McLachlan Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic, the show that helps you find hidden treasures

in your home and then sells them at auction. Today we are in Bushey in Hertfordshire

and these are the beautiful, historic Town Gardens.

The Bushey Rose Gardens were commissioned by Sir Hubert von Herkomer,

an eminent Victorian artist who ran an art school on this very site.

The gardens today are considered to be of such importance to the area that they've been awarded

Grade II historic status and are soon to be subject to a major restoration programme.

Now these cloisters are the only remnants from the art school

which must have inspired hundreds of students in Victorian England.

Now you never know, today we may unearth one of those masterpieces from a former pupil, because we are

just about to commence our search for hidden valuables that will go under the hammer at auction.

Coming up on today's Cash In The Attic, our expert has got food on his mind.

So, brilliant, we've got a lot for auction. How do you like your eggs...

-hard or soft?

-Soft!

And all the rummaging seems to be working up a thirst...

I fancy some of grandma's vodka. Are you sure you haven't got some?

Let's have a rummage for that.

But is the excitement of the auction all too much?

Oh, I'm fainting!

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

Now we've left the Rose Gardens, we've just popped down the road

to meet a well-travelled lady who contacted us

because she wants to get some funds together, not for a garden,

but for a trip across the pond.

This detached Edwardian house in Hertfordshire

is home to international lawyer Marie McLachlan.

Marie was born in Poland and has travelled the world, living in New York and Belgium before settling

in England and she's built up quite a collection of antiques during her globe-trotting years,

but now she's planning to downsize to a smaller home,

so it's time to scale down her antique collection, too.

Her new partner, Robert, is on hand to help and daughter, Annette, is already busy rummaging.

-Good morning, how are you?

-Good morning, Chris. Very well.

-What a fantastic house!

-Isn't it beautiful? Apparently it's over 100 years old

and the lady of the house is a fan of the arts and crafts.

I hope she'll have some decorative arts to match the greatness of this house.

Fingers crossed. Have a rummage, I'll meet the family.

Oh, I do the arty stuff, you do the crafty stuff!

Yeah, yeah!

-You must be Marie?

-Yes, welcome to Bushey.

-What a beautiful garden!

-It is my pride and joy.

I have designed it, yes, and Robert was helping digging.

-A little bit.

-You must be Robert?

-I am the digger, yes.

-You must be Annette, right?

-That's right.

Now why have you called in the Cash In The Attic team?

I have a lot of items and collections from different countries.

Most of them come from countries like Poland, America and Belgium

where I have worked and lived, so it's a lot,

but I'm thinking of downsizing the clutter in my life.

I hear it's for a good cause?

My mum has mentioned that she's quite interested in taking me to New York for a little trip...

a bit of a mother and daughter bonding session

so yes, it's all going to a bit of a good cause for us!

So come on, tell me what's so special about New York?

New York, it is a fantastic city.

When I was young and beautiful in the '70s...

You still are, you still are...

That was the city, that was the place to be.

That was what London is now to young people.

Absolutely buzzing with culture, rock and jazz

and everything was really happening there. It was wonderful to be part

of it and I fully enjoyed it, but also Annette was born there, so that's quite important.

-So how much money do you want to raise?

-Not too greedy, perhaps £500.

If we get any more than that, I'll be delighted.

As I said, I would like to spend a nice night on the town with Annette in New York.

OK, it sounds as if we've got a busy day ahead.

Let's get some work done. Come on!

A girly weekend in New York sounds like a lot of fun and it's lucky that Marie's home is overflowing

with collectables for us to search through and our expert,

John Cameron, is poised to start that search. With over ten years of experience in the antiques trade,

he's the perfect person to single out Marie's saleable treasures.

Ah, come through.

Caught red-handed with the decanter!

-What have you got for us?

-Well, a very interesting decanter, but where did it come from, Marie?

This one comes from my Polish maternal grandmother.

I remember always being served at Christmas time with some Polish vodka.

And you don't have any of that vodka around still?

No, no, no. The vodka doesn't stay very long in my house!

Oh, well, that's a shame! Well, it's quite an interesting decanter and you've got the glasses there?

-Were the glasses always with it?

-They were with it, yes, but I'm not sure if they're part

of the same set, but they were together when it was displayed, yes.

That's a good guess because they aren't part of the same set, although they do match well.

It's cranberry glass and this was quite popular

in the 19th century, quite costly and difficult to make.

They achieve this beautiful ruby red glass by the addition of gold in the actual molten glass mix.

They blow the vessel in clear glass and then they'd case it by blowing it inside a red glass case

and once it's cooled down, the glass cutter, using the rotary wheel,

grinds away and cuts away this decoration to reveal the clear glass beneath,

but because it was expensive to make, they sought cheaper alternatives

and that brings us to the glasses.

If we have a look at one of the glasses,

the biggest clue to tell us that they aren't together

is these have "Italy" on the bottom,

so those are made in Italy, probably about the turn of the last century.

Now that's completely hand-made, the bowls are blown here by hand,

but the stems, you can see that line there, right down the stem and across there, the base is press-moulded,

so they were a cheaper alternative, and this is what we call "Ruby flashed"

so that's actually been cased in a very thin layer of liquid red glass,

so I think for this set, to take into consideration it has some nasty chips around there,

a bit too bad to be ground out and hidden, I'd have to take that into consideration.

At auction you're looking for about £60 to £90, something like that.

Oh, that's fine, I will be happy to sell it at this price, yes.

I think it's done us good over the years,

so let somebody else enjoy it.

So are you going to go teetotal, or find something else to put it in?

I have enough wine glasses in this house!

Well, it looks as though you have some fabulous items.

I've only had a cursory glance, but already I'm starting to get excited.

If his juices are flowing, we've got a good start, let's carry on.

Come on and follow us, John.

Yes, there's a lot more rummaging to do

if they want to raise the £500 they want for the trip to New York.

And John has immediately spotted this 19th century painting of a countryside scene,

and Marie picked this up in a charity shop.

Its estimated value, well, £70 to £80.

And in the kitchen, Marie finds this elaborate chandelier

that she bought from an auction in Watford.

It was once used as a prop on a TV drama

and John's hoping it will have a dramatic impact on the sale room.

And Robert thinks he's found something to whet John's appetite in the dining room.

Now John, come and look at this.

It's quite interesting.

It's a very nice table, Robert, but first, what do you know about it?

I know it was bought about ten years ago in a local auction just down the road.

When I first cause a glimpse of it, I got very excited.

Excellent!

-When I came over, my hopes were dashed!

-Oh!

Because it's a reproduction table.

-OK.

-Had it been original, it would be a very serious table.

Now it pertains to date from the middle of the 18th century,

it's what we call a tilt top wine table, or tripod table,

-very much in the Chippendale style.

-Yeah.

Now it has all the features of a really, really great table.

It has this shaped pie crust top,

you have applied countless leaves here and shell work.

Now when you tip it up, like this,

it has what we call a birdcage tilt top here,

this being the birdcage.

Further down we have a wonderfully turned central support there,

lovely tripod feet down to those classical claw and ball feet.

Great table, if only it was a genuine 18th century piece!

Are you sure it's not?

I'd stake my reputation on it!

Sadly, it's not going to make the four figures we'd love it to make.

-So I would suggest an estimate of about £120 to £150, somewhere around about that.

-OK.

-Would we be happy with that?

-I would, certainly.

-Jolly good.

-Sounds good.

It's not a bad contribution,

but we've still got some way to go to reach £500.

-Very much so, yeah.

-So come and see what else we can turn up.

-Brilliant, thanks a lot.

Well, it might not be a genuine Georgian table,

but it came with a very real price tag, adding £120 towards the target.

It really does seem that Marie has an eye for collectables,

and every item tells a story about her travels.

You've had an incredible life and incredible journey, haven't you?

Yes, I had, indeed.

I started in Poland, as you know,

but then because my father was an American,

fought in the underground during the Second World War,

saved the lives of a few Brits in his dangerous activities,

then fell in love with my mum, and ever since, of course,

the whole family wanted someone to go to America.

My father wasn't able to go with the family

because the communists wouldn't allow it,

but then I had a chance when I graduated from Warsaw University in '75

and I left and I settled in New York with 20 in my pocket,

no family, no friends, just completely thrown into the deep water.

It was hard, hard going.

I had to work waiting tables first, of course,

and then as a nanny, governess for very rich families

and somehow managed to save enough money to go to one of the best universities,

New York University in America, and study law.

So determination helps, apart from a pretty smile!

And in New York you obviously qualified as a lawyer?

-Yes, I had.

-And you met someone?

Yes. I met my late husband in a jazz club because jazz had always been my passion

and we clicked and then he brought me over here to Bushey.

So you're moving on now. I mean you're putting a lot behind you because you lost your husband?

-Yes.

-And it must have been difficult for both you and your daughter?

Yes, it was very difficult because he was a wonderful father and husband

and it was a tragic, sudden accident so Annette and myself were in a lot of pain

and perhaps I want to also treat her to something special because she's been terrific.

