Hansen Cash in the Attic

Hello and welcome to Cash In The Attic.

This is the show that searches through your home for the antiques you no longer want

and then we sell them, so you can buy something you do want.

Today I'm going to be meeting a man

who wants to take his family on a lovely trip.

On today's Cash In The Attic,

our Elvis-loving host discovers he can run but he can't hide.

-I think we've found a closet Elvis Presley fan, haven't we?

-Yes.

-Is this all yours?

-That's right.

And what on earth is our expert, Jonty, talking about here.

So, dare I say it, you've got a clean bottom.

And when it comes to auction, it's going to be a tense one.

Look at the relief. It's relief on Lorne's face.

It's relief, I can tell you.

There's lots of fun to be had.

Be there when the final hammer falls.

Today I've come to Croydon to meet a man who's a real entertainer,

but he's decided he wants to take his family out

for a day they'll all remember.

Vivian Hanson moved to the UK from India in the late 1980s.

I've heard he had quite a glamorous life out there

and we'll hear more about that later.

Since he's moved here, though, he's had quite a few jobs

and ended up running his own shop, but he's ready to retire soon.

He has three grown-up children and two grandchildren

and family is the reason we've been called in.

Vivian is quite a hoarder but thankfully,

we have antiques expert Jonty Hearnden

and his years of valuation experience will be vital today.

-Good morning, Vivian.

-Hi, Lorne. Pleased to meet you.

-How are you doing?

-Fine, thank you.

We've come to do a rummage but my goodness,

it's jam-packed everywhere, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

Vivian, you have shelf after shelf of collectables.

Yes, I know that. 20 years of collection.

-How much are you looking to make today?

-Approximately £300.

What do you want to spend that money on?

I'd like to treat my family to a nice trip to London,

-one of the famous places we can see.

-How lovely.

-That will be a great day out, won't it?

-That's it.

-OK, can we get started?

-Yes.

-I'll catch you later.

All right, OK, you've got a lot to do.

All the stuff you've collected over the years, where is it from?

Most of the places are the boot sales.

When the weather isn't too good, I go to the charity shops regular.

-I get a lot of stuff from there too.

-Has it got out of control?

It has got out of control because as you can see,

I've got no more space left.

You're dusting 24 hours a day, I can imagine.

That's what I have to do, it takes time to clean them up.

We're certainly going to have a lot to look at, I think.

Shall we see if Jonty's found anything for us yet?

Yes, sure, thank you.

Vivian's flat may be crammed to the rafters

with all sorts of things he's picked up over the years,

but not everything will be suitable for selling at auction.

Jonty's really got his work cut out trying to sift through it all.

Jonty, what have you found there?

Not content with just one medal,

I've got four medals exactly the same.

-Where were these from, Vivian?

-Boot sales.

You picked them up from boot sales? Nothing to do with the family at all?

No, not at all.

What made you decide to buy these? Did you buy them all in one lot?

-I did.

-You bought them as a collection?

-Yes.

Oh, really? I just assumed you bought them individually, but four.

These medals would've been issued to individuals

to commemorate the First World War.

They were actually produced in 1920.

The name of the recipient is just on the side here. Can you see that?

-This surname is Hawk.

-I can see that but I wasn't aware of it.

These were all issued to four different people

who served during the First World War.

These are known as the British War medal

and there was a lot that were produced,

over six million were produced.

A lot of people were obviously active during the First World War.

They were reduced produced more often than not in groups of three.

If you survived and went through the First World War,

you would have a star medal.

One of these, the British War medal and also a Victory medal.

They were so common that they were given nicknames,

Pip, Squeak and Wilfred.

They in turn were made characters for the Daily Mirror.

They were cartoon characters in the Daily Mirror.

That's why they were synonymous with these medals.

They were very, very of the moment of the time.

-Can you remember what you paid for them?

-They were £10 each.

40 for four.

£40, OK. How does that compare to today's value?

I think that's the value I would put on them myself at auction.

I'm a little bit concerned about the damage,

the fact that we don't have the ribbon.

You see the damage on the top there.

Why is this so bright and the others so faded?

The way they've been looked after. They're almost 90 years old.

-I think I'd be a little bit worn after 90 years.

-Definitely.

-At auction, I would put £30-£50 on them.

-All right.

I wouldn't be surprised if they do a little bit more.

Worn down after years and years, I know that feeling.

Let's hope the medals do make Jonty's estimate.

Vivian's fired up with enthusiasm

to search for more of his collections

and comes across some coins.

There's an American silver dollar, a £5 coin,

plus some 20th-century commemorative coins, including a Churchill crown.

That's five shillings in old money or 25p to you and me.

There's a word for people who collect coins - numismatist.

But Vivian collects a lot more than that. He collects everything.

This lot gets a £40-£60 estimate.

One of his many purchasers has caught our expert's eye.

-Isn't she rather exotic, to say the very least?

-That's right.

It attracted me to her beauty and how well it's done. She's a beaut.

She's not just an exotic dancer

because she's holding two light fittings, for want of a better word.

Did you ever have the globes to go on the top?

No, I got it as it is.

The style is Art Nouveau.

A dancer like this would have originally been made in France,

about 100 years ago.

They would have more often than not been made of zinc

but the good quality ones would have been made of bronze.

Ivory was used for the facial features and for the hands and feet.

But she's a copy.

About 30 years ago, Art Nouveau designs and styles

came right back into fashion and good quality Art Nouveau

good design has just gone up and up in price.

That's good news.

It's good news if you have an original,

but not necessarily a copy.

She's a copy of an Art Nouveau figure.

You're looking at the detail

and I always like to go to the hands, particularly,

where they've just been chipped away.

That should be really quite white.

Zinc, we should be looking for that zinc colour.

In fact she's resin, which means that she's relatively modern.

She'd have been made in the last 30 years.

But, having said that,

there's always going to be somebody out there in the marketplace

that looks at a figure like this and says, that's perfect for me.

A bit of work needs to be done.

One has to think about the globes as well.

She's still decorative enough to put on the market and to sell.

-Pricewise, we're looking at £40-£60.

-That's very good.

-What did you pay for her? Do you remember?

-Yes, £15.

Hey, if we can get any more than that for you, that's fantastic.

If we can get the figures that I'm talking about,

how exciting will that be at auction?

And when that pretty lady gets to the saleroom,

will she shine for the bidders?

£10 for the figure, the resin figure. £10.

Any interest for a £10 note? For the resin figure.

-Anybody want it for £10?

-This could be tough.

As the search here in Croydon continues,

Jonty makes a glittering discovery in the kitchen.

It's a coffee set with a motif on each piece.

It was made in the former Czechoslovakia

and is for six people.

It's in very good condition and once again,

it's one of Vivian's eye-catching second-hand purchases.

It gets a £10-£20 estimate from our expert.

It certainly has plenty to keep him occupied today.

Obviously, you've made your life over here, Vivian,

but I understand you had a glamorous career in show business in India.

Tell me about that.

I started in show business in '62 and I was very fortunate

-to join a band from the UK that was called Ashley Kozak Quartet.

-Right.

-What was your role in the band?

-I was a singer there.

I used to do all the songs for the whole season there

and as you have to be versatile in singing,

I used to sing from jazz to pop to rock 'n' roll.

Then what did you go on to do?

I set up my own band called Soul Sensations

and I started from there right up to '88.

-Why did you used to play?

-I got a big break with Ashley Kozak

in Trinkers which is a top place in Calcutta.

That's the area for entertainment.

I started my contacts promoting shows for charity as well as stage shows,

as well as contests for students promoting local talent there.

I did very well.

I was one of the top persons in Calcutta at the time

supplying artists to the whole of India.

So did you meet many famous people in your time?

Yes, I met a lot of good famous people.

One was Duke Ellington's band who came over to my restaurant

where I was playing.

I got their autographs and everything and photos with them.

Of course I met Dave Brubeck, another jazz band and last but not least,

Sir Cliff Richard, who I met at the Good Samaritan show in the '70s.

-Did you get his autograph?

-Yes, I got it on his own LP made in India.

Fantastic.

I'll tell you what, if we're lucky, we might get Jonty not to sign it.

I'll tell you what, though, he can't sing. Come on, let's go.

Sorry, Jonty, obviously your signature is priceless.

While we've been busy chatting, he's been making another promising find.

This pair of candlesticks are very eye-catching.

They're Art Deco, produced by Tuscan China in the 1930s.

This Staffordshire company was founded in 1878,

by the Plant family and were taken over by Wedgwood in the 1967.

They were bought from a car boot sale yet again

and there's a small chip in one of them

but they should get snapped up for a very reasonable £20-£30.

Every space in Vivian's flat is overrun with ornaments

and Jonty decides to tackle one section at a time.

Let's have a look at this shelf, for instance.

First of all, my eye goes to this little vase here.

Tell me about this.

Well, I thought it was very attractive, for one.

I said, this looks like something that is good and I just bought it.

It's in the style of Moorcroft, William Moorcroft.

The decoration was done in exactly the same way as it would

from the Moorcroft factory.

If you run your hand across the outside of the vase here,

that's raised slip.

That's literally wet clay piped on like you'd decorate a cake.

That's how you make that decoration here.

It doesn't come from a mould, it's hand applied

and the colour, the decoration is very, very similar.

The mark isn't Moorcroft on the underside.

There's a black crown under there and Moorcroft signed his wares

and also had a distinctive Moorcroft signature on the underside.

The other thing that's also of a style are these lovely

little rabbits here, rather fun rabbits.

-Did you buy these as a collection or individually?

-No, collection.

It was all in the boot sales, it was a set of five of them.

I said, yes, I'll take this and I bought them.

These are in the style of Pendelfin rabbits.

Pendelfin rabbits were produced from the '50s onwards.

Big industry and some of the rabbits are really quite rare

and therefore valuable.

They're not. These are again made by somebody else.

They've a contemporary label on the underside.

What I find interesting here,

and it happens all the time when you look at collections,

is that there are fashion leaders

and there are those that copy and follow.

So, I've had a good look at the shelf here, for instance,

and there not one item in there that has a collector's name on it.

A lot of items have no real auction value at all,

but they might have a value at a car boot sale

and have a value on the internet.

But, when it comes to auctions, dealers are going to be buying

and there's an auction premium to pay as well.

Things need to be sold in collections,

not necessarily in one item.

-This whole shelf here is about £30 or £40 at auction.

-All right.

How do you feel about that?

-I don't mind.

-Are you happy about that?

Because there's not a lot of money for your collecting.

You never know, it might go up from what we're expecting.

You never know.

Vivian is ever the optimist

and going by Jonty's lowest estimate to now,

we stand to make £170 at auction, so there's no let up just yet.

Some more porcelain grabs my attention

but this time they do have recognisable marks.

They're made by Wade and they're small animals known as whimsies.

These two look like Disney characters

but are actually from the 1950s British cartoon series,

Bengo and his Puppy Friends.

The Dalmatian is called Simon and the poodle is Fifi.

They're quite collectable and should make £30-£40 at auction.

-What are you holding there, Vivian?

-A collection of cards.

I bought them all at one time.

These are what look to be cigarette cards.

This is interesting because these aren't necessarily cigarette cards.

These are collecting cards from tea companies.

They're picture cards, not necessarily cigarette cards.

If you look on the inside, there is exactly the same shape and form.

Cigarette cards started in the late 19th century

but really took off at the beginning of the 20th century.

A lot of these cards appeared on the market.

Originally, cards were designed to be stiffeners in cigarette packets.

Then somebody cottoned on to the idea that they could actually

put advertising on these cards and then, beyond that,

it's not so much advertising

but it became a collecting concept as well.

Then that carried on all the way through to the start

of the Second World War.

After that, the popularity waned somewhat,

but tea companies decided they were going to join the bandwagon as well.

This is really what we're looking at here.

All of this is post-Second World War.

Have a look at this one, play better soccer.

Remember haircuts like this?

Yes, I do. Mine was a bit fuzzy, of course.

Of course, they're worth selling

but we're not going to get top dollar,

because the cigarette cards that make the money are the rare ones,

the rare issue ones

and complete sets from the beginning of the 20th century

through to the start of the Second World War.

-What sort of price did you pay for them?

-£10.

Brilliant, let's double your money. £20-£30.

-That sort of price at auction.

-That's fair enough.

-Yes?

-Yes, thank you.

-Here's a bit of bedtime reading for you.

Butterflies of the world.

There you go, before we put it into auction,

I want you to name all the butterflies in that book.

I'm only joking. Let's go and find some more stuff.

Jonty, you're a laugh a minute.

Our host is obviously a compulsive buyer,

but there are much worse things to spend your money on

and if it's giving him pleasure over the years,

it must have done some good.

Vivian wonders if one of the many pictures he's collected

might do well at auction.

It's a framed, coloured print of two children in Victorian dress.

Jonty thinks if it's put with another street scene

from another similar era, they may appear with a price tag of £30-£40.

One thing I can't help wondering about, Vivian,

is why he'd come to the UK

when he was leading such an exciting life in his homeland.

I was in show business for 35 years and I was doing very well for myself.

When I found the years changing then in India,

I decided to migrate to the UK, which I did in 88.

What made you decide to come over here then?

Actually, for my children's sake

because I wanted them to do well for themselves

and I knew abroad would be the best for them.

-How old were the children?

-They were in their 20s.

-They were in their 20s already, were they?

-Yes.

What made them decide to come too?

It's not their decision, it was mine, because I know if I give them

a break in the UK, they'll do very well in the UK and they did.

What did they do?

One of my daughters works for the Council

and one of my sons is working for Cleanaways,

which is a good job and my daughter is working as a secretary.

What about you? What work did you find when you came over?

Obviously you'd been working in showbiz in India.

It was a drastic change for me

because I went to hospital as a wash up in the kitchens.

I took that as a job and took it seriously

and I did it for quite some time.

Eventually, I started my business in a shop.

What sort of things did you sell?

Bric-a-brac plus second-hand goods, or hi-fi stuff,

all up to date stuff like videos and cameras and all of that.

Have you decided it's time to retire, have you?

Yes, this is my last, I have decided to retire.

Have you any idea what you want to do in your retirement?

I'm going to be with my children, grandchildren.

I want to relax for a change now.

I've done my bit.

Vivian's family is very important to him,

so we need to get back to work and help him reach his target

to pay for that special day out.

Aha!

Vivian, Jonty, I think we've found a closet Elvis Presley fan,

haven't we, Vivian?

-Yes.

-Is this all yours?

-That's right.

Have you actually been to Graceland?

-No, I have never been to Graceland.

-There's a Graceland souvenir.

-I got it all from here.

-Did you? At different times?

No, different times, different places, different boot sales.

-I take it you have The King on your wall?

-Yes, I do.

What sort of things have we got here? We've got the picture here.

-What are these?

-They're fake notes that are done...

Sometimes you get the with Only Fools and Horses on them.

Have you seen those ones with Del Boy?

We've got Elvis Presley on notes.

I quite like those badges there.

-Where are those from?

-All different.

-Let's have a look at those.

-All these badges, you collected all these badges over the years.

-Yes.

There are big collectors for badges like this.

Here we've got 1977 in the middle.

He died in the August 77 which is now quite some time ago.

Yes, time flies, it's surprising how long ago it was.

-Do you want to sell this collection?

-Yes, I would like to.

We've got so much memorabilia here. What's in here? Can I look?

Yes, sure.

-It's a plate.

-A commemorative plate.

Jailhouse Rock. There we go.

Look at that. There we go. Very good. See the similarity?

-Yes, I do.

-I think that's worth selling as well.

Put that in the collection.

Put the lid back on there, that is very good news.

You've got all sorts of bits and pieces.

And when it comes to auction, the items that seem to do incredibly well

are the items that Elvis was associated with himself.

So items that he owned or items that had a connection with him.

To think that he is the one individual

that sold more records than anybody else.

There is believed to have been sold a billion Elvis records

-around the world, which is quite extraordinary.

-Amazing, yes.

So we can sell this as a collection

and I think we're looking at £30 to £50.

-That's good.

-Are you happy about that?

-I'm happy about that.

Jonty is certainly kept busy here, going through the masses of stuff

that Vivian has collected over the years.

My next find of the day proves to be a mixed selection of images

of 20th Century A-list celebrities.

An iconic photo of Marilyn Monroe standing on a subway grate

from the 1955 film 'The Seven Year Itch'.

And there's also a classic photo of Audrey Hepburn

as Holly Golightly from the 1961 film Breakfast At Tiffany's.

And a large cardboard cut-out of Michael Jackson from his 1987 world tour.

Put together, they should make £40 to £60 at auction.

Vivian, I've got a pair of these and they are in very good condition.

I'm trying to work out whether they're vases or ashtrays.

What do you think they are? You obviously bought them.

I bought them, but I don't know what they're used for.

I only looked at the beauty of it and it attracted me and I bought them.

I would like to call them vases. It sounds grander.

It sounds more saleable, I think, more than anything else.

They're lovely. I'm a big fan of this sort of glassware. I suppose it's 60s or 70s.

Very, very popular, and has gone out of fashion and now back into fashion.

-How long have you had this pair?

-About 15 years.

-OK. So how much did you pay for them?

-15 each.

-£15 each?

-Yes.

I think they're really very special.

-Do you know where they're from?

-Not a clue.

They're Italian. They're from the island of Murano, which is just off Venice.

They've been making glassware there for literally centuries.

Very high quality.

When it comes to glass, you really need to put your hand over

to see if there's any chips or breaks.

And particularly, if you look at the bottom here,

often a base like this can be scratched.

You really need to hold it to the right angle of the light

just to see the quality or the condition of the underside.

It makes a difference to collectors. It makes a difference to the value.

That's very clean. Very, very clean indeed.

So dare I say it, you've got a clean bottom!

So these vases, I like a great deal.

But also in this cabinet here, which is stacked with glass,

there is a collection of paperweights.

-When did you first start collecting these?

-15 years back.

Right. The heyday of making paperweights

really was in the 19th Century.

But it's a big market today. There's a lot of collectors out there.

Your paperweights are all post Second World War.

There's no early paperweights there.

Every single paperweight you've got here is completely different and I like that.

So what I would suggest we do, because it's all glass,

we sell the vases together with the collection of paperweights

and there's a good 10 or so of them.

Put it all together and we're looking at, what? £80 to £120.

-That's not bad.

-It's very good indeed.

-I agree.

-Are you happy?

-Yes, I am.

-Very good news.

-I like that.

-We've got a pair, actually.

-Do you want to make it three?

-I bought one exactly the same at a boot sale last weekend.

-Have you?

We could make it a triplet, if you like?!

-So what's the overall valuation for the glass?

-The total is £80 to £120.

-That's not bad, is it?

-Not at all.

-OK.

At the start of the day,

can you remember how much you wanted to make?

Yes. About £300.

I think you can start making a few extra plans

because the value of everything going to auction comes to £400.

-Wow! That's good.

-It is.

-That's very good.

What's so funny is that it comes to £400

but I don't think it's going to make one iota of difference to your house

because we've only just scratched the surface of what's here, haven't we?

That's right!

Depending on how things go at auction,

perhaps Vivian will consider parting with some more collectables.

But for the time being,

we're selling that reproduction art nouveau lamp.

It's made of resin and its estimate of £40 to £60 might prove tempting to the bidders.

And what about those four First World War medals

that Vivian picked up at one of the many car boot sales he visited?

They're all British and should raise together £30 to £50.

And there's the pair of Murano glass vases that Jonty took a shine to.

Together with the ten glass paperweights,

they've got an estimate of £80 to £120.

Still to come on Cash In The Attic...

Am I a genius when it comes to displaying damaged goods?

There's one little chip on one of them...

You just turn it round to face the wall so no-one can see it!

I hadn't thought of that!

And wait for it. Jonty's had a stroke of genius too.

What we need to do is prize all of these guys' hands out of their pockets!

It could be a rocky road so be there when the final hammer falls.

It's been a week since we were at Vivian's flat,

looking through his bargain boot sale buys

and we've brought the best of them here to Chiswick Auction House

in west London, where we're hoping that today

we'll make £300 so he can enjoy a fabulous day out with the family.

-Vivian, good morning.

-Good morning.

-Hi, how are you doing?

-Fine thanks.

-I recognise those.

-These look fantastic, don't they?

I'm looking at them and they really look beautiful right now.

-You're not having second thoughts about selling them?

-No.

-Phew!

I know you're a boot sale man. Have you been to an auction before?

-Never. This is my first time.

-Is it really?

-Yes.

Let's hope we can make it a pleasurable one.

-Put that down and let's go and make you some money.

-Let's go.

Well, Vivian's first item to receive the auction treatment is the collection of tea cards.

Similar to cigarette cards but not quite as collectable.

These are relatively modern, from the 1970s and 1980s,

and he bought them as a job lot for £10 from a car boot sale.

It'll be interesting to see what the room decides

because they're not exactly the oldest cards I've seen.

I hope that we can get the sort of money that you invested in and more.

The booklet. £10 for the lot, please. £10 for the tea cards. Surely, for £10.

Any interest at £10?

Nobody want them for £10? For all the tea cards. £8 then?

Nobody want them? Pass the lot.

I'm so sorry. They didn't get a bid so you'll be taking those home.

-I'm surprised.

-Is that all right?

-Yes, no problem.

Better to take them home than sell them for something ridiculously small amount.

-You haven't lost anything, remember.

-No.

Vivian certainly hasn't lost his very relaxed outlook

as he took that no sale very well.

Now to his gold lustre coffee set for six people.

It was made in the former Czechoslovakia

and looks in very good condition.

-Is this a boot sale buy?

-Yes, it is.

-What did you pay for this one?

-Again, £20.

-We've only got £10 to £20 on here.

You've got to price things attractively enough

for dealers to buy.

Dealers buy items but then they have to pay

a buyers' premium on top of that.

With many auction rooms now, it's roughly 20%.

So if you pay £10 for instance, it's £12 they're paying.

There it is on the screen for you. Is it worth £10 for this, please?

For the tea set. Any interest at £10?

Come on. We can't even get £10 for it.

Ten I'm bid here. At £10. Is that it? At £10 it goes. Thank you.

-Oh, it sold for £10.

-No problem.

-A little less than you paid for it. Is that all right?

-That's all right.

Well, the coffee set did reach Jonty's lower estimate,

so, I don't think we can complain about the result.

Next up is the prints of those three iconic celebrities of the 20th century.

Marilyn Monroe,

Audrey Hepburn and Michael Jackson.

The estimate for the lot is £40-£60. So let's see how they do.

£10 for the lot to go. I'm bid 10. 12 I'll take from somebody else.

-At £10 here.

-Come on, come on. Let's go up.

It'll be sold for £10. £12.

14, 16, 18.

£18 to my original bidder. At £18.

Michael Jackson. £20 there, madam.

22, 25, 28,

-30, 32.

-Oh!

No? £32 it's nearer to me at £32. My original bidder.

At £32. 160.

32, a little bit less.

But out of interest, where did you get that cutout of Michael Jackson?

-A car boot sale again.

-You got that from a boot sale?

-Yes.

-Really?

-Was at a thriller when you found it?

-Yes!

-Oh!

Words fail me, Jonty, but that wasn't a bad result at all.

Now, from the King Of Pop to the King Of Rock And Roll.

It's Vivian's Elvis memorabilia,

including a photo, some fake notes, a banner,

some badges and a plate, all bought from different car boot sales.

You've got so much of this which I know you've acquired over time.

Are you going to carry on collecting Elvis Presley memorabilia?

-Well, if it comes my way, yes, I will.

-Yes.

-OK, I have to say, the King always sells, doesn't he?

-Absolutely.

And I think we've got some really collectable items there.

It's a nice collection but unless someone has really taken the time to look through it thoroughly,

they might see one or two of the more commonplace things

but, that's the excitement of auction.

If you've a little delve around, it's amazing what you find.

-We just want to make sure that Elvis leaves the building, don't we?

-Yes.

What's it worth? Elvis memorabilia. Start me at £10 for the lot. £10 surely for the Elvis stuff.

10 I'm bid. Thank you at £10. And 12 somebody else.

-At £10 in the middle of the room. Straight ahead of me at £10.

-Oh no!

£10. I can sell it for £10. For £10 it's going to go. £10.

-Oh no!

-Oh no! That is a huge disappointment.

That's absolutely disappointing.

-I can't believe that.

-That was a big...

-For £10, that's nothing for what it is.

-No, that's a real bargain.

-You're disappointed.

-Yes, I am.

-Let me give you a hug.

I'm not sure if that's going to make him feel better or worse!

If only there had been two buyers fighting over the Elvis lot,

it might have brought us a result worthy of the King.

Will Vivian's two Victorian style prints have any more luck

with their estimate of £30-£40.

What are these worth? £10 for the prints, please.

For the framed prints, anybody? Any interest at £10?

Nobody want them for a £10 note. I can't sell them for £10.

Pass the lot I'm afraid. No interest for 10.

-Unsold.

-Unsold. Now, the reason he hasn't sold that

is because he thought £10 was too little for them

so you'll be taking those home, is that OK?

-That's all right.

-Yes?

-Yes, yes.

-OK. All right.

Oh dear, another disappointment for Vivian,

but he can always try and sell them on another day.

Now, our next lot is just a completely huge collection,

one of your many collections, of ceramics.

-Is that the lot that are on display on the shelves?

-Yes.

-Right.

-There's a whole sea of them.

Well, let's see if we can hopefully boost our figures up with this one.

For all the mixed rabbits and Bunnykins and all sorts of things.

-£10 for it, please. Any interest at £10, surely?

-Oh, no!

Nobody want it for £10? No interest for a £10 note. £8?

Nobody want it? Sorry, pass the lot.

-There's nobody buying a thing at the moment.

-I know!

That means you've got to take that all back home!

Oh, poor Vivian! He really isn't having a very good day here.

The only consolation is that he still has half his lots

left to sell.

But, before that I ought to tell him how he's done up to now.

-I am disappointed, but it can't be helped.

-I'm so sorry.

So am I disappointed because so far, we've only made...

£52.

-Well, something's better than nothing.

-Well, yes, I suppose.

We've got a long way to go this afternoon.

But we have got a break before then. Come on, I'll get you a stiff drink.

Now, if you're interested in buying or selling at auction,

do bear in mind that fees such as VAT and commission will be added to your bill.

This charge varies from one saleroom to another,

so, it's always worth enquiring in advance.

Auctions are great places to visit if you're just starting out in your first home.

Not only can you look for the right type of furniture to suit the period,

you can always buy soft furnishings too.

Ah, Jonty, what are you doing?

-Are you making a wedding dress or something? That's beautiful fabric!

-Do you think it might fit me?

Well, there's enough there to make it, isn't there?

Well, it's not a wedding dress.

What we've got here's actually three very large pairs,

very stylish and simple pairs of curtains.

It's amazing what you find in auction rooms.

This is a general sale so, of course,

within an auction room, sometimes you get good-quality curtains.

They're silk chiffon and the design on the outside here

is a sort of stylish mother of pearl-esque design,

-which does make them very weighty.

-I was going to say.

This material alone has got to be £25-£30 just for a yard of material.

-Do you reckon so?

-Yes, for that sort of beadwork, definitely.

I just think these are great because people are now looking for neutral,

so these would adorn any space and as a consequence I think these are a real bargain

because in the catalogue it's £80-£100.

-You couldn't buy all the material for that.

-It's just a real, genuine bargain.

If you saw these in somebody's house, they would look absolutely stunning.

It'll be very interesting to see what they sell for.

Yes, but in the meantime, shall we sell some of our own things? Come on.

Well, it wasn't just me and Jonty who were taken with those curtains,

as they ended up selling for £290.

Let's hope that means the bidders are feeling a bit more generous now

as Vivian's next lot is about to come up.

It's the four World War I British war medals.

These ones have the nickname Squeak.

So we really want bidders who already have Pip and Wilfred

to be here, looking to complete the collection.

They've got to be worth £10-£15 a pop.

No, not this afternoon in this auction, by the looks of it!

Yes! What we need to do is prize all of these guys' hands out of their pockets.

Start me £20 for the lot, please?

20 I'm bid, standing. £20, there.

22, 25, 28, 30. £30 standing, then.

-Still at 30. £32 anybody else?

-Come on, let's go!

New bidding, £32 there.

-35, 38, 40.

-Yes!

-42, 45, 48, 50.

-Phew!

-Sigh of relief!

-60.

£60 I'm bid standing there., At 60. At £60 for those medals, they go for 60. 466.

-That's good, that's good.

-We're over £100, I can't believe it! Oh, phew!

-That's good.

-Great.

-Yes, look at the relief.

-It's not the relief... it's the relief on Lorne's face!

-Relief on my face, I can tell you!

That's a great result and hopefully it's a sign that the second half

of the auction is going to make up for the first.

A mixed collection of coins is about to go before the bidders.

It includes some 20th-century commemorative crowns,

a £5 coin and an American dollar.

-You put £40-£60 on this, Jonty.

-Well, it's the silver dollar in there.

It's literally worth its weight in silver.

-Right.

-Which is great to have.

-That's £40-£60?

Yes, the crowns themselves don't fetch a large amount of money.

Where did you get them all from? Don't tell me, don't tell me!

Boot sale!

And, what's the lot worth? £20 for the lot of coins. I'm bid 20 there.

-Excellent.

-22 I'll take. A maiden bid of £20 here.

-22, 25, 28.

-Come on, let's go!

-30. £30.

-They're really splashing out now!

30, I'll take 32 from somebody else. At £30. Are you all done?

At £30, I'm going to sell it then for 30.

-£30.

-£30!

-Oh!

Oh, well, does that mean it's just the silver coin that was worth...

No, that means that one dealer dropped out and that was it.

But at least they sold.

It's put another £30 in the kitty towards Vivian's family day out.

His next offering is a couple of Wade Whimsies.

They're characters from a 1950s British cartoon series, Bengo And His Puppy Friends.

We're hoping there'll be some collectors here who like them.

410A, what are they worth?

£10 for these. Little collectable figures for £10.

Anybody want them for £10? The little porcelain...

£5 each they are. Anybody want them for £10?

Nobody want them for £10? I'm going to pass the lot, I'm afraid.

-No interest at £10. Sorry.

-Couldn't even get £10 for them. That's ridiculous.

You could take those back to a boot sale and get more than £10.

-Definitely!

-Oh, dear!

It's so frustrating. I have often seen Wade Whimsies do really well

at auction, but collectors just aren't out in force here today.

So far we've made £142 and that means Vivian's last three lots

need to make around £52 each if we're going to hit his £300 target.

First up it's those candlesticks.

They're Art Deco in design, made in the 1930s by British

fine bone china company, Tuscan.

How it worked with the Tuscan plantware was

you could buy individual items to build up a dressing table set

so you could get the little dishes on legs with the lid, you know?

I think they're quite nice, those candlesticks,

cos they'd sit in any home, wouldn't they, even today?

The quality is all there, as well. That's very nice indeed.

The problem with our candlesticks,

there's one little chip on one of them, which...

You just turn it round, Jonty, to face the wall, so no-one can see!

I hadn't thought of that before!

And you'll be pleased to know I've got a left bid

of £16 for the candlesticks. I'll take 18 in the room.

We've got a commission bid for £16! That's fantastic.

For the pair of candlesticks, the little dwarf candlesticks.

£20 with me then. On the book at 20.

-22 in the room. Against commission at 22.

-One more time!

25 from somebody else? At £22.

Isn't it wonderful how small successes can be so exhilarating!

Despite the slight damage, the bidders obviously recognise the quality of the Tuscan brand.

Vivian's penultimate lot is the Art Nouveau style lamp.

It's made of resin and Jonty thinks it was made within the last 30 years.

-What did you pay for her?

-Er, paid 15.

-£15.

-She's got a bit of damage, hasn't she?

-She certainly has.

And also the whole point of our Art Nouveau lady is that she is

holding two electrical fittings, so we're missing these as well.

-Oh, OK.

-But it's the fact that she's so stylish and also she has

a substantial size to her as well that I think she is saleable.

I say, I THINK she's saleable, in this room I'm not so sure.

You want £40-£60 for her, which would be a good return on your £15,

-if we make it.

-Keep my fingers crossed!

-Absolutely.

Is it worth £10 for the figure? The resin figure for £10?

Any interest for a £10 note? A resin figure, anybody want it for £10?

Oh dear, nobody wants it for £10, I'm afraid.

I'm going to pass the lot with no interest. Nobody want it for £10?

-Sorry.

-OK, she had two broken arms and no light fittings.

We couldn't get £10 for her, I'm afraid.

With a bit of TLC, though, that lamp could really look quite stunning,

but none of the bidders were interested in a restoration project, it seems.

And so to Vivian's final lot of the day.

A mixed collection of glassware including ten different paperweights,

all mid-late 20th century,

and the pair of vases made by Murano in the 1960s.

On the whole collection I have put £80-£120.

When it comes to auctions, they're not going to be sold for nothing.

If the auctioneer gets near to the £80 then they might sell,

but they're not going to sell for nothing. So, don't worry.

We don't want you taking this lot home is what we're trying to say.

We want to make some money. Come on!

What's the lot worth? Start me, £30 for the lot, please, for the glass.

£30 to go, surely. Any interest at 30? I'm bid.

-35, 40.

-That's good.

£40 I'm bid. 45, 50,

55, 60, 65.

£65 here in the blue jumper.

70 anywhere? £65 then it is.

65. I'm going to sell it at 65. 192.

-65.

-65, are you happy with that?

-Yes, I'm happy.

Yes, I suspect you didn't pay anything like that for them.

They were all separately bought so I can't remember how much I paid.

From? All together now! A boot sale!

They didn't quite make the estimate but they weren't too far off

and he won't have to take them back with him.

I expected more to come out of it

because there were quite a lot of items there in the paperweights

and the Murano vases, so... At least I got something better than the rest.

You're taking a lot of stuff back home, I'm afraid, Vivian.

-Looks like that.

-It's been a disappointing day.

-Absolutely.

But, can you remember how much you wanted for your day out

-with the children?

-Yes, £300.

-All right.

Well, I think that, considering how much stuff hasn't sold,

we've not done too badly because we've made £229.

-Wow, that's good.

-It is, isn't it? I didn't expect that much.

-Well, there we go, it's not so bad, is it?

-That's not bad. Yes, I feel better now.

Vivian has wasted no time in putting his auction proceeds to good use.

He's brought his family together for a day of sightseeing in London and a swanky meal.

-Yes, thank you very much.

-Are you enjoying it, Jessica? Are you enjoying it?

Look where the hand's going.

After a fine banquet,

they head off to take in some of the best sites our capital has to offer.

Well, we went out to Buckingham Palace from outside

with my two daughters, my son-in-law and my two grandchildren.

Cheese!

Look at that one there, the guard's walking.

Left, right!

After Buckingham Palace we came around and we saw Big Ben,

down the riverside here.

Smile!

My favourite part of the day was coming out with my family and enjoying ourselves.

One more time, smile!

We didn't quite make the money we were looking for

but nevertheless, Vivian had a great day out with the kids.

Now, if you've got some antiques and collectables

that you'd like to sell at auction, why not get hold of the programme?

You'll find more details at our website.

I'll see you again next time on Cash In The Attic.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd