Skan Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic.

Many times on this show, we've helped people downsize.

The family we're meeting today are not only downsizing,

but they're moving to a different country altogether.

Let's see if we can help them make some money.

Coming up on Cash In The Attic...

we learn the secret of success in our host's ten-year marriage.

Hard work.

ALL LAUGH

And our expert, John, values a Chinese vase,

just in the nick of time.

I am surprised. Something I was going to put in the bin.

When it comes to the auction, we struggle to make an impact.

Come on!

What am I to do?

Find out if we finally impress the saleroom when the hammer falls.

Today, I've come to Surrey to meet a couple

who've called in the Cash In The Attic team

to help them raise the funds they need

to move permanently to somewhere with warmer climes.

Bernard Skan has lived in this house almost 20 years.

But he's decided to sell up and move on.

He's been married to Daisy for ten years.

In 2004, they bought a holiday villa in her native Jamaica.

Now it's time for that to become their permanent home.

How wonderful.

Many of the belongings Bernard wants us to look at were inherited from members of his family,

who had fascinating careers at Kew Gardens, in London, early in the 20th century.

So our expert, John Cameron, is fascinated by the prospect

of having such historical mementos in his hands.

-Ah, good morning.

-Good morning.

-Hello, Bernard. Nice to meet you. Hi, Daisy.

-Now, is the place you've got in Jamaica?

-Yes.

This is the extension we're building on to it.

-What's it like, Daisy?

-Seven bedrooms and six bathrooms.

-Seven bathrooms and six bathrooms?

-Mm-hm.

-My word!

So what made you decide to buy something out there?

We went on holiday there in 2004.

Somebody showed us this place, half built, and I fell in love with it.

I can't wait to live there permanently.

I understand why you'd want to leave the UK, given the weather we have here.

Yes, absolutely.

Sit in the sunshine and just feel sorry for everybody left in England.

If you've bought the property already, why have you called in Cash In The Attic?

We want to build a Jacuzzi on the front of the house,

right in the centre there, so it means we can sit down, drink our wine and enjoy ourselves.

So how much is the Jacuzzi going to cost?

I think £3,000 in all.

How much would you like?

If we can raise £500, that would be really useful.

What a fantastic thing to be working on. It must be exciting.

If we're going to get the money together, we'd better find John

and see if he's found anything for us to sell yet.

-Yes, that's a good idea.

-Come on, follow me.

The weather in Britain is pretty unpredictable, as we all know,

so the thought of leaving these shores in search of constant sunshine must be tempting.

The current house is the focus of our attention today.

And John's already giving some of their items the once-over.

-Hi, guys.

-We've lost Daisy.

She's in the kitchen making one of her special chicken recipes.

I wondered what that lovely smell was.

You've found something more traditional.

I've been busy rummaging. I've found a nice bookcase of books.

Not least this set here.

We've 16 volumes of a series known as Pictures.

Each one is an historical and biographical background book

on various countries and they're Victorian.

What's the story behind them? Where did they come from?

I believe they're from my father's side of the family. His books.

I can't be 100% sure, but I believe that to be the case.

The interesting thing is when you look inside.

These were published in the 1890s by the Religious Tracts Society.

A society Evangelical, set up in 1790 to produce sermons and short pamphlets,

all about making one see the error of one's ways and shepherding us back to Christ.

In the middle of the 19th century, they moved into educational books and certainly children's books.

As we can see here these are about geography, science, history.

They are a wonderful series. Each one profusely illustrated.

We have engravings, we have hand drawings reproduced, pull-out maps.

Each one focusing in on the country's history,

on some of the topographical things, art works. All sorts of things.

They're a wonderful education for Victorian children.

Bernard, have you read any of these?

I used to read them a lot when I was young before the days of television and computers.

What sort of value are we talking about for auction?

Not huge amounts considering what you've got. Everything you need is on the Internet.

They are wonderful and they're quite a long set.

You see the odd ones turning up at auction. Not huge sums.

I'd put £60-£80 on them.

Bernard, are you happy with that?

That's good, because it's more than I thought they were worth.

Old books are never worth as much as you think they should be.

Thankfully that's not always the case.

It depends on whether there's a market for them,

also the author and the edition.

First editions are often highly collectable.

Let's hope there are fans of Religious Tracts Society there on sale day.

I think our search will go quicker if Daisy gave us a hand,

but there's a lovely smell from the kitchen.

John spots what looks like an African carving on the wall,

but says there's little value in such items at auction.

Bernard looks like he might be on to something in the bedroom.

I know a safe bet when I see it, a set of Beswick animals.

This is an attractive family of sheep

and their own collie comes with it to round them all up.

They belonged to Bernard's aunt, but he doesn't like them.

He's happy for them to go and they should make £40-£60.

-So, these were your grandfather's medals?

-Yes. My mother's father.

Do you know much about him? What regiment he was in?

He was in the 12th Lancers. He was a private and kept that rank all the time.

Let's look at the medals, starting here with the Queen's South Africa medal.

There were two types.

Because as you know the very bloody Boer War lasted from 1899 to 1902,

by which time Queen Victoria had died and was succeeded by Edward VII,

so you get the King's South Africa medal.

They've five bars. The first is South Africa bar for 1902.

That shows he was out there for the duration of the war.

Underneath that is the 1901 South Africa bar.

Then we have Transvaal, the Orange Free State and Cape Colony.

So, Transvaal and Orange Free State. They were the main republics against which the British were fighting.

So that's a nice medal.

Now the First World War group, we've got the Silver war medal

and the Victory medal and this one here, the Star.

You do see these, the interesting thing about this particular one,

in the centre there it says 1914.

That would suggest your grandfather was out there with the original British expeditionary force,

they were the pre-war career soldiers who went out there

before Kitchener's volunteers went out, or the guys enlisted.

This is often referred to as the Mons Star, in reference to the retreat from Mons.

That's a nice medal to have as part of that group.

That's an interesting set there. Plus you've the Queen Victoria Commemorative medal there.

It's wonderful, because they're named, a collector can trace these and find out more about that person.

-Do you remember your grandfather?

-Yes, I remember him very well.

I used to look at these medals in that box, when I was five, just at the end of the war.

This is a lovely set, with the cap badges,

I've have no hesitation of putting around £200-£300 on those as an estimate.

-That's very good. Very surprising.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

I think we'll leave these here.

-You and I need to see if we can find other items.

-Yes, indeed. Come on.

That's a great price for the medals.

Going by John's lowest estimate, we stand to make £300 on everything we've found so far.

So we're over halfway towards our target already.

At last Daisy takes a break from her cooking to give us a hand.

And Bernard is back looking at books.

He wonders about this Victorian edition of the Arabian Nights from 1886.

His father bought it in an antiquarian bookshop in the 1950s

and he remembers reading it as a child and enjoying the story.

John gives it an estimate of £30-£40.

Our expert keeps up the search for collectables,

but I'm keen to know more about their large villa in Daisy's homeland and why it needs a hot tub.

Now, I know, Daisy, you're originally from Jamaica.

-When did you come to this country?

-I came to England 20...24 years ago.

My friend next door said to me because I wanted to travel.

I was going to go to America.

He said, "England is not bad, you know. Your sister's in England.

"Why not go to England?" That's why I ended up in England.

So what made you decide to get this place in Jamaica?

When we went there the first time we saw this villa half built

on the hill and decided to buy it.

I can't see any point in having a beautiful house in Jamaica,

where it's warm and sunny, and living in England.

Now this is a big move, obviously.

Tell me what you think your days will be like once you've settled over there.

Presumably a lot different to over here.

When you have a house that size, there's a lot of work to do to keep it up and running.

How important is the Jacuzzi? I think it's more important to you?

Yes, I can't swim and I don't like the swimming pool,

so I would rather sit in the Jacuzzi with a glass of wine.

Presumably that Jacuzzi will make the most of the views as well.

Yes, it looks out over the beach.

-200 foot above it and 400 yards back from it.

-Wonderful.

Tell me a little bit about your relationship and how you stayed together.

-You've been together ten years now.

-I think we work very well together.

We have common interests in cooking and travelling.

Well, Bernard is a very kind person. He's very kind.

-Was it love at first sight, Daisy?

-No.

So, did he grow on you?

Yeah, I should think so.

And what about you, Bernard - was it love at first sight for you?

I fancied Daisy. I have to say yes.

-What do you say is the key to your relationship?

-Hard work.

THEY LAUGH

It's quite hard to know what to say after that!

Let's hope things work out well for them when they move to the Caribbean.

For now, though, we must get back to our rummage.

Bernard must think there are more treasures to be found amongst his books.

Then he finds six leather-bound volumes of The Spectator from the middle of the 18th century.

Left to him by his granddad, they're normally in a set of eight.

Unfortunately this collection isn't complete

and a few front covers are missing too.

With an estimate of £80-£120, we think they're a pretty good find.

John, look what I've found.

That looks more interesting than the little dog.

-Where is this from?

-Bernard's aunt.

-He inherited it.

-Yeah.

-Where do you think it's from?

-I don't know.

I use it for spare change.

-You can get some spare change.

-That's what we use it for.

I'm glad to see you've taken the spare change out.

-It's quite heavy without it.

-That's right.

-Do you like it?

-No, I don't.

-I hate it.

-So, you're going to be on my side for taking this to auction.

-Just give it away.

-I don't think we need to give it away.

-It's quite an interesting piece.

-Is it?

It's made of porcelain and it's Chinese.

I think this dates to the late 19th century, late Ching dynasty.

The style of decoration, the painting on there is very much

favouring the green colours, a style of Chinese painting known as famille verte.

Which is the green family. Lots of colours, greens, red, greys, aubergines and yellows here.

Predominantly it is green.

We have a bit of a chip up here on the rim and a crack there.

But I still think at auction, I would expect that to make something like £150.

You're joking! Something I was going to put in the dustbin.

-I am hoping £150-£250. That's what I'm thinking.

-Wow, goodness me.

-Are you surprised?

-I am surprised.

Something I was going to put in the bin.

When it gets to auction we're all taken aback by the response.

£130. Take £140.

£140 there. £150.

-Goodness me!

-On the telephone, as well!

Where will the bidding war end?

Not the dustbin, that's for sure!

This is what we need - two buyers who want one of our pieces.

Yes!

In future, Daisy will have to look more carefully at the heirlooms Bernard has inherited, I think.

His books are piled up all over the house,

but John is looking past them at this Globe Wernicke book case.

It is made of oak, with a glass-panelled front.

Bernard's father bought it in the 1950s for just £5.

It comes apart in four sections and dates from around 1900.

These are genuinely good sellers at auction

and we hope this will bring in £80-£120 on sale day.

Now something draws me to the kitchen

and this cuckoo clock is of little value.

I think it must be the smell of Daisy's cooking.

There's another timepiece nearby that requires a closer inspection.

I bought this from an antique shop, probably about 20 years ago.

I don't know anything about the history before that.

Do you know what it's called?

Yes, it's made by Zaan Clocks and because of the globe on

the top I believe it's called a "rich man's clock."

I have referred to them referred to as a rich man's clocks.

I guess that was because when these first appeared

it was only the seriously wealthy that could afford them.

They actually take the form of a lantern clock, which refers

to this shape here, where there are four brass sides, silver chaptering.

You have this pierced raised gallery at the top here,

which covers up a bell.

Twin chain movement. You can see one driving the actual goings of the clock - the time.

The other for the power of the bell.

We can see the chains hanging down here like that.

-Is it in working order?

-Yes, it works perfectly.

-How often do you have to wind it?

-Every day,

which is why it's not working now.

This is the clock which gave birth to the grandfather clock -

the pendulum and the weights hanging. A case formed around these pieces hanging down here

and that's where we get the free-standing long-case clock.

