Foxton-Duffy Cash in the Attic

Hello. Welcome to Cash In The Attic, the show that helps you find hidden treasures in your home

and then sells them for you at auction.

I'm on the outskirts of Guildford today,

where this beautiful Elizabethan mansion house

has been the home to the More-Molyneux family for more than 500 years.

When the house was built, Elizabeth I was a regular, and very demanding, visitor.

More recently, it's been home to a set of more placid inhabitants

in the form of a herd of Jersey cows

who supply the world with the famous Loseley Park ice cream.

Sadly, it's not made here any more.

Used as a venue for weddings, films and rock concerts,

this is a house that really earns its keep.

But we're going to visit somewhere a little bit smaller, and hope to raise some funds too.

I'm in the lovely Surrey countryside

to visit a couple who are into fly-fishing, horses and antiques

and are hoping Cash In The Attic will be able to fund

a truly scrumptious day out in town.

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

'Has our expert, Paul, stumbled across an important find?'

We tried to sell it at a car-boot sale. We tried to get 50p for it.

You are lucky you didn't sell it for that price.

'Does true love always follow an easy path?'

I set a rule that we weren't allowed to have relationships with the staff, so I sacked her.

-So you could go out with her?

-So I could go out with her.

'And when we get to auction, it's a roller coaster ride of ups...'

THEY CHUCKLE

'..and downs.'

-At least it's sold.

-Yeah, it's disappointing though, isn't it?

'Find out more when today's collectables go under the hammer.'

'Matthew and Nicola Foxton-Duffy have been together for over ten years.

'Nicola's an estate agent, while Matthew runs his own hospitality business.

'But when they're not working, they like to indulge themselves in the sweetest ways.

'They've called in the Cash In The Attic team to raise the funds for their latest treat.'

It's this one.

-Ah, just in time, mate.

-Ah! Mr Hayes, you made me a cup of tea.

-How good's that?

-Welcome home.

-Are they Earl Greys?

-No, they're ours.

Who's Earl Grey? Is he here?

Isn't it great here? You can hear the bird song and everything!

Ten minutes ago, there was horses going past here, exercising.

-The family's quite horsey today, isn't it?

-Definitely - there are lots of horses in there.

-Have you had a look around?

-Yes, I'll show you.

-Hello, guys.

-Hi.

Matthew, Nicola. Ooh, that's nice - are we selling that?

We're discussing but I don't think so.

Why've you called Cash In The Attic to your house today?

We're going to do a chocolate-tasting day up in London

and have a day out in London and make some chocolates.

-Chocolate-making?

-Yeah.

-Wow! That rocks.

-How much does that cost? How much are we trying to raise?

-About £800.

£800's worth of chocolate?!

With a little bit left over.

There's a lot of chocolate going in there. Watch your cholesterol level!

-We might have a little bit left over for renovations on the house.

-Oh, right. OK.

-That's boring.

-Yeah, right.

-Let's say you're going to spend £800 on chocolate.

-Yay!

-I notice Paul's already been in here, so let's find him and we can start valuing.

-All right.

'So, with £800 worth of antiques and collectables to track down, our rummage gets under way.

'Top of our list of things to find is Paul.

'After two decades in the business, there's not much that gets past the expert eye of Paul Hayes.

'Perfect form is one thing that never escapes his attention.'

Hello. How are you, all right? Hello.

-Hi, Paul. What have you found?

-Exactly!

I leave you alone for ten seconds and you come up with a bit of naughtiness.

Two naked ladies in your dining room. There we are. There's a joke there somewhere!

It's a very striking piece - where's it from?

It comes from Cornwall.

It's made by an artist called John Mulvey,

who sold it to my grandparents in 1973.

I used to polish it as a child and earned my pocket money doing that,

as did everybody else. So it's been there ever since.

You know what? These sort of sculptures now -

there was a time they were terribly old-fashioned - things from the 1970s were definitely a no-go area.

Now it's very trendy, all this '70s memorabilia.

More important, this comes under contemporary art - anything that's really post-war -

and there were lots of sculptors and painters that were working in the '60s and '70s now,

which really do have cult status.

-Francis Bacon, Banksy, actually. Have you heard of the artist Banksy?

-Yes.

-He's having a great time.

Nobody knows who he is - he's a secretive character -

and he does these fantastic murals. They sell for thousands of pounds.

As regards John Mulvey, I believe he's a Cornish artist, you know.

There is little known about him and I think what will happen

is that when he does pass on, we'll realise how great he was.

That's Paul - he's so diplomatic. "He's not a Picasso...yet!"

Yeah, but you never know, you know.

-How much is our not-yet-Picasso worth?

-Would it have been expensive at the time?

It would have been - my grandfather would have had to

satisfy my grandmother by buying something

for a fair bit of money and so, yes, I think they would have paid quite a lot for it.

We've got a nice piece of modern art.

It's well done, it's well polished.

It's a good artist. I think that's a great item.

The only difficult thing is you can't compare it with anything.

There isn't another that's turned up of his work.

But I would imagine you're looking around the £500 mark upwards -

and it could be anywhere upwards.

I've been cleaning it all my life and my brothers and sisters have cleaned it as well.

It's just been there, so I...

I'm not sure. We'll have to see.

That's fine. If you can't part with it,

or you want to have a think about it, we don't want to put pressure on you,

but right now you do have to show us something we can sell for definite.

-So, let's keep on hunting.

-OK.

-OK.

-After you.

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the statue leave,

but I do understand Matthew's connections with it.

If he chooses to keep it, that's fine with me.

'So with some uncertainty over whether or not

'Matthew will be prepared to part with our bronze ladies, we crack on with our rummage.'

'The hunt is on for anything that could steal the show when we get to auction.'

Paul, have a look what I've got.

Let's have a look.

What you found - anything good?

It's a T-shirt from Robbie Williams.

Robbie Williams wore it at a concert.

No! Really? Well, that's fantastic. Has he signed it?

He has. "Love Robbie," it says here.

-How'd you manage to get hold of that?

-After the concert, Robbie was backstage

and I went backstage and said, "Great concert. Thank you very much,

"and can I have your T-shirt?" He was sort of like "Oh, well..."

I said, "I'll donate £100 to the Princess Diana fund," at the time.

He took it off and I said, "Can you sign it?"

I got him to sign it and it's been sat in the bag ever since.

That's a really collectable item.

It says here "Robbie Williams, Life Thru A Lens."

That's his first solo album, isn't it?

It was his first live gig he did as a solo artist

after splitting up with the band - to the public, anyway.

It was a great concert - really, really good concert.

What was he like - was he a nice guy? Did he have any special requests?

No, he didn't have any special requests. He was quite quiet.

He just got on with what he had to do, really.

At the end of the night, he had a drink in the bar and didn't have anything special -

no blue Smarties or anything like that. It was a very easy concert, really.

Have you anything to prove that you were there? You need what they call provenance.

We've got the contract from the night that was there

and a few other bits and pieces and some of the promotional material,

so we've got a few bits and pieces to go with it.

The more information you've got that proves that this was the T-shirt, the better.

Then we can talk again, but I think for the sake of our target today,

if I said at least £100 and we'll put it into the auction.

If you can get two Robbie Williams fans there, then who knows?

-Great, I'd be very pleased with that.

-Great! Music to my ears.

-Yeah!

Let's keep looking.

'After a hesitant start,

'our chocolate fund is up and running, thanks to a piece of music memorabilia.'

It would be nice if it would make more.

If you get a fan in the auction room, it might go for a lot more.

'As Matthew rightly says, anything can happen at auction,

'so we need to search for as many items as possible to tempt the bidders.

'Not to be outdone by her husband, Nicola's eyeing up her first find of the day.

'Paul thinks this pair of French leather-bound racing binoculars

'could see our total grow by another £15 to £20.'

Ah, what a great little garden.

-Yeah.

-So each of the cottages have their own little strip of garden?

Yeah, and this guy's got chickens on this side. It's very nice.

-How long have you and Nicola been living here?

-About four years.

-Did you grow up in the countryside? Are you a country boy?

-Very much so.

I was born in Salisbury and lived there all my life until I had to come up to London.

-Is that where the horses and the fishing comes from?

-Oh, yes, very much so.

The horses there are my father's horses

and there's some very nice rivers around there as well.

-It's a lovely part of the world.

-True enough.

And do any of your family ride?

My father did - he was a jockey. I used to ride.

I haven't ridden for some time.

I had a bit of an accident

and just get a bit scared of getting back on a horse.

It doesn't help having a grandfather who's a bookmaker as well.

-Your grandfather was a bookie?

-Yes.

So you really grew up in the whole racing world?

Everywhere you look, racing.

Seems like we're selling a lot of heirlooms from your family.

Is that because you feel you don't see enough of Nicola?

Is there a guilty conscience there?

I'm away a lot with work and Nicola sometimes works at the weekends,

so when we get time together, we like to do something special.

We're going up to London and just enjoy a day out together.

We don't get a lot of quality time and it's just nice to do.

-How did you and Nicola meet?

-I built a venue in Woking

and we needed some staff.

I sent my brother out to go and get some staff

and he went round the petrol station and brought back Nicola.

Then we had a rule that I wasn't...

Well, I set a rule that we weren't allowed to have

relationships with the staff, so I sacked her.

So you could go out with her?

So I could go out with her.

