Jones Cash in the Attic

Hello. We're on the trail of those hidden treasures around your home

that we can help you sell at auction, even in the pouring rain.

Today, I've brought you to the heart of the English countryside,

here to not-so-sunny Dorset.

It's a county that's inspired some of our greatest writers and artists,

including Jane Austen, Beatrix Potter and Turner.

It's also great for holidays,

because you're never far from the sea.

Just down the road is Lyme Regis,

immortalised in the 1980s film The French Lieutenant's Woman,

when Meryl Streep stood on the harbour wall, the Cobb,

waiting for Jeremy Irons.

This spectacular shoreline forms part of the Jurassic Coast,

which means it's about 180 million years old -

and a real fossil-hunting hot spot.

Let's hope the house we're heading for

turns out to be another hot spot,

full of antiques and collectibles of its own.

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

'we've got a rather large property to tackle...'

There's so much more to see! I'm never going to have time to do it.

'..so we conduct our search with military precision...'

So, let's keep looking, OK.

After you. One, two!

Move them legs!

'..and fight our way to some victorious moments at auction.'

The old 'uns still have it. Brilliant.

'Let's hope we've won the battle when the final hammer falls.'

I'm on my way to meet a woman who swapped city life

for the rural idyll,

and she now runs her business literally from her home.

She's hoping that the Cash In The Attic team

can help her hard-working family take a bit of a break.

Susan and Duncan Jones live in this 13-bedroom manor house

on the idyllic Dorset coast.

They rent out part of it as a holiday home,

along with six on-site self-catering cottages.

Susan has bought and inherited a wealth of collectibles,

which she brought with her when she moved here from London in 2001.

But, with a busy and costly family business to run,

she's decided it's time to let some of her possessions go.

With her daughters, Emma and Julia, and Duncan's son, Ashley,

ready to pitch in and help, it's time to tackle the treasures.

There you are! Good morning!

I tell you. Welcome to Hayes Mansions.

I know, it's beautiful. A shame about the weather, isn't it?

What a place. Apparently there are ten acres.

Really? Gosh knows how many living rooms.

It's amazing, isn't it? Gosh, a good prospect for today.

I've made a start - I've found the kettle. Let's have a look round.

Thank you, m'lord. You're welcome. You seem surprisingly at home. Just wipe your feet. Oh, thank you!

Good morning, everybody. Hello.

This is so lovely. I feel like the lady of the manor, I must say. That must be you, Susan?

I'm not sure I'm the lady of the manor, but I am the lady here!

What are we going to be raising the money for? That's the big question.

We run our own business and all the children are involved in that.

All the money seems to be ploughed back in. The self-catering...

The self-catering cottages, trying to progress them forward, get them to a good four-star standard.

So... Two of them are going to university in September. Two of them at once.

So, there's not very much money left over for fun things.

What are you going to spend it on?

I'd like to get some art materials and get back to doing art.

That was my subject originally. We thought we'd have a day quad biking,

which we're all looking forward to.

What do you think about that, Ashley? Should be great.

I've just started driving so it would be good fun to go off-road.

How much money do you think we need for this?

About ?800 to ?1,000 if that's possible.

That's quite a lot of money. Let's call it 800 minimum.

We'll go for 800. It is a huge house.

It's going to take us a couple of weeks so go through, I think.

So, let's go!

'It seems this busy family are long overdue a fun day out together,

'and turning the unused antiques into cash for colourful new art supplies for Susan

'sounds like a great idea as well.

'With a whole manor house to search,

'I'm glad we have our very own lord - of the antiques, that is - on hand to help.

'It's Paul Hayes, who's been working in the antiques trade for most of his life.'

A fantastic house - it really is impressive. I love this dining room.

These fit in quite nicely, these chairs. Are they a family heirloom?

No, I bought them in London. They are very nice,

but there's only six of them.

I need a large amount of chairs for the family at Christmas so I'd like to get perhaps some more

reproduction chairs that would be more affordable to get more.

I've got you. Cos the table is new, isn't it? Yes.

How many does it sit? At least a dozen.

OK. But these are genuine antiques? These are Victorian.

I think they're about 1830, but I've only been told that, so I'd like to know.

They're on the cusp and they're classed as a Victorian chair.

1837 is the first year of Queen Victoria's reign.

It went right until 1901.

The one thing you look for, actually, is the size.

They were made very sturdy, very strong.

What I like about these - they have a sabre leg at the back

and that's based on an officer's sword. The old sabres used to...

There you are, you see.

