Fletton Cash in the Attic

Hello and welcome to Cash In The Attic.

Now, today's story is about a father

who was obsessed with buying antiques

but when, sadly, he died last year

his two daughters inherited the products of his passion.

But now, one of the girls would like some extra cash,

which means that she's going to sell some of those items

and that's why I'm here.

Today on Cash In The Attic,

will our search for antiques be disrupted by sibling rivalry?

-I think your sister's just given you a challenge.

-I think she has.

-Definitely.

A little bit of good news seems to go a long way.

You might be able to go to the Maldives yet.

-I'm going with you.

-Wow!

And at the auction, are things getting a little too personal?

My dad used to say, if something's ugly it probably means it's worth money.

I'm priceless, then.

Find out when the final hammer falls.

380...

I'm in Northamptonshire, on my way to meet Denise Fletton,

who would like to organise a very special day out

with her sister.

Denise was born and bred in Northamptonshire,

where she still lives with Bob, her husband of ten years.

Having worked for a famous breakfast cereal company for many years,

in 1996, Denise was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,

a disease of the nervous system,

which has gradually affected her mobility.

Now retired, she likes to spend time with her nieces and nephews,

as well as her sister, Heather, who lives nearby

and is helping us out today.

With many years experience in the antiques and collectable trade,

Paul Hayes has a sixth sense for likely lots.

So whilst he gets things started, I'll go and meet the ladies.

-Hi, Denise.

-Oh, hello.

-Good to see you.

-This must be your sister, Heather.

-It is. Hello.

You look so much alike. Are you very close as sisters?

-Yeah, we are.

-We are very close, yes.

Clearly you get on really well, which is why you're both helping today

but you should tell us, Denise, why you've called in Cash In The Attic.

Well, I just thought that because of all the stuff that Dad collected,

they might be able to help me a bit.

-How much are you hoping to raise?

-About £1,000 - about.

-Yeah?

And what are you going to spend it on?

-Pamper.

-Pampering.

-Spa, massage.

-Spa day.

-Jacuzzi.

-Yeah, yeah.

-You've got it all planned out, haven't you?

-Oh, yes.

-Clearly.

Well, before we do the pampering, we've got to do the searching

and we've already set Paul Hayes to work.

So shall we go and find him and see what he's come up with so far?

-He's going to enjoy finding what your dad bought.

-Lovely.

I'll also bet that this comfortable home has much to offer,

with collectables at every turn.

Denise and Heather's father Robert was an avid collector

and it looks like Paul has already spotted a worthy piece.

-Oh, hello.

-Hello.

-How are you? All right?

-Yes, thank you.

There you are. I told you he'd be hard at work already.

-You're stuck into a good book, there.

-Look at the size of it.

-They're huge.

-They're amazing, aren't they? Look at that.

-So is this part of your father's collection?

-Yeah, he would have paid for those, yeah.

What can you tell us about the books, Paul?

It's The History And Antiquities Of Northamptonshire.

So it's everything that was happening in the area in 1720, that sort of time.

You've got all the churches, all the important buildings,

all the art collections -

everything is listed in here in tremendous detail.

I think it's a wonderful story.

John Bridges was a wealthy gentleman at the beginning of the 18th century.

He amassed all these volumes of diaries, of ordinary books.

He employed people to do sketches of towns and various buildings.

This is an original first edition

and you've got the Roman letter here for 1791,

the year this was published, even though it was written earlier.

This is important, it shows you the culture at that time.

There's a fascinating one here, if I can just find... Here we are.

It's a beautiful steel engraving, here. Done at the time.

This was done in 1720 and printed later.

It says the view of the Earl of Sunderland's seat at Althorp.

-That's where Princess Diana's buried, on the island in the lake.

-That's right.

And it says August 11th, 1721. That's how it looked at that time.

That's the fascination.

-What might they be worth at auction?

-I've never seen a set at auction.

I mean, if I was to say between £500-£800, how does that sound?

Yeah. Yeah. I'm amazed. I'm amazed.

I think they're wonderful. What a fantastic set of books.

What a terrific start.

Indeed, that wonderful book could bring us half of our £1,000 target all in one go.

But we can't rest on our laurels. There's still a lot to do.

This is an intriguing house,

with plenty of fascinating objects tucked away in drawers

and on shelves,

so we'd better keep our eyes peeled.

Now, has Heather made our next discovery?

Ah, now, then, Heather. Look at that. That's nice, isn't it?

A couple of Japanese bowls

that I think Dad picked up on his travels.

There's another one here.

Did he travel all over the world or all over the UK?

He started collecting these items

and then everybody he knew that were in shops,

they used to keep an eye out

and tell him that somebody had something or whatever.

In most of Europe we tend to like things in pairs - things that match.

What the Japanese tended to do was to put things to one side

so it's asymmetrical. I quite like that about it. It's quite quirky.

But the quality of the decoration is where the value is with any of these sort of things

and this is real powdered gold that they used.

They'd flick it with a brush and build up the picture.

He had a good eye, actually.

This is Satsuma. Have you heard of that before?

-I don't much, I must admit, about Japanese items.

-Right.

The names don't mean a lot to me, I'm afraid.

-OK.

-I just like what I see.

It's a region in Japan, the southernmost region of Japan,

and it's well-known for its creamy, crackle-glazed earthenware.

This is pottery, not porcelain.

The Chinese had the secret of porcelain for 2,000 years

but in this region of Japan, they were making pottery items.

But the main emphasis, really, was on decoration.

Just look at that. This is beautifully painted

and it has the Satsuma marks on the bottom there.

If I said between £70-£100 for those two, how does that sound?

Yeah, that sounds fine.

And we won't have to wait long to see just how they do at auction.

..55, 60, five.

-It's with me at 60. 65 for you?

-£60 - it's what we wanted.

But will they make enough money to bring Denise and Helen their much-deserved day of pampering?

Well done.

Here in Northants, I take a look around the bedroom,

while Paul pores over a charming English bone china tea set.

Made by Royal Crown Derby,

it was part of their hand-painted Old Imari range.

Now, although fairly modern, it is currently very collectable

and Paul thinks this set should fetch £70-£100 in the saleroom.

We've had a heartening start to today's rummage,

so while Heather and Paul keep up the good work,

I want to find out a little more about our host.

So, Denise, you have MS.

How does that affect you physically and in your daily life?

It affects it because I had to give up work quite recently

and you just carry on, really, with what's going on.

So... Because it started quite early and then it's gone on,

as it goes on, you forget that it's going to get worse

and you just think day by day - that's all you can do, you know.

Your father had MS as well, didn't he,

so seeing how he coped with it, has that helped you?

Yes, yes. Because he went through it

and he lived through it quite a few years

and he just accepted it.

And it helped me, when I found out that I'd got it,

to accept things as they were, you know.

It's... Dad got round it in various ways and it's helped me, yeah.

-Well, obviously it hasn't stopped your enjoyment of life.

-No.

What's your attitude been towards dealing with it?

Day by day, just do what you can do today

and forget about the rest of it.

Just do what you can do.

Because you don't know what's going to happen in the future, do you?

That's it, really.

Now, you're planning on spending the money that we hope to raise

-by going to a spa with your sister.

-Yes.

Why that? The expression on your face says it all - but why?

Because the spa would be absolutely lovely.

I would love the massage that you get and anything to do with your face -

a facial, anything.

I love all the treats that you can get when you go to a spa day

and Heather, too.

-Ah! Enjoy it and share it together.

-Yes, yes.

-All the more reason we have to make sure we make that target.

-Yes.

So shall we go and find Paul

and let's make sure that he's finding things

-that are going to help us achieve that?

-Yes.

Denise obviously isn't going to let anything stand in the way of that pampering day,

so let's hope that Paul does open a few more doors to auction success.

Our host rustles up this collection of Royal Worcester dessert plates,

painted with beautiful gilded edges.

These colourful pieces date from the late 1880s

and belonged to her father, Robert.

There's always a keen collectors' market for vintage Royal Worcester,

so Paul's estimate is conservative but sweet, at £150-£200.

You know, I think we're really on a roll today.

-Paul?

-Uh-huh?

-Have you got Heather with you there?

-I have.

-Yeah.

