Corkhill Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic, where we look through your antiques and collectables to sell at auction.

Today we're going to be meeting a lady who called us in

to help get the money she needs to keep the home fires burning.

'Coming up: a diamond and sapphire ring brings out the romantic in Jonty.'

-Oh, darling, will you marry me?

-Sorry, I'm already married.

'The lady of the house shows us a 19th-century Windsor chair of her granddad's.'

He'd go to sleep and snore and we'd put paper on his lip and make it tickle and he'd wake up! He'd laugh.

'At auction, a sparkling sale causes much delight.'

Well done.

'Join us for a glittering time when the hammer falls.'

Today I've come to Brighton to meet Judy Corkhill.

She's very well travelled, but she wants help to keep warm at home.

'This retired police officer who still works part-time

'has had an interesting life.

'Aged 17, Judy joined the Army, but left after 4 years to be a telephonist for the Merchant Navy.

'She visited the four corners of the world, picking up many pieces.

'She's also inherited lots of stuff from her family and now thinks it's time to declutter.

'I'm joined by Jonty Hearnden today.'

-Morning, Jonty.

-Hi.

-Glad to see you bright and early.

'His antiques knowledge will be put to good use.'

-Good morning! Found something?

-Oh, no. You can't have him.

I'm not selling my Ruperts.

-Are you quite a collector?

-I am.

Well, how much do you want to raise?

I want a new fire cos this is very old and I want the fireplace taking out and everything.

-It's going to cost quite a bit.

-What kind of money do we need to raise today?

As much as I can. Anything between £300 and £500 if I can.

-We'd better get started, then.

-I'll rely on you.

-I'll catch up with you later.

-Avoid the bears!

I'm not selling them, don't forget.

So these items, where have they come from?

Some of it's my mum's or my gran's. Some of it I've collected myself.

-How long have you been here?

-Oh, 28 years.

-All right, OK.

-Quite a long time.

-Have you got 28 years of clutter?

-Probably, yes!

-You go and find some!

-Come on, then. We haven't got 28 years to wade through it!

'I can understand why Judy wants to replace her old fire and how lovely to help her achieve this.

'Judy shared this house with her mum and says she was her best friend.

'Her mum lived to 78 and they were both keen collectors.'

-Ah!

-Hello.

-I promise I haven't got a bear in my hand.

-You've got my horses.

-I know.

-Where did you get these from?

-They were Mum's.

-She had them a long time.

-Are you a horse fan? I know you're a bear fan.

-Not really.

-More a bear fan.

-I notice a foal there as well.

Oh, yes. I was given this when I left the Army by some colleagues. It's quite cute.

-And it goes with those.

-They do.

-Both are made by Beswick. I call it "Bes-wick".

-Or "Bezzick"?

Somebody wrote to me and said, "In the factory we said Bes-wick."

-Generically, a lot of people call it "Bezzick".

-Really?

-So I call it Beswick.

This is a very unusual group. You see an awful lot of chestnut horses and foals.

This is the most popular colourware from the factory,

-but I've never seen a group like this, so that's good news.

-Yeah.

As far as selling these groups are concerned,

we're looking at £30-£50.

-Right.

-Is that good?

-Sounds fine to me.

'What a charming combined lot these three horses will make.

'Hopefully, bidders will like them.

'In the 1980s, Judy began collecting pieces by Franklin Mint.

'This company was set up in America in 1964 when they started making casino tokens, medallions

'and legal tender for foreign countries. They expanded to include a wide variety of ornaments.

'Jonty's spotted a set of 12 decorative eggs on their stand.

'Despite being limited editions, they're not terribly valuable

'and get a £10-£20 estimate for the lot.'

Judy, this is a really good-looking chair here.

-Whose was this?

-My granddad's.

-Really?

-When we were up north, he'd have this in the room.

He'd go to sleep and snore and we put paper on his lip

and made it tickle. He'd wake up! But he was always there, sitting in the middle in his chair.

-Nobody else sat on it.

-These are known as Windsor chairs.

-Oh, really?

-But they were made in different parts of the UK.

A chair like this is 19th century.

Maybe as good as 150 years old.

Now if we look at the underside, there is a feature here

that is desirable as far as antique chairs are concerned.

This u-shaped stretcher here is known as a crinoline stretcher.

It's much nicer to have that than just a turned one at the front.

In this state, if we put it in the sale,

we're looking at £60-£80, but don't be surprised

if it makes more than that.

'But when it gets to the sale room, will the bidders be as taken with it as Jonty?'

Start me at £50 for it? £40?

'We'll have to wait a little longer to see if anyone shows interest.

'As the search here continues, going by Jonty's lowest estimates so far,

'we stand to make £100 at the sale room.

'So we still have a fair way to go to reach Judy's £300-£500 target.

