Smith, J. Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash in the Attic,

the show where we help people who've got a special project in mind,

but need some funds to complete it.

That means looking through their homes for antiques and collectables

which hopefully we can sell at auction.

It can be difficult to know what to part with and what to keep,

especially if you've got a few inherited items,

and that's the dilemma posed for today's family.

Coming up on Cash In The Attic...

A solitaire diamond ring

provokes a startling proposal from our expert Jonty.

-There you go.

-Ah! Will you marry me?

I'm already married. Couldn't possibly.

Good advice is freely given,

but it's up to others whether they take it or not.

-So, have I persuaded you to keep this or not?

-No.

HE LAUGHS

And at auction, are Jonty and I getting our hopes up?

-We'll probably all go out for a really nice dinner, won't we?

-Yeah.

-That sounds nice.

-We'll come too!

We weren't invited, Jonty.

Save your enthusiasm, Jonty, for when the final hammer falls.

Today, I've come to Suffolk to meet Jane Smith,

who's hoping to get some money together to help her son's band.

Jane was born and has lived in Suffolk for most of her life.

She's handled admin for many firms,

including the building company owned by Trevor,

her husband of 21 years.

He already had three boys of his own when they first met.

Their later boys,

Josh, the drummer, who's still at school,

and Will, a university student,

can't be here today,

but Will's girlfriend Scarlett has been drafted in to help.

Youngest son Josh keeps his drum kit in there.

It looks pretty complete. I wonder what he needs to add?

This is a big house. It's been added to over the years.

Trevor has even installed a garage and workshop for his boys' toys.

We'll be grateful today for the expert advice

of a man who has over 30 years'

experience with antiques - Jonty Hearnden.

While he makes a start, I'll meet our host in the kitchen dining area.

Morning!

-Hello!

-Hi.

-Who are these?

-This is Harry, this is Jasper.

-They're beautiful, aren't they? How old are they?

-11.

11. Crikey. They're lovely dogs.

They look very obedient.

-Or is that cos you've just fed them?

-No, they are good boys,

-but they're a bit old and grumpy now.

-I know someone like that!

Jonty's with me today, just so you know.

He's going to be your expert.

So, Jane, you've called in Cash In The Attic.

-What do you want to raise the money for?

-I want to raise money for Josh's -

my 16-year-old son - for a PA system to go with his drums.

-Is this something he wants to pursue as a career?

-Yeah.

-It is. Right, OK.

So, how much money are we talking about, then, for a PA system?

Well, I think probably 500 or £600 at the lower end of the market.

You can obviously go up to thousands of pounds.

What do you think about this PA idea?

It's a really good idea. Josh is really good

and it'd be a really nice thing for him to have.

Yes. Judging by this, I'm not convinced he really needs it!

But £600 will provide quite a few extra decibels

alongside Josh's drum kit.

I'm certain, however, that any moment now,

we'll be finding out from Jonty that he's already spotted

something valuable that's worth a good roll on those drums.

-Oh, Jonty. In the garage. Might have known!

-Look what I've found.

How about this? What do you think? Something for the auction sale?

My husband said it should go straight in the skip. He doesn't like it.

It's lived out here now for about ten years.

-Where did it come from?

-A house we were working in.

I bought it as a bit of a job lot with a few other bits and pieces,

and paid 70 quid for.

If we look at the style of this particular piece of furniture,

I would ordinarily call something like this a Davenport,

but those were very petite, small writing tables.

This is a little bit more substantial,

so I'd probably call this something like a clerk's desk.

But it's incredibly ornate, which will give us

some indication of its age, because this is late 19th century.

But not necessarily made in the UK.

You can tell that by looking at the lock.

We have a door here with a bank of drawers behind it,

and the lock there is definitely French.

So this piece of furniture was made in probably 1880 or 1890

in France, and is inspired by a much earlier design.

So it almost feels like it's a medieval piece of furniture.

-I didn't realise it was that old.

-Yeah, that's where it's come from.

The material is oak, and it's all been stained

to look as if it's really very ancient as well.

-So, have I persuaded you to keep this or not?

-No.

HE LAUGHS

Righty-oh. So, off to auction it goes.

It does need a bit of restoration.

If you look here, the moulding on this side here

has completely disappeared.

-There is some in one of the drawers somewhere.

-Oh, we've got that?

That's good. That would cost quite a bit to carve out.

So, value at auction at the moment, in this state,

I think we're looking at between 100 and £150.

-I'm impressed.

-So you should be, Jane.

Thank heavens your hubby didn't throw it on the skip!

Spurred on by this early success,

we get stuck into our treasure hunt.

These 17 rooms offer so many nooks and crannies worth searching.

Jane suddenly recalls some silver pieces

in a chest of drawers in the hall.

The cigarette case belonged to George Elliott, her great-uncle,

who'd been a prisoner of war in the 1940s.

The chunky necklace comes from nearby Bury St Edmunds,

and together with the bracelet, Jonty values them at £40-80.

They aren't the only family heirlooms

-in this house, as Scarlett has discovered.

-Look at that.

-It's massive, isn't it?

-Yeah.

So, what's this doing in this house? Any idea?

This is a butter churn that was passed down from Jane's great-auntie

and then inherited to Jane's mum

-and then given down to Jane.

-OK.

Well, it's not a butter churn. It should say it's a water filter

on the front. Let's have a look.

So let's see exactly what it says on here.

Silicated Carbon Filter Company, Ltd.

Not exactly does it say "water filter",

but that's really what we're looking at.

This massive great big Victorian water filter.

So, in here, it wasn't milk that you put in here to turn into butter.

In here, you would have poured ordinary water.

If you think about it, in London or any other major city 100 years ago,

-the water wasn't as pure as it is coming out of our taps today.

-Yeah.

You see the hole at the bottom there? There would have been a tap.

We're missing a base. There's no way you could have a tap on the floor.

-Also, can you see those rings on the inside?

-Yeah.

That means that this would have been hand-thrown

on a massive great big potter's wheel.

So that's all hand-done,

and all of this is applied at a later date.

-Now, this...feel the coldness of that.

-Yeah.

The material that's used is known as salt glaze,

which is fired at a very high temperature.

An object like this, there's not a lot you can use it for,

so it is valued purely for its decorative reasons only.

-So, at auction we're looking at £40-60.

-Yeah, that's brilliant.

-Really good.

-Yeah?

Yeah, she'll be really happy with that.

You'll have to tell her it's not a butter churn now! Come on.

Let's hope we can filter the timewasters from the serious bidders

when the Victorian stoneware goes to auction.

In the hallway, I'm intrigued by a beautiful Art Deco lamp,

with a striking female fencer poised at the ready.

But she seems to have lost her foil. No matter -

Jonty feels this could still do well at auction,

and suggests an estimate of £50-80.

Now, this is a wonderful place. How long have you been here?

-About 21 years.

-So, was it like this when you bought it?

No, it's grown somewhat since we've been here.

We've extended two or three times.

So how did you and Trevor meet?

-It was all down to a broken water pump.

-Sounds romantic(!)

-Carry on.

-It does, doesn't it(?)

I was working in a Daihatsu franchise years ago, and his water pump broke.

So he broke down, and he had to spend

two or three hours in the garage where I worked,

in the reception area,

so we got chatting,

and one of my friends said, "I think Mr Smith is going to ask you out."

So I kept hiding away then, cos I was just too embarrassed.

When he finally called, I said, "Yes, we'd like to go for lunch."

-August 1, 1989.

-Really?

-Yeah.

So what was he doing when you met him?

He'd just started his own building business.

He trained as a carpenter, and I think he'd been

on his own for about a year and a half to two years

before I met up with him.

-And is that something you're involved in?

-Yes.

I do all the administration and Trevor goes out

and meets people and gets the jobs.

So, how do you find that? Because not everyone can work with their...

Do you know what? As long as we're not in the office together, it works.

-What happens if you are in the office together?

-One of us leaves!

LORNE LAUGHS

But that's how it goes.

Whichever way works for you is a good way.

Tell me a little bit about Josh's music thing. When did you realise

he had quite a talent for the drums?

Well, he was only about six when we bought him his first drum kit,

which is a common thing for a six-year-old boy to want, isn't it?

He was eight or nine when he started having proper lessons,

and he still has them now.

Not only has he learnt a lot over the years,

he's also definitely got a natural talent for them.

It's quite dedicated, isn't it?

Cos most little boys go through a stage of wanting a drum kit,

-but it's just one of the phases, isn't it?

-Yeah.

This isn't a phase.

So when did you become aware that he needed to have this PA system?

It was when he was practising for one of his gradings,

and I was listening to him practise,

and I could see that he couldn't really hear the music

above his drums, and that's when he said,

-"Really, I need a decent PA system."

-I don't want to get his hopes up

and then let him down, so shall we see whether

-Jonty's found some more stuff to go in the pot?

-Yeah.

Talk of the devil - here he is, in one of the bedrooms.

He's located a large collection of costume jewellery

which originally belonged to Jane's great-grandmother.

Jonty puts an estimate of £50-70 on this little box of treasure.

Costume jewellery's all very well,

but I like to go one bit further.

And hey, I think I've just found some real bling.

Jonty, Scarlett, are you there?

Oh, look at that!

Do you know any of the history of this at all, Scarlett?

-I think it all belongs to Jane.

-Have you ever seen her wearing gold?

Not really.

She's more into the silver, I think.

Can I have a look at this one first of all?

What we're looking for is hallmarks, because, of course,

you can have gold metal, but the big difference is

it has to be hallmarked. What you need is a little glass

like this, because hallmarks are very difficult to find sometimes.

Now, what can I see?

It says 375. Can you see that?

You hold that up to your eye there.

-Can you see 375?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

That means that this bracelet here is nine-carat gold. Hurrah!

Cos that's fabulous.

OK. That's wonderful there.

Let's have a look at this one here.

Now, this is really faint. Very tiny marks.

They're actually worn, as well. But that is nine-carat gold.

In fact, most of it looks like it's nine-carat,

cos when you get to 18 or 22, it gets

a lot of a warmer honey colour, whereas this is all quite yellow,

-isn't it?

-Yeah.

-So this all looks like

-it's more or less the same colour, doesn't it?

-Absolutely.

Can you see all of that is the same colour there?

Could we put all that into auction?

Yeah, I think you'd do well at auction with all of this.

We've got bracelets,

-we've got another bracelet there.

-It's a good mixture of things.

-Yeah.

One earring! Now, gold like this

is more often than not sold by its weight.

Right now, gold is selling incredibly well,

so I suspect in front of us, we've easily got

between £200 and £300 worth of gold.

-Yeah, that's brilliant.

-It's the perfect time

to put this on the market, so well-spotted, Lorne,

-that's wonderful news.

-Good.

We're confident this nine-carat jewellery

will be worth its weight in gold in the auction room.

220, 230, 240,

250, 260,

270, 280, 290,

300, 320...

But crikey! Just how far can it possibly go?

400...

We've all that excitement still to come.

But we're continuing in Suffolk today to scour this rambling house

for more knick-knacks to add to the fund for the PA system.

Drummer boy Josh is lucky his big brother's girlfriend Scarlett

is here to help, and with Jonty's advice,

she might have cottoned on to another object

which could further boost our good fortune.

This dilapidated Victorian nursing chair in Jane's dressing room

has seen better days, certainly. But with a little TLC,

it could be reupholstered and restored to its former glory.

Estimate - £30-50.

Downstairs in the dining room,

Jonty has found some faded artwork.

Hi, Jonty.

-I see you're having a look at my old picture.

-I know!

How long have you had this?

I've had it since my grandma died,

which was over 30 years ago now, and it's been travelling with me

-wherever I went, house-wise.

-Let's have a look

at the picture itself. Do you notice here that

-all the tones are really quite tobacco-ey?

-Mm-hm.

Well, once upon a time, this watercolour

would probably have been in a technicolour, so the river

would have been blue, the sky would have had definition.

But what has happened is that everything has just faded,

so you've got this sepia tone that runs all the way through it.

But the picture itself is really quite old.

I would suggest that this picture is probably over 200 years old.

-Wow, really?

-Yeah.

-That's amazing.

-So this is a Georgian watercolour.

And if you have a look at the scene itself,

we have this lovely stone bridge.

And look at the size of the hills at the top there.

Something tells me this could well be

either from the north of England or could even be Scottish.

-That's really interesting.

-That's the scene we're looking at there.

If you look at the style of the tree and the way

the picture has been executed, that's how I can tell

that it's probably 18th rather than 19th century.

It's a style of painting, essentially.

And I've been chucking it around the house for the last 30 years!

Well, it's a lovely picture, but I think it's of faded grandeur.

The other interesting fact about the whole picture here is,

the frame itself is only about 100 years old.

So at some point in its life, it's been put into this frame,

and if you look at the frame, it's been chipped and damaged as well.

It was actually like that when I found it.

-Absolutely, I'm sure.

-So it's not me that's damaged it!

Well, it's still worth putting into the auction sale.

-We're looking at £30-£50. Are you happy with that?

-Yeah, I am.

I think it's lovely.

I still think it's charming.

It is charming, but it's not right for here any more, I don't think.

-Right. So one for the sale room?

-Yes, definitely.

-Good!

-One ticked off the list.

-Yeah.

I'm all for a bit of faded grandeur,

and that £30-50 is a welcome boost to our list of auction items.

Looking round other people's homes is part of the fun

on Cash In The Attic, and this place certainly has plenty to discover.

Wow, look at this. Crikey.

-Is this the garage, then?

-Yes.

So they've got all the courtyard, two garages and this workshop thing?

-Boys and their toys, you know?

-Good grief. So, whose is this?

-That's Will's racing Mini.

-Does he race it very often?

He races it quite a lot, but he had a bit of a crash in his last race,

so that hasn't really been on the road.

So, are you a racing widow, then,

when he comes home and decides to go for this?

No, I usually go with him and support him,

so it's quite nice to go and see him.

What hobbies do you have, then, to compete with this?

I do quite a lot of sport,

and I did a Duke of Edinburgh expedition recently,

but none of mine really match up to how extravagant

or expensive Will's are, really.

So he's into racing. Your other half's more into the restoring,

-is that right?

-He loves restoring old cars.

He started in the last four or five years.

The first one he did was a beach buggy.

I can't remember how old it was.

I think it was a '72 beach buggy which he bought

for just a few hundred pounds, and he did it up so it was immaculate.

It probably broke his heart a little, but I said,

"We have to get rid of something," and it went to auction this year.

He doesn't make money out it, he just enjoys doing it.

He must have a bit of an eye for it, then?

He's just taught himself, really, with that particular vehicle.

Now he's got a new baby which he's lovingly restoring,

-which I don't think'll ever go, because he loves it.

-Which is this?

-The TR6.

-Right, OK. So, is the idea

from his point of view that he'll buy these,

restore them and sell them on, I mean in theory?

No, in theory he'd like to keep everything!

So, is it always a bit of a surprise

when he comes home from work with the odd car here and there?

It has been known, yes. Usually with a bunch of flowers

-in his hands as well.

-Right, I'm with you!

I imagine racing or even restoring cars must be expensive.

The racing car can be quite expensive,

the meetings can be quite expensive. The restoration,

he does all the work himself,

so it doesn't cost huge amounts.

I'm assuming you'll never be able to leave this property,

-are you?

-It'd be difficult.

They'll never get anywhere with all this space

-and a garage like this, are they?

-It would be tricky, I think.

And what about you? Do you have any hobbies?

Until recently I kept a horse, but unfortunately,

I sold him in spring,

because I became a little bit frightened of him.

To do with age, I think.

OK, well, it's fantastic out here, but I think we should

get back in the house, cos if Jonty sees this,

we may never get him back into the house, all right?

No need to worry about Jonty.

He's spent the time working hard, looking for

more keepsakes for our auction.

This is his newest discovery - a late 19th century

American wall clock.

The town of Thomaston, Connecticut, was named after Seth Thomas,

who established his clock-making company in that area.

This late 19th century example of his company's craft is

not so rare, and is looking a bit shabby around the edges,

so Jonty marks it down at £40-60.

Next, Jane is upstairs in the second bedroom,

where she's got another item for Jonty to inspect,

which is also in need of some attention.

Jonty, I'd like you to look at this chair.

-This one here?

-Yeah.

-OK.

So, where's this from?

Do you remember

when we were talking about the little writing desk,

I said that we bought some other items with it for the £70?

-Oh, yeah.

-This was one of them.

OK, right.

-So, do you know the age of this one?

-No, haven't got a clue.

This is an Edwardian chair.

You can tell by the style of the legs,

and this barrel-back was

very popular on small, low occasional chairs like this

about 100 years ago.

The frame is walnut, and walnut is a much lighter colour than mahogany,

-so for me it's a more nutty-brown colour.

-Mm-hm.

Mahogany has a red colour that runs through it as well, so darker reds.

And this chair here would be part of a whole suite of furniture.

-You'd have a chaise longue.

-Oh, OK.

You might have even had a settee, and maybe another chair

slightly bigger than this, like a ladies' and gents' chair as well.

This was the time when everything would be bought in suites.

You could buy a whole bedroom suite

as well as sitting furniture suites as well.

I'd like to have seen that in its original form, that'd be lovely.

-Yes, how spectacular would that have been?

-Yeah.

Originally, chairs like this would have been covered in very fine silk,

which is naturally worn, and what has happened,

-throughout its life, it's been re-covered maybe several times.

-OK.

I did actually think, knowing nothing about these things,

that because that looked so old to me, I thought that was original.

OK, yeah. It has that sort of antique feel to it.

I suppose that's the reason this fabric was chosen.

But of course, today you can cover a chair like this

in any fabric that you wish and it will revitalise it.

It will completely transform the chair

into something that's relatively modern.

But at auction at the moment, this chair is worth between £30-50.

Is that too cheap for you?

-How do you feel about that?

-I'm not sure, because you've given me

the idea now of revamping it to actually fit in somewhere.

Well, that cost could actually be £200-300.

And then what would it be worth at the end of that?

Well, it's not worth your while spending £300 on the chair

-and then putting it back into auction.

-No.

You may not necessarily get that back.

The reupholstering could be an expensive job,

so the value has to reflect its current state.

Scarlett has found another hoard of treasure

in the dining room - a set of Aynsley china.

John Aynsley founded his pottery company in Staffordshire in 1775,

and the brand survives today as part of the Belleek Pottery Group.

The Aynsley name was trademarked in 1928,

and this collection is from around that period.

Jonty prices this set at £20-30, which is not bad,

considering it was rescued from an old house renovation.

Now, for our final item, I found something very special.

So where's this from?

I've had it for years and years - about 30-odd years.

It belonged to either my grandmother or my great-grandmother.

I'm not sure which, cos I never saw it

-until after they both died.

-Oh, it was left to you, was it?

-Yeah.

-Have you ever worn it?

I used to wear it at one time. I haven't worn it for years now.

Obviously, with two boys, not likely to hand it on to them, really?

-No.

-I think we need to get Jonty to give his valuation on this.

Jonty? Scarlett? Are you there?

-Oh, hi, Scarlett.

-Hello.

-Hello.

There you go.

-Ah! Will you marry me?

-I'm already married, couldn't possibly.

THEY LAUGH

Wow, what a lovely solitaire diamond ring we've got.

Look at the size of that stone!

Lovely.

-Have you ever had this looked at by any jewellers, at all?

-No.

OK, well, let's have a jolly good look at this.

Now, on first inspection, there are few inclusions.

So it's not the most perfect of diamonds that I've ever seen,

but what's so impressive is actually the size.

We're looking well in excess of a carat there, which is wonderful.

Do you know how old it is?

Well, date-wise, one could have told the age of this ring

by looking at the hallmarks, but they've worn,

so you've just got to look at the style of the setting itself.

So I would suggest quite possibly,

we're looking between the wars, 1920s, 1930s.

Does that make sense to you?

Yes, in the sense that it probably would have

belonged to my grandmother,

rather than my great-grandmother.

A big plus to this ring is the simplicity of its setting, as well.

It really is very charming.

So, as we all know, diamonds are a girl's best friend.

They're also auctioneers' and jewellers' best friends,

because they're so easy to trade with.

So, as far as value is concerned,

it's going to be between 500 and £700.

-Really?

-For that ring, yeah.

-How do you feel about possibly

selling it? Or is it something you want to keep for the family?

-I think I'd have to think about it.

-That's fair enough.

That's not a problem. Let's exclude that for the moment,

because you wanted £600,

didn't you, towards the whole PA system for the drums?

Well, the value of everything that's definitely going to auction

comes to £630.

-Oh, that's good.

-Wow, yeah.

-Very impressive.

But obviously, if you did then decide to let the ring go,

that'd be another £500-700 on top.

-Yeah.

-So, next time we'll see you ladies will be at the auction.

-Yep.

-Absolutely.

-Look forward to it.

It's been a very rewarding day here in Suffolk

with Jane and Scarlett, and even without

grandma's beautiful solitaire diamond ring,

we've done extremely well.

There's all that gold jewellery,

and what with the price of gold rising all the time at auction,

we're expecting it to beat the £200-300 estimate.

Then there's the 19th-century French oak desk, originally picked up

among a few other items for £70,

and left gathering dust in the garage for years.

Can it really attract £100-150?

And will this rare piece of Art Deco manage to fight her way

around the sale room at £50-80?

Stick around and we'll see.

Still to come at the auction -

just what is that Victorian stoneware?

Well, let's see what the plantholder-stroke-

water filter-stroke-butter churn makes, shall we?

But, we're certainly in harmony over the sale of the Art Deco lady lamp.

You were saying, "You know, I do quite like her now..."

BOTH: Do you like her even more?

THEY LAUGH

All together now for the final bang of the gavel.

Well, Jane had a lovely property, but unfortunately,

a lot of her antiques and collectables

no longer fit into the home, so we've brought them here

to Sworders auction house in Stansted Mountfitchet.

Remember, she's looking to raise around £600

so she can get a PA system for her son's drum kit.

Let's just hope that today there are plenty of bidders in the room

ready to flash the cash.

This Essex auction house holds general weekly sales

every Wednesday. Before we hook up with

Jane and Scarlett, Jonty and I browse

among the early bidders in the sale room.

I wonder what they'll make of Jane's eclectic mix of items,

some of which are very attractive.

I think one thing that might be a bit of a dark horse

here today is your lamp.

-Do you think so?

-Yes, I do.

I really like that, and it's proper Art Deco,

which is quite hard to come by now, isn't it?

Yeah, it's a nice quality thing.

We've got some really interesting items come up for sale.

-What about the ring?

-I didn't bring it.

-You didn't?

-No.

-OK.

I got all sentimental about it and decided I didn't

-want to sell it after all.

-That's fair enough.

It's better that you decide to keep something than

have second thoughts after it's sold.

..Or worry about selling it, yeah.

-Shall we get in position to start?

-Yeah.

-Follow Jonty.

-This way.

Jane and Scarlett have also decided to leave one of the chairs at home.

Jane wants to apply Jonty's advice regarding reupholstering

to the little Victorian nursing chair which Scarlett found.

This means our potential auction takings are down by around £30,

but hopefully that won't jeopardise our chances too much.

The auctioneer is already at work,

and our first lot on the list is the late '20s

to early '30s Aynsley crockery, which we hope will make £20-30.

-So, have you ever used this?

-No, never.

OK. Where did it come from?

My son found it in an old house that we were renovating

and carted it home and washed it up,

-and it's lived in a cupboard ever since.

-At least he did that!

-Yeah.

-Hats off to him, for a boy.

-Absolutely!

-He's after the money for it, though!

-Ah, the £20-30.

-Yeah.

-Let's see what it makes.

-£10.

10, 12,

15, 18, 20.

Looking good, Lorne.

£22 in the hat. Take five. Anyone else now?

Selling at £22.

All finished at 22.

-£22, that's all right, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Have you got to hand over the cash when you get home?

-Probably!

THEY LAUGH

-We'll just keep quiet about it, shall we?

-All right.

Good luck with that plan, Jane! Anyway, at £22,

just above our lowest estimate,

the Aynsley crockery has found another new home.

Next up, it's that French oak writing desk.

Back in the garage at Jane's home,

our expert reckoned it was worth £100-150.

But he's just spotted a slight modification.

Some repairs have been made since we last saw it.

Will they get Jonty's seal of approval?

Am I right in thinking that a few extra bits have been stuck on?

Yeah, my husband decided after about 15 years to actually repair it,

because it was coming to auction.

Cos some loose bits of moulding

were on top, weren't they?

-Yeah. He's made a good job of it.

-Excellent.

-It's a shame he didn't do it previously!

-Exactly.

We're going to start right away at £100.

£100 is bid. I see 110 in the room now.

120.

130.

It's here with me at £130.

140 anywhere?

140. 150.

160, sir.

160, I have it there.

160. Gentleman's bid in the room at £160.

We're selling at 160.

-Now, did you ever think it was worth £160?

-No.

-Did Trevor ever think it was worth £160?

-Definitely no!

-Did you think it was worth £160?

-No.

-You must be pleased with that, then.

-BOTH: Yeah.

Jane's husband Trevor once served an apprenticeship in carpentry,

so his skilful repair on the desk clearly added some real extra value.

Up next is the lamp with the unusual figure of a female fencer.

Original Art Deco pieces like this are highly sought after.

Now, this, I must admit, is my favourite,

cos I love the Art Deco style, and this is an original Art Deco piece.

It's missing a sword, but nevertheless,

these are increasingly hard to find.

But you couldn't really find a space for it anywhere in the house?

Not really, no.

It moved around and around and never looked right anywhere, really.

-Do you like it, Scarlett?

-Yeah, it's nice.

It's really different.

Good-looking lot there. Let's start with £60 bid.

I have £60, I'll take five.

Where now? 65,

70, 75,

80. 85, 90. 95,

-100.

-Ooh!

-105, 110.

120, 130.

140, 150.

160, 170.

170 here.

Do I see 180 anywhere?

-Wahey!

-Do I see 180?

180 takes it away from me.

-I am excited now.

-£180, all done.

£180!

-That's amazing.

-That's £100 more than our top estimate.

-Yeah.

When we spoke earlier, of course,

you were saying, "Well, I do quite like her now..."

BOTH: Do you like her even more?

THEY LAUGH

Snap!

In a strange kind of way, I almost wish I hadn't sold it,

because obviously people are really interested in it.

It makes you like it more then, doesn't it?

Great minds think alike, Jane.

Yes, this lady was positively radiant in the sale.

She's off to grace a new residence,

and we're very grateful for the £180 she's left behind.

