Shread Cash in the Attic

Hello and welcome to Cash In The Attic, the show that helps you find

hidden treasures in your home and then sells them for you at auction.

Today, I'm in the historic city of Norwich and this is an important part of the city's heritage.

It's called the Dragon Hall, named after this chap carved into the rafters.

And it was a very important place for trading in the 15th century

and it was that medieval trade that made Norwich the city it is today.

This Grade I listed trading hall was built around 1430,

by wealthy merchant Robert Tops.

He wanted somewhere to store and display the goods he imported and exported.

So the building was designed as a mixture of showroom and warehouse to impress visiting salesmen.

It was sold and divided up after Tops' death in 1467

and is today preserved and restored by the Norfolk and Norwich Heritage Trust.

It's good to imagine this place teeming with medieval traders selling their wares.

We're hoping that some of that busy-ness rubs off on us today

because we are aiming to find some goodies that we can trade up at auction later.

Coming up on today's Cash In The Attic, some rather baffling antiques.

-It's a spoon warmer?

-Yes.

-Why would you want to warm spoons?

A few of Jonty's bad jokes...

-That's music to our ears.

-From the piano stool.

-Ah!

All topped off with a few fantastic results at auction.

Fantastic!

-That's great.

-It's really good.

-I'm delighted.

So let's hope it adds up to a success when the final hammer falls.

I've come out into the lovely Norfolk countryside to a village

called Surlingham, which is just outside Norwich,

and I'm going to meet a couple who are raising money for a day out on the turf.

This delightful 17th-century cottage in rural Norfolk is home to physiotherapist Veronica Shread

and her husband Ted, who works in marketing.

Having been together for ten years, the couple only recently married

and share their home with a wealth of antiques and collectables,

inherited mainly from Veronica's side of the family.

But they have decided to treat themselves to a rather special day out and have called us to Norfolk

to help them turn some of the family heirlooms into cash.

-Jonty!

-Alistair, how are you?

-I'm very well. How are you?

-Welcome to the Norfolk Broads.

-I've brought a little titbit of information.

-Go on, then. Test me. Test me.

Norwich, where I just was, 11th century,

the second biggest city in England after London.

Everyone knows that.

No, they didn't! You did not know that.

-Did you know that we are meeting newlyweds today?

-Are we? Great, OK.

Ted and Veronica, here you are.

Raking, is that because you knew Cash In The Attic was coming?

Absolutely.

It's a beautiful cottage you've got. How long have you been living here?

I've lived here since 1992.

I've been here about nine years, just over nine years.

-I hear that you've recently got married.

-We have, yes.

-Newlyweds!

Yes. A happy married couple.

Was it recent recent?

-This year.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you.

Is that why you have called us in, to pay all your honeymoon debts?

Absolutely. You know what it's like.

Seriously, why are we here? What are we raising money for?

Having a day at the races.

-Ah! Who likes a flutter?

-I do.

I've been racing a few times in the past and Veronica rides, so she is interested in horses anyway.

-And how much are you hoping to flutter there?

-£500 would be nice.

-Ah.

A bit of lunch, some champagne and some money on the horses, of course.

It will be a good day out.

I'll take the trimmings and let's go inside.

-OK.

-Thank you.

It certainly sounds like a fun way to spend a day out.

So we need to get down to work and make these newlyweds some cash for the races.

Hopefully, the odds will be stacked in our favour though, as we've got

our expert Jonty Hearnden on hand to head up the search.

He's been working in the antiques trade all his life and he can spot a thoroughbred antique a mile away.

-Ah, here he is.

-I've found something already.

-Ah, yes.

-I've been busy, hard at work.

-What have you got there?

Well, I found this lovely late-Victorian stool. Where is the stool from?

My mother bought that in a sale in Edinburgh, I believe.

Then she decided, when she got very keen on tapestry, to start re-covering

things and this was one of the items that she decided to cover.

-She did it herself?

-Yes, she did.

-So she did that? Amazing.

Look at all the work in that.

It would have taken a few hours to do that, yes?

I expect so, yes.

Now, you can tell the age of this stool by looking at the leg.

We have this reeded and turned leg,

and this was fashionable around the turn of the century

-but something happened to this stool that has changed throughout its life.

-Right.

Once upon a time, this top here would have unscrewed up or down

and we would have a thread running here,

simply because this once upon a time would have been a piano stool.

So it would have had an adjustable seat.

-Now, I have tried very hard to turn it...

-But the thread is just jammed?

Well, what people do is if the thread is either broken or has become insecure,

then the whole point is that you probably put a load of glue

down there, so it gives it rigidity, so it saves repairing it.

So it's not an adjustable stool any more.

That's fine as far as value is concerned because it's still a very pretty little stool.

Right.

-But what value is it?

-Well, in today's market, because

of her tapestry work on the seat, you know, £40 to £60 at auction.

-Oh, right. Yes. That sounds reasonable.

-Does that sound good?

-Yes.

-That's music to our ears.

-From the piano stool.

-Ah. It's a good start. Shall we press on?

-Yes, please.

Veronica's mum's handiwork has certainly got us off to a great start

but, with a £500 target, we've got a way to go yet. So it's on with the search.

Ted has been rummaging upstairs and he's dug out this pretty bar brooch

with an opal mounted in the centre.

Jonty hopes the bidders will take a shine to this lot

and to its £40 to £60 price tag.

And it looks like our expert's spotted another sparkling lot next door.

-Ted, are you through there?

-Yes.

Hi. Have a look at this.

Now, I've just come across this lovely nine-carat gold bracelet.

-And these red stones here are garnets.

-Right.

Do you know anything about this?

Veronica tells me her father used to like to buy her mother little sets of jewellery.

Obviously that's the only one of that particular set that we have.

Right, so once upon a time there might have been a pair of garnet earrings?

I'm sure there would have, yes.

Yes, or a necklace, or something like that?

-Exactly, yes.

-OK. Is this an object that Veronica might be interested in selling, do you think?

Well, I think so, because I've not seen Veronica wear it in ten years.

So I'm sure she wouldn't mind if we put it in the auction, no.

Now, the stone garnets often come in this red colour.

So they are very good replacements for rubies, which of course are more expensive gemstones.

But garnets have been around since the Bronze Age as decorative gemstones.

Now, unlike a lot of antiques at the moment,

gold seems to be going up in price, rather than falling.

So, therefore, I think it is a good time to sell gold.

-The value? £60 to £80.

-Oh, right. Yes. Good. Very good.

Well, that valuation seems to have gone down well with Ted,

and it's another step towards the day at the races. Great work, guys!

And staying with the jewellery theme, Veronica decides to part with this charming pearl brooch as well.

Jonty hopes it will make £40 to £60 when it goes under the hammer.

Worth even more, though, is this pretty amethyst set that our expert himself finds next door,

including a pendant, earrings, ring and additional bar brooch.

We'll be looking for £50 to £70 for this colourful lot.

We've made a cracking start on today's search,

so I leave Mr Hearnden at the helm for a while and catch up with the newlyweds.

So how did you meet?

Well, we met through our children being at school, basically, 25 years ago.

And then we went our separate ways for a while

and met again through my daughter living here in Surlingham

and I was round there for a meal one evening and she happened

to mention that Veronica lived in the village as well.

-So I phoned her up, we went for a drink, and the rest is history, as they say.

-Marvellous.

The wedding looks like great fun. This is an amazing cake.

Tell me the story behind that.

Our wedding cake was made for us by a friend who is a chef and they live

about 25 miles away, so when the cake left their house it looked like that

but by the time we got to the pub, it had all fallen to pieces.

-Oh, but tasty!

-Delicious.

And so was it a happy day? Tell me about the day.

-What was the highlight?

-Probably the fish and chips, actually.

The, um...fish and chips we had wrapped up in newspaper with us as the headline of the newspaper.

So it was a slightly ironic wedding feast?

-Yes.

-Yes, it was.

-Followed by sticky toffee pudding.

Oh! And some profiterole sludge.

-Yes.

-Absolutely.

-If you could manage it.

And where did you go on honeymoon?

-We went to Gozo.

-How was that?

-It was lovely. Boiling hot,

and a pretty island and quiet.

Very peaceful, very relaxing after all the preparations of the wedding.

-So it was nice.

-Any horse racing on Gozo?

-Not in Gozo.

-No, there wasn't.

You like horse racing, though.

Yes, I like to go occasionally and have a little flutter.

And I've got a horse, which is actually my daughter's horse, that I ride.

I'll really enjoy watching horses at the racing.

We had better get making the money, in which case we should find Jonty.

OK.

Well, it sounds like a wedding to remember but it's time to put the romance to one side and get

back on with the rummage, as we've got a way to go before we reach our £500 target.

Fear not, though, as our Jonty has been busy.

-Veronica, are you there?

-Yes.

I've got this lovely box here. Tell me about this.

Well, that was a present bought for me as a child.

Each year, I used to get a cup and saucer or a plate or something every birthday from an aunt...

-Did you?

-..who lived in Derby.

So it begs the question, have you ever used it?

No, it's never been used.

And I've also got an inherited set that my parents had.

-Right.

-This is superfluous, really.

-So, what have we got?

We've got how many cups and saucers in this style?

I believe there's six cups, six saucers, six dessert plates, a jug,

a bowl and a couple of cake plates.

Basically, making up a tea service.

-Yes.

-So you haven't got the teapot or anything like that?

No, it never had a teapot.

OK. Well, it's great that we've got the name Royal Crown Derby and,

as you can see from the outside of the box here, that says "Established 1750".

So it really has been going a long time but it went in and out of business.

The name Royal Crown Derby, or Derby porcelain, is synonymous

with fine china, fine ceramics, but essentially what we're looking at here

is a style and a design first introduced in the late 18th century.

So this is, in effect, a reproduction of early styles.

A lot of people are trying to sell tea services because, like you,

people just do not use them any more.

So we shall just have to price it accordingly.

So I assume, because this has been tucked away in a box for a long period of time,

is it something now that you would consider selling?

-Yes, definitely.

-Yes. OK.

Well, we are looking at, I suppose, between £40 and £60.

OK. I might have thought it would be a bit more than that

but it's no value here, so it might as well be sold and used elsewhere.

That's a good attitude, Veronica.

We'll just have to keep everything crossed that it makes the top end of its estimate come auction day.

As the search continues, I've spotted a rather unusual-looking item.

But just what is it?

Veronica? Jonty?

What's this and where did it come from?

I think it was bought in an antique shop in Norwich by some

friends of my parents and it is a Victorian spoon warmer, apparently.

-You do know what it is.

-I do, yes.

Have you used it for its original purpose?

No, I never have.

-It's a spoon warmer?

-Yes.

-Why would you want to warm spoons?

Well, if you think about it, when spoon warmers were created

in Victorian times, certainly in those cold winter months, you need a spoon warmer because it was very

important to keep your food hot at all times.

Certainly, you would have very warm water down at the bottom here, you would place your spoons in the top

here, because you didn't want your soup or your gravy to congeal at all.

It was very important. Certainly in the 19th century.

If you think about it, the Victorians were obsessed with having

the right implements for the right intended purpose.

So, in the 1880s for instance, you could buy things like asparagus forks,

berry and bacon forks, the list goes on and on.

A lot of those implements are now just superfluous to modern-day requirements, just like this.

An object like this would be purchased simply because it is an object of beauty.

I mean, it's lovely. If we look on the underside here, and you

see these markings down here, they look as if they are hallmarks.

But that was the whole point

of plating an object.

You could have marks that looked like solid silver but these are not.

All we are looking for is the sideways lion but this is a plated item rather than solid silver.

Now, a lot of plated items, a lot of Victorian plated items,

have simply very little value but because this is so beautiful,

-even though it has no...

-A mysterious purpose.

-Yes, a mysterious purpose.

I think this is worth £40 to £60.

-Oh, right. That's good.

-Yeah?

-Yes.

-Happy?

-Yes, thank you.

-Good. Let's carry on.

-Trot on!

What a fantastic lot and certainly not something we see very often.

I hope it will tickle the bidders' fancy.

Veronica tops up the races fund by another few pounds

when she digs out a 30-piece set of Stuart Crystal.

Jonty hopes this eye-catching lot will make us £30-£40

when it goes under the hammer.

Our expert himself has found a very colourful ruby and diamond ring.

It's more a piece of costume jewellery than a priceless gem,

but like the crystal, this too

gets packed off to auction with a £30 to £40 estimate.

Veronica, tell me a bit more about this wonderful house you live in.

The house is dated 1692.

The thatch apparently was redone in 1988.

Because it's Norfolk reed, apparently it will last for

50 to 70 years, as long as you keep good care of it.

Was it an agricultural worker's cottage?

It was two farm workers' cottages.

-Oh, two. Because that would've been the separate door.

-Yes, there are two doors and two staircases.

I see. Did you do a lot of work to it?

I had to have the floors taken up and a damp-proof course done, and a bit of dry rot sorted.

I imagine damp is quite a problem in Norfolk. Especially in the Broads.

A little bit.

That's why I needed to have the floors done and also

the river's very nearby.

But that's lovely because we can go for walks and there's some RSPB nature reserves and

two nice pubs that we can walk to. It's nice to be able to walk round.

-Most of those things that we're looking at, they're from your parents?

-Yes, a lot of it is.

A lot of it is the stuff that they inherited from

-the Scottish and actually a slight Irish side to the family.

-Right. But that's been sitting in boxes or...

It's been sitting in boxes ever since I've been here, really.

For 17 years.

Time for it to have a new lease of life on the racecourse.

-Definitely, yes.

-We should get back in. It's getting quite chilly, isn't it?

-Yes.

With all those family heirlooms to search through, I've got high hopes

we'll find the last few pieces we need to get our couple to the races.

Back inside, it seems Ted might have come up trumps.

Jonty, look what we've got.

Good man, you come bearing gifts.

-Yes.

-Well done. Look at that.

Let's have a look. Here, these look like solid gold cufflinks.

Look at those. Nine-carat gold cufflinks. Very nice too.

Do you not wear these at all, Ted?

No, I never wear cufflinks.

-These are actually Veronica's father's.

-So, these are for sale?

-Do you think we can sell those?

-Yes. I think so, yes.

Those are wonderful. That's really good.

What else have we got here?

-We've got a little linked bracelet here. That looks gold too.

-Yes.

-There's a hallmark on there.

-That's good too.

-OK.

-Whose was that?

That was bought for Veronica as a present many years ago.

It did have trinkets on, but she took the trinkets off

and put them on something a bit more substantial, I believe.

That's great because that linked chain there is also a good seller.

We've got one, two, three other rings as well.

Those are all gold. And a pair of earrings too. So that's great.

What tends to happen with gold like this when it goes in to auction is

that dealers will buy this and a lot of it will actually be used as scrap.

So they re-use the gold, it can be melted down.

Likewise with the stones or the semiprecious stones, those can be re-used as well.

So this is a great little collection and it'll all be sold as one lot.

-It's worth putting in then?

-Yes. You got a fistful of dollars there, sir.

-Good!

-Not only a fistful of gold, a fistful of dollars.

A fistful of pounds.

-£80 to £120.

-Really?

-Yes.

Definitely going then.

-Look after that one.

-Right.

Let's go.

That's a big step towards the £500 and another example of Veronica's family doing us proud today.

We're really galloping towards our target now

and back downstairs I've found our first porcelain lot of the day,

a Spode jug and decorative Chinese plate.

Jonty thinks these two would be best sold together and gives them

a combined estimate of £30 to £40.

Our day's rummaging in Norfolk is very nearly over.

But Veronica has one more lot she'd like to show us before we cross the finishing line.

It's something she's been hinting at all day.

We have to wrap up warm for this one.

Ah, what have you got hidden in the garage?

This is the document of sale for this sideboard that we have here.

What does it say? Cabinetmakers Upholsterers and Carpet Warehouse in Edinburgh.

And how much was it for?

-It cost originally £15 and 10 shillings.

-Wow. That's quite a lot.

-What sort of date is that? 1913?

-Yes.

That's just before the First World War.

-Yes.

-This piece of furniture would have been brand, spanking new then.

-It would have been.

-Here it says a 5ft, inlaid Sheraton sideboard.

That's a Sheraton-style sideboard.

That's Thomas Sheraton, the designer of the late 18th century.

It's in the style of his work. The sideboard is made of mahogany, but it's two types of mahogany.

You've got the long-grain mahogany here, where the grain of the mahogany

goes this way, and then they've used flame mahogany.

-What I mean by flame mahogany is the veneer looks like a flame.

-Right.

-Can you see that?

So they've purposefully designed the veneer work and it's replicated on the back there, you see.

So, that's what the Georgian cabinetmakers perfected.

It was very fashionable in the late 18th century through into the 20th century, this style of furniture.

-Is it fashionable now?

-The problem with this style

of furniture is because it's not strictly antique, it's not Georgian,

and it's really not of a 20th-century contemporary design,

prices of Edwardian furniture particularly seem to have slumped badly.

I'll give you an example - ten years ago, £200 to £300.

Nowadays at auction, £40 to £60.

-That's a huge difference.

-A big drop.

It is, isn't it? I agree, it's a tragically low figure.

But you either have it languishing here in your barn indefinitely

or sell it at auction and put the money to good use. What do you think?

I think it has to go to auction. It's been too big for the house.

So, I think the best thing is to sell it, regardless of what we get for it.

OK. One thing I want to say is that I think this is such a lovely document

that it must go with the sideboard.

I think that will add... If I was a dealer and I wanted to buy this,

that would certainly add to the interest in purchasing it.

-Make sure that that stays with the sideboard. All right?

-I will do.

So we're saying £40 for this?

-Yes.

-Well, we've had a great day and lots of interesting items.

But we wanted £500.

We have made 520.

Oh! Very good. Yes.

Bearing in mind that the auctions are a bit like the races too, we don't know that everybody's going

to win, but I'm hoping that with Jonty in the saddle,

we're going to come romping home across the finishing line.

That should be good. Thank you very much.

Well, our hard work searching through Veronica and Ted's beautiful cottage has really paid off today.

We're all pleased with our haul of items for auction.

Fingers crossed, there will be plenty of jewellery

collectors as we've brooches, rings and bracelets galore.

Most expensive is the collection of gold

that Jonty valued at £80 to £120.

We're also hoping the bidders will be fascinated by the unusual

Victorian silver spoon warmer, which Jonty valued at £40 to £60.

And of course there's the sideboard we just saw

in the rather chilly garage.

Veronica seemed happy to part with it, but with just

a £40 to £60 valuation, will it be worth the effort of getting it

all the way to the saleroom?

Still to come on Cash In The Attic...

not all our items manage to race over the finish line.

-That was OK. You can't win them all.

-But others do unexpectedly well.

That was one of the also-rans that came up a winner.

Will we be odds-on favourite to reach our target when the final hammer falls?

It's been several weeks since we were out in the Norfolk countryside visiting the lovely

cottage of those lovebirds Veronica and Ted Shread.

They're trying to raise £500 for a day at the races because Veronica loves horses, Ted loves a flutter.

We've brought all their treasures here to Chiswick Auction Rooms in west London.

Let's hope that the bidders make a gallop for the finishing post when it comes to auction.

It's shaping up to be another busy sale here at Chiswick, so I hope the odds are stacked in our favour.

We've got a pretty impressive collection of lots to sell today

and I know Mr Hearnden is feeling rather excited.

-Jonty, that's one of our items, isn't it?

-It certainly is.

-It's a pretty little thing.

Yes, good quality. I really like the quality of the tapestry.

-That's its saving grace, big time, because remember...

-It doesn't revolve.

It's an unadjustable stool rather than an adjustable stool.

What else have we got today? We've got some jewellery that's very good.

-You got very excited about that.

-Yes, and the spoon warmer.

How could I forget the spoon warmer?

I've been puzzling over the spoon warmer ever since.

I really felt like I'd let them down when I valued that sideboard.

-Crushed. They were crushed.

-I can only be honest.

-It'll be very interesting to see what it does sell for.

-It's hard, isn't it, with mahogany furniture?

People are so attached to it and yet it's not worth a lot of money.

If you think about it, just how much work's gone into something like that and the value that I put on it...

-It's criminal, really, but I have to be realistic.

-Did they bring it?

I'm not quite sure whether they brought that, because I could understand if they hadn't.

Let's go and find out.

It'll be a bit of a dent to our target if the sideboard hasn't made it to auction,

so fingers crossed it's here. Only one way to find out though - and that's to ask our keen racegoers.

-Hello, guys.

-Hi. How are we?

-Good. How are you?

-There's the spoon warmer.

-It is, yes.

Are you still speaking to me after I gave you the value of that sideboard?

Yes, we are. Just!

Just. We've decided that we'll...

So you are going to speak to me today?

-We are indeed.

-I don't recommend it though.

He never stops talking.

-Have you been to auctions before?

-No, never.

-Never?

-Never.

I've been a couple of times.

Just keep your hands down. Don't bid on anything you don't want.

And fingers crossed.

-Yes, absolutely. Ready for starter's orders?

-Oh, most definitely.

-Let's go.

That's great news that the sideboard made it after all. The sale looks like it's getting under way,

so we take our places just in time to watch the action unfold.

The first of our lots to go under the hammer is one of the many jewellery items we're selling today.

The ruby and diamond ring.

We're looking for just £30 to £40 for this sparkling lot.

Start me at £30. £30 for it?

£30? £20?

Anybody selling at £20. 20.

22. 25. 28. 28. 30. 32.

35. At £32.

35. 38? £35, are you still in?

38 there. 40. 42. 42. 45. 48. 50.

-Come on.

-55. 60. 5.

-That's good.

-70. 70. 75?

70. 75? £70 bid. 75 and it's yours.

-£70, all done? Your bid at £70 then.

-Good.

That's great. That's more than double my bottom end of the estimate. That's great.

Jonty seems pleased, and with £70 in the race kitty,

it's a fantastic start to our day.

We've got a £500 target to reach,

so I hope the bidders are sitting comfortably for our next lot.

Next up is your ancient stool.

I think your mum did the embroidery on top of this?

Yes, she did the tapestry on the top.

We want a good price for this.

-Although it doesn't...

-It doesn't adjust.

-It doesn't wind up any more.

-It's our unadjustable adjustable stool.

Start me at £10 for it.

I'll bid at 10. Give me 12. 15.

18. 20. 22. 25. 28? £25 it is. £25.

Ooh. Shaking his head.

30? 32. 35. 38. 40. £38.

Bidding at £38. Selling. All done?

-At £38 then? You've got it, sir.

-38.

-That was a bit low.

-Never mind.

That was OK. You can't win them all.

Very true, Jonty. It was only £2 under estimate after all.

Hopefully this set of Stuart crystal will bring in a few more

pounds for us though.

Start me at £20 for it? Should make much more. £20 for it?

£10 for it? Not a hand moves. Mexican wave now.

A bid at 10. 12 there. 15. 18. 20.

22. 25?

22. A bid at £22. 25. 28. 30. 32.

-That's good.

-35. 38. 40. 42?

£40. The bid at £40.

We've got there in the end.

£40 and gone. 349, £40.

And it comes in bang at the top of its estimate. That's more like it.

We've had a pretty solid start so far today.

A rather special lot is up next.

-This is a big item. Literally a big item.

-It is.

-That big sideboard.

At least you can park the car now.

-Yes!

-That's a bonus, isn't it? So, whatever it sells for, think of the garage space.

-Yes.

The original receipt with it as well in the top drawer, taped in there. £50 for it?

£30 for it? £20 for it?

Who wants it? I'm bid at £20. £20. I'll take you at £20. Two at £20.

22. 25?

-25. 28. 30.

-It's going up now.

32. 35. 38. 40. 42.

Bidding at £40. Only at £40.

A lot of furniture at £40. I'm selling at £40 - you've got it.

-£40 - you've gone. £40.

-Well, we said 40, didn't we?

Yes, I did say 40.

I'm afraid my prediction was true.

That may be right, Mr Hearnden.

It's another step towards our £500, but I can't help

wishing the sideboard had made a little more cash for our couple.

But there's no time to dwell on it, as we've got another lot coming up for sale already.

Now, initially, when I saw that really beautiful Cantonese dish...

-Mmm.

-..I got very, very excited.

But I gave it a tap and noticed that it didn't have the right ring to it,

because it had a very faint hairline crack to it.

-That's how you noticed!

-I know. It's disappointing.

As a consequence, I put that along with the jug as well.

So we've got two items in this lot.

And that's the reason why I put £30 to £40 on them.

Give me a silly bid, £10, please. £10 for it...

£10 for it? Give me 12. At £10...

12, 15, 18, 20...

-Here we go.

-I'm only bid £18. £18.

-All going and done. Your bid. £18, 349.

-Oh, dear.

-That was disappointing.

-Yes.

Well, it's all down to the damage, I'm afraid.

Yeah. That's £12 under Jonty's low-end estimate.

After a solid start, things seem to be slowing down for us today,

and our couple are starting to look a little concerned.

We've just one more lot to go before we

reach the halfway point in the sale, so we're all hoping it's a good one.

Jonty valued the unusual Victorian spoon warmer at £40 to £60,

but will it manage to win over a somewhat chilly saleroom?

Spoon warmer. And, erm, £50 for it?

£30?

Start me £10. 12, 15, 18, 20...

-Here we go.

-25, 28, 30, 32, 35, 38, 40.

42, 45, 48, 50.

52, 55, 58, 60...

-That's all right.

-Very good.

At £62. 65 here.

68. 70. 75, 80. 85, 90.

-95, 100. 110, 120. £110.

-The nation's spoons are too cold!

The original bidder, at £110, all done. At 110, thank you.

110, how about that?

-That's great.

-That's brilliant.

-That's amazing.

-I'm delighted.

A fantastic result, selling for over double Jonty's low-end estimate.

We're all feeling pretty relieved, and it's made a big difference to our total so far.

-So, very good, we're almost at the halfway mark.

-Mmm.

-And I'm going to tell you how much we've made.

-Yes...?

-You want £500 all told.

-Mm-hm.

-At the halfway mark, we've made £316, which is excellent.

-That's very good.

-Well on the way.

-Yeah.

-Great. Yes.

-Congratulations, that's good.

We had the sideboard that was a bit worrying.

-But then the spoon warmer...

-That spoon warmer, you see?

We've got a big chunk of time before our next items come on to the saleroom.

-So shall we have a look round the saleroom? There's lots to look at.

-Yeah. This way?

-Yes.

Our couple take the chance for a short break. But Jonty is never one to put his

feet up, as he spotted something earlier that he wants to show me.

Now, Alastair, come and have a look at this.

-These? They're lovely.

-No.

This little Matchbox tanker. Do you remember those?

-Yeah, we used to have these.

-Yeah?

I was more of a fan of Tonka toys, myself, cos they were more indestructible.

A bit bigger. Now they're collectable, too.

-Oh, really?

-But believe it or not, the die-cast market has just not stopped for a few years now.

For instance, these toys, maybe five, six years ago, would have been half what they're worth now.

So, this is a massive growth area in collecting.

They first started production in 1953.

The Lesney production company started these.

And they were all inspired by the owner of the factory, who had to make a toy for his daughter,

because she was only allowed to take in toys to school that fitted into a matchbox.

So he created the toy for the daughter, and hence the production of die-cast toys in his company.

Ah, I see! And what's the earliest piece?

You're talking very early 1950s,

when Lesney produced the first die-cast toys.

Now, what do you think it's worth?

I don't know. It's difficult with these tiny things, cos often they're worth a fortune. Say, £150?

Well, a little less than that.

-It's estimated in the catalogue for around £100.

-Well, there you go. For such a tiny thing, that's amazing.

-It's quite extraordinary, isn't it? Are you going to put your hands up at the auction?

-Maybe.

It depends. It's a lot for a teeny, tiny thing like that.

-Come on, let's get back to the auction.

-OK.

Remember, if you're planning on heading to your local auction house, be aware that commission,

and possibly other charges, will be added to your bill, whether you're buying or selling.

Always check the details with the saleroom to avoid any surprises.

The auction is still in full swing, so we get back into position,

and wait for our next lot to go under the hammer.

It's the Crown Derby tea set, which Jonty valued at £40 to £60.

For the Derby tea set, in the original box.

Start me, erm, £20 for it? £20 for it. £10 for it?

I'm bid at 10. In front of me, at 10.

At £10. You want 12

over there? 12, 15... 18, 20...

-It's going up.

-22, 25...

At £22. Give me 25?

Somebody else? 25, 28, 30, 32...

I'll take £30.

There's no money for this. At £30.

Going at £30, you've got it. £30.

So you have to put that £30 on a winning horse, make about 500,000.

What a good idea! It is a good idea.

The Crown Derby tea set didn't quite make what it was estimated to make.

But people are not collecting that sort of thing these days.

-So we're just happy that we got something for it.

-Yeah.

Well, Ted and Veronica are being very philosophical.

It's not a great start to the second half, but plenty of items left...

Time for the rest of our couple's jewellery to take centre stage

as our remaining five lots are all sparklers.

A bit of jewellery this time.

This is the amethyst bar brooch, surrounded by the pearls.

-Whose was this?

-This was my paternal grandmother's.

OK. Well, I've put £40 to £60 on it.

Let's see what the market decides.

..worth £50, start me at £50.

£20 for it...

Give me 22, 25, 28, 30, 32.

35... At £32. 35, 38?

40? 42.

45, 48? 50?

No. At £48, last chance at £48, are we done? 203, £48.

-That's actually quite good.

-Yeah.

Cos it was quite small, wasn't it?

Yeah.

That's £8 over Jonty's lowest estimate, and it's not a bad

start to our run of jewellery.

I hope the collectors are prepared to dig even deeper on the rest

of our lots, though, as we've still got a way to go before we reach our £500 target.

The amethyst set is next.

We're looking for £50 to £70 for this colourful lot.

Start me, erm, £20 again.

Take 2 now.

22 there, 25, 28, 30.

32, 35, 38...

40. 40?

I'm bid £38.

42, 45, 48, 50... 55...

-It's like being at the races, isn't it?

-That's the bid so far, £50.

At £50, your last chance.

At £50 all done.

At £50 it's gone, then. You've got it for £50.

Selling for bang on the low-end estimate,

another few pounds towards our couple's day at the races.

Remember, they're after £500 for their fantastic day out.

And with this great sale, they've now made an impressive 444.

So fingers crossed for our remaining three lots.

This jewellery is selling very well.

-Mmm.

-It's the opal brooch next.

-Opal is beautiful.

-Yes.

And we want £40.

-£40.

-£30 for it?

£30, £20 for it?

At £20... 22, 25, 28, 30.

At £28.

Selling for £28. £28, sold.

That's disappointing.

-What do you think about that?

-Well, it's not as pretty as the other one was.

So I'm not that surprised, I suppose.

-It might have been its downfall, the plainness of the whole thing.

-Yes.

It's another few pounds in the bank,

but we all wish the brooch had made a little more money today.

When the mint-condition Dinky toy that Jonty showed me

earlier comes up for sale, it, too, struggles to make its £100 estimate.

It goes unsold in the saleroom.

I'm starting to wonder if things are cooling off again this afternoon.

Maybe our next lot will grab the bidders' attention and finally

convince them to splash the cash again.

It's the pretty golden garnet bracelet,

which Jonty valued at £60 to £80.

The nine-carat Garnet bracelet, where do you want to start me?

Start me half price, £30 for it?

-Thank you, at £30...

-Started high.

38? 40, 42, 45, 48, 50.

55?

Thinking about it. 52. 55. 58. 60?

2? At £60.

65, 68, 70. 75, 80...

At £75, I'm bid. At £75,

are we done? I think we are. £75.

-75!

-See, there was someone waiting to bid till it got quite high.

That's more like it, selling for just £5 under Jonty's top estimate.

It's almost the end of our day here at Chiswick.

The finish line is in sight.

With one more lot to go under the hammer, let's hope we don't fall at the final hurdle.

So, this is the collection of, I suppose, the also-rans of the jewellery.

There's a big collection of your gold, and the costume jewellery too.

So, this is the whole lot, OK?

Often these lots put together, the dealers really like these.

-Yes.

-So, I've got £80 to £120.

-Ready?

-Yes. Fingers crossed.

Start me, erm... £80, we'll see how it goes.

£50 for it. 55, 60, 5, 70. 5.

Here we go.

90, 5, 100, 110.

110 I'm bid, at 110. 120.

130 140. 130 bid. 140 over there. 150.

-160.

-Getting better all the time.

I'm selling for 150.

150 all out? 150.

That's great.

-That's great, you see?

-How about that?

The also-rans came up winners!

Yes.

What a fantastic finish. I have a feeling the gold has taken us above and beyond our £500 target.

But just how well have we done?

Well, there we are. That was a really good sale.

-And pretty much everything came in...

-Mmm.

-Yeah.

-..if not above, then only a tiny fraction below.

Every one came in a winner.

-So how much do you think we made?

-Well, we were looking for around about 500.

-Yes, but I think we must have made over that.

-Yeah. The gold did

incredibly well and of course the spoon warmer did incredibly well.

Well, we've made £697.

Brilliant. Wow!

-That is very, very good.

-Thank you.

Now, don't go and spend it all on the nags.

Well, no, I'll try not to lose all of it.

A few weeks after raising a fantastic £697 at auction,

it's finally racing day for Veronica and Ted.

Despite it being a little wet and chilly,

this horse-loving pair are really looking forward to it.

-The auction went well.

-Yes. We had a really good day, didn't we?

-Yes.

-And we made more than our target.

-Yes, more than we were expecting.

And we're going to have a good time spending it.

They decide to take in the first race as spectators only and head

straight to the stands to watch the action unfold at the finishing line.

But before long they fancy a bit of a flutter themselves.

Well, we've watched the first race

and got an idea how it all works now and so we'll go away and pick out

one or two horses, put some bets on, and see if we can win some money.

Oh, no, not this one. No, No. It's the one after that, yes.

-The one with the pink coat?

-Yes.

-OK.

After working out a system, our couple head straight over to place a bet.

-£5 on Ronan The Warrior, please.

-Ronan The Warrior. Five.

OK.

-I'll have a £5 win on No Virtue.

-No Virtue, very nice.

With the bets placed, it's back to the stands and the race gets under way.

Oh, mine's not doing badly! Look, here he is. Come on! Come on.

Come on! Whoo!

VERONICA LAUGHS

I'm really pleased. We've had a great day and we've got a little bit extra as well, haven't we?

Yes. We had a winner at the races, so a bit more money.

-Can't be bad.

-A bit of champagne for tonight, eh?

-Well, yes, got to celebrate.

Yes.