Rare 1930s Watch Stashed in Old Jewelry Box Sells for $80,000 in Thrilling UK Auction

1930s Patek Philippe – Courtesy of Hansons Auctioneers / SWNS

A rare vintage Swiss watch discovered hidden away in a late mother’s jewelry box while the family was cleaning out her home has sold for £59,000 at a British auction—$80,000 in US dollars.

The 1930s Patek Philippe wristwatch smashed expectations after experts originally valued it at just £5,000.

The owner’s daughter remembers her mom once telling her she possessed an expensive watch, but no one expected the stainless steel timepiece to be worth almost 12 times its estimate.

“When I finally had the watch in my hands and was able to examine it properly, I knew we had something extremely rare,” said Darren Ashley, senior valuer at Hansons Cornwall, who held the public auction in Penzance on Tuesday.

He explained that Patek Philippe produced very few stainless steel watches during the period, and that rarity makes surviving examples incredibly desirable to collectors—along with its “mechanical perfection”.

“This was a watch dating back around 90 years, which had spent decades within the same Cornish family and—when it was placed in my hands—it was still finely ticking away.”

1930s Patek Philippe – Courtesy of Hansons Auctioneers / SWNS

The rare Patek Philippe & Co Calatrava Reference 448 belonged to the seller’s grandfather who passed it to his daughter. It’s believed that their grandmother had a love for designer clothes and luxury items, and bought it as a gift for her husband decades ago.

“The pre-sale interest was phenomenal, from serious collectors across the world, but nothing quite prepares you for watching that level of bidding unfold in the room.”

“Having three members of the family there made it even more special. They were absolutely thrilled, while other members of their family were following the auction live from work on their laptops and phones and couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

“The final battle between (bidders in) Japan and China was incredibly exciting. To see the hammer finally fall at £59,000 was a fantastic moment for the family.

“It is one of those results that reminds you why this business is so exciting.

“Something extraordinary can still be sitting quietly in a jewelry box just a few miles away.”

“What a wonderful result,” added Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers. “Never overlook what is tucked away at home.”

“This little watch had passed quietly through generations of a Cornish family, its late owner knowing she had something valuable, but perhaps never imagining quite how sought-after it would become.

“To see bidders in America, Japan and China competing for something discovered in a Cornish family home is the magic of auction.

“When rarity, quality and provenance come together, the results can be spectacular.”The watch will now begin a new chapter thousands of miles away in Hong Kong. Rare 1930s Watch Stashed in Old Jewelry Box Sells for $80,000 in Thrilling UK Auction

Read More........→September 05, 2026

Helping Children Laugh Can Make Their Brains More Resilient and Learning Easier

SWNS via Kristine Koroleva

Laughter is the best medicine, according to an old adage. Now, new research suggests it also boosts child development.

Making children laugh can help make their brains more resilient and open to learning, according to scientists.

Laughter builds deep emotional connections and soothes youngsters’ nervous systems, making them more resilient—because laughter is not frivolous, but rather a complex biological phenomenon.

Dr. Jacqueline Harding conducted extensive studies into how laughter and play contribute to healthy brain growth, emotional well-being, and social bonding.

The early childhood expert at Middlesex University in northwest London, argues in her new book The Brain That Loves to Laugh says laughter can help children navigate life’s challenges and better handle stress.

“Hope and humor, it seems, are not just the seasoning of life, but foundational to a recipe for healthy development,” said Dr Harding.

“When we see children laugh, we witness the brilliance of the brain in action: learning, connecting, and growing.”

It precedes the neural development of speech, she explained. But it also engages a distributed network of brain regions, including motor areas and the pre­frontal cortex.

Laughter also “influences heart rate, respiration and production of antibodies.”

“It decreases the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine, and increases ‘happiness chemicals’ dopamine, serotonin and endorphins.

Credit: a4gpa (CC license)

“It can strengthen the immune system and improve memory.

“Neuroimaging studies suggest that laughter plays a significant role in brain activity, as humor is cognitively demanding and engages neuro-plasticity.

“It challenges the brain to predict and resolve tension between conflicting ideas, providing a mental workout that enhances creative thought and activates both the working memory and frontal lobes.

“On the other hand, prolonged stress negatively affects both physical and mental development. It can impair learning, increase adult stress risk, suppress immune function, and contribute to illness.”

“I believe that as we continue to wrestle with humor – this most intriguing human function – we must strive to shake off any dismissal of its frivolous nature and allow its seri­ous contribution to human learning and life in general to shine.

“In parents and their children, laughter can boost the levels of happy chemical oxytocin and enhance neural synchrony during parent-child interactions – in other words, build emotional bonds.

“These bonds are beneficial to the child and even contribute to a reduction in parental burnout and stress.”

Credit: La Priz (CC license)

But parents don’t need to rattle off jokes

Instead of jokes, simple shared play and laughter between parents and children, with eye contact, smiles, and close proximity, can all foster connection.

“Creative, happy play does its most brilliant work at a molecular level, especially at a time when the human brain is at its most receptive,” explained Harding.

“Spontaneous joyful play is an antidote to stress, as it increases levels of endorphins released by the brain.”

As well as nurturing bonds, she suggests that “humor and hope” can improve a child’s resilience to stressful events.

“The link between co-regulation and self-regulation is now well established. Co-regulation means the way in which the baby is guided by a caring and supportive adult early in life, so that they have a working model to draw upon for their own self-regulation as they mature.”

“The immune system needs a store of positive experiences from which to draw.”

Her studies show that, in a child’s brain, the limbic system—which regulates func­tions such as emotion, behavior, and long-term memory—develops alongside the brain’s executive functions that help us plan, evaluate, and make decisions.

“Stated simply, the emotional state of young children directly influences how they navigate their way through the world.”

She says that carefully finding gentle ways to introduce joy and hope, and ease the burden on their nervous system, can even help youngsters who have already experienced extensive trauma.

Dr. Harding advocates integrating humor into educational settings to reduce the cognitive load, making complex information more digestible, and refresh the current educational paradigm.

“Maybe, just maybe, one day the value of hope, humor, and human connection will be taken as seriously as it deserves.” Helping Children Laugh Can Make Their Brains More Resilient and Learning Easier

Read More........→June 10, 2026