Turner Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic.

This is the show that searches out all those hidden treasures around your home,

and then we sell them at auction.

Today I've come to Hampshire,

where I'm about to have a look around a house that has a significant part

in scientific history.

During the 18th century, this house in Selborne was home to ecologist Gilbert White.

Rooms have been restored using furniture,

portraits and textiles accumulated throughout his life.

White was not only the world's first ecologist, but author of the very first nature diary.

It's easy to see why Gilbert White was inspired to write about nature here.

We're about to go on a hunt for a new species of antiques and collectibles

that we hope will prove a treasure when they go under the hammer at auction.

Coming up on today's Cash In The Attic -

some high-flying valuations.

-Blimey!

-Does that sound all right?

-That's great.

-Does that raise your spirits?

-Yes!

A few helpful short cuts.

Do you know where it's from?

-Paris - it says it under there!

-Isn't it handy when it says where it's from?

Topped off with some fantastic results in the saleroom.

-That's really good, isn't it?

-That's great.

So let's hope we'll all be smiling when the final hammer falls.

I've travelled a few miles across Hampshire to South Warnborough

to meet a family who have called in Cash In The Attic

to help raise some funds for a creative member of the family.

This charming cottage is home to sales manager Colin Turner

and his wife, Wendy, who works for a clothing company.

The couple have been married for over 30 years

and have three adult children who have all now flown the nest.

But their house is far from quiet, as Colin and Wendy have been running a bed and breakfast here

for the last 20 years.

With such busy lives, when it comes to raising money for an important family gift,

the couple have called us in to lend a helping hand.

-Good morning, Paul.

-Good morning, Lorne, how are you?

-Did you stay here last night?

-No, I didn't realise it was a bed and breakfast.

I know. It's a wonderful place.

And a lovely family.

Some really good quality things. But they have been through a tough time so hopefully we'll be able to help.

-Come in, I'll tell you more.

-Have you got a map?

-What do you want a map for?

-Place is huge.

Good morning.

-Missed breakfast, have I?

-Absolutely.

That's a shame.

Should have got up earlier.

This is a beautiful property. How long have you been here?

-26 years, just gone.

-How long has it been a bed and breakfast for?

Only for about 19-20 years.

What's made you call in Cash In The Attic?

Our eldest son, Simon,

had an accident diving into a swimming pool a few years back and broke his neck,

quite high, and was paralysed then and was a tetraplegic.

So he's only got shoulder and arm movement.

And... He lives in an adapted house quite close by.

Are we going to meet him today?

No. Unfortunately, Simon had a really major operation.

It's really a pioneering type operation where they take part of a muscle or a tendon from the shoulder

which works and can be controlled by the spinal cord and they attach it somewhere else, so,

in this instance, they have attached it down to his elbow, so he will be able to move his arm more easily.

What do you need to raise money for?

An etching press, whatever that is.

Simon's in the third year of a degree in fine arts in Farnham

and he wants his own press so that he can carry on, weekends, evenings, when he is able to.

What sort of money are you talking about for that?

I think it's in the region of about £1,000.

With all the accessories that go with it.

Really? OK. So, £1,000. I'm quite hopeful, because it's full of gorgeous things.

-But I'm sure you don't want to sell everything.

-I know - that's right!

I'll bear that in mind. Right.

We want to raise £1,000.

-So that we can get Simon his etching press.

-That's right.

-OK.

If you want to follow me, let's go and explore your lovely house.

Simon's accident happened just five years ago and this is certainly an emotional target for the Turners.

So we need to pull out all the stops on today's rummage.

Our expert, Paul Hayes, is already on the case.

With 20 years' experience you would think that he had seen it all,

but we're not long into our rummage and he's been charmed by one item.

Ah, hello!

-How are you, all right?

-What have you got there already?

I've found one of the nicest cameos I've ever seen in my life.

-Look at that.

-Stunning.

What's the story behind this, then, Wendy?

An aunt gave it to me for a 21st birthday present.

How wonderful. What a fantastic present. The image is quite interesting, isn't it?

This is probably one of the nicest I've ever seen. This really is a quality item.

Cameos have been very popular since people were going out to these lovely sites in Rome and Greece.

They would go somewhere like Pompeii and by a cameo made from the lava of Pompeii, so they became very popular.

What makes this one special, it's a shell cameo.

The exterior of the conch shell is white. But when you carve through, you get this skin colour underneath.

That gives a fantastic contrast.

The quality of carving in this one in particular is beautiful. Top quality.

It's very three-dimensional. Most cameos are raised to a certain extent

because of the method used to create them, but this really has gone to town, hasn't it?

Someone's put a lot of thought into this and chosen that particular shell to make this particular design from.

-A lot more goes into it than you think.

-What sort of value might we be talking about?

They're not as fashionable as they used to be,

but as an objet d'art, a collector's item, that's a wonderful thing to have

and I would say at least £150 upwards.

-How does that sound?

-That's great.

Great.

Great start to our total. Let's see what else we can find. There's so much to go through.

There is. Come on, then.

So far, so good today.

We've already got £150 in the kitty.

Art is a subject close to Simon's heart and he wants to train as an art teacher

after finishing his degree.

The etching press is an important piece of kit for him,

so it's great when we find another £50-£100 towards it

with this pair of Victorian salon chairs.

There's no time to sit around, as there's plenty more rummaging to do.

Wow, look at that. That's a beauty, isn't it?

Now then, where has this come from, do you know?

I think my mum bought that at an auction years ago.

-Was she an auction lover, did she used to go to all that?

-Yes, yeah.

There was a time you could buy a real quality items like this quite reasonably.

This is a very recognised factory. Do you recognise this?

-Yes, it's, I think, Meissen?

-Exactly, yes.

Probably one of the most recognised and oldest trademarks, the crossed swords,

the blue under glazed cross swords, is the Meissen factory in Germany.

They were the first porcelain factory in Europe.

The Chinese had the secret for over 2,000 years.

The Meissen factory was the first one to come up with this white gold. It was very precious in its day.

Part of the problem was, to get the white surface,

you'd end up with imperfections, little bits of dirt from the kilns and so on.

So what they used to do,

they would decorate areas with bits of fruit, with birds and flowers,

and that would cover up all these little imperfections.

So that's why these are all spread around in random fashion.

But the style is very rococo, which is rock and shell decoration.

Typical design from the 18th century.

But the factory has been producing items like this for almost 300 years.

Meissen, it's still in production today, so you could probably buy a very similar style today.

This one's probably about 100 years old.

One thing I have noticed here is that you have a slight chip. That has to be factored into account.

People do like to buy things that are perfect.

And it can cost about £40 to repair a chip like that.

So if I said 150, maybe £200?

-I'd be delighted. Yes.

-That's great.

Let's put it somewhere safe, eh?

Even with the damage, that's a pretty impressive valuation,

so I hope it makes its auction with no more chips or breaks.

Our busy bed-and-breakfast owner is on a roll.

She also decides to sell this collection of silver dressing table items,

including a mirror, brush and scent bottles.

Paul hopes the decorative set will make a tidy £100-£200.

So how many children have you got?

-Three.

-And they are?

Simon, the eldest, who's 28,

Tara, his sister in the middle, she's 25, and Rob, who will be 22.

-In about a week's time.

-OK.

I'd forgot that..

You can't forget your own son's birthday!

Who's here?

That's Simon holding Tara when she was just born.

Tell me about Simon's accident.

It was here in the pool.

Nice summer's evening in August.

And he wasn't late or anything.

He'd got a few friends round.

Obviously larking about, and he hit his head, diving into the swimming pool.

And his brother and another young man fetched him out of the pool.

And he was just on the side there.

And he said, I can't feel my feet.

And we thought this was just temporary.

And it wasn't until a bit later that we realised it was a really serious accident.

How did you cope with that as parents?

I don't think you do realise what the long-term prognosis is until 18 months, two years down the line.

It is literally like that.

You don't, in circumstances like this, you don't know how much movement somebody will get back.

And although Simon was completely paralysed to start with...

-Mmm.

-Erm...

-after about six months, he got more movement.

-He got shoulder movement.

I suppose he carried on getting a little bit more movement,

for the next 18 months.

Do you think he might come to the auction?

When I saw him Tuesday, he's gutted that he couldn't be here.

But he has threatened to make an appearance at the auction.

I think he should, especially considering the fact that he called us in the first place

and has promptly disappeared while you take the brunt of all our valuations.

-So, shall we go and see whether Paul's found anything that can add to our total?

-Yes. Good idea.

Well, it will be great to hopefully meet Simon at the auction.

Paul's found this Regency mahogany tea caddy,

which Wendy inherited from her mum.

He hopes its large size and sarcophagus shape

will entice bidders to pay £100-£200.

And I've spotted a rather stylish oil lamp which came from Wendy's grandparents.

Many oil lamps have been converted to electricity

but this one is in original condition.

Paul hopes that will be a great selling point.

Valued at £100-£150, it's a welcome addition to the etching press fund.

And it seems Paul's spotted another potential high-flyer next door.

I must say, you've got some lovely pieces of jewellery.

Wow! Where's that one come from?

I believe it was a brooch of my mother's. I'm not sure.

You don't remember her wearing it?

No. Maybe on a black jacket or coat or something like that.

What I love about Victorian jewellery is that things can have a hidden meaning.

And the butterfly, actually, is a symbol of the soul.

It represented everlasting life. It uplifts you.

And of course you've got the introduction of seed pearls there, representing the origins of life.

And what we've got here has been decorated with diamonds,

with rubies, and sapphires which are often seen together.

But the Victorians were also very much into plant life and organic forms.

Insects, lots of things with dragonflies, spiders, fauna and flora, that sort of decoration.

If you ever see something with two doves together, that's a long and happy marriage, or a union.

A bird with a letter in its mouth, that's the bringer of good news. There's loads of things hidden away.

Sometimes you actually get the stones arranged

and they spell out something, like "regard", or "amour", just rearranging the stones.

Can it be sold? Is it sentimental to you?

Not really, no.

I'm a bit more modern than that.

I'd rather put it towards whatever we might be able to raise. For Simon.

It's a good job you haven't worn it.

I've known people who wear things like this, and the diamond goes missing or gets broken.

That's in lovely condition. If I was being quite conservative here,

if I said at least 250, maybe £300.

-Blimey!

-Does that sound all right?

-Great!

-Does that raise your spirits?

-Yes!

That's lovely. I just noticed that the maker, the shop, is called Dyson.

-So it could be a clean sweep!

-Definitely.

Wendy seems impressed by the valuation, if not by Paul's jokes.

It's a massive step forward towards our £1,000 target.

Hopefully the bidders will take a shine to the symbolic brooch.

And there's another good addition to the etching press fund,

when our couple send this three-piece silver tea set to auction.

Paul forecasts a sparkling £200-£250 price tag.

Meanwhile, Colin's found these contemporary metal sculptures.

Bought in Italy 60 years ago as a gift for Wendy's mother,

they've been valued at £100-£150.

Let's hope they take off on the day of the auction.

Time's marching on for today's search. But I've made a rather impressive-looking discovery.

Colin? Are you there?

We've found this lovely clock.

I don't know whether it's something you'd consider selling or not.

Yeah, we haven't wound it up for years because, when it chimes, regularly, it wakes the guests up.

Do you know where it's from?

Paris. It says it on there.

Isn't it handy when it says where it's from on it? If only everything was that easy!

-I thought I do the jokes!

-What else can you tell us about it, Paul?

I must say, this really is a beautiful clock.

Normally, the value of any clock or watch is in the movement, so what I'd love to see on the front here

is Cartier, Longines, all those expensive makers, Omega...

But this one is an English factory called Elkington's.

They were so famous, they had branches all over the world,

so Elkington's of Paris would actually be like a retail outlet.

But it is a French-made movement in here, and the case at the time is typically late 19th century.

It's called Champs Levee decoration.

-Have you heard of that before?

-No.

In a Champs Levee case, which this one's been made from,

it's actually a sheet of brass where the artist has carved or moulded in,

and that leaves a natural recess which is then placed with the enamel.

It's like a typically French quality, really.

So how much money would you say, Paul?

The nice thing is that none of the enamel is damaged.

That's very expensive to repair.

If I said between £300 and £500, how does that sound?

Well, I'm surprised! Are you?

Yeah, reasonably. The higher end would be better.

But somewhere in the middle would be ideal.

-OK. Are you happy for it to go to auction and go into the total?

-Yeah.

-Sure?

-Yeah.

It's another big addition to the etching press fund

but with Colin angling for the top end of the estimate,

we'll have to keep everything crossed

that the bidders like the clock as much as we do.

Our search continues, and Wendy has made a rather dusty find.

Victorians would often bury their bottles and, as a child,

Simon dug up an impressive collection

from the back of the garden.

Hopefully his hard work will pay off and this collection could make £100 to £200.

-They you are, Wendy. You keeping the home fires burning?

-Yeah.

This is an amazing house.

I can't believe quite how big it is.

Has it always been this size or have you extended it?

-It's always been this size.

-So what is the oldest part of this house?

Probably a little bit further over, the next room further over from here,

where there's a fireplace and a chimney goes up.

We have been told that might have been left after a fire and the brickwork is Tudor,

and then the rest of the house was rebuilt and grew from around that area.

This looks like a traditional inglenook fireplace. Is this original or something you had done?

We unearthed this.

It was a little tiny fireplace in the middle here and two cupboards either side.

So this was all hidden.

What made you decide to run the B&B?

Let's be honest, not everybody would want to invite complete strangers into their home.

We'd just had Robin

and I wanted to be at home with the children and I didn't really need to earn that much,

just to cover a few bills and housekeeping,

so it was a time that was right to try and do some bed-and-breakfast.

Whilst we carry on chatting, the boys continue the search.

Our Mr Hayes has headed upstairs and it looks like he's found a winner.

Colin.

-Yes, Paul.

-You've got some beautiful pieces of furniture. Where's this come from?

It's an inherited piece from Wendy's parents.

I must say, this is very Victorian. It's a very high chest of drawers.

There are two main types of chest of drawers.

You get one that's waist-high and one that's shoulder-high.

The Victorians would have been a bit shorter than me.

This is a wonderful example.

You've got a two over four, which is the number of drawers.

-Yeah.

-That's what they call it.

But it's the amalgamation of styles that stands out for me.

This is typically Victorian. You have Queen Anne feet, the ball and claw.

That dates from the early part of the 18th century.

Then you have the gadrooning, which again was very popular at that time.

You have the Chinese Chippendale, which is 18th century, the bow front, which is a lovely feature.

-What I love about this particular item is the use of flame mahogany. Have you heard that expression?

-Yes.

That's the best, most expensive type of mahogany.

The reason it's called flame mahogany is it looks like the whole thing is on fire. It's the most figured wood.

They use it in very small quantities,

so actually the size of the mahogany is this big.

It's been cut thinly and then transferred,

and you get a herringbone or butterfly effect on the front.

It's in lovely condition. It's not faded or damaged in any way or painted, heaven forbid.

If I said around about the £500 mark, £400 to £500, how does that sound?

By all means. The higher end would be great.

If you say it's as good as it is, yeah.

Great. Let's keep looking.

That's nearly half our target in one find. Impressive work, Paul.

This house has proved to be a real treasure trove.

It's almost the end of our day in Hampshire

but in the drawing room, Wendy has one last item for the auction.

But what will Paul make of it?

Oh, look at that! Wendy, what a beautiful bureau.

It's nice to see it being used. Do you use it to write on?

I'm afraid not.

It's really just a depository for birthday cards and bits of paper.

The amount of times I see them exactly like this!

A pile of rubbish inside.

Exactly. You can do some work on them and then the whole thing lifts up and you'd never know what was there.

This is a particularly nice one.

-Is this a family heirloom?

-I believe it was my mother's writing desk.

Look, it's full of little nooks and crannies, and there's even a thing that pulls out here.

Do you know what that is? These cupboards had a specific use.

They were a Bible box. In times of persecution, when the bureau first appeared,

you'd actually hide your religious books in there and they'd be kept hidden.

But, as time progressed, by the time this bureau appeared, late 18th century, early 19th century,

you'd keep your documents, your personal letters or perhaps some bits of jewellery in there.

The whole thing could be locked.

What you've got here is a late 18th, early 19th mahogany Sheraton style bureau, a very saleable item.

If I said around the £500 mark, £400 to £500?

That's absolutely great.

-Great. Just in time, Colin.

-Is this going as well?

There's another £400 there to add in.

-You said five.

-Well, that's the top end, yes.

-I may regret that.

-We can't get anything past you, can we?

Have you enjoyed today?

-Immensely.

-Yes.

It's been a real pleasure, hasn't it, Paul? Some beautiful items.

The cameo for me was a real one-off.

What a cracking piece.

Well, let's hope that does well, along with everything else.

This morning, when we spoke,

you were saying you wanted to raise £1,000 for this etching printer thing,

plus all the bits and pieces for Simon.

-Do you think we've got anything like that figure?

-I hope so.

-Mental totalling, I think yes.

Well, I'm pleased to tell you that the total amount of everything going to auction comes to £2,400.

Great. Thank you very much indeed.

-Very welcome.

-Thank you for putting up with his jokes.

We've had a fantastic day here with Colin and Wendy

and our list of quality lots for auction is pretty impressive.

We're hoping the colourful butterfly brooch

will fly over and above its valuation,

that the bidders will dig deep for the Meissen bowl,

which Paul valued at £150 to £200, despite having some minor damage,

and we've got two top-drawer pieces of furniture

heading for the saleroom as well -

a mahogany chest of drawers and, of course, the Sheraton style bureau.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic, our expert never fails to impress.

You're the fount of so much knowledge, aren't you?

But he's at a loss to explain some results.

I can't believe that!

What an absolutely fantastic piece.

So, will we have reached our target when the final hammer falls?

It's just over a week since we visited Colin and Wendy Turner's beautiful home in Hampshire,

and we found plenty of antiques and collectibles,

some high quality stuff that we've brought to Chiswick Auction Rooms in west London.

They're looking to raise around £1,000 for an etching press for their son, Simon,

who unfortunately suffered a very major accident.

He's since taken up a degree in fine art, so that's what the press is for.

Let's hope today that plenty of bidders are feeling very generous when our items go under the hammer.

There's a good mix of professional dealers and amateur collectors here today,

so I hope they've come with plenty of cash to spend.

Before the sale gets going, I spot our Mr Hayes with one of our family's grandest lots.

-Morning, Paul.

-Good morning, how are you?

We're on time, even though it might not seem it, according to that.

It needs to be wound up. Isn't it lovely?

It's a beautiful example. It's in great condition.

And we've got those beautiful pieces of jewellery.

Yes, that cameo is a show-stopper.

I love that little brooch.

I thought that was very sweet.

Yes, and I think the quality just shows. I think it's going to be a good day all round, hopefully.

I really do hope that we get there.

I am feeling the pressure today. I really want this one to happen.

I don't want you to stress out!

-So, if you're interested in any of the jewellery...

-OK, let me think...

Paul may be feeling the heat but, with such quality lots to sell today,

fingers crossed we'll be on track to meet our £1,000 target for Simon's etching press.

We leave the bidders and catch up with our family in the saleroom,

And it seems the guest of honour has joined us too.

Good morning. How are you?

Simon, it's very nice to meet you. I understand this is all your fault.

-Apparently so.

-You missed out on the rummage because you were in hospital.

-How did your operation go?

-Yeah, really well.

-Are you looking forward to the auction?

-Yeah. It should be good.

-See if we can raise some money.

-We were here quite early, and lots

of dealers have been looking at all your silver and also at that clock.

A couple of the regulars here have been taking quite a bit of notice

of that, so fingers crossed for a very good day.

Let's hope they fight over it.

That's what we want - lots of auction fever. Definitely.

We've got a bit of time before the auction starts, so cup of tea?

I thought you'd never ask!

If, like Wendy and Colin, you're planning on buying or selling at auction, do be aware that charges

such as commission will be added to your bill, so always check

the details with your local saleroom.

The bidders are ready and waiting and the auctioneer is in position.

45. There you go.

So we take our places in the saleroom and get ready for the excitement to begin.

Our first lot to go under the hammer is the stylish silver oil lamp.

We're looking for £100 to £150.

£130. 130. 140. 150.

At £150 now. At 160, 170, 180, 190.

£190. It's still with me at 190.

It's cheap, though. It's going for £190...

£190! That's pretty impressive, isn't it?

-That's great.

-Crikey! Nearly double Paul's lowest estimate.

That's certainly the way we like to start our day.

Let's hope our luck continues, as our second lot comes up for sale,

but I have a feeling not everyone's a fan.

Our next lot is a contemporary metal structure of an eagle with

outstretched wings and another of a cockerel. Do you like these, Simon?

No, I hate them!

Why do you hate them quite so much?

It's just they've been there since I was tiny and I just don't like them.

Just the thing of nightmares.

What is it worth? Start me at £50.

50, 55, 60. £60, that lot. At £60.

65. 70. Going for £70.

It may have been under estimate, but I think Simon was glad

to see the sculptures wing their way to a new home.

Let's hope the bidders are sitting comfortably for our next lot, a pair of Victorian salon chairs.

Paul valued these at £50 to £100, but will the saleroom agree?

What's it worth? 50 to start me. 50, 55, 60.

£60 for the salon chairs. At 65, 70.

75. £75. At 75. It's at £75.

Anybody else? Come on,

a little bit under. Cheap chairs for 75.

Selling those for £75.

Right in the middle of Paul's estimate. That's more like it.

We're making good progress towards the £1,000

for Simon's etching press, but we have plenty of fantastic

items left to sell, so I hope the bidders are here for the long haul.

Our next lot to try its luck is the pretty Meissen bowl.

We've got £150 to £200 for this.

We certainly have, and this is a beautiful example, but

there's a little bit of damage, which knocks the price slightly.

But I think it's very restorable and an excellent example.

Is it worth £80?

80, 85, 90, 95. £95 for the bowl.

100 anywhere? For £95. £100, 110.

£110. £110. 110 it is, then.

110. Not sold quite.

£110 was the bid but, because our estimate is 150, it's not sold.

So we've got a choice.

You can either leave it here to be sold another day or take it home.

What do you think you'll do?

I think we'll leave it here, shall we?

Leave it here. Hope for someone who generously will buy it.

That's a disappointing result and our first unsold lot today.

After a promising start, I hope the saleroom isn't starting to cool off,

as we have a way to go yet before we reach our target.

We've two items left before the halfway point in today's sale

and it's time for the cameo to make a grand appearance.

What do you think of this?

It's nice, but not my cup of tea.

Thank goodness!

But it is a beautiful piece, isn't it, Paul?

It's one of the nicest ones I've seen.

The quality of the carving on it... Normally, jewellery is valued for its gold value or its precious stones.

In this case, it's the workmanship.

The carving on this is absolutely beautiful, so I put this in for £150.

It's a nice lot.

Is it worth £80? £80 to start me.

80, 85. £85 for that cameo. 90 there.

95, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140.

There you go. New bidder. 160, 170.

170 still, nearer to me. 180 there.

190, 200, 210, 220.

220 there. At 220.

230 now, back there again.

240.

250. 250 in the doorway.

At 250. All done for £250.

£250, that's really good, isn't it?

-That's great.

-That's a fantastic result, isn't it?

Absolutely incredible, I'm really pleased for you.

That good, isn't it?

That's £100 over Paul's estimate.

It just goes to show that true quality can sometimes win over

even the quietest of salerooms.

Hopefully, the same will be true of our next lot.

Paul was certainly a fan.

This is beautiful, it's diamonds, rubies, sapphires, I think there's seed pearls in there as well.

The sculpture, the workmanship is wonderful.

A symbol of the soul.

-Oh, is it? You're a fountain of knowledge, aren't you?

-Yes, I know.

-How much is it going to sell for?

-Somewhere between £250 upwards.

-OK!

Let's see if we can get that for it.

It might fly.

A little bit of interest in this already.

I'm bid £200 for it. With me at 200, £200.

210, 220, 230, 240, 250.

£250. 260 in front of me, 270, there,

280, 290,

300, and 10, 320, 330, 330 there, 340 down below,

350, 360, 370,

370, standing at the back at 370.

Anyone else? For 370, all done.

370.

-That is great.

-£370.

That's not bad, is it?

-Wonderful.

-That's really good.

That's a fantastic result, £70 over Paul's highest estimate.

We certainly ended the first half on a high but just how close to our target are we already?

OK, that's the end of the first half of the sale.

We've got quite a few pieces still to sell, you wanted £1,000, didn't you?

So how did you find it, Simon?

-It was great. Yes.

-Any particular price that surprised you?

-Especially the cockerel. The butterfly pouch.

-That was a good result.

And also the cameo, actually, two lovely pieces that you had.

You wanted £1,000, I'm very pleased to tell you that, so far, you've made £955. You're nearly there.

-That's fantastic.

-We've still got loads to sell.

It's been a whirlwind sale so far.

With a bit of time before the rest of our lots come up for sale,

I catch up with Paul who's been doing a short of antique hunting.

Do you know, I saw that early on.

That is a very nice piece.

There is something about quality that does jump out at you. This is a Royal Lancastrian.

It's a local firm near me, actually. In Lancashire.

They started by making tiles and glassware,

but at the turn of the century, they were very much into this art pottery.

-It's very desirable.

-It's got a little, what are they, lizards?

Little salamanders, and these are fern decorations.

-It is profusely decorated with lustreware.

-It is very, very nice.

OK! And what does it say in terms of the price?

-It says £120 to £150.

-That's quite good for something so unusual.

-It does. It's a beautiful example.

-Shall we put it back, safely?

-Yes, of course.

-It's not ours.

-It's definitely one to look out for.

-Come on, then.

Paul is always hard at work, but it's time to get back

to our family now as the sale is still in full swing.

We don't have to wait too long until our next lot comes up for sale,

and I have high hopes for this one.

Our next lot is the collection of silver, really lovely pieces,

there's been a lot of interest in those pieces from the dealers.

Paul, very often this sort of stuff is quite damaged.

Yes. This is quite thin silver, the way that they work it.

With all the polishing, holes appear on it.

But it's still a great collection.

Lots of people here will buy this quality of silver.

£100, I think we're going to smash through that.

I've got a couple of bids of £75, 80 I can take. 75, 80, 85.

90, £90, 95 for the lady there, 100, 110, 120,

130, 140, 150, 160, £160.

170, there now.

180, 190, 200, 210, 220,

230, 240, 250, 260, 270,

£280 there with the lady in the hat, at 280.

At 280 it goes.

-£280.

-£280, that's superb, isn't it?

That's a brilliant start to the second half

and we've crashed through our £1,000 target.

We'd still like plenty more cash for the rest of our lots

as I'm sure there are many things Simon and his parents could spend the extra money on.

Next up is the silver tea set.

Is it worth a couple of hundred pounds? 200, I'm bid, next to me.

210, 220,

220 there, 220,

230, 240, 250,

260, 260 near to me at £260,

for 260, at 260 it goes.

-There you go. That's excellent.

-Yes.

-That's great, really good.

Well, Simon's impressed,

and with another sale over Paul's top estimate, I fully agree.

The saleroom seems to be on our side today

and when the pretty vase that Paul

showed me earlier comes up for sale,

it has similar success, selling for over double the catalogue price.

For £320, all done, 476. 320.

The bidders certainly seem eager to splash the cash at the moment

but it's back to our family's lots now.

The collection of over 100 Victorian and later bottles.

Interest in the lot as well, I can start the bidding at already £100.

-Well done.

-£100, 110, 120, 130, 140, £140 now.

-£140.

-For £140.

Anyone else want to come in? 140 bid, then. 140.

-What do you think of that?

-That's great.

That is a really good result. Did you finish digging them all up?

I was just wondering whether you might pay another visit.

Have a bit of a dig ourselves.

If we don't make our target...

I think there's a veg garden there now.

We'll have the vegetables and then will get some more bottles.

-That's great, isn't it?

-Great.

I'll certainly be checking my garden when I get home today.

£140 for something hidden underneath the lawn.

Simon has found himself to be a real treasure hunter.

The lovely tea caddy is next to try its law on the rostrum.

Paul valued this lot at £100 - 200.

Fingers crossed, it might make a bit more.

Nice lot, this, where shall we start, at £80. £80 for the little tea caddy.

80 I'm bid, £80.

85, 90, 95, 100, 110, 120,

£120 there, 120.

£120, it's going to be sold for 120. At 120 it goes. 120.

£120.

That's £20 over Paul's low-end estimate.

Although it would have been great to get more, it's all money in the kitty.

We've already reached our target

but we're hoping to make the Turners as much cash as possible

and it's our two most expensive lots coming up next.

Now the next lot is the 20th century bow fronted mahogany chest

which looks a little bit like this one here.

-Now, where was this?

-That was on the landing.

It held lots of our linen.

-So, what have you done with the linen?

-We had to find something else to put it in.

-Is the landing a bit clearer now?

-We've replaced it with another one.

What have you got there now?

-A smaller one.

-A small one. OK.

Is it worth a couple of hundred pounds? Start with 200.

Nice quality chest here for £200.

£200, 210, 230, £240,

240...for that chest for £240.

At £240, anyone else want to come in?

£240.

At 240, nobody else, not quite enough, 240.

Not sold, I'm afraid.

Are you disappointed with that, Simon?

Yes, could have gone for a bit more.

Yes. Well, there we go, that's the way it goes at auctions, I'm afraid.

That's a massive blow.

We all had such high hopes for the chest of drawers.

Maybe the furniture buyers were holding on to their cash for our Sheraton-style bureau instead.

Again, we're looking for £400 to £500 for this lovely piece.

Are you sad to see this go?

Obviously, it's now taken out from your main reception

with that lovely inglenook? Do you miss it?

-We...

-No, because there's a piano in place now.

-What? Where did that come from?

-Yes!

Worth a couple of hundred pounds.

150 to start, 150, 160, 170.

-£170 for the bureau.

-Come on.

£170 for the bureau.

-All done for £170.

-He's not going to sell it, no.

It needs to be a little bit more than 170.

I can't believe that.

What an absolutely fantastic piece.

Two unsold lots in a row is a big disappointment.

But thankfully, our target is already safe

and our family can choose to re-enter

the pieces in the next sale or take them back to Hampshire.

Our auction day is nearly over

and it's definitely been a roller coaster ride.

Will our final lot end our day on a high?

This is that lovely clock, so, quite a few people looking at that today.

It's caused quite a bit of interest, this clock. There's quite a lot

of controversy between the Elkingtons in Paris as well,

like we thought in the house. What do you think, Colin?

-Once it's gone, it's gone.

-Once it's gone, it's gone.

Spoken like a true gent. So we're looking for about

-£300 upwards for this.

-OK. £300.

-Let's see if we can get that, then.

-A lot of interest in this already.

-I'm bid £400 for it.

-400 straightaway.

£400 for the clock. 420, 440, £440.

440...460.

480. 480.

500. And 50.

Is that 600? £600.

£600, nearer to me.

50, I'll take. For £600.

It's a nice thing, going, then, for £600, it goes. £600.

-£600. That's fantastic, isn't it?

-Wow.

That's double Paul's lowest estimate

and a brilliant finish to our day at Chiswick.

We all know we've done well today,

but it's time to reveal just how well.

Well, we wanted to raise £1,000, didn't we?

For your piece of equipment and if we made any extra, what was going to happen?

Well, it was always the plan to try and put a through floor lift

in Simon's bungalow to get upstairs.

To let him use as a work room.

Anything over and above the printing press will go towards that.

In that case, will £2,355 do?

That's great, yes.

One thousand three hundred and...!

-£2,355!

-Yes!

-But 1,300-odd towards his lift.

-Absolutely.

-Yeah!

-That's great, isn't it?

-A bit more than we expected.

It all adds up, doesn't it?

A few weeks later, Colin and Wendy are at Simon's house reflecting on their success.

I think they've been bitten by the auction bug.

It was a great experience.

The auction people were very good.

And...it's...they might see us as customers again.

Having doubled their target, the couple can put the extra money

towards a new lift for Simon's house.

But, most importantly, they've splashed out on that much-needed

etching press, and the budding artist can't wait for it to arrive.

I had a really good time at the auction.

We made our total, which was great,

which will go towards a printing press.

It's arriving today. I'm really looking forward to it.

With the shiny new equipment delivered,

Simon gets a quick demonstration of how it all works.

-That's really good.

-Brilliant!

We've got some areas that need

a bit more extra burnishing work,

but you would know that, Simon.

Colin and Wendy are definitely thrilled with the result,

and I think Simon's new equipment will be useful for many years to come.

The press is everything I want, really.

It's great how it's just so portable.

It will be great to take even to uni or do my work here.

Finish my course and then get on with my teaching, hopefully.