-What have you got?

-Well, some watches.

Take a look. There's that one, there's another one in there

-and this one.

-Oh, wow.

Your dad really loved collecting clocks and watches, didn't he?

They were his first love.

He diversified into other things

but he always still collected clocks and watches,

no matter what else he was interested in.

This one has got Chester 1848 written on the back and it's silver.

That's quite a standard pocket watch.

Every well-dressed gentleman would have had one of those

in the late 19th century, early 20th century.

This one is 18th century and it's called a pair case or a double case.

The watch actually sits inside this protective case. It has two cases.

This one is actually in a gold-plated case.

There's nothing really exuberant about the case itself,

it's when you get inside.

All clock and watchmakers were concerned with having accurate time

and the more elaborate the movements are, the better.

-Only the real academic would see inside here.

-Look at that.

-Amazing.

Can you see the workmanship in that?

-Now, you'd never see that.

-And all that beautiful decoration.

Considering that's hidden away, it's almost a waste,

but that was the pride in the work they had. It's wonderful.

What I love is that these are all chain driven.

If you look there, you can see tiny chains running round the cogs.

It's like a bicycle wheel. That's all in there.

It's that fantastic? Something that small at that time,

considering the age of the item.

But if we said around the £300 mark, £250-£300?

If someone takes a shine to them, they could fetch more.

-How does that sound?

-That sounds fine.

-All right. Wonderful things to have.

-That's at least a good massage.

-Really?

-Not for you, Paul.

-Oh, sorry.

-It's crack the whip time for you.

-Really?

We need to find some more of Dad's fabulous stuff.

-Things are looking up.

-Thank you.

You may work very hard but there is a time and place for everything, Paul.

I think there must be untold treasures hidden away here,

so we need to keep up the good work.

Robert's fascination with all things Oriental

is reflected in these two bronze Japanese hand mirrors.

They're of a kind that were given as wedding gifts

and they're seen quite often at auction.

This pair probably date from the early 20th century

and as they're in good condition, complete with a walnut case,

Paul suggests an estimate of £50-£75.

Oh, look at that. These are nice, aren't they?

-Tsubas.

-Tsubas, that's exactly right. Do you understand Japanese culture?

Oh, no, not really. It was my dad. It was my dad.

The way that they work... If you can pass me your sword there.

-This like a hand protector, so when...

-Right.

The bigger swords are double-handed, like this

-and it would protect your hands when you're using it.

-Right.

And of course what happens is that the blades can get damaged

or the handles can get damaged but this always stay intact

and what's really interesting is that the samurai sword

has been used really since the 1400s

-and what can happen is that these tsubas are passed down the family.

-Yes.

They can vary so much.

Lots of them were gilded, or silver-gilt in this case.

Most of them tend to be bronze, like this one here.

They're just extremely collectable items.

Well, this is a wonderful example of what's called a tachi.

It's a bit shorter. A katana is a bit bigger

-and a bit more curved.

-Right.

This is a small example and the handle's smaller.

But the steel work and the metalwork is second to none.

It's absolutely fantastic.

What's interesting about all of them is that they have a sharkskin grip.

-Can you see that?

-Yes.

Well, it's been a while since I've seen a tsuba,

certainly not seven in one place.

It's amazing.

I think the sword itself, you're looking at £100-£150

but you're looking at as much again if not more

for the actual tsubas.

So if I said £250-£300 as an auction estimate

and if one of these turns out to be quite good,

we could get quite a bit more.

-How does that sound?

-Yeah, yeah, that sounds good.

Who'd have thought that the Land of the rising Sun would have had such a profound effect on the family?

But do bear in mind that items like those swords

are always best kept well out of the reach of children.

I'm certain that Robert would be pleased

to see his collectables going towards a treat for his beloved daughters.

Staying in the Far East,

Heather spies a small but attractive famille rose enamel vase

from Canton in southern China.

The 19th century piece has a distinctive pink and green pattern.

Vases like these were made in their thousands from the 18th to the 20th centuries

but they still command impressive sums at auction.

There is a small chip on it

but we hope that it goes to the right bidder for £50-£80.

Paul soon finds another Chinese piece,

this elegant 18th century ceramic kettle.

Chinese ceramics have a long and illustrious history,

dating back thousands of years,

but it was in the 18th and 19th centuries

that Chinese wares became fashionable in Britain,

to where they were exported in massive numbers.

When you consider this dates from around 1770,

this kettle is in excellent condition

and Paul's hoping it will give us £80-£120.

Heather and Denise, I've described your father as being obsessive

about buying antiques.

-Is that a fair description, Denise?

-I think it is, yes.

He used to drive Mum crazy with all the...

He was always coming home with bits and they weren't that well off

and he...

But he used to love collecting. He went from one thing to the other

but just recently, he obviously liked the Japanese things.

He loved them.

He always bringing home tables and chests of drawers

-and bureaux...

-Oh, yes.

..and corner cabinets and everything.

Well, when he sadly passed way,

you both inherited most of the things he'd collected.

Yeah and it was packed up in boxes.

We kept saying to him, "You should let us know what this is and what that is,

"so we know what we're doing."

-But you just never get around to that sort of thing.

-No.

We don't really know an awful lot. We know some things

-and we've got vague ideas but not enough.

-Not enough.

I already know what Denise feels about going to the spa but what do you think about it?

I'd like to go back to the Maldives, actually.

Sorry.

-Sorry.

-Are you going to take me?

-Now... Now there's a challenge.

-Yes.

But in order to go to the spa

or the Maldives or wherever you go,

-I think we'd better get back to work.

-Yeah, I think so.

-I think your sister's just given you a challenge.

-I think she has.

-Definitely.

I hope we haven't caused a family disagreement.

Whatever the girls decide to do, we need to get a move on

because I have a feeling there are plenty more pieces stored away

that need to be checked out.

Heather has found these ornate carving knives

by Kay's of Worcester.

They started out making clocks and watches at the turn of the last century

before diversifying into homeware

and they're most famous now for their mail order catalogues.

This set is silver and probably dates from the Edwardian era

and Paul values them at a sparkling £50-£80.

-Oh, Heather? There you are.

-Hello.

Now, then, where does this one come from?

Guess.

-From your dad.

-It's Dad's, yeah, yeah.

It was one of Dad's, again.

I remember him picking this one up

from a shop in Finedon, I think it was.

This one dates maybe 1900, 1920.

This is a type of lacquer cabinet.

But it's a very, very difficult process

and the way it's made is wonderful.

The carpenter would make the item from wood, just carve the piece,

and then layer after layer of lacquer is placed onto the top

and it has to be in a very humidified room, a very steamy room.

And after a while, the lacquer dries and he places another coat

and another coat.

Eventually you build up this black lacquer background

and then it's gilded on top with this wonderful gold leaf.

This is very symbolic. There are lots of stories going on here.

The first one is the child at play, here, with the butterfly.

And the butterfly is a symbol of the soul in Japanese culture.

Another story going on here is the flaming pearl. Can you see that?

-Have you heard of that story?

-No, I haven't.

Well, the basic idea is that you have the dragon here

which breathes fire

and the dragon can't get hold of the pearl because it's on fire already.

He can't destroy it with his breath because it wouldn't do any good,

so the moral of the story is, you can't fight fire with fire.

I really like it. It's a lovely Japanese cabinet. It's black lacquer work.

It's in nice condition.

Lots of the lacquer, by now, tends to get worn.

This one is OK, quite crisp.

If I said at least, maybe, £100-£150.

-Yeah.

-How does that sound?

-That sounds good, yeah.

A handsome piece with a very handsome price

but we're not clocking off just yet.

I'm certain that we have time for one last push.

Denise, I couldn't help but noticing

this rather lovely clock on your mantelpiece

because you said earlier how much your father loved clocks and watches

and this is obviously one of the pieces he bought, is it?

Yes, it is, yeah.

He had it for years, absolutely years, and he loved it.

-Paul?

-Hello?

-Have you got Heather with you? Oh, you have.

-Oh, good.

-All right.

-Come and take a look at this

rather beautiful clock.

It's quite heavy too, I have to say.

That's a beauty. Look at that.

What can you tell us about it?

First of all, when we were looking at those pocket watches, I mentioned they were chain driven,

little chains going round - that's a called fusee.

You see that ice-cream cone shaped example,

what that does, that compensates,

so it allows the chain to run down at a regular pace,

so it's an accurate clock.

Let's have a look at the front.

Well... Wow. Actually, we've got something very good here.

We've got a good maker. EJ Dent.

He's actually very famous in English clock manufacture

and he was the gentleman who made the Great Clock

-at the Houses of Parliament, which is now...

-Big Ben.

-..Big Ben.

-Big Ben.

-Wow.

How amazing is that? So that's the same clock maker.

Isn't that wonderful?

But wasn't he also associated with some other famous clocks?

Yes. Why I'm looking a bit pensively here, actually,

is it has a number at the bottom - No. 174.

Now, if that's right, he was very famous in the work of chronometers.

A chronometer, basically, is a very accurate clock

that allows you to tell the exact time while on a boat -

a marine chronometer.

As the boat moves around with the roll of the tide

or through a change in temperature,

the clock actually compensates, so you get very accurate time.

That time determines whereabouts in the world you are -

you can work it out by the stars and what time it is

your longitude on the planet.

And they're all numbered.

Now, if this is a chronometer, we could be talking a fortune.

We've got number 174.

We could find out who owned this clock and what it was made for.

What a fantastic thing.

Well, clearly, it's got an amazing provenance,

just on the name of the manufacturer alone,

-so do you want to put a price on it?

-Well, I wouldn't like to.

We could be talking very large amounts of money.

It is a numbered example.

We'll try and do as much research as we can.

We might even find out what vessel or who owned it originally.

Well, I tell you what, even if we leave the value of that up in the air for the moment,

I know you wanted to raise £1,000 for your day at the spa.

I think even looking at all the other things we've seen,

we know we're going to be able to make £1,620.

-Oh, lovely.

-Great.

-A day at the spa.

But I don't think I'm putting too fine a point on it when I say,

judging by Paul's reaction,

that, possibly, when we've done more research

and we get that clock to auction,

you might be able to go to the Maldives yet.

We're going with you.

But that is going to be a wonderful surprise, hopefully,

-that we're going to keep until we get to auction.

-Exactly.

-Lovely.

-Lovely, yeah.

Who would have thought that Kettering would deliver such an extravaganza

of Oriental delights?

Robert certainly had a great eye for Japanese and Chinese collectables

and wasn't that clock a beauty, too?

Also heading to auction are the impressive books

that he found at a local antique shop.

Published in 1791,

we're hoping they'll bring in a magnificent £500-£800.

The Japanese katana sword, complete with a set of hand guards or tsubas,

should point the way to an imperial £250-£300.

And the collection of pocket watches,

another of Robert's finds on the trawl through local antiques shops.

The estimate? Another £250-£300.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic,

the girls play the blame game with an imperfect item.

But it does have a tiny chip on it, so come on - which one of you two was responsible for that?

-Not me.

-And not me, no, no.

Robert's forward thinking means we really could be cashing in.

I think your dad was absolutely right

to keep it and not let you two loose on it.

Be there when the final hammer falls.

I don't know about you but I think we had a wonderful day with Denise and her sister,

finding all those amazing items that her father had collected.

Well, we've brought all of them to Derby, to Bamford's auctioneers,

where she hopes she's going to be able to raise at least £1,000

because she and her sister want to go off and have a wonderful day when they can be pampered.

The sale room isn't packed but there are still plenty of buyers here.

When Paul and I find Denise and Heather,

we have some great news about one of their most exciting lots.

Hi, Denise and Heather.

Clock watching? Clock watching? Well, not many minutes to go now

and all of your things are going to be going under the hammer.

When we were at the house we looked at 12 things to bring to auction.

Well, we're actually not going to sell all of them.

We're only going to sell ten of them today

because, first of all, that lovely clock you had on the mantelpiece.

We were able to tell you quite a lot about it when we were with you.

It turns out to be a very beautiful timepiece

and the auctioneers think it has to go into a fine art sale, Paul.

Yes, it is a very early timepiece by Dent.

The auctioneers said 1829, which is very early for that type of clock.

The other thing we're not going to sell is this

and its two companions

because again, we've done some research since we were at the house

and we've out something exciting about the maker.

This is a good 18th century pair case pocket watch

but the maker was the maker to George III,

and that royal pedigree makes a massive difference.

We've suggested that goes into the fine art sale to give it its best chance,

get it on the internet and give it a good plug.

-How do you feel now?

-Oh, it's...

-Can we come to next one as well?

Now, you may remember that set of ornate carving knives

that Heather found on the rummage.

They decided they want to hold onto them for now

but in its place, they've brought this 19th century Chinese soapstone carving,

which Paul has estimated at £60-£80.

But as the auction begins, first under the hammer is

that miniature Imari pattern Crown Derby tea set,

valued at £70-£100.

This is the first of Robert's items

and one which the girls always wanted to play with when they were children.

We've got loads of bidding on it.

-PAUL CHUCKLES

-Lots of bidding.

-The initial bid is above the estimate.

-Wow!

110 bid, 130 bid, 150 bid, 175, 180, 185...

-Wow!

-..190. 200 starts it.

At 210 now. At 200. 210, sir, in the room.

-Wow!

-220, 230.

-At 220 with me.

-It's amazing, isn't it?

At 220. 230, is it? At £220. Any advance? At 220...

-How's that? 220.

-Very good. How's that?

I think your dad was right to keep it and not let you two loose on it.

At a whopping £120 over Paul's upper estimate,

that tea set certainly served up a terrific start.

I wonder if this set of late Victorian Royal Worcester dessert dishes

will prove the perfect accompaniment?

I think the colour of this next set of Worcester, the dessert set,

is so striking, so clear and beautiful.

-That lovely shade of turquoise.

-It's a lovely colour.

-It's beautiful.

Did you ever eat off this?

No, we weren't allowed to use anything like that.

Furniture, because it was big, we were allowed to use it

because we couldn't fit anything else in the house

but anything like that, they used to get put away or on display

in cabinets so people could look at them but that was it.

-£100 I can start it at.

-It's started at £100.

-110 do I see?

At £100. And 10 now? 110, 120, 130, 140. And 150, for you?

-That's it.

-We're almost there. Go on, one more.

At 150, lady at the front then, at 150. It's against you.

-Yay!

-£150, so we made the lowest end estimate, there.

A sweet result indeed.

It just goes to show that keeping your collectables in tip-top condition

will always pay off in the end.

As we've seen, Robert was fascinated with all things Oriental

and up next is the first lot from that part of the world,

those attractive bronze Japanese hand mirrors.

I have to say that the mirror is rubbish.

-You couldn't do your make-up in them.

-No!

-But they're very attractive things.

-They're lovely.

And we've got the box that they go in and yes, they're lovely, they are.

I wonder what Japanese women did do. Their make-up is quite complicated.

How the devil did they see what they were doing?

I'm sure when they were new they were a lot shinier.

I think you're probably right.

Nice quality. Two bids on it, one at 50, one at 55.

-60 do I see?

-Right.

-At 55 and 60 now.

-60 in the room.

-There you go.

At 60. You're behind somebody, I can only just see you. 60.

Five. 70. 70? Nodding. And five.

-75? 75, 80.

-80 in the room.

-85? At £80, in the blue... Yours, sir.

-There you go.

Over our top estimate, Paul. Good call on that one.

It's great, isn't it?

I don't think our interest in Far Eastern collectables

will ever really dwindle.

Robert's certainly didn't.

Up next, the pair of Victorian era Satsuma bowls,

named after the region of Japan in which they were made.

55, 60, five.

It's with me at 60. 65 for you.

That's the lower end of the estimate. At £60.

-£60, it's what we wanted.

-At £60, then. It's with me at 60...

The bowls may not have made Paul's lowest estimate

but we're not doing too badly, I think.

The pampering pot is certainly growing larger

with each successful sale.

Let's put the kettle on.

One of my favourite items amongst your bits and pieces

-has to be that blue and white kettle or water pot.

-Yeah, yeah.

For me there's a fascination because it's made about 1770, 1800.

Chinese blue and white, it's in nice condition,

and it's great - it's 200 years old and an interesting item to have.

And I can start the bidding at £80. 90 do I see?

90 on the phone. Somebody's come straight in. 90.

100, 110.

-Takes it on the phone at 110.

-Keep your eye on the paddle.

-He's on the telephone.

-In the room at 120.

130. 130 for you.

-Oh, he's gone.

-Oh, the telephone bidder is out.

At 120. 130, new place.

140, 150.

160, 170.

-In the room.

-At 160, still in the room.

At £160. 170 now?

-At 160.

-That's great.

-All done?

At £160. Any advance? At 160...

-381.

-That's brilliant.

I tell you what, your dad had a great eye for stuff, didn't he?

-Don't you reckon, Paul?

-He certainly did.

The kettle brings the first half of our sale to a close

but we're not going off the boil just yet

because there are still plenty of lots to go under the hammer.

£1,000 is what you wanted to raise, isn't it, OK?

And you're going to spend it on pampering, yes?

Well, you're going to be able to do that easily, I think,

because it's only halfway and we've got some fab things still to come

and you've already made £670.

-Lovely.

-Very good.

-So, thank you, Dad.

-Yeah.

-Thanks, Dad.

And let's see what else we can come up with in the second half of the auction.

Denise and Heather take a well-earned break

and it looks as if the bidders are keeping their eyes peeled for an extra special lot.

Now, if you'd like to have a go at buying or selling in this way,

do keep in mind that sale rooms charge fees, such as commission.

These vary from one sale room to another, so check in advance.

Eyes down now for the second house.

Our next lot comprises those hefty but impressive books,

featuring scenes of Northamptonshire in around 1791.

We were all quite taken with the beautiful engravings,

particularly that view of Althorp from the early 18th century.

Lot 300A, the History And Antiquities Of Northamptonshire,

-and a very good, two volume account of Northamptonshire.

-He liked them.

-They are quality, aren't they? That's why.

-Yeah.

If we don't get a good bid on these,

-we will put them into the specialist book sale.

-That's what he's going to do.

So £500 do I see, please? £500? £500 for them?

500. No? I think they're going to be better off in a specialist sale.

-Is that OK with you guys?

-That's great.

-Are you happy what that?

-Yes.

-They're not sold for the moment.

Well, they may be unsold today

but I'm sure that those stunning books will find the right buyer

in a future sale.

It just goes to show, it's best not to sell such valuable items for less than they're worth.

There is always another day and another sale.

We've got a very pretty vase coming up now, the famille rose,

that lovely pink and rose colour within the porcelain.

But it does have a tiny chip on it,

so come on - which one of you two was responsible for that?

-Not me.

-Not me, no, no.

But it's still a very pretty example

and what sort of price is on it, Paul?

I put this in at between £50-£80. All right?

-And I can start it at £42.

-We've got a bid of 42 already.

45 do I see?

At 45. 50 with me. 50 and five? It's against you.

At £50 with me. Are you sure?

-£50.

-Pretty good. It's gone.

Even with the small section of damage,

someone was still willing to part with our lowest estimate,

so that's another £50 towards the girls' pampering,

which should pay for a massage at least.

Next up, the girls have brought along

this lovely Victorian Chinese soapstone carving,

which Paul has estimated at £60-£80.

I must say I am always fascinated by and in awe of the craftsmanship

of Chinese carvers

and you've got a particularly lovely example of it here.

It's flowering stems and a bird and quite tall

but in a colour that I'm not familiar with, a brown colour.

-It's unusual, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

I find it quite ugly, the colour, and a bit depressing.

It's very pretty, as in decoratively wise,

but, no, I don't like it.

My dad used to say if something's ugly, it probably means it's worth money.

I'm priceless, then.

There we are. It's a good lot. Nicely carved and good to have a 19th century one.

-And £50 is bid and five wanted.

-£50 bid.

-£50 already bid on it.

55, 60.

Against you. At £60.

-With me at £60.

-That's what we wanted.

-GAVEL BANGS

-There you go.

-Terrific.

And another £60 in the kitty.

Next, the ornate 20th-century Chinese coffer,

another of Robert's discoveries.

It's lacquered, with a finely detailed illustration

of the ancient proverb, "You can't fight fire with fire."

Paul thought this was terrific when he saw it,

so let's hope that it sparks plenty of interest among the bidders.

-What did he use the drawers for?

-It's been under a table somewhere.

-Dad used it.

-Did he?

-He kept things in the drawers.

It's very pretty. It should really be used more.

And I can start the bidding here at £85.

We've already got a bid of 85.

90 do I see? 90, five. 100 do I see now?

At £95. It's with me. Do I see 100?

At 95. 100, you're back. Nodding.

-Good.

-110.

-110. There you go.

It's against you. Do you want 120?

At 110, it's with me. At 110.

Yay! There you go. How's that? Just in there.

-Terrific.

-There you go.

I've a feeling that we could be in for some very good news at the end of today,

even with one item unsold and others being put into a future auction,

because today's bidders are clearly very keen on our Oriental objects.

And I think we might have saved the most impressive lot until last.

Robert must have cherished that samurai sword,

complete with a set of hand guards known as tsubas.

They're more than 200 years old

and we're hoping that the dealers are sharp enough

to spot real treasure.

I would be fascinated to know whether or not this wakizashi blade

was ever actually owned by a samurai

and if so, who he was, when he lived, what he did.

Because there's always that hidden history behind these items.

And we were also fascinated by, I want to say tubas,

but they're not, they're tsubas, aren't they? The little guards.

They have a great history, don't they?

Yeah, I think for me, really, the value has to be in the tsubas

because they've come down generations

and some of those may have belonged to somebody from 1780, 1800

and the name of the family could be on them, which is great.

I just think that's fascinating, actually.

So let's hope that we get some keen collectors for these.

-So we've got £250-£300.

-£250-£300, yeah, for the lot,

so let's see how we get on.

We've got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven bids on it.

-Seven bids already.

-That's good.

-And £250. 260, now.

-260.

-260 in the room?

260? At 250. 260 on the phone.

260 on the phone. 270. 280.

290, 300?

£300 has it on the phone.

310 here.

320 for you?

At 310. 320 now?

320? At 310.

Front row at £310.

-310.

-310.

-Wow!

-£10 over your top estimate, Paul.

-That's excellent.

-What a great result.

-Lovely. Thank you.

What a magnificent payoff to a very successful auction.

The question is just how much has

Denise and Heather's inheritance of Oriental riches realised?

Before I tell you how much you've made, let me just remind you

that we've got the books, that have been withdrawn.

We withdrew those beautiful pocket watches

because one of them we know was made by the watchmaker to George III,

and again, we think they'll do really well in a specialist sale.

And most importantly, that beautiful Dent clock

has got, we think, several noughts on the end of it...

-Really?

-..and will do really well in a specialist sale,

so without putting your hopes up,

there's going to be considerably more than £1,000,

especially when, just today, you've made £1,200.

-Oh, brilliant! Great.

-Wow!

-And there's all that other stuff still to come.

-Yeah.

A few weeks later, the girls entered the timepieces in a specialist sale.

Robert's watches sold for £450

and the clock made an incredible £5,500.

Which brings their total sale income to £7,150.

Quite a spa trip for Denise and Heather,

who are now being pampered in this beautiful converted stately home

on the edge of Sherwood Forest.

The massage was absolutely wonderful.

I loved it. I could have gone on for ages because I loved it so much.

Oh, it was lovely.

It was all over my shoulders and my back

and it was smashing.

All I wanted to do was eat and go to sleep.

I loved the manicure. I like being pampered.

My hands feel nice and soft and my nails are nice and shiny,

so hopefully I'll keep them like that - for at least a week.

No washing up, no typing, no housework.

Yes!

They're staying here for a few days

and they've got plenty more treats in store.

I'm most looking forward to lots of food,

lots of treatments and chilling out.

-Lots of food?

-Yes.

-We'll gain about a stone and we'll wobble up the walkway.

-I know.

-Yeah, it'll be great, won't it?

-Yeah.

If there's something that you would like to raise money for

and you think you have things that you could send to auction, get in touch.

You'll find all of our details on our website:

And we look forward to seeing you on Cash In The Attic.

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