Sansom Cash in the Attic

Welcome to the show that searches your home for hidden treasures, gets them valued

and then sells them at auction. Lots of families have heirlooms,

but it's usually one member of the family that ends up storing the lot.

And that's the dilemma facing the family we're going to meet today.

They're hoping that we can find out whether they've got any cash in the attic.

'Coming up on Cash In The Attic, our expert, John,

'dreams up inventive ways of wearing a 19th century Albert chain.'

I think we could attach that little hook to that nose ring of yours

-and put the T-bar in your ear.

-I could try it, if all else fails.

'Maybe it's time for a confession.'

-Three gold sovereigns, no less.

-There should be five.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah. We can't...

-Is there something you want to tell us, John?

There was only three when I found them!

'When we get to auction, some results beat our expectations.'

-Straight in at £50.

-Wow!

-Yes!

-Straight in there.

'Find out what happens when the hammer falls.'

Today, I've come to Edwinstowe,

right on the edge of Robin Hood's Sherwood Forest.

I haven't come to rob the rich to give to the poor,

but we have come to help a family clear out their attic,

and they're hoping we'll find plenty of riches

because they're looking to raise the funds they need to set up a memorial for a much-loved family member.

'Meet Jill Sansom and one of her three sons, Chris.

'Their family has had a big impact on the local high street.

'Jill's father transformed derelict buildings into new shops and businesses

'and, over the years, he became something of a local hero.

'Now Jill's hoping to raise some money that can be used to create a memorial to his achievements.

'With me today is John Cameron. He's just the man to help us hunt down the items

'that will give us the best chance at auction. While he makes a start, I check in with Jill and Chris.'

-Ah, good morning!

-Hi!

-You must be Jill and you must be Chris. Is that right?

-Yeah.

-And you're the youngest son.

-Yeah, the youngest of three.

I understand that we're here to raise money for something rather special. Tell me about that.

My dad passed away last year and he was a big Edwinstowe man,

had a lot to do with the village, the parish council,

shops in the village, as well. We've been in business for about 35 years.

So we wanted something in memory of him,

but not the traditional wooden bench or something like that.

We wanted something a bit different. And somebody on the parish council suggested a clock.

We haven't got a clock on Edwinstowe high street.

Any idea about how much it'll cost? I imagine it's expensive, because it has to be durable to the weather.

We're looking at about £1,500 for the clock.

The council said they would donate so much money towards it.

But we're looking for probably £1,000, if that's possible.

We need to raise £1,000, then, so you can get this outdoor commemorative clock for your dad.

-Yeah.

-OK. That sounds like a fantastic idea.

Let's go and see whether we can find John. I can't hear creaking, so he's not in the attic yet. Come on.

Let's do it.

'Believe it or not, this spacious home used to be an old blacksmith's workshop.

'I've already spotted a few collectables, and it looks like John is onto something, too.'

-Ah, John, there you are!

-Hi, guys.

-Have you found something already?

-I have! First thing of the day and we've struck gold!

-Three gold sovereigns, no less!

-There should be five.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah. We can't...

-Is there something you want to tell us, John?

There was only three when I found them!

Erm, they were given to the three boys on their christening days

by Doris and Jessie, who were my husband's great aunts.

And we were given one each, me and Ashley, on our wedding day.

-Oh! Hence the five.

-Hence the five.

-Right, OK.

-Chris, have you got anything to say?

-You're rather quiet.

-Sorry, yeah. It's been a tough month.

I think my eldest son's got his own at his house, so that's why.

OK, all right. We're off the hook.

Well, they're pretty standard in format, the gold sovereign.

It has been around since medieval times, albeit with a slightly different purity

and, obviously, the design on the obverse and reverse.

On the obverse side, we have the reigning sovereign, the monarch,

in this case, it's George V.

And on the reverse, we have the now very iconic picture of St George on horseback slaying the dragon.

What sort of value are we talking about?

-I think easily £350 to £400 for those three.

-For just the three?

-Yeah, most definitely.

-Incredible.

-We'll have to work on David.

'Jill heads to the lounge and her favourite side table.

'This is home to two peacock figurines that used to belong to her great aunts.

'The estimate is £20 to £30.

'Meanwhile, Chris is keen to show John one of his favourite childhood hiding places.'

You've got a virtual attic complex here, Chris. It must have been amazing when you were young.

Yeah, you can put things you don't want your mum to find in here.

But this is all my childhood junk.

Fascinating. Is this a bit of your childhood junk, this little Windsor chair?

It's more my dad's childhood junk.

I think it's from when he was living with his grandma, who he was brought up by mainly.

I'm told he spent time sitting on that and playing with it, which would account for the damage.

Having a look at the bottom, we've got some evidence of woodworm there, so I suspect that's what's happened.

But it is a nice chair. Known as a Windsor chair. They're very iconic and easy to identify.

Always takes the form with this curved arm round here, this bent arm, which is done with steam.

The whole thing's put together with simple dowel joints. It's a real joiner's chair. Lovely little thing.

Probably 19th century. It's certainly a good 100-years-plus old.

Shame about the leg, though.

I know. I'm sure it'll do all right, though.

I think somebody could do a repair on that. I'm sure they could. Even in this condition,

I'd hope we'd get about £30 to £40 for it, something like that.

-Not too bad.

-Would your dad be happy with that?

-I'd be happy. I don't know about him.

Let's hope he doesn't go breaking all the chairs in the house.

'I've found two books that are so large, they're hard to miss.

'It's a pair of 19th century family Bibles given to Jill's great aunts by their preacher father.

'John believes they'll fetch around £20 to £30.

Your grandfather was obviously very well known.

Yeah. He was known by many people.

I think he was granddad to a couple of hundred of them, as well.

Yeah, everyone knew him. He was always on the high street, meeting and greeting people,

doing anything he could to make things better for shop owners and people who lived in the village.

We've had various offers of donations from here, there and everywhere,

because he was a member of Sure Start, he used to help out voluntary there

with the accounts and things.

Just so many things he used to do.

I mean, his priority was his family,

running these three about when they hadn't got cars.

SHE LAUGHS He was the local taxi!

-He was a good lift, definitely.

-THEY LAUGH

"I'll go and fetch him." Yeah.

-He was a good man.

-Absolutely.

-Irreplaceable.

-For sure, yeah.

Well, I think it's going to be fantastic to get that clock sorted out,

-so shall we go and see whether John's found anything else we can value?

-Let's do that.

'Well, John never disappoints. He's discovered a picture by the Dutch artist Meindert Hobbema.

'This scenic countryside view may look hand-painted,

'but it's actually printed onto the canvas, known as an oleograph.

'It once belonged to Jill's mother-in-law, but John hopes another art enthusiast

'may pay £20 to £30 for it.'

-Ooh, what have you got there, Jill?

-Oh, this is a Beswick cockerel.

I don't know much about it, only what's underneath,

-and that says Beswick, and I don't know what that is.

-Leghorn.

-Foghorn Leghorn. Remember the cartoon?

-Ah!

As you've correctly identified, it is Beswick.

Beswick Pottery, England, a very famous and much-loved firm in this country

which started out life in Staffordshire in about 1895, something like that.

-So what does the 1892 mean?

-That would be the model number.

I actually know this particular piece and this dates to between about 1963 and 1983.

It was modelled by a chap called Arthur Gredington,

who was a very, very important modeller at Beswick,

known for his skill in being able to depict animals realistically.

One of the great things about Beswick is they do various versions of their models,

different colour ways, different finishes. But, with Leghorn here,

there was only ever one version and one colour way.

I'd see no problem with us getting £80 to £120 at auction for that.

-Wow! Brilliant!

-Happy with that?

-Yeah, very!

-Jolly good.

-It's not such a bad old cockerel after all, is it?

-I'm glad you like him now!

-Come on, let's see what else we can find.

-OK.

'So Jill may be convinced of his value, but what will the bidders make of him come auction day?

'Let's hope they'll go cock-a-hoop.

'As we continue our search chez Sansom,

'young Chris has stumbled across a 1920s jug which shows an Indian relief pattern.

'Made by HJ Wood of Staffordshire, Jill's aunts filled it with flowers.

'Now it could help boost our kitty by £40 to £60.

'Up in the attic, I spot a small square vase by the popular firm Troika.

'The factory started in Cornwall in 1963

'and as this piece is in good condition,

'John hopes it'll make £40-£60.'

-Look what I've found.

-What have you got, Jill?

-A watch chain.

We found them in my dad's bungalow when we were clearing out after he died last year.

They were very dirty in a box and I decided that I'd have them cleaned up and see how they came up.

I think we could attach that little hook to that noise ring of yours

-and tuck the T-bar in your ear.

-Yeah. I think it'd work.

Absolutely. We could try it, but only if all else fails.

They are watch chains and they would be part of the ensemble of the gentleman's pocket watch.

They were very popular in the 19th century. Referred to as Albert chains after Prince Albert,

Queen Victoria's husband. They take a pretty much standard form.

You've got the hook, this little spring catch hook on one end here

which attaches to the suspension loop of your watch.

You've got the T-bar here, which would fix into your button hole on your waistcoat,

and then your watch would tuck in your pocket like that.

Value-wise, we should be looking at about £60 to £80 for them.

-Oh, right!

-Are you happy with that?

-Yeah, very.

-Good stuff.

Excellent. Well, I hate to have to call time on this cosy little chat,

but we've got some rummaging to do if we're going to get that clock.

-Come on.

-Right, come on.

-Let's get to it.

'Our day at the Sansoms' house will soon be over

'and there's still quite a way to go if we're going to reach their £1,000 target.

'Luckily, Chris has found a 9-carat gold charm bracelet.

'It was passed down through his father's family and includes a half sovereign.

'Gold has risen so much in value recently that John thinks

'the charm bracelet could make £150 to £200.

'I found a wooden bench with a handy storage compartment.

'Together with another upholstered chair, John thinks they could make £30 to £40 at auction.

'Now, what's this? More jewellery?

'John's found Jill's collection of gold rings here that have been her pride and joy for quite some time.'

-You been looking at those rings I found?

-Yes, I have.

You've got an interesting collection of jewellery here. Where did they all come from?

-There's so many different wedding rings.

-I know. Looks like I've been married about ten times!

At least you've still got the wedding rings, look on the bright side.

Yeah. I'm not quite sure about the wedding rings,

but the two you've got there, one belonged to one great aunt

-and one belonged to another great aunt.

-Right.

You've got a nice pile here. I've separated them into three piles according to their gold standard.

Here we've got, in the centre, six 22-carat gold wedding rings.

-22-carat are the purest gold form we've got.

-Right.

-So those, per gram, would be the most valuable.

Then we've got the 18-carat gold rings here, of which these two diamond rings are part.

And then we've got seven little 9-carat gold rings.

But these are interesting. You've got two diamond rings. One's diamond and sapphire,

a very inky-blue sapphire, not terribly commercial.

They're usually mined in Australia, the dark inky-blue sapphires.

But, interestingly, both of these rings have diamonds in them, but they're what we call illusion set.

Basically, you take a stone, you set it in a bigger mount, a bigger setting,

and where the edge of that mount spreads out further than the diamond has been facetted

so that it sparkles. So from a distance, the stones look bigger than they are,

hence the term "illusion set".

So, Chris, I want you to take note for future reference.

That's an illusion diamond, OK?

-Not what a girl wants.

-Right, OK. Mental note taken.

Or as I'd say, Chris, you do need to be giving that.

-I'll take them both on board.

-It just looks the same.

-So I'm going to put a value on them as a whole.

-Right.

And, collectively, these rings should net us around £700 to £900.

-You're joking.

-Seriously.

-Wow.

I should explain, John, this clock that they want to get

is actually going to be a bit more than that, nearer £1,500.

There is a good chance that the council might make a contribution, so our target is £1,000.

But if they don't make up the difference, don't worry,

cos the value of everything going to auction comes to £1,540!

-Get in there!

-So you can do it all on your own if you want to.

-Brilliant.

'We've had a very successful day and found a variety of items

'that are certain to rev up the bidders on auction day.

'First of all, we have the gold. Not only Jill's rings, but also the three sovereigns,

'valued at £350 to £400.

'And we have great expectations of them making John's estimate, hopefully even beating it.

'The there's the collection of silver watch fobs.

'It's a fashionable lot, priced to sell at between £60 and £80.

'Jill thought this Beswick cockerel was creepy,

'but he has a fine maker's name

'and a reasonable price tag of £80 to £120.

'So he might bring our target home to roost.'

'Still to come, the Sansoms look set to make big money.'

-Go on.

-All done at £400?

-Yes!

-Wow!

'But will their good luck run out?'

-A bit more.

-Come on! It's a nice jug.

-Staying with us if we have no other bids.

-Ohh.

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

It's been a few weeks since we met Jill and her son Chris at their home in Nottinghamshire,

and we had a lovely time finding plenty of items to bring here

to Cuttlestone Auction Rooms in Staffordshire.

If you remember, they wanted to raise £1,000 towards a memorial clock for the village.

Let's just hope, with time ticking, that our bidders are feeling very generous today.

'There's every chance that Jill's mixture of mementos will have bags of appeal for this astute crowd.

'We find her bidding a fond farewell to one piece that has plenty of family history.'

-Morning, Jill.

-Morning!

-Aren't you missing someone? Where's Chris?

Oh, he booked a snowboarding holiday two weeks ago, so he flies to France this morning.

Well, you can't really blame him, can you? These are lovely, aren't they?

They're gorgeous, aren't they? Yeah. This one I particularly like, because it's full of pictures and things.

-They are wonderfully done, aren't they?

-Yeah.

-Not a big price, though,

-considering the work and the age.

-I know, it is such a shame.

But I have got another two at home, so if these sell...

-Shall we get into position?

-Yep!

-See whether all that glitters is gold.

'With a goal of £1,000, we're keen to get going.

'The first lot under the hammer is the pair of family Bibles, valued at £20 to £30.'

£15. I've got a commission bid and that's all I've got. 18 on the front.

At £18. And my commission bid's out. Are we 20?

At £18. 20 at the back. 22.

-At 22.

-Keep going.

-One bid, that's all he's having. At 22.

Lady's bid we have. At 22. We're selling, on the front at £22.

-£11 a Bible. That's not a lot of money, is it?

-No.

And they were in super condition. But it just reflects the market. Such a shame.

'I think we'd all have liked to see them make a bit more, but they sold

'within John's estimate.'

Next up are our two white-metal Indian bird models.

-What's the story with these?

-They belonged to the youngest of the sisters, Mary.

I think they came from India. They used to go on holiday quite a bit to there.

They're actually, I think, peacocks, a male and a female.

Some people don't like peacocks cos they think they're unlucky. Let's hope ours are lucky.

We want £20 to £30.

Commission will start them. £10 bid on the models.

-At £10. 12. 15.

-These seem to be going down well.

At £15. 18 are we, quickly? At £15. At £15.

They're here to sell. 18 if you like. And it goes. Sold at £15.

-£15. That's all right.

-It is, it's fine.

-Especially as they're hardly one of your favourite things.

-No.

'Great news for Jill that someone took a shine to the peacocks.

'She was happy to just give them away.'

There's another few pounds in the pot when the large painting goes under the hammer...

18. At £18. I'm out at £18. Anybody got a damp spot?

-Make it 20.

-And it sells at £18.

..selling just under its £20 estimate.

Our next lot is the small child's Windsor chair with three legs.

-Yeah. I've brought the fourth leg with me.

-Jolly useful!

It was glued a few years back, but I think the woodworm and the glue

probably melted and it fell off and it's been like that ever since.

Well, I still think a good joiner could do a repair job on this,

perhaps dowel that leg back on. But £30 to £40 I still think is reasonable.

A little chair like this in good condition, 19th century Windsor chair, can sometimes get £150.

-So maybe we'll get lucky today.

-Hope so.

-Hopefully, the three bears are in the room.

-Straight in at £50.

-Wow! Straight in there!

At £50. 5. 60.

5. 70. 5. 80.

-5. 90.

-Goodness!

-95.

-100. Bid's with me at £100. 110 now.

-Go on, keep going, keep going.

-On commission. No mistake. 10 if we like. At £100.

-Makes up for that picture.

At £100. On the commission at 100.

-£100!

-The broken leg didn't deter them. They wanted it.

-That was incredible! What a result!

-Yeah!

'Wow. After all that speculation,

'that amazing sale means we'll have to eat our words.

'And the bids just keep on coming,

'as the upholstered chair and bench go before the room.'

65. Are we 70? Bid's in the doorway at £65.

70, quickly? There you go there at £65.

'Selling for more than double John's lower estimate.

Our next lot is the Indian tree jug.

-We've got £40 to £60 on that.

-Yeah, I'm quite pleased with that valuation.

-Why has it got that value?

-It's in nice condition, there's a nice pattern, a lot of work gone into it.

It's a nice decorative piece. So I think we should get £40 to £60. I'd give it house room.

But then, there's no accounting for taste. Or lack of it.

-We have interest on this lot with a commission to start at £30.

-Yes!

£30 bid. At £30. At £30 on commission.

-A bit more.

-Come on. It's a nice jug.

At £30. Any interest in the room at £30?

-At £30. It's staying with us if we have no other bids.

-Oh.

2, thank you. At 32. I'm out at 32. 5. Now we're off.

-Yeah, now we're off.

-38.

I have the bid on the front row at 38. You're out at the back.

Sold at £38.

-There we are.

-Just under our lower estimate.

-Happy with that?

-Yeah, I am.

'I think Jill's still pleased we raised £38 for this family heirloom.

'So far, we've had a really successful run.

'With half our lots sold, we've banked £258.

'Our big value lots are still to come, so we're right on track.

'If you'd like to raise some money for something special,

'it's worth remembering that auction houses charge fees, such as commission.

'They do vary from one saleroom to another, so be sure to check the small print before you go.

'Jill's next lot is a collection of silver watch fobs,

'which once belonged to her father.

'We're looking for £60-£80.'

50. 5. 60.

-5.

-Yes!

-65, back of the room at £65. 70 now?

-At 65.

-Bit more.

-70, thank you. At £70. 5, sir? 5.

80. 5. I have 85, at the back of the room at £85.

90 now. At £85. Are we selling them?

All done and dusted, there. Sold at £85.

-Yes!

-£85. That's very good.

'I think Jill's very happy to see those old fobs transform

'into the memorial clock she wants to commission.'

The Beswick cockerel finds a new home as well...

At £140...

'..topping up our coffers by an impressive amount.'

-Yes!

-That's good, isn't it?

Did you ever think, when you were trying to break him in two,

-that he could be worth £140?

-I didn't even know it was Beswick until the day you came.

'Jill might have found him a bit creepy,

'but I'm glad there were several bidders willing to fight over him.'

Our next lot is a lovely 9-carat gold charm bracelet.

-It's got ten charms, including a half sovereign.

-Mm-hm.

So what do we expect for these? £150 to £200?

Yeah, we should push at least our top estimate.

It's a nice bracelet and gold prices are doing quite well,

-so, hopefully, that's in our favour.

-Mm.

-And we've got three commission bids.

-Excellent.

-Starting at £250.

Yes!

250 bid. At 250. At 250.

260. 270. 280. 290.

300. 320. 340.

360. 360 is with me. 380, fresh money. I'm out at 380.

Go on, 400.

At £380. The bid's in the room and no mistake.

-Come on, another one.

-At £380.

-Yes!

-Do you think my scales weren't working that day?

'It looks like the market for gold is working for Jill today

'and there's even more on the way with our next item.'

It's the three gold sovereigns.

Easy to sell. We know what they're worth, folks. We'll start them at £400.

At £400. 20 who says? At 400.

I'm selling and no mistake. 20 if we'd like.

All done at £400?

-Yes!

-Well, bang on our upper estimate.

'It's so exciting when you hit the high end of an estimate.

'Let's hope the next gold collection has the same good fortune.'

No less than 17 gold rings. I'm sure there's a song there somewhere.

So, you've got quite a hefty estimate on this, John.

Yes, I put it as one lot, but I thought the auctioneers might separate it.

But they've kept it together and they've kept our collective estimate of £700 to £900. Quite punchy!

If we make the top end of the estimate, we've done our target figure in one lot!

We've got easy bids on this starting me at £600.

Ooh! 600. Amazing.

At 600. At £600 a bid. At 600.

650. 700.

750. 800.

The bid is with me at £800. You're out at the back at 800.

-Come on!

-At £800. The bid is with me and I'm selling. It's on commission.

At 800, all sold. £800.

-Wow!

-Nice one.

-800 for those bent rings.

-There you go.

-The scales were working that time.

-Yeah.

-That's fantastic. What a result!

-Super!

'There's one final addition to the kitty,

'when the Troika vase sells for £5 over its lower estimate.'

At £45 bid. 50 quickly. Gentleman's bid.

-Makes a good pill pot.

-£45. We'll sell and no mistake. At £45.

'A fair price with which to end a hugely successful day.

'We already know we've bagged at least £1,000 for Jill.

'I wonder if she's worked out exactly how much more we've been able to make.'

We wanted £1,000 towards this memorial clock.

We've actually made... Are you ready for this?

-..£2,108!

-Oh, wow!

-Oh, brilliant!

-That's fantastic!

-It's a lot of money.

It's double what you wanted. So how is that going to help with the clock?

Well, the clock I really, really want, that's about £1,600 plus VAT.

-Right.

-But with the extra money now,

I want a metal frame built so it'll actually stand further off the shop

-and that's going to cost quite a bit to make so...

-Brilliant.

-Thank you very much! Super. Thank you.

-I'm really pleased. Fantastic.

'It's just a few weeks since Jill's triumphant day at auction.

'Work on the commemorative clock in memory of her father is close to completion.

'The clock is destined for Edwinstowe high street

'and will be a constant reminder to the community of a man who meant so much to them.'

The finished result is just a lot better than I thought it would be.

It's just fantastic. Absolutely everything I could've hoped for and more.

My dad would be just over the moon.

I know he's up there looking down and saying, "Yes, that's beautiful".

So, yeah, Cash In The Attic came good.