Francis-Brough Cash in the Attic


Francis-Brough

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Welcome to the show that helps you hunt for antiques and collectables around your home

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and then sells them at auction.

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I'm sure a lot of people have collected things over the years

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which have increased in value.

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One day you think, "I could do something useful with that money."

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That's the case in point for the lady I'm about to meet

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who really does hope we can find some cash in the attic!

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Coming up. Our expert is challenged by a faded maker's mark.

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I can see a nice crisp hallmark on this one.

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But on this one it's a bit faint.

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And our host's keen eye for art leads to a possible pay day.

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I recognise that!

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D-A-L-I.

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-Find out what happens when the hammer falls.

-Thank you!

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Today I'm in south-west London

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and I'm about to meet a lady who's led an absolutely fascinating life.

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She's called on the help of an old friend

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to search out those items that will produce that much-needed money.

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Born in Germany, Bea Francis-Brough

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has always been up for adventure.

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An avid traveller,

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she moved to England in 1958 where she eventually married and brought up two children.

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Some years later, she divorced and met her second husband, Michael.

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Sadly, he passed away two years ago

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so she's decided to have a clear-out

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and put the money she earns to good use.

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I'm joined by our expert Jonty Hearnden

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to help search for items that will raise money for her special project.

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She'd like to redesign her bathroom

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and then take her good friend Magda out for a special day.

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As Jonty starts work, I find the girls are also eager to get started.

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Hi, Bea!

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-And Magda!

-Hello!

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-It's like the Old Curiosity Shop in here!

-Don't tell me!

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-This is the overspill, is it, where you store stuff?

-I gather and it grows!

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You two have known each other how long?

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-We reckon about 15 years or so on and off.

-Probably more.

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Why have you called in Cash in the Attic, Bea?

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I need to raise some money for a new shower room in my guest suite.

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And I was hoping to have a bit of fun with Magda.

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Isn't that nice? I didn't know about this.

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I've just learned it. It's wonderful.

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What would a bit of fun entail, Magda?

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I think we would probably do something wild like go to the opera!

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How much money do you think we can raise?

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Ideally 2,500, or more, depends on what these things fetch.

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It's a big sum of money. We need a big man to help us.

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Jonty Hearnden is a good six foot two,

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-so I think he'll fit the bill.

-Yeah.

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-Let's go and see what he's up to.

-Brilliant.

-Come on.

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Finding enough items to make up £2,500 is a big task.

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Thankfully, there are four of us to share the rummaging duties.

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I can see from the packed walls of her home

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that Bea is a serious art collector.

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Jonty has taken a special interest in a particular pencil drawing.

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-Hi, Jonty.

-Hello!

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-This is Bea and Magda.

-Hi. Nice to see you.

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I see you've found one of the wonderful pictures that are everywhere in this house.

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I bought that in South Kensington

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when my oldest, who's now 49, was six months old.

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-So you know exactly how old it is.

-It's a long time.

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I bought it in a gallery when the exhibition had just finished.

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-Who was the artist?

-Ruskin Spear.

-What made you think you had to have it?

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I just felt it was so calm and pleasing and lovely.

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There was nothing I didn't like about it. I had to have it.

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How much did you pay for it?

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They wanted £90. When you compare that to the rent I was paying

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for a nice flat in South Kensington,

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which was five pounds a week,

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you can see how expensive that was.

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Presumably, Jonty, this picture will have increased in value

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and the artist is very well known.

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Very well known indeed. It might be some time since you spotted this, Bea,

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but on the reverse the artist has signed it.

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Here we have "Ruskin Spear".

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Ruskin Spear was born in Hammersmith

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and spent most of his time there. So a lot of his work, like this picture here,

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-is all of West London, Hammersmith and the surrounding area.

-It cost £90

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almost 50 years ago.

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-If we took it to auction now, what do you think we'd get for it?

-Well,

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he makes a lot of money at auction. There's a great return for your investment.

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So if I can pip it just below the £1,000 mark at auction,

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if we put 700 to £900, I'm sure

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there'll be a lot of interest at auction if we do that.

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-OK.

-That's not a bad return on £90, is it?

-It's not!

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If there are more items like this we'll reach our target in no time.

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There are nooks and crannies aplenty to scour.

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Meanwhile, Bea shows Jonty a bowl that's travelled a very long way from home.

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Jonty, I wondered if you'd like to have a look at this.

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That's a pretty little bowl.

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-My brother gave it to me years ago.

-Really?

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-He was a captain and he travelled the world, so he bought that in Japan.

-Really?

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Let's look at the bowl in more detail. Inside we have a pheasant.

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He's resting either on a log or a rock,

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surrounded by flowers

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and above him is a maple tree.

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This is known as Satsuma ware.

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-Right.

-Because you have this very distinctive crackle glaze.

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Satsuma in Britain was very popular in the late 19th century

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and early 20th century

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so we do see a lot of Satsuma ware from that period in this country today.

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Everyone wants a decorative bowl like this. It's always worth selling,

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always worth considering putting something like this into auction.

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It's not worth a vast fortune. We're looking at 30 to £40.

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I'm very hopeful that Bea's home is going to yield many more items

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which could bring in some useful takings at auction.

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Bea has uncovered an iconic 20th-century serving platter

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which she inherited from Michael's mother.

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I bet that's seen its fair share of Sunday roasts!

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Made by Spode, it's a good example of the blue and white pattern

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and the so-called underglazing technique for which the company is famous.

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Jonty thinks it's going to raise 40 to £60.

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Meanwhile, I've picked out yet another painting among Bea's collection.

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It's a beautiful watercolour by Edward Wesson,

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considered one of Britain's leading watercolourists of the 20th century.

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His style could be described as simple yet bold.

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Bea bought it 34 years ago

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and now it's worth a whopping 400 to £600!

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An exciting find! I'm keen to see if Magda's found something just as good.

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Have you found anything there for me, Magda?

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There's this.

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-OK.

-I'm not quite sure what they are.

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This looks like a vinaigrette set.

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-We've got a bottle here for vinegar and possibly oil.

-And a nice tray.

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From the decoration, it looks like Dutch Delft.

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It goes back to the 16th, 17th century.

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And it's always done in this kind of way.

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All hand decorated.

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But if you look closely at the two bottles, look at the shape.

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They're very contemporary so they're only 20 or 30 years old, possibly.

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As a consequence, we are looking at, when it comes to value,

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-only 20 to £30.

-Well, if it's not needed, why not?

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They certainly are three beautiful pieces,

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but it'll be much more fun for Bea to put the money towards a day out with Magda.

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Jonty's been busy and he's found three cup-and-saucer sets.

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All are 20th century

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and each made by a different European pottery.

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Royal Copenhagen is a distinctive blue and white Danish pottery.

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Meissen and Dresden are both German designs.

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No doubt a nod to Bea's ancestry.

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Put together as one lot, this collection should raise 40 to £60.

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I was wondering what it must have been like for Bea to adjust to life in 1950s' Britain.

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Bea, you'd never guess it, listening to you speak,

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-but you were born in Germany.

-I was.

-You don't have a trace of a German accent.

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I'm a good parrot. I think I might have made a good spy!

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That means you were growing up in Germany

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during and immediately after the Second World War.

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That must have been tough.

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When I was very small, during the bombing, I lived in Hamburg.

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But everybody went through it.

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Clearly you had a love of languages and of English

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as you became absolutely fluent in the language.

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I like languages and I found English easy. People used to say to me English is difficult.

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There's only one article, so it wasn't difficult to learn.

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And I had a wonderful teacher.

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-How did you come to England?

-In those days our money wasn't legal tender abroad

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because we were an occupied country.

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And we didn't have passports.

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So we had to be requested and most of the requests were for a number of years.

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There was one that turned up which interested me immediately which was for four months,

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doing seasonal work in the Isle of Wight ironing shirts.

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I'm brilliant at ironing shirts!

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But the languages must have been really useful in your first major job as an air hostess.

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Yes, you did need two languages apart from your own in those days.

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-And now you're retired.

-I am!

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-What's your passion now you have so much time on your hands?

-Travel.

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And my grandchildren. I have nine grandchildren.

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They are a joy.

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When I'm not with them, I plan my new travel.

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I'm going to India at the moment and to America.

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But there's lots more to come for the rest of the year.

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So if we're going to raise that £2,500 for the new shower and the night out with Magda,

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-we ought to go and see what she and Jonty have been up to.

-Great.

-See what else we can take to auction.

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Well, Magda certainly has been busy.

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She's found a box of handsome silver cutlery

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which Bea bought at an antique shop in Tunbridge Wells along with three similar cases.

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Three sets are solid silver and one silver plate.

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Altogether,

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the four-piece lot will hopefully earn 100 to £200.

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There seem to be all sorts of silver treasures

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hidden throughout this house.

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I've stumbled upon two items that look very promising.

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Bea, these are very pretty little silver vases here. Where did you get these?

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They were given to me by my boss.

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I know they're silver because I can see a nice crisp hallmark on this one.

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But on this one it's a bit faint. Have you been polishing?

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-I'm afraid I have!

-I'm sure Jonty will...

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I can't read this one, either.

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Just about. But I know Jonty will be able to tell us what it says.

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These pretty little silver vases, and you've got more there.

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I found this lovely hip flask hidden on top of a wardrobe!

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-Oh, my God!

-Is it a while since you've had a nip out of that?

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-It is a while.

-This is beautiful.

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If you look at those from a design point of view, they're between the wars. 1920s.

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Designed to go on a mantel shelf or dressing table.

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Can I give those back to you, because I'm completely in love with this.

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Beautiful hallmarks, it's late Victorian.

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It's exceptionally good quality. The glass is in very good order.

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But the silver casing around the outside is again very good quality.

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Here there's a little space for a personalised monogram.

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But for us that's very good news

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because it hasn't been signed at all which means it's much more commercial.

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-And it's all in perfect condition.

-Yes.

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If we take it to auction, how much might it make?

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The pair of vases we're talking 20 to £30.

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But add those with the hip flask,

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all of a sudden we're talking 80 to £100.

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-A nice little bumper bundle of silver for somebody.

-Very nice indeed.

-Yes.

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So far, Bea's keen eye for art has potentially given us £1,410.

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So a few more high-value items

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will take us very close to our target.

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In the garage, I come across a very interesting piece of china.

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It turns out to be part of a commemorative set

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made in the late 1980s.

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This set of ten plates celebrates the golden age of clipper ships

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and the entire collection is valued at 40 to £60.

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As we near the end of our rummage day,

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it's satisfying to think back over our impressive finds,

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especially from Bea's art collection.

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She's keen to show me another of her favourites and I'm gobsmacked when I see the signature!

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I recognise that. D-A-L-I. Dali!

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-A Salvador Dali!

-Absolutely.

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-Well, if you're thinking of putting this in the auction... Mind if I take it down?

-No.

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We should let Jonty take a look at this!

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Jonty, sorry to interrupt you both, but would you like to take a look at this?

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-Salvador Dali!

-Now, that's a fabulous interruption!

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-It's only a lithograph.

-While Jonty's taking a look so he can give you an appraisal on it,

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-where did it come from?

-East Molesey Gallery.

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-Michael immediately noticed it.

-That was your late husband?

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Yes, he had an eye for things.

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He said, "We ought to have the Dali. Have you had a look?" I said, "What Dali?"

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So he showed it to me and it was ours.

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-Just like that!

-Why not?

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-What was it about it that appealed to you?

-I thought it was funny!

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Once you look closely. Normally, with artwork, I go further away to look at it.

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But this you have to look closely or it's just a blur of blue.

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It cheers me up every time I look at it!

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-Have you decided it might go to auction?

-Well, yes, because I've had it long enough.

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It's Salvador Dali, known as one of the most famous surrealist artists of the 20th century.

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A lithograph is an image that originally was put onto a stone or copper plate.

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And the paper placed on top to reproduce the image that way.

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As a consequence, there's only a finite amount

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of reproducing that can take place.

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Therefore lithographs have an originality to them.

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But we have Salvador Dali's signature in pencil down at the bottom.

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-That's no ordinary signature either, is it?

-No, it's not.

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-He was quite an extraordinary man.

-He was.

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-This has to be worth between 1,000 and £1,500 at auction.

-Wow!

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-Useful!

-Bit more than you paid for it?

-Yes!

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Absolutely!

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Even if we take the lowest estimate that Jonty's given you there, which is £1,000,

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and add it to all the other things we've seen today,

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I know you want £2,500 for the shower

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and your girls' night out.

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We don't quite make 2,500, but almost.

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We make £2,450...

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-Just from the paintings.

-That's at the lowest.

-Yes, this is true.

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Cross your fingers for me.

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If we make more on some of the items, you'll really have a knees-up on your night out!

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You can drive us, if you like!

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Or she might have two showers!

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It really would be marvellous if one of Spain's most enduring artists

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puts Bea in touching distance of a new bathroom.

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But there's also the Ruskin Spear pencil drawing

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which is beautiful and rare, valued at 700 to £900.

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Let's hope it takes us far on auction day.

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The pretty Japanese Satsuma bowl, priced at 30 to £40,

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should catch a dealer's eye.

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And our silver lot, the flask and two vases,

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in pristine condition, surely they'll attract bids of around 80 to £120.

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Together with Bea's other items, they should all do us proud on sale day.

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Still to come: the auctioneer keeps the sale room in check.

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You're out then. Yes, you are! Sorry.

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And one item gives us an unexpected surprise.

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-Isn't that terrific? That's more than double what we put on it as a reserve!

-Wonderful!

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Be there for the gavel's final fall!

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Just a week ago, Jonty and I were there with Bea and Magda

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searching through that lovely London townhouse of hers

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for things that we could sell here today at the Tring Market Auctions.

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Remember, her target is £2,500.

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She wants to update her shower room

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and then have a night out on the town with her friend Magda.

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Let's hope everyone is generous today

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when her items go under the hammer.

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Not far from the picture-postcard Hertfordshire community,

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the auction house holds a general sale every Saturday.

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They've packed in almost 2,000 lots today,

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three times what you'd find in most sale rooms,

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so I expect the pace to be fast and furious.

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Jonty's here, looking over Bea's star item.

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-Hi, Jonty.

-Hi!

-I think Bea's pictures look at home here.

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-There are almost as many in this auction room as there are in her house!

-Right!

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I'm holding a very beautiful lithograph here.

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My only concern about coming to a general sale like this

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is do we have the right buyers here today?

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But that's the luck of the draw.

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We've got a £1,000 reserve on this Salvador Dali.

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-Do you think we'll make that?

-I believe that's a fair price.

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I hope that we jolly well get it because if we can sell this

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-and all the other lovely pictures we have...

-The Spear and the Wesson.

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It'll make all the difference. We're hanging on those three.

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I know that Bea and Magda have arrived.

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They're looking forward to the wild night out rather than doing up the bathroom!

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Let's go and see them.

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Bea is saying goodbye to an item that frankly she'd be happy to give away!

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-You can have them all.

-Sure?

-Would you like them?

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You're looking at the plates I found in the garage.

0:18:100:18:13

-They're wonderful!

-Giving them away?

-You like them, Magda?

0:18:130:18:17

-Of course!

-We have got some lovely things coming up.

0:18:170:18:20

-All of your pictures. And you've put reserves on all of them?

-Pictures only.

0:18:200:18:24

-Do you have a bit of discretion?

-I told the auctioneer to use his discretion.

0:18:240:18:29

Having got them off the wall, I don't want to put them back on again!

0:18:290:18:33

They've already been replaced. Isn't that unkind?

0:18:330:18:37

You had so many pictures. Let's put these back

0:18:370:18:40

and go and take our places because the auction is about to start.

0:18:400:18:44

-Let's hope we make those reserves and some!

-Come on.

-Fingers crossed.

0:18:440:18:48

I'm quietly confident about Bea's chances today.

0:18:500:18:53

She has some precious and intriguing items.

0:18:530:18:56

The first under the hammer is her large Spode serving platter.

0:18:560:18:59

-It is absolutely enormous. You could feed of a family of 50 out of that!

-It's huge.

0:19:020:19:09

There you are. I think it ought to be £100 for this one. £100.

0:19:090:19:13

He wants £100 for it, he says.

0:19:130:19:16

£100? 50?

0:19:160:19:17

Yes, I have, thank you.

0:19:170:19:19

50 we're bid for that one, then.

0:19:190:19:21

Five. 60, sir?

0:19:210:19:23

Five. 70?

0:19:230:19:24

Five. 80.

0:19:240:19:26

Madam? 85. 90.

0:19:260:19:28

Five. Going to be 100. 100.

0:19:280:19:30

£100.

0:19:300:19:32

Don't lose it for a fiver! Yes?

0:19:320:19:34

105, then.

0:19:340:19:35

At £105, and I shall sell. Thank you.

0:19:350:19:38

For £105.

0:19:380:19:41

Yes, it is yours. Thank you.

0:19:410:19:43

-Excellent result!

-Isn't that terrific?

0:19:430:19:45

That's more than double what we put on it.

0:19:450:19:49

What an amazing start to the day! If we can double our money on every sale,

0:19:500:19:54

then the girls will definitely celebrate in style. Next up,

0:19:540:19:57

the four cases of silver cutlery, at 100 to £200.

0:19:570:20:02

Shall we say £100? A useful lot. £50.

0:20:020:20:05

Yes. 60. 70.

0:20:050:20:07

80. 90.

0:20:070:20:09

100 down here.

0:20:090:20:11

£100. And ten. 110.

0:20:110:20:12

And 20?

0:20:120:20:14

£110 has it, then.

0:20:140:20:16

At 110. I shall sell the collection for £110.

0:20:160:20:21

Thank you.

0:20:210:20:22

-110.

-We got there.

0:20:220:20:23

Another sale over its estimate,

0:20:240:20:27

which is great news for Bea's bathroom makeover plans.

0:20:270:20:30

Now we move on to her impressive art collection. Up first,

0:20:300:20:34

the Ruskin Spear pencil drawing.

0:20:340:20:37

We've got a £900 reserve on this, Jonty.

0:20:370:20:39

-Is that a fair price?

-It is, but are the buyers here?

0:20:390:20:43

Where would you like to start, madam? £500? £400, thank you.

0:20:430:20:47

£400 is starting it, then.

0:20:470:20:49

At 400 and 20, sir?

0:20:490:20:52

And 50. Are you waiting? What about the £500?

0:20:520:20:55

520?

0:20:550:20:56

Are you hesitating? 520. 550.

0:20:560:21:00

580.

0:21:000:21:02

Are you 580? I'm bid there. 580.

0:21:020:21:05

600, is it?

0:21:060:21:07

580. £600.

0:21:070:21:09

And 20 now. 620.

0:21:090:21:10

And 50?

0:21:100:21:12

Are you going again?

0:21:130:21:14

At £620, then. At 620.

0:21:140:21:17

700.

0:21:170:21:19

Oh, dear. 750.

0:21:190:21:21

800, is it? 750.

0:21:210:21:23

One more?

0:21:230:21:24

At 750. 780 for you, sir.

0:21:240:21:27

No? You're out, then?

0:21:270:21:29

Yes, you are. Sorry.

0:21:290:21:32

It's hard to believe the bidders wouldn't meet the reserve for this drawing.

0:21:330:21:37

It shows something like this needs the right people in the room.

0:21:370:21:42

Sadly, the next painting suffers the same fate.

0:21:420:21:45

Valued at 400 to £600,

0:21:450:21:48

the fantastic 19th-century Wesson watercolour

0:21:480:21:50

also falls shy of its reserve.

0:21:500:21:52

So now to the stand-out item,

0:21:520:21:55

a splendid original Salvador Dali lithograph.

0:21:550:21:59

Valued at 1,000 to £1,500,

0:21:590:22:03

Bea won't let this go for less than £1,000.

0:22:030:22:05

A wise choice, considering its provenance.

0:22:050:22:08

The paintings haven't gone very well

0:22:090:22:12

so I'm wondering whether the right people are here. We'll see.

0:22:120:22:16

What about that one? Where do we go on that?

0:22:160:22:18

Salvador Dali. Can we get 1,000 for it?

0:22:180:22:21

1,000? 500, then, to start, sir.

0:22:210:22:23

Shall we say 500? We've got 300 bid for it.

0:22:230:22:26

At £300. Are you 20, sir?

0:22:260:22:29

At 350. Are you 80?

0:22:290:22:30

400. And 20.

0:22:300:22:32

Madam. 420.

0:22:330:22:35

450. Are you 80 now?

0:22:350:22:37

500. And 20.

0:22:370:22:39

-500. We're half-way there.

-Are you finished at £520?

0:22:390:22:44

Are you all finished at £500...

0:22:440:22:46

and 20?

0:22:460:22:48

No, I'm sorry.

0:22:480:22:49

-Oh!

-Not selling.

0:22:490:22:51

We haven't done very well at all.

0:22:510:22:53

Such bad luck!

0:22:530:22:54

And such a remarkable work of art.

0:22:540:22:57

I hope these other items don't suffer the same fate.

0:22:570:23:00

Sailing by next, the commemorative clipper plates at 40 to £60.

0:23:000:23:04

They were never on her list of favourites

0:23:040:23:07

so I'm sure Bea is more than ready to bid them adieu.

0:23:070:23:10

-Bea, watch them sail out of the auction room!

-What a laugh!

0:23:100:23:14

What about them? Shall we say £50 for those?

0:23:150:23:18

£30 for them?

0:23:180:23:20

Rather nice ones. 20 we have. We have £20 for them.

0:23:200:23:23

Five. All the clipper ships.

0:23:230:23:25

25. £30.

0:23:250:23:27

He's working hard for you.

0:23:270:23:28

And five. No more? OK, then.

0:23:280:23:31

At £40. Thank you.

0:23:310:23:33

-He's a very polite auctioneer!

-Very!

0:23:330:23:36

It's wonderful that they've sold for Jonty's estimate,

0:23:360:23:39

but Bea is happy to see them go at any price!

0:23:390:23:42

Hopefully, we'll have similar success with our next lot,

0:23:420:23:46

the collection of Delft pottery valued at 20 to £30.

0:23:460:23:49

It's not a lot of money we need,

0:23:490:23:52

-but we need every penny.

-Somebody will love it.

0:23:520:23:55

-Are you convinced?

-Totally.

-We'll soon see.

0:23:550:23:57

-Where are we going to start?

-Come on!

-Tenner I'm bid.

0:23:570:24:01

12. 15. 18.

0:24:010:24:02

20 I'm bid. Two I'm bid. Five?

0:24:020:24:05

No? At £22, then. At 22 they're going to be sold to you.

0:24:050:24:08

-£22.

-I'm very happy about that.

-It's gone.

0:24:080:24:11

-Look!

-Yes, I was right, of course!

0:24:110:24:14

Another item to exceed the lower estimate.

0:24:140:24:17

Perhaps our luck is picking up.

0:24:170:24:19

The next two lots also beat the lower end of Jonty's valuations.

0:24:190:24:23

At 40 to £60, the trio of cup-and-saucer sets

0:24:230:24:27

must have appealed to a wide range of collectors.

0:24:270:24:30

Made by three of the best European porcelain designers,

0:24:300:24:34

Meissen, Dresden and Royal Copenhagen, they sold for £55.

0:24:340:24:39

And the delicate 20th-century Satsuma bowl from Japan made £38.

0:24:390:24:44

Now to our last lot of the day,

0:24:460:24:48

the silver vases and flask.

0:24:480:24:51

So 80 to 120 is what we're looking for on this.

0:24:510:24:53

I'm hoping this will do very well indeed.

0:24:530:24:56

What about 150 for them? £100 for them? 80 I'm bid for them.

0:24:560:25:00

Yes, I am. 90. I have it.

0:25:000:25:02

-Wow.

-Straight in. Good.

0:25:020:25:04

110. And 20. 130.

0:25:040:25:07

And 40. And 50.

0:25:070:25:09

160, sir? Madam?

0:25:090:25:11

170, yes?

0:25:110:25:12

At 160 for sir, then. I shall sell at the very back.

0:25:120:25:15

They obviously like that flask!

0:25:150:25:17

-At £160. It is yours, sir. Thank you very much.

-Brilliant.

0:25:170:25:22

-£160.

-Wonderful.

-It's worth it.

-That's great.

0:25:220:25:25

It looks as though Jonty's going to be tippling elsewhere tonight

0:25:250:25:29

because this set is off to a new home.

0:25:290:25:32

If you'd like to raise money at auction, remember sale rooms usually charge commission.

0:25:330:25:38

These vary from sale room to sale room, so it's best to enquire in advance.

0:25:380:25:42

Well, as you know, you wanted to raise £2,500.

0:25:440:25:47

I don't think it's any secret that we haven't made anything like that

0:25:470:25:52

because we didn't sell any of those wonderful pictures you bought.

0:25:520:25:56

But what you have still made on the rest of the items

0:25:560:26:00

-is a total of £530.

-Not too bad.

0:26:000:26:03

With the walls and floor safely removed, Bea's bath and shower room is now a hollow shell,

0:26:070:26:13

ready for the builders to transform.

0:26:130:26:16

They've ripped out everything, including the tiles.

0:26:160:26:20

I shall have a beautiful new lovely shower when it's finished, hopefully!

0:26:200:26:24

And Bea couldn't be more thrilled as she finds herself the proud owner

0:26:240:26:28

of a swanky wet room.

0:26:280:26:29

I've been without it now for three weeks and now I can get clean again!

0:26:290:26:33

It's delightful to have it finally finished.

0:26:330:26:36

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