Blackaby Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic, helping you find hidden treasures

and selling them at auction to raise money for whatever you have in mind.

Today we're helping one couple to raise money for a little bit of home entertainment.

'Coming up on Cash In The Attic:

'Jonty's box of delights isn't quite what I'd expected.'

-Is that it?

-What do you think?

-I'm not impressed.

-Look inside.

I'm still not impressed.

'Will our expert's short-term forecast convince our host?'

-Fair or sunny...?

-Fair. Fair will do, thank you.

-Fair will do.

'And at the auction, emotions run high after a sentimental sale.'

I can't believe that. Can you believe that? I can't believe it.

'Be there when the hammer falls.'

All done?

Today I've come to the Lea Valley in Hertfordshire to meet a former social worker and her husband.

They hope we can help them light up their lives. Well, a small corner of the sitting room.

'Frances and Ian Blackaby aren't new to the world of collectables.

'They regularly hold charity garage sales at their house, where they've lived for 40 years

'and brought up their three sons.

'They have spent much of their married lives helping others,

'whether through their work for animal charities or fostering children with learning difficulties.

'Now both retired, they enjoy nothing more than spending time in their impressive garden

'with former painter and decorator Ian also keeping his hand in with a spot of DIY.

'And Jonty Hearnden will be keeping an expert hand in today on our rummage round their spacious home.'

-Good morning!

-Oh, hello!

-How are you?

-Not so bad.

-Good.

-This is Jonty.

-Hello, Jonty.

-Are you happy if he has a good look round?

-Absolutely.

-Yes.

-See you later.

You've called in Cash In The Attic. Why did you want us?

Well, our television blew up, so therefore we need to replace it as soon as possible.

-Do you watch the programme?

-We do, so we need to get a new television.

-What sort of money are we talking about?

-Well, I reckon you're looking at £300-£400.

-Give or take.

-All right, then. Shall we see if Jonty's found anything?

-Yes.

-Come on, then. Follow me.

-Careful you don't spill your tea.

'The house is crammed with all sorts of pieces, so we've got our work cut out today.

'Luckily, with a long career in antiques, our expert is the man to take us to our target.'

Lorne? Ian? Are you there?

-Ah!

-Look what I've found.

-Is it silver?

-It certainly is.

We've got wonderful hallmarks.

-Goodness!

-Pretty clear, aren't they?

-So where did this come from, Ian?

We found it up in the loft. I don't know where it came from.

Probably my wife's relatives. It's been put away and forgotten about.

-So you brought it down from the attic for Jonty.

-Yes.

-Lovely.

Very nice indeed. We've got the hallmarks here. The hallmark is 1900.

-That's lower case E.

-Does it tell us where it was made?

-Yes.

If you look very closely, it says G&S Company Limited.

That's the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company.

They were based in Regent Street.

They were formed in 1800,

but they amalgamated with Garrard's in the '50s

so that's when the name left us.

But they had a Royal warrant so they were a very important business.

At auction, that little bowl there, which I think is really delicate and pretty,

-£100-£150.

-That sounds good.

-Are you pleased with that?

-I'm surprised.

-So can it go?

-Yes, it can.

We're going to trade some silver for the silver screen! Let's see what else we can find.

'That's a great start to our rummage, but our £400 TV target

'means there's no time to waste.

'Frances has already turned up another likely lot in the shape of this tea set by Shelley.

'The factory had been producing fine china since the 1820s

'and still attracts a healthy collectors' market.

'This example dates back to the mid-20th century.

'A price tag of £30-£50 is good news for us.

'There's such a variety of bits and pieces collected by Frances and Ian over the years,

-'it's not long before Jonty spies something else to spark his interest.'

-Oh, I say, look at this.

Are all of these lighters?

Ah. Some of them aren't. They're for making cigarettes

-and storing cigarettes in there, but the majority of them are.

-All different shapes and sizes.

-Yeah.

-Where do they all come from?

-We've picked them up over the years at the car boot sale.

-That one I remember buying because of the colour of it.

-Look!

-We've got one here in the shape of a one-armed bandit.

-That's definitely a car booty!

Oh, look at that!

-Yes, pretty cute, isn't it?

-Lovely.

-Yeah.

Now cigarette lighters can be worth a small fortune.

If you've got a retro 1970s Dunhill lighter in good condition,

-you'd be surprised how much it's worth.

-Oh, I say.

-They're all sorts of different shapes.

There's one in the shape of a pipe. If you're a pipe smoker, you can have your lighter as a pipe, too.

-There are all sorts of other forms. What's your favourite?

-That's cute.

-The hand grenade?

-Yes, chuck that!

-I like that.

-The ultimate disposable.

-Yes!

-Can we sell this collection?

-Oh, yes. It's not doing anything. It's just sitting there.

I think we've got - what? We have 15, 20 lighters there.

Definitely worth putting those into sale. You don't sell them individually, but as a collection.

-Let the dealers decide, but I suspect we've got £40-£60 there.

-Right. Great.

-Excellent, yes.

-Excellent. It's another find. What's over there? You show me.

-Yes, of course.

'Another decent amount, but there's still work to do to reach that £400 target.

'Ian heads to the kitchen and spots this Carltonware Guinness-branded teapot,

'milk jug and sugar basin, handed down to Frances by her parents.

'Probably Carltonware's most famous novelty range was the Guinness toucan figurine.

'Original examples can now fetch hundreds of pounds,

'but there's a high number of fakes out there.

'You can always check authenticity by looking at their online collectors' gallery.

'This lot is the real thing, so Jonty values it at £20-£40.'

I don't think we've ever been called in to raise funds for a TV before.

-I take it you watch quite a bit?

-Yes, I do. Usually antique programmes and cookery programmes.

I really enjoy watching those.

Ian, do you go out to antiques shops and fairs?

Yes, we do. Mostly we look at Rupert Bear books for my wife's collection.

-Why Rupert?

-I inherited some from my brother when I was younger.

From then on, my parents used to buy me one every year.

Then I've done exactly the same with my children. I bought them one every year.

-So we've got quite a collection.

-So how did you two meet?

I first saw Ian on a Sunday afternoon as he came out of Bible study.

I liked the look of his white raincoat and his green felt hat.

And then I actually got introduced to him outside the tennis courts in Berkeley Park.

I was with my friend. She went up to him and asked him whether he was going to go out with me.

-Something must have clicked! How long have you been together?

-Together, about 60 years,

but we've been married 44 years.

-So what's your key to success?

-Give and take.

-Yes. He's very laidback.

And I'm just the reverse.

-So therefore we seem to hit it off.

-I tend to think things through and she jumps straight in.

-Yeah.

We get a balance.

-And you also got involved in foster caring?

-Yes.

-How did that start?

-Well, I started off as...

I used to take care of elderly people. I used to visit them

and make them teas and things.

Then I moved on and did children with learning disabilities.

And then I saw an advert in the paper for foster carers.

So I decided...WE decided that we had a home big enough to take in one or two.

And that's how we did it. We did the fostering for children, emergency fostering.

-Sometimes we'd get perhaps half an hour's notice.

-Yeah.

-And in they would come.

I'm sure they all benefited hugely from your experience,

-but we need to benefit from Jonty's valuation experience. Shall we go in?

-Yes, of course.

'Frances and Ian have spent so much of their lives helping others,

'I'm glad we have the opportunity to help them make some money for their dream TV.

'But we've only made £190 of our £400 target, so we'd better get a move on.

'Jonty's back in the garage where he finds a Scalextric set, bought by Frances for her sons.

'Scalextric is still very popular.

'There's also plenty of interest in TV-related merchandise.

'This boxed Dukes of Hazzard electric slot car racing set should make a tidy sum.

'Although both sets are almost 30 years old, they'll put us on the right track at £30-£60.'

Frances. I see you're busy over there.

But I have found this lovely barometer here.

-Does this have a story?

-Yes.

-It used to belong to an elderly lady called Squirrel.

-Was she nuts?

-No, not at all. She used to hoard everything she could.

-That's why she was called Squirrel.

-That's why.

And before she died she gave that to my husband as a gift.

He used to do odd jobs for her when she wanted something done.

-The first thing I'm impressed with is that it's a lovely day outside and it says, "Fair."

-That's true.

-I hadn't noticed it working. I can see the mercury going up and down.

-Absolutely.

It's actually a stick barometer. This is what it's known as.

Now, when this barometer was made, the fashion was to have a wheel down at the bottom.

They were known as banjo barometers. But these were the forebears.

They were fashionable in the 18th century,

-but it isn't 18th century.

-Oh.

-But it is still probably a good 150, 140 years old.

-Is it?

-Yes. So it's very mid-19th century.

It's a lovely, lovely object.

Now, the timber that's used for this is rosewood, a very dense material.

-Have a feel of that.

-Ooh, yes. It is, isn't it? Very heavy.

That's all down to the density of the timber used.

The timber needs a bit of TLC. It needs to be revived, cleaned.

And there's a bit of cleaning to be done on the fascia here and here.

But it will come back and is worth putting into auction.

-You're looking at £70-£100.

-Mm.

-Right.

-Are you happy?

-Yes, I think so.

-Fair or sunny...?

-Fair. Fair will do, thank you.

-Fair will do.

-Yes.

-Excellent.

Off to the fair it goes.

'How high will the bidding go on that barometer?'

- 200. - I don't believe it!

I can't believe that.

'Find out when we get to auction a little later on.

'Everybody's certainly working hard on today's rummage.

'It's always fascinating to see the things people have collected,

'but with a TV to be paid for, there's no time to waste.

'I found these bound sets of vintage educational comics including Look And Learn and Treasure.

'Both were published by the British Fleetway company and proved very popular in the '60s and '70s.

'Individual copies don't fetch huge amounts, but these are nicely bound

'and should appeal to a collector. Frances picked this lot up at a car boot sale.

'We hope a price tag of £40-£60 will encourage some decent bidding.'

-Hi, Jonty.

-What have you got?

-A box.

-You've come bearing gifts.

I don't think there's any gifts in there, actually, but it's a box and apparently

my wife's uncle found it in the basement of a house he was working on.

-Have you got any idea what this material is made of?

-Mahogany?

-Is it a veneer?

-Absolutely right. It is mahogany.

And have a look at the detailing on the side, this cross-banding.

It's slightly raised. That's how thin it is as well. Amazing.

-What sort of date would you put on that?

-I'd probably give it 100 years either way

-so you'd best tell me.

-It's probably 1820, 1830 in date.

-As old as that?

Almost 200 years old.

Now the shape and design is really inspired by classical referencing.

This box has that feeling that it could easily be Roman, maybe even Ancient Greek.

Hence also these lion feet.

-They are lions' feet.

-Let's have a look on the inside.

Now at some point this lining here has been replaced. This is not the original lining.

Also what's happened here is the lock mechanism was taken out,

-which is understandable because if you lost the key...

-Lose the key...

-..you need to get rid of the lock.

So this little casket here has had some alteration work, but not too much.

Now not so long ago, dealers would have paid quite good money for this,

but today dealers and collectors will only pay very good money

for boxes of this age if they're in pristine, mint condition.

But it's still definitely worth putting into the auction sale

and right now we're looking at £40-£60.

Yeah, I'd have thought.

'Another £40 towards that TV is a good result

'and I feel it won't be long before Frances and Ian will put their feet up and watch their favourite shows.'

-So, Frances, you're retired now.

-That's right.

-What do you do - apart from watching our programme?

-Well, I go down to the gym.

-Oh, do you?

-Yes.

Not that I like it, but I have to go because of my health and I'm told it's good for me.

-I do quite a bit of gardening.

-The garden is lovely.

It reminds me of really old, traditional gardens.

-Was it like that when you first got here?

-No, when we first came here there was a great big mound of soil

and underneath was a dugout where people used to go during the war.

We've had quite a lot of work to level it off and we fenced it off when the children were small

for their ducks and chickens and guinea pigs and rabbits.

-It was like a little farm.

-Now that the children are all gone, how do you keep yourself occupied?

You're involved in charity?

Yes, that's right. I do quite a bit of fundraising for animal charities,

local animal charities, that is.

We fundraise for Blue Cross, Cats Protection League and Feral Cats, which are dearest to my heart.

Why cats? Given all the animals you've had in the past, why centre on cat charities?

The feral cats, particularly, nobody really recognises them and takes great care of them.

My husband and I used to go out and trap them, get them neutered,

feed them up and try and find homes for them. At one time here, we had as many as 30 cats here.

-No!

-Yep, 30. And they were lovely, dear little souls.

-What sort of things do you do to raise money?

-Well, we have our garage sale out the front.

We have stalls all round the front and people drop off stuff and then we sell it.

-Have you made much money that way?

-Over the course of years, quite a few thousand pounds.

It's time somebody did a bit for you, so you can watch the telly.

-Shall we see what else Jonty's got?

-Yes.

-Come on, then.

'I think this caring couple deserve every penny we raise at auction,

'but we need to get moving. Could Ian have found just the thing?

'This child's pushalong toy dog looks like he's had many hours of use.

'Answering to the name of Bob, he belonged to Ian's younger brother and was made in the 1950s

'by the British toy company Pedigree, famous for Sindy dolls.

'There's always interest in vintage toys and, with the right bidder,

'we hope Bob will fetch £30-£50.

'Meanwhile, Frances spots an intriguing timepiece.'

-The clock?

-Yes.

-Whose is that?

-Em, this is my husband's clock.

He was left it by his Auntie Maud, who received it from her husband,

who got it from an elderly lady, about 80 she was.

He used to do odd jobs for her and that was a gift to him.

-So where do we stand with it? Is this an item you might sell?

-My husband says it's got to go.

-Right. Any particular reason why?

-It's very big and it's very, very heavy.

-All right, fair enough.

We more often see these in black.

Yes, we do. More often than not, these are in black slate,

but here we have this amazing translucent onyx clock.

And these clocks are, more often than not, dated really between 1880 and 1910.

-That's a lot older than I had anticipated.

-Is it?

-What age did you think?

-1920s, 1930s.

-Right.

-No.

There's a very Edwardian feel to a clock like this. Interestingly, if you look really closely,

there's a maker's mark here. It says S Sanders and Company, Peckham.

-Peckham?

-Not a million miles away.

-Not Peckham we usually associate with marble clocks, is it?

Mange tout, Rodney!

-But does it work?

-Ah. That I can't be sure. It has a key.

I'm not quite sure where that is.

So if we don't know the condition of the workings, I'm going to err on the side of caution on value.

-I think we should make more, but I'll put £40-£60 on it.

-Very good.

-Are you happy with that?

-Very.

-What value did you think it might have?

-I thought we'd be very lucky to get £40 for it.

-Right.

-Very lucky.

-I wouldn't have given you £40.

-Let's hope someone will!

-Yes!

Come on, then. That can go.

'There's a timely addition to today's haul, but it's not over. Jonty find yet another lighter,

'in the form of a lady in a crinoline dress and bonnet.

'Given to Frances as a gift, it dates from around the 1930s

'when cigarette smoking was de rigueur. It's a desirable piece of memorabilia.

'It's not in the best condition, but with the right buyer Jonty thinks it could make £30-£50.

'Our day is nearly over, but in the workshop Ian and the ever-watchful Jonty are unearthing

-'all sorts of artefacts.'

-Hang on.

-Look, I've got some tools down here.

-Have you?

-Yeah. Quite a few.

-They're quite old.

-Yeah?

-Mind your fingers.

-Yeah. ..Wow, look at that.

-How extraordinary.

-There's a good old plane in there.

-That's very nice.

-And this American tool here I've used many a time for planing off doors.

-Wonderful.

-There's a jointer.

-Let's take them outside for a look.

Ready? Oh, my word! That's heavy.

That really is heavy.

It's heavy enough. Where are we going?

I think my one arm will be longer than the other. Put it up here?

-Yeah, up here.

-You said you had something to show us.

-Look.

-Is that it?

-What do you think?

-I'm not impressed.

-Look inside.

-I'm still not impressed!

-Yeah? Look at that.

24-inch plane. Isn't that beautiful? Ian, where did this come from?

From Squirrel. Same place as the barometer came from.

She had a cupboard with boxes full of tools and she said, "Dump them."

That's absolutely superb. What else have we got? This has had some real wear to it.

It's well used, I must admit.

This I found in a wheelbarrow in a shed at my aunt's house.

She asked me to do some work for her and I found that. I said, "Can I have it?" She said, "Of course."

-That is quite a nice plane.

-Interesting shape.

-Also very usable.

It's got its original blade, which is not unique, but unusual.

-Number 22 on there and on the blade.

-Well, this time we have

an English-made plane. Norris, London. That's really interesting.

They produced planes from 1880.

The original factories were in Lambeth, then New Malden.

That's gorgeous as well. Let's consider value.

If you just include those three items, and a few other items,

-I would suggest that we're looking at at least £100 here.

-Yes.

-£80-£120 at auction.

And if you were to add some more, the value just goes up.

Well, what we do want to know is have we enough for a TV set?

This morning you wanted to make £400 for the new TV.

The value of everything going to the auction house comes to £550!

-I'm very surprised.

-That's good.

-So you can have a remote as well!

-Very surprised.

-The next time we'll see you and your items, Ian,

-will be at the auction house.

-Right. I'll look forward to that.

'Well, it's been quite a day here with Frances and Ian.

'There was no shortage of worthwhile pieces to take to auction.

'Their Victorian silver bowl, hallmarked G&S of London, should shine at an elegant £100-£150.

'There's a market for novelty lighters.

'At £40-£60, let's hope for some heated bidding for this collection.

'The Victorian barometer that belonged to Frances's friend Squirrel.

'£70-£100 should help take the pressure off our couple's quest for a new TV.

'Still to come:

'there's a surprise for Frances and Ian.'

-I didn't expect that. Did you?

-No way.

-Double what you wanted!

'And could one piece prove too baffling for the buyers?'

I wonder if whoever bought it knows what it's for!

'Find out when the hammer falls.'

We certainly had a great time visiting Frances and Ian's home

and we found lots of lovely items to bring to the auction house,

including that wonderful silver bowl. So I'll be very intrigued to see how much money we make.

'Frances and Ian are here bright and early for a final look at their diverse collection.'

-Hallmark's gone.

-Turn it round.

-Goldsmiths Company...

-'Fingers crossed they'll make their £400 target today.'

-Good morning!

-Hello!

-How are you? All right?

-Yes, fine.

-You're looking at your piece de resistance.

-I'm sorry to see it go.

-I'd forgotten where the hallmarks were.

-Yeah.

-I thought they were underneath!

-I have seen a lot of tools around.

-Mm, yes.

I've noticed one of the planes we looked at has been split up.

-You're selling that separately?

-The rarer ones they thought should be a separate lot.

-That's their advice.

-They obviously know the customers they've got.

-That's right. I understand that.

-You won't miss the tools?

-No, no, no. 'Fraid not.

-Shall we go and make some money from them?

-Please!

'As the auction gets underway, first up is that rather demure lady

'in a crinoline dress and bonnet.

'Dating from around 1930, she's not just a pretty face.

'She's also a cigarette lighter.'

-Where did she come from?

-Well, a friend of mine gave it to me some time ago now.

-It's been sat in the fireplace for some long time.

-It was years before we realised what it was!

-Oh, really?

-You never used it?

-I just thought there was a hinge!

-It's true, yeah.

Well, I put an estimate of £30-£50 on it,

which I think might be a little bit steep. So if we don't get there, don't be too disappointed.

20 to start? £20 anywhere? £20.

£20 is bid. 22. 25. 28.

30.

£30, gentleman in the corner. 32 anywhere else?

Good-looking lot there. £30 is bid. 2?

In the corner, selling at £30. All finished at 30?

-£30.

-I think that's very good.

-Yeah, very good. Very pleased.

I think we set the room alight.

-I wonder if whoever's bought it knows what it's for!

-This is true.

'They'll figure it out eventually. Not a bad start to today's auction.

'But will we need the luck of the Irish with this next lot?

'The genuine Carltonware Guinness tea set.'

In terms of brand name, you can't get much more collectable.

-Where was this from?

-From my mother's cabinet.

I've only ever seen it in there until we cleared it out.

-That's probably why it's in such good condition.

-Good lot there.

Who'll start me at £30?

Guinness tea set for £30.

-For 20, then. £20 anywhere?

-Oh, dear!

-Who wants it at 20?

10? 10 is bid. £10 is bid. Take 12 now.

£10 is bid. I'll take 12.

10. 12. 15.

18. 20.

22. £22. Are we all done at 22?

All finished at £22. All done.

-That's quite disappointing.

-Win some, lose some.

'I'm glad to see Ian is keeping positive.

'It doesn't matter how good your pieces are if the right bidder isn't in the room.

'Let's hope someone has their eye

'on those novelty lighters.'

A quantity of cigarette lighters and cigarette cases.

Who'll start me at £30?

£30 to start. Any interest at £30?

20, then? No interest at £20? Anybody want them? £20?

No? No interest at all?

I'll pass on this lot if I don't get a bid.

-Not sold.

-Unsold.

-Unsold.

-So all those cigarette lighters go home with you.

-I'm afraid so.

-Is that all right?

'Oh, dear. Two unsolds in a row is slightly concerning.

'We still have to make another £370 to reach our target.

'Surely that late-Victorian silver bowl will make an impact.'

Now it's from 1900, London hallmarked.

And very nicely hallmarked. That makes a difference.

It's clean, it's crisp, the hallmarks are right in front of you,

which is perfect. And the silver market couldn't be more buoyant.

Right now, a great time to sell.

Start me at £90.

£90 is bid. I'll take 100. £90 is bid.

Do I see 100 for the bowl?

£90. Do I see 100? Are we all done and finished? At £90, I'm going to sell.

No?

-£90.

-That's disappointing.

-That's very disappointing.

-There were no bidders in the room. Somebody must have left a commission bid.

-Yes.

That's left by people who have viewed the sale and left a price.

So there was only that one bidder and you need two bidders to get further.

'£10 short of our asking price is another underwhelming result.

'With time moving on, will that grand Victorian clock impress

'or just wind up going home?'

-I've got £40-£60 on it. Ready to see it go?

-I'll be disappointed, but it's got to go.

OK.

Let's start away at £25.

£25 I'm bid. I'll take 30 now. 30.

5. 40. 5.

£45. Takes it... 50.

5.

60. £60 is bid. At 60.

We're going to sell at £60. All done and finished at £60?

-That's quite a nice result.

-Yes, I'm quite pleased about that!

-Are you?

-I can accept 60.

-Good.

'It might not be to everybody's taste, but at least the clock made its upper estimate.

'Now at almost 200 years old, that inlaid mahogany work box is probably our oldest piece.'

-I thought it was a tea caddy.

-Right.

-You thought it was a jewellery box.

-And I said a work box.

-Well, it could be a universal box, I think.

-Yes, universal. Yeah.

A good-looking work box for £30. £30 I'm bid. I'll take 5.

Who wants 5? 35?

40. 5. 50. A good quality box. £50 is bid.

- 5 anywhere else now? I'm selling at £50. - I never expected that.

A good-looking item for £50. All done at 50?

-Excellent! I'm really pleased about that.

-Yeah?

-Very pleased.

The trouble with that is we'd got it on the side at home.

-And we liked it.

-We did.

But you'll like the money you've made better.

-So far we've banked £230.

-That's very good, actually, with two unsold. Excellent.

-Happy with that?

-Very pleased.

-OK, we've got a bit of a break

before the Dukes of Hazzard and the Pedigree dog, so follow me.

'I just hope we can keep the bidders' interest in the second half with some of our other lots,

'including the early Victorian barometer and that assorted collection of tools in two lots.

'If you're thinking about buying or selling at auction,

'remember charges such as VAT and commission will be added to your bill, so do check first.'

The Shelley tea service. Remind us where it came from.

Well, that came out of the loft. Before my father died he was boxing up things

and I remember him taping a box up and we found it in our loft.

-This is not the Shelley Art Deco design. It's the floral design.

-That's right.

Let's see what happens.

Who'll start me off at £30?

£30? £20 for the Shelley?

£20 is bid. I'll take 2. 22.

25. 28.

-- 30. £30 is bid.

-Wow.

-- I'm surprised at that.

All finished at £30?

-£30. That's really good.

-Very pleased with that.

-Excellent.

'That's bang on Jonty's lowest estimate.

'I don't know if this was ever man's best friend,

'but I'm sure Bob the dog was a much-loved plaything when he was made 60 years ago.'

Tell me the story about him.

Bob, he was my brother's dog.

And he's...64.

And he's been up in my mum's loft since he grew out of him.

And so she said, "You're going to an auction, take it away."

So, yeah, he's pretty old, but a Pedigree.

-And you don't have to feed him.

-True.

-Only one careful owner.

That's right, yes.

-Here's Bob.

-There he is. £30 for it?

-20?

-That's cheap for a Pedigree dog! They're about £1,000 these days.

20 I'm bid. I'll take 2. I have £20 bid.

Anyone else? 22. 25.

-- Gentleman's bid at £25. - 25?

-25 he's selling for.

At £25.

-25.

-Very pleased with that.

-I'd be very pleased if I could get a pedigree dog for £25 as well!

-Yes, yes.

-So there you go. Bob's gone to a new home.

-Gone.

Bye-bye, Bob.

'Well, Frances and Ian don't seem too upset to see the back of Bob.

'I think £25 is a very reasonable price for a vintage toy Pedigree.

'Next up is that collection of tools spotted by Ian and Jonty when they were doing manly things in the shed

'and now in two separate lots.'

I have used them, but not often, so they can go.

-And there's a lot of other tools to go as well.

-As I recall, you had a good time going through these.

-We were there for quite some time.

-There's a whole shedload!

-They're worth a lot of money, Jonty.

-This is a big collection,

so we've got £80-£120 just for this lot.

Who'll start us away at £45?

At 45. I'll take 50.

At £45. For all the old planes there. At £45.

50 anywhere in the room now? At £45. All done?

50. 5. 60. 5.

70. 5. 80.

On my left here at £80. I'm selling at £80. No more?

-£80, all done.

-£80. Pleased with that?

-Right on estimate.

-I can't believe they found another man to sell them to!

'It just goes to show there's a buyer's market for everything.

'Vintage tools seem like a good bet.

'Time now for those two vintage racing sets,

'the Scalextric and the Dukes of Hazzard, which takes me back to my girl racer days.'

Now one of my favourite TV programmes. I used to love this!

The Dukes of Hazzard! Where's this from?

The children were interested in it.

-Was it ever played with?

-Oh, yes.

-They looked after it very well.

-Which is surprising, really!

-Yes.

Who'll start me at £10 for it?

£10 is bid.

I have £10 bid. 12 for the Scalextric? £10 bid. 12 where?

12. 15.

£15 is bid. 18 now? £15 is bid.

Do I see 18 anywhere else? Selling at £15. All finished?

At £15.

-Pleased with that?

-Quite happy.

-What did you pay for it?

-Not much.

-Not £15?

-Good Lord, no!

-OK.

-Then that's a bargain.

-I'm a bit disappointed for you. I put £30-£60 on it.

-You raised our expectations.

-Sorry about that!

'I think we can forgive Jonty this time. Even he can get it wrong.

'There's certainly a mixed bunch of bidders here today.

'Let's hope one of them likes this bound collection of children's magazines.'

Lot 100. Who'll start me? £20 for them?

Bound editions here. £20 for them.

-Any interest? 10?

-Oh, come on! £10?

-No-one wants to look and learn!

-£10 is bid. 12. £10 is bid. Do I see 12 anywhere?

Oh, no...

At 10.

-You got back what you paid for them!

-£10. Yes.

-I didn't want to take them home.

'That's a disappointing £30 under our lowest estimate,

'but at least they won't have to take them home again.'

-The next lot is the barometer. Where is this from?

-From Squirrel,

-an old lady I used to take care of.

-She had some lovely items.

-Yes, she was a lovely old lady.

-OK.

-So £70-£100.

-Let's hope so. It does need a bit of a clean,

but it's a lovely old shape. Stick barometers tend to be 18th century, but this is 19th century.

Lot 108. We're going to start away at £100. £100 is bid.

-Straight in.

-£100 straight in?

Really?

170. 180. 190. 200.

-200.

-I don't believe it.

-I can't believe that!

At 300.

We're selling at £300.

All done and finished at £300? All done?

-It was Squirrel's...

-Aww.

-That's good.

-Yes. It's lovely. Thank you, Squirrel.

-Why do you feel so emotional about it?

-She was a lovely old lady. She really was a sweetheart.

Bless her. I can't believe that. Can you believe that? I can't.

-£300.

-£300?!

-£300.

-I can't believe it.

-Honestly. You said...

-70.

-75?

'Auctions can be an emotional rollercoaster and today is no exception.

'We'll all raise a glass

'to the memory of Frances's late friend. I have a feeling that barometer's saved the day.

'The first set of vintage tools did well earlier.

'Fingers crossed that this final lot will get them a super, swanky TV.'

OK, now it's a Maples brass and ebonised brace. Bear with me.

A 24-inch steel joint plane, a Norris number 22 plane and two others.

-We know what we're talking about.

-Does that mean anything to you?

-Nothing!

-What does that mean?

All you need to be concerned about is that we get £100-£150 for these.

So we start Lot 116 at £120.

£120 is bid. 130. 140.

150. 160.

170. 180.

190.

At 190. Do I see 200 anywhere? At £190. 200 anywhere?

Selling at £190. All done at 190?

-£190!

-Yeah, well done, Ian.

-Goodness me.

-Oh, my word.

-You do know what you're talking about, don't you?

-Right.

'A great end to a varied and rather poignant day.

'The auction eventually picked up with a couple of healthy sales.

'How much have we managed to make?'

You wanted £300-£400, didn't you?

I have to say I think Squirrel, that lovely old lady, has done you proud.

-You've made...£880!

-Never! We've not done that?

-You have.

-Really?!

-Yes, I'm not making it up. I promise. 880.

-I didn't expect that. Did you?

-No way.

-It's more than double.

-Are you sure you're all right?

-Absolutely.

-You don't look happy.

No, I'm very happy!

'It's a few days after the auction and Frances and Ian are shopping for a brand-new TV

'after their old one blew up.'

It'll be so nice to actually turn it on and for it to work,

-without all the fizziness...

-And losing channels.

Yes. Oh, I can't wait.

-All right, so that's it.

-Thank you very much.

'Deal done, our couple can look forward to hours of happy viewing.'

-At long last we'll be able to actually watch Cash In The Attic on it.

-And see Lorne in HD!

And see Lorne, yes. And Jonty.

So we're looking forward to that.