Wright Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic, the show that finds hidden treasures in your home

and helps you sell them at auction.

Now, today, we are in Chislehurst, in Kent.

And beneath us here are the Chislehurst Caves, which have been dug over a period of 8,000 years.

The Chislehurst Caves are a labyrinth of dark, mysterious passageways,

which have been cut by hand from the chalk deep beneath the village.

They stopped mining here in the early 19th century.

But during the Second World War, the mines were turned into a massive air raid shelter.

And since then, we've had rock concerts here in the 1960s.

But for now, it's a popular local attraction.

So, from these caves, steeped in history, it's off to our next

location, where hopefully we'll find some items with history of their own that we can take to auction.

I've got to find my way out of this place first.

Now, where is the exit?

Coming up on Cash In The Attic - for once, our expert is lost for words.

-What is it?

-But he does have a surprise for the lady of the house.

Harrods? I have never been through Harrods' door!

-Well, apparently...

-And will our couple make their target, or will they be pipped at the post?

-We're under starter's orders.

-We're on a winner.

We're out in the bright sunshine now, thank goodness.

I'm a few miles down the road, in West Wickham.

And we're going to meet Anne and Raymond Wright, who called

the Cash In The Attic team because they want to raise some money for a very special move.

Raymond Anne Wright were childhood sweethearts, having met at the tender age of 15 and 16.

Married for over 30 years, they now have two children,

Angela and younger brother Barry.

We hope there will be lots of exciting collectibles inside this house that we can take to auction.

James, James, James.

-Chris, where have you been?

-I'm sorry I'm late.

I got a bit lost in the caves.

-Caves?

-Chislehurst Caves, just round the corner.

-You don't look much like a caveman to me.

-I'm not a caveman.

I was a bit overdressed for the occasion. We've got some good news.

Plenty of work to do for you today.

This couple behind us love horse racing.

Well, who's going to be first past the finishing post?

It'll be you, cos I'm going to give you a head start. Come on.

Hello, everybody. The sun's out, we've got a pond here.

Now, I know you're Raymond,

and who's this one?

-That's my daughter Angela.

-Angela, nice to meet you.

-Hello.

It's a family affair, obviously. So who phoned Cash In The Attic?

-I called Cash In The Attic.

-Why did you call us?

My wife and myself, our health is not as good as we'd like to be.

We have a house in Cyprus which is fully furnished, and we've decided to retire out there.

-So you've got to get rid of some stuff.

-We have, yes.

-So, Anne, how long have you lived here?

35 years in this house.

35 years. So what sort of things are we going to find?

Well, loads of things, actually, you know.

You'll probably find lots of interesting things which you gather

yourself, and you just poke them away.

-Are you willing to give it all up?

-I've got to. It's a case of got to.

So, how much money do we want to raise today?

Approximately £1,000.

So we are going to have to work hard. And where is this money going?

We're going to take our friends out for a slap-up meal at

a restaurant run by Cypriot people that we know very well.

And then the rest of the money will be updating our house that we are going to live in in Cyprus.

So, Angela, it looks as if we're in for some hard work. Are you ready to get your hands dirty?

-Definitely.

-Are they likely to let things go, or will they want to keep stuff?

I think they're going to let everything go.

Cos they really want to have their new life in Cyprus, so, yeah.

-Are you ready to do some work?

-We are.

-Yes.

Grab your teas, cos that's the last bit of fun you're going to have.

And follow me.

Raymond has been in the photography business for over 50 years, and a racing photographer for the past 30.

Anne is also his right-hand lady, dealing with the secretarial side of the business.

Now retired, they've decided to pack up and move to sunnier climes.

Looking around, I can see all sorts of memorabilia, antiques and collectibles, scattered around

this house, ready for James to cast his expert eye over.

Talking of James, it's time to track him down.

In nearly 30 years of working with antiques, his specialisms include statuary, clocks and works of art.

So our first item might be right up his street.

Where is he? Ah!

James, here you are. Imagine my surprise.

Straight into a bit of racing.

Great photos. Who took these?

I took those, over a period of 10, 12 years ago.

I was just looking at these. Because I can see here, we've got

one, two, three former champion jockeys.

We've got Frankie Dettori here, and then Willie Carson over there.

And then we've also got Richard Dunwoody.

But the interesting thing, Ray, is that these are not taken in

the normal way you would expect a jockey to be depicted.

No, I used to do a lot of these for Question Of Sport.

I've got about 500 on file, which they use in their programmes.

-The mystery guest.

-It all makes sense now. What's going on here?

Well, unfortunately, he broke his foot, which he thought was rather

funny, and here he is hopping around for me, for taking a picture.

Fantastic.

They are great photographs, but how much, James, are they worth?

I have to say that it's a really tricky one to answer.

I think there are one or two things to remember. First of all, we're talking about racing.

And that is the sport of kings.

There's more money in this sport than virtually any other one.

As such, there are always going to be passionate collectors who want to have this sort of memorabilia.

Not just the skill of your photography here, Ray, but also

the fact that each of them has actually been signed.

So that elevates it above the status of being a mere photograph, even one taken by Ray.

But trying to value these, not an easy task.

I'll have to be mean, though.

If we start off with, if you like a starting price, of 25 quid each.

So, let's say £100-£200. But I think that's probably being very mean.

-So are you happy with that?

-I'm very happy. I think I'm

-on a winner.

-Very good. We're up and running.

But a lot of work to be done. We're far from that winning post.

I want to find out more about your photography history later on. But let's get going. Come on.

It looks like James has jumped the first fence in today's rummage.

£100-£200 is a fantastic start, but we've got a long way to go before we reach that final furlong.

So we all split up and take on various parts of the house.

Ray has dug out more of his professional photos, and has decided to send

this signed Sir Alex Ferguson photo that he took at Ascot.

James gives it an impressive £30-£50.

And it looks like James is on to a winning streak today, discovering

yet another item that's hidden away under the stairs.

Oh, Anne, look what I've just found.

Oh, my goodness.

-A heavy box.

-Very heavy.

-So, Anne, where did this come from?

My mother-in-law and father-in-law.

Roughly, when did they get married?

I think it was about 1936.

Because that's the sort of thing they may have had as a wedding present?

Yes, I think it was a wedding present, actually.

That would actually figure, because what we've got

here is what we call a canteen of cutlery.

-Mm-hm.

-It's actually made, Robert Mosley, Sheffield.

And Sheffield was the city in England which is renowned for its cutlery, from the 18th century

onward, and especially in the 19th and 20th century, it was exported all over the world.

-Right.

-I mean, you just don't see things like this today.

No. The only thing missing off of that is the steel.

Because my father-in-law used to always use the steel.

-Right. Yes.

-And obviously he didn't put it back in there.

Well, it's just a small thing. That could actually be replaced.

But what I love about these things is that they gave you everything.

-Oh, yes.

-Because if I pull out the drawers, we've got all of the spoons, dessert spoons and forks.

And here's something I love, you just don't seem nowadays.

-You've even got the knife rests in there.

-Yes!

And there's another drawer as well.

And we've got tablespoons, soup ladles, source ladles, it's all there.

And all labelled.

Looking at the construction of this, you can see it's made with all these different layers of wood.

It's real quality.

All of that's the good news.

-In some ways, the slightly bad news is that it's not silver, it's not solid silver, sterling silver.

-No.

It's actually silver plate.

And on the back, we've actually got the maker's initial, Robert Mosley & Son.

And then EP, which stands for electric plate.

Value on this...

We'd probably put an estimate of between £100 and £200.

Brilliant. That's lovely.

Which is, you know, it's a sizable chunk of money, in terms of where we want to be.

-Yes.

-Of course, the other side is, it's actually a fraction of what it would cost you if you went

to somewhere posh like Harrods to buy this new today, you'd be paying...

Harrods? I have never been through Harrods' door!

Haven't you? Apparently, this would cost you a lot of money!

But I tell you what, we are never satisfied.

So let's go and find something else.

You see, Anne, you don't need a posh shop, there's perfectly decent stuff like this being sold at auction.

Not bad. No, not me, the mirror!

And James agrees, giving it a handsome £60-£80 price tag.

Everyone's on the hunt to find antiques and collectibles.

With a target of £1,000, we need time on our side.

James, what do you think about this wall clock?

It's a handsome piece. Where did you get it?

My mum bought it for my father for their 30th wedding anniversary.

And she particularly liked it because it's

got the initials R&A on it, which is obviously my mum and dad's initials.

Raymond and Anne.

Oh, with Cupid's arrow as well.

I like that.

It's not old, but it's a copy of

a 19th century Viennese regulator, which were very popular over in Vienna, in Austria, and in Germany.

And what they were is, they were really precision timepieces,

so they had very, very complicated movements inside them.

-If you see the pendulum there, can you see there are different coloured metals?

-Yes.

That is what we call a bimetallic, compensated pendulum, which sounds very complicated.

-It does.

-But what that means is that different metals expand and contract

at different speeds, depending on whether it's hot or cold.

It makes the pendulum shorter or longer.

And this makes it go at a different speed.

And so they are made of different metals, and one compensates out the other.

So it's a better way of it keeping time. Good sign of quality.

I think the important thing to say is that because it's

actually a new copy, it doesn't have a full retail value, which it would have had when they bought it.

And it doesn't have an antique value. So it's going to be, erm,

more of a decorative price.

I would think we should probably be looking at between £50 and £80 -

which will be less, a lot less, than what they paid for it.

I think they will be very pleased.

OK, well, here's to many more happy wedding anniversaries, out in sunny Cyprus!

Lovely.

Now, James has told me that R&A doesn't stand for Raymond and Anne,

but for retard and advance, which is an indicator for the adjustment of the pendulum speed.

Some of the items they have in this house were bought at auction, and this reproduction Georgian-style

half-moon table, reminiscent of Queen Anne style, will be repaying a visit, with a price tag of...

It's not every day you meet childhood sweethearts, and I'm eager

to find out how Raymond and Anne's relationship began.

There's some wonderful photos around. It's a very happy home.

-How did you two meet?

-Well, I met Ray when I was 15 and he was 16.

We just sort of went on from there. And then he followed me to Southend.

Followed me to Manchester.

And that's where we got married, up in Manchester.

So he must have been keen.

So you couldn't shake him off. Were you romantic?

I let others say.

-Was he romantic?

-No.

What was wrong with you, young man?

So, tell me about your career, how did you get into photography?

I started doing weddings, which we did for quite a number of years.

Weddings slowed down a bit. And then I started doing football, going to different football matches.

Football only runs for about nine months of the year, and then you've got two or three months of nothing.

So I thought, well, I'll start taking up racing, which was 12 months a year.

They say racing's the sport of kings, and you got

a bit of the Royal Family as well in your camera.

Yes. The late Queen Mother, absolutely charming woman.

I used to send her pictures from Sandown of presentations, and

within two to three days, she would write me back a letter.

I think I got about 13, 14 letters from the Queen Mother, which I'm very privileged

-to have.

-So this £1,000 that we're hoping to raise today, and at auction,

it's not obviously for the trip. But it's to say goodbye.

Yes. To our best friends.

Not that we're going to cut them off altogether.

But it's just to say thank you.

So what is this chapter in Cyprus for you, what does it represent?

-A new life.

-A new life.

There's something magical about this Cyprus, I'm going to have to find out a bit more about it later.

They call it the love island.

Wow! I definitely want to know more about it.

In the meantime, I think we'd better raise that cash.

Come on.

After all they've been through together, their plan to retire to the island of love is a great idea.

And daughter Angela will be sad to see them go, but she still carries on the search.

She decides to let the dining table and chairs go off to auction.

They're far too big to ship to Cyprus, and £200-£400 will help tremendously.

So far, we've made £620.

But with so much stuff to clear out before their move abroad, we are feeling slightly confident.

Was this another one of your photos?

No, unfortunately, it wasn't. It's one of the horses which was lucky enough to win for me at Brighton.

-That's your horse?

-Yes, that's my horse, called September Snap.

Because we bought it in September. And because I take pictures, it's called Snap.

-So you're a multi-millionaire now?

-Yes, exactly.

We don't need the money, James!

We do need the money! That's why I want to talk to you about this.

Ray, where did it come from?

My next-door neighbour runs an auction house, and I bought it some 12 years ago.

I liked it, so I bought it.

-Do you know what it's actually the official name for a bit of furniture like this?

-It's a Davenport.

-It's a Davenport.

-Yes.

Fully enough, Davenport was actually a person, Captain Davenport.

And some time sort of, I think, in the 1830s or 1840s, he commissioned this sort of desk to be made.

Can you remember, what did you go for it?

125. That's 12 years ago.

That absolutely figures, because that's actually roughly what it's worth now.

I think what's happened in the meantime is that 12 years ago,

prices were rising for antiques and good reproductions.

And then round about the year 2000, they dropped off, because everyone became minimalist.

And now they are beginning to rise again.

So you've just sort of caught up with yourself.

I'd put an estimate on this of between £100 and £200.

The good news is, it hasn't lost any money over 12 years.

Let's hope we have another winner.

Come on, let's go and look for some more.

That's a tidy little sum. And Angela comes across a gem

when she discovers this wonderful diamond ring that once belonged to her grandfather, worth a stunning...

The team are uncovering all sorts of family heirlooms and memorabilia.

Anne's finds should send the bids flying on auction day.

What have you got there?

I like intriguing envelopes.

What little secrets does this have?

Ooh! Concorde!

-Fantastic!

-Yes. I treated Ray to a Christmas present.

You posted him off on Concorde, or both of you?

-No, no.

-Just him?

-Yes.

What a nice present.

Well, he loved the Concorde, and it used to fly over here every day.

So, I arranged a trip for him through the travel agent.

And he actually went up into the cockpit.

They said, would anyone like to go up?

-And Ray was there.

-I bet he was.

Well, there is huge nostalgia interest in Concorde.

The point being that already, even though it's only five or six years since it stopped flying,

-the nostalgia is huge.

-Oh, yes.

You've got the complete package year, with the bonus of a couple of photographs which Raymond took.

I think, again, being mean, probably £40-£60.

-And I would sort of expect it to fetch more.

-That would be brilliant, yeah.

-How does that sound?

-That's lovely, yeah.

It probably cost you a few bob more than that to post him up in the sky,

-but it's quite nice to get a bit of money back.

-Yes!

-But anyway, we must find more.

-Yes. Certainly.

It was such an impressive aircraft, so I'm not surprised there's demand for Concorde memorabilia.

Ray and Anne have had this blue-and-yellow comfy chair for 13 years.

Its chunky features and carved decoration

are reminiscent of the art nouveau styles of the late Victorian era.

Raymond and Anne are happy to let someone else enjoy it.

Let's go out in the garden again, leave James inside.

Isn't it beautiful?

Yes, lovely.

Why would you want, Ray, to be going off to Cyprus?

Well, we have an all-year-round climate.

It's very good for our health.

With me being diabetic, and I had a heart attack.

The food is fresh. We're going to go for it.

-Do you love it, too, Anne?

-Yes. I never want to get back on the plane.

I always say to him, you're gonna have to drag me to the airport.

And then when we are sitting on the plane, the last time I went, do we really have to go home?

Have I really got to get on this plane?

But you do realise you're going to leave someone behind?

-How do you feel about it?

-I'll miss them terribly.

I'm quite upset about it, but I'm happy for them, because they deserve everything that they're going to get.

So you've got to let them go, haven't you?

-She's getting emotional.

-I know.

It's being with you.

So, Anne, what is it about Cyprus?

You've got great weather, but what else is it that you love?

You can't put it into words, really.

I mean, Angela used to say to me, I don't know why you keep going back.

And then, when we phoned up home, she said we sounded like a couple of teenagers.

She said, what is in the water out there?

But no, we just love it. You can't describe it until you've been.

But the people that do go, they say, I'm going back again.

And that's how we started.

A little bird was telling me that it's not just you three

that love Cyprus, but your son Barry as well, I hear?

This year, he took his girlfriend out there.

He asked, could he go for a week? We said, yes, of course you can, the place is there.

-And he proposed to her and got engaged.

-So it's a romantic place.

Very.

-Even he gets romantic.

-Look out there, Angela, do you want a bit of romance out there?

I don't mind.

Shall we go and do one more last bit of rummaging?

-Yes.

-Come on.

Mmm. Sun, sea and romance - a perfect combination.

I'm getting quite envious. Anyway, we're coming to the end of our day, and pulling out

all the stops to raise as much money for Ray and Anne's move abroad.

Well, Ray, I have to say, with this, you have got my undivided attention.

What is it?

It's a horse game which my father used to use during the war.

And people used to bet a penny on each horse.

A penny was a lot of money then, and that's how he made his money.

Fantastic.

What's fascinating for me,

written on the top here is Ascot, The Racing Game, by Jaques & Son.

And they are the oldest established makers of sporting goods and games in the world.

They were founded in 1795, by Thomas Jacques.

They've made all sorts of things over the centuries.

They are perhaps most well-known now for making things like croquet sets.

But always of the best, best quality.

The other thing I like about them is that they are still run

by members of the Jacques family, over 200 years later.

This particular game I think is probably Edwardian.

It's round about 1900, 1910.

So it's about 100 years old. And I think if it's being used, it really has stood the test of time.

Fantastic quality mahogany box.

And inside it is a clockwork mechanism which winds the pieces

of string in, which the lead painted horses are attached to.

And then you've got your very own rolled-out racetrack.

So it's a complete racehorse track in portable form, which I really like.

What is it worth? Well, I'm going to be conservative and say around about £30-£50. But I am being mean.

Because I think it will probably do a lot better than that.

I really do. So, why don't we give it a whirl?

No, I'll tell you what, let's get everybody else in, and then you can give us a demonstration.

Chris?

Hello, mate. What have we got here?

Listen, we are literally under starter's orders here.

Ray is just going to show us how this all works.

And I think you have all got to place your bets.

Well, I've run out of cash, so you'll have to lend me some money.

Same old story. But before we do that, we'd better have a tot-up.

-Are we exhausted?

-Yes.

You've caught the sun in the garden, I can see that.

-We've put everything up. How much did we get for this, by the way?

-About £30-£50.

-Is that all?

-Well, I'm playing things mean. Long odds, that means you win more money.

Well, that makes a grand total, from all of your rummaging - I know you were aiming for £1,000...

Well, we reckon, conservatively, we could come up with £1,120. That's not too bad, is it?

That's a grand total.

-I like it, Ray.

-Spoken like a sporting man.

Exactly. Now, we're going to race off to the auction house. But before that, we've got a big race here.

-Away you go.

-They are under starter's orders, and they're off!

Hey!

As much as I hate goodbyes, we'll all be glad to see our items sell and move on to pastures new.

There's the canteen of cutlery that James thinks is posh enough to be in Harrods!

And there's the Sir Alex Ferguson-signed photograph.

Let's hope there's some Man U fans in the sale room.

And the Concorde memorabilia should reach the skies.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic - will the auction spring a few surprises on us?

Yes!

And will some results be too painful for our couple?

-No!

-No!

Emotions run high, but will the outcome be good? Are you in shock?

-Yes. I am, yes.

-Find out, when the final hammer falls.

It's been a few weeks since we had a good old rummage around Ray and Anne's house in Kent.

And my goodness, did we find a rich array of items?

We've brought them all here to the Hampshire Auctions in Andover.

Ray and Anne want to raise around £1,000 for an enormous

farewell dinner, before they head off to Cyprus.

So let's hope everyone here is in good mood, and very generous, as their items go under the hammer.

It's good to see our expert, James, is here nice and early.

And he certainly looks ready for the day ahead.

I reckon he's just a big kid at heart.

And I bet I know what he's looking at.

Ah, James, I thought I might find you here.

You've got to stop playing silly games!

You think horseracing's silly?

-It's the sport of kings!

-You do love this item, don't you?

I think it's a cracker, I really, really do. Just wonderful quality.

Having a look around here, there seems to be a lot of furniture...

We've got a lot of furniture coming as well. They're clearing

their house so we've got a lot - dining room tables, chairs, lots of things.

I'm scared when I talk about furniture, because it could be hot or cold in an auction room.

My only worry is that it's not antique furniture.

Theirs is modern reproduction - good quality, but modern reproduction.

-Let's just hope someone's furnishing a house.

-Shall we go and see?

-Yes.

Come on. We all know it can be touch and go when selling reproduction furniture at auction.

So we'll have to wait and see what the day brings.

I wonder if Raymond is having a few regrets about letting go of his photographic handiwork?

Hello, gang. Nice to see you again.

-Nice to see you.

-Old Frankie there, one of your favourites?

Yes, first jumping at Ascot.

Have you been to an auction before?

I haven't, no.

But you have? You've bought some stuff.

About 400 times to auction houses.

-400 times to auction houses. You know you've got to not buy anything today.

-Oh.

-I've tied his hands down.

-That's good, Anne.

Because we want to make big money, not spend big money.

This could be a long day, James.

I'm just hoping we'll be jumping for joy, just like Frankie, by the end of the day!

Anything you're looking forward to today?

Well, what I think's nice, Chris, is that Ray and Anne have got

a nice cross-section of things, from silver to furniture, whatever.

You're selling up house. Made.

-Right, so we're looking for some young couples in the audience today.

-That would be very nice.

-Right. Ready for the auction?

-Yes.

-Come on, let's go.

As the sale room begins to fill with bidders, we take our places in the

corner of the room for the first lot. It's the canteen of cutlery.

-You really like this, James, don't you?

-It was such a clean lot.

And obviously, it belonged to Ray's parents, and it had been very, very well looked-after.

It had all the original labels, didn't it, Anne?

-Yes. It tickled me, that.

-So, great condition.

And the fact it's still got its original box, which a lot of them don't have. So, a nice clean lot.

-I think it could do well. Estimate, £100-£200.

-Fingers crossed.

Quite a few commission bids here.

-We like that.

-Straight in at £150.

Ooh! Yes!

170 I'll take. 180 here.

-190... Finally 200...

-Top estimate...

-At £210, then? Surely 220?

-Brilliant.

Well, well - how about that?

-What a shock.

-Hey?

-What a shock.

-Are you in shock?

Yes, I am.

What a great start to the auction! James was right.

It's a quality item, and our bidders were prepared to battle it out and pay the top price for it.

Next up, it's the dining table and chairs. We are all relying on a couple furnishing their new home.

£200-£400 - it's a bargain!

James, always a bit worried about the furniture.

But we've got a huge dining room table, and six chairs.

Chris, it's a fantastic package.

OK, it's not old, but it's, you know, hand-carved in wood, nicely upholstered.

It's actually the complete package. And if you want nice furnishing things, it's not expensive.

Beautiful legs on it.

You like saying that to the men, don't you?

You don't have to talk about me.

Start me at £100.

-100 I have, 110 I will take.

-We need to be a bit more than that.

£100 only, then, at £100...

-Ooh.

-Mmm.

No, I don't think he sold that.

The auctioneer used his discretion, and decided not to sell it for less than it's worth.

So that's unfortunately going home with Raymond and Anne.

Now, will we have better luck with our next piece of furniture, the half-moon table?

It's a nice furnishing piece. So, if the people are here, it'll go.

If they ain't, it won't.

-Simple as that.

-I've got 50 bid on this.

At £50 only. Five, I'll take.

Five, I have. At 55, 60 is there.

At £55, then.

I'm afraid that's not quite enough.

I don't think he's sold that.

He hasn't sold that.

Uh-oh. So, our fears for the furniture are being realised, as two pieces fail to sell.

That's £150 down so far. And I'm hoping that this isn't going to be an ongoing theme.

Because up next is the Davenport bureau.

£55, then.

Didn't sell again.

Didn't sell.

This furniture today is not going, is it?

It's a great pity, isn't it, Anne? But I think what it shows is that obviously here today, we haven't got

that young married couple who are just setting up their first home.

But that's auction. Sometimes you get them, sometimes you won't.

Obviously, because it's new, it's not something that will be bought by an antique dealer.

It's very much the sort of modern furnishing piece.

Ouch! That's a hat-trick, and a real knock to our confidence.

After James' comments, we're finding it difficult to hold out any hope for our next item, because

it's another piece of furniture - the blue and gold chair that's been in the family for over 30 years.

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

If I can start at £50. 55 I'll take.

At £50 only. Five I have.

-At 60. And five.

-Yes.

At five, it's yours, madam. At 75, I'm out. Is there 80?

£75, then, I will sell for 75.

Yes!

That is £5 under James's lower estimate but at least it sold.

So far we have made £285 towards the move to Cyprus and we can't forget that meal for the friends.

Thankfully, our next item isn't furniture.

Let's hope this unique little piece will spur on a flutter.

-You love this.

-Ray was taking side bets.

The Ascot racing game. When did it date from?

I think it dates to the early part of the 20th century, but your dad had in the 1930s.

'30s, yeah. Penny bets.

We've got £30 to £50 on it so quite specialised thing but

we are under starter's orders, let's see how we get on.

Here I'm straight in at £45.

We are under starter's orders.

Five, I'm out, at 65, 70, is there?

70 I have, 5?

80, five. 90.

And five. 100. 110. 120.

130. 140.

And it's good to firm. 150.

At £140, I'm selling.

-Yes!

-That's a winner.

-That is a winner and a half.

First past the post.

Your old dad would be proud on that because

that's probably more money than he made on betting when he played it.

He made pennies during the war playing that.

That's a lot of pennies, old pennies, to get up to 140 quid.

Yes. I am extremely pleased that the game did so well selling more than

four times over its lower estimate but how have we done so far?

-OK, it is half-time, and as a sports photographer, what do we do at half-time?

-Have a lemon.

Have a lemon, some orange, cup of tea, it's time for that, James.

-Suits me!

-Now, we wanted to raise £1,000, it was a big ask and at

-the halfway stage, with everything gone, we are at £425.

-Brilliant.

-Big items to come, haven't we? A Frankie Dettori picture?

-Yes.

High hopes, James.

-As always.

-It's time now for the lemon, the orange, cup of tea.

-I wouldn't mind a rub-down, are you ready?

-Yes!

I won't be joining you on that one, Chris.

If, like Raymond and Anne, you want to raise cash for a new life abroad and are

thinking of heading to auction, please remember that commission

and other charges may apply so check the details with the auction house.

As Raymond and Anne head off for a well-earned sit down, James wants to show me something interesting

coming up in today's auction and like our couple, he clearly has travelling on his mind.

Chris, just have a look at this.

It caught my eye.

-It is beautiful, isn't it?

-There is a lot of work gone into this.

It is a hardwood chest with probably satinwood or some similarly exotic wood panels.

-Do you know where it comes from?

-It looks, it has a sort of Chinese feel but I could be completely wrong.

No, you are spot on.

You look at the outside, you look at how intricately carved it all is.

Lots of decoration. An awful lot of work has gone into this.

You may say junk, but it is all these junks plying

their trade on the outside here with very Chinese type foliage.

The real secret lies on the inside.

If I lift up the lid there.

Just have a sniff.

Like a perfume or spicy or something.

I'll tell you what it is, it's lined with camphor wood and camphor wood has similar properties to mothballs.

Because these were quite often used out in the colonies, it was very good for storing your clothes,

blankets, things like that in knowing the moths wouldn't get them because moths hate camphor.

The reason it has this lift up tray is because it aerates it.

It gets a bit of air and stops the moths from getting at it.

It smells a lot better than mothballs, I can tell you.

It's more natural, isn't it? So, quite attractive on the outside, very practical inside.

A lot of these were brought back over the last 100 years or so by people in the Colonial Service

or people working out there and more latterly in the last 20 years by people on holiday.

Has it got much value, do you think?

Estimates in the catalogue, £80 to £100.

Not a lot when you think about the work that has gone into it

-but I think that is probably what it will fetch.

-It is a bargain, really.

It is a bargain and you come out smelling of roses... or camphor!

Very good! With the second part of the auction about

to begin, we retake our position, eagerly awaiting the next lot.

It's the clock that was an anniversary present which James thinks could fetch £50 to £80.

With this, the question is whether someone

wants to buy it as a furnishing item rather because it's not an antique.

I've got 35 to start.

Eight I'll take, 38. And 40.

42.

-45, 48.

-He's on a roll.

50, finally. 55, I'm out at £55.

Is there 60?

At £55 only. 60 I'll take.

£55, then.

55, you know what, I think it's still a result.

It's a modern piece.

The second half has got off to a great start with that clock selling, but we need

our run of luck to keep ticking over if we are going to raise that £1,000 for the move to Cyprus.

Next up is a great item and one that means a lot to Raymond.

Up next we've got... And I hate saying his name because I get scared as a sports reporter,

Sir Alex Ferguson, a photograph of him, how did that come about?

I did him at Royal Ascot.

There were no problems at all.

You're obviously not a sports reporter. James, what do you reckon?

Like it or not, anything to do with Man United is going to have a certain cachet.

We got 30 to £50.

Are there any Man U fans in the room? We're about to find out.

A photograph of Alex Ferguson with signature.

He should be hailed in history as a god, I truly believe.

I think the auctioneer is a Man U fan.

Start me at £30.

20 to get it going. No interest at 20.

Surely, at £20, just for the signature it's worth that?

No interest at 20? I'll have to pass the lot, I'm afraid.

Oh, no!

I think we've answered our question.

The wrong part of the country.

If I shout Chelsea do you think we'll get a bigger reaction?

-I think we would.

-I think that's what it's down to, is that there are no Man U fans.

I don't think Andover...

-I think they're too far away.

-Matt Le Tissier, or something like that, we might have got away with it.

Never mind, you have still got the photo and signature.

I've got to say I'm surprised with that but as James pointed out, we probably needed to be

further north to get those Manchester United fans bidding.

And when the collection of sports photos taken by Raymond are shown before the room...

..they too fail to sell and now we have made just

£480 towards the £1,000 target, but maybe Raymond will find a specialist collector to buy them later on.

But onwards and upwards.

Next to go under the hammer, we have Concorde memorabilia.

Raymond got this when he flew supersonic back in 1991.

We are all hoping that this will take off.

We've got a whole collection here, haven't we?

Yes, we got paperweights, we've got menus, the story of Concorde.

Just a nice package. Of course, the big question here is, in

general auction, will there be those specialist, specialist collectors?

-We will find out.

-I have got 32 on this.

-34, I'll take.

-Good. It's a start.

34, 36, 38.

Stuck on 39 again. 40 it's yours.

40, I'm out. 42 new place.

45, 48.

£45, 48 is there?

£45, I'm selling.

Hey, that's not too bad, is it?

Well, we knew it would fly, didn't we?

Not any more!

True!

Hey, you two, stop stealing my punch lines but he's right.

It did indeed fly and we are all happy with the sale.

Next to hit the runway is that diamond ring.

It is a one-off commissioned by Raymond's dad, so we're hoping this might change everything.

It belonged to your father, Ray, estimate 250 to 500, a wide estimate.

150 bid, 160 I will take.

At £150, 160 is there.

£150 only.

150, so we're not going to sell for that, are we James?

No, I'm glad he hasn't sold it because an estimate of 250 upwards, that is worked out on the carat

size, the diamonds, the colour, the clarity and the gold and obviously, no jewellery people here today.

I think we will save that for another day.

And it's not as if it's taking up room, is it?

-No.

-Yes, a lot of room.

-What do you mean?

We are moving to a doll's house!

Moving on, and it is our last item that I found, the antique mirror valued at 60 to £80.

-What did you pay for it, Ray?

-I paid approximately £50 about ten years ago from an auction house.

-Ten years ago.

-Well, I'll tell you what happened in the meantime.

Ten years ago, prices went up like that, about eight years ago

they went down like that and now they are coming back up.

-It will be interesting to see whether they are up to the same sort of level.

-It is about there, is it?

It is about there!

-Just like that.

-Where was it? I didn't see.

-Just like that.

I'm straight in at £60 on this.

65, I'll take. 65 there is.

At 65, I'm all out, 70, new place.

75 and 80. And five. And 90.

And five. 100.

At £95, 100 is there.

At £95, I'm selling. At £95.

Hey, that's good. It wasn't there, it was there!

I think you've got a new career as antique dealer.

Brilliant.

Well done, you.

That is great and a brilliant end to the sale.

The mirror wowed the bidders so now it is time to reflect on

today's auction and find out just how much we have raised.

Well, that's it. Full-time whistle gone, the chequered flag, the race

is over, whatever sporting analogy you use, it is over.

It has been a tough one, James, along the way?

I agree it has been tough, especially on the furniture.

There just weren't the people here for those nice, decorative but not antique pieces of furniture you had.

OK, but it is going back with you, you haven't lost it, which is the thing you have to remember.

But it is full-time. Do you want to know the score?

-Yes, please.

-You wanted to raise £1,000, didn't you?

-Please.

Well, the grand total from everything we have sold is £620.

-Not too bad.

-A little "ow"

-there.

-No. No ow, was there?

Do we all get one?

Yes, please!

I think that's not too bad and remember, you do take the stuff home, James.

It's quite difficult because you think you lose it.

Or it goes into the next auction.

Hopefully on that occasion the right people will be here and it will make even more.

-That's what we're going to do, actually.

-OK, good.

We need to empty our house not fill it back up again.

-Right, right, right.

-OK, to the next auction and then inevitably, Cyprus.

-Cyprus here we come, well done.

-Thank you.

Well, as promised, Raymond and Anne are treating

their friends to a farewell meal in their favourite restaurant.

They may not have reached their target, but guess what, it isn't spoiling the mood.

We didn't quite make as much as we thought we would do, but we've thoroughly enjoyed our day.

-Yeah. We're not disappointed.

-We're not disappointed, we had too much fun for that.

-Yes.

Thank you, guys, for being there whenever we needed you.

You're welcome, darling.

And we will miss you!

They'll be up next day!

Well, let's wish them all the best in Cyprus.