Elliott Cash in the Attic

Welcome to the programme that takes treasure hunting out of the world of fiction and makes it a reality

as we hunt for gems in the homes of people that we can take to auction

and hopefully make a tidy sum for their owners,

because you just never know what you're going to find

when you start to rummage on Cash In The Attic.

Coming up on Cash In The Attic,

we go large with a stunning piece of Carlton Ware.

Flipping 'eck, Jack!

That's a bit big for your cornflakes in the morning, isn't it?

And we downsize with some Royal Doulton Toby jugs.

Unless my eyes deceive me, I have to say that what I'm looking at here

has to be the smallest Toby jug I've ever, ever seen!

I have to agree with you, he certainly is!

But will the bidders have a healthy appetite for our collectables come auction day?

£420. 450, new man.

-450!

-500!

Find out as the hammer falls.

Today I'm in the Yorkshire Dales at the village of Colburn

and I'm about to meet a man

who has a talent for building,

a passion for his local football team, and a really big heart.

80-year-old football fanatic Jack Elliott

began an apprenticeship in carpentry when he was just 14

and over the years he added building, architecture and teaching to his list of qualifications.

He met the love of his life, Joyce, when he was 17,

they enjoyed the next 60 years together, and have four children.

In 1984 Jack put all his handiwork skills to the test

when he single-handedly built their dream home in North Yorkshire.

He even landscaped the garden himself.

Sadly, Joyce passed away three years ago

and Jack has decided that the time has come for a bit of a clear out.

His daughters Ruth and Lynne are in to help,

as is the Cash In The Attic team.

Jack and your two daughters, Lynne and Ruth,

are you thinking of going fishing?

-We could do that here!

-You made this pond, didn't you, Jack?

-Yeah.

-And behind you, the house that Jack built.

It is indeed.

You're something of a master craftsman, I'm told.

Some people think so.

Now, why did you call in Cash In The Attic, Jack?

Because I thought it was a good idea to put something back

into all the different groups that brought my wife and I happiness.

-And how much do you think that's going to take?

-About £800.

-So you're something of a collector then, Jack?

-Well, I have been.

-Ah, yes, I think...

-I would say so!

-I would say so, yeah!

A lot of dusting to do.

Well, it sounds as if you've got a house full of stuff in there,

and I tell you who else is there at the moment, I didn't just come myself,

I brought Jonty Hearnden with me, who knows a thing or two about collectables.

-So, shall we go into the house and find him and see what he's come across?

-Definitely.

Now, his daughters did say there are plenty of items in the house

that need dusting, and they're not wrong!

Every shelf is crammed full of them.

Now, this is good news for us and I know that our expert

is going to be delighted to see such a wealth of goodies.

-There you go. Hi, Jonty!

-Hi.

-Look at this.

-Flipping 'eck, Jack!

That's a bit big for your cornflakes in the morning!

It is.

-Whatever made you buy that?

-Well, I thought my wife would like it

and I bought it specially for a special present for her.

Did you? Why did you think she might like it?

Because she's actually steeped in history and I'd already bought

Toby jugs with King Henry and his six wives

and I thought this would match that quite nicely.

You're absolutely right. It's absolutely stunning,

but the great thing about this punchbowl, is the fact that it's

a limited edition bowl and if we look at the information on the underside,

because all the information is here,

is that this bowl is one of 250, and this is number 18,

but the great news is that this bowl was made by Carlton Ware,

and Carlton Ware are highly desirable, very collectable,

so that's incredibly good news for us.

The most important thing to really appreciate about this

is that all the decoration,

all the coloured decoration on this bowl would all be hand done,

so there's an awful lot of detail.

I mean, just look at the great man himself.

Look at all the detailing there.

You bought this at auction, didn't you, Jack? How much did you pay?

I paid £500 and I thought that it was worth every penny

because my wife would really adore it.

It's such a lovely thing that you've said that,

but at auction I would say something like £300 to £400.

Let's go and see what we can add to it to take to auction.

Come on, Jack. Follow me.

Ruth has started her search in the kitchen and she digs out a really pretty porcelain bowl

that she remembers once belonging to Jack's Aunt Nellie.

It was made in France by Sampson of Paris

and is in the Chinese famille rose style.

Jonty thinks the bidders will be happy to pay upwards of £60

for this quite charming piece.

-Ah, there you are, Lynne.

-Oh, hello.

An amazing collection we've got here.

-It is, yeah.

-So how was this collection accumulated?

My mum took a liking to Toby jugs quite a long, long time ago

and any time they saw a Toby jug my dad would buy it for her.

-Some people get diamond and jewels...

-My mum got Toby jugs, yeah!

But I think it's charming. It sounds like your dad all over.

-It does, yeah. Indeed.

-Now, Lynne, unless my eyes deceive me,

what I'm looking at here has to be

the smallest Toby jug I've ever, ever seen!

I think he certainly is!

To be truthful, my dad would probably like to keep hold of that

because it is pretty special.

So, as far as value is concerned

I think the star items have to be Henry VIII and his six wives.

-Oh, I think so, I think so.

-They...

You know, somebody will really want those,

so, be it a collector or a dealer, that's a definite.

Right.

But as a collection we're looking

roughly between £250 and £350.

-OK.

-And hopefully a lot more than that.

-That would be good.

But will the bidders be fighting over those Toby jugs at auction?

We've got a really determined bidder at the back of the room here, Jack.

90. Five. 100.

Only time will tell.

Jack continues our rummage in the bedroom.

He pulls four framed landscapes

by the artist B Ward from the back of a wardrobe.

Jonty values them at £50 to £70.

We're off to a really good start here

in North Yorkshire in Jack's delightful home.

and there's lots of evidence around to show just how football mad he is.

Well, that's a nice thing to have, Jack,

"Colburn Town Football Club 2008-2009, Club Man, Jack Elliott."

-That's me!

-And another three to go with it.

-Certainly, yeah.

-So this is THE football team, is it?

-This is the football team, yes.

-You are passionate about football, aren't you?

-I certainly am.

-So how did that start?

-I've always had an interest in football

and I think now I've been watching or playing football for 69 years.

Good heavens above! You met your wife playing footie, didn't you?

I certainly did. When I was about 18 I was selected to play

for the Under-18s in the district.

The first game, and I was playing on the wing when this girl was on

the touchline, and at the end of the match she asked me

-if I wanted to go to the cinema.

-She dated you, then?

She certainly did. It carried on for about three years and then we

got married and we were married for 55 years before I lost her.

I'm sure Joyce will be with us on the day we go to auction, making sure we get really good prices

for everything that goes under the hammer.

-Shall we find Jonty and see what else he's found for us?

-Certainly.

Whilst we've been chatting, Jonty continued his search.

He spots a bookshelf

filled with a complete set of The Encyclopaedia Britannica.

They date from the 1880s

Jonty thinks that this set of 35 volumes, complete with original bookshelf,

deserves to make upwards of £40 to £60 at auction.

Jack has dug out an army belt which used to belong to his uncle who fought in the First World War.

It's not in great condition, but Jonty thinks it's real value

is in the cap badges that are attached and values them at £30-£40.

Ah, Ruth?

-Yeah?

-I think I've found some buried treasure.

-Oh, wow!

I remember that. My father bought it about 30 years or more ago.

-Really?

-Yeah.

It's a fob chain, although at the end of it,

rather than having a pocket watch...

-Yeah.

-..we have a beautiful little sovereign holder.

So, inside we have this lovely gold sovereign, Queen Victoria's head on it.

And we should have a date on there. 1889. There we go.

Oh, wow! I didn't realise it was that old.

But not only have we got a gold-plated sovereign holder,

-but this is a lovely, solid, nine carat gold fob chain.

-Oh, really?

And every single link is marked to prove that it's gold.

-Great. Fantastic.

-Now, as far as value is concerned I think if we aimed at a low figure

we're going to get everyone frothing at the mouth

wanting to buy the gold, so it's a question of pitching it right.

-I think if we go in as low as £120 to £150...

-OK.

..then we should maybe even get up to £200 quite easily.

-Oh, OK. That'd be good.

-You happy about that?

Yeah. Might not put a smile on Queen Victoria's face, but it will on mine.

-Excellent. OK, let's carry on.

-Yeah, great.

Jack's cupboards are filled with items that he no longer uses,

like this old camera.

In fact, it's just one of many that he bought when he was planning to take up photography.

So they're off to auction with a £20 to £30 price tag.

Ruth has discovered

a very fine gold pocket watch that was made by Thomas Russell and son.

There are four more that Jack's collected over the years.

Jonty's very impressed

and thinks we'll easily reach his £250 to £350 estimate.

Jonty, are you busy for a minute? Can you take a look at this?

-Oh, look at that.

-Yeah.

Now, let's have a look. Can I have a look at this first of all?

Because this looks very interesting, here.

This is a German engine.

And Lima were known for making very unusual train sets.

If you think about it, how commercial is a German diesel engine in Britain?

-I don't think very commercial at all.

-I mean, we all know about Hornby.

-Yes.

-Because Hornby of course made famous train sets, didn't they?

Well, where market leaders go of course other people follow

and Lima was a follower.

They were in business for about 50 years.

They started in 1950, but they've now gone out of business.

So how much do you think we might get at auction?

We're looking at between £80 and £120, how about that?

Oh, I think that'll be fine.

We're on the right tracks, shall we see what else we can find?

-Let's go.

-Thank you.

We've found such a variety of items to take to auction, but with the day

drawing to a close there's just time for the one last sweep of the house.

In the hallway, Lynne spots two prints by the artis, David Bates,

who had a successful career as a porcelain painter for Royal Worcester.

Jonty values them at a modest £20-£30.

-Jonty?

-Yes?

-We've got these.

-This lovely little clock.

-Yes.

-And we've got also another couple.

-What do you know about the collection?

Not very much, except for my father bought them at a boot sale.

-And why did he buy them?

-Because of the name, because they're made by Elliott & Son.

-Ah!

So the family name and that's the connection.

-Is that a family member who made the clocks?

-Sadly not.

Well, what we're looking at here

is a little clock known as a carriage clock and all carriage clocks have a handle on the top.

And as the name suggests, carriage clocks were designed to be transported around.

It was your own personal timepiece.

They were very fashionable in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

-But these, I think they're a little later...

-Oh, OK.

Because most carriage clocks were a lot larger than this.

So, if you can see, we've got our three here,

you can see how similar they are in size,

but a regular carriage clock, a period carriage clock, would be almost twice the size.

-You're sure we can sell this collection?

-Definitely.

-Well, let's tell the others the good news.

Estimate at auction between £140 and £180.

I think we've had a pretty good day today.

-Wonderful.

-We've seen some lovely things and if we add that money

to everything else that Jonty's looked at

and we can conservatively take his lowest estimate on everything...

Now, £800 was the amount you wanted to raise for the three organisations within the village.

Well, I can tell you that we should be able to make £1,360!

Wow!

That would be brilliant.

That's not bad, is it?

-Not bad? Great!

-Great, well done.

We've had a delightful day in North Yorkshire.

What an array of items we've amassed for auction.

There's the magnificent gold and silver pocket watches.

If the right buyers are in the room

these could soar through their £250 to £350 estimate.

The vast collection of character and Toby jugs.

We're looking for upwards of £250.

And who could forget the limited edition Carlton Ware punchbowl?

The workmanship is truly stunning,

but Jack paid more than Jonty's £300 estimate.

Will he make his money back on sale day?

Still to come on Cash In The Attic,

there's delight as some of our items prove highly popular in the saleroom.

-That's what you call a belter of a result!

-Yeah!

And concern as to the desirability of others.

Did... Did you like them, girls?

I thought they were a bit, like, painting by numbers, personally.

But if they do well today I might like them more.

Will we make our target?

Be there when the hammer falls.

Well, it's been quite a while since we met Jack and his lovely daughters

in North Yorkshire and learnt of

the sad death of his beloved wife, but also of his plan to be able to

make a donation in her memory to some of the organisations with which she was involved.

So, we've brought all of his things here today

to Silverwoods in Clitheroe

and we should be able to make that £800 target of his - and some, perhaps.

This popular Lancashire auction house holds a sale of antiques,

collectables and furniture once a month and it's usually very well attended.

There seems to be an abundance of fine porcelain here today, which

means that our fabulous Carlton Ware punchbowl will be in good company.

I'd love Jack and his daughters to make as much money as they can.

Hi, Jack, Lynne and Ruth.

Well, you've just got minutes to go and that'll be the last time you'll see that.

I'll be sorry to lose it, actually.

But you have got some terrific things coming up today

and you don't want to have to take any of them home with you, do you?

-Not really, no.

-Definitely not.

-Especially the books!

-Absolutely.

Well, the saleroom is beginning to fill up, so shall we go and take our

places and keep fingers crossed for that £800 and some? Come on.

It looks like we've got a full house today, which is great news.

We take up our positions in time for our first lot.

It's the very elegant famille rose bowl made by Sampson Of Paris.

30, then? 20 quickly. £20.

£20 and two.

Oh, started at 20. Pretty low.

Anybody else then, now? At £20. And 22. Be quick then, now.

All quite sure this time at £20?

All done.

-That was a disappointment, wasn't it?

-Well, it's all right.

-You win some, you lose some.

Not the start we were hoping for,

but Jack and the girls don't seem too upset.

I think we'll just bank the money and move on.

I can only assume that the porcelain buyers were saving their

money for our next item, and what an item it is!

Well, it's Henry VIII and his six wives.

Right, a bit of a rarity.

Who will start me at what for this one? £100 and straight in.

100, any of you?

-Straight in at 100, Jack.

-110. 110. 120. 130? 130. 140 now.

-Going quickly.

-130 in the room.

We're looking for 140. 150.

-At £150. 160. 170.

-In the middle of the room, new bidder.

170. We're looking at 180 now. All quite sure at £170?

-I'm disappointed by that.

-You thought it was going to make a lot more than that.

Yes, yes, absolutely.

It's fair to say that we had really high hopes for

the magnificent punchbowl, but sadly it wasn't to be.

Can our luck change with the massive collection of Toby and character jugs?

The auction house has split them into three separate lots

and we're looking for at least £250 in total.

There are 14 of these. Right, £30 for all the lot.

At £30. And 32 now for all the 14 together.

-At £30.

-£30 for the jugs.

32. 35. 38? All done at £38.

£38.

£50 here. 50 bid. 50 and five. 60.

Five. 65. 70 now. £70. 75.

-80? At 75 at the back.

-We've got a determined bidder at the back of the room.

-90. Five. 100.

-He's still nodding.

And ten. 120?

Now I've £110 at the back then.

All done at £110.

-Thank you.

-110, that's good.

110 for the second lot. The next lot coming up now.

Right, lot 43 and you have Henry VIII and six wives.

There you go, all of the Royal Doulton character jugs in lot 43.

-100 bid.

-100 we bid already.

At £100. 110. 120. 130. 140.

150. 160. 170? At 160 up here.

Yes!

We're looking for 170. At £160. Where is 170 this time then, now?

Are you all quite sure? All done at £160.

£308.

-Oh, fantastic.

-Good.

-Well done.

What a roller coaster that was,

but we hit the middle of Jonty's estimate in the end.

There are sighs of relief all round as we have our first above estimate sale of the day.

And the collection of cameras soon follows suit.

At 25. And 28 this time. 28. Quick as a flash, come on!

At 25, 28. Anybody else? 28.

-28.

-£30. And two. At 30 with me.

-On the internet, they're bidding.

-That's good.

-At £30. And 32 online.

32. 35 now. At £32 on the screen.

It's going, all done.

Selling for £2 over the top of the estimate.

It feels like we've hit our stride, but I'll be interested to see

how our next item fares because it's one of our more unusual lots.

The military belt is coming up now, Jack.

Just remind who this belonged to.

It was my great uncle's and he served in the First World War.

And it's decorated with all sorts of sort of army and RAF badges.

Did you never try and kid the daughters that they were yours?

Sometimes. I'd do anything for a laugh!

-35. 38.

-Going up.

-At 38.

-Lots of bidders.

At 50. 55. £60. At £55 here.

Looking for £60.

£60. 65. £70? At 65.

Where's 70 now for this little lot?

All done at £65, make no mistake.

£65.

-Jack!

-Oh, wow!

-That's what you call a belter of a result!

-Yeah.

How about that? Twice the lower estimate.

Let's hope that the upward trend continues with our next lot,

the trio of carriage clocks

valued at £140 to £180.

220. 250. 280.

-Oh, wow!

-280. 300. And 20. 320. 350.

380. 400, sir. 400. And 20. 450.

No, at 420 away in the corner.

At £420. 450, new man. 480. 500.

-500!

-And 50. At £500.

Have another 50, your dad would.

At £500.

At 550 now. All done at £500.

550. 550.

600. At £550, are you all done?

-At 550.

-Wow!

-They paid for the name!

An astonishing result!

Three times Jonty's top estimate!

If that doesn't make up for our earlier disappointments, then I don't know what will.

So far you've made £1,145.

-Thank you very much.

-Oh, good!

-Is that like scoring a hat trick?

-Lovely.

If you've been inspired by Jack's progress and you're thinking of heading to auction.

then do remember that fees like commission

may be added to your bill, so please do check the details with your local auction house

first, to avoid any unwelcome surprises.

Our next lot is the model trains and track

which Jonty valued at £80 to £120.

At 95. Where's 100 for this little lot?

-Online, 100.

-At 120 if you want.

120. 130, now?

At 120 back of the room.

At £120. And 130 this time.

-All done. 130. 140.

-Still going up!

-140. 150 now?

At £140. We're looking for 150 this time.

-All done at 140.

-Very good.

-Yeah.

-That's lovely.

That was full steam ahead on that, wasn't it?

Well done. That is such a great start to the second half.

We know that Jack's already exceeded his target,

but each sale will be adding more money to his great causes.

So, how will this next lot do?

It's the set of Victorian Encyclopaedia Britannicas with their original bookshelf.

It'll do you good. 150.

160. At 150 up here.

At £150. All done at 150 this time.

Well, we had 40 to 60 on it so we've made more than double that, Jonty.

I'm really pleased about that.

I think Jack is, too.

His lots are certainly popular here at the moment.

Next we've got the quartet of landscapes by the artist B Ward.

Did you like them, girls?

I thought they were a bit like painting by numbers, personally.

But if they do well today, I might like them more.

Go on, I'll take 20.

20, any of you?

£20, come on. What can you buy for £20?

-Our luck's running out, Jack.

-Yes.

Any of you? ten I'm bid. ten and 12 if you like.

At £10 bid. And 12 for these.

At £12 bid. And £12 anybody else then, now? All quite sure? And a maiden bid of a tenner.

That was a bit disappointing,

but luckily our next set of prints prove more popular...

At £25. And 28 now.

At 25. And 28 be quick.

All done at 25.

..making bang in the middle of Jonty's estimate.

To complete our day we have three lots in quick succession consisting of our gold and silver items.

Now the auction house has decided to divide up our pocket watches into two separate lots, so we've got one

for the silver watches, a second for the gold watches, plus our gold sovereign in case,

and to finish off we have that magnificent nine carat gold chain now as a standalone piece.

So, what's going to happen this time again is that it's going to be fast and furious,

but hopefully what we're going to get is, what,

something in the region of £350 in total for them?

-We should do, we should do.

-Nice little package is this.

-100. 110.

-Sounds good.

-120. 130. At 130. 140. 150.

-Online! 150.

170 now. At £160 on the side.

We're looking for 170, quickly. All done at 160.

£160, wow!

Here we go, here comes the next one.

130 with me. 130. 140 now.

160 at the back of the room. 170.

180 on the screen. 190.

200 again. At £190. We're looking for 200 quickly.

All done at 190. 200. 220.

-It's heart in the mouth stuff, isn't it?

-It certainly is!

250 it'll have to be. All done at £220.

Terrific!

-The Albert chain now coming up.

-And I'll start this straightaway at £100.

-He's in at 100.

110. 120? 120. 130. 140. And 50.

It's like being on a seesaw, isn't it?

-250? 250. 280. 300.

-I'll need security to take me home!

350? 350. 380 now.

At £350 now. All done at 350.

That made you £730!

Goodness me!

What a terrific way to finish off!

I think we're all very keen to know what the final figure is.

You wanted to raise £800 in total.

You've made £2,200, Jack!

-Well done! You'll definitely get Supporter Of The Year this year!

-Lovely.

-You always do!

I think you've done so well that you can definitely sign Wayne Rooney

and possibly build a new stadium, as well.

Three weeks after that terrific day Ruth is accompanying Jack to the

home ground of his beloved Colburn Town Football Club.

Jack is delighted to be handing over three separate cheques

to huge three hugely grateful beneficiaries, his local church... Right, Ken and Doreen,

I'm very pleased to be able to present you with this cheque.

-The village drama group...

-There you are, all the best.

And, of course, Jack's team, Colburn Town Football Club.

I've always been told by my mother that it's better to give than to receive.

HE CHEERS