Bessey Cash in the Attic

Welcome to the programme that loves to join you in a rummage around your house

looking for things to sell at auction that will pay for a special project or treat.

The family we're about to meet have a very exciting experience in store for one of their grandchildren.

Find out what it is when we go looking for cash in the attic!

Coming up on Cash in the Attic:

will Paul succeed in persuading the lady of the house

to part with a treasured Victorian necklace?

-It's something to think about.

-Yes, it is.

It's tugging at the heartstrings there.

Plus an unorthodox way of raising cash.

Place your bets!

And at auction, an unexpected online bid takes our breath away!

-Start straightaway at £55.

-Ooh, blimey!

Be there for the final crack of the gavel!

Today, I'm on the Lancashire coast, where I've come to meet Michael and Dorothy,

a couple who really did have the courage to follow their dreams.

In the 40 years that Mike and Dorothy Bessey have been married,

they've dabbled in the property game, owned hotels,

a care home for the elderly and even a restaurant.

If that's not enough, they did it while Dorothy was a professional dancer.

Now semi-retired, they love travelling and spending time with their grandchildren.

Dorothy hopes the money we raise will go towards a special surprise outing

for the whole family.

Today I'm joined by our expert Paul Hayes

whose keen eye will spot the belongings that should give the Besseys the best chance at auction.

Mike, Dorothy!

Obviously this is the hub of the family home and family business!

-Yes.

-It certainly is.

-Everybody works in a scruffy office.

That's how you get stuff done. I have to say,

reading about you two, it strikes me that you're prepared to take on any adventure, every new opportunity.

Nothing really daunts you, does it?

No. If it's a challenge, we'll try it.

There's lots to talk to you about later on, but why have you called in Cash in the Attic?

Well, I have five grandchildren.

On holiday a couple of years ago we went horse riding.

And they really enjoy it.

So I thought we'll pay for them to have horse riding lessons.

-How much do you think this is going to cost?

-I'd like to raise £1,000.

-A thousand?

-A thousand seems fair enough to me.

-Right.

Paul Hayes is with me. He's having a rummage around

to make sure we make that total. So shall we go and find him?

OK.

'It seems Dorothy's decided to provide riding lessons for all five of her grandchildren.

'So we'd better crack on today to ensure we raise that £1,000.'

Ah, hello. Look at this!

Paul, this is Dorothy. I suppose this is one way of making the £1,000!

Yes, could be. Are you all ready? Here we go.

Place your bets!

What are you doing with a full gaming set in the house?

I bought it for Michael one Christmas. We've had a lot of fun.

Parties we have, we have a little spin.

I've lost millions!

-You've got a roulette wheel.

-That's roulette. Dominoes.

-Dominoes.

-Backgammon.

-And chess. It's a full compendium.

If you don't use real money, they're great fun items.

This is a really nice one. The butterfly veneer

which looks like a butterfly wing and the marquetry panel.

-Beautiful.

-£500 we paid for it, about 20 years ago.

-There you go.

-What do you think we might get for it?

-I think at least half your money.

200 to £300. If someone takes a shine to it, maybe a bit more.

-It would be nice if I got three for it.

-Fantastic.

-Can I play a game now?

-Yes.

-How about a game of draughts? You open that door,

-and I'll open this one. Draughts! Can you feel it?

-Oh!

You can pretty much bet that Paul's always got a gag up his sleeve!

While we've been clowning around, Mike has come across a 19th-century horse figurine.

Paul thinks he can rein in the bidders

if the price tag reads 40 to £60.

In the spare room, I've come across a 19th-century oil painting.

Titled The Temptation by R. Messonet,

this piece was painted on a panel instead of canvas.

It's slightly rough round the edges,

and Paul has priced it at 30 to £50.

Michael, what have you found? Oh, look at that.

-That's interesting, isn't it?

-I think it's Swedish.

So who's got the Swedish connection?

Nobody, but Dorothy was in a double act in Sweden at one time

and I think that's when she bought it.

I think she got it from an antiques shop.

It didn't mean much to her, but she liked the look of it.

-Has she worn it as a pendant, or...

-She has, from time to time.

-But it's been in a box for a long time.

-I've never seen anything like that.

This does have a little mark just there. It says "guld".

Which could be a Swedish mark for gold.

Normally they go off the purity. They'd say 22 or 18 or nine.

Nine carat as we know here in the UK.

It looks quite a good medal.

-It's got Gustaf Adolf. He was the king of Sweden.

-Right.

Here, it says, "For langvarig trogen tjanst".

That seems to me like it's long service for whatever.

Yes. Because "for langvarig" sounds like "for long..." something. Service.

What we need to do is determine what carat gold it is. That's very important.

And then try and translate this into English so we know what it's been presented for.

I've got my homework cut out here. But if we say at least 150 as it is.

Assume everything's OK. How's that?

-Sounds good.

-Great. So he's going to auction. I wonder how you say auction in Swedish?

-Not a clue!

Apologies to all our Swedish-speaking viewers! I'm sure we'll translate it later!

I've found something else that's travelled from its original Swedish home.

An early 20th-century Ericsson telephone.

Dorothy bought it with another wind-up model 43 years ago.

We're hope to sell them for 50 to £80.

-Dorothy?

-Yes?

-Now, then.

-This is a sovereign pendant. Was it yours, or Michael's?

-It's mine.

Was it? I can just see Michael with an open-necked shirt, the Tom Selleck look!

No, he wasn't like that! I used to wear it quite a lot.

Mike bought it for me just after I had my son.

-He actually bought me two.

-OK. What happened to the other one?

-The other one's promised to my niece.

-OK.

So this one, I'm not sure about it.

It could go, but can I have a little think?

Of course you can. But sovereigns are extremely popular.

They've always been a form of bullion. If you took a bag of sovereigns to Africa or India,

-they'd recognise it and people would trade with you.

-Right.

It's solid gold and gold has always been a currency.

They're called a sovereign, that's the coin in the middle there,

because they always had the portraits of the king or queen at the time.

The original one was Henry VII.

That was 1489.

A long time ago.

Very clever. In the 1960s and '70s,

the fashion came for sovereign rings and pendants.

Looks like this might have been mounted. Did you have it done?

-No, that's how I bought it.

-Right.

-Or how Michael bought it, I must say.

-Right.

What I like is that it's been sympathetically mounted.

What happens is the sovereign sometimes is soldered to the mount.

-So the metal would be ruined.

-I've seen that.

-Ruined.

This one has been placed in these clamps here.

So when you take the coin out it will be pristine. That's what people want.

1911. It's the coronation, I think, of George V. He was crowned in 1911.

Adding all that up, these are quite expensive now.

For years, and I've been in the business over 20 years now,

they've always been between 45 and £65 a sovereign.

Nowadays, with gold being what it is,

they bring in 120 or £130.

So an item like this with its mount and its chain,

you're looking at £150-plus.

-It's something to think about.

-Yes.

-It is.

-But it looks like it's tugging at the heartstrings!

I don't blame you in the slightest.

We'll tell Angela it's going, but between me and you, it might not get there!

That sum would certainly go a long way towards Dorothy's target

of £1,000 for her grandchildren's riding lessons.

So, while Paul carries on with the rummage,

I'm curious to find out more about this couple's fascinating past.

Dorothy, I did say you and Michael have had a fascinating life.

Lots to talk about.

You started out as a dancer, for which you had a real passion.

I have, still!

It's all I wanted to do.

My father said, "If you go into show business,

"you'll always be hard up. Get a dancing school."

-Mike, you were in the Royal Navy?

-I was, indeed.

I did 11 years. Two years boys' time and nine years with the Fleet.

So you joined the navy and saw the world.

-That's exactly what I did.

-So if you had been in the navy

and Dorothy was travelling all over Europe as a dancer,

how the heck did you get to meet?

When I came out of the RN,

I got a job as a manager with Top Rank.

They sent me down to Paignton, to a bingo hall of all places,

which was just across the road

from the nightclub that Dorothy was going to appear in.

And that's where we met.

Singing and dancing.

Clearly, it was meant to be a match,

because you've been married for over 40 years.

42... Nearly 42 years.

42 years! Whatever it is, it's a great combination.

It clearly works for you both.

Let's hope you can sprinkle some of that stardust that you've brought

to your lives and careers when we get to the auction.

-Shall we go and find Paul?

