Knight Cash in the Attic

Welcome to the show that takes you on a rummage around people's homes

as we track down anything of value that they can sell at auction.

Today, we'll meet a big fan of Cash In The Attic,

so it will be fun to see what we can find to help her raise money for something special.

'Coming up on Cash In The Attic,

'our expert dresses to impress our host.'

-Do you like my pink? I chose it specially for you.

-Can I have it?

'And the appeal of a drab Doulton vase changes once its age is revealed.'

It's a pot that's quite possibly 100 years old.

-Incredible.

-Do you like it any more?

-Yeah, I do now.

'At auction, Jonty is keen to show his groovy '70s patter.'

High five!

'Will all his valuations be so well received? Find out when the hammer falls.'

Today, we've come to lovely Hampshire

and I'm on my way to meet Val Knight,

a lady who has a passion for all things pink.

'Yes, it's the colour of choice for keen gardener Val.

'Her lovely house in Hampshire is filled with every shade of it.

'She's been on her own here since the death of her partner Mike in 2005.

'They'd been together for 23 years.

'When she was six, Val was diagnosed with diabetes.

'After a recent spell of ill health, she's on sick leave from her job as a speech and language therapist.

'Her good friend and neighbour Helen has been a great help

'and she's here today to join in the hunt for collectables.

'With me is our expert Jonty Hearnden who is keen to start the search,

'so I leave him to it and head off to meet the ladies.'

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Who's the lady who loves...?

-The lady who loves pink must be you.

-It is certainly. I'm Val.

-Hello, Val. And you are...?

-This is Helen.

-Hello, Helen.

-Where has this love of pink come from?

-It stemmed from childhood.

When I was a girl, my mother wouldn't let me have anything pink. She didn't like pink. Then I left home

and I met up with my late partner who also didn't like pink,

so when he died five or so years ago, I thought, "Right..." So I have what I want.

The house is going to turn pink.

Now people know I like pink, I get pink presents at Christmas and birthdays.

-You'll get a few more after this. Do you buy her pink things?

-I do.

-So what are we going to be raising money for today? I fear it's going to be for something pink.

-Oh, yes.

-I need a new washing machine.

-Yes...

-And I want to get a pink one to match the fridge.

'Val reckons £300 should be a great contribution towards her pink washing machine.

'So has Jonty come across anything yet that might start off our haul?'

-I told you he'd have got started.

-Hello.

-This is Val.

-Val, hi.

Look at him, he's wearing pink! How do you like that?

-Do you like my pink? I chose it specially for you.

-Can I have it?

-What have you got?

-I found this really intriguing crocodile with a sharpened extension to his tail.

So he has to be a letter-opener.

-How wonderful!

-He's no ordinary crocodile.

It's actually made of ivory. You can see the grain there.

And it looks as if it's all hand-carved.

The closer you look, the more irregular his scales are, which is great fun.

-What do you know about it?

-I think it's an item my mother brought back from Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka.

When she was little, they lived over there during the 1920s and they returned to Britain in 1926.

She brought a selection of items with her, so they were passed down.

Now, an object like this would have been made for the British, I suppose,

not necessarily for the locals.

-At a time when it was OK to use ivory?

-Absolutely.

This is an object that we can put into the auction sale because it's pre-1947.

Anything post-that is illegal to trade with,

but it has all the hallmarks of an object that is probably 100 years old.

-Can we sell Mr Crocodile?

-Yes, definitely.

-We're looking at something like £20 to £30.

-That's fine.

-That can all go towards our target.

-Well, let's find some more.

-Make it snappy, Jennie.

-Oh, Jonty!

'An international law introduced in 1989 to protect endangered species

'means only ivory carved before 1947 is legal to trade in the UK.

'Val's grandfather managed a tea plantation in Sri Lanka in the 1920s

'and she reckons there are quite a few other bits and pieces from the family's time there in her house.

'A search of the wardrobe turns out to be a good move by Helen as she discovers a large doll.

'It was a Christmas present when Val was eight and she called her Debbie.

'Unfortunately, there's no maker's name and there's some slight damage to her eyelashes,

'but Jonty reckons she should fetch between £30 and £50 at auction.'

Jonty, what about this one?

Oh, that's rather nice. A fun pot we've got there.

-Do you like this?

-I wouldn't say it was my taste. No, not particularly.

Do you know where it came from?

-I think that's one of the items Val's mother bought in a car boot sale for a couple of quid.

-Really?

Let's have a look at the decoration.

We've got this stylised fruit. It looks like lemons.

So if we turn it upside down, we can see who made this pot.

-And here it's got the impressed mark of Royal Doulton.

-Ah!

So this is a hand-thrown pot

that is decorated by the decorator with the initial S.

That's probably Eliza Stock.

So we're looking at a pot that is quite possibly 100 years old.

-Incredible.

-Do you like it any more?

-Yeah, I do now.

-And how much did it cost again?

-A couple of quid, I think.

It's not worth that any more.

-At auction, this pot is worth between £40 and £60.

-Gosh, that's amazing!

'So how wise was that investment by Val's mum?'

£20 for it? Unusual pattern. £20 for it?

20. 5. 30. 5.

40. 5...

'What return will it make? Only time will tell.

'We seem to be doing quite well so far,

'but we decide to split up and thoroughly explore one room each

'to make sure we find every possible knick-knack.

'Jonty comes across this decorative tea set.

'It's continental and is called a cabaret set which normally consists of a tea or coffee pot,

'cups and saucers, milk jug, sugar bowl and even a tray.

'It belonged to Val's mother and we hope it will attract £30 to £50 on the day.

'Val decides to take the weight off her feet and comes across an old friend - this metal bowl.

'It belonged to her mother and it was used as somewhere to put things that had been left around.

'If anything was missing in the house, Val was told to check the brass bowl.

'It's decorated with an animal scene

'and gets an estimate of £10 to £20.'

I think it's going quite well so far.

It would be criminal not to sit down on a lovely day like today and find out more about you.

You met Helen through your work. What is it that you do?

-I'm a speech and language therapist, working with small children.

-That must be rewarding.

-You get a certain buzz out of it.

-What sort of children do you help?

-Children with language disorders.

Children with learning difficulties and memory problems and processing language. All kinds of things.

You also mentioned your late partner Mike.

How did you two meet?

Well, we met through our mutual love of golf.

One day, I found this guy was playing very close behind me.

I kept having to pick my ball up off the green and virtually run to the next hole to be out of his way.

Eventually, he caught me up. He said, "There's no need to keep running off. All I want to do is stroke your dog."

-That was the most original chat-up line that I've ever heard.

-It worked.

-Yes.

-How long were you together?

-23 years.

-So how good were you at golf?

-I got down to a 7 handicap when I was in my 20s.

-That's seriously good.

-Yeah, and I had two holes in one. I was ladies' captain.

Two holes in one? What does it feel like, that moment you get a hole in one?

It's a very exhilarating feeling.

It doesn't happen very often. You get a lot of fuss made of you.

The bonus is you get to buy everybody in the clubhouse a drink(!)

We mustn't spend any more time out here. We'd better go and rummage

-if we're going to make that money for your washing machine. There's lots more rooms to go round.

-Yeah.

'Val's not played golf since Mike died, but she has many other interests like gardening and bridge.

'For now, we need her to focus on looking for more treasures.'

-Look what I've found!

-That's rather fun.

-I think it's gorgeous.

-A tantalus. Am I right?

-Yes.

So tell me, where did it come from and why have you got it?

Well, it was a 60th birthday present for Mike in 2002

and I got it from an antiques shop in Alresford which is not far away.

-He always wanted one, so I was quite pleased when I found one.

-Beautiful.

They come in different shapes and sizes, more often than not with three decanters side by side.

-Why is it called a tantalus?

-Because there was a figure in Greek mythology called Tantalus.

And at one point, he was punished.

When he wanted to bend down to drink, the water disappeared.

And when he wanted to reach up for food from the tree, that also moved away.

-So that's how we get the name "to tantalise".

-Oh!

-Oh, right.

It's the same for a tantalus that is under lock and key, hence your locking mechanism here on the side.

You turn the key and the top falls down, so you can get the bottles out.

These were very popular in Victorian times, but I do have a problem with this.

This object here has been silver-plated and you can tell that

because the plating has been worn away here.

-What did you pay for it?

-£200 in 2002.

Prices have changed somewhat since then and you bought it from a dealer,

so we won't get your money back.

If I'm a hard-headed valuer, I would put £60 to £80 on this at the auction sale.

-How do you feel about that?

-That's fine.

-Are you happy?

-It gave pleasure for the person it was bought for.

'That's a positive way to look at it.

'The good news is that going on Jonty's lowest figures so far,

'we stand to make £190 when we take everything we've found to auction,

'so we're well over halfway there without selling any of Val's pink possessions.

'Jonty's unearthed a collection that he thinks the dealers will like.

'There are two ladies' pen knives, one of which has mother-of-pearl inlay with a Sheffield hallmark,

'and a Victorian silver vesta case.

'There's also a set of cigarette cards with pictures of animals on them and some silk cigarette flags.

'He thinks at £15 to £20, these should definitely attract some interest.

'And in the lounge, almost hidden away from view,

'I spot a couple of likely candidates for the sale -

'a Comet S camera and a rather fine pair of collapsible opera glasses.

'They belonged to Mike and Jonty's estimate for them is £10 to £20.'

I've come across lots of plates that are decorating lots of the rooms,

but there seems to be quite a few of these gilded edged plates,

-and they're all made by a company in Limoges in France.

-Gosh!

Even today, half of French ceramics still come from the town of Limoges.

Do you know where they're from at all?

I think these ones Val's mother got from her mother, Val's grandmother.

-Are these items we can sell?

-I think she'd like to get rid of them.

-OK.

These plates were made about 100 years ago because these are Edwardian, this design.

These plates would probably have been very expensive at the time.

This gilded rim was very popular towards the end of the 19th century

and the early part of the 20th century.

We won't get a vast fortune because this style of ceramic is not the flavour of the month at the moment.

-What do you think about this style?

-Yeah, I quite like that, actually.

-But would you buy them?

-No.

-Yes, there's a difference. Somebody has just got to part with the money.

-Yeah.

-Value-wise,

-we're looking at £40 to £60 at auction.

-For the lot?

-For the lot.

-Right.

-It's not a vast amount.

-No, it isn't.

But that's the market for you.

Somebody's got to buy them, pay an auction premium and make a profit at the other end.

'It may not seem a lot for such a nice collection, but Val has no use for them and every little bit

'will go towards her new washing machine, which will be in her favourite colour.'

-This is obviously your bedroom! I agree with you about pink - it makes me feel all cheerful.

-Yes.

-Fantastic.

-I'd like to show you my late partner's cars.

-They are little slices of history.

-Fantastic.

-Some of those tractors are probably about 60 years old.

Is it something that you really would part with, though?

Yes, sadly. Somebody might like them more than I need them.

Let's see what Jonty thinks. Jonty? And Helen.

-You've probably seen these before. This lovely collection of cars.

-Oh!

-Aren't they gorgeous?

-Yes.

-Real boys' toys, eh? Look at that.

-A Rover.

So who made this one?

This is Ledo. Called Ledo because Jack O'Dell, founder of Matchbox, it's the reverse of his name.

-So O'Dell is actually Ledo.

-Oh!

-Simple as that.

-Oh, clever.

-As simple as that.

Now Ledo was made by Matchbox.

It was really a revival to kickstart their own collectors' market.

-So this is not as old as it really looks. This is post-1982.

-Is it?

-Oh?

-So they're not particularly old. What else have we got there?

-How about that?

Oh, look at him. Sadly, he's a tractor that won't be worth a lot

-because he's been hand-painted thereafter.

-Isn't that good?

-Er, no.

-I know nothing!

-It needs to be in very good condition and original.

They're all worth selling. We'll just not get a vast amount.

So our collection will probably be worth in the region of £40-£80.

-That's not bad.

-Is that all right?

-Quite good.

I think that could signal the end of our day's rummaging. So, at the start of the day we said £300

so you can have a pink washing machine. Yeah?

All right. We reckon, based on Jonty's lowest estimates,

we're hoping that at auction you'll make £295.

-Oh, excellent. That would be really helpful to go towards the cost.

-Only £5 off.

-Yeah, good.

So well done, ladies.

Hopefully, we'll exceed that figure and Val and Helen could soon be reeling in the pounds

with the oak tantalus with three cut-glass decanters.

Fingers crossed the price tag of £60-£80 will prove tempting.

And there's the 100-year-old Royal Doulton vase

with the citrus fruit pattern. Its valuation is £40-£60.

And what about that ivory letter opener? Almost 100 years old

and carved in the shape of a crocodile.

At only £20-£30, it's a bargain.

'Still to come: Val's delighted by a great result for one of her items.'

Goody gum drops!

'But she puts on a brave face after another lot lets us down.'

-Unsold, I'm afraid.

-Oh, well. That's life.

'Will we be able to bring her smile back when the hammer finally falls?'

Jonty and I really enjoyed ourselves at Val's house and that pink theme cheered us up no end.

Today we've brought all the bits and pieces to Duke's Auctioneers in Dorchester.

Val wants to make at least £300 towards a pink washing machine.

Let's hope this room fills up with people ready to splash the cash.

Duke's have two auction houses here and we've come to one of their general sales in the Grove.

Now remember, if you would like to buy or sell at auction,

charges such as commission or VAT will apply. It's always worth inquiring in advance.

Found you! Hello!

-Lovely to see you again.

-And you have your magnificent tantalus.

-How do you feel about parting with it?

-Quite sad, really, but it'll go to a good home.

-We'll get as much as we can. I know you paid £200 for it.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Shows what love will do to you!

-How are you feeling, Helen?

-Sort of anxious and excited. A bit of everything, really.

The first of Val's lots to come up is the hand-carved ivory letter opener from Sri Lanka.

The estimate is £20-£30.

Nice little thing there. £10.

12? At £10 with me. I'll take 12. 14. 16.

18, madam? 20, sir?

22, madam. 25. 28?

28, madam. 30? 30 at the back.

32. 35. 38?

At £35, your bid. I'll take 8. At £35, right at the back of the room.

That's brilliant!

'How's that for a start? Over the top estimate and Val is delighted.

'Next up is the Comet camera and collapsible opera glasses that belonged to Mike.

'Jonty's estimate is just £10-£20, but when they go to the bidders...'

Anybody fancy these? £5? I will pass those down.

-Unsold, I'm afraid.

-Oh, well. That's life.

'It's a setback, but there are plenty more collectables to come.

'The Royal Doulton vase that Jonty in particular seems to like is next.

'He hopes it'll fetch between £40 and £60. I hope he's right!'

-I thought it was a bit dingy.

-It needed a bit of pink paint!

-Yes!

-Oh, well. Let's see if someone else likes it.

Unusual pattern. £20 for it? 20, thank you. I'll take 5. 30.

5. 40.

5. 50.

60. 70?

At £60. I'll take 70. £60 at the back. 70 anywhere?

-What a turnaround! £2 in a car boot sale. £60 at auction.

-Good profit, isn't it?

-A good investment.

'It's a better return than you'd get in a savings account.

'The brass bowl which was used during Val's childhood for odds and ends is up next.

'The estimate is £10-£20.'

-I suspect it probably came from where the letter opener came from.

-Possibly, Ceylon, yes.

-Really?

-It might do well, then.

-Let's see.

£5. 8 if you like.

Thank you, madam. 10 here. 15.

I'll take 20. 20. 25.

30? At £25.

I'll take 30. All done at 25...?

'What a great result, but what will Val do with her lost bits and pieces now?'

-This is the big one, the tantalus.

-Yes.

I'm excited and nervous. I don't want it to go for nothing, but I do want it to sell.

-They've mentioned rather sadly that there's damage to a stopper.

-They have to.

-That's what good auctioneers do.

-I hope it doesn't hit the price.

-Nice little tantalus. £50 for it?

20 to start, then. Nice little tantalus. £20? 10?

10, thank you. 15. 20.

5. 30. 5. 5 in the middle.

40. 45. 50?

At £45. I'll take 50. All done, then?

At £45...

It's gone.

It's gone. 45.

'Val's obviously disappointed with that sale, but let's see if I can cheer her up.'

You're looking for £300.

At the halfway stage, you're doing all right. You've got 165.

-Oh, good. Over the halfway total.

-Yeah.

-That's OK.

-We're ahead of the game.

'The auction continues with Val's next lot,

'that cabaret ornamental tea set which is at £30-£50.'

Lady's bid at 10.

-Oh, dear. That's bad.

-What do you feel about that?

Your face tells it all!

'Oh, dear. Just £10 for that complete tea set. What a bargain that bidder got.

'Will the collection of pen knives, cigarette cards and silver vesta case do any better at £15-£20?'

All done, then, at £25?

I'm quite chuffed, quite satisfied.

'We're slowly creeping up, but will Val ever make enough money for that pink washing machine?

'The doll called Debbie is coming up next.

'Vintage dolls can be quite collectable, but she's not in great condition.'

10 I'm bid. I'll take 15. £10.

15 for the doll? At £10. I'll take 15.

Quite sure at 10?

-Poor Debbie!

-She's fine. She'll go to a good home. I'm delighted I don't have to keep moving her.

'That's true and maybe she'll join other dolls

'so she doesn't look so lonely.

'Now it's time for those toy cars which Val's late partner treasured. Mike started collecting as a child,

'and added to them over the years if he spotted something special.'

-What does your wall look like now?

-I've put in my knick-knacks.

Golf trophies, things like that.

-You've done it already!

-Yes.

-So they can't come back.

-No.

All right. So £40-£80?

£20 to start. I'll take 5.

At £20. 25, sir. 30 here. 35.

40. 45? £40 commission bid.

With the commission at 40. Quite sure?

-I think there was only one bidder.

-That was the lower end.

-Yeah.

-It's on target.

'And I'm sure they'll bring a great deal of pleasure to their new owner.

'Val's final lot is the Limoges plates, bowls and cake stands.

'Her friend Helen thought they were very attractive, but this style isn't so popular these days.'

I put £40-£60 on it. I'll be intrigued to see what happens.

-I'm not quite sure where the market is on this.

-What do you think?

-They're very pretty.

-I was surprised they weren't valued more. It'll be interesting to see.

-She thinks you're wrong!

You wouldn't be the first!

Limoges plates. £20 for them. 20 I'm bid. 25, sir.

30. 5. 40. 5.

50. 60. 70.

80. 90. 100?

At £90 in the doorway. I'll take 100. At £90 there.

Lady's bid at 90.

-Great. £90.

-Brilliant.

-Goody gum drops!

-She said she told you so!

-I was wrong!

High five.

'So will this amazing turn of events be the result we need to secure that pink washing machine

'and make Val's kitchen complete?'

Well, that brings us to the end of the sale.

That's all your lots. How do you think you did?

-A bit less than I'd hoped.

-Well, you were looking for £300 towards your pink washing machine.

You have made...£340.

-Hey, wow!

-That's more.

-We very much enjoyed spending time with you. I hope you did.

-We did.

Happy washing, eh?

It's a few weeks since the auction and Val has put the money to good use.

She's just taken delivery of the latest addition to her colourful kitchen appliances.

I've got my fantastic new washing machine. It brightens my chores.

It's a little ray of pink sunshine.

So there we are. Job done. Or could there be something else?

I think there's going to be a pink tumble drier.

In the end, Val did just fine. Her kitchen might soon be entirely pink.

If you'd like to raise money for something special and might have some antiques around the home,

why not apply to come on the show?

You'll find all the details on our website:

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

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2011

Email [email protected]