Morris, J. Cash in the Attic

Hello and welcome to Cash In The Attic, the programme

in which we really do enjoy helping you sort through all those antiques

and collectables you may have lying around, taking them to auction

and raising money for something that is really very important to you.

Today, we will be helping a couple sort through a whole house-full

of antiques so that they can enjoy a much-delayed move south.

Coming up on today's Cash In The Attic,

we try not to let on if we think

someone has forked out over the odds.

-Do you remember how much you paid for them?

-£500.

-For the two?

-OK.

And what price a family heirloom?

-How do you feel about that?

-Um...

-It cost me more than that to get it cleaned!

-There you go!

By the time we get to auction, can we find just one satisfied customer?

Well done. That's right at the top of the estimate.

-So what do you think of it so far?

-I'm pleased!

Let's hope for more when the hammer falls.

Today, I'm in a rather rainy Merseyside on my way to meet

Jackie and her partner, Alan.

They'd like us to sort through some of the things

that they have collected over many years in the past

so that their holidays in the future will be a little bit easier.

There's nothing that Jackie and Alan like more than holidaying

in their caravan in England and abroad

and browsing the antique shops wherever they go.

Jackie works for the St Helen's Chamber of Commerce

and Alan is due to retire from the Merseyside police force.

They each have two children, all now flown the coop,

so a long-cherished retirement plan is stepping up a gear.

Alan and Jackie's current home is a tidy top-floor flat.

Before they move, all the antique furniture and collectables

need thinning out a bit, so we are here to help with decluttering,

and to raise funds for something else.

We'll all be depending today on the knowledge of our valuer, Paul Hayes.

-Paul! Hi!

-How are you, all right?

-We're going up here, are we?

-Yes, come on in.

-Right.

Time to make a few house-to-house enquiries of our own.

Hi, Jackie, Alan.

I see you've got a cup of tea.

-Yeah.

-I've brought the champion tea drinker, Paul Hayes.

-Yes, fantastic.

Paul will be looking after your things today.

Do you mind if I make a start already, is that all right?

Can I put the kettle on first? Excellent. Thank you.

That gets him started. He will look after all your stuff today

and find some really great things to take to auction

while you tell me why you called in Cash In The Attic.

Well, we are eventually going to move down to Cornwall.

We bought a house down there a couple of years.

But that has slightly changed now,

because Alan is not retiring from the police at this moment in time.

-You're not leaving, then?

-Not yet.

-You're going to stay for...?

12 months. I've been given a 12-month contract.

Right. So, tell me, how much would you like to raise today?

-We were considering about 500, didn't we?

-Yes, initially.

And what are you going to spend it on?

It was actually Alan's birthday in June,

and I promised I would buy him a motor mover,

so whatever money we make, we'll put toward buying that,

cos they are quite expensive.

What does a motor mover do?

It's a device that goes on the caravan.

It's remote-controlled and it moves your caravan automatically for you.

-Saves you pushing and pulling it around.

-Makes life easier?

-Yeah, very good.

-You'll like that, when you're retired, won't you?

When I'm old!

Well, I certainly look forward to finding out more

about Alan's motor mover device eventually.

But we'd better get shifting on our treasure hunt.

And hopefully, Paul is already motoring through the heirlooms

and has found something to get started.

There we are. Not a cup of tea in sight but a man hard at work.

-Exactly, yes. Isn't that beautiful?

-Look at the colours in that!

It looks as if it was done yesterday.

It was actually done in 1877. Who is Mary Pendleton?

-That's my great-great-grandmother.

-How wonderful.

-Where did you find this?

-Actually,

we had to clear my dad's house out when he died

and there was a little tiny box.

-We opened up the box, and this was just all folded up.

-Right.

That explains why the colours have stayed so bright. If it had been framed up from the original,

when it was done, the colours would have faded.

They often were folded away and just forgotten about, really.

The term is a sampler.

It was supposed to be an example of what your child could do,

so it proved that they were being educated.

So you had all your letters, your numbers.

A lot of religious verse,

to prove that you were being taught religion.

But also, it was for future suitors, if they came to visit your house.

You could have your child's work on display

meaning that your child was up-to-date with her education.

The thing about this one is that you know the person.

And not only do you know the person,

you have her birth certificate on the back.

I've never seen that being done before. That is a really good idea.

She was born on 18th June 1865. Mary Elizabeth.

Her father was James Pendleton. And he was a plumber and painter.

The more elaborate they are, the better.

And the more fine the needlepoint.

But the most important thing is the age. What you are looking for

actually is about 100 years earlier than this one.

Anything that you can date to the 1700s, the 18th century,

then you get members of the aristocracy doing them at the time.

They were very elaborate, usually on silks, and very expensive.

But as a commercial sampler with its birth certificate,

I would say around the 100 mark.

If I said 60-100 as an estimate, how would you feel about that?

Would that be enough for you?

-It cost me more than that to get it cleaned!

-There you go!

Well, there you are, maybe you should have a think.

I've got to be realistic, that's the going rate for an item like this.

That's fair enough, and we are off to a good start,

although I am surprised that Jackie might sell

such a personal family memento.

I wonder if she's going to change her mind before auction?

Elsewhere, Alan has been busy inspecting

this early 20th-century mahogany highchair

which they found some years ago in Chester.

Originally bought as somewhere to sit Jackie's teddy bear collection,

her grandchildren have been allowed to use it, too.

At the auction, it might raise £40-£60 towards our fund.

-Jackie?

-Yes, Paul?

-How many of these have you got? These are great.

-It's Moorcroft.

-I've got three.

-Three?

So are you a big collector of Moorcroft?

No, me mum had left them to me and me two brothers.

She used to buy it, and because there is three of us,

she used to buy everything in threes.

My two brothers didn't want them, so I ended up with the three of them.

Right, OK.

This is probably a classic example of a piece of Moorcroft.

William Moorcroft is probably one of Britain's best-known potters

and was involved in the Arts and Crafts movement. You're looking at

1900, 1930 was the really golden period for this.

He was sponsored by Liberty's in London.

Lots of his work was sold there.

But this one is very similar to the original Moorcroft

that you will find. These wonderful dark colours.

This is a very late example, so late 20th-century, early 21st.

And he really was the guy

who developed the process called tube lining. Have you heard of that?

I have, yes, but I don't know anything about it.

It's a type of decoration and it's almost like icing a cake.

It gives a three-dimensional effect to the actual item.

So what he would do, or what his employees would do,

would be to draw the outline of each individual petal in this flower

and that would leave a raised surface.

And they would paint in the middle.

So you almost have a three-dimensional effect.

-You can actually feel the surface there.

-Oh, yeah.

But this is a pin tray. It's 1990s, that sort of time.

-The other ones, are they similar looking?

-There's another pin tray,

-but the smaller one is around.

-Get that for me, let's have a look.

And this one is a pin tray or a sweetmeat dish.

So you've got three items in general.

This one is not quite as popular,

this is more '70s, '80s colours, the greens.

-Yeah.

-It's the dark colours which people to go for. I like them.

I think there's a massive collecting market for these.

-I think you are looking 30, 40 each!

-Oh, nice one!

-So if I say 80-120 the lot?

-Yeah, that's brilliant.

-Do you like them now?

-Yeah!

THEY LAUGH

Funny how a good estimate can change one's outlook!

Moorcroft pottery has well over a century of history

with annual sales at top auction houses

and selected pieces on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Let's hope these relatively recent pieces do well at our sale.

Alan and Jackie, I gather that you were both born

in a part of the country that was just five minutes apart?

How come you never met when you were little?

I think it's that I'm five years older than Jackie, so it was

the age difference, that we never circulated in the same friend group.

As it is, you did meet some years later in very unusual circumstances.

Jackie, tell me about it.

Well, I was working in a shop in a place called Huyton.

And Alan was a policeman and something had gone on in the shop,

-hadn't it, and you had come to investigate it.

-Yeah.

And it just evolved from there.

So you met in the rather intimate circumstances

of a police interview, basically?

-It was. Literally, yeah.

-Literally.

-Are you allowed to fraternise with witnesses, Alan?

-No!

So what was it that attracted you to each other?

We just clicked straight away, didn't we?

We've been, like, soulmates ever since.

-We're so comfortable together, aren't we?

-Yeah,

-we do an awful lot together.

-We've DONE an awful lot together!

And of course, caravanning. You both love to be in the caravan.

Tell me why.

I think it's just the freedom, just getting out and chilling.

You're so chilled when you go out in the caravan.

You can do what you want, when you want.

And it's not just like here, we went abroad last year. We did France.

It's just wonderful, isn't it?

And now you're thinking of -

well, not thinking, you're going to move

300 miles south in Cornwall. What's the attraction, Alan?

When I was young, we used to go to Cornwall

as our main holiday every summer.

My parents moved to Cornwall in 1971. My brother lives down there.

And it's a wonderful place to live. It's so different, so slow,

the pace of life. So quiet. So comfortable.