It was a case that hid all this kind of messy-looking chain work here.

You can see the Dutch influences on it, certainly.

These twists here at the side that's very Dutch.

On an English lantern clock you'd see classical columns on there.

I think it's a mid-20th century piece.

Interesting this motto up here. Do you know what it translates to?

-No idea.

-To each their own.

I'm not sure how you connect that to clock-making.

That's what it is. It's decorative. Not huge sums of money.

-Somewhere between £50-£80. Something like that for it.

-Yes, that's great.

-That's far more than I paid for it.

-Jolly good. All this talk of time.

It's time we got on with rummaging. Come on, then.

So many of the charming items we've seen in this home have been

passed down through Bernard's family.

I am hoping he'll tell me more about his predecessors who had a good eye for collecting.

Bernard, tell me, have you always lived in Surrey?

No, I came to Surrey in 1964.

Tell me about your childhood and where you grew up.

I was born in Twickenham, in 1942.

We lived there until I was five.

Then we moved to Suffolk.

My father bought a farm.

We stayed there until I was 15 in 1957 and we moved to Isleworth.

It must have been quite a change from rural Suffolk coming back to the city.

It wasn't really because I went to work in Kew Gardens.

There was a family history associated with Kew.

My grandfather started there in 1889.

He became a botanist and eventually became a librarian at Kew

and was there until his death in 1939.

You were following in the family tradition?

My aunt, Mabel, she went to Kew in 1916 and worked all her life,

up until 1982 on the Index Kewensis.

I understand, is there some plant or something named after someone?

There's my grandfather has an oak tree named after him called Quercus skania.

-Right. And have you seen that?

-I used to look for it.

I know roughly where it is in Kew, but because some of the labels

which used to be lead, were pinched off the trees, it was difficult to identify.

It would be nice if you could find that tree before you go to Jamaica, wouldn't it?

Yes, I think I will make the effort to find it.

When do you plan to permanently move to Jamaica?

Well, I've... I want to be there, I'll not be here when I'm 70.

So I've got a maximum of two years.

Right.

But Daisy won't go to Jamaica

until the house is completely finished and we can move in.

It will take some adjustment.

You have a big place here. But that's a palace.

Seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, Jacuzzis.

I don't think there's any culture shock at all. The reason I love Jamaica,

it is just like Suffolk was when I was brought up on the farm.

And the people there are very friendly.

I know more people in Jamaica now than I know in England.

Well, he's determined to make the move to the Caribbean.

So there's no let-up in our hunt for items to sell.

John has found a souvenir from Tanzania that Bernard's uncle bought

in the 1930s, but this is something our host would like to keep.

Daisy has spotted these two brass ornaments in the bedroom.

They are free to be sold.

Our expert says they are examples of trench art work and are quite collectable.

During the first and second world wars, many soldiers would make things

from the materials they found around them, including discarded shells like these.

The estimate for this lot, £30-£50.

Hi Bernard, what have you got there?

These are a couple of Japanese Christmas cards which I came across.

I found these in a file of papers.

They belonged to my grandfather and aunt who worked at Kew.

They were tucked in an obituary notice of one of the directors

of Kew Gardens and that had been sent to my grandfather.

-What do you make of them, John?

-I think they're fascinating.

A Christmas card from Japan. What a novelty!

How much work has gone into this is obviously evident.

It is beautiful marquetry there, in different species of timber.

We have a winding road and in the background Mount Fuji.

When you open it up I think the interesting part is on the inside.

This is a little miniature wood block print on rice paper.

Now that road there is the Tokaido Road.

One of the famous five roads emanating from Edo, modern day Tokyo.

This is the Tokaido Road which stretched all the way to Kyoto.

Along that road there were 53 stations,

modern day inns or stage coach houses -

for refreshments or staying over.

Now every year the Shogun required that the local lords that ruled

the provinces had to come in a big procession to Edo to pay homage

and would stop at the various stations.

The picture is by a very famous artist, called Hiroshi.

One of the most famous Japanese wood block printers of the old style.

That is fantastic.

Those prints alone, the larger versions can sell for £200-£300

the original 19th century versions. Here we have one I've never seen before, in miniature,

tipped into this fantastically unusual Christmas card.

What sort of value do you think they might have?

It would have to be a guesstimate.

-I would say £40-£60, something like that.

-Are you happy with that value?

-Absolutely. Yes.

-That's going off to auction. Let's see what else we can find.

Bernard does have some fascinating heirlooms around his house

from fascinating relatives. This oak writing cabinet and the glass-fronted

tobacco cabinet were both presented to his maternal grandfather in 1909.

The writing cabinet still has its original calendar.

Bernard is happy to let them go up for auction with a guide price of £100-£150.

John, I found this MBE which was awarded to my aunt...

What have you found there?

This was given to my aunt for her services on the Index Kewensis.

-What was that index exactly?

-It's a list of all known plant names.

It actually describes the structure of the plant.

She worked in Kew from 1916 up to 1982.

She was awarded the MBE for her services.

-Is that the certificate with it?

-Yes.

-That's amazing, isn't it?

-I think that is the closest you will come to an MBE.

-I wouldn't mind an MBE.

It is the closest I want to come to this type, because it's a woman's type.

I understand these are very important to the individuals

who get awarded them, but is there much of a secondary market for them?

People do collect these. These are an important group of British orders.

Since its inception in 1917 by George V,

it was deemed there was a gap in the British order system,

they introduced the most excellent order of the British Empire in five types,

starting the highest being the GBE and down to the lowest the MBE.

The Member of the British Empire.

This one here, we said is a woman's example.

We know that because of the way the ribbon is tied in this bow.

Also we know there are two types of the five orders.

One being military, one being civil. So the ribbon here with the two grey borders tells us it is a civil type.

So, there we are. It a woman's type civil MBE.

-How do you feel about selling this?

-It has no sentimental value.

If it goes towards our Jacuzzi, then great!

What sort of value do you think it might have then?

Something like this, with the paperwork,

£60-£80 minimum I would have thought.

That will help considerably.

You wanted to raise £500 towards the Jacuzzi,

which I think is quite important for you, Daisy.

The value of everything going to auction comes to £920.

-That's good.

-Fantastic.

So, it's nearly a third of the actual target for the Jacuzzi if we can get that.

Really good.

The next time we'll see you is at the auction house.

I look forward to it.

That's quite a collection of items from Bernard and Daisy's home heading off to the sale room.

How about the late 19th century Japanese wood-veneered greeting cards?

Also the letter from his paternal grandfather.

John's opinion was £40-£60 for the lot.

Also from the late 19th century, the large Chinese vase that Daisy

was going to throw in the bin.

It may be slightly damaged,

but we hope it will fetch £150-£250 on the day.

And last, but by no means least, the medals which relate to

Bernard's grandfather's time in the Boer war and the First World War.

These are very collectable and should make £200-£300.

Still to come on Cash in the Attic -

it looks like we're destined for a bumpy ride at auction.

I was looking for more.

Daisy, you're always looking for a bit more.

But Daisy cheers up when the bookcase goes.

You're very happy because you have some space in the house.

Bernard's not disappointed either

when his least favourite ceramics don't make their estimate.

£2, who's worried about that?

Quite, especially when you don't like Beswick.

Follow ups and downs until the final hammer falls.

It's been a few weeks since we met Daisy and Bernard

and Bernard had some interesting items,

including that wonderful MBE awarded to his aunt.

We brought them here to Chiswick auction rooms in West London.

They are looking to raise £500 towards

the Jacuzzi at their fantastic place out in Jamaica.

Let's hope today, when our items go under the hammer,

the bidders are ready to take the plunge.

The catalogue for this general sale is available on the web too.

With many of Daisy and Bernard's pieces appealing to the specialist market,

fingers crossed they've been spotted by some eagle-eyed buyers.

Good morning, Daisy, Bernard, how are you?

Oh, you have the photographs to go with the medals.

This is a photo of my grandfather, wearing this medal.

As you can see, if you look closely only showing three of the five bars, which dates it then to 1900.

-Right, so you've done your homework on that then?

-Yes. I've been looking this up.

-In terms of all the items, have we got everything here today?

-Yes.

We have. You probably hear that the auction has already started.

-Shall we go and sell some items?

-Yes.

Unfortunately our expert, John, can't be with us today,

but his careful estimates should stand us in good stead.

We take our places as our first lot comes up.

The two late 19th century Japanese greeting cards with fine wood veneer,

really nice things.

They are very unusual.

Yes, these were found amongst my grandfather's possessions.

He was librarian at Kew Gardens

between 1879-1939.

-They show the different types of wood, didn't they?

-Yes. Different types of wood veneer.

For this lot, start me at £40. £40 start me. £30.

-No bids at £30.

-Ooh, dear!

-£30. I'm not going lower.

-I'll pass it then.

-Ooh, dear, they're not sold. Disappointed?

Not really because I think they were too much of a specialist item

to sell at an auction like this.

Hopefully Bernard will be able to sell the cards

and letter another day and get the price they deserve.

Next up, a Victorian illustrated volume of the Arabian Nights

and we're looking to make £30-£40 here.

This used to belong to my grandfather. He gave it to my father.

Before that it belonged to a John Stephen,

who was a writer on Victorian art and architecture.

Right. OK, that's interesting.

Let's hope we can make the money for it.

Start me £20. £20 start me.

-£20 I'm bid.

-Nobody wants it.

Still cheap at £20. I'm going to sell it. Is that all right?

£20. All done.

£20 for that. It's a bit less than I thought we might make.

Are you happy with that?

Perfectly happy.

Thankfully Bernard is easily pleased.

If it had been a first edition, it would have been a different story.

Next, the turn of the two brass examples of trench art work.

A tobacco box and a bell.

These were made by craftsmen amongst the enlisted troops.

They sought an outlet for their activity amid the horrors of the trenches.

These fascinating pieces were made from discarded shell cases.

These were, I believe, one from the First World War.

And the second one I think is a bit later.

They were my grandfather's, on my mother's side.

Start me £20, somebody please. At £20.

I'm bid take two now. £22. £25.

£22 in the middle. £25. £22.

Can't squeeze you for any more.

All done. I'll sell it for £22. Last chance.

£22. Are you happy with that?

I was hoping for a bit more.

-Daisy, you're always looking for a bit more!

-I know.

And who can blame her.

At least they sold and there's more money in the kitty.

Now our next lot have proved quite popular in auctions to be

honest with you, it's the Beswick. We have the sheep and the sheepdog, which is a nice little set.

-Do you like it Daisy?

-Yes, I do like it.

-And do you like them?

No, not particularly. I don't like Beswick china.

-Why have you got them, then?

-They were my aunt's.

Gosh, everything ended up at your house, didn't it?

Start me £40, somebody. £30.

£30. £30. I'm bid. £32. £35.

At £32 only. £35, £38. £40.

At £38 I'm bid. Seated. £38 you like now.

All done last chance. £38 I'm going to sell it.

£38. So £2 under the bottom estimate. Are you happy with that?

Well, £2, who's worried about that?

Especially when you don't like Beswick.

They are happy to be £38 nearer that hot tub in Jamaica.

I can't wait to get closer still as we move on to the Dutch wall clock.

It is mid-20th century, but in an antique style.

Bernard bought it 20 years ago and now it's up for £50-£80.

-What is the story behind this?

-Well, I bought that from an antique shop.

I always thought it was turn of the century piece until John advised me it was '50s.

-Were you disappointed to find out it was an 1950s version.

-Not really.

I thought it was older. It doesn't matter.

£30 for the Dutch-style clock.

No bids at £30. I can't go lower. £30.

No interest in the room. £30 I'm bid. £35. Take five now.

All done, £30. £30 selling.

Now the clock has sold for just £30.

That is a lot less than you were hoping for. Are you happy with that?

Well, I was expecting a little more, but...

That's life.

Bernard may be looking on the brighter side of life,

but I don't think Daisy's too impressed.

At this rate they won't be enjoying a Jacuzzi in Jamaica, but a tin bath in Torquay.

The next lot has been in Bernard's family for three generations.

It's the set of 16 Victorian cloth-bound picture books

published by the Religious Tracts Society.

They are bound to go down a storm.

They've been with me most of my life and I always found them fascinating.

They belonged to my grandfather at one time, I believe.

-Let's see if they can make the money for you.

-Fingers crossed.

Start me £50. £40 if you like.

Come on!

No interest at £40.

What am I to do? No interest. Not sold, I'm afraid.

Oh, my goodness, they're not sold. I don't know what to say about that.

-Could not get beyond £40.

-That surprises me.

You've had a few no sales.

So far we've only raised £110, which is a bit of a disappointment.

We can buy the taps.

I'm sure we can get you taps and bath salts too!

If you have a special project in mind and you'd like to raise money at auction,

bear in mind there are commission charges to be paid.

As they vary from one sales room to another, it is always worth checking in advance.

Our sale continues with the MBE,

which was awarded to Bernard's aunt, Mabel Irene Skan in 1962 for her

long service at Kew Gardens as the research officer.

We are hoping it will sell for £60-£80.

I am surprised Bernard is willing to part with something so personal.

Now, quite a significant thing to get in your life.

Just remind me of the history of this.

It was given to my aunt for services on

the Index Kewensis at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew.

She was there from 1916

right up until she died in 1982.

Of course it comes with a certificate,

signed by Her Majesty and the Duke.

So, that also will help, no doubt.

The MBE, £50, start me. £40.

I will record your bids £40. £40 I'm bid. £40. £45.

-£50 and five. £60 and five.

-Here we go.

-Take five now. At £60.

We're there and selling, all done, last chance, £60 gone.

£60, bang on the bottom of John's estimate there. It is sold.

-That's good.

-These items are totally unique to the person,

-unless you've got a connection to the person they don't necessarily mean anything, do they?

-Yes.

Maybe the winning bidder has a link with Kew Gardens,

or it is someone who collects everything to do with royal presentations.

A piece of furniture is coming up now, it's the Globe Wernicke bookcase -

it's glass fronted and made of oak.

Bernard's father bought it for £5 in Suffolk in the 1950s.

John's estimate is £80-£120. Let's see how it sells here.

Commission bid stands at £60.

I'll take £5 in the room. £60, take £5 now.

Commission £70.

At £65, I'm going to sell it. £65.

£65. Are you happy with that?

It's a little under the bottom estimate. Yes?

You are very happy because you've got space. You've got space in the house.

They do need to get rid of everything if they are selling up and moving to Jamaica.

Next we have six leather-bound volumes of the Spectator

from the 18th century.

These too belonged to Bernard's grandfather.

They are very difficult to read because of all the effs are esses, and all the esses are effs.

They are very interesting to read if you can struggle through them.

John has put £80-£120 on these which seems quite a lot.

-It is good for something cluttering the shelf again.

-Absolutely. Let's see if we can get that.

What are they worth? £80 start me.

Start me at £60. No bids at £60.

I shan't go lower. I'll pass them. £60 for The Spectator.

No-one likes them? Not sold.

Not sold. Another load of books not sold.

We are not having a good day here today, I tell you.

I've never seen anything like this. I'm really sorry about this.

I am surprised about those.

Oh, dear, it really isn't their day here.

It goes to show you how unpredictable a general sale can be.

Will the next lot fare any better?

It is two small pieces of furniture, a glazed oak tobacco cabinet

and an Edwardian oak writing box with an estimate of £100-£150.

This is a connection to the medals, isn't it?

Yes, the writing case

and the smoking cabinet were both prizes given to my grandfather

in 1909 - one for the 100-yard race and the other, a 120-yard race.

Start me £100. Start me £70 and see where it goes.

Ooh, somebody bid!

I can't tempt you. No interest at £70. No further interest. £70 then.

Not sold, I'm afraid.

He couldn't even get £70 on that lot.

So they are not sold, I'm afraid.

The only consolation is when things haven't sold it is usually

because they haven't reached what is their real value, but you've still got them.

On another day they will sell.

I think that's so far better than underselling stuff.

That really is very disappointing and we're almost at the end of the sale here.

We have just two lots left so everything now rests on those doing well.

Fingers crossed then for the 19th-century Chinese vase.

It's in an 18th-century style, showing enamelled figures at sea.

It does have a chip at the top. Will that affect its chances here?

The estimate is £150-£250.

Where on earth did you get hold of that?

It was from one of my aunts. I inherited it when she died.

She left you £150-£200 in theory. That's what John's put on it.

We hope.

On the telephone, thank you.

On the telephone, I can't believe it.

I have one bid starting at £120. £130 in the doorway.

£130 in the doorway. £140. £130. £140 there.

My goodness!

£170. £180.

£190.

-Make up for last time.

-You're not kidding.

£210. £220. £230. £240.

That is what we need two buyers who want one of our pieces. Yes!

£270. £280. £290.

-£300.

-Goodness!

£320. £300 on the telephone. £300. I'll take £20 now.

£300. Nice round figure. I'll sell at £300. All out, last chance, £300.

-That is amazing.

-We've sold something! We've actually done it.

At last, a really good sale. In fact it's doubled John's lower estimate.

How fantastic is that?

Now it's on to our final lot,

a collection of medals which were awarded to Bernard's grandfather.

Now, one of them is of great interest,

the highly decorative example from the Boer War in South Africa,

at the end of the 19th century.

You put those photographs together with them.

We have a lot of history going on there.

So, John has estimated them at £200-£300.

So, not a lot of money when you think what these men gave to win

these medals in the first place, is it, you know.

Nevertheless, it is money

and hopefully it will help towards your future as well, won't it? Let's see what we can get.

Start me £200. £150. Start me. £150, I'm bid.

£160. £160. It's cheap, £150.

All done at £150. £170. £180.

£180 now. £170. £170. Last chance.

Now, the auctioneer has sold those for £170 which is a bit less

than we wanted at £200-£300. How do you feel about that?

I would have liked to have got a bit more. But I'm not that disappointed.

Bernard has such a positive attitude.

A lot of people wouldn't be feeling so relaxed at the end of a sale like this.

I think we have some good news for him now.

It's the end of the auction, as far as we're concerned.

You wanted £500. We have had a lot of no sales, haven't we? I'm afraid.

I do apologise for that. We still managed to bank £705.

-That is very, very good.

-Are you pleased with that?

I am really pleased.

-We made sure the items that didn't sell are all portable.

-Very good!

Is that going to be enough for the Jacuzzi, do you think?

It'll do a bit more. It depends how big we're going to make it!

So, with the extension to their Jamaican villa almost finished,

Daisy and Bernard come to a shop that sells hot tubs, searching for inspiration.

The hot tubs we've seen today are absolutely brilliant.

I didn't know there was that much to know about them.

I like everything. It's really nice.

She liked the place to put the wine glass, I think.

So, how about a test drive, Bernard?

I think Daisy's idea of coming on Cash in the Attic...

At first I thought it was daft, but the experience we've had - it's been really enjoyable.

I can't wait until the day comes that we can actually get one

and get it installed and enjoy our first glass of wine in it,

watching the sunset.

Well, there were plenty of disappointments for Bernard at the auction.

Quite a lot of his items didn't sell.

Despite that, they made more than their target figure.

I'm sure that Jacuzzi in Jamaica is looking rather tempting.

If you have a project in mind you would like to raise money for,

by selling your antiques and collectables at auction,

then why not apply to come on Cash in the Attic?

More details and an application form are on our website.

I'll see you next time!

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