Neale Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic, the show that searches out

all those hidden treasures around your home to sell at auction,

raising funds for whatever you have in mind.

Today we're going to be helping out one family

who've got a bit of a project in mind that they've already started.

'Coming up on Cash In The Attic,

'a stunning example of ornate Victorian silverware.'

Look at the decoration round the outside there.

It's quite amazing. Quite extraordinary,

the craftsmanship, the detail.

'And some beautiful porcelain that raises more questions than answers!'

Don't know whether you can see a massive question mark over my head,

because I've never seen anything quite like this.

But will the bidders appreciate our quality finds on auction day?

This is not cash in your attic. This is cash from your airing cupboard.

Find out when the final hammer falls.

Today I'm in Surrey to meet a lady who's called in the team

to help with a property renovation that's got a bit out of control.

Charlotte Neale has lived in her five-bedroom property

for the last seven years, but for the past six months

it's been a building site.

In a bid to take her mind off the renovations,

Charlotte's been busy learning upholstery,

and enjoys it so much she's now planning to make a career of it.

Charlotte's married to Richard, and the couple have two young children.

Now the building project is nearly done,

thoughts are turning to the look of their new home,

and Charlotte's hoping some family heirlooms might help fund this,

so she's called in her great friend Lara

and the Cash In The Attic team to help.

As ever, our antiques expert Jonty Hearnden

can't wait to start searching high and low for valuables.

Just watch out for the building work, Jonty.

You're not wearing your hard hat.

-Good morning, ladies!

-Hi, there.

-Morning.

So, what's made you decide to call in Cash In The Attic?

I've got a lot of stuff I want to get rid of.

Some of the items that I got were from inherited,

and some of them from my parents, but they both passed away,

so I've been keeping them in cupboards.

I haven't had them out on display.

-You've got some extensive building work going on.

-Yeah.

It's been going on for about six months.

And is the money we'll be raising going towards the building work?

I'd like to buy some curtains and some wallpaper

and get some decorative bits and pieces for the house.

Where does the stuff come from? Are you collectors yourselves?

A little bit. A lot of Charlotte's things are from her mother

and her grandmother.

How much money would you like to make?

I'm hoping for between £500 and, say, £700 or £800

-would be really nice.

-OK.

So, if we say £500, then, towards getting some curtains

or what have you. Now, Jonty's already in the house,

so hopefully he might have found some of those items in the drawers,

in which case we can get on and hopefully make you that money!

-Shall we go and find him?

-Lovely.

-Come on, then.

I'm not surprised Charlotte's looking forward to seeing the back of the building work

so she can start transforming her house into a stylish family home.

And someone who hasn't struggled to make himself at home already

is our expert Jonty Hearnden.

In the bedroom it looks like he's already struck gold -

or should I say silver?

-Hi, Jonty!

-Hi!

-So, what have you got for us?

I've got this fabulous dressing-table set here.

-Whose are those?

-This belonged to a friend of mine,

who was given it by her grandparents. She's German-Austrian.

She originates from there, so I imagine that came from there as well.

Right. If you look closely, and it's difficult to see from where you are,

but it says that this box was made in Frankfurt,

so made in Germany.

Oh, yes!

As far as these items are concerned, they are in fact solid silver,

and there is an indication here that says that it's silver,

-not in the English sense...

-Oh, right. OK.

I don't know if you've ever noticed that. It says 600,

which means that this is silver, because it's 600 parts per 1,000.

In this country we're so lucky to have hallmarks,

because we know clearly that an object is solid silver,

and it effectively protects us from fakes and forgeries.

It's a technicality, but we can't call it solid silver,

even though that it's marked accordingly.

It has to be called white metal.

But everyone knows it is solid silver.

In terms of the value, does it make much difference?

Will they pay the same value for it as they would if it had British hallmarks?

Everyone will understand that this is solid silver,

so it won't affect value.

What sort of value are we talking about?

-We're looking at £40 to £60.

-What do you think of that?

Yeah, I'm quite happy with that. It's better that than nothing at all.

OK. Well, then, that's good, isn't it?

We need a few more items like this and we'll be well on our way. Come on.

'So, with one confirmed lot now destined for the saleroom,

'we split up to find more that we can take with us to auction.

'In the study, Charlotte digs out an early 20th century Mah Jongg set.

'The game Mah Jongg is thought to have originated in China

'in the 17th century, but it wasn't till the 1920s

'that its popularity began to spread.'

'Jonty thinks this set should fetch £30 to £50 at auction.'

-Aha! What you got there?

-Look what I found!

