Davies Cash in the Attic

Welcome to the show that searches your home for hidden treasures

which we then sell at auction.

Most people at some time in their life

inherit various heirlooms, but which ones are valuable

and which ones can you afford to throw away?

That's the question everybody asks, and today we hope to find an answer.

Will we find some very valuable heirlooms

on today's Cash In The Attic? Time to find out.

'On today's Cash In The Attic, a 19th-century train timetable

'gives us a glimpse into the glamorous world of Victorian travel.'

I love the way they list all these really important people,

then we get "Third Class", and there's not a word!

And Jonty gets into his Peckham mode

when he assesses some gold-sovereign jewellery.

Somehow there's a Del Boy feel to wearing a sovereign.

What do you think?

On auction day, our experts' estimates are slightly out.

Jonty, you got that one wrong!

But it's great when you get it wrong that way round.

Find out if all comes right when the hammer falls.

I'm going to sell it for 50.

Today I've come to Buckinghamshire to meet Keith Davies.

He's called in the Cash In The Attic team to help him raise some funds

for one of his sons, who's flown the nest and gone to study abroad.

Keith is the only son of a wartime globetrotting couple

who liked to pick up a souvenir from every place they visited.

Keith's parents have now died, and he's inherited their collections

and those from their siblings, too. This means his home,

which he shares with his wife Penny and sons Leslie and Mark,

is absolutely full of exotic and eclectic items

from the four corners of the world.

Keith's son Leslie now has the family travelling bug,

and is in America. Keith's wife is at work today,

so it falls to his youngest son to help with the rummage.

And joining me is our expert antique hunter, Jonty Hearnden.

Mind your feet! Whoo!

Oh, look! It's got a real cottage feel!

-Oh, look at the beams!

-Mind your head on those.

I haven't got a problem, look. I'm so little!

Jonty gets to work straightaway. He's certainly got his work cut out,

as I've heard this family want to raise £1,000.

Tell me, who are you looking at there?

These are photographs of Leslie. Just looking and reminiscing, really,

of the old pictures of him before he went to America.

He's gone off to study and do a university course,

and we're looking to raise some money to pay for his fees

and help towards the fees, because it's so expensive in the States for education.

-Do you miss Leslie, I take it?

-Oh, yes. Yes, we do.

It's four months, five months... 1st of August he went,

and we miss him big time, yeah.

-What are you studying?

-Film studies.

-Are you enjoying it?

-Yeah, it's really good.

It's really good fun. I've got lots of friends, and it's good fun.

So we need to raise £1,000 for Leslie's tuition fees in America.

Let's see if Jonty's found anything yet. Got a lot to get through!

Keith is lucky to have so many international collectables

with fascinating family provenance. They come thanks to his parents,

and we'll find out more about how they acquired them later.

It doesn't take long before Jonty finds something from their travels.

This is a lovely room. Ah, there's Jonty!

-I have been hard at work.

-What have you found?

I've found a lovely little case here. This is a cigarette case.

-And a cigarette box.

-Right.

-Inside this one here

is a picture. Who's that?

That's a photograph of my mother. This was a cigarette case

that was given to my father,

I presume as maybe a wedding gift, or maybe an engagement gift.

And it says here, "To my darling Les, all my love, Nan".

Mum, from a very young age, was always called Nan.

-It was Nan Davies.

-Lorne, I've been looking for a hallmark on here,

and I haven't been able to find one, but I do have a little number here -

833.

Now that obviously means that this case is solid silver,

but it wasn't made in the UK.

This possibly could have come from the Egyptian-jeweller friend

-that they had.

-All sounds very exotic!

Yeah. When it comes to selling an object like this in an auction sale,

we cannot call it solid silver, by law.

We have to call it white metal. Whereas this box is.

If you look on the side here, lovely crisp, clean hallmarks,

and it's got the inscription "Thomas Hugh Davies".

That was my grandfather. That was a gift from the company he worked for,

-for long service.

-So, where do we stand in terms of the value

-of these items, then?

-The problem we have is,

it's been incredibly personalised,

so therefore they just have to be sold for their weight.

But, having said that, they're still worth £60, £80.

OK. Well, let's hope we can take these to auction

and get £60 to £100. That would be wonderful, wouldn't it?

-We're a tenth of the way there.

-It's gone up!

THEY LAUGH Optimistic!

Absolutely! Well, why not? They're both lovely objects,

and to get £100 - let's be positive.

I really like Keith's enthusiasm.

Let's hope it does make nearer the £100 mark for him.

In the bedroom, Jonty finds a cameo brooch and ring

which belonged to Keith's aunt Ethel from Sunderland.

These examples are from the early 20th century,

but are quite good quality, so Jonty values them accordingly

at £80 to £100.

And Keith looks like he may have struck gold already.

-Ah, Jonty!

-Yeah?

Look what I've got here!

Two fabulous pocket watches.

-So, where were these from?

-That's Grandfather's,

and he gave them to me when I was about 13.

And the smaller pocket watch was from my great-aunt Maggie.

Let's have a look at this gent's one first.

Have you ever looked at the back of it?

-Yes. Little engravings on the back.

-OK.

This is interesting. This is not a British-made pocket watch.

This is an American one, because we can see here

that it's the American Watch Company,

Waltham, Massachusetts.

They were a very big watchmaker.

In fact they made millions of watches

in the late 19th century. They went out of business in the 1950s.

The great news is - I've just had a look on the back here -

this is what they call ten-carat gold,

which we don't use in this country, which is very good news indeed.

Tell me about this small ladies' pocket watch.

I would presume that was, sort of, late 1800s, type of...

-Over 100 years old.

-Well, you're about right,

and you can tell that by looking at the decoration on the outside.

Look at all the chasing on the reverse and on the side here.

It's very, very busy, so this has to be late 19th century,

possibly early 20th century. Let's see if we can get to the back of it.

Ah! That's really very good news indeed.

I suspected so. Because this casing here is nine-carat gold.

But look at the condition of that on the inside! Isn't that wonderful?

-That's almost mint.

-Why should it not be?

It's always been enclosed.

That ladies' pocket watch is in very good condition,

this not so, so as far as value is concerned,

on a poor day we're looking at £200, but on a good day,

as much as £400, so that's a very good find.

-That's excellent.

-So, rather than being stuffed in a drawer,

you could turn that into a really useful...

-Bit more tuition fees coming our way!

-That could be very useful for you.

These family heirlooms from Keith's adventurous parents

certainly have an international theme.

In the bedroom, Keith has come across something from his childhood.

It's a toy van made by Budgie,

one of the British die-cast toymakers of the 1960s.

Keith assumes he didn't play with it much as it's in very good condition.

It comes with its box. It's not as valuable as other well known makes

such as Dinky and Matchbox, so it gets a slightly lower valuation

of just £20 to £30.

Thanks to Keith's family's collecting eye,

it looks like we may be able to help son Leslie

with a good portion of those tuition fees.

We've seen some really lovely items,

and most of them seem to have come from your mum and dad.

A lot of those are from rather glamorous locations.

So, tell me about the connection there.

I think Mum left home when she was about 16 and went dancing.

And then, as war broke out,

Dad was in the Pioneer Corps in Palestine.

And when they had leave periods, they would go to places like Cyprus.

Went to Cyprus, met Mum.

They got together in about '43,

then about 1944, I think, they got engaged,

and all the time they were travelling around the Palestine,

the Middle East, Egypt,

and all those, in those days, far-off places.

It does all sound quite exotic and glamorous,

-but there was a war going on.

-Yeah. It was difficult for them

as a young couple that had met,

because Mum was entertaining the troops,

Dad was obviously with the Pioneer Corps,

and I think they had this relationship,

a distant relationship, lots of letters to-ing and fro-ing,

before they got together and finally got married in Jerusalem.

What are your memories as a little boy, then?

-You're an only child, aren't you?

-Yeah. I was an only child,

although that's sometimes a disadvantage.

As a child, Mum would always be there.

She was always there, because they didn't work in those days.

Mum was a housewife. When I went to secondary school,

Mum reincarnated herself, I suppose,

because she started a dancing school, so she went back to dancing.

What are your thoughts on these objects now, given the family connection?

Sentiment. It's nice to have it,

but the trouble is, they're all items you're not going to be using.

They're going to stay in a drawer, never use them.

No-one's ever going to see them,

so we're not actually gaining any pleasure from it.

-Shall we go and see if Jonty's got anything to add to the pile?

-Yeah.

Jonty's exploring one of the bedrooms.

But has Mark laid his hands on another one of those intriguing family heirlooms?

Hi, Jonty. I've found something of interest for you.

Good. I'd like to hear.

-A ring and a pennant-type brooch.

-Yes, OK.

Oh, wow! They've got sovereigns inset inside them,

in the middle there. Where are they from?

They were originally my great-aunt's.

She used to wear them quite often. The brooch she would wear daily

with scarves and things like that. We're not sure she wore the ring,

but she did wear the brooch.

It was very fashionable, in the late 19th century

and throughout the 20th century, for many people

to convert their sovereigns into jewellery.

You were simply wearing your money, wearing your wealth.

If you could afford to buy a sovereign, or a half-sovereign,

why not turn it into a ring, because it is solid gold after all.

But somehow there's a touch of the Del Boy about them.

I certainly wouldn't be caught wearing that.

-You sure?

-No. It's not for me, I'm afraid.

-So can we sell this pair?

-Oh, for sure. Yeah.

They're not strictly a pair. I imagine they were converted

probably at the same time.

In the brooch, the half-sovereign here is 1905,

so that's Edwardian,

and this one is a similar age. This is 1914,

so the beginning of the First World War.

We're selling just at the right time,

because the market is really at an all-time high as we speak.

Five years ago, I would value these

at between £60 and £80. In today's market, at auction,

-we're looking between £150 and £200.

-Brilliant!

-So that is very good news.

-Good job you came now, then!

Good job you showed them to me!

-I'll give those back to you for safekeeping. We'll carry on.

-OK.

Obviously half-sovereigns are half the weight and half the gold content

of a full sovereign.

At auction, will the gold have the Midas touch with the bidders?

110, 120, 130, 140.

-Will it reach Jonty's estimate?

-150. In the room at 150. 160.

Will it go higher still? Find out later.

All that excitement is still to come.

But as our rummage continues here in Buckinghamshire,

going by Jonty's lowest estimates, so far we stand to raise £510

at auction. So we're doing quite well.

'In my search, I spot these two old teddy bears

'that belonged to Keith's mother.

'He unearthed them when he was clearing her house after she died,

'so they're at least 50 years old.

'Unfortunately they're not very valuable,

'only getting a £20 to £30 estimate from Jonty.'

-Here we are, Lorne.

-Oh, what have you got there?

-Jonty?

-Let's have a look.

This is a silk time-bill, it's described as,

and it's an old Indian train journey

that took place in 1876, I think.

-That's right. Yes.

-For the Prince of Wales'...

journey through from Delhi to Lahore.

So, is this, like, an itinerary, then,

a train timetable that he was going to use

to get to where he was going?

I'm not sure whether it's a timetable, but if you look here,

it has all these carriages, and it tells you who's...

-Who's in every one.

-Oh, yeah! Carriage!

I love the way they list all these important people,

and then we get "Third Class", and there's not a word!

You have second class, third class, and that's it.

-That's it. They won't mention those.

-THEY LAUGH

How did this come into your possession, then?

This probably came from my great-uncle Rich,

who was a bit of an eccentric and went travelling around the world

in the mid-'60s, and went from Victoria Coach Station to Bombay

-on a bus.

-I think that was just insane.

-He did rather stupid things.

-He got there, did he?

-Yeah!

I can only presume that he's picked this up on his travels,

because he certainly wouldn't have been alive

in that sort of timetable date.

Now, the condition is pretty poor, because it's made of silk,

and silk does perish quite badly. Now, this is a rare item,

but it doesn't necessarily make it incredibly valuable.

I just find it fascinating, and a lot of other people will, too.

So what sort of price do you think?

I would put £20 to £30 on it,

and just see what happens in the auction sale.

I think we go for it.

Perhaps this is what is known in the trade as a sleeper -

something that could surprise us with a high result on auction day.

Jonty makes the next discovery in the hall -

two French spelter figures of children.

Again, they came from Keith's parents,

who became interested in making money from antiques when they retired.

But a lot of the items they bought were never sold on,

and were left for Keith to inherit.

Jonty reckons this pair should attract some attention

at £50 to £80.

Keith's son Leslie is the person we're raising the money for today.

But, as he's now living in America, I get the low-down on him from his brother Mark.

So, this was Leslie's bedroom before he went away.

-It's big, isn't it?

-Nice and big. He got the bigger room of the two.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Right. So, what's this?

This is a wakeboard. It's the snowboarding equivalent of water-skiing.

You're behind a boat, and you get towed at 30 miles an hour,

and it's all about doing the biggest, baddest trick you can do.

-Your parents must have a fit.

-Not the best thing to watch your child do,

but as a participant, it's exhilarating. It's great fun.

-This all looks quite expensive.

-Oh, it's very expensive.

The kit itself here is about £500, £600 worth,

and if you add on your memberships and each time you go out behind a boat,

-it all starts to add up.

-You've got lots of medals here.

-These are Leslie's medals?

-Came second in one competition,

third in another, and the best one we have of him

is Best Crash award, where he completely totalled himself

in a competition and had memory loss for a day,

so we had a lot of fun taking the mick out of him.

What has he gone to America to do? Is it linked to this sport?

He's doing physiotherapy, and it connects with this,

because in wakeboarding there's a lot of impact injuries,

and it helps to know a good physiotherapist

once you get out of those crutches and get walking again,

so it's quite linked, really.

It's been quite tough for your mum and dad.

They get quite emotional talking about it.

Every time Les comes up in conversation, they're welling up.

But they're pleased for him because this is an avenue for him to follow.

-So they were pleased.

-And what has it been like for you?

Obviously you grew up together, share the interest in this sport,

-and now he's not here.

-Yeah, it was weird.

We used to go down the lake together,

we're on the same football team. We've done a lot together -

same school, and he's always been there,

but then he's gone, and it's quite strange adapting to that

-and getting used to it.

-What are your plans for going out there?

Hopefully in August the whole family will be going out,

so it'll be good to get back together again.

It will be. There'll be lots of tears then.

I'm sure there will be. Lots of hugs and kisses.

There'll be tears if Jonty doesn't find some more stuff to sell. Let's see how he's doing.

I'm not sure where our expert's got to,

but Mark makes an interesting discovery downstairs.

It's a Victorian cast-iron doorstop

in the shape of the puppet, Mr Punch.

It belonged to Keith's great-aunt Maggie,

who worked as a governess for families in France and England.

Jonty values it at £30 to £40.

The house is just full of interesting objects

collected by Keith's parents and family,

and Mark is keen to show Jonty yet another one.

Jonty, this could be of interest. I'm sure we could sell this at the auction.

Let's have a look. Wow! OK... So, where was this beauty from?

It came from my great-aunt, and she's passed it down

with the other things you've found today.

I notice here that it's perpetually at quarter past three,

but it's not even that. We're missing the minute hand.

This is a late 19th-century French mantel clock.

It's a classical style, so it's classical referencing,

but you've got all these other 19th-century details,

so if you look at the plinth which is surrounding this marble base,

all of this gilded decoration is very 19th century,

that sort of heavy, OTT feel about the whole thing.

So if we turn it on its side here,

we can see that the detailing on the back is the same as the front,

and there's a reason for that. On a mantel shelf,

particularly in France, you would have a mirror on the mantel shelf,

so it would reflect the back of any clock,

so it was important that the back was as detailed as the front.

So, do you remember the clock working?

It used to. It used to sit on the fireplace,

and my brother and I were playing in here with a tennis ball,

and accidentally hit the glass dome that surrounded it and smashed it,

and it's never been the same since, really.

You're right. Clocks like this would have come in a dome case,

and not only was that design but had a practical purpose,

to stop all the dust laying on top of it,

so all the movement would have been dust-free.

As far as value is concerned, what do you think?

-I'd be guessing around the £40 mark.

-It's worth a lot more than that,

double that, so in the catalogue,

the auction estimate would be between £80 and £100.

It's a pity that we don't have the hand.

It's replaceable, but not to worry about that,

because dealers just want to buy something

-they know they can trade with almost straightaway.

-Excellent!

-Very good find. Onwards and upwards!

-Let's go.

It seems Mark's great-aunts had a great eye

for collecting quality items. In the bedroom,

it looks like Keith might have found something sparkling,

but there's no stopping Mark at the moment.

In the snug, he's come across something else that has family connections.

It's the war medals that were given to Keith's father

and his great-uncle Oswald for their services during the wars.

These war medals, however, are fairly common,

and that is reflected in Jonty's estimate

as he values them at £50 to £80.

-So, how have you found today, Mark?

-It's been really good.

Are you surprised at some of the stuff your mum and dad have got?

-I haven't seen half of this before. It's been in boxes.

-Hello!

-Oh, do I see diamonds?

-We do.

-Oh, hello!

And whose ring is this?

This is actually my mother's engagement ring.

Your mother's? This looks like a man's ring to me.

No. This is definitely Mother's engagement ring.

It was made for her by a jeweller in Cairo

who was a personal friend of hers.

That's a proper knuckleduster! Excuse me.

-We're being polite. Can I have a look?

-Certainly.

-So, how many diamonds have we got in here?

-Ten.

Yes, you're right. We've got eight smaller ones,

and two large ones on the ends.

And those diamonds are inset in a very fine platinum ridge.

The band itself, the ring itself, is gold, probably nine-carat gold.

-Mark, what do you think about this?

-It's certainly different.

I couldn't give it to someone as an engagement ring.

-I think it would be given back.

-It has a very modern feel.

-When do you think this was made?

-This would've been 1944.

They were married in '44, in December,

so round about '43, '44. It was an engagement ring,

but they met and married fairly soon after meeting.

For a lady in that period to be wearing a ring like that

-would have been very unusual.

-It's very avant-garde.

It's completely different to the style of jewellery

that would've been made just before the war and straight after the war.

We know there's ten diamonds in that ring,

but do we know the carat weight of them?

That'll make all the difference, won't it?

I would hazard a guess between two and three carats.

We would have to properly assess the clarity of those diamonds,

because I think they're not the best,

but as far as value is concerned, an auction value is concerned,

we're looking at between £500 and £600.

-What do you think about that?

-Superb. I think that's good.

I'm quite pleased that we've got nearer our target,

and £1,000... Nearer to £1,000.

Well, it certainly has taken us a lot nearer our target,

because, as you say, you wanted £1,000

towards Leslie's education, or the fees for him studying in America,

and thanks to the ring, the value of everything going to auction

comes to £1,260!

-Oh, really?

-That's pretty good.

-That is good, isn't it?

-That's fantastic.

-The ring's made all the difference.

How wonderful! That's great.

There was certainly a Middle Eastern flavour to our items today.

I can't wait to see how they all do when we take them to auction.

There's the two gold pocket watches.

Will they tick all the boxes for the bidders,

with an estimate of £200 to £400?

The early 20th-century sovereign ring and pin

which belonged to Keith's aunt. With the price of gold being so high,

they should reach their £150 to £200 estimate.

And not forgetting the silk train timetable,

for the Prince of Wales's journey from Delhi to Lahore in 1876.

His valuation was only £20 to £30,

but who knows what it might fetch on the day.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic - I think Jonty is punch-drunk

after the sale of the Victorian doorstop.

That's the way to do it!

And what has us reacting like this?

-That's just bizarre.

-I'm stunned.

I'm absolutely stunned.

'All will be revealed when the hammer finally falls.'

Now, it's been a few weeks since we met Keith and his son Mark,

and we found some lovely items in their home,

including that Indian railway timetable with a royal touch,

and the Egyptian ring. We've brought those and other items here

to Chiswick Auction House in West London.

Remember, Keith's looking to raise around £1,000

so he can send the money to his other son, Leslie,

for his tuition fees in America.

Let's hope today the bidders are feeling very adventurous

and help us make our money.

These general auctions take place every Tuesday.

Today there are almost 800 lots,

and dealers and experts alike are eyeing up everything on offer.

Keith and Mark have never been to an auction before,

and I wonder if they're feeling anxious about how well all their family heirlooms will do.

-Hi, guys!

-Hello.

-Hello. How you doing?

Wonderful, auctions. I love them. You're got your doorstop here,

and in here... Anyone for a chocolate?

-They're actually still in the tin!

-Put those away, quick.

-From 1900!

Can you believe it? Amazing. Are you looking forward to the auction?

I'm a little bit nervous, not knowing what's going to happen.

So we'll wait and see.

I'm not nervous, but we never know what will happen at auction either.

-How are you feeling, Mark?

-It's going to go well.

We'll make a lot of money and it should be good fun.

The show is underway, so let's hope Mr Punch gets us a good audience.

Come on!

The auction room is packed, and with all the lots available online too,

let's hope there'll be plenty of interest in Keith's belongings.

The first to come up is my favourite - that Victorian train timetable

with the royal connection.

You've still got a low estimate on that, for what it is.

It's a simple document. There's a bit of damage.

That's why I put £20 to £30 on it.

But the truth is, nobody knows what it really is worth.

Right, OK. Let's see, shall we?

There's interest in this straight off, I'm glad to say.

I'm bid £20. Straight off with me at 20.

22, everywhere. 22.

25. 28.

30. 32.

£32, the middle there. 35.

38. 40. Five.

50. Five.

£60 with Terry.

Anybody else? 65 here. 70.

Five. 80. £80 there, further away. At 80.

Anybody else? At £80. I'm going to sell it for 80.

-There it goes.

-£80! That's really good, isn't it?

How about that? That put a smile on your face.

-Jonty, you got that one wrong!

-It's great when you get it wrong that way round!

'What a great start! More than double Jonty's top estimate.

'Let's hope this sale bodes well for the rest of Keith's heirlooms

'coming under the hammer today. Next up are the two teddies

'that belonged to Keith's mum, priced at £20 to £30.'

I think I've looked after them,

and Jonty seems to think I've over-loved them,

so they are a little worn.

I would rather see an over-loved teddy bear than an under-loved one.

Let's see what they make.

£10 to go for them. Surely, for £10?

Ten I'm bid there. In the middle, for £10.

And 12 I'll take from somebody else. At £10.

12. 14.

£14 here. At 14. Anybody else?

At £14. 16, standing.

18. 20.

22. £22, then.

With the lady at 22. At £22. You all done?

22. And going for 22.

£22! That's £11 a bear.

Oh, how do you feel?

I find it really sad when I see my childhood stuff go.

I guess after the excitement of the first one, we've got to have a few downers!

'It was still within Jonty's estimate, though,

'so not too disappointing.

'The next lot is the boxed Budgie van.

'Keith didn't play with it very much, so it's in good condition,

'and its price is £20 to £30.'

£10 for the lot. Ten I'm bid. 12 there.

14. 16. 18. 20.

-22. 24. 26.

-There's lots of bidders in the room today. Fantastic.

34. 36. 38.

40. Five.

50. £50 in the doorway, then. Anybody else, at £50?

-£50. I'm going to sell it for 50.

-Excellent!

-Happy with that?

-That's good.

-That's not bad, is it?

'£20 over the top estimate is very good indeed,

'and the box certainly helped. Keith seems delighted with that sale.

'Let's hope we can keep that smile on his face with the next lot,

'the inscribed silver cigarette box and case.

'The estimate is £60 to £80.'

Start me at £30 for the lot. Surely, for 30?

I'm bid 30. Five.

40. Five.

£45, not quite... £50. With Albert at £50.

And five. 55 in front of you, Albert.

60. £60 with Albert.

Anybody else at £60? At £60, and going, then, for 60.

'We're doing pretty well here today.

'The bidders certainly seem to like Keith and Mark's lots.

'Now, how will that Victorian cast-iron doorstop do,

'in the shape of Mr Punch?'

Question for you - how do you know that it's antique?

Because there are loads of reproductions of these around.

You can tell it's original because it has all the original paintwork.

It's Victorian paintwork. That's how you can tell the difference.

What do we want for this? £30 to £40?

-It's worth every penny. Don't be surprised if he makes more.

-Right. Let's see!

There's a bit of interest in Punch. I've got a £30 left bid.

With me at £30 for Punch. 32. 35.

38. 40. 42. 45.

48. 50.

-55. In the room at 55. 60.

-Lots of hands going up.

-Look at this.

-£60 in the blue. 65. 70.

Five. 80. Five.

£85. With 85.

Anybody else? At £85. 90.

95.

-£95, then. At 95.

-HE BANGS HAMMER

-Now, that's the way to do it!

-That's amazing! £95.

-That is good!

-Pretty good for a doorstop.

'Incredible! More than double the top estimate.

'Mr Punch certainly knows that's the way to do it at auction.

'Keith's next lot is the collection of war medals.

'Let's hope they can repeat Mr Punch's performance

'at £50 to £80.'

Be sorry to see them go, but what am I going to do with them -

leave them in a drawer and never look at them,

so we'll see what happens.

I'm bid £60. Straight off with me at £60.

65. 65.

70 with me. 75. 80 with me.

85. 90 with me. 95 in the room. Against commissions at 95.

-Wow!

-Wow!

At 95. 100 there in the middle. Are you giving up?

-110.

-Great.

-120.

120 in the middle of the room. At 120.

In the hat, at 120.

-At 120, then...

-HE BANGS HAMMER

-What a result!

-That was great!

-Another good one.

-We're on a roll, aren't we?

-It's going well.

'We certainly have the sort of items the buyers are looking for today.'

We're halfway through the lots we're going to be selling.

So far we've made £427, so almost halfway there.

-Your items have done really well.

-We're second-half players, as well,

so bring on the second half!

Jonty's got something he wants to show me,

so shall we leave you to get the sausages, as Mr Punch once said?

If you've been inspired by Keith's success

and would like to raise money at auction, remember there are charges to be paid, such as commission.

These vary between salerooms, so it's always worth checking in advance.

While Keith and Mark take a break, Jonty's gone all teetotal

and is itching to show me something that reflects the tea-drinking tastes of a bygone era.

We're having a break, so I thought I'd invite you for a cup of tea.

Well, yes. A rather glamorous cup of tea,

because it's even featured on the front of the catalogue.

The distinctive decoration style of this tea caddy

tells us this is Tunbridge Ware,

and it's an amazing amount of work that's gone into this caddy.

The way this is done is that the people who put this together

had very long sticks, and cut them up into tiny, tiny shreds.

So here on the top here we have this castle,

and running round the outside we have this band of flowers and swags.

It really is stunning.

I like the shape of this. It's not just square on the sides.

It actually bends. It's wonderful.

Yes. That's a very Victorian shape, as well.

That's why you can sometimes date boxes

just by the style or the shape of the box itself.

So the date of this would be around the middle of the 19th century,

so we're looking at 1850, 1860.

It was very popular as a Victorian icon,

and it was all produced in Tunbridge in Kent.

That's the reason why we have the name.

If we open up the inside, you can see the colour it would originally have been.

So the outside has just faded naturally.

-So what sort of estimate has it got?

-In the catalogue it's £300,

which I think is about the money, because once upon a time, these were very expensive in auction sales.

But I just wanted to show you a bit of quality.

Well, that distinctive piece pulls in the money,

as it sold for £480.

We're back in position, ready for Keith and Mark's next lot,

the 19th-century French mantel clock.

It's valued at £80 to £120.

I'm assuming you won't be sad to see this one go. Am I correct?

Not really. I think my dad was more upset when I broke the vase on it.

If we get some money for it, I'll be happy.

Bit of interest in that straight off. I'm bid £70.

At £70. 75. 80.

85. 90. In the corner at £90. Anybody else?

95, fresh bidding. £95. You all done?

At £95. Near the mirror, £95 and going.

95...

£95! That's not bad, is it?

Happy about that? That was in the middle of the estimate,

but we've been used to selling way over the top!

-Spoiled us, hasn't it?

-But it is... That's good.

'So, a good start to our second half,

'and we've still got lots of jewellery and gold to come.

'But up next is the pair of spelter figures of children.'

You do see these come up from time to time.

Yes. They were very popular in the turn of the century,

so they're about 100 years old, and most of them are made in France.

My great-grandmother had a pair of these, but she was from the East End of London.

Right. We want £50 to £80, then? Let's see what we can get.

Interest in those, surely. Start me at £30 for them.

£20 for the spelter figures. Unusual subject. For £20.

Does nobody want, for 20? 20 here. 22.

25. 28. 30.

32. 35. £35, near to me. At 35.

38. 38 in the middle of the room.

At 38. At £38. Is all I'm bid at 38? I'm going to sell them at £38.

At £38. All done? £38.

-Disappointing.

-Shame.

-We were doing so well,

-and that was just slightly lower.

-Is it disappointing,

-or are we getting spoilt?

-I think we're getting a little spoilt.

-What do you reckon, gents?

-Possibly, yes.

'Well, that's a shame. The pair of spelter figurines

'are the first item today to disappoint.

'The next lot is the half-sovereigns.

'This year, gold has hit record highs,

'so now's a great time to sell and cash in.'

Right! Now, here we go. Into proper money now.

We've got two half-sovereigns set in a 15-carat ring,

and a 15-carat pin brooch. Now, where were these from?

These are from my great-aunt Maggie, and she used to wear the brooch

with a scarf, and I remember her, as a child,

when we used to visit her in Banbury, she would have this brooch with the scarf on.

-So, what do we want for these, then?

-Prices are going up.

All of a sudden, £150 to £200.

I've got interest in these straight off. I'm bid £100 for them.

With me at £100. 110. 120.

130. 140.

-150. 160, everywhere. 160.

-Everywhere!

180. 190.

200. And ten.

220. 230.

240.

240, further away. At 240. Anybody else?

At £240. 240 is the bid.

-£240!

-£240!

The vast majority of that money

is in the fact that gold has risen so much,

because literally, in the last 18 months,

it's more or less quadrupled.

'I think Keith is just delighted that they've sold

'for such a good price - £40 over the top estimate.

'The next lot is more jewellery, an early 20th-century cameo brooch and ring

'that belonged to Keith's other aunt, Ethel, who lived in Sunderland.

'We'd like to get our £80 to £120 for these two.'

What are they worth? Start me at £50. Surely, for 50?

The two cameos, for £50. Does nobody want them?

-I'm bid £50.

-£50. OK.

£55. All I'm bid now, at 55?

At £55. Not quite enough, for 55.

At £55. No? Not sold. Sorry.

-We have an unsold.

-My goodness! Not sold!

I never thought I was going to be saying that to you today.

-In fact, there we are.

-Bit of a surprise, isn't it?

Bit of a shock.

'Well, the auctioneer obviously used his discretion,

'and decided that the two cameos were worth more than the £55

'offered in the room.

'How will the next lot fare? It's the two watches,

'on sale for £200 to £400.'

For my money, this is one of the star items,

the two watches. We've got the gent's pocket watch,

the American one, but the beautiful ladies' one, as well.

I think they've got to go, because they'll only stay in a drawer,

but the little one is beautifully engraved,

and I do like it. I'm beginning to think I'm going to miss it,

but what's the point of having them in a drawer?

Start me, £100 to go for the lot. £100 for them, surely.

-£100. 110. 120. 130. 140.

-Come on!

£130? Is that 130?

At 130 for the watches.

£130.

130, not quite enough.

-Gosh!

-Unsold!

-That's unbelievable.

-Unbelievable!

-We've gone right back.

-What happened there?

-No interest in the room whatsoever.

-That's just bizarre!

I'm stunned. I'm absolutely stunned.

'Poor old Jonty! He was so sure those watches would fly.

'But at least the auctioneer didn't let them go for a silly price,

'and Keith can try and sell them on another day.

'And now we have the final lot. It's that large Egyptian engagement ring

'with ten diamonds, that was Keith's mother's.

'Jonty valued it at £500 to £600.'

-Have you put a reserve on that?

-I think we did,

because I was concerned that it might go for not enough

as to what I thought it was.

-So there is a reserve on it.

-Do we know what that is?

-It's a discretionary reserve.

-Discretionary. OK.

The auctioneer is selling. Let's see what happens.

Is it worth... Start me, 400. 400 for the ring. Surely, 400? And 20.

-440. 460.

-Come on!

£460 for that ring.

At £460. 460. Anybody else?

-At 460. Not quite enough, 460.

-SHE GASPS

-No!

-Oh, my word!

-£460, and it's not sold.

-We were doing so well,

and all of a sudden we've come to a full stop.

What do you think about the ring not selling?

Everything that we thought was going to do really well hasn't done well,

and some of the items we were not expecting to do well

has done fantastic.

'I think Keith has just summed up how unpredictable an auction can be.

'But you have to take the good with the bad. What we need to know now

'is whether our unsolds have affected our target.'

Well, you wanted £1,000, didn't you, to send over

to the tuition in America.

We've got two major things that haven't sold -

the gold pocket watches and the gold ring.

-But you have made £800.

-Much better than nothing,

because we've still got those items, and I know we can put them somewhere,

and I'm sure we will get our thousand or more, so that's fine.

-Thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

-It's like a roller coaster.

Is it like this when you're body-boarding?

It's a bit different. I'm keeping my hands in my pockets so I don't buy anything silly,

but it's been a really enjoyable day.

Hi. How are you?

A few days later, Keith and Penny break the news of their earnings

to son Leslie by webcam.

Mark and I went to the auctions,

and we've managed to raise you a healthy amount of money.

So when I send this £800 over to you,

don't spend it on anything other than your tuition fees,

and look after the money carefully.

"Thank you very much. I really appreciate it."

That's fine, son. You're welcome.

Leslie originally went to the States on a gap year,

but decided to stay, and is now studying physiotherapy in Texas.

-Mind how you go!

-See you soon. Bye!

What he's doing now is a life ambition for him.

He's got some good results. He's got some good grades.

It looks as though he's going to stay the distance,

and it's fantastic, so I'm over the moon. Proud, really proud.

-Me, too.

-You, too?

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd