Forrest Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic,

the show that helps you find hidden treasure at home and sells it for you at auction.

Today, we're in Surrey

and I've stopped off to take in one of the most beautiful landscape parks of the 18th century.

Painshill Park was created by Charles Hamilton between 1738 and 1773.

Following major restoration work, the 158 acres of parks and gardens

have been returned to their former landscaped glory.

A gothic temple constructed of timber and rendered to look like stone has been put in a position

to catch the visitors' eye from all over the estate.

And let's hope our items have exactly the same effect on our bidders

when they go under the hammer at auction.

Coming up on today's Cash In The Attic, a bewildered expert...

What is it? I don't know what it is.

..a family full of surprises...

Actually, I played him on television.

..and is it all getting too much for James?

Do I feel under pressure? Yes. Yeah. LAUGHTER

Let's hope we will still be smiling when the final hammer falls.

So we skipped across from Painshill

to nearby Surbiton because I'm about to meet a family

who called in Cash In The Attic

because they want to leave Surrey and start a new life north of the border.

'This lovely Victorian semi has been has been home to retired actor Alan

'and accountant Sheila Forrest for the last 35 years.

'But since their daughter Fiona and granddaughter Amy moved in, things have got a little close for comfort.

'Turning his back on the showbiz world of dramas and commercials,

'Alan's desire to trace his roots has encouraged him and his family to head to pastures new.'

Morning, James. Nice to see you. Morning, Alastair. And bright sunshine as well.

Yeah, we've got the Forrest family today. Three generations of them moving up to Scotland.

It's resting on your capable shoulders. You have to fund their move.

I've got to find lots of valuables from their old life to make way for their new life?

You're transforming their life. I'm glad the responsibility is with you, not me. No pressure!

Hello, guys. Hi, Alastair.

Ah, family photos. Whose family's that? Well, this is my family.

It's my father's side of the family. The Scottish side. Right. The Forrest side of the family.

Are you moving back to Scotland to trace your roots?

I mean, it's not the main reason, but it's one of the reasons.

It's a very good reason for me to actually get up there.

One, you can do an awful lot of research on the internet.

There is nothing like actually going to the locations where they lived

and looking at the local records, you know, to get real, down-to-earth information.

Sheila, is that enough of a reason to up sticks and move to Scotland? Well, not just for that, no.

We've got another daughter up there that we don't see as often as we'd like to.

Fiona's come to live with us with our granddaughter

and all of us would go up there and be a complete family again.

Wonderful. Just live near together.

The sale of this house is going to fund your move up to Scotland, but what are we raising money for?

Something new for the new house. Something to put into the house maybe.

I've got my eye on, um, a couple of table lamps.

So how much you think we're trying to raise?

What's the sort of ballpark figure? About 500. Something like that.

Great. James is looking around so let's find him

and hope we make some money for your move. Good. Come on, let's go.

'Raising money to buy something for the new family home is a lovely idea

'and the more we sell at auction, the less there is to pack.

'Hoping to shine some light on today's rich pickings is our expert, James Rylands,

'who earned his antiques stripes working at Sotheby's auction rooms in the 1980s.

'His eyes have already fallen on some rather fruitful delights.'

Ah, James, you found some pink glass.

Not pink. Cranberry. Exactly! Here is our cranberry lady here.

Do you know what they put into the glass to make it the cranberry colour? No. Not cranberries.

No, it's actually gold chloride.

Yeah, which actually does make it quite expensive. They actually made it in two layers.

So you have a layer of clear glass with the ruby-coloured glass on top.

And this I particularly like. It's called a muffineer.

Right, I've never heard that before.

I just call it a sugar shaker. Well, it is. It's a posh name for a sugar shaker.

You filled it up with either sugar or cinnamon

for actually putting on your muffins at breakfast. Oh, right.

And that's why it's called a muffineer. But, funnily enough, my favourite piece here is this.

It looks like a Georgian, late-18th-century silver salt.

The original of this was dated to 1780, something like this.

This is a copy. It's hallmarked Sheffield,

but what I love about it is virtually all the salts you that see

have got blue glass lining. Yes.

But you being the pink lady that you are, managed to find one that's pink.

That makes it rare and rather special. Really? I didn't know that.

Yes, quite a nice little collection. I've got to be honest with you.

Cranberry glass is not as collected as it used to be. No.

It's probably worth around about ?100, something like that. So that's very good.

So, about ?100 in the pot.

Five more of those and we'll be there. Let's get cracking.

Well, I've learned something.

I now know what a muffineer is, which I didn't know before.

It was just a sugar shaker to me before.

My thoughts about going to auction -

I'm sad in a lot of ways because I collected it over quite a few years.

But it's got to go.

What a treasure trove of antiques, which will hopefully sweeten our funds.

To hit our ?500 target and brighten up Sheila's new home,

we'll need to find lots more goodies.

What better way to set the auction alight than with this amazing collection of silver?

Included are a wonderful ruffle edged dish, a single goblet,

and six napkin rings, which James values at a reasonable ?30-?50.

There's no rest for our expert. He's upstairs in the bedroom to examine Alan's next find.

Well, here's something else, James, I've got.

I don't know whether you'd be interested, but I think you'll find it very colourful.

Gosh, they really are very spick and spangly. They are, aren't they?

Where did they come from? Well, I acquired them from a printer that I knew up in town in 1974, I think.

And they are illustrations for a book called The Butterfly Ball And The Grasshopper's Feast.

Produced and drawn by Alan Aldridge.

He was, in the '60s and '70s, THE man when it came to illustrating.

I think he worked with the Beatles.

Yes, he did. And he did the artwork for, I think, Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy

for Elton John in the early '70s. Oh, gosh, yes, that's going back a bit. So talk me through them.

Each of these have a particular name.

That's the Kingfisher Waiting.

This is called Sir Maximus Mouse.

You can see he's a bit of an entrepreneur in the city.

Yes, I can see he really is a little tycoon

with the ticker-tape coming out with all the share prices on it.

Oh, look at that one. I know.

That's almost spooky, isn't it?

It's off-the-wall completely. Newts. Absolutely fascinating.

In terms of value, it's a tricky one because I notice they are not signed at all. No.

Conservatively, we put ?20-?40 and see how you get on. OK. That's good. What a great story.

What a great story.

But, Alan, it's never enough. We need more.

You want some more? I want some more. OK. Lead on. Let's see what we can find. Right.

'Even though they are 1970s originals,

'without the artist's signature, these fabulous prints may go unnoticed at auction.

'So we'll just have to wait and see how they perform on the day.

'And taking centre stage in the kitchen is this glorious tableware.

'Since 1904, Noritake, named after a small suburb in Japan,

'have brought quality to dinner tables around the world.

'There is also an abundance of decorative glassware

'in the Forrest home and it seems Alan is not the only artist in the family.'

Sheila, I've noticed a lot of this painted glass.

Do I detect your artistic hand in this? Yes. I painted that, yes. Really?

And are you looking forward to expand that, to do more? I'm hoping to do more when we've got more room.

Now Fiona and Amy have moved into the house, it must be quite cramped?

That's another reason why we are moving because we really are running out of space.

They share the middle bedroom, which is not good.

Mother and daughter sharing with all their stuff.

And I've had to move out. There's my desk there where I used to paint.

And we just need more space. We just need a new start, all of us.

So are you excited or a bit nervous? Both.

Some days I'm very excited and want it to hurry up and happen.

Other days I think, are we doing the right thing?

But we'll never know if we don't do it.

How has Fiona been - it must have been difficult splitting up with her husband?

Well, we've had a tough couple of years, actually, all of us.

I think this is going to be a nice break for us all.

Right. What's been going on? Well, I've...

A year last Christmas I had a heart attack...

Oh, no. I was in hospital all over Christmas.

And then I had to have an operation because an angiogram went wrong. Gosh.

But just before that was when Fiona split with her husband and came back here to live.

So we have had to sort things out more or less.

So this is going to be a new clean break? A new clean break for us all, yes.

Tell me what we are raising money for. It's a lamp.

I saw them in a show house and I thought, "I'd really like those.

"They are different. And I want something like that in our new house."

It's like a house-warming present to ourselves.

We'd better find some money to make sure we can buy them.

We ought to keep on looking. Let's go and see what James has found.

'Well, he's got this marvellous 1966 silver rose bowl in his sights.

