Clarke Cash in the Attic

Welcome to the show that hunts out treasures around your home

and helps you sell them at auction.

Today, I'm going to meet two lovely ladies

who are longing to find out more about items like this.

It could be silver and it could be worth a fortune.

Find out in today's Cash In The Attic.

Coming up on Cash In The Attic -

a Victorian cabinet rockets in value, thanks to a surprise discovery.

Isn't that lovely? I've never, ever seen that. I have seen so many

small little cabinets like this, but never seen the original tobacco jar.

Could the damage to this Georgian chaise longue wreck its sale chances?

We've got these amazing, fantastic claw marks.

-Teeth marks.

-Teeth, are they?!

-Yes.

-I hope they're not yours.

No, it's my dog.

And, come auction day, our hosts are anxious to spot the bidders with the fattest wallets.

-Have you seen any dealers here?

-The room is full of them, my darling.

-Is it?

-Yes. This is what they look like.

But will they be in the mood for buying? Find out when the final hammer falls.

Today, I'm in Manchester, and I'm going to meet a woman

and her cousin who have called the Cash In The Attic team

to help make their dreams for a new look come true.

Meet 70-year-old retired teacher Vivienne Clark,

her beloved bulldog Boris, and her cousin Miriam.

Having inherited her childhood home in Blackley, North Manchester,

Vivienne feels it's time for a home makeover,

so she's called in the Cash team to help.

Hello, ladies. Good morning. Hello!

Just in time. We've just come in after a little walk.

-He's a bit excited.

-Fair enough! You're Vivienne, obviously.

-I am, yes. And Miriam.

-And you're cousins.

-We are.

-Cousins, yes.

-OK. Why am I here?

I want to raise some money to do up my bedrooms.

Right. So, Miriam, does your cousin have lots of collectibles all around the house?

Downstairs I've seen quite a lot, yes. I haven't been upstairs yet.

-OK.

-It's a little surprise for you.

All right, so how much money do you reckon we might be able to get? What is our target going to be?

-Well, I'd like to get around about £800.

-OK.

-Are you ready?

-Ready.

-Are you ready?

-Ready indeed.

-Are you ready?

-Yes!

He is! OK, let's do it. Come on.

£800 would certainly go a long way

towards helping Vivienne update the bedrooms of the house she's known all her life,

and by the sound of it, we won't be short of items to look at.

One man who has unearthed more than his fair share of valuables

in his time is our expert, Jonty Hearnden.

He's been in the antiques business all his life,

and it doesn't take him long to spot Vivienne's teapot.

If it's real silver, it could be worth a fortune.

Well, let's find out.

There is the man himself!

I think it's time for a cuppa, don't you?

I've been admiring this. This is really superb quality.

-Is it a proper job? Is it silver?

-Proper, proper job.

-Is it?!

-Oh, I say!

-There's wonderful hallmarks on the underside here.

Do you have any idea how old this is?

Yes, the gentleman who sold it to me said it was made by the Angell Brothers in 1831.

Well, you're 99% there. They weren't brothers.

They were uncle and nephew.

So we have Joseph, the uncle, and John, the nephew.

They went into business at the beginning of 1831, which is when this teapot was made.

I don't know if you have ever noticed this,

but we have a lion's head here.

That's a family crest.

An aristocratic family would've bought this teapot

and personalised it at some point.

This teapot at auction is going to be worth between £200-300, easily.

I'm sure there's going to be a lot of interest

if we put this into the sale.

Well, Jonty is clearly a fan of the silver teapot.

It's the perfect start to our day here in Manchester.

I head to the dining room, and in a sideboard, discover a rather elegant mantel clock.

It was bought by Vivienne five years ago at a house clearance

and Jonty thinks it could fetch £30-50 at auction.

Also heading to the saleroom is this French-style tapestry, bought in Manchester.

Jonty values it at £30-40.

Talking of French-style...

Jonty, would you like to look at this?

What have we got?

-We were looking at this sofa.

-It's a wonderful shape.

-It's very elegant.

-Yes.

Look at those wonderful gilded mounts on the top.

-Yes.

-Do you remember how much you paid?

£150, I think it was. I bought it five or six years ago.

This is very typically French.

This is a sofa that would have been made in the mid-19th century,

but it is French because of these wonderful mounts, those gilded metal tops.

Now, as I look down, I notice

on the sides here we've got these amazing, fantastic claw marks.

-Teeth marks.

-Teeth, are they?!

-Yes.

-I hope they're not yours?

No, it's my dog! He chewed anything.

Well, the dealer that possibly might buy this will consider

that they have to have the whole frame re-polished

and then possibly re-cover as well, and as a consequence,

I would value this sofa

in the catalogue, £80-120.

It's less than I paid for it but I want to free up the space,

-so I think I will sell it.

-Wonderful.

-We can't sit on it because we've got a lot more work to do.

-Right. We'll go looking for other things.

Vivienne may have been hoping for a little more for the chaise longue,

and she might well have got it, had it not been for her bulldog's sharp teeth.

But it's a definite restoration project for someone.

Fortunately, it doesn't look as if Boris has got his fangs

into this collection of vintage handbags that Miriam finds in a bedroom.

They were bought by Vivienne back in the '50s,

but she doesn't use them any more, so they head to auction

with a valuation of £30-40.

We're progressing towards that £800 target.

Downstairs, Miriam looks as if she may have unearthed something else.

Jonty, could you come and have a look at these?

-These look rather exciting.

-We've got a pair, have we?

-Pair of decanters.

-Yes.

-Those are rather fine, aren't they?

We've got a silver neck to them... Ooh, that's very good news.

-We've got a mark that says they are solid silver.

-Yes.

We've also got a maker's mark there. That's LRW -

that's Laurence Watson - and they're still in business.

They're based in Sheffield. They are a very good company and it's always very nice to see a pair of anything.

Decanters were very popular in the 18th and 19th century.

The whole point was that you decanted your wine and your port, etc,

into bottles, into stylish bottles like this, because it was un-PC

to actually have wine bottles on the table.

For my money, they look in pretty good condition.

That's very nice indeed.

If you're ever thinking of buying a beautiful object like a decanter,

make sure that the stopper started life with the base.

Have a close look at the decoration, they need to be similar.

They also need to fit very snugly in the top.

They're brand-new, so they're second-hand, they're not antique.

-We're still looking at £30-50 worth of decanter.

-Right.

-Shall we ask if we can sell them?

-Yes.

Well, they may not be antique,

but £30 is still another useful boost to the bedroom makeover fund.

So, Vivienne, this is your family home?

Yes. My mother and father came here when they first got married.

And of course I was born here and lived here for a long time.

Do you see much of each other?

We see more of each other now, don't we?

We go out for meals every two or three weeks.

These bedrooms - I must say, they look fine to me, but what exactly

do you want to do with them?

I want to have them redecorated.

We had the electricity all done and rewired

and it's left gaps round the light switches and it irks me.

-I thought I'd get this place done up!

-OK, well, if we're to make the money

to give your rooms a lick of paint and the rest of it,

we'd better get on with the rummage, hadn't we? Come on.

Fortunately, while we have been chatting,

Jonty has been hard at work

and finds not just one, but four framed etchings.

Surprisingly, they are not of bulldogs, but rural scenes.

Bought by Vivienne's father back in the 1930s, Jonty thinks they could fetch

£40-60 at auction.

Miriam's on a mission downstairs, and gathers a collection of silver

that includes a tankard,

a cigarette case, perfume bottles, napkin rings and spoons.

Jonty values the lot at £40 to £60.

In the bedroom, I spot something that might be of interest - if only I can it!

Look! I think that's absolutely gorgeous.

-Can we get this down?

-Yes. It's a wall cabinet for smokers.

-That's right.

Yes, it would be. It is made of wonderful English oak.

-Is it?

-Yes, feel the weight of it.

-Oh, it is heavy! I'm glad I didn't get it down.

You know when something is made of English oak because it is heavier.

These cabinets, if you look at the design, will always be turn of the century.

So you're looking 1880 to 1908.

Can we look inside? There should be lovely drawers.

-Here, the holes on the side will be designed to house one's pipes.

-Yes.

Oh, look at this!

Isn't that lovely! I've never, ever seen that.

I've seen so many small cabinets like this,

but never seen the original tobacco jar.

This little screw-top here

is designed to keep the pressure down so tightly

that it doesn't allow the oxygen to get in.

-So it's vacuum-packed?

-That's right. This is really lovely, very nice indeed.

It's wonderful.

Put that into the sale,

-and we're looking at £40-60.

-Lovely.

-Another one for the auction?

That seems a very modest valuation, but will it start a bidding war?

-We've got two people interested.

-Great, I want a fight for it.

"0, I've heard. At £20. 2, 5, 8,

30, 2, 5, 8

40...

Stay tuned to find out how the cabinet fares, and if we raise enough cash

to help Vivienne complete her home makeover.

As we plough on, Vivienne finds a set of pearls

that she once bought as a birthday gift for her mother.

She feels the time is now right to let them go.

Jonty values them at £60-80.

Tucked away in the back of an old writing desk,

I find this rather unusual brooch.

It's nine-carat gold, and was given to Vivienne as a gift

when she worked in Singapore.

Jonty thinks it could fetch as much as £80 to £120 at auction.

And it's not the only piece of Vivienne's jewellery

that might be destined for the saleroom.

Oh, I say. Isn't that charming?

That's so beautiful.

So, we've got a lovely...what looks like a brown diamond, which has that green hue in the middle.

Surrounded by all these other tiny white diamonds. That's lovely.

I bought it six or seven years ago at a second-hand jewellers,

and he told me it was a green diamond and it was 3.5 carat.

-3.5 carat?

-That's what he said.

-It doesn't look like that size to me.

-No.

Because carat's actually the weight.

-Yes.

-That's what we're looking at here.

Have you ever had this assessed?

Yes, I have. I've got a paper somewhere.

I've had all my jewellery assessed. Yes, here we are.

-Can I have a look at it?

-Yes.

-Right. So this is an insurance valuation we've got here?

-Yes.

And here, the weight is 1.8 carat, so rather than being, you say...

3.5 carat, he said.

-I paid £3,500 for that.

-You paid £3,500?!

It's a huge price differential between a 3.5 carat diamond

and something that's 1.8 carat.

And if you were to sell this at auction,

we are looking at more like £600 to £800,

which is a huge difference.

I have to think about that very carefully.

Oh, there you all are! I've been rummaging away, wondering what you're all up to.

We've been looking at this lovely ring. Take a look at that.

Gosh, that is gorgeous, isn't it? Is this something you're taking to the auction?

I'm thinking about it, yes.

What's the estimation on it?

I put £600 to £800.

-And you're going to have a think about it?

-Yes.

At the start of the day, you said that you'd like to raise £800, so that you can do up these bedrooms.

We reckon that if you do take the ring along, with the other

items and Jonty's valuations - we take the lowest valuations -

you will make at auction...

not £800 but £1,260.

That sounds a lot better.

It does, you see. That's why you might want to think about the ring.

Obviously without the ring, that would come down to £660, so not quite up to target.

But a pretty penny for some painting.

And we've got some lovely items as well, so hopefully we should

get up to that figure, even without the ring.

But that's food for thought for you.

We've had a thoroughly enjoyable day in Manchester with Vivienne

and her cousin Miriam - and what a variety of items we've found for action.

There is the stunning silver teapot that's almost 200 years old,

We hope it'll make upwards of £200.

Jonty was blown away

by the beautifully preserved smoking cabinet.

It comes with its original tobacco jar and a price tag of £40 to £60.

And what about Vivienne's amazing diamond ring?

Jonty's estimate was just a fraction of the £3,500

she originally paid for it, so can she bear to part with it?

Only time will tell.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic - some items struggle to gain any interest.

The dealers have their hands in their pockets, not in their purses.

-Will the makeover plans fly out of the window?

-What are you doing with that £5?

I don't know. An ice-cream might be nice!

Find out when the final hammer falls.

For our auction today it's a welcome return to Knutsford in Cheshire.

Frank Marshall Auctioneers hold their sales in a former school in the heart of Knutsford.

They take place twice a month.

Now, if you remember, Vivienne wants to raise £800 so she can give

the bedrooms in her Manchester home a bit of a makeover.

So let's hope the bidders here are feeling generous when our items go under the hammer.

We find Vivienne and Miriam among the hustle of the sale room,

saying a fond farewell to one of my favourite items.

Hello, Jennie. I was just saying I think I'm going to miss this

cos I don't know where I'll put all my bits and pieces.

-Have you brought that ring?

-Well, no, I haven't.

I didn't even put it on because I thought I might be persuaded to put it in.

But no, I don't want to sell that so I have not brought it.

-We're not surprised really, are we?

-Very understandable.

We didn't think Vivienne would bring the ring,

but it was our highest-valued lot and without it,

the pressure is really on if we are to meet our target of £800.

If you're thinking of heading to auction, please remember

that commission and VAT may be added to your bill, so do check the details

with your auction house first to avoid any unwelcome surprises.

With the auction already under way,

we find a corner at the back of the packed salesroom

in time for our first lot, the Victorian smoking cabinet.

Jonty valued it at £40 to £60.

-OK, Vivienne, it's time to say farewell to that smoker's cabinet now.

-Yes, indeed.

Well, I said earlier that I'd seen one person look at it, a chap.

I've seen a woman look at it too, so that's what you wanted.

Great. I want a fight for it, yes.

-OK, here we go. Let's see if we can get at least £40.

-Yes.

£20, 2, 5, 8, £30.

2, 5, 8,

40. £40 and seated at the front. 42 - fresh bidder.

£45. £45. Any more, quickly?

At £45 in the front row.

Any advance now on £45?

-£45, eh?

-That's not too bad, is it?

-It's great.

-Yes, that's all right.

That's more than all right - £5 over estimate, and we have

our first contribution towards the bedroom makeover.

Next up it's the collection of handbags and purses

that used to accompany Vivienne on her nights on the town.

They date from the 1940s and '50s,

and we are looking for upwards of £30.

£22, all done, at £22.

-Well, they're worth more than that.

-Yes.

The dealers had their hands in their pockets but not in their purses.

-Right. Yes.

-That is a disappointing result.

Vivienne was clearly hoping for a little more for the handbags,

but vintage clothes buyers just weren't in the room.

Let's hope there are some jewellery buyers in.

The next lot is the gold brooch, valued at £80-120.

Right, I can start the bidding on this one.

We got interest here at £85.

-That's not bad.

-Bidding? £90.

£95 on commission.

At £95, I'll take £100 now. At £95.

At £95, I'm selling if nobody else bids now. All done at £95.

-Marvellous.

-Yes?

-Yes.

Well done. I always get overexcited when they say, "I've got interest."

And then actually, it's only a bit of interest.

The interesting part is that you don't know what's left with the auctioneer.

He might have £200, but if there's nobody else in the room, he can't get up to that.

That's the luck of auctions for you.

So, the brooch has done us proud

and made a healthy contribution to our target.

Next to go under the hammer is Vivienne's French-style tapestry,

which Jonty valued at £30-40.

30 for the tapestry? Come on.

30? Thank you. 30, I've got. Lady's bid.

Take two. 32. Nice-quality thing.

35 now? 35. You're allowed to bid more than once.

38. 40, now. 40. And two.

45. 48.

£50. 55.

Shakes her head. 55 is the gentleman's bid.

-That's really good.

-Last chances. At £55 I'm selling. At 55.

That's £15 over Jonty's top estimate.

A great result.

Let's hope our luck continues for Vivienne's mantel clock.

She paid £30 for it, and Jonty's hopeful she'll make her money back.

£30 and away. Yes? 30. On commission.

-Oh, 30 already.

-That's good.

-Yes.

-Two, quickly?

-32.

-Made a profit.

-35. 35.

Anybody got eight? At £35. At 35.

Yes, I've made a profit.

£5 profit. What are you going to do

-with that £5?

-I don't know. Ice-cream might be nice!

That's not a bad idea at all!

Hopefully, we'll have a similar success

with our next item. It's the mixed lot of silver

that Jonty's given a value of £40 to £60.

I think you've been a bit mean on your estimate here, 40 to 60.

I hope I'm not mean, but I have to reflect what I think will happen in the marketplace.

But it's a lovely lot. It's a proper dealer's lot.

We've got all sorts of bits and pieces.

Have you seen any dealers here?

The room is full of them, my darling, yes.

This is what they look like!

Right, who's going to start me at £40?

-Come on, come on.

-Yes, thank you. £40 on commission. 42. 45. 48.

-50. 55. 60.

-That sounds good.

She shakes her head. Is there another five?

At £60. Going once, twice. At £60 we sell.

Very good! Top end of the estimate.

-Yes.

-Wonderful.

-Yes.

-That is wonderful.

Another estimate that was right on the money.

We've had a pretty good first half of our sale,

and clocked up £312 towards the £800 for Vivienne's bedroom makeover.

With five more lots to sell, there's everything to play for.

Next up are the two decanters.

Jonty valued them at a very reasonable £30 to £50.

I've got interest on commission

on this lot, at £55.

Brilliant! That's very good.

£55. 58. 60. I'll take five.

65 in the room. At 65. Any more?

At 65, the seated bid. Anybody got 70?

At £65, I'm going to sell, then.

-All done at 65?

-That's wonderful!

-Did you leave the brandy in there?

-No, I had one before I came! I needed it!

Fantastic. That's over their top estimate.

And considering they were modern, with no antique value,

it's a really good price.

Vivienne's four rural etchings don't prove as popular.

35 is the lady's bid.

Any advance now on £35?

At 35, then. Selling at 35.

It falls short of Jonty's £40-60 estimate.

Let's hope it's not a sign of things to come,

as we've been doing so well.

It's back to the jewellery now, and we know

there are potential buyers in the room after the sale of the brooch.

Let's hope they like the pearl necklace

which means so much to Vivienne.

I can start at 45 on commission. Anybody got 50?

At £45. 50 now? 50. At £50. 5.

-55. Any more? At £55.

-Come on!

-Any advance on 55? Last chances now.

At £55. Yes or no? I'm sorry, we can't quite go on that one.

Ah! So they didn't sell, thank goodness for that.

-I'm pleased about that, yes.

-That would have hurt.

-Yes. I thought that price was too low.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

So the pearls head home with Vivienne, to her obvious relief.

It hasn't helped our target, though.

The second half hasn't exactly gone to plan.

We need some big sales, and we need them quickly.

We're running out of items,

and that target of £800 is getting even further from reach.

Fortunately, our star item is up next.

OK, this is the big deal.

This is the teapot.

-How are you feeling?

-Er, excited, a bit.

I'm glad you're feeling good, because I've estimated

between £200 and £300,

and I'm hoping we're going to smash all the way through the £200.

-I hope you're right.

-I'm hoping that we'll top 300.

Right, a nice-quality piece here. Where are you going to be? Should be at least 200 for it.

200? 180.

180 bid. At 180. I'll take 190.

Yes, 190 bid. 200. 210.

-220.

-A bit of a fight.

240. 240, commission bid with Stuart.

Any more? At £240. Anybody more?

All done at 240.

Ah. We got there, but I was hoping for a bit more. But £240.

I was hoping for it going to 400.

-Ahhh!

-Sometimes they do. You can never tell.

They just fly up there.

Jonty's valuation is once again spot-on, but there's no hiding

Vivienne's disappointment that the teapot didn't do even better.

One thing's for sure, though -

that sale has brought our target

right into sight, and there's just one lot to go.

It's the chaise longue. It's being sold in the furniture section.

Vivienne decided on a reserve of £80.

Who'll start me at 50?

Thank you there. £50 seated.

And five against you. 60. 65. 70. 75.

80. 85. 90.

95. 100. 110. 120.

130. 140. 150.

Can't see you for a minute. 160.

-170. 180. 190.

-That's brilliant!

At £190. Any further bids?

All done? Selling, then, at 190 now.

-Great!

-Yes, smashing. Lovely.

Now, that's a result! Selling for over twice Jonty's estimate,

the chaise longue has come up trumps.

We've had a tough second half, but with two great sales

to finish our auction,

have we managed to get anywhere near that elusive target of £800?

Time to find out.

All right. At the start of the day, we were looking for £800 so that you could do up your bedrooms.

You've actually exceeded your target.

You have made £842!

Great. Thank you very much. Marvellous.

And that's without selling the ring.

You're right! Without the ring.

And you're going to take your pearls home, as well.

So that's a result, that really is.

It's just a few weeks after Vivienne's successful day at auction,

and she's already got the decorators in to strip down

and plaster the walls of her old family home.

And just a month later, the upstairs rooms have been totally transformed.

I've got this tranquil scene, butterflies here

and birds next door, and I like it very much. I wouldn't change it now.

I'm glad I've done this. It's come out very well.

If you'd like to raise money for something special and think

you've got some interesting bits hidden around your home, why not apply to come on the show?

You can find the form at our website -

Good luck, and maybe see you next time on Cash In The Attic.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd