Goodess Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic, the programme that comes into your home

and hunts for antiques and collectables with you

and then sells them with you at auction.

Today I'm in Nottinghamshire

and I've come to the historic market town of Newark-on-Trent

and these ancient, crumbling walls behind me

are all that are left of the original Castle of Newark,

which has stood proudly on this site,

on the banks of the River Trent, for the best part of 900 years.

The first castle was built here in the 11th century

and its position and strength meant that it was known for a long time

as "The key of the north."

During the Baronial and English Civil Wars,

the castle survived five sieges, although it was severely damaged.

All that remains now is the gatehouse,

the curtain wall and north west tower,

but it is still open to the public all the year round

and well worth a visit.

Well, we can hardly begin to imagine all the scenes that these walls

have witnessed over the years with those battles and bloodshed,

but we're about to launch a bit of an invasion of our own now

as we go in search of antiques and collectables

that we can take to auction.

Coming up on today's Cash In The Attic -

we're going into battle with antiques to hand.

-What have you got there?

-Careful, I'm armed and dangerous!

We've got a real hoarder to tackle.

I think I'm a magpie, that's what it is. It was shiny and I thought...

-So you haven't used it?

-Never!

And there are some satisfied customers when we go to auction.

Excellent, isn't it!

That's made my day!

But will be feeling victorious when the final hammer falls?

I'm about to meet a lady that I think is going to be a lot of fun.

She's called in the Cash In The Attic team

because she wants to raise funds to take her husband

on a much-needed and well-deserved break.

This delightful cottage in the heart of the Nottinghamshire countryside

is home to retired businesswoman Sue Goodess.

Sue's spent years trawling boot fairs and junk shops

and her purchases are piled high all around this charming home.

But she's decided to turn some of her collectables into cash

for a very special surprise trip,

and her close friend, Carol, is here to lend a helping hand.

-Good morning, Jonty.

-How are you?

-I'm very well.

Welcome to Newark,

the home of one of the country's largest international antiques fairs.

And I have just spent the morning at Newark Castle,

which means that between us, we are absolutely in the mood

for all things antique and ancient,

which is absolutely right because the lady we're about to meet

is desperate to clear her house of a load of clutter.

-Sounds like a job for me.

-I think it does.

Lots of things that we can take to auction, I hope.

Shall we go and see them?

This is a classic Mary Poppins moment, isn't it? Feed the birds!

As long as we don't sing!

No, no singing today because we've got lots of things to do

with Jonty later on, finding stuff to take to auction.

So why have you called us in?

Well, I've got that much stuff, anyway,

and this person next to me, Carol, has been onto me

for the last few years to get rid, de-clutter.

Carol, I know you're an interior designer.

You must come into this house and want to go, "Pow!" and get rid of everything?

I want to black-bag it, collect everything in a black bag, I do.

She keeps saying, "When you see me coming down the lane,"

because there's this lane here, it goes to nowhere,

she says, "And I've got black bags..."

-I'm coming to black-bag!

-No, no, please!

-And I'm sure she hides!

-Yeah, I do, I do, honestly!

You must be thrilled that she's called in

the Cash In The Attic team to take some things to auction?

-I am.

-Oh, yes!

-We told her to go.

Now what are we raising the money for?

Well, it's a bit of a secret, really.

Right, OK. I won't tell anybody.

-Promise?

-Well, I might tell Jonty.

No, it's for Nigel, my husband.

I'm still recovering from a really big operation on my back

and he was brilliant and I've got, well I did have,

we've got rid of it now, I had a shop and a catering business

and Nigel just took it over and came home and looked after me

when the shop was closed.

So, you know, it's just thank you, really.

So this is something very special for a very special man!

It is, very much, yes.

How much are we going to raise for this, then?

Well, I thought about £250, £300.

-About £300?

-Yeah, I thought that would be, you know, really nice.

Do you reckon she's got £300 worth of stuff in there?

Oh, definitely!

We're going to let Jonty in on the secret

-and let's go see what we can find!

-Fantastic!

With such a very special trip to plan,

we need to keep our eyes fixed firmly on the target today

and we've got our expert Jonty Hearnden here to head up the search.

With years of antiques trade experience under his belt,

we're in very capable hands.

-Hi, Jonty! What have you got there?

-Careful, I'm armed and dangerous!

-Ha, ha, ha! What is it?

-It's a coal scuttle.

Well, it's not really a coal scuttle, it's more a coal scoop.

A coal scuttle really is designed to house your coal,

but here you've got these two handles and there's nowhere to stand it.

So, of course, it's something to scoop up

and to place into possibly the fire, into an engine. Where is it from?

I think we bought that from Sheffield.

-We were shopping for a day and I spotted that.

-And?

Nigel wasn't very keen!

What did he have to say about it?

"What do you want that for?"

And what did you want it for?

I don't really know! I don't know!

As you've seen, I've got lots of things I don't really know!

There must have been something about it that appealed to you?

I think it was because it's quite rustic and, you know,

I really thought, "That's different."

It's so tactile. The timber is elm, and elm is a relatively soft timber.

You can tell it's elm by this very wavy grain. Can you see that?

-Yes.

-But you can see also how soft the timber is,

because where it has been used, and it must have been used

for quite some time, it really has worn away.

So this would have been probably a square edge,

but now can you see how it's all lovely and rounded?

And if you look at the handles here, these two handles,

there's a lovely balance to it. So is this something we can sell?

Yes, I think so. I think so, yes.

-How much did you pay for it?

-Ooh, I can't remember, Angela!

-Roughly?

-About 30, I think.

-Might have been a little bit more.

-Will we get that back, Jonty?

-I think we can get your money back on that.

-Great!

It's definitely worth a good £30 for this, so I would put £30 to £40

-most definitely for it to sell.

-Brilliant, that's great!

Well, it may not be scooping up some coal,

but it will be scooping up some profit, hopefully,

-towards the secret!

-Sshh!

-OK.

-I think we're going to get more money.

Shall we go and find out if you've got anything else?

What am I saying? The house is full of stuff! Let's go!

Coal scuttle, £30 to £40.

It's about, that's what I paid for it.

Very interesting knowing its history.

It's a tactile object, it's really good

and I think Nigel will be glad to see the back of it!

Well that's the first few pounds towards the trip,

but it's onwards and upwards as there's £300 to find today.

Carol has been braving the cold outside, but it's proved worthwhile

as she spots this iron fire surround, which Jonty values

at a very warming £30 to £40.

Back inside, Sue has got something that she thinks

our expert might take a shine to.

Where's this from?

It was an antique shop in Southwell where we used to live. Yes.

And you were thirsty?

Well...daft again!

I bought something...I think I'm a magpie. I think that's what it is.

It was shiny, and I thought...

-So have you ever used it?

-Never! Never!

Now, in style, this is 18th century in style,

but really what we're looking for are those hallmarks

because if it has hallmarks, it's worth quite a bit of money.

And we're looking for that sideways lion, the hallmarks.

That will tell us that it's solid silver,

but there's no markings here at all,

but we've got a stamp on the underside and it says,

"Best Britannia Metal, Sheffield."

Sheffield plate.

But if it had been solid silver,

we would have been talking a lot of money,

because it's in the sort of style of the 18th century,

but I would suppose this is around the turn of the century.

-When I say turn of the century, it's about 100 years old.

-Right.

So what we're looking at here is, that's still either bone or ivory.

It's a little bit difficult to tell exactly what that is

because it's a little grubby

and I can't really see underneath all of that.

-Would that come off?

-It would clean.

That would clean without any problem at all,

but all this chased decoration around the outside,

it has a very 18th century-feel,

and you see there's also this ribbed decoration as well.

-That's all 18th century.

-Right.

-So what have we got there? We've got a creamer as well.

-Yes.

-Did that come with it?

-No.

It was bought separately, yeah.

But we've got all sorts of other goodies as well!

-Lots of bits in there.

-Let me have a look for you.

Have a look at this one.

There we go.

-Hallmarks.

-Fantastic!

That's what we're looking for, solid silver,

so we've got a few more in there.

That's definitely worth putting into the auction sale.

You'd put those in as one?

-Sell the whole lot together.

-Right. Yeah.

So this whole basket here,

-you put that into the basket.

-Right.

£40 to £60. Just like that!

-Yep, that's good!

-So we're really getting there.

-We're kind of like sorting it out for you, aren't we?

-Yes, you are.

-That's great!

-I'm going to take that away,

-for a bit of packing.

-OK.

Well, that's another great step towards the £300.

Sue really does have an eye for quality,

and Carol also seems to have a real knack for spotting collectables,

as she has found a collection of brass.

Jonty packs it off to auction with a very shiny £30 to £50 price tag.

We're making excellent progress,

so I leave the rummaging in Jonty's capable hands.

So, Sue and Carol, how did you both meet? Carol?

Once I had the shop and Sue came to my shop, didn't you?

This was your interior design shop?

-Yes.

-What were you doing in that instead of an antique shop?

It looked so interesting!

Of course, a lot of the stuff in the house actually came from France.

What was the story there?

We saw this school and school house.

It was really a lot of property for the money,

and that was the start of it.

Nigel wanted to live there, full-time, at one stage

and I think 13, 15 years later we'd still not finished

all of the work that needed doing.

And, well, England is beautiful, it is, we're very lucky,

and we're lucky where we are now, so we've got our own France here.

So what made you give up France?

I used to come back on the boat, after maybe a month out there,

and I'd be covered in paint, I'd have broken nails, white skin

and I'd look around the boat and there's all these relaxed people

with lovely nails and I'd think,

"This is not right, something is wrong here."

So I looked and then I used to go back to work

and I'd feel awful, I'd feel really, really tired.

Because you'd spent the whole time decorating?

Decorating, plumbing, mixing cement, gardening,

because it was a big garden over there as well, so...

Now, you're an interior designer, Carol,

so when you came into this house for the first time,

what did you think?

I thought, "Do we need any more furniture in here?"

SHE LAUGHS

Yes...

And, "Please can I get my hands on it and do something with it?"

-"Please can I clear it?"

-Yeah!

-"Can we sort it?"

You may not be able to do a job on the place with a black bin bag,

but we are at least making a start.

So the money is, of course, going to go to something very, very special.

-Shall we go and see what else Jonty has managed to find?

-Yes!

We've only scratched the surface of Sue's collection,

so it's back to work to raise that £300.

Jonty has been tackling one of the bedrooms and he's topped up our fund

with another £10 to £20 when he spots this silver bracelet,

and I've made a rather unusual find.

I know that's a gardening glove...

-What have you got there? What have you got?

-It's a gardening glove!

but did you know you'd put them in there?

About three years ago, I think!

-Put them back!

-You wondered where your gardening gloves went?

Do you know, I knew I'd put them somewhere!

But these are wonderful old kettles, aren't they, Jonty?

They're great. Let me have a look at these. We've got a pair here. Whoa!

-They're so heavy! Cast iron!

-Where have they come from?

Originally?

From, I think it was Newark, the market in Newark, there yes.

-The one in the middle of town?

-Yes.

-What are they, Jonty?

-Well, they are designed to boil water.

The flat bottom is so you can actually place them onto the range,

but you therefore, can also do that because of your flat bottom,

but the other thing you can do, of course, is hang them on a hook

and put them on more of an exposed fire,

so you've got the dual purpose for a kettle like this.

So a stove and open fire?

And because you can be so near,

or if you are so near to the fire itself, you've got this extended tap,

the brass tap at the bottom, so you don't have to scald yourself

every time you want to access the hot water.

But it's more a kettle for boiling water than an urn for making tea?

Yeah, yeah. It's for boiling the hot water,

and I can see you've leaded them, somewhat.

It's coming off on my hands, but they're not identical, are they?

Because this one is slightly taller

and we've got the hook on the top there.

And it says, "Two gallons," on them.

They would have been really heavy, wouldn't they?

They still are! Yes.

What sort of period are we talking about here?

Well, this sort of range, I suppose,

would be designed for around the turn of the century

and they would also be used, say, on barges for instance, as well.

Ah, that's what the chap said, actually, yes.

They would be designed for that sort of purpose.

All right! So he was right.

The time before, of course, you had electric kettles.

A kettle like this will always be designed to be placed onto the range

and you would have instant access to boiling water, almost 24/7.

-Do you remember how much you paid for these?

-I think...

I think it was about £40, £30...it could have been £50, I'm not sure.

What do you reckon we might get for them now at auction, Jonty?

I think we'll be able to get your money back or thereabouts.

I'd probably put a lower estimate at auction, so I would say £30 to £40.

That's great!

But there are people out there that still want to decorate their range,

because a fireplace like this looks so much better

with just the odd object on it, rather than just the range itself.

You've got to have the objects around it.

Jonty, you can carry them to auction.

Sue and I are going to see what else she's got in the house.

I'm going to flex my muscles. Watch this, girls! Watch this.

The £30 to £40, the estimate, is roughly what I paid for them.

They're not everybody's cup of tea,

and you've got to black-lead them as well.

So, yes, it's good. It's all money in the pot and that's good.

That's the attitude, Sue.

As we continue the search, I find a framed map of Lincolnshire,

which Jonty hopes will show the bidders

the way towards £10 or £20 worth of cold, hard, cash.

There's another good addition to the kitty when Sue also decides

to part with these five framed nautical pictures.

They could top up our fund by £30 to £40.

Jonty has spotted our first piece of furniture today.

Carol, come and have a look at this chair.

I know you're an interior designer.

-Have you ever really noticed this chair before?

-I haven't.

Do you know anything about it?

Sue bought it from the Newark Antique Fair,

about 15 years ago and paid £20, £25 for it.

OK. OK.

Did she buy it thinking that it was an antique?

I think she did, actually.

Well, I have to say, it's not,

and there's all sorts of reasons as to why it's not.

First of all, it's the colour.

Now, when you look at reproduction furniture,

to me, they're kind of like two tonal -

either light or dark.

But when you look at really old antique furniture,

150-year-old furniture, it really goes from very light to very dark

and all the shades in between.

So when it comes to antique furniture,

many antiques, turn it upside down.

This business is such a feely, touchy business.

So if I turn this chair upside down here.

Have a look at that underside of that chair.

-Can you see that's just one colour tone?

-Yeah.

If this was a proper antique,

you'd have all sorts of different shades under there,

possibly even marks under the side where hands have been as well.

And have a look at the wear, or the lack of wear, on the feet here.

There's a bit of wear, but not 150 years' worth of wear,

because this chair should be 100 to 150 years old.

It's "in the style of."

So for all those reasons, it's not the real McCoy.

So value.

If this chair HAD been 150 years old in this sort of condition,

then it would be £200 to £300 at auction,

but because it's a reproduction, we have to take the zeros off of that,

so we're really looking at only £20 to £30.

-Definitely time to de-clutter?

-Definitely.

-Yes?

-Yes.

-Fits in with your grand scheme of things?

-It does.

Yes? Off to the auction sale?

-Definitely.

-Good. OK. Well, we'll leave that there.

-OK.

But at £20-30, it means we've got a lot more searching to do, yeah?

-A lot to look for.

-OK. Come on, I'll leave that there.

It just goes to show, not everything is what it seems.

It may not be 150 years old,

but it is another few pounds towards our target.

It's nearly the end of our day here,

but Sue and I just might have one more find up our sleeves.

Jonty, can you come and take a pause from your rummaging

-and just have a look at the clock?

-The clock?

-Yes.

-Wow! Let's have a closer look at this.

It's quite handsome, isn't it?

We're looking at a mantel clock here,

and if you just look at the outer casing,

if you look at all the inlaid work and the style of the casing as well,

it has almost like a pagoda top to it,

and then we're looking at all the inlay.

That gives it a date, essentially.

-So this clock would have been made about 100 years ago.

-Oh, right.

It's about a turn of the century mantel clock.

Mantel clocks are always designed with these flat bottoms

to literally be placed on top of a mantel shelf

-and this is slightly larger than the norm.

-Oh, right.

Have you ever had it on a very large mantel shelf at all?

I don't think we have.

I can't remember it being, no. I can't remember it being, no.

But presumably then it would come from a rather grand house, Jonty?

Yes, it would have done. Yes.

The bigger the mantel shelf, the bigger your mantel clock!

And if you look at the features at the top there,

do you see it says, "Silent," and "Chime?"

Now, that means that you can have this clock on silent

if you wish, and from a retail perspective,

that's a really good item to have.

That's a really good addition to a clock like this,

simply because not everyone wants their timepiece chiming at three,

four, or five or even six o'clock in the morning.

So you can set it to silent,

so from a retail point of view, that's good news.

So what do you reckon if we took it to auction, Jonty?

I would value the clock now at around the £100 mark

in the auction room, so estimate in the catalogue will be £80 to £120.

-Brilliant!

-If you want to put a reserve on it, that's fine,

because that's a very good price, a good estimate to put on it.

-I think, because...

-To attract the buyers.

I'll tell you what...

Jonty says £80 to £100. If we add that to what he's already looked at

and take the lowest estimate on everything he gave you,

I think we might have some good news for you,

but I think we ought to share it with Carol.

Carol! Come and join us in Ye Olde Curiosity Shop here.

Jonty has just been looking at that clock that Nigel bought, and I've done a quick tot-up

because he says that could be £80 to £100 and knowing that you want to raise £300 at least...

He's not listening, is he?

No! To take Nigel on a trip to London.

I think that on Jonty's lowest estimates,

we should be able to make £310.

That's fantastic!

But that's at the lowest estimate.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-That would be brilliant.

On a good day, we might actually make a bit more than that!

Oh, that would be fantastic!

Yes, as long as there's enough for a glass or two of bubbly!

Sue's cottage really proved to be an Aladdin's cave and luckily

we've saved all sorts of collectables from ending up in Carol's bin bags.

Heading off to the sale room is the collection of silver items, which we're hoping will put in a

sterling performance and make us £40 to £60, joined by the charming pair of barge kettles

which Jonty valued at £30 to £40

although I think Sue might be hanging onto the gardening gloves that I found inside...

and we'll be keeping our fingers crossed for our star item -

that lovely mantel clock!

With an estimate of £80 to £120, there's a big chunk of our target riding on it.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic, our expert is being rather cautious with some lots!

-Don't expect miracles, but if it sells, it will be great, OK?

-And here it goes.

And has he been giving our family lessons in clock-related jokes?

I think it's chime for it to go!

But, joking aside, will we all be smiling when the final hammer falls?

Well, it's been a week or two now since we were with Sue and her friend Carol

in that charming but definitely very cluttered home of hers in Nottinghamshire

so not surprisingly, we did find lots of lovely things to bring here to sell today

at Chiswick Auctions in West London.

Now just to recap, Sue wants £300 so that she can give her very supportive husband, Nigel,

a surprise weekend in London,

so what we need are lots of very willing bidders and a bit of good luck

to ensure that she makes that target when her things go under the hammer!

It's shaping up to be a busy day here at Chiswick,

with plenty of bidders browsing the sale room already,

but, before things get going, I catch up with Jonty for a quick pre-sale chat.

-Morning, Jonty.

-Angela, hi.

Are you checking inside to see if the gloves are still there?

-I was, I was, and they're not!

-Do you know, I think Sue was more surprised than we were that they were there!

-I think you're absolutely right!

-But she did have...

It was an incredibly cluttered house but weren't there some great things there?

Great fun! Do you remember that coal scoop? There's so much

and I think that mantel clock is very good quality, very good quality.

It is. I must say, I'm hard-pressed to remember what we did bring,

because the house was so full of stuff, but we know that her target is, what, £300?

-Yeah.

-So that she can give Nigel that surprise weekend in London!

-That's going to be so fantastic!

So we're going to have to be very careful today when we're talking during the auction

because Nigel is not supposed to guess until the very end,

and that's the bit I can't wait for, when we say to him

"Nigel, this is for you!" I should say that quietly, because I think Sue and Carol are here

-so shall we go and see them?

-Mum's the word.

We'd better remember to keep our lips sealed about the weekend today.

We spot the ladies having a quick look around the sale room,

but there's no sign of the guest of honour!

-Sue, Carol!

-Hi!

-Hi!

-The most important question is, is Nigel here?

Yes, but he doesn't know anything!

-You haven't told him yet?

-No.

-Very good.

-So it's still going to be a surprise?

-Yes!

Oh, fantastic!

How have you managed to keep it a secret?

It's been very difficult!

It's been really difficult!

-What have you been saying every time he says "What's the money for?"

-Well, I've been naughty.

I've said it's for a bar bill.

THEY LAUGH

-And he believed me!

-Oh, dear!

-Yeah!

You've been taking a last look at the clock.

Yes, yes. It's a little bit sad,

-but, it's got to go.

-Have you put a reserve on it at all?

Yes, yes, it's on its lowest estimate.

-We've put a reserve on, it's £80, so, yeah.

-That's good.

I think it's such a lovely clock, I'm sure we'll do very well with that.

Oh, I hope so, I hope so.

So when it came to getting rid of everything that was in the house,

did you manage to make her get rid of any of the clutter?

No, I haven't, no. She won't let me in!

Well, I might, just before.

-I'm going next week.

-Well, after today, she might get the bug for it!

-She might, she might.

-I can feel it's getting nearer, yeah!

THEY LAUGH

Well, look, there's lots of people here that want to buy your things.

-Ooh, I hope so!

-So shall we take our place over in the corner?

Lovely!

Remember, if you're planning on buying or selling at your local auction house,

be aware that commission and other charges may be added to your bill,

so always check the details with the sale room first.

With plenty of bidders and the auctioneer in position...

we find a spot in the corner of the room, and it's finally time to meet the guest of honour.

Well, Nigel, it's lovely to see you!

-Very pleased to be here, Angela.

-Have you been to an auction before?

-First time, actually!

-Really?

So how do you feel about the first time at auction seeing all of your things go under the hammer?

-A bit nervous!

-It's all right. We'll look after you.

-Thank you.

-Now the first thing that is going under the hammer is the Windsor armchair.

Is this one that you have sat in for many hours being uncomfortable?

No!

Start me at £20. It's worth more. I'm bid at £20,

£20, 2, £25 there, 28, 30, 32, 35,

-38, 40, 42, 45, 48...

-Well done!

It's now at £45.

I'm going to sell it at £45. £45, last chance, selling at 45.

All done at 45.

£45! Pleased with that?

-Very surprised!

-Well done!

£15 over Jonty's top estimate.

That's a terrific start to the day

and long may it continue as we're looking to make at least £300.

As our second lot comes up for sale,

we're hoping that it's going to warm the cockles of our bidders' hearts.

It's the wooden coal scoop which Jonty valued at £30 to £40.

Now Carol, you do lots of interior designs.

Is this the kind of thing that would look lovely in somebody else's house?

I would perhaps use it to put French bread in!

-Yes!

-In the kitchen, hang it somewhere that you could put bread or something like that.

Oh, perhaps I could change my mind...

No, no, no.

It's about to go under the hammer.

I'm bid £20, at £20, give me 22, at £20, take 2.

Do you want to give me 22?

25, 25, 28, 30, 32, 35, 38, 40, 42, 45, 48, 50.

It's in front of me at £48. All done at £48, then?

The bid is here at £48. Last chance, I'm selling at £48, and gone.

£48!

Brilliant!

-Brilliant!

-Not bad for a thing that holds bread!

That's £8 over Jonty's top estimate.

We're all feeling pretty pleased, so far,

but will the mood continue

as the framed map of Lincolnshire tries its luck in the sale room?

Well, Jonty has put, what, £10 to £20 on this.

-Is it a very old map, Jonty?

-Not particularly, but it is...

People always want maps, particularly if you live in the county.

It's still a fashionable thing to have it hanging on your wall,

so that's the reason why I selected it and we put it in but don't expect miracles.

-If it sells, it will be great, OK?

-Well, here it goes, here it goes.

Right, the good reproduction coloured map of Lincolnshire. £20 for it? £10 for it.

Who will give me £10, £5 for it?

No-one want it at £5? I'm bid at 5, 6 there, 7, 8?

At £7 a bid of £7, you want 8?

You might get lost one day... you might need it!

I'm bid £7, at £7, I'm going to sell it, at £7 that's the bid I've got, at £7, at £7, are you all done?

At £7 it's gone.

It's still better than nothing!

That's a disappointing result but Sue doesn't seem to mind too much.

Hopefully we'll be back on track soon

as the silver bracelet goes under the hammer.

So, £10 to £20, is that about right for this, Jonty?

Yes. I'm convinced it's silver,

but because it's not technically hallmarked, at auction you can't call it silver.

That's the reason why in the catalogue it says "white metal".

£10 for it? £10 for it? £5 for it?

I'm bid at 5, 6 there, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12.

At 10 I'm bid, who will give me 12? At £10. That's the money at £10.

Selling cheap at £10, gone.

That's very cheap.

Well done, that's good.

It doesn't seem much for this charming bracelet

but it is bang on Jonty's estimate. We're making steady progress,

but we do need to bank a lot more cash

if we're going to raise that £300 for Nigel's surprise trip.

We're almost halfway through the sale but there's no time for a rest and a cuppa,

despite our next lot being tea-related.

It's the pair of barge kettles which Jonty valued at £30 to £40.

Lot 160A, now.

The two large cast-iron kettles, with brass spigots, number 160A, industrial kettles.

160A, what are these worth? For the two, £20?

I'm bid at £20, give me 22, 22 there,

25, 28, 30, 32, 35, 38, 40, 42, 45, 48, 50...

-£50!

-5, 60,

5, 70? No at £60, take 5?

At £60, take 5, all done?

For £60, are you sure? For £60 and gone. 256.

Brilliant, fantastic, thank you!

-Are you happy?

-Yes! Great!

Well, Sue is certainly a satisfied customer

and with another £60 towards the trip, it's easy to see why.

Next up is a collection of five paintings, two of St Ives

and three separate nautical paintings,

which Jonty has put together as one lot. We're hoping for £30 to £40 for the five of them.

It sounds like a bargain to me!

Now I'm rather fond of St Ives, and I spent a lot of my childhood in St Ives on holiday

and I thought that the two pictures you had of St Ives

along with the three others that are coming up now are really rather charming. Where did you get them?

I actually got them from a car boot sale, didn't I?

We did, yeah.

-And it was at the end of a car boot sale.

-Yes.

-I think I only paid something like a fiver each for them, something like that.

-Did you?

Great bargain, fantastic.

What was your intention when you bought them? What did you want to do with them?

You're going to want me to say I put them on the wall, aren't you?

I think I know the answer!

You've sussed me out, you lot!

-So they never made it to the wall?

-No, 'fraid not...

Ooh, they did, actually, only one of them, didn't it?

Only one did, yes.

-So I was half right.

-It had its moment in the sun!

-It really did!

-They're now going to have their moment under the hammer.

We want £20 to £30. Very modest.

Let's see what they make.

For this lot, start me at £20, £20?

I'm bid at £20, give me £22?

I'm at £20, 22, 25, 28, 30, 32?

I'm bid £30, take 2 at £30.

We're at £30.

32, 35, 38. It's your bid at £38.

Take £40, at £38? Last chance at £38, your bid. £38.

-We're sailing!

-£38! Terrific!

-That's brilliant.

-That was a great return on your original £10!

-It was!

-And that's the kind of maths we like, selling just under Jonty's top estimate,

it's another good addition to the London trip kitty.

Can our next lot prove as popular? There's certainly plenty in it.

Silver-plated tea pot, napkin rings and there's a kind of collection of other bits and pieces.

£40 to £60, Jonty?

-Yes. I've put £40 to £60 on it, so it should sell.

-Right, that's good.

Start me at £20, here we go £20?

I'm at £20, at £20, take 22, £20, take 2.

22, 25, 28, 30, 32, 35, 38, 40, 42.

40 bid, do you want 42?

Take 2 at £40. Are we done? 42 back in. 45, 48, 50, 5.

50 bid, take 5.

All done at £50 last chance and gone at £50. 418, £50.

-£50!

-Yeah, perfect!

Right in the middle of your estimate, Jonty!

Really good.

Our expert's estimates are proving pretty accurate today, and long may it continue

as we're still some way from our £300 target.

Next to try its luck is an item that we're hoping will warm up a somewhat chilly sale room.

It's the iron fire surround which Jonty valued at £30 to £40.

There are lots of fires in your house.

-Yes.

-So how come you decided to part with a cast iron fire grate?

Well, actually, it was to be a design feature on a wall

and I don't think I've got a wall free!

I got very, very excited when I saw this part of a Regency cast-iron fireplace,

but I can only see part of it, and there's no grate.

It's only just a part of the fireplace, so you never got the rest of it?

That was my next project!

£20 for it? £10 for it?

I'm bid at 10, give me 12, at £10, take 12, we're on at 10, 12, 15?

15, 18. £15 bid, I'm bid at £15. I'm going to sell it at £15. I'm done at £15.

That's a bid of 15. Gone.

Well, that was disappointing.

Only half Jonty's lowest estimate, but there's no time to dwell on it. The end of the auction is in sight

and we're hoping that it will be onwards and upwards for the rest of our items.

It's another of Sue's much-loved collections up next.

We've got here a lot which I think sums you up, Sue, because we've got a hunting horn, a copper tray,

a copper fire bucket, a copper and brass fire fender and another horn!

-Oh, my goodness!

-I mean it's as if we could have gone into any of your rooms and gone...

and just kind of scooped it all up because... Is that a fair comment?

Very, very good, isn't it?

210A now, the copper hunting horn, copper tray, other bits and bobs in that lot.

Five bits in the lot, all copper there, for 210A start me at £20 for it. £20?

£20 I'm bid and 22 there,

-25, 25, 28, 30, 32, 35...

-£35!

£40. Bid there at £38.

40, 42, 45, 48, 50, 5.

Just down the back at £50.

Take 55, £50 all done. At £50 last chance and gone. 212, £50.

£50! And the estimate on it was £30 to £50.

Oh, that's brilliant, again!

I'm not blowing my own horn or trumpet!

It's a great price, but don't let it go to your head just yet Jonty,

because we've one more item left to sell, and it's our most highly valued lot today.

With an £80 to £120 valuation, it could really make all the difference to Nigel's surprise break to London.

-This mantel clock that's coming up, this belongs to you, doesn't it, Nigel?

-That's right, yes.

I bought it around 30-35 years ago.

I saw it in a shop in Newark, actually, and it was £45

so I thought for the price, I thought I must have that,

but I think it's chime for it to go!

-Ooh!

-Sorry about that!

I think it's the men thing. They keep coming out with these things!

Now Jonty has put £80 to £120 on it, so if we get anything like that,

that's a really good return on your investment.

-I suppose so, yes.

-And you're not sad to see it go?

I am sad to see it go in a way, but you can't hold onto things forever.

A lot for the money here, £100 for it.

Should make £100 for it, should make more. £50 for it? I'm bid at £50. 55 there, 60?

5, 70, 5, 80, 5. 80, 85 there.

I'll come back to you. 90, 95, 100, 110, 120.

Still cheap at £110. 120 I'll take over there. £110.

At 120, 120 there, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180,

more like it, 190, 200, 210, 210, 220, say no?

£200 and £210.

Take 20, at £210 all done. At 210.

Last chance, and gone. Thanks for the bid.

-Very good!

-Wow, that was fantastic!

£210! That's a real return.

That was a real result, that.

That was, wasn't it?

-And you were worried! That's good.

-That's excellent, isn't it?

That's made my day!

Wow! That's nearly double Jonty's top estimate!

What a terrific end to our day!

It's just left for me now to tot up our total.

I'm going to tell you now what the outcome of this is because you wanted to raise £300, didn't you?

£200 to £300 I thought.

-£200 to £300?

-Yes.

Well, you've done a lot better than that.

All of that stuff that was in your house that we brought here,

I make it that you've actually made £543.00!

You're kidding! You're kidding! That's fantastic!

Brilliant! I'm so surprised, I really am.

-I'm really surprised, yes.

-I am... That's fantastic.

-Thank you!

-Not at all.

Now, is now the moment to tell Nigel what we're raising the money for?

-Yes.

-Do you want to tell him?

Well, I do, because he's been so, so good.

Over the last couple of years I've been quite poorly and

-I've had a big operation and he's, hasn't he, he's...

-He's been really good.

He's been really fantastic.

He's run my little business for me, he's looked after me and I thought

-well, if I could take him for a day or two days to London.

-Wow, that's lovely!

Just the two of us, and I thought that would be really nice, so it's just to say, well, thank you!

-Thanks!

-Thank you.

I don't know when you're going to go.

-Yes...

-But we've got a little extra for you when you go to London,

just a tiny little extra because I know you both like the theatre as well, don't you?

-Ooh, yes!

-The Cameron Mackintosh Organisation have said they would love you to be their guests

at a production of theirs of your choice.

There's a voucher in there.

You just have to choose which one you want to go to and when,

-and enjoy the show.

-That's very kind of you.

And enjoy your weekend in London, Nigel!

Angela, thank you so much!

-Thank you very, very much.

-That is... Ah, thank you.

That's really lovely!

A few weeks after their triumphant visit to auction,

Sue can finally treat Nigel to that special trip to the capital

and it sounds like she enjoyed her day in the sale room!

Well, the auction went really well.

We were expecting around about £300 but made over £500, which was great,

which means there's more places to visit and that's why we're here today

to come and see London and the sights and it's a lovely crisp day

and I'm really, really looking forward to it.

It'll be great!

But, before they hit the city streets, there's one particular place that Nigel wants to see.

Well, the first stop on the tour is the Museum of London

and hopefully to see some of the places of interest that we can go and look for real.

Yes, it's a place I've always wanted to come to, the Museum of London, and we can see some of the sights.

-Yes.

-And then hopefully catch a show later on.

-That would be great!

With Nigel's passion for history, the couple enjoy immersing themselves in the city's past.

First stop is an impressive model of St Paul's Cathedral

before it was severely damaged in the Great Fire of London.

We ought to go and see it, didn't we, and see how much it has changed.

And it's not long before our couple brave the chilly streets to see the famous building for real.

St Paul's is one of London's most well-known landmarks and Sue and Nigel seem impressed.

-Look at that!

-Incredible, isn't it?

-It's...

it's so different, isn't it, to what you see?

-It's nice to see the real thing.

-Yeah!

It's a lot different from the model, isn't it?

-It is, yeah.

-Look at the carvings!

It's beautiful! No, it looks really different from that.

Then it's on to the bright lights of Theatreland.

This may have been a thank you trip for Nigel, but I'm pretty sure that Sue is enjoying it, too!

-Well, we've had a great time. We've seen some fantastic sights, what we wanted to see.

-Absolutely!

-Yeah, it's been a great day.

-It's been fabulous, hasn't it?

-Now we've got some tickets that Angela gave us for a show!

-Yes, aren't we lucky?

-Yes, we are.

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