In spite of her loss, she was very positive, made the best out of the whole situation,

studied hard and got a very good job,

as you know, in London, so I'm very proud of her.

So we're here today, obviously, to raise some money.

I think it's £500 because you and Annette want to go to New York.

Why New York?

Well, first of all because Annette was born in New York,

but we both love New York and it will be a little bit of a sentimental journey

and I would love to do it around Annette's birthday

and know that we both will enjoy it.

We're not gonna raise money sitting here having a good chat,

we've got to get back to some work, so come on.

It sounds like Marie and Annette are thoroughly deserving of a trip to the Big Apple

so we had better get back on the hunt for saleable treasures.

Upstairs in the bedroom, Annette has found a pretty little dish

that she wants John to cast his expert eye over.

John, can you come in here for a minute?

What have you found there, Annette?

I've just found this in one of the drawers.

So you share your mum's fascination for pottery and porcelain?

You know, I think they're very pretty to look at,

but I think I would go for a more modern sort of style myself.

This is quite a nice thing. What have we got on the back?

Royal Copenhagen, we're in good company there.

Know anything about it at all?

Yeah, I do recognise it.

I remember my mum telling me that back in her days when she was a student in New York

she went to Greenwich Village and there was a junk sale and she picked it up there, I think.

-Wow! She has an eye for things, doesn't she?

-She certainly does!

This looks to me like it would have been part of quite a grand service.

I mean, the decoration on here, I can tell just by looking at that, it's hand-painted.

This is a botanical piece, which are very, very popular

but we've got the Copenhagen mark on there

and I can tell from that back stamp

it does change over the years, that this is probably post-1920s,

something like that, but the factory goes back a long, long way,

in fact to the 1770s, about 1775,

but the decoration we can see on here

is quite high quality, I mean, this is a moulded piece.

You can see from the shape this wouldn't be turned on a potter's wheel.

Probably an hors d'oeuvre, pickle dish, something like that.

-A shame she didn't pick up the rest of the service!

-Indeed!

I don't think she was that rich, unfortunately!

Well, I think on its own as a kind of sample of a good piece of Copenhagen,

I'd expect it to make £30 or £40, something like that.

Well, that's not bad at all.

-I suspect it's a little bit more than she paid for it back in the '70s?

-I would imagine so!

£30 to £40 for the very collectable Copenhagen

is a good addition to our target today.

And we're all pulling our weight in today's search.

Look what I've found!

A samovar which was given to Marie by her grandmother in Poland.

Metal samovars were traditionally used in Russia for heating water for tea.

Value, £30 to £40.

Annette also finds this lovely pair of Victorian paintings in oval frames

which her magpie Mum picked up at Bushey Antique Fair.

John hopes they could bring us £40 to £50.

And downstairs our hoarder herself

has a large collection of porcelain that she wants an expert opinion on.

John, come over here. Perhaps that interests you?

Wow, what a fabulous eggcup!

Dual-purpose as well! Have you ever used these, Marie?

Well, I never was sure how to use it, so I never did!

Well, that looks like to me that it would be perfect for a duck egg.

-I've never had a duck egg but...

-Massive egg, yes.

My grandmother used to love duck eggs and we'd get them for her.

That looks perfect, a lovely eggcup!

Well, it's got a good back stamp on there, "Minton", one of the household names in British ceramics

and up there with Worcester and the Derbys of this country.

First established in Stoke on Trent in the 1790s

and still in production today.

Looking at the decoration, very much inspired by the orient,

oriental flowers, or Indian flowers as they're sometimes referred to,

there was a huge craze for all things oriental from the 1870s right up until the 1920s.

So where did it come from?

It doesn't come from England,

it goes back to my youth, my years when I studied in New York

and actually I acquired it from a barn sale

from Jackie Kennedy's mother's estate, Madame Bouvier.

-So you brought it back from America yourself?

-Yes, yes.

That's a great story and certainly the link to Jackie Kennedy's mother,

that's the sort of thing auctioneers crave,

so we need to make the most of that, so you want to sell this?

Yes, I do. I don't use it. It's just nice for display but I'm not using it at all.

Well, I think this is a good lot to take to auction.

I would suggest an estimate for these, probably 30-plus pieces,

I would suggest an estimate of about £80 to £120.

-I'd be hoping for upwards of £100, but that's what I'd put on as an estimate.

-Yes.

-Would that sound OK to you?

-Yes, yes.

Wonderful, yes, quite happy with that, yes.

Fabulous, brilliant, well we've got a lot for auction.

-How do you like your eggs, hard or soft?

-Soft!

That's a very good valuation.

