Young Cash in the Attic

Hello! Welcome to Cash In The Attic,

the show that helps find hidden treasure in your home

and sells it for you at auction.

Today I'm in Middlesex. I'm here to see this beautiful building,

Grim's Dyke Hotel, which was the home of Sir William S Gilbert,

half of the famous musical duo Gilbert and Sullivan.

Grim's Dyke was built in 1870 for Victorian painter Frederick Goodall.

It was designed by Norman Shaw,

the man responsible for buildings such as New Scotland Yard.

Its name comes from a nearby Anglo-Saxon trench.

William Gilbert lived in the house

from 1890 to his untimely death in 1911,

the result of a tragic accident whilst trying to save a swimmer having difficulty in the lake.

In 1970, it was converted into a hotel

and designated a building of special historical interest.

Architectural and musical inspiration in the morning

before we set off to find some wonderful antiques to take to auction and make some cash.

Coming up on Cash In The Attic...

We discover where to pick up a quality item for a song.

Sotheby's is a bargain. We should all be going there!

I'm off next week!

Jonty gives some interior design tips.

It's not the most fashionable thing to have on your wall!

And when we get to auction, one of our antiques comes with a warning!

As long as she doesn't open the bottle, she's all right!

But will we end up with smiles all round?

Find out when the final hammer falls.

Leaving Gilbert and Sullivan behind,

I've travelled to the Middlesex town of Pinner,

where I'm about to meet a family

looking to raise money for a day out.

This four-bedroomed property is home to Alan Young, a retired dentist and keen potter,

and his wife, Rachel, a former nurse, now a counsellor and hypnotherapist.

Their daughter Karen is a singer/songwriter and full-time mum

to Charlie, who's five, and Ella, nine.

Karen's husband, Damien, is Australian.

The family was living in Melbourne, but came back to the UK for a visit last year

and have ended up staying longer than planned,

conveniently in the house next door to her parents.

-Jonty!

-How are you?

# He is the very model of a modern antiques mastermind! #

-That's as far as I got. It's quite difficult to scan!

-It's quite good for you, Alistair!

-Welcome to Pinner. Isn't it lovely?

-It's like the countryside.

-We're only ten miles from the centre of London.

-Ten miles.

-Amazing.

I feel this house is going to be laden with antiques. Come on!

Look at you guys!

Tending your pond. How marvellous! The finest pond in Pinner.

It is!

-Is that your handiwork, Alan?

-Yes.

-Really? Great!

-Now, this is your house, isn't it? But you live next door?

-I do.

-I have the honour of living next door.

-Why have you called in Cash In The Attic?

-Well, I have been listening for a long time, many years...

-Over the hedge?

-Exactly!

..about how we've got to declutter and downsize, and now it's going ahead and happening.

-Do they know about that, or have you sprung it on them?

-I told them five minutes ago!

Are you willing accomplices? Willing to declutter?

Yes, my arm has been untwisted now.

The de-cluttering has happened so quickly, my breath is taken away.

But it's a good thing.

-It's good it's in a hurry.

-It's doubly good, because you're getting rid of clutter

and raising money. What's the money for?

Well, we've moved back from Australia.

We're here for a limited time, because we're going back to live in Australia.

So we want lots of family time with Mum and Dad

and we'd love to go away for a weekend, have a relaxing time,

an adventure time for the kids.

Just really enjoy some quality time together.

Those adventure park weekends are quite expensive.

How much do you hope to raise?

-£800 is our target.

-That'll be quite a weekend!

We'd better get going. Jonty's inside. Leave the pond and let's get cracking.

Alan and Rachel have lived here since 1981.

It's clear to see how much they've accumulated over the years.

They're planning to downsize to a smaller flat, so we've got lots of work ahead.

Our expert, Jonty Hearnden, is already at work.

It doesn't take him long to discover our first find of the day.

-Jonty.

-Have a look at this!

-What have you found?

It's an amazing tapestry.

If we look at the scene itself, this is Charles I in this macabre scene

where he's obviously about to be beheaded,

and these distressed children have been given the news.

What's the story here, Rachel?

My mother was a historical buff. She was interested in all things historical.

And she bought this at auction,

I believe, in the late 1940s, early '50s.

This is a Victorian tapestry.

The Victorians were the ones that looked back in time

for their artistic inspiration.

The other great thing about this is that it has faded rather naturally.

I'm sure these colours would have been a little bit sharper,

but if a tapestry like this has been exposed to light for any length of time, then it fades badly.

But this is a lovely quality still.

-Where was it kept?

-It was kept on the mantelpiece in a north-facing room.

-So not so sunny.

-The other interesting part about this tapestry

is that it's in its original frame.

All those indicators show that this is a mid-19th century tapestry.

As far as value is concerned,

it's not the most fashionable thing to have on your wall!

If you think about what people are aspiring to at the moment,

20th-century design, bold colours,

but this Victorian look is not really flavour of the month.

So we have to price it accordingly.

I think it's going to be worth between £80 to £120, so around the £100 mark.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes. That's fine.

-Yes?

-If we keep on going like that, we'll be laughing.

-Press on.

-It's not "off with his head", it's "off to auction!"

Tapestries may not be fashionable these days, but if this can make at least £80 at auction,

it's a great start.

This ornate white metal umbrella stand

is the type of thing Alan and Rachel are keen to part with in their mission to downsize.

Jonty packs it off to auction with an 80 to £120 price tag.

With this having been the family home for so long,

it's no surprise to stumble across some baby photos upstairs.

I think that face looks familiar.

-Karen.

-Yeah?

-Is this you?

-Afraid so!

-Oh, what an angelic little thing you were!

-Slightly more glamorous there.

-That's me doing a Catherine Deneuve impression.

But I've noticed this very elaborate bit of furniture.

Yes. As far as I'm aware, my mother traded it

for a couple of chairs that she had.

This American lady took a fancy to the chairs, and Mum took a fancy to the desk.

It's quite a wacky design, isn't it? When is this from?

We're looking at a lady's writing table.

It was made about 110, 120 years ago.

It's a late-Victorian lady's writing table.

The material they've used, this is walnut.

Interestingly, the top shelf here and the top of this cabinet here is oak.

There's all sorts of design elements to this.

There's a mishmash of ideas.

If we look at our pierced grille on the back here,

that's more Thomas Chippendale, which is mid-18th century.

But further on down below,

we look at these rather elaborate elongated cabriole legs.

Now, that was a French concept, really. But the English copied it and were inspired by it.

So by the mid-19th century, cabriole legs appear on a lot of furniture.

-Not only on tables but chairs as well.

-These days,

when we have something made of mahogany, you say it's worth £10. How about this?

-I think we're looking around the £100 mark for this desk.

-Wow!

-As much as that?

-Estimate in the catalogue £80 to £120.

I think that's a lot of money, but if somebody likes it

and it's going to look good in their house, it deserves to be in a better home.

You're the expert, Jonty!

It's my famous last words. Will it get £100 at auction? We don't know.

-Let's wait and see.

-We'll see.

I'll be happy to see the back of it go.

And the fact that it will get in excess of £80,

I think, is a lot for firewood.

The lady's writing desk may not be Karen's cup of tea,

and it may be a mishmash of styles, but it's another step towards our target.

Karen finds this ornate metal mirror on a tripod base.

It's been collecting dust in a spare bedroom,

but Jonty reckons it's worth £40 to £60 at auction.

With the rummage in full flight

and no shortage of items to search through,

I'm keen to find out how Alan and Rachel feel

about the many changes coming up in their lives.

You guys have lived here for 27 years. Are you sad about leaving?

I will be, because you get so familiar with everything.

How are you finding the whole process of de-cluttering?

Actually, quite freeing.

You didn't say that a few months ago!

When I cleared the wardrobes and cleared a lot of stuff to charity shops,

-I really felt lighter!

-And how did you meet?

Either end of a dental drill, actually!

-Very unromantic!

-It was unromantic!

-You were the dentist.

-I was the dentist, this was my patient!

-Totally illegal, I should think!

-No, it wasn't!

I'd just started at St Mary's Hospital, nurse training.

-You were a nurse.

-Yes. And I'd got a lot of dental problems,

so they sent me to the dental department...

-And there I was.

-There he was.

-Hello!

Hello, hello!

-So, a romantic root canal, was it?

-She came as a patient, sent in by sister-in-charge.

I get a feeling that the Sister was actually engineering

some kind of marriage arrangement.

She felt we were compatible. But she didn't say that till much later.

Has it been good having Karen next door all these months?

-Yes.

-Absolutely great.

It's been wonderful having them there.

It's just that I know they're going, so...

-I can't really relax.

-It'll be a sad moment,

but we'll do the readjusting then. We'll do the travels in that direction.

I guess we're raising money to have that last bit of close time with Karen and her family,

so we should press on, otherwise it won't happen.

Let's see what Jonty's found. After you.

Alan and Rachel are evidently incredibly close to Karen and her family.

So while they're all still on British soil,

we need to make sure we find enough valuables for auction

so they can fund their wonderful family day together.

It's back to rummaging.

They do say "many hands make light work",

and packed away in an old box, Karen unearths a 12-piece dinner set

by the famous ceramics designer Susie Cooper.

She was one of the most significant designers of the Art Deco period,

but this set is unusual, as it's not in her distinctive bright style.

There's also some damage to the set,

but nonetheless, Jonty thinks it could fetch £70 to £100.

Karen's really on a roll. In the study, she finds another item for Jonty's perusal.

Jonty?

What have we got here?

Let's have a look.

Well, you tell me.

All I know is it's a coal bucket.

Mum bought it in a shop. She was told by the lady who sold it to her

that it was used for storing phone directories.

-Makes sense!

-Yes!

So that's all I really know about it,

other than the fact that these lovely gold stripes is something my dad has painted on.

-Thankfully, he didn't make a career out of it!

-It is a coal storage bucket,

also known as a purdonium.

It's all made of pressed tin.

It was the new material that could be moulded into different shapes,

including coal purdoniums like this.

Have a look on the inside here.

Originally this would be lined by yet another bucket as well.

-OK.

-Shaped in the same way.

So this could be taken out and recharged and refilled

and put back in again.

And on the back here, just there, there would be a little shovel.

I have to say that, at auction, I think this is great fun.

I particularly love the fact we have these wheels on the back, cos that's quite rare.

At auction, I think this will be worth between £60 to £80.

As much as that? Really?

That would be very useful.

It needs to be in a loving home, I think!

-I'll take care of it for you, and we'll find some more stuff.

-OK.

-Excellent.

Back to the rummage. In the living room, Rachel finds this Lladro figurine of a girl

which her mother got in Spain. She's not sure how much Sheila paid for it,

but Jonty thinks it could fetch a very pleasing £50 to £80.

And in the study, tucked away in an old bookcase,

Alan digs out an unusual box for Jonty's attention.

Jonty, are you there?

Are you around?

Ooh, Alan, what have you got there?

Well, Jonty, this is, in fact, what was said to me, a railwayman's emergency kit.

But I think it has a wider use. It's a first aid kit.

Let's have a look. We've got a book here, too.

This is interesting. "Designed expressly for persons going abroad,

"residents in India and the colonies,

"heads of families, clergymen and others unable to obtain medical assistance."

What else have we got in here?

There's a series of medicaments. One or two of them are quite powerful ones.

So this is just filled with poison, by the looks of it.

-Is that right?

-I think, in fact, that usually is the case.

At least, they're telling you.

These were old-fashioned remedies, some of them, but they were quite strong.

They weren't to be used lightly.

And an under-tier, too. Look at that!

Which is showing, I suppose, some of the gear for the bandages and so on.

I think this is definitely worth putting in the auction. How much did you pay for it?

-Dare I tell you? I think it was about

-£5. A fiver!

That's a great purchase.

At auction we'll get your money back and lots more.

I think it's worth between £40 and £60 at auction.

-That's good.

-Good?

-Yes.

As long as it's under lock and key and handled safely,

between here and also in the auction room, it's something we can sell.

-You're happy about that?

-Yes, I am.

-Very good news. Another one for the auction.

-Thank you very much.

The first aid box, or apothecary set, as it's known,

is certainly an unusual find.

Due to its potentially dangerous contents, one to be handled with care

and kept well out of the reach of children.

It's another step closer to the £800 we need for the family day out.

In the hallway, I find this little table

which unfolds to reveal its true identity.

Jonty values it at a very pleasing £90 to £120.

We're progressing nicely towards our target

for that fun-packed family day out.

What's this I hear? Definitely not the sound of rummaging! Is someone slacking?

Time to investigate.

Is this one of yours? You're a bona fide songwriter, yes?

Yes, I like to think so.

Tell me about that. We don't have any musicians on the show.

Well, before I had children, I had a life.

I had a really nice career going.

I had a really good rock'n'roll life and toured a bit

and sang with loads of different artists and did lots of session work.

Lots of writing. I had a record deal.

Then we were due to release a very big single,

which turned out to be very big for somebody else, unfortunately.

Down to legalities, this other person got to release the single before we did.

-And then had a Number One with it.

-No!

-I took some time out

and did something completely different, as out-of-work actors and singers do,

which is what I call "trolley-dolly" work.

Sitting on the bonnet of cars, trying to sell a product, basically!

-That's when you met your husband-to-be.

-I did.

He was working for the same company and he'd set up the rig.

Us girls would turn up the next day and we'd work the rig.

I took one look at him and thought, "Yeah, he'll do."

-You've been living next door. Then you'll be on the other side of the planet! That's a big wrench.

-Yes.

We're trying to make the most of every minute we've got together

and enjoy what we're doing together.

I'm always in here for tea, or Mum and I are having breakfast together.

So it's going to hurt, it's going to really hurt, parting,

but we've just got to do it.

-Our weekend away is going to be the last hurrah.

-One of the last hurrahs, yeah!

-Definitely.

-We'd better get some money in the pot

-or it'll be a very small hurrah!

-It'll be a titter!

It's going to be an emotional day for everyone when Karen and family leave British shores

and return to their lives down under.

But if they're going to have a good sendoff, we must press on

and find those money-making antiques.

Jonty's in his element with so much to look through.

His next selection is this green ceramic lamp with a garden scene on the base.

It belonged to Alan's mother.

Jonty's hopeful it'll tempt the bidders to part with £60 to £80.

And in the hallway, he's excited to discover an official-looking pair

of gentlemen with a Mediterranean history.

-Karen...

-Yeah?

What about this pair of figures here?

-Quite interesting.

-Yeah.

I believe they're from Spain.

They are a couple of magistrates.

My grandmother picked them up when she was on holiday there.

-She fell in love with them.

-It's interesting you say Spain.

Because these figures were actually made in Spain.

You can tell that by turning it upside-down. Look at this.

You can see the mark there. "Lladro. Hand made in Spain."

I'd never have guessed those were Lladro, cos all the Lladro I know

-is very glossy and looks like fast-produced china.

-Yes.

Whereas they look a lot more filigree, as they say.

You're absolutely right. Ordinarily, Lladro are these elongated single female figures.

But here, we see the similarity.

Look at their facial figures. See how stretched they are,

like their body and limbs.

Also the colours that they use.

They use these very pastel colours.

Now, simply because this is not a single figure Lladro of a maiden, for instance,

it's unusual. As a consequence, there are collectors for this.

I think these are going to be worth between £100 and £150 at auction.

-Really? That much?

-Yeah.

-Really?

-Impressive, eh?

-Goodness me. I'd never have thought that.

-So we can definitely put them in?

-Definitely. Send them away!

-A great find. Let's carry on.

-How lovely.

-Excellent.

The Lladro magistrates will be presiding over the auction

and hopefully making us a contribution to the family fund.

With our rummage day nearly over,

we're still not quite at our £800 target.

So we have to give our search a last big push.

In the living room, there's a fantastic find right under our noses.

How are you doing, Alistair?

There isn't anything there of much worth.

What about this amazing settee? This is a lovely shape.

Nice back as well.

Rachel,

where is this settee from? Where does it come from?

It belonged to an old family friend.

It came to the fore that she had placed it in Sotheby's for sale.

-And you put your hand up?

-Yes, well, we bought it pre-auction.

You mention Sotheby's. Did you pay thousands for it?

No. I hate to tell you, we paid £60!

Oh, I see! Sotheby's is a bargain! We should all be going there!

I'm off next week!

-It's got very unusual feet.

-Yes, it has.

When you bought this, what were you told about it?

They described it as a William IV settee.

-But that's all I know.

-That's fascinating.

I'm glad to see that Sotheby's are correct!

This is a William IV settee.

You can tell it by its style.

Settees that were slightly earlier than that,

so late 18th-century, early 19th-century,

would have a great symmetry to them.

So here, we still have a scroll end,

but all of a sudden, rather than that outswept look,

you have a shape to them.

If you look at the back here,

a Regency settee may just possibly have a straight back.

But look at this, this heavily carved shell in the middle.

So there's, all of a sudden, a lot more movement.

Well, instead of your £60, in the catalogue,

the estimate in a new catalogue, if you put it for sale right now,

would be more in the region of - wait for this -

-between £400 and £700.

-Wow!

Well, the 700 seems to come near to what I had imagined.

But that's only in my imagination. But I'd like to give it a bit of thought.

That's perfectly fine. Take some time to think about it.

Hello! Come on in.

Just in time. We're going to work out how much we've made. It's been a long day.

You've got too much stuff! We were just discussing whether to sell the William IV sofa.

-Do you think it should go, Alan?

-I think it should go.

It sounds like a moot point still.

But if we do consider the sofa

and we tot up everything we've done by our concerted efforts,

-we would have made £1,150.

-Wow!

Even if you don't sell the sofa, that's still £750

which is only £50 short of the £800 we wanted to get that family weekend away.

-Wow!

-Lovely.

Well, that's so-fa, so good!

Jonty, we should auction that joke, it's so old!

We've had a busy, fun and extremely productive day with Alan, Rachel and Karen in Pinner.

Our impressive array of items for auction include...

..the Victorian tapestry depicting Charles I,

in pretty good condition, if a little faded,

and in its original frame.

We're hopeful it will make us anywhere between £80 and £120.

..the fascinating apothecary set.

It's obvious why Dr Alan fell for its charms.

Jonty reckons it's now worth £40 to £60.

The Victorian lady's writing desk is a mixture of styles,

but Jonty's confident there'll be bidders

who'll part with at least £80 to £120.

Finally, the William IV settee which Rachel bought for a bargain £60.

We'll find out its fate on auction day,

but if it does make the sale, it could raise a whopping £400 to £700.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic,

some fantastic surprises.

-I'm gobsmacked! Thank God

-I don't have to carry it home!

But as know all too well,

auctions can be unpredictable.

You don't need any more rainy days!

So, will the sun shine down on us? Find out when the final hammer falls.

It's been two weeks now since we were in Pinner at Alan and Rachel's house.

We were there with Karen, their daughter, who's heading off to Australia.

They want to raise £800 for a big family celebration before she goes to Oz.

They've brought all their treasures to Chiswick Auction House in London,

and we're hoping they'll go "down under" the hammer

and bring them in lots of money.

It's already shaping up to be a busy day in the auction room,

with plenty of bidders crowding round the hundreds of lots on sale today.

Jonty's here and he's busy looking at one of our items with renewed interest.

-Jonty, good morning.

-Alistair, how are you doing?

-Very good. Charles I.

-I know. Now, what do I do on my day off?

Climb mountains? Swim oceans? No.

-I take a trip round the National Gallery.

-Really?

-Yes.

And what do I discover? A tiny little etching of this very same scene.

-Really?

-It's extraordinary.

-By whom?

The original picture was done by an artist known as John Bridges.

He exhibited the picture in 1838 at the Royal Academy.

That's a good story. Can we feed that to the auctioneer and see...

Yes, let him know! But we do have some great items.

Remember the tin coal scuttle? That was great fun.

-Also the sofa, which we don't know if they're bringing.

-No.

It was a lovely thing, but it's a question mark if they bring it.

-I think they probably wouldn't have. But let's check.

-OK.

We find Alan, Rachel and Karen saying a last fond goodbye

to their coal bucket.

But no sign of the William IV settee.

So Jonty cuts straight to the chase.

The big question is, have you brought that fabulous sofa?

-Well, I didn't.

-You didn't?

-There were many reasons.

Primarily, it was too heavy to bring.

-It's big. And secondly, I was too attached.

-OK.

-Alan,

you must be delighted to still have the sofa in your front room?

Absolutely. I didn't have the strength to lift it!

But we do have some fabulous items.

Those really unusual Lladro figures. And I like that quirky little desk.

Oh, yes. The firewood desk!

-A mutant desk!

-I won't shout it out loud!

Ready to go to market?

Follow me!

It's not surprising that Rachel decided to keep the settee.

It's a beautiful piece of furniture. But our other items will have to work extra hard

if we're to make our £800 target.

With the auction about to start, we head to the back

to find a spot to watch from.

Our first item is the ornate metal-framed mirror.

105A now, the Regency style decorative brass-framed free-standing table mirror.

Start me £50 for it. £20 for it. £10 for it.

With a ten, a bid at ten, give me 12.

12. 15. 18.

20. 22?

25. 28.

At £25.

The bid's at £25. I'm selling. All done?

Your first lot goes at 25. 588. 25.

Slightly disappointing. I wanted a bit more.

-I'm sure you did, Rachel.

-You're making up the difference! Don't worry!

Well, it's a start, even though the mirror sells way under estimate.

We need to do better with our next item, the Oriental-style ceramic lamp

with a garden scene. Valued by Jonty at £60 to £80.

Start me at £20 for it.

£20 for it?

£20 for it? No interest at £20? A bid at £20. £20.

£20. 22.

25. 28. 30.

32. 35.

At £32. Bid at £32. Take 35.

At £32.

At £32, then.

-Sorry, the owner wants more. Not sold.

-Unsold.

So that's either going home with you again,

or you can put it back into another sale.

That was a disappointment.

With insufficient bids on the lamp, it goes unsold.

I'm confident that Alan's apothecary set will do much better.

He paid just £5 for it at auction,

and it has a certain charm for the right bidder.

-This is a great, for you, Alan, this must be a great lot.

-Interesting.

-The apothecary set.

-If you can make gold out of it!

We should call it that. In terms of selling it, it's an apothecary set.

-You think it's a first aid kit.

-It is an apothecary set.

-Exactly.

Start me at £30 for it.

I'm bid at 30. 32. 35.

38. 40.

42. 45. 48.

At the back at 45. 48 here. 50.

55. 60.

Five. 70. Five.

-Real collectors here.

-80. Five. 90.

90. 95. 100.

Ten. 20? £110.

You've bid £110. All done at £110. I think we are. 110 and going. Thanks for the bid. 110.

Some things will always take off.

-The joy of auctions!

-Amazing.

That was a fantastic profit for Alan

and a great contribution towards the family day out

as the apothecary set sells for nearly double its top estimate.

The coal bucket, or purdonium, is next under the hammer.

It's been modified by Alan, who took a paintbrush to it!

But maybe his artwork will appeal to the bidders.

We're looking for £60 to £80.

120a, now. An unusual Victorian painted steel fireside coal purdonium.

Lot 120a. Unusual. £50 for it.

£40 for it? Bid at £40.

At £40. Take 42. £40.

42. 45. 48?

50. 55. 60.

It's selling really well.

At £60. Take 65. At £60. All done?

£60. Last time, it's going for £60. Done? 60? You've got it.

-£60. 614.

-That's comfortable.

ALL TALK AT ONCE

It was so unusual, I thought it would sell for more.

But it was a bit over-restored! Tell me about the restoration.

-Confess.

-It's a picture of Dad's Monet on the front.

You got a bit artistic one day!

-I went mad and put the gold stripes on.

-Yes.

-That was a mistake.

-The "go-faster stripes"!

-Yeah!

£60 is bang on Jonty's low estimate.

Clearly, whoever bought the coal bucket liked Alan's artistic efforts!

Next up is the 12-piece dinner set

which is unusually plain for Susie Cooper.

She and Clarice Cliff were the most significant figures

in ceramics design during the Art Deco period.

We're hoping for £70 to £100 for this lot.

Start me £100 for it. £50 for it?

£50? I'm bid at £50.

Should make double this. I'm bid 55.

60. Five. 70.

Five. 80. Five.

£85. At £85. Take 90. At £85.

At £85. You want 90.

-Nice and quiet.

-..100. 110.

120. 130.

140.

-It's like horse racing!

-140. 150.

140 is bid. Take 150. Selling for 140. No money at £140

for the Susie Cooper. All done. At 140. You've got it. 140.

I think that's great, £140. It's very stylish, the Susie Cooper.

-In fashion.

-Very pleased.

We had such a quantity of it as well. People pay good money for that.

That was a very pleasant surprise.

Susie Cooper proves to be ever popular.

The dinner set sells for £40 over its top estimate.

I wonder if the lady's writing desk can take us to halfway on a high?

It's a mixture of styles and woods,

but Jonty took a liking to it,

even if Karen didn't,

and valued it at £80 to £120.

£50. Start me at £50, please.

I'm bid at £50. At £50. Take five. At £50.

-Someone wants it.

-The bid so far, £50. Take 55. £50.

Done at £50? Can't sell it for that. £50. Make a bid at £50.

That's all I got. At £50.

I'm gobsmacked!

-Thank God I don't have to carry it home!

-Somebody liked it.

The desk goes for £30 under its estimate.

But with darkwood furniture tending to struggle in recent times,

it's not a bad result.

It's time to tell Alan, Rachel and Karen

how their fund for their family day out is looking so far.

We're halfway through.

We were banking on you bringing the sofa to make us £800.

But, all things considered, at halfway,

-we've made £385.

-Wow!

-Wow!

-Which is almost on course.

-Great!

So, very good.

We can't rest on our laurels. The second half might be wobbly.

But we've a gap before our next items,

so let's wander round and look at some interesting items.

So far, so good.

We've still got plenty of great items to come today.

If you're thinking about buying or selling at auction, remember charges such as commission and VAT

are added to your bill. Check the details with your local sale room

so you're aware of all the costs.

Today's auction is cracking along at a great pace.

There's little time to browse before the second half of our lots come up for sale.

We head back to our position in the corner of the auction room

for our next item,

the first of our Lladro lots, the figurine of a girl.

Valued by Jonty at £50 to £80.

It's our geisha girl.

The Lladro figurine. It's very unusual, isn't it?

-Have you put a reserve on this?

-Yes, £50.

OK. That's my bottom end estimate, so let's see what happens.

Start me here at £50.

Start me at £30.

£30 here. 32 there. 35. 38.

40. 42. 45?

At £42 bid. £42.

I'll take 45. £42.

45 or not? 45.

48? £45. Bid at £45.

-All done at £45?

-It's a slow climb.

Next to you. At 45. Bid at 45. 48?

48? £45. At 45. All done at 45, then? Sorry, not sold.

We so nearly made the £50 reserve for the figurine, but not quite.

And so she goes unsold.

Can the Victorian tapestry of Charles I perform better?

Having seen the etching of the scene in the National Gallery,

Jonty's become very enthusiastic about the history.

I have to say that, ordinarily, 19th-century tapestries

I find sometimes a bit OTT.

A bit over-sentimental.

Now, there's obviously huge drama involved in this scene.

But I think the quality is there and I love the frame.

Let's see if we can make our £80.

£100 for it?

£50 for it. It's worth more. I'm bid at £50. Take 55.

At £50. I'll take five. I'll take £50. Five or not. At £50.

Hasn't made £50. Again, it's not sold, I'm afraid.

Do it in fivers if you like. 55. 60 over there? 60. 65.

70. 75.

I'm bid £70. I'll take 75. At £70. You're getting closer. Not enough.

£70. Come and see me after. £70.

What a disappointment!

The bidding fails to reach a high enough price

for the auctioneer to justify selling the tapestry.

That's our second unsold item in a row. Not a good sign

for our family outing.

Plans for a fun-packed weekend away may have to be downsized

to a night of camping in Pinner!

We're praying the metal umbrella stand can improve our fortunes.

It's been in the family for years,

and Jonty reckons it's worth £80 to £100.

A nice cast-iron stick stand here. In the manner of Coalbrookdale.

£50. Start me for it.

A bid at £50. £50. Take 55. At £50.

I'll take five. 55. 60?

Five. 70.

Five. 80.

Five.

80 bid. At £80. Take five. At £80. Are we done?

At £80. Selling. All done.

-At £80.

-Well done, Jonty.

Well done. You're making up the difference!

You don't need any more rainy days!

The bids didn't come pouring in for the umbrella stand,

but £80 is right on estimate. That's more like it!

We've got just two items left to sell.

We need them to provide a decent injection of cash

if we've any chance of getting near our £800 target.

The Georgian card table is next under the hammer.

We're gambling on it making us £90 to £120.

-Are you gamblers in your house?

-We're card players.

-Are you?

-Yes.

-Have you played...

-Oh, we have used it.

-Oh, yes.

So have I, quietly, without you knowing!

£50 for it? I'm bid £50 in five places.

55. 60. Five.

70. Five. 80. Five.

90?

85. At £85. Take 90. £85. I want 90.

90. 95?

100. 110. 120.

£110. You want 120. All done.

£110. Last chance at 110 and going.

110. We'll finish at 110.

110.

You'll probably save £110-worth of gambling!

-You're absolutely right!

-It's double or quits!

-No sinning any more!

The card table played an ace, selling just under its top estimate.

That's a much-needed £110 in the pot.

Can our final lot of the day,

the Lladro figures of magistrates make us the £100 to £150 estimated?

They look serious about the job in hand!

Often you think of Lladro as those wispy, willowy female figures.

But these are completely different, aren't they?

-It's a discontinued design.

-That's good.

-We want £100.

-Have you got a reserve on it?

-Yes, we have. The Lladro figures 100 we put on there.

-£100.

OK. Let's see if we can get through it now.

£100. Start me for it.

£80 for it?

I'm bid £80. At £80. At 85?

£80. Take five for it. £80. Take five.

At £80. 85, thank you. Want 90. 95.

100.

Should make more. At £95.

Going to sell it for 95. Give me 100 for it. At £95.

All done at 95 and going. For £95.

-319.

-He's selling it. He's used his discretion.

There was a definite firm bid at £95.

A big firm bid. Sold.

Lucky for us the auctioneer sold the figures for £5 under reserve.

It was the best offer we were going to get

and it's a vital £95 for our fund.

Today has certainly given us some highs and some lows.

But what does it mean for that all-important family outing?

Well, that was exciting.

We had some reserves and some things not selling.

You get to go home with the Lladro girl

and the geisha vase.

And Charles I. Quite an unusual combination! They're yours to keep.

We didn't quite make our total,

because we were relying on the sofa. That took a big chunk out of our total.

But it's still a very decent showing.

-£670!

-Wow!

-Wow!

-Really?

-Excellent!

-Very good.

It's well over.

What will you do on your weekend away?

Mum can get massaged to her heart's content.

She can meditate somewhere!

Dad can come cycling with me, the kids and my husband.

We'll have a great time. Swimming, doing all that kind of thing.

It's been a few weeks since the auction,

and the family have met up to enjoy a fun day out.

It starts with a morning of pampering for the ladies

as Rachel and Karen head to the spa.

Hello. It's Collins and Young.

We've booked up for some treatment.

OK, ladies, if you'd go into here for me.

'It's a timely treat, this, cos Mum's just had a big birthday.'

That was yesterday, so in recovery mode.

She deserves this as a treat.

This is part of her treat.

With a wealth of treatments on offer,

the ladies choose to unwind with a massage and facial.

The treatments were lovely.

-Mine was.

-So was mine. Fantastic.

Had a great time. It was very relaxing,

and now we're raring to go, to take the boys out. Their turn.

Then it's off to catch up with the rest of the family for an afternoon at the farm park.

Ooh, look! Look!

Look at this!

There's no shortage of animals for the children to see.

And they even get to watch a cow-milking demonstration.

Then it's time to let off some steam on the go-karts...

..and have fun on the adventure playground

while proud grandparents Alan and Rachel look on.

It's such a precious commodity, time, and for us, particularly,

because we're going to live in Australia.

It's been precious. Real good memories.

It was really fun, yeah. A great day.