Pulses were set racing when the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow paid a visit to the Royal Hospital, Haslar, in Gosport.

Michael Aspel and his team of experts spent a day at the tri-Service hospital examining treasured items from personal collections.

Crowds queued all day in the sunshine to see whether that old box from the back of the attic promised untold riches or could be returned to the darkness.

The day proved such a hit with TV producers and crowds alike that letters of thanks are already flooding in to the former Naval hospital, which celebrates its 250th anniversary this year.

Geoff Buck, of the HMS Nelson Trophy Store, took along several prime examples from the extensive collection within his care, including a Wiley painting of HMS Iron Duke in 1912, a Russian silver covsh or punch-bowl, and a silver gilt urn belonging to HMS Monmouth.

To find out if anyone became rich beyond their wildest dreams, you will have to wait until the programme is broadcast, which is pencilled in for early February.