And what is it for you, Jackie?

Well, the very first time Alan took me down,

his mum's house was right in front of the sand dunes.

That was the second I fell in love with it.

I've been in love with it ever since.

-Always assuming that this time you don't decide to stay in the police force a bit longer.

-No, not again!

Clearly, the pull of Cornwall is strong,

but will the love of the job be even stronger?

I hope not, for Jackie's sake.

While we have been talking, our expert and tea fiend has zeroed in on this Atlas bone china tea set.

It was bought whilst our hosts were visiting Alan's mum in Cornwall.

The Atlas name was used until about 1910, originally by David Chapman and Sons from Stoke-on-Trent.

The design is called Violet.

Paul reckons these sets are not as popular as they once were,

but it could still bring us another £50-£80.

-Paul?

-Uh-huh?

-Could you have a look at this, please?

-Oh, look at that!

There we are. That is a bit of First World War memorabilia.

So where has this come from?

Me nan used to take me to jumble sales when we were little.

-Apparently, I bought it for six pence.

-Six pence, really?

-Yeah.

Right. Well, this is a bit of First World War memorabilia. But what it actually is,

is a form of crested ware.

What happened in the late 19th century,

in the golden age of train travel,

ordinary people could visit seaside resorts, big cities on the train.

And what would happen, the family or the town's crest would be placed on a piece of china

and people would buy that as a souvenir.

This one's the crest of Liverpool, which is quite collectable.

But in the First World War, they started to produce things like tanks,

I've seen U-boats, things like this - in the trenches.

This is Tommy and this is our army in the trenches here.

Jerry was the enemy.

And they were made as a commemorative of the Great War, as they called it at the time,

-so 1914, 1918.

-Oh, right.

-But this one in particular, just reading here,

it's "The victory of justice. Armistice of the Great War, signed November 11th, 1918."

The Armistice was the peace treaty that was done

between the warring parties and finally there was peace in Europe.

-Oh, right, yeah.

-So that is what it symbolises.

That is where it comes from. But I take it you just bought it because it had a little guy in the trenches?

-Yeah!

-The best firm was a firm called WH Goss.

-This one is Carlton china. There we are.

-Oh, yes.

-Have you heard of Carlton ware?

-Yes, I have.

But for six old pence, I think in today's market,

you could look at about £60.

-So if I said £40-£60, how does that sound?

-Oh, wow!

No, that's great. Good investment.

And we'll soon see whether or not that six old pence pocket money will pay off at auction.

-Again, commissions on this one, starting at £25.

-25, we're in the money.

At 25, 25 we have. Eight?

How much closer to our target can little Tommy in the trench bring us?

Our search around this home in Merseyside continues

as Alan investigates the potential of this silver-topped crystal perfume bottle,

which Jackie bought at an auction.

The hallmark suggests it was made in Birmingham in 1930.

It has a glass stopper inside the silver cap

and could fetch around £30-£60.

But I reckon I have found something

that just might top that.

Ooh, Alan. What is this? An original Penny Red?

-Yeah.

-And an original One Penny Black.

There is a sort of mystique and magic about the Penny Black, isn't there, in stamp collecting circles?

Do you know, I've never actually seen the real thing before.

-They're very good.

-Are you a stamp collector?

-No, no.

I bought these at auction, just a charity auction through work in 2005.

Fantastic. Is this something you would like to take to auction?

-Yes, yes.

-Well, we better get Paul to take a look at these. Paul, come and join us.

-I have got a Penny Black!

-Oh wow, look at that! Fantastic.

And...a Penny Red!

These are probably amongst the most popular stamps.

They are the ones that everyone has heard of.

But these, 1840, that was the very first prepaid stamp.

That is the Penny Black.

Before 1840, you used to have to weigh your own letters

and pay your own postage.

What this enabled you to do was just to stick a prepaid stamp

on the top so off it would go to the post office.

But what happened was, the Penny Black, when it was issued,

when the stamp went through the process of being franked and being

cancelled, they used a red ink and that red ink was easily washed off.

So people were posting these and then reusing them,

taking the ink off and putting them on other envelopes.

-Crafty so-and-sos!

-Exactly. It was a real fiddle at the time.

-Yeah.

So what they did, they changed it, the next year, 1841,

to a Penny Red and they started to use black ink.

But you can see on both of these, they both have been used.

They've been franked.

This ink would probably come off with a bit of a wash.

So yeah, you've got two of the very first stamps ever produced here in the UK or worldwide.

So how many Penny Blacks were there in circulation?

There are something like 70 million. There are over 60 million of the Penny Blacks.

So there's lots of them, but some of them can fetch a fortune.

Normally, when they've been franked like this one, and used,

they are not that desirable.

The ones you want are ones that are unused and if they are in the original pack,

say, there is three or four of them together, you can get large amounts of money.

You said you bought these at auction, do you remember how much you paid for them?

-£500.

-For the two?!

-OK.

But it was a charity auction!

-And you got carried away.

-Yes, I did. Yes.

-OK.

-Right.

-It was for a good cause.

-Can you put a price on them, Paul, if we take them to auction?

They are the sort of thing

that actually don't tend to turn up in the general market.

They are beautifully framed.

They are well presented, they have got a great story with them.

-I'd like to see £150 for those. How does that sound?

-I would be amazed!

THEY LAUGH

What's more, it's been known

for a single rare stamp to sell for over £1 million.

For its size and weight, the most expensive thing known to man.

Paul moves on to select this 19th-century mahogany

octagonal plant table, which Jackie says came from an antiques shop.

Paul values it at £50-£100. A useful addition to our total.

You know, I think we are doing pretty well, so far.

Alan, you're clearly passionate about your work in the police force here on Merseyside.

How did you get into the force in the first place?

We went to Cornwall on holiday with my mum and dad.

My brother had tried to join Devon and Cornwall Constabulary.

I read the paperwork and I brought it home

-and I applied to join Merseyside.

-And you took to it like a duck to water?

-Yeah.

-And what sort of divisions have you worked in here on Merseyside?

Most of them!

I've been in the Serious Crime Squad,

I was in the Special Branch Port Unit,

and I've done plain clothes, prior to going into the CID department.

I've been in the CID now for almost 30 years.

And for 14 years of that work in CID, you were in child protection. There must have been times

-when that was really harrowing.

-Yes.

There are things that can get to you.

But we had a system whereby... There were five of us in the department.

If you dealt with something that was quite nasty,

then you would say so and you would have a debrief.

And you would share the experience, and that way,

it helped to get rid of the tension you had and the stress.

-And none of this has made you want to give it up?

-No.

-You wanted to keep doing it?

-Yes.

Yeah.

I still do!

Now, how many times have you said you were going to retire?

Three.

SHE LAUGHS

And this time you're staying because...?

-They've offered me a 12-month contract.

-To do what?

I work in a unit called the prisoner production team.

We visit people who are in prison and we discuss the history and offences they have committed

with a view to them basically being able to come out of prison,

er, and not face being arrested for further offences.

And we deal with that while they are inside.

-It really must give you a terrific sense of achievement.

-It is pleasant,

it is. Because some of the people you can deal with when they are in prison are quite venomous towards you

because of the nature of your job.

Others treat you quite well and you can have a good time with them.

And when this contract comes up, is that it?

-Are you going to retire this time?

-Er...is Jackie listening?

No, yes, I will.

Jackie couldn't have overheard that as she was busy looking out more antiques.

I take quite a shine to this well-made late 19th-century chest of drawers.

And I admire the detail of the brass handles,

the beautiful rich finish and warm colour

of the polished mahogany and the satinwood inlay.

Valued at £250-£300,

despite its fine quality, it could be a hard sell,

as brown furniture is a little out of fashion.

In the lounge, Alan has dug up some family mementos

which could prove very attractive to collectors of militaria.

-Alan, now we are going through the family album?

-Yes.

-You've got some medals here.

-Yes, Dad's war memorabilia.

-OK.

Medals and documentation and the likes.

So he was involved in the Second World War. What was his role?

-He was in the Merchant Navy.

-Right.

-Atlantic convoy, as I understand.

-Right, OK.

Let's look at what we have got here. We've got some medals, definitely. Some... What's this? A payslip!

How much did he get paid?

He ended up with one pound eight shillings and fourpence for his hard earned.

-And what was the name of the boat he was on?

-It was the Duke of Athens.

This is some of the documentation.

That's immigration documentation - photographs and fingerprints.

-You know all about them!

-Yeah.

-These look interesting.

-That appears to be a photograph of a funeral, but...

That's definitely a military funeral, so that's somebody

that he has been out with.

And these will have been actual battles that he has witnessed.

-Probably.

-Amazing, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Well, I can tell by his medals he was out in the Pacific.

The way these medals work, you've got three medals here.

You've got the War Medal, that was issued to everybody

that was in service in anything to do with the Second World War, you were entitled to this one.

Then you've got the Defence Medal, and that usually refers

to things like the Home Guard, the Fire Brigade, you know,

people who were involved here in the UK, really, or in non-operational duties abroad.

So that's that one there.

But the one I am really interested in, here, is the Pacific Star.

Now, what that tells me... These were issued to people

like the Merchant Navy and the Royal Navy that were out in the Pacific.

So you are looking at Japan, Burma, that sort of region.

But how do you feel about getting rid of these?

-I mean, are they sentimental to you?

-No, not really.

Because I've never sat and looked at them or considered them.

I would like to keep the personal documentation.

-The other items can be sold.

-I mean, these are quite common medals.

The best one, the Pacific Star, is obviously the rarest.

-But what I think would make this, would be if we could take some of these original photographs.

-Yes.

Because I think that adds to the story

-of the whole campaign and what your father was involved in.

-Yeah, sure.

I think you could be approaching the £100 mark here.

-If I said, sort of, £60-£100, does that sound right to you?

-Yeah.

-You are quite happy to let them go?

-Yeah.

-That's fine.

-Great.

So if you look after these ones, put those back in your file.

We'll take the medals and these pictures to auction.

-Let's put those somewhere safe.

-OK, thank you.

-OK, no problem.

On reflection, Alan realises that the Defence Medal may well have been his grandfather's,

who was in the Home Guard.

But the Pacific Star is the most exciting find,

and at auction, could probably deliver much of that £60-£100 all on its own.

Which is good news for the motor mover fund.

In the kitchen, Jackie has remembered that she has two pairs

of 19th-century Chinese porcelain cups and saucers

in the style known as Imari, copied from the Japanese.

These could bring us a refreshing £50-£75.

In the master bedroom, Paul has discovered some more of that mahogany furniture.

-Do you know what, Alan? These wardrobes, aren't they fantastically made?

-Beautiful.

How did you get it in here?

-Two men brought it in in seven pieces and assembled it for me.

-Right.

Yeah, that's the nice thing. They do come apart. You can move them around in several pieces.

But they weigh a ton, don't they? Don't forget this is solid mahogany.

You wouldn't get that today. What you tend to find is that the fronts, the front doors will be solid,

but the rest of it will be a plywood or a cheaper wood.

So was this a style that you went for at the time,

or was it something that Jackie chose?

We were looking for bedroom furniture

and we went into an antique shop in Chester and we saw this.

We fell in love with it because of the style and the colour.

Some styles, I don't think, ever go out of fashion. This is one.

It's called the Sheraton Revival.

-Have you heard of Thomas Sheraton?

-Yes.

Thomas Sheraton was one of Britain's best-known cabinetmakers from the 18th-century.

But in about the year 1900 - 1890-1900,

there was a Sheraton revival and they started to remake his designs.

You have got this wonderful marquetry inlay

which he was world-famous for.

And what they would do would be to carve out this particular design

and then, using a satinwood, or a different style of wood,

replace the sections.

So you end up with this wonderful inlay.

So it's very difficult to produce, especially to this quality.

These were real craftsmen who were making this. And around the edges,

just to emphasise the elegant style, we have the stringing.

It runs around the side and along the top there.

It's just absolutely fantastic. But what was with it, then?

Because there should be a wardrobe, a dressing table, a bed, the bedside cabinets...

What was there, when you saw it?

-Just the wardrobe.

-OK.

-And the dressing table.

And the dressing table. These two definitely do match.

-They are a pair.

-Excellent. They are fantastic.

-This one has little brass finials on the top, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-In the shape of urns. So are these going to go with you down to Cornwall?

-No, too big. Too big.

-Won't fit in the house. So, it's going to have to go.

-OK, fair enough.

-Do you need to ask Jackie? I think you better had.

-Better get permission.

All right. Jackie, Angela? Just pop in a second.

I know you've seen this bedroom furniture before, but isn't this fantastic?

-Is this what you are saying a fond farewell to, Alan?

-Yes.

Have you made the big decision - is it going to go to auction?

-It has been made for me.

-Jackie?

-Yes.

-It's got to go?

-Definitely.

OK. Well, you have got... The first thing is, these two pieces here,

you've got a wonderful double wardrobe, a matching dressing table, both in fabulous condition.

I'd love to see these between 300 and 500, that sort of price.

How does that sound?

-Well, they've got to go, haven't they?

-Yeah, they have.

-So, yeah, that's fine.

-OK.

-Now, how much does this kind of whirligig thing cost?

-About £1,200.

About £1,200?

A bit expensive!

Well, I don't want to get your hopes up, but I think you might be able to afford it.

Because if we take the lowest estimate on everything

that Paul has looked at today, you could make as much as £1,160 at auction.

-Oh, wow!

-How's that?

-That's good. I didn't think it would be that much.

-Brilliant.

-Lovely.

Indeed, it's been a top-notch day here on Merseyside,

where we've amassed quite a haul to take to auction

to raise funds for that caravan motor mover device.

These Moorcroft pin trays

are in rich colours typical of early

20th-century pieces, but actually date from around the 1990s.

Will all three together sell for £80-£120?

With a total print run of nearly 69 million individual stamps,

the Penny Black is not exactly rare.

But together with a Penny Red,

they could stick another £150 on the tally.

Alan's father's war medals make an attractive collection

with the added bonus of some photographs.

They include the Defence Medal, and the Pacific Star

and could garner a further £60-£100 in the sale.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic,

classic mahogany furniture surely fits in wherever it may go?

-Don't make stuff like that nowadays, do they?

-No.

-It doesn't go with your plasma screen.

-No!

An old-fashioned fellow like our expert Paul knows what he likes.

What a nice set. You have a lovely tray, you've got the teapot,

ooh, it's making me mouth water now!

It's all brewing up nicely for the final crack of the gavel.

So after uncovering a host of treasures at Jackie and Alan's flat,

we have brought them here to Cuttlestones Auction House in Staffordshire.

So now it's time to see how well their antiques will do when they go under the hammer.

If you remember, Jackie and Alan want to buy a motor mover gizmo for their caravan,

to take the hard work out of holidays.

So let's hope that when the bidders arrive,

they'll be prepared to help them on their way.

It's not long before Jackie and Alan join the crowds pouring into the town of Penkridge.

And as Paul and I catch up with them,

I can't help noticing there are a few things missing.

Bedroom furniture?

-Yes, you didn't bring that, Alan?

-No, unfortunately not.

-Why?

A few reasons, one being that my contract has been extended.

-You said you were going to retire.

-I am going to retire.

-He's never going to retire.

-Eventually.

-Never!

Right, so you need the furniture?

If we had sold it now, we would have to buy replacements.

So it seems pretty pointless.

But there's something else missing as well. I haven't seen that beautiful sampler we talked about.

Well, I had doubts when we were talking about it so I rang my daughter,

spoke to her, and she said she'd love it for my granddaughter.

So I'm just going to get a new picture frame.

Well, I think that's the right decision, because people don't hand things down any more, do they?

That's right. What you've got is an instant family tree.

It's worth far more to your family than it is to the general public.

So I'm delighted that you kept that one.

Out of all your items, that's what you should have kept. So well done.

The loss of the bedroom furniture and the sampler means we're down by a whopping £610,

over half our potential lowest estimate.

Our original target was £500, so let's see if we can still make it.

The auctioneer is already at work, and as we take our places,

our first lot under the hammer

is that neat little silver-topped perfume bottle from the 1930s,

priced around £30-£60.

Was that a present or you bought it at an auction?

-We bought it at...

-Antique shop?

-Yeah.

One of those things you buy when you're out!

-Cos it looks nice in the shop!

-Yeah!

Nice thing. Commissions all over it.

£30 to start, lot 308. £30.

Starting at 30!

At 32. 35, 38, 40.

42, 45, 48,

50. Five. 60.

With me at 60. You're out, on my right? Are we all...?

Five. I'm out, as well. At 65, in the room. £70, quickly?

Yourself? All done at £65.

-Well done! Right at the top.

-So what do you think of it so far?

I'm pleased!

Our first item has done very well - £5 beyond our upper estimate.

We're straight into our second lot, which has someone quite excited.

Out of all your items, I think this is probably my favourite.

It's the little crested china

Tommy in the dug-out in the First World War.

What a wonderful thing. This has been with you a long time?

Oh, a long, long time. Wouldn't like to say how long, actually!

-How much did you pay for it?

-Six old pence.

Sixpence! How much is that in...?

-Oh, don't ask.

-Two and a half pence, isn't it?

-Something like that.

-Two and a half pence!

Cor, blimey. And we've got, what, £40-£60 on it?

The First World War is so collectable

at the moment. I think this is quite an unusual design.

-I've never seen this example before, so that will create the interest.

-We've got commissions on this one.

-Oh, great!

-Start me at £25.

-£25. We're in. 25.

At 25, we have. At 25. Eight. 30. 32, 35.

-35, we have. At £35.

-35. New gentleman there.

38, in the room, we have.

At £38. 40, quickly, we're selling. All there and done at £38.

-165.

-Oh!

-Just under, but 38, that's not bad.

-No, it's not bad. Better than sixpence.

-Better than two and a half pence!

It is better than sixpence.

Not quite our lower estimate, but back in 1918,

when that little example of Carlton ware was first made,

the idea that it would be worth £38 would have seemed preposterous!

Onwards now to World War Two and the military medals belonging to Alan's father,

with those photos of sea battles

to help tempt the bidders. Let's hope the military collectors

are out in force.

There's a great market for collecting medals now,

-isn't there?

-There is. It's a strange market at the moment.

The First World War seems to be where, for years, all the major concentration was, but the

Second World War now is becoming collectable, but because they are not all named individually,

you can't research them as much. But I do know that the Pacific Star is a good one.

-He was in the Merchant Navy, wasn't he?

-That's right.

He was protecting the fleet as they were going out to the Far East, so it's a very important medal.

We will start at £45.

At 50. Five. 55, in the centre. 60. Five. 70.

-That's excellent.

-There you go.

No, he says. I've 70, on my left. Five, now? At £70.

Bid is on my left. we're selling. Are we all done? Sold at £70.

-Are you quite happy with that?

-Oh, delighted.

-Excellent!

£10 above our lower estimate. Those historic medals

have a new home and the fund for the motor mover is £70 better off.

Next, Imari-style porcelain dates back to the 19th century.

Could these examples make the £50-£75 estimate?

Ceramics have taken a bit of a dip. People aren't usually as much...

Everyone's gone more modern - into mugs, that sort of thing. But Imari seems to have that longevity.

The red and the blue colours are very pleasing, very pleasant to look at.

-Let's hope it's somebody's cup of tea, eh?

-Yeah!

We'll start in at £30.

Really? Good, we're in at 30.

At £30, 32, 35,

38, 40, 42. At 42, we have. At 42, at 42.

Four, anywhere? At 42, I'm selling, no mistake.

44. 44, a bid on my left, at 44. And we're selling. All done?

Little under guide, but it goes, at £44.

That's good, that's brilliant. Happy with that.

£44 is a little beneath our lower estimate, so we could do with a more

substantial result a bit later on.

Moorcroft pottery dates back to 1897 and their output's very collectable.

The estimate is £80-£120 for this late 20th century boxed threesome

of two pin trays and a dish.

-Starting me at £45.

-45. We're in, come on.

At 45 on the Moorcroft, 45 bid. 50. Five. 60. Five.

-Going up quickly.

-70. Five. 80. £80, I have. At £80.

Five now? At £80, I'm selling in front. All done?

Commission's out. At £80...

-There we are. Dead right.

-That was fast and furious.

-Yeah, very quick.

-£80 and a good result.

-I might not have to push the caravan around any more!

With the Moorcroft bringing us another £80 towards that fund, we're at the halfway stage.

So how are we doing?

We wanted to raise £500. We were hoping to raise considerably more,

-but we've actually got, so far, £297.

-Very good.

-So you're on your way.

-Yeah, that's good.

Kind of, just over half way to the gizmo.

ALL LAUGH

If you'd like to try selling some of your items in this way,

it is worth bearing in mind that auction houses charge various fees, such as commission.

Your local saleroom will advise you on those extra costs.

Paul is always on the look-out for good deals to be had at auctions. What's caught his eye today?

-You looking for musical inspiration from the Fab Four?

-I was.

I was also looking for something that's made locally. These are made here, in Staffordshire,

by designer Peggy Davies, but I thought they tied in

with Alan and Jackie as it's The Beatles.

-Of course.

-They're from Merseyside.

-John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Peggy Davies tends to make things like Beatles memorabilia. She does Clarice Cliff-inspired items,

Charlotte Rhead patterns, that sort of thing, so she's very retro in her thinking,

but a wonderful factory.

So, "Pop Legend Character Jug. Limited edition of 200 worldwide." That's quite good, because often,

-these things are made in like, 2,000 worldwide.

-That's right. A limited run.

This one is number four of 200, so that's an early one in the run.

What have we got of John? John's number 23.

-George is 162. Obviously, some fan has gone to a lot of trouble to collect all four.

-Right.

-The sort of value on these?

-Today, you are looking at maybe £100-150.

An absolute bargain. For the future, they'll be fabulous.

THEY LAUGH

'Oh, dear, trust our Paul. He clearly sees these Beatle souvenirs as a future investment

'and they're reserved, collectively, at £140. But in the cold, hard

'reality of today's auction, they fail to find a bidder.

'An investment for the fans only, perhaps.'

Our sale continues with this early 20th-century high chair, which has an estimated value of £40-£60.

Is this something you had for your children?

No, actually, I bought it to put my teddy bears on.

But since I've got two grandchildren - well, I've got four, but two have been using it -

to eat at the dining table. It's been absolutely brilliant.

-What are they going to sit in now?

-We'll have to buy a high chair.

With commissions, 25, I'm bid. Lot 468. 25. At 25.

We have to start at 25. Eight. 30. £30, at £30. Two, if you wish.

At £30. Two, quickly, 30 bid. With me, it is. 30 only.

-We thought it would get a bit more than that.

-Definitely.

No, not sold, unfortunately.

The auctioneer didn't want to sell it for less than it deserved.

A bit disappointing, but since Jackie has a new grandchild,

at least she'll get to use it once more. More mahogany now,

with this smart little piece of 19th-century furniture.

OK, a bit of Victoriana now.

It will be interesting to see how this one goes, cos it's a similar period to your bedroom furniture,

which you never brought. But this one is a plant table - octagonal plant table -

that would have gone in a Victorian conservatory.

There was a time when these were £100-£120.

I put this in at between 50-100 today, so let's see how it goes.

-It'll tell us how the other furniture might have done.

-Commissions, are we? £20, to start.

46a, at £20. Tempting you all day long. At 22, thank you.

At 22, 25, 28, 30.

32, 35, 38.

PAUL SIGHS

At £38, do we sell?

-At £38. Bid's in the centre.

-Are you going to sell it?

-Yeah. £38.

It's gone. There we are. Just goes to show. Less than we expected.

-Yeah.

-It's just the market, I'm afraid.

-It's stunning, they don't make stuff like that nowadays.

-No. No.

-It doesn't go with your plasma screen!

A fair bit under our lower estimate. £38 is a poor showing

for such a nice piece of mahogany furniture.

Now, the late 19th-century Atlas china tea service.

We hope it's going to be worth £50-£80.

It's a very decorative set. This really wouldn't be used.

It's for display purposes. But what a nice set. You've got a lovely tray with it,

you've got the teapot. Oh, it's making my mouth water!

But it's a nice example. It's very Victorian in style. Looking for about £50.

-And here it goes.

-Commissions starting at £30. Lot 3428. £30.

32, 35, 38, 40.

-42, and I'm out at 42. In the room at 42. 45, 48.

-Ooh!

No? 48, I have standing. At 48. Are we £50?

I'm selling. 48 is on my right. It goes, and no mistake, at £48.

-There you go.

-Great!

The tea set could have brought us a sweeter result, but the £48

is still most welcome.

Finally, we have the framed stamps, first issued in the 1840s,

which were in the dining room.

-You put a reserve on these, Alan?

-Yes, £100.

-Right.

How much did you pay for them originally?

-£500.

-But it was for charity?

-It was a charity auction.

-But it was a great night?!

It was. It must have been!

And we have interest at £65, to start. At 65.

Start at 65. Are we 70, quickly?

70. Five. 75, bid's with me, right at the back. At 75.

Are we 80 now? 80. Five. 90. Five. 100, I'm out, 100 bid.

-You've made your reserve.

-Are we all done? I'm selling.

Ten, if you wish? At £100...

There you go. They're gone. All right.

The stamps were in less than perfect condition, yet they matched

the reserve exactly, bring our sale to a close.

It's been an interesting day, but how close have we come to our target?

That was the last of your items. I know we wanted to raise £500,

but we started at a disadvantage and we were still hoping we would make £500.

We're just short of the £500, I'm afraid. Not by much.

-We've made a total of £483.

-Oh, that's good. That's good.

-If you'd brought your furniture,

though, Alan, we might have.

-Oh, Alan.

-That's cruel!

-I'll see you outside!

-Please don't!

A few weeks later and Jackie and Alan are looking for

that motor mover device. But, of course, they are tempted

to examine all the new products on offer.

'We go out caravanning'

-quite a lot, don't we?

-Yeah. We'd like to get away every weekend.

'But you have other commitments as well.'

Unfortunately, Jackie's seen another caravan that she likes. Erm, so we may be changing the caravan!

'But we want the motor mover, because it makes my life easier.

'The caravan, when it's fully loaded, can weigh

'a considerable amount of weight.'

The motor mover, literally, you pick up a remote control, push a button

-and it goes where you want it to go.

-So, we can go to the right,

-to the left...

-Ah, so that's what a motor mover does!

Sounds like it could also save a lot of fuss and bother.

-You don't damage the caravan while you're doing it.

-Ahem.