Mobberley Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic.

We're on a mission to help people raise money at auction for a cause that's close to their hearts.

Today, I'm in Worcestershire.

We're about to search through a house full of valuables

in the hope of making some money for a well-deserved family break.

Coming up on Cash In The Attic,

just what's the history behind this engagement ring?

-What was his name?

-Erm...

Don't tell me you've forgotten! You can't have forgotten!

Has our expert, Jonty, come across the deal of the decade?

-So, this was for what, a can of petrol?

-Yeah.

-God, what a swap!

-It is.

And at auction, will some pop memorabilia pull in the punters?

-It's good!

-It's all right, yeah.

-Straight in there.

-The top end of the estimate.

-Yeah.

Find out more when the hammer falls.

I'm on my way to meet Maureen Mobley and her son Darren.

Now, they want to get away from it all for a while,

and they've called us to give them a hand raising some money.

This mother and son share a cosy bungalow in Worcestershire.

Darren's the youngest of four grown-up children, all of whom still live in the area.

A keen gardener,

he's just finished his studies at an adult training college.

Maureen's due to go into hospital for surgery in a few weeks,

so she's called us in to help raise a little money towards a restful holiday following her operation.

While our antiques expert, Jonty Hearndon, sets out on the hunt for valuables around the home,

I meet Maureen and Darren.

-Hello, you two.

-Hello, it's lovely to meet you.

-You must be Maureen?

-Yes, Maureen.

-What a lovely day to come to Worcestershire!

-Isn't it lovely?

-Very nice.

-And you're Darren?

-Yes.

-Hey, how do you do?

-How do you do, Jennie?

I see you're already at work, which is...

Oh, yes, sorting out, you know. There's so much.

I'm proud of you already. That's fantastic. Tell me, was it your idea to call us in?

It was me, yes.

I've got such a lot of stuff over the years and I just wanted to sort it all out.

Now, what are we going to be raising money for today?

A holiday in Scotland, I love Scotland.

-Are you going on this holiday?

-Oh, yes, we're all going.

We all enjoy going to Scotland, yeah.

How much money do you think we might be able to raise?

-It's about three, I think.

-£300? Sounds good to me!

That'll help you to Scotland. Let's see if Jonty's found anything.

I bet he's made a start, follow me.

Maureen's home is crammed with keepsakes

and collectables of every shape and size

and it hasn't taken Jonty long to uncover an intriguing little memento.

-There you are! Here he is.

-Hello.

-Hi, guys.

I've got this ashtray here, this Guinness ashtray, which says, "Guinness is good for you."

But I've noticed a big chip at the top here, so I'm not so excited any more.

But tell me about this object here.

My first husband, he used to collect things,

and he worked as a barman years and years ago.

And of course he gave it to me cos he didn't want it,

and I put it in the china cabinet.

There's a reason I wanted to have a good look at this,

because the connection between Guinness and ceramics is very collectable.

You can have all sort of ceramic memorabilia, which, by and large,

tended to be made by Carlton Ware.

But I look on the underside, here, and this one is made by Mintons.

Again, a really good makers name,

but the vast majority is by Carlton Ware.

I would suggest putting a very low estimate, as little as £10 to £20 on it.

-I know it's not a great start.

-No.

We can do better, we will do better,

-we'll find things that have no chips and are precious, yes?

-Yes.

-OK.

-Lead us on, Darren, we'll go and find something else.

-Right.

That ashtray dates from 1932 and spent years in a pub environment,

so I'm not surprised it's had a knock or two.

Who knows? It might yet surprise us all at auction.

Maureen's hoping that this silver charm bracelet will up the ante.

Her father had it made for her from a Victorian pocket watch chain when she was just 17.

Jonty thinks that the silver content alone is worth £20-£40.

Meanwhile, Darren's been busy in the garage,

and he thinks his first find of the day will help us on our way.

-Jonty.

-What have you got?

-Matchbox cars.

-Oh, great, look at those.

-Can I have a look?

-Yeah, sure.

-Fabulous. So whose were these?

Some were my mum's and most of them were mine

and what I bought when I was a young kid.

-So, is that yours, for instance?

-No, that was my mother's.

Your mother's, OK.

So, your mum had these before you, essentially, is that right?

Yes, she did. She does like collecting them.

Me, I just liked them and played with them.

Oh, look, we've got a Magic Roundabout there, as well.

-Isn't that wonderful? Do you remember growing up with these?

-Yeah.

And watching the programme as well, Magic Roundabout,

when I was a young kid of 5 or 6.

Absolutely. All of these cars here, if you look under the underside,

will all be made by the same company.

Now, Corgi was a company that formed in 1956

and they really became very popular,

they were very clever, because they did film tie-ins with their cars,

but also they did cartoon characters, we've got the Popeye here.

Now when it comes to collecting, dealers like to buy toys that are in mint condition,

and preferably with their original box.

Quite frankly, I like to see toys to be played with.

I agree with you, Jonty.

We certainly can sell this collection,

for an auction estimate of £30-£50.

-I'm happy with that.

-Are you happy to say goodbye to childhood?

Goodbye, childhood!

But let's hope it's, "Hello, cash," when these well loved and well used toys come before the bidders.

And it's straight in at £70 with me.

-£70 straight in?

-Brilliant.

Only time will tell.

In the conservatory, I make an exciting find

in the shape of not one but two pearl necklaces, dating back to the 1950s.

The smaller one came from Maureen's mother.

We think £20-£40 should help get the bidding going.

As our search warms up, I can't help but notice the amazing array

of Elvis Presley memorabilia in every corner of the house.

There's also another striking feature that's hard to miss.

I'm itching to find out more about Maureen and her lively interests.

Wow! Look at that!

You are seriously good at this, aren't you?

I really enjoy it, I don't know why, it excites me.

When did you start getting interested in snooker?

We used to go up to Worcester and they used to play up there,

Russell and Darren, my two sons,

and I went with them once and they hadn't got room on the ordinary tables and they said you can go in

where the professionals go.

We had a go and I beat them, I don't know why, I'd never played then.

I couldn't help but notice going round the house that there's an awful lot of Elvis around.

-Oh yes, he's everywhere.

-How long have you been an Elvis fan?

-Since the '50s.

-Really?

I've got the guitar in my room, it's similar to the one he had.

It's just like he had when he first started. I've been to Graceland.

-Have you?

-Yes, 15 years ago now. That's very nice, it was.

Stayed at a lovely hotel as well.

What is it about Elvis and what was it about Elvis

that made you such a real big fan for such a long time?

His music and his singing, he's got a lovely voice.

And he's got nice eyes! His looks, I suppose as well.

These are your two big passions,

you've got snooker and you've got Elvis Presley.

It's unusual I suppose, to like them both.

I tell you what,

we better go and see what Jonty and Darren are up to or we'll be in terrible trouble.

We're going to need to up our game today

if we're going to make that £300 towards Maureen's Scottish holiday.

Darren hopes that this little oak cabinet might bring in a bob or two.

It was given to Maureen as a wedding present and dates from the 1920s.

We reckon a £10-£20 price tag might just help see it off at auction.

Jonty's definitely on the case today and in the snooker room,

our expert spots something with definite potential.

We've got what looks to be a really interesting collection of cigarette cards.

Whose were these?

It was an elderly gentleman, I used to do work for him

and shopping and things like that and he gave them to me.

So are you a collector of cigarette cards yourself?

No, I wasn't, no, but they're very interesting,

I kept them for quite a while.

So, cigarette cards, let's have a quick look at the collection itself.

-That's the radio...

-Radio celebrities.

I mean, look at the faces. Aren't they amazing?

And there we go, Broadcasting House, BBC.

Cigarette cards, somehow, just like photographs,

encapsulate a time in history.

It's interesting how they started.

Cigarette packets were paper and they used card as stiffeners.

But somebody cottoned on to the idea

that it would be very good to put advertising on those stiffeners.

-Oh, yes.

-So that's how it all started.

So by 1900, it was a really big business.

So all the cigarette companies, 200 or 300 cigarette companies,

were actually producing cigarette cards.

-Oh, yes.

-We've got one collection here, and another one here.

It just goes on and on and on.

I mean look at those faces, aren't they lovely?

Let's put those into the auction sale,

I would give a value of £30-£50, that sort of area for those.

-Are you happy about that?

-Yes, fine, yes.

-Good. Right, shall we carry on?

-Yes.

We're starting to pick up the pace on our rummage,

but we're about halfway through our search and our total stands at just £120,

so we still need a few good finds if we're to make our target.

Maybe this little ring could be a big help.

-Looking through some old photos, are you?

-It's great, yeah.

-Look at this.

Isn't that beautiful?

I just think it's a lovely, lovely ring. Where's it from?

An engagement ring. A long time ago.

-You've got tiny fingers, haven't you?

-Yes, yeah I have.

-How lovely, can I have a look?

Can you see right down the middle there,

that's a really dark ruby colour, but that suits you, fiery red.

Yes, it does suit me.

But if you look closely, on either side, on either shoulder,

there's a cluster of three diamonds on either side.

So there's six small diamonds there. It must've been true love.

Well, it was only young love. We were very young then.

-What was his name?

-Um...

Don't tell me you've forgotten! You can't have forgotten!

I think it was Dennis. He was very nice, but it was one of them things.

Now, can we sell this ring?

Yes, it's just in a drawer and it's just memories,

but it's a long time now, I think it's time it went to somebody who could probably wear it, you know.

But it's the stones that will be of interest here,

that's what's going to give this ring value.

-And if you were to sell this at auction, it'll be around the £100 mark.

-Right.

-So £80-£120.

-Yeah, right.

-Happy?

-Yes, very happy.

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

We're not far off that target now,

but Jonty's still on the prowl for more pieces to take to the auction.

So we can send Maureen for some rest and recuperation after her surgery.

This nine carat ring and gold crucifix are contemporary items

and at £30-£50 they ought to stir up some interest on the day.

Not to be outdone, Darren's uncovered even more precious metal

that could well tip the scales in our favour.

-I found this ring.

-Oh, wow, look at that.

That's rather sizeable, isn't it? Do you have any idea who owned that?

My brother went out on his trips and he saw this bloke

and got it for exchange for petrol.

And then he thought, "I might as well have that ring."

He wore it for a bit and then he decided to give it to Mum to sell.

Cor, how extraordinary.

Cos if my eyes don't deceive me, this says 18 carat gold here,

that's amazing.

-So this was, what, for a can of petrol?

-Yeah.

-God, what a swap!

It is!

Well, I have to say, it's not the prettiest ring in the world.

Does it fit me?

-Oh, look at the size of that.

-And it fits.

And gold is selling very well at the moment.

-Estimate for that, £150-£200.

-That's brilliant.

So I just think that's an amazing find.

-What do we hear that is amazing?

-Have a look at this.

-Swapped for a can of petrol I understand, is that right?

-Yes.

-You're joking!

-At auction, worth between £150 and £200.

-Oh, right.

-Wow.

-Thanks, Russell. He gave it to me.

That is such a good find, I think we could call it a day.

I think we've had enough rummaging. Have you enjoyed yourself?

-I've enjoyed all of it today.

-Have you? Oh, good.

And based on Jonty's lowest estimates,

if we add that 150 to what we've already found today,

you wanted £300, didn't you, to help you up to Scotland on your holiday?

We reckon at auction, actually, you should make £380.

Sounds brilliant.

-Yeah, very good.

-She approves.

-Bonny Scotland, here we come.

Well, it's great news that we're on target today.

And, we've every reason to feel optimistic about our finds.

Maureen may have briefly forgotten

which of her ex-suitors gave her this lovely ruby ring,

but at £80-£100, it should sweep the bidders off their feet.

Those cigarette cards should hopefully catch the interest

of a collector or two with a tempting estimate of £30-£50.

And there's also Darren's toy car collection at £30-£50,

let's hope this childhood nostalgia fuels the bidding come auction day.

It's the lady's bid then at £25...

Coming up, a family heirloom fails to stir our bidders.

-Little bit disappointing, that.

-That was my mother's, as well.

Oh, dear.

And there's a rush for gold when one of our items goes under the hammer.

-Have you got any gold things, Darren?

-Umm...

-Maybe you should have brought them along.

-Most probably, yeah. I'll hold on to them.

Be there for the final crack of the gavel.

It's been a little while now since we were with Maureen and Darren at their home.

They're trying to raise enough money so they can whisk themselves away to Scotland.

So today we've brought all their bits and pieces here to Sworders Auction Rooms in Stansted.

And we're hoping that the bidders here are going to be just as charmed

as we were by Maureen's family heirlooms.

Sworders Auction Rooms have got all manner of items on display today,

so I think those heirlooms are in good company.

And it looks as though that novelty ashtray is already getting some interest.

-Hi, Maureen, Darren, how are you?

-Hi, how are you doing, guys?

Tell me, how are you feeling about the auction today?

-Yeah, looking forward to it. I'm not nervous.

-You're not?

No, I don't mind, I'm looking forward to it.

-And what about you, Darren, how are you feeling about today?

-Quite excited, looking forward to it.

-Are you looking forward to going to Scotland?

-Very excited, yeah.

-Have you got your kilt sorted out, Darren?

-That's yet to be planned.

I tell you what, the auction's about to start, let's go and find a good place. Follow us.

Maureen has brought along some additional pieces of gold jewellery that she's keen to sell

and they're going into the auction with an estimate of £50.

Unfortunately the gold ring which caught Jonty's eye isn't being sold today after all.

We get into position as our first lot comes before the room.

Maureen, there's a pretty little charm bracelet coming along now,

-silver, how long have you had it?

-Quite a few years.

When I was 17 my father had it made for me, the bracelet,

the charms, they were all bought for birthdays,

from my sons, and from my father as well, and my mother.

£20-£40 was my estimate, we should get it away.

£30, anywhere? £30? £20. Silver charm bracelet for £20.

£20, I'm bid at the counter, any interest at £22? £22, there. £25?

No? £22, the lady seated now at £22. £25, there. £28, £30, £32, £35,

£38, £40, £42, no?

Gentleman in the centre at £40, any interest at £42?

I'm selling for £40 in the centre, any further interest? £40.

-Very good.

-Top of the estimate.

-Brilliant.

-Yeah, £40.

Well, the bidders obviously admire Maureen's taste in jewellery.

And speaking of admirers, our next lot is that engagement ring

that Maureen was given by one of her suitors many years ago.

On the advice of the auction house, the estimate has been revised at £20-£30.

We had it listed as ruby, actually it's not ruby, it's a garnet.

-Yes, it's a garnet.

-So, it's not quite as good, is it?

-He was only young, he was and I was. He hadn't got the money really.

-Bless him.

£20, anywhere?

-Come on.

-£20.

£20, I'm bid. Any interest at £22?

Opening bid of £20 for the ring, then. £22, there. £25?

£28. £30. £32. £35.

£32, by the counter at £32. Any interest in £35?

So it's with you at £32, any further interest? Selling for £32.

-Did he tell you it was a ruby?

-Um, no.

-Oh, he didn't.

He was, as I say, he was very young.

-£32, that was probably quite valuable actually when he bought it.

-Yes.

Maureen's jewellery is selling well.

So it's a good thing she decided to bring along some extra pieces.

You've got this selection of jewellery, where are these from?

Through the years, presents probably, you know, from boyfriends.

£50 for lot one. £40, to start me. £30, a mixed lot of jewellery there.

£30? £20, to start me. I'm bid £20. Any interest at £22?

Opening bid of £20 for all that jewellery. £22. £25, sir.

£25, £28, £30, £32, £35,

£38, £40, £42, £45, £48.

Sounds good so far.

£50, £60, £65, £70.

No, the lady's bid at £65. It's with you seated at £65,

£65, to the lady seated.

-What do you think about that?

-Yeah.

-All right?

-That's fine with me.

-All right with you, Darren?

-I'm happy with that.

-Yeah.

Another great result, things are looking promising

for Maureen and Darren's plans to head north of the border

for a welcome break.

Will our next lot bring us a touch of divine providence?

This lot is a nine carat gold ring and a chain with a cross on it.

Yeah? So we've got two items in the lot, estimate £30-£50,

-so I'm hoping that it'll do more than I said.

-Oh, good.

£40, anywhere? £40? £30, to start me. £30, I'm bid.

They obviously think these are quite good.

£35, £38, £40, £42, £45,

£48, £50.

£55, £60, £65, £70.

£65 by the door, then, at £65. Any interest at £70?

£65 on my right.

That's the gold market, I think, doing well.

-Yeah, gold does now, doesn't it?

-Have you got any more gold things, Darren?

-Umm...

-Maybe you should have brought them along.

-Most probably, yeah. I'll hold on to them.

Maureen certainly has some gems in her jewellery collection.

And the crowd here today recognise quality when they see it.

We've reached the halfway mark,

and so far we've managed to raise £202, so she already has over two-thirds

of her Scottish holiday target in the kitty.

If you'd like to have a go at selling, remember that auction rooms charge fees such as commission

so it's best to check in advance.

It's time to continue our auction as Maureen's next item

is about to go under the hammer, and the jewellery just keeps on coming.

We've got your two pearl necklaces coming up now, where are they from?

One belonged to my mother and the other one was mine,

that I used to wear when I was ballroom dancing.

So, they've seen a bit of action on the dance floor, hey?

Quite a lot, yes.

Two pearl necklaces for £40, anywhere?

£30, to start me. £20 for the two pearl necklaces.

Come on, come on.

£20, I'm bid. Any interest at £22?

The opening bid then of £20.

£22, right at the back there, £25. £25 there. £28.

£28 sir? It's the lady's bid then at £25, any further interest?

I'll sell for £25 on my left.

Oh, dear. I feel they weren't real pearls.

-They were my mother's.

-Yes, they were.

-Really?

-Yes.

So people don't like pearls any more?

Well, either I need to rethink my wardrobe,

or we're running out of bidders for Maureen's jewellery.

But we did at least get close to Jonty's estimate.

Perhaps it's time to see how the collectables do.

I like this little item, it's quite quirky, it's the Guinness ashtray.

-It caught your eye, didn't it, Jonty?

-Yeah, it's great fun.

Very collectable, very desirable.

The only problem with our ashtray, we've got a little chip.

It's a bit damaged, I put £10-£20, that sort of price.

£30? £20. I'm bid £20. Any interest at £22?

Straight in at 20!

I'll sell for the opening bid, any further interest? £20.

-That's good.

-That's all right, yes.

-Straight in there, top of the estimate, boom.

At least one person wanted it.

And one person's all we needed.

All sorts of alcohol branding has a collectable market

and this is definitely one of them.

-Cigarette cards time now. We've got quite a lot.

-Yes.

Are you going to be sad to see these go?

No, it was somebody I looked after.

"If they'll make you some money," he said, "I'd be pleased to give them to you."

And it's £40 at commission, any interest at £45 in the room?

Straight in at £40. Straight in.

Any further interest?

I'm selling to commission then at £40.

-What do you think, Darren?

-He'll probably be looking down and...

-Yeah, he will be.

-And seeing how happy he was it went for that price.

-Good.

Well, it's great that this little piece of history notched up

another £40 towards our total.

With just two items left, let's hope we can reach that target.

We've got a little bedside cabinet coming up for sale.

I've got my fair use of this.

It was made, really, between the wars.

-1920s, 1930s.

-Yes, I thought it was.

-That sort of date.

Don't expect too much, it just needs to be sold to the highest bidder. Here it comes.

£30 anywhere? £30? £20?

£20 for an oak bedside cabinet, anyone tempted?

£10 to start with then. £10, I'm bid. £12, there. £15.

£18. £18, there. £20. £22.

No? £20, right in front of the rostrum at £20.

-That's fine.

-Yeah.

-20 quid.

Selling for £20 in front of me. £22, there. £25?

Listen.

£25, stood in front of the rostrum. Any further interest? £25.

-£25, how about that?

-Very good.

-Happy? Good.

-Yes, very happy.

So that's £5 over Jonty's top estimate.

Maureen's mementos are doing good business for us today.

It's time for our final item,

that collection of cars from Darren's childhood.

Well, I wonder how we're going to do with all your... They're your toy cars, aren't they?

-Yes, it certainly was.

-Did you used to play with them a lot?

Yes, I did a lot when I was a child.

How do you feel about parting with them?

Happy really, I've had my share playing with them,

I hope they go for a good price, for a lot of money.

It's straight in at £70 with me.

-£70, straight in. How about that?

-Brilliant.

£85, £90. £95.

£100. £110? With commission then at £100, any further interest?

£100!

With commission.

-£100!

-That is great.

-Are you happy?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-That's fantastic, isn't it?

-That it's gone to that much, yeah.

-Congratulations.

At twice Jonty's top estimate, that result's just what we needed.

But how much have we made overall?

In the circumstances,

I was a bit worried because you didn't bring the ring.

But we said at the start that £300 would help you on your trip to Scotland, yeah?

Well, you've made that, you've made a whole lot more.

-You've actually, if my maths is right, made £412.

-Very good.

-That's brilliant.

-Brilliant.

-Oh, we'll have a nice holiday in Scotland.

-Yeah, we'll enjoy that.

-Have a great trip, guys.

-It's nice to have met you.

-You too.

Well, I'm glad that Maureen and Darren have made

enough spending money for that holiday in Scotland.

They're heading for the Highlands and a little bungalow in Fort William.

They've been there before and they say it's ideal for a spot of relaxation.

I love to go to this bungalow because it's all on it's own, very quiet, you know.

I like the bungalow, the garden,

and you've got the sea right in front of the bungalow.

And going to all of the different places and to the different beaches.

-And Fort William.

-Fort William.

-Here's to Scotland.

-Looking forward to that.

-I certainly am, yeah.

Well, all things considered, Maureen and Darren did quite well.

And that money will certainly help them on that trip to Scotland.

Would you like to raise money for something special?

And have you got some bits and pieces hidden around your home that you could sell at auction?

If so, why don't you apply to come on the show?

You can find the form on our website, that's:

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

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