I was hoping you'd find some chocolate biscuits in the kitchen,

but this looks wonderful. Look at the decoration.

It's quite amazing, isn't it? Quite extraordinary,

the craftsmanship, all the detail.

And everything you see here hasn't come from a mould.

This has all been hand-done. Look at the motifs on the outside here.

We've got three panels of flowers. And just look at the rim!

See the irregular rim? We have these tiny designed sea scrolls,

very rococo, very Victorian. Now, this is a little creamer jug.

Once upon a time it would've sat on a very posh tea table

along with a teapot and very grand cups and saucers,

so obviously of the finest English tradition.

Now, if we turn it upside down,

we can see that this is solid silver.

Can you see the head there? That's a lady's head. That's Queen Victoria.

Oh!

And the L tells us that this object here,

this little creamer jug, was made in 1886.

-Wow!

-So that's absolutely superb. Now, look on the inside.

That's not dirt. That's not staining.

-That's gilding.

-OK.

-So that's gold leaf.

-Do you know where it came from?

-Well, it belonged to Charlotte's mum

and she used to keep it in the airing cupboard.

-In the airing cupboard?

-Yes. I think she thought it was the safest place

in the house, and if anybody did break in,

they hopefully wouldn't go and look there and find it.

Funny story! Now, at auction,

this is worth between £80 and £120, and hopefully a lot more than that.

-Oh, good!

-I'm not going to put that back in the airing cupboard.

-We'll carry on elsewhere.

-OK.

'But will Jonty's high hopes for the silver creamer

'come true on sale day?'

We have a number of commission bids. I'm going to start at £80.

'Find out how much interest it gets later.'

As our rummage continues, Lara decides to tackle the dining room,

and her hard work pays off

when she discovers another dressing-table set.

Charlotte inherited this one from her grandmother.

The set is solid silver, and it was made in Birmingham in 1966.

But sadly the condition is not great,

so Jonty values it at just £30 to £50.

Guys, are you through there?

Just admiring this very, very handsome beast here.

Tell me about the family history of this one.

It belonged to my husband's grandfather,

and it was passed down to him when he passed away.

This clock is not only a timepiece

which obviously has a definite function,

it's also a work of art.

Just look at the painting at the top here of this dial.

It's so beautiful. The carcass itself is made of oak,

and because it was made in Walsingham,

this is a provincial longcase.

If we look at the actual style and the shape of the clock,

it's very Georgian, probably late 18th century.

-So this clock is 220, 220 years old.

-Oh, wow! That's amazing!

I've looked at the workings at the back, as well,

and they're quite simple. There's no fusee movement,

which adds value to a clock, if you have fusee movements there.

Right. So what sort of value are we talking about, then, Jonty?

In this state, £400 to £600.

-That's amazing, yeah.

-Is this something you'd sell?

I'm not too sure, really. It's something that has belonged to the family,

and so it makes me think maybe I should keep hold of it.

Right. We can't rely on this one at auction, I'm afraid,

whether it makes the target or not. Shall we go and find something that we CAN sell?

I have to say, I think the chances of seeing the stunning longcase at auction are slim.

Just think, we could stop work now! But better not take the risk.

In the lounge, Lara's gathered together an assortment of silver-plated items

that Charlotte has no qualms about packing off to auction.

It includes another creamer, a large assortment of cutlery,

and a pair of salt and pepper pots. Jonty values it collectively

at a very useful £40 to £50.

Well, I think we've managed to lose Jonty.

Not sure where he is, but he'll be busy finding things.

I thought we'd take a break and catch up.

So, tell me about the building work.

We've always had one house and a little bit of annexe,

and we decided we wanted to knock our house through

so it became one house rather than two little bits of house.

Given the situation, is it a job you wish you'd never started?

Absolutely, yes. They've been doing it about six or seven months now,

-and we're nowhere near finished.

-Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel?

-It's really taking shape, isn't it?

-Definitely,

and we manage to lose ourselves in the house now

because we've got extra rooms that we didn't really have before.

I know you're interested in upholstery. How did that come about?

I'd been ill, and I was in and out of hospital,

and I was sent to a charity that are local to me,

and they give you some kind of empowerment

into a course of horticulture or upholstery,

and you get a professional that helps you along with it,

and you're also with like-minded people that have also been ill.

I think you've got an illustrious future,

because every time I've had anything reupholstered, it's cost a fortune!

It's very time consuming, isn't it? It's expensive, yes.

If we're going to make you the money you need

to fix some of the building work and get some decorations,

-I think we need to find Jonty.

-Yes.

-You know all the hiding places.

You can come and help me find him. Come on.

'Well, I'm pleased to say Jonty hasn't gone too far,

'as a silver teapot and coffee pot have stopped him in his tracks.

'They belonged to Charlotte's late father,

'and were retailed by the famous shop Mappin & Webb.

'Unfortunately they're only silver plate,

'so Jonty values them accordingly at just £20 to £30.'

Jonty, come and have a look at this.

-What, the table?

-Yeah.

-OK, yeah.

-This belonged to Charlotte's mum,

and she purchased this not long before she passed away, actually.

Well, let's take a closer look at it, then.

From a design perspective, this is an occasional piece of furniture.

It has flaps, so you've got one flap on this side,

and one on the other as well.

It's generically known as a Pembroke table,

and they were first introduced into the UK in the mid-18th century.

And it was the Earl of Pembroke who commissioned a table

of similar design, and therefore generically they've been known

-as Pembroke tables ever since.

-OK.

You can date a table like this, not by the top

-but by looking at the legs.

-Oh, right.

In the mid-18th century and beyond, they tended to be square legs,

but by the turn of the 18th into the 19th century,

they started turning legs on a lathe,

and this is what we're looking at here,

which means that this table is quite possibly 200 years old.

-Wow!

-Which is quite extraordinary, if you think about it.

-Yeah, it is!

Now, recently this table has been re-polished.

Can you see just how shiny that top is?

What happened, somebody's taken a layer off

and re-polished it, re-shellacked it,

which has probably devalued it somewhat,

and we've got a rather nasty ring-mark on the top.

That's either water or heat damage.

-That's the reason why I can only put £50 to £80 on it.

-OK.

What do you think Charlotte might feel?

-She'll definitely go for it, yeah.

-Let's go and tell her the good news.

'Downstairs, I've been searching the lounge,

'and come across this vintage child's sewing machine.

'It was bought for Charlotte's daughter,

'but she didn't possess the same passion for needlework as her mum.

'It dates back to the 1950s,

'and Jonty thinks could fetch upwards of £20.'

Ah, ladies and gentlemen!

I've found something very intriguing here.

Now, I absolutely love this. I think it's charming.

It's so feminine, so pretty. Where did this come from, Charlotte?

It belonged to my godmother,

and she gave it to me as a wedding present,

so I've had it about ten years or so.

I used to keep it out on display for a laugh

when friends came round for dinner, and we'd all have a guess

as to what we thought it might be, but nobody really had a clue.

What is it for, then, Jonty?

Don't know whether you can see a massive question mark over my head.

because I've never seen anything quite like this.

All the decoration here is hand-done,

so the quality is all there, with this gilding running round the edge.

And even the lid here, the handle to the lid,

is a stylised flower head, and really beautiful.

If we turn it upside down, we've got a Berlin mark,

so that makes sense, that this came from Germany at some point.

So, Jonty, what sort of value are we talking about?

I think that we're looking between £150 and £250.

-Wow!

-Crikey!

-That's fantastic.

Quality is all there.

I expect you'd like to know how much you'll make at auction.

-Everything that's going to auction comes to £460.

-Brilliant!

-Fantastic.

-But, of course, if you did bring the grandfather clock,

-that would take us to £860.

-Yes.

-Right. The next time we'll see you

-and all these lovely things will be at auction.

-Thank you.

Despite all the building work, we've had a highly productive day

in Surrey, where Charlotte's in the midst of transforming the family home into her dream pad.

And hoping to finance that vision we have...

the stunning solid-silver Victorian creamer

with intricate hand-crafted detailing.

Charlotte's mum adored it, and we're hoping the bidders will, too,

and pay far more than its £80 to £120 estimate.

This highly unusual collection of German porcelain.

None of us have ever seen anything quite like it before,

so what will the auction-goers make of it,

and will they be willing to pay the estimate of £150 to £250?

But a big question mark still hangs over the fate

of the magnificent longcase clock.

Jonty called it a work of art, and, with a £400 estimate,

it's got the highest value of all the things we've found today.

But will we see it at auction? Only time will tell.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic,

technology comes to our aid in the saleroom.

It's quite extraordinary how, all of a sudden,

internet bidding is involved in this area of the market.

'But not even the World Wide Web can guarantee great results on all our lots.'

-HE BANGS HAMMER

-Sold that, has he?

Yes, because there's only one buyer in the room.

'So, will Charlotte's dream for a home makeover turn into a nightmare?

'Find out when the final hammer falls.'

It's been a few weeks since we met Charlotte at her home in Surrey.

She'd renovated her property and she wanted some new curtains,

and for that she needed £500. So we found plenty of antiques

and collectables to bring here to Andrew Smith & Son's auction house

in Hampshire. Now, the bidders are already arriving in force,

so let's just hope they're prepared to splash the cash

and help us reach that target today.

This popular saleroom close to the historic town of Winchester

hosts regular auctions, and, with close to 900 lots,

there's a huge variety on offer in today's auction.

But that hasn't stopped eagle-eyed Jonty Hearnden

from spotting his favourite of our collection out on display.

Isn't this lovely quality?

I know. This really is an object of real beauty.

This was, of course, from Britain.

What's so amazing about this little creamer here

is that the aunt kept this in her airing cupboard for safekeeping,

-which is a lovely story.

-The one thing we don't know is here

is the grandfather clock,

and it will make a big difference if it's not,

because she wants to raise that money for the curtains.

Shall we go and find out? Come on.

'Well, I haven't seen the longcase clock so far,

'but there are plenty of other clocks in the auction room,

'and one of them's caught Charlotte's eye.'

-This isn't your clock, is it?

-No, it's not.

-It's shrunk!

-Completely, yes.

-So, is your grandfather clock here?

No. We decided not to bring it in the end. We've kept it at home.

My husband really would rather keep it in the family.

-OK.

-Well, that's going to be quite a difference, isn't it,

-in terms of our valuation.

-A wee bit of a difference, absolutely.

-Have you brought everything else?

-Yes, everything else.

Have you had any more ideas on what those little pots might be used for?

No, no idea. I did ask a few older people in our family

if they knew what it would be for, and nobody knows.

Well, the auction's started. We've got a little bit of time

before our lots go under the hammer, so follow me.

Well, that's not surprising. They were fond of the clock,

but it does mean the pressure is firmly on for the rest of the lots

to do well if we're to reach that £500 target.

If, like Charlotte, you're thinking of heading to auction,

then, do remember that fees such as commission and VAT

may be added to your bill, so check the details with your auction house

to avoid any unwelcome surprises.

With the auctioneer in position and the sale under way,

we take our places as our first lot of the day goes under the hammer.

'It's the Mappin & Webb teapot and coffee pot.'

You've only put £20 to £30 on this. They are Mappin & Webb, darling.

That's because they're silver plated.

If they had not had Mappin & Webb on them,

they may not be worth entering into the sale at all.

We have a commission bid of £20. Is there two in the room?

At £20 and selling. Is there two?

Great. Straight in there.

-For the last time...

-HE BANGS HAMMER

-Sold.

-It's a lovely buy. £10 a pot, isn't it, really?

Anyway, it's £20 in our pot. That's the important thing.

That was short and sweet! Right on estimate, and not a penny more.

Now, it's the Georgian sewing machine up next.

Charlotte's daughter didn't think much of it.

Let's hope the bidders show a little bit more interest.

Not so long ago, people were just throwing these away.

There was not the opportunity to even car-boot anything.

All of a sudden, a little boxed sewing kit like this,

or sewing machine like that, was worth £20 to £30.

-Let's see what we can get for it.

-£10, then, surely. £10.

£10 I have. Is there 12? £10 and selling.

Is there 12? 12 right up at the top.

£15. £17.

-20.

-LARA GASPS

At £17, then, right up at the top there.

At £17, and we are selling. Is there 20?

Yes, please, please! Some more!

HE BANGS HAMMER

-£17.

-Oh, just £3 under!

-Was that all right?

-No, that's fine. Yes. Yeah.

Well, I was hoping for a better result

for the sewing machine, but with no toy-collectors in the room,

it wasn't to be.

Now, our next item is a bit more conventional.

It's the mahogany Pembroke table,

and we're hoping it will bring upwards of £50.

Are you sad to see this table go, or was it a bit in the way?

Yes. We never really used it, and it was kept in the spare bedroom.

Here it comes.

We have a commission bid of £50.

-Great! Straight in.

-That's good!

60. And five. 70. And five.

Ooh, that's good.

90. And five. At £90 and selling. Is there five?

At £90, then, for the very last time...

-Great!

-You must be pleased with that, aren't you?

-Very.

Now, that's much more like it!

Selling for £10 over Jonty's top estimate.

After three lots, we've made £127,

but the Mah Jongg sells for £5 below estimate,

which isn't very sporting!

It's the first of Charlotte's two dressing-table sets up next,

and sadly this one has seen better days.

-So, where's that from?

-That belonged to my granny,

and she passed away about three years ago.

I was sorry to see this one go, because I was very fond of her.

Ah, OK. What do we want for this, Jonty?

I put £30 to £50 on this particular set,

because this is a relatively modern one.

We have a commission bid. I shall start the bidding at £25.

25. Come on. Yes, the silver dealers are bidding. There they are.

At £27. Any more? All done at £27?

At £27, then, last time...

-That was a bit less than we wanted, wasn't it?

-Never mind.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yeah, it's fine. Yes.

Well, just £3 shy of its lowest estimate.

But Charlotte's not too disappointed,

and it's another, albeit modest, contribution to the fund.

I wonder if Charlotte's second set will fare better.

How do you feel about this one selling?

I'm not too bothered about this one going.

Let's see if we can make sure someone's bothered enough to buy it.

We have a commission bid. I'm going to start the bidding at £30.

£30, commission bid. Gosh, I hope it goes higher than that!

32. 35. 37.

Commission bid's out. 37 in the room.

Is there 40? At £37 and selling. Make it 40.

All done at £37, then? Last time...

-He's sold that, has he?

-Yes, because there was only one buyer in the room.

£3 short of Jonty's lowest estimate.

There are plenty of dealers in the room today,

but they're just not putting their hands in the air,

which is a worry, because our next lot was put together

specifically with dealers in mind.

These are all the plated items I gathered up from your house,

-so this is a proper dealer's lot.

-I'll start the bidding at £25.

Is there seven in the room? £25 and selling.

-Oh, look! Bids everywhere!

-Is there 30? At £27, then.

Any more? At £27.

30, right at the back. 32.

35. 37.

-40. 42 to the internet.

-Ooh!

-Internet buyers now.

-Make it seven. At £45.

-At £45. Any more?

-Come on, come on.

All done, then? At £45 for the very last time...

-That was good, wasn't it?

-Fantastic!

Interesting to see internet bidding going on there.

It's quite extraordinary how, all of a sudden,

internet bidding is involved in this area of the market. Amazing!

Well, that was a bit of a struggle,

but with a little bit of help from online buyers,

we sell bang in the middle of Jonty's estimate.

Now it's time for a lot that we've all got really high hopes for.

It's that stunning solid-silver creamer from 1886,

and the auction house has displayed it fittingly

in pride of place in the saleroom.

All the items of, you know, top-end value

go behind the glass cabinets, and it really does look quite magnificent.

Well, I've put £80 to £120, so this is not cash in your attic.

This is cash from your airing cupboard, yeah?

We have a number of commission bids here.

I'm going to start the bidding at £80.

Is there five in the room? At £80 and selling.

-Commission bid. Is there five?

-Here we go.

-£80. And any more?

-£80. That's what we wanted, wasn't it?

-At £80. Last time...

-HE BANGS HAMMER

-Sold!

-Well, it made £80 on commission,

so no bidding, just straight to a commission.

Thank goodness for commission,

though I'm surprised there wasn't more interest in the saleroom

for such a lovely piece of silver.

It's our last lot of the day up next, and it's very unusual,

because it's something that we've never seen before

on Cash In The Attic. In fact, we don't exactly know what it is!

I just think it's so wonderfully decorative.

The quality is all there. I wonder what the room will decide?

-It's going to be fascinating.

-Start me at £200 for these. £200.

150, then. £150.

£100 to get it going.

£100? £100 bid, thank you. And ten.

And £100. And 110. 120.

130. £120 and selling.

-Is there 130? 120...

-HE BANGS HAMMER

I hoped they'd go for a bit more than that.

I thought they were really fabulous quality.

Whatever they were, they were fabulous quality.

Somebody obviously wants them, anyway.

I wonder if the buyer knows what they are and what they're for!

One thing's for certain, though - it's been a pretty tough auction.

So at the end of the day, how much have we raised towards that £500 target?

Well, the good news is that, altogether,

-it means you've made £461!

-Oh!

-Excellent!

-That's really good.

-Well done. I'm really pleased for you.

Thank you very much.

It's been a few weeks since we sold Charlotte's heirlooms and collectables at auction.

She made just under £500. So how has she spent the money?

Are the home renovations finished, and have the builders finally gone?

'We've just been finishing our kitchen.'

We've had a great time, because our work surfaces arrived last week,

and we've put those down, and we've got new flooring in our kitchen,

and suddenly I feel like things are coming together.

I'm relieved the kitchen is finished, at any rate.

But there's still a lot to be done, so how does Charlotte feel

about the building project and what lies ahead?

It's so nice to see, whenever something is finished in one room,

to see the beginning and the end,

and to know there is light at the end of the tunnel,

and that all the grief we've gone through to get to this point has been worth it.

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