Becker Cash in the Attic

Welcome. We find the hidden treasures

around your home and help you sell them at auction.

Today, I'm in the Edgware area of London, which is very multicultural.

You'll find halal butchers and mosques nudging for space alongside

kosher bakers and synagogues.

Away from all the hustle and bustle is Canons Park.

Now, this once home to the Duke of Chandos,

but is now open to the public for everyone to enjoy.

In the 1700s, this was one of the grandest estates of its day,

but after a change in the Duke's fortunes,

the house fell into disrepair. It was later adapted and bought

in 1929, by the elite North London Colley Gate School.

During the Duke's residency, storks, flamingos and even a tiger

were thought to roam the grounds here, but at our

next port of call, let's hope we find some traditional treasures.

Coming up on today's Cash In The Attic...

It's a shock to the system for Paul.

?20 to ?30 each. Each?

Our hard work takes its toll on me...

Well, time for bed then, I think. Ooh, wrong show! No, no!

And I can't believe what I'm hearing!

I've heard of "born with a silver spoon in their mouth", not a gold pocket watch!

But will we make plenty of sales? Find out when the final hammer falls.

We're about to meet a couple who've been married

for 40 years and lived in this area of London for even longer.

They've called in

the Cash In The Attic team to help them make life a little easier.

This is the quiet residential home of happy couple

Marilyn Becker and her husband, Michael, who like to live

life to the full, now that their two children have fled the nest.

While Michael's passions include keeping tropical fish,

Marilyn can mostly be found in her embroidery room, where she perfects

the little-known Victorian craft of ribbon-weaving,

which she teaches locally.

Today, they're tearing themselves away from their hobbies long enough

to be able to raise cash for a special treat, both home and away.

Morning, a cup of coffee awaits! Good morning, how are you?

How's that for a cup of tea? Wonderful.

Are you ready to delve into a bit of family history?

Well, funny you should ask that, because I've done my family tree

and found we're a nation of tea drinkers, but have a keen eye for collectables.

Right, so that's your family history sorted. You mean this family? Yes, indeed.

Well, if you want to have a good look round, to see what they've got, I'll meet Marilyn and Michael.

OK. Marilyn? Any relation?

Good morning. Good morning, Lorne. Crikey, look at that!

Help yourself!

Maybe a bit later, not at the moment.

So you've called in the Cash In The Attic, Marilyn and Michael. What do you want us for?

Well, my mother's family originated in Poland and the family split up.

We're Jewish and we split up due to the pogroms and they are

planning a reunion in Canada

of all the family and we just thought it would be nice to

raise some money towards the trip.

And Michael, I understand you've also got plans for the garden? Yes, that's right.

At the moment, as Marilyn is saying,

we're putting all our spare money away towards this trip, but as I'm

getting older, I'm finding that the work in the garden gets harder

and what we want to do is to get it designed in such a way

as it becomes more manageable and less labour-intensive,

so we're hoping to get somebody in who will do a little bit of tidying

and some planting up, which will then be permanent,

rather than temporary as it is at the moment.

What sort of money do you think you might be talking about?

It would be nice to raise ?1,000.

If we get a little bit more, it will go to the battle fund

to go out to Canada next year.

All right, so we need to raise ?1,000, then... Yes.

..towards the garden becoming a little less of a problem

than it is at the moment... That's right.

..and also, any surplus, I guess, going towards the flight fund?

That's right. OK, well in that case, shall we go and see what you've got? Lovely. Come on, then.

Marilyn and Michael have lived in this house for 39 years

and there's a really homely feel to each room.

Self-confessed hoarders, they've accumulated a lot of valuable bits and pieces

throughout their married life and it's down to our expert,

Paul Hayes, to assess those collectables.

He's been trading antiques since he was a boy

and always surrenders to the charms of the treasures he finds,

although I wouldn't advise he does so with this particular piece.

Aah, Paul! Hello.

How are you? All right? That's a very significant piece, isn't it?

It's incredible. Has it been a table top at some point?

Never. No, it's always been a wall hanging.

Where did you get that from? Have you been to, well, it looks like South America?

It was given to me by one of my clients, when I was in the curtain business.

We had done his house full of curtains and I'd seen it

just laying there and I commented on it, because it's an incredible piece

of work and he, for some reason, didn't want it himself, so he asked me if I would like it.

Well, it's a very impressive piece.

Actually, it's an Aztec calendar and the Aztecs used to worship

the sun god and they believed that they were the fifth universe.

There had been four universes that had survived and died before them,

and they used to actually perform human sacrifices,

and they were done five times each year and that's these ones here...

one, two, three, four, five. Yes. Yes! Not very nice!

No. When you look into it, it's not the most pleasant thing. But he actually has

a knife for a tongue. Can you see that? Yes.

That's actually a knife there and it represents it, but whether it is myth

and legend or folklore, but this was a huge stone that was found that

depicted the ancient world and it's believed these sort of things

did actually go on and this one is actually made from micro-mosaic.

What actually happens is they get different-shaped rods of wood,

which can be ten or 12 feet long,

they make the design and then they slice through it,

almost like a stick of rock, if you like,

and the end piece is what you get, so they can make lots of them at a time.

So, Paul, what sort of price do you think we're talking about in terms of auction values?

I think value-wise, I mean, ?50-100. I mean, I don't know how that sounds.

Hopefully, somebody would like it and if you get two people who want it, who knows on the day.

What do you think of that?

I think a little less than we would have expected,

because of the workmanship in it, but it has to go.

Well, we know that's not going to be in the family much longer,

it is going to auction. Shall we see what else we can find?

Come this way, then.

With the disagreeable thought of human sacrifice, Marilyn and Michael have no hesitation in saying goodbye

'to the Aztec calendar. But, with a ?1,000 target to hit,

we need to cover every inch of this house for plenty of goodies

to accompany it and Michael hopes that time is on our side with his first discovery.

Ooh, look at that! Wow!

What a cracking pocket watch that is!

That's beautiful. Was that something that you bought, then?

No, it was given to me. It was my father's and, before that, my grandfather's.

This is solid gold. This would have been a gentleman's dress watch,

and the idea was it would go on your Albert chain.

Before the wrist watch, this is the way that watches used to be,

but this is called a demi-Hunter.

Where it gets its name from is that when you had the original pocket

watch with a full case, you couldn't see the dial, so what they did,

they placed an aperture, or this sort of viewing hole, in the middle,

which allows you to tell the time,

but it's still protected Very clever invention.

It's in beautiful condition!

What you look for with these watches, gold is a very soft material and this

one has a few dents in the back. Can you see that?

Yes, that was my fault.

Apparently, when I was a baby,

I was given it to teethe on, so it's got my tooth marks.

Wow, what an interesting story! I've never heard that before.

Was the chain always with it, or..?

No, that's something I bought myself.

The original chain was given to somebody else. I bought that five or six years ago.

So what you've got, then, is a solid gold

demi-Hunter, or half-Hunter, watch, with a good quality Albert chain,

so a very collectable item, indeed, but value-wise,

if I was conservative here, at least ?200, possibly ?250.

How does that sound? Sounds a little bit on the low side to me.

I'd have thought it would have been, with the chain, worth a little bit more than that.

Well, hopefully, we'll get two people who want it and it will fetch a bit more.

I hope so. Are you sure? Yep.

OK. Let's go tell the others, eh?

I felt very disappointed.

The half-Hunter has been in the family for a long time,

and when you consider the amount of work that's gone into it and the

weight of the gold of the chain, I would have thought it would have been a higher figure.

'With such an important trip and a garden renovation resting on this rummage,

'it's understandable Michael wants as much as he can for his valuables,

'and while Paul's next find can't go directly into the kitty,

'this collection, including a set of first-day coins

'introduced when British currency was decimalised in 1971,

'could get us another ?40-90.'

This house has given Marilyn and Martin many happy memories

and I'm hoping to find out the secret to a successful marriage.

So how did you two meet, then?

We met at a charity dance.

We were out one Sunday night and she went out with my best friend.

Oh, really!

OK. How did you end up being her boyfriend, then,

rather than your best mate being her boyfriend?

He had a lot of girlfriends.

Oh, did he, now?! Right, OK.

And what about you? What were you doing when you met?

I was a secretary, which was really the norm for that age,

for the 1950s, 1960s.

And what about you, Michael?

I worked in retail. I was working in a shop in Oxford Street

in dress fabrics, when we first met, and then I went into a shop that was

more of a haberdashers, where they made linens and curtain materials.

So what hobbies do you share, now? We like travelling and...

what else do we do together?

We like visiting gardens,

we like bringing back little collectable items,

just to remind us of our trips.

So, with regard to the trip to Canada, then,

are you looking forward to that?

We've never been across the Atlantic, so it will be

a first trip to Canada and to that side of the world.

And are you looking forward to it? Very much.

Well, I think if you're going to get those tickets to Canada,

we need to find Mr Hayes and see if he's found something to sell.

'I'm glad to be helping make Marilyn and Michael's garden dreams,

'and travelling adventures, a possibility, but it's Michael's determination

'that is next to pay off, when he finds this Victorian silver-plated tea set,

'which once belonged to his parents and could serve us up

'a very nice ?60 to ?80.

'While upstairs, there's an aroma that's got Marilyn and Paul's attention.'

What have you found? Anything good? Well, these scent bottles.

Oh, wow, look at those! I'm rather attached to them.

Those are beautiful! May I have a look? With pleasure.

Where have these come from?

They belonged to my late mother-in-law and I think they're very attractive,

I think the older you get, the more you appreciate ancient items!

Well, they're not so ancient.

I mean these are really art deco, from the 1920s.

Yes, they are. I like the style and the shape of them.

In the 1920s, the fashion was for very angular appearance,

overlays, contrasting colours, you've got the silver and the black here, with this very art deco,

sort of, feel to it and there was a major thing that happened.

If I just pick this other one up here, this really does emphasise it.

There was a massive thing to happen in 1922.

They discovered Tutankhamen's tomb, so the pyramid actually does feature

an awful lot on lots of items, you get these wonderful triangular items.

Well, I think you've got two collectors who will buy these.

Anybody interested in scent bottles and perfume themselves,

but also any art deco collectors, and that's a major collecting area,

so if I said about ?20 to ?30 each...

Each?! Yes, so about ?80 to ?100 there for that lot.

Good heavens, yes. So they can definitely go?

Yes, definitely. The sweet smell of success!

I can't argue with that! Well, that's great.

I think they're wonderful and I'm sure they'll find a good home.

I hope so. Thank you.

I was very surprised at the valuation for the bottles

and very interested in the history and the design and the way Paul explained

the geometric design and the pyramid and the connections.

We've still got a long way to go if we're intending to raise that

staggering ?1,000 target Marilyn and Michael need to attend

the planned family reunion in Canada and have a garden revamp.

'And, if it wasn't going to auction,

'I'm sure this Waltham traveller pocket watch in solid gold

'would come in handy for their

'journey, but unfortunately we can't ignore that ?150 to ?200 price tag.'

The family garden is a haven of peace and tranquillity,

but it's also a perfect hideaway for our two boys and their toys.

Now, then, Michael, there's no time for playing.

Whose is this? It's something that was bought for me when I was 11.

It was a prize for having passed the scholarship.

Really? Yes, I'd always wanted one and my parents saw it.

In those days, they were difficult to get,

so when we saw it, we bought it.

Well, can you imagine at the time, this Mallard was the fastest steam

locomotive of its day and it actually won the world record in the 1930s.

It did 126 mph.

And you can see the aerodynamic shape, because most of those were flat-fronted, weren't they?

Right, yeah, course, very, sort of, art deco-looking, almost, isn't it?

This one looks almost mint condition.

You've really looked after it and that's a real plus.

I mean, lots of these tend to turn up very scuffed and damaged,

but this one is almost mint. Is it sentimental to you? Not really.

I've had it a long time and it's been sitting in the shed,

so it's time for it to go on its last journey.

But if I was being conservative and said maybe ?50 to ?100, I mean,

how would you feel about that? That sounds all right to me, yes.

Are we on the right track? Definitely!

Come on, let's keep looking.

A lot of childhood memories are being given up today, but it's all for a good cause.

Until we've hit our target, though, we need to keep exploring this house.

'I spot this fabulous collection of Victorian cranberry glass -

'another gift from Michael's mother,

'which Paul values at a favourable ?45 to ?75.'

Michael and Marilyn's home is nestled

in the heart of this North London community and it is here that they

feel most comfortable, surrounded by friends and family,

who share similar backgrounds.

But on the walls of her home is a constant reminder

of Marilyn's extended family,

some of whom she never got the chance to meet.

There are pictures

everywhere around this house.

I'm dying to know who's who? Who's this lot here?

This is my mother's family.

This is the oldest picture that we have of her.

This lady here is my mother, with her parents and four siblings.

It was taken in Poland, round about 1913.

So what happened to the family after that time, then?

Well, they lived in Poland and there were problems for the Jews in Poland

and life became very uncomfortable,

but my mother and her siblings came over to England.

My uncle brought them over, gave them a roof over their heads,

helped them to get established.

This son stayed on in Poland,

got married, had two children

and he, his wife and one of his children

died in the Holocaust in the 1940s.

It was after the tragic events of the Second World War that Marilyn's surviving family

was scattered across the world - some further away than others.

It wasn't until the 1960s that a cousin of mine,

after he'd finished university, went with a friend over to Canada,

but on his travels he visited the cousins that were actually

in Canada and he brought back a rough draft of the family tree.

In the 1970s, I produced...a family tree.

These were all the relatives that we could either trace, who were still alive,

or who had died and we knew the connection.

That's interesting. I like this bit at the bottom.

It says, "This is the record of a wonderful family.

"Most of us will never meet, but perhaps this family tree will link us and keep us close".

That's wonderful, isn't it?

Well, that was written in 1970 and the tree HAS kept us close.

So how important is this reunion to you?

To meet up with people who have got the same blood as you,

who have got the same history as you,

there is a familiarity that runs through the family.

Some of the cousins that I've met,

you can actually see a family resemblance, either in a trait,

in their hairstyle, in their manner,

and they might be strangers to other people, but to us, they are family.

Well, frankly, I think I could sit here and listen for about another

six generations, but we don't have time for that.

Shall we see if the others have found anything to sell? Come on.

Listening to such a moving family story enforces just how crucial

it is for us to make enough money

for Marilyn to be reunited with her relatives in Canada,

so we need to look in every

nook and cranny and, hopefully, this desirable drinks decanter,

with matching glasses set, by a Czechoslovakian company,

will be to the bidders' taste and top up our fund by ?50 to ?100.

While upstairs, Michael has found something for Paul

to clown around with - like he needs encouraging!

Now then, Michael, look at these!

Wow! These are fantastic, aren't they? Pelham Puppets, original ones.

Is this all Magic Roundabout, then? All the Magic Roundabout...

there's a whole set of them, everyone that was in it.

Oh, Florence! You've got Florence there. Oh, wow, look!

She's absolutely gorgeous.

I've not seen a set like this before, though, I mean, obviously

with the strings, but these look like they stand alone, don't they?

Normally, they'd have this string mechanism, which you hang up and

use as hand puppets, but to have stands on them, that's what they

were for, like a window display.

Some of them have got strings, there you are.

Oh, Ermintrude... my favourite character.

Yes, she's got the strings. They've hardly been played with.

No they haven't, they're immaculate!

So what made you buy these?

We bought these when I had the shop in Wembley and we used to

use them as a window display.

The children used to look in the window and the parents

could go shopping without worrying about their children.

Well, what I know about the Magic Roundabout, it was a French cartoon,

but I remember Zebedee was a fantastic character.

He's here somewhere. Yeah, don't worry. Is it all boxed and mint?

All in their boxes... Let's have a look here. Apart from the dust.

That's another stick puppet. Yeah, see I've never seen any like this.

As you say, normally you'd get them in this sort of design, with the strings attached like this.

So what would you think they might be worth, then?

Well, it's hard... I've never seen a set like this.

No, so I think you're going to have serious collectors' interest here -

I think if you've got the full set here, you must be looking...

?250 upwards, really, depending how rare each individual one is.

How does that sound?

I'd be delighted if it fetches that. Well, time for bed then, I think!

Ooh, wrong show, no, no, it's not time for bed.

We need to find some more stuff to sell. Come on, this way. OK.

Although we've had them a long time, I hadn't realised they had gone up that much in value

and that they were highly regarded, so very pleased about that.

We're getting closer to our target but, with the day drawing to a close,

we need a final push in our hunt for tempting delights to take to auction.

This art deco walnut table

was handed down to Michael from his parents and will take us another ?40

to ?60 in the right direction, and

I'd like to be heading off to the location Paul's got his hands on.

Now then, there's an old painting here.

Is this something that you've bought recently, or are due to put up on the wall?

We've had it for some time. It belonged to my mother.

She had it in her lounge and it was a painting

that she liked, but as you can see, we don't have very much wall space.

Well, this is typically Scottish.

It's a wonderful landscape oil

painting and what happened, late 19th century, early 20th century but more

1880-1900, Queen Victoria

made her base at Balmoral in Scotland and of course anything Scottish then

was very patriotic so we have lots of paintings of deer

on the mountains or you get say fishing scenes

or beautiful landscapes like this, so Scotland

was really trendy at that time, and you do get one or two

commercial artists who used to do it for a living. Well, this one is by...

we can just about make the signature out here, look at that, F E Jamieson.

That's a name that does tend to turn up quite a lot.

He was a prolific artist, but it's all about condition.

If I hold it up to the light, you can see any faults.

Can you see a little tear in it there? Oh, yes.

That's a good little thing. Sometimes you get items which are

covered up with thick paint and you don't always realise, but there's a little tear

which can be repaired easily. The rest of it is in good nick.

What you've got is a very popular scene,

it's in good condition, it's an oil painting,

it's early 20th century and would I surprise you if I said ?200, possibly ?300?

Yes, you would...

pleasantly surprised.

Well, that's great. That's ?200 towards the target! Good.

All right. Well, let's tell the others. Michael, Lorne.

What have you found? A beautiful painting. Very Scottish.

And what's the estimate on that? About ?200.

That will sum up our total quite nicely because you were looking for ?1,000,

so that you can get the garden sorted and any extra going towards the flights to Canada

and I'm delighted to tell you that the value of everything that is going to auction comes to ?1,215.

Good heavens! Great! It's not bad, is it? No. That's very good.

That's really good cos it's taking the bottom end of the estimate,

so with a bit of luck, and the wind in the right direction,

on the day of the auction we may even do better.

The next time we see you will be at the auction house. Lovely. Look forward to it.

It's been great to share the day with Michael and Marilyn

and learn about their family history.

But if we want to create happy memories,

we need all their lots to do well, including:

the wooden Aztec calendar

which Marilyn will be glad to see the back of, at ?50 to ?100,

five Art Deco scent bottles worth ?80 to ?100,

the assortment of Pelham puppets

which will hopefully get us around about ?250,

and finally that gold Demi Hunter pocket watch on an Albert chain,

which Paul thinks will make ?200 to ?250,

although Michael is hoping for a little more!

Still to come on Cash In The Attic:

we start off well...

That's a relief on both fronts, isn't it? Absolutely!

Crikey! Whoa, that's a narrow escape for me now!

..but take a turn for the worse.

Are you happy with that? Not over-happy.

And I wonder if there's a doctor in the house?

I dunno about medicine man, looks like he could do with new teeth.

And how much will we make come the end of the day?

Find out when the final hammer falls.

Now it's been a couple of weeks

since we looked around Marilyn and Michael Becker's home in Edgware.

They had lots of lovely things,

some of which we've brought to Chiswick Auction Rooms in West London.

Remember, they're looking to raise ?1,000 to landscape their garden

and I'm just hoping when their items go under the hammer

there's plenty of interest.

While today's bidders congregate in the sale room,

it looks like Paul Hayes has headed to the Scottish Highlands,

in mind if not in body!

Morning, Paul. Good morning. This looks nice.

Yeah, it looks great, amongst these lovely works. It could do quite well.

It's got a Scottish connection. That's usually good in the art world, isn't it?

Yeah, they're very fashionable.

This could do quite well. It's a very pleasing scene.

Now what else have we got of interest?

Well, we have that wonderful mosaic table top

or picture of the sun gods.

Yes, that's interesting. Really interesting.

And we've got those fantastic Pelham puppets, the Magic Roundabout set.

Yeah, those are very rare indeed, to find them all together,

so I think those could do very well.

I won't be surprised if there's a phone bid lined up.

I don't know how they'll feel about parting with them,

now that they're in the auction house. Shall we find out? Of course.

We've got a really varied selection of lots to sell today,

but what will the buyers think of them,

and will our dear couple be able to let go of treasured possessions?

Good morning! Hello. How are you?

I bet this is going to be a bit of a wrench, isn't it?

A little bit, yes. Yeah?

And what about those Pelham puppets?

Yes... We'll miss those things. They're part of our family.

Yeah, they're in beautiful condition, as are these,

you've obviously looked after everything very well,

so are you looking forward to the auction? Very much so, yes.

Marilyn, what about you? Yes. I've not been to an auction before,

I'm really quite interested to see what is going to go on.

OK, and how do you feel about today, then?

You've got great items, actually.

It will be interesting to see how the Aztec plaque goes,

whether there are any Aztec followers here, or anybody interested in that.

You're not going to miss that, are you? I'd be delighted to see it go!

Let's hope it appeals to a certain type of buyer.

Yes, I'm sure there is the right place for it somewhere,

which is not in my room.

OK. Well, said! Shall we get in position for the auction to start?

Yes, of course. Come on, then.

We'll see what happens with the table top and other lots very shortly

but, remember, if you're thinking of buying or selling at auction,

you'll be responsible for paying commission plus, possibly, other charges.

So it's a good idea to check with your local auction house for details.

With auctioneer Tom Keene in position,

we take our places at the back of the room

as our first lot goes on display.

Lot number 40A now,

the profusely-inlaid circular tabletop of abstract form.

This is not one you want to take home, is it?

Not at all, I hope I've seen the last of it.

OK, well let's hope it definitely makes a sale.

?50 for it... At least ?50. ?50?

?30, I'm bid ?30, take two.

32, 35, 38, 40, 42, 45, 48, 50, 55.

At ?50, standing bid of 55.

55 there, thank you. 60? A new bid of ?55, take 60? At ?55.

Sold at 55 and got it.

Hey, that's great! ?55, and it's not going home!

That's a relief on both fronts, isn't it? Absolutely! Crikey!

Whoa, that's a narrow escape for me now!

Well, it's definitely no sacrifice for Marilyn or Michael

as our first lot sells a healthy ?5 over Paul's lower estimate.

I think for the workmanship that is in it, forget what it portrays,

the workmanship is superb and somebody has had a very good buy.

That's an encouraging start

and exactly the kind of result we need to be achieving today

if we're to go ahead with the plans for a low-maintenance garden and a family reunion.

We're hoping for great things from our next lot,

the late 19th century oil painting by FE Jamieson.

Known and admired specifically for his highland and coastal landscapes,

this popular artist could fetch up to ?300.

It's a nice picture. You happy about this being sold? Yes. Yes?

The time has come? It has.

Let's see what it makes. OK, here we go.

What's that worth...? ?100 for it?

?100, who will start me at ?100?

?100, start me at ?100.

So no bids at all, start me off at ?100, no bids at all at ?100 then,

sorry, no bids of ?100.

Oh, there we are! That's a shame.

So nobody interested in that, not even at ?100.

It's a great shame. Disappointed.

That no sale is a real shock to the system

and I'm beginning to think we might have our work cut out here today.

Perhaps we'd be safer trying our luck with a less high-profile item,

like this stylish four-piece tea set,

first bought by Michael's Mum and Dad in the 1960s.

Is that your cup of tea?

HE CHUCKLES

?50. Not a hand moves.

I'm bid at ?50, at ?50, take 55, 55.

60... 5, 70, 5, 80, 5, 90, 5, 100?

?95... ?95...

Down here at ?95, give me 100.

At ?95, if you're done at 95, you've got it.

There you go, that's all right!

That's all right, isn't it? Yes.

I thought we were going to struggle for a moment!

The auction is certainly full of surprises

but with the set selling ?35 over estimate, we're not complaining.

Michael's parents obviously had an eye for collectables, like our Paul,

but will their Art Deco walnut table make its ?40 to ?60 asking price?

Are we finished at 45, hammer on the table at 45? It goes. ?45. 141.

Excellent, all right. Great.

I'm pleased to say it does,

plus an extra ?5 into the bargain.

We want to raise ?1,000

towards a trouble-free garden and a trip to Canada,

but our failure with the oil painting

has left a huge ?200 gap in our funds.

We're going to have to hit those top estimates,

otherwise our plans could hit the buffers.

Lot number 58 now, 58.

A rare Hornby toy train.

A Mallard class engine.

This is a marvellous example. Bought in 1948, four pieces all together.

I'm looking for about ?50, all right, so let's see how we get on.

?50 for it? ?30 for it...

Come on!

I'm bid at ?30. 32, 35, 38, 40, 42...

Come on...

One more. 42, 45, 48. Now at ?45.

Standing at a bid of ?45.

At ?45. Are we done at 45?

I'm going to sell it at ?45, and gone.

Are you happy with that?

Not over-happy, but it's got to go, so... OK.

Sadly, not quite full steam ahead

as the immaculate Hornby train set fails to quite hit its ?50 estimate.

I can understand why Marilyn and Michael look apprehensive.

With a new-look garden and a foreign trip at stake, we need a really good sale to cheer us all up.

Maybe this Waltham Traveller pocket watch

Michael's father bought just after the Second World War

will clock up some hard cash.

I was saying to Michael it's a shame there weren't more celebrities

that would wear a pocket watch, because that would start the fashion.

No, I haven't got one, don't worry!

Start the trend yourself! Well, exactly!

I never thought of that, actually, to go into business!

Joking apart, if somebody was to start to wear these,

they would all be collectable and usable again,

but at the moment, they're just interesting objects.

Start me at 150 for it, give me ?150 for it?

150 for it? Nobody wants it at ?150? I'm bid at 150, is that 160 there?

160? We've got a bid of 160.

170, 180, 190... Come on...

Are you bidding down there? 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250.

240 is bid. Do you want 250 there?

250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300.

At 290 I'm bid. Do you want 300? At 300 new bidder.

310, 320, 330, 340, 350,

360, 370, 380, 390, 400,

and 20?

It's there at ?400. I'll take 20, at ?400.

Are you all out at ?400? Selling.

There you go! How's that! ?400!

Well, there you are. That is a bit over value, isn't it?

Gosh, yes! Let's not knock it, but, I mean...

That what's I would have put.

Let's be honest, it's because it's yours!

What a truly astonishing result.

Actually doubling Paul's highest valuation.

This is what auctions are all about, the unexpected,

when you put something up for auction

and it gets much more than you anticipate.

That's right, but as we reach half-time,

how have our erratic sales so far taken their toll on our target?

You wanted to raise ?1,000. How do you feel this morning has gone?

It's mixed. Some of it was good and some of it was very slow.

Well, you wanted ?1,000 towards landscaping the garden.

We've made more than half towards that, ?640.

That's great, isn't it!

Isn't that good! It's great!

Particularly after the way it started!

Let's hope the second half goes as well. Yes.

Paul is breathing a sigh of relief as well!

Yes! But there are one or two interesting items here.

There's something I want to show you, tribal art.

Oh, not more of that! Come on, then, let's go!

Auction rooms not only attract all kinds of people

but they're often filled with every kind of imaginable item.

But nothing has prepared me for Paul's latest find.

This is what I wanted to show you.

How about a piece of tribal art? Isn't that fantastic!

I have to be honest, I couldn't possibly give that house room,

garden room, shed room or loft room, to be honest!

Do you know, I think that's fantastic.

It's a medicine witch doctor.

Now tribal art is a massive-selling thing.

People pay hundreds of thousands of pounds for genuine items,

and it's very difficult, actually, to tell the real McCoy from the tourism bits and pieces,

but what you will find is that if anybody is interested in that African look,

or that bit of history, these are great things to have, aren't they?

OK, and what sort of price do you think that might go for?

The value today is about ?50 to ?80 so be interesting to see how it goes.

I don't know about medicine man, he could do with new teeth!

There you go! We'll see what that sells for later. Yeah, we'll have a look. Oh, dear!

Having thankfully escaped from that spooky little fellow,

we rejoin Marilyn and Michael as our plan to raise ?1,000 continues.

We've still got plenty of interesting items to go

and our first lot is a particularly stylish collection,

a bit like our Paul!

Art Deco period, there's a Chinese reproduction of these about at the moment,

but these are Art Deco period.

Number 260A, the Art Deco glass ladies' table set.

These are some of my favourite items.

Do you remember on your dressing table those lovely scent bottles?

What happened in 1922?

Something to do with Tutankhamun! There you go!

Bearing in mind they are damaged, OK, we're looking for about ?80.

And there's five bids for this lot.

Start me at ?50, here it goes. ?50, should make more.

I'm bid at ?50, take 55, 60, 5.

70, 5, 80, 5.

?80 bid, ?80, take 5 at ?80. At ?80.

Are we done at ?80? I'm selling at ?80 if you're done, at ?80.

Last chance for ?80, cheap lot for ?80. Sold.

?80 that made, so that was good, wasn't it? Fantastic!

Are you going to miss those, Marilyn?

My dressing table will look a little bare.

But my garden should look a bit better!

That's the right attitude!

And we sell bang on the money at ?80.

Our Art Deco lots have all sold well today,

so perhaps we can sustain that success with our next lot,

the 1920s drinks decanter and glasses,

a wedding present to Michael's parents.

But will it be our bidders' favourite tipple?

What's it worth? ?50 for the lot, please, ?50?

30, I'm bid at ?30... 80, we're in.

32 there, 35. 35 there, if you like.

38, 40, 42, 45,

48, 50, 55, 60.

55, take 60? At 55 down here, 60 there. 65.

I'm in at ?60, take 65. 70? 75?

At ?70 standing there at ?70, take 75. At ?70, are we done?

Thanks for the bid. At ?70.

There you go. There you are, wasn't bad, was it?

Excellent!

Topping up our fund by ?70? Let's drink to that.

Although not from these glasses, of course!

For our next trick, we'll be trying to make money out of selling money.

Michael's coin collection

includes the very first set of decimal coins

dating back to 1971.

At ?30, come and see me afterwards in relation to that.

?30 at the moment, provisionally sold at ?30, that's the bid.

Now he has made a note of the underbidder

the person who bid ?30,

to see him after the sale, so if you changed your mind,

or you might be able to negotiate some sort of deal afterwards,

if you're interested.

Yes. It's something we can talk about. Yes.

But at the end of the day,

Michael and Marilyn decide the offer is not acceptable

and choose to take the coins home.

It's time for Paul's little friend from earlier to face the bidders,

with a ?50 to ?80 estimate.

50, 55. I've got 60. 65?

?60, my bid at ?60. Take five. Are we done at ?60, are we done?

He needs more medicine, that fellow! At ?60, at ?60, at ?60 selling.

There you go! How's that? ?60!

What did the auctioneer say? Needs more medicine!

So, there you go.

Paul was right and this exotic figure is off to find a new home.

Just not mine!

We're having a day of ups and downs

and there's still some way to go before we hit our ?1,000 target.

Let's hope our next collection doesn't leave the bidders in too much of a spin!

Lot 300A now.

A set of six boxed Pelham puppets,

all from the Magic Roundabout series, number 300A.

This is my favourite lot. I know we've got some beautiful items

and lots of gold and all this, but I'm sorry, I can't kept help it,

I definitely love the Magic Roundabout puppets. They are superb!

Now let's see. Yeah.

?200? No hands moving, yet. 150, then?

Come on... Must do better than this. ?150.

Tell me ?150 or I pass the lot.

No interest above ?150? No bids at all at 150?

That's disappointing, isn't it!

Can't make it out! ?150, opening bid of ?150 then? I'll pass the lot.

They're worth much more than that.

They should have gone for a lot more than that.

I was actually hoping that they'd go well over the ?250 estimate. Yes.

That's not good news.

Fortunately, Marilyn keeps a cool head in the face of adversity.

We will take them back home.

We'll stop and recoup, think what we're going to do with them.

Perhaps keep them around and put them up for auction again.

With only two lots left, though,

will we able to scrape back enough cash to keep us on track?

I'm showing at ?40. Last chance, your bid and gone. ?40.

There you go. ?40, right, OK.

That's quite cheap per glass, isn't it?

Somebody has had a good buy!

Well, perhaps I was hoping for a miracle,

but ?40 is a very respectable sale.

If we're to landscape the garden, and help Michael and Marilyn with their trip, though,

we need an amazing final sale.

But we've learnt the hard way not to take anything for granted,

so will the bidders sink their teeth into our next item?

Lot number 290A. A nine carat gold

Waltham Half Hunter pocket watch.

Number 290A, Half Hunter gold pocket watch.

I couldn't tell the time when I first had hold of it.

I was a little bit young for that!

And what did you use it for?

A teething ring. OK!

My father used to give it to me to practice getting my molars out!

I've heard of "born with a silver spoon in their mouth"

but not gold pocket watch!

Where shall we start, ?200 for it?

No? No bids of ?200? Last one made ?400 and something.

Oh, dear! ?200 for it? Thank you.

I've got a bid of ?200, I'm bid at 200 and 210... 220, 230, 240, 250...

they all want to bid now, 260, 270,

280, 290, 300 and 10?

That's ?300 take 10 at ?300.

You want 310 there?

320, 330, 340,

350, 360,

370, 380, 390. 380, you bid.

Take 385 and we're onto something else. Take 5 now.

That's ?380. I'm going to sell at ?380 the bid is in the room at 380.

I'm going to take 380, gone!

Wow! ?380. That's pretty amazing, isn't it? Pleased with that?

Marvellous result, first class.

You got the extra money because of the teething!

Nearly ?200 over estimate.

What a fantastic end to the day,

but has it been enough to make our ?1,000 target?

The auction was a bit of a rollercoaster ride today, wasn't it?

We didn't sell that painting,

and we haven't sold the Magic Roundabout set, either.

Now, I mean, what's your experience of it today?

It's been very interesting.

We were surprised at what didn't sell,

but the other things did quite well, some of them.

Well, I'm delighted to tell you, you've raised ?1,210.

Good. That's good! We can do all we wanted!

Yes, lovely!

Are you pleased with that? Yes, thank you very much.

Well, don't forget you are taking some items home as well. Yes. Yes.

They'll live to see another day.

I can see the garden with the Magic Roundabout Pelham puppets in it!

More like fairies at the bottom of the garden!

It's been a week since Michael and Marilyn raised ?1,210 at auction

and they wasted no time in calling in a local gardener

to give their green space a makeover.

The idea is that it should be low maintenance,

and once all the plants have developed and grown,

I should have very little to do, other than cut the grass.

The changes to the garden will take some time,

and today David is clearing the borders

and plating plenty of new ground cover.

Because they did so well at auction,

the Beckers will also be using some of the money

towards Marilyn's forthcoming family reunion in Canada.

To actually meet them face-to-face

and put faces to the names that I know so well,

is going to be a very moving experience

and I'm really looking forward to it.

In the meantime there's going to be a new look

and a new garden to enjoy!

I'm really glad we did this.

It's given us an opportunity to have the garden done,

which is something we've wanted for a while,

and it's given us the chance to make firm plans to go to Canada

and I'm really looking forward to that.

That's great!

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