That's fantastic!

And then, eight years later, we got married.

-She forgave you, then?

-She did, but she reminds me frequently.

Very good. I totally admire you for spending the best part of £800 on chocolate - it's wonderful.

-We should go and find some stuff to sell.

-OK.

'If Matthew was prepared to sack Nicola just to ask her out,

'I'm sure he'll have the determination to see us hit our target here today.

'Although with a luxurious day of chocolate and champagne-tasting on the line,

'it's hardly surprising that Nicola's keen to add to the pot.'

Paul, come and have a look at this.

He's a cracker, isn't he? Look at that!

He's Max. He's been up in the attic now for four years,

but we've had him for ten.

-Right.

-Unfortunately, he just doesn't fit here.

About ten years ago, they used to do lots of reproduction bronzes -

it was very trendy. That's obviously when you bought it.

What you would do, you'd buy an original bronze and take a cast from it.

Of course, an original antique one like this would cost a fortune,

but it was quite cost-effective cos the end result is very similar, but could be sold a lot cheaper.

What's happened with lots of these bronze items

is that they are starting to reproduce them.

They'll take an old mould or an old feel of an item and remake it.

-It doesn't have the same demand as the original antique does.

-Yes.

An antique bronze this size would be in a museum and would be priceless.

-Yes.

-The way that bronzes are valued are on the artist.

The biggest animal artist who worked in bronze was a guy called Pierre Jules Mene.

His bronzes are worth a fortune. It's definitely not one of those.

But also, you get a patina

and that's a natural build-up of age, dirt and grease

and what tends to happen, you get a wonderful warm glow with the item

-which builds up over time and that hasn't got that.

-Sure.

So what you've got is a great modern sculpture.

He must have become one of the family. Is he sentimental to you?

He's been up in the attic for four years, and you bring him back down again

and the memories come back. You fall in love with him all over again.

In fact, a little funny story -

I used to, whenever Matthew rang and said he was going to be late

or miss his dinner,

I would make sure that his dinner was sitting right there

-when he got home.

-That's the saying, isn't it? "Dinner's in the dog".

-Absolutely.

-Well, it sounds like he's had a great life, actually.

Yeah. We will be very sad to see him go.

So, what you've got, then, is a reproduction bronze.

You've got lots of dog lovers. I mean, it's got the great subject,

so I think you could do quite well, actually.

But if I was being realistic...

-If I said £150, maybe £200?

-That sounds great - I'm pleased with that.

-All right.

Well, he's come from a good home. Let's try and find him another one.

-Great. Let's keep looking.

-Great.

Max has been sitting up in the loft,

so that's £150 towards all that chocolate, so that's great.

'So, Max could well prove to be the cash that WAS in the attic.

'But to be sure of hitting the £800 mark,

'we've got a long way to go yet.

'Fortunately, though, there are plenty of things left for us to choose from.

'These two pieces of Sylvac pottery will be making the trip to auction

'with an estimated price tag of £20-£30.

'While Nicola tackles the bedrooms, our expert casts his eye

'over one of the many racing collectables that has been passed down to Matthew.'

-Hi, Paul. Look what we've found.

-Hello!

Look at that. Anyone for tennis?

Yes. It's fresh catch that we've found.

-Look at that. These are fishing rods. So who's the fisherman, then?

-It's me.

-Oh, right.

Wow! These are great, aren't they?

Are they any particular maker, do you know?

-This one's a Hardy.

-Yes.

-Is that a Hardy as well? It says on the box. Let's have a look.

-Yes, it's a Hardy.

-House of Hardy, yes, there we go. Gosh!

Now, Hardy's - it's almost like the Rolls-Royce.

There are a few makers in the fishing world that people look for

and Hardy's definitely one of them.

And they tended to make things really for the gentry, so their items are quite expensive.

And what happened of course, one of the gentleman's favourite sports

became fishing, so they moved into the fishing world,

so they made these wonderful, top-quality items

and they actually came up with a reel called the "Perfect".

That was first produced the late 19th century and it's still in production today, it's that good.

It's thought to be the best reel you could have if you're a keen fisherman. There y'are.

-I'm not sure about this net. Is that Hardy as well, or...?

-No.

-The net's great, isn't it?

Attractive - it's like bamboo.

If you just look at the quality,

you've got brass fittings, you've got a bamboo shaft.

A good clear name on the bottom there, and that's what people go for, really.

-So these we can sell?

-Yes.

-Right. How much is it going to be worth?

I'm afraid the auction game's like fishing - you never really know what you're going to get.

But there are definitely serious collectors for these and you have got named examples.

So I think if I was being conservative here,

I'd like to say £100-£150

but I'd expect them to bring a bit more if you get the right collector at the auction.

-Is that good?

-Yes.

-Happy for that?

-Very happy.

-Excellent.

-So, we've netted £100 - ba-tish! - and time to press on.

Excellent, OK.

The Hardy rods, I would love to have been more.

That's just the way life is.

I've used them, so it would be nice if someone buys them and uses them as well.

'Still hard at work, Nicola steps up our total by another gear

'when she finds this assortment of vintage car badges.

'Popular with collectors at auction,

'Paul thinks they could add another £40 to £50 to our total.

'It might not be the largest of homes,

'but there's definitely no shortage of places for us to look.

'With the boys busy hunting for more antiques and collectables to take to auction,

'I can't resist finding out a little bit more about how Nicola and Matthew got together.'

Nicola, I have to run this story past you cos it's so priceless,

but I want to hear your side of it.

Is it true that Matthew fired you in order to marry you?

Yes, yes, it is.

We went on a date up to London and at the end, he asked for a kiss and

I was quite clear in saying, "You were the one who mentioned 'Don't mix business with pleasure'."

So when I met him the next day, he referred back to that and said,

"Due to your comment last night, you're sacked."

That's just the best story.

-It's so fantastic.

-So...

Was it a fair swap?

-Do you fancy your bar job back?

-No.

Now, the house is full of Matthew's heirlooms and we've talked a lot about his things -

his riding and his fishing. What are your passions?

What are the things that drive you?

For me, it's about getting a space together.

So, all of his things, as much as they've come from his family,

to me, it's a good challenge - to be able to put them into one space, and make that space really work.

If you had a clean slate, how would you do the house?

I think that if it's a period property,

it needs to reflect that with the furniture within it.

I don't appreciate contemporary furnishings within a period space.

Talking about the house, it's a beautiful little cottage.

What sort of work are you thinking of doing?

You're not going to spend all the money on the chocolate, so what will the leftovers go to?

Sure. Well, unfortunately, it's very boring but necessary.

The roof at the back here does need replacing.

-So that's where it would go.

-It's a lovely property and it would be nice

-to have a bit of money over to do those outstanding bits of repair.

-Absolutely.

-But we're not going to have anything unless we actually go and find some items, so...

-That's true.

'Our £800 target is still some way off,

'so we get straight back to work.

'With the boys now scouring the bedrooms, it isn't long before we find something else.

'This large, gilt-framed mirror was originally bought by Matthew's grandmother,

'but now is off to auction, where Paul thinks it should sell for at least £50.

'With a few hundred pounds' worth of items still to find,

'we're all rummaging hard.

'However, it's our expert who's next to find something

'that could tip things in our favour.'

Matthew?

Now, are you all right, mate? What is going on with all these horses?

There's loads of them!

It's better than most of my dad's horses - it goes a lot faster!

Really? Your dad breeds them or is he a racing...?

Yeah, he breeds and he has a few racehorses.

Oh, right. And this is obviously a toy horse.

When these rocking horses first came out, they were big enough to hold an adult.

And they were to train people swordsmanship and to ride, and the elegance of riding and so on.

But by the Victorian times, really, they became a thing you'd find

in a child's nursery. And that, again, was very important. It taught them how to be on a horse.

It was the time before cars and vehicles, so it was part of their education, really.

But more and more now, they've just become a plaything.

You do often find them in children's bedrooms.

Where it's all sort of gone on the sides and all that, is that a problem or is it just part of it?

Well, to be honest, I quite like that and I tell you why.

People that tend to buy items like this, it's perfect for a doll or a teddy bear.

-Right.

-And you get lots of people interested in old toys.

You can see an old teddy bear on the back of that.

It's a great showpiece and it adds a bit of character, adds a bit of age to it.

I think that's actually a good sign. Value-wise,

I think you're looking at £40-£60, that sort of price.

I'd be delighted with that. I'd be very, very happy with that.

-OK. Well, that's definitely going to auction. Let's keep looking, eh?

-Good.

-OK, let's take it with us.

'There's more good news when Paul goes on to find this 19th-century beachscape in oils.

'Despite the presence of the artist's initials,

'he or she remains unknown.

'But Paul still values it at an impressive £100.

'Our time here may be drawing to a close, but we're still finding some fantastic pieces.

'This spelter horse was a winning prize for one of Matthew's father's racehorses,

'but with an estimated price tag of £50-£100, it's being sent to auction.

'So, having searched the house from top to bottom, it's finally time to call it a day.

'But for our expert Paul, it's never too late to make one last find.'

It's often the smaller things hidden away that are the most interesting.

Where's this vase come from?

It was a gift from when I left a job a few years ago.

-It was given to me then.

-Do you like it? I mean, is that your cup of tea?

-No, I don't like it at all, actually.

-Right.

-We tried to sell it at a car-boot sale.

We tried to get 50p for it and no-one was interested, so it keeps coming back.

-Honestly? So it's actually been on a car-boot sale?

-Yeah.

Well, you were lucky you didn't sell it for that sort of price.

This is a firm called Sevres. What you've got to remember

is that the Chinese had the secret of making true porcelain

for over 2,000 years, and it was only the 18th century that in Europe,

where they discovered how to make it.

And one of the very first factories was the Sevres factories.

It was Louis XV himself who actually developed and found

a natural deposit of the correct substance. And what Sevres did themselves

was they came up with their own European designs,

so you've got this wonderful rococo floral look.

Think of the Scarlet Pimpernel.

You know, the whole thing really is very elegant,

very fancy and they've always been fashion leaders.

One of the things they did - because it was so precious, they used to mount it in bronze.

-Is that bronze?

-This is bronze here.

And they would take these Chinese cups and these early porcelain items

and they would actually embellish them with these gilded bronze effects, if you like,

and that's where this stems from. This one's a 19th-century version,

but it does have these bronze mountings.

What you've got here is a 19th-century Sevres porcelain ormolu-mounted vase -

value-wise now, about £50.

-That'd be very nice, wouldn't it?

-Don't tell me you've got another one?

-No, no, no, no.

All right. Let's tell the others. Alistair, Nicola?

-Ah!

-You all right?

-Ah, what did you find?

-Another £50 towards the target.

-Really?

-Excellent.

-Is that one of your pieces or his?

-One of his.

-Ah, very good.

-It's as thought we're just clearing out all of Matthew's stuff, just very slowly.

-Yes!

-Yeah!

-Just for some more shopping to come in. I like that.

-So, £50, you say?

-Yes.

-I know there's a big question mark

over the Mulvey statue of the two ladies because it has a lot of sentimental value for you,

but that's OK, because without that,

we've still made £715 today.

-With it, we will have made £1,215.

-Right, OK.

Still, If you don't want to take that, that's absolutely fine.

You know, what's £75 when you've already eaten £715 worth of chocolate?

That's probably a reprieve.

Perfect. It all depends how things go at auction, so fingers crossed.

And I'm going to be coming along with you, picking up your crumbs.

'Matthew and Nicola's home has given us some very lucrative items for auction,

'including their old friend Max the dog...

'and the fishing equipment, with which we're hoping to reel in

'enough bidders to reach its estimate.

'We'll be looking for some competing Robbie Williams fans

'desperate to take the shirt off his back.

'And if Matthew chooses to sell it, the Mulvey statuette

'could single-handedly raise an impressive £500.

'Still to come on Cash In The Attic, when we get to auction, will it be smiles all round...'

-MATTHEW CHEERS

-Yes!

-Well done! That's great.

'..or a complete disaster?'

-I've got to go home.

-No.

-I can't believe it.

'All will be revealed when the auctioneer's hammer falls.'

Last chance at £42.

It's been less than a week since we were out in the Surrey countryside at Matthew and Nicola's,

but we've brought all the treasure we found there here to west London at Chiswick Auction Rooms.

We're hoping to raise £800 for those home improvements,

but more importantly, for that day of chocoholic pleasure in London.

'First things first, and that means finding Paul,

'who's busy giving some of our pieces a final inspection.'

-Mr Hayes.

-Ah, hello.

-That's a lovely sand dune painting. Very good.

-I quite like that.

What's nice is that Matthew and Nicola have lots of countryside things.

Fishing rods, dogs, horses.

Well, fishing things tend to be bought by the gentry.

It's a very expensive hobby and people do pay money to buy good-quality items,

-so those Hardy rods and things could do quite well.

-Let's go and see if we can find Matthew and Nicola.

-OK.

'It's always encouraging to hear that Paul's confident about some of our items.

'But what I really want to know is whether or not we'll be selling the stunning Mulvey statuette,

'which Paul valued at a whopping £500.'

-Here they are.

-Hey. Hello.

-You're saying a fond farewell to Max.

Are you missing him already?

-Missing him greatly.

-Aww!

-He must have left a huge gap in your house.

-He has - we can actually move around now!

It's probably a room's worth! Now, what about the statuettes?

You were very emotional about those.

-We decided that I'd polished them too much to swap them for some chocolate.

-I thought as much.

Well, I, for one, am very excited because we've never had a target

that's about eating lots of chocolate,

which I think is a good thing. So let's go and raise some money.

-Walkies time?

-Walkies!

'With the Cornish bronze statuette left out of the sale,

'Matthew and Nicola have deprived themselves of the chance to make an extra £500.

'I hope that won't have a detrimental effect on their final total.'

I've never been to a proper auction before,

so it'll be a really unique experience for both of us.

So, I'm very, very excited and looking forward to it.

'Auctions are great places to find bargains,

'but remember that commission and possible other charges will be added to your bill,

'so be sure to check these rates before you go.

'So, with the sale under way, it's time for our first lot.'

Lot number 138 now.

-The Sevres vase now, number 138.

-Which you got given, didn't you?

-And you tried to sell it - and thankfully didn't sell it - for 50p at a car boot.

-That's it.

This really is a beautiful little vase.

But you've made me think twice about it now

and hopefully looking at anything over 30 really, but £50 would be lovely.

£50 for it? £30 for it? I'm bid at 30. Can you give me 32?

At £30, take two at £30.

Give me 32, 35, 38,

-40, 42, 45.

-Come on!

Bid at £42, take 45, £42. That's the bid at £42, done at 42 and gone.

Last chance at £42.

-Better than 50p.

-Yeah, better than 50p, exactly.

'Considering that Matthew couldn't sell the vase for 50p

'at a boot sale, £42 is an excellent result.

'But for our chocoholics,

'there's a long way to go before we reach their £800 target.

'So when our next lot, the gilt-framed mirror, found by Matthew, goes under the hammer...'

£50.

'..we're delighted to see it sell for Paul's £50 estimate.

That's a fair price for a mirror and it was OK.

'It's a full house here in Chiswick today and so far, our items are going down a treat with the bidders.

'So, with one of our star items waiting in the wings, Matthew is optimistic.'

I've got really high hopes for the Robbie Williams T-shirt.

I think that if someone actually sees that for what it is, then I think it could go really high.

But we'll have to wait and see.

148 now.

For the Robbie Williams fans, 148.

This is the one you bought off him?

-Yes, yeah.

-Backstage?

-Backstage.

He took it off and I bought it.

Has it been washed?

-No.

-Eurgh!

148 - said to have worn it and sweat into it, there you are. Is that good or bad?

-148, start me £100 for it.

-Beautifully sold there by Tom.

£50 for it?

No Robbie Williams fans in by the looks of things. £50 for it?

No bids at £50?

No bids at £50. Sorry, not sold. No bid.

-THEY GROAN

-Oh, well. There we are.

He needs to go back to Take That.

Exactly, you see - he should have.

'Despite Matthew's confidence,

'Robbie has failed to entertain the room.'

I'm going to save it and keep it,

and if we can find the picture of him wearing it, which I know exists, then it'll be a lot more valuable.

So, yeah, give it another day.

'Our piece of Robbie Williams memorabilia may have failed to rock the room,

'but that certainly won't be a problem for our next lot.'

OK, so, it's the miniature rocking horse now.

But there is actually a tail missing. Did that actually arrive at the...?

-I don't know, it's gone somewhere.

-It's not missing in transit?

-It's missing in transit.

-We're looking for about £40.

£50 for it? £30 for it?

Worth more, bid at £30.

Take 32 at £30. 32, 35.

35, 38, 40?

42, 45? 45. 48?

45, bid at £45. Somebody give me 48 for it? Are you bidding or waving?

At £45, the bid at £45, sold at 45.

45, that's good. That's good.

Romped over the finishing line.

'After the disappointing performance from our T-shirt,

'the rocking horse sees us return to form,

'with a welcome boost to the chocolate-and-champagne fund.'

The rocking horse price - I thought that was really good,

especially considering the tail went missing.

'So far, our items haven't exactly set the room alight.

'As we approach the end of the first half,

'let's see what auctioneer Tom Keane makes of their next lot.'

Foxton-Duffys' Hardy fishing rods should do very well.

A nice collection. It should make the top end rather than the bottom. About £200, I think.

Lot 178 here.

A lot for the money here, 178. A Hardy four-piece trout-fishing rod.

Good lot. £50. I'm bid at £50.

-Take 55, £50, five...

-That's good.

£50. Hardy rods. 55, 60, 5?

70, 5, 80, 5.

£80 bid, do you want 5? £80. Bid 5. Thank you.

-90, 5, 100, 110.

-Mm, very good.

£100. Do you want 110? A bit at £100.

All out at £100, all done at £100 selling? Cheap lot.

There you go.

£100 right on the nose.

Good, though.

'Our fishing lot may have made Paul's estimate,

'but perhaps this could be the one that got away.

'A higher price for our rods would have been good but with our earlier items failing to deliver,

'it's a relief that the fishing equipment managed to sell for our expert's estimate.

'So, with the first half of our items now done and dusted,

'just how well are we doing?'

So it's half-time and we're lagging a bit, I have to say.

We should be around 400 at this point,

and we're actually only at 237.

Yeah, it's disappointing, isn't it? We've got this afternoon, I suppose.

And having the odd item that doesn't sell doesn't, obviously,

really help either, and is a bit disappointing even more so.

We've still got the final furlong to catch up, so don't panic.

I've seen something really interesting. Could I meet you back here?

Sure. Actually, we can take a little turn round the auction.

'From antique furniture to rare pieces of art,

'there's no end to the variety of items that can be picked up at an auction -

'although Paul has found something that I don't think anyone would expect to see in an auction house.'

Now, you honestly never know what you're going to find in auction,

and I've come here today and come across this.

You could hardly not notice it, really.

It's a solid-copper coffee dispenser. How fantastic is that?

And in the bottom here would drop through your coffee beans,

whichever choice you wanted, whichever brand you wanted, or blend.

And of course, you'd then go and make your coffee from it. But this one has a pedigree.

It's actually from Harrods. Isn't that fantastic?

And of course, what happens is that fashion changes, shops are constantly being updated.

What you're left with are a wonderful artefact like this.

Now, this one is made from solid copper, so it has two values -

it has the scrap value as well as the actual item itself.

It's in the catalogue today at between £800 and £1,200.

I think it's an absolute bargain. And who knows? It might be going home with me!

'With just £237 banked so far,

'Matthew and Nicola's antiques haven't exactly gone down a storm.

'To be sure of sending them on their chocolate extravaganza,

'we need really good results this afternoon.

'No need to panic yet because there are some enticing lots to come,

'including our highest-valued item of the day, Max the dog.'

I'd be sad to see Max go.

He has been part of our lives for so long,

albeit he has been up in the attic,

so it would be fair enough to see him go to a new home,

as sad as that would be.

'We'll see whether Max finds a new owner later on. But now it's time for our first lot of the afternoon.'

430A now - a turn of the last century,

cold-painted spelter figure of a horse, number 430A.

You must have been devastated to part with this.

Yes, I am a bit,

but it's not moving - it's standing still, so...

We want £50, or at the top, we'd like £100.

It if gets 100, I'll be pleased.

£50? £30?

-I'm bid at £30, value on 32 at £30, take two.

-That's low, isn't it?

32, 32, 35, 38, 40,

42, 45, 48, 50, 5.

50 bid, take 5 at £50. I'm selling at £50.

No, you're just waving.

At £50, got excited at £50. 205, £50.

-Excellent. How's that?

-Is that all right with you?

-That's £50. Yes.

'So, we're up and running again,

'with the spelter horse selling for Paul's £50 estimate.

'It's not quite the £100 that Matthew wanted,

'but even so, it's a good start.

'Will that trend hold up, though, with our next lot?'

OK, now, continuing the theme, coming in as an outsider,

this is the French racing binoculars.

-Oh, Lordy!

-THEY CHUCKLE

This one's odds-on favourite and the estimate is 10-1.

Lordy! I'm going to put a bet on how many more horse jokes

-Paul can squeeze out before the end of the auction.

-It's all horse play, Alistair!

-Oh!

Start me £20, please. £20.

I'm going to go... £20?

£10? Where's the bid at £10, please, £10?

No bid at £10. Surely must be £10. Thank you, I'm bid at 10, give me 12.

It's £10, give me 12 at 12.

15? 18.

£15, the bid, at £15. Is that all at £15? Selling all at 15?

They've gone for £15.

-Yeah, we got the price.

-On estimate.

It's a photo finish!

Oh, no!

Paul, I'm going to have to put you out to pasture.

-I think you are.

-If not, send you to the glue yard.

-He's definitely not going to stud so...

-Exactly.

-Hey!

SHE CHUCKLES LOUDLY

'Ooh, keep it down, Nicola! Tom the auctioneer's looking.

'Paul's one-liners might be losing their edge,

'but his valuations still seem to be spot on.

'The binoculars sell just as he predicted.

'Up next are the car badges,

'which used to be on Matthew's grandfather's Rolls-Royce.

'But unfortunately, our auctioneer isn't able to drive the price up

'to our expert's £40 estimate, and so they sell for just £32.

'With just three lots left to sell, our remaining items

'will need to do really well if we're to stand any chance

'of reaching Matthew and Nicola's £800 target.

'But with our unknown painting up next, who knows what might be on the horizon?'

Right, this is 450A. "EKY" initialled.

A 19th-century oil-on-canvas, beachscape, 450A.

I like it. It's a shame we don't know the artist. The secret with all paintings,

it's all about the artist. But let's see how we get on. I'm looking for about £100. OK?

-But you don't like it at all?

-You reckon someone will pay that?

£100 for it? £50 for it? Is it to buy at £50?

£50, no bids at £50. Surprising lot, £50 or not. No bids at £50, then?

Again, no takers, no bids at £50.

Another one that'll go back in the garage.

Yeah, we will take it home - it's not going to a charity shop.

'The painting's not selling is a disaster for Matthew and Nicola's chocolate fund.

'But auctioneer Tom Keane has a good idea why it failed to impress the bidders.'

If they had signed it the full name, perhaps it'd have made 100, £150,

but the artist didn't give you a chance, really.

To invest £100 in the painting for an unknown artist, no chance.

'So, with our painting failing to sell,

'we have high hopes for our next lot,

'the two pieces of Sylvac pottery.'

Sylvac jug, for the two bits, £20? £20?

£10? Please, £10? No bids at £10? Start me at £10. £10 or not?

Room full of people, no bids at £10?

No-one wants them at £10, then. No interest at all. No-one likes these.

It's got to go home - I can't believe it.

-Oh, no.

-You thought you were rid of it!

'Much to Matthew's disappointment,

'our auctioneer couldn't get a single bid for the Sylvac pieces.

'They'll be going back home with Matthew and Nicola.'

People tend to overvalue them.

Rabbits of pink and blue and green colours do well. Pots - useless.

'The second half of the sale's been a disaster for Matthew and Nicola,

'but there's one last chance for them to reclaim the lost ground.

'Their highest-valued lot is about to face the room

'and it's time for the couple to say goodbye to their old friend.'

When you take something out of the loft and then put it in the house

and then you see it go out of the door...

Yeah, I'll be sad to see Max go.

'He may not have a pedigree but the good news is

'that Paul thinks the bidders might spend at least £150

'to become Max's new owner.'

468 now,

the large bronze statue of a bloodhound, number 468.

I know you're very reluctant to sell this, Max the Dog.

Is it going to be something that people snap up?

It's very striking and that's in its favour, and of course,

if you get two dog lovers who really fancy this,

then it's actually cheap and we've put the estimate, £150.

If that was an antique, it would have been a lot more money,

so I think for £150, it's a good bet, really.

Big heavy thing, almost life-size... for a puppy.

A large bronze statue of a bloodhound.

What's that worth? £100, start me £100. £100 for it?

Thank you, I'm bid £100. Take 110, at £100, take 110 for it.

£100. 110, 120, 130, 140.

140, 150. 160, 170,

180, 190, 200, and 10,

220, 230, 240,

250, 260.

No, at £250, in front of me, £250. Who else wants to come in at 250?

I'm selling, all done. Thank you for the bid. 250.

-THEY CHEER

-Well done! That's great.

'After an anxious and frustrating afternoon for the Foxton-Duffys,

'Max has proved to be their best friend.

'But will that £250 make enough of a difference?'

And there we are. We cross the finishing post.

And all is not lost. It looked a bit grim at halfway mark.

And I have to say, we haven't quite made our target.

We wanted £800, we've made £584.

-Really pleased. For a load of old stuff in the attic, we haven't done too badly.

-Thank you very much.

I know you're going to spend some of the money on home improvements,

but I can't wait to hear how your day of chocolate went.

-Well done.

-Thanks.

-Thank you.

Having set aside some of the money they made at auction for home improvements,

'the day has arrived for Matthew and Nicola to spend the rest on their chocolate experience.'

Cutting chocolates up and dipping strawberries, I think.

-Erm...

-And eating it, hopefully!

'First up is a demonstration of how to make perfect fudge

'by master chocolatier Hannah Saxton.'

Now we've made a really lovely caramel sauce.

So you can see how simple it is to make.

You just pour it and make a big slab out of it.

'Once the fudge has set,

'it'll be used as the base for Matthew and Nicola to make their own chocolates.'

We're going to get to the really fun part of cutting, dipping and decorating.

Let me show you what you do in terms of cutting, dipping and decorating. You cut a shape, you see?

Then you get your chocolate dipping fork.

Yeah, looks like a little devil's fork.

And you pick it up, you drop it in the chocolate,

try not to lose it, cover it with the chocolate and then fish it out.

And then you just pop it onto the parchment paper

and there we go.

'So, after a few pointers from a professional chocolatier,

'Matthew and Nicola are left to their own devices.'

-It's a Loch Ness monster one.

-NICOLA CHUCKLES

There you go.

Oh, that looks disgusting!

HE CHUCKLES

'And in no time at all,

'our chocolate-loving couple are creating havoc in the kitchen.'

We both work so hard,

so it's nice to come here, do something different

-and spend some quality time.

-Yeah.

'And most importantly, days like these are all about having fun.'

Cor, look at that!

Bit of dust. Come along now!

Argh, that's going to be gross!

Mmm. Delicious(!)

-I think we'd better get cleaned up now.

-I think so.

'Judging by the mess and the gales of laughter,

'I'd say that today has been a complete success.'

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd