Harwood Cash in the Attic

Hello and welcome to Cash In The Attic,

the show that hunts out hidden treasures around your home then helps you sell them at auction.

Today I'm feeling extraordinarily at home and that's because I am,

this is where I live, on the tip of South Devon.

And what better way to start my day than with an exhilarating walk

along one of the most exposed peninsulas on the English coast.

A crucial landmark for shipping along this coast is the Start Point Lighthouse.

It was designed in 1836 and has been guiding ships along this treacherous coastline for 150 years or so.

In 1993, it was automated which means that it is now operated via a state-of-the-art telemetry link

from a control centre several hundred miles away in Essex.

Well, I love it here and I could just spend the whole day

taking in the scenery but we've got a job to do.

We've got to hunt out those antiques and collectibles to take to auction.

Coming up on today's Cash In The Attic -

we're handling the valuables very carefully.

Wow, that's fantastic.

Thank goodness I didn't break it.

Talk of luxury goes to our expert's head.

Now, you shouldn't be drinking tea and coffee out of this, you should be drinking champagne.

And have we created a future auction addict?

Can we come again?

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

Well, I'm on my way to say hello to some near neighbours of mine.

Now, I had no idea that they'd called in Cash In The Attic,

so that was a bit of a surprise to me.

But I gather that they make their own cider,

so I think we're in for a good day.

This cosy cottage is home to former Merchant Navy captain,

Warwick, and his wife Jill, a retired physiotherapist.

They share their home with Jill's mother, Barbara, whom they care for full time,

and all three of them have a passion for antiques.

But now they want to turn some of their treasures

into cash, for a bit of quality time away together and they've called us in to help.

-Jennie.

-This is like a dream - there's Jonty waiting for me almost on my own doorstep. Welcome.

I can't believe you live in such a beautiful part of the world.

It is lovely. I'm sorry the weather isn't up to it today but it is a beautiful village.

-So, who are we meeting today?

-They're neighbours of mine. I've never been in the house,

but he's a former sea captain, travelled all over the world, and she's an absolute sweetheart.

-I think they've got some nice things.

-Excellent.

-Come on,

let's get your expert eye working.

Well, Jill, Warwick,

I love you, I have never done a rummage so close to home. Thank you.

So, what's the idea behind my being here?

Oh, we would really like to have a break and just get away for a holiday.

And we don't really want Mother to have to go into residential care

because it's such an upheaval for her and we would prefer to have someone to look after her at home.

And so we'd like to raise the money for that.

-So, where is it you'd like to go for this holiday?

-Well, we would love to go to China.

-Really?

Is that a particular dream of yours?

Oh, yes, I've always wanted to see the Great Wall and...

That would be very special.

All right, well, you're going to need how much money, do you reckon?

We reckon £2,000 would...we hope, be sufficient to keep Barbara here

in the way she is being kept at the moment, with the two of us looking after her.

I think that would be a conservative estimate.

-We'd like more.

-Wouldn't we all!

That's quite a big target for us, so we better get going.

We've got a big day's rummaging ahead.

-Let's look around your lovely place.

-OK, off we go.

Well, I think they deserve an exotic trip, don't you?

And I've a feeling their antique collection could prove to be just the ticket.

At the helm of today's rummage is our expert Jonty Hearnden. He lives in Oxfordshire

but there's no limit to how far he'll travel

if he gets a sniff of a quality antique.

-What have you found there, Jonty?

-Oh, take a look at this.

Have a look at this. Isn't this a lovely vase?

This is Whitefriars glass.

-Oh, really.

-Were you aware of this?

-Did you know that...

-Well, I thought it might be.

-Right, OK, well,

it is the genuine article. Whitefriars glass has, all of a sudden,

-taken off in the auction rooms.

-Woo, that's good news.

-Because this vase here would have been made in 1967.

So, it's a contemporary, '60s piece of glass.

And the way they got this shape on this particular vase was that they would have used wire,

attached to the mould, twisted wire, to create this shape.

On the bottom, this is a cut-off pontil mark, that's all been ground out.

That's why I thought it might be Whitefriars.

Yes, so this is a hand-blown piece of glass.

So, have you ever considered its value at all?

-Well, I thought it might be worth about £80.

-OK,

-well, it's worth an awful lot more than that.

-Really?

-An awful lot more than that.

-Is it? I like that.

-Are you ready for this?

-He doesn't get this excited...

Yes, I'm waiting.

-£300 to £500.

-Oh, good grief! Wow.

Wow, that's fantastic.

Thank goodness I didn't break it.

Wow indeed. What an excellent start to our rummage. But with a hefty target

of £2,000, we've only just scratched the surface. There's plenty to do.

Warwick's been busy hunting around and he's come up with this Roman beaker. Its sizeable age

means that Jonty gives it an equally sizeable price tag of £100 to £200.

And there's a great addition to our kitty when Jill finds this silver cruet set.

It belongs to her mother, Barbara,

and Jonty hopes it could fetch an impressive £400 to £600 at auction.

Meanwhile, our retired captain has something else for our expert to look over.

Jonty what do you think of this thing?

-What have you got?

-I don't know.

It's a sort of gold-y type thing with a cherub on the top.

What we're looking at here is a gilded casket.

So, we've got our hinged lid, like so, and look, there we go,

on the inside we've got this padded interior.

We're looking at a casket that would've been made around the turn of the century.

It's about 100 years old. So, late Victorian,

Edwardian possibly.

-Have you ever considered its value? I bet you haven't.

-Not at all, no.

Well, something lying around in your house, it has to be worth £150, maybe £200.

-Oh, right, that's very nice to know.

-It's nice, isn't it?

-Mmm.

-So, is it something we can take to the auction?

-Yes, of course you can.

Well, Warwick certainly seemed pleased with that valuation, and it's another

£150 towards the holiday in China.

We've made a strong start so I'll leave the rummaging in Jonty's trusted hands

and join Jill and Warwick reminiscing over some old photos.

Oh, I was just looking for somewhere to have a cup of tea.

How wonderful! And you beat me to it.

-Oh, and you're going down memory lane, I see.

-Yes.

-So, how did you two meet?

-Well, I'd been staying in Hong Kong with my father for a holiday.

-He said instead of flying home I could go home on the Chusan.

-Chusan?

-One of P&O's big...

-P&O's big ships.

-Oh, I see, a big ship, OK.

We arrived in Singapore and I went ashore with a friend and he said, "There's a mate of mine over there.

"Must say hello." So he said, "Hello, Harry," and I was introduced to Harry

because he was Harry in those days.

So he joined the ship and that was it, and we knew each other for six days.

That was long enough.

-Then you proposed?

-No, no. Not quite. And then we wrote for a year. Then he came home,

-we got engaged and we were married.

-You wrote to each other for a year?

-Yes, yes.

-You became pen pals.

-And I still have the letters up in the loft.

-She says

I proposed to her in one of these - it must have been a very drunken day.

-That was the day he was inebriated!

-You're looking for written evidence.

-That's right, yes.

But being a gentleman, she took me aside to say I'd better marry her.

I know you've seen a lot of countries, thanks to Warwick

and the Navy, but you haven't seen China, have you?

I've always been interested in Chinese history

and I just think the Great Wall is an amazing construction.

So, when you're on the Great Wall,

someone will be back here looking after your mother, Barbara?

They will indeed.

I know she's a grand lady, I've met her, she's fabulous,

but it must be quite demanding to have that responsibility.

Well, it keeps us busy and we like to make her comfortable

and that inevitably makes a little bit of extra work but we plod on.

We mustn't let her down now, must we?

So we've got to get on with our rummaging and it's not going to happen if we sit here, so come on.

We are about halfway towards our target of £2,000 and Jonty is still hard at work.

He finds a collection of pheasant pattern plates and bowls by Royal Crown Derby

and hopes they'll bring us a further £100 to £200.

Warwick's clearly got the Great Wall in his sights

so he's turning out all the cupboards to help us make that target.

And next door, Jonty's discovered that those plates were just the tip of the Crown Derby iceberg.

Jill and Jennie come and have a look at this complete, massive collection I've got here.

-Look at this.

-What have you found?

I was wondering why there was a global shortage of Derby ceramics

and that's because you've got them stashed in boxes in your house.

-Something like that.

-Now, Derby ceramics

goes back to about the 1750s, that's when the factory established itself.

But by the 1770s, George III allowed the factory to have a crown on the top.

So, if you turn this cup over here, can you see that's the reason why we've got the crown there?

So, here we've got two tiers of varying sets,

in various completed forms, not so completed forms.

Some are in good condition, some are not.

Value? £500 maybe up to £1,000.

-Who knows on the day?

-Oh, that would be very good.

Yes, far better to have the money than have it stuck in a box.

Well, that huge collection of porcelain was a very welcome addition to our Chinese fund.

In the living room, Warwick has come up trumps with this beautiful silver sugar bowl.

It was a gift from Barbara, and a fantastic one too, as Jonty thinks

it could make a massive £800 to £1,500 at auction.

Our expert is still hard at work and Jill has another box of surprises for him.

Look, I've got these, Jonty, what do you think?

-These are some soft toys that I had as a child.

-Right.

-And...

-Oh, look at those.

-They're very sort of old

-and very worn.

-A lion. Look at him. I don't know if you've noticed but we've got a maker's label here,

-it says Merrythought.

-Oh, so you have.

I've never actually noticed that before because I was looking at him to see if he had a name.

Merrythought was a company that were established in 1930 and very quickly became one of the market leaders

in making soft toys like this and obviously Leo is one of those.

-This manufacturer is a label worth collecting.

-Really?

So, if we have an estimate, roughly, of sort of £50 to £80, that sort of ball park,

I'm sure we'll get some takers.

-Yes, OK.

-Shall we do that? Can we sell those?

-We'll give it a go.

-Excellent.

Leave those there and we'll march on. OK.

Well, £50 for the toys strikes me as pretty good going.

Meanwhile, in the study, I spot this 1930s barograph. It's a handsome piece of equipment

and Jonty reckons it could fetch between £200 and £300.

Well, the sun's almost setting on today's rummage

but there's one last item that seems to have got Jonty's pulse racing.

Guys, come and have a look at this fabulous coffee and tea set.

It's wonderful, it really is superb quality.

So, let's have a look at the detailing on this coffee pot,

Here we can see, and this is what it says, it says Hunt & Roskell,

and the lower case "e" means that this set would have been assayed in 1860.

This set at the time would have been a very, very expensive set indeed.

So, I believe this set to be in the region of between £1,500 and £2,500.

-My word.

-I didn't think it would be worth that much.

-Goodness gracious me. I had no idea.

It really is a wonderful set.

Now, you shouldn't be drinking tea and coffee out of this... you should be drinking champagne.

Did I hear you say champagne?

Now, all right, I admit it's not champagne but it's the next best thing,

it might be better. It's Warwick's brew of cider. Yeah, lovely.

Cos I gather we are in the mood for celebrations, is that right?

Well, I think so, yes. I think so.

-How much is this worth then?

-Well, Jonty says...

£1,500 to £2,500.

Wow, that is staggering. What an end to the day.

We were looking for £2,000 so we can get you to China. In fact,

we hope you will make £4,100.

Oh, that would be wonderful.

That really would be absolutely fantastic.

We'd be very happy with that.

I think we should celebrate, yeah?

-Yes, I think so.

-Come on, let's try this wonderful brew of yours.

-There you are, Warwick.

-Thanks, Jennie.

-OK.

-Well, cheers, guys.

-To the Great Wall.

-And to the auction.

-Cheers, guys.

Fabulous, well done.

Cheers indeed. Our search through Jill and Warwick's

beautiful home has produced a stunning collection to send to auction.

There's the massive haul of Derby china

which Jonty valued at a very pleasing £500 to £1,000.

The collection of toys from yesteryear

with a price tag of £50 to £80.

And, of course, the exquisite silver tea set,

a real quality item which could bring us between £1,500 and £2,500.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic, there are worrying times at auction.

A lot going home at the moment. A LOT going home.

But we're all pretty chuffed with some of the results.

-What do you think about that?

-Smashing.

-Yeah, that's gorgeous.

-Gorgeous.

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

Well, this one has been a really quick turnaround.

It's only a week since we were with Jill and Warwick and today we've all made the long trek from South Devon

here, to Chiswick auction rooms in West London.

Now, we've got a really big target today - £2,000 -

so that Jill's mother Barbara can be well cared for when Jill and Warwick head off for a well-earned holiday

and visit the Great Wall of China.

So, we really do have our work cut out today when their items go under the hammer.

Jill and Warwick's lots are in good company today as there's a fantastic selection of items up for sale.

And the bidders are lining up for the auction to get under way.

I find Jonty giving our star item the once-over.

-Hi, Jonty.

-Hi, Jennie.

-You've found the tea set.

This has been in the vault all night, hasn't it?

Yes, it's just literally come out because it's so expensive.

But I know they recognise it as quality, as did you - how, why?

One big tip. We've got a group of markings.

The only one you should be able to identify, the only one you're really, really looking for,

is the sideways lion, the lion passant.

That means that this jug is solid silver, worth an awful lot more.

People will be scouring their cupboards but we better the scour the place for Jill and Warwick,

they might have arrived by now.

And we don't have to search too hard as we find our globe-trotting couple

checking out how one of their largest lots looks in the saleroom.

-Morning, Jill.

-How are we?

-Hello, Jonty.

-Nice to see you.

The Crown Derby made it safely.

It did, thank goodness, yes.

-Got some of it here, I think there's a lot more on display, isn't it?

-Yes, a big, big collection.

We saw your silver tea and coffee service. It's been in the safe all night,

-you'll be pleased to know.

-Gosh.

-Yeah.

A lot of people have been looking at that too. I hope there's some interest shown in that.

-Oh, good.

-There's going to be a lot of interest, believe you me,

-so don't worry about that.

-I think word has gone out there's a bit of quality silver around.

-Oh, good.

Well, I think, actually, it's going to start any minute,

-might already have started. Let's go.

-Right, come on.

Remember, if you are planning on buying or selling at auction,

be aware that commission and other possible charges will be added to your bill.

So, always check the details with your local auction house.

It's a busy saleroom so we find a spot with a good view.

And just in time, as we're straight in with our first lot.

-So, this is the bronze gilded casket, remember, the one you found downstairs?

-Yeah, yeah.

I've put £150 on it. Low end estimate. Let's see what we get.

-Do you think we'll get that?

-Hopefully.

-Right.

-You never know.

-Good.

Nice lot this, 210. Where shall we start?

Start me for £80, 80, 5,

90, 5,

95, 100... £100, 110, 110 there.

120... 130... 140... 150...

£150. In the middle of the room at 150. 160... 160 bidding there.

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

210, nearer to me at 210,

At 210, in the black shirt, £210, 210.

-Excellent. 210

-What do you think about that?

-Smashing.

-Yeah?

-That's gorgeous.

-Gorgeous!

What a cracking start to our sale.

But with a massive target of £2,000 to reach,

we need all our lots to perform at the top of their game.

Will the Crown Derby plates and bowls do as well?

We're hoping for £100 to £200.

Start me for £50. 55,

60, 5, 70.

£70 that lot, £70...

5 anywhere. For £70. At £70 all done. £70? Not sold.

-He didn't sell them.

-No, unsold.

Well, the plates didn't quite fly off the shelf after all.

So they'll be heading back with Jill and Warwick.

There's another item to pack up

when the Roman glass fails to reach its estimate of £100 to £200.

Not sold.

-Not sold.

-Not sold.

-Never mind.

It's been an unsteady start.

So, will Jill's toys

win the bidders' hearts and bring us a welcome £50 to £80?

Four early toys.

Are they worth...£30? 30, 5, 40.

£40 for those toys, at £40, £40.

At 5, anybody. For £40.

£40 then... Not sold.

-Oh, no.

-You're going to be taking those home too.

-Not to worry.

Our couple are putting a brave face on things,

but with three unsold items in a row, their Chinese trip

is seeming more of a dream than a reality.

Can our barograph persuade the bidders to open their wallets?

A bit of interest in this, a couple of bids on it.

I'm bid 190, with me, at £190 straight off.

200, 210 with me, 220 in the room. £220,

against commissions, then, at 220. At £220. In the room at 220.

-That's fantastic.

-It's pretty good, isn't it, yeah?

-It's fantastic.

Finally, a sale after three disappointments.

£220 for the barograph is a brilliant result

and a good boost for the fund for the China trip.

The Whitefriars glass vase is next. After his initial excitement,

Jonty has decided his estimate may have been on the high side

so he's lowered it to a more cautious £100 to £200.

Time to find out if he was right.

What am I bid? 50 for that. £50,

40 for it, 45, 50,

£50 for the vase, at £50,

55 are you bidding 55? 60, 65,

somebody else bidding over there?

70, 75, 80, 85, 90,

95, 100, 110, 120, 130,

130, then. Far back £130.

At 130, the lady at the back. 130, then. 130.

-Not bad at all.

-I'm still very... I'm chuffed to bits for you.

So, Jonty was right to adjust his estimate.

And Jill and Warwick certainly seem happy.

It's one of our highest-valued lots up next. And, I for one am a fan.

I love your Crown Derby china.

I think it is very, very attractive and eye-catching and it looked glorious here this morning.

-It still does over there.

-Yes, it's quite pretty, isn't it?

300 start me, 300.

310, 320, 330,

£330 for that Derby, at £330. For £330.

You all finished? £330... Not sold.

Take it home.

Lot 247 is the...>

A lot going home at the moment, a LOT going home.

That's obviously a massive blow but Jill and Warwick are being stoic.

We've only got the silver items left to go. After a turbulent morning,

the whole trip to China relies on these three lots,

so it's a nail-biting time.

Where shall we start this? For a couple of hundred pounds start me, 200, 210, 220, 230...

£230 for it, at 230.

240, 250, 260, 270,

£270. At £270, at 270,

At £270 for the cruet stand, it's going for 270.

-Are you disappointed?

-No... But not delighted.

Well, £270 was a long way below Jonty's lowest estimate, but it's

still a sizeable addition to our fund. I hope the silver buyers get

a bit more excited about our two remaining lots, though.

The sugar bowl is up next, with a whopping estimate of £800 to £1,500.

Nice lot, this. Where we shall start this? Start me at £700 and we'll go in 20s. For £700, 720,

740, 760. All done for £800...

820... 840...

860, 860. To my left at £860. At £860.

All done. £860 for that. 860.

-Blimey.

-860.

-Wow.

-And it was just sitting there with my little silver sixpences in it.

-Really?

-That's right.

What a result - and Warwick can't believe his luck.

Finally, it's time for our star lot to take centre stage.

My heart was beating over this one, your coffee and tea set.

Everyone saw this wonderful quality but will it make it? What's the reserve?

-Well, we've got a firm reserve of £1,500 on it, which is my lower end estimate.

-Huge money.

So, it's really got to get there.

Lot 258. Nice quality, this. Good make, 258. Where shall we start this?

Start me for £1,000. £1,000 I'm bid, £1,000 and 50,

£1,100 and 50. £1,150, 1,200...and 50, 1,300...

and 50. £1,350, at 1,350, £1,350...

It is low. Need a little bit more. >

-£1,350...

-14.

-No... 1,350.

Unsold.

Now, I noticed there was somebody clearly bidding at £1,400.

Do you want it sold at £1,400?

-Yes, yes. Do that.

-Do you want do that?

-Yes, yes.

OK, I'll have a word with the auctioneer and see if we can get it sold.

-I know exactly who that bidder is. Just wait there.

-Thank you very much.

That would be good, wouldn't it? That's very close to your reserve.

-Yes, and I really don't want to take it home.

-Fingers crossed he can do it.

-Fingers crossed.

So, as Jonty goes off to seal the deal,

we are left waiting and wondering whether the Great Wall

will end up as a great dream.

-Good news, guys... It's sold. £1,400.

-Oh, well done.

-So, we've achieved what we meant to do.

-£1,400.

-Wonderful, thank you.

-Thank you.

What a relief. £1,400 is just what we needed for our kitty.

With the auction over, it's time to tot up the ticket fund.

-All right, so, £2,000 we were looking for, it was a big ask, I know.

-It was, yes.

-Yes.

-And this is all so that Barbara could be looked after while you go to the Great Wall of China.

-Yes.

Well, I can tell you that at the end of a very topsy-turvy day,

you have made...

£3,090.

-Wow.

-That's brilliant.

-Congratulations.

-And we're taking all that stuff back, as well.

-And you've got a lot more to sell.

Can we come again?

It's been a few weeks since Warwick and Jill raised a spectacular £3,090

and today they're indulging in some pre-holiday relaxation with a cosy lunch for two

at the Buckland Tout-Saints Hotel near Kingsbridge.

Its really lovely to come out for a day and spend some time together

because so often we have to go out singly because one of us has to be at home, looking after my mother.

-And we're going to really enjoy it, aren't we?

-Today is a good day.

Lovely being here.

They've certainly got plenty to talk about and plan...for their holiday.

Great Wall of China, Terracotta Army,

the Three Gorges of the Yangtze cruise, and Shanghai.

I think they are getting a taste for luxury as they enjoy their gourmet lunch.

I can't wait to hear all about that trip to China when they get home.

I thought when we retired, this is what retirement's all about.

And I'm so, so looking forward to taking Jill somewhere different this time.

-And China is the somewhere different we're going, we hope.

-Indeed.

-A holiday together, without any cares.

-That's right.

Here's hoping that Jill and Warwick have a wonderful trip to China.

I can't wait to hear about it when they get back.

And I'll be on hand to make sure Barbara's in safe hands.

If you'd like to raise money for something and you think you might

have some valuables hidden around your home, why not apply to come on the show?

You can find all the details online at:

Good luck and maybe see you next time on Cash In The Attic.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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