Lowes Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash in the Attic, the show that finds hidden treasures in your home

and helps you sell them at auction.

Today, we're in the beautiful Oxfordshire town of Wallingford.

This town has a colourful past,

thanks to William the Conqueror and his army,

Oliver Cromwell and his army, and a bunch of breweries.

Nowadays, it's a tranquil place, ideal to explore.

This is the famous George Hotel,

formerly known as the George and Dragon.

And it opened nearly 500 years ago.

Like any good pub, it's been serving beer since. And it's haunted.

The ghost in question was the heartbroken daughter

of a 16th-century landlord. Apparently,

she was so upset you can still see the tear marks on the walls

in the teardrop room.

Time now to move on to our next location.

It might not be as old as this lovely ancient town,

but hopefully we'll find some interesting stuff to take to auction.

Today on Cash in the Attic, we're in a dreamy country house,

and an old high chair sends us down Memory Lane.

Fantastic. You've got spaghetti on your head and food all around you.

Back inside, am I getting ahead of myself?

-Excellent.

-It's not a bad start.

-Marvellous.

-Shall we have the afternoon off?

At auction, let's hope the bidders share our enthusiasm.

-Yeah!

-Result! That was all right, wasn't it? Must have been the extra polish!

-Elbow grease!

Find out when the hammer falls.

I've come a little way from Wallingford

to meet a mother and daughter,

Felicity and Anne Lowes, who called the Cash in the Attic team

because they want to raise some money for a life-changing journey.

Anne Lowes is a semi-retired sales and marketing consultant

and she's been married to Dennis, a quantity surveyor, for 24 years.

They live down a small lane in Oxfordshire,

where they designed and built their own house in 2002.

Their daughter Felicity, who has just finished her A levels,

has won a place at university.

But her studies look set to take her across the Atlantic.

-Hi, sorry I'm late.

-Hi, Chris.

-I've been to Wallingford.

Did you know it dates back to Alfred the Great?

No, I didn't know that. But did you know that Wallingford translates

as Welsh people's ford?

I didn't know that.

Did you know we're meeting a woman called Anne today

who wants to send her daughter away?

What a great idea! Sounds a bit harsh, though.

-It'll all make sense later on. Let's go and meet them.

-All right.

-Hello!

-Hello.

-Hi.

-What a beautiful house you've got here.

-Thank you.

Let me get this right. You must be Anne, and that makes you Felicity.

-Yes.

-That is a good start to the day. I've got the names right.

-Who called in the Cash in the Attic team?

-She did.

-I did.

Why did you call us in, Anne?

I've seen the programme on TV quite a few times

and I've got lots of bits and bobs

that I need to have assessed and to sell.

-Hopefully raise some funds to send Felicity off to Canada.

-Canada?

-Yep.

-University.

-Why Canada?

Cos we went there in summer and I really liked it,

and I wanted to go abroad. So it fits together.

-Is she an expensive daughter?

-Very. Extremely expensive.

-Have you expensive tastes?

-Slightly!

-Goodness.

How much money do we want to raise?

Obviously as much as possible, but I would think £500-600.

-That would be helpful.

-A good help.

-So are you ready to get your hands dirty?

-Yep.

-Good.

-Hey, that's a first!

You've ticked all the boxes. We'll find out more later on!

-Follow me. Let's get rummaging.

-OK.

This grand home has five bedrooms and is set in seven acres.

I'm starting to wonder how Felicity will bring herself to flee the nest!

Anne tells me that she and Dennis are also selling up.

They want to follow their daughter to Canada.

So this is an ideal opportunity to clear everything out

and make some cash.

Paul, as ever, has got stuck in.

After 20 years in the antiques and collectables business,

he knows exactly what he's looking for.

Even in a house this big!

It looks like he's already struck gold.

Ah, now then. A real treasure trove here. These are beautiful.

-They are lovely.

-Who did these belong to? Do you know?

That was my aunt's. She left it to my mother. She died years ago.

And this was my mother's ring. One of her favourite rings.

But I have my own jewellery, so I don't need them.

But my mum loved it. It was her pride and joy.

-The colour of green is amazing.

-It is.

This one fits in. It's late 19th century.

These are the old rose-cut diamonds.

When they mine diamonds today, they have machines that can cut facets

to give a real brilliance, a shine to them, a fire.

In the 19th century, they were limited to how many facets they could have.

They look quite dull, but they are quite large stones.

The ring that's the valuable one is the green one. Isn't it fantastic?

A rule of thumb - they only put good stones in high carat gold.

This ring is 18 carat.

So I would expect to find emeralds, diamonds, rubies, sapphires.

The four main groups.

We've got two green stones which I take are emeralds. Fantastic.

The middle stone is a fire opal.

That's cabochon cut. The only way to cut an opal is that dome shape.

The nice thing is it's not got damaged at all.

People wear these washing up and they get smashed.

It's in lovely condition.

What we'll do here is get these emeralds weighed,

get their carat value. You could be talking a lot of money.

What's important is how much they're worth.

As a ballpark figure, for the sake of the auction,

we'd put them in at £300-500.

But I think on the day, if we can work out the value of this one,

we can get a lot more. How's that?

-My goodness!

-Sound all right?

-Wonderful!

-Excellent.

-That is not a bad start!

-Shall we have the afternoon off?

-Yes!

Come on, let's get back to work. Follow me!

Paul's valuations of the rings, I was pleasantly surprised.

The emerald and opal one was my mother's favourite.

But it's been in a box in a drawer for years.

What a very impressive start to our day!

But my optimism is a little premature

as we still need to find at least £200 more for that trip to Canada.

Felicity takes the lead in our search

when she digs out these two vases.

Paul gives them a price tag of £30-60.

You know, his expert eye never fails to amaze me.

But then it's hard to overlook anything this big!

-Ah. Anne?

-Yeah?

Where's this lovely cabinet come from?

There's a bit of a story there.

Great Auntie Nellie and Auntie Mabel.

-Great names!

-They had this and I remember I was about four or five

and they lived in Southall.

They were moving and they called my father in to shift it.

And he took it home and put it in his garage.

I thought it was wonderful, even as a very small child,

and when I got married in '74,

it was still in the garage so I grabbed it!

It's Arts and Crafts. Have you heard of that?

Yes, but I wasn't sure what it meant.

Right at the end of the 19th century,

there was a group of rebel designers who got together

and they were against the stuffy Victorian mass-produced furniture.

They moved away from the posh veneers like mahogany and satinwood,

and they went back to basics.

They made things from English oak and they would accent things to make it look hand-made

so the hinges are always massive, with massive dowel joints and the leaded glass is all hand-made.

It really was design and function. That was the whole idea.

Value-wise, it's a great space-saving device.

It's small and compact.

We want to make sure it arrives with all the glass panels intact.

-It's a worry.

-Very important.

The market at the moment, though. If we say 150 for auction, how do you feel about that?

A bit disappointed. I'd like to see it go for more.

But if that's the price for this market, then it's got to go.

We can always talk reserves.

-If two people are as passionate as you and me about it, then it'll go for a bit more!

-Good!

This house has such potential for a treasure hunt.

In all these rooms, I'm sure we'll find plenty of quality items

to take to auction.

Anne's busy in the bedroom and soon finds this cameo brooch.

The history of cameo carving dates back to ancient times

but the craft was in its heyday during the Victorian era.

There are plenty of good examples on the market today.

Paul reckons this one should fetch £30-50.

I think we're very close to making our target,

but with that trip of a lifetime still to come,

we need to continue. Every penny helps.

Paul makes the next discovery.

-Felicity?

-Yeah?

-I've found some lovely watches. Whose were these?

-Oh,

I think those were my great-great-grandfather's, I think.

Do you remember them being in the house?

Yeah, kind of. It was sort of a long time ago.

These are gentlemen's pocket watches.

They date from the late part of the 19th century.

This one is actually key-wound,

the old-fashioned method where you wound it with a key.

By about 1900, 1910, they developed this screw wind mechanism

so this is a bit more modern.

This is an English lever pocket watch. A solid silver case,

but inside here - isn't that fantastic?

You get little cogs and wheels in there and a chain - it's chain driven.

Imagine like you have on a bicycle, it's very tiny in there

and that's intact. It's very difficult to repair.

They're a good restorer's lot. Put a new ring on this one,

fix them up a bit.

-If I said 60 to 100? How does that sound?

-Really good.

-One to "watch" at the auction!

-Yeah!

-Come on!

Oh, those jokes just get better and better, Paul(!)

Rummaging in a house this big soon takes its toll.

I'm exhausted! But at least I've made my first find of the day.

It's a limited edition David Shepherd print. Paul tells me

that Shepherd is one of the world's leading wildlife artists.

Some of his signed limited edition prints

can change hands for up to five times their original price.

He gives this one a value of £60-100.

Who knows what might happen on sale day?

With the rummage well under way, let's find out more about our mother and daughter duo and their home.

-Will it be sad to leave this house, Felicity?

-Yes.

-I think it will be.

-I think it'll be sad but it's a new life we're going to.

And the property we can get in Canada for the money we get for this

you could have a house twice the size - if you could clean it and look after it! If you wanted it!

One thing I've noticed in this house is a big dog!

-What's her name?

-Winnie.

-Obviously dogs and animals are part of your life.

-Very much so.

We've got two horses left. We lost one earlier this year.

-We did have three German shepherds.

-What else do you do in your spare time?

I do karate quite a lot, which I've done since I was six.

I'm a black belt and have been since I was 12.

-Does Paul know you're a black belt?

-No.

-Don't tell him!

-OK!

So tell me about Canada.

Yeah. I'm going to uni there, so I guess it'll be really different.

But I think it'll be a good way to meet loads of new people

and get involved with the culture and everything.

Cos I'll sort of have to cos I'll be living there and everything. It'll be really fun.

We're helping you raise money for Felicity to get to Canada. Are you going to miss her?

It'll be a huge wrench when she goes. We don't know how long it'll take us to move there.

We're hoping this time next year. She'll be on her own until next spring, if not later.

She'll be home for Christmas.

I think she is a very expensive daughter.

So we'd better get back to work. We need all the money we can get. Come on.

£500 will make a huge difference to Felicity's new life in Canada.

I've no doubt she'll find all sorts of opportunities there.

While Paul fools around in the bedroom,

Anne wastes no time in finding this accordion.

When our expert's ready,

he values it at £10-20.

-Mum, look at these.

-What have you got?

-Postcards.

-Postcards.

Where's Chris?

-Chris?

-On my way.

-Hello.

-What have you got?

-Look.

Some really old postcards. I'd forgotten we had them.

-They look like First World War, some of them.

-They look quite old.

-I'll tell you who knows for sure.

-Who?

-Paul, we need you.

-Amazing, isn't it?

-Yes.

-All right?

-Some postcards. Tell us about them.

I love postcards. Little capsules of time. We take them for granted, but these go back a long time.

This is one of the most highly sought-after areas, shipping.

Anything to do with transportation. The old steam ships.

Steam trains, trams, buses, that sort of thing.

People collect them. If this was the White Star, the Titanic, you'd be on a fortune here!

-This one's the...

-No, it's not!

-..the R.M.S Baltic.

-But just as good!

-Yes. Beautiful. The other ones

are First World War. Look at that. So who was in the First World War?

It would have been my father's father. Granddad.

-Your granddad.

-Yes.

-Right. It was a tragic time.

They would capture these views of life in the trenches.

You'd actually collect a set. These would have been staged.

This is number four out of a series maybe of six.

You'd send these to your loved ones in the trenches or, more importantly,

they'd send them back. Sometimes, if you get one with writing,

none of these have writing,

but sometimes you get the address of somebody in Ypres or somewhere like that.

Hidden underneath where the stamp would be

it would say something like, "I miss you", "I love you." But I don't want my mates to know!

-Fantastic.

-Lovely. Romance.

-Yeah, romance.

My only fear, whenever I've been to an auction with postcards before,

if there are loads of them, no-one's interested.

Has it got to be specific collectors who are looking for that area?

People collect different themes.

You've got two of the great themes here, the First World War and transportation.

If you've got a pub in a village with a horse-drawn cart outside, that's collectable.

The ones that aren't very collectable are views that haven't changed.

If you have a photo of a church or maybe a hillside, it looks identical now,

-so there's no demand.

-Ask him.

-You ask him!

-You ask him!

How much do you think they're worth?

These are great. If they were stuck into an album it might help a bit,

but as a loose set of cards,

40 to £60, that sort of price. How does that sound?

-Good.

-Great.

-Sound all right?

-Yeah, that's good.

-Great.

-All right?

-That's not too bad.

-Going to auction is like going to battle!

-Yes.

We'll keep our fingers crossed that we get the right result.

-Let's get going.

-OK.

'Hmm, a modest estimate.

'Still, we need to be well-armed with collectables come sale day.

'The house and its surroundings are so attractive

'with horses and a lake within walking distance.

'I wonder if Felicity will find anywhere quite so idyllic across the Atlantic?'

Anne and Felicity, this is heaven. All the ducks around here.

-You must spend so much time out here.

-We do.

-It's a waste of time, we spend too much time just looking at the ducks and birds!

-Are you sure

you want to leave this all behind?

It's going to be difficult, but yeah.

Definitely. It's a different sort of scene, being in a city. Really different.

What is different about the education system in Canada?

It's four years, to start with. It's a Bachelor of Arts degree.

But I have to take five subjects in my first two years.

Then I get to pick to major in one or two for years three and four.

So I'm going to be doing Spanish, Psychology, Biology, Arts 50,

which is like an English course,

creative writing, that's it.

-Are you jealous, Anne?

-I am.

In fact when we visited UVC last summer,

the campus was to die for.

It was all so modern. They had two Olympic-sized pools,

a drama building, a library, the resource centre was renowned in the whole of Canada.

I thought I might go as a mature student myself!

If you were to do a post-graduate, what would you do?

Something like cooking. I've never mastered cooking!

Or wine-tasting. Something like that!

One thing I do know about Canada is it has lots of snow.

I've seen photos inside - you like your skiing, don't you?

My university has a ski lodge up there. So I'll get to stay there.

A ski lodge?!

-It's 11 a night!

-11 a night.

-How does one get there?

-Go as a mature student!

It does sound like a wonderful opportunity.

-So there's one last leg to do. Ready?

-Yep!

-Come on, then.

-OK.

A life on the snow-capped mountains. I'm green with envy!

Just as well Paul hasn't been distracted by all these stories.

There are so many interesting items keeping him busy,

and he finds a pair of French chairs.

His estimate is £40-60.

Tres magnifique, Monsieur Hayes!

Anne's busy turning out all her drawers

and Felicity is even taking her chances in the garden.

She's popped over to a horse box which doubles as a storage unit.

Hey, Paul, come and look at this.

It's a spare room! Oh, wow!

-A fantastic little high chair.

-Yeah.

-Was this yours?

-I think so, some years ago, anyway.

-Can you remember using this?

-No, not personally, but I've found a few pictures of me in it.

Fantastic. With spaghetti on your head and food all around you!

-Everywhere!

-Things don't change, really, do they?

The basic idea, this is a high chair. It allows the child to sit in it safely.

At a height you can feed the baby, which is great. It's just wonderful.

The tray lifts up, it's washable.

-It's a very useful item.

-Practical, yeah.

-But...

-this isn't any ordinary high chair.

-Really?

-It's metamorphic!

-OK.

-Know what that means?

-No!

-It turns into something else.

-OK.

-Watch this now.

Should be a lever... Here we are. If I pull this lever,

the legs will collapse and you end up with a rocking chair!

-That's cool!

-How fantastic is that?

So you're looking sort of 1910, 1920.

What a great invention that is. You've got something for everybody here. People who collect rockers,

people who want to collect a high chair,

anybody interested in country pine.

The whole thing could be restored quite nicely.

I think someone would buy it to renovate it and bring it back to life.

You get people who have doll collections or teddy bears,

fantastic in a play room.

So you've got a bit of childhood memorabilia.

-It's solid pine. The whole thing would be brought back to life.

-Yeah.

If I said at least £30 to £60?

-Yeah, that sounds great.

-It's not too sentimental?

-No!

-So it can definitely go?

-Yep, definitely.

What else have you got?

Felicity has left Paul searching,

and in less time than it takes to play a scale,

he's come across a vintage piano stool.

It's going to auction with a price tag of £15-30.

I've no doubt we're close to our target.

Still, Felicity has such ambitions for her Canada trip,

I'm sure she'll be delighted if we exceed it.

So we make one final push before our day comes to a close.

And it looks like it's paid off.

-I've no idea.

-Paul?

-Yes?

-Paul, look what I've found.

-Right. Let's have a look.

-I've got four others there.

It's Proud. H.Proud. Now, I think it was my dad's uncle.

-Right.

-I think he was the painter in the family.

-OK.

They're watercolours, I think?

Definitely watercolour. This is a nice little seascape.

This is known in the trade as a "pot-boiler".

There are millions of paintings that everyone did as a souvenir of a day out. But who knows,

-this could actually be your granddad playing.

-I hadn't thought of that.

This is beautiful. A nice watercolour. 19th century. Is it just one?

-Or is there a pair?

-I've got about four. All different scenes.

Right. You're not going on a world cruise. If you wanted to sell them,

-they are nice items. If you said 60 to 100?

-Yeah, that sounds very good.

You should be very proud of him.

-I heard money being mentioned. This is where I come in!

-Your cue!

-What did we say this is worth?

-60 to 100 if there's four of these.

-That's not too bad.

-Very good, yeah.

-We've had a bit of a tot-up.

We reckon, conservatively, if we take everything to auction,

-we reckon we could raise £825.

-Wow!

-That's so good!

-That's good!

-How do you feel about that? Good?

-Absolutely.

-Worth getting your hands dirty?

-I think so!

-Well done, Paul.

-Fingers crossed. Off to the auction room.

-Thanks very much.

This has been a really exciting day

with so many antiques and collectables to find in this stunning home.

I'm surprised they want to leave it all behind!

Our top tips for auction day include this Arts and Crafts cabinet

that Anne's so fond of. We're hoping for £150-200.

Two silver watches that belonged to Felicity's great-grandfather

should sell for 60 to £100.

And the two gold emerald and diamond rings

that Paul valued at £300-500.

Anne wants to put a £400 reserve on them,

so let's hope they sparkle on sale day.

Still to come on Cash in the Attic:

our expert is looking on the bright side.

No! So that's not sold.

-That's actually good.

-It is good.

-That's great.

Anne can't keep her lips sealed.

There was a real bidding frenzy going off there!

-It is an auction!

-It is, yes.

That's right!

But maybe things are looking up.

-There you go! How's that?

-Let's do it again!

That's more like it!

Here comes that final hammer!

It's been a couple of weeks since we helped Anne search her home

for collectables and antiques in Oxfordshire.

Anne wants to raise around £500 for Felicity's new life

in Canada as a student.

The university with a ski lodge!

Anyway, she's got her work cut out today.

Sadly, I can't make it to the auction,

so I'll have to leave them in the capable hands of Paul

at Hampshire Auctions in Andover.

All sorts of people are here in search of a good deal.

Let's hope the bidders are ready to part with cash

that'll fund Felicity's trip to university in Canada.

Our thanks to the auctioneer for taking time to give his thoughts

on today's items.

-Good morning, Aaron!

-Morning, Paul!

-Are you well?

-Very good.

Thanks for allowing us here again.

We've got some great items. Do you like the cabinet?

It's a beautiful item. I'd hope it would get some good money there.

Unfortunately, we don't have too many furniture buyers in today.

So maybe it might not reach the top end. Hopefully towards the lower.

Let's hope so. One of my favourite items has to be those two rings.

One's a nice fire opal, the other's diamonds. How will they do?

It's a mould-cut diamond, unfortunately.

It may not be too fashionable nowadays for some of the younger people.

Let's hope there's some older chaps in for their wives.

Would you suggest a reserve then, to look after it?

Yes, just to be safe. You don't want something to go for too less.

-It's been a pleasure. See you later.

-Thank you, Paul.

-Thanks.

It's always good to see plenty of bidders

and I wonder if our mother and daughter are as optimistic as Paul.

-Hi.

-Good morning. Are you well?

-Fine, thank you.

-Excited?

-Yes.

-Nervous?

-Yes, very nervous.

-You've not come to buy anything?

-No.

-A few nice things!

Sell, sell, sell. It's clear-out day today. But Chris can't make it.

-That's a shame!

-But fortunately, I'm here!

That's good! Good!

How does it feel when all your items are here?

-Spotting them, that cabinet...

-Different.

-They look so different.

Does anything pluck at the heartstrings at all?

-Only my mum's rings.

-OK.

I'd never wear them, but she was very fond of them.

There's an attachment there so I asked for a reserve to be put on those.

We've had a chat about these. The estimate was £300-500.

-We've put a reserve of 400. Is that all right with you?

-Yeah.

So you're happy. If it sells for £400, it's gone.

If it doesn't fetch £400, you keep it.

-OK with you?

-Yeah.

-Excellent.

The auctioneer's about to start, so let's take our places.

-Come on. Good luck!

-OK.

They seem quite relaxed,

though I have to admit that after hearing what the auctioneer had to say,

I'm feeling slightly apprehensive. Still,

an auction is a great way to make money.

Perhaps you share Felicity's ambition of taking a trip,

or you have a long-held ambition to achieve.

If you're thinking of trying your luck, remember that commission and other charges may apply.

Always check the details with your auction house.

I think today's sale is about to start.

We're in place ready for the first lot,

the piano stool Paul discovered in the horse box.

He's given it a value of £15-30.

What shall we say on this? 160B. Start me at £10 for it.

No interest at ten? Surely it's worth £10.

-We've got ten.

-£10. I'll take 12.

12 I have. 14, sir?

-14. There we go.

-18.

20. And two?

At £20, then. At £20. I'm selling at 20.

-Yay!

-Result! That was all right.

-Must have been the extra polish.

-Elbow grease.

All that polishing paid off as we beat Paul's lowest estimate by £5.

Both Anne and Felicity are happy with that price.

Hope they'll still be smiling after the sale of our next item.

It's Anne's favourite, the Arts and Crafts cabinet.

Paul gave it a colourful £150-200 estimate.

But Anne's hoping for more.

She won't want to see it go for a low price.

Now, we haven't got much furniture in auction today,

but this is quite a large piece.

-It's that beautiful cabinet, the Arts and Crafts one.

-My favourite.

-Remind me where this has come from.

-It was my dad's aunt,

Aunty Nellie or Aunty Mabel. It came from them.

So we're looking at £150. That's the minimum hope for today.

-Yes.

-Here it comes.

What shall we say on this? Start me at £80 for it.

80. There must be.

60 to get it going. No interest at £60?

Joking!

Wow.

He's left it unsold. Well, that's actually done you a favour.

Yes. Will it fit in the car?

I'm sure it would. You can leave it for another week.

But that's a real shock.

-I'm disappointed, actually.

-It's very disappointing.

Of all your items I thought that would be the one that would go.

Oh, dear. But at least it didn't go for a pittance.

Only £20 in the kitty so far

and £500 to raise.

We need to sell, sell, sell.

But it looks like the bidders aren't in the mood for large furniture.

So how will they feel about ceramics? Up next, those two vases

that Felicity found hidden away.

You've got some nice ceramic items now. Those two beautiful vases.

Here we go. Talking £30 minimum on these.

Two long-necked vases decorated with gold and blue flowers.

They look good.

-What shall we say on them? I'm straight to 20.

-20 we're in.

-OK.

At £20 only. Two is there. 22 I have. 24.

26? 26.

-28. And 30.

-30.

32.

34.

At 32 only. Is that 34? At 32, then. I will sell at 32.

There you go. How's that?

-That's a relief, isn't it?

-It is.

32. That's £2 over our bottom estimate.

-Still good.

-That's good.

-That's great.

£32. A fair price for the vases.

Plus we've now banked one tenth of our target.

Next under the hammer is that pair of French chairs,

valued by Paul at 40 to £60.

They have seen better days, but all they need is a little TLC.

A nice pair of chairs now.

Now these, if I remember rightly, needed a bit of restoration.

-Just a touch!

-Slightly distressed! Is that the correct term?

-I always liked them. I kept them safe,

always meaning to have them restored.

I've got 12, 14, 16 on this.

16. We're in. Here we go.

£16. At £16.

18 is there. At £16 only.

Surely 18? 18 I have, and 20 here.

And two. At £20 only.

Surely two?

At £20, then.

-That didn't reach its reserve.

-He's not sold them, which is good.

-Hasn't he?

-No. £20, that's too cheap.

-The French chairs not selling was...

-..a little bit disappointing.

-But then they'd have gone too cheap. The auctioneer did us a favour in not selling them.

-Yeah, definitely.

We can take them elsewhere. Sell them privately.

Uh-oh. We are really struggling to get going today.

I hope the same cannot be said of Felicity's trip to Canada.

And more bad news.

Remember that 18th-century high chair that Felicity used as a baby?

£20, then, I have. At £20.

It's another lot that fails to tug at the bidders' heartstrings.

This isn't the best day for furniture.

So far, Anne and Felicity have raised only £52 towards the Canada fund.

The uncertainty felt by the auctioneer at the start of the day

is slowly becoming a reality.

But it's only the first half of the sale,

and there's another lot to go before we take a breather.

Up next, it's that pair of silver pocket watches

once owned by Felicity's grandfather.

Will they bring us another £60?

-I've got 45 to start.

-45. We're in.

-..and five.

And 60. Find me five here.

-70. I'm out.

-70. We're in.

-That's better, isn't it?

-Yes.

-And five?

£70, then. I will sell.

70.

-There you go. Is that all right?

-Yes.

-That's £10 over the bottom estimate.

-Good.

All right.

Phew! At long last, a sale.

This crowd must be one of the toughest we've faced on Cash in the Attic.

I wonder how much we've made so far?

We've reached the halfway point of the auction.

-It's fair to say we haven't done too well on the furniture.

-No.

How do you feel? Is that quite disappointing?

-It is, but we've got it to sell another day.

-Another day.

-I like your optimism. We've got some great items coming up.

-Yes.

We wanted £500. At the halfway point we've actually made 122.

-Good.

-It's not so bad.

-We're getting there!

It's more than we thought before we tallied up.

With the two that haven't sold as well.

-Don't forget, you get to keep those items.

-Absolutely.

We've got some great items coming up.

Your beautiful rings, your Proud paintings, remember those.

Lots of interesting small bits. I hope they'll do better.

So we'll have a little break. I'm going for a cup of tea!

-We'll meet you back here in a minute.

-Absolutely.

Great. After you.

While Anne and Felicity take a break, Paul checks the saleroom for items worth investing in.

It doesn't take him long to spot one.

I love coming to auction houses. You never know what you'll find.

I remember buying one of these, it must be ten years ago.

It's a cranberry glass epergne.

These are so rare to find in this condition.

What we have here is real Victorian cranberry glass.

That's made using real gold oxide and it turns this colour upon heating.

Imagine how expensive it was to produce then.

But it does have its imitators.

They make reproductions of these now and they're very convincing.

One way to tell, rather than being solid cranberry glass,

they use almost like a nail varnish on a clear glass,

with a finish inside which peels after a while, like a coating.

This one is absolutely fantastic. It's mint condition.

It's in the catalogue today at £100-150.

You find another one for that sort of price. It's an absolute bargain.

The second part of the auction is about to begin.

We've returned to our hot spot.

Our next lot is an accordion.

All we're asking is a tenner - so come on, bidders!

-I've got ten to start.

-Ten. We're in.

-12 I'll take.

-At £10 only. 12 there is.

-It's beautiful.

-16, madam?

18. 20. And two?

At £20. I'll take one.

At £20, then. At £20.

I will sell at £20.

There you go! That's all right.

-Yes.

-Phew! It's sold.

Top of the estimate. That's all right.

Double the estimate. A great start to the second half.

I hope this attractive lot went to a good new home.

If we're to make our £500 target,

we need to bag another £358.

No pressure, then! Hopefully our brooch will turn some heads.

It's a beautiful piece of work. It's a shell cameo, nicely done.

-No cracks or chips. We're looking for about £30.

-Good.

See how we go.

-I've got 20 to start.

-20. We're in.

-Two I'll take. At £20.

-At £20 only, for 216A.

-Come on!

£20. Is there two?

-At £20 only. 22?

-Ooh.

£20, then.

-I'm afraid it didn't reach its reserve.

-So that's not sold.

-That's good, isn't it?

-It is good.

-That's great. Somebody missed a trick there.

I think you're right there, Paul.

It's best not to sell too low.

It's a beautiful piece of jewellery and it's becoming clear

the dealers are just not buying.

Up next, two gold rings with emeralds and diamonds.

Paul has high hopes for them, but Anne has a reserve of £400

and I've got a feeling that no-one is going to dig that deep.

It's safe to say that this is our star item now.

Those two fabulous rings.

Are these plucking at the heartstrings slightly?

A little, because my mum was very fond of the emerald and opal.

She was very fond of that. Dad bought it for her.

But I don't wear it. It's not my style.

-It lives in a drawer.

-The estimate is 300 to 500. The reserve is 400.

-Let's hope it fetches that reserve.

-Fingers crossed.

-Let's hope so. Fantastic items.

-I'm straight in at 260. 270.

-260. We're in. 270.

-280 I'll take.

At 270. 280 there is.

290. 300.

-At 290. 300 is there?

-Come on! That's what we wanted, but...

£290 only.

-Didn't quite go there, I'm afraid.

-That's a no sale!

-Oh, dear!

-I'll have to wear them!

You got to the bottom of the estimate, 300, but the reserve was 400.

How do you feel about that now?

-I think they're worth...

-Yeah.

-I agree.

-You thought so as well.

-I think they're worth every penny of £400.

I have to agree with all of you.

They're worth more than their weight in gold. Anne was right to put a reserve on them.

But they made up such a large chunk of our target.

Our hopes of raising £500 are now looking very slim indeed.

Now it's the turn of those World War I postcards.

A bit of military history here. Postcards can do very well here.

I've sold things here before.

-We're looking £40-60.

-Good.

-What shall we say? I've got 30 to start.

-30. We're in.

Two I have. 34. 36.

Eight here, sir? 40. I'm out.

Two in new place. 44?

-Fighting over it.

-46. 48.

-50.

-50.

-And two.

-Come on!

And five. And eight? At £55. Is there eight anywhere?

At £55, then. I'll try for eight again.

£55.

-There you go!

-Yes! Well done!

-Really good.

That's all right. That's more like it.

A real bidding frenzy there.

-It is an auction!

-It is, yes!

That's right! Thanks for telling me!

A photo finish of £55.

That's £15 over Paul's lower estimate. Could our luck be turning?

Let's see if the collection of watercolours by H.Proud do the business.

OK. We have five paintings all by the same artist here.

You should be "proud" of these!

-Oh!

-Joke!

-The artist is "Proud"!

I've put these in at 60 to 100. Let's see if it's plain sailing!

What can we say on this? I can start the bidding straight in at £40.

-£40.

-Two I'll take. £40 only. 42, is there?

42 I have. 45. 48.

-At £48.

-48.

50 I have. Five. 55.

60, madam? 65?

-60!

-At £60 only. Do I see five somewhere? At £60.

-Fantastic.

-I can sell at £60.

-How's that?

-Really good.

-That's what we wanted. That's great.

Bang on target. Another sale on estimate.

Perhaps those bidders have finally seen the light.

How long can this last? We have just one item left.

Another work of art. Fingers crossed it'll do just as well.

Some horse interest. You were bound to have some horse memorabilia!

-There's quite a lot in the auction today.

-Yes.

We're looking at the David Shepherd picture of two horses.

-Is this actually signed by David Shepherd?

-Yes.

That's what we're looking for. If there are two collectors interested in David Shepherd, or horses.

We're looking at at least £50. 60 to 100. See how we go.

Start me at £40 to get it going.

-40 I have. Two I'll take.

-40. We're in.

£40 only. Surely two? At £40, then?

42 I have. 45.

48.

And 50. And five.

And 60.

No? At £55 only. At 55.

60 I have. 65, sir. 70.

And five?

At £70. £70.

Is there five? At £70 I'm selling.

Wa-hey!

How's that? That's fantastic. £70.

-Really good.

-Pleased with that?

-Very pleased.

-Well, there we are. That's ended on a high, hasn't it?

-Yes.

-Great.

But what a tense afternoon it's been!

So many star items failed to sell, like the Arts and Crafts cabinet

and the two rings.

But on Cash in the Attic, we always try to look on the bright side.

We had quite a disappointing start to the whole auction.

The furniture, how do you feel about that? That beautiful cabinet not selling?

I was disappointed initially. We wanted it to sell.

It's a big piece of furniture.

Whilst I wrenched it out and was in two minds about letting it go,

we decided it had to go cos it can't go to Canada.

So it has to go. Then they didn't bid for it.

But I've still got it so I can still sell it.

It's not lost or been undersold. I've still got it to sell.

It's a good thing.

Right. We haven't sold the items for less than we wanted.

The cabinet is easily worth £150. Two fantastic rings.

I thought Fliss would have wanted the emerald one, but she didn't.

That was one of my mum's favourite rings.

So to undersell it would have been wrong.

-We need to get what it's worth.

-Definitely.

We wanted £500 for our target.

Do you think we've got that?

-I'm not so sure. I don't think so.

-Probably not.

You'll be surprised. We've not done that bad, bearing in mind you're taking some items home.

We've raised here today £327.

-That's really good. Excellent.

-That is good.

-Very good, yeah.

-Overall, you're pleased in the end.

-Very pleased.

It's just a few weeks later and Anne and Felicity

have decided how they'd like to spend their auction takings.

-There's your board.

-Thank you.

'We didn't quite hit our target at the auction,'

but the money we've raised will go towards the Canada trip.

We thought a couple of boarding lessons would be a good idea.

She'll be skiing and she's never boarded.

So a couple of boarding lessons to see how she gets on.

To get in the stance, you need your legs nice and bent.

Felicity will be attending a university that's fully equipped with its own ski lodge.

Perhaps learning to snowboard is a more dynamic way to spend the cash.

-Ow!

-Cool.

Ow!

She starts off a little wobbly...

..and realises it's not quite as easy as it looks!

-Much better.

-Ow.

But at last she finds her feet.

Well done!

Well done.

Today was a really good experience.

It's not as easy as it looks, that's for sure!

But I think having a one-to-one lesson was really beneficial.

Really fun.

Excellent.

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