Cooper Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic,

the programme that searches out treasures around your home and then sells them for you at auction.

Today, I'm in Milton Keynes, a place that's traditionally

not known for its culture, but I'm about to visit a building that has changed all of that.

It took 25 years of campaigning to get it built

but now it's the state-of-the-art Milton Keynes Theatre and Gallery.

Opened in 1999, this theatre has placed Milton Keynes very firmly on the country's cultural map.

It plays host to all manner of productions from independent

touring companies to those heading to the stages of the West End.

A very fitting place for me to visit when you consider the musical talents

of the family we're about to meet.

But for a town that isn't normally associated with culture, this theatre make a radical statement.

So let's hope we find lots and lots of items today to pull in the pounds at auction.

Coming up on today's Cash In The Attic,

James' valuations come as a very pleasant surprise to a family of jazz lovers.

That's more than a week's pocket money!

Chantal has decided maybe she'd like to... LAUGHTER

A legendary musician arrives to perform a familiar tune.

PLAYS CASH IN THE ATTIC THEME TUNE

That's all we know of it!

Some expectations are dashed on the day of auction.

That was awful. Terrible.

So let's hope we're not all humming the Cash In The Attic Blues when the final hammer falls.

Well, I'm on my way to meet a very talented lady, who's hoping that

the Cash In The Attic team can help her raise enough money

for a long-term project, also a very cool night out.

For the past 17 years this three-bedroom detached property in Milton Keynes

has been the home to former professional singer, Thea Cooper.

Thea is very passionate about music and as her two children are all too well aware

the house is absolutely crammed full of all manner of items relating to Thea's distinguished career.

But soon music will no longer be in the air of this particular house

because Thea is moving on to pastures new.

Her children have flown the nest and it's now time for Thea

to commence that new chapter in her life.

Hi, James. Morning.

Are you in fine voice today? # Always. #

Always, because this lady, she's apparently a very good singer,

very much involved in music and the whole sort of show business thing, so...

I haven't played a musical instrument in years,

but why don't we get with the beat?

You haven't bought your tambourine? No!

What a shame! Come on.

Thea and Chantal, how good to see you.

Don't get up, I don't want to disturb the work.

This is what I love to come in and witness, two girls already rummaging around.

Where did all this stuff come from?

Well, some of it was inherited, some of it was given to me and I bought some things as well.

And why did you decide to call in Cash In The Attic?

Well, I was sitting at my computer one night thinking about downsizing

to a two bedroomed bungalow, looking around thinking,

"Where on Earth am I going to get rid of all this stuff?"

and so I went online and sent an e-mail to Cash In The Attic.

You thought the team will come in and do it.

I thought nobody would come!

And here we are! Absolutely. Chantal, do you think it's a good idea that your mum

has decided to sell off her things?

Wouldn't you like to keep some of it? I've got a few pieces that I've kept for myself,

so I've got a few memories that I'll keep.

Are you more minimalistic?

Yeah. I don't collect quite as much stuff as Mum! So how much would you like to raise?

I'd like to raise ?700,

that would help towards my move and a good night out for the family.

When you say you want a good night out for all the family, where would you like to go?

Well, there's a theatre close by that John Dankworth and Cleo Laine

have a close association with, so it would be nice to go out with the family to that

and have something to eat as well.

you've done enough rummaging in the box.

We're all here now with our team and I think we should go

and do some cracking work to raise your ?700.

So there'll be no shortage of items for us

in our mission to downsize and raise money

for a night of jazz for Thea and her family.

Hoping to squeeze out every penny of Thea's

lifelong passion for collecting is our expert, James Rylands.

His reputation in the antiques world is legendary,

which is more than can be said for his musical talents.

That's an interesting noise. You weren't supposed to discover me playing!

Don't give up the day job, go back to the the tambourine!

That was awful, wasn't it? It was, yes. Where did it come from?

The daughter of a friend of mine left it for me

and I think she thought, as I was a musician,

that I'd play the piano and accordion which I don't.

You don't? No, no, no.

You can't take over where I left off? I can't lift it.

They're very heavy. Have you ever played it?

I wouldn't know where to start playing it!

Have you heard it being played? I don't think so.

The whole thing was invented early in the 19th century,

over in Berlin by a chap called Friedrich Buschmann.

They came over to England in the 1840s and in those days

quite often they came over in kit form and the shopkeeper had to put them together himself.

Like flat-pack?

It's almost like flat-pack.

This particular one made by the Galanti family out in Mondiano

in Italy was probably made in the 1950s.

I actually just love the front here.

This looks like the sort of radiator grille of one of those American 1950s cars.

I think that it's going into a general auction

so something like ?80 to ?100 would be the right estimate.

And see what happens.

I must say it does look a fine, substantial instrument, but you know what,

must find more things if we're to raise the money we'd better get cracking.

Yeah.

I haven't had any emotional attachment to the piano accordion at all,

so I'm quite happy for that to go and give pleasure to somebody else, who knows how to play it.

Goody, that gladly discounts James from bidding for the accordion

and as long as he resists playing it again

it should impress the bidders at auction.

The downsizing process has begun which is good because this house is crammed with items

that Thea has collected over the years,

including this Poole pottery vase

which James values at ?40 to ?70.

Chantal, it's all very interesting, all these bits of crockery,

but what I'm really interested in is this amazing bit of furniture.

Where did this come from?

This has come from my grandma.

She's had it for years and has passed it down to my mum now.

Do you like it? I don't mind it.

I know my mum likes it, but as she's downsizing she needs to get rid of it now.

I think it was probably made round about 1900, 1910 and originally

it would have been made to go into what I'd call a stockbroker Tudor house.

That means is that in the early years of the 20th century, when more and more people

were living in the suburbs, yet wanted to live in,

not a red-brick house but a fake Tudor house,

and this is the sort of piece of furniture they'd have had inside.

It's made very specifically to go into a dining room.

Do you see the mirrors on the back there? Yes.

Do you see the edges of them have got this angle,

that's what we call beveled plates and that is a nice sign of quality.

It means that that mirror plate was made specifically to go into that particular space, so handmade

and when it comes to value we're going to be looking at between ?100 and ?200. OK.

Which is, you know, I mean that's very useful,

it's towards the kitty, but something of that size you'd think it should be worth more.

Yeah. On a good day, we'll see what happens.

Anyway, let's see what else you can show me. OK.

It was interesting to hear about the dresser.

It was disappointing that such a large item wouldn't be worth more.

?100 to ?200 does seem awfully cheap for such an imposing piece of furniture,

but as we all know only too well anything can happen at auction.

Upstairs more evidence of Thea's passion for music is unearthed, with this clarinet.

It was made by the British music publishers Boosey Hawkes,

a company that in the 1930s became a major manufacturer of brass, string and wind instruments.

James thinks this clarinet could fetch between ?40 and ?60.

It's another very useful addition towards our ?700 target

for Thea and her family to indulge in a night of world class jazz.

James, could you have a look at this silver?

I'm not sure whether it's real or not but you, no doubt, will tell me.

You've got a bit of everything here. Where did it come from? It's my mother-in-law.

OK, I think she's done you proud.

I like this because you've got this nice little repousse work on the top,

decorated with angels, which is based on a picture by

Joshua Reynolds, actually. Oh, right!

And that's hallmarked Birmingham.

It's late Victorian, looking at the marks.

But all these other little...

Hang on, these, those look Indian.

They belonged to my father-in-law. He brought them back from the war.

He was stationed in India.

It's a typical example of Indian work, which is

like a little salt, made in the European style, but with this very distinctive Indian decoration on.

Now, if you look at these sugar tongs, largely plate,

made very much in a Georgian style, when sugar was quite expensive.

So you needed a special, special pair of tongs to pick the sugar out like this.

Well, of course, nowadays nobody really uses them very much. No.

They're great for display, but no great functional use.

I think what we've got here, Thea,

probably is about ?60 to ?100 worth, something like that.

OK. The silverware I've enjoyed looking at, I've had it for some time

and I think now that it's the time to let it go.

Whilst James carries on searching, some very distinguished help arrives at the door.

Colleague and great family friend, the legendary jazz musician

Johnny Dankworth, and his singing sensation daughter, Jacqui.

It's fantastic you've been able to join us.

How did you first meet this lady?

Well, when we moved into this area,

where we still live after 40 odd years,

we decided to have a music education centre and so one of the

first people we came across was Thea and so we enlisted her.

For many years she ran all of our music courses,

which involved a lot of work as well as a lot of musical knowledge.

I know that you ended up teaching Jacqui,

but I'm wondering what your first memory was, Jacqui, of Thea?

I studied A level music and part of my exam

was the practical side and I had to get my grade seven singing

so I had to do all the scales and the classical pieces

and Thea got me through it, really.

Of course, Mum and Dad being so famous worldwide,

was it difficult for you to carve out your own niche?

I spent most of my career trying to prove that I can do it on my own and... Which you have done.

And also Cleo's a very influential singer

and a very big personality to follow.

I think Jacqui has done it just absolutely admirably

in that she's made a style which is her own

and nothing like her mother's whatsoever.

Nice! Thanks, Dad.

Which is very hard to do. What I also think is fantastic

is that you've been able to perform as a family

and that's made a strong stamp. You must have watched this many times.

Oh, yes, the Christmas shows are really something, well, they're a cult now, aren't they?

I could spend the programme just listening to all the stories,

but we've got to do a bit of work.

'Well, it's not every day one gets to meet

'two such highly regarded musicians,

'but we're here to raise the money for Thea to treat her family to a night of jazz.'

Fortunately, Chantal is on the case and spots this rather elegant stick stand,

which James values at ?30 to ?50.

And as I love tea, I'm rather taken with this Paragon tea service,

which James estimates at ?40 to ?60.

We're gradually progressing towards our ?700 target.

Johnny's found something that might get us even closer.

Well, this is something that I came across.

THEY CLAP

That's amazing, I think it's great that you can pick up just a bit of old metal and bring it to life.

This isn't just any old metal!

A bit of old vegetable can pick up a bit of old metal!

So, is this something that was up at the school?

Well, I'm not sure exactly how it came into Thea's hands.

Well, it was given to me when I ran the jazz courses for you,

I lent it to students on the courses and now it's coming back.

Well, they've been around for a lot longer than you might think

because the original was named after Adolphus Sax, in the 1820s, 30s...

1840s. 1840s, yeah, 1840s, sorry.

That's when it was patented.

I can tell this is before 1950 because there's a note missing

that's an all modern saxophones and it's missing from here.

They only started putting it in on a regular basis just after World War II in fact.

So that's roughly when this, between the wars?

I would, at a guess, by the shape of it and the feel of it

and the insignia down there, it's probably more like in the '20s or 30s.

Jacqui's one of the best singers in the country,

if you don't do a bit of scat singing I'll be disappointed.

Well, we could try.

One, two, three, four.

HE PLAYS CASH IN THE ATTIC THEME TUNE

That's all we know of it!

Our theme tune will never be the same again!

It's got the Dankworth stamp.

I hope I get an arranger's credit for that.

Will it sell well at auction?

The very fact that it's very much like the original one played

by Charlie Parker gives it an extra impetus to the jazz lovers, I think.

James, we can verify, as performed by Johnny Dankworth.

I think it's got sax appeal, it has.

If we put an estimate of ?150-250 on it and see what we get,

but I think, Thea, you've got to think,

"Do I need to put a reserve price on this?"

Yes, I think ?250 would be right, it'd be fair.

Why don't we just book Johnny and Jacqui to come along on auction day

and it'll sell for thousands?!

What an unexpected treat to have a rendition of our theme tune by the great Johnny Dankworth.

And what a great find - with such provenance, this deserves to do well at auction.

There's really plenty for us to see in this house,

and Thea's family heirlooms just seem to keep on coming.

Thea? Where did this handsome piece of furniture come from?

That was one of my mother-in-law's favourite pieces of furniture.

OK, so it's mother-in-law's and you're desperate to get rid of it!

Well, I've enjoyed having it, and I think now it's just time.

I'm downsizing, I've got to let it go.

This is a display cabinet, it's made to be filled up with things to look at,

and in a way that's typical of its era,

because it's late Victorian, Edwardian, so round about 1900 in date.

Was it for showing off what they'd got?

Absolutely! Forget the car in the drive.

In those days it was, "Look at all our wonderful bits of silver and our

"tea service that we treasure", and that's how you did it. Yeah.

It's like a sort of status symbol of the time.

It's made of mahogany, and like a lot of

Victorian-Edwardian furniture, it's a mishmash of lots of earlier styles.

So we've got a bit of Adam, Robert Adam in here with these ribbon-tied bell flowers,

we've got Chinese Chippendale along the top here with this blind fret,

and then we've got a bit of Gothic

with these little the lancet-arched glazed display doors.

In many ways, bits of furniture like this are a lot cheaper than they used to be,

because people are going through that minimalist phase, less is more and things like that.

So, I think that if we sent this off to auction and put quite a mean estimate

of say ?50-100 on it and then let's see it go on and make more than that.

Right. I think that's where we should be.

But one piece of furniture is never enough, so lead on and let's find some more.

So it's off to auction for another bulky piece of furniture.

Our mission, of course, is to downsize, and it's really building momentum.

Chantal discovers a collection of Art Deco Minton china, valued at ?20-30.

We seem to be doing sterling work on the antiques front,

but I'm keen to find out more about Thea's love of music.

You're about to change your life quite dramatically, so what has brought that about?

Well, I'm now a pensioner!

Ssh, don't say the word.

I don't want to see the bus pass, not for one second.

Don't get that in Milton Keynes. And I've got a house in Florida,

which is lovely, because I'm going to, hopefully, now I'm downsizing,

be able to spend a bit more time there.

How do you feel about Mum selling this house and moving away?

She's not going too far, it's only about 20 minutes away,

so we'll still be able to see each other regularly.

So tell me about your upbringing and particularly training in music.

Did you perform professionally?

Yes, yes. I did mainly oratorio and recital work,

and I suppose it culminated with a recital at the Purcell Room in London.

And then I think I just decided,

with the responsibilities of children,

it was better to channel myself in other directions.

So she gave it all up for you, Chantal, and your brother.

What can I say? Exactly!

So you gave it up to look after your children, went other directions.

One was, of course, was The Stables,

Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth have this marvellous school where they

encourage young people and they have their theatre there.

I ran their education courses for something like 21 years,

and again, it opened lots of doors for me.

It was absolutely great...

feeling and atmosphere there, and I met some fascinating people.

Don't think you can escape into rummaging for items for the auction

without letting me hearing your voice.

# The waters of time come between him and me

# And here I will stand with a tear in my eye

# Oh, sighing and sighing my sweetheart to see. #

Oh, lovely!

Your turn now, Chantal. No, no way!

I don't think any amount of persuading would persuade Chantal to belt out a tune.

We'll save her talents for unearthing valuables,

which is just what James does when he spots this oak cabinet top.

He values it at between ?40 and ?70.

And I'm hoping that I've found something that might also be of interest.

Here, look what I've found.

A rather interesting gold coin, which looks like it's been a necklace before.

Yes, it was given to me by a friend in France, it's a French coin.

I think, James, you might be very interested in us.

I can tell that's made of gold, that's got a nice weight to it.

That's quite a rare coin, it's quite unusual.

So this is Louis Napoleon, who was the first Napoleon's nephew.

On the other side we've got

20 Fr, so that's a gold 20 Franc piece,

the French royal coat of arms and "Empire Francais"

and dated 1868.

Now, the slightly bad news is the fact that someone's mounted it up

means it's taken away a lot of its value as a coin.

The good news is that gold is at an all-time high at the moment.

It's getting on for $950 an ounce.

Gosh! That is more than a week's pocket money.

I think Chantal has decided maybe she'd like to keep that.

You weren't interested in this before now, were you? I am now!

What do we think it's worth, then, James?

Well, I'm gonna say between ?100 and ?200.

Wow! Are you absolutely sure you want to part with it?

Cos it is a very personal gift.

Yes, I'll have to think about it, especially

now I've heard the detail, and it's fascinating, the things that James has told us.

So, this is our last find of the day,

I'm sure you'd like to know how much you've raised, potentially anyway.

After such a lovely day, that doesn't seem important, but go on.

Isn't that lovely?

About my person I have a bit of paper that tells me exactly what you may have.

Now, all things crossed, everything crossed, you should raise ?650.

However...if you add the gold coin that you've be wearing

around your neck occasionally, you could make ?750 or indeed ?850.

Yes. Well, that's been worth getting up early for.

That's a good rummage and a good raid in your house.

Absolutely, a great variety.

Well, we've had a terrific day helping Thea and Chantal

downsize their home, and we've taken in some music and, of course, a bit of singing along the way.

So, heading off to auction we have...

A Victorian dresser that's been passed down through the family and valued at a very reasonable ?100,

an Italian accordion from the 1950s valued at ?80-100,

the American saxophone, as demonstrated by the

one and only Johnny Dankworth and carrying a reserve of ?250.

But will the gold coin of Napoleon III make it to auction?

It's got an estimate of ?100-200, but the question is,

will Thea be able to part with it?

Still to come on Cash In The Attic, the jazz lovers experience the highs at auction.

I'll give you a kiss this time... Fantastic!

But not everything goes quite according to plan.

No! No, no, no, no!

But will we have reached our target when the final hammer falls?

Now, today, I'm drumming up support for Thea Cooper and her daughter Chantal.

It's been a few weeks since we searched their home

in Milton Keynes for antiques and collectibles

to sell here at auction, and today I've come to the auction rooms of Shouler Son in Melton Mowbray.

The auction house is open for business,

and there's no shortage of potential bidders.

Remember, Thea's planning on treating her family to a night of jazz,

and with some great items up for grabs,

we've got high hopes that we'll be able to achieve our target.

James, that's what I love about you, studying your catalogue already.

Studying form! I know!

We're about to meet Thea and Chantal, but didn't we have a great day at Milton Keynes?

It's not every day somebody like Johnny Dankworth

drops by to play the instruments we're going to auction.

Do you know, Gloria, I'd almost forgotten we were there

to do the valuing and getting things together.

An interesting mix of things to be auctioned off today.

We have a lot of instruments,

so let's just hope in this general auction

that there are people who will love these things.

Thea had that gold coin that you liked.

I wonder, will she bring it?

With an estimate of ?100 plus, that's quite a chunk of our total, so I hope she has!

Chantal and Thea probably have arrived by now, so shall we go and meet them?

We're counting on the musical instruments achieving good prices

if we're going to reach our ?700 target, so let's hope that Thea and Chantal

aren't the only music fans in the auction room.

Good morning. All systems go!

You look very cheery, bright. Are you full of anticipation today?

Oh, yes. Lovely. I'm really enjoying it already.

Good. And, Chantal, this is your first auction?

It's all new to me, so I'm excited to see what happens.

Now, the big question is, did you bring the gold coin?

Ta-da!

You did! What was the deciding factor in letting it go?

I didn't think I needed it.

I don't think I'll wear it again, so...

I need the money more than the coin.

Thea, we've got reserves on one or two things.

Yes, I've put a reserve on the saxophone.

That's 250?

And I thought about my clarinet and I thought,

"Well, normally if you buy a child a clarinet,

"just a cheap one to see how it's going to go, it's ?200."

So, I've put a reserve of 100 on that.

We've got the accordion, as well.

Do you have high hopes for this auction today?

I do. I just peeked in there and there's a full room, lots of people, which is what we want.

Well, I think, we should creep in.

Yes. Because it's under way and we've got a lot of work to do. Yeah.

A relieved James is feeling optimistic about the auction.

And that's a view shared by today's auctioneer, Ben Shouler.

There's a good buzz at the moment,

so I'm pretty sure that we'll do well for her, do well for the Coopers.

If you're planning on heading to your local auction house,

be aware that commission and possibly other charges will be added to your bill.

Lot 154, now, is the sundry silver and EP ware.

Nice little tray for you, there.

Yes, our first lot to go under the hammer is the silverware, valued at 60 - ?100.

Is there usually an interest in these more trinket-y kind of objects?

The good news is that the silver price, the melt price, is the highest it's been for years.

The bad news is some of those more Victorian things where they're quite

twiddly and ornate, not quite as fashionable as they used to be.

Now, here's your item coming up.

Where's it gonna be? The guide's ?60. ?40, to get on, then?

At 30, sir?

20 bid, 20. We've got 20.

A third of where we want to be!

Five? Eight? 30? Two? Five?

40? ?40, on my left.

At ?40. 42, 45, 48, 50, five?

55, far left. 60, down here. 65, 70.

?70, sitting down. At ?70, at ?70.

Anybody else? At ?70. 125.

Well done, brilliant. I'll give you a kiss this time.

Fantastic! That's encouraging, isn't it?

Yes, it is. She's so relieved, her body...

Her body went like this, like relief.

What a terrific start.

?70 - that's bang in the middle of James's estimate.

And hopefully a good sign of things to come.

Next up, it's a complete six piece Paragon country lane tea set.

25 pieces, so a lot. It's very pretty, isn't it?

It's lovely, and unused, practically.

Surely this has got to be worth its estimate of ?40?

Who's got me ?40? ?40, full tea set?

?20? Oh, no! For goodness' sake!

?10? ?5, ?5, ?5, at ?5?

?6, ?6. ?6 only, at ?6.

?6, ?6 only, at ?6? At six. Eight?

?8. Eight. 10? ?10, ?10, ?10. At 12?

At 12. It's low bidding here.

At ?18, now. At ?18. 20? Please.

At ?20, in the middle. No!

At ?20. Everybody else done at 20?

All done at ?20. You're joking.

That is awful, awful.

That's under a pound a piece. Ridiculous!

That is a disappointment, ?20 short of its lowest estimate.

Not the result we were after,

but we must be positive.

Other items in this sale are selling well, and we have some great lots still to come.

Lot 195, now, is the gold Napoleon III 20 franc pendant. 1868.

Thea had to think long and hard about bringing this item to the sale.

I hope it performs well for her.

We've got an estimate upwards of ?100, but let's not forget gold is at an all-time high at the moment.

And that's what counts, at the end of the day.

Where are we gonna start, for it, then? 50, to get on?

40, thank you, sir. ?40, ?40.

Two, 5, 8?

50? Five? 60? Five? 70? Five? Yes!

75, there. At ?75. 80, fresh bidder.

?80, ?80? 85? 90?

95? 100? ?100? At ?100, at ?100. ?100.

All out, right now? ?100.

Anybody else?

100...

You made it, ?100.

That's good, isn't it? James is wrung out!

?100, what a relief. That's just the result we needed for team morale.

I was really pleased with the price of the gold coin.

I think it's worth it.

I would have been very disappointed

if it had gone for less than ?100, so that's good.

Let's hope our luck continues with the Poole pottery vase.

I can't remember where you got it. Just remind me.

I went up to Aberdeen to see my cousin last summer, and I bought it in a silent auction for ?3.50.

So anything over that'll be a profit.

?20, and start me? ?10, ?10, ?10, 10. 12? 12? 15?

This is very low. 18, ?18? 20?

At 22, 22, 22, now? At 22.

No, don't. Come on!

At five, 25, now. At 25, at 25. He's stopped.

At 25, there. At ?25, all done at 25?

Actually, not as much, but still a profit for you.

I think we should be pretty satisfied with that.

A good profit on the ?3.50 Thea paid for it less than a year ago.

Next up, a collection of Art Deco Minton china.

And I'm bid 12? ?12, now. ?12.

Fingers crossed this time. ?12, only? 15? 18?

20? Two? Five?

25?

25, in the middle. 28.

They're bidding all over the place. Yes.

?30 in the middle. All done at ?30?

Wow! That's a lovely little surprise, isn't it?

?30, top estimate - a great result in

advance of the first of our musical instruments to come up for sale.

Right, lot 421, now, is the Bousy Hawkes model 77 clarinet.

We have to hope that there are some

budding musicians in the auction room today for this to reach its ?100 reserve.

Why did you decide to sell something so personal?

Well, nobody's interested in it.

Aren't you interested in playing it, Chantal? I tried it once.

I didn't pick it up. Once was enough, eh?!

She played the flute. Have we ?100, anywhere? 100? 70?

50, bid. 50, 50, 50.

At ?50, ?50, and five? At 55. 60?

Five? 70? At ?70, bid at ?70.

Last chance, then. ?70? Anyone else gonna come in at ?70?

Sorry, can't do that, I'm afraid.

It wasn't meant to leave you.

Well, with bids failing to reach the ?100 reserve,

the clarinet goes home with Thea.

The bidders haven't been wooed by our first musical instrument, which isn't a good sign,

as next up it's the saxophone, demonstrated by the great Johnny Dankworth.

We know it sounds good, we know it still works, and to know that John's

actually played it himself makes it particularly special.

Been played by the famous gentlemen on our left - not him, that one there - Johnny Dankworth.

There's a lot of interest in it, and a few phone bids have come in as well.

That would be lovely.

We've got a reserve, we've got a reserve of 250, which I think was very wise to put on.

?300? This is it! I'm gonna hold on to you this time!

200? At ?100, now, at ?100?

We'll start somewhere. 110, 120.

120? 120. 130? 130. 140? 140. 150.

It's like ascending the scale.

190? 200? 200.

Got to get to 50. 220? 220. 240? 240.

260, sir? 240, bid. 260.

Yes! Yep, we're there.

At ?260, at 260.

280, on the phone again at 280. 300.

At ?300, now. At ?300. At ?300.

It's up to you. At ?300. 320.

At ?320, now.

Anybody else in the room? Otherwise, down at 320.

Well done! Triumph!

Oh, Johnny will be pleased, won't he?

'Surpassing his estimate and Thea's reserve, the saxophone is a hit with

'our bidders. What a mega relief!'

I'm absolutely delighted that the saxophone went for ?320, and I hope that the person who's bought it

is going to play it. 'Well said, but what a day.

'Some items have exceeded our expectations, whilst others have fallen short of their estimates.

'Time, though, for me to do my calculations and work out just how much we've raised so far.'

We're about halfway through the auction. Are you finding it stressful or enjoying it?

It's a little bit stressful, but having a lovely time.

Well, I have to tell you, and I think you'll be pleased,

at the half-time mark, you are up ?565.

That's not bad, is it?

565, and you're only looking for 700.

And you still have items to come, so well done.

Second half, it's gonna be a breeze!

Wee buns, as we'd say in Northern Ireland. Easy.

Do you want to come with me? 'There's nothing like a wee bun.

'We might be able to take a breather but there's no rest for the bidders,

'who are very keen to check out this afternoon's lots.

'There's always so much to see at auctions

'and James spots something he's taken quite a shine to.'

Here is something that has a local interest. It's a wonderful engraving.

It's titled The Melton Breakfast.

Melton Mowbray is the meeting point for three of the most historic hunts,

the Corn, the Cottesmore and the Beaver.

These gentlemen, before they went out for a hard day's hunting,

there was nothing they enjoyed more than sitting down to a really good hearty breakfast.

Here they are, attired in their hunt outfits. This was painted by Sir Francis Grant

who has a memorial in the town here.

Good artist, local interest, we are looking at around ?150. I like it.

'Let's hope the bidders are as keen on our remaining lots

'as James is on that painting.

'We retake our position in the auction room in preparation of our next lot - The 1950s accordion.

'Fortunately for us, James has so far refrained from playing it!'

Remind us what is special about it.

Well, it's by a great maker, Galanti.

We have ?80-100. I will volunteer to play this if people don't bid for it!

Do you think you could clear this auction room in one minute?! ?50.

It is a stunning thing.

Where we gonna be? ?40?

Oh, no! Half price!

?20.

Not for 20. Anybody moving? ?20.

20 bid. Thank you. At 20 bid only.

20 bid.

That would be a real giveaway.

At 22. 25, 25.

The piano accordion, 25.

No, no, no!

For ?25. Lot 164.

'?25, that's a real disappointment,

'selling a long way short of its lowest estimate.

'Let's hope we have better luck with our next item.

'The mahogany display cabinet, estimate ?50-100.'

Looking forward to seeing how my grandma's china cabinet does.

It's been in the family a long time.

It will be interesting to see how it does.

100 for that one. 50, start me.

50. ?30, ?30.

At ?30 only. ?30, ?30.

?30, ?30 now, ?30, ?30 only.

32. 32. 5, 35.

It will go up a bit. 42, 42? At 42.

No! At 42...

That was cheap by any standards.

'We are really determined this run of bad luck

'is not going to get us down.

'We've made just over ?630,

'so only ?70 to reach Thea's target with three lots still to go.

'It really could go either way,

'which doesn't fill us with confidence for our next item.

'It's an oak cabinet top, estimate ?40.'

At ?10, 10, I have. Disappointing.

It's got to go. Away done?

'Ooh, dear. ?10.

'I really hope the bidders will be more impressed with our next lot.'

So next up is the art nouveau stick stand.

We've got ?30-40 on it. Where did this come from?

It was my mother's.

She used to keep potted plants in it.

Start with 10 bid.

15. 18. 20. Wow!

At least they're bidding.

?30, ?30, ?30. At ?30 now.

That's good. Terrific, isn't it?

?30. On the estimate. It's all right.

'That's more like it. ?30 and bang on the estimate.

'Hopefully that means our luck has turned.

'Next up is our biggest lot of the day.'

The carved oak sideboard.

The big one at the back. 'Thea's aim was always to downsize so we

'really can't afford for this hunk of furniture to fail to sell.

'We're after ?100.'

What you think about your grandmother's sideboard being sold?

It is the right time. It's amazing the room it has left in the house.

The house looks different. 150.

?100.

?100.

?80, at ?80. ?80. 85?

At 85. At 85. At 85. At 85. At 85. At 85.

90. Five. 95. 100.

Let's make the big 100. 110 now.

120. 30. 140.

150.

At 150. Can we squeeze another?

160. 160. At 160.

70? At 170.

All done at 170.

That's all right.

'?170 - a great result selling at ?30 below its top estimate.

'But most importantly, it's a huge piece of furniture

'Thea doesn't need to take with her to her new home.

'That's how we like to finish an auction.'

Would you like to know your total? I think that might be an idea.

Right. You wanted ?700 to have a good night out.

And to help you downsize into a new home.

It's not ?700.

It is 842!

Oh, wow! That's fantastic! Isn't that good?

I would never have realised. That's what I call a good night out.

I don't think it will be ?800 worth, I tell you!

That will be a heck of a hangover.

THEY CHUCKLE

It's been a couple of weeks now since the auction and the time has

come for Thea to treat her family

to a night at the world-famous London Jazz club, Ronnie Scott's.

Tonight we've come down to London, brought the family with me

and Jacqui Dankworth is the star for tonight.

Many of the greatest jazz performers of all time have played here,

including Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Stan Getz.

I have brought all the family with me.

It is going to be a lovely occasion.

It is also my birthday tomorrow, so it's a special treat.

And I'm looking forward to hearing Jackie sing.

# So when I call your na-a-a-me

# So when I ask you nea-a-a-a-r

# Please don't refuse me

# No, no, please take away... #

Tonight is something that has put the icing on the cake.

Having such a nice venue, the children here,

everybody enjoying it.

It's something I wouldn't normally have been able to do.

The family have really enjoyed it.

They don't really know much about jazz.

Now, they're quite enthusiastic and they realise it's not a dirty word!

# Please answer my...

# ..Pra-a-a-a-ayer. #

APPLAUSE

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