Hankey Cash in the Attic

Welcome to the programme that enjoys rummaging around people's homes to find interesting items,

then we take those items to auction and raise lots of money, so that they can do something exciting.

Today, we've been called in by an avid furniture collector.

Will we find fascinating items? What will they be worth? Let's find out in Cash In The Attic.

'On today's Cash In The Attic, we discover some local Dorset treasures.'

A-ha! We have some pottery that hasn't travelled very far.

'And working on this programme has certainly taught me a thing or two.'

-It's rosewood, isn't it?

-It is. Well done. I'm teaching you well.

You're teaching me very well. I love it.

'On auction day, no reaction is a good reaction.'

You're speechless.

'Find out what happens when the hammer falls.'

Today, I'm in Poole in Dorset to meet Marion

who has a penchant for collecting large furniture items.

However, she has to downsize, so some things will just have to go.

'Marion Hankey is a retired divorcee who likes nothing better than a round of golf,

'followed by a visit to an antique fair.

'She has one daughter Lisa and two gorgeous granddaughters.

'She's moving into the house next door to them. Marion's mother May will be moving as well.

'To help us identify which of her collections might be worth selling is our expert Jonty Hearnden.

'To help Marion with her rummage is her good friend Rosemary.'

-Hey, what a natter going on here in the kitchen!

-Oh, hi.

-Which one of you is Marion?

-I am.

-Very nice to meet you. This is your friend...?

-Rosemary.

I love this!

-You're going to help out and try and raise all this money.

-I am indeed.

-How much money are we looking for?

-About £1,000.

-A little bit of work ahead of us! How will you spend it?

My daughter's bought a house next door to where she is.

I'll be moving into the house they're buying.

We're downsizing, so I've got to get rid of a lot of furniture.

I'll ask you girls to put your coffee cups down. You've had enough of a break.

-I think we'd better start work, don't you?

-Yes.

-Your house is gorgeous. Shall we have a wander?

-Yes, certainly.

'We did say that Marion had visited a few antique shops and auctions over the years.

'The evidence is everywhere in her five-bedroom, detached Victorian house.'

Marion, meet the famous Jonty down on his knees for you already.

I've been admiring this amazingly large hall table,

and it fits so perfectly in your hallway. It's extraordinary.

It is very grand. Do you remember where you got it?

I bought it in a garage sale.

-Did you?

-Yeah.

Jonty, what kind of wood is it?

It's an unspecified tropical hardwood.

I think this wood has probably been stained because this is not a European piece of furniture.

-This is from the Far East.

-It's very ornate.

It's incredibly ornate. Look at the top of this mirror here!

It looks weighed down, almost, by these grapes

and all these carved scrolls,

but it's all inspired by European designs.

In fact, a table and mirror like this is called a pier table and it's quite French.

I believe this piece of furniture to be made no less than 20, 30 years ago.

-So, Jonty, is it bad news?

-Well, it is, really.

At auction, the estimate should read in the catalogue

between £100 and £150.

-It's a bit of a shock, really.

-You're in shock, I can see.

'I think Marion was hoping for more, but it's onwards and upwards.

'Rosemary has already made headway in the dining room.

'She's found these three silver-topped claret jugs

'Two are Italian, one was made in England

'and all are collectable.

'Jonty gives them a healthy £40 to £60 estimate.

'Also winging their way to auction

'are two dishes and vases by the well-known manufacturer Coalport.

'Jonty values them at a modest £20 to £30.

'I know that Jonty and Rosemary are busy searching,

'but I find Marion taking a break to work on a project that's very dear to her heart.'

What are you working on?

I'm trying to do my life story, actually.

-Really?

-Yes.

-The whole family history?

-Yes, it goes back to 1609 so far.

-Gosh!

And my grandparents... My grandmother, anyway,

-was one of 17 children.

-To the same mother?

-Yes.

Amazing, isn't it?

-Are you surprised that you've unearthed so much information?

-Yes.

A lot of the people that have been in touch with me are all related

to the siblings of my grandmother.

And they've come in all over the world

with grandchildren like myself.

Though we've never met, we're all in touch with emails.

I know you've got this beautiful daughter and gorgeous grandchildren.

Then you have your lovely mum living with you. How old is she?

-My mum's nearly 94. She's great.

-94?

-Yes.

-She'll be with you next door to your daughter?

-Oh, yes. I wouldn't leave her behind!

-If we're going to get the £1,000...

-We'd better keep going.

-We do.

Let's get back to work.

'Our Jonty has not been slacking in the spare bedroom.

'He's noticed a very large chest of drawers. It's from the late 19th century.

'He thinks it could quite easily pull in £40 to £60,

'but at the auction, how close is Jonty's estimate?'

90. 95. 100...

'You just have to stay to find out. All that drama is still to come, but as our rummage continues,

'Rosemary has found something that Marion has been collecting for years.

'It's an assortment of Toby and character jugs - 12 large and 17 miniatures.

'and Jonty prices the whole lot at £100 to £150.

'But Rosemary doesn't stop there.'

-What a collection!

-Yeah. And if you look here...

-Oh, there's more!

-Yeah.

-What an amazing set!

-What have we got?

-12 of everything.

-So where did this set come from?

-I think Marion got it about 1974.

She was doing a small catering course.

She felt she ought to have a dinner party and this is when she got all these.

As for value, the most important thing is who made it. We don't have any maker's names on here.

-All it says is "Sheffield, EPNS," which is electro-plated nickel silver.

-Yeah.

-It's plated, rather than solid silver.

-Yeah.

But that's also fine because we have such a large set.

Let's have a look at the case itself. That's mahogany.

It looks like it's never been used.

The outside is as fresh as the inside.

At auction, we're looking at £150 to £200.

That's very good. She'd be delighted with that.

'Jonty's sticking with furniture

'and comes across this lovely French reproduction two-seater settee.

'He reckons it shouldn't lounge around too long at the auction

'with a price tag of £80 to £120.

'That settee has brought our running total to £550,

'so we've passed the halfway mark.'

Jonty, have a look at this. I don't understand what all the markings are, but it looks pretty special.

What have we got here? A-ha! We have some pottery that hasn't travelled very far.

It's Poole Pottery, yes, made locally.

The factory is down on Poole Quay.

Absolutely, Poole Pottery, very, very desirable and very collectable.

Let's have a look at this one here. The design on this hors d'oeuvres dish is very 1960s.

Established in 1873. That was Carter & Co.

That's how the firm first started. The stylised dolphin

was always used in post-war markings,

but this one, particularly, was used between 1959 and 1967.

-It's very attractive.

-I see we've got two other hors d'oeuvres dishes and also lots of other designs.

-Do you know where any of these designs were from?

-Those three hors d'oeuvres dishes came from auction.

-This is quite pretty.

-Yes. You see the similar sort of design?

This is typical of Poole Pottery.

but if you look at this jardiniere, it's completely different.

In the 1960s, they went very jazzy and very funky.

You had the more traditional, but you also had this kind of design.

But collectively, it's still worth

-between £50 and £100.

-For all of it?

-Yes.

It should sell for more, but you've got to entice the dealers to buy.

-Did you think it would be worth more?

-I thought so, yes.

We'll just have to see, won't we?

'We certainly will.

'Jonty is still looking at Marion's furniture

'and comes across another chest of drawers.'

'This time, it's French. It's a 20th century reproduction

'and he values it at a very healthy £80 to £120.

'Rosemary and I do a second sweep of the ground floor,

'but Marion and Jonty have found something in her bedroom.'

Tell me about this. It looks like a small set of drawers. We've got a large drawer in the middle.

This is actually a writing desk, like a lady's bureau, really. I've had it about eight years.

-So this is the...?

-That's the desk part.

OK. So where was this from?

This was from a friend of mine's mum. She had to get rid of the flat.

This was in it, I said I liked it, so I bought it.

If I just close it up while we look at the front, we've got this lovely cross-banded decoration here.

This is flame mahogany, so all this is veneer work on the front. The main carcass is mahogany.

-It's not particularly old.

-No.

-You were aware of that, were you?

Yes. I don't think it was an antique,

it was only really in the 1960s and '70s when we as a nation could afford, in this country,

to start reproducing furniture.

If you couldn't really afford the genuine article,

there was a mass market in reproduction.

That's the reason why we see a lot of Georgian-style dining tables

and chairs and even bookcases, including small writing furniture.

Value-wise, it's £80 to £120.

-That's fine. Very good.

-Definitely one for the auction sale?

-Yes, it is indeed.

'Good old Marion is certainly coming up with the goods today, but then she does need to downsize.

'She also adds this late 19th century coal purdonium -

'coal scuttle to you and me -

'to the auction haul. Jonty gives it a modest

'£20 to £50 price tag, but every pound counts.'

I have to tell you, this is my favourite piece of furniture

in the whole house. I love this table.

-It's rosewood, isn't it?

-It is. Well done. I'm teaching you well.

You're teaching me very well. I love it.

And I notice we've got

-a set of eight dining chairs. Is that correct?

-Yes.

-Did you buy the set together?

-Yes.

-And how much did you pay for it?

-650, the whole lot.

-Really?

-That is so good.

-400 for that and 250 for the chairs.

The age that we are looking at here for this particular table

is between 1835 and 1845.

-Really? Gosh!

-It's either William IV or very early Queen Victoria.

Is it classified as a pedestal table?

It is technically a breakfast table,

but it is also a pedestal table

because it sits on that lovely gun-barrel support.

It's interesting that you bought the chairs at the same time

because the chairs never started life with this table.

A breakfast table will be designed to have four to seat comfortably.

-I see.

-Six at a push.

But eight, as I'm sure you're aware, is a bit of a tight squeeze.

-A little bit, yeah.

-But friendly.

So the design is late 18th century.

But these chairs would have been made maybe 100 years later than that

in the late Victorian period.

But, rather cleverly, if you look at the timber on the top here,

this is rosewood as well,

which means that we have mahogany chairs with just a hint of rosewood,

so no wonder they work very well as a set.

But they need to be split up as far as the auction is concerned,

because they're not related to one another at all.

Value? Well, the set of chairs,

easily £400 to £600 at auction.

-Right. That's good.

-Very easily.

-And the table?

-Same price.

£400 to £600, just for the table.

-Goodness gracious!

-Amazing.

-I'm sure you're dying to know how much all your pieces will make at auction.

Well, about my person, I do have the total.

-You were looking for £1,000.

-Yes.

-I'm very happy to say you've got it,

but you've actually got £1,560.

-Oh, really?

-Wow!

-£1,560.

-What a result!

-That's good.

-What's your reaction to that?

-It's very good. It's more than I expected.

'We've had a fantastic day here and Marion certainly has some great items.

'I'm definitely going to keep my eye on a few of those as they head off to auction.

'At £50 to £100, the collection of Poole Pottery is sure to attract some interest.

'And there's the mahogany cutlery table with 12 of absolutely everything.

'It's a scoop at £150 to £200.

'Not forgetting that beautiful rosewood table and eight chairs.

'They'll be sold separately and between them, they should make £800 to £1,200.

'Still to come on Cash In The Attic,

'a small writing desk appeals to our expert.'

-The thing is, Jonty likes bijou, compact.

-Does he?

-In all sorts of things.

-That's why I like Gloria.

'Too true. And is the price too low for a large chest of drawers?'

-And so much timber.

-And so much timber. Cheaper than buying logs for the fire!

'Find out what happens when the final hammer falls.'

It's been quite a number of weeks

since we visited Marion at her home in Bournemouth.

We discovered her great passion for furniture,

but also that she needs to downsize because of moving house,

so we've brought all her items and her furniture to Island Auctions on the Isle of Wight.

She's hoping to raise her £1,000 to help her with her move,

so let's hope that there are lots of eager bidders in the auction room when her items go under the hammer.

'This auction house is based in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight.

'The salerooms were purpose-built in Victorian times

'and they've operated as such for over 150 years.'

'There are hundreds of items for sale in this auction today and Marion's lots start halfway through,

'so we've got time for a bit of a catch-up.'

-Marion, I might have known I'd find you with part of your collection. And this is Ron?

-Yes.

-Your partner Ron?

-Yes.

-We didn't see you on the day at the house.

-Hello, Ron. Nice to see you.

-Hello, Jonty.

And I hear, by the way, that there is a terrible saga about the Toby jugs.

They got taken away from the shed, unfortunately. It was broken into.

-How many do you reckon you've lost?

-17.

-17?

-There were almost 30 when I looked at them, so half the collection has gone?

-Yes.

Even though we're sad about the Toby jugs, you have some amazing pieces to sell off today.

Yes, we have got quite a nice lot.

-Your house must look rather empty.

-It certainly does, yes.

Obviously, we'll bring the jugs in for auction later on,

but I think we should head into our position, and we wish you well.

'Many of the items today have commission bids on them

'where potential buyers have left instructions with the auction house and they'll operate on their behalf.

'The first lot of Marion's to come up is the Coalport dishes and vases,

'estimated at £20 to £30.'

I've got 20 beside me. I'm looking for 22 now.

22 anywhere, please? 22. 24. 26. 28.

And 30. 32. 34. 36?

34 right at the back. Looking for 36... 34 I've got right at the back.

-36. 38.

-It's creeping up.

40. 42. 44.

46. 48. 48. 50.

Any advance on 50? BANGS GAVEL

-You've got your money back.

-Jonty, 20 quid above your estimate!

That's fantastic. I like to be wrong sometimes.

'Only when it's in your favour, Jonty, and that sale certainly was.

'I wonder if the late 19th century coal purdonium or coal scuttle

'will do as well?'

Quite a lot of interest in this. I've got 28 here. I'm looking for 30, please.

30. 30 I have. And 32?

32 I've got. 34 anywhere?

32 then. 32 there.

It's going at 32...

-£32.

-Yes.

-That's good.

-Are you happy enough with that?

-Yes, yes.

'Marion seems to be enjoying the whole experience so far.

'Her first two items have done well,

and the claret jugs follow suit.'

I'm looking for 22. I've got it. 22. 24.

26. 28. And 30. 32.

34. 36. 38.

-It's like a runaway train.

-42. 44.

Lady in the window, 46. 48 in front.

Gentleman, 48. 50. 55. 60?

£55... BANGS GAVEL

Yes! That's a good one, isn't it?

'One very, very delighted lady. Only £5 under Jonty's top estimate.

'Up next is the first of Marion's chest of drawers.

Jonty, how will this fare?

I put £40 to £60 on it, which seems cheap,

but it's because it's so large

that it might not fit into so many people's houses.

Isn't it shocking that something with so much intricate work on it

could go for such a small price?

-And so much timber.

-And so much timber. Cheaper than buying logs for the fire!

40 will start us. 40 I've got. I'm looking for 42.

It's a good chest, madam. 42. 44.

46. 48. And 50.

55. 60. 65. 70.

-75?

-One more.

-75.

80. 85? You're out now.

85. 90. 95? 95. 100. 110?

130. 140. 150.

160. 170. 180. 190?

180. 180 down here. Any advance on 180, please?

-£180.

-Wonderful.

-That's a bit above your estimate, isn't it?

-Yes.

There was method in my madness, though.

You have to estimate those to look so cheap that a lot of people want to buy them.

-You don't want to be taking that home.

-No.

'It was obviously a risk well worth taking and Marion is over the moon.

'Her next lot is the Poole Pottery.

'We're not too far from Poole on the Isle of Wight,

'so let's hope the bidders like her local collection.'

Nice Poole, always collected.

I've got 40 here. I'm looking for 42.

-42. 44. 46. 48...

-It's on commission.

50. 55? 55. 60? She's grinning at me. 60. 65?

You're out though. 60 here. 65 I'm looking for. 65 I'm looking for.

I've got 60. Do I hear 5...?

'Cheap, but well over Jonty's lowest estimate.

'Marion's next lot is that walnut writing desk

'which was on the top floor in her house. Its value is £80 to £120.'

-It's a very sweet piece.

-Yes, tiny, bijou, compact,

ready to be tucked into a dealer's pocket and out it goes.

-The thing is, Jonty likes bijou, compact.

-Does he?

-In all sorts of things.

-That's why I like Gloria!

He's in, 120. 130. 140?

140. 150...

-That's an amazing price.

-Near the stairs, 140.

I'm looking for 150.

At 150, it's sold... 140, it's sold. Thank you.

-140.

-Well above your top estimate.

-That's really very good.

-Yes.

-How's that?

-I'm very pleased with that now. Yeah, very pleased.

'I should think she is.

'Her clear-out is going down well with the bidders.

'At the halfway point, we've made £517

'towards our £1,000 target, so we're right on track.'

'If you've been inspired by Marion's progress and you'd like to raise some money at auction for yourself,

'bear in mind that there are charges to be paid, for example, commission.

'These can vary,

'so it's always worth checking in advance.

'Marion's next lot is the French reproduction chest of drawers,

'which has a price tag of £80 to £120.'

110, top of the stairs. £110. 110...

'Wow, £10 under Jonty's top estimate!

'Another great result for Marion.

'Lady Luck is still on her side.

'The ornate table and mirror from Marion's haul

'top Jonty's £100 to £150 estimate as well.'

At 160, top of the stairs...

-Excellent.

-I think you did well there.

-Do you?

-You're speechless, aren't you?

-Smile. Say you're happy.

I'm very happy it's gone.

I think Marion was hoping for a bit more.

'Will the sale of the next item bring a big smile to her face?

'It's the reproduction, French-style, two-seater settee,

'up for £80 to £120.'

130. 140. 150?

-That's amazing.

-140. I've got 140 seated.

I'm looking for 150 now. 140 I've got. Looking for 150...

-Well done.

-That's good.

-That is great.

-£20 over the top estimate.

-I know.

-I'm glad about that.

'Yes, yes, she's happy again, and we can seem to do no wrong today.

'But now it's that incredible 12-place setting cutlery table.

'It's in the catalogue for £150 to £200.'

150 I've got here. 150.

I'm looking for 160 now.

-I've got 150. 160. 170?

-That's better.

160 here now. 160. 170 anywhere? I've got 160...

And it's sold, 160.

-You're happy with that?

-Very happy.

-Ron's happy because there's no more washing up to do.

-Or cleaning or polishing.

'This is a very good auction house for Marion.

'Every single item so far has sold above estimate.

'How are her Toby and character jugs going to do? She originally had 29,

'but because of the theft, she's left with only 12.

'She's added a few bits of Poole Pottery to the lot

'and Jonty has lowered the valuation to £50-£80.'

-55. That was a yes? 55. 60?

-One more.

-60.

65? 60 I've got here. 65, please. I've got 60 here. 65 anywhere?

Selling at 60...

-That's fair enough.

-Yeah.

-In the middle of the estimate, yeah.

-It's a huge pity because originally I put £100 to £150 on your collection.

-On the whole collection.

-We ended up with roughly half.

-It doesn't matter.

'Such a shame, but Marion has taken it in very good spirit.

'It's the final two lots and I'm particularly fond of this furniture.

'The table and chairs are being sold separately. The table is up first.'

400, he's in.

420? 420. 440? 440.

460. 480? 480.

500? 550, sir? 550.

600, phone? 600. 650, sir?

-It's worth every penny.

-650, yes.

700, phone...? 700.

750...? 750.

800, phone?

850, sir?

800, phone then. At the moment, 800 on the phone.

I'm looking for 850. 800...

-Wow!

-£800!

-Fantastic.

-Isn't that brilliant?

-Wonderful.

'What a result! I always knew the table would do well.

'But I didn't think it would do that well!

'And finally, those eight chairs that Marion had around the table.

'They're about 100 years younger than the table, though,

'and we're hoping for £400 to £600.'

I've got 380 here. 400 I've got.

-420? 420.

-420.

440 I've got. 460?

460 I've got here. 480 I've got. 500.

500 here. 520 I'm looking for. 500...

-Brilliant.

-Good result.

-Right in the middle of the estimate.

-How about that?

'What a great end to the day! Her items have sold really well.

'I think we're all keen to find out the final total.'

You wanted £1,000 to help with your downsizing and presumably to decorate and plan

-and start a bit of a new life.

-Yes, indeed.

-Well, you have £2,447.

-I can't believe it!

-That's brilliant.

-Gosh! Fantastic. Thanks.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-I think the dinner...

-I think the dinner is on Marion tonight.

-It's got to be, hasn't it?

You've got to give me a kiss now.

-Well done.

-No, I don't want one, it's OK.

It's a new kitchen on the cards for Marion,

so she's come along with her very good friend Rosemary

to check out some stylish designer appliances.

Because she doubled her target,

it's not just an oven she wants, it's a range.

I'd like a range cooker, really. That would be nice.

-Similar to the one you have?

-Very similar.

-I like that one.

I do cook a lot, a lot of entertaining.

She's moving to this house, smaller than where she's used to living,

but it's right next door to her daughter and gorgeous grandchildren,

so I'm sure she'll be busy.

I'm thrilled with the cooker.

It does look very good.

Very interesting when you start using it, then we'll really know about it.

If you would like to raise money for something special