Stevens Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic.

the show that uncovers the hidden treasures around your home

and then helps you sell them at auction.

Today we're in Surrey and I'm in the picturesque market town of Reigate,

and the tranquil castle grounds here

are certainly an escape from the busy bustle.

The castle that once dominated the landscape here

fell into disrepair in the 1600s,

but much of the stone was used to build this gateway.

It also contributed to the building of Westminster Abbey

and St Paul's Cathedral,

so let's hope that today we can build a fantastic result

when our precious antiques go under the hammer at auction.

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

'What has this woman's husband done to deserve this?'

He's got to suffer more before I give in.

'And while I'm doing my best to be accommodating....'

The field shelter.

I mean the tractor.

I mean the field shelter... Anyway...

'Things only get worse.'

If you send your secretary up the road to buy me a present

and she comes back with black underwear, you'll be wearing it.

But will all be forgiven when we get to auction?

At £560.

What reserve have you put on it?

-Don't ask me!

-I can't remember.

Find out more when we see today's collectibles go under the hammer.

I'm on my way to meet a couple who love a challenge.

They've called in the Cash In The Attic team

to help them raise some much needed funds for a new project.

It's an active life for horse-lovers,

Malcolm and Anne Stevens,

who run an equestrian farm in the village of Charlwood in Surrey.

Malcolm deals with the maintenance of the livery yard

and manages to fit in work as a director of a construction company,

while Anne tends to the eight horses they have stabled here,

as well as looking after a little band of chickens.

But it's not cheap running the yard

so they need all the help they can get to find hidden treasures

that will raise enough cash to make life that little bit easier down on the farm.

-Morning, Jonty!

-Hi Lorne.

-How are you?

What have we got in store today?

As you can see, we're on a very nice farm but it is on the large side.

-I hope you're ready to muck in.

-You know me.

I always come prepared.

Thank goodness for that. Come on.

Trust Jonty to have posh green wellies.

I go in search of Anne and Malcolm, but that's easier said than done.

Good morning. It's taken me ages to find you.

You've got loads of outbuildings.

-Yes.

-And you're hard at work?

-Absolutely.

I guess you haven't called Cash In The Attic in to help bal the straw, have you?

-Do you want to give us a hand.

-If you'd like to!

I understand you've got some antiques to sell.

All the collectibles we've acquired and inherited from family

are in boxes, and they will probably never come out.

-So is it all inherited?

-No, I used to collect things years ago.

In his previous life.

In my previous life, as we call it, before I became a mad farmer.

So if you're happy to sell them and raise some money,

have you any idea how much and what you want to spend it on?

We've narrowed it down to two things

that we're in slight a dispute about.

-Anne would like a field shelter.

-For the horses.

And I would like a front loader

on the little Chinese tractor that we hand-built two years ago.

Men never give up gadgets, do they?

-No.

-Let's be honest.

-We always want toys to play with.

-Toys for the boys.

They both sound quite expensive,

so how much money are you looking to raise?

If we could get about £2,500, that would put us on the right track.

It'd be fantastic.

Then we could argue about what to spend it on.

Before we have a domestic, we need to go and have a look at some stuff.

There's no time for making hay if we're to raise £2,500

to get either a front loader for this tractor,

or a nice shelter for these horses.

Mmm, I get the feeling I might be taking on the role of mediator today.

You've got lots and lots of outbuildings.

So, you've got stuff put absolutely everywhere

so we'll have our work cut out today.

Jonty's already here so let's hope he's found something of interest.

And true to form, our antiques whiz

has already uncovered some promising little numbers.

Ah! There he is. Hello, Jonty.

Hi, guys.

This little collection - amazing, isn't it.

They're all Gossware,

which is all this amazing little decorative tourist pieces.

Do you understand why they became so popular?

It was because people used to go on day-trips

and they'd buy one of these pieces of Goss with where they'd been.

You're right and if I pick up this little urn,

this one comes from Royal Leamington Spa,

and it has the town's crest on it.

If you look on the underside it says "WH Goss",

that's the reason why it's called Goss crested ware,

because it was William Henry Goss who first thought of this idea.

They became very popular in the late 19th century

and that was simply because the masses could afford to go on holiday,

so this is their Brighton Rock.

So what sort of value are we talking about?

Looking at this whole collection here,

we're looking at £80-120, that ball park.

If they can all go to auction and make that sort of money,

I'll be very happy.

We'll decide who's spending that later.

Let's see what else we can find.

I'm happy to let the Goss go.

It's something I've had for a long time, but time to move on.

With the potential £80 for the farm fund,

that's a wise decision and means we're off to a respectable start,

but we've a long way to go, so let's not jump the gun.

And Jonty's keen expert eye tracks down another lucrative find stowed safely away.

Malcolm? Look.

Ah, yes, one of my flintlock pistols.

Is it? Have you got a collection?

Well, not a collection, but that's a nice one, isn't it.

Beautiful.

What possessed you to want to buy a pistol like this?

Ah. Well, 40 years ago when I was a young man,

I happened to see this

and I thought what a beautiful piece of equipment it was.

Were you told anything about it?

Other than it was an holster pistol,

which would've been used by gentlemen on horseback.

I believe it's English.

It's a flintlock pistol, so the name suggests clearly what it's all about,

so the flint strikes a small amount of powder in there

and out comes your shot at the other end.

They started making these flintlock pistols in the 1600s

-but this isn't 1600s and it's not English.

-Oh!

Have a look at this brass butt end.

Does that not look like a minaret?

-It does.

-Which gives a clue as to where it's from.

It's from the Ottoman Empire, so it's Turkish.

Right.

This was made for the Ottoman Empire.

If you look at the engraving, it really is fine detail.

Everything about this is hand-made

so certainly the Ottoman Empire, with their mass expansion,

every adult male had to have something like this, so date-wise,

I'm afraid it's not from the 1600s - it's more like early 18th century.

And value today in the market, ball park, £100 - 150 at auction.

Right.

They have to be in very good order before you get huge sums of money for them.

How do you feel about that?

Yes. Disappointed, obviously.

-Are you happy to put it in the sale?

-Erm...

It'll more than likely go in.

I was a little surprised it was Turkish.

I did have some suspicions about it though.

Because this flintlock pistol is for decorative purposes only,

and never fired, it's exempt from a gun licence,

but it's still wise to keep it locked away.

The same goes for these swords, that Malcolm keeps secured in his office,

which include a light cavalry sabre

he thinks was used by Wellington's troops in the Battle of Waterloo,

a Victorian dress sword and an infantry officer's sword.

All together this impressive collection could make £100 at auction.

The rummage continues apace. While Jonty and Anne round up the valuables,

I go in search of Malcolm to find out more about his precious tractor

and - surprise, surprise - just look where I find him.

Hello, Malcolm. Is this it? Is this the tractor?

Yes, this is the little tractor.

Tell me about the gadgets you need for this.

The bit I want to go on it, is a front loading shovel,

which comes on the front here,

which literally will pick up things from the ground, lift them up,

carry them and tip them.

It would make my life so much easier rather than having to

put everything into a wheelbarrow, move the wheelbarrow and tip it.

I could fix it to the front of the machine and it would be fantastic.

-So you're telling me it's vital.

-I think so.

When you came to see this place,

what made you think, "I have to have it"?

I drove in the gates and I just looked down the field,

I saw the views and I thought, "I've got to have this".

And we decided to come up here lock, stock and barrel.

So, what do your friends and family think of all this?

They think we're mad.

Here we are, 60, 65, embarking on working six to seven days a week,

but we enjoy it.

We're looking to raise some money,

but how do you feel about selling some of your collections?

Well, I need to move on. Times have changed.

We enjoy the outside life.

I don't necessarily enjoy sitting indoors

looking at my antique books

or looking at some of my items that I've got.

Obviously you need this vital piece of equipment for the tractor

and Anne is really looking for this animal shelter.

Who do you think's going to win?

I think she's got a good chance of getting it.

In that case, we need to find out if there's anything else to sell.

Ah, what a softie, but Malcolm doesn't have to give in just yet.

There's still plenty of work to be done.

And not just for the rummage.

While Anne nips off to catch up on some chores,

our expert extraordinaire finds this Royal Doulton dinner service

that Anne inherited from her mother.

It's no longer produced by the world-renowned English pottery,

so could cook up some interesting bids at auction.

I'm not letting down the side either.

Anne and I are conducting a thorough search of her bedroom,

and it's not long before I stumble upon a bit of a gem.

Oh, Ann, I think I've found something.

This is really pretty. What's the background?

That's come down through my family.

It would've been my grandmother's.

-It's beautiful. Do you wear it?

-I've never worn it.

-Is it something you might think of selling?

-Yes.

Jonty, are you out there? Here, look at this, it's lovely.

Wow, I say! What a beautiful little brooch.

Now, that's a ruby on the inside there, and the colour of the gold

is nine carat, so that's a nine carat gold brooch.

If you look at the box, because this is the original presentation box,

it really is in pristine condition.

That looks like it's never been opened. Quite extraordinary.

Look at the style of the writing.

This is the retailer, the goldsmith, you can date that simply by the box.

-Really?

-That's probably 1880, so it's Victorian.

Brooches like this have always been in fashion,

really since the Bronze Age. They were known as fibulas.

Can you tell whether that's a good quality ruby?

They would really vary.

What one needs to do is have a really close look under a microscope.

Value-wise, you're not talking a huge sum of money because dealers

have to buy this to make a profit, so you're talking, what, £50-100.

OK. I would hope it would be the higher end, but there you go.

Have you got anything else like that?

I'm thinking a great big tiara, matching necklace.

I've been searching!

I've never worn it, my mother I can't recall ever wore it,

so I don't think it has such a huge sentimental value

that I'm not prepared to part with it,

so I'm quite happy for that to go forward to the auction.

Anne also decides that these hand-made Nao figurines

she collects on trips to Spain can be given up for the farm fund.

All three porcelain pieces date from the mid-1980s

and were produced by veteran craftsmen

at the pottery's workshops near the Spanish city of Valencia.

There's no reining in myself or Anne,

but while we're driving forward in our quest to hit our £2,500 target,

we're being overtaken by an insatiable Jonty.

Malcolm.

Let's have a look at this. This is a beautiful beast.

So, is this an old friend?

Is it something you've used? Doesn't look like it!

No, it hasn't been used.

Historically, model yachts,

model boats have been around since the ancient Egyptians.

They were the ones who put their model boats into tombs

to take them into the next world, the afterlife.

-Oh, right.

-But really prior to the 18th century,

the beginning part of the 18th century,

ships, boats, yachts were not built from plans.

They were just solely built by scale models.

Ah.

That's the reason why you see so many,

certainly at maritime museums.

You see these amazing, fabulous quality ships and boats

in these wonderful cases, but also in the Victorian times,

they used model yachts like this, of similar style, to be boys' toys.

Not only were they boys' toys, they were grown-up boys too.

You and I would be playing with these on the pond, for instance.

This model here, however,

is styled probably on a '20s yacht, between the wars.

A yacht in full sail like this still looks very dramatic.

That's why it caught my eye.

Yeah. So we can certainly put that into auction.

What did you pay for it?

I didn't pay anything for it.

Nothing at all?

I relieved it from a skip.

Excellent!

Because we've got that and there's a small model yacht

I've just seen up there as well, sitting up there.

But we put those two together, at auction, 70-90 quid.

Sounds like a good deal.

-Onwards and upwards.

-OK.

I'm very pleased with those.

For something that I saved from being smashed to smithereens,

a very good result.

Very pleased with that. Thanks, guys!

We're always happy to oblige, Malcolm.

I have to say, the Stevens' home is giving up a wealth of treasures.

Ann comes across these limited edition sterling silver plates,

depicting traditional countryside hunting scenes,

that might not be to everyone's taste but could add another £50 to the farm fund.

While Jonty and Malcolm continue to scour every nook and cranny for more desirable collectibles,

I want to hear from Ann all about her beloved livery yard.

Hello, Ann.

-Who's this?

-This is Bounty.

Oh, he's lovely, isn't he?

-Shall I stop him.

-Yes, hello.

Hello. You're beautiful, aren't you?

So, is this your favourite horse?

He was my first horse, he was my 50th birthday present.

Oh, how lovely.

He said to me, "What would you like for your birthday?

-Cos you're 50, you can have something special."

-Right.

I said, "Yes, OK, but if you send your secretary to buy me a present,

and she comes back with a load of black underwear for me,

you'll be wearing it."

So he said, "Give me a clue, what d'you want?"

I said, "I want my own horse."

And I got Bounty, so...

He's with me for life now. So...

So, do you ride a lot?

Not as much as I used to,

cos I'm 60 in May, and when we moved here, obviously,

my time's divided amongst all the other jobs that we have to do.

So, to make it less frantic, riding-wise,

I have taught him Western riding,

so I've slowed down all his paces, so he will now jog instead of trot,

and in his past training, in English riding,

you're always driving them forward to get a more active this and that,

and now, I've asked him to do, don't do active, please,

do flopping about more.

And he's fine with that cos he's getting older as well as me!

So, is the field shelter for him?

It's to be shared, because we're at the top of the hill,

we're very, very exposed to the high winds.

So, I really need to have somewhere where the horses can just

tuck themselves away from the wind and rain.

And what's Malcolm's view on that?

Well, he thinks that horses can just turn their bottoms to the wind

and get on with it, because he's got more important things to spend the money on.

Which is obviously a reasonably fair comment.

And, um...

So, yes, so, the little argument continues.

But how important is this tractor appendage, then?

He's got to suffer more, before I give in.

Let's see how much he is suffering.

Let's see if they've found anything to sell. Come on, Bounty.

Ann and Malcolm are both determined

to get their own way on the farm.

Malcolm needs that front-loader for his tractor

but Ann is desperate to give the horses a field shelter.

I don't know how this is going to end, but we're galloping ahead with the rummage,

we have to keep up the pace if we're to hit our £2,500 target,

otherwise they'll both be bitterly disappointed.

No-one is getting an easy ride,

and if it is a competition, is Malcolm about to play his joker?

-I've got these, Jonty.

-What have you got?

-I've got a collection of medals...

-Oh, wow!

Some from the First World War, and some from prior to that.

Earlier than the First World War?

Oh, yes. I've actually got that little collection there.

What have we got here? This is the Afghan, Afghanistan medal.

-Yes.

-1878. We've got an Indian elephant there,

it kind of like sums up the whole atmosphere of the place.

Quite extraordinary.

-And a Crimea Medal.

-Yes.

-Wow!

I actually have these two gentlemen's service history,

where they enlisted, where they were born,

what scars they had on their bodies, when they enlisted.

How did you find all that out?

Well, you can actually get that information from Government sources.

So, all these medals here are 19th century.

-Part of the Empire campaigns.

-Yes.

So that's wonderful, what else have we got here?

Again, exactly the same period.

We've got these two bars as well, so that makes that interesting.

When it comes to medals, it's not only the individual,

it's also what they did,

so if you've got that magic combination of a rare medal

and an interesting recipient of that medal,

then you're talking often large sums of money,

cos those are the ones, the rare ones,

that the collectors really want.

Let's consider value, we've got the Indian General Service Medal,

with the one bar, that's about £200 at auction.

The one with the two bars is going to be more like 250 at auction, OK?

The Afghanistan campaign medal here, the 1878 medal,

that's going to be £160-£200.

-Good.

-I can see here collection, just as a rough ballpark,

probably around the £1,500 mark.

-Fantastic.

-Are you happy about that?

-Most certainly.

So, are you ready to let these go now?

I think so. I've got to let them go.

Good, OK, let's soldier on.

These medals could bring in more than half our £2,500 target.

But it depends on the day,

if the right collectors are there,

whether they reach their full potential.

Nothing in life is guaranteed,

that's why we're not leaving anything to chance,

and every space is getting a thorough going-over.

Meanwhile, Jonty, who just loves his furniture,

looks enthralled...

Ann?

-Come and have a look at this bureau with me.

-Yes.

Is there a story to this, or is it something you might sell?

It does have a story, my mother worked in an office in London.

And during the war, the offices were bombed,

the staff were told to take out anything from the damage

that they might like to have, my mother had always admired this desk,

which, at the time, was limed oak.

But this desk actually belonged to the office boy at the time,

and the name of the office boy was Hardy Amies.

Dressmaker to the Queen? Wow!

So, she took it home and cleaned it up,

and then it lost the limed finish, and it's been like this ever since.

So it's changed colour, it's now gone that sort of polished oak

so it almost looks as you've cut the oak tree, it's more natural-looking,

whereas limed oak, as the names suggest,

-literally bleaches the oak, so it has that greeny hue to it.

-Yes.

If you look at the style here,

it certainly looks like a pre-war piece of furniture.

This is a bureau, so it's a full front.

You've got these two arms that support that.

Down below, we have this simple construction, the two drawers,

but from a stylistic point of view, these handles here are Art Deco,

so simplicity was the name of the game.

And then, on the base here, we're on these four square legs.

Chamfered on the inside.

I think this is a fabulous, fabulous story you've just told me.

But what we need is proof.

For instance, if you had a picture of the office boy,

the then-to-be or soon-to-be Dressmaker to the Queen,

sitting at this desk, then it would make a fantastic story,

-it would therefore be something you could then sell on.

-Yeah.

But just hearsay, I'm afraid, in our business, is not good enough.

Doesn't mean anything.

As a consequence, we're looking at £40-£60 only at auction.

Would you consider putting that into the sale?

I'm not sure, I'd like to think about it, because it is quite dinky

and there's obviously some sentimentality.

We'll leave that there, you need some extra time to think about that,

so, we'll carry on searching.

I might not be able to part with it,

it's quite small, I can fit it into a corner, I might just keep it.

Ann does seem reluctant to give up this bureau with royal connections,

and as we're into the final stage of the rummage,

we'll need to give it everything we've got.

My efforts pay-off with these Royal Doulton figurines from the Miniature Ladies collection.

They include Karen and Ninette models,

created by popular designer Peggy Davies,

who reigned at the pottery from the 1950s to the 1970s.

It's the home stretch, and Malcolm comes up trumps

with a rather fierce-looking weapon,

but don't worry, it's normally safely locked away.

-Jonty!

-What have you got?

This is a French percussion rifle.

Wow!

-Quite extraordinary.

-It's...

So, it looks sort of early 19th century, doesn't it?

Yes, it is. It is, yes.

This will have been - it's a French rifle,

it would have been used against the British Army,

during the Battle of Waterloo,

and possibly all through the peninsula campaigns with Wellington.

So, if we are talking late 18th century, early 19th century,

we have to be talking £400-£700 for that kind of ball park.

Now, there's a question mark I have over this rifle.

Because I happen to know that there were literally

-hundreds of reproductions made in the 60s and 70s.

-Right...

-And they were made in India.

-Right...

And they were literally made of old parts.

So, have you had it to bits at all?

Yes, I have taken the mechanism out from the lock,

and stamped on the back of that is the maker's mark,

St Etienne, in France.

-Which would all make sense.

-Yep.

So that lock might well be original.

But when I look closely over here,

I'm a bit concerned that that's not 200 years' worth of wear there.

So, there are huge question marks.

Also, the width of the base of the barrel here.

On an original rifle, that shouldn't necessarily be the case.

So, we're talking two figures here. Possibly, £400-£700...

£400-£700 for that?!

Well, I've got a bit of a question mark on this rifle here

so I need to take it along to the auction room to do so more investigation.

-OK.

-So I wouldn't even bring a total into our final totals today at all.

OK. So, the verdict's out on that.

But we know you've had plenty of antiques and collectibles

that are very nice and saleable items.

-You wanted £2,500, didn't you, for the field shelter?

-Yes.

I mean tractor gadget, I mean the field shelter...

Anyway, for some very important stuff for the farm,

how do you feel it's gone today? Are you pleased with the valuations?

Yes, I think we're...

It looks as if it could be promising.

OK. Well, the grand total is £2,105.

To be fair, that does include the desk,

and I know you're in two minds about that.

So if the desk doesn't go to auction, it will be a little less than that.

-But certainly over £2,000, are you pleased with that?

-That's great.

We've got so much militaria here, so much militaria that I suggest

we take it all to a specialist sale

and all the other items can go to a general sale.

-You're going to be busy, aren't you?

-So are you!

If you're off to auction, who's going to be mucking out the stables?

Looks like that's me!

So, the Stevens' have got not one but two auctions to get ready for,

and some exceptional antiques and collectibles to set hearts racing,

including...

Ann's heirloom, the delicate Victorian bar brooch,

that could pin down £100.

The model yachts Malcolm rescued from a skip.

Jonty's valued between £70 and £90.

The striking collection of antique swords

that could cut a deal worth up to £150.

And a big question mark hangs over Malcolm's French percussion rifle.

Could it be the real deal and fire up our fund by £400?

Still to come on Cash In The Attic,

is it all doom and gloom in the general sale?

-£60...

-OK.

-What's your view on that?

Somebody's got a bargain.

Do things get more desperate at our military specialist?

If you are furnishing a pub or an old house

and you want something for the mantelpiece, it looks the part.

Or will we end up celebrating when we get to the military sale?

-How d'you feel now?

-Good.

All will be revealed when the hammer falls.

It's less than a week since we were on the farm with Ann and Malcolm.

We found lots of interesting items, some of which we've brought here,

to Sworders auction house in Stansted Mountfitchet in Essex.

Remember, Ann and Malcolm are looking to raise around £2,500,

and that money is going to be spent

either on a field shelter or a tractor front loader for the farm,

depending on who you speak to, of course.

Either way, we need to make plenty of money, let's hope we get off to a good start.

It's the first sale at Sworders' new auction house

just up the road from their old place.

A change of scenery hasn't put off the regulars, who have turned up eager to snap up a bargain,

including our very own Jonty,

who seems to have taken a shine to Malcolm's model yacht.

He's still a young boy at heart.

Good morning, Jonty. Feel like sailing away, do you?

No, that's going to be sailing out of the auction.

Now, we've obviously got quite a lot of people here already.

I'm interested to know if they've brought that desk.

I haven't seen it, so I'm not sure whether they have or not,

because Ann was very attached to that, a lovely story to it.

She also had that nice pin. Which she hadn't worn, but again...

She was keen on putting a reserve on it, and she has done that as well.

-So it may not be completely plain sailing.

-Right, OK.

Shall we go and find out what reserves we've got on what? Come on.

This is the first of two auctions for Ann and Malcolm.

Their general items go under the hammer today,

while Malcolm's military connection will go into a specialist sale in a few days' time.

-Good morning, how are you?

-We're very well.

What does it feel like to see your little bits and pieces here now?

Yeah, well, they look quite sweet on that table.

One thing we have not spotted is your desk, have you brought it?

No, I didn't bring it, it's still at home in pride of place,

and I just couldn't bring myself to let it go.

Too much sentimental value.

That's fair enough. Now, the brooch, in that lovely original box,

Jonty thinks you've put a reserve on that, is that right?

I didn't put a fixed reserve on it, I've left it with

a discretionary reserve on the estimate that Jonty placed.

What's a discretionary reserve, Jonty, how does that work?

It means that the auctioneer uses the lower end of the estimate,

and he usually uses 10%, sometimes 20%, discretion on that.

For £50, sometimes an auctioneer might sell at £10,

but if you've got that discretionary reserve, it's really £40 that he'll use as the the lower end.

But I have every confidence we'll do much better than that.

There's lots of people here, we want to make sure they dig deep into their pockets

Shall we get into position?

Come on, then, follow Jonty.

So, we're minus the oak cabinet,

that could have bumped up our total by £60.

But there is a specialist military auction to come,

so we're not solely relying on today's sale to hit our target.

Before we saddle up for the main event,

we get an idea of how our lots could perform from auctioneer James Fletcher.

The sun is shining, that always helps,

and there are a lot of goods on offer,

which should meet a ready market for those who are collecting items.

Do remember, if you are planning to buy or sell at auction,

you will have to pay various fees, such as commission,

which may vary between auction houses.

Right, morning, ladies and gentlemen...

Our auctioneer is in position, and there is a palpable air of anticipation,

with all the bidders at the ready.

We're straight in to our first lot of the day.

Lot 18a is the small wooden model of a yacht and a larger modern example.

The pristine model boats that Malcolm amazingly salvaged from a skip.

Malcolm, remind us how much you paid for this model boat.

They didn't cost me anything.

-So any money is good money.

-Is good money.

50 to start me...

Well, 30, then, surely...

-30, I'm bid at 30.

-£30, come on.

35, 40, 45, 50...

55, there at 55...

-This is good.

-Yes!

At 55, 60, five, £65...

Still there at 65...

At £65 - are you all finished and done with that at £65?

I'm selling at 65...

Well done, £65, and it came out of a skip!

I shall be going out with the horse and the cart,

going round all the skips in our area, picking everything out.

That's money for old rope,

even if the sale price sunk below our bottom estimate,

but it's a start.

OK, now, our next lot is the pair of sterling silver limited-edition plates.

Winter fox, and riding into the hunt.

What's the background to those?

My mother gave them to me,

I don't think she realised that I wasn't keen on fox hunting.

Right, OK.

Yes, rather a controversial subject,

but with an estimate of £50-£70 for the pair,

we can't complain too much if they help towards the farm fund.

I'm starting these at 65.

65, I'm bid at 65. £65... At £65...

At £65...

Are you all finished and done?

It's a maiden bid of £65...

£65. What do you think of that?

-I think that's quite good, actually. I'm happy with that.

-Yep.

Another satisfied customer, but it's a sale which is a sterling result

considering we've got a £2,500 target, so every little counts.

And when our next lot, the Spanish Nao figurines, go under the hammer,

they use their Mediterranean charm,

to go for £45 and help us nudge towards our target.

At £35, are you all finished and done?

The auction room hasn't thinned out, and with all of these bidders

still primed for action, we need them to stump up some cash.

So, next up is the collection of Goss Crested Ware which I found,

are you happy to see this going?

Yes, we are. It's been in a box for four years, hasn't it?

And I'm starting this at 55.

55, I'm bid at 55.

At £55.

At £55... At £55...

We'll have to leave that.

No, I think the only commission bid there was around £55,

and he hasn't sold it for that, so it means it'll be going back home.

How do you feel about that, Malcolm?

Well, we may leave it here for another auction.

A good idea, especially for Anne, who is keen to keep her dusting to a minimum.

We need as much cash as we can get to help Anne and Malcolm on the farm.

But things are looking extremely shaky now.

With Malcolm's military collection going to a specialist auction,

we've only three lots left in this general sale.

And so far we've hardly dented our £2,500 target.

We need to avert a mini disaster, but best keep on a brave face.

The Victorian pin brooch is up next, and unfortunately, it's more bad news.

On closer inspection, we've discovered that the ruby gemstone is in fact a garnet,

which is considerably less in value. But it still caught the eye of auctioneer James Fletcher.

The brooch always meets demand.

Victorian jewellery is individual.

Somebody will snap this up I'm sure.

-What would you like to see it go for?

-Ooh, 100!

That's not going to happen.

-I don't know.

-I have every confidence this is going to sell.

Remember, Anne has placed a discretionary reserve on the brooch's lower estimate of £50.

Do you know what? I do not think this is going to sell.

Don't say that.

At £35. At 35, 40, 45.

50, £50. There at 50.

All finished and done with at £50?

Sold at 50.

£50. So what do you think of that?

-That is OK.

-Are you happy?

Yes, I am.

Anne doesn't look too convinced but it's another sale and all for

a good cause, if it's going to help her horses get their field shelter.

The price that it eventually achieved was fair enough.

Disappointing that it was not a ruby stone,

but it was a fair price for the garnet.

Next the Royal Doulton miniature ladies go under the hammer and turn some heads.

To add £75 into the farm fund.

The end of the general auction is in sight and our last lot up for grabs, which will have to storm

to the final post if we're going to have any chance of hitting our elusive target.

60A is the Royal Doulton dinner and tea service.

With all the washing up this involved,

Anne was happy to let it go, but will they manage to clean up today?

25, then, at 25, £25.

30, 35, 40, there at 40.

45, 50? 50.

55, 60, £60. At £60.

You all finished and done?

Right, £60.

-What do you feel on that?

-Somebody has got a bargain.

-It's a beautiful set.

-You get a lot...for £60.

You do on that one.

The Royal Doulton dinner service just managed to pip

its bottom reserve, which sadly has been a bit of a theme today.

There is nothing we can do about that now as we have come to the end of the auction and the question is,

are we still in the race for our £2,500 target?

Right, that's the end of our lot that we've put into this general sale today.

The total comes to £360.

That is good.

But don't forget you have all those military items.

It'll be very interesting to see what happens to that.

Anne and Malcolm are looking positive,

even if they've only raised a fraction of the money they need.

Let's hope we can pull back from the brink at Malcolm's specialist military sale.

A few days after the general auction, down in Surrey it's life

as usual for Anne and Malcolm who have had time to mull things over.

The general auction was OK, but I think we were a little disappointed with the figures.

We raised £360, but we have a lot to do with the next one, possibly.

That is putting it mildly, but the horse lovers are still determined

to get something for their livery yard.

Malcolm and I have umming and ahing about what to do.

We have both come to the same decision that we're going

to go for the front loader, because it is more important at this stage.

This is where the front loading bucket is going to be ideal for me.

As the wind comes in and blows the sand into heaps,

I have to load it into the wheelbarrow and then

level it out into a low area.

We always have wheelbarrows in our hands moving hay, moving horse bedding,

picking up horse poo, but once we have the front loader...

..we will do it hydraulically.

What about Anne's field shelter?

The horses can cope perfectly well. We've got good stables.

If the weather is really rotten we can bring them in and they come in at night anyway.

The front loader is going to be far more important to have.

The field shelter might come another day, but it's not a priority.

Finally, decision made. Now to choose the right model.

There they all are.

-There is the actual one there.

-Oh, yes! Now, that...

-That would be the business.

-It would.

-Yes, it really would.

Malcolm really does want this...

the front loader. He is going to be over the moon if...

the specialist auction raises the money that we are looking for, it would be fantastic.

With over £2,000 needed to hit target, everything rides on the specialist military sale.

I have collected my medals and swords for a long time.

Yes, I am reasonably confident.

I think we could get a good result.

A few days later and true to his word, Jonty has travelled to

Cambridgeshire to get the low-down on Malcolm's military memorabilia.

He has already deposited the collection with military specialist and auctioneer Tim Blythe,

who's developed an interest in militaria as a youth.

If anyone can spot whether Malcolm's French rifle is the genuine article or not, Tim certainly can.

-Hi. Tim.

-Hi.

-How are you?

-How you doing?

-What d'you think?

-I've had a question mark over this rifle.

-I've got a couple of question marks.

-I think it's a reproduction, but it has been made

with some original parts, so it's not all bad news.

-What are the tell-tale signs we're looking for here?

-Most of all...

quality of the wood on the stock,

which isn't up to what you'd expect it to be.

Yes, that was a major concern of mine.

Also...

-the patch box on here.

-That looks too small for my liking.

It is too small. You wouldn't normally find that on a military musket.

That's not a good sign either.

The whole thing is probably something that has been brought in from India in the Sixties.

What sort of value would you put on that?

I would imagine not very much. Or is there still a market for this?

For a serious collector,

maybe not, but if you're furnishing a pub or an old house

and you want something for the mantelpiece, it looks the part.

-We'll see.

-What about the other parts of the collection? The swords, for instance?

The swords are very nice. We're very impressed by those.

Particularly this one, which is actually late...

..18th century.

Very good quality.

There's no signs of rust or wear or anything like that.

I could see the swords on their own getting up to £600-£800. Something like that.

Malcolm is going to be thrilled!

-Good.

-That's much more than I thought.

-What about the collection of medals?

-This is wonderful. You can see how much love

has gone into presenting these.

We have the regiments, the guys' numbers, absolutely everything,

service history from the 19th century, which is great.

This pair, particularly the star and the Sudan medal,

I can see those going for probably £200 for the pair. Good find.

-Brilliant, thanks so much.

-Thank you.

And we're still in the historic cathedral city in Cambridgeshire

for Anne and Malcolm's second specialist auction.

It has been a couple of weeks since we made £360 at the general sale, but remember we are looking to make

£2,500, so it is all down to the military sale in which Malcolm's

collection of guns, swords and medals goes under the hammer. Let us see what happens.

Anne and Malcolm arrive just in time to take

a good look around the auction house where the specialist militaria sale takes place.

Jonty, who's riding solo today, doesn't waste time in tracking them both down.

-It's the day of reckoning, isn't it?

-It is.

How are you feeling?

This collection has taken you years to get together and it's going to take literally minutes to sell!

Is there any particular one item that you're going to be sad to see go today?

-Or have you now...

-I've resigned myself that it's time to let go.

Have you put any reserves on anything?

-I have put three modest reserves on three items.

-Which ones?

The musket, the flint lock and one of the swords.

What about you? Are you happy to see the collection go?

I am perfectly happy to see them go because I never understood

the fascination of them in the first place.

It was Malcolm's hobby and interest.

-Plus you had to dust them.

-Dust them and put them on display.

-It's not a problem for me.

-We've got a really tough day today.

It's a big challenge because at the general sale we only made £360.

We have a target of £2,500 to aim for. There's a lot riding on this.

Are you ready to do battle? Literally.

Absolutely. Fingers crossed.

We haven't told Malcolm the values of his military collection simply because this is a specialist area

where prices are dictated by the bidders who are all experts in their military fields.

So, what does the auctioneer think?

We've taken a lot of phone enquiries about them.

They're very interesting, they're a little bit off the norm.

I'm very hopeful we're gonna get a bit of action in the room on these.

We're under starter's orders with the first of Malcolm's

-offerings within our sights.

-Right, this is the pistol.

-Lot 95, rather a nice one.

-Let's hope the sentiments are felt in the room

and this pistol gets us off the mark in our race to get closer

to our £2,500 target.

At £180, 190, 200. 210, here in the room at 210. 220.

230. It's still here. Goes then at £230.

At 230 in the room. Are you all done?

240.

At 240 now, new money at 240.

250, back here at 250.

Finished at 250?

-Well done.

-Yeah, fine.

-That's good.

-Malcolm doesn't look too convinced.

Maybe his nerves are kicking in.

It's a fantastic start, with his flint lock pistol going well over its estimate.

Lot 175 is the percussion musket.

-You put a reserve on this one?

-Yes, I have.

-All right. So are you taking it back or not?

We'll see.

Malcolm's French rifle turned out not to be the real deal.

That hasn't stopped him taking a gamble and putting a reserve of £190, which is above estimate.

100 I've got. At 100, 110.

At 110 only.

Done then at 110?

120, 130, 140, 150.

-160, 170, 180.

-I might be taking it home!

-190, at £190, is that it?

-You are.

-All done?

At £190, finished and done at 190?

He took it up to 190. That means there wasn't a bid in the room at 190.

The under bidder would've been 180.

So, putting a £190 reserve did backfire as the rifle's gone unsold.

Malcolm could be saying goodbye to that tractor front loader.

Jonty originally estimated Malcolm's handsome collection of swords at around £100.

But our military specialist stunned Jonty when he valued them at three times as much.

Remember, Malcolm's in the dark over this.

They're now being sold individually, so could he be in for a big surprise?

OK, this is the one we have big interest in.

Lot 1796, pan light cavalry sword. This is seriously cool.

What reserve did you put on that?

I can't remember now.

A couple of hundred quid on bid, 200, 220, 230, 240.

250, 260, 270. 280, 290.

300, at 300 now this side, at £300.

At 300 only, it goes then, 320, 330.

This is a good sword.

At £330, seated in the room. At £330, is that it? At 330...

I'm convinced that that was used at Waterloo.

We believe you, Malcolm, and that was a fantastic result at £330.

The rest of Malcolm's 19th century swords provide reinforcements for the troops

-when they come under the hammer.

-Finished and done at 150.

..at 160.

At 170, anybody else?

They win the battle to amass a total of £810.

-Well done. They've gone now.

-Yep.

-Aw!

-Aw!

I was very pleased with the result on that, very pleased.

It was... It was good. It was good.

What a difference a specialist auction makes.

Malcolm's military collection is storming the room here at Blythe's.

So much so that it finally looks like that £2,500 target could be within reach.

We finally get to Malcolm's medals that he's lovingly collected over a number of years.

They're also all going to be auctioned off separately.

Anne, have you ever really studied these medals, or was it always Malcolm's domain?

Always Malcolm's domain, but he can talk for hours on it over countless numbers of evening meals.

Once you...

press the right button on Malcolm he will talk for hours on the subject.

So let's hope for Anne's sake, and sanity, they all get snapped up.

This next medal issued in 1855 is from the Crimean campaign.

When did you buy that?

-About 35 years ago.

-Did you?

Hm. When I was a young man.

Lot 56, the Crimea medal.

Rather a nice one. Various bidding on this, I'll go straight in 100.

110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160.

With me at £160 now.

At £160, take 170, 170 here in the room.

The seated bidder of 170.

Down here in the room at 170.

-What a result!

-Good result.

£170 is a fantastic sale

and we still have so many more medals up for grabs.

Lot 69, the Indian General Service Medal, a very nice one again, various bids on this.

100, 110, 120, 130,

140, 150, 160, 170, 180. At £180,

all done then?

At £180...

-We got there.

-This is obviously very emotional for Malcolm,

who's seeing his 40-year-old collection of medals disappear.

But with medals going for the likes of £180,

his sacrifice will be worth it.

Lot 34, the Victory Medal, World War One.

Lot 48. 100, 110. 120, 130.

That's a heroic result, and so far

these medals alone have made over £1,000.

And we've still got one final lot of the day.

This is the Egypt medals. There's been a lot of interest.

It'll be fascinating to see where the hammer falls.

Lot 78 is the 19th century North Africa pair of medals.

Our military specialist was taken with these medals,

and reckons these could get enough interest to secure the £200 mark.

Rather nice these, various bids on these, at 190, 200.

And 10 I've got, 220, at 220 now.

230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290.

300, 310, 320, 330, 330, 340.

350, 360, 370.

You're here, you might as well.

370 behind you, 380.

390, I sell behind you at 390, 400.

410, 420.

430, 440.

450 I sell behind you, 460?

450 in the top corner, anyone else?

At £450, goes then at 450... 460.

470, 480, 490. At £490.

At 490 I sell behind you, 500?

500. 520, behind you at 520.

Goes then, seated at the back at £520.

530.

550 sir, 550.

At 550.

560. At 560, second row at £560.

-How do you feel now?

-Good.

I didn't expect to pay that much, but I was pleased to actually get them.

Because I collect that exact medal to them...

so there's the roll of 711 men.

I have now 28 of them.

So that's why I didn't stop!

And we're just glad this bidder turned up for all those men.

And his contribution brings our medals total to £1,706.

Way over estimate.

With that bumper result it looks like Malcolm's tractor front loader

could be winging its way to the farm.

So does that mean we've managed to trounce our target?

Now remember you wanted £2,500.

And in our first sale of course we only managed to get to £360.

Today's totals is in excess of £2,000.

You have made £2,766.

Good heavens!

-So the grand total is £3,126.

-Wow.

That's amazing. It really is good.

You can have half a field shelter.

Or a couple of planks to go towards it.

Two weeks later Anne and Malcolm are still reeling from such

an incredible result at the specialist auction.

It was fantastic. We did really well.

There were people there bidding on the day exactly what we wanted, exactly what we hoped for.

Most of my stuff has gone to people that are collectors, which is good.

-I'm very pleased.

-There's even more to celebrate.

Front loader's arriving today.

I am excited about it. I'm really looking forward to it. It should be great.

And with the new piece of equipment safely deposited, Malcolm wastes

no time in giving the hotly anticipated arrival a test drive.

It's going to take me, I think, a few hours to learn how to use all the controls.

You pull this lever like this to raise it up.

If I turn it to the right, watch what the bucket does.

Tips out, right?

-It's brilliant. It's gonna save me a lot of time, a lot of effort.

-So, can life get any sweeter?

I've managed to get my front loader, which I always wanted.

I jokingly said to Anne at the auction afterwards that I'd get her half a field shelter.

But I've been thinking about it.

She deserves a full field shelter, so we're getting a field shelter as well.

-A whole one? With sides and a roof?

-With sides and a roof, yep.

Fantastic. Thank you, Malcolm.

Ah, what a happy ending, and not just for Anne and Malcolm.

There are also some very lucky horses who can live happily ever after on the farm.

Life on the farm is just about to get a little bit easier thanks

to Anne and Malcolm battling through those auctions.

If you've got some antiques and collectibles to sell

to raise some funds for a special project, why not get in touch with Cash in the Attic?

You'll find more details at our website.

We'll see you next time.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]