'Now I love boxes and can't fail to notice these three examples,

'which Judy bought when on the ships. She used them for jewellery,

'but is happy for them to go now.

'They're Chinese and have been made for the tourist market, so they get an estimate of £20-£30 for auction.'

Jonty? Now look.

You're not going to believe this, but inside that box is a whole Chinese village.

-I don't believe you.

-It's true.

-Yes.

-I don't believe you.

Let's have a look. Before we go any further, this is not Chinese. It's Japanese.

What we're looking at are all these tiny little houses and people and even birds.

Extraordinary. Bamboo houses on bamboo stilts.

So you could make your own village.

-Date-wise, we can really date it by looking at the box. Someone's drawn a moustache on her!

-I know.

That's not very fair.

-I would suggest that she is pre the Second World War.

-Yes.

-Does that make sense to you?

-I think it was my stepfather's brother. He was in the Navy.

-He brought it back after the war.

-So we have one, two, three little houses.

But look at this - baby cranes with a rather damaged neck.

-Oh, dear.

-Will it make a nice price, though?

-I don't think vast sums.

-Right.

But put it in at £10-£20.

-It all helps, doesn't it?

-OK, fine.

'Judy certainly has some fascinating items around her home here on the south coast.

'In the bedroom, I come across some gold jewellery.

'There's a bracelet with turquoise and moonstones, plus two rings, one with emeralds.

'They belonged to Judy's mother and are early 20th century. The estimate is £80-£120.

'My search unearthed something else.'

Rummaging around, I found this, which I might put to good use if Jonty doesn't come up with things.

-What's the story behind this?

-It's my granddad's.

-He was a policeman for 33 years.

-And I understand you followed in the family footsteps.

I did, yes. I became a police officer

-and I was in the job for 26 years.

-So what era was that?

-I joined in 1973.

-I would imagine in the '70s and early '80s it would have been quite tough.

Well, it was. There were very few policewomen.

I mean, you'd be one in a whole department.

-And you had to be one of the lads.

-What did you do before you joined the police?

Well, initially I joined the Army to see the world.

But I didn't get anywhere. All my friends went all over,

so I joined the Merchant Navy and worked on passenger liners and went round the world several times.

-That was great.

-You haven't lost the travelling bug, have you?

-No.

There's always somewhere different to go, somewhere interesting.

I went on a cruise with friends last year. We worked on ships together.

-40 years on, we decided to go and be passengers.

-I bet you were the worst type of passengers!

Well, at least we knew what was going on, anyway. We probably got our own way a bit more.

Well, you can be a passenger today. Jonty will do the valuations.

-Shall we see if he has anything else?

-That'll be great, yeah.

'Jonty's been busy searching the spare room and has found a collection of commemorative coins.

'One was to celebrate the Queen's Coronation in 1953

'and another was brought out in 1977 for the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

'There's also a Millennium £5 coin and, put together, we get a £10-£20 estimate from our expert.'

-Judy? Are you down there?

-Hello.

-There you are.

Oh, look, you found my chest.

I'm admiring it here. It's a quite substantial piece.

-Where did it come from?

-Hong Kong, when I was on the ships.

-It was quite exciting.

-So it was made on the other side of the world.

If we look at the panel on the top, it couldn't be more Chinese.

You've got the junk boat, the pagoda and two Chinese figures.

-And that panel there is hand-carved.

-Right.

-But you know it's a new piece? You weren't sold it as an antique, were you?

-No, no.

You can tell it's relatively new just by looking at the brass lock.

-That tells you it's quite new.

-Oh, right.

-If it was antique, it would be oxidised.

-So it's camphor wood and it's got an amazing smell.

-I'm amazed it's lasted for so long.

-The smell.

-When it comes to selling a piece like this,

it's going to be sold as a second-hand piece.

-Are you ready for a second-hand price?

-What would that be?

I think £50-£80 at auction.

-What do you think about that?

-That's fine.

'I'm searching Judy's bedroom on the hunt for treasure. I love this job!

'In the spare room, though, our host has struck gold.

'She's found a 22-carat gold wedding ring and a 9-carat-gold dress ring with a turquoise stone.

'They belonged to her mother and she's happy to let them go with an estimate of £80-£120.

'And my search has paid off, too.'

Jonty? Are you there?

-I found something very glittery.

-Oh, darling, will you marry me?

-Sorry, I'm already married.

-Isn't that lovely?

-Yeah.

-We've got some real value there.

We'd better find out if we can sell it. Are you there, Judy?

I have found a very nice ring, but I'm not sure that it's something you want to sell.

-Oh, that was my mum's.

-Was it?

-Yeah.

-I bought it for her.

-Did you?

-Where?

-When I was at sea.

I thought my mum would love it, so I bought it for her.

It's quite interesting here. I can't see any hallmarks.

So when we put it into the auction sale, you can't call it gold. You have to call it white metal.

-Does that make a difference?

-It might, but a lot of people will clearly see this as gold.

But if you look at the ring and the stones,

you've got one, two, three, four, five baguette-shaped sapphires, which are a nice colour.

You're looking for a purply hue in a blue sapphire.

That gives it the quality. And then you've got two, four, six, eight... 12 little diamonds in there as well.

-Did your mum like it?

-Loved it. She wore it quite a lot.

-I bet.

Because these diamonds here are so tradable and these sapphires are in such good shape...

-They'll take it apart?

-They could easily do.

What one would do with a ring like this is probably value it for scrap.

It's an awful thing to say. You chose it for your mum,

but the actual cold reality of putting this into an auction sale

is what's it worth as if it was broken up?

-But my value to you would be £300-£500.

-Right.

-How do you feel?

-It wasn't as much as I expected. I'm not quite sure with the price.

-That's fine.

The value of everything going to auction, not including this ring,

comes to £350.

-Right. That's excluding that?

-Absolutely.

If we were to sell the ring, it's £650.

-So it's really down to you.

-It's difficult. Not having been to an auction, I'm sure it's fascinating.

-Well, you'll find out!

-Yeah!

And some of the things Judy will definitely be taking along are...

the 19th-century Windsor chair which her grandfather used to sit on

in the family home in Macclesfield. Jonty really likes this.

And there's the wooden, carved camphor wood chest,

which Judy bought in Hong Kong while in the Merchant Navy.

It's not an antique, hence the estimate of £50-£80.

And I love that Japanese children's game with all the pieces to make a model village.

It's only £10-£20, but you never know what might happen in the sale room.

It's been a few weeks since we were down in Brighton with Judy.

She was looking to raise £300-£500 towards a new gas fire.

We found plenty of lovely items which have gone off to Chiswick Auction Rooms in West London.

Joining her there will be Jonty. I, unfortunately, can't make it.

Judy decided in the end that the estimate for her mother's ring

did not reflect the sentimental value so she's not selling it today,

but she has plenty of other interesting pieces.

The first of Judy's lots is the fascinating Japanese model village

which her stepfather brought back after the war.

It's really very unusual. Dealers love that. I've put £10-£20 on it.

Let's see if we can get that. Here it comes.

£20 for it? £10 for it? £10 for it?

-£5 for it?

-Come on. That's good.

At £5. £5 bid. Take six.

Seven? Seven. Eight?

Going up one at a time.

Nine. Ten.

At £9. The bid is £9. Take 10.

£9. Going at £9. What's your number?

Sold. It's away.

-Yeah.

-Happy?

-That's fine.

Considering some of the pieces inside were damaged,

just under Jonty's lowest estimate is not bad.

Next up are Judy's Franklin Mint decorated eggs.

They're limited edition and the value for the lot is £10-£20.

-We've got 12 in all.

-Yes.

-When did you start collecting?

-Quite a long time ago. 1980s.

Then I started collecting other things. They came a month at a time.

-They must have cost you quite a bit.

-The valuation isn't half as much as I paid for them.

-I'm sure.

Let's see if we can get as much as we possibly can. Ready?

£10 for the lot? I'm bid at 10. 12.

15? 15. 18. Bid's at £18.

18. New bidder. Do you want 20?

A new bidder at £18. Selling at 18. All done? £18.

-Disappointed?

-With the price, yeah.

-I completely understand that, but that's the market for you.

They did almost reach the upper end of Jonty's estimate, so not too bad for the eggs.

A variety of commemorative coins are now going under the hammer.

One's from 1953 to celebrate the Coronation

and one's from the Silver Jubilee in 1977.

There's also a £5 coin amongst this lot, too, with the overall estimate £10-£20.

Start me at £10, please. £10? The bid is 10.

Take 12. Give me 12. The bid's at £10.

-We're all right. £10 already.

-14. 16. 18. 20?

At £18. Are we all done at 18?

All done for £18. 164.

Almost the top of the estimate. The bidders seem to like Judy's stuff.

I really enjoyed the Beswick horses. Mother and foal were Judy's mum's

and the young horse on its own was a gift when Judy left the Army.

Their estimate is £30-£50. Let's hope they do well for her.

Start me at £30? £30?

£20. A bid of £20. 22. 25. 28.

30. 32?

At £30. Take two. At £30. 32. 35. 38.

-35, listen.

-Yeah, 40?

£38. Going. All done? £38 and gone.

That's good. The middle estimate for Judy and she's quite happy with that, too.

The three carved Oriental hardwood trinket boxes are about to come up next.

Judy bought these in the '70s during her time as

a switchboard operator in the Merchant Navy.

£20? £10 for the three? £10?

A bid at 10. 12. 14? 14.

16. 18. Bid. 20.

22? At £20.

-£20. We're in there.

-At £20.

At £20 and gone.

Her smile tells me she's pretty happy with that result.

It's taken her just past the halfway point.

-How do you think we're faring?

-I don't know. I'd probably be a bit disappointed.

-I'm not quite sure now. £100?

-We're there or thereabouts.

£103 to be precise.

-OK?

-Yeah.

-We've got some great items - your jewellery that you are keeping in the sale.

We're looking forward to that.

If you'd like to have a go at selling at auction, remember commission is added to your bill.

This charge varies, so it's always worth inquiring in advance.

Now it's the large carved Chinese camphor wood chest, which Judy bought in the early '70s.

-Where did it come from again?

-Hong Kong. I bought it there. I was onboard ship,

-so I had plenty of space to bring it home.

-And now in your hallway!

-Yes!

-I've got big dents in the carpet!

-There's always a downside.

I put £50-£80 on it. Let's get this one away.

£50 for it? £50? £30? I have a bid at £30. 32?

Take 32. At £30.

32. 35. 38. 40. 42?

-Received a bid of £40 so far.

-We're stopping at £40.

All done at £40? That's it at £40.

£40.

-I can't remember how much I paid for it now.

-Yeah?

-I think I paid about 50 for it.

-Did you?

-I think so.

-You've got all those years' use out of it for a tenner!

But a loss is a loss. We need to make some money.

Now onto something with quite a bit of age.

A 19th-century Windsor chair that belonged to Judy's grandfather.

In the middle of the room, he sat there all the time.

-We just got used to it being there.

-No regrets about selling it?

No, I don't use it, so it's fine.

It's a lovely story. I understand why you want to sell it.

It's a little bit reduced in height for me. If it had been slightly broader, taller,

we would be talking quite a lot of money, but £60-£80.

Let's see if everyone agrees.

Jonty, it's a normal size chair! You're just extremely tall.

Start me at £50 for it.

£40 for it? At £40. 42.

45. 48. 50. 55.

60. 5? 70. 5?

-At £70 bid.

-That's fine. Absolutely fine.

-90.

-Even better!

-100.

110?

The bid is £100. Are you up for 110? At £100. Selling.

-£100 and going. At £100.

-Great!

£100!

-Are you pleased?

-Yes.

I'm not surprised. A very good result for our first real antique.

Now to the first of Judy's jewellery lots. A 22-carat-gold wedding ring

and a 9-carat-gold dress ring with a turquoise stone. Both of them belonged to her mother.

-Will this be a sad moment for you?

-Yes, in a way, but I don't wear them

so maybe it will help me to buy my fire.

-Well, this is what it's all about. Selling items you no longer need to buy things you do need.

-Right.

Start me at £80, please. £80?

No one? I'm bid £80. At £80.

85? At £80.

85? At £80.

85 there. 90? 5. 100.

110. 120. No?

120 there. 130?

At 120. 125?

At 120. All done at 120? Going to sell at 120. It goes out the door.

-£120.

-Very good.

-Yes. Only very good?

Yes, you heard the lady, Jonty. What more do you want?

Let's see with this next lot of gold. All 9-carat, including a bracelet, plus two rings,

one of which is emeralds. Again they were her mother's

and the estimate is £80-£120.

Start me at £50, please. A bid of £50.

55. 60. 5.

70. 5. 80. 5. 90.

-5. 100. 110.

-Great!

120? £110. I'll take 120. £110.

New bidder, 120. 130?

No? At 120. The bid is 120. 130?

120. 130. 140.

You took your time.

150 there. 160. 170.

That's what I like to hear!

170. 180?

At 170. A bid of 170. 180, back in. 190?

At 180. Saying no for definite? Selling at 180. And gone.

180! Hey...

-How about that?

-Well done!

That jewellery must have had a lot of sentimental value as they were her mum's,

so I'm really pleased they sold well. Over to Jonty to see how much she's made.

-We sold absolutely everything.

-Yes.

-So our total now - wait for this...

-Yes?

-£543.

-Really?

-Really?

-Absolutely.

-I didn't believe that much!

-Oh, that's good.

-How about that? Are you pleased?

-Yeah.

I think we've had a great day.

A few weeks ago, Judy was desperate to replace her old gas fire.

Now, with all that money she's raised, she's come to her local showroom

-to choose a brand new one.

-What sort of heat does it give out?

I'd like to be more modern now and have one fitted in the wall. One that looks nice.

It's lovely and warm.

Very interesting.

I don't want the new, modern stones and things like that. I'd rather have the natural logs.

I think it looks more friendly.

I'd never been to an auction, so that was interesting as well. Yeah, very fascinating.

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