Towner Cash in the Attic

Welcome to the show that searches out all those hidden treasures in your home

and then, of course, we sell them at auction.

The British love a bric-a-brac shop.

You never know what you may find - a bargain or a diamond amongst the rough.

And the lady we're going to meet today is very good at spotting the diamond.

Find out what the things may be worth on Cash In The Attic.

Coming up on Cash In The Attic...

Oh, I say! Look at that.

A 1920s watch proves to be a girl's best friend.

All the stones that we're looking at here are diamonds.

The vintage work of a Victorian naturalist gives our family an unexpected surprise.

-You're joking.

-How exciting is that?

You're speechless! THEY LAUGH

And at auction, could it be our lucky day?

-I have seen them sell at that price before, but not double.

-That's incredible, isn't it?

Find out what happens when the hammer falls.

Today, I have come to Lewes in East Sussex to meet a lady

who has called in the Cash In The Attic team

to help her raise the funds she needs

for a rather special school project.

Kay Towner teaches English to sixth-form students in town

here at Sussex Downs College.

She lives with her three children, one of whom, Freya, will be helping her out today.

Her love of literature has led to her long-standing hobby of book collecting.

But it's teaching that's always been at the centre

of her life. Jonty Hearnden is our expert today.

He'll help us find the items that will make the most for Kay on auction day.

Oh, hello. You must be Freya and Kay?

Hello.

Now, Jonty obviously needs to find plenty of stuff to sell.

-Have you got a figure in mind? How much you'd like to raise?

-About £400, if we can.

All right. Jonty, it's £400 then.

-You'd better go and see what you can find.

-I'll see you later.

-What do you want this money for?

-I'm going to go out to Uganda

to teach English in a development centre.

-That'll be interesting. Have you done anything like that before?

-No, it's a real adventure.

I'm excited, but a bit scared at the same time.

What do you think about it?

I think it's a good idea that she's going to be helping people there.

The items we're looking at to make this money, where have they come from?

I've picked them up in my travels, really.

Sussex is a great place to go and rummage and there are all sorts of

bric-a-brac shops and I've been collecting books for a long time.

So I get home and the children say, "Oh, Mummy, not more books!"

Well, Jonty's the man for valuation.

So hopefully he'll be able to get us to our target.

So let's go and find him. Come on.

Kay's home is filled with books and collectables,

so I'm certain we'll find plenty of items to make her dream of a Uganda trip come true.

In addition to teaching, Kay also has a passion for drama.

She's a member of the village theatre group and has spent many hours performing and singing.

I'm not surprised when Jonty turns out this handsome instrument.

-Oh, Jonty.

-Aha.

-Give us a tune.

I've found this wonderful violin. Do you play violin?

I used to when I was younger. I used to play in an orchestra.

-If you have a look in the middle there, it says Stradivarius.

-It does.

-Wouldn't that be fabulous if it was?

-It would!

The truth of the matter is that of course there have been hundreds

of thousands, if not millions, of copies of great Stradivarius violins.

The real dead giveaway is this patent number up here.

That is something that's possibly put in pre- the Second World War

or even post- the Second World War. It's not particularly old.

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

I just got it in a bric-a-brac shop.

It did need some work done on it, but I paid about £25 for it.

It cost about £200 to get it to the condition it's in now.

I don't think we are going to get your restoration costs back.

I've seen a lot of violins of this sort of quality in auctions

and they tend to sell for less than £100.

So auction value for this

will be £60 to £80.

Is that all? I thought it was worth more than that.

-We can always put a reserve on it for you.

-Shall we say £200?

OK, I don't think we're going to risk you giving us a tune, Jonty...

Oh, really?

-What can you play?

-I'll show you later.

All right, come on.

Kay has spent a considerable amount on restoration, so her determination

to obtain a high estimate is perhaps not surprising.

I hope Freya has permission to go rummaging

through her mum's jewellery box like this.

But it seems like a sensible move.

She discovers two costume rings created in the Edwardian style.

They may not be the real thing,

but Jonty thinks someone might want to take a chance on them

at £20 to £30.

We've found some saleable items, but could Kay's packed bookshelves

give us the hot find we really need?

Where do these come from? Are these ones you picked up on your travels?

-Yes, more bric-a-brac shop finds.

-Really?

-Cos they're Charles Dickens.

-Are they? Can I have a look?

I love the bindings on these.

-How much did you pay for these two?

-It was about £10 each.

-It was a few years ago now.

-This is Bleak House

and this one's The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

-His last unfinished novel.

-Yes.

And Bleak House is one of his most famous novels. Regarded as one of his best.

It is, yes, undoubtedly.

Now, we can learn a lot from looking at books like this

just by turning the first few pages.

And here we see that this was published in 1853.

Which makes this a first edition.

And this is how they were bound, in this sort of half leather-bound form.

The Bleak House is slightly worn, if you look at the cover

and certainly if you turn the inside and look at the illustration pages.

They are foxed. Which is actually quite standard for his books.

So it matters that these are first editions, because it gives them added value.

I think at auction we're looking at between £100 and £150.

-Really? Goodness.

-They will fly out of the auction room.

So many people want to get their hands on these. Wonderful.

Wow! Two awe-inspiring items of literature,

which bring us a few steps nearer to Kay's Ugandan teaching trip.

As our rummage continues, I notice a pair of lovely floral vases.

They have a 1920s design, but as the maker's mark is elusive,

Jonty thinks a fair asking price would be £20 to £30.

Freya's first jewellery find was so good, it looks like Kay is happy

for her daughter to carry on with the search through her knick-knacks.

I found this in my mum's drawers.

Do you think it would be any good at auction?

Oh, wow, look at that! A beautiful necklace.

That's a gold necklace. Do you like this?

Yeah, it's very pretty.

It is very pretty, isn't it? You see all these stones?

Those are turquoise stones.

Let's have a look at these links in more detail.

You see this one? Just the one, they're all identical.

There are seven main links here.

And that style there is Edwardian style.

So these links and the whole chain are about 100 years old.

So it's really quite old. You can imagine a lady with fine ruffs

round her neck, maybe a stiff collar,

and that would be placed on the outside, so everyone could see it.

Something that is solid gold and is as beautiful as that,

-what sort of price do you think that's worth?

-About £20?

We're looking at - and this gets very exciting - £60 to £80.

-That's quite good.

-That's very good.

Freya's certainly impressed,

but will the bidders find the necklace as enticing as we do?

90, right-handed. And 5. 100. And 10. And 20. 130...

Find out later when the hammer falls.

As we continue our rummage at Kay's house,

Freya's found Kay's well-used, but charming salt and pepper pots.

The whimsical mushroom design is made by Carlton Ware,

a company known for its playfully designed pottery.

Jonty values this set at £20 to £30.

It seems that you're quite musical and quite theatrical in this family.

-Where does that come from?

-Goodness! Where do you get that impression?

I suppose it originated from my dad.

He was a piano teacher and also organist and choir master.

So we all grew up in a choir.

So tell me a bit about why you decided to go into teaching.

A love of drama and a love of literature combined,

and the chance to spend my life focusing on those things

was just ideal.

It's hard work, being a teacher though, isn't it?

It's jolly hard work. The workload is big.

-So you've got to be committed.

-So tell me bit about the trip

that you're going to be making to Uganda.

Ian Elgey, who teaches world development at Sussex Downs,

is running a study tour of Uganda,

so that staff or students can stay there and work

for three months over the summer, in whatever way they can help out,

and it just seemed like such a fantastic opportunity.

What sort of things will you be doing when you get there?

There's a project going on at the moment, teaching people to build rocket stoves.

It's a much more efficient way of cooking and using fuel.

So that's one of the things that I believe they want us to get involved with.

So what's the cost of the trip overall?

Probably about £1,000, all told.

Between food and air flights and transport.

And we need to buy the air ticket as soon as possible to get a good deal.

That being the case, maybe we'd better chivvy Jonty along. Come on.

This sounds like a worthwhile cause.

We'll do all we can to get Kay on her way.

Freya's been busy.

She's found two collectable, pop-up Magic Roundabout books dating back to 1976.

No stranger to the Herb Garden himself, our Jonty

is sure someone will part with £20 to £30 for these charming stories.

Also going along to the auction is this 19th-century Windsor chair.

Made from elm, Kay bought this classic piece at an antique shop many years ago.

We think it should walk out of the auction room priced to sell

at £40 to £60.

Kay discovers a watch once given to her by her ex-husband.

It has been shut away for quite some time.

-Jonty?

-Hello.

-I think I've got something here.

-What have we got?

Oh, I say. Look at that. That's rather delicate.

We're looking at a lady's wristwatch that has to be 1920s

and if you look at the style here, it's much more the Art Deco style.

It's that lovely sort of angular look that people are genuinely looking for

and all the stones that we're looking at are diamonds.

Which are really beautiful. Absolutely stunning.

It says "Made in France" and "Platinum"...

-Aha.

-..on the clasp.

I would suspect that this base will be silver

rather than platinum, because it's cheaper to make.

Maybe the settings, just the settings alone will be platinum,

because it's a much more expensive material to use.

So how many times have you worn it?

Only about three times. Because it is very delicate.

-Does it work?

-It does, or it did the last time I wore it.

That works all in its favour. This is a wonderful object of beauty.

At auction, a bare minimum of £100.

£100 to £200 would be my estimate,

-but I wouldn't be surprised if it makes more than the £200.

-Marvellous.

I want to put that back in the box for safe-keeping.

-Let's go and find some more bits.

-OK.

With Kay's trip to Uganda potentially riding on this rummage,

let's hope Jonty is spot on with his estimate, so we can bring some bling into the sale room.

Kay's also going to put forward this over-loved teddy bear,

which once belonged to her uncle.

It dates back to the 1930s and, come auction day,

we hope someone takes it off our hands for £10 to £20.

Another scan of the book shelves and Kay's turned up another literary relic.

Hello, people. What have I got here?

Let me guess - it's another book.

Which one's this one?

It is the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin.

Wow! Fantastic. Can I have a look? Wonderful.

Don't tell me this is another purchase from a bric-a-brac shop?

-I confess.

-Yes?

-Yes, it is.

-For the vast sum of?

-£3.

It has to be one of the most important books ever written,

because it changed the way we all thought about how the world was created.

Here we have got the date of 1872 and this is the sixth edition.

The first was 1859.

And this was when they changed the title.

It was only a subtle change. But it was a change nonetheless.

The original book was On The Origins of Species.

This is correct, the green cloth cover is spot on.

We have got a bit of damage down the spine there.

Even in this state, at auction, we are looking at between £150 and £250.

-You're joking.

-How exciting is that?

You're speechless.

OK, well that is good news.

Now, you wanted to raise £400 for this big trip to Uganda.

The value of everything that is going to auction comes to £600.

That's all right!

-What about you, Freya? Are you coming on the day?

-Yeah.

Just remember, don't sneeze and don't put your hand up. All right?

We don't want to buy it back again!

I think we have found the missing link in this rummage.

Hopefully this will get Kay on that plane to Africa,

along with the Art Deco watch.

It should add some glamour to the occasion at £100 to £200.

Plus this beautiful gold necklace

with turquoise stones is sure to please at £60 to £80.

And we all have Great Expectations for those first edition

Charles Dickens books that Jonty valued at £100 to £150.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic - one item rockets past the asking price.

-How about that?

-£130 - that's more than double the estimate!

Double the bottom estimate...

But can we be certain they'll all go the same way?

Are we done at £85? Do I see 90? Come along...

Find out when the final hammer falls.

Now, it's been a few weeks since we were with Kay Towner

and her daughter, Freya, trying to find the diamonds amongst the rough, and we managed it -

the antiques and collectables that we discovered, we've brought here

to the Denhams Auction House in Sussex.

Remember, they are looking to raise £400 towards that trip to Uganda.

Let's hope the bidders have got their cards ready when our items go under the hammer today.

This family-run auction house in Horsham is filled floor to ceiling

with fine art, antiques and collectables.

With over 900 lots on view, there are plenty of bidders eyeing up Kay's items.

Jonty's already double-checking his assessment

of the books that Kay sent along.

This one should appeal to all wannabe David Attenboroughs in the room.

Good morning, Jonty. How are you?

-Doing a bit of light reading.

-Origin of Species.

-Has there been any interest in that so far, do you know?

-Not quite sure.

I'm a bit concerned we have quite a bit of split down the spine here.

-But it is an iconic book.

-Does anything else take your fancy?

I particularly love the little wooden crinoline chair.

It's a beautiful thing. Beautiful object.

-What about the violin?

-I haven't seen that around at all today. I'm not sure where that is.

Let's go and see if we can either find the violin or find them.

Remember, Kay was uncertain whether she would part with the violin for less than £200.

Maybe she's had second thoughts.

-Good morning.

-Hello.

-Hi, guys, how are you?

-You're obviously at home here, because there is lots of bric-a-brac.

-It is, yes.

-Everything's here, is it, from our rummage day?

-I haven't brought the violin.

Because it's been valued at quite a lot of money by a specialist, so I think that perhaps

a specialist auction or through a violin dealer

is the way to raise some money through that,

-rather than a general sale.

-Yes, that's perfectly understandable.

I gave you a value for a general auction sale and if you can get more for it, woop-dee-doo!

-Are you looking forward to today?

-Yeah.

So how does it feel to see your items actually in the auction house now?

It looks very odd, they look as if... I don't know.

They don't look like mine any more.

I really hope your items take off.

-Shall we get in position, ready for the auction?

-OK.

-Follow us, then.

I think we're all eager to get started and earn as much as possible for Kay's trip.

If you would like to raise money by selling at auction,

remember the sale room will charge fees such as commission.

These vary, so always enquire in advance.

Our first lot is the much-loved 1930s teddy bear

that once belonged to Kay's uncle.

-What is the story behind him?

-Sadly, nobody's been loving him.

He's been in the bottom of the wardrobe for years now.

So it's time for him to go, and make a contribution towards the trip.

-And you're not interested in him either?

-It's a bit old.

A bit old and tatty? OK.

But, still, teddy bears are popular and collectable.

Yes, don't throw a teddy bear like this away, whatever you do.

I've put £10 to £20 on it. You know. That all helps.

I bid 20 straight in. And 2. 24. 26.

28, 30. And 2. 34...

-Listen to this!

-30. 40. And 2.

44 now? 44 seated. At £44.

Are we done at 44? Selling.

-£44!

-£44.

-That's a good start.

-Amazing.

This bear may have seen his fair share of love,

but since he sold for over double Jonty's upper estimate

it is safe to say someone's ready to give him a good home.

Our next lot is the Carlton Ware

novelty condiment set.

Shaped as a mushroom. I absolutely love the range

that Carlton Ware do, it's so wacky.

-It is shaped like a mushroom with a condiment set inside.

-A bit of kitsch.

I'm bid 10. 12. 14.

16. 18. 20.

-And 2...

-The bidders are bidding away.

24. 26. 26 seated now. All done at 26, are we? 28 standing.

30. And 2. 34. 36.

38. 40. And 2.

44. 46. 48...

50. And 2.

-Good grief!

-50 seated. All done and selling at £50.

Anyone want to jump in?

Now, that is extraordinary, because this is not a rare item.

You do see these items coming up, and I have to say,

I've never seen one priced at that price, have you?

That's the reason I put £20 to £30, because I've seen them sell at that price before. But not double.

-Not double.

-That's incredible, isn't it?

Another smashing sale for Kay.

If we keep this up, we'll be reaching our target in no time.

Now, our next lot is the Victorian gold necklace, set with turquoise.

Now, I've put £60 to £80 on it.

-That's a reasonable price to reel in the buyers for you.

-OK.

There we have him, and I'm bid 50 for it? 40?

I'm bid 50. And 5. 60. And 5.

70. And 5. 80.

And 5. 90? 90, right-handed.

And 5. 100. And 10.

120. 130.

-140. The lady's bid, 130. Front row. 130.

-£130!

-Done, are we?

-How about that?

£130 - that's more than double our estimate.

It looks like Jonty's plan worked!

Price it right and the bidders will follow.

Up next is another one of Kay's bric-a-brac finds.

Two 1920s-style floral vases.

Our next lot, again, I must admit, I like these.

They are the gourd-shaped vases.

I love the glaze that's on them. The decoration.

What do we say for a pair of vases like that? £20, do we say? 10, then.

Come along, now. 5 there. £5. 6. 7.

8. 9. 10.

12. 14. At £14, then.

Are you done and selling now at £14?

-All at 14 then. Not sold - £14.

-Unsold.

We've hit our first patch of troubled water.

Still, Kay has many other stunning items left.

So, with luck, we'll recover.

The next two lots sent us on a bit of a bumpy ride.

The two 1976 Magic Roundabout books, valued at £20 to £30,

proved to be as unpopular as Ermintrude's daffodil curry!

At, £14 then... Not sold - £14.

But the two Edwardian-style rings fared much better, selling at £42.

There we go. How about that?

The good news is we're moving slowly but surely to Kay's target.

And so far we've bagged £266.

Now, our next item is one that Jonty predicts might be a sleeper.

Now, this next lot is a Windsor armchair.

It's early 19th century. It's a beautiful thing.

I've put a low estimate of £40 to £60, and my hunch is that it's worth a lot more.

-I have had another look at it.

-OK.

It's got a lovely crinoline stretcher to it

and I think that we should be doubling the estimate on this one.

A handsome chair. What do we say for it? £100 for it.

I'm bid 50. And 5. 60. And 5. 70.

And 5. 80. And 5. 90. And 5. 100.

And 10. 120. 130. 140.

-With me now, at 140.

-There you go.

Are we done and selling? £140. All done now, at 140, are you?

-£140!

-That's even more than you said it would go for.

-Wonderful.

-That's incredible.

-Do you remember how much you paid for it? Because it was with another chair.

-£35.

With that kind of return, it's safe to say Kay certainly has a gift

for spotting a bargain.

Our next lot is one of Kay's best ever buys.

It's a sixth edition copy of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species.

Jonty thinks it's worth £150 to £250,

and given that, Kay's put a £100 reserve on it.

Tell me the story about this.

I bought this in Heathfield for £3.

It's the last edition of The Origin of Species

that Darwin altered before he died.

There we are, what do we say for this, then? £100 for it, do we say?

Come along now. 75?

I'm bid 50. And 5. 60.

And 5. 70. And 5.

80. And 5.

At £85 then.

Are we done at £85? 90? Come along. At £85.

Do we have 90 now? At £85 then.

-All done at 85.

-I'll take it home.

-Unsold.

-That's OK.

-How are you feeling?

That's fine. I've got other books that I want to take and be valued.

Again, as you were saying, it is a bit like the violin - perhaps it needs to go to a specialist auction.

It is a real shame we didn't have the interest today.

But I'm confident that when she submits it to a specialist sale,

she'll get the buyer she's looking for.

Let's try two more books from Kay's collection.

We still have those first edition Charles Dickens books

valued at £100 to £150.

Let's hope the right buyer's here, because they are worth every penny.

-But in a general sale, you never really quite know.

-OK.

What do we say for the pair of them? Do we say £100?

I'm bid 50, thank you. And 5.

60. And 5. 70. and 5. 80.

And 5. 90. With me now at £90. I'm going to sell now at £90.

I'm selling at 90. Make no mistake. The hammer's up at £90 now...

-£90.

-£90.

It may be just shy of what Kay was hoping for,

but every bit helps towards that plane ticket to Uganda.

Our next lot is the lovely 1920s cocktail wristwatch,

and in its original case as well.

Bids here, start us here at £100.

And 10. 120. 130. 140...

150. 160. With me at 160, then.

170. 180. 190. 190 right-handed.

Shall we round it up to 200?

190 right-handed. Selling at 190.

Wow! £190. That's great, isn't it? You must be pleased with that?

Yes, that's good.

Our experience of the sale has been like a roller coaster.

So my hope this we've raised enough to make Kay's dream a reality.

Now, you wanted to raise £400 towards this trip to Uganda.

Well, you've actually banked...

-£686.

-That's smashing.

That's pretty good going, I would say. Don't you think?

Especially when some of your favourite items you've kept hold of.

-Is that going to help towards the trip?

-It'll be a tremendous help.

It'll pay for the lion's share, I'm really pleased about that.

-Have a great trip.

-Thank you very much.

With a volunteering trip to Africa still a few months away,

Kay has time to take part in a special orientation course.

It takes place at the sixth-form school where she's a teacher.

I think it's going to be very exciting.

I think the study tour will be very intensive,

but will give me a clear idea of what work I'd like to do when I stay out there.

Once there, Kay will help students from Sussex Downs College

with their two-week study course.

They'll be fully immersed in Ugandan culture, and help to build housing and sanitary facilities.

Ian Elgey started the programme and has continued to lead the team for the last six years.

We want a mixture of staff and students.

So, for example, the young students will be out there playing football.

I don't expect Kay to be playing football out in the village.

But she will be able to give her experience

and that will be a great asset.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd