Naish Cash in the Attic

They do say that no two people are alike,

which can be quite difficult if you've got two opposites

living together under the same, very cluttered roof.

Let's see what happens on today's Cash In The Attic.

Coming up on Cash In The Attic,

can we fashion ourselves a good sale with this Victorian cape?

Give us a twirl. Let's see the back. Oh, look at the back!

-Gosh, it's amazing.

-Look at it. It's just absolutely lovely.

A surprise valuation has our girls tickled pink.

-How does that sound?

-Mm.

It sounds quite good to me.

-What do you think, Mummy?

-That doesn't sound too bad at all.

What's got Paul all fired up?

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

-He's been waiting all day to say that.

-I have.

'All will be revealed when the hammer falls.'

Today, I'm in Surrey, where I'm about to meet a mother and daughter

who have a big difference in one respect.

One is a hoarder, the other is happy to get rid of things.

But they do agree on one thing

and that is that they want to recycle some of their possessions

to help them buy an eco-friendly green car.

Judith and Phyllis Naish are more than just mother and daughter.

They're the best of friends who've lived together now for five years.

Phyllis, or Phyl as she's known to most, moved to Australia

with her husband when Judith was just two years old.

Life Down Under was a happy change of scene

but the family returned to England

just as Judith was entering her teens.

She has a keen interest in antiques

and with our help, she and her mum hope to clear out the old to make way for something new.

Our expert Paul Hayes joins us today,

to help us spot the items that are most likely to clean up at auction.

And as he heads off to start his search,

I head off in search of the girls.

-Hi, Judith, Phyl.

-Good morning.

Now, I know you're mother and daughter and you live together.

You must be the very best of friends to do that.

Yes, we really are. We really are.

We've always got on well, fortunately.

We've got our space if we need it but we hardly ever do.

I'm out during the day, anyway,

so it all works really well, actually.

It does work very well.

Lots of fun in our life, really.

Well, obviously, you have got a lot in common

but I gather, Phyl, you're quite happy to throw things out

-but, Judith, you're the hoarder.

-I am, yeah.

I can't bear to get rid of things. It's agony for me.

Hopefully, we can sort those out.

-Oh, yes.

-Yes.

How much are you hoping to raise, Judith?

Well, we're hoping to raise about £1,000.

-And you're going to spend it on what?

-On an eco-friendly car.

We thought it would be a good idea to swap the car

for something that is better mileage and less pollution.

We've started saving

and we hope it will provide a proportion towards that.

Well, I've brought the man who can help you do that.

I've brought with me Paul Hayes.

I know he's already looking through the things

that you think you might want to part with,

-so why don't we go and find him?

-Yes, great.

Judging by the size of this bungalow,

we'll need to divide our efforts during today's rummage.

Paul's already spotted a rather interesting item.

-Ah! Hello, there. How are you?

-I'm well, thank you.

-Paul, this is Phyl...

-Hello, Phyl.

-..and Judith.

-Hello.

What a handsome looking creature.

It came from a relative who did a lot of travelling.

While it's been here, what have you done with it?

-We've had a few dried flowers in it.

-Or spills or something, you know.

-Right.

-We haven't used it for burning incense, anyway.

Well, that's exactly what it's for, burning incense

and incense has its origins in ancient Egypt

but in Chinese culture, they use it as a form of purification.

They'd burn incense in here and conduct their ceremonies.

This would have had a lid, so it could be used or not used.

-At first I thought it was a dragon but it's not.

-It isn't?

It's called a Chi Lin and it's half dragon, half goat.

-Can you see?

-Oh, yes, the cloven hoofs.

Exactly. The dragon would have clawed feet.

-This one has hoofed feet.

-I see that now.

-And what's it made of?

-This is made of bronze

and it's more likely, actually, to be Japanese

for the simple reason that Japan opened its doors to the West

in the late 19th century

and they made all these sort of things, inspired from the Chinese.

You're looking at 1860, 1870,

-maybe up to 1900.

-That's fantastic, absolutely.

-It's got age to it. Does it have value?

-It certainly does.

-I'd love to see it with that lid.

-If only!

-If only.

But dragons are very popular, they're a wisdom symbol,

and this has a great story to it.

So if I err on the side of caution here, I'd say at least £250,

upwards, really - the rest is in the lap of the gods.

As our rummage gets underway, Phyl's quickly discovered

a rather eye-catching 20th-century picture frame.

Made of silver, Phyl bought it at an antiques fair 25 years ago.

As it's not on display in her home,

I'm sure she'd be happy to let it go

and Paul thinks the bidders will bite with a price tag of £30-£40.

Also winging their way to auction are these two Edwardian terracotta

chimney pots, which the girls are currently using as plant stands.

Paul thinks they'll sell well as decorative pieces

and gives them a £50-80 price tag.

Paul, would you have a look at these? What do you think?

Oh, two little miniatures, miniature paintings.

Are they family members or ancestors?

No, I don't think so.

We bought them at an antique fair about 25 years ago now,

so no relation, as far as I know.

Well, the original idea with miniature paintings

was that they were instant portraits of somebody.

Lots of people were separated in wartime or by large distances,

so you'd have a portrait of your loved one

and you'd keep it with you.

These are on ivory. Ivory gives a good background for this skin tone

which is why it was used so prominently.

That was the only real way you would capture somebody's likeness.

You couldn't have a photograph in those days,

so it had to be a painted miniature.

I'm not sure how old they are.

There was a fashion in the 1950s

where they made the ivory from old piano keys and recycled it.

Can you see these sort of squares?

And if they are made in the 1950s,

it's too late for us to sell them legally.

The cut-off point is 1947,

so the ivory has to be produced before that.

But my feeling is they're 1930s, if not a little bit earlier.

All being well, I should imagine they would bring 150, maybe £200.

-That sound all right?

-Yeah, that sounds good.

-But that's a good chunk of the target there.

-Excellent, yes.

-Indeed.

-All right, well, let's keep looking.

-Thank you.

It's because of international trading agreements

that the ivory regulations are in place,

so Judith is going to have the frames checked.

In the meantime, she's also found a stunning crystal jug.

This late Regency style piece has passed down through many generations

but Judith thinks it's time to let someone else appreciate it

at £30-£40.

It strikes me that the pair of you are like human boomerangs

because you lived in England, then you went to Australia...

-That's right.

-..and then you boomeranged back to Great Britain again.

-Yes.

So, Phyl, why did you go to Australia in the first place?

Well, just for fun. Just a new experience.

Absolutely. Just like that.

So what was it then that made you, after, what, eight years,

come back to Great Britain?

Well, because my husband's mother died in India

and it was necessary for him to come back

and sort out her affairs.

And so it was arranged that he should come back,

leaving Judith and myself in Australia,

which we were quite happy about.

A fortnight before he was due to leave for England,

he said, "I'm not going without you."

So we left everything -

Judith's toys and the house, furniture,

beautiful Persian carpets, everything.

Because you thought you were going back?

Well, you see, we didn't know.

About a fortnight after we landed, he said, "We're not going back."

-So you left everything behind...

-Everything.

-..and started again.

We had nothing.

How did you feel, Judith? That must have been a wrench?

Well, I think that maybe that was the trigger for my hoarding.

Maybe. Because I still remember things that I loved as a child

that I don't have and that I had to leave behind

and I still remember those things.

And I think that may have been the trigger to think,

"Well, I'm not going to let anything else go!"

So it left me with a trauma, I think.

Judith used to own an antiques shop with her ex-husband

and Paul has found one of its remnants.

This 1920s tea set was made by the Noritaki pottery in Japan.

Paul thinks we can successfully sell this delicate 7-piece set

for £40-£60.

As we continue to add to our haul,

we're making steady progress towards the deposit that Judith needs for a new car.

I've got no doubt that our ladies may have many more interesting items

that we're here to discover.

-Hi, you two, what do you think of this?

-Oh, wow.

-Look at that.

That is so elegant. Where did you get this?

My husband bought it for me at an antique fair

but I never get to wear it now, so I thought it could go in the auction.

It's absolutely... Velvet. We've got a bit of ostrich,

-a bit of zjush round the neck.

-It looks like it, doesn't it?

Paul, what do you think of it?

Well, I think black is always associated with Queen Victoria.

She had a great influence on the fashions of the day

and of course, when, sadly, Prince Albert died,

she went into mourning

and she went to visit Whitby, to take the medicinal waters,

to bathe in the waters there.

There was a little cottage industry making items from jet, which is found at Whitby.

She started to wear it as jewellery because it was black

-and the whole country followed her and that's where the fashion came from.

-Ah!

So this would date maybe 1870s to about 1910, that sort of period.

And absolutely beautifully done.

You've got this cascading design. All that's been done by hand.

-I think you could wear that today.

-I've worn it to the theatre.

Well, there we go!

It's belonged to a wealthy lady and kept for special occasions

and that's why things like this survive.

If I said at least £100 upwards and then see how it goes,

-how does that sound?

-That sounds terrific.

Give us a twirl. Let's see the back. Oh, look at the back.

-It's amazing.

-Look at it. It's just absolutely lovely.

'Such a striking piece of tailoring

'but will it fare at auction?'

£100 for it. £50 for it.

Bid at £50, 55, 60, 5, 70.

-5, 80, 5, 90.

-It's going up quickly.

-100...

'I do hope the bidders are going to be as excited about it as we were.'

Thank you.

'As we continue rummaging at the Naishes', I've found a real gem.

'It's an amber necklace, once given to Phyllis by a family friend.

'It's a modern design and the stone itself is fossilised tree resin.

'Paul thinks someone will be happy to take this home for £30-£50.

You've got some lovely figurines, Phyl,

-but I wanted to ask you about this table.

-Yes.

-It's beautiful.

-Is it a card table?

-It is a lovely table.

-Have you ever used it yourself?

-Er, yes, many times.

Yes, in the days when I used to play bridge, rather badly.

-So it would be used occasionally?

-Yes, that's right, yes.

If this was mahogany on the interior,

it's a tea table and you'd use it for afternoon tea.

With having this green baize here, it's a games table or a card table.

You've got a couple of really good features on this table.

-It's a demi-lune or half-moon shape...

-Yes.

-..which people love.

It goes against the wall and opens out to the full circle.

It's got these wonderful tapered legs

-that go down to pad feet.

-They're quite pretty, aren't they?

And the whole thing's made from flame mahogany.

It looks like it's on fire, a really rich colour.

This is quite an old one. I'd say it's the early part of the 19th century.

-Really?

-Yes. 1820, 1830.

-Really?

Yeah. Beautiful.

If said between £200 and £250, how does that sound?

Yes. I think £250 would be nearer the mark.

Right, OK, well, we'll put it in at 200 and that's a safe bet.

Yes, right.

Don't give up the day job, Paul.

I don't really see you behind the gambling tables in Vegas.

Back to work, he soon finds a 19th-century smoker's cabinet.

This handsome piece with fitted drawers

may not fit into this home any longer,

but its stunning mahogany finish is sure to attract the bidders,

as Paul reckons it's worth £70-£80.

To add to it, Phyl comes across this perfume bottle,

again, given to her by an old friend.

The design has silver mounts and dates back to 1900,

a lovely piece that Paul thinks could go for £40-£60.

Now, I spotted this clock earlier.

-Is this something that you've bought?

-Oh, no.

It was bought, originally,

by the brother of a great friend of mine

-who collected clocks.

-OK.

-He had 14 altogether.

-Wow!

But throughout the years, we used to discuss clocks

and I always said that was my absolute favourite one.

Right. And do you know anything about it?

Well, I just know that it's a Regency clock.

It's very old.

It could even be a little earlier than that.

You've got this fantastic convex lens, which is great.

You've got these bun feet or ball feet,

which are typically early 18th century.

The whole thing's made from rosewood but what's most important

is that it's a London manufacturer.

The way that clocks tended to work at this time,

there were lots of clocks made on the Continent, in France and Germany,

and they were mass produced.

The English, especially the London clocks, were all handmade,

so chances are, this would have been a commissioned piece,

made for a member of the aristocracy in the 18th century.

-How fantastic is that?

-Wonderful.

-This was made by Coleman.

-You see that? Coleman.

-Yes.

-And "of London".

It could make all the difference. You can go back through the archives

and find out which house it was commissioned for

and that can give you great provenance.

If it turns out to belong to Mr Darcy, you're laughing!

-It's good to know the provenance of things one owns.

-Exactly.

Let's make sure that Judith's OK as well. Judith, Angela?

We've found a fantastic showpiece, here. Isn't it amazing?

That's a very handsome clock indeed. Very beautiful.

What price might we get for it, Paul?

Conservatively, you've got a late 18th-century clock,

a great London maker. If I said at least £600 up to about £1,000,

-how does that sound?

-Mm.

-It sounds quite good to me.

-What do you think, Mummy?

-I think that doesn't sound too bad at all.

I think we've going to have such fun at the auction

because I've taken all of the lowest prices

that Paul has given you on everything that he's looked at.

We should be able to raise £1,590.

-That would be...

-That would be wonderful.

-Fantastic.

That would be excellent.

-You'll be motoring away before you know it.

-We will.

A staggering valuation.

Let's see what other items we're going to be watching on auction day.

The turn of the century bronze incense burner, at £250-£300.

At £100-£150, the Victorian cape is sure to catch a fashionista's eye.

And finally, the mahogany card table.

We're certainly it's going to spark some interest

with a £200-£250 valuation.

Still to come, Judith's dealt an unlucky hand at auction.

-Judith...

-Oh!

-You'll have to take it home.

-Oh, well, I shan't mind.

-Your mother's going to be furious.

Plus, will the Victorian cape appeal?

-Oh!

-Terrific.

-That's good news.

The final crack of the gavel is at hand.

Well, it's been a month now

since we were with that fantastic double act of mother and daughter,

Judith and Phyl.

But their house had an amazing haul of items,

all of which we've brought to sale here today

at the Chiswick Auction Rooms in West London.

Remember, their goal is £1,000

towards the cost of an eco-friendly car.

Well, they had that wonderful clock that really rang Paul's bell,

so we're hoping that they'll clock up quite a few bids

when their items go under the hammer.

This saleroom is always a popular haunt for lovers of antiques and collectables.

If you'd like to raise money buying or selling at auction

do remember that salerooms charge fees, such as commission,

so it's always worth checking their terms beforehand.

-Ah!

-He's very handsome, isn't he, Judith?

-Isn't he just?

-Where's your mum?

-Unfortunately, it's all a bit strenuous for her,

the whole day, the travel,

so she's probably better to stay at home.

I shall report to her immediately after the auction.

He should do rather well today.

There are some nice Oriental things in the sale.

We've picked a good day,

there's lots of interesting Oriental items here today.

I'm sure there are people in the room that want him.

-Shall we take our place, Judith?

-Sure.

Looking around the saleroom, there are dozens of exotic pieces.

I wouldn't describe our first lot as exotic, though,

but these Edwardian chimney pots do have rustic charm.

Judith had put them to good use in her garden

but will our bidders see their potential?

£20. Bid at £20. 22? 22. 25?

25, 28, 30, 32? At £30.

I'm bid £30. A bid so far at £30.

32, 35? 35.

38, 38, 40.

That's all right.

At £38, £38. Are we done? At £38. Are they gone? Your bid.

-At £38.

-Excellent.

-That's not so bad, is it?

-No.

-That's a little bit under estimate but it's OK.

-That's fine.

But not as much as we'd hoped for.

Perhaps we should have included the plants after all!

-OK, now it's the turn of the 18th-century punch jug.

-Oh, yes.

It's lead crystal, it looks fantastic

-and I did see someone looking at it this morning.

-Oh, that's good.

-£30 for it? A bid at 30.

-30 and we're in.

-In at 30. Great.

-Good.

35? 35. 38? 38.

40? 42? 45? 48? 50.

-Wow, that's great.

-50. I'll take five. Otherwise, are you all done?

Cheap. The jug is going at £50. Are we done then?

-£50!

-Splendid, splendid. That's just about what you thought.

-That's a bit less than I thought.

-It's more. £30-£40 is what we had.

Excellent. Good.

So what we lost on the chimney pots, we gained back on the crystal jug.

And the amber necklace proves popular, too...

It's sold at £25. Going, all done.

..selling just below estimate.

Things are going well so far.

I do hope that your beaded cape does well

because it's such an elegant thing. We loved it.

And Paul came up with the idea of making it into a wall hanging.

Yeah, what I was saying was that this would be perfect for a window display, a dressmaker.

It's such a visual item that to have it locked away is a real shame.

You'd only wear it occasionally but what a lovely piece of work. Super.

£100 for it. £50 for it.

Bid of £50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 5, 80, 5...

-It's going up quickly.

-100, 110...

-Yes.

120, 130, 140?

-Oh, Judith!

-130, then. 140 for it? Are we done at 130? Are we all out?

For 130 and gone, then. It goes at 130. Last chance. 130.

-Terrific.

-That is good news.

-£130.

-That's a lot more than I expected.

That will swish its way through the West End now.

What a result and I'm not surprised,

because whoever picked up that item has an eye for style and detail.

These West London bidders have taken quite a shine to Judith's lots,

and the Noritaki tea set and silver picture frame

both sell just over their lower estimates...

It's sold and done.

-There you go.

-Right in the middle.

-Yeah. That's not bad.

..adding another £77 to our total between them.

With half our lots sold, we've made £320, which is

steady progress towards the £1,000 for the Naish's new car.

Our next item under the hammer is this quaint perfume bottle,

once given to Phyl by an old friend. It dates from 1900.

£30 for it.

Thank you. A bid £30. Take 32. At £30. Take 32, at £30.

Who'll give me 32? Who else wants...? 32.

35? 38?

40? 42?

At £40. Thinking about it? Bid there at £40 and gone.

-Mm!

-40, there we are.

-Dead on.

-On the button.

-Yep.

Another lot to meet Paul's estimate

On rummage day, Paul wasn't certain if these frames were ivory or not.

We've since discovered that they're made of resin

and date from the 1950s.

But it's good news for Judith,

because it means they can still be sold,

though the auctioneer has lowered the estimate to £100-150.

-The bid's in front of me. 110, there. 120?

-Yes.

120. 130? 140? 150? 140 bid. At 140.

That's it so far. At 140. 150? At 140. I'm going to sell at 140.

Your last chance. It's going to go. Your bid, madam.

-There we go. Just under.

-I think you were right all along, Paul.

I think I was, actually. I surprised myself, there.

Paul's professional pride is intact

and I'm glad that even though the miniatures were resin,

they stick brought us in a nice chunk of cash.

We have your very pretty little mahogany card table coming up now.

-It does look rather good, doesn't it?

-It's a pretty table.

It's quite simple but it's an attractive piece.

-The card table. Who'll start me at £200 for it? £200?

-Let's hope so.

£100 for it.

£100 to start or I'm going to pass the lot. £100, then?

-I find that very surprising.

-No-one there at the moment. No bids and a whole room full of people?

-Judith!

-Oh!

-You'll have to take it home.

-Oh, well, I shan't mind.

Your mother's going to be furious.

Ah, but I haven't bought anything.

I hope Phyllis hasn't found something else

to go against that wall

because this card table is going straight back.

We've lost a possible £200, so with just three items left to sell,

how much will we be able to put towards that eco-friendly car?

OK, quite an unusual item, now.

It's a smoker's cabinet, 19th century.

I've never seen one that looks like this.

-Was it made by someone in particular?

-I know nothing about it.

We bought it at an antiques sale because we loved it.

A bid at £50. Take £55.

60? 5?

-70? 5?

-They're still bidding.

-That's what I like to see.

At £80. 85? 85. 90? 5?

At £90. I'll take five for it. £90. Are we done at £90?

All out and finished at £90 and going...

-£90, there you go. That's all right, wasn't it?

-A terrific price.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

-He's been waiting all day to say that.

-I have.

Not one of your best jokes, Paul, but that bid was certainly OK.

Our penultimate item is the bronze Chi Lin incense burner,

which Paul valued at a sizeable £250-300.

You've put, what, £250-£300 on it, but you've put a reserve on it, Judith.

Yes, we have. We put a reserve of £200 on it

because we'd rather have him back if people don't want him.

Start me at £200 for it.

At £200. Do you want 210, there? 220?

230? 240?

250? 240 bid. Do you want 250? At 240. Who else wants it?

Your last chance at 240 and going then... Gone.

-Excellent.

-240.

-Oh!

-That's great, isn't it?

-Mixed feelings about that, obviously.

-Mixed feelings, yes.

-I think he's gone to a good home.

-I hope so. I hope so, yes.

We sailed past the reserve and that £240 is a welcome addition

to our car fund.

Our final lot of the day is the one that we've all been waiting for,

the Regency clock,

handmade in London around the turn of the 19th century.

-You've got a reserve on this clock. How much did you put on it?

-550.

-Who'll start me at £500 for it?

-Starting at 500.

-£500 for it.

-A bid of £400... £500 bid.

-There we are.

At £500. Who else wants it at £500? 520.

520, 550.

-580?

-Gosh. 580.

The bid's there at £550. Take 580. At 550. Does anyone else want it?

At 550. Are you out?

At 550. A bid there at 550. At 550. Are your bids all done?

At 550 and going. Done.

-There we go.

-It sold.

-550.

-Which was what your reserve was.

-Yes.

-Perfect.

-Just crept up there.

Judith got that figure absolutely right

and is very happy with the sale.

So, what's that done to our final total?

Your mother wanted to get rid of everything and you wanted to keep everything.

-I think honour has been satisfied.

-Yes, it has.

You've sold absolutely everything else

-but you do get to keep one thing.

-Yes.

And you're going to able to go along to the car dealer with a cheque

for £1,380.

-Oh, that's not bad. That's not bad at all.

-That's great.

Having raised well over her target at auction,

Judith can now think seriously about going green with her next car.

So she's wasted no time heading down to her local dealership

to find out more about them.

I'm very pleased to have done Cash In The Attic

because it's given us a good boost towards our savings for the car

and it was a fun thing to do

and we've got rid of some things we didn't use.

So all in all, it's been a very good exercise.

Following a test drive, Judith seems more smitten than ever

with the idea of an eco-friendly car.

It drove very well. Very good visibility

and it was gorgeous, lovely.