Field Cash in the Attic

Welcome to the show that searches out the hidden treasures in people's homes.

We then get them all valued, and take the worthwhile ones to auction, raising funds for the family.

Some people like to have a clear-out to get rid of clutter, others know their collectibles have potential,

and it's a couple like that that we're going to be meeting later on in Cash In The Attic.

On today's Cash In The Attic, we find valuable furniture of all shapes and sizes.

-Ecclesiastical furniture.

-Yes.

A tiny weeny chair.

And an Edwardian-style carriage clock reveals a special secret.

Now, what I love about the case is the fact we have got this little door here. Look at this.

-Yes.

-Un-slide that.

Then, at auction, a set of antiquated scientific instruments give us all a surprise.

-Fantastic.

-It is good, isn't it, yes.

-That's excellent news.

Find out what happens when the hammer falls.

Today, I have come to Fakenham in Norfolk to meet a very special

couple who want to raise money for something very close to their heart.

It's a charity.

Pat Field and her husband Bernard have been happily married for 28 years.

Throughout her life, Pat has been passionate about helping and caring for other people.

Today, she manages a successful charity shop which helps children in Colombia.

Her husband Bernard is a retired scientist, and he also helps out at the shop.

I am joined today by antiques expert Jonty Hearnden,

who is going to help our couple raise some cash for a special cause.

There's some nice furniture in there if you want to have a look, Jonty.

-This will be good.

-I'll go and find Pat.

-Ah. Good morning.

-Hello, Lorne. Nice to see you, welcome.

-Thank you very much.

Yes, I have a lovely journey here, it's a beautiful part of the world, isn't it?

-It is.

-Yes, north Norfolk.

And why have you called in Cash In The Attic?

Well, we work for this a charity, Let The Children Live.

Street children in Colombia.

And, an offshoot of that now is that we are forming a boys' choir.

And of course it all takes extra money.

And we feel we would like to do something to give them a boost.

-And the things we're going to be looking at?

-Some of the items we will see today,

we have donated personally.

-Oh, OK.

-We have literally raided our attic.

In terms of raising the money for this boys' choir,

how much would you like to raise from the items that we sell?

Ideally, in the region of £300.

-We have set the target low because then anything else we do make above that will be a bonus for them.

-Right.

So we need to raise £300 towards funding the Colombian boys' choir.

So let's go and speak to a former choir boy himself, Jonty Hearnden.

Pat and Bernard have lived in this charming bungalow for eight years,

and it looks like it is full of all sorts of interesting collectibles.

So hopefully there will be no trouble in raising their target of £300.

Our expert Jonty has a lifetime of experience of assessing antiques,

and he has already spotted a rather handsome piece of furniture.

-So you have found something then?

-Yes. I have found a lovely bureau bookcase.

Is this all empty, Pat, in preparation for being sold?

Yes, it is. Already dusted.

Good for you. Most people don't bother dusting before we arrive!

Let's take a good look at the cabinet itself. It is a bureau bookcase.

We have got the glazed bookcase on the top here which, as you know, is independent to the bureau.

This can easily be screwed to the base.

But the timber that has been used is walnut, so, veneered walnut.

So all of this is 18th century in style.

We have these lovely two glazed doors to the bookcase.

Then, down below, we have this bureau.

If I open it up, these arms come out at the same time.

They are mechanically connected this way, like so, so the whole thing is supported instantly.

You have these pigeon holes and these two drawers on the inside.

Fold it back up again.

Down below, three drawers. The legs are early 18th century in style.

You are saying "in style" a lot.

So what is the actual date of the piece of furniture? Obviously it is not that early.

18th century in style, yes, but this is a 1920s interpretation of an 18th century piece of furniture.

And in terms of price?

At auction, the estimate would be £50-70.

Is that OK with you, Pat?

-Very, yes, very. Thank you.

-OK.

It's a good start. But there's still a long way to go.

Jonty is heading in the right direction when he comes across a brass compass in a wooden case.

At first glance, it might appear to be Army issue,

but it is, in fact, a reproduction.

Still, Jonty thinks it could fetch north of £50.

I am checking out Pat's jewellery boxes in the bedroom.

While Bernard spies something he thinks may be of value too.

-Jonty?

-Oh.

A couple of items here I thought you might be interested in.

Yes. Show me?

They're microscopes.

-Biological microscopes.

-Right.

I picked them up over the last five or six years.

-I have always been interested in scientific instruments.

-So where did you acquire these?

-From car boots, basically.

-Let's have a look at this baby one first.

We are missing the mirror down at the bottom.

-Yes.

-But we have got... Does this look like we have got three different lenses down the bottom?

It's three lenses. By taking two off you have got a very low power.

You put one on and it's medium power. You put all three on and it's a higher power.

It's about times 200, I think.

-Really?

-I've not seen one like that before myself.

But for me, the star of the show is this much larger one here.

-Yes.

-Tell me about this one?

-This has only got one objective.

There may have been others, which are obviously not here.

The objective unscrews, and you can replace it.

It's giving, I think, about times 100, as it stands now.

And it's got this lovely, substantial cast-iron...

It's quite peculiar, this stand, because it can go two ways.

-There's flaps there, so it can go up.

-It can be flipped over.

-Yes.

-It is probably 1881-1890.

-Something like that.

-So it's a good 120-130 years old.

-Good. That's gratifying.

That's lovely.

So, a proper Victorian microscope. Of course, the Victorians had this passion. Science was growing.

And every gentleman that had the spare time, had the spare cash, wanted to be his own scientist.

Have his own microscope on the side.

Yes.

And it would be in this lovely mahogany case,

-with all the appliances.

-Yes.

If you can get the hands on one of those, they're worth a fortune.

-Yes.

-But of course, this is not in its box.

-No, no.

And we might have a few pieces missing here.

But it's still going to add interest to the auction.

Value at auction, £50-70.

-I'd be very pleased with that.

-Excellent.

While we continue rummaging, I stumble across something of

Bernard's that's really quite unusual. It's a brass inclinometer.

In everyday language, it's an instrument for measuring angles.

It dates back to the 1930s or '40s,

and Jonty thinks a collector may play £30-50 for it.

Pat is always happy to take in any unwanted bits and bobs for her Colombian charity shop.

So, her spare bedroom seems to have turned into the junk room.

Amongst all the clutter, Jonty finds this 19th century piano stool

which he thinks may make £40-60.

In the meantime, Pat has found a piece of furniture that is definitely a bit odd.

Jonty, Lorne?

-This might interest you.

-Oh.

A piece of ecclesiastical furniture.

-Yes.

-A tiny weeny chair.

It's a tiny chair, and it came from a convent, a Carmelite convent.

When the sisters sold the house, they had to dispose of all the contents.

And I was given this one, which was made for, I suppose you would call her the Mother Superior.

-And she wasn't very tall. And would not sit on a chair where her feet dangled.

-Oh. OK.

So, the story goes that she had a series of these chairs made.

How did it actually get to you? What's the connection between you and the convent?

I got to know them. And I used to make them cheese scones for breakfast.

-That sounds good.

-Yes.

One thing led to another.

And, well, they wanted me to have something to remember them by.

So, can we sell this?

Yes.

-I hesitated, because I've got great affection for it.

-OK. OK.

-Let's have a look at it in detail.

-Yes, please.

I'm going to pick it up actually.

And of course it's made of oak.

You can often tell oak by the weight, the density of oak.

But if you were to have a look at the back of the chair and look at the top, all of that is hand-carved,

including the cross in the middle.

If you have a look at the legs down below, that's in Victorian style. Shall we put it down again?

I fear we are not going to get too much for it.

Because I don't think we are going to have

sub-five foot nuns wandering around the auction room

-putting their hands up.

-Although you never know!

It would make a nice hall chair.

It's a lovely piece of furniture, but my criticism of it is it is just too low.

So therefore, value, £20-30.

How do you feel about that?

If it comes back with me, then all well and good.

All right. We can leave the chair behind for this moment in time,

and see if we can find something else of more regular proportions.

OK. This way, let's go this way.

What a lovely story, I hope whoever bids for it appreciates the history behind this chair.

In the study, Jonty finds a solid silver communion dish

with a Birmingham hallmark dating it back to 1930.

Pat also acquired this from the Sisters of the Carmel.

Jonty values it at £30-40.

It is Pat's turn to have a root around the spare bedroom,

now a treasure trove of neglected objects waiting to find a home.

She discovers some old brass miners' lamps that date back to the 19th century,

and a set of 20th century opera glasses.

They are not hugely valuable, but Jonty is optimistic that

at auction a dealer might buy them as a job lot.

So he prices them together at £20-30.

Bernard's not slacking either, and finds a very special memento from his past.

-Jonty?

-Yes.

-I wonder whether you might be interested in this?

-It's a French carriage clock.

-Oh, right.

It was given to me when I left my company I worked for after 30 years.

-Wow.

-So.

-You might have a look at it.

-Oh, wow. So, it is in its original leather case here.

-Yes.

So is this the little plaque?

Yes. It is inscribed saying... after 30 years' hard labour!

-So you actually got the carriage clock.

-There's a little knob to press there.

There it is. Let's have a look. Wow, look at that.

It's beautiful.

Now, what I love about the case is the fact we have got this little door here.

Look at this. If I un-slide that, put the lid back over.

It shows that you can take the clock wherever you want to go, but you don't have to take it out of

the case, you can still see the face without actually having to take the mechanism out of the box.

It's lovely. And it really does add value to have its original leather case.

Now, the vast majority of carriage clocks of this style

tend to be late 19th century or early 20th century.

They were very fashionable at that time.

And the vast majority of them were made in France.

If I look at the dial here, the enamelled dial,

we have a severe chip in the top corner. We have a chip on actual glass,

which is not too much of a problem.

-But, price, we're looking at £80-120.

-Lovely.

Thank you very much for that. That's a real find.

So, it looks as though Bernard's 30 years' service has paid off,

with that lovely carriage clock now on its way to auction.

And, don't forget, it will help raise money for the Colombian children's choir.

Jonty also finds this very fine German tea set, given to Pat by a friend,

which he values at £20-30.

And Bernard digs out yet another item

from his past that Jonty thinks could be lethal.

Bernard, what have you got there?

-This might interest Jonty.

-Let's have a look.

-My old violin.

I thought it was a machine gun.

It's all there, look.

Ah, wow, look at that.

When you say old, how old is this, Bernard?

-Well, my mum bought it for me second hand in 1940-41.

-Right.

-In Slough.

-Yes.

-And you play, I take it?

Well. Yes.

I started lessons before that, and I went to the choir school at Eton,

Eton College Choir School.

And there, they allowed me to have lessons from one of the Eton masters.

So it brought me on quicker. And I played a lot of music with my dear old dad,

because he played the piano, and his father had played the violin.

-So, it gave a lot of pleasure to him and a lot of pleasure to me, I can tell you.

-Another item from Bernard.

-What a generous husband you have.

-Absolutely.

Wonderful. It's a violin made in the classical way.

We have a spruce front here and the maple sides. Wonderful.

And they never really seem to sell in excess of £100.

-So it's going to be less than that.

-OK.

So, on order to attract the right person, or hopefully more than one person,

we are looking at £40-60.

-Is that OK with you?

-OK, yes.

The main thing would be to get it being used again and doing a little bit of good for the charity.

Well, we wanted £300 towards the Colombian boys' choir, didn't we?

Do you think we have raised that much?

I would be surprised.

-I would be surprised.

-I am very happy to be the bearer of good news, then,

because the value of everything going to auction comes to £430.

-Oh, that's wonderful.

-Yes.

So the next time you see your violin,

somebody hopefully will be giving a little tune at the auction house.

And TLC.

Bernard has fond memories of that violin, so I do hope it will do well at auction.

Also going to the sale are: The French carriage clock.

Bernard got it as a thank you present

from his firm after 30 years' service.

Hopefully we can turn it into £80-120 at auction.

And, at £50-70, Bernard's brass microscopes

will certainly encourage bidders to take a closer look.

And the brass mirrored compass,

a handsome navigational piece

that will hopefully attract some interest at £50-70.

Find out how much these

and the Fields' other items will raise on auction day.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic: Our family discover the ups and downs of the sale room.

Are you disappointed with that?

-Very disappointed.

-Just a little.

But, what goes down must always go up, fortunately.

-You must be pleased with that.

-I'm absolutely thrilled for you.

Find out what happens when the hammer falls.

It's been a few weeks since we visited Pat and Bernard at their home in north Norfolk.

We found plenty of antiques and collectibles to bring to their very local auction room,

Keys in Aylesham. So we're just hoping that

today we can make the £500 they're looking for, and that there's plenty of bidders here ready to buy.

Jonty valued all our auction items at £430 on rummage day.

And, despite the £300 target, Pat and Bernard have set us a new challenge to make £500.

£200 more than expected.

Today's midweek auction is a busy one, so let's hope

the Fields' mix of items help us meet our new target.

At six foot three, Jonty's wondering how anybody could ever sit on this little chair.

-Good morning, Jonty.

-Hello.

Ah, you found the chair?

-I have indeed.

-We're here at an auction that's right in Norfolk.

Lots of country furniture. Hopefully it should do well.

It's a lovely thing, it's a one-off, a bespoke piece of furniture.

All of that's hand-carving. I think it's a really sweet little chair, it should do well.

I'm hoping that Bernard's two microscopes will do incredibly well.

Very good quality.

And he's got the inclinometer as well, so those three scientific instruments I'm very hopeful for.

I know they're here because they've been walking the dogs out in a car park.

So, come on, let's go and get them in.

If you're thinking of heading to auction to raise money for something special,

do take note that auction rooms may charge additional fees, such as commission and VAT.

Fees vary from auction to auction, so it's best to inquire in advance.

All items from the rummage made it safely to auction, except one, the German tea set.

Pat and Bernard accidentally broke the set in transit,

so we'll have to live without the £20-30 it may have raised.

As the auction gets under way, our first lot is the Mother Superior's custom-made oak chair.

It's a unique item with a fascinating history,

so hopefully its modest price tag will get the bidders going.

Can you start me at £10?

I have £10 to start here. At 10.

12 bid. 15. 18.

20 bid. At 20.

22 bid. 25 bid. 28. 30.

2. 35. 35 on the right-hand side.

At 35. At £35.

-Well, I was hoping for a bit more for you.

-£35 is better than £25.

Well, Jonty may have wanted more for it, but

it raised £5 over his top estimate, so a good way to kick off the sale.

Now, our next lot is made up of two 19th century brass miners' lamps,

plus a pair of opera glasses, all for £20-30.

It's a nice mixed lot, Jonty.

Yes, and miners' lamps are always attractive, good sellers as well.

And opera glasses, amazing, I never know why they sell, but they always seem to.

-Useless things.

-Yes.

I'm bid 10 for the start for those. At 10. 12 bid. 15. 18. 20. 2. 25.

28. 30. 30. The front row, I've got it at 30.

30. Any more, quickly? Sold to the front row...

2, fresh bidder. 32. 5. 35.

8, sir? 38. 38, 38?

On the door now then at 38.

-That's good.

-Yes, it all helps.

-Selling at 38.

-Very good.

-£38, that's good, isn't it?

The opera glasses and miners' lamps may be a strange mix of a lot,

but somebody obviously thought they

were a winning combination, as they fetched a better price than we expected.

Now, our next lot is the George V silver-gilt communion dish.

It's engraved "Carmel Convent, Cambridge, 1930", which I think

you felt would make a difference to the price, Jonty?

Yes, I certainly think, without the engraving there, we would have more value.

I appreciate that.

But it has a scrap value.

But you have to remember here, as we are selling it here in the auction, you have to make a profit as well.

-But you put a reserve on it, haven't you?

-Yes. £65.

Because of the high price of silver currently, there's seven ounces of silver there, standard silver.

So that's what the silver's worth, if not more now, as the price of silver goes up.

I'm bid £40 to start.

At 40. At 40? 40 only. 5 bid.

50. 5 bid. 60. 60. 5 bid. 65. 65.

Bidding on the back. 65. 65.

70 then? Sells then at £65 only.

-We got the result.

-£65, are you happy about that?

-Yes.

Well done to Bernard for putting in a reserve.

It certainly paid off as it sold for over double Jonty's lowest estimate.

Our next lot is the reproduction brass surveyor's inclinometer,

if I've pronounced that right. Where did this come from?

I saw it at a car boot, and I like instruments of this sort,

so I bought it and here it is today.

Can you remember what you paid for it at the car boot?

Something like £25.

-Jonty, what have you put on it?

-I've put £30-50 on it, so it would

be nice if we could double, maybe triple what you've paid for it.

It would, wouldn't it? Let's see.

I'm 15, a low start. At 15. 18.

20. 2 bid. 25 here. 28. £30.

At 30. 32 bid.

32. Lady's bid, I've got. 35.

-38.

-That's good.

-Yeah.

42.

45. 48. 50 bid. 55. 60 bid.

60? 60.

The gent takes it at 60.

Any more quickly? It goes for 60.

-Yes.

-Well done.

-That's good.

What a surprise. The 20th century inclinometer

used for measuring angles

must appealed to the technical bidders in the crowd.

Our next lot, I think, is going to be one that you're

going to be rather sad to see go, because it's the violin.

I feel like playing it in rather sombre tones now.

Yes, I'd like to have one last go.

£40, I'm bid, for the start for the violin. At 40. 40. 5 bid. 50. 5.

60. 5. 70.

5. 80. 5. 90. 5.

100. 100? All over then.

Sells to a commission bid for £100.

-You must be pleased with that?

-I'm thrilled you, absolutely thrilled for you.

I don't think any of us saw that coming.

What a wonderful outcome for a much-loved item.

We've had a good run of luck, so I'm sure Pat and Bernard are curious to know how much we've raised so far.

The good news is that, so far, you have actually banked £298.

Really?

-So we are well on the way to your £500.

-Oh, that brilliant.

-Well done.

-Are you pleased with that?

-Absolutely, Lorne, thank you.

-And we've sold absolutely everything so far.

-Yes. All sold.

-Thank you.

We are over halfway towards Pat and Bernard's

£500 target, and there are still many more interesting items to come.

Up next is the Victorian piano stool, priced at £40-60.

I'm bid £20 for a low start on the stool. 20. 2 bid. 25. 28.

30. 30. Only 2 bid. 32. 32.

35. 35. 35. 38. 40 bid. At 40.

We've got the lower end of the estimate.

Sells now at 40.

-£40. Are you happy with that?

-That's another 40.

How fitting that the Fields' neglected music stool

has gone to raise money for music students.

Now, the next two lots don't disappoint.

The 18th century style bureau met Jonty's lowest estimate

with a sale of £50.

At 50 only.

And another reproduction, the brass mirrored compass

set off in the right direction and managed to climb to £38.

Our next a lot is the French carriage clock,

which I think is rather down to you, Bernard.

-Yes.

-You had to do a bit of work to get this.

30 years' hard labour, really, with my old company. But it was worth it.

30 I'm bid for a low start. 30.

5 bid. 40. 5 bid. 45 only. 45. 45.

50 I've got. 50. 50. 50. Putting it on the back-burner, then, 50.

Takes it to the back and sells at 50 only.

Are you disappointed with that?

-Very disappointed.

-Just a little.

Well, probably not what Bernard wanted to see considering all of those years of hard work.

Just before the sale, the auctioneer told me

there was a great deal of interest in these historical microscopes.

Maybe we can surprise Bernard with a result which will make up

for the poor price realised by his carriage clock.

Now, the next lot is not one but two microscopes.

-Bernard's toys.

-My toys, yes.

-Have you actually used them?

-Yes, yes. A little bit.

Well, we are hoping for £50-70.

I hope a bit more than that, too.

And I'm bid £80 for the two microscopes.

-Started at £80.

-Yes. Lovely.

85 bid.

90 bid. 90. 90. 90 for the two.

At 90, and gone.

-£90.

-That's fantastic.

It is good, isn't it?

That's excellent news.

I'm glad to see that we ended on a high note.

And, all in all, a fantastic day here in Norfolk.

I'm sure Pat and Bernard will be thrilled with the amount we were able to raise for charity.

-It would have been nice to get more, but at the end of the day you wanted to raise £500.

-Yes. And?

-And you've actually banked £566.

-Well done.

-That's good.

-So what sort of difference is that going to make?

All the difference in the world. Thank you, thank you, Lorne.

Pat couldn't be more thrilled that every penny will be

helping Colombia's street children fulfil their musical dreams by participating in the new choir.

THEY SING

We had this idea and thought, let's do this for the children.

Today, she's presenting the money to the charity's founder, Father Peter Walters.

It was a totally unexpected boost to our funds, so we are delighted with it and very grateful.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd