Quilter Cash in the Attic

Welcome to the show that finds hidden treasures around your home and helps sell them at auction.

I bet you've got one or two pieces that were perhaps handed down to you

and you'd love to know more about them.

Our couple today certainly do

and they hope their heirlooms will help bring them some cash in the attic.

'On today's Cash In The Attic, John confounds us

'with his knowledge of an Edwardian jardiniere.'

In the Werkstatte, the Austrian workshop

established at the end of the 19th century by Koloman Moser and...

-Are you speaking English?

-Sorry!

And we're delighted to find out the value of a Victorian brass fishing reel.

-OK. That sounds very good, yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Nice catch.

-Oh!

When it comes to the auction, a phone-bidding frenzy

brings us a particularly successful sale.

I just need to find the other one that's in the garage, now.

Find out what happens when that hammer falls.

I'm in the very pretty village of Saltby in Leicestershire,

a stone's throw, or perhaps I should say a pork-pie's throw,

from Melton Mowbray.

I'm on my way to meet Martin and Mary

and they're hoping that their family treasures will raise enough money

for a memorial to a very special relative.

Martin and Mary have been together for the past 14 years

but have still not tied the knot.

The past year has been a particularly tough one for them

but they've got through it.

Martin was close to his Uncle Alex

but last year he died after battling with prostate cancer.

This prompted Martin to get a check-up

and he was then diagnosed with it, too.

But after treatment, he's returning to full health.

Martin has inherited a lot of his uncle's possessions

and John Cameron is here

to cast his expert eye over all we find today.

Three years ago, Martin and Mary moved into this lovely barn conversion

in the heart of Leicestershire.

It's set in its own land.

Plenty of challenge here for this green-fingered couple.

-A-ha. There you are.

-Hello!

Gosh. I heard you had a lovely garden and you certainly do.

-Mary, Martin, hi.

-Hello.

-How much land have you got?

-It's about three quarters of an acre

-and it's a work in progress.

-Yeah, lots to do. Lots of plans.

-I think you've progressed pretty well.

-We're getting there.

So why have you called in Cash In The Attic?

Well, basically, I was just thinking that we'd like to get something

in memory of my uncle, who died last year.

We're thinking something like a bench or a gazebo

or something that will remind us.

-What was his name?

-It was Alex.

-Alex. Uncle Alex.

-So I'm here for Uncle Alex.

-That's it, yeah.

-So how much money do you think you might be able to raise?

-Hopefully, around £500.

-£500, OK. You'd get a nice gazebo for that.

-We hope so, yeah.

-And the flowers to grow around it.

-That sounds brilliant.

-Shall we get out of the cold?

-That's not a bad idea.

Let's go.

Since moving into their beautiful home,

Martin has been busy renovating the interior...

something that John will appreciate,

being a qualified surveyor, as well as a graduate in fine art valuation.

That's what I like to see - an expert at work.

-This is John.

-Hello, guys.

-What have you found?

I've got an interesting piece of pottery here which caught my eye.

I instantly knew what it was but I needed to turn it upside down

just to be sure.

There is a mark on the bottom that's obscured by the glaze.

I'm fairly sure that says Minton,

the famous Staffordshire pottery, Stoke-on-Trent,

established at the end of the 18th century

but this piece, dating to around 1910.

-Martin, where did it come from?

-It's something my aunt and uncle had.

They kept it in their bedroom as an ornament

and it's something that I remember for many years being in their house.

I don't recall them ever having anything in it as such.

-Presumably it would be for plants?

-It's a jardiniere.

I would guess that, you know, the green, hard foam oasis that you saw?

My grandparents had them, where, I guess, you put dried flowers.

Now, the style of this piece is very interesting indeed.

It's known as Secessionist wares.

They were influenced by the Wiener Werkstatte,

the Austrian workshop established at the end of the 19th century

-by Koloman Moser and...

-Are you speaking English?

-Sorry, Jenny!

-It's just...

-By Koloman Moser and Josef Hoffmann.

-Very erudite.

-It was a very famous school.

They were a branch of the art nouveau,

which I think is quite different to the French style of art nouveau.

This is very much geometric in style but also organic.

We can see these lovely stylised plant handles at the side, there.

So we have ourselves a very decent piece of pottery here.

-I bet you didn't know any of that.

-Certainly not.

-Neither did I.

Gosh! It's got lots of history. What do you reckon it's worth?

Secessionist wares have dropped in demand in recent years

but I'd hope for about £50-£80 for it.

-That's nice.

-That's excellent.

Really good.

Well, fingers crossed that really is a Minton.

In one of the bedrooms, John finds some more pottery,

a 1930s collection of jugs and bowls.

They all belonged to Uncle Alex's wife Daphne

and Martin remembers that she used to keep them in her bedroom.

This little lot should attract around £50-£60 at auction,

so that's two good items from Uncle Alex and Aunt Daphne so far

and I reckon there's plenty more to come.

We've got a rather interesting early fishing reel here.

Martin, where did it come from?

It was something that was actually in my uncle's shed

and it was in a bit of a state when we got it,

so my father took it away and cleaned it up

and we saw the inscriptions on it

and we thought it might be good as a little ornament

but I think an enthusiast would be more appreciative of it.

It's inscribed on the plate here,

"C Farlow, Makers, 191 Strand, London."

Now, they're very important makers, Farlow.

They've been around since the 1840s,

when they were making sporting apparel and country clothing.

They're still around today at Pall Mall.

One of the leading makers,

along with people like Samuel Alcock and the Hardy Brothers up at Alnwick.

This is a free-winding reel

and we can tell the date because of the trademark on the bottom,

the little fish trademark on the foot.

They only used that on their early reels

and that would date it to around 1890,

so it's nearly 120 years old.

They had different fish for different decades?

No, that was just their early trademark. They ceased to use it.

It's an interesting thing and there is a very buoyant market

for fishing collectables.

Reels are probably the sweet spot in that field.

So you mean people would collect it rather than use it?

No, people would buy them and use them as well.

You will have collectors that won't use them

but some of these early reels that are in perfect working order

are cheaper to buy than a brand new one from Hardy Brothers or Farlow

because these have royal warrants.

Looking at this one here, it does have some damage.

We've got a split to this little ivorine handle.

It's also lacking its hard leather case.

It's had one or two dents but even in that condition,

I'd expect it to make £60-£80, something like that.

OK. That sounds very good, yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Nice catch.

-Oh!

'Let's move on swiftly to our next item,

'which is another heirloom from Martin's aunt and uncle.

'He remembers these kettles used to sit either side of the fireplace in their house.

'The darker one is made of copper and the other one is brass.

'Copper is a metal in itself,

'whereas brass is an amalgam of copper and zinc

'and it's the zinc that gives it that gold look.

'This pair should create a bit of interest at £20-£40.

'We're making steady progress today.

'Let's hope the next item continues in this vein,

'which again comes from Uncle Alex and Aunt Daphne.'

-John, we've found something else.

-Ah.

Jolly good. Let's have a look.

Do you mind holding that for me, Mary?

Right, well. Let's look for the shiniest thing first of all.

This is an Albert chain. Where did this come from?

That was in some of the items that my uncle had.

It didn't have any watch with it.

That was basically what was in the box.

It's nine carat. I was hoping it was going to be 18 carat.

People do collect these because collectors want to marry them up with watches.

I think we're looking at about £50 for that.

-Oh, OK.

-Not bad, is it?

-Not at all.

-No, that's very good.

So what have we got here? We've got some bar brooches here,

gold bar brooches.

Did they come from Alex?

They were part of my Aunt Daphne's collection of jewellery

and the little pieces that we found in the jewellery box.

That one's set with what looks like a little aquamarine.

I think they are aquamarine in there.

That's possibly a peridot, a little bit darker.

And that one's just gold.

They're all nine carat.

-I think we'd be looking at about 40 to 50 for those.

-Right.

So we're up at about £90 there, aren't we?

But this is quite interesting, isn't it?

That, again, was from my Aunt Daphne.

OK, well, to me, that's probably a piece

of Renaissance revival silver jewellery from the Victorian period.

There's not a lot of weight in it,

so we're looking at £10-£20 for that, not a great deal of money.

But together, I think all those items,

we should be looking at about £100-£150 for them.

That's very good.

Well, I'll take these but there's some more rummaging to do,

-so lead on.

-OK.

Well, gold is certainly getting a good price at the moment

but will the bidders at auction want to buy it?

We've got a bid of 85, a bid of 90, a bid of 100,

a bid of 105, a bid of 120 and higher.

Stay with us and find out how high it does go.

All that is still to come

but as our search continues,

Martin comes across another of his aunt and uncle's collection.

It's a Burmese brass tea set.

Martin's Uncle Alex spent most of his career in the merchant navy

but joined the Commandos during World War II

and fought in Burma and India.

Martin remembers they used to display this set in their living room

but they never used it.

John gives it an estimate of £20-£30 for the auction.

Well, that's six items that all belonged to Martin's uncle,

so I think it's time we found out a little more about him.

He sounds such a character, your Uncle Alex.

-Tell me a bit about him.

-Yeah, him and my aunt were very loveable.

They were a smashing couple

and, as I say, I had a lot of respect for my uncle.

He was ever so knowledgeable.

He loved travelling, he loved reading books.

He was someone that you could always have a long chat with

and come away quite enlightened.

How old was he, then, when he died?

He was 91. Yeah, so... He died last year

of prostate cancer.

And it was quite ironic, really,

because in October last year I was also diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Gosh.

And although I had no symptoms with regard to the cancer,

I felt I ought to be checked and went to my local GP

and within two days, they came back to me

after having the blood test

and I was told I had prostate cancer.

My goodness.

Fortunately, I've had all the treatment now

and I'm hoping that it's cured the situation

and I've got a long and happy retirement for the future.

Well, we all hope that, of course.

So you mentioned retirement, there.

What was it you used to do?

I worked for Ford for 35 years.

-For Ford?

-Ford motor company, yeah.

I was lucky enough to be offered early retirement when I was 51.

-So you grabbed, I bet, didn't you?

-I grabbed it.

And basically, I wanted to do a lot more work outside.

I've started to do things for the wildlife trust,

lots of things in the garden here

because it's a big project.

It's given me an opportunity that I never expected to have.

Ford's were very good to me and gave me that opportunity.

Well, you can't sit there pretending you're retired from rummaging.

-We've got more work to do. Shall see where everyone is?

-OK.

Both John and Mary have been busy searching the house.

In the study cupboard, Mary's found this Japanese framed silk tapestry panel.

It's hand woven and from the late 19th century.

It belonged to her mother, who liked to visit auctions and antique shops,

and she kept it in her lounge.

For the past few years, though, it's been in storage

and Mary's happy to let it go with an estimate of £50-£80.

That tapestry's brought our running total to £350,

so not far to go to reach our target.

Maybe this next find will get us there.

It's certainly something interesting because John's taking a closer look

with his jeweller's loupe.

-Have you had a chance to look at them?

-I have, Mary.

They're interesting. Where did they all come from?

My mother was a great one for going round antique shops.

She picked them up and there was a lot more than this

but I've given a lot away to family and friends

and I've kept my favourites for myself.

Some of them aren't perfect, so let's see what we can get for them.

OK. I've separated them into two categories here.

We've got nine carat here and these three are 18-carat gold.

Now, when gold is mined pure,

it's 24-carat gold, or with a few impurities from the ground

but it's too soft to be used for jewellery at that point.

-It has to alloyed with other metals...

-Right.

..commonly silver and copper.

So nine carat is the lowest.

You can see that some of them are damaged.

Some of them have had pieces let into to make them bigger.

Some of them have worn, they're quite thin.

That happens when people wear rings together on the same finger.

I particularly like this little ruby and rose-cut diamond ring.

They're call rose-cut because they're quite crudely cut.

You can see each one is like a rose, the facets are asymmetrical,

but when you get close up, you can see there's a stone missing.

But they're saleable items.

That little pile there, I reckon, is around £100.

That bigger pile there, because it's half the carats,

-that's about the same, about £100-£150.

-OK.

So I would say for the lot, we're looking at between £200-£250.

Oh, that's great.

That's good.

'That's a fantastic amount to add to our running total.

'We seem to be on a bit of a roll here.

'The next find is a pair of majolica moon flasks.

'They were given to Martin's grandmother as a gift

'from a wealthy family she worked for in Essex.

'Majolica is a soft earthenware ceramic

'that's been fired and glazed to create the intense colours

'that make this pottery really stand out.

'The technique originated in Spain in the 8th century.

'These two flasks are a mid-20th century reproduction

'but they should still fetch £30-£50 at auction.

'Martin and Mary have some really fascinating pieces here

'and each one has a story.'

Now, tell me about these.

Well, these were in Mary's sister's garage.

They were part of something that Mary's mother and father had in the old house.

Quite interesting because I think they're made from an old cartridge, gun cartridge.

You're absolutely right. They're referred to often as trench art.

When you think back, these are World War I shells.

Now, when Kitchener said, "Your country needs you,"

millions of young men took up the call to arms

and went marching proudly off to France.

Now, among them were lots of skilled workers,

metal workers, jewellers, things like that,

and through all the documented horrors of war,

there were still long periods of inactivity in the trenches.

Lots of guys took to applying their working skills

with the things that were lying around them, such as shells.

-Goodness me.

-Here we've got a couple of shells

that have been embossed to make these little spill vases.

There's not huge sums in things like this

because there were millions of shells, producing a lot of trench art.

This is interesting as well and another good example.

This little lighter is just a brass nut

that's been soldered with two pennies of the period, copper pennies,

to form the body of a lighter, a little petrol lighter.

-Isn't that wonderful?

-It's amazing.

And did this come from the same place?

No, this was in one of my uncle's boxes of knickknacks

-and I believe it's a cigar cutter.

-It is.

Quite a novel little thing.

And then this, again, was in the garage.

There's a cannon on its carriage, there,

possibly something that would have been used in the Crimean War.

The lighter is much later than that

but because they're military related, I'd keep them as one lot

and it should appeal to both tobacco collectors and military collectors.

I suggest about £60-£80 for them.

That's brilliant, yeah.

-Happy with that?

-I'm quite happy with that.

-Fantastic.

Yet another interesting find. We're doing very well today.

Martin and Mary have found love second time around

and between them, they now have four grown-up children

and two grandchildren.

But the twist in their story is that they've known one another

since their schooldays.

So, come on, then, where are you? 1966. You were at school.

I'm sitting there.

-Oh, look at those teeth.

-I know! They're all my own, unlike now.

-And where are you, Mary?

-I'm somewhere here.

-Er... There you are.

-With pigtails.

-OK.

So this is your school in 1966. Were you great friends then?

We knew each other

but Mary was in the A grade and I was in the X grade,

so our paths crossed at times but she was a lot cleverer than I was.

So you weren't particularly good friends at school, yet here you are,

-together for how many years?

-14 years now.

So what happened? How did you meet up again?

Well, it was when we were both 40.

A group of us decided to have a school reunion

-and...

-That's how we met again.

-That's how we met again.

So, 14 years and still not man and wife.

Ah but we are actually getting married.

Yes, very shortly, we're getting married

and, as I say, it's been a long time but we've finally got there.

So what brought you here to this lovely village?

Well, we decided to move from where we were living at the time

and we wanted a project and this was everything we wanted.

It ticked all the boxes.

We fell in love with it and the main criteria for me

was that it was near my daughter because I have two grandchildren

and I help to look after them when she works,

so it fitted in very well.

It was the project that Martin wanted so much.

So it is a lovely house. I suppose it's been loads of work, has it?

Oh, yeah, yeah. We've got a very big project.

We've done a lot on the house now

and we're now moving into the garden

and we've got to get that ready for the marquee for the wedding.

So a lot of pressure but we just enjoy it.

Well, it won't happen if we sit here all day,

so let's go and look somewhere else.

Many of the items they're sending to auction

would really fit well into their beautiful period property.

But they like the clean, modern interior look,

so it's a good time for a clear-out.

And how about this for a find?

A pair of morning and evening art deco spelter statues

on a Bakelite base.

They belonged to Martin's other grandmother

and she kept them on her hearth but he hasn't found a place for them,

so he's happy to let them go at £30-£50.

'We're almost done here today.

'Just taking a last sweep of the lounge to make sure we haven't missed anything.'

-Oh, hi.

-Hi.

-Who's this, then?

-That's my grandchildren.

That's Louis, that's Evan.

Oh, they are gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

-What have you found?

-This is a picture that was in my mum's house.

Mum was a great one for going round the antiques shops

and she had this.

And then when she died, it just got stuck in my sister's garage

-and we found it.

-It's extraordinary.

-It's very unusual, yes.

-It's quite cartoon-like.

-Yeah.

-Fascinating.

John might like it. John! Oh, Martin's there, too.

-Look what Mary's found.

-That's very interesting.

-Isn't it extraordinary?

-It is.

I've seen this picture before. It's one of a series

-of which there were several thousand printed.

-Oh, I see.

This is a Japanese woodblock print

dating from the first half of the 19th century

and it's by an artist known as Ando Hiroshige,

a famous Japanese artist.

-Are you pretending you can read that?

-I know his signature.

This tells us that this is a particular number in a series.

But in 1832, Hiroshige was part of a delegation

that travelled the road, taking horses, a gift from a shogun,

to the emperor.

During that time, he would have made sketches of various things along the route.

Now, this is one of a series known as the 53 Stations Of The Tokaido,

one of the five important roads

linking the capital with the rest of the country.

Here we have, in the scene, some pilgrims

and this little fellow here is known as a tengu.

It's a mystical forest and mountain-dwelling figure

with both Shinto and Buddhist attributes

and the Japanese, they feared and respected the tengu.

In fact, as late as the 1860s,

the Edo government were posting notices to the tengu, asking them -

this was the Edo government -

asking them to vacate a particular mountain

in anticipation of the visit of a shogun.

-Isn't that interesting?

-Amazing.

-Do you think your mother knew any of this?

-No, I don't think she did.

Even in this condition - it has faded a bit

and we've got some little mites behind the glass -

but even in that condition, it should make £100-£200,

-possibly a bit more.

-Gosh.

-Oh, my goodness.

-Impressed with that?

-Yeah.

-My mum would have been very pleased.

-Ah!

-Yeah.

Do you know, we've finished now. You can put that down.

We've actually ended up rather nicely on a high note, I think.

And, now, you wanted £500, you said at the start, that's what our target was,

so we can have a wonderful gazebo or something for Uncle Alex.

Well, based on John's lowest estimates

and if things go to plan and we get everything at the auction sold,

you should make £770.

-Really?

-Hey!

Wow, excellent.

-That would be all right,

-Amazing.

-That's brilliant.

Well, I reckon with that result,

we're in for a fantastic day at the auction in a few weeks.

Here's a quick reminder of some of the items

Martin and Mary will be taking there.

There's the late Victorian Farlow brass fishing reel

with the ivorine handle that belonged to Uncle Alex.

That should drum up some interest at £60-£80.

Then there's another family heirloom, a pretty jardiniere.

I'm sure that will be scooped up at £50-£80.

And there's the trench artwork.

This is a fascinating lot

and hopefully will achieve John's estimate of £60-£80.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic,

Martin thinks he might get away with a little white lie.

Well pleased. I'll tell Mary we got 200 for it.

You!

'And he reveals that the unusual trench art isn't really to his taste.'

They won't be missed.

In your household, if you're ugly, you go, don't you?

I'm surprised I haven't gone, then.

'Find out how well they all get on when the final hammer falls.'

It's a few weeks since we searched Martin and Mary's house

for items to bring here to Bamfords Auctions at Matlock

in Derbyshire.

Martin and Mary have got a bit of an unusual mission on their hands.

They want to raise £500 so they can build a memorial in their garden

for Martin's Uncle Alex.

So let's hope there's a full house here today when their items go up for sale.

Bamfords have auction houses in Derby and Matlock

and are always very popular with dealers

and anyone looking for a bargain.

One of the more unusual items here today is one of ours

and John is taking a last look at it.

-Hi, John.

-Hello, Jenny.

Now, this print, this is quite special, isn't it?

-Is it going to do well?

-It ought to.

He's a very popular and important Japanese artist

but at auctions it's all about do the right buyers know it's for sale?

That's the question.

Do you think word has gone out that's there something special here?

Well, it ought to have done

and I think most people will have spotted this straight away.

Is there interest in any of the other items?

Well, that lovely little fly-fishing reel

that Martin inherited from his uncle, that has got some interest.

I love that reel. I thought there might be.

We're in the right part of the world in Derbyshire.

We have the address, we just need to get somebody on the hook.

You said it! Well, I think they might have arrived, so let's tell them the good news.

The auction has attracted a large number of people

and hopefully, that bodes well for Martin.

-Good morning, Martin.

-Hi.

-Morning.

-You've got the fishing reel.

-Yes, a last look at it.

You've got the reel but where's Mary?

-I'm afraid she had to go to work today.

-Oh, really?

I tried to convince her but she couldn't get the time off,

so I'm here on my own and I'm having to do all the work.

You're not having any last thoughts about this, as a fishing man?

No, no. I think it's got to go to a collector.

I think it will.

Somebody's collection will appreciate that.

Have you brought everything else?

The only thing we haven't brought is the Japanese silk.

Mary's mum gave it to her

and Mary had second thoughts about putting it in the auction.

-That's fair enough.

-Well, on that note,

we do have some interest in the woodblock print.

-I understand we may have a telephone bid.

-Really?

-So that's encouraging.

-And you've just found that out?

-I've just found that out. I couldn't contain myself.

-Oh, good.

-Shall we go and get our spot?

-OK.

-Right.

'Mary's decision to take out the silk tapestry

'means our chances of making the £500 target

'are down by around £50-£80.

'Let's just hope this auction crowd are feeling generous.

'Well, we're going to put them to the test first

'with Martin's Victorian brass fishing reel.

'It's priced at £60-£80.'

It's a nice example. Farlow, very good maker,

and in good condition.

Late 19th century, so well over 100 years old and we want £60.

-£60. I think it's going to go for more, though.

-Excellent.

-We've got three bids on it.

-Bids on the book.

So £50 starts it. 55 now.

-At £50...

-That's great.

55, 60. Against you at £60.

-We wanted 60.

-65 do I see?

At £60.

65 now. Absentee bid will take it at 60.

-£60.

-That's brilliant.

-Our lower estimate but I'm happy with that. Are you happy?

-I'm fine.

That's very good.

So that's a very reassuring start for Martin.

Let's hope we can keep up the trend with our next item,

the 1930s collection of jugs and vases valued at £50-£60.

We've got some good names in there - Myott, Bretby and Rington's,

all early 20th century.

-Where did this lot come from?

-They came from my aunt and uncle's.

They had them around the house

and they're not our sort of style.

Well, hopefully, they'll make between £50 and £60.

Nice lot. Something for everyone. Let's see what happens.

We've got 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 bids on it. £32 has it.

Five bids but we're not at our lower estimate.

At 35. At £32. 35 do I see?

35. They'll have to go.

At 35. 38, now?

At 35. It remains with me, though. At 35. It's not going to be enough.

No? I'll have to pass that, I'm afraid.

Obviously those ceramics are not as fashionable as they used to be.

I wonder if the next lot, the brass and copper items,

will be more to this crowd's taste?

Well, it is a nice little lot.

We've got some copper and some brass.

There are brass trivets, a kettle, some fire irons and we're only asking £20-£40,

-so we should do that.

-It sounds cheap.

-It does.

It's the right time of year for that sort of thing - it's cold!

£20 is bid. 22 now.

22, 25, 28 and 30.

32, 35, 38 beats it.

38 in the hat and 40 now.

At £38 and 40 where?

At £38. Down the centre.

Anybody else? 40?

At 38 and selling at £38.

-To you.

-Cold day, sell things like that - perfect.

That's a great result. We almost made it to John's higher estimate.

We could be in for a rocky ride, though,

as our next piece is another ceramic

and the last one didn't go down so well.

Remember I said it was Minton Secessionist?

Well, the mark was quite obscured by the glaze.

I wasn't sure but I felt it was Minton.

James, our auctioneer, thinks it's Continental.

It is of the period but he doesn't think it's Minton,

so that may well affect our price but let's see.

My head's on the block now. Let's see what happens.

-We've got 1, 2, 3, 4 bids and £38 I have.

-Well...

38. 40 now.

At 38. 40, do I see?

At 38 and 40?

At £38 and 40 now?

At 38.

With me at £38. Any advance?

At 38. That's not sold.

-The auctioneer's brought that in, as they say.

-Right.

So it's another unsold. A shame.

Mmm, they don't seem to like ceramics today.

What will they make of our next lot,

the 20th century majolica moon flasks?

Estimate, £30-£50.

-So where are these from?

-These are from my grandmother

and she had them on display in the house.

Again, they're not my style.

-No sentimental value attached to them, then?

-Not really, no.

They're not that sort of thing that you'd be sentimental about.

And bids on them, six bids, and £50 starts them.

That's our top estimate.

At £50 and five now. At £50 and five do I see?

At 55, 60. 60 and five?

-No? At £60.

-It got stuck.

Absentee bids, almost all the bidding. With me.

-Ah, well £60. That's pretty good.

-That's very good, yeah,

for something that someone will appreciate, I'm sure.

It's very frustrating, I find, at auction, though,

when you hear there were about five or six bids

and it started at 50 and we only got to 60.

-Yeah.

-It's disappointing that, isn't it?

-Well, we made our estimate.

That's the main thing.

Well, obviously they do like some ceramics here

and £10 over John's top estimate is a great result.

Martin's next lot is that interesting collection of trench art,

which John priced at £60-£80.

Why have you decided to part with these?

Again, they're not particularly good-looking, are they, so...

So... Let's say that they won't be missed.

In your household, if you're ugly, you go, don't you?

-I'm surprised I haven't gone, then.

-Oh!

Interesting lot and I can start the bidding here at £30.

At 30 and five do I see? At £30. 35?

With me at 30 and five do I see?

35. 40 and five, sir?

45, 50. And five?

55 do I see?

At 50 and five now.

It remains with me at £50.

Are we all sure? I'm going to sell it at that.

At 50. Absentee bid.

-£50.

-That's all right.

-It's under our lower estimate but is that OK?

-That's fine.

Not too disappointing.

I reckon Martin's not doing as badly as he thinks.

Well, it's been a bit up and down. The pottery hasn't gone too well.

No, the pottery's been a damp squib. Our moon flasks did OK, didn't they?

-That's true.

-But the art pottery, no takers.

All right. You're looking for £500 to build the memorial for Uncle Alex.

Obviously, we'd like to be at 250 at this point.

We're not quite there but you have made £208.

That's surprising. I'm really pleased with that.

It's a good start and there are other items to come,

so we'll keep our fingers crossed.

There are some very good items to come.

I think perhaps we deserve a break.

I'm going to take a look at a neat piece of furniture

-and, Jenny, I'll catch up with you in a bit.

-OK.

Now, if you've been inspired to try your hand at auction,

do bear in mind that there are charges to be paid,

including commission,

and they vary from one saleroom to another.

It's always worth enquiring in advance.

While Martin enjoys a refreshing cuppa,

John has spotted an unusual Edwardian combination.

-What have you found?

-Well, it's so cold in here today

I was drawn towards this little coal container,

thinking about warm open fires, Jenny.

Now, we've got a humble coal scuttle and we've got a whatnot

but I don't recall ever seeing such a combination.

So you'd put a vase of flowers or...?

It's a whatnot. Any little bits and pieces.

This would be perfect for the bedroom. Typically Edwardian.

Use of walnut, reeding and acanthus leaf carving.

But I just love these little three-quarter gallery shelving sections.

You said bedroom there. That's where you'd see this piece of furniture?

I think it's a small, compact piece,

perfect and dual purpose for a tight space.

I think it's a great thing and the best bit of all,

the auctioneers haven't printed an estimate

so they're not expecting it to do terribly well.

I think you could buy this for £50 and you'd have a real bargain.

So it might go for around £50?

If I could buy this for £50, I'd be very happy.

I couldn't wait to get home and try it out.

-OK. Well, let's get back to the auction.

-Come on, then.

Well, that curious item certainly caught the crowd's imagination, too,

as it sold for £110, not quite the bargain John had forecast.

Martin has five items left,

including the collection of gold rings from Mary's family

and that Japanese woodblock print

that already has a telephone bidder interested.

But his next lot on the podium is the Burmese brass tea set,

which belonged to his aunt and uncle,

priced at just £20-£30.

-Do you think it was ever used?

-I wouldn't think so, no.

I'm not sure they ever... My uncle liked a little tipple of whisky

but I think he used a tumbler rather than something like that.

£20 for it, please, 20.

£20, somewhere.

15.

15. 10.

Ooh, it's not going to go, I don't think.

Sorry, guys. I can't blame them, either.

-Oh, dear.

-Oh! That was a bit cheeky.

You'll be taking those home.

Looks like the car's going to be loaded up, Martin.

-Nobody wanted our tea set.

-Even the auctioneer didn't like them.

No.

Oh, dear. At least it's not a huge dent in our target

but we need better luck with Aunt Daphne's collection of jewellery.

Martin wouldn't want to take this lot back.

We're aiming for £100-£150.

Next up is our first lot of jewellery.

We've got some brooches and a nine-carat gold Albert chain.

With gold prices being buoyant,

this should go some way to clawing us back where we need to be.

I've said £100-£150. Let's see what the room thinks.

-Lots of bidding.

-Brilliant.

We've got a bid of 85, a bid of 90, a bid of 100,

a bid of 105,

a bid of 120 and higher.

So 130 has it. At 130. 140 do I see?

140, 150... 150 has it.

160 now? 150. 160 anywhere?

At £150. With me at 150.

-Oh, brilliant.

-That's good.

-That was a bit better, wasn't it?

That's improved a lot, yeah.

Right at the top of John's estimate. That's more like it.

Daphne obviously had an eye for fine jewellery.

Let's see if we can do as well

with the morning and evening art deco statues, priced at £30-£50.

These art deco statues, where are they from?

They were my other grandmother.

She used to have them on the hearth of her fireplace

and I always remember the story

where somebody offered some money for them

and she said it wasn't enough,

so let's hope that today, somebody makes a good offer.

I can start the bidding at £22. With that lovely bronze colour.

At 22, 25 now. Should be bids everywhere.

25, 28 and 30. 32, 35.

38 do I see? At 35. 38, do you want?

At £35. It's seated.

-Are you all sure?

-Come on!

At £35. Gentleman's bid and selling.

-35.

-Oh, your grandmother would not be happy.

-No, no, not really.

-But you are.

But she often exaggerated, anyway, so...

Luckily for us, John never exaggerates his estimates

and Martin is looking more relaxed now that the sale's nearly over.

The penultimate lot is one of John's favourites,

the Japanese woodblock print that Mary's mother bought.

It's valued at £100-£200.

The auctioneer said he has a telephone bid on this

and that's encouraging but we need a couple of bidders in the room.

-We want £100 at least.

-OK.

And I can start the bidding here at £80. 85 do I see to start it?

At £80 and five now.

At 80 and five anywhere?

85 nods. 85. 90 with me. 95 for you? 95, yes.

100. And five? 105.

110, 120.

120. I'm out. At £120 on the phone.

-120.

-At 120. 130 do I see?

At 120 with you.

-120. Well done.

-Well?

-There we are.

I feel vindicated for my earlier failings with the art pottery.

-£120. That's pretty good, isn't it?

-That's very good, yes.

I just need to find the other one that's in the garage now.

It's a great result and a fantastic addition to our funds.

The final lot is another from Mary's side of the family.

It's the collection of gold rings.

Together, they should make £200-£250.

Next up is our quantity of rings. We've got 13 in the lot.

It's a mixture of 9 and 18 carat.

Mary did take out the ones she wanted to give to family members

and this is the residue, the bottom end - a lot damaged rings and chipped stones.

-I think we've got a £200 reserve.

-Yes.

OK, well, gold's doing all right. We should get there.

-Lots and lots of interest...

-Lots and lots of interest!

We've got a bid of 200, 210, 220,

262, 270,

-280 has it.

-Wow!

-That's good.

-Brilliant.

At 280. 290 now.

290 on the phone. 300, 310 in the room.

320, 330 behind the pillar.

330 nodding. At 330 seated. 340 anywhere?

I'm out. At 330 seated.

-330.

-That's brilliant.

-What do you think of that?

I'm well pleased. I'll have to tell Mary we got 200 for it.

You!

Gold is certainly still selling high at the moment,

which has been great news for Martin today.

The question is, just how well has he done?

It's over! Done and dusted.

I really enjoyed that. That was fantastic.

-Did you?

-Yes. Some high and some low moments.

All right. At the start of the day we were hoping for £500

so you can build a memorial to Uncle Alex

-and so many of the pieces that we sold today belonged to him.

-Yes.

So it's the least he deserves, really.

OK, you have exceeded your target.

You have made £843.

Blooming hell.

Not sure what to say. That's amazing.

I didn't expect to make that at all. That is brilliant.

I will tell Mary the exact figure, don't worry.

Good luck. We've enjoyed being with you. You've been good fun.

-Thank you.

-Give our love to Mary.

-I will do.

-Tell her the truth.

-I'll phone her right away.

Since the auction, Martin's been preparing the garden

to make space for the new acquisition.

It was always my intention to get something in memory of my uncle

who died a couple of years ago.

I still have very fond memories of him

and it would be a nice gesture towards him if he's still looking down.

He's come to a garden centre to get some ideas

for what will be a fitting memorial to a man who meant so much to him.

This would sit very nice on a decked area

with the decking coming out in front of it.

Well, the next stage is, we're going to go back, re-measure up

get the base sorted out

and then we'll make our final decision.

He loved the garden, he loved being out in the country

and now we've got the chance to get something

that we feel is very fitting.

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