Greenwich 23 Flog It!

Today, we're on the banks of the River Thames in the capital city

and we are treading on regal ground here at the Old Royal Naval College

in Greenwich, because kings and queens were born on this site,

including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

The building which stands today was designed by the architect

Sir Christopher Wren, as a grand sanctuary for wounded

and retired seamen in the 18th century.

So, with so much history,

and a fantastic queue, laden with antiques and collectables,

what more could we ask for?

Welcome to "Flog It!".

The Royal Borough of Greenwich here in London carries a unique legacy.

A crown charity owns much of the land

and it has been providing charitable support to Royal Navy veterans

and their families for more than 300 years.

There's something so special about Greenwich

which I can't explain.

Maybe, possibly, it's because this is where the hemispheres meet.

Longitude is measured at zero degrees,

and every place on Earth is measured east or west of this line,

so we'd better stay on course here today

at the Old Royal Naval College,

because this lot only have one thing on their mind.

They want to know the answer to that all-important question, which is...

-ALL:

-What's it worth?!

You'll find out.

Our expert Mark Stacey is a wealth of knowledge...

I can tell you straight away, without reference books,

that's a cup, a teacup.

-Wow.

-Are you impressed?

Yeah.

..while Philip Serrell is stealing a few accessories for himself.

You put it over your shoulders.

Yeah, it's really lovely. Thank you.

-It looks very nice.

-Bye-bye.

-Oh, no! Don't...

So, let's open the doors and get everyone into the glorious,

painted hall, so we can get those valuations going.

But before all that,

let's take a peek at what's happening in today's show.

Now, come on, Philip, don't spare the horses.

-What's the name of the pub?

-Coach & Horses.

-What are you looking at?

-A coach with no horses.

-So it's actually the Coach & No Horses.

-True.

And, of course, there's always the sweet smell of success.

-Oh, yes.

-It confirms what I think.

-This is auctions for you.

-I don't believe it.

And this is the very first letter that Admiral Lord Nelson wrote with

his left hand after losing his right arm in battle.

Later on in the programme, I explore how he became the nation's hero.

The Old Royal Naval College started out life

as the Royal Hospital for Seamen.

It was built in the 18th century,

designed to give refuge and shelter to retired or injured sailors.

It even had its own bakery and brewery here,

the latter proving very popular with the naval pensioners.

They were given a daily beer allowance,

and quite often some of them got into trouble,

so the hospital had to come up with clever ways of dealing

with the drunken behaviour.

They made an example of them.

They told them to wear yellow jackets,

and they were called canaries,

and they were assigned menial duties,

so they could be spotted by everybody else.

Right now, we're catching up with expert Philip Serrell,

and hopefully, he's keeping himself out of trouble

at the valuation table.

June, how are you? All right?

-Fine, thank you.

-Were you there?

No.

In 1966?

No, I was too young.

Do you know, I can remember coming back from a Scout camp

for the day of the World Cup final.

-Scouts.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I'm a lot younger than I look.

So, this isn't actually a programme from the final, is it?

This is more of a tournament programme.

But if we open it up,

it's quite a special tournament programme, isn't it?

-It is.

-Because look at this here. Fantastic.

How do we know that all of these are genuine?

Well, my son-in-law's great uncle was a cameraman.

-Really?

-Yeah, at that particular game

and he got them from the players themselves.

Now, this is going to test my memory now.

-Gordon Banks was in goal.

-Right.

-George Cohen, full-back.

-Right.

Ray Wilson was left-back.

-Nobby Stiles, he was right-half.

-Yeah.

Jackie Charlton, centre-half.

The greatest player of them all, Bobby Moore.

Geoff Hurst, inside-left,

and he is the only man to have scored a hat-trick

in a World Cup final.

The great Bobby Charlton at centre-forward.

And then we've got Martin Peters at inside-right

and Alan Ball at outside-right.

-And we've got Alf Ramsey, who was the England manager.

-Yeah.

England won 4-2 in extra time, with the Geoff Hurst hat-trick.

It was the first time that we'd won the World Cup

-and, I have to say, we haven't won it since.

-Since.

So, where were you when this was being played?

I was at Clacton, on holiday.

-Really?

-In a caravan, yeah, and we were watching it

on a small television.

Were you cheering?

-Yeah! Of course we do, don't we?

-Yeah.

So, what's it worth?

Well, it's up for you to say!

-Well, it says here two and sixpence.

-Six.

That's twelve-and-a-half pence, isn't it?

It's worth more than that, isn't it?

It is, it is, a lot more than that.

-All them signatures and...

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Worth £50?

-I would think so.

-Would you?

And more, yeah, I would think so.

-Worth £100?

-Well, I would think so, but...

OK, this is what I...

This is what I think we should auction estimate it at.

I think we should put an estimate on it of £200 to £300

and I think we should put a reserve on it of 180.

-Right.

-Are you happy with that?

Yeah.

I've got a line for you now.

So, on that note, they think it's all over.

It is now.

And here comes Hurst, he's got...

Some people are on the pitch. They think it's all over.

-It is now. It's four!

-CHEERING

Yes, if you didn't know,

that was the legendary commentary line from the match.

Speaking of legends,

what's Mark up to?

-Kevin, Meg, this is a bit of an unusual one for us.

-Yes.

Let's identify what we've got.

You got hearts, you've got clubs, I've got diamonds and spades,

so I think we're talking playing games here, aren't we?

-Possibly.

-Yes.

-Bridge.

-Bridge.

-Yes.

I've never anything like this.

-I've seen bridge chairs with the various suits on them...

-Yes.

-Yeah.

..and you get bridge ashtrays,

and you get bridge pens enamelled with, again, the suit of clubs,

-but I've never seen a little set of tables.

-No.

And they're beautifully... I love the turned legs.

Where have they come from?

They were left to me by a neighbour I used to look after.

She was a very keen bridge player.

-Was she?

-Yes.

And you followed in her suit, did you?

No, unfortunately.

-Do you know what? I don't know how you play bridge, either.

-No.

You know... Well, I love these. I think they're great fun.

They're unusual.

It's quite interesting, you know,

-cos I've looked at them and I think the top is oak...

-Yes.

..but the legs may be some sort of fruit wood.

-Each one of them seems to be carved with a different pattern.

-Yeah.

And these have been done by hand,

so somebody's taken, like, a hot poker or something

and then carved all of this in.

I mean, it's difficult to date them.

I love the turned legs, so I'd like to think they were, sort of,

-late Victorian, Edwardian.

-Mm-hmm.

-Yes.

So, they go back 100 years or so.

-Nice.

-Yes.

And I just think, if you like playing cards,

or even if you'd just like four different lamp tables

or coffee tables in your house,

these would go down a treat, wouldn't they?

I think they are.

The condition is generally very good.

One of you is holding a wobbly leg.

-Yes.

-You've got the wobbly leg.

-I've got the wobbly leg.

-And I mean the table, of course.

-Of course.

-And I've got a bit of a chip here,

but, other than that, they're in good condition.

-Yeah.

-Very good, yes.

I think if we put £100-£150 on the four...

-Very nice.

-..and we'll put £100 reserve fixed.

-Lovely.

-Lovely, yes.

-Because if you can't get 100 for them,

I don't think you should sell them.

-No.

-No.

-But I wouldn't be surprised if they make a bit more than that.

-I think they're wonderful.

-That's very nice.

Thank you very much, indeed. I love it.

All I can say now is, anybody for cards?

Well, it's not fun and games for everyone here today.

-I'm talking to Linda, who is sitting patiently.

-Mm-hmm.

I thought she was admiring the ceiling and the wonderful artwork,

-but actually...

-I have.

-Yeah, but you've been doing some revision, haven't you?

-I have.

-What's all this about?

-It's all about neuromuscular fitness.

Right, OK, so what do you do, then?

-I teach Pilates.

-Oh, do you?

-Yes.

-Oh, right, OK. Oh, so you're very healthy, then.

Well, sort of, yeah!

And how's your antique skills?

-Not very good, no.

-What have you brought along for us?

-I've brought...

-Where have you come from?

-I'm originally from Newcastle, but I live down here in Bexley...

-Yeah.

..so I've brought that, which was given to me by my grandmother.

-Good make.

-Yeah, very nice.

-Boxed and ready to go.

-And...

-Very small, though.

-Very small, and then I've got...

Oh, that's more like it.

That's quite old. I've got lots of Georg Jensen.

Oh, wow, that's really nice.

-You know, Jensen's really collectable.

-Yeah.

-It's lovely, I do like it.

-It's up there with the best.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, it's really nice.

That could be worth a lot of money, that little box, for you.

-I hope so!

-Well, look, good luck. SHE LAUGHS

-Thank you.

-Good luck.

-Ray, how are you?

-How do you do, Philip? Pleased to meet you.

Yeah, you too. You, too. This is lovely.

Have you got a connection with this?

Yes, I worked on this pub, the Coach & Horses,

-when it was refurbished.

-Right.

And when was that?

Back in the mid-'90s.

And this was thrown in the skip.

I was sat having my lunch break when they threw it in the skip.

And what was your role in the refurbishment?

Well, I was a painter and decorator on the refurbishment.

You didn't do the ceiling here, did you?

Not really, no! A bit before my time.

OK, well, I think it's really interesting

and there's a process that you can go through that dates it for you,

because the brewery is a local one.

-It was set up in Bethnal round about 1860-ish.

-Oh, really?

And they merged with a much larger brewery and they became part

of that large concern at the back end of the 1970s.

So, you'd, kind of, think from that that this might date

to somewhere between 1955 and 1965. Would you agree with that?

Yeah, I would agree with that, because it's on a metal base.

Yeah, absolutely, because a lot of these originally

-would have been wooden, wouldn't they?

-Yeah.

But there's one thing about it that I absolutely love.

Right.

Does anything strike you strange in any way?

You know, it does seem a little bit twisted.

-So, you think it's slightly twisted?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-But it's character, isn't it? I like the character.

-Anything else?

-Not really, no.

-What's the name of the pub?

Coach & Horses.

What are you looking at?

A coach with no horses.

A coach and no horses, so it's actually the Coach & No Horses.

-True!

-You know, it's all hand-painted and you can tell.

If you look all around here,

you can actually see the brushstrokes,

and just here, look, you can just see where the paint's run.

I think... I love it and it's...

I would have really loved it, if it had been wooden,

perhaps turn of the last century. That would have been great.

You'd have been talking hundreds and hundreds of pounds

and I think if this were just on a piece of canvas,

-you know, you'd be thinking perhaps £40-£60, £50-£80.

-Yeah.

That's what we should use as an estimate.

Put £50-£80 on it and put a reserve on it of £40,

but I just think it's a great bit of fun

and what would be lovely is if

a pub called the Coach & Horses bought it,

but I suspect this is going to

just end up as a decorative item in someone's house.

-Yeah.

-Are you happy with that?

I'm fine with that, yeah.

What you should have done, you know, is get another piece of metal

-and paint in some horses just here!

-Put a horse on it. Yeah!

Well, I'll tell you what, it's going really well.

We're having a fabulous time here.

Enjoying yourselves, everyone?

-ALL:

-Yes!

-Yes, that's what it's all about.

Right now, our experts have found their first three items

to take off to auction.

This is where it gets exciting.

Anything could happen.

Don't disappear, it could be a roller-coaster ride.

Hang on to those armchairs.

Here's a quick recap of all the items that are going

under the hammer.

We've got team spirit, so let's hope we can score with this World Cup

football programme from 1966,

with all of the players' signatures.

And we need a good deal

for these card coffee tables.

The drinks are on Philip if we can get a good price

for the Coach & Horses pub sign.

We're heading now to our auction room in Chiswick, west London,

which is home to London's largest and oldest brewery.

300 years ago, London was home to thousands of breweries,

large and small,

but Fuller's is the only one that has survived since then.

Unfortunately, there's no time for a pint right now,

as we need to head ten minutes up the road to Chiswick Auctions.

Stephen Large and William Rowse are on the rostrum.

Remember, when you're selling at auction, or buying,

you need to pay a commission fee,

which here, today, it's 15% plus VAT.

First up, the coffee tables.

Kevin, it's good to see you. Where's Meg?

She's poorly at the moment. She's sick.

-Rather than suffer and give it to anybody else...

-Yeah, in bed.

-In bed. Exactly, exactly.

-We're grateful for that.

Anyhow, we've got this wonderful set of little tiny occasional tables.

-I adore them.

-Oh, they're brilliant.

-They're bridge tables.

-Bridge tables, yeah.

Hopefully, they'll find a loving home

with someone that plays cards and someone that loves furniture.

Well, I've been very realistic. £100-£150.

-Not a lot of money.

-They've got to make 100.

Let's find out what the bidders think.

They're going under the hammer right now.

Good luck, both of you. Here we go.

Bridge occasional tables.

I haven't seen a little set like this before.

421, an unusual lot.

Start me, at £100 to go.

100 is bid. Next to me at 100.

110, I'll take elsewhere.

So far, it's a maiden bid of 100.

Is that it?

For £100...

Are we all done, then?

Selling for £100.

In the room at 100...

Hammer's gone down, £100.

What a pity, but the money's there.

-The money's there, isn't it?

-The money's there.

-£25 a table.

-It's not a lot, really, is it?

-Yeah, that's right. No.

-No.

-That was good.

Right, now it's time for last orders.

Yes, there's a nice link to that pub sign.

Philip's laughing. Ray, it's great to see you. Who's this?

I'm Jane. I'm his wife.

Oh, hello. You weren't at the valuation day, were you?

-I wasn't, no.

-Well, thank you for joining us today.

I love this pub sign.

50 quid?! What a bargain!

Absolutely. A great decorator's piece.

Yeah, I hope it goes for twice as much,

because, you know, the Coach & Horses,

that's an iconic name in pubs, isn't it?

Right, let's find out what the bidders think, shall we?

Here we go. Let's hope for that top end of the estimate.

It's going under the hammer right now.

A very good example.

I've got some interest.

Let's try and start this off at £40.

We're not going to go any lower than £40.

£40 is bid.

-Great. Come on.

-£40. Any advance on £40?

Is there a bid? 45, in the room.

Yeah, I think we're going to sell now.

-We're going to sell.

-£45, in the room.

£50, on the internet.

55, sir? It's 55, in the room.

£55.

Someone's going to be happy.

£60. 65...

Would you like 65, Tony?

65, in the room.

At 65, yes.

£70, on the internet.

It's against you. Going for 75?

75, in the room.

80, on the internet.

Brilliant, brilliant.

-This is more like it.

-85?

-Come on, come on...

-It's 85, in the room.

And don't spare the horses!

£90, on the internet.

95? 95, in the room.

We're pushing it up. 95, in the room.

£100, on the internet.

£100 - that's the room out.

£100.

I think that's going to be it. Any further interest?

We're selling at £100.

-Yes, we've done it.

-It's selling.

-It's now sold at £100.

-Yes!

We did get twice the bottom end and that's gone online,

hopefully, to a collector, and that'll be on the wall somewhere,

where it belongs.

-A work of art.

-Yes.

-Thank you so much for coming in.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Lovely to meet you, as well.

-Thank you.

Next up, the 1966 World Cup programme.

June, you're a footie fan, aren't you?

This one's going to hit the back of the net, that's for sure.

-Hope so.

-I hope so.

-Oh, it will do.

Real legends, weren't they?

-Yeah, especially with the signed autographs.

-Yeah.

So, why are you selling this?

-Well, it's my son-in-law's...

-OK.

-..and he does nights, so he isn't here.

-OK.

And he, erm... I think he wants to do his motorbike up.

Right, OK. Let's see what we can do.

Let's put the tournament programme to the test

and it's going under the hammer now.

The World Championship 1966 football programme.

And start me at £150 to go.

150 is bid. 200 is bid, on the internet.

Straight in at 200.

-200.

-Yeah.

-That's a good start.

We're in there straight away at 200.

Is that it?

220.

Come on, come on, come on, a couple more bids.

A signed programme at £220.

At 220...

I'm going to sell it, then, for 220.

Make no mistake. We're all done, at 220.

-Yes, yes...

-That's good, isn't it?

-Yes.

-I'm really pleased with that. £220, that'll help.

-Well done.

-That will help, won't it?

-It was only in the drawer, so...

-Yeah!

Yeah.

Gosh, there you are. Wasn't that exciting?

Our first lots done and dusted under the hammer,

and we are coming back here later on.

Right now, I'm going back to Greenwich, to visit

the National Maritime Museum, to find out about

one of our national heroes,

someone who helped put the Great in Britain, Horatio Nelson.

The 18th century was a turbulent period for the Royal Navy.

While the dockyards were bustling with activity,

ferocious battles with the Dutch, Spanish and French

were happening at sea.

This was the backdrop for a confident young sailor

from humble beginnings to make a name for himself.

The National Maritime Museum, next door to the Naval College,

holds a massive collection of several thousand items

relating to Nelson, including paintings of battles,

the clothes he wore, and even the personal letters he wrote.

Right from his early days in the Navy,

Nelson was always ambitious and he rose through the ranks rapidly.

When he was stationed as a young lieutenant in Italy,

he wrote to his new wife, Fanny.

"I wish to be an Admiral and in command of the English fleet.

"I should very soon either do much or be ruined."

Although Nelson was not from a privileged background,

his mother's brother, Captain Maurice Suckling,

took control of Nelson's career from when he was 12 years old.

His uncle made sure Nelson spent a lot of time at sea

and acted as his sponsor.

In the Navy, the system allowed sailors to rise up

through the ranks.

Nelson was trained up and his clear talent was spotted.

Most of us have an image of Horatio Nelson - the iconic image,

as a man wearing an eye patch and the loss of one arm.

Well, it may surprise you to know that he actually didn't

lose his eye - he lost the sight in one eye,

so he never wore an eye patch.

His eye remained intact, and he lost his right arm three years later

at the Battle of Santa Cruz in Tenerife.

Now, what we have here is a letter in front of me that he wrote for

the very first time with his left hand,

and he's writing to his superiors,

telling them that he's just lost the battle, but it begins with,

"I became a burden to my friends and useless to my country.

"I became dead to the world."

And here on the back, it says, "You will excuse my scrawl,

"considering it is my first attempt."

Now, is this Nelson emotional and depressed?

Well, if it is, then it's short-lived,

because Nelson was a fighter

and, a few years after losing his arm, he writes,

"I am envious only of glory.

"If it is a sin to covet glory,

"then I am the most offending soul alive."

It was the victorious Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797

that made Nelson famous.

He attacked a Spanish ship vastly superior to his own

and boarded it in armed combat.

From that ship, he then boarded another, even bigger vessel.

His performance in this and subsequent battles

ensured Nelson's place in naval history.

He was mobbed in the streets like a modern footballer or pop star

and thousands of souvenirs were produced with his face upon them.

The only thing that tarnished his reputation

was his love affair with Lady Emma Hamilton.

She was one of the most glamorous and celebrated women of the day

and the wife to the Ambassador of Naples.

It was their scandalous affair at the turn of the 19th century

which would last for the rest of Nelson's life.

It was Emma and their daughter, Horatia,

who were on his mind when he entered the Battle of Trafalgar.

This painting by JMW Turner depicts the battle against Napoleon

at Cape Trafalgar in autumn 1805.

'I'm meeting with James Davey, who is the curator of naval history

'here at the National Maritime Museum,

'and can explain what happened on that fateful day.'

Well, it certainly is Turner on a grand scale.

Can you talk me through it?

It was commissioned in 1822 by King George IV

and finished a couple of years later.

And is it historically correct?

It is absolutely not historically accurate,

and, actually, when the painting first went on display,

it received quite a lot of criticism.

A lot of the people that came to see it had actually served in the Battle

of Trafalgar, but they didn't quite get what Turner was trying to do.

He's not trying to depict one moment of the battle

and render an accurate description.

What he's trying to do is bring together various stages

-of the battle in one large canvas.

-Sure.

So, right here in the centre, you have HMS Victory itself,

this very imposing ship.

Over here, on the right of the painting,

you can see the French ship, the Redoutable.

This was the vessel that the Victory was locked in combat with

during the majority of the battle.

Right here, and central to the painting,

you can see Nelson's famous signal,

"England expects that every man will do his duty,"

hanging down from the main mast.

He hoisted the signal just as the British fleet

was approaching the enemy,

but what makes it really, really remarkable is

this was the first time in naval history that a commander

had been able to compose a message in his own words

and communicate it to his entire fleet.

It was a comforting message that every crew member on each

of his 27 ships heard as they went into battle.

Just before the battle commenced,

he wrote a last amendment to his will,

while in sight of the French and Spanish fleets.

He's trying to make sure that Lady Emma and Horatia

are looked after, if he is killed.

Admiral Nelson was shot by a musket ball

in the final hours of the battle,

but he stayed alive long enough to know that they were victorious.

And this is the uniform he wore on that fateful day.

Nelson's last words were, "Thank God I have done my duty."

And he did.

His body, pickled in brandy in a cask,

was brought back to his homeland

and carried ashore at Greenwich by his beloved men from the Victory.

Lord Nelson lay in state in the painted hall

and crowds stacked up inside to see him for one last time.

More than 30,000 people came here to pay their respects.

They eyed the coffin with melancholy,

but Nelson's last wish, that Lady Emma Hamilton be cared for

after his death, was not upheld.

Their scandalous affair was a stain on the reputation of this

national hero and, without support, she died in 1815, in poverty.

Nelson's daughter, Horatia, was now on her own.

Earlier, I met with Horatia's

great-great-great-great- great-granddaughter,

to find out what happened to Horatia.

Becks, thanks for meeting me here.

So, how does it feel being a descendant to Lord Nelson,

being here where he was laid to rest before being taken to St Paul's?

Yeah, it's amazing really.

It's a really special place, this.

I've never actually been to this spot before.

-Haven't you?

-No, I haven't, so it's incredible to actually see it.

And the name Nelson and Horatia crop up regularly throughout the line?

Yeah, it's been passed down.

Me and all of my cousins have either

Horatia or Emma or Nelson in our name somewhere,

but it's usually a middle name.

When you hear and you read about Emma dying in poverty,

what do you think, what do you feel?

I think it's really sad, because she was such an important person to him

and she was quite a remarkable woman, really.

I think, to make a name for yourself

at a time when women had no social standing, is quite incredible

and I think he felt confident that she's be taken care of

and, then, she wasn't, so it was sad.

So, what happened to Horatia, after she died?

She went to live with Nelson's sister

and she was married at 21 and had eight children.

So, a happy ending for her?

Yeah, I think so.

The Battle of Trafalgar sealed Lord Nelson's place in the history books

as a national hero - a status which would be

forever enshrined in popular myth and iconography.

He got the glory that he craved

and the victory gave Britain an unrivalled supremacy at sea

for the next 100 years.

Welcome back to our valuation day venue here

at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

It's now time to join up with our experts, to see what other items

we can find to take off to auction.

Thank you for coming to visit us on "Flog It!".

You've brought two very difficult items in

and you've got a little bit of history.

Your father was a great collector, is that right?

He was a collector, yes.

He used to love going round second-hand shops

and, when we'd be on holiday,

he would spend a lot of his time walking around second-hand shops

and, as kids, we'd be traipsing behind him.

Oh, no, not another one!

My mum was never very pleased with all the things he brought home,

because she'd just think, "That's something else to dust, really!"

He sounds like a man after my own heart,

because I love doing that myself.

He had an eye for things and he'd just buy something he liked.

This type of collecting field really has grown up over the last 30 years.

-Yeah.

-I mean, millions of bronzes have been made,

particularly representing Buddha.

These are standard representations of the figure, as well.

The values, of course, depend on the age of the item.

-Yes, I see.

-To me,

the earliest they would be, to my eye, is late-19th century.

So, that's 1880, 1890.

-Oh, right, OK.

-This one, I quite like because, to me,

it's got quite a nice patina. It's a nice, brown colour.

It's had a lot of people touching her.

All our greasy, dirty hands that go on there, over time,

-that creates a nice, waxy bronze patina.

-Yeah.

This one...

has not really got much of a warmth or colour to it.

-OK.

-It doesn't mean that it's not old.

-No.

-But those are some of the things I look for.

But they are interesting

and the market likes decorative Asian articles.

This one, I think we should put in at 200 to £300, with a £200 reserve,

-so we protect it.

-Yeah.

This one, I really don't know, to be honest with you.

What would you like that to sell...

If you said, "I would like that to make a sum of money,"

-what would you like it to be?

-I remember him saying that he actually

preferred that one.

I think probably

400, I really do. I do.

I think we could try it at four to six, with a 400 fixed reserve.

-Yes.

-I mean, look, I think it might struggle,

but with the market the way it is, I don't know.

And when you're valuing things like this,

when there's great uncertainty,

it is up for other people to decide.

If it doesn't make that, I shall blame you.

-You know that, don't you?

-Obviously, you will, yeah.

So let's hope we have a good day, Stephen.

-I hope so, as well.

-Do you know the fun part?

-Go on.

-We won't know until the auction.

-No, that's very true.

-But we'll both be smiling after it.

-All right?

-I hope so, anyway.

-Great. Thank you, Stephen.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Let's hope Mark's wisdom will fare well at auction.

Right now, though, we had better stay focused.

-Greg, how are you?

-I'm fine.

-Good to see you, good to see you.

-Great.

-Now, what I was hoping that you were going to tell me that your

-family name is...

-Nelson.

-Nelson.

And you are actually Gregory Horacio Nelson.

No, no. Unfortunately not.

We've failed here, haven't we, miserably.

-Is this a family thing?

-Yes.

It was my maternal grandfather's.

-Your maternal grandfather's? Was he a mariner?

-No.

He was a farmer... in Nottinghamshire.

That's fantastic. I'm, sort of, kind of, hoping, we're in Greenwich

and it might belong to Nelson and you're telling me it's a farmer from

landlocked Nottingham. And why would he have had it, do you think?

I'm not even sure whether he might have inherited it.

-Does it work?

-Yes.

-It does.

-Let's just have a look at it.

-Absolutely.

-What we want to do is just open that first drawer there.

-Yeah, right.

-Just roll that around like that

and you want to see a maker's name just there.

-Oh, right, yeah.

-Perhaps someone like Doland.

-Yeah.

-You'd normally see it just there.

-We don't know who it's by.

-Nope.

But we've got all these drawers here which just pull out.

-Right, yeah.

-And then we've got a cover,

just on the end,

and very often you'll find a maker's stamp on there.

-Oh, right.

-So let's just slide...

That unscrews as well.

That just comes open as well, there.

-Yeah, yeah.

-And then we've got another one here, look.

-So I just open that.

-Right.

-See what I can see now.

Absolutely.

It's a very, very powerful scope, that.

And I would think that it's possibly a marine one.

It's got this...

it looks like a part-mahogany case here, sometimes they're in leather.

-Right.

-It's brass-mounted here.

In terms of date,

I would think it's probably around the last half of the 19th century,

somewhere between, let's say 1850 and 1880, something like that.

Right.

It's missing a case, which it would have had, initially.

-Yes.

-Possibly leather, possibly wooden.

-Yeah.

-But I quite like it, actually.

What's it worth?

-A good question.

-I think a sensible estimate is £60 to £90.

-Right.

-And we'll stick a fixed reserve on it at 60 quid for you.

-Yep.

-And with the internet, this will get caught at auction.

It'll be picked up and the buyers will be there for it.

-Right.

-Someone is going to see a profit in it.

Although Greg's telescope doesn't have a Nelson connection,

here at the Royal Naval College,

Nelson became a central part of its maritime history.

I've just stepped outside for a moment,

because there is something unusual

I want you to show you and it's up there with the stone pediment.

Seven years after Nelson's death in 1805, this pediment,

entitled The Immortality Of Nelson, was designed by Benjamin West.

It is over 40 feet long and ten feet high and it depicts Nelson's body

being handed over to Britannia by a winged female figure,

representing victory.

The trident symbolising Britain's domination over the sea.

Interestingly enough,

the frieze within the pediment isn't made of stone,

it's made of coade stone.

And it's a lot simpler to use because it's made from a mould,

it's a special sand and a special glass mixed together,

so you don't have to carve it, so it's cheaper and easier to produce.

But, boy, does it looks fantastic.

A lot of coade statues still exist today, but sadly, come the 1840s,

everybody fell out of favour with coade,

so the industry really just fizzled out.

But it does stand the test of time and once it's weathered and it's got

a bit of detail, a bit of dirt and grubbiness to it,

the whole thing comes alive.

Right, back inside now, to catch up with our experts, to see what else

we can find to take off to auction.

Naomi, you've brought in a right pair here, haven't you?

Now, where did they come from?

Well, it belonged to my grandmother and then they went to my mother

and 25 years ago, when she died, I took them.

My grandmother lived in the Argentine.

-Oh, did she?

-She was Anglo-Argentine.

-Yes.

-Gosh.

-And I think what must've happened was

her husband worked for a shipping company

and I imagine he would have brought them out as a gift for her.

Gosh, he must really loved her.

He had a whole array of scent bottles he could have bought.

I suppose so.

But he's chosen a wonderful pair of exotic, to match the Argentine.

As an antiques dealer,

one of the things I regularly see are scent bottles.

-Yes.

-Because every Victorian lady had an arrangement.

They come in all shapes and sizes,

some silver topped, some gold topped,

some silver-plated.

And every time we do a "Flog It!",

we find something just a little bit different.

And these are very different.

We've looked the hallmarks up for you.

-Yes.

-And they are hallmarked in 1888.

Now, when you first look at glass like this, which is overlaid,

so you've got a clear glass and then a green glass and a brown glass

overlaid and cut away,

you think of Bohemian.

They were absolutely skilled at doing this.

I don't think these are Bohemia. I think these are British.

And they might have been made in Stourbridge.

The quality is wonderful.

I've never seen this colour before.

I just adore them.

If I had my way, I'd pack them up and take them home with me,

but I can't, sadly.

The difficulty is that one of them has had a bit of damage,

the hinge has come apart,

but I think any scent bottle collector would adore these

for their collection.

You've had them for a long time, would you be sad to get rid of them?

I'll be sad, I'll be sad, but I can't take them with me.

-No.

-And if my family are going to sell them,

I might as well do that myself.

-Absolutely.

-And do it here.

I quite agree with you.

I've got to put a sensible estimate on them because of the damage.

So, I think we should put them in, maybe, at...

..£200 to £300, with a fixed reserve of 200.

But I think they will make more than that,

because I think they're absolutely wonderful.

How do you feel about that?

-Absolutely fine.

-Are you sure?

-Yes.

-You've made my day.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you so much.

Well, sadly it's time to say goodbye to all of this.

We've had a marvellous day

at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

Everybody has thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

But right now, we are making our way up the River Thames,

to the auction rooms in Chiswick. Here is a quick recap

of the final items that are going under the hammer.

Let's hope these bronze Buddhas

can lead to a path of enlightenment at the auction.

And wouldn't it be great if we could magnify the value

of Greg's telescope?

And I'm sure the collectors will sniff out

this lovely pair of scent bottles.

Back at the saleroom,

Stephen Large and William Rouse are the auctioneers.

First up, Stephen's Buddhas.

Stephen, we have two Buddhas going under the hammer, two separate lots.

We're starting with the smaller lot. This is my favourite, actually.

-I like this one more.

-You see, I'm with you there.

Yeah, I know.

I think the colour... It's got a great patina.

It's good, it's good. Look, these were your father's, weren't they?

-They were. He was a collector.

-He collected them. He was in and out of

-all these little second-hand shops and antique shops.

-That's right.

Fingers crossed. I just hope we have an exciting moment on this,

because you never know, we've seen it on the show before.

-It could happen.

-We do like exciting moments.

It's an auction, it could be a roller-coaster ride.

Anyway, this lot is going under the hammer.

Here's the first of the two.

There we go. Nice little lot there.

And a little bit of interest to start me. I'm in at 150.

Not enough. 160, I'll take.

With me at £150, for the Buddha.

150. 160, I'll take.

Is that it? We've stopped at 150.

-What are you thinking?

-It's not flying, is it?

There's nothing coming in...

which you would expect, obviously.

Not selling, I'm afraid.

-That was my favourite.

-Me, too.

Right, OK.

Fingers crossed for the next, OK?

This is... Everyone else rated this one.

So, hopefully, WE got this one wrong.

-Which we can do, Paul.

-Which we can do.

-We often do.

-Here we go. Here's the next lot, Stephen.

Under the hammer now.

There we go. I'm bid 350,

I'm bid 380, I'm bid 400.

-Here we go.

-£400. 450.

-450.

480.

500.

On the internet, for 500.

For £500. 550.

600. Internet bidder of 600.

At £600, selling it, then.

It goes for £600, all done.

£600, there you go, Stephen.

-Yes.

-600.

-£600.

-You happy? He's smiling.

-That's the one I thought

-was the nicer one, personally.

-OK.

Next up, we have a three-drawer telescope, belonging to Greg.

This has been in the family a little while, hasn't it?

-Yes, yes.

-Your grandfather's?

-Yes, but where he got it,

nobody knows.

I think it's going to go for that top end.

-I hope so.

-Happy with this?

-Yes.

Let's get it in focus. Here we go, this is it.

The Victorian mahogany and brass three-drawer telescope.

Very nice, this. I used this earlier.

Let's start this off at £60.

Rather attractive.

-Come on, bidders, come on.

-£60.

£60, do we have a £60 bid?

Surely?

-I don't think so.

-Nope.

-Sadly.

Nope, no bid.

No sale, sorry.

I'm very sorry.

Look, I think it's meant to be in the family.

I think it's meant to be in the family.

Pass it down to the next generation.

It's such a lovely thing, I'm sure Greg won't mind holding on to it.

Next, the pair of silver-mounted scent bottles.

Naomi, thank you very much for coming along to our valuation day

and bringing, for me, I think one of the best things, the scent bottles.

-£200 to £300.

-Yes.

-They are fantastic.

I wouldn't be selling these. I think they look stunning.

I think they are wonderful.

They were one of the nicer things I saw.

-Yes.

-The colour is so unusual.

Beautiful. It's beautiful.

We see hundreds of scent bottles.

Yes. Be prepared to say goodbye.

I think these will fly away.

They're going under the hammer right now. This is it.

A pair of silver-mounted scent bottles.

Where shall we start this? Start me £150, to go.

150. 160 with you.

170, 180, 190, £200, in the room.

210, 220, 230,

240, 250, 260, 270,

280, 290. 290, in the doorway.

300, on the internet.

320, on the internet.

340, in the room.

360, 380, 400.

420, 440.

-Yes!

-Will we get to the 500?

Yes, we will. We'll get £500, we will get 500, come on.

-500.

-Yes!

-Wow.

-550.

-600. 650.

-Good Lord.

-This is auctions for you.

I can't believe it.

700, 750.

800, 850. £800.

-They are quality. They're just beautiful.

-900.

They're definitely English. I thought they were Stourbridge.

£1,000.

A thousand?

1,200, 1,300.

The internet seems to have stopped.

We are in the room now, at £1,300, in the far corner.

At 1,300. Lovely pair of bottles.

At £1,300.

All done?

-Yes!

-Wow.

-How about that?

-Fantastic.

How about that? What a lovely surprise.

-A lovely, lovely surprise.

-You're lost for words.

-Not quite.

-Come on, then, what do you think?

Have you got any more like that at home?

-I think it's terrific.

-Do you know what I think?

-Thank you so much.

-That was the sweet smell of success.

-It was.

Do you know, I said to you,

"Thank you for coming along and bringing those in",

because that made my day.

Best thing in the sale for me and what a surprise.

That's the one we wanted. I hope you've enjoyed today's show.

See you for many more surprises to come in another sale room.

For now, from Chiswick, it's goodbye.