Blandford Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic.

Today, it's all about pieces from the Orient

and there'll be some surprises

when the lady we're about to meet hears the values.

Stay with us to find out what happens next.

'On today's Cash In The Attic,

'we find a Japanese goddess with a difference.'

She's not a raving beauty, is she?

-Well, she's not!

-No.

She looks as though she has a nasty smell under her nose.

'And I wing it with my assessment of a Chinese container.'

A Ching ding not a Ming ding?

When it comes to sale day, our expert John hopes things go to plan.

Well, I'm glad it's sold

or else your mum would have cast me out into the wilderness.

'Find out how much we raise when the gavel falls.'

Today, I'm in Dorset and I'm on my way to meet Rosa.

She's called us in to help raise money

for a triple birthday celebration.

'Rosa Blandford is joined today by her daughter Liz,

'who lives nearby.

'They've called us in to assess a house full of objects

'that were collected by Rosa's father, many from the Orient.

'She married in 1970 and she and her husband Howard had two children,

'Liz and Richard.

'Sadly, Howard died in 2004.

'We'll hear more about her fascinating life story over the course of the show.'

You can put things in it.

'It's good to have John Cameron with me

'and he gets our hunt for collectables underway,

'while I go in search of Rosa and Liz.'

-Hello, ladies.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-It's nice to be inside. It's cold out there.

-It is, very.

-You're obviously Rosa.

-Yes.

-And Liz.

-Yes.

I can see the resemblance. It's very much in the eyes.

Everyone says that.

I was told there was an Oriental theme about the day,

so tell me, what is this?

Well, my father started travelling in the 1890s as a very young man

and he loved the Far East, particularly Japan,

so I think this is probably Japanese.

-It's very beautiful, I must say.

-It's lovely.

-Is this going in the auction?

-No.

-Ah!

-I have my eye on that, Jennie.

I'd like to keep that.

Now, who decided to call in Cash In The Attic?

Well, that would be me

because it's my mum's 60th birthday this October

and also my brother's 40th.

-And a friend's 80th.

-And a friend's 80th, all in October.

So we needed to get some money together to go away for a couple of nights.

-Mum really wanted to go to the Cotswolds.

-Mm.

-How much do you want to raise?

-We were hoping for about 2,000

to cover it adequately.

OK, well, that's going to be some party!

-Oh, yes! Looking forward to it.

-It is.

-So we'd better get started.

-Absolutely.

-Let's go rummage.

-OK!

Lead the way. I love looking round people's houses.

It's five years since Rosa moved into her bungalow here in Dorset

and every room shows evidence of her father's passion for collecting.

John's spoilt for choice. I don't think he knows where to start.

A-ha. I told you John would've found something. What have you got?

Well, I've seen one or two rather interesting pieces already,

in particular this piece here,

which grabbed my attention immediately.

But first of all, I want to ask what you know about it.

Very little, really, apart from the fact

that my father would have brought it back between the 1890s and 1930s

from the Far East, China or Japan.

Now, the clue to its function is

this rather conspicuous flat disc here on the top.

And it's interesting that you've got this little glass vase of potpourri sat in there

because it's actually a vase for arranging flowers.

You've got some staining on there, which is possibly water damage.

Where somebody's wiped that, they've taken away the patina.

-Have you used it as a vase, Rosa?

-No. I was afraid to for that reason.

-What do you think of it? Do you like it?

-Yes, I do.

-I rather like these birds.

-Beautiful detail, isn't it?

-Mm.

It's made of bronze, which is an alloy of tin and copper,

and it's very hard.

It's cast and because it's hard, it's great for holding detail.

There's nice, sharp detail here.

Date wise, I'd put this second half of the 19th century.

However, I'm not 100% sure and I'm going to mull it over

whether I think it's Chinese or Japanese.

The form says to me Chinese.

However, the quality of the detail around these cranes here

and the asymmetry of that decoration

suggests that it's possibly Japanese.

At auction today, it should easily make between £400-£600.

Oh, wow! £400!

Sounds good to me. What do you think?

Well, I really had no idea but, yes, it sounds fair enough.

It does. I can feel that party spirit starting already.

Let's go and see what else we can find. Come on.

'Liz has popped out to the car

'to bring in something from her own home,

'while the rest of us continue with the search.

'This Japanese teapot is in the shape of a house.

'Rosa wonders if it might be worth selling at auction.

'It's made of cast iron and in Japan it's known as a tetsubin.

'It could be worth £100-£150.'

John, I wondered if you could have a look at these for me?

Wow! Now, that takes me back.

-Are these yours?

-No, they belong to my husband.

They were his when he was a little boy. He loved Star Wars.

They are the original Star Wars toys.

Well, let's have a look what we've got.

I can zoom straight in on this one here,

which, I guess, arguably, along with the Starship Enterprise,

is the most popular and famous spaceship ever to grace the galaxy.

And this one, a snow speeder

and last but not least, another icon of the period,

the X-wing fighter, Luke Skywalker's fighter ship

that he famously crashed in the swamp in his quest for Master Yoda.

Fantastic.

There is a huge market for these things.

It's mostly guys about my age, I think,

trying to relive their youth

and the ones who weren't lucky enough to have the big toys back then -

they can tick that box now that they've got some money to buy them.

At auction, I'd expect them to be making somewhere, for the four,

at 200 top end, 250 top end.

-About £150-£250.

-Wow, that's brilliant.

And I suggest putting them together

because what you really want is a collector that's after that

competing against somebody that perhaps is after that.

Now, you might have some more rummaging to do.

I've got some important business going through these boxes.

Right, OK! So we'll go and have a rummage, shall we?

-No, I'm staying with these toys.

-OK! Lovely! Thanks, John.

'Boys and their toys, eh?!

'John's clearly quite a Star Wars fan.

'I'm wondering if there might be something tucked away in this desk.

'And Rosa's still tackling the kitchen.

'She's spotted this bronze wood-cutter figure,

'another piece of her father's.

'We're all astounded when John says it could fetch between £200-£300.

'And when that ornament gets to auction,

'it attracts bidders from far and wide.'

160, 170, 180.

There's a telephone bidder. It's up at 180 now.

'It sounds as if it's going to be an exciting sale.'

Our search of Rosa's home is going well.

Her father, Henry, worked as a cabin boy and travelled the world.

He continued his adventures even after fathering Rosa

at the age of 74.

Henry lived until he was 89

and his memory lives on in all the beautiful mementoes

we've been finding.

Rosa, I really appreciate this chance to sit down

and hear a bit more about your father.

He sounds such an extraordinary character.

-These are some of the things he collected?

-Yes.

He was travelling in the late 1800s. That seems incredible to me.

Yes, well, he was born in 1876

and he started travelling in the 1890s.

Initially he was the cabin boy on a sail ship, apparently,

and at one point the ship caught fire

and - we used to have it - he rescued a half-burnt Bible.

It was the only thing he could collect

before he made it to the lifeboat.

-How did he meet your mother?

-My mother was a nurse

and war broke out

and she was going to accompany a ship of evacuee children to Canada.

While she was waiting for the call-up, she came to Bournemouth

and there she met the first Mrs Cooper.

She offered to look after her because she was an invalid, in bed.

And they were only together for a week

and became really good friends

and then suddenly and quite unexpectedly,

the first Mrs Cooper just died in her arms and...

Then what happened?

Well, my half-sister came down for the funeral,

shared a double room with her, cried all night

and said, "Please don't leave my father. Please stay."

So in fact she refused the call-up when it came

-and stayed as a housekeeper.

-So one thing led to another.

-Yes.

It was just as well because the ship was torpedoed and went down

and very few were saved, so she would have been lost.

They married two years later.

So they married. There must have been a huge age difference.

Yes, my father was 65 and my mother 33.

-JENNIE WHISTLES

-Wow! And did it work?

Yes, they were married almost 25 years

and they were very happy.

Now, you described your mother as a bit of an eccentric.

-How did that manifest itself?

-Well, one of the ways was driving.

She didn't drive until she was well into her fifties

and then she had a large Mercedes - this was in her seventies -

and she used to take old people who were actually younger than her out for drives.

But she was absolutely lethal.

She'd be talking to them in the back seat

and people said, "I saw your mother but I didn't dare wave."

She'd take her hand off the wheel, a hand out the window. She had so many speeding fines.

Rosa's mum Mary sounds like a remarkable lady.

She lived to the ripe old age of 95 and died in 2003.

Going by John's lowest estimates,

we stand to make around £850 when we auction our discoveries so far.

Since Rosa's target is £2,000, we're almost halfway there.

John has come across a small folding chair.

For once, it didn't belong to Rosa's father but her mother.

It's Victorian and in very good condition.

The estimate is £40-£60.

-Look at this.

-What have you got, Rosa?

Another Oriental item.

Wow, now look at that. Isn't that fantastic?

It's Japanese. We know it's Japanese because of the decoration,

the asymmetry of that, the way this is not balanced.

That's very typical Japanese. It's made of bronze.

-So is it something you've paid much attention to?

-Not really, no.

-When we look at what's going on, it looks like an artist.

-It does.

We can see his paintbrush there. Someone's watching him.

I wonder if he's painting that dragon. What do you think?

It looks like it. And the other stylus down there, or brush.

And when we look at it we can really see the metalworker's skill

because it features some rather interesting techniques.

Let's talk about zogan, which are types of inlay

and here we've got taka zogan,

which is when metal inlay stands proud of the surface.

You can feel that.

And hira zogan, which are inlays, if you feel them,

are flush with the surface.

So lots and lots of skill and effort has gone into this piece.

Probably dating to the Meiji period,

so we're looking at the second half of the 19th century,

strictly speaking, that's about 1868 to about 1912.

This is a wonderful thing. Have you thought about what it's worth?

-No, not really.

-Do you know what? At auction, I wouldn't be surprised

if that made somewhere between £500-£800.

-Oh, gracious. Mm.

-Has that surprised you?

-Well, yes.

It's wonderful to find that all these souvenirs,

carefully collected by Rosa's dad Henry more than a century ago,

are worth such incredible amounts.

They have specialist appeal and we must do all we can to ensure

that we take them to the most appropriate sale.

Liz has turned her attention to a barometer.

It was produced in Nottingham in the early 20th century

and is made of carved oak.

With a valuation of £70-£90, she's happy for it to go.

Each new discovery brings more insight into Henry's eye for art.

It seems his enthusiasm wasn't restricted solely to collecting.

-So this is one of your father's paintings?

-Yes. He did hundreds,

some watercolour like this and others in oil

and he loved still life, as you can see.

And there's an Oriental theme here, I see.

Yes, they're all artefacts that we once owned.

Most of them have gone but we still have this one.

-Do you?

-Yes.

-Really?

-Oh, goodness.

-And here it is.

-That is fantastic.

There she is!

Oh, John, have a look at this. Wow!

Well, she is a goddess and she is a goddess known in Japan,

where she is known as Kannon,

but in China, where I think she originates from,

she is known as Guan Yin.

She is a goddess of mercy and forgiveness.

She's carved rather beautifully from rosewood

or a hardwood known as hongmu

and she's been inlaid, if you have a look, very finely

with these little silver wires.

Date wise, I think she's certainly not that old.

She's typically late Ching dynasty, if you ask me,

which I think is late 19th century, possibly early 20th century.

I have noticed the damage to her hand here.

-What happened?

-Many years ago in another house, we had a home help.

My husband was working in the garden and he heard a crash

and he saw her pick something up but he couldn't see exactly what.

After she'd gone, we discovered marks down the wall

where she'd fallen and fingers missing.

-And did he have mercy on her?

-We never said any more.

-I mean, you know.

-What a shame.

Because of the damage, I'd be a little cautious with my estimate.

I do think she has a super quality about her

but I think given that damage,

I would put an estimate of about £200-£400, something like that.

I must say, actually, she's not really very stunning, is she?

-Well, she's not!

-No, she looks like she has a nasty smell under her nose.

That's a good reason to send her to the auction.

Well, our apologies to Guan Yin for seeming so disrespectful.

We can only hope that she'll show mercy and forgiveness to us

and perhaps even bring us good luck on auction day.

We're spoilt for choice in Rosa's home.

Everywhere you look, there's something of interest.

There's a cupboard in the study where I find yet another of Henry's Oriental treasures.

It's a bronze hand mirror from the Japanese Meiji period,

which translates to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Its value is £50-£80.

-A-ha! I see you're still rummaging. Excellent.

-Yes.

This whole thing must be quite a trip down memory lane for both of you, isn't it?

-Yes, it is, rather.

-It is.

Liz, you didn't know your grandfather, did you?

No, sadly, I never met him.

I would have loved to but he passed away when Mum was only 14 years old,

-so, yes.

-14!

Yes, he was 89 but he'd written a letter when I was three

to be opened on my 21st birthday

because he knew that he wouldn't be there.

What was that like, reading that letter?

Well, that was quite emotional. really.

It's quite difficult to read the slopey Victorian writing.

I've still got it.

Is it too personal to ask what was his main piece of advice to you?

Well, the main piece of advice was to choose very carefully who I married.

Very sound advice from a father. How wonderful.

So you've been learning one or two things about your granddad.

Yes, it's fascinating, really.

I wish I'd met him. He sounds like a really amazing character,

so I hope he'd be pleased that for her 60th we're doing this.

We're going to go to a hotel in the Cotswolds for a couple of nights

with the whole family -

my two boys will be going and my brother's two children

and hopefully meet up with the relatives on Saturday night,

have a big party, Saturday night, a nice meal,

and it will be lovely.

-So it's your 60th and then it's your...

-My brother's 40th

and also Mum's best friend Joy's 80th.

And tell me a bit about Joy, then. She's one of your good friends.

She is. She was a former teaching colleague

and we've been friends for 20 years.

Ah, you were both teachers. You spent years teaching drama.

-Do you miss it?

-I thoroughly enjoyed it for 30 years

but, no, I've moved on and I don't miss it at all now.

And nowadays you're a full-time Christian worker.

-That's right, yes.

-Where does that take you?

All over the place, actually.

I'm using my speech and drama in speaking at various churches and organisations

all over the south of England.

-There's a lovely cohesion to your life, then.

-Yes.

OK. So we've got a big target today,

so you can have that wonderful celebration,

-so you know what that means - come on!

-Absolutely.

-OK.

'We're determined to explore every possible nook and cranny

'around this lovely home.

'Liz wonders if one of Henry's old books will be worth showing to John

'but Rosa gets to him first.'

Look what I've found.

-Ah, you're looking at a photo of my father.

-I am.

-So this is your father?

-Yes.

That was done about two years before he died. He'd have been 87.

He certainly looks a real educated man,

-a real scholar, doesn't he? A real academic.

-He was, yes.

Not a bad job. What have you got there?

Well, it's a chest.

-So this is another one of Dad's items?

-Yes.

Wow. I'm not pleased to say but surprised to say not Oriental.

-Where do you think he got this?

-I don't know.

I think this is certainly European and probably French.

Looking at this cockerel motif here,

that is something that's been associated with France for centuries.

This is what I would call a medieval revival.

When you look at these figures on the front

with their suits of armour on there,

they're very much from the 14th century, aren't they?

And also the foliage and scrollwork -

very ornate, very typical of that Renaissance period.

The whole thing looks like a sort of treasure chest,

something you'd find on one of the Spanish armada ships.

Let's have a look inside.

Here we are. Well, it's been lined, probably with zinc.

That's something we often see inside tea caddies

and it's copper, it's not bronze.

But what is nice about it

is that all this decoration which we can see in relief there

on the top and around the sides

has, indeed, been worked by hand.

From inside, we can see it's been worked from reverse.

That's called repousse work and embossing.

You see it a lot on silverware and that is a skilful technique

and very time-consuming.

Well, I like it. The condition's good and it's quite quirky.

I think we should be looking at somewhere like £200-£300.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

-Do you think Dad paid that?

-No. No way.

Well, he obviously had an eye for a bargain,

-as well as an eye for quality and detail, didn't he?

-He did.

OK, well, let's see what else we can find

-and put this back down next to that picture of Dad.

-OK.

We're soon back with the Oriental theme,

although Liz isn't quite sure what this is.

John explains that it's a Chinese bronze incense burner.

It's late Ching dynasty,

which is, roughly, from the 19th and very early 20th centuries.

If you what it would have cost Henry when he bought it in the 1890s,

the value has matured very well.

Our estimate is £100-£200.

And guess what? It's not our last exotic discovery today.

Jennie, I've just found something here.

What have you got?

A very heavy item of my father's.

-It's a pot.

-Yes.

-You've found a pot.

-I remember this.

-It's wonderful.

-May I?

-Yes.

-HE GRUNTS

-It certainly weighs something.

-What do you know about it, Rosa?

-Not a lot, really.

It's just one of the items that my father brought back from the Far East.

The item is called a ding, which is a Chinese word for a vessel

and the actual form of which has been around for thousands of years.

They are ritualistic as well and would have been found in tombs

and you could place foods in these or incense, things like that,

things somebody would want to take with them into the afterlife.

-Is it really old, would you say?

-Well, let's come to that.

Look at this mark on the bottom.

The Chinese were great at showing their respect

for past emperors.

You read these top to bottom, right to left.

The first character is "great" and the second one is "the reign"

and that is a Ming symbol, so it's a great Ming emperor.

Now, here, I believe, is the first name.

This is the Emperor Xuande and then the period here,

which would be 1425 to 1436, something like that.

So that tells us who this is paying homage to.

I think it's possibly later than that, given what I just said

and that emperors do put dates from past periods.

It's probably Ching dynasty rather than Ming.

A Ching ding not a Ming ding?

-You said it.

-I like it a bit more now.

-Yes.

-I bet you do. That is fantastic.

Well, if I had to put it into auction today,

I'd place an estimate on this

of £500-£800, something like that.

-Wow.

-Yes, really good.

Did you think it was worth something like that?

Well, it's very heavy and now I know how old it is,

even if it's Ching and not Ming, it's still old.

I think that means I can call time, actually,

and we can stop rummaging round the house, eh?

And we started out saying we'd like £2,000,

so you can have your wonderful celebration.

Based on John's lowest estimates,

we think, actually, at the auction, fingers crossed,

you might make £2,510.

-Wow!

-Wow! Brilliant. Thank you.

-Yes.

-Excellent.

-So thanks a million and we'll see you at the auction.

-Great.

-Lovely.

Well, a very successful day

and plenty of interesting curios to send to the auction,

including the Japanese bronze tray with all that intricate carving.

John was very taken with it and it should make £500-£800.

And there's the French coffer chest,

decorated in Renaissance revival style.

John was impressed and gave it an estimate of £200-£300.

And in complete contrast, we have the Star Wars toys

in their original boxes, sent along by Liz's husband.

We're hoping for £150-£250.

Still to come, as the sale gets underway,

Liz reveals an important fact about the barometer.

-It doesn't work very well, I don't think.

-LAUGHTER

-I wish you'd said that before I put my estimate on it.

-Oh, dear.

But when all the Oriental pieces go before the bidders,

the excitement really begins.

-Wow! Oh, my goodness.

-500, 550.

-Oh!

-At 550. Any advance on 550?

And the thrills continue until the hammer finally falls.

-Ah!

-I'm shaking.

-I know, so am I.

We heard some wonderful tales of adventure from Rosa and Liz

and because they've got so many Oriental pieces,

we've decided the best course of action is to have two sales,

so today, we've brought just three items here

to a general sale at Lawrence's auction rooms at Crewkerne in Somerset.

All those Oriental pieces will be going to a specialist auction

in a few weeks, where we hope they'll attract the right bidders.

Now, remember, Rosa wants to raise £2,000

for that triple birthday celebration,

so let's see how far we can get today

when her first items go under the hammer.

So many of the valuable pieces that Rosa's selling

were collected by her father, Henry, more than 100 years ago.

It must be quite emotional to part with his treasures

but today we focus on three collectables

which hail from other sources.

All right, ladies and gent, are you ready for part one of our sale?

We've got a big target here - £2,000.

Today, I hope we can kind of get on the way.

We've got three items of yours coming up for sale.

-Are you feeling good about it?

-Yes.

-Yes. Fairly.

I think so, yes.

-Oh, well.

-The main things are yet to come, really.

-They are.

Yes, you've got your big fine art sale to come

but I'm hoping these three will get us on track for your target.

So the first item is that folding Victorian chair.

-Where did it come from?

-It was my mother's, originally.

It's probably quite old.

OK, well, here we go.

Start me here at £30 on this one, if you will.

£30 for this.

20, if it helps. £20? 20, 25?

30, 35.

Are you bidding, madam? No. 35. It's to my left at 35.

And I'm selling at £35. Are you all done at 35?

-Ooh.

-Oh, well. That was about right, wasn't it?

Just under our lower estimate. We like them to go inside if possible

-but £35 - are you OK with that?

-That's fine.

-Yeah.

-That's lovely.

Well, Liz and Rosa are obviously pleased,

which takes the pressure off a little.

Talking of pressure...

Right, your barometer's coming up. It's just here, isn't it?

I shall miss it, actually, because I like to tap it.

-It's too late now!

-I know, I know.

Liz, do you like this piece?

I do. I think it's lovely, actually, yes.

-But it doesn't work very well, I don't think.

-It does if it's high pressure.

-I wish you'd said that before I put my estimate on it.

-Oh, dear.

Bids start me here at 25. I'm looking for more.

30. 35?

40. 45? 50, 55.

60, now. At £60.

All done at £60, then? At £60 and selling...

-Wow.

-Yes.

-£60. Not bad.

-No.

-Considering it's not 100%.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

-Yes?

It seems a fair result

and it's more money towards that special weekend celebration

in the Cotswolds.

Their final lot today is the collection of Star Wars figures,

still with their original packaging, which belong to Liz's husband.

The estimate is £150-£250.

Liz, I hope you won't to get into trouble

-because we're going to sell Star Wars now.

-Yes.

-What did you tell your husband?

-He does know I'm selling these,

otherwise I would be in trouble. He loves his Star Wars things.

But he was in two minds about selling them,

so I think unless they go for a good price,

I'll take them home with me and keep them for the children, I think.

Who'll start me at £110, if you will?

£110 for these?

At 110. 100, if you will?

At 100, then. Can't say less. At 100 only.

At 100. All done?

-Oh.

-Oh, dear.

-Well, sadly, the Force wasn't with us there.

We had one bid and it wasn't up to the reserve,

so it looks like you're taking them home

-and hubby's getting his Star Wars toys back.

-He won't mind.

That's fine, yeah.

What progress have we made? Well, we've got £95.

-Oh!

-Oh, dear.

-So we have quite a long way to go.

-Yes.

Never mind. There's the fine art sale to come.

-Do you think it's going to go OK, John?

-Well, we've got high value items to come

so it would really only take one of those to take off

and we'll hit our target.

It's a great sign that the auctioneers wanted to put them in their fine art sale.

I've got good feelings about it.

Well, it's all down to John and Liz now,

so let's see how they get on at the specialist sale.

The Blandfords' other nine collectables

are being sold at Duke's auctioneers of Dorchester.

They hold regular fine art sales,

which will offer the optimum chance for these Oriental pieces

to reach their best market.

John meets up with the auctioneer, Garry Batt,

to find out if there's anything in Rosa's collection

that's caught his eye.

The thing that I like personally

is this little Japanese bronze of a wood-cutter.

I just think it's beautifully, beautifully made

and it's just a pleasing object.

I think sometimes these things are tactile, they come to hand

and you want to kind of hold them.

So that's really my, I suppose, personal favourite object.

-And the other one?

-The other one is this tray down here,

which I know you like, as well.

And that, I think, is top, top, top quality

and it's top quality now that attracts interest in the market

and I think this could be one of those fliers, really,

and do very well.

Well, I don't mind admitting to you that like this tray,

I've got a few butterflies.

-And good luck.

-Thank you very much.

We need to make around £1,900 in this sale

to reach the family's target

and with so much hanging on this auction,

it's not surprising that there are butterflies in Liz's stomach, too.

-Right, we're here.

-Yes.

-It's the moment of truth.

-It is.

-I have to ask you, Liz. Are you nervous?

-A little bit

but very excited as well.

I hope you don't mind me telling you, I am, too.

Anything here you think is going to do quite well?

Well, the teapot that looks like a house,

because that's my mum's favourite, and the tray, which is my favourite.

I usually say we're in the hands of the gods

but in this case, we're in the hands of the Oriental deities, aren't we?

Here's our first lot.

-It is that Ching dynasty rosewood figure of Guan Yin.

-Right.

We've got £200-£400 on it.

It does have some damage to the hand

-but hopefully it won't deter our bidders.

-Lovely.

I've got bids with me. I've got £100 with me.

And 10? 120.

130. 140. 150.

150 is bid. Any advance on 150?

-150. 160. 160.

-Come on.

-170.

£170. Any advance on £170? This good-looking piece at 170.

-180. 190 commission.

-Go on!

-Ooh!

-190 commission.

-200? Yes, 200 is bid.

-Fantastic.

And 20 with me. At 220 with me on the book against the room.

Commission bid at £220.

I sell.

-Oh, that's good.

-How do you feel? Yeah, that's good.

She'll be pleased.

I should think Rosa will be pleased.

Thank goodness for the goddess of mercy.

She's added a very healthy amount to our fund.

The next lot is Rosa's favourite,

a cast-iron kettle in the shape of a house,

with mushroom decorations on the top.

It's called a tetsubin in Japan.

We're hoping for £100-£150.

Rather fun. Nice little object, here. Nice collector's piece.

Start me off, if you will, at £70, please, for this.

-70 bid.

-A bid straightaway at £70.

At £70. Bid at the front row there at 70.

70. At the back, 80. 90?

100 is bid. And 10? At 110. Any advance on 110?

We're over our estimate. That's great.

Any advance on 110?

120 bid. 130 now, then?

130 bid. 130. Are we done at 130?

At the back there. Going. I sell at £130.

The teapot sells.

Well, if we keep this up, we should get a lot closer

to the goal of £2,000, especially if the next lot sells well.

It's the carved bronze tray with lots of beautiful inlay work.

It's from the Japanese Meiji period, well over 100 years old,

and is up for £500-£800.

Everyone has a soft spot for it.

I love this piece.

This is my favourite, so I'm hoping it's going to do well.

The more you look at it, the more you appreciate just how much work has gone into it.

The auctioneer was enthusiastic about it as well, which is great.

And I've got bids with me starting at £200.

I'll take twenties now if I can.

220 bid. 240 anyone saying?

-At 220. Any advance on 220?

-Come on.

-Come on.

240, commission. 240.

260, 280.

-It's going now.

-300 and 20.

340, 360.

380, 400. And 50.

-Oh, wow. Oh, my goodness.

-500 and 50.

-Wow!

At 550. Any advance on 550? We're out now.

At £550. At £550 I'm selling.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Ah, that is brilliant.

-That's brilliant.

-I'm pleased about that.

-Wow. I'm shaking.

-Ah! So am I.

That's fantastic.

It was indeed. What a result for that beautiful tray.

I hope the winning bidder will cherish it, too.

Next it's the Japanese bronze censer,

which is another word for a vase on legs.

The estimate is £400-£600.

-They often came in pairs...

-Right.

..so I'm hoping that won't affect us too much.

And starting off, if you will, at 150.

I've 150 bid. I'll take 160 now, then. 150.

160? 160?

160, 180, 200.

And 20, anyone saying?

At 200. And 20. 240.

260, 280.

At £280. 300, anyone like now then?

300. And 20?

And 20. At £320. Now bid at 320.

Any advance on 320? 340 right at the back.

360? 360.

Are we done? 380.

-400.

-Oh, good.

At 400 near me. At 400.

Are we done? Going at £400.

Oh, wow, that's great, isn't it?

-I don't know about you but my nerves are shattered.

-I know.

That's great, though. That's what you said, 400, wasn't it?

Well, I'm glad it's sold

because otherwise your mum would have cast me out into the wilderness.

That's such a great result.

The precious Oriental mementoes

that Liz's granddad collected so carefully

are going down a storm here.

It definitely pays to send such unique items to the right market.

The Japanese bronze wood-cutter figure is up next

and it's the auctioneer's favourite.

The guide price is £200-£300.

-Do you like this one?

-Erm, I do, yes.

It's not one of my favourites but, yes, I do like it.

-So would you give it house room?

-Erm...

There are others I'd prefer to give house room to, let's put it that way.

I've got £100 bid for this. I'll take tens now if I can.

At 100, the wood-cutter. 110.

120, 130.

140, 150 on the telephone?

150 bid on the telephone. 150, 160.

170? 180.

A telephone bidder. He's up at 180 now.

190? 200.

200 bid. 220?

-220.

-Ooh, good.

-Over my estimate.

260? 260's bid. 280?

No. This is going then now at £260 on the telephone.

I sell...

-Oh, that's brilliant.

-Fantastic.

-Very good.

Well, Liz may not have liked it so much

but the bidders certainly did.

It must have made quite an impression on our total so far.

-OK, Liz, I'm exhausted...

-Yes.

-..and we're only at the halfway mark.

How do you think we've done?

Well, I hope we've done well enough but I have no idea at all.

Well, I can tell you that we haven't done too badly

because with half the items sold today, we're up to £1,655.

Wow, that is fantastic.

Oh, that's brilliant. Yes. Thank goodness.

-It's a weight off our shoulders.

-We're getting there.

Now, if our progress today has inspired you to try buying or selling at auction,

remember that charges such as commission will be added to your bill,

so it's best to check these fees in advance with the sale room.

Our auction continues with another Japanese piece

from Henry's collection, the bronze mirror.

It's not broken, so hopefully it won't give us seven years' bad luck.

-We want £50-£80 for it. What do you think?

-Yeah, I hope we get that.

We don't have a reserve, so we'll see what happens.

30 bid. 30. 5?

40. Any advance on 40?

-40. 5 at the back. £45.

-45.

50, anyone saying? I've got £45.

50. Fiver, I'll take.

60.

5?

-Yes, come on.

-We're getting there, slowly.

Selling at 60 on the side, here.

And 5 at the last minute.

70?

Might as well.

It's only money. It's not mine.

Oh!

70? No? I'll be had up for begging.

Going at £65, then, now. Everybody out and clear at 65?

Thank you.

-Well, that's OK.

-That was good.

-That's in estimate.

-In the middle. We can't complain at that.

-No, no.

No, we can't. John certainly seems to know a thing or two about Oriental pieces.

His estimates for today's sales have been pretty good.

Now, next up we have a bit of a break from the Oriental for a minute.

-Do you remember the item?

-Yeah, I think this is the French chest,

that we thought was bronze but it's not bronze.

It's patinated spelter but it's a lovely thing.

It really is decorative and in the Renaissance style, very French.

I've got £200-£300 on it. How do you think it's going to do?

I think Mum's put a reserve of 120 on it, so...

Well, that's not bad. At £120, somebody would have a real bargain.

It's French but don't hold that against it.

I've got 150 bid. Take 160 now.

160, 170, 180, 190, 200.

-There's some bidders.

-Mm.

-We're round about the 200 mark.

-And 20, now then. At 200.

-A little bit more.

-220.

-Good.

240, anyone saying? I've got 220 for this. Come along. 220.

220. 240 for this is bid. 260 now, then.

It goes at 240.

-OK.

-£240.

-Yes, pleased with that. That's again...

-Turned out to be a bit of a treasure chest.

-It did. That's great.

It certainly did.

I wonder what the winning bidder plans to keep in it?

And we're back to the Orient for our last two lots.

First, it's the Chinese bronze incense burner.

Now, I have to say, you do see things in varying quality

coming out of the Far East at that period

and I think this is a case in point.

Not the best quality of the items we've got here today.

What do you think of it?

Yes, I remember this one. It's got leaves for the handles, hasn't it?

If I'm slightly critical,

the casting wasn't as crisp as it is on some of the pieces

but it's still worthy of an estimate of £100-£200.

There are Oriental buyers here, so hopefully they won't let us down.

I have £70 to start me. I'll take 80 now, then.

-That's not bad.

-I've got 70. I'll take 80.

80 is bid. 80. 90 anyone want for this?

-I've got 80. Take 90.

-One more.

-80 on the book. There's a bid of 80.

-Come on, a bit more.

Selling then at £80. It's to sell, it goes.

I'm wondering why I put £100-£200 on it now

-but £80, it still contributes towards our target.

-Absolutely.

-We must be crawling somewhere near it.

-I hope so.

Well, it was quite a respectable sale price,

considering John didn't think the quality was that good.

And now it's our final piece, the ceremonial Chinese ding,

which is something to be placed with a coffin.

We're hoping for £500-£800.

I think with a piece like this less is more.

It has some nice roundels around the base,

crisp marks underneath and beautiful patination.

I can open bids with me at £300. I'll take twenties now.

From anyone. £300 is bid.

At 300. And 20, please. 320.

340 anyone saying?

At 320. 340.

360, 380.

400 and 20.

440, 460.

480, 500.

-And 50. 600.

-Yes.

-Wow.

-650? 650.

We're out now. At 650.

At £650.

At £650 at the back of the room.

All clear and done? I sell...

-That's brilliant.

-How fantastic.

-Yes, that's excellent.

Mum will be thrilled.

What a great way to end the day. John and Liz are delighted

and I can't wait to hear their final total.

We started with £95 this morning.

Everything was riding on our Oriental items.

How do you think we've done, Liz?

Well, I hope we've hit our target now.

Well, we didn't make our £2,000

but we did make £2,690.

Oh, wow, that is fantastic. Thank you so much.

Yes. My mum will be thrilled.

Yeah, I think I might go and ring her, actually, and let her know.

OK, well, I don't like to ask but since we're over the target,

-might there be room for a small one in the Cotswolds?

-Oh, I don't know.

Go on, you see if you can contact your mum.

Liz called us in because of a triple birthday celebration -

her mother Rosa's 60th, her brother Richard's 40th

and her mum's friend Joy's 80th

and they're all meeting up to finalise the party plans.

Hi, guys. How are you doing? Are you ready to order?

'Really great to see Richard and Joy and to plan things out

'and just have a lot of fun together. We don't often get a chance.'

-We're looking forward to the do, aren't we?

-Very much, yes.

It will be really nice to get away with the family

and have a few cousins that live there for the meal.

'I'm really looking forward to it.'

So let's wish them all a happy birthday

and hope they have a great time in the Cotswolds.

Well, what a fantastic result

and all due to Rosa's father's intrepid travels around the Orient.

If you'd like to raise money for something special

and you have antiques and collectables hidden around your home,

why not apply to come on the show?

The application form is on our website:

Good luck and maybe see you next time on Cash In The Attic.

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