Gray Cash in the Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Attic.

We like nothing better than finding those antiques and collectables

that you've tucked away collecting dust in drawers, attics, cupboards,

and then turning them into cash.

That's what I'm hoping to do today here in Wales, in a house that is stuffed full of...stuff!

'On Cash In The Attic, one of our finds proves a first for Paul.'

I've only ever actually seen this in a textbook.

'There's a lovely surprise for the lady of the house.'

-LAUGHTER

-Did you know that?

-Not an idea!

That's another "wow!"

'And at auction, a rare discovery results in an exciting revelation.'

£650...!

-You didn't expect that, did you?

-It's amazing.

'Find out what it is when the hammer falls.'

I'm in Chepstow, where I'm about to meet a mum who'd like extra cash

because she's got a very special treat planned for her daughters.

'Since retiring from the nursing profession two years ago,

'Frances Gray has spent her time following another lifelong passion,

'singing in her local Choral Society.

'In 2000, her two grown-up daughters Sarah and Elena left home.

'So Frances downsized from an enormous property in Crick

'to a townhouse here in Chepstow, where she lives with her two cats.

'Frances now thinks that it's time to declutter her home

'of some of the things she's acquired over the years.

'With me on today's rummage is our expert Paul Hayes.'

-You're going to get a warm glow when you see what's inside.

-Can't wait!

'Helping Frances is her best friend and Choral Society partner, Cynthia.'

-Hi!

-Hello.

-I see you've already started work!

-How lovely to see you.

-Frances and Cynthia, meet Paul Hayes.

-Hello, nice to meet you both.

-So, good stuff that we're already looking at.

-It looks promising.

-Would you mind if I make a start?

-Be lovely. I hope you find something worthwhile!

He can't resist! Frances, why have you called in Cash In The Attic?

I was hoping to get enough money to take my daughters to a spa hotel

for a pampering day.

That sounds absolutely fantastic!

Cynthia's going to help you today. How do you know each other?

We know each other through the Choral Society,

and other times as well, so we've become great friends.

You're singers!

We met about ten years ago and we've been singing together ever since.

We might get you to sing later on!

In the meantime, how much do you think you might like to raise?

Probably approaching £2,000.

-Wow! A really special day out at the spa, then.

-Oh!

While he's looking around, what sort of things is he going to be finding?

Mostly, things I've inherited from my parents, grandparents.

They've come down through the family.

We ought to find Paul, see how he's doing.

Today, we could make music as well as money!

-Wonderful!

-Let's go!

'£2,000 is certainly a high figure, but glancing around Frances's home

'I see a whole range of things that will fare well at auction.'

Paul, you found the family silver!

Yes I have. I've made a fantastic start. Look at that silver tray.

-What a quality item that is!

-A bit of weight in it. Where is this from?

It was my maternal grandparents'.

It was presented to them on their silver wedding anniversary

by the Polysulphin Co Ltd, where my grandfather worked.

What a wonderful thing to get.

-Imagine that happening now!

-They thought a lot of him.

Or a lot of the marriage. That is a very good quality tray.

-Did your grandmother use it?

-My grandmother was very proud of it.

She used to serve tea to all her friends and relatives.

How about you?

I think the days of presenting one's friends

with tea on a silver tray are sadly gone!

-It's tea in a mug now and be grateful for it.

-What a shame!

-It clearly has great value, Paul.

-It is solid silver and very heavy.

Whoever was awarded this, it's a good quality tray.

Normally, these are silver plated.

If you'd had the matching teapot, sugar basin, the cream jug,

it would have been a fortune.

You've got to be careful with the hallmark.

You've got the crown for Sheffield.

The lion passant, meaning it's up to standard in the UK, to sell it.

Then you've got a date letter, S,

which I think is about 1935, just before this tray was presented.

Are you happy for it to go?

I ought to feel a bit sentimental about it, but I really don't.

They'd be wishing me well, I'm sure.

I see you doing this with it, Paul. You're clearly weighing it!

-The weight is important at the moment.

-It is at the moment.

Silver and gold seem to be the material that people want to invest in.

So that tray now, you're looking at least £500, maybe up to £800.

Wow! Wow!

-What a cracker, isn't it?

-That is an absolute...

-Did you know that?

Not an idea!

-Fantastic, isn't it? Yeah, £500, to give it a good estimate.

-Terrific!

'Let's hope we can keep those "wows" coming, Paul.

'We'd better push on with our search.

'These coins that I find in one of the bedrooms might help.

'It's a set of specimen coins from the 1930s

'and a coin celebrating King George V's silver jubilee.

'Together, Paul thinks we could get...'

-Look at that!

-Look what I found.

I know it's an old one. It belonged to Frances's maternal grandfather.

I think it was made for him.

I've sat in it and I'd love to know more about it. It's beautiful.

You're looking probably 1900, 1910.

This is a type of X chair,

an X-frame chair, for the way that the legs go.

In Ancient Egypt, pharaohs used to sit on chairs very similar to this.

-Oh, yes. They're often pictured on those.

-It's a type of throne chair.

The late 19th century, early 1900s, there was a great revival in these styles.

Part of the Arts & Crafts movement.

Single chairs don't sell well, but these are meant to be on their own.

It's showing nice patina, isn't it? The arms have been worn away.

The darker wood at the bottom, showing a good bit of age.

-And this is leather.

-That's right.

You tend to find that these chairs incorporate one or two styles.

You've got the acanthus leaf from ancient Rome.

You've got the X shape from Egypt.

Lots of styles.

Of course the leather was a medieval British material.

It has this roundel at the front. Is that part of the pattern?

That's called a boss. That's a fake one.

-Some of the chairs would fold up.

-Oh, I see.

That would act like a pivot.

But that one just adds a bit of character to the front.

All these carvings have got a lovely patina on here as well.

-Do you think Frances is sentimental about it?

-I think she loves it.

But I think the time has come for her to choose other things

-and to have less dusting to do!

-LAUGHS

-But it is lovely.

-Yeah, it's great. It's got a lovely look to it.

On a good day, this should bring easily over £100.

-Oh, good!

-If I said 80 to 120?

Wonderful. That would be lovely.

It sounds good to me. That'll add to the total.

'Well, tempting as that chair looks, there's no time to sit around.

'Frances offers up these two crystal decanters for auction.

'They were given to her by her grandparents.'

Frances, you've been living in Chepstow for about ten years.

What made you choose here?

I only lived four miles away and it just seemed obvious

to come to Chepstow, but I wanted a smaller house.

-What was the other house like?

-Five bedrooms, a granny annexe, two acres of land, two ponies and a donkey.

They had to go once the girls had gone on to academia.

When you came into Chepstow, you joined the choir.

-Is that because you'd sung all your life?

-Yes, I've always sung.

But not always in an orderly...sort of fashion!

-Cynthia, you must have been delighted.

-Another alto, which was lovely!

We needed some new blood and Frances was most welcome.

She has such a lovely voice. She also fits in nicely.

Because she's fairly short, she goes at the front.

-ANGELA LAUGHS

-The right voice and the right size!

Yes, it was an ideal opportunity.

-Frances, have you told your daughters what you're raising money for?

-I have.

They are delighted. They couldn't believe it.

They were convinced it was going to be stair carpet!

So what did they say?

-"Wow!"

-We want to put the "wow" factor into the auction.

Shall we see what Paul is doing and find out what we're going to take?

-See if he's going to manage the "wow"!

-I'm sure he is.

'I knew we could rely on Paul. He's spotted something else of interest.'

-This is where he is!

-Aren't these beautiful?

-What lovely paintings!

Are these pictures that you've inherited?

They used to hang in my parents' hallway.

I believe, in grandparents' hallway as well.

-Right.

-They're too big, really, for this house.

Do you have any idea of what they depict?

Someone told me that it was supposed to be the Welsh Highlands,

-North Wales somewhere.

-Oh.

-What do you make of them, Paul?

I actually suspect they'd be Scottish.

Leader, that would be Charles Leader.

He was a very famous artist working in the late 19th century.

-He was doing Scottish scenes.

-I thought they were Scottish!

I can't remember who told me that they were Welsh.

They look like Highland cattle. They've got thumping great horns.

-There is Highland cattle.

-Let's say they're Scottish, then!

There's a couple of reasons, really, why they are.

You've got the Scottish cattle, but Queen Victoria

set her base in Balmoral so anything Scottish was the height of fashion.

Lots of artists would go up and capture these wonderful scenes.

They can range from being pretty awful to being fantastic.

These are very well painted indeed.

What I love about his work is the use of perspective.

You can melt into the distance.

That's really clever, how the artist has put this lighter background

to give the appearance of distance.

That is a real talent. You don't get that with an average artist.

These frames don't look right.

The period Charles Leader was painting, the late 19th century,

would have been highly elaborate, the Victorians are very fussy.

I think they're a bit later than the paintings.

The frames are about 1900.

-The paintings anywhere from 1860 to 1900.

-Is he collectable?

His paintings regularly bring between £400 and £700 each.

You've got a lovely pair here.

I'd love to put these in between 800 and 1,000.

-How does that sound?

-Fantastic!

-All right?

-I meant to "wow" again!

'Let's see how close to the mark Paul's estimate turns out to be.'

Who'll put me in at £800 for these? £600?

'And we won't have to wait long to find out.

'Frances's home has a large collection of books and sheet music

'that highlights her passion for song.

'Apparently, her daughters Sarah and Elena are musical, too.

'Cynthia discovered this musical cabinet that the family used to keep sheet music in.

'Frances thinks that it's time to let this go.

'Paul's either dismantling the furniture,

'or he's spotted something that we might take to auction.'

-Place your bets now, Frances.

-You've found the games table!

This is fantastic, isn't it?

Red number three. I've lost all my money!

I lost a fortune.

This was a complete surprise. It looks like an ordinary table.

Where has this come from?

It's been in my family as long as I can remember.

I don't know where my parents got it from. Probably grandparents.

-I don't know which side of the family.

-Did you ever use it?

-Never been used!

-Really?

-I don't think my parents used it.

They had another card table.

So they didn't use this. I've got a card table so I don't use it as a card table.

If I'd had sons instead of daughters,

we might have used it.

There's a game for everybody. It's a compendium.

There's two checkerboards - one for draughts, one for chess.

Inside, we've got the card table and the roulette betting board.

What great fun!

And not a bad looking piece of furniture, either.

It looks fairly recent. This was maybe 1900, 1920, that sort of time.

The golden age, really, for the card table was the 18th century.

If you lived in a very large house,

you'd have half a dozen games tables.

You'd all gather round on a weekend and play your cards.

But as time progressed,

the casino became more available, things like roulette appeared.

They've all got something in.

-It's a ready-made starter kit for somebody interested in games.

-Yes.

If you look at the front,

it's made from oak, but the way it's done

is quarter veneering.

The same piece of veneer is transferred and put either side,

so you get this wonderful diamond or herringbone effect.

That's typically 1900, 1920. That helps to age it.

How do you feel about parting with it?

It might as well go to somebody who's going to make use of it.

These are good fun items for people to enjoy without gambling large amounts of money.

-It's fun, that's the idea.

-Yes.

It's a nice light colour, which fits in with the modern look.

It's not too dark. Needs a bit of work on the legs.

-What's happened there?

-I know. I think the bits are in the...

-That would help tremendously. It looks like they've been cut off.

-No.

My mother had someone who helped her in the house and she was a bit heavy handed with the hoover.

-Did she use a sledgehammer?

-LAUGHS

-"Oooh!"

-She must have done!

Joking apart, it's a lovely table.

In great condition, you could be towards the 500 mark here.

The legs need a bit of restoration,

a bit of tender loving care to be brought back to life...

-..Is that a safe bet?

-Yes! Sounds wonderful.

'We're over halfway through our rummage and going by Paul's lower estimates,

'so far, we could raise as much as £1,850.

'Cynthia notices this decorative paperweight.

'It belonged to Frances's grandmother...'

Frances, so many things you've inherited from grandparents.

You were particularly close to one set of grandparents?

My father's parents, yes, paternal grandparents.

When the war came - and I was born in 1938 -

the two elder ones had already gone to my maternal grandparents.

It got to the stage of, "What shall we do with Frances?"

Then I was evacuated to the other grandparents in Clevedon.

You went on to train as a nurse. You became, not just a nurse.

You were a midwife and a district nurse and then went into the navy.

-What made you make that career choice?

-My brother-in-law said, "Apply to the navy.

"And when you go, don't forget to wear a hat!"

You used to wear those wonderful big nursing caps the naval nurses wore.

Came out here, didn't they?

It was not the done thing to go unhatted.

But I got in and then I met and married a surgeon lieutenant.

-Neither of your daughters have followed you into nursing.

-No.

I think, really, when the time came,

my option to go into nursing was because my father was a doctor

and I felt I would like to become a nurse.

Do they not want any of the things you're taking to auction?

Both of them said, "No.

"If it can help make you happier

"and more comfortable in the house you live in, so be it."

-They may not want the items, but they want to go to the spa.

-Indeed, they do! They can't wait.

-We ought to go and find Paul and see how he's doing.

-Wonderful.

-After you.

'Whilst we've been chatting, Paul has been all around the house

'looking for other items to sell.

'Amongst his discoveries, this set of Chester silver apostle spoons

'Frances bought some years ago.

'The spoons date to 1896 and come with sugar tongs.

'Complete with their original box, Paul thinks...'

-Paul, what about this?

-Ah! Now, let's have a look!

-Look at that, a map of Somersetshire.

-Isn't that a beauty?

I know a little about it.

-OK.

-It was bought by Frances's parents.

Her mother and father met at university in Bristol.

Father was born in Clevedon, mother in Bristol.

When they moved to Oxfordshire, they took this as a souvenir.

Part of the charm with these maps

is seeing which village was around in the 18th century or earlier.

You can see your town, if it existed at all!

-Some of those names on there are amazing.

-That's right.

You've got one of Britain's best known cartographers, John Cary.

The Cary family were world-renowned for making wonderful maps.

They also made globes that you find in libraries,

terrestrial and celestial globes.

What was unique about the Cary is that they were extremely accurate

-and that they didn't incorporate religious effigies.

-Right.

Before the Carys came along, you'd have huge illustrations,

gods and everything round it.

-This is very plain, very simple, very precise.

-Fashionable.

It became the standard of its day. Quite simple, isn't it?

Yes, in some ways, but detailed. So many things on there.

And they're all hand-coloured, which is nice.

This would have been a book from the late 19th century.

-It would have had the whole British Isles.

-Oh, they've taken pages out.

-Would Frances be all right letting that go?

-She probably would.

It's one thing that you may need to check with her, but I'm pretty sure she would let that go.

OK. It won't take up a lot of room. I think it's quite nice.

If I said £40 to £70,

-how does that sound?

-That sounds good.

Might get us on the map as well!

-THEY LAUGH

-It might do.

-Let's keep looking.

'Paul, your determination to deliver a pun for every occasion is...

'almost impressive.

'Some nooks and crannies are easier to get into than others.

'Paul has discovered more silver.

'Not quite as grand as the tray,

'but this silver-plated teapot, jug and sugar bowl should add...

'They belonged to Frances's mother,

'who added a silver-plated pot for holding the hot water.'

-Paul, what do you think of...?

-These are Royal Doulton figurines.

-Where are these from?

-Inherited from my maternal grandmother.

-Right.

Doulton figures are highly collected.

It depends on the characters.

The funny thing is, the ones that didn't sell in huge numbers,

ones that weren't popular, tend to be ones that collectors go for now.

I did notice that this one here has been broken at some point.

That makes a big difference for collectors.

That one, pretty run-of-the-mill. This one is quite special.

This is fabulous. Look at the colours. Where did he come from?

Again, same place. He was inherited from my grandmother.

-I don't think he's got anything wrong with him.

-No, he's perfect.

-Do you know the character?

-Underneath he says One Of The Forty.

I would put him as one of the 40 thieves from Alibaba.

From 1001 Arabian Nights.

This is such a rare thing that Royal Doulton did.

One of the major designers for Royal Doulton was Harry Tittensor.

He did these wonderful glazes.

Oriental pottery and porcelain often had this mottled effect,

caused by hundreds of years of natural build-up of oils

and the way the ceramic goes.

They tried to recreate it and called it a Chang glaze.

This glaze is one of the rarest things that Royal Doulton did.

Not many have survived. I've only ever seen this in a textbook.

-Have you any idea how much these are worth?

-Not at all.

Right, I think I might surprise you. Angela! Cynthia!

I've found some Doulton figures.

We see quite a lot of those, don't we?

You've never seen one like this.

-We're going from purple up to... It looks like a sunset!

-Glorious!

That's very rare indeed. You've cracked it.

You've got a fantastic thing here. Falstaff is a little bit damaged.

-He would bring around the £50 mark.

-Tell us the good news about this.

This one is such a rare item. It really is.

It's an absolute cracker.

You could be looking...£300, £400 for this one on its own.

-LAUGHTER

-That's nice.

I've never seen one sold.

I've only seen these illustrated in catalogues and Doulton price guides.

-That's super!

-Oh, my goodness!

-Oh, my goodness!

-Fantastic. If I said at least £400 for these two,

we're plain sailing.

-It's a "wow"!

-A definite "wow"!

-All I can say nowadays is "wow"!

We might get another "wow" in a moment.

-You want to raise £2,000.

-Yes.

Well, we should be able to raise, taking Paul's lowest estimate on everything,

£2,410!

Oh, my golly!

Wow!

-You can have two days at the spa!

-And a holiday!

-There you go!

'That's a truly impressive total we've made at Frances's home.

'I think we're in with a good chance of booking that luxury spa.

'Amongst today's finds, the solid silver tray with a weighty estimate.

'Those two oils by British artist Charles Leader

'depict some magnificent Scottish Highlands scenes.

'And, of course, we've got those lovely Royal Doulton figurines.

'There's Falstaff and one of the 40 thieves from Alibaba.

'Let's hope that the bidders are as enthusiastic as Paul.

'Still to come, will the bidders go for all of our stunning lots?'

Any more? It sells at £15...

-There you go.

-It's not your fault.

'And which of Frances's items exceeds everyone expectations?'

£300...

Wow!

-Fantastic!

-It's lunch on me, then!

'Be there for the final drop of the gavel.'

It's been a week or two since we were with the Gray family in Chepstow.

They had some lovely items, so I can't wait to see what today's bidders are going to make of them.

We brought everything here to the Welsh town of Carmarthen,

to the Peter Francis auction room.

Let's hope there are some serious bidders around today.

'Frances has got quite a variety of items with her today.

'We're especially excited to see how much that silver tray will fetch.'

-Frances, lovely to see you again. Who have you got with you?

-Elena.

My daughter who wasn't well on the day.

You've been hearing about your ancestors?

I have. My great-grandparents, I believe. You've been telling me about the history behind it.

-You didn't know much about them before?

-Not at all, so a real learning curve!

This, we know we're going to sell.

-Silver is fetching such a high price, Paul.

-There's two values.

The value for its silver content, which is very high. All metals are.

Then you've got the value as a nice intrinsic tray. You've got no problem with that at all.

-You've got a fixed reserve on the paintings.

-£1,000 on them.

-And 400 on the Arab.

-I've had a chat to the auctioneer.

He's advertised it on three different websites.

You've got a good chance of a good price. We put £400 reserve on it.

Look out for the guy with the magic carpet.

'It sounds like the auctioneer's using some pretty hefty sound gear.

'We'll have to concentrate to hear ourselves.

'First up is that pair of fetching decanters that Frances got from her grandmother.'

People don't put booze in them any more.

I did have booze in them but we drank it!

There they go at 30. 35 is with me. At 35.

40 at the very back. 45.

-AUCTIONEER LOUDLY ON SPEAKER:

-Standing at the back at £50.

They go in the room at 50. Is there no more? Going at £50...

-That's disappointing.

-Mm. Very.

That's the way that things go now.

-We've seen beautiful crystal decanters go for even less.

-Yes.

'Crystal decanters weren't in fashion with our bidders.

'Maybe we should have left some spirit inside them!

'However, we have all got high hopes for our next lot.

'The auctioneer split these into separate lots

'to maximise their potential.'

Our rarity coming up,

this wonderful Royal Doulton "china figure of an Arab, One Of The Forty".

One of the 40 thieves! He is rather special. He was rather special in your house.

I didn't realise how special he was until Paul came and valued him.

Ordinary Doulton figures have been selling for £10 or £20.

A couple of rarities for £140, so there are Doulton buyers here.

With a bit of luck, someone will pick up on this.

I can start the bidding at 300. 350 with me.

350! There you go.

400. 450. 500.

550. 600.

And 50. 650.

On the book at £650. Selling with me at 650. Any more?

At £650...

LAUGHING: Fantastic!

-How's that?

-650?

-You didn't expect that, did you?

-Amazing!

'I don't think any of us saw that coming.

'I bet Frances wishes she could lay her hands on the other 39 thieves!

'Not quite as rare is the Falstaff figure,

'who only manages to make £40, but Frances is happy with the result.'

That's a good "wow"!

'Now, we're not quite sure as to the make of this fetching paperweight,

'but Paul reckons it's an item of good quality.'

Lots of the glass-makers would put hidden symbols in the cane work.

-Right.

-You'd get little a horse or little animal.

I can't see anything in it at all.

We can say possibly Baccarat but we can't say for definite.

Two bidders here with me. At 100. 110 I'm bid.

Before we even start!

At 110. 120. 130.

£130 on the book. 130. At £130...

-Wow!

-Wow!

-Crikey!

-LAUGHTER

-Brilliant.

-Grandfather would have been proud of that, wouldn't he?

-He would.

'The absence of a maker's name didn't put our buyers off at all!

'That was well over Paul's lower estimate. Tea's up!'

My mother used to use it a lot and when she put it away,

she used to put a sugar lump inside the teapot to keep it sweet.

They also put it in there to stop the thing corroding inside.

-What the sugar cube does is absorb all the moisture.

-There you go.

A nice set, but only restaurants and hotels tend to use these nowadays.

£30 away on that? 30, surely? 20 to go, then? At ten only.

15. At 15. 20 may I say? 20 on the back row.

At £20. Selling it in the room. Is there no more?

-Going at £20...

-BANGS GAVEL

-It's not everyone's cup of tea!

-ANGELA LAUGHS

'Our silver plated wares may not have proved successful,

'but this tray is solid silver, weighing more than 40 ounces.'

-It's an important piece of your family history, Elena.

-Yeah.

It was given to my great-grandfather by the company that he worked for,

so strong family history there.

42 ounces, so we know it's going to make between £500 and £800.

A couple of years ago, this would have brought £300, £350.

500 to put me in? 300. 320 I've got. 350. 380. 400.

-400.

-420. 450. 480. 500.

£500 sitting on the back row. 520 standing. All in the room. 550.

580. 580 now, the gentleman's bid. Against you, madam, at 580.

Selling to the gentleman at 580. Here it goes. £580...

-Wow!

-Wow!

-Terrific, yes?

FRANCES LAUGHS

'That proves that with the current price of silver being strong,

'it was a good time for Frances to sell.'

-These little apostle teaspoons were very popular at one time.

-Yeah.

People tend to give items like this for a silver wedding anniversary, for 25 years.

When you've got something boxed, mint condition, it's nice to give.

At 20 only. At 20 only bid. 25. At 25 on the back row.

30 is it? 30 standing. 35 in the second row.

At 35. 40 still there in the middle.

-45 fresh blood on the left. At 50 in the centre aisle...

-Going up.

..60. 65.

70. 75.

80. At £80 in the centre aisle. All done...?

-That really is a fantastic price.

-..At £80...!

-That was a surprising price.

-Yeah. Very, very good.

-That was excellent.

'Another good result for Frances's silver.

'Now that we're halfway through our auction, it might be worth totting up how we're doing.'

-2,000, that's your target for your very special day out.

-Yes.

We're only at the halfway stage and so far, you've made...

-£1,550.

-Wow!

PAUL CHUCKLES

That's incredible.

'Things are looking good for Frances's target for £2,000.

'She wants to treat herself and her daughters to a spa pampering session.

'If you've got items you think might sell at auction, remember that fees such as commission will be added.

'It is best to check with your auction house.

'Frances's next lot is that coin collection that I found.'

There are lots of coins and medals here and they've been doing well.

There are coin dealers and collectors here.

The set you've got is a proof set which celebrated the coronation

of George VI in 1937.

-Let's see how we get on.

-£50 away?

50 I'm bid straightaway on the right. 60.

-70. 80. 90. 100.

-Hands everywhere!

Ten. 20. 130. 140.

-150.

-Wow!

-160. 170. 180.

190. 200. 220.

-Wow!

-Against you, madam. 240. 260.

280, fresh blood in two places.

300, I've taken.

300 with you, holding the catalogue. Fresh blood at the last minute.

Selling at £300...

-Wow!

-Fantastic!

It's lunch on me, then! LAUGHTER

'Another spectacular result.

'Coin collecting is big business and Paul was right about today's crowd,

'in that it might include collectors.

'Next, a map that Frances is pretty sure belonged to her mother.

'Published by the English cartographer John Cary,

'it dates back to the early 19th century.'

I like this. It's a nice small map.

Normally, the maps are massive size.

Very old, interesting item. Do you know who lived in Somerset?

Both my parents were born in Somerset, in Clevedon.

This was a particular favourite of my father's.

What's that worth? £30, away? 30 for that, surely?

Ten to get on, then. A little map of Somerset. Ten for the map.

Five, as bad as that! Eight on the right.

Ten. 12 for you, sir? 12.

15? 15. 18? At 15, the lady's bid on the back row.

-18 may I say? Any more? It sells at £15...

-Sorry.

-There you go.

-It's not your fault!

-It's all those people from Somerset!

-Who aren't here!

-Yes!

'We were a bit out with that result, but at least the £15

'takes us closer to our £2,000 target.

'These two Charles Leader oils were estimated by Paul at £800 to £1,000.

'Frances has decided to put a fixed reserve of £1,000 on the pair.'

Paul, explain the difference between a fixed reserve

and a reserve at the auctioneer's discretion.

Both come up from time to time in the programme.

A discretionary reserve means that the auctioneer uses his discretion.

Say you had £1,000 and it reaches 800, 850,

he thinks that's a reasonable price and something you'd be happy with,

he uses his discretion, lets it go.

A fixed reserve means it has to fetch exactly what you want for it.

In your case, if it went for £999, he won't sell it. But let's see.

Who'll put me in at £800 for these? £800 for these?

-600 to put me in, then?

-Doesn't look like it, does it?

-600?

-No.

-We'll leave those to another day, ladies and gentlemen.

It would have been terrible to have let them go for 600 or even less.

-You were right to put your reserve on it.

-Yes.

-Absolutely.

'At least they'll get to enjoy those canvases for a while longer.

'Frances has also put a reserve of £100 on the games table,

'but we're looking for more,

'so let's hope these bidders are up for a gamble.'

This is one of my favourite items, a great useable piece of furniture.

That fantastic games table. It's got chequers.

It's got draughts. It's got roulette.

Is this something that you've ever played with?

I haven't, but I really like it.

It's something I'm going to be really sad to see go, actually.

150 for the games table? Surely?

100 to put me in, the games table. 100? 50 to start me? There it is.

-50 I'm bid.

-No.

-60 down here on the front.

70 at the very back. 80. 90?

80 standing at the front here. Against you at the back. £80 only.

90 he says. At 90. £100?

£90, standing at the back. I'm selling it, make no mistake.

Going at the back. £90...

He has let that go for 90. He's used his discretion on the reserve.

'That is a shame that this lovely piece of recreational furniture

'failed to impress.

'Our last three lots haven't been successful, so if we are to make Frances's target of £2,000,

'we really do need a good price on her music cabinet.'

-You had your music in there, Elena?

-I did. I played the piano and cello.

-All my books were in there.

-Why are you getting rid of it, then?

I play the cello now, but the piano's gone.

I keep the music in a pile in my house now! The music cabinet's been left behind.

50 for that? There it is, surely, at 30? 35 down here.

40 I've got on the book. 45. 50. 55 now...

Yes.

..Any more? Against you all here at £55...!

-There we are. 55. That's all right, isn't it, really?

-Yes.

'That result was one we definitely needed.

'It's now down to our final lot,

'and one that's apparently been in the family for years,

'the leather priest's chair.'

-Whose chair was this?

-It was my grandfather's.

-Do you remember him sitting in it?

-Yes.

And then when it came to my parents,

it used to sit in the corner and nobody sat on it except at Christmas

when there were too many people in the house!

50 to go? 30 only. 40 the lady down here. At 40.

50 on the front. 60. 70.

90, fresh blood in two places. 100...

Two places!

..Against you both. 110...

Oh, wow!

..120, still there. 120. Is there any more? £120...

-Wow!

-There you go! It's like a roller coaster, isn't it?

'That's a great finish to our day here with Frances and Elena.

'Has that last sale taken us to our target?'

-You wanted to raise £2,000. A huge chunk of that depended on those paintings.

-Yes.

Even without the paintings... When you do sell them, that will be a lovely extra bonus.

Remind us what you want to spend the money on.

Myself and Elena and her sister,

we're going to have a full day's massage and sauna and swim

and lovely lunch as well.

-You looking forward to that, Elena?

-Yes. A nice relaxing day.

You'll still be able to have a pretty super day, the three of you.

Because you've managed to raise...

£2,140.

That's incredible! Fantastic! We can have a massage every hour!

-Congratulations!

-Lovely. That's fantastic.

'Eldest daughter Sarah can't make the spa break now,

'so the girls' pampering session is on hold.

'Until then, Elena and Frances have decided to treat themselves to a mini day out at a spa.'

We've booked in for a facial and an Indian head massage.

'Today, I had a facial, which was most relaxing.'

How are you going, Elena?

I'm nearly asleep. It's lovely.

Never had a head massage at all. Feel nice and chilled-out now.

Taking part in Cash In The Attic has been an immense joy.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Turning it into money has been fantastic.