Young Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic. Downsizing is a difficult job at the best of times.

You've got to decide what to keep, what's got to go, and of course,

you're leaving behind a house full of memories.

And for the lady we're going to meet today, she certainly has more memories than most.

'Coming up on Cash In The Attic,

'good vibrations for John's valuation of some military drums.'

That's amazing. I can't believe it.

'Our host makes some poignant discoveries, including some old notes left by her mum.'

"Always useful for a point of no return. Love you, Mum."

Well, I believe now is my point of no return because I have to move.

'On auction day, some old gold turns out to be a great investment.'

I don't know about rainy day, the sun's definitely shining.

'Find out if John's forecast is correct when the hammer falls.'

Well, today I'm in Middlesex and I've come to meet a lady

who's called in the Cash In The Attic team

to help her raise the funds she needs to turn her life around

and to reward a very special friend.

'Judy Young has decided to move out of the bungalow her mother Carol left her eight years ago.

'Both Carol and her husband Geoff, who was an auctioneer, were avid collectors.

'There are lots of their possessions still left in the house, which Judy is slowly sorting through.'

-And I've collected the various...

-'Her cousin Pauline will lend a helping hand today.

'Also joining us is John Cameron. He's keen to get started with his valuing.

'I can't wait to meet our host.'

-I shall be sorry to see it go.

-Ah, good morning!

-Hello.

-Hello, Lorne! Nice to see you!

-And you. This is fantastic. What a wonderful garden you've got.

Thank you. It's my pride and joy.

Well, actually, it was, before my time, my parents' pride and joy.

But I thoroughly enjoy being here.

-But I understand you're selling the bungalow now.

-I am, unfortunately.

Been in the family for 38 years.

But, sadly, I was made redundant seven months ago

and I've been unable to find another job and I can't pay my mortgage and bills.

-So, unfortunately, I have to sell.

-So, Pauline, what do you think of the house move?

Well, it's sad in some ways, cos I know Judy loves it,

but at the same time, I think it's a nice new chapter in her life.

A new start, to get on with things. I think it'll be good.

-You need to see these things as an opportunity, don't you?

-Yes.

-Where's the stuff come from, Judy?

-Most of, if not all, from my parents.

And in fact, I didn't know 90% of it existed

until I started clearing my loft about ten weeks ago.

I've read so many notes my mother has left which I didn't know about.

So it's been very fascinating.

-And have you any idea how much money you'd like to make?

-£2,000 would be very nice, thereabouts.

-And is that going towards the move?

-It is. It's to help with the moving costs, which are fairly steep.

And I'd also like to treat Pauline. We'd like to go to the theatre.

Right, so we need to raise £2,000, then. It sounds like you've got some very interesting items there.

-I'm sure John's found some of them already. Shall we go and meet him?

-Yes.

'Judy's parents moved into this bungalow in 1972. And each room contains memories of them both.'

So what have you found now, John?

Well, I certainly had no idea I was going to see a collection quite as remarkable as this.

-Is this your mum again, collecting phonecards?

-It is indeed.

She loved her phonecards.

She became an avid collector, as you can see.

And now I have a huge collection and I don't really know what to do with them.

So do you know how many there are altogether?

In excess of 700, certainly, here.

There are others that have been distributed around the family.

Strangely enough, last week I was in the loft and I came across an envelope.

And she says, "Dear Judith, I have rescued these special phonecards

"as they are all to do with your friend the hedgehog." So shall I open these and see what...

-You haven't opened that yet?

-No.

-If you're happy to.

Mum died eight years ago and I've just come across it,

as I'm coming across lots of what you're seeing today that I didn't know about.

-Yes.

-They're lovely!

Yeah, she knew I'd like those.

-They are fascinating.

-Are you going to keep these separate from everything else?

-I would definitely not part with those. They're special.

-Don't mix them up with the others.

I'll keep those with Diana.

And I've also got Status Quo and George Michael and Prince,

and I do love pop music.

But the rest can go.

John, what do you make of all of this?

Phonecards themselves are quite iconic and they really are a phenomenon of the 1980s.

They were developed earlier than that but they really reached their peak in the '80s and '90s.

So the onset of mobile phones, whilst it put an end to phonecards,

-it hasn't made a difference to people collecting them?

-Not at all.

Much like cigarette cards, although smoking is on the decline, there are still people collecting them.

But you've said you want to take some out of the collection.

-Yeah.

-So we need to establish that.

But even at 10p a card,

you're looking at £70 to £100 there.

But I haven't seen a collection

so extensive or in mint condition.

'Well, that's a pretty good figure for us to start off with.

'But we're still a long way off that huge target.

'I sense a big search is about to get underway.

'Carol's life revolved around the house and the garden.

'But being an auctioneer, Judy's dad Geoff

'had a pretty good idea what would make a good investment.

'He must have bought these five

'full sovereigns and two half ones

'with the future in mind.

'Judy didn't know anything about them until recently,

'but being solid gold, they get a whopping £750 to £1,000 estimate.

'Pauline's search has paid off, too.'

John, I found these in the bedroom.

I don't think Judy would have a problem getting rid of these.

Let's sit down and have a look then, Pauline.

We've got a couple of carriage clocks.

-This has got a carriage clock in, I assume?

-Yes, it has.

You think Judy would be happy to sell these.

What's the story behind them?

One of them came from our grandfather

and the other from a great uncle.

So they've got quite a bit of history.

Yes, they go back a long way.

Well, very much a Victorian item,

developed in France at the beginning of the 19th century

by, it's believed, Abraham Louis Breguet.

The lovely thing about these two is the case of this one here,

which would've been original.

It came like that.

They were carriage clocks, they were meant to be transported.

And this little case here

would protect the actual clock on the inside.

We can see that the clock fits snugly right inside there.

They always have these velvet linings and this leather case

on the outside.

But what this enabled you to do, if you were travelling on a steam train or on a ship,

you could set your clock up,

take out this little panel in the front and then close it back up,

which enabled you to view the time, but also protected the clock.

If it fell off the side, it would have a degree of protection there, which is quite nice.

These, because they're made of leather and they're not as durable as the brass carriage clock cases,

they tend to get worn and perish and get thrown away.

So it's nice to see that you've got one here.

-Any idea what they're worth?

-I wouldn't have a clue, no.

Well, certainly two clocks like this, together with the case,

I'd be expecting about £150 to £200.

An auction house might split them up

but I think this one with its original case about £100,

and around about £50 for this one.

-Excellent. Judy will be pleased.

-Well, we're here to please her.

'Pauline knows the house so well,

'she goes straight for a collection of paperweights in the hall,

'which Judy's dad collected.

'Wherever he travelled for work, he'd always bring one back.

'There are about a dozen here.

'Some of them are by Whitefriars,

'who produced some of the best quality glass in Britain.

'John values the lot at £120 to £200.

'Going by John's lowest estimates so far,

'we stand to make £1,090 when we go to auction.

'Now that's not at all bad.

'So I think we can afford to take a little fresh air.'

Now, tell me how involved you've been with this house over time.

Very involved. My parents moved here two days after my wedding.

And the whole family have been here. It's been a big part of our lives.

All the grandchildren, it's the first place they came to after they were born.

We had every family event here, birthday, Christmas, and it's been a brilliant, brilliant home.

Tell me a little bit about the family history. You've had a lot to deal with, haven't you?

The early 1980s were particularly difficult for my parents because

both my sisters were diagnosed with terminal diseases,

and my husband had left me.

So it was a really hard time for them.

And I think, really, they were the ones who had to suffer the most, really.

And I found myself in 2002 the sole survivor of my family.

And my mother's dying wish was for me to live here,

which I have done for eight years and I've had the most wonderful time here.

It sounds to me like you've dealt with more in your lifetime than three people's lifetimes.

So how have you managed to get through that?

Well, I am actually a really positive person. I don't really let things get to me.

And I do feel that, although it has been really tough, I'm very, very lucky because I have my health,

I have three super children.

I have four wonderful grandchildren.

And I thank God that I have good health, and I have my family around me.

So, how do you feel now about this change?

One door closes, another door opens. I've just had a lot of doors closing, I think.

I'm just looking forward to the future.

'Judy's optimistic outlook and courage is an inspiration,

'and I'm determined to help her make the £2,000 target today.

'The next good find is a boxed, limited edition paperweight,

'another from Geoff's collection.

'It's made by the French fine crystal company Baccarat

'and was a Christmas present from Carol.

'It has a hefty valuation of £150 to £250.'

-Would you like to come through and see what I have out here?

-Look at those!

-Ah, boys' toys.

Now, see what you make of those then, John.

Because they were a huge surprise to me when I found them in the loft.

They were tucked in as far as I could go into the eaves of the loft.

I didn't know what they were, I had no idea.

I brought two of the small ones down, cleaned them up,

realised these were brass drums,

went back in the loft last week and brought down these wooden drums, military drums.

My great uncle founded the East Berkshire Boys' Brigade in 1952.

-Right.

-And these drums were presented to him

for use of the Boys' Brigade.

And they have a date on them of 1916.

I think they sound absolutely lovely. Do you want to try?

DRUMS BOOM

-Isn't that lovely?

-They are wonderful.

-You don't need a drumstick.

-No, no.

Fantastic. They are a collectable.

Militaria collectors love this sort of thing.

They collect them for the regiments they're attached to.

One has the Royal Hibernian Military School.

This one is the Royal Irish Regiment

which, fantastically,

around the crest

has a list of all the different battles

they've been in over the years.

And collectors are looking for

interesting things about regiments that are no longer around.

Many of them were amalgamated and ceased to exist after the First World War.

So that is where your collectors

will really get their interest - the history around them.

-Are you happy for these to be sold?

-I am, because I have no room for them.

-So, valuation?

-I have no hesitation putting a loose estimate

of £200 to £400 on them.

Never. That's amazing.

I can't believe it.

'How close to the mark will John's estimate prove to be?'

210. 220. 230.

240. 250. 260. 270.

'They're sure to march out in style. This could be exciting.'

340. 350. 360...

'Our host continues to search high and low around the bungalow, a family home for almost 40 years.

'In the spare room, John has come across this very collectable Corgi model of a Morris Mini Minor.

'It belonged to Judy's brother, Tim.

'It's in mint condition, complete with its original box.

'John reckons it could easily make between £20 and £50 at auction.'

John, I wonder what you might think of this.

I was just admiring your collection of royal commemorative mugs.

There's more in the loft but I couldn't fit them on the shelf.

So they're still up there.

You've got quite a few there. So what's this?

This was purchased by my father,

many years ago, and I have had it on display

but as it gets tarnished, I decided to put it away.

If you don't clean silver, it does tarnish.

But for me, the best bit

is this wonderful scene on the front from the Pickwick Papers.

Probably the original plates.

We can see the artist's name there, Phiz, who was Halbot Browne.

Phiz was his pseudonym.

The actual Pickwick Papers were the first in the series of Dickens' novels.

Published in 1836, 37, something like that,

-and they were issued weekly, as little paper magazines.

-Right.

So the very first editions that were ever seen were issued in weeklies

and then bound up.

It was only later that,

due to his success, they were then issued as books

-and reproduced timelessly, over and over again.

-OK.

Let's look at the plate. We can see it is silver, nice and heavy, too.

And we've got its hallmark there.

Certainly something we can sell.

You have the original box and the certificate of Roberts and Dore.

-Good firm of silversmiths from Hatton Garden.

-Mm-hm.

So nice quality thing.

Today, I think we'd be looking around a couple of hundred for it.

I'd probably estimate about £180 to £220, something like that.

-Would that be OK?

-Yeah, excellent.

-So you don't have any more?

-No. Thank you, Dad.

'Judy's dad Geoff collected lots of lovely things.

'For instance, these porcelain figures I noticed in the lounge.

'Six of them are Royal Doulton and one is Royal Worcester.

'They were gifts from Judy's mum Carol, who really loved them.

'They're all pre-1987

'and get an estimate for the saleroom

'of £150 to £200.

'There's just two days difference in age between Judy and her cousin Pauline

'and I wonder if they've always been good friends.'

So were you brought up together?

We were, actually. We both lived in the same area.

In fact, when I was a year, just over a year, I went to live with Pauline and her mum,

cos my mother was in hospital having my sister, having a bad time and I needed to be looked after.

-Right.

-So we became twin girls, really. For three months.

-We shared a cot and a pram.

We used to sit in the pram together.

-Share baths?

-Yeah, and toys. THEY LAUGH

I wondered how you remained so close because not everyone growing up

with a friend or family member stays that close to them, do they?

I think our lives have mirrored each other in a way, because we're both divorced,

which is a bit unfortunate, so we have that in common.

And we're both on our own. And we just get on, don't we?

We are very similar, aren't we?

-We are.

-Maybe that's not good.

-THEY LAUGH

So Pauline, I know you're cousins, but how exactly? What's the family connection?

My father was the brother of Judy's mum.

They were both avid collectors.

That's where we are different. I throw things away.

So tell me a little bit about this evening out up to London.

-I'm a theatre buff. I love the musicals.

-I love them but I haven't had a great deal of chance, really.

-We went to see Hairspray a few months ago.

-Mm-hm.

And Pauline liked that.

And I think Pauline would really enjoy going up there and seeing a show.

She can choose because I wouldn't know what to choose.

-How do you feel about the move now?

-I've come to terms with it now.

And I think what has helped, strangely, is clearing out the loft.

It's been very therapeutic doing that.

Actually, I do feel better and I am ready to move on.

'Well, this decluttering exercise is certainly going to help.

'But there are a few things here that are too precious to part with.

'Judy has found something in a cupboard though,

'and she needs an expert opinion.'

-Hi, John. I've found a couple of these.

-Ah, you said you had some more silverware.

Yeah, I have. In fact, these are two of seven that I have, all different.

-But all a similar sort of theme.

-Where do they come from?

These were part of my father's collection, and before my mother died

she told me there was a treasure-trove, in her words,

in the loft, in a suitcase that Dad had put away,

which contained seven of these similar commemorative plates,

plus lots of other goodies.

And that was Dad's treasure.

They certainly look in very good condition.

I'm guessing they're all a variation on this theme,

with this, what we refer to as an Armada dish,

with a crown set in the middle?

-Absolutely, yes, they are.

-OK. Well, these were very common in the 1970s.

They tend to issue them around a commemorative date,

such as the centenary of Winston Churchill's birth, Charles and Di's wedding, things like that.

This one here is reversible.

We've got the Churchill crown. We can see it both sides.

This one here is for the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

Although a lot of people bought these as investments,

I don't think, in the long term, they've proved great investments.

You tend to find these days they're worth little more than their weight in silver, their bullion weight.

-Mm-hm.

-You say you've got eight in total?

-Seven.

-Seven in total.

I think you'll be looking at

around a couple of hundred pounds for those in total.

And estimate-wise, I'd probably say £180 to £220, something like that.

-Excellent.

-Would that be all right?

Yeah, thank you.

'The exploration of Judy's house has proved really productive, and fascinating, too.

'And we're all having one last thorough search of the lounge again before we pack up for the day.'

-That's interesting, isn't it?

-Have you found something?

-Yes, I have.

This is something quite special. I've just taken it out of my safe.

This was actually given to me by my mother before she died.

And I am quite attached to them because of the sentiment involved.

In fact, there's a couple of notes that Mum has written to me about them.

This note, that I didn't know about,

she obviously put in just before she died.

"Judith, I'd like you to have this gift for being such a help to me.

"I love you, Mum."

So that was very nice. But this note I did know about and she's put,

"I bought these for Father about 1980.

"These cost from the Royal Mint £1,000. So they're very valuable.

"Always useful for a point of no return. Love you, Mum."

Well, I believe now is my point of no return because I have to move.

Well, I think, about the point of no return, it's a good time to sell them,

most definitely, because they are a collector's set

of four solid gold coins.

A really nice set, too. 1982.

They're in absolute mint condition,

because they all come in these handy plastic containers,

which prevent you from handling them.

What gold are we talking about here, though? Is it nine carat?

They're 22 carat fine gold.

So that's pretty good. And each one has a wonderful portrait bust there,

of Her Majesty the Queen.

Look at the detail. Isn't it fantastic?

And then on the obverse side here,

we've got the very iconic portrait here of St George on horseback,

slaying the dragon.

That was designed by Benedetto Pistrucci in around 1812, 1813, something like that.

We have the £5 piece, the £2 there,

the full sovereign and the half sovereign here at the end.

For this collection today, well,

I guarantee they wouldn't sell for less than £1,000.

My estimate would be £1,000 to £1,500.

I'd be surprised if they weren't pushing that upper estimate.

-So how do you feel about selling them?

-I'm happy with that valuation.

Had they been less than Mum would have paid,

I might have felt a bit more guilty about it.

But I will let them go quite happily.

-At the start of the day, can you remember how much you wanted to raise?

-Looking hopefully to £2,000.

-OK. And that's towards the move and also for the show.

-Take Pauline out.

I think you can have quite a blow-out in London, actually,

because the value of everything going to auction comes to £2,970!

-No! Does it really?

-Yes.

That's amazing, isn't it? Well, thank you, Mum and Dad.

Yes. And particularly all her handy notes, which have certainly guided us on our way.

-They are priceless.

-Yes.

'What a fantastic result for Judy. I'm so pleased and have high hopes for all her items in the saleroom.

'There's those amazing military drums,

'which came from her uncle, who founded a Boys' Brigade.

'They should make some noise with the bidders at £200 to £400.

'This boxed Corgi Morris Mini Minor is in mint condition.

'At just £20 to £50, I'm sure there'll be a collector

'in the saleroom who'll want to snap it up.

'And mum Carol's huge collection of phonecards.

'Judy wants to keep hold of a few,

'but John reckons they could easily make £70 to £100 on the day.

'Still to come on Cash In The Attic, we're on hand with health and safety advice.'

-Breathe deeply through your nose.

-680. 700...

'And does our luck depend on something Judy has asked the auctioneer to use?'

-It's Dad's gavel.

-It's Dad's lucky gavel?

-I think you could be right there.

'Find out if it does bring us good luck when it finally falls.'

Now, Judy had a lot of items that we had to look at on rummage day

and most of them had a very strong sentimental connection, being purchased by her mum or dad,

who also left her the bungalow.

Now, times have changed quite dramatically for her

and she found herself in a position of having to sell these items and also the family bungalow.

But we were there to help and we found lots of lovely items.

We had a great day and brought everything here to Chiswick Auction Rooms in West London.

She wants to raise £2,000 towards her house move

and also to treat her friend to a great night out in the West End.

So let's just hope that today, when the items go under the hammer, the buyers are ready to spend.

'This auction house holds general sales once a week every Tuesday.

'As John and I go in search of Judy and Pauline,

'I can see today's auctioneer Tom is already getting into position.

'Now then, about that gavel...'

It was my father's. He was an auctioneer

and this used to take pride of place in his office on a stand.

So I thought today it would be quite nice if I could ask Tom if he would use it in the auction.

-It might bring luck.

-Tom might like that.

Although, auctioneers can be a bit sensitive about their gavels.

I think, in these circumstances, he'd be happy to use it.

I've had a look around to try and familiarise myself with your items

but I've noticed one lot I can't see.

-The phonecards.

-No. The valuation didn't reflect the passion

and dedication my mother put into collecting

and so I've decided to leave them and the family can have them.

But everything else is here?

-Yes.

-Are there any items you're apprehensive about selling?

The drums. I've bonded with them in a strange way.

I think it's because I now know the history of them

and they remind me of childhood and they're fascinating.

Pauline, have you ever been to an auction before?

No. This is my first time, so I don't know what to expect but I'm really looking forward to it.

How do you think Judy's going to stand up to today?

-Cos a lot of them are sentimental items.

-Yes. I think there could be a bit of emotion,

but I think she'll keep going and she'll be fine.

I'm hoping the emotion is for all the right reasons, in other words we made lots of money.

-Otherwise we'll be crying, too. Shall we get in position and sell some items?

-Yep.

-Follow me this way.

-Right, thank you.

'If you'd like to try buying or selling at auction, bear in mind that there are charges to be paid,

'including commission. They vary from one saleroom to another,

'so it's always worth enquiring well in advance.'

Right, now, our first lot is the boxed Corgi die-cast model

of a Morris Minor in purple,

which is why John is in purple today, to complement our lots.

Remind me where this is from.

This is from a box in the attic marked "Tim's Toys,"

who is my brother born in 1963,

and it was all his little toy cars.

I think my mother must have put it in there for safekeeping.

Miss Young has asked me to use this gavel in memory of her father, an auctioneer.

Nice rosewood one. Hope we can bring her a bit of luck. Lot number 208.

£20 for it. Thank you, bid at 20. At 20. 22?

-Come on.

-£20. 22 there. 25? 25.

-28. 30. 32.

-Yes, that's what I like to see.

40. 42. 45. At £42 now.

I'll take 45. £42, are we done? At £42. 42 and going.

-£42.

-Lovely.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, lovely.

'That's a great result for our first lot.