'An eye-catching piece with intricate detail,

'used to which freshen a room

'and hopefully flourish our funds by ?20-?40.

'Fiona intends to dazzle the bidders with her next find too.'

James, I think I found something here.

I knew I had them somewhere.

Fiona, is this the case that all that glitters is not gold? Yip!

I think it probably is. Do you know what they are made of? Marcasite?

Absolutely right, which actually is iron pyrites, which, funnily enough, is called fool's gold.

So it's pretending to be perhaps more valuable than it is.

But what happens is that the iron pyrites, when you actually flatten out the facets on it,

it does look like jewellery.

It's sort of bling, really.

So, from the 1600s onwards, they were quite often used as a diamond substitute.

Only the very wealthy and nobility could afford the real thing.

But you could pretend. That's what they did.

And certainly in the 19th century, with mass production and things like that,

a huge amount of marcasite jewellery was made.

And the brooch here, I'll tell you what, it's actually rather clever because... It opens.

It opens and comes apart into two halves.

And you can then wear both of these as a little brooch like that.

So, very, very ingenious. So what have we got here?

We have got the brooch, the bracelet, and then we've got a pair of earrings as well.

So I would think, for the whole lot, probably about ?30-?50. OK.

If you don't wear them very much, the bracelet and little bits, it's still money in the bank.

That's right, yes. Well, I like baubles so let's see if you can find me some more. OK.

Fiona's proved she's no slouch when finding top-notch collectibles

although dad Alan doesn't appear to be taking the search quite so seriously.

But if we want to reach that ?500 target for those dream lamps, we must check every nook and cranny.

Sheila's tracked down even more of her much loved cranberry glass.

This Art Nouveau glass-style basket with white metal holder

and charming custard cup could be the dream topping at ?20-?40.

And Alan appears to have stopped acting up but I wonder for how long?!

James, have a look at this. What have you got there, Alan? Well, there's some postcards.

Let's see what you think. Oh, postcards. Victorian ones. You've got a nice collection here.

They're fairly bog-standard, these ones. Oh, are they?

Ah, now we're getting later in date.

Yeah, it's got the magic name.

Donald McGill.

Probably the best known of all of the sort of postcard illustrators.

You've heard of him?

Yes, I have, yes.

Actually, I played him on television.

No? I did, yes. So you probably know a huge amount about him.

Well, had to do quite a lot of research, yes.

I did get to know a lot about his life.

I love this. This is a typical one.

"All you want is a little sun and air."

The lady in the bed goes, "Oh, Doctor, you naughty man!

"At my time of life!"

That's actually quite tame compared to some of them. Yes.

As you probably know, he was charged with, er... Obscenity.

Absolutely. In the 1950s. Did he actually go to jail?

I think he did. He was certainly in jail for a while because I actually spent some time in a cell. Really?

Yes, all done for art, you know.

I'm glad they let you out in the end!

So what have we got here? We have got four McGills, I think.

And then other later slightly smutty ones.

I would think that, collectively, for the lot, we are probably talking about ?40-?60, something like that.

Oh, good. All right. Excellent.

Donald would have been proud. He would, yes.

It resonates, shall we say, with part of my life a couple of years ago.

But I do have some more which my elder daughter framed for me,

so I'm keeping the link there, actually.

What a great piece of history. Something Alan feels very passionately about preserving.

However, Sheila's memories are being rapidly reduced

as Fiona packs two more pieces of her cherished Victorian cranberry glass off to auction.

And James resorts to drastic measures in order to hunt out more valuables.

James, I bought this about ten years ago.

I think it's a grain measure. What do you think?

Is that what it was sold to you as?

Yes. OK. Well, Sheila, I'm not sure I agree with that

because all the grain measures I've come across before have been quite light, quite often made of beech.

And also they always have a royal cipher on them.

And this one just doesn't have that at all.

So I'm just a little bit sceptical about that being a grain measure.

Right. The good news is I think it's terrific.

It's lovely. It's got a nice feel, isn't it?

It's a very, very tactile, beautifully warm coloured wood.

But the best thing about it for me, funnily enough, is not the outside.

It's actually the inside.

It's actually been hacked out using what we would call an axe...

almost like a little axe chisel.

Yes. And it's given it that really charming rustic feel. Yes, I liked it when I bought it.

And it's rather like half a barrel.

But the thing I love is the patina on the wood.

The colour of the wood is just glorious.

Is it something you think you want to sell? Yes, I might do.

Right, I think that nowadays it's probably going to be worth,

and I think it would have been worth more, so I've got a feeling I might disappoint you. Right.

I think it's probably going to make about between ?20 and ?40.

I don't know what it is.

Well, that's got to be a first.

But while the wooden thingamabob might have got us stumped,

Alan's pretty clear about his plans for the future.

So you're saying that this photo

was the one that unlocked all the family history for you? Yes. That's right.

Here's my great-grandparents with all of their children,

apart from this lady who is the wife, I believe, of the eldest son there.

So they're all boys? Yes. One sister. That's right.

They're from Scotland. Did that inform your choice of going to Scotland now?

You have to balance these things up, the fors and againsts.

And that was one of the things that helped us decide.

But Moira didn't move up there because of that? No, she went up with her job ten years ago.

She enjoyed it up there, bought a place,

found somebody to marry and she's very settled and she likes it very much.

Sheila was saying you've had a rotten two years,

what with her health scare and Fiona's marriage. How have you coped?

When somebody who's so close to you and has been for so long,

their life comes into question, as it were,

it's quite a difficult thing to actually take in.

Fiona, when she moved in with Amy after her marriage broke up, we were a bit crowded.

A few problems. But we've come to accommodate each other, but it's still not easy.

Nicer with some more space. That's right. We're upsizing rather than downsizing.

It's a big move up to Scotland. You're an actor, or you were an actor. Are you retired?

Yes, I do the odd job when it comes up. Actors never retire, do they? No.

Well, it should get better as you get older, so they say.

Well, there's work up there, hopefully.

There are lots of agents in Glasgow.

I've looked in my contacts book up there.

So there are agents. I'm hoping to establish myself up there, perhaps.

Talking of labour, we must get to work and see if we can find some more things to evaluate. Right.

'And guess what? Sheila's stash of cranberry glass yields yet more opportunities

'to make up the target.

'This jug and matching salt cellar, once seen as a symbol of status,

'will definitely make a grand entrance

'and could top up our fund by ?30-?50.

'And I've got high hopes for this quality timepiece too.'

This is quite a substantial carriage clock. Yeah. Is there family history attached to it?

It belonged to my grandfather on my mother's side.

So, that's... Not the Forrests, the Scottish Forrests? No.

And is it for sale? No.

Usually comes in a nice leather box.

Oh, do they? Now James... Look here.

I've been having a bit of a rummage up in the attic. Let's have a look. What a bag of swag!

I think we can turn this into a bit of cash.

Silver-plated tray, condiment sets, plated again.

And we've also got a complete dressing-table set here. Right.

Brushes. OK.

And we've got, a silver "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of us all?"

Don't break it, don't break it. And then, my favourite thing of all is this. Do you know what it is?

It's a button hook.

The good news is that there are lot of collectors of button hooks. Yes.

And they come in all sorts of sizes. Some much smaller than this.

Quite often they will have a silver handle.

Usually with a steel hook at the end.

So people do collect these. Yeah.

What else have we got in the bag? We've got...

Cigarette box.

Yes. With a monogram. Actually, that sort of does devalue it a little bit.

H-A-O. Any Hs, As or Os in the family? Not really, although there was one by the name of Horace.

And how much would Horace's hoard be worth?

Well, we've also got a three-piece Victorian condiment set which is in plate.

And a plated tray. So I would think, for the whole collection,

probably around about ?40 to ?60. Oh, right.

You think all that silver would be more. Well... It's all about elbow grease.

People just don't want to clean it any more. I can understand that.

Let's get the ladies in. Sheila, are you there? Yes.

Sheila, Fiona, come on in.

Final tot up. This going for about ?40, is that all right?

Yeah. I suppose so.

Nobody wants much silver these days. No, so I hear.

It looks like more, but James is being conservative today.

We wanted ?500 and with 40, that takes us up to 390. Oooh!

So we are about ?100 short.

But, you know, I'm hoping... It's all going to happen on the day.

Are you confident that we are going to get the 500 on the day?

Do I feel under pressure? Yeah. Yeah, I do!

Well, we've had a terrific day helping the Forrest family declutter their home.

If we want to illuminate their new Scottish pad, we will need these items to impress our bidders -

one of Sheila's many treasured cranberry collections,

including that Georgian muffineer, worth a magnificent ?100 to ?120...

..the marcasite jewellery that you would be a fool to miss

at ?30 to ?50...

.. the trio of prints by famous illustrator, Alan Aldridge,

with the price tag of ?20 to ?40...

..and the delightful wooden half a keg valued at ?20 to ?40,

that so puzzled our James - will any of our bidders know what it is?

Still to come on Cash In The Attic.

'Fanfares are out.'

You can blow your own trumpet on that one.

'I'm sticking to my guns.'

I know, but I don't care, I'm going to call it a muffineer.

'Will we reach their target when the final hammer falls?'

It's literally only been a few days since I was helping Sheila and Alan and Fiona

find some treasures to bring here to the auctioneers in Chertsey.

Now remember, we're trying to get ?500 together so they can buy themselves

a sort of house-warming present for their new home in Scotland - a set of beautiful lamps.

And we're hoping that their items are going to light up the saleroom today.

'The doors are open and the auction house is already packed with amateur enthusiasts and experts

'having a closer look at what's on offer.

'But, of course, our James is here too, with his eye on a particular treasure.'

Morning, James. Morning, Alastair.

What are you looking at there - a dog?

It is a dog. It's a jolly nice dog.

This actually does belong to the Forrest family.

Oh, does it? Well, after we left the other day they had their own little rummage,

and found a pair of these little dog pictures behind the wardrobe.

And they're by one of his Scottish ancestors, Benjamin Copplestone.

So they have a family connection. The auctioneers have been conservative.

They've put ?50 to ?80 on the pair.

But I think with a following, we're going to be north of ?100.

Good. Let's go and find the guys. OK.

'The superb pair of dog paintings is really going to help us out today

'and take our total to an impressive ?440.

'Let's hope the bidders are generous when it comes to Alan and Sheila's collectibles.

'That's if they know what they all are, of course.'

Hello, guys.

Hello. Hi, James.

A last fond look at your maybe-not wheat measure.

I don't know what it is. Having one last look and one last feel. It's attractive.

I was impressed with the paintings. They're beautiful and very saleable.

I don't know if they'll make lots of money. We'll see.

Would be nice if they did. Make money out of your ancestors.

LAUGHTER

Are you sad to see some things go?

Have they left a gap in the house?

Yes. Sad to see it all go. When I put it out...

Just think of the lamps, Sheila. Think of the lamps.

I know, I do keep thinking of those.

Great, well, let's put that down and let's go get our places and let's see some things sell.

'Remember, if you're planning to buy or sell in this way,

'bear in mind that commission and other charges will be added to your bill.

'It's always a good idea to check with your saleroom first.

'With the auctioneer ready to go, I hope the bidders will swarm into our first lot.'

No.6, lovely bit of cranberry there.

Interest here at ?30 and looking for five.

?30, ?30, and two pieces you're buying.

?35 is right and 40, bid 40, 45?

45, ?50, ?50, 50, and five.

55, 55, 60 bid, 60 bid right,

60, 60, 60,

right-hand side at 60, 65, the lady's bid, new face in,

65, 65, 70, he's back in,

80 bid for the lady, 80 bid for the lady, 90, sir, 90, sir,

the gentleman's bid, the gentleman's bid, 9 and 0,

Closed up at 90.

90, wow!

Excellent, so well over target.

That's a good sign.

Straight in at ?90. What a brilliant start.

But how does Sheila feel about it?

I've been collecting it over the years from different places.

So each piece has got a memory for me. But we do have to move on.

Things have to go.

'Good for you, Sheila. It's time to say goodbye to old memories and make way for new ones.

'Hold that thought as another of your select pieces is presented to the room.'

So, now, next one up is the little silver rose bowl - it's hallmarked Sheffield 1966.

So just a nice little stand-alone item. Let's see how we get on.

20 up, 20 up and two,

and five, 30 right side,

35 is in the room, 40 down there, ?40, ?40, 45 close to me,

4 and 5, going in the front seats, 4 and 5.

23. Thank you.

That would make a great wedding present for someone.

It's just a nice stand-alone thing.

Good condition. So I think that's a worthwhile price.

'Selling way over James's estimate at ?45,

'the stunning rose bowl really blossomed.

'I hope there are plenty of silver specialists among the crowd today

'so that our next collection fares equally well.'

This is a nice little collection of silver.

We've got the napkin ring, the little goblet.

A bit in this lot for everybody.

?50 for these, ?50, 30?

30 bid, five on the web, 35, 40 in the room,

?40, ?40, 45 is in the brown,

50 bid on the web, 55, 55 front row,

55 front row, 60 bid on the web, ?60, 65, back in the room again

65, 70 bid on the web, 80 I want now,

70 is right, 70 is right, right-hand side, that is it.

Going on the web here...

at 70. Sold at home.

Silver goodies bags - they do really well.

That is technology for you. That's good. It's amazing how quick the bids come in.

Yeah. You could bid anywhere in the world. Yeah. And it comes through.

Thanks to the wonders of the World Wide Web,

someone somewhere is now the proud owner of the Forrest family silver.

That's another ?70 towards our lamp fund.

But will Sheila's next hoard of glass do as well?

This is another one of our cranberry lots.

Both the little bowls have frilled edges.

We've actually got a reserve of ?40 on this to protect your collection, Sheila. Very important.

Interest at 20, two I take,

five got, eight got,

30, got 30, got 30, got 30,

?30, 35, 35, 35...

Yes, yes, yes.

?40 now, ?40 now, ?40 now, 45, 45, 45 right, 45 on the right-hand side,

4 and 5 then. HE BANGS GAVEL Two pieces of cranberry go to 65.

Surpassing its estimate and Sheila's reserve,

the Victorian cranberry glass is a hit with the bidders.

There's plenty more to come.

Lot No.57, cranberry basket and custard cup as well.

Two bits of cranberry now. That's it done then. Sold at 40.

Another ?40.

But will then fine jug and salt cellar be to everyone's taste?

40, 40, 40, left-hand side, left-hand side

Finished and selling.

40, yes, ma'am, 50.

'The Forrests' collectibles are being snapped up and I hope our luck continues

'with our next assortment of treats from their attic.'

James, one of your favourite moments, that big haul of silver you brought down - Horace's hoard.

That's right, with the button hook.

Stashed in the attic. It's got that nice dressing table set with the button hook

and the silver cigarette box and some condiments - a nice job lot.

Since you'd forgotten you had it, I think it's a bonus here.

We've got ?40 to ?60, let's see how we get on.

60 for that, 60 for that, 40, 20's a start, two is better, five is close,

and eight is left, 28, ?30, ?30, ?30 and five, 40 bid, 45, 45, 45,

55... Oh, good.

55 there, there's two bids on here, 5 and 5, 5 and 5,

at 5 and 5, still battling on the right-hand side, at 5 and 5 here.

Right-handy.

Thanks to Horace we have an acceptable ?55.

As the family waits anxiously, I tot up the amount we've reached so far.

That's actually the halfway point in the auction, how do you think we've done? I'm quite excited.

I have to say, that was a really good first half.

I think most things came midway. In fact, we've done really rather well. We wanted ?500 overall.

And do you remember we were a bit short of our target on the day? Yes.

Well, halfway through, we've actually made ?385. Wow.

Brilliant. That's good.

Not wanting to count our cranberry chickens before they've hatched,

but I think if the second half goes as well as the first, we're going to be easily over ?500.

So, we're not going at home with anything anyway...at the moment. Not at the moment.

You've got lots of interesting items in the second half, the paintings, the prints.

That's a different kind of market so we've got to hope that they sell as well.

It will be interesting to see. OK, let's have a little breather.

There's no rest for the bidders who are keen to check out this afternoon's lots.

James, however, is more interested in putting his feet up.

Well, here's a nice honest piece of furniture.

It's called a settle.

Well, I can vouch for that, settling down comfortably on it.

And it's probably made in the middle of the 18th century around about 1750, 1760.

Made of solid oak.

But what I like are some of the little extra touches that the craftsman's given it.

For instance, on these nice fielded panels, we've actually got what we call cross-banding in mahogany.

Now, mahogany was an expensive wood in those days, especially in the country.

So, it just gives it that extra little bit.

He's also employed a nice cabriole leg there,

which you normally expect to see in pieces of furniture in the early part of the 18th century.

Well, all that's good news.

The bad news is that a piece of furniture this sort of size does not fit into many people's houses.

Auctioneer's estimate, about ?250.

If you think about it, that's only ?1 for every year since this was made.

Not a lot really, is it?

That's definitely an investment worth looking out for at the auction.

For now, we need to hurry back to our places as the last

of Sheila's fabulous cranberry collection goes on display.

I think this is probably my favourite lot. The cranberry epergnes and the muffineer.

Do you know what? They haven't called it a muffineer. It's just down as a sugar shaker.

I don't care, I'm going to call it a muffineer.

?30, ?30, ?30 and five.

?35, ?35 and 40.

45, 50, 55 on the phone, 55,

60, 60 in the room, 65, 65 back on the phone, 65, 70 on the room,

?70, ?70, 80 bid, 80 bid, 90, back in the room at 90,

bid 100, ?90, ?90, ?90, we're in the room on the left-hand side.

HE BANGS GAVEL Sold for 90.

?90. That's our star cranberry lot. It was the muffineer, that's what did it.

You can blow your own trumpet on that one. 'Scuse me, I do the puns here. Oh, sorry.

LAUGHTER

Increasing our total by a staggering ?90, that certainly brought a smile to Sheila's face.

Hopefully, the mixed bag of tableware will furnish us with a further 20 to ?40.

Lot No.165, bit of Noritake and some other sundries there.

30, 30, 20, 10 for these?

?10, ?10, any interest in the Noritake?

HE BANGS GAVEL Stays behind.

Not sold, so you get to take that home with you.

Yeah. That's all right, that's OK.

They're quite nice anyway. And you've got a completely skewed image of auctions.

Often you take a lot home, you should be glad you've only got one thing.

One lot, that's a very good average. Frankly, if you couldn't get a bid of ?10, it wasn't worth selling.

Sheila and Alan don't seem too disappointed to be taking it home but we need all our items to sell

if we're going to reach that ?500 target and brighten up their new home.

Maybe the new auctioneer will bring us some luck and the bidders will take a shine

to our stunning 19th-century marcasite jewellery.

This is your find, Fiona.

The bracelet, the pendant. Yes.

Brooch. You going to be sad to see this go?

I will. Which bit? The bracelet in particular. You quite like that one.

I do, I quite like the bracelet. It's modern. Do you think it'll sell here?

I think so. It's very pretty.

As pictured here, it's going to be on shortly. 60, 40, 30. 35, 40.

At 40, at 40. 45, 45, 45. At 45.

At 45, on the internet, at 45.

Front row. 50, thank you. At 50 now. 50 now.

At 50, at 50, at 50, the sum of ?50 on my right.

At ?50, thank you, madam, at ?50.

That's good. Yes. Good bling price. Yes.

A fantastic ?50, which takes us further in the right direction.

Back by popular demand, the first auctioneer.

Will he be successful in selling the wooden half a keg?

OK, it's the grain measure that never was.

It might have been an umbrella stand or any other myriad of functions.

Yes. I think it's just a really nice, warm colour. Great patina on the wood.

So, let's hope, Sheila, that lots of other people like it as well. Yes.

60 for that. 60 for that. 40.

?20, to start me up. 20, thank you, Matty.

20 bid, 20 bid, ?20. 22. 25. 28. 30.

30 bid, 30, ?30.

You should try... try bidding yourself.

35, 40 bid, 40 bid.

40, 40. At ?40. At ?40.

The keg goes under the hammer this time, selling in the middle, then, 40, ?40.

Great, that reached James's top estimate.

I think the auctioneer's safe description did the trick.

Let's hope they'll be barking mad

for our next lot too.

These are our interloper lots,

the two dogs that snuck in behind my back. Yes!

THEY CHUCKLE

I think they're very attractive.

It's a question of whether enough people have seen them, I guess. Do you think that...?

I hope so, as well, yes. The little kennel behind the wardrobe.

They've got 50 to 80 on them as an estimate. We've got a reserve of 50.

I'm hoping they'll make north of ?100.

100 for these.

Quite little fun subjects. ?100.

?100. 80.

50 for the pair.

30 is low, 30 is low, 30 is low.

?30. 35. 40 bid.

45.

50 bid.

55. 55. 60. 60. 60. 65.

70 bid.

70 in the black. 70 in the black.

?70. For ?70. For ?70.

I'm going once, twice, this time it's gone. 70.

Right-hand side.

It was within what they said.

I just thought that the pair of these would have gone on a bit...

I suppose here...

We can't be disappointed, because it was within estimate. But I thought...

Mmmm, I think someone got a bargain there. I think so too.

Selling for a very reasonable ?70,

I think the Forests were hoping for a little bit more.

Maybe the three prints by famous illustrator Alan Aldridge,

valued at ?20-?40,

will bring some more animal magic to the auction room.

They are a product of the hippy and the flower power era, aren't they?

The early '70s.

I acquired them at that time from a printer friend of mine.

Well, I don't know if they'll do very well,

but they're really quite attractive and very well done, of course.

I'd like ?40. ?40. ?30.

?20, you're buying three.

10 is low, 10 is low, 10 is low.

10. 12. 15.

18. ?18.

20, go, 20, go. 20, go.

22. ?22. Left hand, now. 22.

Left-hand side, last one going here.

There you go. Brilliant. Exactly, that's what we can ever hope for.

I agree. This is a very special item.

That takes us ?22 closer to our target.

Although I'm not sure our next lot will be suitable

for all the audience here today...

Time for some genteel smut.

It's the McGill postcards. Let's hope they fetch a funny price!

You never know, do you? Absolutely wonderful artwork.

The seaside saucies, how do you see those? ?50.

?50. ?30, I start.

?20, ?20, ?20.

22. 25.

25, 25, 25. 28.

30.

30 now. ?30. At ?30?

At ?30, on the saucy seaside,

we're going this time, finishing now, 30.

That's OK. I think that's all right.

I'm happy with that. It IS a specialised market.

Although most people have heard of him,

in a sort of general sale like this,

this is the sort of thing you're either going to get lucky or you're not.

We should be happy with that. We've done well on lots of other items. We have.

Under estimate at ?30, but still a sale nonetheless.

Hopefully it won't affect our final total too much.

What a day. How was your first day at the auctions?

Lovely. We enjoyed it. Very interesting.

I was worried on the day in Surbiton that we wouldn't to make it. We were quite short of the target.

We wanted ?500, you actually made ?687. You're joking?!

That's brilliant! That's really good. Excellent.

Absolutely wonderful.

That'll get your lamps and probably a little more. Something else. Maybe a meal out.

Very pleased. Thanks very much. Thanks, everyone. It's been good.

It's been a couple of weeks since Alan and Sheila raised ?687 at auction.

They've come along to their local lighting shop

to look for some suitable lamps to brighten up their new home.

Oh, an Art Deco one, look.

With such a wide array on display, they're spoilt for choice.

And while some seem perfect...

Another Tiffany one, that's really nice. Yeah. Isn't it?

..others are not quite up their street.

Oh, my goodness!

But it's certainly given Sheila something to think about.

I haven't quite seen what I wanted, but I've got some ideas now.

I didn't get the crystal and the black, but I've seen some Tiffany lamps,

so I've got some nice ideas now to take up with me to Scotland.

On the way home, they've decided to stop off for a taste of things to come.

I really fancy the haggis. I think I'll have it.

With their move to Scotland imminent, it's time to get familiar with local traditions.

Alan seems to have embraced that thought wholeheartedly.

That is a real one! You have to kill that first.

I stab him with my knife!

Pour this over.

And a little bit for me. Not too much!

Mmm!

Very nice.

It's just the sort of food you'd expect

on a cold, frosty day in Scotland,

with the haggis and the sausages, and the neeps...and the whisky!

No, it was really enjoyable, and it just put us in the frame of mind to start this process,

or carry on this process, to move up and achieve a new start in our life.

We can't wait to go now.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

MUSIC: "Ring, Ring" by Abba

Menswear.

This is Night Hawk. Can you hear me? Over.

Of course I can hear you.

Where are you?

Naughty boy.

Anything I can do?

Just a routine inquiry.

Well, it's either a problem on the line or it's out of order.

The phones were simpler, but the mix-ups weren't.

Enjoy afternoon classics: