Lappin Cash in the Attic

We find antiques and collectibles in peoples' homes

and sell them at auction,

raising money so they can do something else instead.

Now, this may range from a trip to see long-lost relatives

or maybe buying something new for the family.

But how much they raise depends on the quality of their items.

So what's the figure today?

Find out later in Cash In The Attic.

'Coming up on today's Cash In The Attic...

'Paul takes a fancy to 1920s elegance.'

You've got good, strong, sturdy knees,

which is what you're looking at.

-Always helps when you've got good, strong, sturdy knees.

-Always helps.

On a table, it's not bad either.

THEY ALL LAUGH

'We discover heirlooms from a bygone era.'

Do you know where these have come from?

I know the pocket watch was my great-grandfather's,

-who was a station master in Ireland.

-Wow.

'But, when we get to auction, not everything goes our way.'

-I think he's actually sold that.

-He sold that for £5?

I think he has done, yeah.

-Oh, dear...

-There was no interest at all.

'Will our luck improve? Find out when the final hammer falls.'

Well, today, I've come to Southam in Warwickshire,

where I'll be meeting Nicola and her mum, Marlene.

They've taken the brave decision to get rid of some old memories

so they can provide some lovely new ones

for the youngest member of the family.

'Nikki Lappin is a nursery nurse with a passion for photography.

'She's travelled the globe with her camera,

'but now has plans for a very special trip with her family.

'So we've come to the home she shares with her mum and daughter

'to see if we can be of help.

'Paul Hayes is our expert today.

'And his 20 years' antiques experience

'should stand us in good stead as we look around this tidy home.

'It bodes well for a great search.'

-Ah, morning!

-Morning.

-You must be Nicola.

-I am.

-And Marlene, is that right?

-Yes.

-So who called in Cash In The Attic?

-Myself.

-Ah, right, OK.

And what made you decide to do that?

Decided that, after my father and my grandmother passed away,

it was about time we had to clear out

some of the items that we'd accumulated.

And so what would you like to raise the money for?

I think it's about time we had a holiday and cheered ourselves up.

What sort of holiday?

I'd like to go to Disney in Florida and take my daughter.

-What's her name?

-Vanessa Mae.

-Vanessa Mae? What a lovely name.

-And how old is your little girl?

-She will be three in the summer.

So, Marlene, what sort of money

would you like to raise towards this holiday?

I'm hoping for about £500.

£500 so the three of you can go to Disney.

In which case I think we need to divide off and find Paul Hayes.

Hopefully, he'll have found something we can have a look at.

Shall we see if we can find him?

You go that way, Marlene. Let's see if we can find him up here. Paul!

'As ever, Paul's got straight to work.

'It hasn't taken him long today

'to track down our first likely-looking item.'

-Hi, Paul!

-Hello, how are you? All right?

-Yes, thank you.

I found one of my favourite items - a Windsor chair.

-It's lovely.

-Fantastic, isn't it?

What's the story behind this?

My grandfather made it.

He used to live in Coleshill, near Wycombe. He was a carpenter.

So did he make it for you?

It was a hobby of is that he did. He made it for the family.

You do see a lot of these around,

but I wouldn't want to have to make one. Would you?

No, they're extremely difficult to make. He's done a really good job.

But of course, the Windsor chair gets its name from Windsor,

which is near High Wycombe, where the origins come from.

But they used all the local materials -

we're looking at elm, ash and all these wonderful fruit woods.

These things that you used to find here in the British Isles.

This one has been made with a later material.

It's oak or perhaps even beech.

-Probably fair to say maybe 1930s to '40s.

-Sounds about right.

But the basic concept is still there. These are so cleverly made.

What would happen is this piece of wood here would be tapered.

It sticks right through this piece of wood, and then cut off.

The reason for that - these were made originally before glue,

so of course you couldn't glue these items together.

So this would stay in this sort of condition.

They just last for ever. They're wonderful.

Given that your grandfather made it, are you sure you want to sell it?

It doesn't fit in where we live now.

I'd rather somebody gets some use from it.

What sort of value would you say this might have?

A 1920s to 1940s sort of chair like this...

It's attractive. It has a bit of patina.

If I said £50-80, that sort of price,

-how does that sound?

-Yeah, that sounds good.

Now we know what to look for.

Shall we go and find something else to sell?

'On that note, we get started.

'And Paul immediately stumbles over

'a different kind of chair in a hallway,

'and evicts the resident cuddly toys to get a better look.

'Nicola's grandfather also carved this himself,

'shortly after World War II.

'Probably in his own workshop in the garage.

'Paul is delighted to discover

'there's another chair that matches this one.

'A good example of post-war craftsmanship.

'The pair should polish up nicely for us at auction at £60-70.

'Marlene shows Paul a sewing machine

'which she inherited from her mother-in-law.

'Unusually, it's not made by Singer

'but by Frister & Rossmann, a German firm.

'It dates from around 1900 and has a walnut case.

'And Paul hopes it will make £40-£50.'

-Hi.

-Are you here? Wow, look at this! It's a nice bedroom, isn't it?

Have you found anything good?

I found some silver items here that might be of interest.

Right. Let's have a look. Have you collected them?

I think these were my grandparents'.

So you can remember these as a child?

Yes, I played with them lots as a child.

Nice little patch box or a pill box, isn't it? Isn't that lovely?

This is a fruit knife.

Look at that beautiful engraving there, can you see it?

All bright cut. Look at that, it's a mother-of-pearl handle.

It's solid silver, I can tell. Do you know how to tell your hallmarks?

-I'm not 100 per cent sure.

-I'll tell you the main things to look for.

-The first thing is a lion, can you see that?

-Yeah.

That's the lion passant, the British mark for silver.

-But what's more important for me here is that one. Can you see that?

-Yeah.

-That's a portrait of Queen Victoria.

-Right, OK.

-That instantly dates this to the Victorian period.

-Right, yeah.

So somebody in 1870 would have used this.

-Isn't that fascinating?

-It is.

I think you've got quite a collection here. Is this a lipstick?

Don't know. A little snuff pot, my gran said.

-All right. It's a little bit damaged, isn't it?

-Yeah, a bit of damage.

I think these are very collectible items.

People are always looking for items like this. If we said £40-60...

-That sounds really good. Yeah.

-Does that sound all right?

-Yeah.

All right, OK. So let's look after these for a bit.

'Well, our expert has high hopes for the silver.

'But will the collectors be out in force come auction day?'

-Interest here to 12, £15 is bid.

-£15, we're in.

'So how much will they be willing to spend?'

At 25, 28, 30. At 30, 32. Clears the book.

'Enough for a family holiday?'

-That was quite a result for us.

-It is. It's good.

'But will it be good enough?'

Paul's ferreting around for more things,

so I thought we'd have a little break.

Stay in the warm. I want to know, whose idea was it to go to Florida?

-I think we came up with it all together.

-Yes, we did. Yeah.

Are you great Disney fans?

I am, more than the rest of them.

So what's the background behind you deciding to do this holiday now?

Well, in June 2006, my grandfather passed away.

And then, in September, my dad passed away very suddenly.

Then I found out that I was going to have Vanessa Mae.

Shortly after she was born, my gran passed away.

So, within 18 months, it was all rather dramatic.

A lot of things going on.

Marlene, that must have been quite a bittersweet pill for you.

You lost your husband but gained a granddaughter.

Yes, it was. I can't say she's filled the gap,

but she's helped to heal the gap.

And she's a lovely little girl. She's so bright for a two-year-old.

I think she deserves a treat.

When are you planning on taking this trip?

We hope just after Vanessa's third birthday, which is in June.

And does she know anything about the trip?

No, we'll keep it as a surprise for her.

I don't blame you.

She'll just go completely bananas over the next six months otherwise.

Yes, I think so.

I'm really hoping you will make the money.

But, I should warn you, Paul is rather a Disney fan.

You may well find yourselves with an extra passenger.

-Shall we go and track him down?

-Yeah, sounds good.

-Come on, then.

'I knew Paul wouldn't let me down.

'Upstairs, he's found this mirror,

'which is part of a 1930s dressing table set.

'It's made of Bakelite and belonged to Nikki's grandmother.

'And it includes various brushes and a manicure set.

'Paul values it at £20-30.'

-Nikki?

-Yeah.

-I've found two really interesting items here.

A pocket watch and a travel clock.

Do you know where these have come from?

I know the pocket watch was my great-grandfather's,

-who was a station master in Ireland.

-Wow!

Well, that does explain it.

It's one of the best makers you can get with pocket watches. An Omega.

-Have you heard of Omega?

-Yeah, I have.

The value is in the quality of the movement.

Of course, with your being a station master,

you'd have to make sure your clock was really accurate.

The reason being, if you had two trains...

Say you had two station masters in Ireland,

and one train sets off at a wrong time,

then it could be a disaster, they could meet in the middle.

So they had to be dead-on right.

You're looking at around about 1910-1920. Fantastic.

With it being an Omega, that's a very good watch.

What's intriguing me is this one. Where does it come from?

That's always been on my gran's sideboard.

Well, this really belongs to a lady's travelling case.

It's a travel clock.

When you open it up.... This is all solid silver.

When you open it up, you've got this nickel-plated watch here.

But these really were the first type of bedside clock.

You would travel around the country,

you'd have these on your bedside cabinet and you could tell the time.

I think it's pretty having this enamel dial. I like that.

What you've got to look for is the quality of the silver.

This is a bit bent and worn.

-Can you see the holes...

-Over-playing as a child, I think.

Over-playing, or sometimes over-polishing.

Silver's doing very well at the moment anyway.

But these clocks are highly desirable.

This one would be very good if the case were a bit better.

If I said £80-120, how does that sound?

Yeah, that sounds fair.

You could do quite well with this pocket watch in particular.

Great! Let's keep looking.

'I'm browsing in another room, where I've come across

'this interesting set of six glass bottles.'

'It's a nickel-plated condiment set made in the 1920s,

'Paul Hayes prices this attractive dining set at around £30-40,

'which will help to season our way towards those tickets to Florida.

I was going to ask you, what about this table?

-It's fabulous. Does it have an extra leaf in the middle?

-Yes.

It was my mother- and father-in-law's.

We have tried it in my dining room, but it just doesn't look right.

So, Paul, what do you think of it?

This is an extending dining table, dates about 1920-1930.

It's all solid oak. These are Queen Anne legs,

which was really around the beginning of the 18th century,

but copied in the 1920s.

You've got pad feet there.

You've got good, strong, sturdy knees,

which is what you're looking at.

-Always helps when you've got good, strong, sturdy knees.

-Always helps.

On a table, it's not bad either!

THEY ALL LAUGH

What's very useful is that you could have it in this small shape here,

maybe sit four people around it for a game of cards or a breakfast.

But then you can have this winding action

which opens the whole thing out.

You put leaves in the middle,

and that would extend it to maybe a 12- or a 14-seat.

You're looking at least £150,

maybe £200, if not even a bit more.

-How does that sound?

-Brilliant.

It's more than I was expecting.

-Let's see if we find something else for the same amount. Come on.

-OK.

'That really is a great addition to our target,

'and the fund for the family holiday to Florida

'is suddenly looking much healthier.'

'Paul heads up into the loft.

And, what do you know?

'He finds some more chairs made by Nikki's grandfather.

'They're mahogany with beautifully carved, French-style decoration,

'All four chairs together are valued at £80-120,

'Paul also finds a Carlton Ware vase

'and a 1930s cake stand by Royal Stanley.

'This Art Deco-styled pair could fetch us between £40 and £60.

'Time to head back downstairs.'

This is quite nice, Paul.

I love these sort of clocks. They're architectural.

-It says something on there. Can you read that?

-It does.

It says: "Mr F Lappin, from GS & WR Company, October 1911."

Isn't that amazing?

-Shall we see whether this is something we can sell?

-Of course.

Marlene? Nicola, are you there?

-Ah! Now then, you two. You all right?

-Not too bad.

We've just been looking at this clock.

It obviously belonged to a Mr Lappin.

This is the same Lappin relative

that has given a lot of things to this auction.

-It's my great-grandfather.

-OK. This has obviously been presented to him.

Would you know the history of that?

Yeah, he worked for the railways in Ireland.

-He was presented this out there and he continued to work.

-Right.

-It was a thank-you gift.

-How interesting.

This really is part of a garniture,

which sits like this here on top of a mantelpiece,

but would have two side pieces that went with it.

These architectural clocks were very popular around that time,

sort of 1880-1900.

This is actually Belgian slate,

so it was a great form of manufacture at the time.

Lots of architectural clocks like this were produced. Very heavy.

You need a strong mantelpiece to put them on.

There was a railway connection, did you say?

-Yeah, he was a station master.

-Right.

You've no proof of that?

-We have a letter and some photographs of him.

-OK.

Let's have a look. There we are, look at this.

-Let's have a look. Do you know which one he is?

-Yes. Here.

-Oh, right. OK.

-Fantastic. Isn't that great?

It looks like the railway children. You can just imagine them.

That was in the times when people used to take real pride.

That's right.

It's the golden age of the steam train.

There's a letter there as well.

What sort of value do you think it might have for auction?

Value-wise, as a clock,

if I said sort of £50-80...

But having a railway connection increases it.

That helps us out rather nicely, cos you wanted £500, didn't you,

towards the holiday in Florida.

We can top that up quite nicely, I think.

The value of everything going to auction comes to £670!

-Wow, fantastic!

-That is brilliant.

The next time we'll see the items, they'll be at the auction house.

'Well, we've had a great day here in Southam

'with Nikki and her mum, Marlene.

'And what a variety of items we found for auction.

'There's quite a collection of chairs made by Nikki's grandfather,

'including the hall chairs that could bring in £60-70.

'The vintage Frister & Rossmann sewing machine.

'It's a rare make and could fetch more than £40.

'And the slate clock with its personal link

'to the history of the Irish railways.

'Hopefully, there'll be some collectors in the room

'and we'll steam past the £50-80 estimate.

'Still to come on Cash In The Attic...

'There are times at auction when even we struggle to stay positive.'

-Oh dear.

-Oh dear...

-That's gone.

-£15.

'And moments when we can't believe our luck.'

-Yay! There you go.

-That's brilliant.

-That is amazing.

That is a really good result.

'So will the good times outweigh the bad?

'Find out when the final hammer falls.'

It's been a few weeks since we visited Nikki and her mum

at their Warwickshire home.

During the years, they've inherited lots of bits and pieces,

but decided it was time to have a bit of a clear out.

So we found the items of value

and brought them here to the Cotswold Auction Company.

Remember, they're trying to raise £500.

So let's hope the bidders are being generous

when our items go under the hammer today.

'There are three auctions here every month.

'Today's is a general sale with 500 lots on offer.

'So it should be the ideal place

to sell Nikki and Marlene's mixed array of items.'

-Morning, Paul.

-Good morning, Lorne. How are you?

-And you've got a chance to take a last look at your items.

-Yes.

You've got some great items.

The clock and other bits and pieces.

You wanted to put a reserve on the pocket watch

-and the Omega watch. How much is that for?

-£120.

£120. I'll have a chat to the auctioneer before it starts.

-Is that reasonable?

-It's at the top of the estimate.

If it doesn't sell, would you rather take it back?

We'd rather get it repaired.

Make the decision now. It's too late once it's been sold.

Well, all these people are here to buy things.

Let's get them under way. Let's get in position.

'If, like Nikki and Marlene, you want to sell at auction,

'remember that commission and VAT charges will be added to your bill.

'So do check the details with your local auction house first

'to avoid any unwelcome surprises.

'First lot of the day

'is Nikki's grandmother's Bakelite dressing table set,

'which dates from the 1930s.'

£5? Any interest at £5? Any interest at 5? 5 I'm bid.

At £5. Who's going on? At £5, all done.

Looking around, at 5, all short and finished at 5. £5.

£5.

I think he's actually sold that.

-He sold it for £5?

-I think he has, yeah.

-Oh, dear...

-There was no interest at all.

'Oops, that's not quite how we planned to start our day.

'Hopefully, we'll have more success

with the extensive collection of Jasperware

£30, please. 30? There's 20.

£20? There's a lot of it for 20. £10? £10 bid.

At £10, it's a good start. 12, 15, 18.

20, 22. £22, centre of the room.

-At 22, looking around, at 22, all sure?

-It's cheap.

At 22, 22...? £22.

-£22.

-Here we go.

-That's a little under what we wanted.

But they're out of the way and you've got some money.

'Nikki and Marlene don't seem too upset with that result,

'but we need the bidders to take a lot more interest in our items

'if we're going to get anywhere near our target.

'Sadly, the condiment set and the vase and cake stand

'fall well short of their estimates too,

'adding just £32 to our kitty between them.

'Paul and I are both fans of Nikki and Marlene's slate clock.

'Let's hope that someone else in the room has also taken a shine to it,

'because we really need a good result with this one.'

This is the one that we were all looking at earlier.

Architectural form, do these pop up at auction from time to time?

They are quite common,

but they're very classical, this architectural style.

It's in nice condition.

What I like is that it says 1911 on the label on the bottom.

OK, so we want £50. Should we start with 5 and see how we go?

And start me at £40, please. 40?

£40? 30 away? Any interest at 30?

We'll start here at £20. We're starting at 20. Who's going on?

At £20, looking around. Nice clock. At £20.

All sure and finished at 20...

22, 25. At £25 here. At 25, all done.

At 25...

Those clocks do £30-40 plus everywhere really.

It's a shame today.

How do you feel about it?

-Well, it's better than I thought it was going to be.

-Really?

Oh, right. OK. You've lifted my spirits as well, saying that.

Good! Ever onward!

'Well, thank goodness for Marlene's high spirits.

'As it's a case of either laughing or crying,

'I'm pleased she's chosen the former,

'especially as the sewing machine sells well under estimate too.'

15 on my right hand side. At 15. We'll sell it at 15.

Are you sure? At 15, £15... £15.

-Oh, dear...

-That's gone at 15.

-£15.

You were saying you're glad

you don't have to dust any of these things.

So I suppose that's something, isn't it?

'Well, once again, Marlene's looking on the bright side

'and it's all money in the pot.

'With half our lot sold, we've made just £99

'towards that Disneyland trip.

'We're hoping for £500, so it's onwards and upwards.

'Time for our favourite lot -

'the travel clock and pocket watch.'

Right, our next lot

is that wonderful Edwardian travelling timepiece.

I think this is a wonderful item.

The green enamel is beautiful on that watch.

Don't forget there's an Omega watch with it.

I think the combination of being silver and being an Omega,

it should do very well.

We certainly need to make this money if we're going to reach that target.

Fingers crossed.

Interest here, I can go in at 60, £65 is where we start.

At £65, who's going on?

At £65. 70, 75.

-At £75 here. At £75...

-He's not going to sell it.

-You did right to put your reserve on that.

-Absolutely.

At 75, 75...

I'm afraid that lot remains unsold.

-So he hasn't sold it.

-That's a relief.

'Nikki and Marlene are clearly relieved

'that the travel clock and pocket watch haven't been sold.

'Maybe our next lot will raise some hands

'and add some much-needed cash to the pot?

'It's the mixed collection of silver.'

At £15 for all the silver.

At £15. 18, 20, 22, 25.

£25 here.

At £25, looking around. At 25, 28, 30.

At 30, 32. Clears the book.

At £32 in the room. At 32. Any more interest?

That's more like it, isn't it? Come on.

-£32.

-There we go. That's a reasonable amount.

That's good, isn't it?

Yes, that was quite a result for us so far, wasn't it?

'£32 may be a little under estimate,

'but I think we're all just relieved to have raised a few extra pounds.'

Our next lot is that lovely dining room table.

-What will you eat off now?

-We've got another one.

It's a lovely quality table. I've got a feeling,

cos we're in the countryside here,

lots of people are interested in antique furniture.

Hopefully, we'll do something good. We're looking for £150 upwards.

-150? 100? £100?

-Come on.

-80 away?

Any interest at 80? Any interest at £80?

Who's going to start me?

£50, then. Any interest at 50? I'm looking around.

-£50 anywhere? At 50?

-Withdraw it.

I think we're going to withdraw it. At £50. At 50.

£50, if we can't get a bid... No.

So it's unsold.

It's withdrawn because he couldn't even get £50 for it.

I think that's the best thing he could've done. Do you?

But you didn't want it back. What are you going to do with it?

I don't know.

'That wasn't the result we were after.

'Not one bid for the dining table.

'Luckily, the Windsor chair made by Nikki's grandfather

'does find a new home...'

£40... That's £40, sir.

'..adding a much-needed £40 to the pot.'

'It's more of Nikki's grandfather's handiwork up next.

'This time in the form of the two carved hall chairs.'

-So you're not missing these from your home?

-No.

-No.

Oh! OK, definitely not.

What do you want for these?

About £60. These aren't the most comfortable chairs.

You'd sit people in the hallway and they wouldn't hang around too long.

They're not too comfortable. But £60.

Commission interest takes me in at 42, £45.

-£45!

-At £45 is where we start.

48, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70. At £70 here.

On commission, are you sure? At £70, on commission.

75, £80 here. At 80, 85. Clears the book.

£85 on my right hand side.

At 85, all done. At 85. 85... It's yours, sir.

-Yay! There you go.

-That's brilliant.

That is amazing. That is a really good result.

There we go. We were right.

The country furniture is what they're going for.

'That's the first lot to exceed its estimate.

'And its top estimate at that. Thank goodness,

'and not before time. The rollercoaster continues

'and our final lot, those four chairs

'which went with Nikki's dining table, don't have the same success.'

Any interest at 40? All sure? I'll withdraw them at 40. £40?

Any interest at 40?

No, I'll leave those there.

Well, we've answered a question there.

We wondered whether the chairs would be sold without the table.

But fortunately, neither of them sold, so they can all stay together.

'That result, or lack of it, pretty much sums up our day in Gloucester.

'When the bidders keep their hands in their pockets,

there's not a lot that can be done about it.

'I think we're all rather relieved that this sale is over.'

You wanted £500 for this holiday, didn't you?

How do you think you've done?

I don't think we've quite got there.

No, you haven't, I must say. But it's not... All is not lost.

-You've made £256.

-That's all right.

-That's brilliant.

-So that's certainly a good starting base.

-A bit of spending money.

-Have a fantastic time, won't you?

-We will.

-Yeah.

'After a rather disappointing day at auction,

'Nikki and her mum, Marlene, have decided

'that, for now, the trip to Disneyland will have to wait.

'But that's not stopping them from enjoying a day out together.'

We decided, because we didn't make so much money

on the day of auction as we'd hoped,

we've decided to use the money and treat ourselves to a nice lunch out.

So now we're in Leamington Spa.

'They may not have made it to Florida,

'but the sun is shining and there's not a queue in sight

'as the ladies explore the delights of Royal Leamington Spa.'

-Really enjoyed today. It's been nice and relaxing, hasn't it?

-It has.

It's been good fun.