R May Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic,

the programme that searches out all those treasures

and antiques around your house and sells them for you at auction.

Today, I'm in Croydon, which is south of London,

and I've taken time out to stop off at the quite stunning Selsdon Park hotel.

Selsdon Park dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period.

It was originally known as "Sel Dun" meaning mansion on the hill.

Over the centuries, it belonged to several different aristocratic families

with notable guests including Queen Elizabeth I,

who is said to have planted a cedar tree in the grounds.

In 1924, the mansion was converted into a luxurious hotel

which even has its own 18-hole golf course.

Well, there will be no stopping for a round of golf,

or indeed a visit to the 19th hole today.

I've got to march on now and find all those antiques

and collectibles to take to auction.

'Today on Cash In The Attic, Jonty's getting some special attention.'

-Follow me.

-Oh, I'll follow you, all right.

'But we seem to be missing something.'

It says here is Barbie and Ken, but I can't find a Ken.

-What have you done with Ken?

-Bless his heart.

'And emotions run high at auction.'

Give me a hug then, Rosemary.

'Will we still be smiling when the final hammer falls?'

I'm on my way to meet

a very lively lady, and

she's hoping that Cash In The Attic

can help her move around

just that little bit faster.

This semi-detached house in Croydon has been home to Rosemary May for 18 years.

She grew up in Wales, but moved to London as a teenager

and worked as a secretary in various banks until her retirement.

Rosemary's great friend, Lynn, lives just round the corner and the two are very close.

-Jonty, good morning.

-How are you?

I'm good, thank you. It's very sunny, but a bit nippy.

-It's beautiful.

-I hope you've taken your energy tablets.

-Why's that?

-This lady is just fantastic.

75 years of age, more energy than the whole team all put together.

-You need to be up for it. And, by the way, quite fancies you.

-Really?

-Can you cope with an older woman?

-I can.

You can cope with me, can you?

Shall we go and meet her? She's fabulous.

Rosemary's her name, by the way.

Rosemary, Miss Energy herself, how are you?

So looking forward to seeing you.

-Wonderful to meet you.

-This is Lynn, your friend.

-Hello, Gloria.

-How did you get roped in for today, Lynn?

I've known Rosemary for about 25 years.

She's a very good friend of mine.

Like a second mum. I'm here to support her today.

She's a lovely friend. Couldn't wish for a more loyal friend.

That's what we like on Cash in the Attic. Good friends, good stuff.

What sort of things, Rosemary, are we likely to find?

There are so many things up in that loft and I go up and down that ladder. I enjoy it.

Having said that, it would be nice if someone else could benefit from some of the things.

It's a real Cash In The Attic attic today, is it?

Indeed. Indeed it is.

And are these things that you've inherited?

I have accumulated many of these things.

I've been very lucky, people have given me things.

Why do you think the time is right now to take them to auction?

What I want to do is to buy a new car.

I would love to have a new car.

Are hoping to find enough in the attic to buy a car?

Well, no, not the whole lot for a car, but something towards a car.

I'm looking for about £750...

Towards a car.

Towards a car.

The big bonus today is you've got Jonty in the attic.

Lovely. Jonty. The people don't know what they've missed.

Seeing him in person, wonderful.

The thing is, I know that he's already rummaging so maybe we should go and find him.

You'll be in your element then, Rosemary.

I will, indeed. I can't wait.

Don't chat him up too much, eh?

-No, No.

-Come on, Lynn, we'll go and find him.

I'm hoping Rosemary's not going to distract our expect too much

because her home is packed with items

that she's collected over the years.

If we're going to raise a decent amount of cash to go towards

a new car, we'll need to be firing on all cylinders.

With Rosemary being such a fan of Jonty, let's hope he doesn't disappoint her.

Luckily, he's already on the job and has our first find.

-Jonty, a special lady who wants to say hello.

-Hello.

-Hello, Rosemary, how are you?

-Just like the man I see on the telly.

-He's lovely.

-She's rather partial to you, I have to warn you.

Now, listen, I'm very partial to these pair of pictures here.

The more you look, the more detail you can find.

Take a look at this one, for instance.

We've got this lovely delicate basket of flowers.

The basket itself is mother-of-pearl, but all these flower heads, they're wonderful.

We have a mixture here of silk and mother-of-pearl.

The detail is really stunning.

It means they have to be 19th century.

When I say 19th century, they are probably early 19th century.

-And how could you tell that?

-It is just simply the detail.

This kind of work was done around, I suppose 1840-1860, really.

I suppose that they're mid-19th century.

This one, we have the basket of flowers, but this one here is an urn of flowers

so they've always been a pair, but they are quite different.

So what happened here?

Jonty, this is really sad.

Very, very sad to me.

With my house moves,

unfortunately, this one was damaged.

We do have to take this into consideration, so I think, from

a value point of view, they're about £50 each.

We are looking around the £100 mark.

At auction, I would put an estimate of £80-120.

What do you think of that amount, Rosemary?

-Do you think that's enough?

-Indeed, yes.

I will expect you to give them a huge kiss goodbye when you come to auction.

Now, we still got to try and raise £750, so we're off to a reasonable start there.

We've got to keep working.

-Shall we go this way?

-Follow Gloria.

I'm going to follow you.

-You can follow me.

-We'll try a different place this time.

Anywhere, Jonty, anywhere.

It's a shame about the damage to one of the pictures,

but £80 is still a very healthy start towards our car fund.

Whilst Jonty begins a thorough search of the house,

Rosemary decides to let go of her gate-legged dining table.

Inherited from her Aunt Gwen, she no longer uses it

and Jonty values it at £100 to £140.

That's one of the car doors paid for.

Meanwhile, the search heads upstairs and Jonty's spotted another interesting piece of furniture.

Lynn, tell me about this chest of drawers.

Nice mahogany chest of drawers.

I believe Rosemary got these from a house clearance sale in Purley.

I'm not sure exactly how much she paid for it, but I know it wouldn't have been very much indeed.

I think I have just discovered just down here,

I've had a quick look and I've got four legs perched at the bottom here.

I'm assuming that these are the legs for this particular chest of drawers.

Look at the colour.

This is the original colour to the whole chest of drawers.

Can you see how it's changed over the years?

Originally, in the mid-19th century, when a chest of drawers like this would have been made,

it would have been that colour.

The rest of the carcass here is veneer work.

You can tell that very clearly, you can see the line down the middle here.

That's two sections of veneer.

You can also see the depth of the veneer, can you see that?

That is how thinly cut these veneers are.

Bow front chest of drawers became popular in the mid-18th century.

This chest of drawers is mid-19th century.

Beyond this point, the bow front became less popular.

Chests of drawers beyond this point were much squarer on the front.

Would these be part of a set?

Like a bedroom suite? Are they chest of drawers on their own?

A piece like this would be much more of a stand-alone piece.

Value-wise, we are looking at around the £100 mark.

The auction estimate for this chest of drawers will be £80-120.

-Is that all right?

-That's fine.

Very good. Excellent.

So another great find. We seem to be on a roll with another significant

contribution towards our £750 target for Rosemary's new set of wheels.

The search continues with Lynn scouring the ornaments then Jonty

picks out this pretty Albion pottery jug along with a matching bowl,

shaving mug and soap dish estimated at £55-75.

I think it would look fantastic on a lucky buyer's dressing-table.

It's a beautiful day outside and still a hive of activity inside.

I reckon it's time for a quick breather.

While Jonty carries on, I grab some time for a girlie gossip

with Rosemary and Lynn to find out what's made them so close.

I can see why you call this one "Cosy Rosie!"

Actually, it's very cosy coming into your sitting room. It's lovely.

What else do you call her?

She has been known as a "unique antique".

-Thank you very much.

-And nutty as a fruitcake as well.

-I'll answer to anything, Gloria.

How long have the pair of you been friends?

Rosemary became one of my customers for a certain cosmetic company

and we've been friends ever since.

About 25 years, we've known each other.

Good friends by the look of it.

Wonderful. Wonderful.

It's lovely to know there's somebody there when you need them.

With all the things that have happened to me,

Lynn has always been there.

I can turn to her and it's lovely to know that you've got somebody like that.

What has happened over the years where you've been able to share and care?

Let me see, it's a long story. How long have you got?

There was a time when she fell off the ladder painting the house.

Up the ladder I go and Crystal Palace were playing football.

I love football, I love sport.

They scored three, I forgot I was up the ladder

and what does Rosemary do?

I jump for joy and down I come with the ladder and I ended up

in hospital with a broken foot for four months

and I was on a stick for two.

This is where my friend Lynn, quite frankly, she was brilliant.

She was gold-dust to me.

What other things spring to mind that she got up to?

She's been gardening and using a pick axe which ended up stuck in her back.

-Excuse me?

-A pickaxe. She went like that and it...

I forgot about that.

That's absolutely right. I was lucky.

It just skimmed my shoulder, I was really lucky, honestly.

I'm not laughing at you, I'm just laughing at the idea.

A pickaxe ending up in your back?

You have to laugh, honestly.

You have to keep active, sometimes, I really have to push myself a bit.

What she means is, she's a fidget-bottom.

There's another name to add to the list.

We've got "Cosy Rosie", we've got "unique antique" and we've got "fidget-bottom".

You know what, fidget-bottom, I'm going to make you work some more

cos we have to get enough money for this car of yours.

Or at least towards a car. OK, lead on, MacDuff.

-Let's go somewhere else.

-Will do.

From one unique antique to another - no, not Jonty -

this French-style mantle clock

valued at a very useful £40 to £60.

Jonty appears to be living up to Rosemary's high expectations so far today.

He is spoilt for choice with items in the attic.

It seems he really is a ladies' man as he unearths our next find.

Come and have a look at this collection of Barbie dolls.

-Wow.

-Look at this.

Gosh. How colourful and bright and gorgeous.

Where did you get this collection?

Some friends of mine came over from Canada,

some friends of friends, and they gave them to me.

They knew I loved dolls so much.

I was very happy about that.

-You were pleased to add it to your collection?

-Pleased as Punch.

How many do you reckon you have in there?

Oh, ten.

-I lose count.

-We've got quite a few here.

Now, I must close the box first of all, because it's the box that really gets me excited.

This has real age to it.

We've actually got the date here, 1963. This is really good.

Did they come in this box?

They did come in a box.

What it says here is Barbie and Ken, but I can't find a Ken.

Poor Ken's missing.

Aw, bless his heart.

You can't do without a man, can you?

-You've got your man for the day, you see!

-I should be so lucky.

Shall I be your Ken for the day? How about that?

-And in the attic, as well!

-Anything you like, dear.

Now, let's have a look at the dolls themselves.

I like this one.

I'm keeping this one. She's special, this one.

Barbie was invented by an American designer by the name of Ruth Handler.

She had a daughter, wait for it,

you don't have to be a rocket scientist to put two and two together.

Her daughter was called Barbara.

-Hence the reason why we have Barbie.

-Oh, yes.

Because we've got these accessories, which is good, and the fact that I love this case,

I think that this case has got real value because it's so early,

and the dolls are right, in so far that they look around 1970s, a lot of these,

I think these are definitely worth selling.

As a collection, we're looking at roughly £50 to £70.

You're joking, for a bit of plastic and the case.

Without Ken!

You know what I think? I think this attic is perfect for this programme.

You talk about cash in the attic, this is brilliant. I love this.

-I call it Aladdin's cave.

-I want you two to go and find more stuff.

You go over there, please. You go over there.

We've got to go back to work here. No more playing with dolls.

Never mind, it's interesting, it's enjoyable.

'The Barbie dolls are a great addition,

'but I have a feeling they're the tip of the iceberg up here.

'I continue rummaging and uncover this collection of

'postcards and cigarette cards which should make us another

'£30 to £40 that surely would buy us at least a car bumper.

'But we still have plenty to do if we're going to make our £750 target.

'While we carry on in the attic, Jonty heads off to find Lynn,

'who hasn't been slacking while we've been away.'

-Lynn, we've got a whole collection of ceramic pigs here.

-You have indeed.

What's the story?

Rosemary used to work at the NatWest Bank and I believe

-she purchased these from the manager for a measly sum of £6.

-£6?

-That's right.

-How long ago was that?

Around about 1986/87.

These were issued to children in the '80s

and the whole idea is once you saved up a certain amount, you were issued with another pig.

We have actually got the whole family here.

We have the father, who's Sir Nathaniel Westminster

and his wife Lady Hillary and their two children,

this is Maxwell and this is Annabel and baby Woody.

-But somehow we've got twins and four baby Woodys.

-Right.

They were made by the famous Wade factory,

you can see that printed into the mould on the underside of these pigs.

Originally, they were made by the Sunshine factory,

but Wade took over because this, as an advertising campaign,

-as a promotion, was very successful indeed.

-Right.

About ten years ago, when internet selling first became fashionable,

sets like these were selling for between £200 and £300.

I can't put that figure on it now and I'm not exactly sure where

the market is at the moment, but we're still looking at a very healthy £80 to £120.

-Great.

-Yes? Excellent.

I'll leave those there and carry on searching.

What's over here?

Well, having been bought for a mere £6,

these little piggies can be banked on to bring home the bacon

when they head off to market.

Lynn's discovered this collection of dolls which Rosemary's collected over 40 years,

but she's very happy to let them go and Jonty reckons it could make us £30 to £50.

Unsurprisingly for someone so active, Rosemary loves the outdoors and her garden is her pride and joy.

I couldn't miss an opportunity to take a look and find out

what keeps her so enthusiastic about life.

Rosemary, here we are in your beloved garden.

I gather you really love gardening?

I love my garden, Gloria.

It keeps me busy, but nature's wonderful, you can't beat it.

Knowing that you're very fond of DIY, have you done a lot of the heavy stuff yourself?

I did the crazy paving. I actually revamped the whole garden, redesigned it.

Is it because you come from Wales that you have this great love of the outdoors?

I'm sure it is because I used to spend much of my time

in the Black Mountains near where I was born.

I try and go back every year.

I love it, it is like a magnet to me.

Why is it so important to you to raise this money today towards a new car?

Instead of just being a hermit in my home,

sitting there and watching the TV, which many people do, I know,

but to keep active, it gets me out and about.

I can reach people far and wide.

If we're going to get the car, we better do more work. Rummage more.

Cosy Rosie, too cosy out here!

It's back to the search and this collection of Hummel figurines was started by Rosemary as a child.

She's decided the time has come to wave them off to auction

and Jonty thinks they should fetch another £40 to £60.

Back upstairs, Rosemary finds something

very close to her heart which could seriously help our cause.

Is she going to sell it or is she actually going to present it to Jonty?

Jonty, look what I've found, look what I've found.

What a beautiful ring. It looks like an engagement ring.

-Is it?

-We've got, what, four or five, five diamonds in there?

Look at that.

We've got hallmarks as well, that's wonderful. Whose is this ring?

That ring belonged to a lovely aunt of mine, Aunt Gwen, a wonderful lady.

Was she engaged at any point in her life?

-Oh, yes, she was married.

-Yes.

Somehow she was determined that she wanted me to have that ring.

My sense is that this ring has not been worn because these hallmarks

are so clear and crisp and we've got the original presentation box.

-That wouldn't surprise me, she was such a lovely lady.

-Was she?

-Oh, yes.

-When she gave this to you

did she tell you anything about it? What did she say?

Her words were, and I remember them to this day,

"If you are ever in the gutter, Rosemary, that is when you sell that ring."

-You're not in the gutter now?

-I'm certainly not in the gutter now.

I'm desperate to get my new car.

I think Aunt Gwen will be pleased I've done the right thing

at the right time. After all, she was a magistrate

so you have to do what she thinks.

-So, we're selling this ring?

-Indeed. Yes, indeed.

-I shall get my enjoyment out of it.

-Fabulous.

Because it will give a freedom to me,

which I think my aunt would have realised I probably needed.

This is lovely, this is certainly worth putting into the auction sale.

And, we've got some other gold rings in here, too.

If we put them all together, and have a little sort out for you,

I'm sure I'm looking at at least between £100 and £200 here.

-That's wonderful.

-All right? That's a real jewel of a find.

Let me put the lid back on there for safe keeping.

Bless his heart.

-I'm so grateful.

-Follow me.

Oh, I'll follow you, all right!

I thought for a minute Rosemary was about to propose to Jonty,

but, holding herself back, the rings join the rest of our treasures heading off to auction.

As well as Aunt Gwen's engagement ring,

there's also a 22-carat gold wedding band

and a 9-carat gold garnet set ring in the collection.

But despite our efforts, we are still a fair way off making

our target for Rosemary's car so we all give the search a last big push.

Lynn's doing sterling work and picks out something that grabs Jonty's attention.

What are you looking at?

These have been in Rosemary's house all the time I've been visiting her.

I think they came from her Aunty Gwen.

What do think of these?

I think they're beautiful, really lovely.

If you look very closely, can you see that what we're looking at,

this is all very fine embroidery and the thread has to be silk, it's that fine?

This one, particularly, is so charming.

We've got the two, what look like lovers strolling in the park.

They look like they haven't got a care in the world.

And, if you look at their dress,

that gives us an indication of the date we're looking at.

-Date-wise, we are looking at the early 19th century.

-Really?

These two pictures would have been made

almost 180 years ago, maybe 200 years ago.

This one here is an image of a classical scene

which was very popular at the time of the Regency period.

They were always designed to be a pair,

but they don't match in their theme at all.

You can see by the shape and size of the frame, they have always been designed to be placed together.

They're beautiful. Let me give you that one back.

They are in relatively poor condition.

When I say poor condition, they somehow have come away from their mountings.

Again, that's easy to get over by probably taking the back off

and remounting them and maybe you can give them a slight clean.

Do you think these are pictures that Rosemary might be interested in selling?

-I'm sure she would.

-I think they're so charming.

I think Rosemary would be happy to sell YOU by this stage to raise some money, Jonty!

Actually, I was having a look at these earlier on.

They're so exquisite, aren't they? They're so small.

They are small and perfectly formed, which means they have to have really good value at auction

are we're looking again around the £100 mark, so £80 to £120.

What do you think of that, Rosemary?

Quite funny, is the subject itself. I don't know how that can be appealing.

It surprises me that they're worth that much, quite frankly.

-It's the workmanship that's appealing.

-Oh, yes. It's all down to the detail.

Well, with the news that you're happy to let them go to auction, I can now give you the grand total.

Now, we know that you wanted £750 towards getting a new car

to get you out and about to make yourself even more active.

I'm happy to tell you that you have got your £750 and you even have a little bit more.

-With everything sold, you've got £765.

-Great!

-Yes!

-Thank you so much.

-Isn't that good?

-I can see you with that car, yes.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much, Rosemary.

-Thanks to you.

-And, of course, to Lynn.

-Thank you.

Rosemary's house has proved to be a real Aladdin's cave.

We've made some fantastic finds, and here are some of the highlights.

These two oval mother-of-pearl flower pictures.

The intricate design of the flowers in these is absolutely beautiful.

They could bring in anywhere between £80 and £120.

The collection of '60s Barbie dolls,

given to Rosemary by her friends in Canada.

These are probably my favourites.

We're hoping they'll fetch us at least £50.

This family of NatWest piggies

could create lots of interest with the right collectors.

With a bit of luck they should bank us £80 to £120.

Finally, the collection of gorgeous rings that Rosemary has kept for

a rainy day. They include the pretty engagement ring from her Aunt Gwen

and £100 to £200 for these

would go a long way towards our target for Rosemary's new car.

'Coming up on Cash In The Attic,

'Rosemary's still in hot pursuit of Jonty.'

-Well done.

-Thanks a lot.

'Not all goes quite to plan.'

-I have to tell you, I think that is disappointing.

-I agree.

'But will Rosemary make it through the auction?'

-I've gone all funny now.

-Having a funny turn, love.

-Indeed, yeah.

'Find out when the hammer falls.'

Yours, sir.

So, it's been a few weeks now since we visited the very lively Rosemary May and her great friend, Lynn.

And I must say, we found some fabulous treasures upstairs and down

and we've brought them here to the Bamford Auction Rooms in Derby.

Now, we need £750 to put Rosemary firmly back in the driving seat.

Let's hope all the bidders today will speed us towards our target

but, you know what, Rosemary is a pretty fast mover herself.

It's still early but looking pretty busy today,

with plenty of bidders scouring the auction room for those all-important treasures.

Jonty's already tracked down some of our star lots.

The embroidered pictures fit right in here in the auction room

and we're hoping they'll help our car fund no end.

Good morning, Jonty, I hope you've taken your vitamin pills today.

Rosemary really fancies you, let's be absolutely honest,

she would have kept you in the attic if she could, permanently.

I'm quite happy to be a kept man!

Anyway, what do you think of hers is going to do well?

Remember the lovely pictures of the flowers in the baskets?

-They're so pretty.

-I think they'll do very well.

I actually loved all the Barbie dolls, remember, up in the attic.

And I suddenly realised there was no Ken, so maybe you are her substitute Ken.

Do you think, yes... Barbie, Ken. Rosemary, Jonty.

She would settle for that!

Shall we go and meet her?

-Great, yes.

-Yes, let's go and see her.

'I think it's high time we reunited our Barbie and Ken

'so we go in search of Rosemary and Lynn and we find them saying goodbye to some old friends.'

-Good morning. All the little piggies have come to auction.

-Hello.

How are you doing?

-Lovely to see you.

-How are you?

-Have you missed Jonty?

-I have, I have. Honestly, I have. I'd follow him anywhere.

You know what, Lynn, I reckon that Jonty was lucky to escape that day.

He was very lucky. Lucky escape, Jonty.

I decided that Jonty could be your Ken.

Yes, please.

-Now, listen, settle down, settle down.

-I'm not going to get jealous.

The auction is about to start, so we need to go and get in position, so shall we head in that direction?

Good idea.

'They really are out in force today, which is promising for the day ahead.

'If you're thinking of going to auction, remember that commission, VAT and other charges will apply.

'It's nearly time for the auction to start, so we find a corner and take up our positions.

'Our first item is the Victorian chest of drawers,

'which Jonty valued at £80.'

We've got two bids, absentee bids, one at 65, one higher.

70 has it, five now?

Five in the doorway, five, 80, five, 90.

Against you at £90, and five do I see?

At 90 with me and five now. At £90, all done at 90.

Are you sure?

-£90.

-£90.

'We're off and running, and £90 is £10 over Jonty's estimate.

'Fingers crossed, it's a sign of things to come.

'Next up is Rosemary's collection of dolls, which we're hoping will make at least £30.'

Now, Rosemary, I like this next item because I've loved dolls all my life.

I sort of get the impression from your house that you've collected dolls as well over the years.

Actually, my intention was for my granddaughter to have these dolls

but unfortunately she wasn't a dolly-minded girl.

-Not interested!

-It disappointed me, but, having said that,

I love them and I've always treasured them.

I can start the bidding at £15.

One bid on it at 15.

18 in the room, 18 bid.

18, 20 and two. 22 has it. 25 now.

25 in the centre. 28 for you.

At 25, it's in the middle at 25.

28 standing now.

30, 30, 32, 35, 35,

38 and 40. £38, it's against you, seated now.

At 38, standing at the back, £38.

Anywhere else?

It's good, smack in the middle.

Many thanks. Lovely Jonty.

Thrilled to bits, thrilled to bits.

Well, Rosemary's granddaughter may not want them

but there are plenty of bidders today who did

and it's another £38 in the pot.

Let's hope our next lot creates as much interest.

It's the gate-leg dining table with an estimate of £100.

We can start it at £65, and 70 do I see? 70? At 65, do I see 70 now?

At £65. All sure at 65?

Gosh, it shows how gate-leg tables are struggling at the moment.

-Are we allowed to sell that?

-Do you want to sell it or not?

-Yes, sell it.

Yes, sold, £65.

-A bit disappointing.

-Never mind, it's roundabouts and swings anyway.

-Yes, sure.

'Lovely Rosemary is putting a brave face on the situation

'but selling for £35 below estimate is disappointing

'but, as she says, it's swings and roundabouts.

'Let's hope our next sale will be a real high.

'It's the beautiful embroidered pictures

'and we're looking for £80 to £120.'

Very, very typical Georgian, untouched.

Never been reframed.

Lovely examples and lots of bidding.

£85 bid. 85 and 90 now.

At £85 and 90. 90 here, 95, 100.

100 beats them. Front row, £100. 110 do I see?

At £100, and ten anywhere?

At £100 and selling.

Bless you!

-You didn't like them anyway, did you?

-No, I didn't.

I'm very, very happy.

'That's much more like it. £20 over estimate is a fantastic result.

'Another very useful edition to our ever-growing total.

'We're only looking for about £30 for this next item.

'Those postcards and cigarette cards that were cluttering up the attic.'

£20 is bid, at 20, and two do I see?

£22 by the door, hands everywhere.

22, 25, 28, you're out. 25.

28, your turn. 28, and 30. 32, sir.

32 shakes his head, with you at 30.

32 now. At £30, all out at the same level, any advance on 30?

-£30.

-Happy with that?

-You're just doing so well. It's just amazing.

-I'm thrilled to bits, I really am.

'Bang on estimate, Rosemary is delighted with that.

'Another great boost to our total.

'We're all holding our breath for the next lot.

'The charming mother-of-pearl pictures Jonty was so excited by

'when he discovered them in Rosemary's home.

'Inherited from her Aunt Gwen,

'we're hoping they'll do us proud in the auction room today.'

Now, Jonty, you loved this.

I think these are your favourite items in the auction today. The lovely mother-of-pearl pictures.

I think they are lovely, genuine quality.

Remember, we've got a little bit of damage, but all

the damaged pieces are there because everything is behind the glass.

So it's repairable and I have a hunch

that they're going to do very well.

Absolutely beautiful things.

George III, never touched, period frames,

really in lovely country-house condition.

-He's giving it a good build-up.

-Five bids on them, the lowest is 70.

78 bid, 85 bid, 95, 100 and higher.

So 100 starts, and 110 where?

110 by the door, 120.

130 by the door, 140. 150, 160.

170, 180, 190, 200, and ten.

Yep, 210, 220,

-230, 240, 250, 260, 270.

-270!

280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330.

340, 350, 360, 370, 380, 390, 400, and ten.

Beats them. At £410, 420 where?

At £410, far corner.

At £410 anywhere else? 410, sir, yours.

-So are you pleasantly surprised they raised so much?

-Yes, I am.

-These are tears of happiness, really.

-Fantastic. That's great.

Give me a hug, then, Rosemary.

-I'm going to give Jonty a hug.

-I bet you are.

-Well done.

-Thanks a lot, Jonty.

'Absolute tears of joy from Rosemary.

'And, as if she needed it, a great excuse to give Jonty another hug!

'Our expert suspected the pictures could be our secret weapon,

'and they certainly proved him right.

'£410 takes us to the halfway stage on a real high.'

I was saying earlier, Rosemary, that you're a pretty fast mover as it is.

You wanted £750 to go towards a car, to make you even more mobile. We'll never catch up with her now.

Well, at the halfway point in the auction,

I want to tell you that, although your target was £750,

-you have already reached £733.

-You're joking!

And we're only halfway.

-Are you serious?

-I'm serious.

And we have loads of items still to go.

I can see you in a sports car, you know!

I'm going to take a closer look at something I spotted earlier.

And don't you go with him!

'Rosemary, Lynn and I head off for a well-earned cuppa, following such an exciting first half.

'While we relax, Jonty meets up with the auctioneer, James Lewis,

'to get his views on what might be collectable in the future.'

James, I've taken some time out from the auction sale,

but I wanted to hear it really from the horse's mouth.

What sort of antiques do you think people should be investing in?

Here in our furniture store we're surrounded by the very unfashionable

19th-century brown furniture that we always talk about.

We're sitting on contemporary, modern design.

It's got to match this very modern look.

And that's why I've picked out this piece.

It's a lithographic print by Terry Frost.

A relatively contemporary artist - born in 1915 and died in 2003.

Whenever we're looking at art, the classic rule is that,

as soon as an artist dies, the art becomes more valuable.

Since 2003, Terry Frost works have doubled and trebled in value.

We sold five prints by him in our last sale,

and they varied from about £3,000 up to £6,000.

Do you think an image like this, a lithograph like this, will be a treasure of the future?

I think we need to look at who else is buying this art.

The Tate Gallery have a collection of Terry Frost.

If the Tate Gallery think it's worth hanging on to,

I think we should probably take note from that.

If they think it's worth buying, we should too.

'Great advice from James but, with the second part of the auction

'about to start, we retake our positions at the back of the room.

'First up is the French-style mantel clock, estimated at £40 to £60.'

£20 bid. 20, and five? Five. 30?

At £30. At £30. Five anywhere?

At 30. All done at £30?

£30. It's actually sold for under the bottom-end estimate.

-That's disappointing, isn't it?

-Yes, but it's roundabouts and swings, isn't it?

-You don't want to take it home anyway, do you?

-No, too heavy, dear!

'Oh, deary me, that's not the start we were looking for.

'But Rosemary seems relieved she doesn't have to lug that clock back home.

'Onwards and upwards. I'm really interested to see how this lot does.

'It's a collection of rings,

'including the stunning engagement ring from Aunt Gwen.

'We're looking for £100 to £200 -

'a real boost to our target if they hit estimate.'

Let's start the bidding at £120.

120. 130? 130. 130, 140, 150 for you.

150 has it, standing in the centre.

At 150. Against all four of my bids.

At 150. 160 now? 160, new place.

170? Shakes his head at 170. It's with you now.

At £160. Against them all.

At 160. All done? At 160...

-333.

-I was hoping for more than that.

-I have to tell you, I think that is disappointing.

-I agree.

Try going into a shop anywhere and buying diamond rings or garnet rings for that.

That was a real snip for somebody.

'Cheap it might seem for all those rings, but Jonty was right.

'£160 is towards the top end of his estimate,

'and it's another healthy contribution to our total.

'The auction room is still buzzing and we've got four items to sell.

'This attractive Victoria wash set is valued at £55 to £75.'

Start the bidding at £35.

35, and 40? 40, sir. Five? 50...

Five? 60 with you.

60 has it, standing. Five now?

At 60 with you. Five do I see?

At 60, gentleman in the centre. At £60.

Any advance?

-411.

-Hey!

Wonderful. Many thanks. That's super.

That's a really good result.

-Indeed.

-You're getting too excited again now!

-I've gone all funny!

-Having a funny turn, love!

-Indeed!

We all get them every now and then!

'Rosemary seems to be having a wonderful day and so are we.

'The wash set sells for a very respectable £60, at mid-estimate.

'Jonty is right on it today.

'Up next are the Barbie dolls in their original case.

'They're missing Ken, but will that make a difference to the bidders?'

I have a feeling you're not sad to see these go. These have had their time in your attic.

Indeed. I won't be sorry at all.

-They were just collecting dust, weren't they?

-Sorry?

-They were collecting dust.

-Indeed.

-That's what he'll be doing soon in your attic, collecting dust.

-Sh!

You're only jealous!

Where shall we start? £30? 30?

£30 for them is bid. At 30.

32, 35...

With me at 32. 35 now?

At £32. 35, 38, and 40?

40, 42, and 45 beats it.

With you at 45, standing.

All sure at £45?

333.

'Maybe the bidders did miss Ken,

'as the Barbie dolls sell for £5 under estimate.

'Still, good news for our target.

'We're on the home straight now

'and we're hoping the Hummel figurines will bring in £40 to £60.'

I can start the bidding at £22.

22 for this lot. 25, 28, 30.

32... 35.

35 in the centre.

38 now? 35. All done at £35? Any advance?

'That's only just under estimate at £35.

'Not bad. Now here comes our final item.

'Rosemary paid only £6 for these NatWest pigs in the 1980s.

'But Jonty's valued them at £80-£120.'

We all had a good look at the little piggies. I think you gave them a bit of a wash.

They had a good wash and scrub.

That's a good idea! Did the water not get all locked inside?

Indeed it did, and I had to lift them upside down.

Then I realised there was the thing you pull out the bottom, to release the water.

We will start the bidding here, there are ten in all, at £65.

70 do I see? 70. 75. 80.

80 has it in the back row.

85 near the doors. 85. 90.

-95. 100. 110.

-I can't believe it.

-120?

At 110. By the counter at 110.

120, you're back. 130.

Shakes his head at 130. With you.

At £120. Any advance? At 120.

-Spot on, Jonty.

-Good.

-Thank you, Jonty.

-Very good, eh?

-They were worth a wash and a scrub.

They were. It was the wash and scrub that did it.

'Well done, Jonty.

'With those shiny clean pigs securing us their top estimate,

'our car fund looks in great shape.

'We'll have Rosemary flying around in a sports car yet.

'With the auction over, it's time to give Rosemary and Lynn some great news.'

Now, this is the bit I love best, cos I have to bring you the glad tidings, or otherwise.

I just want to remind everybody that you wanted £750 to go towards a new car of some sort,

so that you could race around all over the countryside,

be faster than ever, and generally just get about more easily. Would you have been happy with 750?

I would have been very pleased with 750, yes.

Well, I can tell you, you have raised £1,183.

You're joking.

-Happy, happy!

-Oh, you're joking!

-Isn't that good?

-Fantastic. Fantastic.

-And a big smacker for Jonty.

-Well done, my darling.

Thank you, my love. I can't believe it. I'm very, very happy.

-Good.

-I'm very grateful.

-We like happy customers on Cash In The Attic.

Back in London, after such a brilliant result at auction,

there's no holding back Rosemary as she enlists Lynn's help to go looking at cars.

I've never had... a car virtually new.

And this is all I wanted to do and all I want is a nice, small car,

and here I realise they've got a wonderful selection,

so I'm looking forward to walking around and having a look and hearing some details.

Gee, whiz, what a size this is!

I don't like the way it scoops down.

Oh, that's lovely.

No.

Having viewed all the possibilities, Rosemary picks out a car she likes to take for a test drive.

'Well, I've had an excellent day, looked at many different cars

'and had a test drive.'

You know, I'll need to go around and have a look at a few more

before I make any decision but I really am so interested

and it's lovely to know I've got the money that I can spend on the car I want.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd