Andrews Cash in the Attic

Hello and welcome to Cash In The Attic.

I imagine we've all got bits and pieces lying around the house that have been passed down

and which frankly are just gathering dust, because we don't think they're worth anything.

Well, I hope our lady today has had her duster out,

because she's in for a few surprises.

Coming up on Cash In The Attic:

This family enjoys collecting more than just antiques.

I must say there is some wonderful authentic dust.

I knew you would catch me out on that one.

James earns a reputation.

So I can call you Mr Mean?

And we learn the lessons of the auction room the hard way.

This one's going to hurt, isn't it?

-This is the one that's going to hurt.

-I love it.

Find out what happens when the hammer falls.

Today I'm in a very windy Salisbury,

and I'm on my way to meet a lady who's

called in the Cash In The Attic team

to help raise money for a new abode.

Jane Andrews feels right at home here in the countryside.

It's where she can spend time with the cherished members of her extended family -

these wonderful ponies.

She's been breeding championship horses all her life,

and her son and granddaughter are also accomplished equestrians.

Today I'm joined by antiques expert James Rylands,

who's all set to sniff out the best things for Jane

to take to auction. I let him go ahead and check in with Jane

and her 14-year-old granddaughter, who will be helping us today.

-Hello! Hi.

-Hello, Jennie.

-You must be Jane?

-I am.

And you're...is it Emma-Jo or Emma?

-Emma-Jo.

-OK. My little girl's called Emma,

so forgive me if I get it wrong some time during the day.

Well, I see there are ponies absolutely everywhere.

What's all that about?

We breed and show Connemara ponies, have done for several years now.

Connemara ponies?

Yes. They originate from Ireland, in Connemara down in County Galway,

where I live so many months of the year and so many months back here.

OK, so...why am I here?

I want to build an extension,

and so I am trying to raise some funds to help towards it.

So how much do you think we might be able to raise today?

I would like to raise 600, and if I could raise more it would be good.

600-plus. OK, so that's the target.

Has Gran got lots of bits and pieces everywhere?

She's a hoarder. A big one.

You said that, excellent. I didn't want to say it.

I am a hoarder. Very much so. I hate parting with things.

I always think they may have a use.

I tell you what, we like hoarders on this show, it's exactly what we want.

I think James has already found something, by the look of it.

Shall we go and find him? I like it when he gets going straightaway.

It's always intriguing to imagine what we might discover on a rummage.

And I'm impressed that this crisp winter morning hasn't stopped James

stepping outside to find something rather special.

It's quite nippy out here.

OK, James, we saw you had spotted something.

What you got here?

Well, Jane, you tell us. Where did it come from?

Well, it belonged to my grandmother.

I remember it right as a very small child.

She actually had a pair of them.

My sister has the other chair. It's always out in all weathers,

it's never ever been kept in. So you can see it's extremely strong.

I'm astonished - I thought it was a piece of relatively modern garden furniture.

We've got a plaque here, and it says,

"Made by the Hughes Bolckow Shipbreaking Company Ltd,

"Blyth, Northumberland, from teak taken from RMS Arlanza."

RMS, Royal Mail Service. So it was a mail ship.

Mail ship, operated between Southampton and South America.

And then I think in the 1930s she was finally broken up, and that's when

this firm, Hughes Bolckow,

they specialised in breaking up the ships, and then recycling... It's a nice example of early recycling.

So it wasn't a shipwreck, she was kind of decommissioned.

She was actually broken up. It wasn't a shipwreck.

So what value would you put on this, James? A nice one?

Well, I'd probably put in it with an estimate of between £30 and £50,

but I would hope with all that history that somebody would pay more.

Well, I would hope they would pay more. We'll have a go.

Let's go in, it's cold.

Everywhere you look, there's proof that Jane's a pony fanatic.

So I'm hoping she won't mind if we throw in this horse figurine.

With her love for the Connemaras,

Jane just had to have this one when she saw it at an antiques fair.

What's better still is that this is made by Beswick,

a company best known for collectable racehorse and canine figurines.

James thinks someone might run off with this old boy for £20 to £30.

Meanwhile Emma-Jo's found a jug that reminds her of fond family memories.

-Hello.

-Ooh... Emma-Jo, what have you got there?

This belonged to my great-grandparents.

Oh, OK. Well, I love it. A jug covered with hunting scenes.

Were they good hunting folks?

-Well, they were actually really good animal lovers.

-Were they?

They were, and so I was quite surprised when I found this

because it had hunting on it.

I agree. But you probably like this, don't you?

-Yes, I like horses and I like riding and I like hunting.

-Oh, I love it.

Ah... No, there we go.

The bottom of it says it all, it says, "D'ye ken John Peel".

-Do you know what that means?

-No.

Well, what it is, is a north of England or Scottish dialect for

-"Do you know John Peel?"

-OK.

And John Peel himself was actually

a farmer originally

in the Lake District, and he was born

in the sort of 1770s, 1780s.

And he didn't spend much time farming,

he became one of the most famous huntsmen in the country.

And not just foxes,

he hunted pine martens, hares -

you name it, he hunted it.

And he became so famous

that after he died they actually wrote a song about him,

"D'ye ken John Peel?" Don't ask me to sing it to you.

But it is actually quite well known.

But also on here you can see

the name of the factory -

Wedgwood, Etruria, England.

And then 1829.

Well, I think we should probably put about £40 to £60 on it.

-How does that sound?

-That sounds good.

And do you think your granny's going to be happy to see it sold?

She would be happy, but she'll be sad to see it go.

Well, your great-grandparents will be very happy to see it go,

since they didn't like hunting!

Let's see if we can find something else.

It's a modest valuation, but every bit helps Jane

towards that extra much-needed space around the house.

In the meantime, she's managed to find this stunning diamond ring.

She bought it several years ago at auction,

but it's spent more time in a box than on her finger.

James hopes the bidders will be fighting over the bling

if he sets the price at £300 to £500.

Speaking of James, he's back in the living room -

and there's a particular piece of furniture that's caught his eye.

What you found there, then?

Well, Jane, I'm hoping you can tell US.

Well, I know it as a "co-fer",

but I don't know that that's the correct word.

-"Co-fer"! Doesn't that sound frightfully posh(?)

-Yes.

Is that a Salisbury way of saying it?

I... I assume it is, because most people now call them coffers.

Is that correct?

I think that's absolutely right. But I like "co-fer".

I just had a cup of "co-fee"(!)

THEY ALL LAUGH

-Well...we'll call it whatever you think!

-Exactly.

-Well, it's very handsome, I think.

-Where did it come from?

As far as I'm aware it belonged to my great-great-grandmother.

So when will that be... That's back in the 19th century?

-Yeah.

-But I think it goes back a bit further than that.

Right...

I think this was probably made

some time in the second half of the 18th century.

-So that's over 250 years old.

-Yes.

Oh, wow. it's even older than what I anticipated. Gosh.

This form of chest - or coffer, it's got lots of different names -

in a way was one of the earliest pieces of furniture.

And the earliest ones were used in churches.

And they were used to store vestments, in other words the outfits

that the clergy wore, but also documents and things like that.

Well, that actually would probably make sense.

My grandparents' side of that family were chapel Methodist people.

That makes sense.

I can see that it HAS been restored,

and obviously that does make a bit of difference.

There's a length of wood here that's actually been sort of

restored and sleeved in, you can see the difference in colour.

But in fairness, it's still got its original hinges

with these really nice hand-made hand-hammered nails -

that's a nice point because usually they don't.

How much do you reckon it'll fetch?

Well, I'd probably put a valuation

of between £200 and £300 on it.

It would be great if it would go more.

Well, let's hope it does better,

because I am known as Mr Mean.

-Ah, right. So I can call you Mr Mean, then?

-Yes, Mr Meany.

Come on, Mr Mean, let's find something else then.

A wonderful valuation for a fine piece of craftsmanship.

I wonder what else we can find here in Salisbury for Jane to take to the auction?

She's digging deep into her jewellery box,

and has found yet another set of precious stones.

These matching silver earrings, necklace and brooch

are embellished with amethyst stones.

It's another thing that hasn't seen much wear in the last few years,

and James thinks someone who fancies Victorian-style jewellery

might take it off her hands

for £80 to £120.

It's rather like living in a stable here, that looks like a stable door.

That's right. Well, we try to keep it as near to reality as possible with the horses.

-You just are crazy about horses, aren't you?

-Yes.

-Everywhere I look...

-Yes, there's ponies and horses all the time.

Now, most of them are over in Ireland, I understand.

You live in Ireland part of each year?

Yes. I spend so much time in Ireland and so much time here.

-What's it like over there?

-I'm down in Connemara, and it's beautiful.

I miss England, of course I do,

but erm, we... I come backwards and forwards.

-And that's why you need your own space here.

-Yes.

Your own annexe. Better go and make some more money towards it.

Yes. We need to do that.

I'm sure there's some places we haven't checked.

Go through this way, shall we?

As Jane and I get back to work, Emma-Jo's found this blazing red accordion from the 1950s.

It's made by Hohner,

and Jane bought it during her travels around Ireland.

Hohner is a German company best known for harmonicas,

but over the years it's also made a range of other musical instruments.

James thinks someone might part with £20 to £40 for this accordion.

I've actually lost the clanger on that bell, James.

What you mean, Jo, is you've DROPPED a clanger!

Probably. I wonder if this might be of some interest.

Oh, a stamp album.

-My father had this when he was a boy...

-OK.

..and then he started collecting stamps.

So many boys of that period and later were given stamp albums to fill.

And most of the ones we see are pretty empty,

because the enthusiasm lasted for a year or so.

But just flicking through this, your dad spent

a lot of time and effort on this -

and here in the front, here's where it all began.

Here we've got a Penny Black -

well, actually, it's a reproduction.

Right... Bit disappointed on that, because

although he never said it was an original one, I assumed it was.

But you know they produced 68 million of these?

I didn't. But that eases it a bit for me, knowing that.

What makes this album for me is your dad was obviously very diligent.

-It's quite a full album...

-Yes.

That's the good news. The bad news is that

he and millions and millions of little boys and girls of this period

-were doing exactly the same thing.

-Yeah.

Value on this, with all the stamps that can I see here -

it's probably between £50 and £100.

But it's a bit, if you like, of geographic and social history,

that's what I like about it.

Can I call you Mr Meany(?)

You can! You can call me Mr Meany all day.

Let's see what else we can find, shall we?

But, with that valuation

we're certainly climbing towards our £600 target.

James has luckily stumbled across two more relics

left by Jane's father -

these watches from the 1920s.

One is made by Waltham, a well-known American watchmaker,

and the other is from the local Salisbury company, HR Tribbeck's.

James thinks they COULD bring us another £30 to £50.

We've searched high and low to find the best items for auction,

and Jane's interested to find out more about one last piece

that she MIGHT give up to auction.

Another family heirloom!

-Here we go.

-That's beautiful.

-Where did it come from, Jane?

-It actually came from my grandmother.

It was on top of a bookcase,

and for as long as can I remember in any of her houses

it was always there.

Well, the originals of these had pendulums hanging down,

but they were very unwieldy

because you had to hang them on the wall, these lantern clocks.

About 100 years ago, when this was made, they actually made them

-with French carriage clock movements in the back.

-Right.

So in the inside there you've actually got a movement that

would have come from a French carriage clock.

I must say, there's some wonderful authentic dust!

-THEY ALL LAUGH

-I knew you would catch me out on that one.

I wondered if you'd had your duster out today.

But that's what the auctioneers call "in country house condition"!

Can I send it along with load of dust on, then?

You can. You get the vacuum cleaner, put it in reverse,

blow dust over all the things - make them look old.

So what do YOU reckon it might be worth?

Three? Two-and-a-half, three...?

Do you know, you're going to get my job. You are going to get my job...

-I'll take your job, James.

-Are we talking thousands?

Well, I wish. I hope you weren't talking thousands.

But in fact, because I'm Mr Meany

I'm going to go £200 to £300.

That's all right, isn't it? That's a few quid in the pot.

-Well, at the start of the day we said we wanted how much?

-600.

£600. So that Gran can have her own space,

which I think's very important indeed.

We can't find enough money for the WHOLE of the annexe,

but with any luck, on James' lowest estimates,

you should make not £600...

but £970.

£970!

Well... What would that do?

-Couple of windows(?)

-I think it should.

Great, thank you very much indeed.

It's not often you mix animals with antiques,

but whatever the case, I'd say that was a day well spent.

We have some wonderful items on their way to auction...

The 18th-century oak coffer will hopefully bring us £200 to £300.

And there's the 19th-century garden chair - at £30 to £50

we hope its seafaring past

will raise our estimated price even higher.

And finally, the brass lantern clock.

Jane may need to get out the feather duster on this one,

but with a price tag of £200 to £300,

she could consider it a worthwhile investment.

'Still to come on Cash In The Attic:

'Will the recycling history of this chair impress our bidders?'

That's the builder's certificate paid for!

I'm glad that was appreciated.

'And what's got Jane so excited at auction?'

Yes!

'Find out what happens when the hammer falls.'

Well, we learned a fair bit about horses there with Jane and Emma, and we found some great pieces too.

And today we've brought everything here to Lawrences auction rooms at Crewkerne in Somerset.

Now, remember - Jane wants to raise £600, to go towards creating a bit more living space.

So let's hope the bidders here are ready for a flutter, when her items go under the hammer.

Today's general sale contains an array of household items, ceramics and furniture,

plus a stunning selection of jewellery.

And with over 500 lots crossing the auction block,

there's plenty of bidders eager to bag a bargain.

James has his finger on the pulse of the auction room today,

and I'm wondering if our family's accordion is indeed one to watch.

A talent I had no idea you had, I must say...

News to me as well, Jennie, I have to say!

Unconventional way of holding it.

Well, I haven't got a clue, I've just been twirling away on the keys.

Has there been any interest in it?

Well, I hope so, because funnily enough we've got a piano, drums...

so if anybody wants to start a band, it's all here. That's got to help.

Well, I'm curious to see how that diamond ring's going to go.

That's worth a bit of money.

And that nice clock.

And the chair - I do hope that that shipbreakers' chair...

Well, the sun's nearly shining today,

-so that might help.

-Ever the optimist, OK.

Let's see if they've arrived. If you can bear to part with that!

Jane and her granddaughter Emma-Jo are exactly where we'd expect -

right next to the horses.

-Good morning!

-Morning!

-Nice to see you.

-Nice to see you.

-How's Granny today?

-She's behaving herself.

-Are you behaving?

-I hope so.

-Are you nervous?

-No. No, not really.

Well done - cos you haven't been to an auction before.

Not for putting my own stuff in -

I've been to an auction for buying bits and pieces,

but not for putting my own stuff in.

-So what about horse auctions?

-Oh, yes, plenty of those. I go to plenty of sales like that.

All right, let's find a spot, cos the auction is about to start.

Now, if you would like to raise money for something special, do take note that auction rooms

may charge additional fees such as commission.

They'll vary from house to house, so it's best to enquire in advance.

As the auction gets under way, we stake out a good spot

for Jane's first item - the 1950s Hohner accordion.

James was having a little fiddle with it earlier, weren't you?

Well, if you can call it playing...

I didn't say that, I said fiddling!

-So have you played it?

-No.

I bought it for Emma to practise on,

and she started to have lessons for a bit

but it didn't materialise very much.

Is it OK to sell it?

Yeah, I'll miss it, but...oh well. Life goes on.

Yeah, we've got £20 to £40. Should make that. That's a squeeze!

Start me here at £20.

£20 is bid. 25. 30. 35...

£45... For the last time, £45 - if you're all done at 45...

-GAVEL BANGING

-Well, that's OK.

-Are you pleased to see that go, Emma?

-Sad, but...yeah.

-But it's above the estimate.

-Mm.

I don't think any of us realised how much Emma-Jo loved that accordion,

but she's going to have to take up a new instrument now.

Next up is one of my favourites -

it's your garden chair, the shipbreakers' chair.

So what have we got? £30 to £50...

It's well built and it's comfortable. I think it should make that.

Lot 84 is a garden chair...

-It's not JUST a garden chair.

-It's not any old garden chair!

30 now. 35. 40. 45. 50.

£50. Lady's bid.

55. 60.

55. 70.

£70, still by the pillar. Selling at 70 now, all done at 70...

-That's the builder's certificate paid for!

-That's good.

I'm glad that was appreciated. Are you pleased with that?

I was. That'll pay for the building certificate of lawfulness.

Well, Jane's certainly embraced the selling spirit today.

If she keeps this up,

she'll be drawing up the plans for her new extension in no time at all.

We've got your fob watches coming up now.

How are you feeling about selling them? They belonged to your father?

A bit sad, but hopefully somebody will get some pleasure from them.

Bids start at 10, I'm looking for more...

We want more than 10.

..18. 20.

22. 25. 28 now,

at £28... 30 now.

35... 40. 45.

How stingy!

£50. All done at 50 then, it's yours, sir, at 50...

Top end of the estimate. That's all right. Let's hope we can keep it up!

So far James has been spot on with the estimates.

We're either meeting or exceeding the top end every time.

Next, it's the diamond ring. It's the most expensive lot of the day,

and Jane's put a £300 reserve on it.

Does it fit YOU, Emma?

-It does.

-Oooh!

I want it. I love it.

This one's going to hurt, isn't it?

This is the one that's going to hurt.

And bids start me here at 250.

-260. 270 is bid...

-You've got a reserve of 300.

£270 is bid.

I can sell at 270.

It's at £270, and I'm selling...

Absentee bidder, at 270. Last time...

-I'm sorry, Em...

-They did sell it, at the discretion of the reserve.

Comfort your granddaughter(!)

JAMES LAUGHS

Well, that was obviously a tough one for Emma-Jo. Now, our next lot

might not be diamonds, but it'll put a sparkle in a philatelist's eye...

It's the stamp collection.

Your father had gone to a huge amount of trouble, and really stuck at it

because there are loads and loads of them in that album.

So for any schoolboy that's here, what a great starter collection.

OK. £50 at least, a big estimate - £50 to £100 actually,

so it could go anywhere.

£30 for the stamps? At £30...

At £30. 20 if it helps... Or I'll move on.

No. Nobody wants them.

All done at 20, then...

All that means is that today there weren't any stamp collectors here. So they'll live to have a day.

We might not have sold the stamps today, but Jane can enter them

in a specialist sale,

and hopefully find the bidder and price worthy of the collection.

We'd hoped that the sale of the diamond ring was going to set the pattern for today,

but our luck doesn't seem to have rubbed off

on the Victorian-style jewellery set with amethyst stones.

And when the handsome lantern clock also failed to rouse any interest...

well, we're all a bit downhearted.

However, Jane's still managed to raise £435 towards her £600 target -

and there's still more items to come.

We are going to try to sell your Beswick horse now.

Where's that from?

-I actually bought that at an auction.

-Did you?

How much did you pay for it?

120.

-How much?

-120!

Oooh!

Bids start me on this at £20. £20...

25. 30.

35. 40. 45. 50.

55. 60.

65, and I'm out.

£65, and I'm selling.

It's in the room at £65. It's yours, madam, at 65...

For the last time at 65...

Triple the estimate. Can't be bad.

It's half what you paid for it - but you've had all that pleasure.

That's right, yes.

Well, this horse may be off to greener pastures -

but will our next lot take a leaf out of the same book?

-Are you happy to part with your Wedgwood jug now?

-Yes. I've got to sell something!

Start me here at £20 on this one if you will. £20 for it...

At £20. At £20...

They don't like it.

All done at 20 then. Last time, £20...

-Did he sell it?

-No, I don't think he did.

Try as he might, the auctioneer failed to garner any interest -

and it looks as though Jane will be taking the jug home.

We've got one last chance to get more money in the pot for that extension,

and it's a large piece of furniture which, fingers crossed, should do well.

We need a really good sale here, your oak coffer. It's a big item.

-£200... Have you got a reserve?

-Yes, I have on that.

You've got a £200 reserve with discretion, so the lowest

-it can be sold for is £180.

-OK.

Remind me what you called it again?

-A "co-fer"!

-A "co-fer".

If he describes it as a "co-fer" maybe that'll make worth a bit more.

Start me at 160. 170. 180. 190. 200.

-And 20 is bid. £220 is bid...

-Good.

At 220... And I'm selling on commission at 220...

240. 260.

-280 and I'm out. At £280 now...

-Keep it coming.

And selling at 280... For the last time.

-One more?

-Yes!

-Great stuff.

-How's that? Is that all right?

-What a flourish to end with.

Now THAT'S more like it. At last, a great sale to round off the day.

So, the only question left is how much have we raised?

You had four items which didn't sell, but despite that

you have made £780.

Oh, well, that's great. Yes, lovely.

-Well, it's been a pleasure working with you. It really has.

-Well, we enjoyed it as well.

Thanks to the auction, Jane's now got £780 that she can put towards that extension

she's planning to build.

We caught up with her at her second home in Ireland,

where she was spending some time with her beloved horses.

Every little helps, and it's all going towards the new annexe.

Well, I'm waiting at the moment for the certificate of lawfulness.

Unfortunately this takes a while, it could be about eight weeks -

but as soon as it's ready hopefully we can make a move.

And I hope I make it at the end of the day!

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