Although it's Minton and comes with a special history from far away,

it's not complete and there is a bit of damage, so good price.

Well, that adds £80 to £120 towards today's target of £500.

Now while the rest of the family carry on the search inside,

I take five minutes out to find out more about our treasure hunter, Marie,

from daughter, Annette.

Tell me about your relationship with your mum, because you seem like good mates?

Yeah. I would say we have a really good relationship, you know.

We're not too close that we're meddling in each other's lives,

but close enough to be able to share things that are important.

I think we're both mature in the sense that we allow each other

to live each other's lives and occasionally we'll call each other

and fill each other in on what's been going on

so, yeah, it's definitely a close relationship.

You're like mates, aren't you?

Yeah, mates and, you know, bossy older sister, I think, as well!

So what would this trip mean to you, to go back to New York?

It's a real special trip, you know.

New York's a very special place for me.

Obviously I have a lot of happy memories in New York with my family,

obviously my father who passed away,

so it's a lot of fond memories of being as a family there

and I definitely enjoy going there with my mum.

We share a lot of interests there,

especially in Broadway shows and musicals and going shopping together and Macys and Bloomingdales

so, yeah, it's an exciting place to be with someone you love.

The big question is, is £500 enough?

We'll manage with it, but we might max it out pretty quickly!

It would definitely help along the way!

We'd better go and find some more valuables.

All right, then.

Well, back inside, the search continues

and John's artistic eye has spotted this painting of a village theme,

which he hopes could raise £30 to £50.

And Robert's eyes light up when he finds this pair of brass candelabra

which Marie bought at a charity shop.

It's definitely another case

of Marie's eye for a bargain doing her proud

as John estimates it at £35 to £45.

Our search is nearing its end and downstairs it's all hands on deck

to get the last few pounds we need to make today's target.

Whoa! Drinks are on me, John!

I've found something absolutely brilliant here!

Well, I'm glad you opened it because it was my next port of call!

But I didn't want to look too keen!

It looks great! What's the story behind this?

It was a gift to Annette from her English grandmother,

so I think we had better talk to her about it.

-You love this piece, don't you?

-I absolutely love this piece.

It's definitely one of my favourite pieces.

It's very sentimental to me, because obviously I remember it being in my nan's house

as long as I can remember my nan,

so definitely it would be sad to say goodbye to it, I think, but...

Do you have any memories of her having a sneaky look in there and rummaging around?

I definitely had an infatuation with the picks for the cherries

and my nan was obviously picking them up off the floor

when I was playing with them, yeah.

Loads of lovely little details. Tell us the story behind this.

Well, these were made in huge quantities during the 1930s,

and if you have a look at it, it's very much in what we call the Odeon style.

-Would it remind you of the Odeon cinemas, that kind of Aztec look?

-Oh, yes.

Veneered in walnut, very favoured timber at the time

and usually this kind of compound opening is very typical

and what I love about them are all the accoutrements you tend to find inside,

the squeezers, little cocktail sticks, the shakers, everything,

it's all in there, great for a party,

and I think not enough people use these cabinets these days.

Now they are mass-produced and micro-thin veneers on here

and usually plywood in the back,

so they were mass-produced for a certain market.

Now I would suggest at auction today,

and don't get angry with me, of about £40 to £60, something like that,

so, could we sell it at that sort of price?

I don't know. It's a real sentimental piece.

I don't know if I could part with it for £40, but maybe if I'm persuaded.

-We'll have to think about it.

-We should think about it, yes.

-Over a drink?

-Definitely.

-Cocktail?

-Yes.

-OK.

-I fancy some of Grandma's vodka! Are you sure you haven't got some?

Let's go have a rummage for that as well! Come on!

It's a very sentimental and personal piece for me.

£40, I thought, was a little bit low but, you know,

I'm going to do a bit of thinking about it and see what happens.

The drinks cabinet is obviously very precious to Annette

and I have a feeling that she might have inherited

more of her mother's hoarding instincts than she realises.

As our search through Marie's home draws to an end,

Marie has found one last piece of artwork

that she might be prepared to let go of.

Oh, John, look what I've found! What do you think?

Let's have a look.

It certainly looks like there's some age to the back of the canvas, Marie, there.

That's quite a striking picture.

Artist, do you know who it's by?

Well, I can't remember exactly.

I bought it actually at auction.

It seems to be Moff, A. Moff.

-A Moffat, perhaps?

-Moffat maybe, yes.

I do know of a landscape painter by the name of "A"...

I'm not sure if it's Alexander Moffat,

but you can see the signature is quite obscure there.

And they haven't painted it on.

They've scraped it into the canvas with the tip of the brush.

-Oh, I see. I couldn't...

-Well, what do you know about the picture?

To be fair, maybe it's funny, but actually I miss snow, in England

and it has this lovely warm snow scene

and it reminded me a little bit of a Polish village.

I'm not sure if it is a Polish village, but it could be.

It could be from Czechoslovakia, Russia, I'm not sure,

but I was appealed to the scene, to the calmness of it

and the snow depiction, I like.

There is a sublime beauty to the kind of snow, isn't there?

Date-wise, looking at the cracking in the picture here, the crackler,

that would suggest a little bit of age to me.

Style-wise, I would put this in the first quarter of the 20th century,

so around about 1900, 1925,

something like that is where I would date it.

-Do you remember what you paid at auction?

-About £100, actually.

That's about the right money for a decent furnishing picture like this.

It's a nice big canvas and would be a good feature on anybody's wall.

I think that's probably about right today

but what I would like to do

is see if we can have the canvas out of the frame and establish that artist's name,

and perhaps add some value, but for today, £100 to £150 is what it should make.

I've just crept in there.

I'm thinking money, I'm hearing money. That's not too bad, is it?

-Not bad at all, I'd be delighted.

-£150?

-Yes, that's good!

Let me just have a bit of a recap.

How much did you want to raise at the start of the day?

Well, 500, 600, maybe top...

I'll be absolutely over the moon if we got the 600,

but I'll be very pleased also with 500.

Do you want the good news?

The good news is there is no bad news,

and at the moment, I've tallied it all up and we're at about £645!

-That's great!

-That is, of course, without your cabinet.

-Yeah.

-Have you been persuading her?

Um, yeah, I've been thinking about it!

OK, you keep thinking about it. We could get up to about £685,

but that's not bad work, is it, John, so far?

-No. I'd be happy with that.

-That's fantastic, it is!

-Are you really happy?

-Oh, yes, absolutely!

-OK, fingers in.

-Fingers crossed, yeah!

-And let's go to the auction!

-Let's get the good auctioneer!

-Yes, come on!

We've had a great day here with Marie, Robert and Annette

and I've got a fantastic collection of items to take to auction.

We've got the Georgian style reproduction table

valued at £120 to £180,

the colourful Cranberry glass decanter and glasses,

which John estimated at £60 to £90,

and that large painting by A Moff, with its equally large price tag

of £100 to £150, but we'll have to wait until the auction to see

whether Annette can part with that quirky 1930s cocktail cabinet

which John valued at £40 to £60.

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

Our globetrotter thinks she knows the market here in England.

-An English view!

-Yes. I found it in very English charity shop!

-Oh, yes!

-I hope it will fetch very good English price.

But things don't go all our own way...

-Oh, no!

-I can't believe it!

Not even a single bid!

-When they do, boy does she know how to celebrate...

-Brilliant, great!

To your grandmother! Find out what happens

when the final hammer falls.

It's been a week since we had a rummage around

Marie's beautiful home in Bushey for those collectables and antiques

which will go under the hammer here at the Chiswick Auction Rooms

in West London. Now if you remember, we've got to raise £500 for a wild

weekend in New York, so let's get the party started, right now,

and get those items up for auction!

We've all taken a shine to Marie and we desperately hope the bidders will take a shine to her items.

Our expert, John Cameron, is hard at work already,

checking out her lots in the sale room.

-Good morning, John.

-Good morning, Chris.

Oh, I thought I'd grown over that week! Sadly not!

Looking at the table here, Marie's table?

Just thinking what a shame it's not 200 years older,

otherwise we'd have a real special lot on our hands today.

-We'd all be going off to New York!

-I think we would.

What else are you looking forward to?

We've got this decanter set. It has got a few chips but it should do OK.

We've got the Minton part tea service

and that oil on canvas, that snowy countryside scene.

I like that! Now, the other piece that I was always thinking about

was that furniture, the bar.

The cocktail cabinet. Annette was attached to that,

but it's a family heirloom, I seem to remember.

-Do you think she's brought it?

-I very much doubt it.

-I think she has! Let's go and find out, come on.

-All right, then.

'Now with me sounding so sure, you'd think I'd spotted the cabinet

'on the way into the sale room, but it was actually just a guess.

'Our £500 target lies in the hands of the bidders today

'but with Marie and Robert on board,

'I have a feeling we're in for a bit of fun, whatever happens.'

-Morning, you two, Marie and Robert.

-Good morning.

First and foremost, are you buying or selling today?

I should be selling!

Let me take that off you because they are selling, right?

-They should be!

-They should be selling.

-As we look, we've gone from three to two. No Annette today?

-Oh, yes.

Unfortunately she has a very hard day at work today,

she can't leave it, so without her, I'm afraid.

Now, are you looking forward to the auction? Are you a bit nervous?

Oh, a bit nervous, but really excited. Excited about it.

Excited as well, but, let's hope our items will excite the bidders.

Well, the burning question is, did we bring the cocktail cabinet?

No, sorry.

Annette decided against it.

She thinks it's too quirky and a wonderful attraction

at drinking parties with her mates, so it's a no.

-As long as we get an invite!

-Yes.

Well, it's not the end of the world because we reckon

we've got more than enough to raise the £500 that you need.

We'd better get in position for the auction.

Come in, it's just about to start.

If you're heading to auction,

be aware that commission and other possible charges will be added

to your bill, so always check the details with your local sale room.

As the auctioneer takes to the rostrum, we get into position

as Marie's first piece of artwork comes under the hammer.

Number 78, 1907, a watercolour, an English village view.

-An English view?

-Yes. I found it in a very English charity shop.

-Oh, yes!

-I hope it will fetch very good English price

for it in pounds not zlotys.

£20 for it?

£10 for it? A bid at ten, give me 12.

Your bid at ten, give me 12, 15, 18, 20, 22,

25, 28, 30.

At £28 here, at £28. Take 30, at £28.

That's the bid at £28.

-Yes.

-£28.

-Brilliant. I paid only a few quid for it.

£28 is only just under estimate

and a great return on Marie's £3 investment.

Let's hope the maths is the same on our next lot.

It's the pair of brass candelabra which John estimated at £35 to £45.

Where shall we start, £20 for the pair? £10 for the pair?

See a hand somewhere, £10? £10.

I'm bid at £10, who'll give me 12? At £10. Take £12 on that £10.

One bid of £10. Could be a power cut soon.

£10 or not? Last bid of £10. Last bid at £10, then.

Do you want 12, next to you, waving at each other? No - £10.

-I'm selling at £10. Sorry. £10.

-Oooh!

-£10!

£10 is a long way under estimate and I've got to say

the sale room isn't looking friendly at the moment!

John is certainly feeling the pressure as the samovar

inherited from Marie's grandmother comes up for sale.

The samovar, great for serving tea in, and it had better sell,

or I'm going to be in hot water afterwards!

The brass samovar. Give me £50 for it?

£20 for it?

We all like a cup of tea. £20, I'm in at £20, 22?

25, 28, 30, 32.

At £30, we want 32, 35, 38, 40, 42.

At £40. What do I know? At £40, at £40, at £40, selling, all done.

Done, you got it.

We're finally on our way!

-Finally.

-Are you pleased?

-Yes, I am.

-Fantastic.

-Brilliant, great!

To your grandmother!

-Thanks to her!

-Yes, exactly!

Well, Marie's grandmother certainly did us proud on that lot,

but if we're going to make our £500 target,

we need the next few lots to perform just as well.

There's some more artwork up next.

28, a late 19th century oil on card, A Rural View.

-What's the story behind that?

-It's been in the family

for 15 years, quite pretty, but I'll be happy to let it go.

It's not a bad picture, nice and decorative, 19th century,

got a river, a bit of countryside and a church in the background. I'm hopeful.

Is it worth £50?

£30?

No hands moving towards £30.

£30, I'm in at £30, give me 32, £30 give me two.

Thank you, 32. 35, 38, 40.

At £38 with me at £38, take 40. At £38. At £38, with me at £38.

No further interest? I'm not going to sell it for that.

It's worth more. Not sold. £38.

It's unsold. He's used his discretion there,

and left the picture unsold. Are you OK with that?

-We're OK, what can we do. Let's hope the next one will be better.

-OK.

Marie's putting a brave face on things,

but the painting going unsold was a big blow to our target.

The art collectors may not be on our side today,

but maybe there'll be some glass enthusiasts in the room,

although John's being cautious.

We're looking for £60 to £90, so it's a nice decanter,

-but it has got those chips around the neck.

-Yes, a bit.

-So let's see what that does to our potential here today, shall we?

-Yeah.

A ruby red and etched decanter and six drinking glasses. Number 40A.

£50?

-£30 to go.

-No, come on!

No bids at £30. I'll pass the lot. No-one want it at £30, then?

-No interest at all at £30? Pass the lot.

-Oh, no!

I can't believe it!

Not even a single bid!

Another item unsold.

This is a disaster for Marie and Robert, but before we go

to the halftime break, there's just one more lot to go under the hammer.

Up next the Royal Copenhagen dish.

We missed that, but you found it, didn't you?

It's a Royal Copenhagen dish which Annette found in a drawer in one of the bedrooms.

Very, very nicely modelled,

nice quality piece, hand-painted botanical picture in the centre.

We'd like to have found some more of this service but alas

there's only one piece, but nice quality. I valued it at £30 to £50.

Big sets of this make thousands of pounds. You've got one piece.

What will it make? One piece. £30, here it goes.

-It should make a lot more than 30.

-Straight in at £30, that's great...

42, 45, 48, 50,

five, 60, five, 70, five, 80,

five, 90, five, 100, 110, 120.

£110, take 120. £110, 120,

thank you, 130, 140,

150, 160...

I can't believe it!

170? 170 at the back, new bidder.

170, 180. A new bidder at 170...

-I can't believe it!

-Somebody wants to come in at 170.

With you, sir, at 170. Are we done?

170 it goes. 170.

-Fantastic!

-Oh, fantastic!

-And good for Annette!

-I'm surprised!

-Are you sure you haven't got any more at home?

This is really the biggest surprise so far to me! Wow! Oh! I'm fainting!

Quick!

£170 is a phenomenal result

for this little dish and I think Marie needs to sit down!

Before we head off for a well-earned cup of tea,

it's time to tot up our total so far.

OK, halfway stage. What do you think, John, so far?

It's been a bit of a rollercoaster, but I'm here for the ride.

-We'll go for a tea break, a slice of orange or whatever we like.

-Yes.

-Do you want a halfway total?

-Yes, please.

-Yes.

OK. So far we have raised £248!

-Excellent!

-Really!

-Fantastic!

-And exactly, bar £2, halfway.

-That's a great surprise.

-I'm surprised, that's wonderful.

-Exactly.

-Much more than I anticipated because it was going up and down, so oh, wow!

-That's good news.

-Thank goodness for those Copenhagen dishes.

-Absolutely!

-We did quite well.

-We won't be buying canoe any more!

No canoe, we're going in style!

'It's been a tense morning but Marie's pulse was certainly racing

'after our last lot, so she and Robert head off for some fresh air.

'Meanwhile, John calls me aside to show me a lot

'that's really putting the wind in his sails.'

-I wanted to show you this.

-I know we were desperate

to get to New York, but we're not going in this, are we?

Hopefully not, and this actually wouldn't sail.

It is a static pond yacht. Have you never had one of these as a child?

No, no interest unless I could throw it and catch it,

I wasn't interested. Come on, sell it to me.

What am I looking for in a boat?

What you want to look for are signs of craftsmanship.

Look at how the deck and the hull has been made and for instance here,

this has actually been painstakingly planked and pinned,

much the same way a yacht would be.

That can be simulated with plywood and very neat pen work, so good hull.

You also want to look for original fittings, brass fittings

and intricate mechanisms such as a calibrated boom, which allows you to

adjust the sails when you're racing and actually tighten the sails

and get air into them, but also you want to be looking for the big names

like Daniels and Littlejohn.

OK, I'm getting there.

I'm now sort of on your side, I'm getting a little bit keener.

-Money - talk money!

-£200 to £300.

-Right.

-Interested?

-I am interested.

I'm more interested than I was at the start,

but enough boys and their toys.

Let's make money next door, come on.

Well, enough about boats, we need to focus on plane tickets

if we're going to get Marie and Annette to New York.

The second half of the auction is under way so we get back into place

as our next lot comes under the hammer.

Up next is the chandelier. Where did you get that from?

I bought it at auction in Watford. It was a prop in a TV drama,

Plotland, so it went with my Edwardian house

but it had a little story as well.

-Any drama this afternoon with this?

-Fantastic. You do love a story!

I just hope the bidders will like it as well.

Is that worth £50 for it?

£30 for it? Quite decorative.

I'm in at £30, £30 take 32, at £30 take two...

Yes, yes, yes!

At 32, 35, 38, 40, 42, 45, 48?

-Let's up the money, come on!

-No, at £45, at £45.

Last chance? Sell at £45 then.

No drama. Solid.

-We're happy with that!

-Yes, we are.

£45 is only just under estimate

and is indeed a solid start to this half of the sale.

Now, the reproduction table's up next

and with a massive estimate of £120 to £180,

it's a really important lot for us.

It may not be a genuine Georgian piece,

but it's got at least one fan in the room.

-John was looking at it earlier on.

-Yes, liked it.

Shame it's not older, but it's still a decorative piece.

I'd give it house room. It's a classic design.

-And here we go.

-Give me £100 for it?

£80 for it.

I'm bid £80, £80 at 85?

At £80, the bid's 80, take five.

At £80 my only bid so far £80. At £80.

If it's 80, I'll take five on £80.

No further interest at £80? Come and see me after.

Not enough for that. The only bid I've got is £80. Not sold.

Only 80!

That was a disappointment, John.

The auctioneer's used his discretion there and not sold the table.

-Now, he thought £80 was not quite enough.

-I feel the same, yes.

Maybe it could fetch just a little more, then I'd be very happy.

Unsold. That's a massive blow to our £500 target. We need some good news.

Can the large snow scene turn it around for us?

We're asking £100 to £150.

At £50, the only bid so far, £50.

It's worth more than that. Come and see me after. Not sold.

-Oh, no!

-Same again!

-Same again!

We are really struggling in this half of the sale and the bidders

just didn't seem prepared to dig deep on our last couple of lots.

Will the art collectors be any more generous

with our final artwork piece today?

Number 270A, a pair of old mounted and framed prints,

-coastal village scenes.

-Where did we get these from?

A charity shop. A good find.

I think I paid £5, so whatever I make on the top will be wonderful.

-You're good in the charity shops, aren't you?

-Yeah.

Who'll start me for these, £20?

£10?

-I'm bid at ten. Do you want 12? 15?

-Oh, we're up.

15? 18, 20, 22, 25,

28, 30, 32, 35,

38, 40, 42, 45,

48, 50, five.

At £50, we're at £50 take five, £50 are we done?

Good bid at £50.

-Wow!

-That's amazing! You've got the Midas touch,

-that's an amazing price for two prints!

-It is, yes.

Where are these charity shops?

I never expected... I can't tell you, it's my big secret, oh, no!

£50 is a great result

and Marie's eye for a bargain finally does us proud.

We've had an unpredictable day at auction and with just one

more lot to go under the hammer, our target is still some way off.

With its presidential history,

will the Minton dinner service whet the bidders' appetite?

Kennedys' table service, right?

Yes, I bought it at the barn sale on Long Island

near the Estate of Madam Bouvier, the mother of Jackie Kennedy

-and I was told it comes from her estate.

-Great story. Great price?

Loose provenance, I'm not sure the auctioneer will want

to print it, because you have to be very, very careful what you claim,

but worth a mention. Now we're looking for £80 to £120.

Number 258, the Minton part table service, from the Onassis family

by repute and start me £50 but it should make much more.

A bid of £50, take £50, five,

60, five, 70,

-five, 80, five, 90, five...

-Keep going.

100, and ten, 120, 130, 140, 150.

140 I'm bid, nearest to me £140. On the original bid of 140 are we done?

At 140 the Minton, are we done? Last chance?

You're bidding are you, now?

-£140 going with that £140 and sold then, £140.

-£140! That's good!

£140 is a fantastic final result and a long way over estimate.

They've been a tough crowd in the sale room today

and we've had four items go unsold.

I hope our successful sales will be enough to get the girls to New York.

OK, auction over.

John, I'll come to you first. What did you think?

It was like the first half, more rollercoaster rides.

Ups and downs and swings and roundabouts.

I'm not sure. I haven't been totting up.

I've got cramp in my fingers, they've been crossed for so long.

Let's just remind ourselves. You wanted £500, didn't you?

So you and Annette can go off to New York for that wild weekend.

How did you think you got on?

Well, I think a bit less than £500.

£490?

OK. Well, the exact total is £483.

Oh, not too bad.

At one stage, I thought we were paddling.

Yes, this is really setting me up.

So do you mean I can let the air out of my water wings?

You can, yeah!

It's been two weeks since Marie made a great £483 at auction

and a trip to New York is finally just around the corner,

but first stop for our ladies

is a celebratory evening on the River Thames.

We're getting into the mood already tonight

enjoying what we love about New York.

Eating and drinking,

enjoying each other's company, spend some more quality time together.

One they're aboard the boat, the girls splash out

on a well-earned glass of bubbly and a gourmet meal.

Very nice taste, yes. That's good.

Absolutely delicious!

Oh, yummy. Very fresh, very nice.

-Fantastic! Love it!

-Well, smoked, yes.

They take in the city's famous sites

and watch the sunset as they travel down the river.

It's clear that this mother and daughter really enjoy spending quality time together.

The food was excellent, just the whole ambience, the whole package,

absolutely a treat, I had a chance to talk to my daughter all evening.

Normally she's rushing away, but seeing London

from a completely different angle, that was unforgettable.

It's been a wonderful evening in London for Marie and Annette,

and I have a feeling they're going to take New York by storm!

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