Hougham Cash in the Attic

Hello and welcome to the programme that helps people find

unwanted collectibles that they can take to auction, to raise money

for a favourite project or a treat.

It's always fun to meet someone who just can't resist

going into junk shops or to car boot sales,

in the hope of finding a real bargain.

Is that £3 purchase going to turn into a £300 profit?

Find out on Cash In The Attic.

Coming up on Cash In The Attic... Our expert plays the joker

when he hears the purchase price of a mahogany card table...

Whoa! A massive £18!

How long ago?

About 25 years ago.

We discover something with royal connections...

See what it says round there?

"Honi soit qui mal y pense".

'And that's the motto of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.'

'When it comes to auction James foresees a good sale

'for a Victorian telescope.'

I'm feeling bullish. I think we're going to guarantee you a profit.

Find out if he's right when the hammer falls.

Today, I'm in Buckinghamshire and I'm about to meet Angela

and her daughter, Nina, who are looking forward

to putting their glad rags on, for a very special outing.

Angela Hougham has collected all sorts of things

for years, even chickens,

but after a house renovation, she's decided she needs a good clear out.

She was born in Kenya,

but her family emigrated to the UK when she was 12.

She's been married to Bob for the past 17 years and they have

one daughter, Nina.

They bought a bungalow eight years ago

and have spent the last four

having it converted into a five bedroom house with a large garden.

James Rylands is with me and he started his career at Sotheby's,

so he's just the man we need to get our search underway.

CHICKENS CLUCK

-Hi, Nina, Angela.

-Hi!

-These chickens are so cute.

So, why have you called in Cash In The Attic?

Well, this was a bungalow and we've made it into a house.

I can't believe that. It looks so amazing!

-Yes, we had to work quite hard at it.

-I bet you did.

And we have a lot of things that we don't want to keep.

We've started decorating and we don't really need these things.

-Where did all of this stuff come from?

-Various places.

Auctions and car boot sales

and some was already in the family.

Are you an inveterate collector,

-you can't resist going into antique shops and car boot sales?

-I can't.

How much money do you think we're going to raise from all this?

I'd like to raise about £700.

-And what are you going to spend it on?

-Nina's going to be 16 soon and I'd like to surprise her.

Nina, how do you feel about that? A special surprise for your birthday?

I'm quite scared. I don't know what she's going to do!

I tell you what, James Rylands has come with me and I know

he can't wait to get started on finding

what you've bought at all those car boots and antique shops

-that we can take to auction. Shall we go and find him?

-Yes.

James is in the lounge and he's already found something that might

be absolutely right for the auction.

-Hi, James.

-Hello, Angelas.

-Meet the other Angela.

Nice to see you.

Well, you've found me discovering the secrets

of this wonderful table of yours.

-Isn't it delightful?

-It is nice.

-What is it?

-Games table, I believe.

You're absolutely right, that's exactly what it is.

-Where did you get this, Angela?

-I bought this in a junk shop.

-On one of your forays?

-Yes.

-You just can't resist, can you?

-I just can't.

-Can you remember what you gave for it?

-Yes, £18.

-Ooh, a massive £18!

-How long ago?

About 25 years ago.

It is for cards. It's made around 1910

and there's some quality about it.

It's got some nice work down here, actually.

It has. All this nice blind fret and then fretwork

has all been done by hand.

It's made of mahogany - also doubles up as an occasional table.

So, just as you've got it. It folds up nicely, you put a lamp on it.

Bearing in mind you paid £18 for it, have we got a profit in this?

We'll put £60 to £100 on it.

-So, you've tripled your money.

-Yes.

-There are a lot of things 25 years ago where you wouldn't have. Are you happy with that?

-Definitely.

Well, let's hope we can do some tripling up

on some other of the items we find today.

I spot this attractive glazed cabinet in the hallway, which Angela

bought at a fair for £200. James tells me its made of oak

and, while furniture like this

was once the height of fashion,

sadly that's no longer the case. He gives it £50-£80 estimate.

Nina shows James an Edwardian mahogany clock

which her dad bought 25 years ago.

It was made around 1900 by Comitti of London,

and has a French carriage-clock movement. Nina's not a fan,

but James gives it

a £60-£80 price tag.

Will the clock prove popular with the bidders come auction day?

£50 for it. £40 for it.

Come on.

42, 42, 45...

Find out later if it reaches James' estimate.

There's so much to see in the Hougham home.

James is downstairs now, where the lounge cabinet

offers a small Victorian brass pocket telescope.

Angela bought this at a boot sale, for £50, a few years ago.

Unfortunately, we won't be magnifying her investment,

as it stands to make only £20 to £30 now.

Angela, when I'm inside the house,

it is extraordinary to think this was a bungalow.

You've completely rebuilt the whole thing, haven't you?

Oh, yes, when we came here eight years ago it was in a dreadful state

and we've had to almost rebuild it.

You've done a wonderful job on it, I have to say.

But you weren't born here. You were born in Kenya?

Yes, I was born in Kenya, many years ago.

-And you left when you were how old?

-12.

-Was that old enough

to realise what you were leaving behind? Do you miss it?

Not really, no, because I think,

at that age, I was, sort of, really looking forward to going ahead

and going to a new country and a new place. You know,

it didn't really matter.

When you got here to Britain, what were your ambitions as a young woman? What did you achieve?

I wanted to be able to do everything, so I could fit in

any role that there was need for.

I had two hairdressing salons,

then I gave up when I got married.

I met Bob in a social group about 17 years ago.

You also like cooking, don't you?

You've managed to use the cooking to help raise money for charity.

I get people to come to my dinner and I call it, my charity dinner.

And you raised quite a lot for the tsunami?

Yes, we raised over £3,500.

Well, on this occasion, we're going to be raising money for you,

so you can do a very special birthday treat for Nina.

-So, maybe we should drink up and go and find James.

-Yes!

Nina's rummage pays off, when she finds

these silver mirrors and hairbrushes in a spare room.

They belonged to her grandmother, Freda, and were assayed

in Birmingham in the late 1930s.

James prices them at £50 to £80.

-Angela?

-Yes, James.

Look what I found lurking in your cupboard here -

this amazing collection of scent bottles. Where do they all come from?

Oh, various places, car boot sales,

jumble sales and some I've bought abroad.

This particular one came from a charity place.

You got this at a charity shop? Well, you did very well,

because it's a nice Victorian scent bottle, in cut glass,

with this silver top and, basically, as you take the silver top off,

you've got this little stopper there to actually take off, as well.

What we tend to forget is that people tended to be a lot smellier

in the old days, than we are now, before the invention of the deodorant.

So, perfume was very important, because it masked all those

horrible bodily smells.

Now, which is your favourite out of all these?

That one.

-Why is that?

-I think it's so unusual.

It's almost in the form of what we'd call a cornucopia.

In other words, full of, a cornucopia of plenty.

That is an unusual one, and also I like the fact that

it's heavily-cut glass. It's really, really good quality.

So, no regrets about seeing any of them go?

Oh, no, Not at all, I am trying to minimalise,

so it will be lovely for it.

You've got quite a big collection here, so I would think probably,

conservatively, we'll probably put

£60 to £100 on the lot and that'll really get the bidders going.

Angela also digs an old cloth-bound book about Robin Hood,

the famous heroic outlaw of Sherwood Forest.

She bought this in a box of books for £2, at a garage sale.

James values it at £10 to £15.

'In the office,

'I've come across something that I really want to show the others.'

James, Nina.

-I certainly didn't expect to find this.

-What?!

Horse brass and, blimey, a shoebox full

of very, very heavy

-brass tracers.

-Those are very heavy.

Wow, let's put those down. Where did these come from, do you know?

My dad's dad was the chauffeur to Lord Hambleden.

About 60 years ago,

they cleaned out all the stables.

See what it says round there?

"Honi soit qui mal y pense".

'Which translates as "Evil to he who thinks evil",

'the motto of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

'Membership is limited to the Sovereign, the Prince of Wales and a select group of 24 others.'

This is almost certainly from a royal carriage.

-So, what do you think about that?

-That is quite amazing, actually.

Royal connections are worth money,

but I think we've just got to put £30 to £50 on them and let them run.

-How does that sound?

-Just as they did originally, on the horses!

What an incredible find, there.

I think Nina's a little lost for words.

And, upstairs, I've spotted these two cigarette cases.

Angela bought them at a car boot sale and says

she didn't pay very much for them,

but one is silver and James has valued the lot at £20 to £40.

And it looks like our expert's rummage in the lounge has paid off.

Hi, Angela.

Hello, I see you've found one of my paintings.

I have, Edwin Earp, very nice.

-And I've got another one like this.

-You've got a pair?

-Yes.

Where did they come from, Angela?

An art gallery, not far from here.

Well, he's moderately well known, Edwin Earp, and he was actually

an artist born down in Brighton, on the South Coast, in the mid-19th century.

It's a very romantic view, isn't it?

-Yes.

-It is actually a watercolour,

and one of the problems with watercolours

is that if they've had direct sunlight on them, the colour,

over a period of time, begins to fade.

Now, with these ones, it's just begun to go.

It's still OK, but it's not quite as fresh as when it was done.

You bought them, Angela. What did you like about them when you bought them?

I had been on an open evening,

where we were all having a good old drink

and I think I bought these when I'd had one too many!

-What did you pay for them? Can you remember?

-£100, for the pair.

Credit to your eye. That's all right.

Conservatively, we'd certainly put £150-£250 on the pair.

-How does that sound?

-That sounds really good.

That's a terrific addition to our haul, which means we should

be in pretty good shape to help pay for Nina's birthday surprise.

The next item to go towards our auction haul is something

that our host has unearthed.

It's a canteen of silver-plated cutlery, in a mahogany case.

It's a good find, earning a £30 to £60 estimate from James.

James, Angela, Nina,

look what I found up in the attic.

James, there's a wonderfully clear hallmark on that,

you should take a look, and a great one here, too.

-Silver candlesticks. Where did you get these, Angela?

-A car boot sale.

What?! In a car boot sale?

Like this, already made into lamps?

-Yes, they were in a junk box.

-And how much did you pay for them?

£1.

-Do you have any idea how old this is?

-No.

-Well, it's hallmarked, London, 1763.

-Wow.

So, that is getting on for 250 years old.

That would have been part of a pair of candlesticks.

Basically, very neo-classical, with this Corinthian column,

and would have sat and graced any dining table in the country.

-This one is a lot younger, isn't it?

-It's Birmingham, 1920-something.

So, although that has value, this is the real, real find.

So, what sort of profit is she likely to make on her £1?

I think an estimate between £200 and £400 together would be conservative.

And you may have thought they weren't worth a light,

but let me tell you, they are.

Absolutely fantastic.

What is nice that if we add that £200 now to the lowest estimate

that James has given you on everything else he's seen...

I know you want to raise £700 for something special for Nina's 16th birthday,

we should be able to make £740,

but, who knows, as James says, that could be worth even more than £200.

You have got an eye for a bargain, haven't you?

I'm jealous, I'm taking notes here!

I'll have to come with you.

I think that Angela is something of an expert-in-the-making!

I can't wait to see how all her items do when she takes them to the saleroom.

Remember the scent bottles she's collected over the years?

Well, there's a good collection that should make between £60 and £100.

Plus that Edwardian mahogany card table.

That should bring in another £60 to £100.

Finally, the collection of horse tack showing Queen Victoria's emblem.

James gave it a conservative £30 to £50 estimate,

but, with its royal connection, who knows what it will make on the day?

Still to come on Cash In The Attic, will Robin Hood

come riding through the glen for us?

I'm not sure whether we did rob from the rich to give to the poor, but it was a good try!

We feel the angst of the bidder.

She can't resist it.

-And the excitement of the seller.

-You out?

-But who'll be the happiest when the final hammer falls?

-Are we all done?

Well, it's just been a couple of weeks since we were with Angela

and her daughter Nina at their home in Berkshire.

Angela's goal is £700

so that she can have a very special birthday treat

for her daughter Nina when she's 16.

So we've brought all her items here today to sell

at the Chiswick Auction Rooms in west London,

and we're just waiting now for the bidders to arrive,

and hopefully they'll buy their things when they go under the hammer.

Today, we're at a sale of fine antiques and works of art.

The bidders have now started to arrive and there seems to be a fair amount of interest in our items.

But there's one piece they can't look at just now.

Hello, Angela and Nina, taking a last look at your royal connections there!

You didn't know what that was, did you?

-No, not at all.

-But we think that might do quite well today?

I think so, with that royal connection and all the carriage fittings.

-£30 to £50, it's got to do better than that.

-It should do.

£700 is our target. Angela, have you told Nina yet

-what you're going to do for her 16th birthday?

-Yes.

We're going to actually do a makeover for her, for her bedroom.

-That £700 target, we've got to make, haven't we?

-Yes.

Shall we go and take our places? Let battle commence!

Angela has a dozen interesting offerings here, so let's hope they

stand out amongst the competition.

The first of her lots to come up is a lovely old book

with a price tag of...

£10, £10 for it? £5 for it? Thank you, a bid at 5.

Bidder at £5. Give me 6 for it?

£5, a starting bid of £5. Are we done? £5, you bidding 6?

-£5 and going...

-GAVEL BANGS

I'm not sure whether we did rob from the rich to pay the poor,

-but it was a good try!

-It was a profit!

And it's a start, but not much will change in Nina's bedroom

unless we make more than a fiver.

Next up is a lot that's fit for a queen.

It's the collection of horse tack that once adorned the horses

of Victoria Regina's Knights and Ladies of the Garter.

Perhaps even the Queen herself.

£40. £20.

-Oh, no.

-£10.

-No.

My goodness!

Thank you, a bid at 10.

A bid at 10, looking for 12, who'll give me 12? 15.

15? 15. 18? 18. 20?

22? 22.

25. At £25... 28? At £25...we're done.

Last time £25, all done. £25...

£25, you look disappointed.

-I thought it would be more than that.

-It didn't run away.

That WAS a little disheartening though,

especially given its royal connections.

Still, it did almost make James's lowest estimate.

Next it's the turn of the small Victorian brass telescope.

I'm feeling bullish - I think we're going to guarantee a profit on this.

Here we go!

Victorian brass telescope. £20...

Take a bid at £20... £20... 22...

22... 25...

30... 32? 30, is that all?

At £30,

at £30, all done,

£30, it goes out the door...

-Wonderful.

-Not bad.

-£30 was the top of the estimate.

-All right, top of the estimate.

So, that was right on the nose, James.

And a good profit.

Angela certainly seems to have a talent for spotting classy items.

Her cigarette cases and that Victorian mahogany clock both

prove popular with the bidders...

Your bid.

..adding another £97 to the kitty between them.

Angela, something coming up that you have not bought

at a car-boot sale, and that's the canteen of silver-plated cutlery.

Remind where it did come from.

It was my husband's mother's.

It was their family cutlery.

£30, start me. Thank you, £30. 32...

-They're already at £30.

-That's good.

-40 over there...

42... 45... 48... 50...

At 48, then, 50...

55... 60... 65... At £60, all done, your bid and gone, £60.

£60, top of the estimate!

-Top of the morning to you.

-That's a good result, isn't it?

-Yes.

There were quite a few bidders interested in that set,

which pushed its price to the top.

Most of Angela's items have done really well today

and, with half her lot sold, we've made £217 towards

that £700 target, so we're not doing too badly at all.

If you have a special project in mind and need to raise a little money for it at auction,

it is worth bearing in mind that there are charges to be paid,

such as commission and they do vary from one saleroom to another, so it is a good idea to check in advance.

Next up is the oak glazed display cabinet.

The price tag in the catalogue here is £50-£80.

£30 for it. Take 30... 32...

35... 38... 40... 42... 45...

Working its way up to what we really wanted!

55... 60... 65... One more please, 65... 70.. £70...

70, 75... £70, are we done at £70?

£70.

-That's not too bad.

-Could have done better, but you are delighted to have got rid of it, aren't you?

Yes, I don't want to take it back.

It wouldn't have gone back in the back of the car easily!

Just £10 under the top estimate is another great result

and £70 is a good amount to put in the pot.

According to the catalogue, the next item of yours to come up

is the Edwardian mahogany tea table with a fold-over top and under-tier.

You were pretty convinced that this was a games table.

I'm not sure why they've called it a tea table,

because you've got cubby holes for putting your chips and playing cards.

£50 for it, please... £50 for it.

The table. £50... 55... 60...

65... 70... 75...

-Still going up.

-Come on!

At £70, I'm going at £70...

I wonder if the winning bidder is going to play cards on it,

or take tea.

Now, we've got your wonderful collection of scent bottles here.

You're getting quite a lot for your money,

because £60 to £100 for the entire collection,

it's three of four quid each, which isn't huge.

They're very collectible, scent bottles.

Thank you, a bid at £50. 55... 60...

65, I'll come back to you. 65... 70...

75... 80... 85...

90... 95...

-100... 110...

-Yes!

120...

130... Up to you now.

At 120...

130, new bidder. 140...

130... 140... At 130 in the middle, £130.

She really wants them, she's been outbid.

135, you on?

135, she's come back in.

She can't resist it, she's back in again.

£140, 145...

£140... 145, she means it...

150... 150...

155... You going to roll your eyes again?

At 150, and 155...

You out? 155! Why not?

160?

You've got 'em at 155.

-155, all done. 238, 155.

-GAVEL BANGS

Good price, and I'm glad she got them.

We all felt quite involved there

and really wanted the bottles to go to that lady.

They went for a terrific price too, so we're doubly delighted.

There is another great result

when the silver hairbrushes and table mirrors go under the hammer.

£50, £50 you've got it.

Right on the nose, and another £50 into the pot.

Angela has just two lots left, with the Edwin Earp watercolours up first. She bought them

from a local gallery, and now they're valued at £150-£250.

Three watercolours, £100...

Thank you for the £100.

110... 120... 130... 140... 150... 160...

£150...

150, take 160.

-150, last chance, your bid...

-GAVEL BANGS

-£150.

-It wasn't bad.

It's time for somebody else to enjoy them.

£150. That's £50 over what Angela paid for them originally.

It's time for our final lot and we should be going out with a bang,

as it's the two candlesticks, one of which is Georgian.

-What did you pay for them?

-I only paid £1 for each of them.

I'm going to come along with you. Next time you go for one of these, I want to be there!

Let's see what your return is going to be on that one.

150 to start me. 150 there.

160... 170... 180...

190... 200...

210... 220... 230...

240... 250...

260... At £250...

Going at £250 and gone...

-Good.

-£250.

Good result.

It's a shame they didn't make more,

but Angela seems very relaxed

about the sale and she doesn't know her full total yet.

I'm sure she's going to have good cause to get excited.

£700 is what you wanted to spend on that makeover for Nina's room, but there's going to be a bit left over

and I think, Angela, you should decide how you want

to spend the rest of the money, because you've made £962.

-Oh, lovely.

-What?!

Back at their house, and Angela has wasted no time in transforming Nina's bedroom.

Even her dad, Bob, has been roped in

along with a family friend to do the finishing touches.

So, what does Nina think of the makeover?

NINA GASPS

No way!

I think it's really, really amazing.

I absolutely love the light.

It's so nice when you turn it on the light reflects on the ceiling.

-And now she's going to keep it nice and clean, she's promised.

-Hopefully.

-Hopefully!