Clements Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic. We're on the trail of treasures in your home that you can sell at auction.

You know how they say that the world is getting smaller and smaller?

I think I've just discovered that it's true.

This is Bekonscot Village in Buckinghamshire,

a miniature kingdom that takes you right back to the 1930s.

It was established by a London accountant, Roland Callingham, 80 years ago.

And every year, thousands of visitors still come here to enjoy its charms.

Mr Callingham and his team of model builders turned their hands to making a replica of Bekonscot town.

It was a popular hobby in the 1920s and '30s before the age of TV

and many local children got involved in the project.

Today, the model town stands as a reminder of how we used to live.

We may not be lucky enough to find anything quite as cute as this,

but it's high time we set off in search of antiques and collectables that we can take to that auction.

'Coming up on Cash In The Attic, it's hard to say goodbye to old friends.'

-So all of this has got to go?

-Yes.

-There was a hesitancy there.

-I know, but yes.

'There are some differing opinions over the antiques.'

-It's the sort of thing I'd put on the tip.

-Stop it!

-'But someone soon learns the true value of our items.'

-He can't believe it!

Everything is suddenly full-size

cos I've come a few miles down the road to Amersham

and I'm going to meet a couple who have called us in

to help them raise money for a rather special house-warming.

'This five-bedroom bungalow has been home to Viv Clements for 24 years.

'She lived here with her late husband Steve who died 11 years ago

'and her son Chris, now 21 and studying in Bristol.

'Just a few years ago, Viv met Ken and love blossomed the second time around for them.

'Now they're making plans and that's where Cash In The Attic comes in.'

-Good morning.

-There you are!

-You look gorgeous.

-Thank you. So do you.

I've just been to a model village. It was lovely, set in the 1930s.

-Everything was tiny, but everything looks small to you.

-Were the antiques tiny too?

I would have needed you there to tell me things like that.

-Who are we meeting today?

-A very nice couple. It's rather a nice story.

They met three years ago, I think, and it's going extremely well.

-And antiques, collectables for sale?

-I hope so.

-Why don't you get started and look around?

-I shall do that.

-I'll go and meet the happy couple.

-Well, good morning.

-Good morning.

-Viv, Ken!

-Good morning.

I've been looking forward to meeting you. I've heard all about you.

You look like a happy couple. You really do.

So why did you call us in?

Well, I'm going to be moving in with Ken in September.

-That's a result!

-I'm going to be renting my house out for a couple of years.

I thought, "What can I do with some of this stuff?" I want it to go to good homes.

There's no room for it at Ken's, so, um...there you are.

Well, I'm very glad to be here.

-Are you a lover of antiques and collectables?

-Absolutely not. I hate antiques.

It's going to be a good day(!) So why have you called us in?

Well, earlier on this year, in April, Ken and I bought a flat together in Devon.

-Really?

-Although he's the major shareholder. I think my share is the taps, actually.

-The taps and the loo.

-Very important parts of the house, I have to say!

It's like a new build because it's a converted hotel, so we've got blank walls.

I'd like to buy a couple of prints or paintings - Devon seascape, ideally.

What a lovely idea! Excellent. So how much money do you think we need?

-We thought about 300.

-350.

-She's going to go for 350.

We'll take the higher target. £350 for a couple of beautiful seascape prints.

-All right, let's rummage. This way?

-Great.

'Because Viv isn't selling the bungalow, she doesn't feel too sad about leaving her family home.

'I'm sure we'll find plenty of collectables here today to raise that £350,

'so she can buy a special piece of artwork for the holiday home.

'Jonty is the man for the job.

'With 20 years of experience in the antiques business, we can count on him to find the hidden treasures

'that will lure in the bidders.'

-He's already at work. Jonty, here's Viv.

-Hi.

-Hi, Viv.

You're in her son's bedroom and what have you found?

I've got a pair of prints.

These are not the original Winnie the Pooh drawings by EH Shepard.

-But they're certainly worth putting into the auction sale.

-Oh, good.

-Are you a bit of a fan?

-Well, I was.

When I was first married and just before,

my husband and I just got into reading Winnie the Pooh poems and books, cos they're quite adult.

They're not really children's books.

-We just kind of got into it and started buying each other Winnie the Poohs.

-Oh, my goodness me!

And Snoopies. I don't know if you think they would be collectable?

They're definitely worth putting into the auction sale, but why would you want to get rid of them?

It's so difficult, isn't it?

There's nowhere to put them at Ken's when I move in with Ken.

I think it's a case now of a new life and moving on.

I can't even take them to a charity shop because they're not safety-tested.

-I just couldn't take them to the tip.

-No, absolutely not. They're gorgeous.

-They are lovely.

-Is this Eeyore?

-It's Eeyore.

-He was my favourite!

-Complete with his detachable...

-I love that.

-Which one was your first?

-Oh, let me think.

This little fellow, much loved, would have been the first.

I like him probably the best of all because he is more the AA Milne teddy bear, rather than the Disney one.

-There's quite a difference, isn't there?

-All of this has got to go?

-Yes.

-There was a hesitancy there.

-I know, but yes.

OK, well, how much do you think we might be able to realise?

I'm just totting it all up now here, really. We're not going to get a vast fortune

simply because some of the teddies have been what I would call technically "over-loved".

There's no such thing.

-But they're definitely worth putting into the auction sale. We're looking at about £20 to £40.

-Yeah.

-It's more important they go to a good home.

-Put those back on the bed.

-Bye, Eeyore.

-We'll go and find more goodies.

-Yes, absolutely.

'So, £20 to £40 for the ever-so-loved bears and prints.

'It's a modest beginning to our quest for cash, but we've got the whole house to search.

'There's another soft toy, but it's the less cuddly pine chest I spot

'as a possible contender for the auction.

'Jonty gives it a value of £10 to £20.

'There are lots of bits and bobs scattered around and Jonty is in his element,

'casting his expert eye over everything.

'And Ken has made his first find.'

Jonty, take a look at this. What is it?

Ah! This is a proper offensive weapon.

This is a Maori wahaika. Does that make sense?

Yes, Viv and her late husband went to New Zealand and they brought it back as a souvenir, I guess.

The wahaika, as it kind of like looks, is a hand-held club.

An object like this will have been carved out of one piece of wood.

So if you can sort of sense the size and shape of the wood

and by definition this will have to be a relatively hard timber.

I can't tell you exactly what timber this is made of because there's lots of indigenous timbers

that do come from New Zealand,

but I can tell you that these stylised eyes are mother-of-pearl.

And it's really been very cleverly done.

-So this will still have been hand-carved.

-Right.

-You can't machine something like this.

I'm assuming because it's tucked into a cupboard here

and we're not going to get any marauding Maori tribes coming to attack us any minute soon...

Is this an object that you might want to take to the auction sale?

-I think so, yes.

-You won't want this hanging on your wall at home?

-Definitely not.

-OK.

-At auction, we're looking at £20 to £30.

-Great. I think that's fine.

-Is it time to hunt some more items out?

-Follow me.

'He seems only too pleased to see the back of that Maori club.

'I hope Viv's feeling the same. She's busy looking over this alabaster chess set.

'Its pieces are an Aztec design

'and she's happy to see it go to auction for £10 to £20.

'What's in here? If I throw this hard enough, will it come back?

'Hmm, thought not!

'Viv's headed to the garage to see if there's anything else she might be willing to send to the saleroom.

'It doesn't take her long to find something.'

Jonty! I think I've got something here.

-Oh, you're in here?

-I'm in here, yeah.

-Have a look at these.

-Oh, can I have a look?

-Yes, sure.

So we've got... Let's have a look at this.

This is signed, so this is a limited edition.

-"Somerset Hill."

-And this is by Alan Jessett.

-Yeah.

-He's an artist from Lyme Regis, correct?

-He is.

He mainly did book illustrations, but he did do some paintings as well

-and he was my late husband Steve's uncle.

-Oh, really?

-And I think fairly well-known in the Lyme Regis area.

-Yes, he is very well-known in the local area.

-What else have we got?

-We've got the bird of prey.

-And a watercolour of a church?

-Yeah. In fact, I didn't even know he did watercolours.

-Let's pop that back there.

-It's quite nice colours.

-And there's another...

-We've got a fantastic mountain here as well.

-"The Welsh mountains."

-Yeah.

-Look at that!

-I particularly like... My favourites are these two.

-Yeah.

-The contrast between the two is very nice.

Now, Ken's nowhere to be seen.

-Are these pictures that you can hang up in the house?

-I...

Yes, these two he quite likes, but they wouldn't go in the flat

-and there isn't any room in the house.

-Right.

-So I think they probably could go.

-You're happy to let the whole collection go?

-Yeah.

Because they're by the same artist, that's good news. We've got three prints and the original watercolour.

-We're looking at £40 to £60.

-That's fine.

-Are you happy about that?

-Yes.

-What will I do with them otherwise?

-We want to raise some money for some art that you do want.

-Yes.

-Back to the house?

-OK.

'With so many memories of her late husband, it must be tough for Viv to part with some of these items.

'Ken is still working hard and Jonty turns up a rather cute find.

'It's a little bear that's not only rather sweet, it's also a money box.

'He seems happy enough, so we leave him to it

'while I hear about Ken and Viv's unusual meeting.'

-It's nice to sit down for a minute, isn't it?

-Yes.

But I am glad for this opportunity because I wanted to ask you more about how you met.

-Well...

-I've been told it's quite a story.

About three years ago, I got a phone call at work one afternoon

from an old friend that I hadn't seen for ages

and the first thing she said was, "Are you seeing anyone?"

I said, "No, when would I have time to meet anyone?"

But she said that she and her husband had a very old friend who had been widowed a couple of years before,

had booked to go on holiday to Bermuda with a friend and the friend couldn't go.

And he was saying that he didn't want to go on his own.

He was round there for dinner and they said, "I wonder if Viv is seeing anyone?"

So I said, "Hang on a minute.

"You're saying to me, do I want to go to Bermuda with a man I've never met in less than four weeks' time?

"Don't be ridiculous. You're off your rocks!"

But she persuaded me that it might be worth meeting him

because she was convinced that we would get on.

So it was kind of like a blind date, really?

Well, I said, "All right, I'll meet him then."

So I invited them and him round for lunch.

We got on really well.

I decided, "Oh, what the hell? I'll go to Bermuda with him.

"If it works out, fine. If not, nobody's lost anything, have they?"

Ken, what did you think when you walked into this lady's house?

Well, two seconds in the door and she said, "Do you like football?"

To which I said, "Well, um, it's all right."

And she said, "You've got to be a Tottenham Hotspur fan round here, if you want to be here."

And so after I told her I liked Arsenal,

we moved on from there and it went very well.

-It was quite an easy-going thing.

-Yeah, it was.

-So off you went to Bermuda, hardly knowing one another?

-We did.

And, you know, nearly three years down the line, I'm moving in with him.

That's amazing. So were you looking for "lurve"?

-No.

-Not really, no.

-No, not at all.

I think that's the best. When you're not looking, you find things.

OK, you're both retired, so now you've got lots of time to enjoy your holiday home and to call us in.

-You wouldn't have been able to do that before.

-No way.

-Don't sit there too long.

We've got a lot more to do. Come on.

'With a brand-new holiday home by the sea, it would be great to raise that £350,

'so Viv can buy a wonderful print of her choice.

'Jonty has been busy and spots this Beswick horse and pretty porcelain Royal Worcester egg coddlers.

'Did you know that coddled eggs are posh poached eggs?

'Once the eggs are cooked, the lid is removed and, voila, breakfast is served.

'There is still a market for coddlers and Jonty reckons that, along with the horse,

'they'll fetch £20 to £30 as a job lot.

'There are plenty more interesting items around the bungalow.

'How about these carved elephants and face masks? They were bought by Viv in Kenya and Bali.

'Jonty suggests they're put into the auction as a single lot with a value of £15 to £20.'

Jennie, Ken, come and have a look at this. Do you think this is worth anything?

-You've found a naked man?

-He's got a fig leaf. He has got a fig leaf.

-Shall we check with Jonty?

-Good idea. Jonty!

-Jonty, come and have a look at this. It's very heavy.

-She's found a naked man.

-It's Mercury, isn't it?

-It certainly is.

-You can tell it's Mercury with these little winged ankles.

-He's rather splendid.

-He's quite nice.

-I wouldn't mind his body!

You already have it. Well, there or thereabouts.

-It's interesting you say that as the body was based after mine(!)

-OK.

What's it worth? What's it worth?

If we put it into the auction sale, I think we could get around the £100 mark for it.

So, at auction, we're looking at £80 to £120, that sort of figure.

-What do you think of that, Ken?

-I think that's excellent. I'm amazed.

-Are you?

-It's the sort of thing I'd put on the tip.

-Oh, stop it!

-You wouldn't!

-He's horrible!

-You seriously wouldn't?

-No, but it's not the sort of thing I would show much interest in.

-But now I know how much it's worth, I am very interested.

-You like it even more now.

-So he's off to the auction?

-Yes.

-And you'll be a happy man.

-Yeah.

You'd better sit down somewhere and we'll go and look somewhere else.

'So, £80 to £120 for the bronze statue.

'Ken may be new to the antiques game, but he's learning fast.

'He's found this quality Balinese painting. Viv is happy for it to go.

'Viv really has proved herself quite a collector during her travels over the past 30 years,

'but now it's time to make a new start.'

So, Viv, this must be a dream come true for you - a second chance of happiness.

Yes, very much so, and I certainly wasn't looking for anyone else.

My priority when Steve died was Chris.

I carried on working full-time as well, so that wasn't easy.

But it's a chance for both of us, isn't it?

He was very young, Chris, when your husband died.

That must have been so tough bringing him up.

It was difficult. I had to find childcare for him.

At that age, it's quite difficult, and also somebody that could take him to swimming.

He was a competitive swimmer from about the age of 10 and a half!

I had to have somebody pick him up from school, take him to swimming training. Then I picked him up.

He's achieved really well.

Yes, he reached national standard which was brilliant.

That was his goal. He did that as a 16-year-old.

He won quite a lot of medals. You've seen them in the house, haven't you?

I have noticed that the house is festooned with medals that Chris won over the years.

The other thing I've noticed is that in your bedroom you've got a picture that many women wouldn't have.

It's White Hart Lane, Spurs' ground, there on the wall, pride of place.

-I'm quite a fanatical Spurs fan.

-You're a season ticket holder?

-Yes. Yes.

I'm surprised you're looking for seascapes for your place in Devon.

I thought you might be taking all the Spurs stuff.

One, I'm not sure Ken would be over-keen. He's not quite as keen on football as me.

But the place lends itself to have a sort of seascape print

because it's an open-plan living-kitchen-dining area

with a balcony and we can see the sea, which is rather lovely.

It would set the room off nicely.

So, if we're going to get these prints, back to work.

Come on. They're probably wondering where we are.

'Viv's a real trouper. She's done a great job bringing up her son alone,

'as well as holding down a job as a training and development manager.

'We're not too far off raising the funds for the print

'as we've already totted up £265-worth of items to take to auction.

'And Jonty's found something that he's rather excited about.'

-Viv, come and have a look at this.

-Yeah.

Look at this. This is a Nolan print.

It is, it is. It's called "Kelly".

-Ned Kelly?

-It's Ned Kelly, but not his original Ned Kelly of the '40s with the metal mask.

That's one that he did... '65, he painted the original. I know that.

Wow! So where did you acquire it?

It was given to Steve's mother

by a dear friend as a present when they came out as prints.

It's a limited edition print of 65 that they did, so she told us it was worth something actually.

Here we've got the limited edition down at the bottom and this is his signature here.

It's incredible because he's best known for this art, for the art of Ned Kelly,

and he was part of the avant-garde group of artists known as the... Wait for this - the Angry Penguins.

-Isn't that a fabulous name?

-Yes.

I think this is going to make all the difference if we were to sell this at auction. Might you sell it?

I think I would, depending on how much you think I could get for him.

At auction, we're looking at £200 to £300.

-I'd like to protect it, I think, with a reserve.

-Not a problem.

-I don't think it's worth selling it for less than 200.

-That's what reserves are for.

And auctioneers give their guide, so we'll need to have a chat with the auctioneer. I can do that.

-If we can sell that, you'll have fine art on your wall.

-Wonderful.

-I'm going to leave that there and we'll carry on.

-OK.

'Wow, Viv really knows her stuff!

'If she carries on like this, we can send Jonty home.

'She's sensible to put a reserve on something she's so fond of.

'The day's coming to a close and we've turned up some fantastic finds to take to the saleroom.

'Has Jonty come up trumps again?'

Guys, can you have a look at this coffee table with me?

-The coffee table? Right.

-Is this a piece of furniture you might consider selling?

What do you think?

We were talking about this a few days ago. We both love the table, but haven't got anywhere to put it.

-So, yeah, I would consider that going.

-OK.

Now, from its design, the shape, the simplicity,

the tropical hardwood that they've used round the outside, the colour,

this table is a Scandinavian, early 1970s piece of furniture.

If you have a look at these tiles,

-I've had a closer look at them and all of the design work is hand done.

-Is it?

And the colour, this orange, tangerine colour, again very, very popular

in the late 1960s, through to the early '70s. Remember that?

We even had an Axminster carpet in this colour,

-combined with some blue dralon-covered furniture.

-You must have been so cool, Ken!

How times have changed.

-Well, what comes around goes around. Not long ago, pieces like this would have been skipped.

-Yes.

But not any more. Certain people will want to buy this and there are dealers who want to trade in it.

Not everyone. This is still a niche market, so we can't put a lot on this at an auction sale.

As a consequence, we're not talking large sums of money.

We're looking at £20-£40. That sort of region.

-Hopefully, lots of people will really want to buy it.

-Fine.

-I probably would have dumped it so that's brilliant.

-I'm glad we came!

Did I hear a cash register there? I was just rummaging there and you've done it without me.

-A little coffee table, wonderful quality.

-Hideous colour! Oh, sorry - I don't like it.

-That's in fashion now!

-Is it? Oh, is it? Sorry!

-Jenny has no idea.

-No, I have no idea. Not my colour.

But the good news is that means you don't have to rummage any more.

-Have you added it up?

-I have. If you add on this... We always go on the lowest estimate, actually.

Add £20 to the total so far and we hope that at auction you will make your target.

In fact, you should make £485 with this.

-That should buy a couple of prints.

-OK, the theory is wonderful.

-Well done. Love the theory. Can we realise it in practice?

-The test is the auction.

-Depends who's there.

-We shall see you at the auction.

-Excellent.

'It's been a real pleasure meeting love birds Ken and Viv. I'm almost tempted to buy a new hat!

'I hope the bidders will fall in love with our many items.

'Some of the pieces we're taking are the prints valued at £40-£60.

'That bronze Mercury statue in Viv's family for generations.

'Jonty's valued it at £80-£120.

'And possibly the most interesting item is the signed, limited edition Nolan print of Ned Kelly.

'Jonty reckons a budding collector will snap it up for an impressive £200-£300.

'Still to come: Ken's still in a state of disbelief.

'Will the bears find a happy home?' She's delighted if they don't sell.

'And will our star item, the Ned Kelly print, make a killing?'

Phone bidder! 'Find out later in the show.'

This has been a really quick turnaround. It's just a few days since we were with Viv and Ken

and today we're here at Bamford's auction rooms in Derby.

Remember, Viv wants to raise £350 so she can buy some artwork for their new pad in Devon.

So let's hope the bidders are out in force when her items go under the hammer.

There's always a buzz on auction day and there are already some early birds here

hoping to make some special finds.

Jonty's been looking over a few masterpieces.

-Hey, Jonty.

-Hi, Jennie.

-I'm really surprised Viv's selling this one.

To me, that's everything she's after for Devon. Vibrant colours.

I like these. They're really colourful and have come back into fashion, like the coffee table.

The one I wasn't so keen on! That's right.

-We've got quite a lot of artwork today. Think we're in the right place?

-Yes.

We've also got the amazing Nolan print.

-We've got to sell that.

-Yes. We're plain sailing if we sell that.

-I've put an estimate of £200-£300.

-A lot of dosh.

Will we be laughing? Or crying?

I've come up with a solution. If we can't make the target

we could just hang you on the wall.

You're all flowery and lovely!

-Just hang on the wall like this!

-Perfect! Job done, eh?

Let's go see if they've arrived.

'While Jonty has high expectations for the bidding,

'Viv's saying goodbye to an old friend.' Oh, hello!

-Hi, how are you?

-How's Winnie?

He's a bit disorientated. He's never been north of Watford Gap before.

-And is he going to be sold?

-I hope so. I hope they go to a good home. That's what I'd really like.

-How are you feeling, Ken?

-Not too bad, thank you.

-Confident?

-There's no room in the car for it going back, so I hope so!

-Oh, well.

-Quiet confidence there. Viv?

-I'm having a panic that nobody likes the things I've treasured for years!

-We do all feel that at the beginning. It is quite nervy.

-Have you put any reserves on?

Only the Ned Kelly, which is a reserve of £200.

I don't want to give that away.

-That's fine.

-Fair enough. Fingers crossed that somebody, or two people, will bid for that.

-Yes.

-OK.

-Ready to take our places?

-Yes, absolutely.

-Follow me.

'Our first item's about to come up. At least we're all keen!'

Now how are we going to do with with your horse and egg coddlers?

-I haven't got a clue!

-Neither do I! But Jonty thinks they will be £20-worth.

-£20-£30.

-I hope so.

-I was feeling a little hoarse, but I'm fine now.

-Talking of which...

-OK, let's see how we do.

A Beswick-type bay horse...

-Come on, look happy!

-I'm scared!

-You're scared, too?!

15 do I see? At £12. And £15 now?

15. 18. £20 has it. 2 do I see?

At £20. And 2 now?

At £20 to the left.

At £20. All done and selling? At 20.

-Excellent!

-That's all we need.

-20 in the kitty.

-Happy?

-Yes!

-Relieved now.

-Well, something sold!

'£20 is right on the button and a healthy start to proceedings.

'Next up are those prints that Jonty had his eagle eye on earlier today.'

This lot is the prints.

Are you sad to see those go? Because we were talking earlier about the blue.

-You're wearing blue!

-I am a little bit, but if they go to a good home, that's fine.

If they didn't sell, it wouldn't be a problem.

-But that blue one would go very nicely with your Devon pad.

-I agree.

-Started a domestic!

-We discussed it!

-Oh!

-Jennie, shall we leave them to it?

Well, if it doesn't sell, it won't be the end of the world. And if it does, brilliant.

-I've got two commission bids.

-Good!

-And I can start at £25. 28 do I see?

-You get all excited.

At £25. 28. 30.

2. 35. 40 bid.

40 has it. And 2 do I see?

All done at £40.

-£40.

-Oh, well.

-We just got there.

'£40 isn't going to mean Viv and Ken can paint the town red just yet, but they made the lowest estimate.

'The chess set is one of our more unusual items

'and I think worth every penny.'

I was walking around and I saw it and I loved it.

I'd quite forgotten it was yours. I looked it up - £10-£20. I think it's a fab bargain.

-At £10. And £12.

-Come on!

-15 seated.

-It's going to sell.

-20. 2. 5?

At £22. 5 do I see?

All done and selling at £22.

Good. Still cheap, but I'm very happy with that.

It wasn't perfect. It had chipped bits where the cat plays with it!

'Check mate. At £22, that's £2 over Jonty's highest estimate.

'Not a king's ransom, but moving in the right direction.

'Next up is that distinctive Scandinavian coffee table.'

Now there's a sea of brown here, but nothing retro in the room at all. I just wonder how this will go.

I've got seven bids on commission and I can start at £35. 40 do I see?

At £35. 40 now?

At £35. 40 do I see?

-40. 5. 50?

-She's speechless for once, Jennie!

At £45. 50 beats it. £50 against commissions.

-At £50, all done.

-There we go, Viv.

Oh, Jennie!

I said it was quality.

'A good find by Jonty and £50 is a nice earner on a piece Viv would have sent to the tip.

'I wonder if anyone is in the market for a cute little bear

'to save their money in.'

-You and your bears!

-20?

-Come on!

-£10?

-A fiver?

-Come on.

-£8, then.

-A fiver.

-5, then.

Everywhere(!) £5. 6.

7. 8.

-9.

-Come on!

-10, do I see?

At £9. 10 now? £9. 10 to take a little bear home.

No? At £9 and selling.

He was trying. Good auctioneer. An extra pound goes to you.

'Well, it was hard work to get £9, but at least it sold.

'Every penny really does count.

'So how will the Maori carving fare? Can we get over the estimate?'

-£15.

-15.

-It shall be sold at £15.

'Well, we're having a struggle to keep up with Jonty's valuations.

'That's £5 below what we banked on,

'but, all in all, our first half has been reasonable and it all sold.

'I hope the low prices on some items won't have too serious an effect on the chances of reaching the target.'

Well, we're halfway through. You were so nervous. How are you now?

-Everything so far has sold, so yeah, I feel fine.

-So far, so good.

Your target is 350.

We are almost there. We're not quite on it yet.

-We are at £156.

-We're getting there.

-Perfect. It's steady as she goes right now.

We've still got big items to come. Your print, your toys!

-We've got the biggie to come, so fingers crossed.

-Absolutely.

We've done enough to deserve a break, so come with me.

'If you're thinking of buying or selling at an auction, remember commission and other charges apply.

'Check with the sale room first.

'As Viv and Ken head off for a well-earned sit down, Jonty wants to show me something.'

-What have you found?

-Who says antiques are expensive?

You come to an auction room and find, around an oak extending table, a set of six chairs.

-Now these chairs were made about 100 years ago.

-Were they?

-Edwardian design.

But not the chair you're holding or the one at the other end.

I've been looking closely at these. The two carver chairs, the armchairs, have been copied

-to reflect or mirror the four single chairs.

-How do you know that?

Simply by looking at... I had to take a double take,

but on a closer examination of this chair, everything is so crisp.

All the lines are very neat. All the colour is absolutely the same.

If you compare it to this chair, you see there's shades of dark in the back of the chair.

Also running down here it's all slightly different.

-It is slight, though.

-That's the difference.

To have a single chair like that made would cost hundreds of pounds.

I've had chairs copied for clients and they cost hundreds of pounds.

But what's happened is that this sort of heavy furniture has gone out of fashion.

What do you think this set of six chairs has been estimated at?

-Well, as you say, they're not in fashion, so...£80-£100?

-Even less than that.

-This set of six chairs in the catalogue are estimated at £40-£60.

-No!

-That is extraordinary.

-This is a bargain.

-That is amazing. You're very clever, aren't you?

'After a small bidding war, the table and chairs went for £120.

'Maybe this will bode well for Viv and Ken as we return to the sale of their items.'

-Where is all this tribal art from?

-This is the mixed lot.

It's the Hindu goddess of love I bought in Bali,

the Kenyan maiden and all the elephants.

-An African clear-out here.

-And Bali.

-And Bali! That's true.

-It's a global clear-out.

-Global clear-out.

-Excellent.

10 is bid. 12 do I see? At £10. And 12 now.

£12. 15. 15 and selling. At £15.

Somebody got a bargain.

'Well, we're off to a slow start, but at £15 at least we've made our estimate.

'Let's hope our next item can hold its own.'

I saw your little pine blanket chest.

-I'm glad you put it in the sale.

-Well, the auctioneer told me it's the best bit.

-He loved it.

-Really?

This is a great lot. Lovely Victorian pine blanket chest. Useful thing.

From around 1880. Make a great toy box or furniture for the bedroom.

I have got five bids on it. I can start at £20. 2 do I see?

At £20. And 2 now? At £20. And 2 do I see? 22.

25. 28.

At £28. 30 do I see? 30. 35. 40.

At £40. Pine blanket chest. I'm selling. Quite sure? At £40.

-There we go. Lots of people interested.

-Ken, you would have taken it to the skip.

-For that box?!

-Yes.

-40 quid!

He can't believe it!

'What a great result. It'll be more appreciated in its new home.

'Onwards and upwards. Next we have Viv's collection of Winnie the Pooh and Snoopy toys.

'I'm sure she'll be sad to see them go.'

-I can see from your face you know what's next.

-My Pooh Bears.

-And my Snoopies.

-They have to go.

-Well...yes.

-She'll be delighted if they don't sell!

-She was talking to them this morning.

-I was.

-Were you?

I said I hope you get a good home.

£20, please. £20?

He's an early one as well. A good early toy. 10, then?

£10. 12 do I see? At £10. And 12 now.

12. 15. 18. 20.

2. 25. Someone wants them!

-At £25, the lady's bid.

-The smile on his face gets bigger and bigger.

At 25 and selling.

That's fine. As long as they go to a good home, I'm happy. And two people wanted them!

-You want them to be wanted.

-Yes, definitely.

'Well, they made a respectable sum, just over our estimate.

'Hopefully, they'll soon be making someone else very happy.

'Up next is one of our big items.

'Fingers crossed bidders like the bronze Mercury statue.'

-Next up is my body double.

-The rippling muscles.

In the catalogue it says a figure of Hermes. He's the same as Mercury.

-One's Greek and one's Roman?

-One made handbags and one didn't.

£40 I'm bid. 5 do I see? At £40. And 5 now?

-At £40. 5 do I see?

-Come on.

45. 50.

5. 60. 5?

£60 on commission. And 5 now?

5, new place. 70. 5?

At £70 on commission. 5 now?

At £70.

-That's OK.

-Sold.

-That's within spitting distance.

'It's a disappointing result.

'Let's hope we're not off course.

'Maybe the Balinese print will pick up the pace.'

All done at £30?

-It's gone.

-'Or maybe not.

'This isn't looking too good for Viv and Ken.

'We're pinning all our hopes on our star item - the Nolan print of Ned Kelly.'

This is the one that has got to sell and got to sell well. Your Ned Kelly print.

-I have got a reserve on that.

-Yes, you have. So it's not going for under...?

-200.

-So it's £200 or bust.

-Yes.

-Isn't it?

-C'est la vie.

-So no pressure(!)

-No!

Are you ready? Here it comes now.

I've had an awful lot of interest, inquiries via the internet. We've got as telephone line as well. Good lot.

I have got four bids on commission.

I can start at £140. 150 do I see in the room first?

At 140. 150 in the room. 160.

170 on the phone? 180. 190.

200.

-210.

-It's gone.

230. At 230. Are you sure?

At 230 and selling.

-Fantastic.

-That one picture!

'That's just what we needed. A quality print gave us quite finale,

'but is it enough for our target?'

There we are. It's over. You've done so well - taking nothing home!

I know! Isn't it brilliant? I'm amazed.

Well, at the start of the day we were nervously hoping for £350

so you can buy some new artwork.

You've well exceeded that target. You have made...

£566!

Fantastic! That is brilliant.

-Well done.

-Brilliant!

-I don't believe that!

-All that stuff you called junk!

-Yeah!

-See?

-I was going to say to tell him, "I told you so!"

-Well done. Enjoy your new home.

-Thank you.

-Enjoy your new artwork.

-Thank you.

It's just a few weeks later and both Viv and Ken are relaxing in Devon.

As it's close to the sea, Viv wants to buy artwork that will reflect the location.

They've decided their best chance is to buy locally in Devon.

Using their newly-honed rummaging skills, they soon find a couple of perfect pieces.

We wanted to get seascape prints for the flat

because it's so near the sea. And we love Devon.

So to get the essence of Devon on the wall would be lovely.

And Viv's delighted with their new acquisitions.

All they need now is a hammer and some nails.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2010