Halfpenny Cash in the Attic

Hello, and welcome to Cash In The Attic,

the programme that really loves to join you in a hunt through

your home for antiques, collectibles, hidden valuables

so that you can sell them at auction to raise money

for something really rather special.

Today's story starts with a family loss

but ends, hopefully, with a gift for a new generation.

Coming up on Cash In the Attic, expert John is caught red-handed handling Mum's favourite pottery.

She was always afraid that if anybody came to the house they would take her Wedgwood.

So should I not be looking at this?

-No, absolutely, it's fine.

-You bad girl!

There's nothing like a bit of sparkle.

I have found the most amazing bit of bling.

Look how it glints in the sun, take a look at that.

While at auction...

£50. Thank you.

You wouldn't have got that for one of the plastic ones from down the chemist!

To find out what I'm talking about keep watching till the hammer falls.

Today I'm in an ancient village to the South of London

and about to meet Louise and Lindsay

who are raising money for a very special person indeed.

Louise Halfpenny called us in to help raise money for

sister Lindsay's soon expected baby,

but she'd originally wanted to raise money to buy a mobility vehicle for her disabled mum, Jean.

Sadly, she died before she could appear on the show.

Roses round the door.

Louise has bravely decided to go ahead with the programme, seeing the money as a gift

from her dead mother to the grandchild she would never see, and sister Lindsay is helping out.

-Louise and Lindsay, hello.

-Hello.

-This is John Cameron, who is going to be your expert for the day,

so go on, whet his appetite, tell him the sort of things he's going to be able to look at.

Lots of things from my mum's collection, but unfortunately

we can't keep them anymore because we're trying to sell the house.

So it's time for them to go.

-Better get on, then.

-We'll see you later, John.

-OK.

Selling the house, moving on,

John is going to see what he can take to auction

but what sort of things did your mum like to collect?

Her favourite collection was her green Wedgwood

and she also like furniture and jewellery

and all sorts of things that have been hidden away since 1961, really.

Lindsay, how do you feel about them now going out of the family?

Sad, but neither of us have got anywhere big enough to put it all

and, in collecting the Wedgwood,

the pleasure was always in finding it for my mum, seeing her open it.

It doesn't really mean anything to us without her here.

So it's got to go.

Why do you need the money? What are you going to do with it?

Initially we wanted to spend it on a disabled taxi to be able to take my mum out on day trips

but unfortunately she is no longer with us,

so what better than on the new arrival

that's coming in a month's time?

What a wonderful gift to give to your baby. Presumably you think this is a great idea?

I think it's what my mum would have wanted because she knew she was

going to be a grandmother but she's not going to be here to see it

so this is her way of being able to spoil it when it arrives.

Do you know whether it's a girl or boy yet?

No, it's going to be a surprise.

How much do you think you'd like to put in the piggy bank for the baby?

We're hoping for about £300, but we really don't mind how much we raise.

I know John is going to do his very best to make sure that we do

make that figure, so shall we go find him and see how he's doing?

Following their mum's death, Louise and Lindsay have decided to sell the family home.

We caught them just before they were due to exchange contracts with the new owner.

Some items have already been placed within the family,

but there's still plenty for us to look at in this much loved home.

While Lindsay gets stuck into rummaging, it seems John

has already laid his hands on something precious.

Angela, some interesting medals here.

Did you have a hero in the family, then?

I don't think so.

These were my grandad's medals, he didn't win them himself.

I think they were in the bottom of his shed,

they were either given to him or he just found them.

He was a great collector and they've been handed down to us.

OK. They're First World War medals, they're actually two of three that were issued,

the three collectively are known as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred.

What we've got left here, this brass one, is the victory medal,

the other one is the war medal, The one that's missing is a star.

When they do turn up with one missing it's sometimes this one because it was solid silver

and in the '70s there was a hike in the price of silver and a lot of them got scrapped

-because they weren't collectible then.

-So those medals are made of solid silver?

I guess they were worth seven or eight pounds in the '70s,

which was probably a week's wages for some people.

The great thing about First World War medals is it's the last time

that we, as a country, issued our medals with the recipients'

name on the edge, and some people don't know it's there.

So, this one here has its number,

58676 Private A Ward of the North Devonshire Fusiliers.

-Did your grandfather know somebody called Ward?

-I don't know. I don't know anybody of that name, no.

OK, the second set, we've got two here,

-both with the stars missing, interestingly.

-Strange, isn't it?

This one is number 38068, J Hayes.

One. First class stoker of the Royal Navy.

So, somebody that was right down in the lower decks,

with probably just a vest on in the soaring heat, stoking the ships.

-Again, Hayes?

-No, nothing at all.

Is it possible they were friends of his and perhaps that's how he got hold of them?

I think more likely he would be given things

rather than buy things, because they had no money in those days.

Well, I'd certainly think even though this one is just a stoker...

That one is interesting,

it's a regiment that's no longer in existence.

So that makes it slightly more interesting, in my opinion.

-But I certainly think between £50 and £100 for them.

-That much?

Well, a nice tidy sum to go towards our total sum of £300.

Thanks very much, John, let's see what else we can find.

While we've been busy looking at evidence of past heroic deeds,

Lindsay has been taking her own trip down memory lane.

This stuffed bear and monkey were Louise and Lindsay's playthings

when they were children. They think that,

like the metals we just saw, these too came from their grandad.

Ancient teddies like this are very popular at auction.

And when paired with the much rarer, but ever so cute, monkey,

our expert, John, is confident they could raise between £30 and £50.

And that's not peanuts.

And speaking of inquisitive anthropoids...

Girls, Angela. I think I found a couple of potentials for our auction.

Good heavens! Those are so distinctive, aren't they, John?

You almost don't have to turn them over to know that these are Troika.

-Absolutely.

-Who bought these then?

-It was both my mum and dad.

They bought them from an Ideal Home exhibition in the 1970s.

-I think they paid £5 for them.

-£5 each?

-No, £5 for the two.

-Not bad, not bad.

And your mum, obviously, particularly liked them,

-which is why they stayed in the house so long.

-I think, for my mum, it was the colour,

which replicates the Wedgwood.

-What about the shape?

-Well, this particular one was perfect for the carnations,

because when you put them in, they fan out perfectly.

So this was the carnation vase.

The Troika factory doesn't exist any more.

-They're very collectible still, aren't they?

-They are indeed.

Talking of carnations, they had two incarnations, if you like.

They started in about 1963, in St Ives,

in a place called Wheal Dream.

They then relocated to Newlyn.

So, in terms of looking at their history and their marks,

the pre-Newlyn stuff, the stuff from St Ives,

is always marked St Ives.

After there, when they moved to Newlyn, it just says Cornwall.

So, looking at these marks,

it would suggest they're from the latter period, the second incarnation.

If we look on the bottom of that one, we've got an AB there.

But that, I would suggest, is probably Alison Brigden,

who was a painter at the factory from the mid-'70s

up until its closure in 1983. So that would tie in perfectly.

And very collectible still.

If anything, even more so because the factory doesn't exist anymore.

So, if we were going to take these to auction,

-what you think we might get on them?

-I think collectively, whether the auction house sells them separately

or together, we'll be looking at £200 to £300.

Gosh!

Well, you've got there, in these two pieces,

almost the exact amount of money that you want to

put in the piggy bank for junior. Isn't that lovely?

OK, should we put them back nice and safe?

And we're perfectly positioned here to go and search

in the rest of the house for more goodies to take to auction.

See you later.

Our expert, John,

wastes no time tracking down some interesting glassware,

a present to Louise and Lindsay's mum from their dad.

The blue lollipop vase was bought on a family trip to the Isle of Wight

and the yellow Murano moulded spill vase, on a trip to Italy.

Murano glass is made on the island of Murano in the Venetian Lagoon, in Italy.

Its origins can be traced back to the Roman Empire.

With the items we've found so far, we stand to make at least £300, so job done.

But we've still got a whole day of rummaging ahead of us,

so John can keep up the good work while we have a chat.

Louise, you originally intended to do this programme with your mum.

Lindsay wasn't going to be in it.

-Because she was a great fan of this programme.

-Absolutely.

We were hoping to raise money to take her out in a disabled taxi

and take her to the theatre, but, unfortunately, she died in May.

So, we're going to use the money for my sister's baby.

You're selling this house now. That must be, actually, a very sad thing for you to do.

-Because, Lindsay, this has been your home for as long as you can remember.

-That's right.

It's the only house we've ever known. It's our family house.

There are a lot of memories in it,

so it will be sad that it's going, yes.

But it was a very important thing in your parents' life, too,

because they had this house built, and it's sort of, really, meant a lot, particularly to your mum.

Well, my mum always called this house her pride and joy

and it took a lot of effort for both her and my dad to raise

the money to buy the land and then have the house built.

But you will be keeping a particular memory of the house.

Your mum made all the curtains, didn't she?

Yes, she made all the curtains and cushion covers.

She was a very good seamstress.

She made all our clothes. She was an absolutely fabulous seamstress.

And you're going to hold onto the curtains?

I'm taking the living room curtains, yes.

They're coming up to Bedfordshire with me.

Everywhere you look in the house there's something of my mum and dad,

because they basically made everything that was in there.

They always saved up for a long time.

It sounds as if your mum had a real adventurous streak in her.

She took off all over the world, didn't she?

My mum and dad had hoped to travel quite a lot in their retirement.

They travelled a bit before my sister and I came along.

But then my dad, sadly, died when he was 59,

so he never got to go.

So, she took off on her own and travelled

and saw quite a lot of the world. She went and walked the Great Wall of China. She went to Las Vegas.

All over. We've got photo albums of her from all over the world.

So, yep, she certainly made up for lost time.

You're obviously going to have some wonderful memories to pass on

to him or her when he or she is born,

but we hope you're also going to be able to hand on a little bit of money in the piggy bank, as well.

So, shall we go in and find John and see how he's doing?

It's clear that Louise and Lindsay's parents put their heart and soul into this house.

And while we've been chatting, John has turned his attention to

one of the first pieces of furniture they bought for their then new home.

-Lindsay, can I ask you about this dressing table?

-Yeah.

Pop yourself down.

-Now, what's the history behind it?

-It's been in the family as long as we can remember.

It was here before my sister and I. It's been here all our lives.

-It's a fantastic shade, isn't it?

-Uh-huh. We don't know actually know anything about it,

apart from the fact that we always liked it as a child

because it had what looks like Batman on the drawers.

And it was always interesting to open the drawers

and have a rummage and see what was in there.

My mum always kept her jewellery and bits and bobs in there.

-I mean, the shape is Art Deco.

-Right.

It's probably later than that.

The war, if you like, interrupted a huge cocktail party.

So after the war, a lot of the styles

that were popular before were continued for a little while.

So, I think this is probably late '40s, maybe early '50s.

Those pierced handles suggest that to me. Do you know what?

The sad thing about it, they're not hugely in demand.

I noticed you've got wardrobes over there, which are from the same suite.

Those, if you ask me,

are a bit plain and probably would have no buyers at auction.

I think we could get this piece into auction. Not huge sums of money.

I reckon, you're looking at no more than £50 to £70, something like that.

It's not a huge amount of money for such a lovely piece.

And it seems a shame to split it up from the wardrobes,

particularly when everyone who comes in, admires it, as the whole bedroom suite.

I'll have to have a word with Louise and see what we think, whether we want to part with it or not.

Then we better find something else if we're going to hit this target today.

-So, take your time, but let's carry on rummaging.

-OK.

Louise and Lindsay must make a tough decision over whether they can bring

themselves to part with this much-loved family heirloom.

There's a good chance it could be worth much more to them

than it might be to the auction-going public.

Louise, however, has ferreted out some more wartime memorabilia that

can probably be traced back to her grandfather's infamous garden shed.

On our expert John's advice, Louise decides to offer these anti-aircraft shells,

together with this military fob watch, as one lot.

Our expert's estimate, another £30 to £50.

But we're not stopping there.

-Hi, Louise.

-Hi.

I want to ask you about this collection of Wedgwood here.

-What's the story with it?

-These were my mum's favourite things.

She collected the Wedgwood throughout her life.

The collection is actually older than my sister and I, over 40 years old.

And everywhere she went, she would go to antique fairs or markets

and buy a piece and my sister and I would buy her a piece for her birthday.

She always said, if you ever needed to sell anything,

then you can sell anything you like in the house,

but not my green Wedgwood.

And she was always afraid that if anybody came to the house

-they would take her Wedgwood.

-She became quite obsessed with her collection.

She was very obsessive about it, yes.

-So, should I not be looking at this?

-Oh, no, absolutely, it's fine.

It's absolutely fine.

So, do you like Wedgwood Jasper Ware?

It's not my favourite, but I can understand why she collected it.

Green was her favourite colour and she was very, very fond of it.

When I look at it, I look at it academically.

These pieces are all 20th century.

But this reflects the actual style, current taste of the 1770s.

Yes.

We're right in the middle of the neoclassical revival, Robert Adam,

and the style of this pottery is very much taken from classical antiquity.

With these lovely cameos, which are applied.

These are plain white Jasper Ware

that have been pressed into a mould

and then delicately taken out by the potters

and applied with slip to the top.

-You have that wonderful contrast that almost looks like it's been carved, isn't it?

-Amazing, isn't it?

-So, how many pieces do you have in the collection here?

-Over 30.

-You're probably looking at somewhere between £100 and £200, something like that.

-That much?

-Yeah.

-All right.

-You'll be happy to get rid of it?

-Oh, yes, yes.

-A nice collection to go to auction, but somebody's going to have to pack all this up.

-It's going to be me!

Lindsay, meanwhile, has uncovered this silver charm bracelet,

a present from their grandad to their mother.

At auction, it could garner £10 to £20.

We're just over halfway through our rummage day

and already we've turned up some wonderful pieces.

But as we know from long experience, nothing is certain in the auction room.

£100 bid. 110. 120...

How will the bidders react to the two hand-painted Troika vases?

-170...

-Look, two people bidding against each other there.

180. 190, I'm bid for it. 200. New bidder. 210.

220 and 30. And 40. And 50.

And 60. And 70. And 80. And 90. 300.

Will teddy and monkey capture their hearts?

Find out when the gavel finally falls.

Louise, your mum clearly loved to travel the world,

is that how you got your interest in and love of foreign languages?

I always enjoyed languages at school and I decided to carry on learning them when I went to university,

so I studied French and German.

And that enabled me to travel Europe.

I got a teaching qualification,

so I was able to use that in France and Spain.

You worked in Nancy, in France, for a while. What were you doing there?

I had a year in Nancy teaching English in a language school.

And then I repeated the same thing in Madrid.

-Six months there teaching English to businessmen.

-Wonderful city!

A city that's so vibrant! That must've been terrific!

Oh, absolutely fabulous.

Yes, I shared a flat with a couple of Irish people.

And we had an absolutely fabulous time.

So, did your mum ever visit you?

Yes, everywhere I went, she came to visit.

She encouraged me to travel so she could have a free holiday.

Wise woman!

But you've also got a real love of European literature,

particularly the books of Georges Simenon, who wrote the Maigret novels.

Well, I stumbled across him rather unusually.

I was in the library one day, I picked up a book and I thought, "Oh, that sounds quite interesting."

And I got completely hooked.

And I've been collecting them ever since.

You have, it seems, a love of crime fiction, particularly Conan Doyle.

Well, I'm a very big Sherlock Holmes fan. I collect his books.

And, particularly, biographies about Conan Doyle.

I've read about his life. Because I like Sherlock Holmes so much.

My mum avidly collected a local newspaper,

cut out the coupons, so I could have all of the DVDs about Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes.

Well, you may be downsizing in the house,

but clearly wherever you go to live after this,

you're going to need a pretty big bookshelf to keep them all on.

Oh, yes, exactly. They are my pride and joy.

They're more important than anything, my books.

Clearly, they're not going to be going to auction,

but a lot of other things in this house are.

Let's go find John, shall we?

So, this is why the programme is called Cash In The Attic.

John has found a classically-styled Silver Cross doll's pram hidden in the rafters.

The sisters aren't sure how old it is, but they remember playing with his children.

John's estimate, £20 to £40.

-John. Would you have a look at this?

-What have you got there, Louise?

-It's a gold bracelet.

-What's the story behind it?

It belonged to my mother.

And she wore it because she had a stroke about 20 years ago, when she was 55,

and she had to take her medicine called Warfarin to keep her blood thin.

It was to let people know that she couldn't take certain medication and certain foods

because they react with the blood thinning tablet.

Warfarin, isn't that rat poison?

It was a rat poison, yes. But in small amounts,

humans can take it and it keeps the blood thin. It prevents strokes.

Doesn't a nice one-a-day glass of red wine do the same for you?

-No, unfortunately not. No.

-That's the remedy I'm going to take, anyway.

As you said, it is an ID or medic alert bracelet. It says...

-On the back, it's engraved. It has the hospital number and...

-Anticoagulant.

Anticoagulant, there we are. Warfarin.

It says on the back, ID and a number. So, she had to wear that.

Obviously, if she had a fall or something like that happened...

It's certainly something we can sell.

I don't think anyone's going to buy it is a piece of jewellery as such.

But it does have a value because it's nine carat gold.

And I would guess, without weighing that,

that were looking at about £100 to £150.

-So, you'd be happy to sell that to auction?

-Yes.

Right. Jolly good, well done.

-Shall we see what else we can turn up?

-Yes.

-OK, after you.

In the sitting room, I found a piece of Louise and Lindsay's family history.

This miner's lamp used to belong to their grandad, who was a Nottinghamshire miner.

The two copper kettles were also his. They were all given to him

as presents in gratitude for the work he did in helping the elderly.

Our expert reckons that together these could fetch £30 to £40.

I see you're getting the grand tour of the garden, John.

And while you've been out here enjoying this lovely weather,

I have found the most amazing bit of bling. Gosh, look how it glints in the sun!

-Take a look at that. Whose was the ring?

-That was my mother's.

Why did your mother feel she had to buy a ring quite like that?

Well, she lost her original engagement ring not long after my dad died.

So, she decided that next time around she'd have something bigger and better.

-So, did she use to flash it around, Louise?

-No, no, she didn't.

She was rather embarrassed about having it.

Coming from humble backgrounds, no-one had the money to buy such a diamond.

So, she would tell everyone it was a cubic zirconia.

So, if any burglars were on the lookout,

they would think there was nothing to steal.

-She hasn't fooled you, though, John, has she?

-No, not at all.

It's quite a nice ring. In the sunshine,

it's got a nice brilliance. See how it sparkles?

The actual ring itself... 18 carat gold shank.

It's claw set in platinum.

The diamond is round brilliant cut and spreads about half a carat in weight. Medium clarity,

not too bright. No big pieces of carbon,

or what we call inclusions, in there.

The colour is off-white, but it's still quite nice.

I imagine quite a few women would like to wear that.

-Are you prepared to let this go to auction?

-Yes.

-OK.

-So, John, put a price on it.

-Well, I certainly expect, with everything I've said,

for it to make no less than 150 and possibly as much as 250.

-What do you reckon?

-That's fine.

-OK. Well, 150 is going to be your lowest price?

-Definitely.

-It'll make over that.

-150. Let me add that then, John,

to the lowest price you've given on the other things you've looked at.

I have to say you were very modest in asking for £300 for your niece-

or nephew-to-be. Because, if we really have a good day at auction,

I hope that we should be able to make at least £790.

-BOTH: Oh!

-Gosh!

That's a surprise.

All we need is a beautiful day like this

and lots of sunshine in the room.

-Let's hope so.

-Are you looking forward to it?

-Yes!

-You better have one, too.

It looks like Lindsay's baby is set for a very warm welcome

into this world, but nothing is certain until the hammer falls.

Will the WWI medals honour the estimate that John has given them?

The two Troika vases that were bought for a fiver,

will they smash all expectations?

And the stunning ring,

a solitaire diamond set in platinum with an 18 carat gold shank.

Will the bidders get as excited as we were?

Look at how that sparkles in the sunlight!

Still to come on Cash In The Attic...

Will the scale model Silver Cross pram that the sisters shared

as children stroll home to a comfortable finish?

There it is down there, the Silver Cross pram.

My goodness, what a specimen that one is. £50, £30.

And one of our lots exceeds all expectations.

-Terrific!

-Fantastic! £300.

That's amazing! Mother would have been proud.

Find out which when the hammer falls.

Well, it's been a couple of weeks now since we were with Louise

and Lindsay, but we brought all of their things here to

the Tring Market Auctions, in Hertfordshire. If you remember,

Louise wants to raise £300 so that she can spoil

her soon-to-be-born niece or nephew something rotten.

So, let's hope she's successful, when the hammer comes down.

Tring Market Auctions is popular with private and trade buyers alike.

There's a sizeable crowd here, already leafing through the sales list or inspecting individual items.

Louise and Lindsay have found their mother's Troika vases.

-I hope they're not having second thoughts.

-£180...

Hi, Louise and Lindsay and, as yet, unnamed niece or nephew.

-How many weeks?

-Two-and-a-half.

-So, we've got our work cut out today, John.

We have. We've got to get this done and you home with your feet up again.

Absolutely. I see you're both looking at the Troika vases.

-You've put a reserve on these, haven't you?

-Yes, £180.

-Why did you do that?

-Because they were quite valuable.

They're very sentimental to my mother.

-We don't just want to give them away.

-Under £200 is absolutely fine.

They should sell past that.

Well, I hope that Junior enjoys today.

-Are you both looking forward to it?

-Yes!

I've never been to an auction before.

-Neither have I.

-It's exciting.

-A first experience for you.

-Yes.

Should we go and take our position? Let's get started.

In the end, the sisters decided not to bring their mum's Art Deco

dresser, but that is understandable as they were very fond of it.

But that does bring our likely takings down to about £740.

But that is still nearly twice as much as their original target.

Are you in the cupboard? I do believe you're in the cupboard.

With the crowd settling down, it's time for the first of our lots.

It's the two brass and copper kettles and the miner's lamp,

which have links back to the girls' grandfather,

who was a miner in Nottingham.

One of the nice things about selling the copper kettle and the miner's

lantern now is that nobody is going

to get the brass polish out any more.

No. That saves us a job, definitely.

But we are in the country and, presumably, John,

there will be people who want them for their country homes,

because it's sort of in keeping.

I still can't work out who buys them these days,

but whenever I do a clearance, I take the brass and copper

and it always sells. It doesn't make fortunes, but it always sells.

What do we say? £30 for those? £20?

Surely there's £20 for those. Yes, £20 I'm bid, then.

Are you coming? Five? Two of you, 30.

-Two, five, eight...

-That's nice when two people want to bid against each other.

40, I sell. It's going down, then, for £40.

£40!

-A bit more than we expected.

-Yeah!

Our first lot and we're already ahead.

Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come.

The charming made-to-scale Silver Cross doll's pram comes

under the hammer now, an old toy replete with childhood memories

for both Louise and Lindsay.

-Now, this belonged to both of you?

-It did, yeah.

We both had it and wheeled our dolls around in it.

Was this supposed to be a pram for babies?

Or was it a doll's pram?

It's a scale miniature of a genuine pram. Very well made.

I put 20 to 40 on it, which I think is modest.

I think they're fantastic.

There it is down there, the Silver Cross pram.

My goodness, what a specimen that one is. £50, £30.

40. Five for you. At £40. £50, and five?

-Yes or no?

-£50!

At £50 it's going... You're out?

-Yes you are. £50.

-Well done!

I know, Lindsay. He's not always as on-the-button as this.

Well, let's hope this trend continues with the anti-aircraft rounds and the military watch

that Lindsay found in her grandfather's shed.

Just remind me where the military issued pocket watch came from.

That was my grandad's. I don't know if it belonged to him,

but he must have acquired it from somebody.

or it was a present for helping out old people.

But we don't really know where it came from.

It's going in with the anti-aircraft shells.

-Do you think he went out and picked them up as well? Lindsay?

-Who knows!

He acquired an awful lot of things.

They were in the shed. I don't know where most of them came from.

The famous shed!

-I think you would have loved to have a rummage around there, John.

-I certainly would. It's interesting.

What's nice about the watch... Pocket watches aren't that popular.

Is that it has a military pattern, as you said. It has that military mark on it.

That will make it interesting to military collectors rather than a watch dealer.

£70, £50, 40 I'm bid then. Five, 50. Five, 60.

Are you coming five? 70?

No? £75 then. £70. It's at 65. It's going...

Out of the room then at £65.

-Terrific!

-That was good.

-Good.

-Great!

Well, that was a bit more than we expected, John.

-Yeah, I'm happy with that. I hope you don't mind if it goes over.

-No.

Another fine result!

Or are John's estimates erring on the side of caution?

Let's see what happens when these next pieces

from their childhood are offered up to the room?

I have to admit, nothing would make me part with my first childhood teddy bear.

So, which of you two has made the great sacrifice

with the teddy bear and the monkey going in the auction?

-Whose was the monkey?

-I think it was yours.

I think it was mine. I've certainly got a picture of it with me as a child, holding it.

-£30 to £50 for second-hand toys, John?

-That might be optimistic, but I love the monkey.

He had a real charming face. The bear is much loved, you can see that.

That shows in the condition. But the monkey just charmed me.

Teddy and monkey, £50 for them?

£40 bid. £40 bid, five now.

£40 and five. £50 and five.

60? No more. 55 out in the room. You're out in the corner.

55. Teddy and monkey at £55.

-55!

-55, that's a surprise.

-That's a little more than...

-Goodness!

Not wildly over John's maximum, but still over.

Our bidders seem to be in a sentimental mood today.

These medals belonged to Louise and Lindsay's grandad,

though they were not awarded to him.

Another find in the now infamous shed!

Let's see how they perform.

Next up are our two World War I partial medal groups.

We've got the brass victory medal and a silver war medal for two recipients.

But together with one of the ribbons from one of the others.

I've got on them £50 to £100. They ought to do that.

There we are. Shall we say £50 with these? £30? £20?

-I'm bid £20.

-Bidder at the back.

£25 bid. 30 at the very back. 35 in the front.

35, 40 I'm bid. 45.

50. At £50, on the right at £50. 55 up the row.

Yours at £55.

I shall sell those, they're going for £55.

-55. Good.

-Yeah, I was hoping for a little more, but we got there.

I knew it would go for about that sort of money.

Well, that's John's cautious streak over.

But the final bid did exceed the minimum estimate.

Do the bidders prefer teddies and prams to medals and jewellery, I wonder?

Next up is a little charm bracelet made of silver coins

and a little silver chain, which is very typical.

Men in the First World War were making these as gifts to send home.

-So, what are the coins that are on the bracelet?

-Sixpences.

But it's worth a lot more than sixpence because...

-Actually, you only put £10 to £20 on it, John.

-I have.

Let's wait and see, but that's what I think it's worth. If it makes more, I won't complain.

£30 for it. £20. 15.

18, £20 now. At £20 for the coin bracelet.

-Then at £22.

-£22.

-£22.

-A bit over your estimate, John.

Two pounds, I'm happy with that.

It seems John was right to err on the side of caution.

But when you add it all together, how are we doing?

The jewellery there is going to get £300, do you hope, yes?

-Yes, we hope.

-£300 is quite modest. We're already halfway through and,

so far on all the things that we've got,

-we made £287.

-Oh, fantastic!

-So, we're well on our way.

High time for a short break. I'm sure Lindsay will appreciate that.

Bear in mind, auction houses charge commission on the items they sell,

so if you are thinking of selling,

please remember, the total bill will not necessarily be the amount that you take home.

But, what if you're looking to buy? How do you know when you've spotted a good one?

-Thinking of going on safari, John?

-I wish I had the time.

-Yeah.

So, what's taking your attention here?

I'm looking at this on behalf of a friend that collects elephants.

-But what I'm doing is I'm checking the extremities for any damage.

-Find any?

I can see that this tusk has been off, quite clearly.

Yes, you can see it's been stuck on with a bit of glue there.

It's quite obvious there hasn't been any attempt to cover that up.

But restoration can be extremely hard to spot.

There are some very, very clever restorers out there.

And if you're not sure, there are a couple of good ways that you can check things over.

One is to buy a little, cheap UV light, a little ultraviolet light.

Take a piece of pottery into the dark, or porcelain, and you just

shine it over and any restoration will stand out like a sore thumb.

If you don't have a UV light and you suspect something

might be restored, another way is to just take a pin

and drag it lightly over, just the tip of any sort of household pin,

and it will glide over the glaze, but where it's been restored, it will start to drag.

That is because you cannot fire the porcelain to the same temperature the original piece was fired to

because you would risk damaging the whole piece.

Yes, I suppose as the restorers become more and more expert,

that means that collectors have to up their game, as well.

We're hoping that this Troika ware will give us game, set and match

at auction. And this solitaire diamond ring their mum, Jean, bought

to replace the original that she lost could catch someone's eye.

Now, gold, solitaire diamond-set ring, £150 to £250.

It's a nice ring, isn't it?

Remember how beautifully it sparkled in the garden? Isn't it dazzling?

All ladies like a diamond and they especially like solitaires. So, we should get somewhere in our estimate.

-Let's see if we get a sparkle at £150 to £200.

-150 for it.

£100 for it. 80. Bid.

90, £100 bid.

110. 120 bid, 130.

140 at the back.

150. Bid, 160. 170.

-Two people are bidding against each other there.

-190 I'm bid for it. 200.

New bidder. 210. 220 and 30.

And 40. And 50. And 60.

And 70 and 80... 300.

£300, the bid. You're out. At £300, the bid,

I sell to sir in the front row.

In the front row, at £300, I sell it at £300. Gone.

-Terrific!

-Fantastic! £300.

Mother would have been proud of that for her bling, wouldn't she?

-For her rock.

-Yeah.

Well, it rocked for you guys.

Now, that is a result, the target amount in one bid alone.

Lindsay's baby will be very lucky indeed.

But how's the room going to react to Jean's medical bracelet?

We've got a gold bracelet coming up now,

but I have to say, I'm not quite sure this is a gold bracelet

anybody else would necessarily want to buy because it's a medical

gold bracelet. Just remind us, Lindsay, why your mum had this.

It was, like you said, a medical alert.

It was to alert people if my mum had an accident or anything that she

took Warfarin, so not to administer any drugs that react with Warfarin.

So we've got what, John?

-£100 to £150? That's its gold value?

-Pretty much, yes.

That's what I based it on.

I can't think of anybody buying it to wear it, but it takes all sorts.

There we are. We ought to be over £100 for it.

£80 for it. Yes, let's get going. 90, bid then. 100. And 10. And 20.

130? 120 I'm bid for it then. 120 it's going. 120 then.

I sell for £120.

-Pretty good, John.

-Yes.

I tell you, you wouldn't have got that for one of the plastic ones from down the chemist, would you?

That's fantastic!

Nothing so far has fallen below our expert's minimum estimate.

Next under the hammer is Jean's treasured collection of Wedgwood pottery.

Will the bidders of Tring share her enthusiasm?

Your mum really, really liked green, Jasper Ware Wedgwood, didn't she?

-Yes.

-She certainly did.

-So, the green is less popular than the blue.

-How are we going to do today, John?

-I put 100 to 200 on it.

I think we'll certainly be around the £100 mark.

Some people find green a superstitious colour, they think it's unlucky.

-I don't, I love green.

-I don't.

-Me neither, I like green.

I think we ought to be looking around £50 for it.

£30 for it then. OK.

£30, 35, 40.

There's rather a lot there. 45, 50, 55.

No? Sir's got them at £55.

Then I sell for £55.

-Not as much as we hoped.

-No.

-A real bargain at £55.

That's about a pound a piece, that's quite low, I think.

-Disappointing?

-Very. But never mind.

We can always rely on John to say something positive.

Now, let's see if we can put this setback behind us.

Next up are two pieces of coloured glass. I found these.

One was Isle of Wight. The other, a moulded piece. But the Isle of Wight glass, who got this?

My dad bought it when we were on holiday in the 1970s.

We used to go on holiday to the Isle of Wight every year.

-He bought it while we were there.

-You put £20 to £30 on it, John.

That one Isle of Wight piece is worth that. It is nice.

Displayed right, with the light passing through it, they look quite striking.

£40 bid. £40, £30. £20. 25. £30 bid.

£30, at £30. 35. £40? No? I have 35.

It is yours, sir, at £35.

-That's over John's estimate, terrific.

-I'm happy with that.

This crowd is proving hard to fathom.

They won't stretch to Wedgwood, but for garish glass, no problem.

With a form like this, there's just no telling how they're going to react to the Troika vases.

-There have been quite a lot of people looking at the Troika vases, haven't there, John?

-Yes.

So, I think there's a lot of interest in them, because they are still very collectible.

Interesting that your mum and dad paid so little for them

when they bought them. But just because they liked them.

My mum like the colours.

That's usually the best way to buy something.

Buy it because you like it, then you can always live with it.

But these are two really nice, midsize pieces, very contemporary

and similar in style and by the same painter,

so I think they are going to do OK, despite the chip on one of them.

Couple of hundred pounds for them. 200 for them. 150 for them.

Yes, 150.

I'm bid 160. 170. 180.

-190.

-You made your reserve.

210. We have 220.

We've got it. 230. Sir, 230. And 40.

You're out, then I sell to sir in the front for £230.

-£230? Pleased with that?

-Yes.

-How much did they pay for them originally?

-£5.

What a finish!

Mother Jean was obviously a woman of intuition and foresight.

After a result like that, there can't be any doubt that

Lindsay's baby has been endowed with a very tidy little sum.

But exactly how much?

-Your first experience of an auction, what do you reckon?

-Fantastic, yes.

It's exhausting as well.

You know, I have to say, John and I both thought

when we came to the house, that you were being very modest,

wanting to raise just £300 for your niece or nephew.

Because you have some lovely things to auction.

You said you wanted a little nursing chair, didn't you?

-But also some money to put in the piggy bank for little one?

-Yes.

You've made...

£1,027.

-Oh, goodness me!

-You only wanted £300.

That's amazing! Well, thank you very much.

Louise and Lindsay soon put the windfall to good use.

But surely at this stage, she's got everything she needs.

I'm still a bit disorganized on the baby's arrival front.

So, today getting the chair was a step in the right direction,

but we still have quite a lot to do in the next couple of weeks.

While most of the cash is being put aside for baby,

Lindsay couldn't resist investing in this nursing chair.

Well, it's important that Mum is comfy, too.

It's lovely. I'm thrilled with getting the new chair.

I've been looking at it for ages.

I've been in the shop a few times trying it out.

So, I shall look forward to it being delivered in a week's time.

And, hopefully, the chair will arrive before the baby.

-Thank you very much.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye.