Underwood Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic.

We help you hunt for hidden valuables around your home and then sell them with you at auction.

Today, I'm in Northamptonshire which has got its fair share of stately homes and grand houses

and I've stopped off to take a closer look at one of them,

Boughton House.

This magnificent property miles just four miles from Kettering

started life as a monastery

before it was purchased by Edward Montague in 1528 and transformed into a mansion.

The house has changed in appearance many times over the years culminating

from the French-inspired additions of the 17th century that lead many

to consider Boughton House England's Versailles.

Well, let's hope that this is the first of many treasures we'll find today

as we look for antiques and collectables that will go under the hammer at auction.

'Coming up on Cash In The Attic, we get a history lesson in fashion...'

I don't have my hair in a Victorian bun very often.

'..can't believe our luck...'

That's not bad for a freebie out of a cracked safe!

That's right, no.

'..and struggle to keep emotions under control.'

-I might shed a tear.

-I've got my hanky at the ready.

-I think I'm going to need it.

'But will we all be happy at the end of the day? Find out when the final hammer falls.'

I'm about to meet a lady who's called in

the Cash In The Attic team to help her find antiques and collectables

so that she can give her garden a whole new lease of life.

This five bedroom barn conversion in the village of Brigstock

is home to Sara Underwood and her partner Andrew York.

Sadly, due to his work commitments, he can't be with us today and has sent along his sister Sam instead

to help clear out some of the clutter and raise funds for an animal-friendly garden makeover.

Morning, Jonty.

-Isn't this a fabulous place?

-It's glorious.

You know, this house used to be the grain store to the mill which is next door

and the lady that lives here, as I think you can already see from the front door, has got amazing taste.

-Let's get inside.

-Shall we?

-Sara, Sam, good morning.

-Hello.

Sara, this house is fantastic.

-It's a riot of colour.

-Thank you.

You've got a great eye for detail and design.

Where does that come from?

I think it came from my mum, actually, she's very artistic

and yeah, I take a lot of inspiration from my mum.

You've been a great pupil, it's fantastic.

So, why have you called in Cash In The Attic?

Well, I'm a bit of a hoarder and I've got far too many things to store in this house.

We've been here about two years and I need to clear some space.

-I'm under pressure from my partner to clear some space.

-Definitely.

Of course, her partner is your brother so he's going to approve.

Yes, and Andrew gets very cross about it and he's tried to get rid of loads of stuff but she just won't have it.

-So you're going to be a willing helper?

-Definitely.

-Out with everything.

-definitely.

-OK. So what are we going to raise the money for? What is it you want it for?

Well, um, I've got two dogs and they've wrecked my lawn, basically.

They charge around and play like mad and so we're going to lay fake lawn

which sounds silly but I think it will solve a lot of problems.

-How much do you think that's going to cost?

-We're not sure

but if we can raise £1,500 it will go a long way towards getting there.

£1,500 the target for a fake lawn, and you've got a house full of goodies.

-Yeah.

-I can't wait to get started. Let's go and find Jonty. Come on.

Sara's home is full of colour and all the possessions that she's hoarded over the years

so there's certainly a lot for us to get through.

Already making his mark is our expert Jonty Hearnden who can't resist a challenge

and he's pinning his hopes on the first discovery being the star of the show at auction.

What have you found there?

-Take a look at this.

-What a beautiful colour that is, turquoise.

Apparently, it is the colour of communication.

So very cool, very pretty.

Not only is it a pendant

but look on the reverse, it's a brooch as well.

-And more to the point, we've got this matching hairpin as well.

-Oh.

-Have you worn it at all?

-I wore it as a pendant, actually.

-I don't have my hair in a Victorian bun very often so I didn't tend to wear it as a hairpin.

-Right.

But I wore it as a pendant and I wear a lot of turquoise so yeah, it's very pretty.

Let's take a closer look at it, it really demands a closer look

because first of all, we're set in this nine carat gold setting

but within that you've got these beautiful

graduated turquoise stones and also graduated pearls as well.

I believe this to be Edwardian because at the time,

stars were very popular and, of course, the fashion leaders were the royals themselves

so that's Edward VII and his princess, Princess Alexandra.

She was very taken by jewellery from the East. When I say the East,

I'm talking India, so here we're looking at the sort of

the Indian star effect because whatever they wore, jewellery designers

followed from there.

I think it's really charming, very elegant, very saleable.

So are you happy to sell it now?

Yes, I'm definitely happy to part with it.

You can't keep everything and the most important thing is I need a new lawn so it's got to go.

How much do you think it's worth?

It's really good news. This is £300 to £600 of anybody's money.

-Great.

-Is that good?

-Fantastic.

£300 to £600 gets us well on our way to our £1,500.

-Let's go see what else we can find to top up that amount.

-Excellent.

-Right.

What a fantastic start to the day.

With fine pieces like this stashed away, we need to keep digging and track down any more hidden gems.

Sam's weighing up whether this bygone set of brass scales

by Salter will get the bidder's interest.

Jonty values them at a very reasonable £20 to £30.

Sara's next find might come in handy for packing them up

for the saleroom and add a bit more to the total at the same time.

-Wow, what have we got here? Boxes, boxes.

-Yeah.

-Wow.

-Collection of nice old advertising boxes

-Is this part of your collection?

Yes. The house I lived in previously lent itself to having things like this around

and so I was happy to collect them at the time

-but now I've moved to my new house, they don't fit in any more.

-OK, let's take a look at them.

Now this one, Pears soap,

now, people will still recognise Pears soap today

but the concept of Pears soap was invented by Andrew Pears at the end of the 18th century.

He was a barber from Mevagissey in Cornwall and he started selling toiletries in his shop.

He came up with this idea of a clear soap because, soap in those days, was very aggressive,

some of it had lead, some of it had arsenic in it, very dangerous stuff.

Now, this one here, the Wellington knife polish,

this is John Oakey & Sons' knife polish powder.

They started business in the 1830s,

and knife polishing was a very, very big business,

certainly in the Georgian times and in the 19th century, as well.

And this one here, Cadbury's.

Now Cadbury's was a coffee business

that was started by John Cadbury in 1824.

He opened up a coffee shop and he started to sell

coffee drinks as well as cocoa as well.

Chocolate drinks were very, very popular.

-You think of hot chocolate being a relatively modern concept.

-Yeah.

-But the Georgian's loved their drinking chocolate.

-Oh, right.

The Victorians loved it too.

So, the great thing about all of these is that people can identify them and also,

the wonderful thing about packaging is that it tells something about the people of the time, of the moment.

-Yeah.

-Today, we're in our disposable world so you talk about disposable cardboard boxes.

Look at these, they're still around today.

-Fantastic.

-And most of these

will be maybe a good 100 years old, these boxes, they're wonderful.

That's really good, we can put these four boxes into the sale. We're talking like £50 to £100.

-That's brilliant.

-All right?

-I'm very happy with that.

-Good.

-Right, we'll leave these here, let's go out this way.

-OK.

Another tidy sum towards our £1,500 target,

although it has stirred up some unwanted childhood memories for Sara.

The Pears one I was attached to

because when I was a baby, my mum entered me

for the Pears baby competition.

Every mum thinks their baby is the one. I came absolutely nowhere.

But that's my only association so to be quite honest, they've got to go towards the lawn.

Getting the money for that much needed artificial lawn

is a top priority today and every little bit helps.

So hopefully this antique brass door knocker of a diving dolphin

will tempt the bidder's to splash out at a price tag of £25 to £45.

While Jonty and Sam carry on the search I take the opportunity

to find out more about our colourful host and her equally colourful home.

Sara, this is a fabulous house but the history must be fascinating

because didn't this used to be the barn for the mill?

That's right. This was the grain barn,

it's called the granary, basically,

you've got the mill next door and this stored all the grain in there

but I think it was converted about 15 years ago

and we've owned it for two years.

How much have you done to the house?

Quite a lot, we haven't changed anything structurally, obviously,

but we've decorated quite a lot throughout,

but we're still decorating in the rooms full of boxes from when I moved.

We're gradually sweeping through the house.

But the decorating, of course, is where your wonderful eye for colour and shape and form,

you love doing all of that.

I do, yeah. I do a lot of craft things, I do a lot with fabrics,

I love vintage fabrics and I make a lot of presents for people

so I don't keep a lot myself, I end up giving it away but love doing it.

That's why you need the rooms in the house?

Exactly, and one room is dedicated just to my fabrics and sewing so I'm very lucky.

Which came first, your friendship with Sam which is how you met Andy

or did you meet Andy and then become friends with Sam?

I knew Andy first, I worked with Andy for quite a long time

and then we got together and then through Andy

I met Sam who I get on really, really well with so that's lucky, it's a bonus.

You get involved in lots of projects together.

We're into craft. Sam does a lot of card making which she's really good at,

and I do a lot of sewing so she uses ribbons and buttons and textiles

and so it works really well together. So we enjoy it.

-You're a real softy when it comes to dogs aren't you?

-I love my dogs.

Andy is a little more tense about it, let's say,

because he's the poor thing who has to mow the lawn.

But you can't stop them playing so I think the fake lawn will be the answer

cos the dogs can play and Andy can look at it and it will still look lovely.

We better go and see what else is lurking in this lovely house of yours.

Sam's been busy searching for more antiques

and Jonty has decided to take the weight off his feet.

Ah, Sam, come and take a pew.

-Thank you.

-It feels a bit like a pew.

-It does, doesn't it?

-So this is a stripped pine bench.

Is this something that might be considered for the auction sale?

I think so, yes. I believe it's from Hungary and Sara bought it in an antique shop a few years ago.

She says Hungarian, it's quite interesting that.

-Yes.

-Because you wouldn't necessarily think of furniture

landing in this part of the world coming from Hungary or from anywhere from Eastern Europe.

It's due to the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

After that time, furniture could freely move, or more freely move.

Now, we're part of the same European Union, borders are open

and furniture like this appears in almost every antique shop in Britain.

So, this makes sense that this particular piece of furniture,

probably about 100 years old, is certainly from that neck of the woods.

-Have you got any pine furniture in your house?

-Yes.

-Have you?

-Yes.

Because the fashion now is not necessarily

to have stripped pine furniture, but to sometimes paint it, as well.

I notice Sara's done that with some of her furniture.

Very much pink and aqua.

Would you have pink and aqua in your house?

Probably, yes, but not quite as much.

So, bench value, do you remember what she paid for it?

I think she paid roughly £200 for it.

OK. Value at auction, because there's no inflation in the market at all...

-No.

-We're looking at, I'm afraid, half that, about £100 to £200,

but it would be very exciting if we get more towards the 200.

-Definitely.

-Good.

-Good.

-Let's crack on.

-Thank you.

Sara has a lot of vintage items that no longer suit her new home

so she's keen to turn them into cash.

She's leaving no part of the house unchecked

and spots this platinum and diamond ring which is valued

at between £40 and £70.

Although some of her goodies may be harder to give up than others.

Jonty, do you want to come and play with us?

-We've got a whole box of toys here.

-What are you doing?

Well, we're playing.

Look, look at all these toys.

Look at this. A black poodle.

He's a bit moth-eaten, isn't he? Are they all a bit, um...?

-They're all injured.

-So is this the equivalent of the Battersea Dogs Home here?

The toys are very well loved, a little bit worn.

Where's this one from, Jonty?

-Well, I'm looking for labels and here we go, Merrythought.

-Yeah.

You can take this label to the late 1950s

because the early Merrythought labels were white ground with red lettering on the top.

So, he's late 1950s, around about my sort of age.

He's a bit lumpy for a supposedly soft toy, what's he filled with?

-A-ha.

-Newspaper.

So what would he have been in there?

He would probably have been a nightdress case.

-You laid him on your bed.

-Yes, a nice...

And you know, your little pet, yes.

-What else have we got here? Can I have a look?

-Yes.

-Yes, now, very James Bond.

-Yes, he is.

-Yeah?

We're looking for labels.

-And what have we got here? A-ha, you see that Angela?

-Yeah.

-A little Steiff label.

-A button.

That's really good news.

That's very good news.

-Good.

-I suppose collectively here, we're looking at 120 - £180...

-That's good.

-..Worth of toys here.

-That's good news.

-You happy to let them go?

-I'm happy to let them go.

-OK, put them back in the kennels.

The Steiff cat is the real star of this lot and should attract the attention of collectors.

The money will certainly improve playtime for Sara's real pets,

but our £1,500 target is still only a distant dream.

So, it's a good thing that Sam finds this stunning 18 carat gold bracelet.

Hallmarked 1964 and in its original box,

the £600 to £800 estimate certainly changes things.

Sara, come and have a look at this picture.

It's not so much a picture, it's very much a sketch, really.

-Yeah.

-What's the story?

-Well, I used to look after an old lady that lived next door to me.

-Yeah.

And her husband was a painter and decorator, he used to decorate old manor houses and halls

and 50 years ago somebody in one of the halls gave him this as a gift.

-And just before she died she said she wanted me to have it.

-Right.

She'd had it hanging on her wall for 50 years.

-Right.

-So it's quite interesting.

There's writing on the back of this gilt frame.

-Have you ever taken the trouble to look at it.

-It's difficult to read.

-It's as if someone's describing the picture.

-Yes.

-I mean it's dated 1789.

That's right, we've got the date there which is the clearest thing.

-Yes.

-And then we've got "bridge near Barking," is that right?

Yes, that's what it looks like, yes.

-And this label here is the original picture framer's label.

-Yes.

So, the frame itself has real age to it

and the date I believe to be absolutely correct

because what we're looking at here is a sketch from somebody's sketch book

and it was such a sentimental scene that somebody's taken the trouble

to take it out of the sketch book and have it mounted.

So, the scene here is of this simple arched bridge and there is a river running through

and the trees are in full growth,

it looks like summer even though that this is just a black wash,

there was never colour meant to be here.

-Oh, right.

-So, it's literally just a snapshot of time.

Value at auction £40 to £60.

-Does that help?

-That helps a lot.

-Helps the lawn fund?

-It helps the lawn fund.

-Come on.

If we want that picture perfect lawn for Sara, a few more treasures like this are required.

This Victorian gold, diamond and opal crucifix pendant on a chain,

with its blue leaf design should add £150 to £200 to our new lawn fund.

But now I'm rather keen to meet the guilty parties who are behind all our hard labour today.

-These are the culprits?

-I'm afraid so.

Which is which then?

This is Guy and this is Ronnie.

-Talk about little and large.

-I know.

There couldn't be more contrast in their body shapes.

What made you get two so different dogs?

We started off with Ron, the bulldog,

that was our choice, and then one day on the way to work, I actually found Guy

in the road running towards my car

and the poor thing got knocked over by another car and I rescued him.

So, he's with us, as well now, so it's little and large.

I can see the lawn is worn away there and holes.

-They dig as well?

-Yeah. They get very excited

and when they get together one starts digging

and then the other joins in and you can see what's happened.

Am I guessing, Sam, that your brother is going to be thrilled

when you get this artificial lawn down?

Yeah, it really gets him down because he has to look after it

and obviously it's... there's holes dug in it

and in the summer it gets scorched and in the winter it's just like mud.

It will be so much easier for him to look after and it will just make him happier.

Have you got any samples?

I have, here actually.

There we are. There's lots of different types we can have.

You lay it and you put sand on the top

and it's supposed to be greyhound-proof so we'll see.

They'll be able to run around to their heart's content.

-And we'll all be happy.

-And you won't have to cut it.

-Exactly.

-So, we reckon what?

£1,500 to get us started on this?

I think that will be a good way towards it.

We should go and show Jonty these samples and give him

-a bit of inspiration to find some more stuff in the house.

-Definitely.

Look they're quiet for five minutes so let's creep away.

There's a long way to go if we want to raise enough to fund

Sara's evergreen garden, but amongst all the boxes

Jonty's uncovered a stash of antique "kitchenalia" dating back to the 1920s.

This could appeal to someone decorating a traditional country kitchen

and should top up our fund by at least £30 to £50.

But can this gem that I found which Sara's been keeping safe for years

unlock some extra cash for us today?

Oh Sara, turquoise again,

gold and a bracelet. This is so pretty.

Where did this come from?

There's a really interesting story with this.

When I lived at my old house, my neighbours inherited their house

and there was some furniture and a safe in there

and, basically, this safe hadn't been opened for 100 years

and one night they decided to have a safe opening evening, like you do,

and invited us round and and they said

you can have ten per cent of anything we find in the safe.

And it was all a bit of a joke and anyway, started opening the safe

and it was unbelievable, it was packed full of treasure.

Wait a minute, rewind there.

-Are we talking about safecracker, Sara, here?

-Yes, yeah.

Not me personally, but we managed to get into the safe, definitely.

-And there it was.

-And there it was in amongst lots of other rings

and treasure and carriage clocks and all sorts, photographs, it was amazing.

That was a terrific story, but I tell you what,

I think we ought to get Jonty to take a look at this. Jonty.

Come and look, we've got turquoise again.

-Yeah, again.

-And gold and Sam.

Have you ever seen this before Sam?

-No.

-Look at this.

-Wow, isn't that charming?

-Isn't it lovely?

-That's very clever where that concertinas.

Very clever because whatever size wrist you have it will fit.

And look at the stones, turquoise and pearls again.

Date-wise, it's around the same kind of period

so we're looking at an Edwardian piece again.

Do you remember the pendant that we looked at earlier?

That's really very, very beautiful.

The gold will be nine-carat-gold because of the colour

and because of its action it makes it very, very saleable, as well.

-Good.

-Which is very good news indeed.

So collectable and commercial, but what kind of a price tag could you put on it?

-We're looking really at £200 to £300 which is fantastic news.

-Great.

That's not bad for a freebie out of a cracked safe, is it?

That's right. Andy will be very pleased.

If we take the lowest estimate on that and add it too all the other things that

you've all found today that Jonty's looked at it,

means that the £1,500 for your imitation lawn, I think is on its way,

because we reckon

we should be able to make at auction £1,675.

-Wow.

-Fantastic.

That's really good news, yeah. Andy will be pleased.

THEY ALL LAUGH

-Let's go to auction and see what we can do.

-Great, lovely.

With a home full of such wonderful pieces

we've been spoilt for choice and those goods that have made it to auction

are the multi-purpose star shaped pendant

inset with turquoise and pearls worth £300 to £600,

the 19th Century stripped pine bench from Eastern Europe

valued at £100 to £200.

This stunning 18 carat gold mesh bracelet valued at £600 to £800

and finally Sara's cherished collection of stuffed toys

including a Steiff cat which at £120 to £180

she knows she must sell, but will find it hard to let go.

Still to come on Cash in the Attic, I do my best to cover up the truth.

Don't watch, don't watch, it's about to go.

Realise that honesty is the best policy.

-You're going to have to take them home.

-No.

-Yes.

Although, Sara doesn't seem to agree.

Andy won't be happy, but I'll smuggle them in.

But will it all be harmony when the final hammer falls?

I know it doesn't seem like it,

but it's almost three weeks since we were with Sara Underwood

in that beautiful cottage in Northamptonshire

and that's where we were looking for antiques and collectibles

we could bring today to sell at the Chiswick Auction Rooms here in west London.

She's got those two delightful, but very energetic dogs

who race around that little lawn in front of the cottage and dig holes in it.

She wants to raise £1,500 so that she can lay artificial turf

which they won't be able to damage.

Let's hope we get some stiff bidding today when her items go under the hammer.

In order to get such a huge amount, we're going to need the bidders

to fall in love with our goods today as much as our expert Jonty has.

He's taking one final look for himself.

-Morning, Jonty.

-Hi, Angela.

-You are fascinated by that piece of jewellery.

-I think it's charming.

It's lovely, isn't it? It's a brooch, it's a hairpin, or it's a pendant.

I think it's charming, but I think it would suit you.

Get me behind me, yes, tempting, tempting, tempting.

But she does have some lovely jewellery.

Some wonderful items, so what we need is jewellery buyers in today

and if we can sell all the collection, we're quids in.

There was that bracelet that they found inside the safe. What a story.

Crack open the safe and can you imagine that?

How exciting would that be?

Interestingly, virtually all of her jewellery is all turquoise

cos she does love the colour.

I wonder if she's wearing it today for good luck. Let's go find her.

We'll want more than luck alone.

I think a sprinkling of generous bidding would be favourable too.

That's if Sara can bear to part with all her valuables

which might be difficult so she's brought along some moral support.

Sara, we knew you'd be wearing turquoise.

Turquoise trousers, brooches, bet you made them yourself.

-I didn't, but they're cute.

-They are. Where is Sam?

She's working today, so I've brought along my mum Sue to help us.

-Reinforcements.

-Yes, exactly.

-Have you been to an auction before?

-Yes.

So you're a bit of an expert?

-I am.

-Well, keep your hands to yourself today.

-I will.

-Because we're here to sell for Sara, not for you to buy.

-Have you said farewell to all of them.

-Saying goodbye.

I've had a last-minute cuddle

because I'm very sad that they're going, but it's all for a good cause.

It is. Now, have you told the dogs that they're going to get something new?

I have and they're really excited.

So are we, so let's go and take our places.

Remember, if you're planning to go to auction to buy or sell

you're responsible for paying commission

plus possible other charges so do check with your local sale room for details.

With auctioneer William Rouse about to start proceedings, we head into position

as our collection of vintage

wooden boxes are shown to the room.

We're hoping to clean up £50 to £100 for this little lot.

I've got a £15 bid and I'll take £18 with me.

18 in the room against commission then, at £18 and 20, anybody else?

For £18 are you all done? 20 in the green.

22, nearer to me now at £22.

At 22 it is, then.

That was painful and didn't even reach half of Jonty's estimate.

If we're to raise that £1,500 target

sales need to be a lot better than that.

If too many cooks spoil the broth, what about too many kitchen tools?

Well, let's hope not as coming up is Sara's mixed selection.

Now, a modern young lady like you, Sara, I'm amazed that you even had

all of this wonderful 1920s, was it "kitchenalia", Jonty?

Yes, it was really great fun. Where did you find them all?

I collected them over the years

and I was going to do various craft projects with them,

but it never came off so I've decided they've got to go.

-And you're not going to do any cooking with them?

-No.

Let's watch them go.

Again, a little bit of interest in this lot, I'm bit £25 straight off and I'll take 28.

At £25 with me. 28, 30,

32, 35.

£35 with me and a left bid of £35.

It's left bid of £35.

At 35 it is then.

That's great news.

You can buy a brand new food mixer now.

'Fantastic. That takes us £35 closer to ordering that artificial lawn.

'Now we're cooking.

'In order to notch up the notes, though,

'we need all our collectables to sell well,

'but will our next entry sink or swim?'

48 is an antique brass door knocker in the form of a diving dolphin.

£10 for it? £10.

Ten I'm bid, a maiden bid of £10. At £10, it's going to sell for £10.

Are we all done for £10? Going then for £10.

That's not very much is it?

What did we think that might go for, Jonty?

-25, I was hoping for.

-Yeah.

-Never mind.

-And that was the reason, there was only one bidder in the room.

-Yeah.

-Just your luck, isn't it?

Never mind.

'A bargain at only £10, although a disappointing amount for us.

'But Sue and Sara have a cracking treat up their sleeve,

'which they've chosen to separate

'from the rest of the "kitchenalia" stash.'

I'm prepared to bet, Jonty, Sara and Sue,

that this auction room has never seen anything quite like the next item that's coming up,

which is your World War I period egg transport case.

Where did you get it, Sue?

I found it in an antique shop, and I used to have a lot of chickens at the time.

-And you had names for them all.

-Exactly.

Eggsactly, as it were. But now, it's got to go.

No more chickens, no more egg box.

'But our auctioneer, William, isn't quite so confident.'

I think it's a really fun item, but it's not really what you'd

call decorative and what do you do with it when you've bought it?

I'm not really sure, so I'm sure somebody will buy it, because it's a bit of a curio,

but whether it's terribly valuable is another matter.

Is it worth £20? Start me for ten then.

£10, 12, 14, 16. £16 in the middle of the room.

At £16. Seems cheap still for 16 but it can be sold for £16. Going then.

£16 is the bid, then.

-Oh, that's not very much, is it?

-That was definitely cheap cheap.

-Bit gutted about that.

-Oh, yes.

'You'd better watch out, Jonty,

'I don't think your jokes go down well with Sue,

'and that's another worrying result.

'Let's hope our first bit of jewellery

'is what the bidders have been saving themselves for.'

Well, the lovely multi-purpose pendant brooch hairclip is coming up now,

and let's hope we've got a multi-purpose group of people who are buying jewellery in the room,

because we want them to give you more than the £450 reserve you've put on this.

Well, I hope so. At the end of the day, if it's less, I'd rather take it home.

-I'd be happy with that.

-What's it worth? Start me for £300 for it.

320 I'll take, 300 I'm bid, a maiden bid at 300. 320.

340, 360, 380, 400.

£400 for it, at £400 and 20 if you like.

£400, £400 it's not selling for £400.

And ten I'll take. For £400. At 400.

Not sold, so you're taking it home.

-I'd rather take it home.

-Yeah.

Yeah, that's fine. I'd rather take it home.

'I'm pleased that Sara's happy to take the pendant home,

'but it will have a huge impact on our £1,500 target.

'I'm afraid this is turning into a bit of a grey day.'

Lot 78 is a pen and wash rule study with a bridge over a stream.

What am I bid for that? Start me for £10. £10 for it, surely for £10.

Ten I'm bid, a maiden bid of £10.

£12, £14, to my left at 14. Surely somebody else has viewed it.

£14. At 14, 16 there, 18, 20, 22, 24,

26, 28, 30, 32, 34...

Oh, that's better.

£34 to the original bidder, at £34. At 34.

It had promise, then it petered out.

Then it petered out. But never mind.

-I hope they enjoy it anyway.

-They will.

'Nearly reaching its estimate at £34,

'but our sales haven't been great,

'so is the new lawn anywhere in our sights?'

Well, we're at the halfway stage, are you still feeling excited?

-Yeah. Optimistic.

-Mother isn't. Mother's looking a bit "hmm", aren't you?

-Yes.

-Well, the bad news is that at the halfway stage we've made £117.

-I know. It's a bit disappointing, to be honest, isn't it?

-Yes.

So we've only got 1,383 still to go.

To go. Not much then.

However, the good news is you've got fabulous pieces of jewellery coming up,

and a couple of other good things,

-and I have a feeling that the sparklers are really going to bring them in.

-I hope so.

-Yes.

We're gonna have a look at some other things in the auction room.

Yes, I need to have a closer look, because we've only just arrived, and there's a lot here to look at.

Shall we go and see what we can find?

'While Sara and Sue head off for a strong cup of tea,

'Jonty wants to show me a bowl that will hopefully bear plenty of fruit in the saleroom.'

What's caught your eye there, Jonty?

A bit of silverware.

I've had a look in the catalogue, and I've seen its description,

and from its style, it looks quite arts and craftsy.

It's got that sort of look about it, hasn't it?

Does it actually have a hallmark?

Yes, it's got a clear hallmark round the back.

-Oh, yes.

-And that's 1926.

Now, if it was arts and crafts, this banding here particularly would all be hand-crafted,

but I believe this has probably come from a press,

and therefore it's not as crisp as it really should be.

So if it's 1926, just after the arts and crafts movement,

that's obviously someone replicating that whole field, so what sort of price would it have on it now?

In the catalogue it's estimated £150 to £200, but it's going to be more like three to five.

'We return to our places refreshed and ready to do business,

'but with so much money still to make, we need the bidders

'to have expandable wallets, and pay out £200 to £300 for our next lot.'

So, your safe-cracking exercise is about to pay off isn't it?

-I hope so. I do hope so, yes.

-With this lovely Edwardian nine carat, pearl and turquoise lady's bracelet.

-Yes.

-It's so pretty, I'm surprised you're getting rid of it.

It's beautiful but I never wear it,

and I think somebody else could enjoy it just as much as I have so yeah it's got to go.

-Did you like this one, Sue?

-I did, really.

Well, look, don't watch, don't watch, it's about to go.

£50, £50 I'm bid, a maiden bid of 50.

55 everywhere, 60.

65, 70, 75, 80.

£80 in the gallery, 85 there now.

-90, 95.

-That's good.

100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150,

160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210.

-210.

-220, 230, 230, left hand gallery at £230.

At 230 all done. 230 is the bid, then.

-Fantastic.

-Yes.

-£230.

-Brilliant, brilliant.

-That is a relief, as well.

-It is, really.

-The man in the gallery was waving away, he was quite determined to get it, wasn't he?

-Yeah.

-Well done.

'A bit of determination is just what we want,

'adding a whopping £230 towards the new synthetic lawn fund.

'Well, let's just hope that enthusiasm continues and following our poor sales earlier,

'that we get to even the balance with these brass scales,

'valued at £20 to £30.'

Did you just buy them because you liked them, you never used them?

I never used them but I lived in an old cottage,

they suited the room perfectly in the kitchen there,

but they're heavy so you need somewhere strong to hang them,

and I haven't, so they've got to go.

What are they worth? £10 surely?

ten, 12, £12 for them. For £12 anybody? 14 if you like.

For £12 they're not selling.

At £12.

-He's not selling.

-No sale.

You've got to take them home.

-Oh, no.

-Yes.

And you'll have a gift for you.

'Thanks for the offer, Sara,

'but I've got nowhere to hang them either.

'With our second no sale of the day and only five lots remaining,

'reaching that £1,500 target looks pretty slim,

'so can our bidders be tempted by another piece of fine jewellery?'

Pretty little ring, isn't it?

It's beautiful, and it's quite old, so I hope it goes for a fair bit.

-Fingers crossed.

-Start me for £30 for this, £30 for the ring.

30, 5, 40.

£40 for that ring, at £40. Five anybody?

For £40, at £40 for the ring.

Five anywhere. £40 then, not sold.

-Not sold.

-Not unhappy about that.

'The auctioneer has reserved his right not to sell the ring

'for its bottom estimate,

'as he thinks on another day, it could fetch more.

'We desperately need our luck to change,

'so we've got our fingers crossed for Sara's Hungarian pine bench

'which is about to go under the hammer.'

-Sara, this is your pine bench.

-Yeah.

A lot more space created in your sitting room now it's gone?

-It's quite a big item. I'm really, really happy to sell it.

-OK.

A lot of interest in this lot.

I'm already bid £100 for the lot.

With me at £100 for the bench.

At £100 for it, 110, 120, 130, 130, 140.

£140 for it now, 140, 150, 160.

£160 for it, at £160 for the bench.

160 it is.

Brilliant. That's really good news.

They're obviously Hungary for it!

'Even Jonty's jokes aren't going to dampen our spirits,

'as the pine bench is thankfully packed off to a new home.

'But we're still a long way off our £1,500 target.

'It has been an unpredictable day so far, especially when it comes to our jewellery

'so who knows what's going to happen

'as Sara's next treasure, worth £150 to £250, goes up for sale.'

Now as you bought yourself this opal crucifix, I'm amazed that you're selling it at all.

I loved it at the time, and I still love it, but to be honest,

I never really wore it because I like to wear big bright things as you can see,

and it's quite small so I don't really wear it so someone else can get the enjoyment from it.

-But you have put a reserve on this of £250.

-I don't want to give it away.

-At the end of the day, I'd rather take it home again, but let's see how it goes.

-Yeah.

150 I'm bid. 160, 170, 180, 190, 200,

210, 220, 230, 240, 250.

-It made the reserve.

-Yes.

-260, 270. It made 270 in the middle of the

-room, 280 there now everywhere, 290, 300, and 10, 320, 330.

-I'm really happy.

My original bidder at 330, 340 there now with the lady. 340 then. 340.

Yeah!

-And sold to a lady.

-Yeah, oh, I'm really pleased.

-Good.

-Really, really pleased.

-Well, done.

-Thank goodness.

'A staggering £340. That's more like it.

'Finally, I think we are heading in the right direction to getting Sara and her dogs their dream garden.

'But it's not quite over yet.

'Will her collection of rather worn

'but incredibly loved stuffed toys sell, and can she bear to watch?'

-I might shed a tear.

-Well, I've got my hanky at the ready.

-I think I'm going to need it.

Let's start this lot at £100 to get it going.

£120 for that lot, at £120.

Nobody want to come in for 130?

For £120. No more?

£120 for that. 120? Not sold.

They'll have to come home again!

You don't have to cry. No need for a handkerchief!

-I don't think Andy will be very happy.

-He'll go mad.

'Once again, the auctioneer has decided the true value

'of the cuddly animals was much higher and he's not sold them.

'I might have known Sara wouldn't be upset.

'This means all the pressure is on our final lot,

'but Sara's not prepared to just give it away.

Now the gold mesh bracelet is coming up.

Classic design, this, and you've put an £800 reserve on it.

Well, I really hope to get £800 for it, at the end of the day, if not, I'd rather take it home.

But I'm really hoping the room's going to be kind to us, so let's keep our fingers crossed.

I'm already bid £800. With me at 800 and 20 I'll take.

820, 840, 860 in the room against commissions then, at £860.

At 860, 880. 880 then, on the table there at £880.

On the table at £880, it's going for 880.

-That's good.

-880. Well, done.

-That's good news, isn't it? That's great.

-Wow.

-It's worth putting a reserve on it.

-Well done.

'What a remarkable end to the day, but have we reached our target?

So, the moment of truth.

-Now at the halfway stage, if you remember, we were all a bit depressed.

-We were, weren't we?

Because we'd only made £117.

-Not very good.

-Out of 1,500,

and then there were things in the second half that didn't sell at all, so we went kind of "bleugh"!

But I have to tell you, put that to one side,

it's all been good news since,

because first of all, a gentleman who wanted to buy the set of scales

arrived too late to make a bid,

went afterward and said to the auctioneer, "I'll give you 20 quid for them."

-Fantastic.

-So that's £20 to add to that.

We've had some fantastic sales on your jewellery.

Well, you wanted to raise £1,500.

What you've actually made, Sara, is...

-you've made £1,747!

-Wow!

-I'm really, really happy. That's good news.

-Well done.

-Brilliant.

I'm really happy about that.

-Oh, good. It's fantastic.

-Terrific.

So the dogs have got another £200 worth of grass they can run over.

And I'm taking the toys home!

-Yeah.

-Andy won't be happy but I'll smuggle them in, yeah.

It's been a few weeks since Sara raised £1,747 at auction,

and today we've returned to Northamptonshire where her dogs, Guy and Ronnie,

are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new artificial lawn.

The new lawn is going to completely change our lives,

because at the end of the day, we've got no more muddy feet to worry about,

we've got no more towel drying at the door, no more white floors covered in mud,

and we can just sit, relax, have a glass of wine and enjoy it now,

and it's going to look perfect for the next ten years. That's our plan.

The team arrives and begins work immediately.

Within minutes, the old lawn is being ripped up and moved out,

making way for a new dog-friendly garden.

With the ground flattened and completely prepared,

it's time for the perfect patch of grass to be put into position.

But it's the approval of Sara's pet dogs that's the real test.

There's a good boy. What's this then?

'I am so pleased with the grass. 'The guys did a really, really good job and it looks fantastic,

'and since the dogs have been outside, they haven't stopped playing on it,'

and it still looks absolutely perfect.

It's going to make a big difference to our lives, and the lack of mud is amazing,

so we're really, really pleased with it.

So at last, Sara's lawn is looking neat and tidy, and the dogs can play on it as much as they like.

Now that's what I call a result.

If there's something that you'd like to raise money for,

and you think you have things in the house that you'd be happy to sell at auction,

then why not get in touch with the programme? Just fill in our application form.

You'll find it on our website...

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