'I hope Geoff's gavel continues to bring us luck.

'Let's see what happens now with the collection of paperweights.'

Was it your mum who collected all of these?

No, my father. He enjoyed collecting them. Each time they went to Scotland, he bought one.

That would make perfect sense, because we've got names like Caithness and Strathearn,

very Scottish.

A nice collection. Some big names in there. Webbs, Whitefriars.

I've put the 14 together at £120 to £200,

which is a reasonable estimate.

Should get some bidding going.

-Are they to your taste?

-Yes, I love them. Very nice indeed.

£100 start me.

£80 for them. Thank you, £80. 85 there. 90.

5. 100. 110. 120.

130. 140.

150. 160. 170.

-Bid's in front of me at 160. You out?

-170.

At 160, selling. All done? At 160, then. Finished at 160 and gone.

170, new bidder. 180. 180. 190?

180, your bid. In the chair at 180. Last shot, at 180 and going.

-All finished? 180.

-Wow! Excellent!

'The gavel is still working well for us

'and I can't help wondering if the winning bidder has bought these

'to add to an existing collection.

'The two carriage clocks are up next.

'They belonged to Judy's step-grandfather and great-uncle.'

-What have we got on this?

-We've put them together. The auctioneers haven't split them.

We've got £150 to £200.

I've rated the one with its original case as the better

at £100 to £150 and the other one as £50 to £100.

So they just put those estimates together as one lot.

-Are you happy with that price?

-Yes, fine, thank you.

We'll be happy if we make it, of course. Hopefully a bit extra.

£100. £80.

£80. £80. 85. 90.

95. 100. 110. 120.

130. 120 bid. At 120. At 120. 130.

140. New bidder at 130 there.

140. At 130. Are we done for 130? Last chance. Going. All done?

-Bid's there. 130.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Well...

-130. Little bit less.

I'm slightly disappointed

because I know carriage clocks aren't as fashionable as they once were,

but they were nice examples, good condition and original case.

Goes to show that people aren't putting them on display.

'I don't think they did too badly, though,

'so we shouldn't be too downhearted.

'Now it's the turn of the porcelain figures,

'something Judy's dad collected for her mum.

'Most of them are Royal Doulton and one is Royal Worcester.'

-Judy, you've retained one or two, haven't you?

-I have.

From the original collection, I decided to keep three.

But the rest I'm happy to part with.

We've still got the same estimate on them

so hopefully you taking those out

won't have done too much damage.

Hopefully we'll get the 150.

£100. £80 to go.

£80 in two places. 85. 90.

95. 100. 110. 120.

130. 140.

130. Bid at 130. 140. At 130. Take 140. At 130, are we done?

-Hard times, I'm going to sell at 130. At 130.

-GAVEL BANGS

-130.

-Not bad seeing as you took three out, I think.

Only £20 under our lower estimate.

-They didn't even know.

-I don't think they noticed.

'It just goes to show that these graceful

'and pretty porcelain figurines are still popular.

'Maybe they'll be off to join an existing collection.

'The silver commemorative plates are coming up next

'with examples from the Queen's Silver Jubilee,

'Princess Anne's wedding

'and Prince Charles's marriage to Lady Diana Spencer.

'Judy told John she had seven,

'but she's managed to find

'another one to add to the set.

'The estimate stays the same,

'though, at £180 to £220.'

I don't know the origins because I just found them in a treasure-trove,

described by my mother, after her death, in a suitcase in the loft.

I had no idea they existed before then.

£100. Thank you. Bid £100. I'll take 110. At £100.

110 I'm bid. 110. 120. 120.

130. 140. 150. 160.

170. 180. 190. 200. 210.

-LORNE GASPS

-220. 230. 240.

230 bid. At 230. Take 240. At 230.

At 230. The bid's here at 230. Are we done?

-Last chance, 230. Going at 230. All out.

-GAVEL BANGS

-£230! That's good, isn't it?

-Excellent.

'That's a great return on her dad's investment after all these years.'

-Right, you must be pleased with that silver result.

-Very.

Actually, I think it's been very strong this morning.

-It has.

-Any disappointments?

No, none at all. It's all been very good. Excellent.

-What did you think of it all, Pauline?

-Brilliant.

And we've still got some lovely lots coming up this afternoon.

The drums, a lot of gold.

Gold is doing very well. And that beautiful Baccarat paperweight.

If we can't make money with that selection, I don't think we've got a chance anywhere!

But the good news so far is, the pressure's slightly off us,

because so far we've banked £712!

-Wow!

-Well done.

That's excellent.

-So you can really enjoy it this afternoon.

-Thank you.

And, better still, we've got a bit of a break now, so shall we?

-You got something you wanted to look at, John?

-You've got a break. I'm looking at something a bit special.

Let him do the work. Come on.

'While we take a break, John's keen to check out

'the best buys in the saleroom.

'Maybe something here will make a great investment, too.

'How about this clock ensemble?'

There's this wonderful little dual

aneroid barometer and carriage clock

in this beautiful brass case

with some wonderful cloisonne work to the front.

And in the top, you also have the benefit of this compass,

so when you're below deck in your cabin,

you can tell the time, see how the weather will fare

and tell what direction you're sailing in.

I think this could be a real bargain today.

The estimate on this piece is £200 to £300.

I think if you can buy it within that estimate,

the weather will certainly be sunny all day.

'Clearly there was no-one in the room who wanted a carriage clock

'with built-in compass and cloisonne decoration.

'Have people got no taste?

'Overly customised carriage clocks may not be to the bidders' liking,

'but we do know that they have a taste for paperweights.

'The collection earlier sold for just under the top of the estimate

'so we have high hopes for the next one,

'a boxed limited-edition Baccarat paperweight,

'which has a serpent in the glass.

'It's up for £150 to £250.'

I absolutely love this piece. I think it is stunning.

Firstly, it's one of the best glassmakers, Baccarat.

Rivalled only really by Lalique.

And, of course, it's a serpent paperweight.

Limited edition of 300, so we know that there's a finite amount produced.

How did you get hold of this?

My mother bought it for my father as a special present

because she knew he loved his paperweights and this is a particularly special one.

-You said you liked the paperweights. Is this one of your favourites?

-Yeah, I think that one is, probably.

-There's just something about it that says it's good quality.

-It's very unusual.

£100 for it. Thank you. I'm bid £100.

£100. Take 110 for it. £100. Take 110.

110 there. Do you want 120?

130. 140.

150. At 140. 140, all done?

At 140. Going to go out the door at 140...

140.

140. That's a bit of a disappointment, actually.

-Yeah. A snake in the grass somewhere.

-Yes.

Never mind. We've still got the gold to come.

'Yes, must be positive. After all,

'it was only slightly under the lower estimate.

'We're back to some silver now. It's the Pickwick Papers Christmas plate

'which has an estimate of £180 to £220.

'It's made by a renowned silver maker, Roberts & Dore,

'so let's hope that impresses the silver buyers, who are clearly out in force today.'

£100 for it. £100 for it.

A bid at £100. In front of me at £100. I'll take 110. 110. 120. 130.

140. 150. 160.

170. 180. 190. 200.

190. Bid at 190. Take 2 now. 190. Give me 2 for it.

At 190. Done at 190? All out at 190?

At 190. 200 in. 210.

220. At £210. Seated at £210. Take 220. At 210, selling. All done? 210.

-£210.

-Happy with that?

-Yeah, that's good. Good old Mr Pickwick.

'I wonder if its new owner is a Charles Dickens fan

'or whether they'll just melt it down for scrap.

'Next the early-20th century military drums

'which have impressed us all so much.

'They were given to Judy's uncle who ran a Boys' Brigade.

'Five of them come from the now-disbanded

'3rd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment,

'which makes them highly collectable.'

You want £200 to £400 cos you don't want to take them home.

I don't want to take them home, but I want to get at least what they're worth.

Start me at £200. They'll make more. £200. Thank you.

£200 there. 210. 220.

230. 240. 250. 260. 270.

280. 290. 300. 310. 320.

330. 340. 350. 360. 370.

380. 390. 400.

420. 440. 460. 480. 500.

480. 480. Will take 5 now. 500, new bidder.

520. 540. 560. 580. 600.

Breathe deeply through your nose. We haven't even stopped yet.

750. 780.

-750.

-I love those drums.

At 750.

750 for the drums. Are we done at 750? Last chance for a bid.

At 750. Last chance.

£750!

Can you believe it?

APPLAUSE

Are you pleased?

'Judy is understandably completely overwhelmed.

'What an absolutely incredible result there.'

Sad to see them going away, but really pleased that somebody wanted them that much.

'And Judy has just about recovered from that excitement when it's her last two lots,

'which should also do well because they're both gold.'

Our next lot is the five gold sovereigns.

Oh, no! This is another one I'll probably get very upset about.

My father always felt that life would be safe

if he had a few sovereigns put by.

I don't think we'll have too much to worry about with these. Pretty safe.

£700. Start the bid at £700. 750.

800. And 50. 900.

And 50. £1,000. 950, then.

950. Take 1,000. At 950.

Give me 1,000. At 950. 1,000.

Bid at 1,000. And 50.

£1,000. £1,000. Take 50. £1,000.

50 or not? At £1,000. And 50. 1,100.

Whoa!

Bid's there at £1,050. Take 11 now. £1,050. Are we all done?

At £1,050. We done? Last chance and going. All out?

They were put by for a rainy day, and this is my rainy day.

OK. Well, it's a good amount.

I don't think you could get a better time to sell.

-I don't know about rainy day. The sun's definitely shining.

-It's Dad's gavel!

-It's Dad's lucky gavel.

-You could be right.

-I'm absolutely sure.

-Definitely.

'Well, whatever it is, let's hope it stays with us for the final lot,

'the 1982 boxed Royal Mint coins.'

Now, tell me what your mother had to say about this.

When my mother died, she left them to me and there was a note inside

saying that she hoped that I would keep them safely

but to feel free to sell them if I reached a point of no return.

And I have reached that point of no return,

so I think it's nice that somebody who can appreciate the collection hopefully will buy them.

The great thing about these is that they are in absolute mint condition.

They've been in those plastic cases,

so a coin collector can really study the detail

in the George and Dragon and the Queen's portrait,

so I think they're superb.

If you had a close look, you'd really see the detail.

A fantastic set.

£800 for this, see how it goes.

£800 in about five places. £800.

850. 900. And 50. £1,000.

-And 50.

-We're over the reserve.

And 50. 1,200.

1,250. 1,300.

1,250 bid. 1,300 there.

1,350. 1,400.

At 1,350. Do you want 1,380?

At 1,350. 1,380 over there?

1,380, new bidder. 1,400. 1,420.

1,420. 1,450.

At 1,420. Are we done? Your last chance at 1,420. Going...

£1,420!

That's stunning. Really stunning.

-You must be pleased with that.

-I'm thrilled.

I think Mum would be quite happy.

I think your mum would be delighted, wouldn't she?

Your parents just bought at the right time,

and now is the right time to sell,

no matter what the circumstances are.

We're never going to have a time like this again when you're able to make so much money

on gold and silver items.

-And that's what they were bought for, as an investment.

-Exactly.

And it worked. I mean, we're talking 28 years ago, and it worked.

'It certainly did, Judy.

'And I think the day has been one

'we'll all remember for a very long time.'

I'm not a superstitious kind of person, but I'm going to ask you this.

What role did you think your dad's gavel may have played in our success today?

When I took it out of the loft in its box, I just thought, "I'd like to use that just to tie it all up,"

because they were Dad's investments, and I think it brought me great luck.

I shall treasure that for the rest of my life.

Can you remember how much you were looking to raise?

I optimistically said £2,000.

Well, we've done quite a lot better than that.

-You've actually banked £4,282!

-No!

No! No!

-£4,282.

-That's a good afternoon's work, isn't it?

-And you get to keep your telephone card collection, as well.

-Oh, yes!

-Does that make you feel a bit more optimistic about the future?

-I'm really excited about my move.

I know it's the right thing and Mum and Dad will be with me wherever I am.

And so will the gavel, cos I promise you'll get it back.

'A few weeks later, Judy is in London's West End to celebrate her success.'

Today I changed contracts on my new apartment, which I'm excited about.

And I'm going to purchase new furniture, which is a real treat.

And obviously the treat for this evening, coming to see Les Miserables for the 12th time.

I've brought my cousin Pauline, who has never seen it before, so it's a real treat for her.

'And after the show, Judy and Pauline had an extra treat

'when they met two of the stars.

'So, did they enjoy the show?'

Today's performance was wonderful. Just as wonderful as all the other times.

I think every time I see it, I just realise that I need to come back again and again.

Absolutely brilliant. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to coming back more than once!