Ruskin Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic. We're on the trail of antiques and collectables to take to auction

so their owners can raise money for something special.

The couple we're going to meet today have been collectors all their lives, which augurs well.

But they're facing difficult times and they could do with some cheering up.

So will they let some of their treasures go under the hammer?

Coming up on Cash In The Attic,

we discover some cigarette cases with an intriguing history.

That belonged to my wife's grandfather.

-He wanted to become the hangman.

-The hangman?

-The hangman for the nation.

-That's a career move!

A market stall purchase baffles our expert Paul.

-You're in a bazaar market?

-Yes.

-You've paid £1,000 for something and you don't know what it is?

-No.

And at auction, one sparkling result gets everyone into holiday mode.

-Woo! More in the kitty. Sailing away!

-I think we're going twice!

Stay with us as the hammer falls.

Today I'm in a rather windy Lincolnshire

and I'm on my way to meet Lesley and Phil Ruskin.

With hobbies such as collecting elegant jewellery

and taking cruises to exotic locations,

Lesley Ruskin enjoys the nicer things in life.

She's been married to Phil for 36 years and they have two sons,

Alistair and Stewart.

Home is in Lincolnshire, where Phil runs his own hairdressing salon.

The couple have had a few tough years

with Phil affected by health problems

and Lesley made redundant from her pastoral work in their local school.

Our expert Paul Hayes and I must do all we can to try to cheer them up.

Efficient as ever, Paul gets straight to work.

-Hello. Hi! Lesley and Phil?

-Yes, it is.

Just having a brief look around, I can see ornaments everywhere.

So you're quite a collector, huh?

I think you get a big space and you fill it, don't you?

You keep buying, putting things up on walls and places, but it's too much like hard work.

It's got to stop now.

I've also been told that you need a bit of cheering up. What's up?

My mum's been poorly and Lesley's mum's been poorly.

Lesley had problems with her workplace

and I've got problems with my legs.

We thought it was a bit of "us time".

What are you going to do with the "us time"?

We're going on a cruise from Southampton up to Iceland,

then we're going across to America and then flying back from America to Heathrow.

-That should put a smile on your face.

-Absolutely. Can't wait.

-Good!

So how much money do you think you might be able to raise?

We would like to raise £2,000, but I understand that's a lot of money.

Anything would help towards it but 2,000 would be absolutely amazing.

Let's see if all that collecting over the years is going to pay off.

Phil, why don't you start rummaging? You go that way and we'll find Paul.

OK, yes. We'll find Paul through here.

Never one to waste time when it comes to a rummage,

Paul's already come across a lovely little collection that's a particular passion of his.

There we are, a man with a mission. Yes! Already at work.

I found some of my favourite items, some Dresden porcelain.

You've got to remember that Dresden and that area were first in Europe

to actually produce porcelain.

The Chinese had the secret for 2,000 years,

then in Germany, about 1750, they developed

this wonderful white gold, as they called it,

and it was really considered a quality item.

It's known as the Dresden Spray.

-It's very unique to the Dresden area.

-Wow.

The reason being this wonderful floral decoration here,

and every now and again you'd have the odd flower.

When they had these very primitive kilns,

lots of imperfections were found in the porcelain.

What they would do is individually disguise those

with insects or flowers, that sort of thing.

They're dotted all over the surface of the porcelain.

A very impressive candelabra, two nice dishes. It's this.

-This is called a lithophane. If I turn this on...

-Oh, I say!

Isn't that fantastic?

That was why I bought it, because it was so different and unique.

How it's done is different thickness of porcelain.

The thicker porcelain blocks the light,

the thinner porcelain lets light through.

Very carefully, skilled craftsmen can produce a picture

just by that reason. I think it's fantastic.

-Do you turn it on all the time?

-No. Never turn it on.

-Why?

I don't know. I tend to have my candles.

-Would you sell them as one lot?

-I don't know whether the best thing

is to split them up. That's down to the auctioneer.

How much would you like for them?

I think at the time I paid about 200 for the candlestick

and I think the lamp was about 250, mainly because it was different.

As decorative items I don't think you've done badly.

I can see that lamp being a couple of hundred.

This one maybe 150-200.

If you said around the 400 to 600 mark, is that all right?

I like the top end! Brilliant. I think they're lovely.

Before you part with it at auction,

-for goodness' sake turn it on, OK?

-I will do!

-Let's go and find something else.

-OK!

Well, better late than never.

Lesley's clearly keen on collecting pottery and it's not long

before Paul comes across another set in the dining room.

She's built up this collection

of 19th and 20th century teapots and tureens over many years.

Most have come from a local antique shop in the village

and Lesley feels they're in keeping with the rustic theme of the house.

Paul sets a price tag of £60-£80.

-Phil?

-Hi, there. I'm in here, in the office.

There's rooms everywhere here. Ah, look at that. Cigarette cases.

-Are these yours?

-No, never smoked.

-Where has this one come from?

That one is from the wife's grandfather, Alfred Greaton.

He desperately wanted to become the hangman for England.

-The hangman?

-The hangman for the nation.

-That's a career move!

But at the time he was courting, and his wife-to-be said,

"If you become the hangman, I'm not marrying you."

-And he chose his wife.

-That's his initials on the front?

-Alfred Greaton, yes.

-AG. Alfred Greaton.

That's his cigarette case, which is in nice condition. Solid silver.

I like the way it's curved to fit in your pocket.

-And this one, CJ?

-JG. That one was Lesley's uncle.

-Do you know where that one came from?

-Not sure about that one.

It came as the set. Uncle Jeff gave the set of three to us.

These really were very much for ceremony.

You carry them around, but the art of smoking was to share them.

This is called engine turning

and that appeared in 1900, 1910, done by machine.

-Do you know how to read hallmarks?

-No, I don't.

What we've got here, these are solid silver,

and we have the lion passant, the British mark for silver.

Then you have an anchor. That means this was made in Birmingham

or assayed in Birmingham.

Then you've got a date letter. They work like car registration numbers.

That's in a lowercase, T,

so you're looking some time around the First World War,

1910, 1920, that sort of time.

This one's about 1930 and so is this one.

-If we said 60-100?

-Excellent. First class.

-Sound all right to you?

-Definitely.

-Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

There are plenty of places to search here

and Lesley comes across four serigraphs or silk screens,

featuring a variety of beauty spots including Lake Como.

She loves to travel and it was on her cruises that she picked them up

to remind her of the places she's visited.

She says there's no room for them in the downsize

so it's time for someone else to enjoy them.

At least with Paul's estimate of £50-£100,

they'll help towards her next cruise

and there'll be some new landscapes to enjoy.

One of the great things about having a large house as you have,

is Paul has absolutely got his work cut out

and I can sit down and learn a bit more about you.

That's the way it should be!

I love this wedding picture. You look very young. How did you meet?

That was quite a story, really.

The first time I met Phil, I was going by the bus stop

on my bicycle in the village.

Because I was a friendly sort of person, I said hello to him

and he actually thought I was speaking to him because it was him.

Then shortly after that - at the time Philip was a lay preacher,

and for Christian Aid we did a Christian Aid fast.

There was a whole group fasting

but I'm afraid they all went home at lunchtime except for us two.

That was how we got talking and a couple of nights after

you rang up and invited me to the cinema, didn't you?

-And you declined.

-No, I didn't!

The funny thing is most people meet over perhaps a meal

and do their romancing, but you met over a fast.

-Well, it was cheaper.

-We've made up for it since!

I never like to splash the cash too early in a relationship in case it doesn't last!

-36 years later, is it?

-Still married. Yes.

Of course you, Phil, have got some major medical problems.

-Tell me about them.

-I've got problems with my legs.

I have ulcerated legs and painful legs.

No valves in the deep veins so the blood circulation is pretty poor

and there's a slight possibility, possibly more than a slight possibility,

that we may be looking at an amputation in the near future.

How are you facing that kind of prospect?

I think one has to be philosophical.

I've been in a tremendous amount of pain for a long time now.

I see it as a release from the pain

and hopefully with modern prosthetics and modern limbs,

it's not the end. It's the beginning of a new life, in a sense.

How are you coping, Lesley?

I don't think it's going to be a barrier for us

because we're the sort of people

who pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and start all over again.

We will conquer. We will find ways around. It's not a problem.

-We'll manage.

-We will.

-Stay positive, that's the thing.

-And get on that cruise.

-Yes, that's the big thing.

Lovely to hear more about you but now we ought to go back to Paul.

It's awfully mean to leave him all alone.

-I think he's had long enough.

-Back to the grindstone.

While we've been chatting, Paul's been keeping up the good work,

though I'm not sure THAT goes with his tie!

-Lesley?

-Yes?

-Now, then.

-What have you found now?

I thought I'd found a lot of costume jewellery but this looks real.

What a strange item. Where's this come from?

Well, that, I went on a conference in Doha.

We happened to go out one afternoon into a souk,

which is like a bazaar or a market,

and just saw it, liked it and bought it.

It seemed like a good idea at the time

but I think I've probably worn it once.

I thought it was costume jewellery

but I've had a look and the stones look real. Those are diamonds.

I wasn't actually really aware that it is real.

I know I paid about £1,000, so quite a lot of money for it,

but I couldn't have stood here and said to you it's diamonds or gold.

Hang on. You've gone to Qatar, you've gone to a local market?

-Yes.

-You paid £1,000 for something and you don't know what it is?

-No.

Was that the sort of thing you did regularly?

I told you I bought it because I liked it. It was just there.

Actually, I think you've done quite well.

If you look here, there's a little hallmark at the end. It says 18K.

That's a continental way of marking 18 carat.

They only ever put good quality stones in high-carat jewellery.

You don't know what the other stones are?

-These are diamonds, the white stones.

-No.

-You didn't ask?

-No!

The auctioneer could tell us 100%.

They have a heat gun, it's a technical electronic device.

What they do is place the needle on each stone

and the reaction that the stone gives to the heat

-tells you whether an item is a diamond or not.

-Wow.

It's a simple process. You can do each one.

If we try to get your money back, how would that sound to you?

It would be brilliant.

-If I said £800-£1,200?

-Fabulous.

-We might put a reserve on it of 800.

-Yes, can do.

-That's the minimum we would accept.

-Brilliant. Lovely.

She seems to have a natural eye for quality.

There's more proof when I discover this little gem,

a sapphire and diamond cluster ring.

Lesley picked it up at an antiques fair in Wainfleet in the mid-1990s.

The ring's 18-carat gold, and this oval sapphire

is surrounded by 22 diamonds set in 18-carat white gold.

With an estimate of £200-£400,

it would make a fabulous gift for someone.

-Hello? Jennie?

-Oh, hi!

-I'm mystified by this. Is it a crown?

-Er, no!

I'll tell you exactly what that is. This is trench art.

It's a relic from the First World War. This is an army tank shell.

-Really?

-Yes. While they were in the trenches,

the troops would make these items into different things

to keep them occupied while they were there.

You've got April 1918, that's when this dates from,

right at the end of the First World War.

So these are spent shells that would just be lying all over the place?

That's right. There were millions of them. What do you do with them?

They're brass, they polish up nicely, easy to work with.

People just made all sorts of things out of them.

-It's quite a collectable area.

-And this one, too.

-That's a small one.

-You know more than me. What's this?

That's a small shell or large bullet, I suppose.

-It came out of a semi-automatic machine gun thing, I imagine.

-Yes.

-Would you part with them?

-Oh, yes.

-Anything else? Because there's a lot of brass.

-The copper kettle.

-Oh, OK.

-I found that. That was absolutely black.

I brought it home and Lesley said I could go quite quickly.

She was not impressed.

So I spent some time polishing it, trying to retrieve it.

-I see this fire set. Could that go?

-That could go.

I've been hit over the head with that many times.

I'd be pleased to see the back of that, to be honest!

You've got some great items.

Some shells, a log box, a couple of warming pans,

your poker set, the kettle. You must have £100 worth.

If I said 80-120, how does that sound?

That sounds excellent. Very good.

That's OK. That's fine.

Let's put them down and plough on and see what else we can find.

So far our rummage seems to be turning up treasure after treasure.

Paul finds this stainless steel Breitling watch complete with its original box.

Phil bought this second-hand in a shop in Nottingham

for just over £1,300.

There are a few scratches on the face

so Paul puts a price tag of £350-£450

on this classic timepiece.

But what will the bidders make of it when it goes to auction?

At £320. £50. £380. £400, I'm bid.

Will it make enough for Lesley and Phil's dream holiday?

-We'll find out soon enough.

-Finished?

It seems their home still has plenty of artefacts to offer for auction.

Paul, I'd like you to come and have a look at these teapots over here.

Ah, look at these. These are great fun.

Novelty teapots, aren't they fantastic?

You can buy anything and everything. What was the attraction?

That it's aviation-related or just a novelty teapot?

Just collecting teapots, really. Just the fact that I have four spaces

so I had to have four to fill them.

What's nice about these is that they're made by Carlton Ware.

They produced all ranges of quality porcelain and pottery items.

-Probably the most famous is the Rouge Royale range. Heard of that?

-Yes, I have.

It's a burgundy colour with lots of gilding. They made lots of vases and plates.

But they did go into these novelty teapots.

Sort of a late venture, the 1950s up to the 1990s.

What's really good is that this one was based on a particular character from the First World War.

-Have you heard of the Red Baron?

-Definitely.

He was the ace of aces.

He was world renowned as being the best pilot that ever lived.

He was a German pilot and he won 80 victories in dogfights

but he died at the age of 25.

-Did he?

-He did all that before he was 25!

-I think that's incredible.

-Was he killed, then?

-He was killed in action just before the end of the war.

-I wondered.

I think you've got three collectors potentially for this.

You've got the fact it's Carlton Ware,

the fact it's aviation-related and the fact it's a novelty teapot.

You've got a real chance at the auction.

You've got four of them, all different characters.

If I said 60-100 for those four, I think you could do well on that.

-That's good.

-How does that sound?

-Brilliant.

-I must admit auctions can be a bit of a dogfight.

-Absolutely.

-You've got to watch the shrapnel!

-Absolutely.

OK, let's keep looking. Well done.

Talking of tea, while the two men carry on with the rummage,

I think it's time I had a brew and a little break with our host.

Lesley, you strike me as a very active lady.

I know you've had a busy working life but a bit of a setback, I gather now.

Just at the moment. I've worked for 24 years in the local school.

What's happened?

What's happened, I think due to the financial situation at the moment,

my role as pastoral manager was made redundant.

What kind of job might you look for now?

I'm passionate about helping people

and I want a job in the caring profession of some sort.

I'm very, very passionate about working with the Eastern Europeans

and helping them to settle into the local community,

particularly in a village like this, where it's almost unheard of.

Have you befriended any already?

I have one really special friend called Bojenna.

She had some hard times.

We didn't share a common language so it all started with me hugging her

and saying we smiled in the same language.

We have a house at the other end of the village

and we put her up there for a time

until she could get herself back on her feet again.

Only this week has she moved out into her own house.

-She calls me her English mama.

-That's sweet.

-She's absolutely lovely.

It's been a difficult old time for you

but we want to cheer you up by sending you on that cruise.

-Absolutely.

-And cheer you up by making lots of money, I hope.

-Sounds even better.

-You know what that means? Back to work.

-Off we go.

With all the help she gives to other people, Lesley really does deserve a break for herself and Phil.

All we have to do is raise £2,000

to help them on their way to a luxury cruise.

Phil's obviously keen on the idea, as he's just spotted

this large Capodimonte figure of a poacher, along with two others.

They were made in the 1950s and apparently

Lesley was given her first one as a reward for losing five stone.

Hopefully we'll be gaining at auction

as Paul reckons these should make £80-£120.

Nice watches here. Huge ring. Do you collect watches or what?

I'm just heavy-handed, tend to break them too often.

-This one might be of interest.

-That's nice. Where's it come from?

We bought it in Sheffield for my wife's 25th wedding anniversary.

I think we paid about £3,000 for it.

-You can't let that one go.

-Why?

SHE LAUGHS

Doesn't she like it?

-She does but she's got another one she wears most of the time.

-Has she?

I think we should get Paul in. Hey, Paul? Lesley?

I don't believe this.

We have got a beautiful Rolex

which apparently ungrateful madam doesn't want!

That one is probably surplus to requirements.

Isn't that beautiful? You can feel it's dead right to start with.

This is solid gold. You can feel the weight is there. It's very heavy.

18 carat, so the top end of the gold market.

How can you tell whether it's a fake or not?

-There's a huge market in fake Rolexes.

-You're right.

People think, "Is it a real Rolex?" There's lots on the market.

-Do you have any authenticity?

-I've got the box and some literature.

You've got the original wallet. What will happen,

on the watch itself there will be a serial number.

Each Rolex is instantly identifiable.

Was it new when you bought it?

No, we bought it second-hand in a jeweller's in Sheffield.

So it was £3,000 second-hand. Do you know what the new price is?

I think last time I looked on the internet,

they're about 8,000 to 9,000 now.

I could see that around the 2,000 mark.

If we said 1,500-2,500 as an estimate, how does that sound?

-Happy with that, definitely.

-Excellent.

You wanted £2,000 at the start of the day,

so you can go on your lovely cruise.

We hope, based on Paul's lowest estimates,

that you will make on the auction day £3,640.

Wow. That means we can have two cruises!

Or I could have one with somebody else.

Or you could have one with somebody else!

-Why could you possibly want a new woman?

-I couldn't.

-Absolutely gorgeous.

-Correct response.

-Absolutely.

Now, that is an impressive total.

Maybe Lesley and Phil can travel first class if we make that much.

Our success on the day will depend on what the bidders are looking for.

There's Lesley's Dresden pottery, including a candelabrum

and that intricate lamp.

Paul reckons the collection should fetch £400-£600.

There's also Phil's Breitling wristwatch.

Valued at £350-£450, it's a classic make that will catch the eye

of any watch lovers in the room.

And let's not forget Lesley's diamond necklace.

She may not have known much about it when she bought it, but this piece

is of excellent quality and Paul's given it an estimate of £800-£1,200.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic,

one of Lesley and Phil's items is just refusing to sell.

-It's not going home, is it?

-Blast!

She's just been saying how she really wanted to take it home.

And which sale brings out the colour in Lesley?

-Is that OK?

-Well, I'm shocked.

-You've gone a bit red.

-I know!

Find out at the final drop of the gavel.

Well, it's been a while now since we were with Lesley and Phil,

and today's the day we're going to try to realise that hefty target of £2,000.

We've brought everything we found here to Tring Market Auctions in Hertfordshire

and we're hoping that the bidders will have a fine eye for some really lovely pieces

when their items go under the hammer.

Lesley and Phil have got some lovely items today.

Since the rummage, they've decided to put a reserve

of £2,500 on that Rolex watch

and a reserve of £800 on Lesley's diamond necklace.

-Hi.

-How are you two?

-They are lovely.

Are you feeling sad now they're going to go away?

Not really. Not too attached to them.

I do know there is one item in particular

that's plucking at the heartstrings and that's that Rolex watch.

Just a bit, even bearing in mind the price of gold going up at the moment.

I just feel if it doesn't reach that reserve

it's worth more for me to take it home for possibly future generations.

-What's the reserve on that one?

-2,500.

-Wow.

When I saw it originally I said between 1,500 and 2,500,

so you're right at the top of the estimate, which is fine.

The only problem you can have is if you put a reserve higher than the estimate. That's a problem.

There's a good buzz in the room.

-I think it's going to start any minute. Shall we get our place?

-Let's get ready. OK.

There's quite a high target for us to raise so let's cross our fingers

that the crowd are looking for the sort of things we brought along.

First up is Lesley's classic blue and white pottery.

She's always enjoyed collecting these pieces.

In fact her house is crammed with them

so I don't think this set will be missed too much.

-Where did it come from?

-I just collected it over the years

-from different antique shops and car boot sales.

-You?

-Yes, me.

It's a good quality blue and white set for anyone looking for antiques.

These are proper antique items.

£50 for it, £30 bid.

At 30 I'm bid for it.

£30. Five anywhere?

At £30 and five. 35. £40. And five. 45, is it? No.

45 bid. At 45.

£50 now. At 45 I sell that collection of blue and white. 45, thank you very much.

-Is that all right with you?

-That's fine.

-That's all right?

-Not far off.

-You're easily pleased. Excellent!

Well, they both seem in high spirits with that first result,

even though we came in under estimate.

Our next lot is the cigarette cases which belonged

to Lesley's grandfather and then her uncle.

Sterling silver, they're Birmingham hallmarked from the 1930s.

-Do you mind parting with these?

-Um, not really.

It's another item that just sits in the drawer

and never actually ever comes out.

-OK. We're looking for about £60 for these.

-Here we go.

What about those? Are we going to get close to £100? £100 bid.

Wow! Straight in.

120, I'm bid. 120. £30. £40. £150.

145, OK. 150?

145. Then I sell at £145. Thank you.

-Thank YOU!

-Yes! Yes!

It just goes to show how the price of silver has influenced things.

-Absolutely.

-Wow.

We took it locally to one of these buy-for-cash things

and I think they offered us £20 for the three.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Goodness me. That's incredible.

It's a good thing that offer wasn't taken up.

We've beaten Paul's top estimate by £45,

proving that the market for silver is healthier than ever.

We're looking for £50 for these serigraphs,

which I must admit is new to me. Tell me about them.

Well, they are paintings, basically,

that we've bought whilst we've been cruising.

Because we're looking to eventually size down the house,

we've got too many.

So we brought four of them along with us today.

-But you've got a whole lot more?

-Yes, a whole lot more.

What about £100 for those?

£100. Shall we start at 50 or 40? Thank you.

40 I'm bid. 50 I've got. 60 I'm bid.

60 bid.

At 70 we're bid. £80 perhaps. £80.

Two of you at £80. 85. £80. And five?

Yes or no? 85, there you go.

£85, then. Thank you. At £85. Thank you.

-Great.

-Is that OK?

-Yes.

-It's more than we were expecting.

What would you have paid for each one roughly?

-Oh, they would have been a good £100 each.

-So you've taken a loss.

Yes. Then we had to have them framed afterwards as well.

-But you're still smiling.

-Yes, still smiling.

That's the going rate for them. Things go out of fashion. It's time to let go.

It is time because when we size down we won't have room for them.

Given the original outlay for each one, we might have hoped for more

but Lesley and Phil are being realistic.

They know that dealers at auction have to

buy at a price which allows them to sell on at a profit.

I wonder what they'll make of our next offering.

It's certainly a bit quirky. It's that set of novelty teapots.

Mainly Carlton Ware, there's a whole assortment of themes,

including that classic-looking Red Baron plane.

-Novelty sets, very attractive, bit of fun, really.

-Yes.

Out of all your items, these are the ones you've missed the most, Lesley.

Certainly at the moment. From bringing them here earlier this week,

it seems a great big empty space at the moment.

-I need to buy something else to fill it now!

-No, you don't. No!

What about those? Are we going to get close to £80 for them? £80? £50?

£40. Got it. 40 I'm bid for those. There's a whole collection there.

At £40.

And five, you, sir. £50 and five.

£60. And five. £70. And five.

And £80, madam. £80. Going down, the teapots.

Yes, you have them for £80.

-Wow!

-There you go.

-Lovely.

-£20 over.

-Excellent.

-Flying high, weren't we?

-Absolutely!

Things are really taking off for us now

as that sale keeps us firmly within Paul's estimate.

If we stay on course there's every chance of making our target

of £2,000 for that luxury cruise.

So we've got your Capodimonte figures, three of them. Rather nice, I think.

Well, there were three. There are only two now because I chose to leave one at home.

That's going to knock it. How much are they now?

Realistically now we're looking at 60-100 for these two.

Let's hope they go but we have told the auctioneer.

-So let's see what happens.

-OK.

What about £50 for them?

£30. £20 is it now? Anybody got £20 for them? Surely. £20.

Five at the very back. £30 now.

£30. Five I'm bid. 35. £40 now. £40. Five I'm bid. £50? No.

At the very back, I sell at £45.

-He's going to let them go.

-AUCTIONEER: Thank you.

-Yes, they've gone.

-That's why I kept the poacher.

I think it was the right choice to leave that one at home.

The sale of just two Capodimonte figures will affect our total

so it's important that our next lot makes its estimate.

I remember very clearly finding

these lovely pieces of brass around your fireplace in your lounge.

-That's right.

-What does your lounge look like now without them?

-Naked.

-THEY LAUGH

-Does it? Oh, dear. You missing them?

-No.

-Well, I won't do when it comes to cleaning them.

-That's true.

-That was your job, was it?

-That was my job.

We ought to be looking somewhere in the region of, what, £50 for it?

At least.

£30 I'm bid. £30 for all that copper and brass. £30 I'm bid.

And the kettle's included, madam. At 35, £40. At £40. And five.

We know it's not very good. Another fiver?

Can I interrupt? I know it's not my say-so

but there are some First World War shells here as well.

There are some shells in there, sir.

Any militaria guys... Sorry about that.

That's moved it on a tenner. £50.

Moved it on a tenner. There you go.

£50. You're out. You're going to lose it there for £50. It's gone.

Thank you anyway. We tried our best.

-£50.

-What did we want?

-We were looking for 80, so that's less than we wanted.

That wasn't anywhere near as much as we were hoping for.

At least Paul's interjection helped add another tenner to the total.

Right, we've reached the halfway point. How do you feel it's going?

OK. I think the copper and brass was a bit disappointing

but other than that... Also the Capodimontes, too.

But other than that I think we're doing OK.

You've got a target of £2,000, a big, big target.

I'm sounding a bit hesitant because at this point because we'd like to be at 1,000 and we're not.

-We're at £450.

-Right, OK.

I think we might be all right.

-But I think I need a cup of tea before we continue.

-Absolutely. Me too.

-Come on.

If you'd like to sell some of your belongings,

remember auction rooms charge commission fees, so it's best to check what they are in advance.

While we take a short break, Paul's taking the opportunity

to have a browse around some of the other lots on sale today.

What are you doing down there, young man?

-I might need a hand up actually.

-It's your age!

-Getting that way.

I want to show you these because they are quality, quality, quality.

Quality always stands out.

If you want a pair of figures to give that wonderful 18th-century look to a house,

these are the ones to have.

19th century. Continental, it says in the catalogue,

so it could be any number of European factories.

I love the beautiful white porcelain and the honey gilding.

With the gilding, they used to mix in real honey.

-What year do you think they were made?

-About 1870 to 1900.

They were copying earlier figures.

If these were period figures from the 18th century,

then you'd be talking a lot of money.

They're in today between £300 and £500. An absolute bargain.

I haven't seen any of this quality for ages. They're fantastic.

We'd better go back if you can manage it, old man?

-I think so. That's me and you. Look at that. Which one are you?

-Oh!

These two handsome figurines ended up selling for £270 on the day.

We've still got half of Lesley and Phil's items to auction,

so let's hope we can make the £1,500 still needed to make their total.

Surely this sapphire and diamond ring

will give us a big boost in the right direction.

Was this an engagement present or a dress ring you used to wear?

Just a ring that Philip has bought me on one of the times over the years.

-Was it another argument?

-Probably. Another one I lost!

I think we ought to get a couple of hundred pounds for that one.

£100 bid. 110.

I'm bid 20. 40, 50, 60, 70, 90 bid.

£200 I'm bid. £200.

Come along, girls. No?

£200 and I'm selling it.

For £200. Thank you.

-What do you think?

-Yes.

-That's OK?

-Yes. That's OK.

Haven't worn it for a long, long time.

£200 is a good sum, really.

That was bang on the money, really. I said between £200 and £400...

Times are hard.

-Absolutely. I think that's it. Definitely.

-Good. OK.

The jewellery Lesley and Phil have brought here today

is all good quality,

so it's a relief we made the estimate there.

But will her collection of Dresden pottery prove as successful?

I wonder if we have some Dresden lovers here.

This is a rather fine collection

you've picked up over the years, the two of you?

Yes, we have. We've collected them at different times

when we've gone to antique fairs and things.

How does it feel to part with things you've collected so lovingly?

A little bit sad on that one.

OK. Well, I hope you won't be too sad. Let's see how it goes.

What about that one?

I work that lot out at about £300.

£200, then?

£200 I'm bid for that lot over there.

£220, £40,

£50, £80? At £280, £300, I'm bid.

£320, you're out!

At £320, then.

At £320. £50 now.

No? At £320?

Sorry, we leave that one.

Oh, there you go!

You seem quite relieved there?

-Yeah, that's OK. Quite happy to take that home.

-Are you?

-Yes, yes.

We're all glad she isn't too disappointed with the result.

And we still have some of our best pieces to come.

Moving on to one of Phil's contributions,

will his Breitling watch tempt the crowd?

-Was this a treat, or was it an argument that you won?

-I won it! The only one, I think.

Well, it's quite a nice one. How old is this one, then?

We've had it probably about five to ten years,

and we bought it second-hand.

-So it could be an '80s one, that sort of thing?

-Could be.

£500 for it?

500?

400 for it?

300? Thank you. 300, I'm bid, then.

320, I have it.

At £320, £50,

£380, £400...

-£400! Ooh!

-Ooh!

450, I'm bid, then. 480.

500. Yes or no?

£500, it is.

-HE GASPS

-Come on!

520. You've got to keep going.

Finished? 520, then. 550 bid.

550. £580...£620, I'm bid.

620, I'm, bid. 650.

-PAUL GASPS

-£650...

No more? 650's got it, then.

I shall sell it at £650.

Yup. Thank you!

What d'you think?

I can take my Rolex home now, can't I?

It would cost you a fortune to buy that in the shops, wouldn't it?

It's great, Jennie. What d'you think of that?

I'm astonished people have this much money, I really am!

That's more like it.

Real quality ALWAYS shines through,

and Phil's watch certainly impressed the bidders.

Let's hope Lesley's jewellery proves as successful.

I think, out of all these items,

this is the one that could either sell or not.

It's not an acquired taste, but it's very fancy, isn't it?

Remember, you bought this jewellery, a lovely necklace from Doha?

Yes. On a trip to Doha.

-Did you actually ever wear it?

-Er...once, I think.

Yes, I think once.

There you are. You need a special occasion for this, madam.

What about £1,000 for it?

Shall we start at 500, then?

400 bid. 420. I'm bid 480.

£500.

550, 60, bid.

650 bid. 700.

At 700, I'm bid.

700, I'm selling. Out!

Madam. At £700...

At £700, I'm going to sell...

He's going to let it go.

I'm going to sell, for £700... Thank you very much, sir.

What he's done here is used his discretion.

-Is that OK?

-Yes, that's fine.

Whee! More in the kitty!

You're sailing away!

I think we're going twice!

It's great to see that nothing seems to be dampening

Lesley and Phil's spirits.

Our final item is crucial to our success today.

It's the most valuable, and will make all the difference

to that holiday fund.

Since our rummage, Lesley's decided to put a reserve of £2,500

on her Rolex watch.

OK, this is the big one.

-It's your Rolex watch.

-Yes.

I'm a wee bit full of trepidation,

because you put a whacking great reserve on it.

It's top of the estimate. two and a half grand, eh? Here we go!

Where do we start, then? 2,000?

1,500?

1,500, we're in. That's the bottom of the estimate.

1,800 bid.

1,900 bid. 2,000.

In the corner...

She doesn't really want to part with it!

2,500, 2,600...

-It's gone!

-It's gone!

At 2,600. Make no mistake!

You're going to lose it.

I sell, then, at £2,600. Thank you!

-It's not going home, is it?

-No! Blast!

SHE LAUGHS

She's just been saying how she really wanted to take it home!

It was only a joke!

-How d'you feel about that? Is it OK?

-Well, I'm shocked.

-You've gone a bit red.

-I know!

Let's hope I have grandsons and not granddaughters, then!

Well, what a way to end our day. Despite a slow start,

those last three sales

added an impressive amount to our total.

So, just how much have we made towards that luxury cruise?

WHAT an exciting day it's been!

-It really has!

-LESLEY LAUGHS

-You've changed several colours during the course...

-I have.

I can feel my colour there, now.

At the halfway point, I really was worried.

You'd only made £450.

Because you've got this VERY big target.

£2,000 to go on a lovely, luxurious cruise.

Big, ambitious target.

You have made £4,600!

-Wow!

-£4,600!

-That's amazing! Wow!

-It IS amazing!

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you so much.

We can have two cruises now. We'll come back off that one,

and then book the next one.

-Brilliant idea. Just go round the world!

-Yes!

It's been two months since our auction, and during that time,

Lesley and Phil managed to get away on that cruise.

Back on dry land, with Lesley's mum and her friend,

who went on the cruise with them,

they're reminiscing about the holiday of a lifetime.

We've been on our cruise, which we were planning to do.

We went to Iceland, and Norway, to Canada,

and then on to America.

We finished the cruise in Fort Lauderdale,

and went down the Everglades.

-That was absolutely brilliant.

-Something we'd always wanted to do.

And if it hadn't been for the success on Cash,

-we probably couldn't have done that.

-Probably not.

-It was really excellent.

-Yes.