Baker Cash in the Attic

On this beautiful day,

it's hello and welcome to Cash In The Attic,

the programme that searches out treasures around your home

and then sells them for you at auction.

Today, I'm in the very charming village of Ightham,

near Sevenoaks in Kent.

And this place is home to the very famous Ightham Mote.

It's a truly spectacular manor home

dating back some 650 years to the medieval period.

Previous lucky owners of the manor include Sheriffs, MPs and courtiers,

and in the 1500s, it was bought

by one of Henry VIII's favourite servants, Sir Richard Clement.

The house is surrounded by a deep moat

and it's a location that just oozes history.

Even the dog house is Grade 1 listed, and you know what?

I'm going to be in it if I don't head off and start looking

for antiques and collectibles to sell under the hammer.

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

We give a family some good news.

I'm surprised. I didn't think it'd be as much as that.

And it just gets better and better.

Between £350, maybe £550.

Fantastic! That is good money, isn't it?

But will the outlook be so sunny when we get to auction?

Does anybody else want to come in? 140. Not enough.

We'll find out when the hammer falls.

I've come to this very picturesque village in Kent to meet a couple

who just love all things Spanish,

so they're hoping that the Cash In The Attic team can help them

raise enough money at auction to enjoy living La Vida Loca.

This large detached house is the picture of peace and tranquillity,

and it's home to retired banker Trevor Baker and his wife Jan.

They've been married for 16 years and both have children

from previous marriages, and now they have grandchildren as well.

When they're not with family, this pair share a love of golf and gardening, two hobbies

harmonious with the other passion in their life, the Costa Blanca.

-Good morning, Jonty.

-How are you?

I'm good. I do take you to the best places, don't I?

You do, because I know that you live in Kent.

I do. I live about five miles away as the crow flies.

You can drop in for tea on the way home!

But strange enough, beautiful area and yet the people we're going to meet, they just adore Spain.

So, a lot of Spanish around today. How is your Spanish?

It's not that good, but you haven't seen me dance the salsa, have you?

You're right. I think life's too short for that! But have you got your castanets?

-Oh, I do, I do.

-"Oh, I do, I do" that's good. Let's go and meet them.

Jan and Trevor, how very nice to meet you both.

-Gloria.

-Thank you for allowing us to come and see you today.

-It's no problem at all.

-Beautiful area. Do you love living here?

Yes, it's very nice and quiet.

Let's establish why you've called in the Cash In The Attic team.

-Well, we want to change one or two things in the house, Gloria.

-The house in Spain?

The house in Spain and we're going to change some things here as well.

But some of the items that I inherited from my parents' grandparents don't really fit,

and it would be nice to see them put to good use

and we will obviously benefit when we do the refurbishment here and in Spain.

So, Jan, what are we likely to find?

Well, we've got some...furniture.

There's a nice little desk which is quite small,

and Trevor's father used to sit at the desk and do the farm accounts when Trevor was a little boy.

There are some ceramics and a little bit of silver.

But ironically, it would have all probably finished up in the skip

if Trevor had been getting rid of it all, because...

he didn't think that there was any value there,

and we didn't really want it - we're not collectors.

So I rescued a few items and brought them back here.

-So Jan saved it all in a way?

-She did indeed, yes.

She probably recognised there was something there anyway that I didn't.

I was just happy for clearing the house and getting on.

How much are you looking for?

What would you be happy with?

I supposed if we raised something like 800 to 1,000,

that would be ideal,

because what we are really looking to do first

is develop or refurbish the dining room in Spain.

And to be able to buy some nice pieces of Spanish furniture

for the house there would be great.

Well, I'm looking forward to seeing what you have

in this very beautiful house.

-So, shall we go and start rummaging a bit and meet Jonty?

-Yes.

It sounds like we could be in for a treat today.

Old family heirlooms can hold surprising value.

But a quick look round this spick and span house

suggests we might have to rummage hard to find them.

Everything is tucked well out of sight.

Well, almost everything, but Jonty's not fobbed off easily.

Jonty, are you sure you've got the time

to be lolling around looking at things?

I've always got time to look at a good clock.

It's a very pretty clock, I have to say.

-Where's it from?

-It's from the farm house.

It's from the days of my grandmother and father,

so I'm assuming it came into the family some time between

buying the farm in 1914 to when I can remember it in the early '50s.

What do you know about the clock?

The only thing I know about it is somebody in the family,

probably my grandmother, said she thought it had a French background

when she actually acquired it,

but that's from vague recollections of my childhood,

-and that's many years ago now.

-OK.

Well, this clock can only be French.

All this gilded decoration here, all this mounted, gilded decoration is Rococo - French.

18th century. But it's not 18th century. It's more turn of the century.

When I say, "Turn of the century", we're talking about a clock that's about 100 years in date.

-So this is a reproduction of an earlier style.

-Right.

Originally, if this was going to be an 18th century clock,

then these mounts here would be gilded bronze or brass, known as ormolu,

and a very, very expensive process to do, and very tricky as well.

It involved mercury, so if you can imagine just how dangerous that would have been.

And today, you can't make ormolu like you used to.

It's now an illegal process.

And you were about to say,

"Had it been ormolu, it would be worth a fortune."

-We could be talking about a lot of money.

-How much?

The clocks really would range from £10,000 to £30,000,

but it would have been a larger clock and they really are works of art, these mantle clocks.

Now, Mr Picky has noticed that there's a chip here.

Has that happened recently or have you always known that chip?

I've not been conscious of having made that chip,

so I think it's always been there. At least not in my time.

That's an enamelled dial and, as a consequence, quite difficult to repair.

So how much would you expect to get for this clock?

It's going to be in excess of £100, so we're talking about £120, £180, that sort of ballpark.

-I think it's a really pretty clock.

-It is good, yes.

So it's going to be interesting to see what it sells for.

We're very interested to see what happens.

-Right, we have to move on if we're to get your £800 to £1,000.

-Yes, indeed.

But at least we're over £100 with this one, hopefully. That's good.

So, Trevor's happy, but how does Jan feel?

I'm quite happy to let it go.

I was never very attached to it. It's not really my sort of thing.

And because we don't use the lounge all that much,

we just never got round to winding it up.

Well, now it's time to get down to business.

Hold on - maybe I was wrong about it being difficult to find things.

Already, I've come across this gorgeous Victorian punch bowl.

It's Staffordshire, always popular with collectors, but as it has

some hairline cracks on the bass, Jonty values it at a low £30 to £40.

Downstairs in the dining room, Jan's raiding the family silver.

Jonty, look, I've got all this silver stuff.

There must be something here that's worth something.

Wow, look at that!

-It's got an inscription on the tray here.

-Yes.

What's all that about? "Presented by the Greenwich London Borough Council to Daniel McCayna."

That's my father, and this set,

the tray with the coffee and tea pots, the sugar bowl and the milk jug,

were presented to him on the occasion of him working

for 30 years for what was Woolwich Borough Council

and then in 1965, with the creation of the Greater London Council,

it became Greenwich Borough Council.

Well, always when I look at silver items, you've got two completely different prices,

one for solid silver, so we're looking for the hallmark, and one for plated silver.

So we need to establish, right from the outset,

from this coffee pot, what we're looking at.

And can you see? Even though it's rubbed away, this says

-"EPNS",- electroplated nickel silver.

-Yes.

So this is all plated, I'm assuming,

because if the coffee pot is, everything else will be as well.

So this is not really worth very much?

It's, sadly, not worth a great deal at all,

because collectors, people who trade with this kind of ware,

really are looking for silver,

and the market for electroplated silver has really fallen by the way.

But if you have to sell it... Are you keen on selling it?

Because of the inscription, I think I'd like to keep the tray.

-The actual set can go.

-So, for your whole collection, you're looking really between £50 and £100.

I'm surprised. I didn't think it would be as much as that.

It's the only item that we're selling

that was from my side of the family, and yes,

it did have a small amount of sentimental value, but,

quite honestly, we drink our tea out of a mug these days, don't we?

Not a silver tea pot.

And it's one less thing to polish as well.

This house is like a treasure trove, each room contains another gem.

Trevor's found this pair of Victorian opaline vases.

Opaline is a form of glass and it has a gorgeous opaque sheen

which is created by adding tin or stannic oxide and,

unlike a ceramic, it can't be fired,

so the floral image would have had to have been hand painted

using specialised enamelled paints.

Jonty thinks £25 to £35 would be a fair price for these.

Our collection of items

is steadily growing, so I take a moment to find out more about Jan and Trevor.

Jan, I know I'm partial to Kent - I only live about five miles away,

but what do you like about Kent?

I was born and brought up here, so it's home to me.

We actually lived nearby for a few years before we came here

and Ightham is just a very attractive area to live.

But what is it about Spain you really like?

Climate is a good start.

It is a lovely way to spend the deepest part of winter.

It's the local culture that I like most of all about Spain, actually,

the fact that I've now been learning Spanish for a few years

-and I can communicate with people.

-Have you made any faux pas?

No, but Trevor's daughter made an interesting one when she was there recently.

She was there last week with some friends for her hen party

and they were having a nice meal out together,

but one of the friends has an allergy against butter,

and they asked whether the paella had a "burra",

and that means, did the paella have a donkey in it?

So, with your brand new house in Spain, this lovely villa, and the Cash In The Attic team,

what exactly are you going to spend the money on?

I think generally we'd like to replace the dining room furniture,

because the custom in Spain is for houses to be sold furnished, and the

Dutch people who sold the house to us left a rather unattractive orange pine dining suite.

-It sounds delectable(!)

-Yes, so it needs to go at the first opportunity.

I know that Jonty will be missing us, so enough slacking on our behalf.

I think we'd better go and find some more lovely things to take to auction.

You've got so many rooms - show me which one I'm going to.

Well, it sounds like Jan and Trevor have plenty of projects on the go,

and we'd better find some more items before we vamoose to auction.

Jan's come across a handy mahogany occasional table

on a tripod support. This versatile little table

could carry a value of £40 to £60 at auction.

With its rich brown hue and fine grain, mahogany was a favourite of the Victorians.

And in the hall, Jonty's discovered another historic object.

I had to come and see this famous desk,

because you were saying earlier on, Trevor, this is the one

that your grandfather and father used to write all the bills at.

Certainly my father. I couldn't remember my grandfather.

But this used to sit at the end of the what we'd call the living room,

ie the room we actually lived in, as opposed to the front room.

What's your opinion of it, Jonty?

A lot of people say brown furniture is dead,

but pedestal desks are not dead.

A good quality pedestal desk will always sell

because people still can use it.

To me, this looks like dainty, almost like lady's size.

I agree. It's quite a small desk.

And as far as pedestal desks are concerned,

this is really as small as they get, because the name "pedestal desk"

really explains what it is.

The writing surface sits on two pillars, two columns of drawers, and this is what we've got here.

So if it was any narrower, you literally couldn't get your legs into the hole.

-You certainly wouldn't!

-No, I would have a problem with this one!

You're much too tall for that. So what's the wood exactly?

This is mahogany. Mahogany tends to be quite a red colour,

but this has faded into a nice sort of nutty brown colour, but the grain tells me that it's mahogany.

The great thing about desks, for me, is always look inside a drawer.

I pulled this out earlier.

Can you see? Inside an old desk has to be sign of ink.

There's always ink stains inside an old desk.

-And not a nail in sight as far as I can see.

-No, that's all dovetails.

You're going to miss it! I don't know how you're letting this go.

-I really don't, honestly.

-What age would you put on it, Jonty?

You can date furniture by the handles,

because the pedestal desk was fashionable really in the middle part of the 18th century,

all the way through to this period, where we're talking 1860, 1870.

-Ask him how much. Quickly.

-Go on. How much do you think, then?

Well, we're going to look at a really great figure

of between £350, maybe £550.

-Fantastic! That is good money.

-That's good.

I might have to knock them all down to get to it first!

-Let's keep searching, though.

-Let's go this way.

That's a great total. And we continue our search bolstered by our progress.

I find this charming silver cruet set.

It could make a stylish centrepiece at someone's dinner table for £20 to £30. And speaking of dining...

Hey, Jonty, you're not thinking of selling all my blue and white China, are you?

I thought I might. I have to say, my eye has gone to these huge lovely good quality meat plates here.

-Can we sell these?

-Yes, I think so.

They're a little bit large for today's living, I think.

I'd like to hang on to the rest,

because it's quite decorative here on my dresser.

These are the ones that have got real age to them. Where are these from?

These, of course, are from the farmhouse in the Cotswolds.

Now, I'm sure you know the pattern that this is.

This is the willow pattern.

But do you know the story of the willow pattern?

Not really. It's something to do with a father chasing

the young woman and her lover across the bridge.

But I don't know very much about it.

Well, that's exactly who you can see here.

The story really is based in the palace, here.

It starts off at the palace, here.

There was a rich Mandarin, he had a daughter called Koong-se.

and a lowly accountant named Chung who fell in love with Koong-se.

They eventually eloped before the arranged marriage

to a very wealthy Duke could take place.

So this is the wealthy Duke sailing towards the palace

on the day the blossom fell from the willow tree.

They managed to escape and they lived for many a happy year on this island here.

Well, I'm very pleased to hear that, then!

It didn't end as a happy end. There was no happy ending there.

The Duke eventually caught up with them,

took his revenge and killed them both.

The gods took pity and turned them into two beautiful birds.

So that is the story of the willow pattern.

And it is, by far, the most popular pattern

that the ceramics factories of the 19th and 20th centuries produced.

If it had been a rarer pattern,

these plates would be worth quite a substantial sum of money because,

if you are collecting blue and white transfer wares, you're looking for something really quite unusual.

Definitely worth selling. Ballpark £50 to £100.

Yeah. Yeah.

-Happy?

-Yeah, I think I'd feel happier if it was nearer the 100.

Well, we'll see because also...

-I have to be cautious because of the pattern itself, OK?

-Yeah.

-If it had been any other pattern, £100 no problem. All right?

-Fine.

I'll leave those here and we'll carry on searching.

I had in mind a figure of about £50 each for them 40 to 50 each, I think.

So I would be disappointed if we only got 50,

but we'll see what happens on the auction day.

We certainly will.

And another item to test out is this willow pattern bowl.

Jan wrestled with sending it to auction

and decided it could join the meat plates at £20 to £30.

As Jan has already mentioned, most of the antiques in the house

come from Trevor's family home in the Cotswolds.

While the others continue the search, I take a moment to find out more about his family.

Trevor, tell me a little bit about your farming background.

I grew up on a farm on the eastern edge of the Cotswolds.

In fact, the farm had been in the family for, I think, three generations.

Did you never fancy yourself, then, as Farmer Trevor?

No, my dad asked me and we did talk about it, but I always intended doing something else.

Then what's the history on your mother's side?

My mum's history is actually quite interesting.

She came over here just before the war from Germany

because she was Jewish and, obviously, at that time,

you needed to get away from Germany.

So she became a nurse in the Radcliffe hospital

and met my father in Oxford.

So our background is sort of all her family split up

by what happened in the Second World War.

I'm taking it there weren't too many German speaking people

in the Cotswolds at that time? How did she adapt?

I think she always found life different from what she was used to

when she was a girl growing up in Germany,

but those are the times where people

had to make as good a life as they can and she had her own life there,

but it was a very different life to the one she was used to.

What does your family overall feel about

all these things that have very special memories

being broken up and sold off through Cash in the Attic?

Well, I think, as generations pass, things that you find...

memorable and have a history to them, they lose track of,

and it is probably time for those pieces to move on.

I think we'd better get on with looking at some more of these things that did come from the farm.

So, Farmer Trevor, let's go.

While we've been chatting, Jonty has found another fine example of Victorian furniture.

This tilt top table would have been used for cards and games in the Victorian parlour

and Jonty puts a value of £200 to £300 on it.

And in the garden, Trevor's made a surprising find in the shed.

Someone likes to see their plants up close.

Jonty, I've just been looking for these. Are these of any interest?

Opera glasses. Yes.

Now, what I find absolutely intriguing about these opera glasses

is that they are from Paris and they've got "Le Jockey Club"

stamped on them as well.

So what are you doing with a pair of Parisian opera glasses?

Well, that's a good question because whereas I actually have been to the opera with Jan

in the last couple of months, my father never did in his whole life.

He actually had these in the cupboard at home and unless somebody else in

the family were opera goers, he certainly wasn't.

These were very fashionable in the 19th century.

This style of glass is known as Galilean

and this was invented in 1820.

The Jockey Club of Paris still is in existence today.

It houses the International Federation of Jockey Clubs

-essentially it's almost like the HQ of racing.

-Right.

They were very big in the 19th century, which is when these would have been made.

Because they've...seen better days, and the case,

we're not going to get top dollar for them, but £20, £30.

Yeah. As I said, they were in my father's desk,

I think, or cabinet and just sat there for years. I never saw him use them.

Excellent. Now, where's Gloria?

She's not down there.

Where am I? Well, I wish I could say I'm having a siesta,

but I am working jolly hard, Jonty.

There's so much to sift through, we've all fallen into a kind of a daze,

but it looks like Jan is on form.

Jonty, what do you think of this?

We're talking about the cabinet?

-Yes.

-OK. Where's this come from? Is this part of your family?

This is something else that came from Trevor's family home

and I don't really know anything about it.

This is a mahogany display cabinet

and the inlay gives us an indication as to what age this cabinet is.

This inlay work was revived from earlier Georgian designs

in the latter half of the 19th century, so you're talking 1880 onwards.

An interesting point - if you look at the shape of the door,

more often than not, that door would have glazing bars.

I like the fact that we have this shaped door.

I also love the gallery around the top - French in influence.

So this cabinet is much better quality than most

Edwardian or late 19th century cabinets that you will see.

-Is it English, or is it a French cabinet?

-This is English.

-It is?

English display cabinet. Definitely worth putting in the auction sale.

-Where have the other two got to?

-I think they're...

You know, Jonty, I'm never far away from you!

So you were talking about an interesting piece.

-This is it, is it?

-Yes, it is.

-Beautiful cabinet.

-It's really good quality. Really good quality.

-At auction, £200 to £300.

-Wow.

-That's not bad.

That's a good price, isn't it?

-You wouldn't have thought so.

-I didn't expect that.

I'm thrilled to bits to tell you

that, already, if everything goes to plan at auction, you have £1,125.

-Wow.

-Isn't that good?

-Where did that come from?

Aren't we glad that she saved all those pieces from the skip!

So, it's muy bueno all round. What a fabulous result.

And some of the items that Jan and Trevor will be saying adios to include...

the reproduction of a French mantle clock.

This ornate time piece could fetch as much as £120 to £180.

This gaudy Welsh Staffordshire bowl

could pack some punch at auction at between £30 and £40.

And will this table tip the balance?

Their Victorian antique could bring in £200 to £300.

Coming up next on Cash in the Attic,

someone's getting into the Spanish vibe.

-Buena suerte en la subasta.

-Excuse me. Hark at him!

But will the bidders be so enthusiastic?

It's like extracting teeth.

With more and more surprises in store.

I can't believe that.

Will our items be pulling in the bids?

Find out when the hammer falls.

Now, a few weeks ago, we visited Jan and Trevor Baker in their home near Sevenoaks in Kent

and we brought all their collectibles here to the Chiswick Auction Rooms in West London.

Just to remind you, they want to raise £800 to help decorate their holiday home.

So let's hope they have lots of good bidders in here today so they can live the Spanish high life in style.

Ole!

The sale room in this charming Victorian building

is brimming with anticipation as buyers keen to find a bargain sift through the antiques on display.

Ever punctual, Jonty has his eye on the ornate mantle timepiece.

Spot on time, Jonty. I like this clock, actually. It's good.

Looking forward to meeting the Bakers again?

I am. I've been practising my Spanish. Buena suerte en la subasta.

Excuse me. Hark at him! No idea what it means, but it sounds good.

It means, "Good luck at the auction", or at least I think it does!

We shall see. At least you can't do hasta manana because this auction is going to start pretty soon.

-Absolutely.

-But the clock, of course, we know might do all right.

-What else did you like?

-I liked the Victorian postal desk.

It's clean and it's good quality, so it should walk out the door.

-It's a lovely desk, I must say. Shall we find the family?

-Let's do it.

It is certainly packed here at Chiswick,

but it's always difficult to tell which way an auction will go.

Now, generally, the smaller items tend to appeal to collectors,

and modern tastes means that antique furniture doesn't always sell so well.

We have a few items in that category.

Fingers crossed they catch the eye of the bidders.

Jan is here, but where's Trevor?

Jan, taking a lingering look at your lovely unit!

-Yes, it's looking good, isn't it?

-And no Trevor.

No, I'm afraid he had a long standing arrangement

for a golf day today, so that took precedence, I'm afraid.

So his handsome stand-in is who?

-This is my son, Mike. My eldest son.

-Hello.

-Have you been to an auction before?

-No.

-But I'm very excited to be here.

-So he's the auction virgin, then.

We're always happy to have one. Have you been to many, Jan?

Not many in recent years, but when I was young

and the children were very small, I used to go to quite a lot.

We've been having fun with

-what I think is probably bad Spanish from Jonty.

-So bad, I'm not going to repeat it!

Presumably, Mike, you go to Spain quite a bit to have your holidays?

I haven't actually been to the new house,

-but I do enjoy going to Spain.

-So you've got a vested interest

-in how much money is raised.

-Definitely.

So, Gloria, we'd better get to work, then.

I think we should. We want to raise as much money as possible for Spain.

The auction is about to start.

But if you're interested in selling or buying at auction,

then please bear in mind that you will have commission, VAT

and other charges to pay, so do check first.

We file into our places,

hoping our first item will throw things into focus.

Lot number 20A now.

The pair of binoculars, French Jockey Club binoculars.

The first item up is the pair of binoculars which, mysteriously,

we found in your potting shed.

In the greenhouse, yes! I don't know what they were doing in there.

What's your prediction for these, Jonty?

£20, maybe £30, but just let the market decide on this one.

Here they come.

£20. I'm bid at £20.

I'll take 22, 25, 28, 30.

30, 32, £30.

Gone for £30, then.

-That's really good.

-Hey! Your top estimate.

-Very good.

-Good start, yeah.

So, Jan's happy,

but we face a challenge with our next item,

the willow pattern meat plates.

In the rummage, Jan was hoping they'd fetch a good price.

I have to be honest and say

I actually really like willow pattern plates,

so I'm sort of sorry you're selling these,

but you're glad to get rid of them, aren't you?

I am. They're just too big.

£20 to start me off.

22?

25, 28, 30?

At £28,

I'm going to sell for £28.

£28, it's gone. £28, then.

-Disappointment, isn't it?

-That really is disappointing.

Oh, dear. It seems the large size put off the buyers as well.

Perhaps this more modest sized willow pattern bowl will do better.

26A, Victoria Staffordshire bowl, blue and white. £20 for it?

£10 for it?

No hand moves.

No bid at all at £10? No-one likes it at £10?

No-one's bid, I don't think.

No bids, not sold.

Ouch. A disappointing result.

And when the occasional table then fails to reach its lower estimate...

All out at £38, then?

Sold at £38, you've got it.

..We're beginning to feel a little uneasy.

All eyes are now on the French mantle clock.

I want to tell you, Jan and Mike, I found Jonty this morning,

early, before the auction started, obviously,

really looking very strongly at this little clock.

It's got a great shape, hasn't it?

Yes. Classic French form with ormolu mounts and I valued it over £100.

The room's a little bit asleep at the moment,

but I'm hoping we're going to get that.

Start me at £100 for a cheap start. £100 for it?

Can't believe no one's moving. Gonna bid me £100?

You are - £100? 110?

120, 130, 140,

150, 160, 170, 180.

Take 180 and we're done. 190, 200.

-210, 20...

-It's fabulous, isn't it?

..30.

At £220.

230. 240.

You're doing the same. Yes or no, please.

£230. Gone.

-230.

-230, fantastic. Isn't that good, Mike?

-Much better.

-Yeah, much better.

What a timely comeback that was!

£230 is a handsome sum towards our Spanish villa fund.

Let's hope our next item serves up a similar result.

Lot number 50A now. The Georgian mahogany occasional table.

There it is. Tall top, single pedestal base.

-Do you remember this one?

-I do. It has some sentimental value for me

because Mum used to put the Christmas tree on this every year

with all our presents around the bottom.

-So it means something to me.

-How can you do it to him?

Are you going to get a tad emotional now?

Yeah, I might do, but I'll forgive her!

Start me at...£200? £200 for it.

£100 for it? £100.

110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170...

..170, 180, 190, 200.

-And 10, 220...

-Can't believe it!

One more bid. 220, 230?

At £220. Selling for 220, all out.

-We got that.

-Hey! Result.

-Result. Well done!

-Jonty must be the expert.

It may have had memories for Mike,

but with the funds from this table's sale

going to the family's Spanish holiday home,

he'll have a whole new set of experiences to look back on.

It's certainly been an unpredictable morning.

I want to let you know that I'm definitely having a hot flush.

A, it's very, very hot in the auction room and,

B, with the up and down prices, I am absolutely exhausted.

This is the halfway mark, then.

You're looking for £800 to help with the decoration in Spain.

Well, I am thrilled to be able to tell you at the halfway mark,

you're already at £546.

-My goodness. I can't believe that!

-Isn't that fabulous?

-That's really good.

-That is so good.

We had a bit of a disappointing start

and then a really exhilarated end as we come up to the halfway mark.

That's fabulous.

After that thrilling first half, it's time for a welcome break.

But while Jan and Mike pop off for a quick cuppa,

Jonty's made a cracking discovery.

I wanted to show you this plate

because I always admire good quality in antiques.

This is what we're looking at here.

This plate is valued between £200 and £300.

I have to say about five years ago, it would be more like £400 to £600.

-Who made it?

-If you have a look on the back,

this is an under-glazed blue shape of the beehive.

That means that it's come from Vienna.

There were various factories in the late 19th century,

when this would have been made.

As we see on the back, it says this is Achilles,

so the subject matter here is the learning,

or the education of Achilles.

And is it all hand painted?

-Everything that you see here is all hand done.

-Everything?

Absolutely everything. And this is literally...this is literally gold

that you're touching here as well.

This is gold leaf.

Well, this is certainly not a simple plate.

I think it's a great thing.

As I say, I'm not quite sure whether I want it in my own home,

but I can see why people appreciate it.

I'm going to let you carry it down the stairs to the auction room!

With the auction about to recommence, we file into our places

for the second half and a new auctioneer takes the stand.

After the exciting first half,

we're all keen to see what the next part of the sale will bring,

but will our first item after the break cut the mustard?

Lot 322A, the silver three piece cruet set.

-I believe you bought this actually at an antique fair?

-I did, yes.

-Where was that?

-Several years ago at Ardingly,

the big south of England antiques fair.

What did you pay for them?

I think I paid about £80.

I put it a lot lower than that.

OK, here's the item.

£10? I know this is worth £10.

Ten, I'm bid. Thank you, at last. £10.

It's worth more than that. But I can sell at £10. 12.

It's like extracting teeth. 14,

16. £20, then, in the corner is bid for it at £20. £22.

£22, there in the middle of the room at £22. At £22, then.

Well, the auctioneer did a good job there at pushing the price up

and £22 may not be at much as Jan paid, but it's still on estimate.

So, when the opaline vases sell under estimate at £10,

we're not too concerned. Next up is one of our star lots,

the Victorian writing desk.

Now, this is one of my favourite lots of the sale.

A lovely Victorian pedestal desk.

It's nice and clean, ready to go home.

Whoever wants to buy it, they can just walk out of the auction room.

You put a reserve of £250 on it.

That's fine because I put £350-£450 estimate on it, so we should be OK.

342A is a desk.

342A.

£200 for the desk? 200, 210, 220.

£220 for that desk, at £220.

At 220. At £220.

Nobody else want 230?

£220. 220 then.

Not sold, I'm afraid.

I have a funny feeling that deep down,

although Trevor has said yes, we can sell that

but deep down, I don't think he does want to sell it!

I think you're probably right.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have put on such a high reserve.

It's disappointing that it didn't go above the reserve,

but as the desk came from Trevor's family, it's right and proper

that it should go at a price that reflects its value.

It doesn't help our total, though.

We need our next lot to make a really good show of it.

It's a very fine inlaid Edwardian display cabinet

and we're hoping for £200 to £300.

So, French in its style, Jonty?

Well, it's Art Nouveau style, really. It's late 19th century.

£200 to £300 worth of antique.

You've got a reserve on it, haven't you?

Yes, because we wouldn't like to see it go for next to nothing.

Who will start me for £100 for the display cabinet?

100, 110, 120,

130, 140.

£140 for a display cabinet.

£140. Anybody want me 150?

£140...

Gone at £140, at 140.

Anybody else want to come in?

140. Not enough.

Not enough.

I'll tell you what, though,

I think it's better that it goes home and sits in your sitting room.

I do. I think it's criminal in some ways to give things away,

if they're worth a lot more and if they're worth a lot to your family.

It seems the bidders aren't as keen on furniture today,

but Jan could always leave the cabinet

and the writing desk in another sale.

After that poor run, the collection of silver items

with an estimate of £50 also failed to sell.

Start me for £20 for the silver plate.

20, 22, 24, 26. £26 for it?

For £26, I'll take. At £26, it's not selling for 26...

At £26. Anybody want to come in?

No? At £26...

Not sold, I'm afraid.

And we're left feeling a little bewildered.

So disappointing! But on the other hand,

why would it suddenly be a no-sale

with the auctioneer just taking that decision?

He uses his estimate as a guide as to where he should be selling.

So he takes it up to a reasonable figure

and then offers it into the room.

So he went up to £26 and then would have looked round the room for bids,

no bids, bangs the gavel down.

That means that it's unsold.

But we mustn't be too downhearted.

We did brilliantly well in the first part of the auction.

Our last item

on the blot today is this colourful Staffordshire bowl.

This could do really well, but it did have some hairline cracks,

so Jonty is playing it safe with a low estimate.

This bowl is beautiful,

very colourful, and would have been used as a punch bowl, I guess.

So did you ever use it like that?

We just used it as an ornament.

Why did you not put some Pimms or something

out of this beautiful punch bowl?

Probably because we didn't think of it.

-What's your appraisal, Jonty?

-The market isn't great for these things.

They're decorative, but no more than that,

so I'll have to put a lower figure on it,

so around the £30 mark is what we're looking for.

Let's console ourselves with the thought that if it doesn't sell...

We'll all have Pimms in the garden.

Here it comes.

Must be worth £10. 12, 14, 16, 18, 20.

£20 for it?

£20, 22.

24, 26, 28,

30, 32, 34.

£34, then. 38, 40,

42, 44, 46, 48, 50,

5, 60, 5.

70, 5, 80, 5.

90, 5, 100. 110, 120.

120 then for the lady at £120.

At 120. At £120, then, it's 120.

-That is fantastic!

-What a result, eh?

Why did do you think it went for so much more than you thought?

There's obviously two dealers that really, really wanted this,

and one was determined.

You noticed the card just stayed up until the hammer fell.

She was prepared to buy it, like, almost at any price.

-£120. That's a really great result.

-And your wee face was brilliant!

I don't know, talk about highs and lows!

The bowl sold for four times its estimate,

but was that enough to get us to our target?

Just to refresh your memory, of course, £800, we were hoping for

to do a bit of redecoration in your new place in Spain.

Bearing in mind you did exceptionally well

in the first part of your auction,

and in the second part of the auction, you had three no-sales,

which means you're going home with some of your pieces.

Despite that, you've got the grand total

which, I think, is terrific, of £698.

-That's not too bad, is it?

-I think that's terrific, don't you?

I'm amazed, considering we had the desk and display cabinet unsold.

Which were the biggest items.

I think your other items did exceptionally well.

You've done very well, considering.

It's one week later

and with just under £700 towards their Spanish casa,

Jan and Trevor have a plan for when they return to Spain.

The money we raise from the auction

we'll use to refurbish the villa in Spain, but it would be nice

to come here today and learn to cook paella

because we've got a group of friends coming in October

and we're looking to see that we can produce a fantastic meal for them.

They've come to Jan's Spanish school

for a very special day with an experienced paella chef.

Let's cook some paella!

I'm really looking forward to learning a bit of Spanish cookery

because we've been eating paella

for years and it's about time I learned how to cook it.

A veritable feast of the senses.

Paella's one of those dishes everyone in Spain has an opinion on.

Originally from Valencia,

we think of it as being a seafood dish,

but all sorts of ingredients can find their way into it.

Perhaps the ordinary people

might not be able to afford the langoustinos.

Rabbit. Very popular.

-In Valencia, they do snails as well?

-Yes. It's nice.

The largest ever paella was made in Valencia

and fed over 200,000 people.

I'm sure Jan and Trevor

aren't planning to feed quite that many people,

but they are keen to test out their new skills on their friends.

Looking forward to getting back to Spain, actually,

and entertaining our friends with a wonderful paella meal.

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