-Yep.

-Yep.

'Paul's been busy and has uncovered an unusual silver cruet set

'from the 1900s. It's lined with green glass.

'The six-piece condiment set was used by Dorothy's family for years

'and Paul sets the price at 75 to £100.

'Now, Dorothy's done some fine work in finding this 1960s vase.

'Made by Moorcroft, it displays the classic hand-painted floral work

'for which the company is best known. Paul thinks a collector will be drawn to this piece

for 100 to £150.'

Wow!

Mike, I found these bits and pieces that have got Concorde written on them!

-Yep.

-You must have flown on Concorde

We did a round-the-world trip

and we flew from New York to home on Concorde.

-It was such an amazing experience.

-What a brilliant flight.

Three and a quarter hours from New York to London!

Did you get that frisson of excitement when the captain says,

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now travelling at twice the speed of sound."

I think it was great. You can feel the thrust.

Because they're only allowed to go so fast over land.

Then they can go supersonic.

We've got some bits and pieces here. You used to get wonderful goody bags.

What did you get in your goody bag?

That in itself was just opera binoculars.

Obviously the details of the flight,

-menus, a diary they gave you...

-So a memento?

A memento of our round-the-world trip.

-Are things like this collectable?

-A lot of people are very interested in aviation

and Concorde has to be number one. A couple of items like that, you're looking at least 50 to £100.

If two people take a shine to them, they could go supersonic!

-That'd be good.

-Not bad, is it?

'We can only hope our items will fly out of the auction house that fast!'

We're only taxi-ing now!

'In the meantime, Dorothy's been busy hunting through drawers

'and has come across this modern opal ring.

'Paul thinks someone will happily take it off her hands for 100 to £150.

'In the hall, Paul spots this portrait

'dated 1897. It's actually a black and white photo

'which has been put onto canvas

'and then coloured by hand.

'Paul hopes it will make 80 to £120.

'From what we've found so far,

'it's clear Mike and Dorothy have a talent for spotting interesting artefacts.

'These shelves are lined with collectibles and one in particular has caught my eye.'

That's by Stinton and it's Royal Worcester.

-Where did you get it?

-I bought it at an auction.

Is it going to go back to an auction?

-Yes, I'd let that go.

-You're letting it go?

-Yes.

We should call Paul so he can have a good look at this.

Paul?

Mike?

Dorothy bought this rather nice looking vase at auction.

-Do you remember how much you paid for it?

-Yes. £250.

-Did she get a bargain?

-You got an absolute bargain.

This is the Holy Grail in terms of ceramics.

It's Royal Worcester. But more importantly, it's the work of John or James Stinton.

-Did you know that?

-Yes, I did. It's signed underneath.

-There we are.

J.Stinton in the corner there.

They were a family of decorators at the Worcester factory.

They perfected the art of Highland cattle or game birds,

falcons and that sort of thing.

It's got a lovely quality to it. The misty glens

with the bridge in the background.

This is absolutely superb. It's known as blush ivory,

these wonderful warm colours.

The pierced work along the top with real gilding.

And the Royal Worcester stamp. Do you know how to date them?

Royal Worcester, they put their dot for the year 1891

and a dot every year since.

So if I count these dots. One, two, three, four, five...

..seven, eight, nine, ten, 11. So this was made in 1902, 1903, that sort of time.

If she paid £250 originally... How long ago was that?

-1991.

-How much will it make now?

These are so in demand.

I can't stress how recognisable these are.

That in auction today would create such a lot of interest.

-I can imagine between 400 and £600. Something like that.

-Very good!

-How does that sound to you, Mike?

-Not a bad profit!

-That's super.

-Why didn't I buy it?

Excellent.

That's a lovely note on which to end.

I'll be realistic and take the lowest estimate Paul gave. £400.

Let me add that to the other things you've looked at, taking the lowest price.

I know you want to raise £1,000 for the riding lessons,

but I think there's going to be enough left over for you to have lessons as well, Dorothy!

And maybe even drag Mike along,

because we should be able to make £1,425.

-Brilliant.

-Good heavens! That would be good.

-That's all right!

Lovely. Thank you very much.

But we'll have to wait to see what happens when we get to auction.

Who would have thought that the small Royal Worcester vase

would be worth quite as much as that?

It could make a real difference to their fortunes on sale day.

Along with the Concorde memorabilia.

At 50 to £100, we'll hopefully attract a few aviation enthusiasts.

And there's the fully-loaded games table.

At 200 to £300, that price could increase our odds of a sale.

Finally, the stunning Worcester vase.

At 400 to £600, this rare design

will undoubtedly draw the attention of big collectors.

Still to come on Cash in the Attic:

some of Mike and Dorothy's collectibles have come with a few optional extras!

-These come with a lot of dust on them.

-You've seen my garage!

Yes, I have! Dust is extra, here.

And one find brought to the table proves to be a surprising hit!

-Fantastic!

-Good heavens!

It's been quite a while since we joined Michael and Dorothy at home on the Lancashire coast.

They're a lovely couple and have achieved so much in their lives,

that I think it's terrific they now want to raise money

to take their grandchildren on a very special day out.

We've brought all their things to sell here at auction at Silverwoods of Lancashire.

We hope they'll exceed their £1,000 target.

But as always, it's now in the hands of the bidders.

These auction rooms are always teeming with buyers.

Let's hope Mike and Dorothy's items will cause a stir today.

Since our rummage at their home, Dorothy has had a change of heart over selling the sovereign.

So we're already down £150 on target.

We've also discovered that the Worcester vase that Paul valued at 400 to £600

has had some repair work done to the rim.

This has reduced the estimate to between 300 and £400.

I hope we can still make that £1,000 target.

There is quite a bit of excitement about this, Paul?

The name Stinton, the Royal Worcester combination, it's a wonderful item.

We've protected it with a reserve.

-And the reserve amount was?

-£300.

-I think it's worth that, and three is my lucky number, so let's see.

-Right.

Shall we put it back up, in good company with the horn!

Let's take our places. It's beginning to fill up

and we should get on with the auction.

If you'd like to raise money by selling at auction,

remember that sale rooms may charge fees such as commission.

Prices vary, so do enquire in advance.

It's time for the bidding to begin. Our first item is the Moorcroft vase

Start me at what for this? £100?

90. 95? I've 90 in the room.

95 on screen.

100. 100. And ten?

At £100. Looking for 110. £100 in the room. Anywhere else? At £100 now.

-Dead on!

-£100 for that tiny little vase!

You may not have liked it, but it was a good buy!

That's bang on target with our estimate. But it's early days yet.

There are plenty more lots to sell before reaching that target of £1,000

for the horse riding lessons for the grandchildren.

This is hold on to your hats time because the lovely Royal Worcester is coming up.

We hope it's going to do very well.

We have a reserve of £300 and you valued it at more than that?

The combination of Stinton and Royal Worcester, it's text book stuff.

Let's see how we get on. There could be a herd of buyers!

We'll start this one straightaway at £300.

300. And 20 if you like.

At £300 on the pad. At 300.

Looking for 320. At £300, and 320 from any of you?

At £300 and 320 this time, then, now?

All quite sure? Anybody else?

All done at £300.

-It did well.

-You made your reserve.

£300. Happy with that?

Very happy. Very happy.

That's a great result - nearly a third of our target in one go.

Will the Concorde memorabilia fly out of the sale room too?

Who'll start me at what for this?

£60, any of you? 60 for the lot.

60, any of you? 50, then?

£50? 50 bid.

-We're in.

-£50.

Back of the room and 55?

At £50. And 55? I'll take 55. Come on, we're only taxi-ing now!

55? Anybody else want a go or are you sure on a maiden bid?

All finished at £50.

Well, good.

-I'm pleased with that.

-You are?

-Absolutely.

-Wouldn't buy you a ticket on Concorde!

-No!

It's smiles all round and another 50 in the pot.

Despite reaching all of Paul's estimates up until now,

our dark horse comes in with a disappointing result.

Let's hope the next lot rings all the right bells.

When I was rummaging in your garage,

I found these two old telephones.

The expression on your face, Michael!

-You don't think much of them, do you?

-No, I don't! Horrible!

You never actually used them, having bought them in Sweden.

I bought them because I liked them.

I must be odd because I was only 22, 23, and I used to buy old things.

I didn't buy clothes. I was a collector, you know. So...

-Well, these come with quite a lot of dust on them.

-You've seen my garage!

-Yes.

Dust is extra, here!

So are we being a bit ambitious with 50 to £80, Paul?

I don't think so at all. These are collectors' items, and well may you scoff!

Remember, this is 1908. A time before most people would have telephones.

Anything that's early in technology has a following interest.

With the internet being here today, you watch this space.

I'll start these straightaway at £55.

Blimey!

At 55, various interests. Where's 60 for these?

At 55, and 60 now. 60 on-screen. 65.

-On the internet!

-70, now? 65 with me.

70 we're looking for. At £65,

£70. 75 again.

75 and 80? At £75 on the pad.

All done at £75? 80.

80 on-screen. £80. Where's 85 now?

At £80 only bid.

85 quickly? All done?

Online at £80.

There you go!

Do you remember how much you paid for them?

One was given to me. The other I gave the equivalent of ten shillings.

Ten shillings, which is 50p.

-There we go.

-50p and you've made £80.

-I don't believe it!

-That's a fantastic result!

-It is!

-The dust!

-It's the dust that's done it!

-It's the dust!

Tell you what, we've had quite a bit of dust today

and it's all totting up.

-You're trying to raise £1,000 today.

-Yes.

And so far, we are over the halfway point.

-Because you've made £550.

-Really?

-That's good!

-Are we that far?

You're halfway into the saddle!

So far, things are looking good for Mike and Dorothy.

At this rate, it won't be long before the grandchildren can saddle up.

Dorothy's opal ring proves to be a sure-fire hit with the bidders

as it sells for Paul's top estimate, boosting our target by £150

Now it's time for the Swedish gold medal,

which we found out is a long service medal for patriotic acts.

But presumably, Paul, people will be interested in it

not just because it's Swedish but because it is pure gold.

Let's hope so. I've never seen a medal like this before.

It has that unique collectability and it's solid gold, anyway.

But £150, let's see how the internet comes in.

Could be a live line from a sauna in Sweden!

110. 120.

120. 130.

130. 140? 140. 150?

At £140 and 150 where else?

At £140, all done?

At 140.

There we go. Just underneath there. Interesting, though.

-Do you remember how much you paid for that?

-The equivalent of £8.

-I found it in a junk shop.

-Good lord!

Eight pounds. And 140 is what you've just sold it at!

What a fantastic profit margin.

Will the elegant silver cruet set prove as popular?

We're looking for 75 to £100.

At 75 and 80 I'll take.

£80. 85. £90. 95?

100. And ten.

110. 120?

-I have 110 at the back.

-Is he going again?

120. New bidder. 120.

130? 130. 140. 150?

At £140. 150? Anybody else then, now?

All quite sure this time?

At £140.

-Very good! Brilliant!

-We had that in at 75 to £100.

-Excellent.

-A really good result.

-Absolutely splendid.

That one really cut the mustard!

Paul's gags are wearing down even Michael and Dorothy,

but that was a fantastic result.

And although both the portrait

and the small Victorian painting sell under estimate,

they add another £57 to the kitty between them,

so there are no complaints.

We've got just one lot left to sell now, and it's a biggie!

OK. Here we go. Listen to this for a description.

"A continental marquetry inlaid games table of canted square form.

"The lift-off reversible top encloses sliding covers

-"fitted for roulette, backgammon, chess, et cetera."

-It's all there!

This is a great bit of fun. There's a reserve on this.

-£200.

-£200. Let's hope it's a good bet for someone!

Spin the wheel, here we go!

140. 150.

160. 170.

180. 190. 200.

You're up to your 200 reserve.

All done at £200.

Terrific. You've made your reserve.

You don't have to take it back with you.

But what you are going to take back

-is a cheque for a very respectable £1,237.

-Brilliant!

-Ooh!

Have a great day riding. We might get you in the saddle, Michael!

You might. And you might not!

With the £1,237 that they raised from auction,

Mike and Dorothy have booked those horse riding lessons.

All the grandchildren are here, but today it's young Michael's turn for a lesson.

We're here today because Michael came for a special lesson

for children with disabilities.

He's really enjoyed it and he wants to come again. It's wonderful, isn't it?

-Yeah!

-Good.