Now then, that hoard of gold jewellery

we found in the dining room is up next before the auctioneer.

Estimated at £200-300, this really could be

the highlight of the sale,

considering the current sky-high price for gold.

Let's start at £130.

130, 140, 150.

160, 170.

180, 190.

200. In the room at £200.

Do I see £210 anywhere else now? 210. 220.

230. 240.

250. 260.

-Great.

-270.

280, 290, 300.

320. 340.

360. 380.

-400.

-Goodness!

-420.

440.

460. 480. 500.

LORNE GASPS

520. 540, sir?

530. 540.

-£540.

-I'm really amazed.

£540.

Selling at £540, all done.

-That's extraordinary.

-£540!

-I was actually holding my breath.

Well, you're breathing now. £540!

That is quite extraordinary.

It's made my heart go!

When the gold kept going up,

I literally was holding my breath.

That was quite amazing. Didn't expect it at all.

Wasn't that a treat? I love it when we get a run like that.

Very exciting. £540 is a massive boost to our total.

Next up is the silver collection,

which Jane found and which Jonty priced at £40-80.

We've done the gold... silver time now.

And silver is also rising in price rapidly.

It's going up by the day, practically.

-Could be good timing, then.

-It's the perfect time to sell. I put £40-80.

-Let's see where the market is today.

-Yeah.

There we are. We'll start with £25.

25, 30,

35, 40,

45, 50.

£50 is bid in the room. Commissions lost at £50.

55, anyone else now?

Gentleman's bid at £50 and selling. No more than £50? Holding at 50.

-Well, I think £50 is pretty good for that lot. Do you?

-Yeah.

I'm a bit disappointed after the gold.

-But that was gold and this is silver.

-I know, I know.

Well, perhaps that's a bit of a come-down

after the gilt-edged result earlier.

But £50 is above our lowest estimate,

so Jane shouldn't feel too bad. I wonder how much

we've made so far?

So far, you've raised £952.

-Wow!

-Seriously.

-That's brilliant.

That is a good result, isn't it? And we're only halfway through!

So we've got time to take a bit of a break. Come follow me.

With our original target now safely assured,

it's just a case of seeing how well

those auction items we have left can perform.

Before that, Jonty's on the hunt again for treasures,

and finds this stunning Gothic-inspired chair.

Now, that's what I call a beautiful chair, Jonty.

Very handsome, isn't it?

This is a mid-19th century Gothic revival low chair.

It's an oak frame.

the reason I was really having a close look at it is because,

do you remember the bureau in our sale?

It's never been cleaned

and it's never really been repolished at all,

which some people like, because when you repolish oak,

particularly, sometimes it almost looks over-clean.

And I suppose if I have any criticism of this chair,

it's the fact that it has been repolished.

If you look closely down the side here,

all the timberwork here has been redone.

I just wonder what you think of it, cos it's all down to personal taste.

I'd be worrying more about getting it reupholstered,

-to be honest with you!

-Yes.

-I know that's so expensive, to have these things reupholstered.

-Yeah.

To do that properly, you could be looking at £3-400

for this chair without any problem.

And how much do you expect it to go in this state?

Well, in this state,

this chair is still worth, I suppose, £400-600.

You see, in my mind, I'm thinking that's nearly £1,000

-for one chair by the time we've finished.

-It'd be worth it.

This is a really good quality chair.

I'm not disputing it's worth £1,000,

it's just that I haven't got £1,000! Come on.

Clearly, reupholstery is a serious consideration,

but for the right piece.

If you've been inspired to try and sell

some of your belongings this way, it's worth bearing in mind that auction houses

charge various fees, including commission and VAT.

Your local sale room will advise you on these extra costs.

Plenty still to come in our sale - for instance,

that haul of fabulous costume jewellery

which belonged to Jane's great-grandma.

Despite the auctioneer's best attempt

to drum up business, there's just one bidder.

Five in the room takes it. 55.

60, anyone else? 5.

It's often down to who's there in the room on the day, but at least

the costume jewellery just pipped its lower estimate of £55.

A dealer will no doubt find new homes for those beads,

bangles, fake pearls and paste stones.

The following lot is one of the most bizarre pieces on sale here today.

I saw this piece earlier. You can't really miss it.

It's a stoneware water filter.

-Yeah, the one I always called a butter churn.

-Yes.

-Why?

-I don't know.

-What did you use it for?

It belonged to my great-aunt.

She would turn the top upside down and put a plant on it.

-OK.

-Oh, good idea.

Let's see what the plantholder- stroke-water filter-

stroke-butter churn makes, shall we?

£20, a water filter.

It's an end one. 20, 22.

25. 28.

30. Do I see two? It's tempting.

Lady's bid at £30.

Do I see two anywhere else, now?

£30. Lady's bid selling at £30, all done and finished at £30.

£30. Might have got more if it had been a butter churn, you never know.

THEY LAUGH

For £30 towards their kitty,

I'm sure Jane won't mind how the new owners use it.

The Victorian stoneware now becomes a talking point

in someone else's home.

How much time is left? Perhaps we should consult the next lot,

the late 19th-century Seth Thomas wall clock which Jonty found.

It's in poor condition, so will that affect our sale?

-Now, to be polite, it looks rather tired.

-Mmm.

Where was it from?

A friend of ours bought it from a car-boot sale and took it home,

and his wife absolutely detested it, so he gave it to us.

I've put £40-60 on it.

-Please don't be disappointed if we don't get that.

-I won't.

Start at £20 for it.

A Seth Thomas American wall clock for £20. Who wants that at £20?

Any interest at £20?

10? £10 for it?

-Ohhh.

-Any interest at all?

No?

I think we'll just leave that. No bid.

-Are you disappointed with that?

-No, not really.

The wall clock can now go back to my friend,

because his wife didn't like it, I'm not sure I do,

and nobody else obviously did.

Easy come, easy go.

It's not the finest example of the clockmaker's art.

And we're doing very well anyway,

so let's not dwell on where it might wind up next.

Moving swiftly on, we've reached the framed Georgian watercolour

of a bridge in a rural setting. It's faded over time,

but at £30-50, it could possibly be to someone's taste.

So where did you get this from?

-That was my grandmother's.

-Oh, OK.

So you don't mind parting with it?

No, because again, it doesn't look right in my house.

It's moved around every 30 years

and never really found a right place for it.

And we're going to start at £20.

£20 is bid. Do I see five anywhere in the room?

No? I'll take five. Where now?

25. 30.

35, 40.

45, 50.

£50 is bid here with me and we're selling at £50.

All done and finished at £50.

-£50.

-That's not bad, is it?

-Happy with that?

-Yeah, definitely.

-Good.

Nicely matching our top estimate,

the rural scene goes off to pastures new.

Finally, the last item of our sale today.

It's the Edwardian walnut-framed tub chair

that Jane discussed with Jonty, who priced it at £30-50.

We'll start straight away at £20.

£20 is bid. Do I see two?

22, 25. 28.

£28 is bid, a gentleman's bid received.

30. 32.

35. 38.

40. 42.

45. 48.

Rounded up, madam. Gentleman's bid at £48.

Do I see 50 anywhere?

At £48, gentleman's bid.

We're selling at £48, all done.

-£48. Is that OK?

-That's OK, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yes. We got that sold.

Well, we have indeed.

It's now someone else's job to oversee

any refurbishment it may require,

while Jane takes care of the other Victorian chair at home.

That's it for the auction for us today.

All that remains is to tot up the figures

and reveal our grand total.

Right. Did you enjoy the auction?

-I did, yeah.

-Yeah, it was really good.

And what were the best surprises for you?

Probably the gold, as it got so much money and interest on it.

That was really good.

-You wanted to raise £600, didn't you, for the PA system?

-Yeah.

Well, you know that we more or less made your target figure

just with the gold.

You might be pleased to know that the grand total comes to £1,135.

-Wow.

-That's brilliant.

-Congratulations.

-That's really good.

Yeah, that's impressive.

-You pleased with that?

-Very pleased.

-What will you spend the extra money on?

-Oh, I don't know.

You've more or less doubled your figure.

We'll probably all go out for a really nice dinner.

-Oh, that sounds nice.

-We'll come too!

-We weren't invited, Jonty.

THEY LAUGH

It's a few weeks later,

and Jane has brought her youngest son Josh

to Cambridge to look for a new PA system.

But, faced with a shop full of new drum kits,

he simply can't resist.

I love that Josh is such a good drummer. He's brilliant.

He's stuck with his drumming from about age six.

I've been drumming for ten years now. I enjoy it.

Just cos I felt I picked it up so well.

I have to say, he does practise practically every day.

After that spectacular result at the auction,

Josh is now able to consider a far wider selection of equipment.

£500 is usually a good ballpark figure to work around.

Obviously you've got to consider

if there's anything else like speaker stands.

So, these interfaces here, you can mix each line in, I suppose.

Well, let's just hope that Josh goes on to have a huge musical career.

I do hope that fame and success will follow, but who's to tell?

Just keep practising. Practice makes perfect.