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This magnificent hall in the Old Royal Naval College | 0:00:09 | 0:00:12 | |
in Greenwich is one of England's greatest art treasures and we're | 0:00:12 | 0:00:15 | |
feeling very privileged today, because we're making this | 0:00:15 | 0:00:18 | |
the base for our valuations. | 0:00:18 | 0:00:20 | |
While the crew make sure everything is in place, | 0:00:22 | 0:00:25 | |
all I need to say is, "Welcome to Flog It!" | 0:00:25 | 0:00:28 | |
The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich is one of London's | 0:00:49 | 0:00:52 | |
most famous riverside landmarks. | 0:00:52 | 0:00:55 | |
In the past, visitors to Greenwich were encouraged to arrive via | 0:00:55 | 0:00:58 | |
the River Thames so they could fully appreciate the formation of | 0:00:58 | 0:01:02 | |
this classic masterpiece. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:04 | |
The celebrated architect, Sir Christopher Wren, designed | 0:01:04 | 0:01:07 | |
the buildings in the late 1600s as a refuge for old and injured sailors. | 0:01:07 | 0:01:11 | |
Well, I've come outside to meet all of these lovely people. | 0:01:14 | 0:01:16 | |
Hundreds of them from London and beyond, | 0:01:16 | 0:01:19 | |
laden with antiques and collectables. | 0:01:19 | 0:01:21 | |
In a few minutes, we'll be getting them inside | 0:01:21 | 0:01:23 | |
so they can find the answer to that all-important question, which is... | 0:01:23 | 0:01:27 | |
What's it worth? | 0:01:27 | 0:01:29 | |
Stay tuned and you'll find out. | 0:01:29 | 0:01:31 | |
Helping steer us through the valuations today | 0:01:32 | 0:01:35 | |
are experts Jonathan Pratt... | 0:01:35 | 0:01:37 | |
You see watches have a maritime theme, of course, and | 0:01:37 | 0:01:39 | |
here we are in the naval college. | 0:01:39 | 0:01:41 | |
Watches were used for timekeeping and navigation, as well. | 0:01:41 | 0:01:44 | |
And Philip Serrell. | 0:01:44 | 0:01:46 | |
I see no ships. | 0:01:46 | 0:01:48 | |
No, there's nothing there at all, is there? | 0:01:48 | 0:01:50 | |
But putting them together could mean a lot of horsing around. | 0:01:50 | 0:01:53 | |
-Isn't that lovely, JP. -What have you got there, then? | 0:01:53 | 0:01:55 | |
-Well, it's Muffin the Mule, isn't it? -Is it Muffin the Mule? | 0:01:55 | 0:01:58 | |
-What's it worth? -I'm not old enough to remember Muffin the Mule. | 0:01:58 | 0:02:00 | |
Thank you very much! What is it worth, mate,? | 0:02:00 | 0:02:02 | |
About a pony, I would have thought. | 0:02:02 | 0:02:04 | |
While everyone gets seated, here's a quick look at what's coming up. | 0:02:05 | 0:02:08 | |
Philip Serrell is training up the next generation of experts. | 0:02:11 | 0:02:15 | |
-When I ask you, you go 50 quid, all right? -OK. | 0:02:15 | 0:02:18 | |
-What do you think that's worth, Harry? -£50. | 0:02:18 | 0:02:21 | |
He's good, isn't he? He's really very, very good. | 0:02:21 | 0:02:23 | |
And Jonathan has a favourite fan. | 0:02:23 | 0:02:26 | |
I'm rather drawn to this one. | 0:02:26 | 0:02:28 | |
I don't know if it's the naked ladies bathing, | 0:02:28 | 0:02:30 | |
but it's a bit of a racy subject, which is kind of nice. | 0:02:30 | 0:02:34 | |
And later on in the show, I'm aboard this national treasure. | 0:02:34 | 0:02:37 | |
The Cutty Sark was one of the fastest sailing ships the world had | 0:02:37 | 0:02:41 | |
ever seen in the mid-19th century. | 0:02:41 | 0:02:43 | |
Here she stands in all her glory, having survived the high seas, | 0:02:43 | 0:02:46 | |
hurricanes and even fire. | 0:02:46 | 0:02:48 | |
While everybody's getting themselves settled in, | 0:02:57 | 0:03:00 | |
I'd like to show you the artist behind all of this masterpiece. | 0:03:00 | 0:03:03 | |
Sir James Thornhill painted himself in, | 0:03:03 | 0:03:06 | |
like a self-portrait, onto the mural on the back wall here. | 0:03:06 | 0:03:09 | |
Here he is, look, in all his splendour with his wig and with his | 0:03:09 | 0:03:12 | |
palette and brushes, which you can see the oil's already mixed up. | 0:03:12 | 0:03:16 | |
Thornhill painted directly onto dry plaster and there are | 0:03:16 | 0:03:20 | |
a number of themes running through all the murals here from | 0:03:20 | 0:03:23 | |
royal patronage right onto the maritime trade. | 0:03:23 | 0:03:27 | |
Although he also worked at Blenheim Palace and on St Paul's Cathedral, | 0:03:27 | 0:03:31 | |
this is what he is best known for. | 0:03:31 | 0:03:33 | |
He received a knighthood for his work here. | 0:03:33 | 0:03:36 | |
It's hardly surprising, really, it's absolutely breathtaking. | 0:03:36 | 0:03:39 | |
Right, now let's catch up with our expert, Philip, | 0:03:43 | 0:03:46 | |
and hopefully he's found something worthy of some honours. | 0:03:46 | 0:03:49 | |
-Jill, Paul. -Hello. | 0:03:54 | 0:03:56 | |
-Phil. How are you, all right? -Fine, thank you. -Fine, thank you. | 0:03:56 | 0:03:59 | |
How long has this been in the family? | 0:03:59 | 0:04:01 | |
Um, it was my father's. | 0:04:01 | 0:04:03 | |
We've had it for as long as we can remember. | 0:04:03 | 0:04:06 | |
Has he been an avid clock collector? | 0:04:06 | 0:04:08 | |
-Yeah, he used to be an amateur... watch... -Repairer. | 0:04:08 | 0:04:13 | |
-Horologist. -Horologist. -Horologist. | 0:04:13 | 0:04:16 | |
-OK. -Yeah. I've not heard that, but... | 0:04:16 | 0:04:18 | |
Well, do you know how old this is? | 0:04:18 | 0:04:20 | |
-Er, I think it's Regency. -How do you know that? | 0:04:20 | 0:04:23 | |
-Because one of your experts... -Oh! That's unfair! | 0:04:24 | 0:04:27 | |
That is so unfair. | 0:04:27 | 0:04:29 | |
-Oh! -He's absolutely right. | 0:04:29 | 0:04:30 | |
What I love about this business is that there's no magic to it at all. | 0:04:30 | 0:04:34 | |
It's just a question of using your eyes. | 0:04:34 | 0:04:36 | |
If you start at the top here, if you think of the Brighton Pavilion. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:40 | |
-Oh, yeah. -Pineapple finials. | 0:04:40 | 0:04:43 | |
Oh, yeah. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:44 | |
-You've got this almost fan-shaped pagoda top. -Yes. | 0:04:44 | 0:04:48 | |
It's made out of rich mahogany. | 0:04:48 | 0:04:51 | |
These spandrels, they're typical of that late Regency period. | 0:04:51 | 0:04:55 | |
This is called a bracket clock. | 0:04:55 | 0:04:58 | |
This would sit on a wooden bracket on a wall | 0:04:58 | 0:05:01 | |
in all its glory. | 0:05:01 | 0:05:04 | |
This has problems, OK? | 0:05:04 | 0:05:07 | |
This is mahogany | 0:05:07 | 0:05:10 | |
and it's all veneered, | 0:05:10 | 0:05:11 | |
but if you look down there, | 0:05:11 | 0:05:15 | |
you've got a massive problem with your veneers. | 0:05:15 | 0:05:19 | |
So whoever's going to buy this clock | 0:05:19 | 0:05:22 | |
they've got to get a good furniture man to restore the veneers here. | 0:05:22 | 0:05:28 | |
So it is repairable, then? | 0:05:28 | 0:05:30 | |
-Everything's repairable - but it's at what cost? -Right. | 0:05:30 | 0:05:33 | |
Let's just open this up here. | 0:05:33 | 0:05:35 | |
The light's a bit better if I just spin it round. | 0:05:35 | 0:05:38 | |
There we've got the movement. | 0:05:41 | 0:05:43 | |
Now, what I don't quite understand is this pendulum. | 0:05:43 | 0:05:47 | |
Right? Because that | 0:05:47 | 0:05:51 | |
should fit in there, | 0:05:51 | 0:05:53 | |
-but if it does, it isn't going to swing, is it? -No. | 0:05:53 | 0:05:57 | |
So I'm not convinced that this pendulum goes with this clock. | 0:05:57 | 0:06:03 | |
I wonder whether your dad bought this as a bit of a project | 0:06:03 | 0:06:07 | |
and perhaps he intended to sort out the veneers here. | 0:06:07 | 0:06:11 | |
Perhaps he was wondering if he could alter this pendulum. | 0:06:11 | 0:06:15 | |
That might be the case. Do you want to sell this? | 0:06:15 | 0:06:17 | |
Yes, I do. | 0:06:17 | 0:06:19 | |
Let's turn it around and put it in all of its glory, shall we? | 0:06:19 | 0:06:22 | |
Um, if you're sure | 0:06:23 | 0:06:26 | |
-that this is the only pendulum that you've got. -I think so. | 0:06:26 | 0:06:29 | |
Leave it with it and we'll put it with an auction estimate | 0:06:29 | 0:06:32 | |
of £200 to £400. | 0:06:32 | 0:06:35 | |
Give the auctioneer 10% discretion | 0:06:35 | 0:06:38 | |
and we'll see where it goes. | 0:06:38 | 0:06:40 | |
All we've got to hope is that time flies, haven't we? | 0:06:40 | 0:06:44 | |
Well, yes, our experts definitely aren't wasting time today and | 0:06:44 | 0:06:47 | |
it looks like Jonathan has already spotted something | 0:06:47 | 0:06:50 | |
right up my street. | 0:06:50 | 0:06:52 | |
-Welcome, Ann. -Thank you very much. -What a beautiful room we're in here. | 0:06:52 | 0:06:55 | |
It's absolutely fabulous. | 0:06:55 | 0:06:57 | |
Yes, and looking at this object, it doesn't look out of place. | 0:06:57 | 0:06:59 | |
What do you know about this? | 0:06:59 | 0:07:01 | |
This was found by my uncle in the 1980s | 0:07:01 | 0:07:04 | |
in the attic of a house he was living in. | 0:07:04 | 0:07:06 | |
He passed it onto my father, between them they were trying | 0:07:06 | 0:07:10 | |
to find out where it actually came from. | 0:07:10 | 0:07:12 | |
-Right. -And it finally finished up in my hands. | 0:07:12 | 0:07:15 | |
-What first strikes me about it is the wood, which is rosewood. -Lovely. | 0:07:15 | 0:07:19 | |
Quite an exotic wood. | 0:07:19 | 0:07:22 | |
It was a very fashionable wood at a specific time, | 0:07:22 | 0:07:24 | |
predominantly at the end of the Georgian period, | 0:07:24 | 0:07:27 | |
running up to the Victorian period, around the 1840s, circa 1840. | 0:07:27 | 0:07:31 | |
-This panel on the top is carved... -Right. | 0:07:31 | 0:07:34 | |
..from the wood and you've got this amazing acanthus | 0:07:34 | 0:07:39 | |
on this coffer shape. | 0:07:39 | 0:07:41 | |
It's really a magnificently made piece of furniture, almost. | 0:07:41 | 0:07:46 | |
I just love the colour of it. | 0:07:46 | 0:07:47 | |
Then we look inside | 0:07:47 | 0:07:49 | |
and up it comes and it's a good old solid top | 0:07:49 | 0:07:52 | |
and inside we've got a book. | 0:07:52 | 0:07:54 | |
Immediately this looks a little bit more florid. | 0:07:54 | 0:07:57 | |
This is a typically Victorian, maybe late Victorian monogram. | 0:07:57 | 0:08:01 | |
Watered silk lining and then that... Gosh. | 0:08:01 | 0:08:05 | |
That strikes me almost a sort of medieval illuminated manuscript. | 0:08:05 | 0:08:10 | |
-Yes. -What have we got on here? | 0:08:10 | 0:08:12 | |
It says, "Address of congratulation, | 0:08:12 | 0:08:15 | |
"John Muir Hetherington, | 0:08:15 | 0:08:17 | |
"esquire, upon his marriage." | 0:08:17 | 0:08:19 | |
And then the date - "March." | 0:08:19 | 0:08:21 | |
-1891. -1891. | 0:08:21 | 0:08:24 | |
What is this? | 0:08:24 | 0:08:26 | |
Well, the Hetherington family owned a factory in Manchester... | 0:08:26 | 0:08:31 | |
Right. | 0:08:31 | 0:08:33 | |
..which manufactured machine parts for the textile industry | 0:08:33 | 0:08:37 | |
and John Muir Hetherington was one of the sons of the family. | 0:08:37 | 0:08:41 | |
OK, so this is sort of an explanation of the business. | 0:08:41 | 0:08:44 | |
It's a short description of the business. | 0:08:44 | 0:08:47 | |
Then we've got a list of the employees. | 0:08:47 | 0:08:50 | |
But it goes on and on and on and there are 500, | 0:08:50 | 0:08:54 | |
or 600 people listed in here. | 0:08:54 | 0:08:56 | |
-It was a large factory. -A large factory. | 0:08:56 | 0:08:58 | |
So that's a lot of people in the Manchester area | 0:08:58 | 0:09:01 | |
-working for this company. -Yes. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:03 | |
What strikes me is it's possibly... | 0:09:03 | 0:09:05 | |
That this is at a point where the son's inheriting the business. | 0:09:05 | 0:09:09 | |
I think this was a sort of a ledger to pass on as a wedding gift, | 0:09:09 | 0:09:14 | |
"Here you are, son, you're now in charge." | 0:09:14 | 0:09:16 | |
-Lovely. -It could well be. | 0:09:16 | 0:09:18 | |
My feeling is the box alone is worth £800 to £1,200, my feeling. | 0:09:18 | 0:09:24 | |
Um, the book is very hard to put a value to. | 0:09:24 | 0:09:27 | |
-Mm-hm. -I think, combined, | 0:09:27 | 0:09:31 | |
the valuation would be between £1,000 and £1,500. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:34 | |
Would you sell it at £1,000 or £1,500. | 0:09:34 | 0:09:36 | |
-At that price, yes. -OK. | 0:09:36 | 0:09:37 | |
If it had been my family, then, no, that would've stayed in the family. | 0:09:37 | 0:09:41 | |
-Yes, exactly. -Thank you very much, | 0:09:41 | 0:09:43 | |
Uncle, you've found it, you've passed it through and I would | 0:09:43 | 0:09:45 | |
love to pass it onto somebody else who can appreciate it. | 0:09:45 | 0:09:48 | |
Brilliant, thank you very much, | 0:09:48 | 0:09:50 | |
it's such a brilliantly crafted thing with such a brilliant history. | 0:09:50 | 0:09:54 | |
I can't wait to sell this. | 0:09:54 | 0:09:56 | |
There's a lot more to find out about it, as well. | 0:09:56 | 0:09:58 | |
I tell you what, it's good to catch up with the crowd here. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:03 | |
-Are you all enjoying the surroundings? -Yes. | 0:10:03 | 0:10:05 | |
-I bet you come here often, don't you? -Well, I like to think so. | 0:10:05 | 0:10:09 | |
Have you been here many times before? | 0:10:09 | 0:10:11 | |
No, this is my first. | 0:10:11 | 0:10:13 | |
How far away do you live, then? | 0:10:13 | 0:10:14 | |
-If you think of the Elephant and Castle. -It's not far. | 0:10:14 | 0:10:16 | |
That's my nearest landmark. | 0:10:16 | 0:10:18 | |
That's a couple of miles down the river, isn't it? | 0:10:18 | 0:10:20 | |
-Yes. -So you've got to come here more often. | 0:10:20 | 0:10:22 | |
What do you think of that? | 0:10:22 | 0:10:24 | |
I love it, I'm speechless. I'm really speechless. | 0:10:24 | 0:10:26 | |
-I'm enjoying the view, including you. -Oh, thank you very much. | 0:10:26 | 0:10:30 | |
I'll tell you what, you might be one of the lucky ones going | 0:10:30 | 0:10:32 | |
through to the auction later on. | 0:10:32 | 0:10:34 | |
So let's join up with our experts and we've got | 0:10:34 | 0:10:36 | |
a lot of people still here in the room. | 0:10:36 | 0:10:39 | |
-Do you like watches? -I do like watches, very much so. | 0:10:41 | 0:10:44 | |
-That's one of THE makes, isn't it? A Rolex Oyster. -Mm-hm. | 0:10:44 | 0:10:47 | |
Do you know anything about Rolex? | 0:10:47 | 0:10:49 | |
All I know is I've got one myself and my brother's got one as well. | 0:10:49 | 0:10:52 | |
-Really? -Yes. Both 18th birthday presents. | 0:10:52 | 0:10:55 | |
-Is that from your dad? -Yes, it was. | 0:10:55 | 0:10:57 | |
-He's a real watch man. -He was a watch man, yes. | 0:10:57 | 0:10:59 | |
-Was this his? -That was his, yes. | 0:10:59 | 0:11:01 | |
So Rolex was set up by Hans Wilsdorf in 1905. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:05 | |
Right. | 0:11:05 | 0:11:06 | |
This is an Oyster. | 0:11:06 | 0:11:08 | |
The Oyster movement was set up in 1926. | 0:11:08 | 0:11:13 | |
And in 1927 there was a swimmer called Mercedes Gleitze. | 0:11:13 | 0:11:18 | |
-She swam the channel wearing her Rolex Oyster. -Right. | 0:11:18 | 0:11:23 | |
When she got out, having done her ten-hour swim, | 0:11:23 | 0:11:26 | |
the watch was still in perfect working order and it was called | 0:11:26 | 0:11:30 | |
an Oyster, apparently, because Wilsdorf said | 0:11:30 | 0:11:33 | |
it's just like an oyster. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:34 | |
It's almost impossible to get into. | 0:11:34 | 0:11:36 | |
It won't let water in, it won't let dust in, | 0:11:36 | 0:11:39 | |
it won't let whatever in. | 0:11:39 | 0:11:40 | |
Why do you want to sell this? | 0:11:40 | 0:11:42 | |
It's just not a watch that I was going to be wearing, | 0:11:42 | 0:11:44 | |
neither my brother. | 0:11:44 | 0:11:46 | |
And we've both got them, so we just thought we'll sell it | 0:11:46 | 0:11:48 | |
and use the money to separate between the two. | 0:11:48 | 0:11:52 | |
Do you remember your dad wearing this? | 0:11:52 | 0:11:54 | |
Yes, I do, he used to wear it all the time and | 0:11:54 | 0:11:56 | |
then he just stopped wearing it and got another Rolex. | 0:11:56 | 0:11:59 | |
OK. It's stainless steel. | 0:11:59 | 0:12:01 | |
It's not gold. | 0:12:01 | 0:12:03 | |
What's it going to make at auction? | 0:12:03 | 0:12:05 | |
The interesting thing for me is that in the last ten or 15 years | 0:12:05 | 0:12:11 | |
watches have gone through the roof | 0:12:11 | 0:12:13 | |
in terms of price. | 0:12:13 | 0:12:15 | |
The reason for that, | 0:12:15 | 0:12:17 | |
now this is no tax advice here, | 0:12:17 | 0:12:19 | |
so I've got to lay that clearly. | 0:12:19 | 0:12:21 | |
You don't pay capital gains tax on watches. | 0:12:21 | 0:12:24 | |
So if you buy a Rolex watch today for £10,000, | 0:12:24 | 0:12:29 | |
-and you sell it in three years' time for £40,000... -Yeah. | 0:12:29 | 0:12:33 | |
..that's yours. There is no CGT on it. | 0:12:33 | 0:12:37 | |
Having said that, I don't think we're going to be paying | 0:12:37 | 0:12:40 | |
capital gains tax on your dad's stainless steel watch. | 0:12:40 | 0:12:43 | |
My idea of an estimate for it is £200 to £300. | 0:12:43 | 0:12:47 | |
That, I think, is a sensible estimate. | 0:12:47 | 0:12:50 | |
Give the auctioneer 10% discretion. | 0:12:50 | 0:12:53 | |
Now the thing is, it's going to go on the internet | 0:12:53 | 0:12:55 | |
and so the world will know it's available. | 0:12:55 | 0:12:58 | |
-Yeah. -So... | 0:12:58 | 0:13:00 | |
..if it's worth £300, £400, £500, it will make it. | 0:13:00 | 0:13:03 | |
I don't have any worries about it at all. | 0:13:03 | 0:13:05 | |
Are you happy with that? | 0:13:05 | 0:13:06 | |
-Yeah, it's fine, perfect. -Thanks for coming along. -Thank you very much. | 0:13:06 | 0:13:10 | |
Well, the atmosphere's certainly buzzing and hundreds of people are | 0:13:12 | 0:13:15 | |
enjoying the impressive surroundings. | 0:13:15 | 0:13:18 | |
Our experts have worked flat-out and we have found our first items | 0:13:18 | 0:13:21 | |
to take off to auction. | 0:13:21 | 0:13:23 | |
I've got my favourites, you've probably got yours. | 0:13:23 | 0:13:25 | |
Let's find out what the bidders think. | 0:13:25 | 0:13:27 | |
Here's a quick recap of all the items that are going under | 0:13:27 | 0:13:30 | |
the hammer. | 0:13:30 | 0:13:32 | |
Although we can't make more time, | 0:13:32 | 0:13:33 | |
let's hope we can make more money with this Regency bracket clock. | 0:13:33 | 0:13:37 | |
This rosewood box found in an attic has the craftsmanship that | 0:13:40 | 0:13:43 | |
should see it do well at auction. | 0:13:43 | 0:13:45 | |
And it's a sellers' market at the moment for timepieces, | 0:13:47 | 0:13:50 | |
so this Rolex Oyster watch from the 1950s should do well. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:55 | |
We're heading west along the River Thames to the suburb of Chiswick. | 0:13:58 | 0:14:03 | |
Chiswick Bridge was opened in 1933 and it now marks the | 0:14:03 | 0:14:06 | |
finishing point for the Oxford and Cambridge boat race. | 0:14:06 | 0:14:09 | |
Today, though, it's not about speed, it's about money and | 0:14:11 | 0:14:14 | |
here at Chiswick Auctions, William Rouse is on the rostrum. | 0:14:14 | 0:14:18 | |
And remember, when you buy and sell at auction, you have to pay | 0:14:18 | 0:14:21 | |
commission and the fee here today is 15% plus VAT. | 0:14:21 | 0:14:24 | |
First up, it's the bracket clock. | 0:14:24 | 0:14:27 | |
It's great quality. It belongs to Jill and Paul. | 0:14:27 | 0:14:29 | |
-In fact, it was your father's, wasn't it? -Yes. | 0:14:29 | 0:14:32 | |
It's been in the family quite a bit of time. | 0:14:32 | 0:14:35 | |
I think £200 to £400 is sensible on this. | 0:14:35 | 0:14:37 | |
-It's just a good looking, decorative clock, really. -OK. | 0:14:37 | 0:14:39 | |
We're going to find out what the bidders think right now | 0:14:39 | 0:14:42 | |
as we put it under the hammer. Here we go. | 0:14:42 | 0:14:44 | |
The Regency bracket clock. | 0:14:44 | 0:14:47 | |
I've got commission interest in this straightaway at the bottom estimate, | 0:14:47 | 0:14:52 | |
which I think is very low, of 200. | 0:14:52 | 0:14:54 | |
I'll take 210, somebody else. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:56 | |
With me at £200. 210, 220. | 0:14:56 | 0:14:59 | |
450. | 0:14:59 | 0:15:00 | |
-That'll do, won't it? -Yes. | 0:15:00 | 0:15:02 | |
We love the internet. | 0:15:02 | 0:15:04 | |
480. | 0:15:04 | 0:15:06 | |
Would you like 500? | 0:15:06 | 0:15:07 | |
No, he's out. | 0:15:07 | 0:15:08 | |
The phone was immediately knocked out by the internet at 480. | 0:15:08 | 0:15:12 | |
Would anybody else want to come in? | 0:15:12 | 0:15:13 | |
Internet bid 480. | 0:15:13 | 0:15:15 | |
That's a good price. £480. | 0:15:17 | 0:15:19 | |
-I'm very pleased.. -I'm happy with that. | 0:15:19 | 0:15:22 | |
Putting it at that estimate encourages the bidding. | 0:15:22 | 0:15:25 | |
Yes, that certainly worked for this one. | 0:15:25 | 0:15:28 | |
Next up, the lovely rosewood box. | 0:15:28 | 0:15:30 | |
-And, good luck. Good luck. -Thank you very much. | 0:15:32 | 0:15:34 | |
This is quality, the rosewood writing box. | 0:15:34 | 0:15:36 | |
Why are you selling this? | 0:15:36 | 0:15:38 | |
It was found by my uncle in the attic. | 0:15:38 | 0:15:40 | |
-It doesn't belong directly to my family. -So you can let that go? | 0:15:40 | 0:15:43 | |
I've had it for 30 years, it's time for somebody else to enjoy it. | 0:15:43 | 0:15:46 | |
Do you know what? I'm with you on that. | 0:15:46 | 0:15:48 | |
Let's put it to the test, it's going under the hammer right now. | 0:15:48 | 0:15:51 | |
An impressive Victorian rosewood case with the book inside, as well. | 0:15:51 | 0:15:55 | |
Very impressive lot. | 0:15:55 | 0:15:56 | |
Start this. £500 to start me? | 0:15:56 | 0:15:59 | |
£500 to start me? We've got to start there. | 0:16:00 | 0:16:03 | |
For £500? | 0:16:03 | 0:16:05 | |
Nobody's flickered. For £500? | 0:16:05 | 0:16:09 | |
Any interest for 500? | 0:16:09 | 0:16:11 | |
I'm afraid it needs to be this and a bit more. | 0:16:11 | 0:16:14 | |
At £500 I'm not selling it, I'm afraid. | 0:16:14 | 0:16:17 | |
No interest? | 0:16:17 | 0:16:18 | |
Oh, I'm ever so sorry. | 0:16:18 | 0:16:20 | |
-That was short and sweet. -I'm ever so sorry. | 0:16:20 | 0:16:23 | |
In a way, I'm not that sad. | 0:16:23 | 0:16:24 | |
I'm very happy to take it home and look after it a little bit longer. | 0:16:24 | 0:16:28 | |
It would've been nice to let it go but if the person isn't there... | 0:16:28 | 0:16:32 | |
There is another auction on another day, in a few months' time maybe. | 0:16:32 | 0:16:36 | |
Now, with no time to waste, it's Guy's Rolex. | 0:16:37 | 0:16:40 | |
-Who's this? -My son, Fraser. -Hello, how do you do? | 0:16:41 | 0:16:44 | |
I know it's half term. Thank you for joining us in the auction room. | 0:16:44 | 0:16:47 | |
We're just about to sell the Rolex. | 0:16:47 | 0:16:49 | |
It is a lovely '50s relics with a blackface and it was your father's? | 0:16:49 | 0:16:52 | |
-That's correct. -Philip, I agree with the value. | 0:16:52 | 0:16:54 | |
Let's hope everybody else does. | 0:16:54 | 0:16:55 | |
We're going to put it to the test, right now. Here we go. | 0:16:55 | 0:16:59 | |
A Rolex gent's Oyster wristwatch. Quite a bit of interest in it. | 0:16:59 | 0:17:02 | |
I'm straight in at the bottom estimate of £200. | 0:17:02 | 0:17:05 | |
210, 220, 230, 240, | 0:17:05 | 0:17:07 | |
250, 260, 270, | 0:17:07 | 0:17:09 | |
280, 290, 300, 320, | 0:17:09 | 0:17:11 | |
340, 360, 380, | 0:17:11 | 0:17:13 | |
390, 400. | 0:17:13 | 0:17:16 | |
410... | 0:17:16 | 0:17:17 | |
..550 on the internet. | 0:17:17 | 0:17:19 | |
550. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:21 | |
-600. -Yes. | 0:17:21 | 0:17:23 | |
650. | 0:17:23 | 0:17:25 | |
700. 750. | 0:17:25 | 0:17:27 | |
800. | 0:17:27 | 0:17:28 | |
850. | 0:17:28 | 0:17:30 | |
900. | 0:17:30 | 0:17:32 | |
900 is bid on the telephone. | 0:17:32 | 0:17:34 | |
950 is also bid on the internet. | 0:17:34 | 0:17:36 | |
-It's good. -Top marks. | 0:17:36 | 0:17:38 | |
Thank you on the telephone. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:41 | |
950 it is. | 0:17:41 | 0:17:43 | |
At £950, internet bid, 950. | 0:17:43 | 0:17:46 | |
Yeah, it's going. | 0:17:46 | 0:17:47 | |
Hammer's gone down. Crack! That's a sold sound. £950, Dad. | 0:17:47 | 0:17:51 | |
-It's good. -That was your dad's. -Yes, it was. | 0:17:51 | 0:17:53 | |
You're now thinking, "Hang on a minute, Dad, | 0:17:53 | 0:17:55 | |
"why didn't it get passed onto me?!" | 0:17:55 | 0:17:57 | |
I'm sure you've got a shopping list together now, haven't you? | 0:17:57 | 0:18:00 | |
-Yeah. -I'm sure you'll get something out of this. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:02 | |
-Thank you for bringing it in. -Thank you. -We enjoyed selling that. | 0:18:02 | 0:18:04 | |
-Thank you very much. -Lovely to meet you. | 0:18:04 | 0:18:06 | |
There you are, some good results and we are coming back here later on | 0:18:10 | 0:18:13 | |
in the programme, so do not go away. | 0:18:13 | 0:18:16 | |
Meanwhile, back in Greenwich, I had the opportunity to go | 0:18:16 | 0:18:20 | |
on board the world's last surviving tea clipper, the Cutty Sark. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:24 | |
In the mid-19th century, this ship became famous for her speed, | 0:18:30 | 0:18:34 | |
style and elegance. | 0:18:34 | 0:18:35 | |
In a few years from now, | 0:18:37 | 0:18:38 | |
she will be celebrating her 150th birthday, having survived high | 0:18:38 | 0:18:43 | |
seas, hurricanes and more recently, in 2007, | 0:18:43 | 0:18:47 | |
a fire that swept through the decks, which left many fearing the worst. | 0:18:47 | 0:18:51 | |
It's the Cutty Sark! | 0:18:51 | 0:18:53 | |
Today she stands looking across the River Thames and she's | 0:18:54 | 0:18:58 | |
a fantastic reminder of Britain's seafaring heritage. | 0:18:58 | 0:19:01 | |
I can remember as a schoolboy, a 12-year-old boy, | 0:19:01 | 0:19:04 | |
my dad bringing me here when we lived in London to see | 0:19:04 | 0:19:08 | |
fantastic three-masted tea clipper with these beautiful lines, | 0:19:08 | 0:19:12 | |
the best ship in the world for me and I can't begin to tell you | 0:19:12 | 0:19:15 | |
how excited I am today to be standing here right now on the deck. | 0:19:15 | 0:19:20 | |
She was built in the Victorian era when London was the largest | 0:19:20 | 0:19:23 | |
and the busiest dock in the world, | 0:19:23 | 0:19:25 | |
handling around 60,000 vessels each year. | 0:19:25 | 0:19:29 | |
This was the age before steam, the age when Britain truly | 0:19:29 | 0:19:32 | |
ruled the waves. | 0:19:32 | 0:19:34 | |
Cutty Sark was commissioned in 1869 by shipping magnate Jock Willis, | 0:19:38 | 0:19:43 | |
a Scotsman based in London. | 0:19:43 | 0:19:45 | |
He wanted a ship that could bring tea back from China | 0:19:45 | 0:19:48 | |
as fast as possible to ensure that he got the best prices. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:53 | |
I'm meeting with the ship's curator, Jessica Lewis, who's giving | 0:19:55 | 0:19:59 | |
me a tour and can tell me why this ship was so innovative for the time. | 0:19:59 | 0:20:03 | |
We're down in the belly of the ship | 0:20:04 | 0:20:06 | |
and the tea would be stacked right the way | 0:20:06 | 0:20:08 | |
down to the bottom of the ship, up to the underside of the main deck. | 0:20:08 | 0:20:11 | |
She is the pinnacle of sailing ship design. | 0:20:11 | 0:20:13 | |
She's what's known as a clipper ship. And clipper ships are defined | 0:20:13 | 0:20:16 | |
by a very long, narrow hull, a very sharp bow at the front, | 0:20:16 | 0:20:20 | |
-a huge sail area, bigger than anyone had ever seen before. -Yeah. | 0:20:20 | 0:20:24 | |
She's all about getting that cargo onto the market | 0:20:24 | 0:20:26 | |
ahead of her competitors, because in the late 19th century, | 0:20:26 | 0:20:29 | |
the market was incredibly competitive. | 0:20:29 | 0:20:32 | |
Cutty Sark was bringing back high-quality black tea from China. | 0:20:33 | 0:20:37 | |
At the time that Cutty Sark was trading, | 0:20:37 | 0:20:39 | |
the fad was for the fresh new season's tea and it really was | 0:20:39 | 0:20:42 | |
a fad, because, after all, | 0:20:42 | 0:20:44 | |
tea's got a shelf life of two or three years, but it was the fashion | 0:20:44 | 0:20:48 | |
to pay the premium for that high-quality tea that was | 0:20:48 | 0:20:51 | |
coming back ahead of all of the other teas. | 0:20:51 | 0:20:53 | |
So the race was on to get that blend back from China | 0:20:53 | 0:20:56 | |
as quickly as possible. | 0:20:56 | 0:20:57 | |
Between 1870 and 1877, | 0:20:58 | 0:21:01 | |
the Cutty Sark raced between London and Shanghai, | 0:21:01 | 0:21:04 | |
bringing back more than 600 tons of tea with each trip, | 0:21:04 | 0:21:09 | |
enough to make more than 200 million cups of tea. | 0:21:09 | 0:21:14 | |
Although she proved strong competition | 0:21:15 | 0:21:17 | |
against other fast clippers, | 0:21:17 | 0:21:19 | |
she was yet to make her name as the fastest of them all. | 0:21:19 | 0:21:22 | |
So what happened to her, towards the end of the 1880s? | 0:21:25 | 0:21:29 | |
Well, Cutty Sark was built to serve the China tea trade, | 0:21:29 | 0:21:32 | |
but just at the time that she was entering the tea trade, | 0:21:32 | 0:21:35 | |
the Suez Canal opened and that opened up the trade to the steamers | 0:21:35 | 0:21:38 | |
and sailing ships, including Cutty Sark, were driven out of the trade. | 0:21:38 | 0:21:41 | |
So obviously this ship was built to make money and so Jock Willis, | 0:21:41 | 0:21:45 | |
the owner of Cutty Sark, put her into other trades | 0:21:45 | 0:21:48 | |
-and in 1883 she went to Australia to bring back wool. -Really? | 0:21:48 | 0:21:52 | |
And it was as a wool clipper | 0:21:52 | 0:21:54 | |
that she became known as the fastest ship of the day. | 0:21:54 | 0:21:57 | |
On her very first voyage back from Australia to London, | 0:21:58 | 0:22:01 | |
Cutty Sark reached port in just 84 days. | 0:22:01 | 0:22:05 | |
It was the fastest passage ever made by any ship that year. | 0:22:05 | 0:22:09 | |
But it was under the command of Captain Richard Woodget | 0:22:10 | 0:22:13 | |
that she beat off all competition | 0:22:13 | 0:22:16 | |
and beat her very own record by a significant margin. | 0:22:16 | 0:22:20 | |
'I'm meeting with Martin Woodget, | 0:22:24 | 0:22:25 | |
'who is the great-grandson of Cutty Sark's most notable captain.' | 0:22:25 | 0:22:29 | |
-So your great-grandfather delivered Cutty Sark's fastest times? -Yes. | 0:22:30 | 0:22:35 | |
From Australia to here, he did it in just over 70 days. | 0:22:35 | 0:22:41 | |
Yeah, he must've been a great captain and a great navigator. | 0:22:41 | 0:22:44 | |
Well, he was. I think one of the... | 0:22:44 | 0:22:46 | |
He was very good on the rigging, | 0:22:46 | 0:22:49 | |
he was very good in handling his men. | 0:22:49 | 0:22:51 | |
He was tough, mind you, but he did, you know, they knew where they were. | 0:22:51 | 0:22:55 | |
He navigated further south, around Cape Horn, than anyone else did, | 0:22:55 | 0:23:00 | |
because the winds were stronger, but that made it quite risky | 0:23:00 | 0:23:04 | |
and they saw, as my grandfather told me, | 0:23:04 | 0:23:07 | |
lots of icebergs, so it was very dangerous. | 0:23:07 | 0:23:11 | |
He had a lot of guts | 0:23:11 | 0:23:13 | |
and he was almost foolhardy, I suspect, sometimes. | 0:23:13 | 0:23:16 | |
-He captained this vessel for ten years. -Yes. | 0:23:16 | 0:23:19 | |
What happened after that? what did he do then? | 0:23:19 | 0:23:21 | |
When he retired from Cutty Sark at 50, | 0:23:21 | 0:23:24 | |
he went on this other clipper, | 0:23:24 | 0:23:27 | |
but somehow he lost heart a bit, I think. | 0:23:27 | 0:23:30 | |
-She just did not compare with Cutty Sark. -No, I can imagine. | 0:23:30 | 0:23:34 | |
And there wasn't another ship that could | 0:23:34 | 0:23:37 | |
and so he retired to North Norfolk and took on a smallholding. | 0:23:37 | 0:23:41 | |
By the end of the 19th century, the era of the fast clipper ships, | 0:23:41 | 0:23:44 | |
like Cutty Sark, also came to an end. | 0:23:44 | 0:23:47 | |
Despite speedy passages, by the 1890s, | 0:23:49 | 0:23:52 | |
she wasn't making the money she once had. | 0:23:52 | 0:23:55 | |
Sadly, she was sold off in 1895 and she spent the next 27 years | 0:23:55 | 0:23:59 | |
flying the Portuguese flag. | 0:23:59 | 0:24:01 | |
Under her new name and country, | 0:24:03 | 0:24:05 | |
she continued to transport cargoes around the world. | 0:24:05 | 0:24:08 | |
This may have been where her story ended, | 0:24:09 | 0:24:12 | |
had it not been for a retired sea captain | 0:24:12 | 0:24:14 | |
who spotted her more than 25 years later | 0:24:14 | 0:24:17 | |
when she pulled up in Falmouth. | 0:24:17 | 0:24:19 | |
Despite the change of name and her battered appearance, | 0:24:21 | 0:24:24 | |
he instantly recognised her from her glory days | 0:24:24 | 0:24:27 | |
and salvaged her from her Portuguese owner. | 0:24:27 | 0:24:30 | |
She was used for training cadets during World War II | 0:24:33 | 0:24:36 | |
and in 1951 was moored in London for the Festival of Britain. | 0:24:36 | 0:24:40 | |
Shortly afterwards, | 0:24:42 | 0:24:43 | |
she was acquired by the newly formed Cutty Sark Reservation Society | 0:24:43 | 0:24:48 | |
and in 1954, floated here into Greenwich to a welcoming crowd. | 0:24:48 | 0:24:53 | |
She was by now the last surviving tea clipper | 0:24:56 | 0:24:58 | |
and here she would stay as a reminder of Britain's maritime past. | 0:24:58 | 0:25:03 | |
Then, in 2007, disaster struck. | 0:25:06 | 0:25:09 | |
While undergoing conservation work, a fire swept across her decks. | 0:25:09 | 0:25:14 | |
Five o'clock this morning and an intensive fire | 0:25:14 | 0:25:17 | |
beside the Thames at Greenwich. | 0:25:17 | 0:25:19 | |
Gradually people realised part of Britain's heritage was burning. | 0:25:19 | 0:25:24 | |
It's the Cutty Sark. | 0:25:24 | 0:25:25 | |
This had been the world's fastest tea clipper, | 0:25:25 | 0:25:29 | |
but in under two hours this morning, | 0:25:29 | 0:25:32 | |
it was reduced to this - a burning frame. | 0:25:32 | 0:25:36 | |
It was a really horrific time, | 0:25:36 | 0:25:38 | |
a very difficult, very challenging time for us here at Cutty Sark | 0:25:38 | 0:25:41 | |
and we had phone calls from across the world. | 0:25:41 | 0:25:43 | |
The ship featured on news bulletins across the world, you know, | 0:25:43 | 0:25:46 | |
everyone cares about this ship and people were worried about | 0:25:46 | 0:25:49 | |
losing that bit of maritime history, but, thankfully, | 0:25:49 | 0:25:53 | |
because we were in the middle of a conservation project, | 0:25:53 | 0:25:55 | |
we were able to bring this ship back to life. | 0:25:55 | 0:25:58 | |
So a lot of this was off-site? | 0:25:58 | 0:26:00 | |
Yes, all of the master rigging, the deck furniture, you know, | 0:26:00 | 0:26:03 | |
half of the hull planks, | 0:26:03 | 0:26:04 | |
all of that was safely in storage at the time of the fire. | 0:26:04 | 0:26:07 | |
The biggest casualty were the decks, | 0:26:07 | 0:26:09 | |
but none of the decks were original, from when she was a working ship. | 0:26:09 | 0:26:13 | |
What does the ship mean to you? | 0:26:15 | 0:26:17 | |
I mean, I've been coming here since I was little. | 0:26:17 | 0:26:19 | |
She's at the heart of maritime Greenwich. | 0:26:19 | 0:26:22 | |
-We can't imagine Greenwich without her. -No, you can't, no. | 0:26:22 | 0:26:25 | |
The Cutty Sark has proved herself worthy time and time again | 0:26:28 | 0:26:31 | |
on the high seas and even here in Greenwich. | 0:26:31 | 0:26:34 | |
She's one of the last of a kind of sailing ships | 0:26:34 | 0:26:37 | |
that truly did rule the waves and I believe | 0:26:37 | 0:26:40 | |
she's earnt our respect and a place in our hearts forever. | 0:26:40 | 0:26:43 | |
Welcome back to our valuation date venue | 0:26:51 | 0:26:54 | |
here at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. | 0:26:54 | 0:26:57 | |
It's now time to catch up with our experts | 0:26:57 | 0:26:59 | |
to see what other treasures we can find to take off to auction. | 0:26:59 | 0:27:04 | |
Now let's see what Jonathan has spotted on his travels. | 0:27:04 | 0:27:07 | |
So, Alison, you've brought along a suitcase. | 0:27:09 | 0:27:12 | |
Yes, it's an interesting suitcase. | 0:27:12 | 0:27:13 | |
Let's have a look inside. | 0:27:13 | 0:27:14 | |
It's a bit battered. | 0:27:14 | 0:27:15 | |
Yeah, what we've got is, um... | 0:27:15 | 0:27:18 | |
a beautiful lady's travelling case, | 0:27:18 | 0:27:21 | |
fitted with lots of silver jars and a dressing set within enamel. | 0:27:21 | 0:27:26 | |
Now, so who did this belong to? | 0:27:26 | 0:27:27 | |
It belonged to my great-aunt who used to travel a lot | 0:27:27 | 0:27:30 | |
-with her husband. -And what did they do for a living? | 0:27:30 | 0:27:33 | |
-Well, he was an ambassador. -Oh, wow! | 0:27:33 | 0:27:36 | |
-So she just travelled the world with him... -Yes. | 0:27:36 | 0:27:39 | |
..and, yeah, he had a very big job. | 0:27:39 | 0:27:41 | |
He was, I think, his last post was Czechoslovakia, | 0:27:41 | 0:27:43 | |
-the old Czechoslovakia. -Right. -He was ambassador. Yeah, so... | 0:27:43 | 0:27:47 | |
So to go to Czechoslovakia, you'd go on the Orient Express, wouldn't you? | 0:27:47 | 0:27:49 | |
-You would, yes. -And she did, I guess? -Yes, she did. -Yes, she did. | 0:27:49 | 0:27:52 | |
-Perfect. -And this had been taken with her, obviously. | 0:27:52 | 0:27:54 | |
-I mean, we can see from the case, this has had many a journey. -Yes. | 0:27:54 | 0:27:58 | |
-That sort of wear doesn't happen overnight. -No. | 0:27:58 | 0:28:01 | |
So looking inside it, | 0:28:01 | 0:28:03 | |
we've got all these lovely fitted cases and jars | 0:28:03 | 0:28:07 | |
on this watered silk background, | 0:28:07 | 0:28:09 | |
which are kept in with little poppers | 0:28:09 | 0:28:12 | |
and you've got covered jars for various different things, | 0:28:12 | 0:28:16 | |
like scents and... Do you know? | 0:28:16 | 0:28:18 | |
I don't even know what these tall ones are for, | 0:28:18 | 0:28:21 | |
-possibly hat pins and all sorts of things like that. -Oh, OK. | 0:28:21 | 0:28:23 | |
And then you'd have jewellery in here. You've got a button hook. | 0:28:23 | 0:28:29 | |
You would have a pair of scissors here and I think this one | 0:28:29 | 0:28:32 | |
would have been a nail file, actually. | 0:28:32 | 0:28:35 | |
All hallmarked silver, er, dated... | 0:28:35 | 0:28:38 | |
So now this gives us a clue, so we're dealing with...in the '30s. | 0:28:38 | 0:28:41 | |
-Right. -This is dated 1938. And you've got this guilloche enamel... | 0:28:41 | 0:28:45 | |
-Right. -..which is essentially... | 0:28:45 | 0:28:48 | |
They machine-engraved this sort of pattern and then they'd melt a glass | 0:28:48 | 0:28:51 | |
on top. It's a coloured glass. | 0:28:51 | 0:28:52 | |
-Oh, right. -So this is all coloured glass. | 0:28:52 | 0:28:55 | |
And then this whole thing here inside lifts out. | 0:28:55 | 0:28:58 | |
-You'd put your clothes in there. -Right. | 0:29:00 | 0:29:02 | |
And then you've got this, and I think this is quite a nice touch, | 0:29:02 | 0:29:06 | |
look, this becomes another little sort of vanity case | 0:29:06 | 0:29:09 | |
to take to the evening, I suppose, | 0:29:09 | 0:29:12 | |
that you can get yourself ready when you're on your ambassadorial... | 0:29:12 | 0:29:16 | |
-Duties. -..duties, yes. | 0:29:16 | 0:29:18 | |
So we get to the nitty-gritty about the valuation. | 0:29:18 | 0:29:22 | |
-Now, my feeling is that it's worth between £250-£350. -Yes. | 0:29:22 | 0:29:28 | |
And we can put a reserve somewhere below the lower estimate. | 0:29:28 | 0:29:30 | |
-Yes, that's fine. That's fine. -Put a reserve of... -200? | 0:29:30 | 0:29:34 | |
£200 would be wonderful. I think that's really good. | 0:29:34 | 0:29:37 | |
You know, as an auctioneer, you see an object like this | 0:29:37 | 0:29:40 | |
coming into the saleroom and you don't actually get to sell it | 0:29:40 | 0:29:43 | |
-with that story, like we can here. -Oh, good. -It's really interesting. | 0:29:43 | 0:29:47 | |
Thank you for bringing it along. | 0:29:47 | 0:29:48 | |
You're welcome. | 0:29:48 | 0:29:50 | |
And that's what it's all about for us - | 0:29:50 | 0:29:52 | |
those stories behind the objects. | 0:29:52 | 0:29:55 | |
And I think I've spotted an item on Philip's table that also fits | 0:29:55 | 0:29:58 | |
with Britain's maritime history. | 0:29:58 | 0:30:01 | |
Let's find out more. | 0:30:01 | 0:30:02 | |
-You look terrified. Am I that scary? -No. -Do I growl, eh? -No. | 0:30:05 | 0:30:11 | |
-So what's your name? -Harry. | 0:30:11 | 0:30:13 | |
-And who have you brought with you today, Harry? -My mum. | 0:30:13 | 0:30:16 | |
-And who bought this? -She did. -She did. -She did, she's my mum. | 0:30:16 | 0:30:21 | |
-And you're Nicola, aren't you? -I am. -So, I love this. | 0:30:21 | 0:30:25 | |
-I absolutely love this. What do you know about this? -Not a lot. | 0:30:25 | 0:30:29 | |
I mean, the person we got it off of was a friend of my mum's. | 0:30:29 | 0:30:33 | |
When she died and all requests | 0:30:33 | 0:30:35 | |
had been dealt with, | 0:30:35 | 0:30:36 | |
my mum was left with everything else, | 0:30:36 | 0:30:38 | |
so there was a suitcase full of papers, photos... | 0:30:38 | 0:30:41 | |
-What did this friend do? -She was a press photographer. -When? | 0:30:41 | 0:30:47 | |
Would have been from the sort of '40s onwards. | 0:30:47 | 0:30:52 | |
I'm a real petrolhead, right? | 0:30:52 | 0:30:54 | |
Now, if you look at a boat like this, | 0:30:54 | 0:30:57 | |
this family were the Campbells. | 0:30:57 | 0:31:00 | |
-Yeah. -Malcolm and Donald - land-speed records, water records. | 0:31:00 | 0:31:06 | |
So you've got a picture of an old boat and if we turn it over, | 0:31:06 | 0:31:10 | |
you've got this signature of Malcolm Campbell. So who's Margaret? | 0:31:10 | 0:31:15 | |
Margaret was the woman that left everything to my mum. | 0:31:15 | 0:31:18 | |
She was born in the '20s. She had an amazing life. | 0:31:18 | 0:31:24 | |
She was a photographer, she married well. She basically did everything. | 0:31:24 | 0:31:29 | |
But the thing that I find really interesting - | 0:31:29 | 0:31:32 | |
she must've been a real character, | 0:31:32 | 0:31:34 | |
because if she was born in the '20s, this was taken in 1947, | 0:31:34 | 0:31:39 | |
she would have been in her mid-20s out there taking photographs. | 0:31:39 | 0:31:44 | |
You know, I mean, that's... | 0:31:44 | 0:31:46 | |
I'm sort of kind of guessing that was very much a male preserve then. | 0:31:46 | 0:31:51 | |
-And she actually took this photograph? -We don't know. | 0:31:51 | 0:31:54 | |
You wouldn't know who Malcolm Campbell was, would you? | 0:31:54 | 0:31:57 | |
All I know was he broke the land-speed record. | 0:31:57 | 0:31:59 | |
See, smart kids. Never ever work with smart kids. | 0:32:00 | 0:32:03 | |
They don't ever work. | 0:32:03 | 0:32:05 | |
-You're absolutely right. -That and the internet. | 0:32:05 | 0:32:07 | |
No, but it's interesting, because why would you keep this? | 0:32:07 | 0:32:10 | |
Because I recognised the name on the back. | 0:32:10 | 0:32:12 | |
-You recognised it straightaway? -Yeah. | 0:32:12 | 0:32:13 | |
-OK, so we've got to arrive at a value of this, haven't we? -I guess. | 0:32:13 | 0:32:18 | |
What do you reckon, Harry? | 0:32:18 | 0:32:19 | |
-I'm thinking about £150. -Really? | 0:32:19 | 0:32:23 | |
-I'd say lower than that. -I don't know. | 0:32:23 | 0:32:25 | |
-Look, Harry... Come here. -I'd say about 50. | 0:32:25 | 0:32:28 | |
-When I ask you again, go, "50 quid," all right? -OK. | 0:32:28 | 0:32:32 | |
-What do you think that's worth, Harry? -£50. | 0:32:32 | 0:32:34 | |
Yeah, he's good, isn't he? He's really, really, very, very good. | 0:32:34 | 0:32:37 | |
I think you're spot on, Harry. | 0:32:37 | 0:32:38 | |
I think that that's going to be worth... | 0:32:38 | 0:32:40 | |
I think at auction we should estimate it at £50-£80 | 0:32:40 | 0:32:43 | |
and put a reserve on it of £40. | 0:32:43 | 0:32:45 | |
And the thing is, if you go and make 40 or 50 quid... | 0:32:45 | 0:32:49 | |
It could actually make £150 - | 0:32:49 | 0:32:51 | |
you just want two enthusiasts there, right? It's a really cool thing. | 0:32:51 | 0:32:55 | |
-Thank you for bringing it. Have you got a lot more? -Not like that, no. | 0:32:55 | 0:32:59 | |
In case you're wondering how we get that close-up detail | 0:33:03 | 0:33:07 | |
on the mural on the ceiling, | 0:33:07 | 0:33:08 | |
it's by virtue of this thing here, a great piece of kit. | 0:33:08 | 0:33:11 | |
It's called the jib and these guys are the jib operators, | 0:33:11 | 0:33:14 | |
hoovering up all of that lovely artwork. | 0:33:14 | 0:33:17 | |
Now up here, this section is known to us as the holding area. | 0:33:17 | 0:33:21 | |
This is where we have off-screen experts and we also have | 0:33:21 | 0:33:24 | |
a lot of people here who potentially will be going through to the auction | 0:33:24 | 0:33:28 | |
if they make it to the valuation table. | 0:33:28 | 0:33:30 | |
So this is where a lot of the work is done | 0:33:30 | 0:33:32 | |
behind the scenes, hence off-screen. | 0:33:32 | 0:33:34 | |
As you can see, we've got lots of laptops, lots of books. | 0:33:34 | 0:33:37 | |
These are our off-screen experts, so you can see it's a hive of activity. | 0:33:37 | 0:33:41 | |
We've got lots of crews, lots of lights, lots of soundmen, | 0:33:41 | 0:33:43 | |
lots of directors and, of course, lots of antiques to get through. | 0:33:43 | 0:33:47 | |
-Hello, Pepita. -Hello, Jonathan, hi. | 0:33:50 | 0:33:52 | |
Where's Pepita... What's the name Pepita from? | 0:33:52 | 0:33:55 | |
-It actually means Josephine, but it's Spanish. -Oh, lovely. | 0:33:55 | 0:33:58 | |
-Well, there we are. Spanish... -Yes. -So you've got Spanish heritage? | 0:33:58 | 0:34:01 | |
-No, I don't, no. -Oh, cos you've got a collection of fans? | 0:34:01 | 0:34:04 | |
I've got a collection of fans. | 0:34:04 | 0:34:05 | |
Of which I think one or two might be Spanish, | 0:34:05 | 0:34:07 | |
but we've got a bit of an array here. Where are they from? | 0:34:07 | 0:34:10 | |
They're basically from my grandmother's side of the family. | 0:34:10 | 0:34:14 | |
I think it was various cousins and people like this might have | 0:34:14 | 0:34:16 | |
left them to her, but I'm not really quite sure. | 0:34:16 | 0:34:19 | |
But they have been in the attic for many a year, | 0:34:19 | 0:34:22 | |
so I thought it was time that they actually saw some light | 0:34:22 | 0:34:26 | |
and went to somebody who might appreciate them. | 0:34:26 | 0:34:29 | |
I think they probably do represent one person's collection, | 0:34:29 | 0:34:34 | |
-buying one every now and then perhaps. -Yes. | 0:34:34 | 0:34:36 | |
So various different styles. I rather like... | 0:34:36 | 0:34:41 | |
I'm rather drawn to this one. | 0:34:41 | 0:34:44 | |
I don't know if it's the naked ladies bathing | 0:34:44 | 0:34:46 | |
-or just because you've got these little mirrors on the end. -Yes. | 0:34:46 | 0:34:49 | |
And it's very decorative on the other side as well. | 0:34:49 | 0:34:52 | |
And this paper here, which is finished off at the edges, | 0:34:52 | 0:34:55 | |
is gouache painted here at this end | 0:34:55 | 0:34:57 | |
and then in the middle it's actually over a print, | 0:34:57 | 0:35:00 | |
so it's like a stipple engraved print. | 0:35:00 | 0:35:03 | |
-Oh, right, is it? -And coloured over the top, yeah. -Yes. | 0:35:03 | 0:35:05 | |
But it's a bit of a racy subject, which is kind of nice, you know? | 0:35:05 | 0:35:09 | |
-This one here is handmade. -Right. | 0:35:09 | 0:35:13 | |
-It's handmade lace and I would say certainly Spanish. -Yes. | 0:35:13 | 0:35:17 | |
This one again is a Chinese one and comes from a similar date to these, | 0:35:17 | 0:35:21 | |
so you've got a sort of late 19th... | 0:35:21 | 0:35:24 | |
-Similar date, moving into the 20th century here. -Right. | 0:35:24 | 0:35:29 | |
Obviously, condition's everything and they've always... | 0:35:29 | 0:35:31 | |
Presumably they were like this when you got them? | 0:35:31 | 0:35:34 | |
They were like this, yes, yes. | 0:35:34 | 0:35:36 | |
Ever since I've known them, they've been in this condition. | 0:35:36 | 0:35:39 | |
This has obviously got a lot of detail | 0:35:39 | 0:35:41 | |
and this is Chinese and Canton. | 0:35:41 | 0:35:43 | |
-It's copying sort of the porcelains of the day as well. -Right, yes. | 0:35:43 | 0:35:46 | |
You get a lot of porcelain with this sort of decoration | 0:35:46 | 0:35:48 | |
-in these colours. -Right. | 0:35:48 | 0:35:50 | |
With ivory boards here and still pierced, | 0:35:50 | 0:35:52 | |
so a lot of work, you know, hand-cut. | 0:35:52 | 0:35:54 | |
Obviously, when you're handling ivory, | 0:35:54 | 0:35:56 | |
-you've got to be certain that it's legal to sell. -Right. | 0:35:56 | 0:36:01 | |
The law states that it has to be pre-1947 worked ivory to sell. | 0:36:01 | 0:36:07 | |
Well, most auctioneers don't really want to touch anything | 0:36:07 | 0:36:10 | |
that's even close to that date. This is late 19th century. | 0:36:10 | 0:36:14 | |
-It's absolutely fine to sell. -Oh, right. Oh, good. | 0:36:14 | 0:36:17 | |
So I think, really, we're looking at around... | 0:36:17 | 0:36:20 | |
-I think we'd probably get about £150 for them... -OK, OK. | 0:36:20 | 0:36:24 | |
..if that sounds realistic to you? | 0:36:24 | 0:36:26 | |
No, it does, yes, no, no, no, that's perfectly OK. | 0:36:26 | 0:36:29 | |
-If we pitch it sort of estimate £120-£180, a reserve of £120. -Right. | 0:36:29 | 0:36:35 | |
I think we're going to see what we can do with them now. | 0:36:35 | 0:36:38 | |
Right, well, thank you very much. | 0:36:38 | 0:36:39 | |
You never know on the day they might do a bit better or... | 0:36:39 | 0:36:42 | |
-Hopefully they don't have to go back in the loft. -No, I hope not. | 0:36:42 | 0:36:45 | |
Well, that's it. | 0:36:47 | 0:36:49 | |
Our work is now done at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. | 0:36:49 | 0:36:52 | |
Our experts have found their final items, | 0:36:52 | 0:36:54 | |
so it's time to say goodbye to our magnificent host location. | 0:36:54 | 0:36:57 | |
I've had a marvellous time. | 0:36:57 | 0:36:58 | |
Right now it's straight over to Chiswick, to the auction rooms, | 0:36:58 | 0:37:01 | |
and here's a quick recap, | 0:37:01 | 0:37:02 | |
just to jog your memory of all the items we're taking with us. | 0:37:02 | 0:37:06 | |
This lady's vanity case could make a fabulous present | 0:37:07 | 0:37:10 | |
for the classy lady. | 0:37:10 | 0:37:11 | |
And those with a need for speed would have to fasten the bells | 0:37:13 | 0:37:17 | |
when this goes under the hammer. | 0:37:17 | 0:37:18 | |
And calling all fans of fans, | 0:37:20 | 0:37:21 | |
this eclectic collection could seal a deal. | 0:37:21 | 0:37:24 | |
We're back at Chiswick Auctions | 0:37:27 | 0:37:29 | |
and our auctioneers are Stephen Large and William Rouse. | 0:37:29 | 0:37:33 | |
Now, let's hope there's some stylish ladies in the room. | 0:37:33 | 0:37:36 | |
We're going under the hammer right now. We've got a real treat. | 0:37:37 | 0:37:40 | |
Some real class belonging to Alison and hopefully not for much longer. | 0:37:40 | 0:37:45 | |
I think this big crowd out there will get excited | 0:37:45 | 0:37:48 | |
about the vanity case and I know our expert Jonathan did. | 0:37:48 | 0:37:51 | |
It's the kind of thing that belongs on the Orient Express | 0:37:51 | 0:37:55 | |
-and indeed it did go. I love the back story to this. -Yes. | 0:37:55 | 0:37:58 | |
I really do. Great-aunt's married to the Ambassador of Czechoslovakia, | 0:37:58 | 0:38:02 | |
travelled a lot. | 0:38:02 | 0:38:03 | |
Quality, quality, quality. And we always say on the show, | 0:38:03 | 0:38:06 | |
-"Quality always..." -Yep. "Always sells." -It does. It always sells. | 0:38:06 | 0:38:09 | |
Fingers crossed, the moment of truth, what's it worth? | 0:38:09 | 0:38:12 | |
We're going to find out. It's going under the hammer and here we go. | 0:38:12 | 0:38:15 | |
Special lady's vanity case by Adie Brothers Ltd, 1938. | 0:38:15 | 0:38:20 | |
It's very, very nice. It's all complete. | 0:38:20 | 0:38:23 | |
Let's go straight in at £200. At £200. | 0:38:23 | 0:38:28 | |
It's a fine example. At £200? | 0:38:28 | 0:38:31 | |
£200. I'm bid in the room. So £200. In the round at £200. £200. | 0:38:31 | 0:38:38 | |
Any further advance? At £200? Just on the reserve. | 0:38:38 | 0:38:41 | |
At £200, any further advance? | 0:38:41 | 0:38:44 | |
-We thought this would go for a lot more. We were hoping so. -Oh. | 0:38:44 | 0:38:48 | |
At £200, 220? In the room at 220. It's against you. | 0:38:48 | 0:38:52 | |
Would you like 240? 240. | 0:38:52 | 0:38:55 | |
It's £240, it's against you. | 0:38:55 | 0:38:57 | |
It's £240 in the room. Last chance. Final warning. £240. | 0:38:57 | 0:39:02 | |
-Well, he's selling at 240. -It's sold. | 0:39:02 | 0:39:05 | |
Hammer's gone down. £240. Gosh. Ah! | 0:39:05 | 0:39:08 | |
-Well, I'm pleased. -I'm pleased. -Yes. | 0:39:08 | 0:39:11 | |
It's not going to go back in the loft. It's now going to be loved. | 0:39:11 | 0:39:13 | |
It didn't need to go back in the loft. | 0:39:13 | 0:39:14 | |
It's going on a new journey. | 0:39:14 | 0:39:16 | |
Yes, hopefully it'll go back on the train with somebody new, | 0:39:16 | 0:39:19 | |
so I'm happy, I'm happy. | 0:39:19 | 0:39:20 | |
Time for a new chapter in the life of this vanity case. | 0:39:21 | 0:39:24 | |
Next up, the postcard. Nicola and Harry, it's great to see you. | 0:39:24 | 0:39:28 | |
High-five, man. Yeah! | 0:39:28 | 0:39:30 | |
I feel the need for speed, which brings us to our next item. | 0:39:30 | 0:39:33 | |
Yes, Malcolm Campbell, Donald's dad, | 0:39:33 | 0:39:35 | |
and this man loves his speed as well. | 0:39:35 | 0:39:37 | |
We're talking about that photograph. | 0:39:37 | 0:39:39 | |
-You know what we're talking about, don't you? -Yeah. | 0:39:39 | 0:39:42 | |
Malcolm Campbell. Do you know, also, he won the Grand Prix twice | 0:39:42 | 0:39:45 | |
in an old Bugatti? | 0:39:45 | 0:39:47 | |
I think if you weren't an auctioneer, | 0:39:47 | 0:39:50 | |
-you'd be a Grand Prix driver. -Oh, I'd love to have had a go, yeah. | 0:39:50 | 0:39:53 | |
-That would be a good career for you, wouldn't it? -Yeah. | 0:39:53 | 0:39:55 | |
Well, it's a great image. It's an iconic image, isn't it? | 0:39:55 | 0:39:57 | |
So we're going to put this to the test and find out what the bidders | 0:39:57 | 0:40:00 | |
-think of it. -Yeah, let's hope it goes at a high speed. | 0:40:00 | 0:40:02 | |
Yeah, here we go. This is it. | 0:40:02 | 0:40:05 | |
Come to a very nice lot now. This is a Malcolm Campbell... | 0:40:05 | 0:40:08 | |
A signed postcard with me at £40. 40 is bid in the room. | 0:40:08 | 0:40:14 | |
Commission is out. | 0:40:14 | 0:40:16 | |
Surely a further advance for a Malcolm Campbell, | 0:40:16 | 0:40:18 | |
part of our heritage. At £40. £50. | 0:40:18 | 0:40:22 | |
We'll go in tens. £60. It's £60. | 0:40:22 | 0:40:25 | |
I've only got one of these. £60 in the room. Would you like 65, sir? | 0:40:25 | 0:40:31 | |
No. £60. Would you like 65? 65. £65. | 0:40:31 | 0:40:35 | |
It's £65 for Malcolm Campbell. | 0:40:35 | 0:40:38 | |
Is that it? It's a special lot, special gentleman selling it. 65. | 0:40:38 | 0:40:43 | |
That is it. It's selling at £65. | 0:40:43 | 0:40:46 | |
-It's sold at £65. -Hammer's gone down. | 0:40:46 | 0:40:49 | |
Well done, Philip. Got it spot-on. Well done. | 0:40:49 | 0:40:53 | |
-So, are you going to get a treat out of that? -I don't know. | 0:40:53 | 0:40:55 | |
-You don't know. I bet you do. -More than likely. -I think you will. | 0:40:55 | 0:40:59 | |
Yeah, more than likely. | 0:40:59 | 0:41:00 | |
It's heating up in this saleroom. Time to cool off with this next lot. | 0:41:02 | 0:41:06 | |
Right now we have a collection of fans going under the hammer | 0:41:07 | 0:41:10 | |
belonging to Pepita. | 0:41:10 | 0:41:11 | |
Look, your fans, why are you selling them? | 0:41:11 | 0:41:14 | |
Because they have been in my attic and as I've moved house, | 0:41:14 | 0:41:17 | |
they've gone from attic to attic and... | 0:41:17 | 0:41:19 | |
-Gathering dust, getting broken, falling apart. -That's right. | 0:41:19 | 0:41:23 | |
We're going to put the fans under the hammer right now. | 0:41:23 | 0:41:25 | |
-Good luck, Jonathan. -Thank you. -Here we go. This is it. | 0:41:25 | 0:41:27 | |
The fans, good little lot of fans, | 0:41:27 | 0:41:31 | |
lots 475 and with a phone bid and straight in at 85. With me at 85. | 0:41:31 | 0:41:37 | |
90. 95. 100. | 0:41:37 | 0:41:39 | |
110. 110 it is. | 0:41:39 | 0:41:42 | |
Every time the internet... 160, 170. | 0:41:46 | 0:41:48 | |
-That's brilliant. -Yeah. -170. 180. | 0:41:48 | 0:41:52 | |
190. 200. 210. 210. | 0:41:52 | 0:41:57 | |
220. 230. | 0:41:57 | 0:42:00 | |
-Oh, hopefully we'll climb to 300. -230, then? An internet bid of 230. | 0:42:00 | 0:42:05 | |
-240 on the telephone. 240 on the telephone. -Back to you. -260. 270. | 0:42:05 | 0:42:11 | |
280. 290. 300. | 0:42:13 | 0:42:17 | |
-Pepita, that's good. -It's amazing. -320. 340. 360. | 0:42:17 | 0:42:22 | |
-380. -Cor, I need one of those fans to keep cool now. | 0:42:25 | 0:42:28 | |
-This is warming up, isn't it? -I know. -420. 440. | 0:42:28 | 0:42:33 | |
-Oh, we could do £500. -Oh, could we? Wouldn't that be... Don't say that. | 0:42:33 | 0:42:37 | |
-480. -There's a lot of fans here. | 0:42:37 | 0:42:42 | |
Has the internet slowed down? I think it might have done. | 0:42:42 | 0:42:46 | |
We're on the telephone, then, at 500. At £500 I'm selling it then. | 0:42:46 | 0:42:50 | |
-Telephone bidder. 500. -That's absolutely brilliant. -£500. | 0:42:50 | 0:42:55 | |
Thank you. That's absolutely amazing. | 0:42:55 | 0:42:57 | |
Well, I think the auctioneer did a good job there. | 0:42:57 | 0:43:00 | |
-They found the right price. -He did indeed. | 0:43:00 | 0:43:02 | |
Believe me, we wish this could happen to all our owners, | 0:43:02 | 0:43:04 | |
but it doesn't, does it? Sometimes we fail, but it's not our fault. | 0:43:04 | 0:43:07 | |
We really do want this, genuinely, but we got it with you, | 0:43:07 | 0:43:09 | |
-so thank you so much. -Thank you. It was absolutely amazing. | 0:43:09 | 0:43:13 | |
What a way to end today's show. | 0:43:13 | 0:43:14 | |
Sadly, we've run out of time, but we've had those wonderful surprises | 0:43:14 | 0:43:17 | |
that I promised you and if you keep watching, hopefully we'll give you | 0:43:17 | 0:43:21 | |
some more, but until then, from Chiswick, from London, it's goodbye. | 0:43:21 | 0:43:24 |