Mynott Cash in the Attic

Hello and welcome to Cash In The Attic,

the show that helps you value those antiques

so that you can hopefully sell them at auction.

Today, we're hoping to unearth some treasures

so that we can raise some funds to celebrate a milestone birthday.

'Coming up on Cash In The Attic,

'at last, an excuse to name that village...'

-I can't tell you that. Do you really want to know?

-I see.

It says Llanfairpwll- gwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll- llantysiliogogogoch.

-I thank you.

-I'm impressed.

-Wonderful.

'..and expert Jonty is excited by some vintage boys toys.'

But this is worth its weight in gold.

'At auction, I can't quite make up my mind about our missing experts.'

-Jonty's very negative.

-The seat WAS broken.

Oh, he's very truthful.

'It's one not to miss when the hammer falls.'

I'm on my way to meet Pat Mynott in Dulwich in London.

Apparently, her house is crammed to the rafters

with antiques and collectables. It's going to be a busy one.

'Pat is a very sociable woman

'and is joined today by one of her good friends, another Pat.

'This could get confusing.

'As well as having the same name, they're both 70 this year.

'This is a clue as to why we've been brought in.

'She married Dick Mynott in 1966. They had four children.

'Sadly, Dick died in 2008.

'He was an avid collector and Pat still has most of his possessions

'around the house.

'Our expert Jonty Hearnden has arrived before me.

'He has been studying antiques for three decades,

'so his knowledge here is going to be invaluable.'

Hey, good to see you. Hard at work already.

-How are you, Pat? Nice to see you.

-Hi.

-Hello.

-Who have we got here?

-Pat Blackler.

-So, stereo Pats.

Sometimes, Pat the elder and Pat the younger.

Steady on. That's how it's going to be, is it?

So, go on, then. Why have you called us in?

We want to celebrate our birthdays.

Pat's just had her 70th birthday and I'm about to have my birthday.

There's a group of ten of us and we usually celebrate together

and we want to do it in style this time,

so, we want to celebrate our 70th birthday and have a real beano.

So, how much will that roughly be?

Up to £500 should do it, I think.

-Better get to work.

-It's a big house.

-£500? Why do you need £500?

-We want to have a good beano.

-What's a beano?

-Beano is a bash. A party. A do.

So, you want 500 quid for a good knees-up, really.

A knees-up, yeah.

Everywhere you look in this house, so far, anyway,

all I see is books, ornaments. What are we likely to find?

Well, my husband collected everything from bus tickets to...

Even, you know, grid rubbings in a road.

-So, we should be all right, then?

-We should be OK.

Do you think we'll get the £500?

Well, we'll still have a beano even if we don't.

'This party-loving lady is the daughter of an army officer

'and her family moved around a lot when she was younger

'before they finally settled in South London.

'In fact, she's lived in this house since she was nine.'

-Jonty, you must be in your element.

-Look at this. I found something.

-OK, hold on.

-I'll put it there.

-I'll put those there.

-There we go.

-What have you found?

-A little smoker's cabinet, by the looks of it.

-What's the story, Pat?

I'm not sure of the story behind this.

I think it could possibly have come from my husband's grandparents.

Or it couldn't have been... I don't know, really.

So, he had so much stuff,

there are still items that you don't recognise?

You're absolutely right. I don't recognise an awful lot of the stuff.

I'm just discovering again with you.

So, what's a smoker's cabinet? Go on, then.

So, this is from the Victorian era

and in the Victorian times, smoking became incredibly popular,

so, in the grander houses, they created rooms like the smoking room

and of course, with that, you had all the paraphernalia to go with it.

So, the smoking jacket, you had the smoking chair

and as a consequence, of course,

you needed possibly a smoker's cabinet, as well.

So, this is what we're looking at here. Let me open up the doors.

These lovely bevelled glass doors.

On the inside, we've got the room for the pipes and there should be,

and there is, a little tobacco jar there.

A cabinet should always have a ceramic jar

to keep the tobacco dry.

Heavy lid. Often that can be completely sealed

so it stops the moisture getting in your tobacco.

You can mix your tobaccos.

Of course, inside these drawers are all the rooms for the tobacco itself.

Probably your matches etc, etc. And look, it's just crammed.

There's all sorts of goodies in here. Wow, wonderful.

How much are we looking at if we put it to auction?

-I think we're looking at £50-£80.

-Wow.

I think that's quite a conservative estimate.

Simply because it's in such good condition.

It's absolutely in mint condition, which I love to see.

Made of good old English oak. Perfect. That should sell very well.

Apparently, Dick was a smoker,

but never used this cabinet to store his tobacco.

Pat number two has found some boxes that need a thorough sort through

and I'm looking for any recognisable names on these ceramics.

Pat number one has spotted a piece of Edwardian furniture

that can go to auction.

She thinks it came from Dick's side of the family.

It looks like a whatnot to me, but Jonty says it's a cake stand

and it's made of mahogany.

It has a slight split in the wood so the estimate for auction is £20-£30.

-How are you getting on?

-These are Dick's old toys from the war.

Amazing. Open a cupboard here, you never know what you'll find.

No, no, no, look at that.

They're amazing. You've got animals, cows, horses, the lot.

I tell you what, Jonty's going to love this.

Let me see if he's around. Jonty? Are you around?

-Look at this.

-What you got?

-Toys!

-Hey!

-Toys, look at that.

-They look really old, too.

That's really good news for us.

And they look... Let me have a look at this.

-A bit beaten up, this one. Dinky.

-One wheel missing.

-Yes, sad.

But they've got some real age to them.

What have we got here? This is really quite interesting.

So, this one here is a tin station.

But...

..looking at this box here now,

just take a look at this for a moment - the filling station.

-There we go.

-That's great.

-Isn't that fab?

That's in good condition, isn't it?

-It's perfect condition. This is a very rare item.

-Really?

You can just see it's made of pressed tin like that. Can you see?

Shaped tin. Painted and it's all transferred,

but this is worth its weight in gold. It's absolutely fabulous.

What about all the rest?

Farmyard animals, fences, cars. Would you put it all together?

It all needs to go together and looking at all the other collections,

they're in pretty ropey condition, but they're all really old.

Between you and me and the gatepost, I know a dealer

that has sold an identical station for, wait for it,

-£300.

-Wow. Just for that?

-Just for this little petrol station.

You're going to have a serious beano!

Remember, we are selling at auction. A general auction sale, as well,

so there's a massive difference between retail price

and top dollar price from a specialist dealer

all the way through to this.

So, if we were conservative with our estimate,

we should see this rise because it's the right thing to do.

The whole thing, how much?

I would put £100-£150 on the collection

and then, let's see where we go.

And when those vintage toys get to the saleroom,

will the bidders love them as much as we do?

We start of with a healthy £80. 85, 90, 95, 100.

That looks like it's going to be an exciting sale, doesn't it?

As the search in South London continues,

we're all still wading through the masses of collections in Pat's home.

Jonty decides to search the spare room and notices some more toys.

This time, it's trains, including a boxed model of Stephenson's Rocket,

a boxed steamliner and a box of Hornby Silver Jubilee freight.

There's also track - loads and loads of it.

This large collection gets an estimate of £200-£400.

I tell you what, Pat, I don't know where to start.

This is like an Aladdin's Cave of treasures. Are you the hoarder?

I am definitely not the hoarder.

I'm the nagger. My husband was the hoarder.

And his mother was a hoarder

and his grandmother was a hoarder and this is the result, I think.

But there are books on all kinds of subjects here.

Yeah. When the kids had homework,

they'd go and say to their dad... Cos he was a teacher,

they'd say, "I don't know that" and before they knew where they were,

they all had half a dozen books in front of them on any subject.

Doesn't surprise me.

Are they all here or scattered around the house, as well?

No, a lot of them have gone.

There was so much rubbish in here, my daughter-in-law said,

"Ooh, I didn't know you had a green carpet!"

-You've done well. You can see lots of carpet now.

-I know.

What sort of character was your husband?

He was a lovely man. Everybody said so.

He was a big man and the neighbours used to call him The Gentle Giant.

Well, I didn't realise at the time because we just lived, you know,

and enjoyed life but I think he probably was fairly eccentric.

-Right.

-He read history at Balliol.

But he taught maths because there were lots of history teachers

and he just thought he was a teacher,

he can teach anything, you know.

So, history was his love, but maths is what he taught.

He was also into trains, wasn't he?

He loved trains like he loved china and trains he loved at some points,

postcards at other points, model soldiers at other points.

There must be so many memories for you.

-Is it going to be tough seeing some of this go?

-No.

Because most of the stuff that I love isn't going.

I will not miss the china and I certainly won't miss trains.

'Oh, go on, Pat, admit it.

'I bet secretly you've got them

'running around the track every night.

'In the lounge, the other Pat has spotted a circular table.

'It's Edwardian and made of mahogany

'and looks in very, very good condition.

'No nasty stains on this surface.

'There's a little drawer in the decorative band around the top.

'Jonty tells me this is a frieze drawer.

'Again, it comes from Dick's side of the family

'and should make £40-£60 at auction.

'Well, going by our expert's lowest estimate so far,

'we stand to make £410 when we take the things to the saleroom.

'So, we've almost reached Pat's target already.

'I'll keep that to myself for now.'

Pat. Another collection.

This time, it's postcards and everything we've got here

is just albums and catalogued, boxed collections of old postcards.

So, whose were all of these?

Well, it's like all the other collections in this house.

It probably started off with my husband's grandmother

and then, his mother and then, in fact, my husband himself.

If you're collecting something, friends give you things.

I think that's where they've come from, really. Places like that.

So, Pat, what are we looking at there for instance?

This is an album of postcards from Paris. So, what's this one?

Erm, it seems to be a little...

Oh, it's got an interior! Look at the views of Paris.

The Eiffel Tower and all the other buildings. Look at that.

Fantastic. I've never seen anything quite like that.

That's really got some age to it, too.

Now, I've been flicking through just this box alone

and this box is worth selling by itself.

All of the postcards in this box are of steam locomotives

and some of steam boats.

Not only will these be of interest to postcard collectors,

but they are going to be of interest to people who love locomotives,

steam locomotives and all those steam boats, as well.

And this whole collection here is all to do with the First World War.

-Yeah.

-Again, it's been properly... I mean, look at the detail here.

I love those, yeah. This has been cut out a bit.

Look at the workmanship that's gone into that.

The hours that have gone into that one card alone.

Really, absolutely staggering.

They just evoke so much of the time, they are time capsules.

Every single one is a time capsule, aren't they?

So, a lot of these cards are very desirable

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

-Wow.

-You look a bit staggered.

I am staggered. Every time you say something, I'm staggered.

It's a shame Pat's nine grandchildren aren't interested

in their grandfather's collections,

but it means there's more money to go towards her 70th birthday bash

which she plans to have with her large circle of friends.

-This is the partying gang, is it?

-Yeah, that's the gang, yeah.

Everybody that I've worked with has had one of my embroideries,

you know, for some occasion or other.

Pat had it when she was 70 and Maureen when she was 60

and the only one who hasn't had one is Annette. That's Annette there.

Right. And how long have you been doing this?

Well, I've been doing that since...

That must have been over 20 years, I've been doing that.

Which lead you very nicely into an art degree?

I always wanted to do art,

so I went to this drawing class.

I went along. It was just Southwark College -

a little college up the road and I'm chatting to the group

who've obviously gone there for the art class.

The teacher comes up and says, "Can you help me with these easels?"

So, I helped her and the man that I'd been chatting to

was in a dressing gown

and so, he stripped off, so there I was in a life class.

I thought I'd gone to draw a bowl of fruit or something like that,

but I took to it like a duck to water. I was a nurse so, you know...

-Nothing surprises you.

-Nothing surprises me, really.

No, and I really enjoyed it, so I carried on with that class

and then I thought, "Where do I go from here?"

They said, "Why not do an art degree?"

Pat, what do you make of her talent?

I'm in awe. Absolute awe cos I can't sew, I can't knit, I can't draw.

And I can't stand on my head!

You can stand on your head?

Well, I do yoga, don't I? So, you know.

I don't just do it at parties and things.

But I just think it's wonderful

and I feel part of it, really, in a funny sort of way, don't I?

-You know, I share her joy with it, really.

-Aw, how nice.

-Honestly.

Well, I think we need to raise some serious money for a serious party,

-so we should get on with it. Are you game? Come on, let's go.

-Let's go.

What a talented woman Pat is.

She's certainly packed a lot into her 69 years.

Jonty's come across more of Dick's hoardings.

This time, it's playing cards from the early 20th century.

There's also a few board games in there, too.

Apparently, Dick used to love playing games.

I'm surprised he had the time,

cos it must've taken quite a while sorting through his collections.

They're all so well organised.

This lot get an estimate of £40-£60.

-Jonty?

-Hello.

-What do you think to this?

-Your deckchair?

-There we go.

Got your sandwiches?

You need to be outside in the sun with a drink in your hand, don't you?

Now, what are we looking at here?

Yes, well, the shape is Victorian and you can tell that,

not so much by this top part, but how that turn stretches round the front.

That's a very 19th-century turn.

And it's really a folding chair, as you know,

but, really, a forerunner to those steamer chairs

that you saw in the 1920s and '30s

and they've now redesigned them to be outside.

So, it's a classic design - a classic British design.

Now, we're looking at this lovely cane back here.

-There's a bit of a problem. And have you noticed it, too?

-I'm afraid so.

-It's that wear in the seat there.

-Yeah.

And of course, that's where a lot of the weight goes on

to the seat, rather than the back.

Is that repairable?

It's repairable, but very costly,

because the only way that you can repair that

is to do every single hole by hand

and all of these holes here are by hand, interwoven.

It's very, very labour-intensive, so very costly to do.

It's doable, but we have to price the chair accordingly,

-cos I'm assuming this is for sale, is it?

-Yes.

If it had been in good condition, then £100, easily.

But because we've got the damage, £40-£60.

But it's still worth putting for sale. Well found.

-Right, shall I carry it out for you? Ladies first.

-Thank you so much.

I'm surprised Pat hasn't fixed that with her creative talent.

In the lounge, I notice a collection of copper and brass.

This kettle is from the 19th century and so is the oil lamp.

As you might have guessed, they belonged to, yes, Dick.

The estimate for the lot is £20-£40.

Jonty, I think I may have got another one of those,

whatever it is.

-Very similar boxes, aren't they?

-Yes.

-Let's have a look at that one.

Yes, there we go, this is a writing slope, as well.

What is a writing slope?

A little, portable folding desk, essentially.

I see, yes.

And they were really very well made indeed,

so, just have a look at these in detail.

If I just pull this lip here, underneath this flap

is storage for envelopes and stationery.

You then have that lovely writing slope,

so, at the top here, this is where you keep your pens and ink.

And here is an original inkwell, which is lovely to see.

Fantastic, isn't it?

Here on the top, you would have your quills and your pens.

And usually, if you were to press one side, like so,

you've got storage over there, as well.

So, that's almost like a rocking mechanism.

That's very similar. Possibly stamped, here, as well,

so you've got this very efficient storing cabinet, as well.

This is of similar design and here, we've got the pens at the top.

We've got room for... Look at this! A travelling inkwell.

-Look at that, the little cover.

-So, if you went away for the weekend...

Yes, how about that? Isn't that lovely? But this is interesting.

I want you to compare the difference in quality.

Can you see one is a lot fresher than the other?

And you've got this embossed edge to it, as well. Moroccan leather.

And this would be more expensive, would it, when they were purchased?

Quite possibly, yes. So, if you see the interior...

If I fold them both away.

Look at the outside of this one, you've got these brass corners.

That protects the cabinet. So that's mahogany.

And I'll close this one up here, as well. That's a walnut, OK?

So, when it comes to price, this is the star item

and this is the item that has to go with it.

This doesn't even merit putting into a sale by itself

cos the condition is not good enough. But, if we put the two together,

-we're looking at £60-£80.

-Jolly good. That's excellent.

-Good.

-Excellent.

We've been kept very busy here at Pat's house

and the day is not quite over yet.

In the spare room, Pat number two notices another collection.

This time, it's cigarette cards, many from the 1930s.

Plus, some tea cards from the '70s and '80s.

Pat and Dick bought most of these at junk shops.

It's a comprehensive set

and many are mounted in their original albums.

The estimate is £30-£60.

A-ha, Pat, look what I found. A little Welsh hat for Aled.

What do you think?

A Welsh hat? With that long name on it.

-Perhaps Aled would be able to say it.

-Yes, I'll let him search.

Now, tell me, because I'm looking here -

I've got two boxes here and above you,

there's a huge, great, big display cabinet full of crested ware.

Before we go any further,

is this a collection you're interested in selling?

This is a collection I'm very interested in selling.

Because, as you can see, a lot of it hasn't been unwrapped

since the '80s.

You can tell by the newspaper.

And the rest is just sat here waiting to be dusted

and I'm just not interested in that,

so I'd be very pleased to sell this collection.

Do you know the story of crested ware?

Not much of an idea, but I gather that they were seaside souvenirs

that people used to bring home from the seaside.

You're absolutely right. It was for the tourist trade.

The market exploded in the late 19th century

through into the beginning of the 20th century.

And that's the reason why we have different shapes, different sizes,

from not only the seaside, but from different parts, as well.

So, for instance, if I were to pluck this little can here,

because can you see, impressed, it says, "Motor spirit"?

And on the front, it's got the crest of High Wycombe.

For my money, High Wycombe is as far from the sea

as any other city or town in the UK.

There's probably a reason why, all of a sudden,

there was a market for this kind of ware,

because in 1871, there became,

for the first time in the UK, paid holidays.

Bank holidays were introduced which means that the working classes

could actually be paid for leisure time.

Before that, there was no paid leisure time.

And so, if you went to the seaside with a few shillings in your pocket,

a few pennies in your pocket, you needed to come back with a souvenir.

When I was first in the business,

this crested ware was very saleable, the market was really very buoyant.

What's happened in recent times is the market's increased,

but it's also come down the other side.

-But this collection here is still worth between £200-£300.

-Not bad.

-Are you pleased?

-Very pleased.

-Wonderful!

-Shall we tell the other two?

-Let's.

Mr Jones? Pat? Are you there?

Yes, we are, big smiles on your faces. What's going on?

Before we go any further, I've got a little present for you.

Oh, lovely, I like a present. What have you got?

We can't read the top of that. Could you tell us what it says.

It's a Snowdon hat and it says round the edge... I can't tell you that.

-Do you really want to know?

-Oh, I see.

-It's very rude.

It says Llanfairpwll- gwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll- llantysiliogogogoch.

-I think you.

-Impressed.

-Wonderful!

That's the reason they got me on the show.

Isn't that lovely? Absolutely lovely. We talking a lot of money?

Well, all this collection that you see behind us here - £200-£300.

-Right, gosh.

-Not bad, eh?

You were after £500 for a good old night out.

Do you want to know how much money you've hopefully made today?

Taking Jonty's lowest estimate on everything, OK,

we're hoping to make in the region of...

-Go on.

-Do you really want to know?

-No.

-£900.

-No!

-Yes.

-Yeah.

Cor, that's some beano!

That's what they call in the industry a serious beano, I think!

What an amazing rummage we've had here at Pat's.

I can't wait to see how all her things do at auction,

including the late 19th-century oak smoker's cabinet

which Jonty said was in mint condition.

Pat thinks it may have belonged to Dick's grandparents.

It should sell for £50-£80.

There's all the different train sets, many still boxed,

plus lots of Hornby track, too.

These are very collectable and their estimate is £200-£400.

And my favourite those vintage toy cars,

farm animals and petrol station.

Jonty has a hunch these could go through the roof

and surpass his £100-£150 estimate.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic, we soon get an idea

of the sort of 70th birthday party that Pat has in mind.

We'll have pop and crisps. You know, Tizer.

I'm pleased you said that cos I thought you'd say Naked Twister.

'I'd be there, then.

'Pat tells us why the collection of brass is definitely one thing

'she'll not be sad to see the back of.'

I've spent many unhappy hours polishing it.

That's why you're asking £20-£40.

-I'd pay money for them to take it.

-Don't say that!

Stand by for some excitement when the hammer finally falls.

Well, it's been a few weeks

since we rummaged our way around Pat's house in West Dulwich

and found box upon box of hidden treasures and forgotten antiques.

And they've been brought here, to Chiswick Auction House in London.

Pat wants to raise £500. Let's hope we do better than that.

She wants to have a rip-roaring time with her friends for her birthday.

It's a joint 70th birthday party for her and her friend Pat

and if our expert's valuations are accurate,

she should raise £900 for it here today.

-Good morning, stereo Pats. How are you? You've made it.

-We've made it.

-Looking forward to this?

-We are.

-Don't be too alarmed,

but I have some news. Jonty's not here, I'm afraid,

but you're in safe hands. Don't be too disappointed.

-You looked like you were going to strike me!

-I wouldn't do that.

Are you going to be sad to see any of this go?

No, absolutely not sad to see it go. It hasn't even left a hole behind,

cos I thought the room was going to look emptier at home, but no.

-You've got a lot of stuff, that's why.

-I've got a lot of stuff.

You're hoping to raise £900.

Yeah, I can't bear the idea of spending that much on food

and so, we rang round the ten friends

and we've decided that we'd like to spend the first £500

-on the Pakistani Flood Relief Fund.

-Wonderful!

And the rest of the money goes on a good old party?

-What was it called again?

-A beano.

-And what's a beano, remind me?

-A raucous jollification!

-A raucous jollification!

I like the sound of that.

'Well, we must cross our fingers that today's raucous jollification

'results in copious quantities of glittering coinage.

'Seriously, it's generous of Pat and her friends

'to think of those in need, while planning their own happy day.

'The first of Pat's lots to come up

'is the mahogany Edwardian three-tier cake stand.'

I'm envisaging the fact that your husband decided

that he was going to collect cake stands,

got to one and then thought, "I really don't have room for it".

What's it worth? Start me. £10 the lot, for the cake stand.

Ten, I'm bid. 12, there. 14, 16, 18,

20, 22. £22. The number raised at £22. Anybody else?

25, 28, 30, 32, 35,

38, 40.

£40 to the lady there, at 40. Anybody else?

I'm going to sell it for 40. 299.

I think it's what you call in the business a good start.

And it's a sign that the bidders recognise the quality

of the stuff Pat's brought here.

Well, what will they make of her Victorian cane folding chair

with an estimate of £40-£60?

I can't tell you where that came from

any more than I can tell you where anything else came from.

I think it grew!

It's a beautiful chair, though.

It is nice chair. It's a good-looking chair, isn't it?

You found this, if I remember rightly.

Jonty said, "The seat's broken".

-Jonty's very negative.

-The seat WAS broken.

Oh. He's very truthful!

£10 for the lot then, to go. 10, I'm bid, there. Thank you.

At £10, it's not very good so far. At £12.

14, 16, no?

£16, it is, then, at £16.

Not quite enough. £16? Are you all done, then, at £16?

So, £16, he decided not to sell it.

-Aw, that's a pity.

-So, it's coming home with you.

I really don't want to take it.

Oh, dear. I think Pat would've been happy for it to go for any price.

Let's hope we have more luck

with the cigarette and tea card collection,

which is up next for £30-£60.

Is it right that you found these all over the house?

All different corners of the house. Tried to collect them all together.

-I'm amazed you can find your clothes in the morning.

-Yes, good point!

I'm glad to say that I've got one, two, three, four commissioned bids

and I can start the bidding straight away at £70.

That's already £10 over the highest estimate.

80, 85, 90, 95.

£95 it is now, 100.

Oh, my goodness me! Who would have thought it?

120, there. At 120. Are you all done on £120?

I'm going to sell at 120 for all those cigarette cards, 120.

That makes up for the steamer chair.

You've got to let the steamer chair go. Let it go.

That's brilliant, isn't it?

-It's a good feeling, isn't it?

-No, I wanted the steamer chair to go.

You hold her!

I don't know, there's no pleasing some people!

Coming up next is the late 19th-century oak smoker's cabinet,

which may have come from Dick's grandparents.

I love this. You had the pipes inside, didn't you?

Pipes and the original tobacco jar, yes.

I was amazed to find out how old it was. That did surprise me.

Are you going to miss it?

No, I'm not going to miss it because I just don't use it.

£50-£80. Solid. Jonty's got hope for it.

-Yeah, Jonty had hope for the steamer chair, too!

-Yeah, fair point.

Interest in this, I'm glad to say. Straight in at £55.

At 55 and 60, I'll take. 55, 60, 65. Still with me on the book at 65.

You all done at £65? 70, the lady at the back there, at 70. Are you done?

75, fresh bidding. 80? 85?

£85, then. Nearer to me at 85. You all done? 85, it is.

-That's brilliant!

-What did he say? What did he say?

-£85.

£50-£80, Jonty said, so we're £5 above his highest estimate.

Well, Jonty did say it was in mint condition,

so I'm not surprised it did sell well.

How will her circular Edwardian mahogany occasional table do here?

It's in very good condition, too, because Pat never used it.

-You found this, didn't you?

-I did, I love it. It's a lovely table.

I found the drawer underneath it.

Cutlery, I should imagine, Pat. Not that you put any in it, did you?

She never used it, so she wouldn't know.

I think probably that's what it was for.

I love that table for afternoon tea or something.

Do you not do afternoon tea?

-No, not very often, no.

-Don't do tea, cakes, coffee.

What DO you do? There's a song in there.

I do the cleaning and the hoovering

and I kind of garden, but apart from that, I'm quite busy.

Jonty says £40-£60. Time to find out how we'll get on.

-A little bit of interest here, I'm bid £40.

-That's good.

-45, 50.

£50. That little occasional table at £50.

Five, I'll take from somebody else. At £50, then, it is. £50, it goes.

-50 quid. Bang in the middle. Can't say fairer than that.

-No.

-Occasionally, it goes like that.

-Oh, no!

I'm pleased my so-called humour isn't wasted on these two ladies.

Next, it's Dick's collection of die-cast toy cars,

farm animals, plus that Dinky petrol station

which Jonty said was worth its weight in gold.

Let's see if he's right.

Now, listen, it's a big ask, this. £100-£150.

-That is a big ask.

-All we need is two toy collectors in the room

and it could go sky-high.

A couple of bids, so we'll start off with a healthy £80.

85, 90, 95, 100, 110, 120 there, 130,

140, 150, 160, 170,

180, 190, 200, 210, 220...

-What did I tell you?

-Shut up!

-240, 250...

-Tell him to carry on.

280, 290...

SHE SINGS

..340, 360, 380,

400, 420, 440, 460, 480,

500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750,

800, 850, 900, 950. £1,000.

1,100? £1,100, there.

-At £1,100.

-Blooming heck!

£1,100 for those toys.

1,100, then. Thank you.

Bring on the beano, I would say.

-That's amazing, isn't it?

-That really is. That's good.

Two people in the room really wanted it.

That guy wasn't giving up, was he?

No, no. Oh, Pat!

I know!

Jonty's prediction about the fine tin garage was spot-on.

It was certainly the hidden gem in this collection.

It brought our total so far to £1,395.

But I'll keep the good news to myself, just for now.

If you've been inspired by Pat's progress

and want to try selling at auction yourself,

bear in mind that fees such as commission

will be added to your bill.

This charge varies from one saleroom to another,

so it's worth enquiring in advance.

Our sale continues and next to come up

are our two late 19th-century writing slopes,

with an estimate of £60-£80.

It seems a lot for just two little wooden boxes.

And I'm not going to bother asking you if you'd miss them.

-I won't miss them.

-You didn't even know they were there.

Start me £30? £30 for the writing slope.

£20 for the writing slope, surely?

20, I'm bid, here. 22,

25, 28, 30, 32,

-35...

-What was this?

-At 35.

-Sold? No.

40, 42, 45, 48, 50, 55.

£55 here, at 55. At £55, 55.

-Not bad.

-What did he say?

£60-£80. So, £5 under the lowest estimate.

I don't think we had anything to complain about there, really.

Next up, for £40-£60, is Dick's collection

of Victorian, and later, board games and cards.

A huge collection. It could only come from your house.

I'd found some of the board games

earlier and thought they were attractive,

but I hadn't found the card games.

And some of the other games, I found those since.

And one of the card games

I recognised that we played with when the kids were little,

so I've taken that out.

I'm getting a bit worried now. When you have this birthday party,

what are you going to play if you haven't got any board games?

Oh, we'll play charades.

-And we'll have pop and crisps, you know.

-Thank goodness.

I'm pleased you said that. I had visions of you saying Naked Twister.

-Naked Twister?

-Let's see how we get on.

-Is that cards?

-No, it's not!

Straight in here at a £50 bid with me, on the books.

Straight in the middle.

55, I'll take, from somebody else for the board games. £50. 55. 60.

65, 70.

Still with me at £70.

Doesn't seem a lot of money, at 70, but I can sell, if you're all done.

At £70, then. £70, they go. £70.

-Ooh.

-The auctioneer was quite surprised by that.

I think he thought they would go for quite a bit more,

-but we said 40-60 and they went for 70.

-Middle of the road again.

No, no, it wasn't. It was more. She's not very good at maths.

I'm not, either, to be honest, but we don't mind in the least

because it's all going so well.

Next up, it's another large collection.

Dick's early 20th-century postcards.

Most of the postcards, when I found those, my husband

had actually catalogued. He had catalogued

the First World War ones, which I looked at this morning,

and he's catalogued the others under place names and things like that.

-But there's others scattered that I don't know about.

-Amazing.

What are we hoping for? 100-150, so it's a big ask, isn't it?

It is, but I've been so surprised today,

nothing surprises me any more!

-What do we know?!

-Exactly!

-All will be revealed.

-We know nothing.

-Yeah, we know nothing!

A really terrific lot, this,

and I've got a terrific amount of interest.

"Terrific amount of interest".

And I'm straight in at £100. 110, I'll take.

With me, at £100. 110, 120.

130, there. 140, 150, 160,

-170...

-Deep breath, girls, here we go again.

-..190, 200.

£200, in the doorway, then, at 200.

210, 220,

230.

230, on the phone. At 230.

Anybody else? At £230... At £230, all done?

For 230, I'm going to sell it.

-230.

-Yes!

You can lift your chin back up now!

Incredible - and testament to Pat's husband's good judgment

in collecting things of real quality.

One of his small collections is next. Some copper and brassware,

including a 19th-century kettle and oil lamp.

Aled, don't ask me if I want to get rid of this brass.

It's the one thing I really want to see go.

I've spent many unhappy hours polishing it.

-That's why you're asking £20-£40?

-I'd pay money for them to take it.

Don't say that!

So, it's goodbye to the copper brass oil lamp and kettles, etc.

-Exactly.

-"I don't want to polish them no longer."

Bit of interest, I've got a £20 left bid with me.

This might not sell. They might be coming home with you.

No, definitely not.

I'd be totally gutted.

£28, in the room. At £28, you all done? 30 here, on the sofa.

£30. On the sofa here, at 30.

GAVEL BANGS

-Bang in the middle.

-Was that really in the middle?

-Put your hand out and wave goodbye to the brass.

-I'm so pleased.

No more cleaning brass - and 30 quid.

It's a win-win situation and we're all happy.

Now, it's the turn of Dick's large collection

of boxed train sets and track,

with an estimate of £200-400.

I'm glad to see these go, because they've just been sitting in boxes

and I like to think things are actually being used.

The auction house have decided to split the collection into three lots

and up first is some boxed rolling stock.

I'm straight in at £120.

-Wow.

-That's only for part of it, too.

-Yep, 100-200 we're looking for.

150, 160, 170, 180.

190, 200. £200. 210.

210, there. Do you want 220?

-220.

-Here we go.

-230.

-That's only for part of it.

-That's only for one of them.

-260.

260, there. 260, there.

Seated, at 260. Against the book, then, at 260. Anybody else?

At £260, it is, then. 260...

GAVEL BANGS

I'm looking forward to the other two now, are you?

No! Don't think I can bear it.

The second lot is some model railway accessories.

I'm going to sell it, make no mistake. £40, thank you.

-Not bad.

-Went slightly off the rails.

And last, but not least, some more boxed train sets.

At £200, I'm going to sell them.

GAVEL BANGS

-What's the total?

-The whole train set's gone for 500 quid.

I think it's just all too overwhelming

for Pat to really take in!

And there's no time to pause and reflect, as we still have

the crested china to go. It's another massive collection

and the estimate for the lot is £200-£300.

The china is something that I did actually buy.

Not all of it, but some of it.

I'm envious, because someone's getting that hat with

Llanfairpwll- gwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll- llantysiliogogogoch

-written on it.

-That wasn't what you said at the time!

Terrific lot, what's it worth? Start me, £150, for the lot.

150, I'm bid, here. Is that it, at £150, for the Goss?

At 150, I can't believe it.

At £150, you all done? £150, I'm selling...

Interesting. The auctioneer was surprised, as well, wasn't he?

-He expected more.

-He did.

You know what? Sometimes the bidders just ain't in the room.

-We saw them going out!

-Exactly!

Oh, what a shame that didn't make a little more, but I don't think

Pat is at all disappointed.

We all know she's made way over her £500 that she wanted for her party,

so I can't wait to tell her the final total.

You've actually raised, for charity and for your huge, huge beano,

-£2,430.

-Oh, no. Aled, honestly, I really am surprised.

-£2,430.

-Oh, crikey!

I think we need a group hug.

We do. Oh, that's so lovely. I can't tell you.

Oh... Oh, dear me.

With that incredible amount,

Pat was able to make her generous charity donation.

The rest, she is going to spend on doing jobs around the house.

That's after she's paid for her special beano

with all her close friends.

These lovely people are the ten people that I used to work with.

I retired ten years ago

and we probably worked together for ten years before that,

so we all worked in a particular clinic.

They're all nurses of different kinds.

They've been a big support, when my husband died,

when things have happened in all the different families.

It's just been a really big support group.

The team came over to the house and it was just a fun day.

We enjoy it, really, and I've never been to an auction,

so going to an auction was a new experience - and very enjoyable.

And we were feeling quite elated afterwards

and had a very enjoyable evening afterwards, as well!

Right, girls, cheers!

ALL: Cheers!