It cost six pence when it was bought in the mid-Victorian era but was last valued at £1,000 by experts at the Antiques Road Show in 2005. Owner Paul Parker received the delicate ornament after his mother, Janet, passed away at the age of 69 in 2008, and is the third generation of his family to enjoy it. Displaying the tree for the first time since his mother’s death, Mr Parker is delighted to be carrying on the family tradition. ‘I will proudly be displaying the tree this year,’ said Mr Parker, 45, a mathematician from Bath. ‘My mother treasured it when she was alive and my father Grahame is comforted that I will be carrying on the family tradition. ‘It may not look like much but it has been part of our Christmas celebrations for so many years. ‘It was one of those things the we just grew up with. ‘But everything changed when mum saw an advert in the local paper asking for the oldest decorations. ‘She thought that our old Christmas tree could be important – and she was right.’ The orna...