Meet the Author: Geoffrey Munn
Geoffrey Munn is a jewellery specialist, historian and writer, best known as a television expert on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow. His first and only permanent position has been with the court jewellers Wartski which he joined at 19 and stayed until 2018.
Geoffrey wrote a history of his hometown called Southwold: An Earthly Paradise. In 2013 he was awarded an OBE for services to charity and in the New Years Honours of 2018 the Queen appointed him MVO.
His latest book, A Touch of Gold: The Reminiscences of Geoffrey Munn, was published this year and is a witty and star-studded memoir that recounts Munn’s journey from rural England to the heights of the art world. It contains Munn’s encounters with royalty and celebrities, from HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby to Elton John. You can find A Touch of Gold and Geoffrey's other books on our catalogue.
How did you first get into the world of antiques and jewellery?
My one and only job, lasting 47 years, was the result of the billiard break of a lifetime. In those days you needed dazzling good grades at A level to read English at University and I failed to get them and needed to find a job. I was in a rather despondent mood when a friend said have you seen this advertisement in the Daily Telegraph? It read “Assistant required in well known antique shop.” I applied and against all odds I was taken on by one of the most famous family businesses in the world. It was called Wartski and was situated at 138 Regent Street London. A cluster of royal warrants decorated the facade: The late Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, The Queen, and the kings of Greece and Denmark. I was way out of my depth as I had only been to London three times in my life but I got the job and only a matter of weeks later I was introduced to Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby!
Millions of TV viewers know you from the BBC's Antiques Roadshow. How did you get that opportunity?
The two things I was good at at school was English and History and against all odds my new situation provided me with the chance of using both. It was the perfect platform to conduct research and to write about my discoveries. My first article appeared in an art magazine called The Connoisseur in 1975 when I was just 22. This was followed in 1984 by a proper book on the history of jewellery. I think the BBC got wind of this and I was invited to join the Antiques Roadshow in 1989.
What is the most exciting thing an Antiques Roadshow visitor has brought in and is there anything still on your bucket list to see?
The cornerstone of the Antiques Roadshow is the valuation to camera of a treasured possession and at the end of the interview comes the mandatory valuation. It follows that the higher the figure the greater sense of amazement for the owner and viewers alike. I once valued a Faberge flower on the show at £1,000,000 and there has never been a higher figure on the show, ever. However value is often a false barometer as some very rare and fascinating objects are modestly priced and some very unworthy works of art are worth a fortune. One of the most memorable was a Saxon gold ring that had lain in perfect condition in the ground for 1000 years but only came to light when someone was pulling up a hedge. Everything conspired to make this a very affecting piece of television but the value, at £10000 was not even close to the Faberge flower made in the 20th century, in the age of the telephone and the motorcar.
My bucket list object for the Roadshow would be the missing Imperial Easter Egg that Faberge had made in 1889. That would be valued at £20,000,000 today!
You have just written your autobiography, A Touch of Gold. Was it always in your mind to get your reminiscences in print or were you approached by a publisher?
A number of people who, noting how fascinating and different my life has been, persuaded me to write my reminiscences and it took decades before I accepted they were right. Most of it was written in Covid lockdown. The text is quite a kaleidoscope of characters and situations including the new Queen Camilla, Princess Margaret, Joanna Lumley, Sister Wendy Beckett and even Dame Edna Everage!
Is there anything you can share with us about your latest project?
I have moved away from jewellery these days and am concentrating on Victorian painters and particularly Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Richard Dadd. I have published a number of serious articles on both and as a result I have been made a Trustee of the Bethlem Museum of the Mind.
One book, piece of music or work of art/jewellery that everyone should experience?
One of several works of art that everyone should experience are Shakespeare’s Sonnets as they refer to every aspect of the human condition. But don’t attempt to read and digest more than one a day as they are complex and elusive in both structure and meaning. It’s hardly news that Shakespeare is probably the greatest literary genius of all time but a more contemporary note is struck by the sublime Nina Simone…….for absolutely the same reasons.
You are one of the speakers at the Southwold Literary Festival on 5th November. What can your audience expect?
I’m not sure what the audience at the Southwold Literary Festival can expect from me but it won’t be more of the same. There will be a strong emphasis on our beautiful town and its extraordinary history ……it’s something that will always fascinate me. In 2006 I published a book called Southwold - An Earthly Paradise and on the basis of several new discoveries it was revised in 2017. Its a smaller book with more in it!
Your love of Suffolk and Southwold in particular is well documented. When did you first come to Southwold and what is it that drew you back?
My maternal grandparents came from Suffolk and were married in Halesworth and buried at Holton but that is not why Caroline and I discovered Southwold. I am only 4 handshakes away from William Morris who visited the town in 1868 and lastly in 1895. He was one of the more important artists and writers who came to the town for a variety of personal reasons but the poetry of the sea and the surrounding landscape made an impression on them all; to some it was a pivotal inspiration.
At the top of a long list is Turner, Whistler, Sickert, Thomas Hardy and Damien Hirst! William Shakespeare was a signed up member of a troupe of actors called the Kings Men who came to Southwold harbour when they played at Dunwich in 1608 but whether he was with them remains an enduring enigma.
Can you tell us one thing about yourself that your readers may not know?
What readers will not know about me is that I have an irascible little parrot called Keiko who I bought in Harrods 27 years ago for £500. I view it as a ransom as it was love at first sight. Keiko is non-binary and has no preferred pronoun.