Johnson Cash in the Attic

Welcome to the show that finds the hidden treasures in people's homes

then sells them, raising money so the family can do something special.

What's interesting when we come to people's homes

is seeing their reaction to the valuations they're given by the experts,

especially if they consider themselves to be collectors,

so will it be boom or bust?

Find out on today's Cash In The Attic.

Coming up on Cash In The Attic,

a neglected ukulele gets a surprise valuation.

-Happy?

-Very.

-Music to your ears?

-Very much so.

We unearth some 19th-century maps in remarkable condition.

It's 1881!

How extraordinary! How old!

And on sale day, some of the results leave us speechless.

THEY GASP

Gosh!

But will our luck hold out until the final hammer falls?

Stay tuned to find out.

Today, I've come to Hampshire and I'm on the edge of the New Forest

where I'm going to be meeting Nicki and Karen.

They've called in the Cash In The Attic team

so they can raise some funds and take to the water.

Meet Nicki Johnson whose passions in life include sailing,

running and her two beloved dogs.

She's always lived in Bournemouth

and now shares a home with lifelong friend Karen Rayner.

Nicki calls herself a jack of all trades, having had a variety of jobs

in hotels and nursing homes before becoming a bus driver.

Hopefully, she's back from her run now as Nicki's called in

the Cash In The Attic team to help raise money for a nautical adventure.

So, we've press-ganged expert Jonty Hearnden

to give us the low-down on any treasure we find.

A ha! Well, the stairs and the upstairs

-are beckoning for you, young man.

-I'll see you in a minute.

We'll catch up with you in a bit. Ladies! Oh, hello.

-Hello!

-So you must be Nicki.

-I am.

-And you're her friend Karen, is that right?

-Yes.

-OK, all right.

-So who called in Cash In The Attic?

-I did.

-I'm so naughty, aren't I?

-Right, what made you decide to do that now?

At the end of the day, I've just got so much stuff over the years

I've collected, that it's about time that I let some items go.

Karen, what do you think about Nicki's plans to have a de-clutter?

Very, very good idea.

OK. Well, if we're going to find some items of interest

and sell them, what would you like to spend the money on?

A sailing holiday or just a short break somewhere.

And is that for you and Karen?

-Yes.

-Have you any idea how much money you'd like to make?

About £300.

All right. If you want to carry on having a look down here, Karen,

-Jonty's upstairs, so let's go and find him and see if he's got anything to show us.

-OK.

£300 sounds like a realistic target, and at first glance,

there looks as though there will be plenty to check out.

The spare bedroom alone could be hiding any number of hidden gems.

Jonty Hearnden's been involved in the antiques business for nearly 30 years now,

but despite this, he's still very much a boy at heart.

-Ah, Jonty!

-Hello.

Have you found something already?

Well, I've found this wonderful collection

of mint-condition boxed toys.

Where did you get these from?

Ringwood Market. I was a bit of a bidder in my time,

and some of them come from an antique shop.

Why did you buy them?

Well, I thought they'd make some money a bit later on in life,

so I collected them for my son as well.

-So has he played with them?

-No, I just bought them,

put them away, and that's where they've been ever since.

We've got one small collection here. How many in total, do you think?

Probably about 40. It might be slightly more.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-That's very good news indeed.

So, the models that we're looking at here, these were produced by Matchbox

originally in the 1970s, that's their Yesteryear range, and the reason

why they produced these was for the collecting market,

not necessarily for them to be played with.

There are many growth areas within the business of collecting, and toys is one of them.

Definitely worth selling. You've got a great collection.

I have a hunch that we're looking

-between £100 and £150 there.

-Oh, that's lovely.

-Excellent!

That can go off to auction. That will help towards our target figure, £100 to £150.

Let's see what else we can find. Come on.

Well, that's a terrific start to our day here in the New Forest,

and potentially a third of our target in one hit.

Nicki's search continues in the kitchen

and in a dresser, she finds a rather neglected cream jug and wash basin.

It was produced in the early 20th century

and belonged to Karen's great aunt.

Sadly, it has some damage and that rim's in need of a clean,

so Jonty values it at just £10 to £20.

-Jonty, look, I've got this ukulele.

-Oh, isn't that lovely?

-Can I take it out of the box?

-Yes.

-It's in very good condition.

-Do you play?

-No.

-So where's this from?

-A great uncle.

Oh, yes? Did he play it?

Yes, he did, and the guitar.

Now, ukuleles originally came from Hawaii.

It was a 19th-century version of a guitar, a small guitar.

If you look closely on the top here,

can you see that it says "CJ Martin & Co. Est. 1833"?

There should be something on the reverse which tells us...

-Yes, there you go, made in the USA.

-Oh, right.

It's an American instrument, and it's a company that's still going strong.

Because it is in such good order, we're going to get

between £100 and £150 for this at auction.

-Really?

-Yeah. There's no reason why not.

On a good day, that's what it should sell for.

-Happy?

-Very.

-Music to your ears?

-Very much so!

But will it be music to the bidders' ears at auction?

Hold on, hold on!

What didn't you tell us about this ukulele?

'Stay tuned to find out.'

As we continue to search through Nicki and Karen's Hampshire home,

it becomes clear just how much these two great friends

have collected in the 20 years they've lived together.

From the back of a packed display cabinet,

I spot this lovely silver pincushion that's in the shape of a heart.

Pincushions became popular in the 19th century and are avidly

collected today, especially when they're novel designs like this one.

Sadly, it does have some damage

and as a result, Jonty gives it a rather mean £10 to £20 estimate.

Not to worry, though, as I may have just found something else

that could lead us to more fortune come auction day.

-Nicki, are you there? It's a map of the local area, but...

-Oh, wow!

-It's 1881!

-How extraordinary! How old!

-So where's this from?

There's a whole collection here, but this looks to be the oldest.

-I think it's one of the many heirlooms.

-Right, OK.

Is this an Ordnance Survey? Let's have a look at the front.

Yeah, isn't that wonderful?

So that's very good news, because Ordnance Surveys historically were the most accurate,

they were the ones that everyone really aspired to own and collect.

We've got all these other maps here, as well.

-There's so many and they're all Ordnance Survey maps, are they?

-I think so.

Now, Ordnance Survey, or the survey of this nation,

started in the late 18th century when the army generals

really wanted to know the topography of our own land

for defensive purposes, so they had it surveyed.

OK. What's the value, then?

Well, sadly, they're not really worth a great deal of money.

The price, we're looking at £15 to £20.

I think that's ample.

-Yeah?

-Yes, I do.

-So you're happy to let them go?

-I'm happy to let them go.

-It is really interesting.

It's a shame it's only sort of £15 to £20, but there you go,

that's the way things are. Let's see if we can find something of more value.

So, not quite the golden treasure maps we'd hoped for,

but on the plus side, we've already managed to raise £235 for that sailing holiday.

Karen's working hard and finds two boxes of geometry instruments

and a pair of opera glasses.

Jonty thinks these will make an interesting dealer's lot,

which could add another £15 to £25 to the fund.

In the lounge, Jonty has found a set

of Myth & Magic figurines by Tudor Mint.

They were produced in the 1990s

and come complete with boxes and collectors' certificates.

Jonty's confident they could fetch £70 to £100 at auction.

Well, we've had a highly productive day so far here in Hampshire,

so time, I think, to learn more about Nicki's passion for the high seas.

Tell me a little bit about how you got involved in the sailing, then.

Well, my son used to belong to the Sea Scouts, and I was a helper,

so I took some qualifications for that,

and after that, I loved it so much I decided to continue in that field.

-And how often do you sail?

-About twice a week.

Are there any trips you haven't done that you'd like to do?

I'd like to go round the Caribbean. It would be wonderful.

-When was the last time you went to auction?

-About a year ago.

-Have you weaned yourself off them?

-I'm trying to.

So we could have a bit of trouble when we go to the auction -

-we might come back with more than we go with!

-Yes, definitely!

Presumably we may have to hold your hands down.

Yes, I think you ought to tie them down, really!

All right, well, I'll go and tell Jonty that. Come on.

I'm not sure we'll be able to fund Nicki's dream cruise around the Caribbean,

but hopefully, our hard work will pay for a fantastic weekend at sea.

Jonty's been hard at it upstairs

and it looks like our antique hunter's efforts have paid off.

Nicki, are you there?

I've got a little collection of commemorative plates, is that right?

-Yes, that's right.

-How many have we got here?

-Got six.

-Six in total?

So, tell me about this collection. Why's it still in the box?

Well, I just buy things and put them up in the loft, and that's where they stay.

Why did you buy them in the first place?

-As an investment.

-How long ago?

-19 years ago.

We've got a great name. We've got Royal Doulton in association

with the Franklin Mint, who were the specialists in collecting

limited editions just like this.

If you look at the work on this set, it's really very, very good indeed.

This here is the New York Central, so we've got an American set,

but we've also got the Flying Scotsman,

so it's obviously looking at great trains from the world,

but the problem that a lot of people have had over the past

is that they've bought sets similar to this for investment

and the price has not necessarily risen.

If anything, it's probably fallen, but that's not too much of a worry.

We CAN sell this set. We won't get the money you probably invested. Do you remember what you paid?

I think about £23 something a plate.

-That was a lot of money 19 years ago.

-Yes.

-We're looking at, what, £40 to £60?

-That's fine.

-You happy about that?

-I am happy about that.

That's a good find, but it does mean we've got to carry on searching.

-This way?

-Yeah, this way.

Well, Jonty's estimate for the six plates

is a lot less than the price Nicki originally paid,

and it would appear the train plates

aren't the only limited-edition china Nicki has.

In the spare room, Jonty has found a set of Wedgwood plates

carrying the Flower Fairy design.

Like the Royal Doulton examples, these two are boxed

and complete with certificates, but again, Jonty thinks £40 to £60

is all we can expect for this lot.

As our day here in the south of England draws to a close,

there's just time for one last find, which has a long family history.

-It's a telescope! Where's this from?

-It belongs to Karen.

Right, Karen, so tell me the connection, then.

It belonged to my great uncle.

-Does it work properly?

-It does work properly, yes.

These are such wonderful instruments to hold. They're very tactile.

The quality of the craftsmanship to make them is all there to see.

These were very popular in the 19th century and the 18th century,

and many gentleman would have had one of these,

because not only were they interested in the stars,

but they wanted them for various purposes,

for military purposes as well, so there were many reasons

why people needed to have them in their possession,

but it's nice to see at the top a maker's name - Cary, London.

That's good news for us.

So what value do you think it might have, Jonty?

£30 to £50.

You wanted to raise £300 so that you can take to the waters for the day

or maybe have a bit of a break.

Well, the good news is that the value of everything going to auction

-comes to £430.

-Oh, how brilliant.

When we get to the auction, no bidding, just selling.

I'll try, I'll try.

Well, what a successful day we've had in Hampshire

with great friends Nicki and Karen,

and what a variety of items we've unearthed for auction.

There's the large collection of Matchbox cars.

Jonty struggled to put them down!

We're hoping the bidders will pick them up and pay above and beyond

their £100 to £150 estimate.

The two sets of limited-edition collector's plates.

These were once all the rage, will they be again at auction?

We'll soon find out. We're looking for £40 per set.

And who could forget Karen's great uncle's ukulele?

Jonty valued it at £100,

but will the music lovers be in the room or will it go for a song?

Still to come on Cash In The Attic -

there's so much interest in one of our lots, we wonder if we've missed something.

-120!

-Well done!

-120!

You hadn't hidden a stash of diamonds in there, had you?

So, will the girls be setting sail

for fun on the high seas or heading home for an early bath?

Find out when the hammer falls.

Now, it's been a few weeks since we met Nichola and Karen

at their home in the New Forest.

Now, remember, they wanted to raise £300 for a sailing holiday.

We found plenty of items to bring here to Andrew Smith & Son Auctioneers in Hampshire,

so we're hoping that the bidders, who are already arriving in force,

are ready to part with their cash.

This popular saleroom on the outskirts of Winchester

holds its fine art sales once a month,

and with just shy of 900 lots on offer,

we're expecting a full house for today's sale.

I can't wait to see what the bidders make of the valuations

on our eclectic mix of items.

-Ah, good morning.

-How are you doing?

She has got a lot of these. How many altogether, can you remember?

Far too many to count.

They're all in their original boxes, which is very, very good news indeed.

The only thing I'm worried about

is that here we are in the real country heartland,

beautiful antiques around us, this fantastic barn.

Is it the place for modern collectables to really sell?

Well, the great thing about auctions is we never really know,

but because they are all in perfect condition,

I'm sure we have a good chance. Time to create some magic.

Oh, yes, I like that!

So Jonty's confident about the day ahead.

Let's hope there are also plenty of wannabe ukulele players at the auction.

-Good morning.

-Good morning.

-How are you doing?

What does it feel like seeing your items here in the auction house?

-Fantastic.

-You've brought everything?

I've brought everything. I haven't had second thoughts.

I saw you having a good look round - have you got your eye on anything?

-I have, actually.

-We're here to sell, not to buy.

I know, but I just can't help the urge.

We're going to have to keep her busy, I think.

I'm going to have to keep my eye on you.

The auction is under way, so shall we get ready to sell our items?

-I might go and get myself a number, yet!

-No, no, no!

-Come on, this way.

Follow me, follow me.

I think if we're not careful today,

Nicki will have spent the holiday money before we've even earned it.

Now, if like Nicki and Karen, you're thinking of heading to auction

to raise money for something special, please remember that fees

such as commission and VAT may be added to your bill,

so do check the details with your local auction house first

to avoid any unwelcome surprises.

Well, the auction's in full flow, as they say,

but for you, it's your first lot coming up,

and it's the early 20th century cream ground jug and wash basin.

-£10 to £20 for that?

-That's right, because there was a bit of damage.

It also needed a bit of a cleaning. Did you manage to do the cleaning?

-Yes, we did.

-Very good.

-Let's see if we can sell it.

£5 I have. 6, can I say? A £5 note. All done at £5.

6 upstairs. 7, is it? £7. 8? 9? At £8, then.

9, can I say? At £8, all done.

GAVEL BANGS

£8. We're going to have to start printing some £8 notes at this rate

-if that's the best we can do!

-An interesting one.

So, despite polishing them up for auction,

it looks like the bidders were still put off by that damage.

It's our first contribution to the sailing holiday

and they will need a fair wind behind them

on only £8.

Let's hope we have more luck with our next item.

Now, these are the Flower Fairy plates, two very good things.

Lots of followers of Flower Fairies,

and Wedgewood is a very good name, Jonty.

Yes. The other plus is they're in perfect condition.

-What do we want for these?

-£40 to £60 is what we're looking for.

At £20, 22. 24. 26.

28. £30. And 2.

35. 38. £40. And 2.

45. 48.

£50. And 5. 60.

Yes? And 5. 70?

£65, then. Don't listen to her!

At £65. 70, can I say? 70 upstairs. And 5?

Another bidder, great!

80. And 5?

Oh, excellent!

80, then, upstairs. 85, is it? At £80 upstairs, all done.

-£80.

-At £80. 85. 90? Yes? And 5.

£90 upstairs. Are you going on?

At £90. Last chance at £90, then.

GAVEL BANGS

They ended up going for more than I thought.

Yes, I agree, and lots of interest in the room,

and we also had an internet bidder as well.

Well, that's more like it! Selling for £30 over Jonty's top estimate.

Now it's an item that I discovered, the old Ordnance Survey maps.

-There are a lot of these. Is this a collection you put together?

-No, they belonged to my great uncles.

-So your great aunts contributed and your great uncle!

-Oh, yes.

So what we want for these, Jonty?

These are great curios. £15 to £20.

OK, let's see what we can get, then.

-Tenner? Oh, got a tenner on the net. £10. 12, is it?

-£10!

£10. 12 anywhere? At £10. Anybody at... 12 now.

14. 15, then. 15, I have. 18?

-At £15, then.

-That's fine.

-On the interweb at £15.

Anybody else in at £15? All done at £15.

-When was the last time you used them?

-I don't think you ever did!

Never! There you go, we got £15 for you. All right

Well, we shouldn't be too disheartened with that, selling for bang on Jonty's lowest estimate.

And when the heart-shaped silver pincushion sells

for over twice its highest estimate at £45,

we begin to feel that we're really on a roll.

OK, our next lot is the 19th-century brass telescope

which we found and had a good look through.

We did find a maker's mark on that.

Yeah, we found Cary, which is a great mark to have

on any telescope.

Stamped by Cary, best of makers. Now, where are you going to start?

That's a nice talk-up from the auctioneer, saying it's the best of makers.

Come below that, £100.

No? 50, then. I have 50. I'll take a fiver.

Somebody's gone straight in at 50.

60, do you mean? Anybody else in at £55?

-GAVEL BANGS Pleased?

-Very pleased.

-Yes?

-£55.

Karen thought we'd do well to get a fiver for the telescope

and we managed a lot more than that.

We've been doing well so far, but I'll be interested to see what the bidders make of our next offering.

This is a bit of a strange lot, Jonty, what's going on here?

It's a question of putting items together that are going to attract dealers.

-Right, now, what do we want for this, then?

-£15 to £25.

-OK.

At £10, my colleague. 12.

They're going on now. It's kicking off at £12.

Come on, come on, come on.

15 now. 17, can I say? At £15. 17, is it?

-All done at £15?

-It's the lower-end estimate.

Well, Jonty thought they were worth around £15,

and that's exactly what someone else was willing to pay.

It's back to a more conventional auction lot next

with Nicki's commemorative plates.

This time it's steam trains of the world by Royal Doulton.

We did well on our first set of plates, so let's see what happens.

I put the same estimate as the fairy plates, £40 to £60.

I have 30. Take two on these.

At £30. 32?

-Come on.

-32. 35. 38.

40. 42.

There's somebody on the internet again.

45. 47.

£50?

47, then, here. Anybody else in at 47? 50, is it?

Are you finished at £47, all done?

-GAVEL BANGS Good news.

-£47. Is that OK?

-Yes, that's OK.

-Yeah?

Well, £47 is over Jonty's lower estimate,

but there's no disguising Nicki's disappointment with that sale.

She would have paid a lot more than that when she bought them new.

I'd really like to think we could put a smile

back on the girls' faces with the sale of our next lot,

but I'm slightly concerned that Nicki will have

once again paid good money for her Tudor Mint figurines.

Can you remember what you paid for these?

I should think about £40, something like that, for the big ones.

OK, because we've got quite a low estimate on these, 70 to 100,

but it'll be interesting to see,

because these are quite popular in some quarters.

Because they're such good quality, and again, you've got the box

and the certificates, it's really going to help the price.

Now, I'm going to start you clear, all bids here at £85. 90, can I say?

£90. 95. 100. And 10.

120. 130.

-140.

-We are creating a bit of magic.

130 with me, then.

£130. Done at 130?

GAVEL BANGS

-£130.

-That's good.

Are you pleased? I know it doesn't equate to what you spent on them.

Yes, but it's very good.

I have to say I think that's actually a pretty good result

for the figurines, as they sell over Jonty's estimate.

It's more of our modern-day collectables up next,

but this time in the form of vintage cars and vans.

Let's hope the magic from our last success rubs off on these too.

-You bought these at auction?

-Yes, I did. Ringwood auction and antique dealer as well.

What are we expecting for these?

The estimate - £100 to £150.

Now, I've got to start you here at 85.

-90 somewhere? At 85 with me.

-That's more like it.

90, is it, in the room? At £85.

Anybody going on?

No? £85, surely?

-90.

-Oh, come on.

At 85, all done.

-They're unsold.

-Unsold.

How would you feel about that? Would you rather they'd sold for 85 or...

I don't mind sticking them up in the loft for another few years!

I knew you were going to say that!

Well, that is a surprise, and with no bids above £85,

the cars head back to the New Forest

with the girls, and that doesn't help our sailing fund.

Fortunately, there is one item left to sell, and it's by far

our most unusual lot of the day.

It's Karen's great uncle's ukulele.

What do we want for this?

Well, I put £100 to £150 on it.

It's a very good, good quality instrument, this.

Now, clear bids, I'm starting you at 240.

-£240!

-THEY GASP

260, can I say? 260. 280. 300.

Good grief! It's not lined in gold, is it?

360. 380.

Hold on, hold on.

What didn't you tell us about this ukulele?

-400. And 20.

-It's made of gold!

At £400, then.

420. 440?

420, then. On the phone at 420.

-Anybody else in?

-On the phone!

-At £420, are you done at 420?

All done at 420, then.

-420!

-£420!

You hadn't hidden a stash of diamonds in there or something, had you?!

What an amazing result!

Talk about saving the best till last!

What a day it's turned out to be,

so after that fabulous result, how much money have we raised?

OK, you wanted £300, didn't you?

-Yes.

-And you have actually made £825.

-Wow!

-Wow!

-That's good, isn't it?

-Congratulations.

-That's fantastic.

What are you going to do with all that money?

I don't know. There's a few items here that I would really like!

Are you going to carry on buying things in boxes

-and putting them in the loft?

-Um...I'll try not to.

Right, I think we can take that as a yes.

After that roller coaster day at auction, Nicki's headed down

to her local sailing club and she can't wait to get out onto the water

in preparation for the girls' up-and-coming sailing holiday,

and Nicki has devised quite a trip!

The money I've raised, I've decided to spend it on sailing,

and I'm going over to Cherbourg and then we're going to go

to Guernsey and back, just to make it a sailing trip.

It's my hobby, and I love it.

I love getting out there in the sea and just relaxing

and having the engine cut and just let the wind take you.

Crossing the Channel will be some experience,

because there's so many boats in the Channel

and you have to keep a good lookout,

so it'll be really, really exciting, very exhilarating.

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