McCulloch-Grant Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash in the Attic, the show that finds

the hidden treasures around your home and helps you sell them at auction.

I've come to the Kent countryside. As you can see, I'm not alone.

I'm surrounded by 800 deer. This is Knole Park,

believed to be home to one of the last surviving Tudor deer herds.

One of the lots that have survived the last 500 years.

The park in Sevenoaks surrounds Knole House and it is believed that

an estate has been in existence here since the 12th century.

In 1456, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Bouchier,

bought Knole for little more than ?266.

Today, the house and estate are open to the public in the care of the National Trust.

So let's hope we find plenty of great items that will

pull in the pounds when they go under the hammer at auction.

Coming up on today's Cash in the Attic, I take a shine to the man of the house.

He must be the only man I've ever met who can possibly understand what women love about shoes.

'He drives a hard bargain.' So, is it something we can sell, Derek?

Erm...If the price is right.

But crumbles when we get to auction.

Don't cry, Derek, we haven't sold it yet. It'll be all right, honestly.

Will we get a good result at the end of the day?

Find out when the final hammer falls.

I'm on my way to meet a family who called in the Cash in the Attic team

to help them raise funds for a foreign adventure.

This oast house, set in the beautiful village of Crockenhill, north Kent, is home to retired baker

Derek McCulloch Grant, and his wife Christine.

Their love of nothing but the best has led to their country retreat

being crammed full of fine antiques and collectables, but it's now time for a major clear-out.

Today, with the help of Derek's eldest daughter, Lindsay, they're hoping to empty

the house of its unwanted goods to pursue their travelling dreams.

Morning, Paul. Good morning, how are you?

I'm fine, thank you. We've got a great couple today, they're newlyweds. Oh, really?

Yeah, well, I say newlyweds.

It's the second marriage, but they have combined two homes.

There should be plenty of rich pickings for you to go through.

It sounds fantastic. What a location. It's great.

No time to walk around, though, because we've got to crack on. OK.

Good morning. Good morning.

Nice to see you've started already then.

We certainly have.

Now, Derek, this is your home with Christine, is that correct?

And Lindsay, you're Derek's daughter?

So, who called us in? Me, I'm afraid.

OK, so you're responsible. What made you do that?

We just had so much stuff that we decided to declutter.

So, here we are. And what do you make of all of this, Lindsay?

I'm so pleased he's finally having a clear-out.

Every time I come round here, I'm like, "Thank God I don't live here! There's so much stuff."

So if we clear out some of the stuff then, tell me what you'd like to raise the money for.

Have you got anything in mind?

Yes, we'd like to hire a motor home and travel down to France.

Our ultimate aim is to buy one, but we'd like to try it before.

And what sort of money are we talking about then?

Well, we're hoping from the things that are selected, around ?1,400, ?1,500.

That's what you'd need to hire one and actually get down to France?

Yes. Sounds like we've got plenty of stuff to see. Are you staying for the day to help out? Yes, good.

I don't know why I asked the question.

OK, well, shall we go and have a good look round? Come on then.

OK.

Derek and Christine's home is as glorious on the outside as it is on the inside.

Everywhere you look is testament to a couple who liked to be surrounded by luxury.

And knowing one or two things about extravagance himself is our expert Paul Hayes, who, with a lifetime

of experience in the antiques trade, is in seventh heaven and has already spotted the perfect gem.

Hello, hi, how are you? All right? Yes, you?

I think you're going to have an easy job. It's everywhere, isn't it?

Have you found anything yet? I've found this beautiful ring. Where does that come from, do you know?

My mother inherited it from my grandmother.

So is it something we can sell, Derek?

Um... If the price is right.

Not something you've got your eye on then, Lindsay? No.

All right, OK. They look very glittery diamonds.

Yeah, these are dead right.

The four main precious stones you've got are diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires.

And they actually have two here, the diamonds here and the sapphire in the middle, the dark blue.

So this has been quite an expensive ring, I think, when it's been bought.

But the way that diamonds are valued, these look

around a quarter of a carat each, possibly about half a carat.

The carat is the weight of the diamond

and that needs to be done specifically with a special tool.

You say it's your Grandma's and I know for definite this is made after 1920.

And the way I can tell that, these are diamonds.

And the diamonds are cut, what they called brilliant cut, gives it maximum sparkle.

What valuation are you going to put on this?

Because I think that might depend whether or not it goes to auction.

Now, if I was to value this, really, on the diamonds, I would say at least 300, upwards, that sort of price.

Does that sound all right? That sounds brilliant.

You look quite surprised by that, Derek. Are you?

I am, yes. Excellent, we've found one gem for auction, let's see if we can find some more.

OK. Come on then, follow me. With a ?1,500 target to reach,

we're going to need plenty more finds like that.

So we head to different corners of the house in search of top-quality valuables to take to auction.

But I found a couple of pieces that don't sit quite so comfortably in a house of this nature.

Paul, Derek, are you out there?

I think I've found a very nice pair of chairs here.

So, what's the story behind these, then? I've have them for about 25 years.

I had a best friend, Margaret, and we used to go round the auction houses and what have you.

She, sadly, passed away. And she left them to me.

OK, so what you make of them, Paul?

Well, they are extremely Art Deco. You couldn't get any more Deco than that, could you, really?

They're actually a French invention.

The Bauhaus is like a German design school but these are actually by Corbusier.

Yes, they are Corbusier chairs. They are, see, so that's right.

She bought them knowing that, did she? Oh, yes.

Right. Can I just have a quick look at one of the leather panels here?

What I do tend to find is just general wear and tear.

What you would expect to find for items that were pre-war

would be for somebody to have sat in these for 80 years.

So I would expect just a little bit more wear and tear in them.

But they could have been stored away. They could be the original ones and have just been hardly used.

But I would expect, it's a rule of thumb, really, a bit more wear on those.

I would say they were definitely the style, but I don't think they are the original bits and pieces.

So if you were going to send them to auction, what would you say?

I see those go to auction with an estimate of ?400 to ?600.

You're not miles out as reproduction copies. So what do you think of Paul's valuation?

My son also admires this particular style

and he's giving me a bit of a hard time about them.

The jury's out at the moment. OK, well, maybe you can let us know on the day of the auction.

I'd be delighted, yes.

OK. We're not sure about these than.

We better find something else. Come on. OK.

I've had them a very long time and, rightly or wrongly,

thought they were maybe worth a bit more than the estimate given.

But I've taken on board what Paul has said and, realistically,

it's very difficult to know if they're originals or not.

As we can't guarantee the Corbusier chairs will be heading to the sale room, we need to track down

some more first-rate treats to get Christine and Derek that motor home test drive.

And it's not long before Paul spots these two porcelain Capodimonte figures

of a watchmaker and a winemaker at work.

At 100 to ?150 the pair, he's making this rummage job look easy.

This has been the family home for over 25 years.

But, following the loss of his first wife, Janice, 15 years ago,

Derek remained single until meeting his second wife, Christine.

I decide it's time to find out more from him and his daughter, Lindsay.

Derek, having a bit of a snooze on the job, are we?

Look, I found this oast house.

I'm not sure it's this particular oast house, but where did that come from?

I think my beloved found that in a charity shop, if I'm correct.

OK. So Chris is into charity shops, is she? Yes, yes.

You did say that a lot of the stuff

that we're going to be looking at and have seen so far is from your first wife.

So, was she a bit of a hoarder?

Well, she was good at picking up clocks and all manner of things, really.

So, how do you feel about this stuff being cleared out now?

It's definitely due now, especially as both Dad and Chrissy have got a lot of stuff together,

so it'll be nice for them to do this together.

So what did you first think then, when your dad 'fessed up that he'd met somebody?

I was quite surprised because it was quite soon after meeting her

that he was like, "Oh, yeah, she's lovely."

I was like, "OK."

Pleased, but obviously cautious for him.

But it's turned out... It's brilliant. The amount of times I heard him say,

"I'm never getting married again," and then not long after meeting Chrissy, "We're getting married."

I was like, "Oh, wow, OK. It's cool."

It took me 15 years to find her.

Yeah, she was worth waiting for.

'It was after the fatal collapse of their mother at home in the early 1990s

'and the help of the air ambulance at the time,

'that Lindsay and her brother James chose careers borne out of their mother's untimely death.'

So tell me a little bit about your career and also your brother's.

James has always been interested in helicopters.

He's in America now, having trained to be a helicopter pilot.

And I'm a paramedic. You must be very proud of both of them. I am very proud of them, yes.

Particularly as they lost their mother when they were at a very vulnerable age.

So, yeah, very proud of them. You're probably a very good dad, I would imagine. I try to be.

If you want this trip, we won't get it sitting here.

Hopefully, with this stuff, Mr Hayes has found something else of value.

So, shall we go and track him down? Yes. Come on then.

'Well, while we've been chatting,

'Paul's been using his animal instinct to hunt out possible rich pickings to tempt the bidders.

'With a mammoth ?1,500 target to achieve, we need to be ruthless.

'Which, thankfully, Derek IS when he offers up

'this ornate, 1930s hall table,

'made of solid walnut and adding a further ?60 to ?80 to the kitty.

'And Christine's got some of her own loot which she wants our expert to take a look at.'

Paul, I wondered if you would like to come and have a look at some of my Art Deco collection,

which I've accumulated over quite a few years.

Lost some along the way... Is that an ice bucket?

It is, yes. Functional, I might add.

Right, as regarding an ice bucket, what a cracker!

But don't forget, the 1920s and '30s, the whole Art Deco period was the age of the cocktail.

It looks like it could have belonged to, due to the size of it,

a hotel or some sort of drinking establishment.

At the time, it was actually called the modern style.

What happened, we'd just come out of the First World War, 1918, 1920,

and the new style then was very clean lines, very simple, very bright colours -

the paintings and the architecture. It's mainly geometry.

And this just screams out, really. It's a cube, it's got a square top.

You get triangles, you get complete circles in clocks, things like that.

Geometry is a major key. And once you understand that, then you can spot it a mile off, can't you?

It looks great. You could use that for a number of things, you don't have to use it for ice, do you?

It's nice to have something you can re-use today. Absolutely.

Well, you've got two collectors here actually, people who are interested in the Art Deco form

but also alcohol-related items are very collectible, vintage wines, the whole ceremony of drink.

Ice buckets, cocktail shakers and sticks, there's a massive market for that as well.

So I'd say at least ?50 to ?80, does that sound all right? That sounds reasonable to me.

OK, I'll take that with us and let's keep looking. Right, OK.

'It's like an Aladdin's cave in Derek and Christine's home, brimming with outstanding goodies.

'A motor home trip doesn't come cheap, though, so we need plenty of treasure.

'This carved cameo hardstone, which is surrounded by diamonds on an 18 carat gold shank

'is a great find and worth an astounding ?500 to ?700.

'Downstairs, Paul, unfortunately, doesn't have a full hand when it comes to this set of chairs.'

Derek, Lindsay? Where did these come from? These are beautiful.

I bought those as a present for my late wife.

They're something that is not my style, really, so...

Well, these are obviously part of a set, like a bridge set.

Were they ever complete?

No, there was only the two.

She obviously realised that there was originally four,

but these were the only two that were for sale.

They're based on a set of cards, you've got the clubs, you've got hearts.

All that's missing are the spades and the diamonds.

It would have been around a lady's bridge table or games table.

And you'd have several tables with lots of people playing.

But the style is very Art Nouveau.

The basic style is very organic and the whole thing runs around.

It's almost like it's alive. Are they sentimental at all to you?

Well, yes, they are, but I took the view that rather than be stuck up in the loft,

it was better that somebody who would appreciate them should have them.

What we've got here are a part set of chairs, a nice pair of chairs.

They're mahogany, they're Art Nouveau.

They are in fairly good condition, but it's very popular.

100 years later when we look back, we can appreciate the quality of the workmanship.

They're superbly made but they are part of a set and the complete set would be very valuable.

I would say, if they went to auction, I'd say at least ?80 to ?120. Does that sound all right?

Yes, that sounds reasonable, yes.

That's great. Let's keep looking.

With regard to the chairs, I did a lot of heart-searching for those.

They have got sentimental value but there again, what's the point of being stuck in the loft

when somebody else would get the pleasure of them and appreciate them.

Yes, I'm happy for them to go.

'We're doing pretty well so far but still need to find more

'to reach Derek and Christine's target of ?1,500.

'Paul thinks this silver-plated punch bowl set,

'complete with ladle and cups could cheer up the bidders

'with its price tag of ?90 to ?150.

'And our happy couple is already looking to their planned motorhome adventure,

'giving their one-year marriage a chance to grow.'

Ah, there you are, Chris. Look, I've found this fantastic photograph.

Obviously your wedding day.

Yes, yes. Would you say it's harder or easier second time around?

I think when you get to our age, I say our age,

you look at life differently. I don't plan ahead very much.

I do believe life is very precious, that's owing to personal experiences

and my husband has personal experiences.

It's still a learning curve. You know, finding out about his foibles.

What sort of foibles has he got, then?

My husband, we have similar things, but his are shoes. So Derek's into shoes?

He's been collecting shoes for many years.

When his late wife was alive, they didn't fly and they used to drive down to Italy every year

and Lindsay and James, I've been told, used to be in the back

surrounded by shoe boxes on the way back.

Evidence of that is in the trunks, in the wardrobes, they're absolutely packed.

Each box has these beautifully preserved Italian shoes, spats, all kinds...

He must be the only man I've ever met who could understand what women love about shoes.

He's got, I mean...

He outnumbers my shoes.

The whole point of having this motorhome is so he can jam it full of shoes, isn't it?

Yes...and handbags. Ah... Don't forget the handbags. OK.

You won't be raising any money at all if we carry on chatting like this. No.

I've not got time to look at his shoe collection, although maybe I have.

Where are these shoes?

'Thankfully the boys are more focused and have continued with the quest

'to find top-notch bits and pieces to take to the auction house.

'We're finding some quite valuable antiques today

'and on my way to Derek's shoe collection, I spy this gold bracelet with a selection of ten charms

'that once belonged to his mother and could bring us an incredible ?250 to ?350.

'Christine and Derek may dream of motorhome travels to France in the future,

'and already have an obvious love of Italy,

'but for a detour to Austria they need go no further than their own hallway.'

Ah, now I must say I like this clock.

Where has that come from?

Well, that's been handed down from my mother.

You know, obviously,

it's got some sentimental value.

This made in Vienna. It's a Vienna wall clock. It's not a regulator. Have you heard that expression?

Yes, I have, yes. The earlier examples of these were very simple,

very straight-lined, and the reason being that they were called a regulator.

What they were... This actually was the clock that you'd set the time for all the other clocks in the house.

This one's a little bit later, it's spring driven. The way this one works is that as you wind it up,

the springs get tighter - the release of the spring causes it to move. This is a good quality one.

Can you see the pendulum there? Yes. It's made up of two different metals. One's steel and one's brass.

They expand and contract at different rates and what that means is that in extreme temperature changes,

it keeps accurate, it compensates for that. This is very elaborate.

This one's around 1890, 1900.

It's quite a late example.

What is unusual about this one is the fact it's still got its eagle on the top. Can you see that?

Yes. What happened during the war, those were taken off. Oh, really.

They were the symbol of the enemy at the time

and those are often lost, so it is nice to find one like that.

Is it running, do you know?

I had it repaired recently but I haven't wound it.

So what you've got is a late 19th century Vienna wall clock with an eagle. It's in nice condition.

I should say at least ?150, possibly ?200, that sort of price band. Does that sound all right?

Yeah, that sounds fine.

Great, I'm happy for that. Do you think it's the right time to sell it? I think so.

OK, well, let's keep our eagle eye out for that one. OK, good man.

'It's near the end of the day and we're running out of places to look

'but with such a large target of ?1,500 to hit we need to have a final trawl,

'which pays off when Christine strikes gold with this nine carat engraved bracelet,

'inherited from Derek's mother and valued at ?180 to ?380.

'Meanwhile, Derek has found another family heirloom but will he be prepared to let it go?'

Paul, Lorne, look what I've found!

Are you all right there? You shouted. Wow, look at that. What have we got?

What a cracker! Can I take it out of the box?

It's a charm bracelet. What a beauty, look at that one!

Have you collected all these, then? Well, I guess my mother collected them.

Yes, she enjoyed her charm bracelet.

That's taken an awful long time to collect, hasn't it? Yes.

Each one would be put on individually.

I think the actual bracelet they're on is an old Albert watch chain -

probably your grandad's old watch chain.

When the ladies inherited that, they would make it into a female item like this.

They made these in solid silver and solid gold. This is a gold example.

It was Queen Victoria that started off the charm bracelet fashion, similar to what happens today,

you get celebrities who buy a certain thing,

wear a certain dress or type of jewellery and people buy into that market.

She was getting lots of gold presents from various dignitaries

that would be mounted onto bracelets and she was buried with them so she was fond of them.

What would happen with this, Paul? I mean, gold's at quite a high at the moment,

would it be bought for scrap, selling on or breaking down for the individual charms?

How would it work? That's right. Somebody would sell these charms off individually.

You've got two values. You've got your bullion value which is the weight of your gold.

If you melted all that down, it has one value, but as articles they're worth a lot more,

so the scrap price doesn't really come into it.

What will it make at auction?

I can certainly feel the weight's there.

Without weighing it and without taking into account each charm,

I'd say you've around a ballpark figure of about ?1,000, that sort of price.

You're joking! Blimey!

I'd like to see that go in with an ?800 to ?1,000 estimate and see how it goes.

Does that sound all right? Sounds all right to me, what do you think? Yes. It is, isn't it? What a cracker.

We've run out of rummaging time, not that it matters with THAT going into the total.

You wanted ?1,500 for this trip - well, including this, the value of everything going to auction,

excluding our chairs, comes to ?2,560!

Wow! Now, of course, if you did decide to send those chairs, I know you're in two minds about them,

but if they go to auction, that'll tot up the total to ?2,960.

Almost ?3,000. Indeed, yes. Handbags. Plenty of handbags.

That's just for me and you, Derek! So are you pleased with that? Yes, yes.

So the next time we'll see you is when everything is laid out at the auction.

Hopefully plenty of people will want to buy the stuff.

So are you looking forward to the auction? Absolutely. Good, good, we'll see you there. OK.

Derek and Christine's plush pad has presented us with some fabulous spoils today.

Packed up and ready for auction are...

the two Art Nouveau chairs made to go round a card table

and, although not a complete set, they're still worth ?80 to ?120,

the Art Deco ice bucket, valued at ?50 to ?80,

a wonderful sapphire and diamond ring hoping to shine at ?300 - ?500,

and finally those Corbusier cube leather chairs

which Paul isn't convinced are the genuine article at ?400 to ?600.

'Still to come on Cash In The Attic, we're faced with indecision...'

So are you happy to take that home? I dunno.

'..Paul searches for someone to blame...'

I have noticed, actually, that one of these chairs has been damaged.

I think because they're so delicate, somebody has sat on them. Not guilty.

'..and it all gets a bit too much for Derek.'

Are you chuffed with that?

Yeah, I am. Yeah. A bit emotional.

But will they be satisfied with their sales when the final hammer falls?

It's been a couple of weeks since we had a good look around Derek and Christine's home in Kent

where we found antiques and collectibles

which we've brought to Chiswick auction rooms in West London.

Now, remember, they're looking to raise ?1,500 so they can hire a camper van and go on a camping trip.

So let's just hope when our items go under the hammer today, the bidders are ready to splash the cash.

'With what we've got on offer today, we should have no problem charming the saleroom,

'if not with our expert, Paul Hayes, then definitely with the mix of lots we've got to sell.'

Morning, Paul. I love this. It's absolutely fantastic.

There are some interesting charms, aren't there?

Yeah, I mean, at the height of fashion, these will have cost a fortune.

Realistically today, I think we're looking at around the ?1,000 - between ?800 and ?1,000.

Now we've also got those two chairs which are part of the set of four, the bridge chairs.

Anybody wanting a nice pair of chairs, there's theme going through them.

I think those are quite attractive. My favourite piece is the Art Deco ice bucket.

That's so extravagant, isn't it? It is, yes - a very angular, very Art Deco, very smart looking

and don't forget the diamond ring, lots of jewellery today. Yes.

I haven't seen those black Art Deco chairs.

I don't know whether they've brought them, we'll have to wait and see.

If they don't bring them, at least we can make the money up on gold. Hope so. Come on!

'The bidders are already in position, so we quickly track down Christine and Derek

'who with daughter, Lindsay, are checking on their valuables possibly for the last time.'

Good morning. Hello. Good morning.

This is one of my favourite pieces, I think it's stunning but it takes up... Would you like to buy it?

It takes up a lot of space, though, doesn't it?

Now you have got some lovely pieces in, including that lovely gold bracelet.

With the price of gold being so high, it'll be interesting.

Have you put a reserve on it? Yes, yes, we did.

We discussed it and because the sentimental attachment we put what we thought was a reasonable reserve.

What is the figure for the reserve? ?1,000. ?1,000, does that sound fair enough?

It sounds great but it's tugging at the heartstrings a bit there.

?1,000 is just the top end of the estimate.

As long as you're prepared if it doesn't quite fetch that amount, then you'll take it back.

We have taken that into consideration. Great, well, everyone wins that way. OK.

The other thing I wanted to know, is have you brought those chairs? I'm afraid they didn't come.

They're now with my son.

As you were aware, they were sentimental, again,

and he'd always had his eye on them, so he's now the happy owner of them.

Right, well, we better make some money. Come on, follow me. OK.

'So with the leather chairs absent and having decided to hold on to the walnut hall table too,

'we've got our work cut out.

'If you would like to buy or sell at auction you will have to pay commission,

'plus possibly other charges, so do check with your local auction house for more details.

'Without further delay, we find enough space to oversee our sales

'and I hope our first lot manages to reach Derek's high expectations.'

We've got ?200 reserve on the Viennese wall clock. Is that reasonable, Paul?

That's about right.

I said ?150 to ?200, so it's the top end of the estimate.

Don't cry, Derek, we haven't sold it yet. It will be all right.

120a, who'll start me? ?100 for it. ?100 for it. I'm bid ?100.

I'll take 110, the bid's at ?100. 110, 120. 130, 140. 150. Come on.

I'll take 150. It's at 140. 150, or not? At 140 then.

The bid's so far at ?140.

Can't sell for that, come and see me after. 140.

It made 140. It hasn't sold, obviously, because of the reserve.

So are you happy to take that home? I dunno. He said, "Come and see me later."

The auctioneer has said to the room, "If anybody is interested after the auction, come and see me."

He'll talk to you and see if they can strike a deal. So think about that one. Yeah.

'Setting such a high reserve was always going to be a risk

'and Derek's also placed a ?600 reserve on his mother's 18 carat gold cameo.'

?400 for it, I'm bid ?400. 420, 440.

460, 480.

500. 500, 520.

540, 560. 580?

560. Come on. The bid's at 560, 580 I'll take.

?560, the bid's at ?560. Yes or no?

580 or not? The highest bidder's 560. Up to you at 560, yes or no now?

Do I have 580 there? 570, 580?

570, I'm bid ?570. At ?570 all done... Come and see me after.

Can't make their mind up yet. It's got a firm reserve of 600 on it.

So how do you feel about that? We can sell it at ?570 or not which ever you feel more comfortable with.

No, I think we'll go with that. Yes? OK.

'Having got so close to his reserve,

'I'm glad Derek's decided to accept the slightly lower amount of 570.'

Lot number 108, the Capodimonte group, the wine maker.

What I've noticed, actually, Lorne, is that they've split them into two lots

so it gives it a good chance to sell the items.

I know I said ?100 for the pair, so they've split them into two, we're looking at ?50 each.

'But Derek's got other ideas.'

So have we got a reserve on this, Derek?

Yes. Have we, what is it, come on? Break it to me.

55 quid. ?55, right.

Let's see what we can do.

Start me ?50 for it. I'm bid at 50.

?50, say 5 now.

55, thank you, 60? 5? 60 is bid, take 5.

Short and sweet. Who else wants to come in at ?60?

That's a bid at ?60. Are we done? Selling at ?60.

Oh, ?60, there we are ?5 over your reserve. Are you happy with that? Yeah. Good.

'Finally a reserve that WAS reached

'and takes us a step closer to our ?1,500 target.

'But will The Watchmaker follow suit and make Derek's desired ?55?'

?40 I'm bid. At ?40. ?40 for it.

42. 45? 48. 50? 55. 60? 5. 70?

5. 70 bid. Take 5. At ?70.

At ?70, are we done? 75. Back in. 80. Fantastic!

At 75, I think you've got it at ?75.

?75. Excellent. That's a bit more like it, isn't it?

It's ?20 above your reserve.

Are you happy? Wonderful.

'So far, Paul's valuations have been pretty accurate.

'I think Derek's high reserves might be discouraging the buyers, which we can't afford.

'To get that motor home break, we'll need the bidders to pay up big-time

'for his grandmother's engraved nine carat gold bracelet.'

Well, this one, I know you've put a ?300 reserve.

Let's see who is interested in this lot.

No-one likes that one? Can't get a bid. Sorry. At ?200? Oh, dear!

'Another no sale. Derek understandably wants to protect his treasures,

'but in some cases, their reserves are proving unrealistic.

'We just have to hope some of their star items do really well so they can get that holiday.

'Hopefully, Christine's 1920s delight will be welcomed by the room.'

Lot number 140a now. Excuse me.

The stylish silver-plated woven ice bucket.

What's the reserve on this?

I think ?60. ?60. OK.

Very useful for tea bags, these.

It always comes back to tea, doesn't it?! Let's see what we can make for this.

?40 for it. ?40 bid. 42. 45.

48. 50. 55. 60?

Five?

The bid's here at ?60. I'll take 65. New bid. At 70. Five? 80.

Five? 90.

Five. 100. Wow.

110. 120. 120.

130? 140. 130 bid.

Are we done at 130? I think we are. 130. Fantastic!

?130! That's ridiculous!

It was really stylish, wasn't it, though?

You know, when I was looking at it, I thought, "Do you know what? I quite like that!" Yeah.

'Oh, well, too late for that, Lindsay,

'as the ice bucket is off to a new home.

'Derek may have accepted the slightly lower offer for his mother's diamond cameo,

'but after consideration, has declined to the sale of the Viennese wall clock,

'which unfortunately didn't reach his reserve.

'All in all, it's been a morning of tricky sales. I just hope it hasn't affected our target.'

Right now, that's the end of the first half of the sale.

So we've sold the cameo at only just under your reserve, ?570.

And of course, you want ?1,500.

You've actually made ?835!

So that's good, isn't it? That's fantastic.

I mean, that ice bucket in particular. Great. Brilliant.

We've got a bit of a break and I think you've spotted something you want to show us, don't you?

Come and see my etching! Oh, what?! He's always saying that. Not very original, is it?!

'So, while the family take some time out, Paul heads off to show me what's got him was so excited.'

Ah, what have you spotted? This is actually one of the best known designers

and best known painters using the wonderful Art Deco theme.

A guy called Louis Icart.

And he really is iconic in the painting world in the 1920s, 1930s.

And he was based in Paris and he did capture these wonderful Parisian scenes.

You get these half-dressed ladies

and the nightclubs of the day and his paintings now can fetch thousands of pounds.

But it says here, Copyright, 1926. Can you see that at the top? Yeah.

And it is signed by the artist at the bottom. So what's the estimate on this?

The estimate is ?120 - ?150. That seems quite cheap.

It does but normally, they would be smaller than this.

Not quite as erotic as some of the ones I've seen.

They do look a bit cold! Put a vest on, love, for goodness' sake!

Well, we'll see how they get on. They are something interesting to follow.

'Right, it's time to get back to the auction

'where the family are eagerly awaiting more sales of their goods.'

330a now. Quite a good lot of gold.

330a. An 18 carat gold bracelet, number 330a.

'But since the rummage, Paul's made an unexpected discovery.'

Now, this next lot, what I didn't realise, it's actually an 18 carat gold bracelet.

Now most bracelets actually are nine carats.

We have to adjust the estimate here. We're looking at between ?400 and 600.

And we've got a reserve on this, is that right? 500.

?500 reserve we've got on there. You're going to be about right

because, obviously, being 18 carat makes a big difference.

Start me at ?400. 400 in the room.

That's what we like to see.

20? 420. 440? 460. 480? 500. And 20?

540. 560. 580.

We've got a bigger holding his card at up, he looks determined.

660? 680. 700.

And 20? 740? 760. 780. Wow. 800.

And 20?

No? At ?800. I'll pinch you!

Are we done? At ?800.

All done. Last chance. All done.

Wah-hey!

?800!

'What a fantastic start to the second-half,

'surpassing all our estimates and reserves.

'With a motor home holiday at stake, though, the more we can make the better,

'for Christine and Derek to live it up in style,

'which is exactly what our next lot could be used for.'

Lot number 150a now. Silver plated punch.

Was it put to good use previously?! Oh, very much so, yes.

Yes, you could really get tanked up with that!

Well, there's a good sales point for it!

What do we want for it? Have you put a reserve on it?

?90. ?90. OK. Well, let's see if we can get ?90. Come on, then.

?100?

?50, start me. ?50?

He's going to withdraw it. No drinkers!

Oh! No bid at all at ?50.

No-one likes it. Sorry.

Oh, they couldn't even get ?50 for it! There you go.

That's how it goes, isn't it?

Well, why don't you take it back home and have a party?

We'll have a party now!

Put it to good use!

'Every cloud may have a silver lining, but nevertheless, a disappointing sale.

'There are only three items left to go

'and with another piece of jewellery about to take centre stage,

'it's difficult to know just how it will fare with our bidders today.'

Now, the next lot is the three stone diamond and sapphire ring.

It is in an 18 carat gold setting.

And we've got a ?300 reserve on it.

Right, let's see if we can make that, shall we? OK.

?200 for it? Come on!

200, we're in. Come on!

At ?200 then, I'll take. At ?200. That's the bid so far, at ?200.

Not enough at the moment. 210? No, he was waving. ?200.

?200 and gone.

No further bid at ?200.

Gosh! That is a shock.

The bid was 200 and he's not sold it for that because of the ?300 reserve.

So are you happy to take it home, Christine? Yeah. Yeah? OK.

'I think on this occasion with such a low bid,

'Christine is sensible to hang on to the ring,

'although it won't help fuel their motor home fund.

'But will that Parisian based art

'that Paul and I looked at earlier in the sale room fare well?'

?390. At 390.

Last offer. Going for 390 then.

Wow! Look at that. ?390!

There you go! For a print - can you believe that? Amazing. Fantastic.

'The Art Deco period is doing well at auction today.

'Let's just hope the earlier Art Nouveau style is in too,

'as our pair of chairs that belonged to Derek's first wife

'are about to be sold.'

Now I have noticed that one of these chairs has been damaged.

Because they are so delicate, somebody has sat on them.

Not guilty!

Just in case you were wondering!

But what usually happens in that situation is that the auction room is covered.

So they will work out any recompense for those. OK?

We were looking for about ?80 for the pair.

Let's see how they get on. I think they could be restored quite easily.

Start me at ?50. ?50 for the pair.

55. 60. 5. 70. 5. Blimey!

75. 80?

One more.

The glue will fix them. 80. 85. 90.

Your bid at 85. We'll sell for ?85. Last chance, selling at ?85. Your bid.

There you go. 85 quid.

He's allowed for the restoration there, I think.

'Selling ?5 over Paul's lower estimate, even with the damage,

'the quality of these chairs obviously shone through.

'Our sales have been very up and down today and while Derek's smaller charm bracelet did well,

'we know that doesn't guarantee anything at auction as our final lot goes under the hammer.'

Lot number 360a now.

A nine carat gold bracelet. Festooned with gold charms.

Number 360a.

Now, you've put a reserve on this, haven't you? Which is? ?1,000. OK.

Now, I think that looks pretty good.

Don't you? Well, this is a heck of a weight, 218 grams.

I mean, that's roughly around ?800, a bit more, actually.

The fact that its nicely charmed, there's a nice selection of items,

I'm saying ?800, you're saying ?1,000. Let's see how we get on.

Start me at ?800. Here it goes. ?800. Thank you, I'm bid ?800. There we are. 820. 850?

880. 900. And 20? 950. 1,000? There you go.

50? 1,100? And 50? 1,200? And 50?

1,300? And 50? 1,400?

1,350 bid. Take 14. At 1,350.

1,400, thank you. New bidder. 1,450.

No? At 1,400, I'll take 50.

At 1,400, are we done? At 1,400, last chance and gone. For 1,400, you've got it.

?1,400! That's pretty good, isn't it?

Are you chuffed with that? I am. Yeah?

A bit emotional, to be honest!

Oh! I think it's fantastic!

'Making nearly our whole target figure all on its own,

'what a terrific end to the day.

'Understandably, an emotional journey for Derek.

'But just how much have our sales made towards his and Christine's planned travels?'

Right, well, that was a great day at auction.

I enjoyed that. Did you? I did, yes. What do you think you've made?

Around ?2,000-?2,500, I would imagine.

I would have said about ?2,500.

Lindsay? Yeah, I'd go for that. Right, so the consensus is ?2,500. All right.

Well, you've made ?3,120!

How's that for a result?

Brilliant! Do you think you'll go back to auction again?

Yeah, definitely. It's brilliant.

I don't think I will!

It's been a few weeks since Derek and Christine raised a massive ?3,120 at auction.

Today they've come along to their local motor homes specialist to see just what their money can buy.

We just want to make sure before we invest in actually purchasing one,

whether it is something that is for us.

This is the best way of doing it that we can think of,

to hire a really good one and go away for a week, enjoy it, and come back looking forward to the next.

And it's up to dealer Rob Jeffries to pick out the perfect van, or should I say, luxury mobile home?

It's got everything. Please have a look. I'll tell you a few things about it.

Today's modern motor homes are spacious and packed to the roof with every conceivable feature.

You've got a cocktail cabinet here. And you've got another space for a TV at the back.

But rather than hearing about all the mod cons,

it's the hands-on experience that Derek and Christine are really after.

Having got a feel for the vehicle,

they've taken it to the local caravan park in Herne Bay near where they live

to test the outdoor lifestyle. They couldn't have chosen a more perfect day.

Today's a typical example with the sky...

you know, the nice glass of red wine, the olives, what could be better? Exactly.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd