We haven't dealt with anyone who could retire on the sum but we have sold items in the £12,000 and £15,000 region.

"A woman in a Blackburn flat wanted a couple of chairs out of the way.

"They were a rare pair of library chairs worth £12,000."

Cleaning has rendered many a valuable item worthless.

Mr Bickerstaffe said: "One man bought a miniature, a portrait in an oval frame. There was a speck on the man's face so he wiped it.

The portrait was watercolour on ivory and he wiped it all off. It was worthless.

"The rule is never to clean anything unless you get really expert advice. The marks made on an item over the years are part of its value."

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