Stevens Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic,

the show that searches out all those hidden treasures

around your home and then we sell them at auction.

Today, I'm going to be meeting a lady who's hoping

that in her case, it will be out with the old and in with the new

and we'll be learning more about her very colourful showbiz past.

Today on Cash In The Attic,

we struggle to keep our expert satisfied...

John, I've found something here.

For a minute, I thought it was something nice to go in this tumbler.

It's all going a bit Upstairs Downstairs...

I could see myself in the Edwardian days, pouring tea for my neighbours.

-Absolutely, but we haven't got time for that. It's

-tea bags. Exactly.

Come auction day, the phrase I never like to hear...

We'll finish up owing this auction house money!

Be there when the hammer falls.

I'm on my way to meet Jeannie Stevens and her son Mark.

They've called in the Cash In The Attic team to give them

a little bit of help with a big change to the family home.

Essex-born Jeannie has led a fascinating life,

steeped in music and show business.

In her cabaret career, she's appeared alongside

dozens of famous faces at some of London's starriest clubs.

But it's all changed now, Jeannie is retired

and leaving her beloved house

where she and her late husband George brought up their son Mark.

It's staying in the family though. As mum moves out to a new flat,

Mark's moving in.

He has some grand plans for his childhood home.

We have grand plans too to help this talented lady

find a host of antiques and collectables to sell at auction.

-Morning!

-Good morning.

-You must be Jeannie.

-I am, yes.

-You must be Mark.

-Yes.

-Very nice to meet you.

This is your expert, John Cameron.

Jeannie, I'm noticing the house is rather empty.

Am I going to have my work cut out?

Yes. We need furniture.

OK. Are you happy for John to have a look round?

-Sure, absolutely.

-There you go. See what you can find.

Not much to steal!

You've called in Cash In The Attic so what do you want us to do?

I would like to refurbish my home, my new home, the flat.

I haven't got a lot of room there but I need some nice furniture.

My old furniture won't fit in there. It's too big.

OK. What sort of figure do you have in mind?

Roughly 700, 750. Something like that would do nicely.

Shall we go and see if John's done his job and found anything we can sell?

-Come on then.

-Lovely.

Like many others of its age, this house has been given

lots of extensions and additions over the years.

A bit like our expert who,

with more than 20 years' experience in the antiques trade,

has soon put his hands on a likely sale piece.

Ah, John, you've found something already for us to look at?

I have. It's a lovely Coalport, bone china breakfast tea for two,

-or coffee for two, actually.

-Exactly.

-Where did this come from?

This came from a friend of mine who sold a lot of china.

I went there one day, saw that, fell in love with it,

saw it was by David Shilling

and I thought, that sounds an interesting name.

I remember that name.

Of course. And it is a lovely, lovely pattern. I've not seen this before.

You two obviously know about David Shilling.

-Hats, I'm thinking.

-Of course. Gertrude, his mother.

Yes, absolutely!

And I think the Guinness Book of Records

has him listed as having designed

the most expensive hat of the 20th century...

-Really?!

-..which was diamond-encrusted.

-Really?!

Here he's designed this rather nice bone china coffee set

which is great. It's made by Coalport, a factory set up

by John Rose in the 1790s.

They are synonymous with bone china.

For years and years, English manufacturers had struggled

to try and make true, hard-paste porcelain.

Somebody introduced the calcined bones,

ground calcined bones to the clay

and it produced this beautiful, white, translucent body.

Bone china is something that is associated with England.

None of the European factories made it. Well, I love it.

There we are. Breakfast for two. This is a honeymoon set, isn't it?

Awww, yes! It takes me back.

What about you, love?

I haven't had time for breakfast.

I'm just trying to imagine what it might be like!

I guess it's got honeymoon value?

Well, in auction today, I'd put an estimate on that

of about £40 to £60.

-Does that sound good enough?

-It sounds good to me.

A modest but useful start to the rummage

and I would say a very fair price for that stylish coffee set.

Our search is slightly unusual today,

as Jeannie's belongings are in the process of being packed away.

It means we'll have to dig deeper

to unearth the best pieces to take to auction.

'I'm upstairs and I've found a charming little statue.

'This clown is keeping his dog entertained by playing a concertina.

'The piece was made by the Spanish firm of Lladro

'and Jeannie bought it while on holiday in Majorca.'

As far back as the 1950s,

Lladro products were famous for their pale, creamy finishes.

We often see them at auction going for respectable prices.

Taking into account their charming expressions,

John values them at £20 to £30.

Hello, Mark.

-Hi.

-Have you found us something for auction

-or is this something you're going to take?

-No, we're not taking this.

So where did it come from?

It came from my Uncle Jim.

Got it from an auction house

and gave it to my mother about 15 years ago.

It's not one you want to give house room to?

It's probably a bit too big for mum's flat.

And for us, no, it's not what we would have.

-Too old-looking?

-Just a little bit, yes.

It's a reproduction piece. A lot of reproduction furniture now, you can't sell it.

Some auction houses won't even accept it.

Not because they don't like it

but because they don't have a market, no demand for it.

But I like it, for a couple of reasons.

It's trying to be several different things.

It's a walnut chest on chest which is a piece of furniture

we start seeing at the beginning of the 18th century,

around the late Queen Anne period, early George I.

But they were wide, they were big things that you get in the bedroom.

It looks almost like a Wellington chest which is a narrow piece

that you start seeing at the beginning of the 19th century

around the late Georgian period.

But the little Queen Anne feet on there, those squat Queen Anne feet,

again, that's the sort of thing you would see on the early Georgian furniture.

A bit of a mismatch. The handles are similar to the style

you would see in the early Georgian period, the early 1700s.

-I still haven't sold it to you yet?

-No, you haven't, I'm afraid.

It features some nice things. If you have a look down here,

you've got these nice burr walnut panels in here which are mirrored.

-Can you see that?

-Oh, yeah!

How they do that...Take a piece of wood, a sliver of wood,

with a nice thick grain in it, they slice it through

and open it up like a butterfly painting.

If you look down the drawers, that 's actually been mirrored

all the way down, you get that echo down the drawers.

It's a nice sign of quality. 1950s or '60s, I would have said.

Normally, you wouldn't take this piece to auction,

-but it's a good colour...

-Yes.

..nice condition, nice proportions,

a little functional piece of furniture.

So I'm going to say, let's take it

and let's put £50 to £100 on it.

Not bad for a piece of reproduction furniture

and another £50 in the pot for us.

We'll see just how well that cabinet does

when it goes to auction.

Will the bidders recognise a bargain when they see one?

Keeping busy in Essex,

John spots these two canteens of silver-plated cutlery.

Made in Sheffield by Smith Seymour Limited,

they were wedding presents to Jeannie.

Sheffield plating was the very first kind of silver plating,

but from the mid-19th century, it was replaced by a new process

known as EPNS or electro-plated nickel silver.

It's this mark which distinguishes the silver plate from the real thing.

There's usually a market for sets like this so let's hope they sell

with an elegant £60 to £80 price tag.

-Jeannie?

-Yes.

-You've got some very famous people in these pictures, haven't you?

-Yes.

That looks like...

-Des O'Connor.

-It is.

-He probably won't thank me for this,

but actually, he looks younger now than he does in that shot!

-Who's this up here? Very famous!

-That's Geoff Hurst and Bobby Moore.

This looks like it was taken

around the time of the famous 1966 World Cup victory for England.

It was. They were celebrating that night, actually.

-You must have sung at some very A-list clubs?

-Yes.

Well, the Astor, Churchill's, Jack of Clubs.

Ooh, I've forgotten some...

The Embassy Club. Lots of lovely clubs.

All the London clubs, basically.

How did you get into doing this?

My mother sent me to dancing classes and, as I grew older,

I was more interested in singing than dancing.

So I had a wonderful dance teacher

and she used to put on local shows and one thing and another.

She eventually got us into pantomime at the age of 12

and I took up singing more from then on in.

In my teens, I started to do a bit of cabaret work,

singing with bands, jazz bands, and things like that.

What was it like in the days when you were singing?

It was very glamorous, of course.

Well, front stage, it was very glamorous!

Backstage, very grotty, quite honestly.

But they were good days. I loved them, I loved every moment.

So when did you stop singing and why?

Well, I suppose...I eased off, shall we say,

when Mark was born, when my son was born.

But when he was born, I used to take him with me in the carrycot

and he'd be in the dressing room, other people making a fuss of him.

He loved the noise. Get him home, put him into bed, cried his eyes out.

-Too quiet?

-Too quiet, exactly.

It was a life that I enjoyed

and I feel very privileged to have done it really.

I don't think they'll ever going to come back again, those sort of times.

They were quite glamorous times, I guess.

Well, I still don't know quite how John Cameron got into the business,

but shall we go and see what he's been up to? Come on.

Happily, our own song and dance man has been busy.

He's noticed some more reproduction furniture in the form of these two Georgian style corner cabinets.

They were made for Jeannie and her late husband, George,

by a carpenter friend they met while they were on honeymoon.

The Georgian style was named after King George I and is actually a combination of other styles,

such as Rococo and Gothic.

The heady mix has had a significant effect on almost all furniture styles since.

If this were original, we'd be looking at a large amount of money.

But, as they're reproduction, it's nearer £40 to £60.

-Ah, there you are! I wondered where you'd got to.

-Yes, I'm rummaging.

-Treasure trove.

-Is it silver or silver plate?

-It looks silver-plated to me.

-Yes, I think it is, isn't it?

It's a very large collection. Where did it all come from?

Silver wedding presents and things like that.

Odd bits and pieces we picked up from auctions.

-Have you ever used any of it?

-No.

I always swore, I could see myself in the Edwardian days, pouring tea for my neighbours.

-Absolutely. We haven't got time for that now. It's tea bags.

-Yes, exactly.

-That's a very modern-looking piece.

-Yes, it is actually.

That's like some sort of hors d'oeuvres serving dish.

-I used it for peanuts and stuff like that.

-It's got a real modern look to it.

We can see, looking at it even at a glance, that condition varies and quality varies.

If we look at this piece here, it's nice and heavy

but we can see the plating has started to wear off.

How this is made, it's literally a base metal.

It's given a micro-thin electric-plated coating of silver,

developed in the 1850s by Elkington & Co,

which enabled them to mass-produce silver-looking items,

or silver-plated items, to the rising middle-class market,

that perhaps couldn't quite afford the genuine silver article.

-Now we're changing social habits, people don't tend to use it, do they?

-No.

What would you suggest with this lot, John?

If I had this in auction, I would sell it as one lot.

There's something for everyone in there.

By keeping it together, you may well generate a bit more competition,

if somebody wants something particular... Definitely keep that in. I like that.

It's quite modern looking. I'd put the lot together

-and I'd suggest an estimate of £50-£100.

-Fantastic!

-Are you pleased with that?

-Yeah, fine. That's fine.

This house is full of furniture that's now surplus to requirements,

such as this mahogany corner drinks unit.

Like those corner cabinets we saw earlier, this piece was made to order

for Jeannie and George about ten years ago.

Mahogany has become increasingly popular in Britain from the mid-18th century.

It was originally used for the finest pieces.

But mahogany is now moderately priced and much more accessible.

John's hoping for an elegant £50-£100 when this example goes under the hammer.

John, I found something here.

Do you know what? For a minute, I thought it was something nice to go in this tumbler!

Right, put that down there. Let's have a look. Wow!

-Have you got an office, Mark?

-I have, yes.

Don't you think that would look grand on your office desk?

Unfortunately not, no. It's not the style of my office, I'm afraid.

You know what it is?

-I think it's an inkwell.

-Yeah, it's a desk set.

An inkstand dish. Let's turn it over and have a look at the bottom.

It's gilt and it's cast, it's a modern thing.

-This is probably 1950s.

-Right.

-Quite popular then.

-It's very feminine, isn't it?

-Yeah.

The style is actually Rococo.

That was a style that started in France around the 1730s and is typified by

lots of ornate scrollwork, scrolling foliage, shell work.

-We've got a shell in the centre of this well. Not everyone's cup of tea.

-No.

But it's still a decorative style.

It's 1950s as we've said. No-one's using fountain...

Not the ones you dip in, anyway, in this period. This is purely a decorative thing.

On the right sort of furniture, nice Kingwood and gilt-mounted French desk, bureau plat,

this would look the part.

But, seeing as you don't want it, we'll try at auction.

A good desk set like this should find a home. It is repro.

I'm not going to put a high estimate on it but I still think £30-£40.

-Excellent.

-Happy with that?

-Yeah.

-Are you sure you don't want it for your desk?

-Definitely.

-Well done! Come on.

-Thank you.

Now, that's not a bad addition to our home furnishing fund.

Even as we are finding plenty of items,

they do seem to be of relatively low value.

We'll need to up our game if we're going to make that £750 for Jeannie's plans.

For now though, I want to find out a little bit more

about what the future holds for the Stevens' residence.

Ah, there you are. You've got the plans out.

I've left John upstairs having a rummage around.

-I'm delighted to see these. Is this what it will look like?

-Please God, yes.

-What are you doing?

-If you can see the dotted lines here.

-That's the original roofline as it is.

-Right.

Take off the top floor completely and then go up into a five-bed house.

Now, these look fantastic.

Is this your idea of how you want the house to be

-or did the architects and builders come up with this?

-A bit of both.

I sat with the architect and said, "This is what I'd like to do,"

and then there was a lot of his ideas as well.

-We threw some ideas together and he came up with this.

-When did you two

get together and decide to keep this property in the family?

Basically, mum has lived here for 50-odd years and never wanted to move.

Still doesn't want to move.

The only way we can keep the house and keep it in the family

is for us to move in and have it.

So, how do you feel about this?

Obviously, this has been your home for 56 years,

-and now it's all changing.

-Yeah. I'm thrilled to bits, absolutely thrilled to bits.

Him making that decision to do it made me decide, "Yes, I'll move."

I wouldn't have liked to leave it to strangers.

It must be quite exciting though...

I really am excited, I must say.

I'm happy with my flat, I'm happy with the fact I'm just two or three minutes away from Mark,

so that's what really has made my life much easier now.

I think we'd better leave the plans alone and go and see

whether we can get you sorted out with some new furniture and the funds for it.

Shall we see if John's found anything?

-We'll go upstairs, shall we, before it disappears?

-Yes.

-Come on.

It's good to see Jeannie so excited about this new phase in her life.

I'm glad we're able to help her find comfort in her new home.

Now, Mark's getting into the swing of things.

And John, he looks like he's spotted another likely lot.

Will we be toasting an impressive estimate?

Ah, Jeannie!

Now, I'm wondering why these decanters are left here like this.

-I'm hoping they're redundant.

-Yes, they are.

They've done their duty - well and truly done their duty over the years -

but they have to go now. I haven't got room for them where I'm moving to.

-Do any of them have a special story at all, where they came from?

-Those particular two, yes.

My uncle, who lived in Bournemouth, he was always round at the local auctioneers.

He picked them up - always picking something up -

and he made them as a gift to me, gave them as a gift to me.

That's good. We've got a couple of decent pairs there.

If I can start with this one first, people don't realise,

when they pick something like this up, how much work's gone into it. From the start,

the vessel has to be produced in this traditional way by a glass-blower.

They have to have the decoration marked out - the pattern -

which is another man's job. Then they cut that in.

If you have a look.

-Look at my eye through there! Can you see there's a V-section?

-Oh, yes.

That's created by a circular abrasive wheel. It has a disc on the edge.

These wonderful fruiting grape vines have been cut in and etched.

See, they're frosted. You can't see through those bits.

I've never looked at them so closely. You've made them more interesting!

-You've got another two processes.

-Yes.

We've got these wonderful grapevines, so we know these are claret decanters.

-OK.

-I think they're nice.

You've got a pair of those and a pair of nice whisky or brandy decanters

and a couple of three other odd ones. They'll be all right at auction.

If I put them in at £60-£80, would that be OK?

That's fair enough really these days. Yes.

I'll put those back up there before you change your mind.

-Come on. Let's go and see what else we can find.

-OK.

Well, Jeannie knows she won't have room for all these pieces in her new flat.

At least she'll be able to use the proceeds for some brand-new furniture.

Mark's search has reached the attic

where he finds this Capodimonte biscuit porcelain figure of an old vagabond,

which Jeannie bought at auction some years ago.

Capodimonte was first produced in Naples is in Italy in the mid-18th century.

Although pieces like these are collectable, they do come up

regularly at auctions, and can struggle to make a decent price.

We think this modern example could still manage £20-£30.

And Jeannie's sported these three interlinked bangles

made of nine-carat gold.

They were given to her by a relative when she was little girl.

Gold items like these may look very attractive but,

with the rising price of scrap gold,

most dealers now buy the precious metal simply to melt it down.

They're still very saleable though,

so John estimates a hammer price of £80-£120.

Our day here with Jeannie and Mark is almost over.

But, have we really discovered all their treasure?

John...

-what have we got there?

-Four gold coins.

Ah, they look interesting. Definitely something we can sell at auction.

Where did these come from?

These are, I think, handed down through the family

from my grandmother, my grandfather, and my mother.

For me, I think, for a sort of inheritance, to be honest.

-So, you'd give up your inheritance?

-I would. Of course.

-What a nice lad you are! We could split these.

-OK.

They're gold sovereigns. We've got three half sovereigns

and one full sovereign. The full sovereign weighs about 3.9g to 8g.

The three halves, half that amount.

So, they are a bullion weight and bullion value,

based on the current gold fix.

The sovereign usually comprises, you know, the reverse and the obverse.

On the reverse, we've got the very iconic image of the George and Dragon there.

On the obverse, we've got the reigning monarch's head

which, on the full sovereign, is a young Queen Victoria.

Then it changed to, on this one here,

the other half here, we've got an older Queen Victoria.

On these two here, they're both Edward VII, which was her son.

Those would be between 1901 to 1910.

I'm going to put a bottom estimate of £300 on them. Top estimate 400.

-They'll make somewhere between 380 and 400.

-Fantastic!

-Say 300 to 400 as an estimate.

-Fantastic!

All right? Are you sure you want to give up your inheritance?

-I'm sure.

-What are you trying...? What is he trying to get you to give up now?

-He's kindly donated these three sovereigns. Three halves and a full sovereign.

-Ooh, gold sovereigns!

They should do quite well. What have you put on those?

I've estimated them at £300-£400, to get the bidding started.

-I hope they'll make towards our top estimate.

-We've had a very interesting day.

-Although you are clearing out, there's still plenty to find.

-Yeah, it's amazing.

You wanted £750, didn't you?

Do you think we've come anywhere near that amount?

-How much do you think we might have made?

-I have no idea.

-No?

-OK, the value of everything going to auction comes to £800.

-Wow!

-Fantastic!

-That's terrific.

-Are you pleased with that?

-Absolutely, yes.

Next time we see you

-all that stuff will be at the auction house!

-Fantastic!

What a great end to the day!

Those gold sovereigns really made a difference

and we're taking a good variety of items to auction,

including

that Queen Anne-style walnut chest

is just the thing to get the bidders

buying, especially with a teasingly nice £50-100 price tag.

The jumble of silver-plated tableware,

which has hardly been used,

at £50-£100, hopefully, it will shimmer for us.

Those interlinked bangles, which Jeannie's had since a child,

fingers crossed,

they really are worth their weight in gold, £80-£120.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic,

John's prepared to put his reputation on the line.

-If that hadn't have sold...

-You'd have resigned.

I'd have changed my profession, I think.

And it all gets a bit too much for Jeannie.

-Are you pleased with that?

-I can't believe it!

Be there when the final hammer falls.

Now, it's been a few weeks since we had a good look through Jeannie's house in Brentwood.

She had a clear-out but, together with her son, Mark,

and us, of course, we managed to find quite a lot of items to bring here,

to Chiswick auction rooms in West London.

Remember, she wants to raise £750.

So, let's just hope that today, the bidders are feeling very generous.

Well, the saleroom is already busy with a variety of buyers

casting their eyes over what's on offer.

Jeannie and her son, Mark, are here in good time,

with that honeymoon breakfast set that we hope will find

an appreciative new home.

-Good morning! How are you?

-Good.

-Is there any hot tea in there at all?

-Coffee.

-That's even better, isn't it?

-Only two cups though.

-Exactly!

-Do you miss this set?

-Sort of.

It's very pretty. I'm very fond of it. I like it.

Hopefully, someone will get it who likes it as much as I do.

-Do you think it might do well?

-It should do. It was my favourite piece in the house.

Not my colour, I hasten to add.

That's like Mark. I said, "It is pretty." He said, "If you say so."

Now, Mark, you said you have been to auctions before

but they're car auctions.

-That's right, yes.

-Not something like this?

-Nothing like this at all.

No tyres to kick here.

In the antiques world, we call them drawer pullers.

You get tyre kickers, we have drawer pullers.

-Are you looking forward to today, though?

-Yes, very much.

OK, shall we see if we can make you some money?

-Smashing.

-Come on, then.

If anyone can, you can.

Oh, God. Nothing like pressure.

Thanks for that vote of confidence, Jeannie.

Let's hope we attract some decent bids today.

Our first lot is about to go under the hammer.

It's the Spanish Lladro clown figurine

which I found in the bedroom.

-Where did this come from?

-It came from Spain.

We used to go to Spain quite a bit, my husband and I,

so we liked the Lladro, it's very pretty,

and picked it up there many years ago.

We've got £20-£30 on that. Is that OK with you?

Well, I don't know much about pricing but I would think that's OK, yeah.

What's that worth? £20 for you?

Bruno, you like a bit of Lladro.

£20? £10 for it, then?

£10, I'm bid at 10, at £12, 12,

we've got competition now.

14, 16, 18,

20, 22.

You could have started with 20, couldn't you? 22, 24? 24, 26?

24 is bid, £24 there. Who else wants at? At £24...

HAMMER STRIKES

£24.

Lladro! Probably your judgment's quite right.

I knew there was a reason John was here.

Well, that's in the middle of his estimate.

I get a feeling Jeannie's not sorry to see the back of that figurine.

I wonder if she'll feel the same about the next one,

a modern Capodimonte porcelain figure of an old vagabond.

They don't tend to fetch the highest of prices,

but he may surprise us yet.

£20 for it?

£10 for it?

Thank you, bid at 10, give me 12.

£10 so far is the main bid, £10, who'll give me 12?

We're now at £10. Before he changes his mind,

£10, 211.

Oh, my God!

That doesn't surprise me. I was hoping it would be more,

-but it just shows you the demand for it.

-Absolutely.

There you go. The collectability of some items does tend to fluctuate.

It's good to see Jeannie's staying positive, though.

Next up is that reproduction Rococo-style ink stand,

which I should think has limited appeal.

Fingers crossed it's not a complete write-off.

John, is there any hope for this item?

Well, I've failed in persuading Mark to have it on his office desk,

but it is very decorative,

it is a reproduction of sorts, but it is decorative

and there is demand for stand dishes

so hopefully there's a home here for it today.

£30 for it?

It's there to be sold. £10 for it? See where it goes, £10?

Thank you, a bid at 10.

10, come on.

12, thank you. 15. 18?

At £15, it's going to go so far, at £15,

-a bidder at £15, all done.

-Oh, dear.

At £15. Nobody else wants it?

At £15, sold then. £15.

We'll finish up owing this auction house money!

Gosh, I hope not.

But if we carry on like this,

I think Jeannie could be shopping for a beanbag rather then a sofa.

Next up, it's that modern Coalport breakfast set

with a stylish David Shilling design.

Could this revive the bidding for us?

Generally, these sets aren't doing so well

but I'd be surprised if this doesn't. But I'm also surprised

-you're not taking it with you.

-No, again, no room,

and I want to furnish my little flat nicely.

Yeah, OK, fair enough.

£40 starting bid, £40 for the Coalport. £40? £30?

Somebody at £10, then? £10 for it?

Bid at 10. 12, 15? 15, 18?

18, 20, 22?

£20, give me 22,

22 there, 25?

25. 28? 28, 30? 30, 32?

32, 35?

At £32, £32, going at 32 and gone,

for £32 then, 211, £32.

-I'm surprised at that, as I thought it was a nice set.

-I did too.

And when you think, you know, if you work that out per piece,

you know, it's not a lot.

Unfortunately, it just shows how much markets have changed.

-Yeah, absolutely.

-They're all like him.

Oh, dear. Our £750 target seems a very long way away.

The bidding feels lacklustre today

and I'm not going to hold my breath for our next lot,

the reproduction Georgian-style corner units.

We'll start at £20.

Thank you, a bid at £20, £20, 22? 22, 25?

25, 28, 30?

30, 32, 35, 38, 40?

40, bid there at £40,

£40 for the pair. At £40.

All done at £40, last chance, going, £40 and gone.

We got those away at the bottom estimate, but trust me,

there are auction houses that don't accept them these days.

So that's a good result, isn't it?

At least they made their bottom estimate

and Jeannie doesn't have to take them home again.

Now, at £50-£100,

I think this 1950s Queen Anne-style chest is well worth the money,

but will the bidders think that too?

As I said to Mark on the day, nice proportions,

functional piece of furniture, and a good colour.

Condition's not bad as well

-so I'll put my neck on the line...

-What do you mean, not bad?

Condition's very good, very good.

£50 for it?

£30? Bid at £30, 32 there.

35, 38, 40?

£38, we got 40 over there.

40, 42, 45, 48, 50,

55, 60-5,

70-5,

80-5, 90-5. At £90.

£95? Still cheap at £90, all done at £90,

95 back in, 100.

Whoa. Good, we're over 100.

120, 130?

120, bid at 120, the bid's there at 120, done for 120,

last chance, it goes at 120 and gone.

-Wow, now that's a bit better, isn't it?

-Slightly vindicated.

-What was it?

-£120.

-That's better.

I said, didn't I? I'd stick my neck on the line with this piece,

and it really was on the line, and if it hadn't sold...

-You'd have resigned.

-I was going to change my profession, I think.

£20 over our upper estimate is an encouraging result.

I'm not sure if John should think about re-training just yet.

Let's see how he fares in the second half.

You wanted to raise £750, didn't you? That was the target.

And we've sold half our lots now

so we've a bit of a break until this afternoon's session, all right?

Now, bearing in mind this afternoon we have the gold sovereigns to sell,

and gold's very strong... You can tell where I'm going with this.

-We're not halfway there.

-No.

-No.

So far we've made £241.

-That's not bad, is it?

-You pleased with that?

-Yeah, it's not bad.

You've got to look at it from the point of view,

it's all stuff you'd have paid someone to take away

-at the end of the day.

-Exactly, yes.

It'll buy me a few toilet rolls!

I think you need to start upping the stakes a bit, my dear.

A nice bottle of champagne, that's what you need to think about.

She'll be buying those to throw at me, I think.

-No.

-Come on, let's go and get a cup of tea.

-OK.

Now, if you've been inspired to try buying or selling at auction,

bear in mind that there are charges such as commission,

that will be added to your bill,

so it's always worth checking them with the saleroom beforehand.

There's no shortage of bidders here today.

We can only hope our remaining lots catch their eye.

Meanwhile, John looks like he's getting all theatrical.

-Hi, John.

-Hey, Lorne.

-So, what have you found of interest?

I've been having a look at this little collection. It's a group lot.

We've got a bunch of early Edwardian postcards,

all sorts of topographical, mostly holiday scenes,

but this is what really caught my eye. It's a whole bunch

of early theatre publicity photos from the turn of the last century.

But there was one in particular, this one here. Look at that.

That looks rather uncomfortable, doesn't it?

Certainly does, although I do admire her skill!

Yes, I'm sure Louis Spence can do that, but I can't, sadly.

That, you can see, "La Sylphe,"

who was a very famous exotic dancer. a childhood star,

actually born Edith Lambelle,

from the continent, travelled the world,

with her exotic dance routines, often causing a bit of an outrage

as to what she was wearing, or rather wasn't wearing.

Look at that, it's been signed.

Fantastic. What sort of estimate is there on this lot?

The auctioneers have £80-£150 here.

I think postcards and things like this are great speculative lots,

you really don't know what's in here, it's easy to do the research.

You could find something special among this lot.

Well, it seems there was a show business enthusiast at the auction,

because the collection of postcards

went under the hammer for a whopping £180.

As the sale continues,

let's hope we can really put our stamp on things with our next lot,

that variety of silver-plated pieces

which Jeannie has collected over the years.

Some of it was very nice quality,

including that very modern-looking piece. Remember?

You're right, Lorne. There's a lot in there, condition is superb,

so we should be happily getting towards our £50-£100 estimate.

£50, please?

Come on.

Lorne's saying come on. £50 for it? £30 for it?

Bid at £30, £30, give me 32, a lot for the money.

32, 35, 38, 40, 42?

£40 bid there, £40 today all done.

At £40, the bid's there at £40,

sold at £40 and gone. £40.

I think it's becoming quite clear

the right bidders just don't seem to be in the room today. What a shame.

Those corner units did reasonably well earlier on,

but will this reproduction drinks cabinet manage to do the same?

We're looking for £50-£100.

Reproduction mahogany, but good quality,

the joinery is superb condition.

It's solid mahogany, and I just thought it would be tragic

if it got left in a house. I know you didn't want to take it.

-I couldn't take it.

-So we brought it.

I hope somebody will see it over £50.

£50 for it?

£30 for it? £30?

£10 for it?

I'm bid at 10, £10, bidder at £10.

Who'll bid 12? £10.

Going to be sold at £10. At £10, your last chance, going at £10,

all done at £10, 12. 15.

You're saying no?

Where do you buy your corner cabinets, I wonder? I'm bid at £12,

£12, 214, £12.

-Oh, dear, £12.

-Do you know what?

You couldn't buy the mahogany in it for that.

-Not for that money.

-No.

That's a real disappointment,

and some lucky bidder

now owns a piece of solid mahogany furniture for £12.

The price of gold is currently very healthy

and we hope that will be reflected in the bidding on our next item.

It's those three interlocking gold bangles.

So where are these from? Are these yours?

Well, from what I can remember, long way back,

-I think the smallest one was mine as a child.

-Right.

The other couple I thought were maybe given as I got older.

£50. Where are the gold buyers? £50.

Thank you, a bid at £50, £50, 55,

60-5, 70-5, 80?

£75, 80 there, 85,

90-5?

90 bid, at £90, we got 95,

£90 all done, £90 for this gold and going, all done at £90,

for £90, then, going.

And that's £10 above John's lowest estimate.

Finally, a result we can be pleased about.

But will today's cautious bidders

find this collection of cut glass quite so appealing?

-I like a nice cut-glass decanter, don't you?

-I love it.

A bit of posh. Now, what do we want for these, John?

Well, we've got two good pairs amongst our seven.

A square pair of Waterford,

and a nice ruby-flashed pair of wine decanters, which are quite nice.

Then the three odd ones. They're not terribly in vogue,

but I think they should make £60-£80.

Nice old lot £50?

£30 to go.

Bid at £30, 32, 35, 38,

40, 42, 45, 48?

48, 50, 55? 55, 60.

And £55, bid at £55, 60, 65,

70, 75.

-That's better, yes.

-At least we've got 75.

At £75, the bid's there at £75, give me 80 now, at £75, we're done.

Finished at 75, last chance, going at £75, bid's there.

211, £75.

-£75.

-That's better.

15 more then you reckoned.

Yeah, 60-80, so we're in there.

-Yes.

-Good.

-That's better.

-That's very good.

Things are looking up.

Jeannie's right. It looks like we've finally turned a corner.

With two lots still to go, we've got £458 in the kitty.

So we still need £300 to make her target.

Will the canteen of cutlery bring us any closer?

So was this a wedding present?

Yes, I think it was, or a silver wedding present, possibly.

I have to say, I had a set of this myself, and it was a bit of a pain

having to polish it all the time, or it gets very tarnished.

-Yes, and I got fed up with cleaning it.

-Yeah, of course.

-No.

-I'm not going to ask you.

John?

Well, gladly, ours hasn't tarnished. It's been well looked after.

-Thank you.

-I guess once it's been used,

-it's been polished and put back in its canteen.

-Thank you, John.

You're welcome, Jeannie. It's all there and in good condition.

You are now seeing the way I housekeep.

Do you want a job?

-You didn't pass it on to him, did you?

-No!

£50?

£40? Bid at £40 there,

£40, 42?

42, 45. 48,

50, 55, 60-5,

70-5,

80-5, 90-5, 100, 110.

The bid's for £100, I'll take 110, who else wants it?

Are we done for £100? £100 in,

-to buyer 176. £100.

-Fantastic.

-£100.

-And that was valued at what?

60-80. Go and have a word with him.

That's better.

I don't mind getting it wrong in Jeannie's favour.

It's the other way I don't like.

That's a great result, £20 above John's best estimate.

Gives us the glimmer of hope that we'll reach our target yet.

Our final lot is the set of four gold sovereigns,

which were passed down to Mark,

but will they give us the result we desperately need?

John, I must ask, about ten years ago, what were these selling for?

Because it was only about £30-£40, wasn't it?

I certainly remember in recent years,

we're talking just a few, four, five years ago,

the full sovereigns were making about £55, £60,

and the halves about 30,

so, yeah, it has been a considerable and sustained rise in recent years.

Whilst economies are uncertain around the world,

they seem a good investment.

£300 for the lot, please, £300?

Bid at £300,

£300, anyone 310? £300, 310 there,

320, 330,

340, 350,

-360, 370?

-Ooh.

370, 380?

The bid's there at 370, who'll give me 380? 380, 400.

380, bid at £380.

£380, bid at 380, all done for 380 and gone.

£380!

-That's good, isn't it?

-That's all right. Well done.

You pleased with that?

Absolutely. It's fantastic.

-I think you've reaped your rewards there.

-Yes, yes.

I'll pay it in kind, John.

Whoa-ho. There's an offer you can't refuse, John.

What a brilliant result. That could well be the sale

that makes all the difference.

The question now is, just how much have we made?

-You wanted to raise £750, didn't you?

-Yes.

Do you think, after some pretty disastrous results

in one way or another, we've got anywhere near that target?

-I have no idea what we've got.

-The sovereigns have helped.

Absolutely, the sovereigns have helped a lot.

The sovereigns have helped to bring the total amount to...

-£938.

-No!

-Yes!

-Oh, my God!

-Nearly £1,000.

-My God! Fantastic.

So are you pleased with that?

-I can't believe it!

-I know. I can't, especially with his valuations

and you not being interested at all, so well done. I'm pleased for you.

That is a real big surprise.

-Will you spend that money on the flat?

-I'm teary, I'm sorry.

Oh, God, yeah. And I think I'll have to

take my family out to dinner or something, won't I?

-Aw, that'll be lovely.

-Will you come?

Oh, yes, I'll come. I'm only down the road. I'll drag him along too.

He can pay the other half of the bill.

Well, it's a few weeks since we were at auction

and Jeannie's moved into her new flat.

I'm in the same area, which is nice.

I still get to see my neighbours, my old friends and my neighbours.

I know the shops, they know me and this sort of thing,

having lived in the area for so many years.

Looking around, I think

she's already spent her takings from the auction house.

Delighted with my new furniture, I really am.

It's lovely, it's very comfortable.

In fact, they're all recliners,

and so I just sit there, push my recliner,

up go the feet and I fall asleep.

I miss many the end of a programme on my television

but no, it is very comfortable,

and yeah, very, very happy with it, very happy with it.