Parkinson Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic. We're the team that work with you

to find valuables around your home and then sell them at auction.

Today I am in the Yorkshire Pennines and I have come to the really beautiful village of Haworth.

Now, Haworth, of course, is world famous as the home of the Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne.

The sisters lived in this parsonage with their family from 1820 to 1861,

and it is now a museum, attracting fans from around the globe.

It was here they wrote some of the most famous books in the English language,

including Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.

Well, perhaps we will find a few classics of our own today,

because we are about to go in search of antiques and collectibles that will go under the hammer at auction.

'Coming up on today's Cash In The Attic, we are getting all literary.'

You have your Heathcliff moments, out there on the moors.

'While our two heroines may have big plans...'

You could have a full-blown croquet tournament out there!

And a day out! THEY LAUGH

Will our antiques be bestsellers when it comes to auction?

They are worth a bit more. I think we will try those next week again.

I have crossed the Pennines from Haworth into Calderdale,

where I am about to meet two ladies who would like to raise money

for what they hope is going to be a rather relaxing hobby.

This beautiful 17th century house in the heart of rural Yorkshire

is home to company director and keen walker, Lesley Parkinson.

Lesley comes from a family of hoarders and antique enthusiasts, so collecting is in her blood.

And her home is overflowing with beautiful possessions.

But with so many rooms to keep on top of, she has decided it is time

to rein in the clutter, and her good friend Shirley is on hand to help.

-Good morning, John.

-Morning, Angela.

-Where have you been?

-I have been off to the parsonage, Bronte country,

and I tell you, with the weather, it was very Wuthering Heights up there!

It looks Wuthering Heights round here, with these rolling hills and stone walls.

-These houses have got some amazing things inside.

-Who are we meeting today?

We are going to meet two very lively ladies, and I warn you,

they both know a fair bit about antiques, so you'll have to be on your mettle.

-We're in for some fun!

-I think so!

-Good morning, ladies.

-Good morning!

Lesley and Shirley. Lesley, what a fabulous house you have got up here.

Yes, it is quite nice.

Absolutely beautiful. Why have you called in Cash In The Attic?

Well, we have just had a new lawn laid, and I would love to raise about £500 to buy a croquet set.

We used to play croquet when I was a child, and it's something I used to really enjoy.

And now I've got the space, I'd really like a nice croquet set.

And Shirley, you're going to help?

Yes, I'm going to help.

But how do you two know each other, then?

We met 12 years ago on the day Lesley moved in, and we are still chatting.

It's a massive house, so we've got our work cut out.

-Shall we roll up our sleeves and get started?

-Yes!

With such a beautiful view, I can understand why Lesley loves spending time in her garden.

But our attention is focused inside today, and it looks like our expert

-John has already found a good prospect. Hello, John.

-Hi, girls.

It's a bit early in the day for you to be thinking

-you're going to have a snooze in a rocking chair.

-Busted again!

Where did this one come from?

Well, this was in my grandparents' house, and I remember it in the kitchen.

It was quite a large kitchen, with a huge, big, old-fashioned range, and this used to sit in front of it.

Now, looking at this piece, we've got some lovely slender shapes to it.

Nice scrolled arms there.

Obviously, the slender curve in the back here,

the turning, and those bearers on the bottom, this is all done by hand.

But the great thing about it is how old this is.

This is well over 200 years old.

It's an 18th century piece.

You can tell that by when you look at the colour, the natural patination

and the fact that this has been made completely by hand.

-What is the wood of this chair?

-We've got some walnut in the back.

I've also noticed some mahogany graining.

-So they utilised whatever's available.

-What sort of money do you think we're looking at?

Well, I would be looking to estimate it at auction at about £80 to £120, something like that.

It's a bit lower than I'd hoped, but I have made the decision for it to go.

So, we've got a minimum of £80 in the pot already and we haven't even scratched the surface, John.

-Shall we get to work?

-I think we ought to.

So that's number one found, and it's onwards and upwards with our search.

In the hallway, Shirley has spotted these woolwork embroidery pieces.

John hopes they'll weave their way to an auction success

with a £50 to £100 price tag.

'And in the bedroom, I've spotted a rather beautiful item.'

Very pretty piece of furniture, Lesley, where did this come from?

I bought this several years ago at an antique shop.

When I saw it, I really liked it.

It seems it's a bit surplus now and I keep moving it from room to room, so...it's time.

It's Georgian in date.

It's probably around 1760, 1770, something like that.

They're referred to as toilet mirrors or platform mirrors, the sort of thing a lady would have had

in her boudoir or closet, and typically have drawers for their toiletries

and as you see, you have these lovely shaped bracket feet

which would have been consistent with a Georgian chest of drawers,

as is this nice, vertical reading on the side here.

Looks like the original glass. We can see the silver starting to perish,

but that's the original glass in there as well. So quite a nice thing.

What sort of figure are we looking at, John?

-I'm going to say £80 to £120 for it.

-How does that compare with what you paid?

I paid a lot more than that for it, but if I keep it,

and I keep moving it about, it'll get damaged, so I think it's time to go.

So one more move to go from here to the auction house.

After that, it goes to the highest bidder.

With such a big house to search through, it's all hands on deck,

and our expert spots this lovely pair of figurines.

Lesley bought them at an auction in Cornwall, but we're hoping that

they'll woo the northern bidders with an estimate of £50 to £100.

'Lesley's clearly passionate about her antiques, but will the promise

'of some outdoor entertainment help her to part with them?'

You want to buy the croquet set. You played it as a child?

My grandparents had a big croquet lawn at the front, and my godmother had one as well.

So we were always playing it.

We just had some marvellous fun.

We used to laugh a lot, and it can be quite a ruthless game as well.

Can be a vicious game, can't it?

-Yeah, yeah...

-You've got to be careful what you do with the mallet!

So, are you gonna play as well, Shirley?

Er, yes, if I learn the rules, I'll have a go.

You were actually born in this very valley, in classic Bronte country.

You can just tell straight away that it's Yorkshire and it's this area.

Whenever you see it on television, you just recognise it straight away.

You have your Heathcliff moments, out there on the moors.

No Heathcliff, I'm afraid, but we have got lots more wonderful items

in the house that I'm sure we'll be able to take to auction. I think it's gonna rain again,

-we're gonna lose the view. Shall we get back to work?

-Yeah.

-Come on, then.

With a £500 target, we need to keep working hard, and Lesley wastes no time in digging out

this silver sugar shaker and cream jug, which she inherited from her grandmother.

John hopes they'll sweet talk the bidders

with the price tag of £70 to £90.

Next door, something colourful has caught Shirley's eye.

-John, what about that?

-It's quite a nice thing. Yes, it's not bad.

-I'm not quite sure what it is.

-What do you think it is?

-A giant ice cream dish?

I like that, yes, that's my type of sundae glass, definitely!

You'd get a whole handful of spoons round there, wouldn't you? I don't think I'd want to share, anyway!

It's part of a garniture set, I would say.

19th century. It would have been made in Bohemia, in the old part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

It's completely handmade and would have started with the glassblower first having to shape this bowl.

They would then create the stem, two separate entities at that point.

The piece is then encased in an outer layer of white, opaque glass.

-At that stage, the whole thing would have appeared opaque white.

-So how do they get this?

That was the job of the engraver or the cutter.

He would take a revolving, grinding wheel. He would have to cut this

crinolation around here and these panels, cut them away to reveal that clear, glass layer beneath.

This is in good condition and I think at auction we'd be looking at about £70 to £90, something like that.

I think that will be quite a good offering.

Another brilliant find. This house really is overflowing with saleable treasures.

'Out in the hallway,

'I dig out this pair of cloisonne pottery vases.

'They were part of a collection built up by Lesley's mother,

'and John estimates their value at £20 to £30.'

Meanwhile, upstairs, Lesley has a rather unusual piece, on which she wants an expert opinion.

John, what do you think of this?

That's quite a nice woolwork picture, Lesley, what's the story behind it?

I bought this about 15 years ago from an antiques centre.

Woolwork pictures do turn up quite a lot at auction.

They tend to be around the Regency period or 19th century, there or thereabouts.

It's the subject matter which really dictates whether they'll sell well or not.

I think this is a really charming subject matter, a fish woman unloading the catch.

I don't recall seeing one like that, and I can see this would have

appealed to the rising middle classes of the 19th century.

If you have a look, in the foreground,

there we are, she's got several varieties of fish there,

and her dress, the more I look at it, the more detail there is.

When you bought it, Lesley, did you have a look that far or have you kind of looked further over the years?

I suppose I've looked further over the years,

but I liked it because of the detail of her dress and her top,

and selling the fish, and all the straw hanging down, and the rigging as well.

I just thought it was quite detailed and very unusual.

Well with regards to value, I mean, she's got all the pluses.

Nice subject matter, good condition, great colour and the contemporary frame.

I think we ought to be looking at £200 or £300 for this.

Something like that, would that be OK?

Yes, I wouldn't like to see it go for less than 200.

-I think somebody would take the bait and go for this at auction, so off to auction it goes.

-Jolly good.

'It's another good amount, but auctions are always unpredictable,

'so it's best to keep up the search to ensure we reach our £500 total for that croquet set.'

Lesley's attention is drawn towards this cased pen and pencil set,

which John values at an impressive £30 to £50.

While Shirley carries on searching next door,

John thinks he's found an item that's large in value, if not in size.

Lesley, Angela, come and have a look at these.

These are rather interesting, there are four of them.

-They're lovely.

-What's the story behind these, Lesley?

Well, I bought these about 20 years ago at a local antique shop near to where I lived at the time.

I never really took to them, but I bought them because they were cheap,

I thought they were cheap, and they are pretty fine.

But what's interesting about these are the colours and the size,

because those colours remind me of Sevres porcelain factory,

as does this gilding, and then it's been burnished, which is very typical of Sevres.

Once they've applied it, they literally take a hobnail from their boot, and they use that

to gradually burnish parts, so you have this beautiful contrast of shiny gilding and matt gilding.

I would like to take one out at some point and have a look on the back to see if it tells us anything.

It may well have somebody's mark on there,

and sadly, we probably may never find out who the sitters are, or who painted them.

We could have a guess, and that's what collectors really like.

I think we ought to suggest £200 to £300 on these, something like that.

-So how do you feel about that, bearing in mind you know what you paid for them?

-Well...

I wouldn't like them to go for less than maybe 280.

-You'd want to put a reserve on them?

-I think so.

In which case, as an auction house, if you publish an estimate,

you can't have your reserve above the lower estimate.

So that would mean we'd have to increase our estimate

to, say, £300 to £400, and then the reserve is just below.

Shirley, come and join us a second.

Come and join us, because we've just been looking at these rather lovely four miniatures,

even though John's only got one of them there.

It means that I can now give you all a final total

on what we hope to raise at auction, taking John's lowest estimates.

We're actually going to raise rather more than £500.

Hopefully, we should be able to raise £950, which means you can get

not just the croquet set, but enough chairs to have an entire festival of croquet!

-Oh, wow!

-(BOTH) And a day out!

THEY LAUGH

But it all depends what happens when the hammer comes down,

so let's just keep fingers crossed that everything is gonna go well when we get to auction.

Lesley's home has been such a delight to search through today,

and we've got a huge variety of items to pack off to auction.

There's the stylish Georgian bathroom mirror,

which John valued at £80 to £120.

The colourful tapestry of the lady fish seller, which we're hoping

will reel in the bidders with a £200 to £300 price tag.

And, of course, the exquisite hand painted miniatures

with John's boosted price tag of £300 to £400.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic...

'Where's Heathcliff when you need him?'

Oh, on the telephone!

This plot definitely has some twists and turns.

'How will it end when the hammer falls?'

Well it's been a week or two since we joined Lesley Parkinson

and her friend, Shirley, at that beautiful house that Lesley has in West Yorkshire.

We were looking for antiques and collectibles that we could sell

today, here at Cato Crane Auctioneers in Liverpool.

Lesley wants a really fabulous croquet set,

so that she and her friends and family can all play the game on that new lawn that she's had laid.

It's gonna cost her about £500, so we're really hoping

that all the bidders are gonna be on form today

when her items go under the hammer.

This auction house in the heart of the docks

has been selling the antiques and collectibles of the people of Liverpool for over 20 years.

John is certainly hoping that our items will sit well with the buyers.

Well, I see the rocking chair made it safely in one piece.

I thought she might change her mind - there was quite an attachment,

-wasn't there?

-What are the things that you think will do well today?

I love those Sevres style porcelain miniatures, and also that fish woman tapestry.

Vivid colours, nice, unusual subject matter.

I'm eager to see how those perform.

I wonder which are going to be Lesley's favourite lots today?

-Shall we go and ask her?

-Come on.

The room is slowly filling up and Lesley and Shirley have arrived,

excited to see their miniatures on display.

-Good morning, Lesley and Shirley.

-Good morning.

-One last look before they end up on somebody else's wall.

-Yeah.

-Are you having second thoughts?

-Not really.

They are pretty, but no.

But have you put a reserve on them?

Yes, I have, yeah. I thought £300, they're easily worth that.

-They're very attractive.

-That's a good idea, John.

That's what they should be worth, but we're in the hands of the Gods now.

Nothing more we can do, we're at the auction.

-Shirley, you're giving lots of support today?

-Oh, certainly.

-The more money, the merrier!

-Absolutely.

I think we should take our places, because everyone's started to arrive for the auction.

If you're interested in selling or buying at auction, do bear in mind

that you'll have commission, VAT and other charges to pay.

With the auctioneer in position and under way, we take our places just in time for our first lot.

Have you written tomes with this?

I've written absolutely nothing with it! It's never been out of its box.

So it's in pristine condition?

-It is indeed.

-It's just about to come under the hammer, so let's see how it does.

What do we say, £20, Mrs Jay? £20 is bid there.

£20. We're staying five, sir.

Times are hard. £25 there.

30 with you, sir. 35, 40, 45, 50.

£45 here. Any advance on 45?

I'll take 46 if you like.

We're having to work hard today.

£45 on my right, are we all done?

There we go, £45. A nice object.

-£45.

-Excellent.

I was quite pleased with that.

Quite pleased, it's been hanging around for years. I was amazed.

Well, that's the first sale crossed off the list.

'Let's hope our next lot continues in the same vein.'

I can start the bidding, straight in at £40 on the telephone.

£40 with me. 40, any advance on 40?

50, a gentleman down the room now.

There is somebody there, 50. 60 on the telephone.

-Oh, on the telephone!

-And five, sir.

60 on the telephone. £60 and 65.

70 with you.

70.

65? Come on.

67.50, I know who's on the phone.

67.50 is bid now. All done at 67.50, Jonathan, with you.

Come on.

Yes, 67.50, we've got a bid at 67.50.

All done, then?

What an unusual amount! £67.50.

Just a touch under estimate, but a good sale.

The cloisonne vases are up next and sell...

£14 all done. Got to go.

Again, just under the lower estimate at £14.

So far so good, but there seems to be a trend developing here,

when the Lancashire rocking chair, that John had high hopes for, sells...

-65.

-..for £15 under the estimate.

Lesley's philosophical.

The rocking chair, I was disappointed,

but it saves taking it home and bringing it back again another day.

That's the spirit, Lesley!

We're hoping that our next lot will bring in a pretty penny.

The hand painted miniature portraits set in gold coloured frames.

-You've put a reserve on these, haven't you?

-I have, yes.

-Of?

-300.

So, let's see how they do.

What do we say on this? They are, in actual fact, most attractive.

Let's make of it what we can.

-He likes them.

-Well, yeah.

-I think they're really attractive.

£40, £10 to start?

-£40? £10?

-40, 50, 50, 60, 70, 80,

90, 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, 200.

You're at 220, madam. I'll sell at 220.

Would you like 210, then?

Just get me over this. 210. OK, £210.

You're very kind. Thank you.

210. I wasn't being sarcastic, incidentally!

You are genuinely kind.

£210. I can sell for £210.

-210.

-Yeah.

-Again or not? Yes?

£210 now.

210. Not the reserve you put on them, but the sort of estimate that John had for them originally.

So Lesley agreed to let the auctioneer take the bid

below its reserve. It's not the result she was hoping for,

but 210 is £10 over what John originally estimated.

The miniatures, I was a little disappointed, but I thought

it was time perhaps to let them go.

It was a pretty good price, really, I suppose.

Chin up, Lesley. Despite a couple of disappointing sales,

we are on our way to our £500 target for that croquet set, so we've got plenty to be pleased about.

And now it's time for our first lot of tapestries to go before the room.

What do we reckon for this little trio?

It's a mixed lot, something for everyone in there - £50-100.

What do we say on these, ladies and gentlemen? Lot 181.

Start the bidding at £40 on these.

They're not expensive at 40. £40.

£40 is bid, 40.

45 anywhere? 45 anywhere?

Anywhere at all? 45, 50. Can you do 55, Mrs Jones, please, for this?

Come on. £50, then. All done at 50.

£50, right on the button at the bottom end of your estimate, John.

That's more like it! Let's hope our luck continues with the next lot.

Next up are our pair of 19th century spelter figures, the blacksmith and the farmhand.

They have their original bases and the gilding is still intact,

so we're looking for £50-100.

£30 to start me off on them. £30.

Anybody? No bidding at £30? Come on, ladies and gentlemen. £30.

Should be bid at 30. 30, 35, 35, 40.

Best we can do at 40? I don't think we can sell them at 40.

I think they're worth a bit more than that, don't you?

-Are you gonna sell at 40?

-No.

OK, all done at £40, the best we can do today.

They're worth a bit more. I think we'll try those next week again.

Not sold.

No, but I'm happy to take it back. Didn't want it to sell for that.

It's good that Lesley doesn't mind taking them home,

but there's another blow...

No, we're not gonna sell it at £45, best the bidding goes up to today.

All done, then?

..when the Georgian bathroom mirror also fails to impress the room.

It seems to be one of those fickle days,

with buyers sitting on their hands for our items.

With just a few lots to go, we need something to shake them all up.

Next up is our little lot of silver.

We've got a cream jug and a sugar sifter.

Not in great condition, hence I put £70-90 on them as an estimate.

What do we say, £50 for the two?

Should be worth that right away. £50?

Any bidding at £50? 50 is bid, 50.

£50. Well, I'll sell at first and only bid at 50, then.

All done at first and only bid at £50. Only £40 each.

It is the end of the summer.

£50 then, all done.

Oh, dear. This is really disappointing, but it is a sale.

Can we charm the buyers with our final offering?

-What do we reckon on this one, John?

-We've got £200-300 for it.

I think it's worth every penny.

As Lesley said, it has its original frame and it's in lovely condition. Here we go.

What do we say? £50 is bid right away.

Straight in at 50. 50 is bid. 50, 50.

60, 70. 80, sir? 80. 90, 100, and 10.

£100 here.

All done at £100?

All done at £100. 100.

Selling at £100 now.

110 in a new place. 120, 130. 130 is bid now. 140, 150.

Are you bidding? 150, 160. 170.

170, 180. 180.

All done at £180 this time?

Last chance, sir.

180 here.

All done. With Jonathan at 180.

-Happy?

-Yeah.

We've had quite a turbulent time at the auction today,

but £20 short of John's lowest estimate just about sums up our day.

Lesley had some fabulous items.

It's just a shame that the bidders weren't in more of a mood to splash their cash.

So how did we do at the end of the day?

You wanted to raise £500 for your rather posh croquet set.

-We've actually made £681.50.

-50p!

-50p.

-Just that difference.

-That 50p made all the difference!

Is that my tip?

With the auction a distant memory, Lesley is keen to take advantage of her brand new toy.

I was really pleased with the auction. It went really well.

It was good fun and we went over the target.

'The new set has arrived and I'm looking forward

'to setting it up, getting a few friends in, having a game.'

I've thought about it for years.

Oh, just in time! It's arrived.

With several helpers on hand, it's time to get down to business.

-One, two, three, four.

-Why's that one over there?

Once the mystery of the layout is unravelled, it's time to make some noise.

Well, almost!

I've never played it before.

I think the way we're playing is that I think we're gonna join the League,

as the Yorkshire Terriers, or something like that!

THEY ALL CHEER

We're really enjoying this.

The sun's out, good friends, but it's thirsty work.

I think we'll have to crack open a bottle of bubbly.

'We've had a really good day out.'

We'll be playing lots and lots in the future.

-Cheers.

-Congratulations.

-Cheers, guys.

If you'd like to raise some money and you think you may have antiques and collectibles

that you'd be happy to sell at auction, why not get in touch with the programme?

Just fill in our application form on our website -

And come and join us on Cash In The Attic.

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