You learn something every day.

The top is called a kidney-shaped top, which is quite unusual.

More often than not they were balloon-back, which is like a complete circle.

What's happened with this Victorian furniture, it has gone out of fashion.

You'll hear from the auction rooms, the brown furniture just hasn't got that demand.

But a good set of six kidney-shaped chairs, leather backed,

you're looking at at least ?150,

possibly up to about ?250 as a set.

Well, we've used them for nine years,

so I've had the value of paying for them,

like you would with modern ones - they'd be broken by now.

They've done their turn for me. That's at least two of you on a quad! Yes, definitely.

OK! It's going to be sorted.

A good start. More to go.

I am dying to see the rest of the house. Let's have a look.

'?150 is a sizable start to today's search -

'but with a target of ?800, we've got a long way to go.

'So it's lucky we've got plenty of helping hands to divide and conquer in the manor.

'Emma comes up trumps straightaway

'with this lovely Poole pottery jug with a floral design.

'Duncan brought it with him when he moved in.

'Paul thinks it could fetch a very welcome ?25 to 35 at auction.

'Susan also finds a saleable piece of pottery

'when she digs out this owl, by the well-known manufacturer, Beswick.

'It was inherited from her mother and we're hoping

'it'll fly off the shelf at auction with a price tag of ?25 to ?30.'

'In the hallway, Emma seems to be developing a bit of a knack for spotting antiques.'

Paul, do you want to look at this and see if it's worth anything?

Let's have a look. It's not a riding crop, it's a swagger stick.

Where has that come from?

It used to be in my grandparents' house and it belonged to my grandfather.

My mother's told me he was given it for his officer training at school.

Right, that fits in.

It says "Skinners' School OTC". Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

Officer Training Corps, yes. There you go.

They would train the pupils of the school in leadership skills.

Some of them did go into the Army and become officers,

but the main idea was to teach them management, discipline and how to order people about.

Do you know whether your grandad went in the Army?

No, I know that he had to leave school at 15 to become an engineer

because the war had broken out, so he couldn't carry on.

It's an interesting item. These swagger sticks are very collectible.

It depends on what regiment, or what particular area...

Is that what they were for? They just held them? They held them like that.

"Right, you lot!"

I feel all masterful! But they're interesting things, and people do collect them.

Do you know what this Skinners' School was? No.

They were a charitable organisation very similar to the Masons.

The Masons get their name because they were originally stonemasons. OK.

But they ended up this charitable organisation that helped people.

The Skinners were people that worked in the fur trade.

Oh, obviously. People who worked in the skin industry, leather and fur.

They formed an organisation and they sponsored the schools.

The Skinners' School, were the sponsors of your grandad's school.

Oh, OK, I see, yeah. There you are.

Value wise, ?20 to 50.

It all adds up.

Yeah, that's not bad. It's a tank of petrol on them quad bikes.

Let's keep looking. After you.

One, two. Move them legs!

'I think Paul quite fancies himself as a sergeant major. He's always trying to boss me about.

'While he carries on rummaging downstairs, I take a few minutes to catch up with Susan.'

I can see all the trappings of your artistic background.

You're quite a serious painter, aren't you?

I did graphic design at art college, but I've always loved to paint and draw.

I've also painted furniture when I got my first job.

Touting my folio around London, I didn't find a graphic design job,

so I fell into an interior decoration company and painted furniture and restored antiques.

How long did you work in that field? About five years in a company

and then I had my own studio for a little while and then I had babies.

This is where you want to recreate your artistic background and relearn?

Yes, I want to tidy everything out of here and just have paint and tables and easels.

What do you want to paint?

Goodness me, you've just got to look out of the window

and something hits you all the time. The sheep and the greenery - it's fantastic.

Is that what you do, landscapes?

Yes, but I do a lot of interior, still-life pictures more.

Really? I would like to teach people who think they can't paint and draw

to set up a still life and jump into it.

It'd be very interesting to do, I think, and satisfying, but also

to fill the cottages in the quieter times, give people different reasons to come out to the countryside.

This is a huge enterprise. You've got this massive manor house.

I haven't even managed to count how many bedrooms in your section, then there's a whole other wing.

And then you've got, how many cottages?

We've got six at the moment. Six cottages.

You can house how many people?

38 and babies.

All those beds to change!

We've got it down to a fine art.

We have a laundry room and presses and a table where it's stacked on neatly

and the girls will know what to put where when the come in and do it.

It only works if we pull together, or we wouldn't be able to stay here.

Fantastic, and what a business you've got.

But if we're to get you any time off and a bit of fun,

we need to make more money.

Which way to go? This way. There's so much more to see! I'm never going to have time to do it.

'We really have to press on if we're going to get this family quad biking

'and get Susan back in front of an easel as well.

'I hope the rest of the gang have been busy.

'Downstairs in the kitchen, Duncan's spotted something with a bit of a West Country accent.'

What about these, Paul? Oh, right! They're great. How many have you got?

Currants, rice and sultanas.

These are really interesting items.

They are called Cornishware, but they're not from Cornwall.

They're made in Derby.

T G Green were a massive ceramic manufacturer throughout the 19th and early 20th Century.

They're mostly known for this Cornish design.

The idea was, apparently, that it represents the blue sky

of Cornwall and the white waves of the crests of the waves.

This hooped effect was very popular in the 1930s to 1950s.

Were these handed down the family?

No, they were found when Susan moved here in '01.

The previous people left them here and she found them in one of the cottages. Oh, right.

That was handy. That was really handy.

These are great. If you want that instant antique or retro look,

these fit perfectly in a country kitchen.

A little tip here - these are reproduced today. Oh, are they?

The way to tell the difference - the modern ones don't have a real ribbed effect. Can you feel that?

That's been done on a wheel, that takes that away.

You tend to find now they're just transfers, blue and white.

That's a good tip, just feel that ridge.

If I said, sort of, er...

?60 to 80, how does that sound? It sounds good to me.

All right. Hope there's some strong "currents" at the auction!

Terrible. Let's keep looking. THEY CHUCKLE

'?60 to ?80 for the colourful Cornishware jars makes them a great find.

'The teenagers are still busy searching and Ashley digs out these records,

'most of which were collected by his stepsister, Julia.

'Paul hopes they'll spark some interest in the saleroom

'with their estimate of ?30 to ?40.

'And I am hoping my latest find, this collection of comics, will prove equally successful.

'They include American titles like Superman.

'Paul reckons they could fetch between ?30 and ?40.

'In the kitchen,

'Paul's got two of his favourite things to hand -

'a mug of tea and a beautiful piece of furniture.'

Time for a cup of tea.

This is a lovely table - look at that. How has this table stayed in this condition?

It looks almost like it's just been polished.

It's too lovely to be in a kitchen, so it's had a thick protective cover and a tablecloth.

I've never taken off except to have a little look and put it back.

It is in the wrong place - it wants to be in a dining room

but it doesn't suit the dining room we've got.

I hope it'll go to a new home where it'll suit better.

These highly polished surfaces do scuff easily,

but this is the golden age of dining, the Victorian period.

These are massive sheets of mahogany, absolutely solid wood.

This is the best type - it's called flame mahogany.

If you have a look, it looks almost like the top of a flame, like it's on fire.

That's the richest grain you can get with mahogany. It's a beautiful colour.

We're looking at 1870, 1880 - you've got these sturdy ballast legs.

With antiques, a lot of people don't realise -

they can go in and out of fashion or desirability,

so you get a fantastic polished surface like this

at the moment aren't quite as popular as they used to be.

A realistic guide price today, you're looking around the ?500 mark.

If I said ?400 to ?600, how does that sound?

It doesn't sound as expensive as when I bought it, but as you say,

they're out of fashion a bit now,

so best to get something back now than keep it longer. It might even go down.

There's a saying - "the man who never lost any money, never made any."

It's very true. You're far better buying this ten years ago. At least you're showing some return,

whereas if you'd bought a new table, you would have no return at all.

Everyone wins. That can go?

It can. Excellent. Cheers.

Thanks for the brew.

'Great work! ?400 is a hefty addition to our target.

'I hope the bidders aren't too furniture fashion-conscious

'at auction and appreciate Susan's lovely mahogany table.

'With so many people around to help, we're having a very productive day so far.

'Susan and Duncan only met five years ago,

'but their newly combined family seems to work well together

'and I'm keen to find out a bit more about them.'

I discovered that you met on a blind date.

We did, yes. Did you know that?

Yeah, they did.

What was it like? I spent ages looking for the house

and ended up in the courtyard, thinking that, er...

"There's no way she's going to be in the house - it's too big a house."

So I went round the courtyard, back down the drive

and I came back up and thought, "I'm going to have to knock on the door."

As I sort of stopped and walked up to the door, I think Julia came out.

OK. Followed by you

and then we headed off down the pub.

We walked in and I asked her what she wanted to drink,

and she said, "I'll have a pint of Guinness."

I thought, "This is my type of girl."

He's saying all the right things, I must say. How many years ago was this?

This was December '03.

Aww, he remembers. Do you remember the date? The 6th.

He's a perfect man! I'm not sure about that!

So, what happened next? That was it, really. By Christmas, I think we'd decided

that we had a future and we were married in October in a marquee out the back. Short story.

It's a very nice story. Now here you are running this...

It's an estate, isn't it?

It's great. People that come from town come down to the countryside

and it's great to see the kids' faces and that sort of thing,

and the parents. And the best thing is if they come back.

That's the greatest reward, because you know that you've done

something right. They come back and it's nice to recognise people.

So you both get a lot of satisfaction out of it? Yes, real satisfaction, definitely.

It's a family business. Do you help out?

Yeah, I am having a gap year at the moment,

so I've been helping with the cleaning and laundry and yeah, it's OK.

It's nice to have as a holiday job.

Well, before you become millionaires running this business, come on - let's get some more money.

Where shall we go next? Which room do you think would beckon us?

'With so many rooms to search through, we've a great selection of treasures to choose from.

'In the dining room, Paul spots this lovely porcelain cheese cover.

'It's made by the popular tea and dinner set manufacturer Shelley, who ceased trading in 1966.

'Complete sets are very valuable

'and although the cheese cover is a single piece, Paul still thinks

'it's worth sending to auction with an estimate of ?15 to ?25.

'Downstairs, Duncan finds this Victorian chest of drawers.

'It's made from mahogany with turned wooden handles.

'Paul thinks it could bag us a very tidy ?100 to ?200 at auction.

'As our search continues, I find our expert himself

'in a rather unusual room for rummaging.'

Hello, how are you? What are you doing skulking in the bathroom, young man?!

Touching yourself up in the mirror?

You always have to search everywhere in the house.

You do. It's unusual to find something in a bathroom.

They've often been updated, but this has a really nice wash stand in here.

Where did it come from?

I think there were originally quite a few here, one in each bedroom,

in use until quite recent times,

because the mains water didn't come until the late '60s.

Really? Well, that's amazing. That's very late. This would have been used.

What you'd do, first thing in the morning, the gentleman or the lady

would actually use this to do his grooming, if you like.

The idea was that you would gather water from the well

or a source in the house, which had been boiled or made warm for you.

You would wash yourself or shave and any splashes would be caught

actually by this wash stand.

The idea is it has a marble top with this tile back.

That's all waterproof and the water is contained.

Round about the turn of the century, most houses here in the British Isles

incorporated inside plumbing,

so these things instantly became a thing of the past.

Do you like it, Susan?

I do like it, but we do plan to modernise this strange '60s pink bathroom.

That's quite nice - a bit of social history really.

I'm not sure what you could do with one of these today - make a desk or something out of it.

Value-wise...

if I said ?40 to ?70, how does that sound? That's quite nice.

That's all right? Happy with that? Mm-hm. She's happy with that.

Somebody might "splash out" on it!

You couldn't resist it. Let's see what else there is.

'?40 to ?70 for the wash stand is a nice addition to our coffers.

'We're just about at the end of our rummage.

'While Paul takes a short, musical break,

'Susan has one last item up her sleeve.'

Of all the mansion houses in all of Dorset,

you had to walk in this one. Nice piano.

I've got something to show you. Right, OK.

It's a great bureau, as well.

It's a lovely bureau, which I probably wouldn't want to part with.

No, of course. It does get a bit junked up but I do remember that I had this.

Let's have a look.

What you got - an old indenture, is it?

It's a parchmenty document which is something that...

Quite awkward to open out.

Right. So there are lots of these around.

Every time there was a land deal or agreement,

this an indenture, this would have been drawn up by a solicitor. It made an item legal.

At the time they would make these wonderful documents, which are very decorative,

and you have these stamps on - that means you've paid the stamp duty.

That's exactly the same as what we pay now

when we're buying or selling houses.

Was this a member of your family?

We've got a William Sammon here.

It turned up in a book that was at my parents' house

when we cleared out the effects there.

I have done a bit of research on the Internet but haven't managed to find out anything about William Sammon.

But I have found a few clues for Catherine Knight,

the lady that was involved, the two of them, one party to the other.

She was obviously in Whitefriars in Canterbury.

Do you know what year that was? Yes, we've got 1799 on there.

Wow! OK. That relates to this particular agreement at that time. Who was Catherine Knight?

Well, if I'm right, I believe she was the lady that brought up Jane Austen's brother.

She adopted Jane Austen's brother. I found bits and pieces on the Internet and there are enough clues

that fit together to make me believe that is the case. Somebody else might be able to verify it.

Jane Austen is a huge name now in the writing world.

Are you a fan of her work? Yes, I am a fan.

I even read them as a child, and one of my favourite books was Emma.

I called my first daughter Emma, so perhaps it's imprinted in my brain.

These documents turn up a lot.

You can buy them ?20, ?30 for a decorative piece of paper really.

The fact you have this Jane Austen connection, or potentially,

that makes it something special.

I think what we should do is do our homework on this

and put your research together that you've managed to accumulate,

then put this in with a realistic estimate of say ?50 to ?100.

That's pricing it really as an indenture with a bit of interest.

If we can find out it definitely is her, who knows where it could end up?

OK. Sound all right with you? That's fine. We need to put our thinking caps on for that one.

Let's tell the others. Jennie, Emma.

That's appropriate, isn't it? Everyone else, come on through.

We were just having a little natter out there.

What have you found? We've found a fantastic document.

It could relate to Jane Austen - can you believe that?

Potentially, fingers crossed. Didn't belong to her, did it? No, but it could be a relative.

50 quid? Yeah. That's what I like to hear - another ?50 in the pot.

Fantastic because, actually, ladies and gents,

that brings us to the end of our day's rummaging.

Did you enjoy it? Yeah, it's been good.

A bit tiring. Everyone says it's more tiring than they expected. Was it?

Yeah. Really tiring but good fun. It's interesting.

It was interesting. I don't think I've got all round your house yet. No, you haven't.

We were looking for... ?800, you said at the beginning.

?1,000 would have been nice, but ?800 is the target.

Hopefully, if everything sells at auction, you will make ?945.

That's brilliant! You're happy with that? I would be, yes.

It would buy quite a lot. Yes, it'd certainly start me off with the art materials as well as the outings.

And you're going to go quad biking too? Oh, yes. Excellent!

Well, all we've got to do now is to pack up everything ready for the auction.

Give yourself a big round of applause. You've done very, very well.

'We've had a fantastic day lording it up at the Jones's manor,

'and our team has come up with a great collection of items to take to auction.

'We have the swagger stick that belonged to Susan's father,

'valued at ?20 to ?50.

'The trio of colourful Cornishware pots,

'which Paul estimates at ?60 to ?80.

'The set of six Victorian, mahogany dining chairs,

'valued at ?150 to ?250.

'And our most highly valued lot is the lovely mahogany dining table,

'which Paul hopes could make a massive ?400 to ?600 at auction.

'Still to come on Cash In The Attic...

'I take a fancy to one of our family's lots...'

I think it's worth at least the 15...

In fact, I'm talking myself into buying this.

'..and fall for one of Paul's terrible jokes.'

It says titles include Metal Men, Aquaman, Superman and Auctionman.

There we are. No! Something for everybody.

No, only joking. I believed you. SHE CHUCKLES

'..but I'm very happy to be proved wrong about one item.'

What do I know? Absolutely nothing.

That's brilliant!

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

Well, Marshwood Manor certainly is a beautiful place

and over the past few weeks, Susan and her family

have been packing up those items we found to bring them here

to Chiswick Auction Rooms in west London.

Remember, we're hoping to raise ?800 towards some fabulous days out

so they can all have a well-earned break from the family business.

'The auction house is filling up with bidders and there's

'a fantastic selection of items on show to whet their appetite.

'One man who's always hungry for a bargain is our expert Paul Hayes,

'who's already giving our lots the once-over in the saleroom.'

Morning, me old son. Morning. Lovely day. It's sunny and hot - is that good or bad for auctions?

That's a good thing. People do tend to venture out and have a look.

I saw you looking at this - I wonder if that's going to find a buyer. I think it will.

It's nice and light. I was checking they'd emptied the drawers. You never know.

People sometimes bring the whole lot. The gas bill and everything. You were just hoping to find something!

It's all a rumour. They might have that other treasure - that lease.

I did find something out about that - it does look quite promising.

I'll tell you and the family at the same time. You're so cheeky!

Don't build your hopes up, love. Don't book the holiday just yet. Let's see if they're here. OK.

'I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Susan and Duncan today because I think they really do

'deserve a break from all that hard work of running their business.

'We find them checking out how that lovely dining table looks in the saleroom.'

Good morning. You're not having second thoughts about selling it?

No, we are selling it. Good.

Doesn't it look different here?

Looks so much smaller.

I think so.

To be honest, it's the condition in its favour with this one.

Normally, they're scratched but you've looked after it. Hasn't got to be French polished.

How are you feeling?

Good. Hopefully it'll work out nicely. Optimistic.

Yeah. I'm sure it'll be good.

It will attract people - it looks handsome here in its position, doesn't it? Yeah, it does.

I'm very excited about the Jane Austen document that you've got,

because you've done some research, haven't you? Well, I have.

I've rang around a couple of people and it does look like that Catherine Knight was the aunty to Jane Austen.

So that is the connection. Right.

What that means - we have a few people interested in it,

because of that, but whether that means they'll bid for the item is hard to say.

What I would suggest we do - originally, I said ?50-100.

We put a reserve of ?100 on it. Is that OK with yourself? Yes.

And see how it goes and hopefully if we get a few commission bids and societies who want it,

then it could take off but I want to protect it and put a minimum of ?100.

Is that all right? Yes.

Let's see if we can get you on those quad bikes - that's the idea.

'There seem to be plenty of people here. I just hope they've come with lots of money to spend.

'As the auctioneer takes to the rostrum,

'we find a place with a perfect view of the action

'just as the first of our items comes up for sale.'

Lot 57A, a turn of the last century swagger stick.

Showing for you in the corner, 57A.

Quite a nice item - it's a bit of history.

It's in good condition, we're looking about ?20.

What's that worth? ?10 for it? 10 I'm bid there.

12, 14, 16.

18. ?18 in the door. 20 there.

22, 24, 26.

28, 30, 32.

34. 36.

38, 40.

And five, 45.

?45 there, then. At ?45.

To the left at 45, going for ?45.

HAMMER BANGS Excellent. How's that?

'?45 is more than double Paul's lowest estimate

'and a cracking start to the sale. But with a whopping

'?800 target, I hope the rest of our lots do just as well.

'It's our collection of American comics next,

'which Paul valued at ?30 to ?40.'

I noticed here it says titles include Metal Men, Aquaman,

Superman and Auctionman. No! Something for everybody.

No, I'm only joking. I believed you! SHE CHUCKLES

?10 to start me. 10, 12, 14.

?14 for the lot, ?14. Anybody want to come in?

For ?16. 16 in the blue.

18, do you want behind? 20, 22,

24.

26.

26 in the white. At ?26.

At ?26. They're going for 26.

HAMMER BANGS

Almost there. It's not too bad.

'Well, ?26 is only just under estimate and the family don't seem too disheartened.

'Hopefully, our next lot will set the saleroom in more of a spin.'

It's your box of records now.

I see you've got Rolling Stones, Genesis and Blondie - this is my whole youth!

You're too young for all this, really. No, I'm not.

Definitely not. Really? I've done well. You have.

?30, a bargain.

30? 30 I'm bid.

32, 34, 36.

38, 40, 45.

50. In the corner at ?50.

?50. They look like they're selling for 50.

Going, then, for ?50.

392 for 50.

The old 'uns still have it, you see. Brilliant!

'That's more like it.

'The records went down a treat, adding ?50 to our quad-biking kitty.

'So, will our first furniture lot capture the saleroom's attention?

'With an estimate of ?40 to ?70,

'it's the Art Nouveau wash stand that Paul spotted in the bathroom.'

It's quite a summery item, this one, today.

I've checked all the drawers - nothing in them. So we're quite safe.

Start me for 20. 22, 24. ?24 for a tile-back wash stand.

?24, doesn't seem a lot of money.

?24?

?24, then.

Not sold.

Oh, he's not sold that. Oh!

Gosh!

'Unsold. It's a disappointing result after such a strong start.

'We've a long way to go to reach our target of ?800,

'so I hope our next lot gets a better reaction.

'It's the Poole pottery jug.' We want ?25 for it.

It's quite a lot for a little jug. It's very collectible.

Poole pottery is having a real interest at the moment -

it's becoming highly valued now. Some of the pieces are fetching quite a lot.

This is a run-of-the-mill piece. ?25 is about right. Some pieces fetch a lot more.

OK. Let's see how we get on.

What's it worth, ?10 for that lot? ?10 for it. Anybody want the lot for ?10?

A bit of Poole for a tenner?

Nobody want it? Pass the lot for ?10.

Not sold.

I can always keep the milk in it. Now you've unearthed it, perhaps you'll start using it!

'Unsold again. The family are putting a brave face on things,

'but we're nearly halfway through the sale

'and nowhere near halfway towards our target.'

Your lovely chairs are going to go under the hammer now.

They are very lovely, aren't they?

I think they're handsome. Not enough for what we want for Christmas.

We want to get something repro. Is there a problem there's only six?

Six is about the basic number you're going to find.

It's a respectable number.

If you wanted eight or 12, the chances of finding exactly the same model again, you can't.

With reproduction chairs, you can get hundreds of the same thing.

We're looking for about ?150.

I don't feel good about these. I don't know why, but... Here we go.

Start me for these at ?200.

210, 220,

230, 240, 250,

260, 270, 280. 290, 300.

?300.

310, 320, 330.

340, 350, 360. That's great!

370, 380.

390. 400? ?390.

That set of chairs at 390.

390, all done.

Whoa!

Twice as much as what we wanted. That's brilliant!

What do I know? Absolutely nothing!

That's brilliant.

'At last, a lot that got the bidders' pulses racing

'and I'm glad I was proved wrong.

'?390 for the chairs is a brilliant result.

'After that success, it's time to tot up our total so far.'

We're halfway through your sale.

Good. Look - he's still full of energy. I love it!

Still optimistic. I know.

And with some reason I might say, actually,

because you're looking for ?800 so you can all go quad biking. Maybe me too, eh?

And some other days out, perhaps.

Well, at this halfway point, you're more than halfway there.

You have made ?511.

Excellent! That's really good.

That's fantastic. It all mounts up.

The chairs did very well.

The other bits and bobs - well, they just ticked along.

?289 to go?

He's quick on his maths!

289 to go, if you're right. I can't do that.

And you've got some very nice items. You've got the Jane Austen to go.

Yeah, that could be the show-stopper.

I don't want to build your hopes up too much, but that is a good piece of memorabilia.

If you get two people who really want that, you have got a chance of it going quite well.

Fingers crossed for that. How are you feeling, missus?

I hope the room doesn't just look blank and think, "Why would I buy this old document?"

I want to see somebody who is excited go for it.

I hope so. Well done so far.

Let's take a little break - I think we've earned it. Come on.

'Paul seems quietly confident about the deeds with the Jane Austen connection,

'so I'm hoping we're in for a great second half.

'If you're planning to buy or sell at auction,

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

'so make sure you check the details with your local saleroom.

'We've had our well-earned cup of tea and head back to our position

'just as the second half of the sale gets under way.

'There's a new auctioneer on the rostrum and hopefully,

'the success our chairs had mark the start of a lucky streak for us.'

It says here, "Storage house for sultanas, rice and currants."

What can you make with that, eh?

Lashings of ginger beer!

About ?60. OK.

240A, er... ?50?

?30? Only a tenner each, I'm bid, at ?30.

32, 35?

38, 40. 42?

?40, the bid.

?40 we've got. That's a bid at ?40. Are you going to bid me? At ?40.

Do you want ?40? Is that all right?

I'm going to sell at ?40.

?42, new bidder. Selling at 42. HAMMER BANGS

'?42 is a bit below Paul's estimate.

'We really need some stunning results

'if we're going to make that ?800 for the quad biking trip.

'The bidders may not have gone mad over the Cornishware,

'but maybe the Shelley cheese cover will do better.'

I love this item, actually. It's your cheese cover... Cheese dish.

I think it's very elegant, very beautiful. It's very unusual.

I think it's worth at least the ?15.

In fact, I'm talking myself into buying it!

Are you going to bid?

15 quid, yeah? It'd cost you more to fill it, wouldn't it?

Start me at ?10. ?10 for it.

Thank you. Bid at ?10. 12, bid at 12. 15.

18, 20.

22?

At ?20, 22? I'll take 22 at ?20.

That's a bid at ?20, I'm selling it, all done.

There you go. All right.

Very nice. I'm sorry I didn't go for it now.

I'll tell you, we've had cheese, sultanas, rice and currants - I'm starving!

'Keep your mind on the auction, Paul!

'The cheese cover may have fetched more than your lowest estimate,

'but we're still a way off our target.

'The Beswick owl comes up for sale next, with a ?25 to ?30 price tag.

Number 257A now, the Beswick figure of an owl.

257A, the Beswick owl. ?20 for it? ?10 for it.

I am bid at ten. 12, 15, 18.

20, 22, 25. 28. 30?

In the pink at ?28?

Gone for ?28 only. At ?28.

That was a hoot! THEY CHUCKLE

You've been saving that one!

'The jokes never get any better, do they?

'?28 was a good price for the owl,

'but we need our three remaining lots to be real stars of the show if we're going to hit that target.

'After the earlier success with the dining chairs,

'I hope the furniture bidders are as enthusiastic about our next lot.'

It's the mahogany chest of drawers,

which is two short drawers over three long ones.

This is a nice, quality piece of furniture.

Vastly underrated, I think, items like this.

Looking at about ?100, for a nice Victorian chest.

263A, ?100 for it? ?50 for it?

I've a bid at ?50. 55, 60. Five.

70. Five. 80. Five. 90?

No, ?85 bid.

That's about right.

I'll take 90 for it, ?85. Selling at ?85, are we done?

You've got it for 85, I'm selling it. That's really cheap.

'?85 is just under estimate, but the family are still smiling.

'The second half of our sale is going reasonably well.

'Our biggest lot - in both size and value - is next under the hammer.'

Out of all your items, this is the one that stands out for me.

It's that beautiful dining table.

It's got a fantastic finish.

It's got nice, strong, sturdy legs.

An underrated item, this one. We're looking for about ?400.

Let's see how we do.

Victorian mahogany dining table with one extra leaf. Start me at ?300?

I've a bid of ?300. 310, 320, 330.

340, 350, 360.

370, 380, 390?

Are you out? 380, are we done?

That's gone.

Is that all right? Are you happy with that? Close, wasn't it?

'?380 is only just below Paul's estimate

'and though I think Susan hoped it might fetch a bit more,

'it's a big addition to our total.

'It's almost the end of the sale, but we've one last lot to go -

'and it's a really important one.'

It's the turn of that fantastic lease

with the Jane Austen connection - Emma and Mr Darcy.

This really is a fantastic item.

I've noticed we have a couple of phone lines here.

I noticed that. People on the phones.

I'm just hoping it's for us. I hope it's for our lot.

This really is a fantastic thing. We put a reserve of ?100, OK?

Let's see how we get on.

It could do anything, couldn't it? Are you connected on the phone?

Tony's on the phone. Telephone bidder with this.

It's been confirmed as relatives of Jane Austen.

What's it worth? ?50, here it goes.

I am bid, 50. 55, 60, 65.

70. Five?

80. Five?

90. Five? 100, 110.

120, 130,

140, 150?

160? 150 is bid. Take 160. You're looking down.

Going for 150? Last chance.

And gone. There you go.

Is that good? Yeah. Lovely!

That's really good.

It's got a new home and we've got ?150 coming our way.

Yeah! Well done. That's great. That's a result, isn't it?

'?150 is a fantastic result for the deeds.

'Our family can't stop smiling.

'Jane Austen really did us proud.

'We've had some great sales today,

'but a couple of unsold lots as well.

'Let's find out what it all adds up to.'

We've had fun today, haven't we? It's been a right giggle.

And you've made some money. How much did you want? ?800.

Do you think you've made 800?

I think so. I've lost count a little. I'm quietly optimistic.

Quietly optimistic? Well, I think it's been a pretty good sale.

I have to tell you, at the end of the day,

you made well over your target. You wanted ?800.

I have to say, you have made ?1,216.

Brilliant. That's fantastic. That's what we wanted, really.

We said 800 but we wanted 1,000. That's wonderful.

I hope you have many happy days painting and you enjoy your time out.

Good luck with the quad biking.

It's been two weeks since the Jones family raised a fantastic ?1,216 at auction.

Today's the day for a well-earned break from the business and that trip to the quad biking track.

If you'd like to come over with me, we'll get you some overalls

and helmets and we'll make a start. Come on over.

If I take you through step-by-step, if there's anything you're not sure about, please ask.

After donning the not so glamorous overalls and listening to a safety briefing with the instructor,

it's time to jump on the bikes.

There's some healthy competition on the starting grid as they wait for the green light.

OK, it wasn't quite a Grand Prix start, but our fearless family soon get the hang of it.

The best bits were the lumpy bits where you go up and down and lose control a bit. That was quite cool!

That was my favourite bit, as well.

And the corners where it's higher on one side, so you're sort of tilted. That was quite cool.

Really scary at first, though.

It's more fun when you go round the second time. You know what you're going into.

You're not in fear of there being a sheer drop. Obviously there isn't!

Second time round, you can get a bit braver with the controls.

A great family afternoon out. Brilliant. It's what we wanted.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd