Riley Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic,

the show that searches for treasures hidden around your home and then sells them for you at auction.

Today I'm in Northamptonshire, and I've stopped off at the rather magnificent Stoke Park Pavilions.

Built in the 17th century, Stoke Park was designed by Inigo Jones,

the man who introduced Italianate Renaissance architecture to the UK.

The original design consisted of a main house balanced by two pavilions,

and these structures are all that survive.

This was the first property in England to be built in the Palladian style.

It was only 80 years after completion

that Stoke Park won acclaim, so much so that it was used as the blueprint

for all English 18th century country houses.

Sadly, the main house was destroyed by fire,

but the pavilions survive today,

the last remnants of one of the most important houses in English architectural history.

Let's hope that this isn't the only gem we manage to discover today,

as we go in search of hidden treasures that can be put under the hammer at auction.

Coming up on Cash In The Attic - a treasure trove of goodies.

And Paul gets a bit carried away by one of his finds.

Could have been used at Trafalgar. Who knows?

And another item inspires me to get into character.

I've been working up to the part of the Fat Controller.

Paul's still caught up in naval history at the auction.

Has it been at war? Could have been used in Napoleonic times.

But will our couple sail past their total as the final hammer falls?

I've travelled down the road to the town of Towcester

and I'm on my way to meet a lady who's planning a trip of a lifetime.

And she's called in the Cash In The Attic team to help.

This three-bedroom property on the outskirts of Towcester is home to interior designer, Linda Riley.

Linda is also a passionate photographer and mother to three sons -

Paul, Simon and Scott.

They're all grown-up, and after sadly losing her husband Alan a few years ago, Linda is in need of help

clearing through a mass of items passed down to him by his family.

She's called in her friend Gillian for moral support.

With 20 years of antiques experience, Paul Hayes is just the man to help.

-Good morning.

-Good morning, Aled. How are you?

-Feeling short! How tall are you?

-About 6ft 1.

-With heels!

-Yes. 6ft without the heels.

-Are you looking forward to it?

-Yes, great to be down here.

Yes, close to the racecourse. No time today, but we have a lovely lady in there.

She's hoping to go on a trip of a lifetime and she's hoping,

with a busy day of rummaging and your expert knowledge,

that we'll be able to help fund that trip. Do you reckon we're up to it?

-Yes. Let's get going.

-Come on, then.

-Hi!

-Hello, Aled.

-Nice to see you.

-And you.

-Lovely to meet you.

-You two have wicked glints in your eyes.

-This is going to be fun!

-We hope so.

Why have you called in Cash In The Attic?

Because I've accumulated so many things, with family members passing away

and things that I've accumulated, that it's time to move them on and do something nice.

I know you're stood next to her. Is she a bit of a hoarder?

She says she's not, but she is!

You don't mean a little bit, do you? She's a hoarder!

So this stuff comes from friends and family?

Yes. A few things I've collected, but mostly it's been handed down.

What's the plan?

Are you hoping to sell some of it? Why?

Because I want to go to Cuba.

Right. Why Cuba?

Because I think it would be a great place to go

and see as it is now before it changes, and I like photography.

So I want to do some really good shots with all the old Cadillacs and things,

and do some margaritas in Hemingway's bar.

It sounds like a lovely plan. Are you going with her?

Unfortunately not on this trip.

We have been abroad before and I'm sure we will again, but I can't make Cuba this time.

It sounds lovely, but it sounds very expensive, so how much are you hoping to raise?

-If I got 1,000, that would be really nice.

-It would be, wouldn't it?!

How confident are you of getting that £1,000?

I don't know. Who knows?

She's got some good bits in there, I'm sure.

You've had a look already, have you?

If it's £1,000 you're after, we really need to rummage, so shall we go and do it?

Yeah, sure, let's go.

If Linda is going to see Castro's Cuba before it crumbles, we need to get hunting for things to sell.

An initial scout round shows that Gillian is right - this house isn't short of antiques.

It hasn't taken our Paul Hayes long to find something of value.

SHRILL WHISTLE

-Dear me!

-Can't be half-time already, can it?

-It works.

-It does.

A fantastic whistle. Where has that come from?

I think it must have come from great-great-grandparents somewhere along the line.

It's always been around, just sitting in a drawer.

-What exactly is it?

-It's a bosun's whistle,

or boatswain's, as the correct pronunciation is.

Basically, it goes back to the golden age of the Navy.

You've got the wind in the sails, the sea squalling,

you've got the cannonballs roaring.

He'd need to be able to communicate, so he would send a signal, a coded message,

which told the rest of the crew to do it.

-So it was a form of Morse code, before walkie-talkies and things like that.

-How old is that?

This is very old indeed. You've got the anchor and the crown.

I'd say this was early 19th century, sort of 1800, 1820.

Could have been used at Trafalgar. Who knows?

Real bit of history there.

How much, do you reckon?

This design hasn't really changed since the 13th century.

Nowadays they're not used as much,

but for people who are Sea Cadets or Sea Scouts, they all get trained with items like this.

And very collectible. If you ever get told to pipe down,

that's where it comes from.

Lots of nautical terms like that.

But very, very collectible. Early 19th century.

You've got the naval history here, you've got the whistles.

If I said...

at least £30-£50, how does that sound?

Very good.

HE BLOWS WHISTLE TWICE

That's the code to say, "One whistle ain't going to get you to Cuba"!

-OK, come on.

-Let's go.

It looks like this could be an enjoyable and profitable search.

Going through papers in the bedroom,

I find this stamp collection which belonged to Linda's husband.

He collected them as a small boy, just as many people still do throughout the world.

The very first postage stamps were introduced in the UK in 1840,

and Paul thinks this collection could fetch upwards of £100 at auction.

A good find, but we're still a long way off

sending Linda to Cuba.

Paul, what do you reckon to these?

Oh, wow, look at those! They're amazing! Where have these come from?

These were found at my mother-in-law's house.

-Really?

-Yeah, in a little cupboard next to the fireplace, absolutely blackened with soot.

So they were black. You couldn't see any of this beautiful colour at all?

They were completely black.

Just goes to show. These are glazed porcelain.

None of the black would have got under the glaze.

They're almost like new. These are absolutely fabulous.

This is the French rococo style and they're actually wall sconces.

You would mount these on the wall.

These, at one point, have been made for either electricity or gas.

You can see there's a hole and your cables would run either side here.

So you could use these today. Wouldn't that be fantastic?

They're made in Germany.

These pastel colours are typical of a firm called Sitzendorf.

-Have you heard of them?

-No.

They were inspired by the Dresden factories, these wonderful German hard-paste porcelain.

Very bright, pastel colours. Lots of bocage, rococo, floral decoration. They're absolutely fantastic.

So, value-wise,

what you've got is a pair of 19th century

Sitzendorf hard-paste porcelain wall sconces.

That's the catalogue. I can hear it already!

If I said, at least 200 upwards, how does that sound?

I think it sounds brilliant, great.

Fantastic. Let's make sure we get them there in one piece.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Excellent. Right, let's go and sort that out. Brilliant.

Paul's expertise is certainly being tested today.

There's plenty here for him to get his teeth into.

Tucked away in a corner, he finds this painting by Arthur Haddy.

He was the chief engineer for the Decca Record Company, where Linda's father worked.

Haddy spent his retirement painting, and Paul has valued this example at £60-£100.

This looks interesting.

What have you found? Anything nice?

A bit of jewellery here, Paul. Pretty rings.

That's a little cachet of stuff, isn't it? Where's this been hiding?

I was just raking through all of the things through there and it was underneath all the boxes.

It's amazing what you inherit. This is all Victorian costume jewellery.

-The earrings are so sweet.

-Yeah, these are French paste.

The idea was, if you had the real examples of these,

it was very dangerous to wear them. You'd lose one,

you may even get them robbed.

So people used to make paste examples

and these were often worn at dances,

but you had the real one at home. Those are beautiful.

Late 19th century. Anything else take your fancy there?

There's a few bits, but I thought that was quite unusual. What is it?

This would hang on a gentleman's watch chain or possibly a bracelet.

It's an old seal of the golden days of writing letters.

If you wanted to keep things private,

you'd seal your letter with a bit of wax.

This seal here goes into the wax and it would leave your impression or your name.

So nobody could break into your letter.

-Interesting.

-There's all sorts there. Is there another layer?

There is. There's lots of other things underneath.

Right, OK. This is a great collector's lot,

someone who would love to have a root through here and buy it as a job lot.

I'll make sure there's no gold items amongst it first.

But if that was to come to auction,

and if I said £120, £150, how does that sound?

I think that sounds pretty good. That's a pretty good price.

All those fake diamonds!

-All right, let's keep looking.

-Yep.

That's lovely. Thank you.

A glittering addition to our auction lots.

And another good find is a set of old coins worth £40-£80.

This collection belonged to Linda's uncle,

but condition is everything in this market

and most of these are far from mint.

Still, a collector would love to have a look through these, I'm sure.

-Linda, it's going very well.

-Great.

-Are you happy?

-Yeah, I'm brilliant.

Your house is absolutely lovely.

-Thank you.

-Lots of photographs of you and your husband. What was he like as a person?

Very gregarious, very funny, very tall, over 6ft.

Liked a good laugh and parties, especially fancy dress ones.

-Fancy dress?

-Yes, loved fancy dress parties.

-He'd dress up himself?

-Yes.

What do you think he'd make of you doing this?

Well, I think he'd be OK with it.

He was the consummate hoarder, really was. That's why a lot has come from his side of the family.

But I think now, as long as the boys and I were happy,

he'd be glad that we were making use of them.

You lost him a few years ago.

Tell me what happened.

We were actually on holiday in France and it was the last day of our holiday.

We'd gone shopping and we were going to have lunch

and gradually pack up slowly, and he suddenly said,

"I'm not feeling very well", and he collapsed in a shop.

He'd had an aneurysm.

He was airlifted to a cardiovascular hospital in France and survived the operation,

but unfortunately he spent a month on life-support, then we lost him.

Did he share your passion of travel?

Yes, very much.

We did America a few times and a few other places.

He loved his holidays, yeah.

What is it for you? Is it immersing yourself in the local culture?

I love other cultures and it's the adventure.

I love an adventure, definitely.

Well, we really do need to find that £1,000, then.

A journey of a lifetime, do you reckon?

It's going to be one journey, but I hope there's more to come.

I think we should go and find Paul. Hopefully he's found that bit of treasure we're after.

It's been a difficult few years and Linda deserves this adventure.

Our hunt continues for items that will get Linda

and her camera out to Havana to capture those old cars.

Paul's found some miniature versions which are just as old.

These Tri-ang toys were kept in great condition

by Linda's husband Alan and were off-limits for the boys.

Tri-ang was set up in London in 1850 by the Lines Brothers

and grew to be the largest toy manufacturer in the world,

incorporating brands like Sindy, Meccano and Scalextric.

Paul reckons on at least £80-£150

for this lot at auction.

And there's more where that came from.

Paul, I've become a very happy child again.

What have we got here?

A train set.

-That's a big train.

-It is.

I've been working up to the part of the Fat Controller, as you can see.

These are fantastic. Look at that. Have these come down the family?

That must have come from my husband as a child.

We found it in my mother-in-law's house.

He was born there, so all his toys were still there.

Does it make a difference that you've got these original boxes?

A massive difference, yeah.

This was invented by a guy called Frank Hornby. He was from Liverpool and the idea was,

he wanted to teach children educational engineering.

So he patented an idea called Mechanics Made Easy,

that became Meccano, and Meccano was a massive-selling

range of toys.

In the 1920s, he came up with the show-stopper, this sort of train set.

It's tin plate and made from steel.

Quite cheap to produce, but endless hours of fun.

You've got a good collection here. If I said, at least...

..£150, up to £200 quite easily, from what I can see here.

I suspect these would go for a lot more. How does that sound?

That's a fantastic valuation.

-Amazing.

-Are you chuffed?

Hey! That's a good 'un!

I'm very excited, because everywhere we look there are treasures in this house.

I think we're going to get to that £1,000.

-I hope we do.

-Positive thinking.

-Let's get on.

-Just leave me here to play.

-We'll step over it.

'Come on, Paul. We might be on our way, but there's more work for you to do.'

Gillian's got the right idea. She's found more treasures in a wardrobe.

These mugs also came from Alan's family.

Two of them are pewter, but one is silver

and dates from the reign of George III.

It's so old, the mark has worn off, so we don't know who made it.

Even so, it could fetch £200-£400

if the right bidders are at the auction.

Gillian's not stopping there.

-Paul?

-Yeah?

-What do you think of these clocks?

-Are these something Linda's bought?

I think she actually inherited these off grandparents.

This set here is called a garniture de cheminee.

That comes from the French. Basically, it garnishes your mantelpiece.

This would sit in the middle of the mantelpiece, these two tasses would be on either side,

you'd put your candles or keys, that sort of thing,

and they would look very attractive, very regal.

Very architectural, it's known as neo-classical.

The whole thing's based on ancient Rome

and Greece and that sort of sturdy architectural look.

If you wanted to make a Victorian look in a house, these are perfect.

For an interior design. I'm sure Linda would have the idea as well.

-If you want an Art Deco look, 1920s, people go for this.

-That's right.

So there's a big market for these. This is known in the trade as Napoleon hat shape.

Very simple.

-But what's nice about this, it has three winding holes. Do you know why?

-No.

One for the actual clock mechanism, one for the strike

and then one cos it plays a tune.

This could actually play two tunes.

I wonder if it still works.

If we said £120, £150 for those,

allowing for the restoration, how does that sound?

I think that's very, very good.

I'm sure she'll be very happy with that.

It's not just good, it's monumental.

Come on, let's get some fresh jokes.

Well, we are now running out of places to look

and I wonder if Linda and Gillian need a bit of encouragement.

Ah, so this is where you are.

I've come in here for a lie down!

Help yourself!

-Have you found anything?

-No.

That's not good enough. You aren't looking hard enough.

-We are!

-We are!

-It's quite gruelling, isn't it?

-It is.

Have you found things you didn't know existed?

-I've found a lot of dust.

-Have you?

I have to say, I've found a bit of dust as well.

-Have you?

-We won't tell anyone. You seem to be having fun anyway.

-Yes, we are. Lovely time.

-How long have you two known each other?

Probably since about 1998.

We met at work all that time ago and been friends ever since. We went...

We won a trip with work and that sort of sealed our friendship.

Went to Prague.

I get the impression that you're a bit of the terrible twins.

I bet you've got up to quite a lot of mischief, haven't you?

-A little bit.

-But we can't say.

-Oh, go on!

-No.

You've been away on holiday together before, haven't you?

Yes, a couple of times.

We tend to go away more in the winter,

so we can have a little bit of sun to set us up for the coming year.

But we have met on holiday before in the summer as well.

Are you proud of Linda going to Cuba?

Absolutely. I think it's wonderful.

Fabulous country, very different.

This is the perfect time to see it before any changes.

Yeah, I really want her to get this money and go and have a wonderful, wonderful time.

I think we should carry on with this search because I want to find that £1,000.

-We want to get you to Cuba.

-Yeah.

Both of us, desperately, so you can bring us a few cigars back.

I think these two will be great fun at auction.

Linda loves antiques, but has only ever been to one before.

So it's back to the rummage for one final push.

I'm searching the cupboards and find a box of winners' cups.

They belonged to Alan's uncle, who must have been a serious cyclist,

and date from the 1930s.

Four of them were made by a notable silversmith, James Fenton, and Paul values them at £140-£200.

Linda, there's no denying it, you are a hoarder, OK?

Everywhere I look there are figures, vases... You've even got one in your hand.

This has just grabbed my attention. What is this all about?

That's actually an old Frogeye Sprite, Healey Sprite.

-Alan did have one that he was restoring.

-He's done a good job.

It's slightly small, I would say!

Can I interrupt you for a second?

I've found some of my favourite items. A cache of pocket watches.

-They're fantastic.

-I love them to bits.

These are dress watches. Gold and silver, they would've been kept for best occasions.

The smaller versions tend to be for ladies of the late 19th century.

The larger ones were the gentlemen.

But that really is fantastic, isn't it?

-Beautiful.

-That would have belonged to a well-dressed gentleman.

That would have been his dress watch.

Then these smaller ones belong to ladies.

Were these your grandma's?

Yeah, probably grandma, great-grandma.

Wow! Well, they're fantastic.

These smaller versions

are absolute works of art. My favourite has to be this one here.

-Can you see the back of that one?

-Yes.

This has been decorated with enamel and they're diamonds in there.

Are they?

I bet you didn't know you had these!

I knew they were about,

but they're the sort of things that you forget about.

We've got seven watches here, but time is not on our side. How much is this worth, do you reckon?

If I said...

at least £300 upwards, how does that sound?

I'm amazed, absolutely amazed.

What a nice little find.

-It is fantastic.

-We've done well today.

I think we should get Gillian in. Gillian, in you come.

That's good news.

£300-£500 on that.

Wow! I can't believe it.

It's been a good day, hasn't it?

-You wanted... You were hoping for £1,000 for that dream holiday in Cuba.

-Yes.

I can tell you that Paul's lowest estimate on all the things we've found today...

-Guess how much money you've got to play around with?

-Don't know.

-£1,540.

-Wow!

-You're joking!

-I'm not joking.

-It really is amazing.

-Look at the smile on your face!

A very happy bunny.

-Cuba, here you come.

-Definitely.

With that sort of money, Cuba, here we all come!

That is excellent.

I really didn't think that at all. I was thinking about £800.

You've been fantastic, I've enjoyed it. Have you enjoyed it?

I've had a fantastic day. I think you've got one or two sleepers at the auction.

-That was with the train set, wasn't it?

-Not railway sleepers!

-Next time we see you will be in the auction room.

-Yes.

-Looking forward to it?

-Yes.

I'm just going to take that watch!

Linda and Gillian have worked really hard today and I just hope we reach that figure.

Linda's certainly a lady deserving of a grand tour,

and we hope she'll be able to do it in style, helped by the vintage paste jewellery,

valued at £120-£150.

The impressive rococo wall sconces with the hefty £200-£300 price tag.

And the perennially popular Hornby train set.

Will it reach its estimate of £150?

Still to come on Cash In The Attic - tense moments for the girls on sale day.

It was like pulling teeth at first.

I thought you'd stopped breathing for about two minutes.

While other results fill us with optimism.

You're going to Cuba economy. Let's see if we can get you first class.

So, will Linda raise the funds for her trip of a lifetime?

Find out when the hammer falls.

It's been a few weeks since we helped Linda Riley search her lovely home in Towcester

for antiques and valuables to sell here at Chiswick Auctions in West London.

Linda's had a tough couple of years and she's hoping to fulfil a dream of a lifetime by visiting Cuba.

She wants to raise about £1,000 towards the trip.

Let's hope there's a generous crowd in here when her items go under the hammer.

I'm always pleased to see our bidders looking so keen when they walk through these saleroom doors.

Luckily for us, we have a terrific range of items with which to tempt them.

I particularly enjoyed the Rileys' collection

of vintage toy trucks and I think Paul has a soft spot for them, too.

-Morning.

-Good morning. How are you?

Good. You had high hopes for these.

Yeah, seeing them in this cabinet here, I think they're fantastic.

I have even higher hopes. These are real sleepers.

-You know what a sleeper is?

-Tell me.

-Something with a low estimate,

but if two people take a shine to them, these could do very well indeed.

Look at them. How have they survived in this condition?

Who'd go for this sort of thing?

People who collect advertising ware, people that reminisce about the 1950s and '60s,

anybody into clockwork

and transportation.

Anybody that grew up in the '50s and '60s will remember these toys and want to buy into that market.

Linda will be thrilled... And Gillian.

-Shall we go and find them?

-Of course.

If Paul's right, those vintage Tri-ang toys should make top dollar,

but only if the saleroom is packed with clockwork-loving baby boomers.

I never like to judge by appearances, so maybe I'll just keep my fingers crossed.

Ah, ladies. You made it down to London. Lovely to see you.

-How are you?

-Nervous.

-Have you seen anything like this before?

-Never.

-You're clinging on to that whistle.

I'm going to have to give it away, aren't I?

Are you going to be sad giving one thing away more than anything else?

-The cars.

-Really?

-Lots of memories?

-Yeah.

Because they belonged to Alan.

Cling onto that fact that you're doing all this so you can go to Cuba.

Yes, Cuba!

-The auction's about to start, so we should get into position.

-Excellent.

I'm sure the thought of that holiday in Cuba will help ease the pain of parting with these family heirlooms.

If you've been inspired to try your hand at buying or selling this way, remember that auction houses

will levy various charges, such as commission.

As these vary from one venue to another, check in advance with your local auction house.

And so to our first lot.

It's a good collection of O gauge trains and that's a very collectible area.

You've got some of the boxes as well.

The more items you can have together the better.

-Lots of toys here today.

-There are a lot of toys and trains here today.

The dealers are coming hopefully to buy them.

I've set this one quite high, £150 plus. Let's see if we're on the right track.

Can I tell you... Aww!

Start me, £100 the lot. Must be worth £100.

I'm bid 100 and 10 I'll take.

At £100.

110. 120. 130.

140. 150. 160.

£160 there in the grey. Anybody else?

170. 180. 190.

£190 there. Anybody else?

190 is the bid. 190.

-Well done!

-Fantastic!

That's a brilliant start.

-I've got a bed!

-You've got a bed!

You're going to Cuba economy.

Let's see if we can get you first class.

And then some.

What a terrific start to our sale.

With several vintage toys coming up, this result bodes well for our chances today.

But before we revisit the toy box, a naughty little nautical number that would make any bosun proud.

Paul was so excited by it, he couldn't wait to blow the whistle on its value.

Paul's going to lose his toy soon.

The whistle he loved so much.

-You've said £30-£50.

-I just think this is a fantastic item.

I know it's a whistle and a bit of fun, but it's been on a ship at some point. What's it seen?

Has it been at war? Could it have been used in Napoleonic times?

Could it tell a story? There's interest there.

So 30 quid hopefully. Let's see how it goes.

Start me for the bosun's whistle.

£10 to go. £10 for it, surely?

£10? 10 I'm bid, a maiden bid of £10.

£12 here. It's all livening up now.

14, sir? £12 here.

14 now.

£14 in the blue, at £14. At £14 it goes.

Obviously not a historic auction room.

No. Are you disappointed with that?

Well, no. It would only have sat in a drawer.

-That's a very positive attitude, isn't it?

-It is, yes.

-And we're thinking, Cuba.

-Absolutely.

I'm looking forward to margarita!

£14 is not the result we'd been hoping for.

Those Cuban palm trees may be waving at us,

but Linda stands little chance of seeing them for real if our sales don't pick up.

With an estimate of £200, perhaps this trio of glittering prizes

could prove more tempting.

For the next lot, you've put a budget of £200-£400 for a tankard!

This is not any ordinary tankard.

This is a George III tankard.

It's made at the end of the 18th century, 1804, so the beginning of the 19th century.

You've got silver dealers, people interested in tankards.

I've put with it two pewter tankards, they're a similar period.

But £200, hopefully, is the minimum. Let's hope someone picks up on this.

-It must be rare now. It's 200 years old.

-Fantastic.

Start me at £150. 150. 160.

£160 for the tankard. At £160. 170, I need.

-£160.

-Fantastic.

160 is the bid. 160. Not sold.

That's not sold!

That wasn't sold.

Because the minimum estimate was 200, he's decided he's not selling.

-So what happens now?

-Well, he could leave it for another day or you can take it home.

But he's protected you there, cos it's worth a lot more.

Especially what you said, the history. It's 200 years old.

Our thanks to the auctioneer for saving those tankards

from selling for too low a price.

We're a quarter of the way through, yet we're languishing

well below a quarter of the expected takings. We need our luck to change.

Here's a collection that should do better for us.

We've often found that costume jewellery has been a money maker.

In such an attractive case, who could resist this little lot?

A bit of interest in this.

I've got a left bid of £80 and I can sell it for 80. With me at £80. 85.

90.

Is that a no? 95 there, then.

£95, thank you.

At £95 in the room here.

100. 110. 110 nearest to me.

Anybody else? 110, then.

At £110. 452.

-That's good.

-Yes, it's very good.

That's more like it.

With a bit of luck, Linda will still be leaving on that jet plane.

Her next lot is a collection of coins,

mostly European, with plenty of family history attached.

I hope Linda won't feel too sentimental about parting with it.

Let's hope there's a nugget in there that's caught someone's eye.

We've got the collection of British and European coins next.

-And you found these?

-Yes.

-What's the story behind them?

My husband's uncle collected them over a period of time, along with all the other things.

-You're not too bothered about giving these away?

-No!

Not so much as the others. Paul, again you're hopeful on this one?

I'm hopeful. I just scratched the surface of these.

I saw a few, but there's a lot of coins there.

I put these at £40. It might be a little bit of a sleeper here.

Some coin collectors have been doing quite well here today.

Start me, £30 for the lot.

30, I'm bid, and two I'll take.

Maiden bid at 30. £30, 32, 34, 36,

38, 40, 45, £45 here. £45.

50 in the doorway.

55, 60, 65.

70, 75.

80, 85.

90, 95. 100.

110.

120, 130.

140, 150, 160.

170, 180. 180, in the doorway. 180, anybody else?

£180 in the doorway.

180.

£180. That's incredible.

Brilliant, can't believe it.

Looks like this could be one of the sleepers Paul mentioned.

I'm sure these coins will have found their way to an appreciative home.

We reach halfway with the fantastic collection of Tri-ang toys.

Paul's put a very conservative estimate on them.

But, if the nostalgia fans are here, they could really take off.

Next up is the piece de resistance. You've got great hopes for this?

These toys, what a collection.

They're almost mint condition. There's quite a lot in that box.

-They've displayed them beautifully. Have you seen them?

-Yes.

-They've done a really good job.

-Yes.

There's a terrific amount of interest in this lot, I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear.

230, 240, 250, £260 with me.

On the book at £260.

At 260, 270, 280, 290,

300. 10? 310, 320.

330 in the room against commission.

340. 350. 360.

360, at £360, anybody else?

360 is the bid. At 360 it goes.

Wow!

That must be a blessed relief?

It is. I'd not have wanted them to be given away.

Look how many people wanted them.

That's amazing.

You know they're going to a good home.

They'll really appreciate it.

And £360.

-We had 80 - 150.

-Excellent.

-You can't ask for more.

-They're amazing.

Once you see them displayed and we've got them all together,

the tankers with the carriages and so on, they were wonderful.

Paul's quite right.

The auction house has shown these lovely old toys in their best light.

That means a discerning bidder was able to appreciate their true worth.

The sale may have got off to a hesitant start, but our prospects look a little better now.

At the halfway stage, you can have a wander, but don't spend any money please.

You want £1,000 to take you to Cuba.

I can tell you that so far, halfway, you've raised...

-Do you want to know?

-Yeah.

-£854.

-Oh, my God!

-Fantastic!

That's really, really good.

It's going really well.

Let's have a little break and we'll come back.

It seems like a perfect opportunity

for Linda and Gillian to check out the competition. What's more,

it looks as if Paul's found a very curious objet d'art.

I love coming to auction houses. You never know what you'll find.

I've found the perfect example here.

It's a fantastic Arts and Crafts carving of Pan.

He's recognisable by his cloved hoof, his rear leg.

Isn't that fantastic?

It looks as if it's been made into a lamp.

Actually, it's been the end of a newel post.

You get these fantastic staircases. This would have been in the hallway,

and the first thing you saw in the house.

If you wanted that Gothic look, a superb thing to happen.

It's been recycled in a way, but I think that could be put back on a newel

and it's priceless for someone who wants that Gothic look.

Estimate in the catalogue, £100-£150. I think it's an absolute bargain.

This particular Pan would have led us a merry dance if he'd been given a set of pipes.

His performance is no less disappointing, bagging an impressive £110.

The ancient Greek gods must be smiling down on the sale.

Let's hope they bring Linda and Gillian a little luck too.

Remember, we're only £146 short of the target and there are six great items still to come.

I feel positive about Linda's chances of making £1,000 for the trip of a lifetime to Cuba.

Now, a dream come true for any philatelist.

Paul's estimate is £100 to £200 for the set.

So it's the world stamps next.

We've seen quite a few stamp collections.

Yeah, stamps are doing well here today.

I think in the economic climate, people are wanting something to invest in

and we all can't afford the very expensive examples.

So these schoolboy collections are now collectible. There's four albums. £100?

What shall we start this at? £30 for the lot.

For the mixed lot of stamps.

Can't sell it for less than £30. 30 I'm bid. 35.

40. 45.

It could be sold for 50. At £50, I am...

55, just in time. 60. £60 then.

At £60. Anybody else at 60?

Gosh, that's surprising, isn't it?

-It's a little less than we wanted.

-Such a fantastic collection as well.

Yeah, but they're quite modern. No penny blacks there.

I'm not surprised, so that's OK.

A modest result. It's good to see Linda being so philosophical.

Still, that £1,000 target is edging closer...

and closer.

Could this charming woodland scene be enough to push us over the brink?

It's by Arthur Haddy, chief engineer at the Decca Record Company,

where Linda's father worked.

Paul thinks this is worth at least £60, too.

£30 for the lot? For the birch trees.

£20 to go. To start it for 20. Anybody want the lot for £20?

-No. Pass it for 20.

-He's passed it.

Oh, no. It's a fine painting, but it seems the art collectors aren't in today.

I hope Linda won't be too disappointed about taking it home.

Now, four lots to go and just over £80 still to collect if we're to make Linda's target.

So fingers crossed the trio of mantle clocks catches someone's eye.

It was Gillian who found these, so she's keeping her fingers crossed.

They're valued as a single lot at £120.

It could be just what we need to push us over that £1,000 target.

-So, no pressure on Gillian now.

-With the clocks!

You really like these, don't you?

Yeah, I think... For a good collector of clocks, they're lovely, lovely specimens.

So I'm hoping there's somebody here who really appreciates a good clock.

How do you feel about your mate selling your stuff?

Well, that's all right. She's going to sell me afterwards!

Start this low. Start me at £40 for the clocks.

£40 to go. 45.

£45, these clocks. At £45.

50 there. 55.

£55 with me. Not quite enough.

£55. 60 there in the middle of the room.

65. Suddenly everybody's jumping.

-They are going.

-70. 75. 80.

85. 90. 95. 100.

£100 in the middle of the room.

At £100. £100 is the bid.

-Well done.

-From the brink of death there.

-Honestly, I have to say.

-It was like pulling teeth at first, wasn't it?

I think you stopped breathing for about two minutes!

And now I've got my breath back, I'm thinking that little turn

might have helped Linda fly past her target.

I've no time to check the figures,

so I'll keep that to myself.

With any luck, our last three lots could bring her even more cash.

Paul thinks the rococo style sconces with their elegant figurines

are worth at least £200 of anyone's money.

We're very excited about this next lot. They've pride of place up there, those sconces.

Don't they look amazing?

Very decorative lot. Are they worth £100?

100 to go. 100. 110.

120. 130.

£130 for them. At 130.

-Come on!

-140 I need.

£130 for the wall sconces.

At 130. Anybody else?

£130 then. Not quite enough.

He's withdrawn them. I can't believe that.

Why has he withdrawn them for 130?

We had 200-300 and he's thought they're worth more.

Good for Linda. Upbeat, despite two no-sales in the second half.

Maybe someone will buy those sconces another day.

I can't help feeling a little tense as the end of the sale draws near.

You never know who's in the room on the day, and it's anyone's guess

as to whether her collection of seven vintage watches

will attract a bidder.

They're lovely examples. There's seven fob watches in this lot.

£300. I think they're great things.

I wish a famous celebrity would start wearing one. Then everyone would want one.

There you go!

You know, the pressure's on here with £300-600.

We've had a couple of ones withdrawn,

so we need somebody to bid 300 quid for these, don't we?

It's quite a lot of money. Let's see.

150 I am bid in the doorway.

160. 170. 180. 190. 200.

And 10 in the doorway there at £210.

Anybody else?

220. 230. 240.

-250...

-Here we go.

In the doorway at 250. Anybody else? 250 is the bid.

He's took it. Is that all right with you?

-Yes.

-Are you sure?

-Excellent.

£250. A little short of Paul's estimate, but that's not bad at all.

And so we reach our final lot.

A collection of six cups. Another potent family collection.

They were awarded to Linda's husband's uncle.

Will this inheritance transform into a flying victory for Linda?

I didn't see you as a football player, so where did these trophies come from?

From Alan's uncle.

-He was a bit of a cyclist, then?

-Yeah, he used to cycle all over the country in the 1930s.

What do you think of these, Gillian?

I think they're an excellent example of trophies, and hopefully they'll get a good price.

And I've got interest in this lot.

Needless to say as well, I'm bit straight off, £140.

140. 150. 160.

170. 180. 190.

£190. With me, at 190. Are you all done?

190 is the bid for the silver.

At 190, it goes.

How's that?

-Brilliant. What have I got now then?

-A lot, I would say!

Just a little short of the upper estimate,

but it's a wonderful result with which to close the auction.

The big question now is, will we have made enough to send Linda to Havana in style?

So, you wanted £1,000 to go towards the trip of a lifetime to Cuba. Do you think you've done it?

I'd like to think so.

-You have!

-Have I?

Yeah, you've actually raised £1,454.

My, God. That's brilliant.

I really didn't expect that.

-Stick another week on!

-You can come if you want.

Gillian, she's not taking you anymore. She's taking me.

This is fantastic!

This is going to give you the trip of a lifetime, isn't it?

Yes. It really is. It's going to be brilliant.

-Are you pleased?

-Yeah, it's excellent.

It's just a few days later and to celebrate their auction success,

Linda and Gillian have planned a little warm-up for the Cuban trip.

With going over to Cuba in a couple of weeks' time,

I wanted to brush up on a couple of my photographic skills,

especially as I may be taking some shots indoors

and I really wanted to get a few more skills under my fingertips before I went.

For studio stuff, we need to set it at 125.

Your shutter speed at 125.

Gillian's on-hand to pose whilst Linda gets in some practice...

..before sampling a few mojitos to toast Linda's forthcoming adventure.

It's been a brilliant day.

Brushed up on my photography skills, learned a few things there, which is great.

Came along here, had a mojito. In the mood for Cuba. Looking forward to the sun.