Bell Cash in the Attic

Hello. Welcome to Cash In The Attic,

the show that helps you find hidden treasures in your home

to sell at auction. Today, we're going to be with a family

who have a very special reason to ask for our help.

'On Cash In The Attic today,

'our expert John is unimpressed by a replica Roman helmet.'

Quite frankly, it's awful, but it's a bit fun as well.

'Damage to an Edwardian clock can't be blamed on me.'

-I haven't touched it!

-Is it broken?

Well, it doesn't look good.

'The lady of the house is glad to see the back of one piece.'

We got it away, but just under our bottom estimate.

-How do you feel about it?

-Great.

-Are you glad?

-Glad we've got rid of it!

'Find out more when the final hammer falls.'

Normally when people call us in,

they want to raise money for something special.

A treat, a holiday or to do some work on their house.

This family are a little bit different.

They want to recoup the money they lost after a burglary.

This North London semi has been Margaret Bell's home for 30 years.

It's where she and husband John brought up their two daughters,

Michelle and Suzanne, who is helping today.

Sadly, John passed away two years ago

and he left behind an extensive collection of Ancient Roman artefacts - his great hobby.

'I wouldn't call our expert John ancient,

'but with two decades of experience, he should be able

'to help make money at auction.'

Hello! How are you? Nice to see you.

-Margaret?

-That's it.

-And Suzanne.

-Correct.

Two handsome devils, John and Chris.

-Now who called our team?

-I did.

-Why call us in?

Well, I saved some money to go on holiday, and I got burgled.

Obviously, the money had gone so then I had to borrow it.

Since my dad died, Mum's got a lot of stuff that belonged to him.

She'd like to raise a bit of money, sell a few things off.

What sort of things are we going to try to find?

Well, Roman things my husband was interested in, military stuff...

Basically, a load of rubbish.

-I love it when they say that!

-It's things he loved. Not rubbish to him.

Leave out the rubbish, but find the good stuff.

-Is that my Roman marching orders?

-It certainly is.

So you want to raise some money today, obviously, for a good cause.

How much would you like to raise?

Well, we're hoping about £400.

£400. Get rid of that rubbish.

-It's Roman coins and anything else we can find. Ready?

-Yeah.

Let's go and find what John's up to.

'Well, I can't wait to see what the Romans can do for us!

'Besides a plethora of antiquities,

'there's quite a selection of everyday objects,

'one of which could prove timely.'

John? I want to show you this clock. I promise I haven't touched it!

-Is it broken?

-Well, it doesn't look good.

-Is there a story with it?

We had it on the wall for maybe a year, year and a half,

but my husband got fed up with the sound, so he took it down!

This looks to be about 100 years old. Let's look inside there.

It's quite a simple mechanism.

A series of cogs.

It's weight driven and they're suspended on those chains

dangling from the bottom.

Probably American. Very simple, would be made in massive numbers.

Still saleable. £50-£80?

Sounds good. I wouldn't have thought that much, but yeah, brilliant.

It'd be £20-£30 if I'd handled it!

'Thank goodness I wasn't allowed anywhere near it.

'Better press on, though, to make our target.

'Margaret's found some classical-style heads

'and an Islamic pottery vase with silver inlay.

'They're modern, probably made for the tourist market.

'She thinks her husband brought them back from Rome.

'We're hoping this lot will fetch £60-£100 at auction.

-'What's John up to?'

-Suzanne?

Right. I found the swords you carefully laid out for me.

I've got to ask, where have they been?

They've been in the rafters of the garage!

These are Dad's old things?

-Yeah. Definitely Dad's.

-From where?

He used to go to a lot of car boot sales and pick things up anywhere.

-Starting with this one, I think it's French.

-Oh, right.

Dating to around about 1800.

It's based on a Roman gladiatorial sword.

-Oh, right.

-Shame about the condition. They made lots of them.

This one here, coming probably about 100 years later.

It's a cavalry sword. And I think that's Italian.

A lot of rust around there. It needs a real good cleaning job.

-I know.

-Last, but not least,

is this other one, another cavalry trooper's sword.

-It is, in fact, German made, but it's a British sword.

-Oh, right.

I think it's an 1891, 1892 pattern. Something like that.

Well, in that condition, I'm going to say £100-£150.

Wow.

-If they were in better condition, we could say five or six times that amount.

-Oh, my gosh!

If you want to sell them, they'll get a bit of interest.

'While antique weapons like these may not require a licence,

'always keep them well out of the reach of children.

'If the collectibles we've found so far make their minimum estimates,

'we're well over halfway to our target.

'This hefty pair of late-Victorian slate mantel clocks

'were a car boot find by Margaret's late husband.

'The French made the first of these in the 18th century,

'with some of the more ornate Empire-style examples

'fetching many hundreds of pounds.

'These aren't in the best condition, but we hope to make £30-£40.

'Now we're just over halfway through our rummage day

'and we've already turned up some wonderful pieces,

'but nothing is certain until we get to the auction room.

'I wonder how the bidders will react to our Ancient Roman artefacts.'

£20? £10? Will you give me £10, please?

'Be there when the gavel falls.'

We've left John to work upstairs

because someone's got to do it while we catch up.

I look around at all the photographs.

It looks as if you have a very, very close family.

Yeah, yeah. We've always been really close. Mum, Dad, yeah.

Very loving, caring husband. I loved him a lot.

-Couldn't fault him at all.

-Tell me about his love of Rome.

Wherever I look, there are Roman elements. What is it about them?

He just loved Roman things.

If he was touching Roman things, he'd feel vibrations from them.

-He'd cry!

-Yeah, he would.

I think that he felt he was a Roman in a past life, really.

Some handsome centurion, eh?

We're trying to raise some money,

but not for the trip - you already did that once.

-But some rascal nearly ruined it.

-Well, I got burgled.

Not knowing what was in it, they just took the whole safe.

In it I had my jewellery and the money I'd saved to go to Canada.

-I hope today is the beginning of a new chapter.

-Yeah.

-Dad's watching.

Let's go and find out whether John

has found anything more Roman to help with your next adventure.

'It looks like our expert's search has turned up something more modern.

'A 30-piece collection of moulded crystal ware.

'The set includes glasses and a claret jug.

'I'm told this was a Silver Wedding present to Margaret and John

'and added to over the years.

'The quality is pleasing and should bring in another £20-£40.

'Now, no rummage is complete without a trip to the garage.'

I love being in the garage. You just don't know what you'll find.

That's something we could sell. Margaret, have you seen this before?

I think it's something Roman, like a lamp of some sort.

Right, so you know a bit about it.

It is indeed Roman. So where did he buy it?

I think he found it on a Roman site.

So he actually dug this up? How fascinating.

-What a great experience to uncover that.

-It's brilliant.

-So you put the oil in there...

-Exactly.

That is the filling hole. Then your wick.

It's quite a common form. They're not as rare as one might think,

being 1,800, nearly 2,000 years old, some of them.

-It's a wonderful piece of history.

-Yeah.

Are you sure you want to give this away?

-Or sell it, I should say.

-I do.

-The money will help for what I want.

-A nice thing.

Condition-wise, I've seen better, but I still think £30-£50.

-It might make £50 and above.

-Mm, great.

'That IS a great result. We aren't the only ones going back in time.

'Suzanne's discovered some childhood companions,

'presents from her mum and dad.

'Rag dolls are among the oldest kinds of children's toys.

'These are only around 40 years old,

'but could still fetch a charming £20-£40 on sale day.

'In the garden, two very different characters have caught the attention of John and Margaret.'

Is there a story attached to these?

My husband bought these. They suddenly appeared on a lorry!

OK. Well, this one here I think is after a statue

called Venus Victrix, which was by Antonio Canova,

a popular neo-classical sculpture.

It's based on Napoleon's sister, Pauline. Pauline Bonaparte.

So that is a copy of a known work.

This one here is not Roman.

It's actually Renaissance, in terms of its style.

It was after an original by Michelangelo,

the famous Renaissance artist and sculptor.

-And it is David, as in David and Goliath.

-Oh, right.

Made of reconstituted stone, or concrete, really.

But they have attained a fair degree of patination

and we could send them to auction with their bases.

I'd put an estimate on of £100-£200, hopefully they'd do better.

They are fairly modern, after all, but quite decorative.

'Well, Suzanne has been busy

'digging out these two early-20th century silver pocket watches

'plus a silver vesta case, handed down to Margaret and John.

'Vesta cases are small boxes designed to keep matches dry.

'They're named after the Roman goddess of hearth and home.

'They were made in large numbers at the turn of the last century

'as the popularity of smoking grew.

'At £60-£80, let's hope this varied lot sparks some interest

'among the auction bidders.

'Today's quest for collectibles has taken us to the ancient world,

'but John hasn't quite finished.'

Well, I'm delighted to say I found another Roman item!

And another item that's pretending to be Roman,

but is probably Queen Elizabeth II.

That's not a Roman helmet?

It's not! First of all, where did this thing come from?

I think he bought it in a car boot sale somewhere.

It's made of tin.

Quite frankly, it's awful, but it's a bit fun at the same time!

That's his love of anything Roman.

But that is the real gem - a genuine piece of Roman glass.

-Do you know anything about it?

-It's from the first time he went to Rome.

This has been blown by hand.

Glass-blowing is a technique that was only starting to develop

around the 1st century BC, around 50 years BC.

But it was really only in the Roman period, probably in Syria,

that glass-blowing developed.

Just simple decoration on it. A little plied handle there

and this coiled band around the neck, flared rim.

That coiled band also gives you a bit of grip when holding it.

It probably had perfume or oil in there. I would say...

£80-£100 is a sensible estimate.

If you throw that in with it...

-I'd say £80-£120!

-LAUGHTER

That will grab people's attention to this.

-We should be wearing togas.

-We should! Actually, not with my gut.

-Perhaps at the auction, eh?

-Yeah.

If we get more than £120 for that,

I'll wear that helmet at the auction.

Enough of all of that because that is it for the day.

You wanted to raise around £400. How do you think you've got on?

-Maybe?

-Maybe.

-Just under?

-Well, I think we've done really well

because conservatively, at auction, we think we could raise around 550.

-That would be good, wouldn't it?

-How do you feel? Good?

-Good, yeah.

And I love the swords. Condition is against them, but you never know,

-they could do better than that.

-Fingers crossed, off to auction.

'It seems Margaret's husband's taste in antiquities

'wasn't so bad after all. Now, the swords may need a clean,

'but at £100 to £150, they should bring us a palpable hit.

'We also turned up this pair of reproduction classical statues.

'Let's hope the price tag of £100 to £200 doesn't leave us too exposed.

'Then there are these two Victorian mantel clocks.

'They may be broken, but hopefully still worth £30 to £40.

'Still to come on Cash In The Attic,

'a simple explanation for a spot of slow bidding...'

They're a bit tight in here today, aren't they, John?

A lot of them have gone home, haven't they?

'Margaret has a smashing plan for some unsold items.'

What did you say earlier that you'd do if you didn't sell them?

-Put a hammer to them.

-Oh, you never said that?

'Well, you know the routine. Cue gavel.'

Now, it's been a little over a month

since we met Margaret Bell at her house in North London.

We found some really interesting historical pieces and brought them here to Chiswick Auctions in London.

It's a little bit quiet now

but let's hope it hots up when those items go under the hammer.

'I never fail to be intrigued

'by the bidders who turn up at general sales like this one.

'You never know who will be in the room

'or even what sort of picnic they'll bring.

'While John checks out the competition, Margaret and Suzanne have spotted Dad's Roman relics,

'plus there's that bet I wish I had never made.'

Hello. I take it we're just having one last look

at the very famous helmet?

Which you promised you were going to put on if it doesn't go.

I forgot about that and I saw it there.

I was giggling away, then remembered I would wear it if it doesn't sell.

-Is it going to sell?

-If it does, the Roman glass bottle will sell it.

The helmet won't sell on its merits, but I could be wrong.

'The saleroom is starting to liven up,

'which must bode well for our chances.

'First under the hammer are the two hand-made rag dolls

'which were given to Suzanne by her mum and dad.

'It may take more than a cheeky smile to attract a sale.'

Here we go then - two rag dolls. You've been embarrassed by this?

I have to say, I will be amazed

if someone does decide to buy them.

£20? How about £10? No bid at £10.

Give me £10, please. No bid at £10.

No offers...

We'd been fearing that one all day and guess what happened!

'Ah, that's a terrible start.

'Let's hope this crystalware,

'a wedding anniversary gift to Margaret and her late husband John,

improves our fortunes.'

It's something we accumulate over the years - gifts, anniversaries,

and plentiful supply to the market, so I've only got £20 to £40 on it.

£20?

£10?

Bid at 10. Give me 12. At £10.

All done at £10? The only bid I've got is £10. At £10...

-£10 is £10.

-Yeah.

I like this. "£10...is £10."

LAUGHTER

'There's nothing like some simple arithmetic

'to get the pulses racing and I hope our next item has the same effect.

'A genuine memento of Ancient Rome, this oil lamp is in one piece,

'it's very old and I think it's cheap. What could go wrong?'

Now, one of my favourite pieces,

-the oil lamp. Do you remember that one?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

You liked this especially, John.

Yeah, I really do like these. It's a genuine Roman oil lamp.

For me, £30 to £50 doesn't represent a huge sum for something so old.

£30 for it?

£20 for it? No Romans in today? I'm bid at £20. Give me 22.

At £20. 22. 25. 28. 30?

At £28. In front of me at £28.

Sold at £28, going, all done.

-Just under our lower estimate.

-At least it's gone.

I know, but can you believe that for a genuine Roman oil lamp?

'At least the bids are winding their way up,

'unlike these two

'Victorian mantel clocks that haven't worked for years.

'Hopefully, there are some clock refurbishers in the house.'

We've got two genuine slate Victorian mantel clocks.

I've got £30 to £40 because

they're a restoration project for someone.

For the two, £30? A bid of £20. 22. 25?

25. 28. 30?

That's it, 30. 32 for the two clocks? At £30.

At £30, your bid at £30...

-Yes!

-That's much better.

'Today's bidders seem to like clocks

'so it's a good job we have this next lot,

'even if it's in less than ideal condition.'

Up next, we've got a late Victorian, mahogany-cased alarm wall clock.

If I remember correctly, John, it was, um...tired?

LAUGHTER

-Another restoration project, perhaps.

-Afraid so.

£50...?

£30? I'm bid at £30. Give me 32.

32. 35? 35. 38? 38. 40?

40. 42? At £40.

-Come on!

-42, new bidder. 45.

All done at £45. I'm selling it at £45.

-Are you OK with that, Margaret?

-Yeah, I'm fine.

They're a bit tight in here today, aren't they, John?

A lot of them's gone home, haven't they?

'Margaret is nothing if not a realist,

'so hopefully, she and Suzanne won't take what I tell them too badly.'

-It's been hard work, John.

-It has. It's been a bit of a struggle.

We haven't seen too many smiles on your little faces.

You've been optimistic, positive, which we like.

-But the target is £400, isn't it?

-Hmm.

At the halfway stage,

we've raised 113.

Well...

That's good, really, because it's...

I'm pleased with whatever I got, really.

Can we have you every week?

'Auctions can be good fun, but remember, charges such as commission

'and other fees will be made, so do check these in advance.

'With quite a few items still to go,

'let's see if the bidders will put their minds to this next lot -

'classical in style, but modern in manufacture.'

The next lot is quite interesting.

It's the Islamic pottery jug which had silver inlay.

We've got this with three

-reproduction Greek heads. Sorry to see these go, Margaret?

-Not really.

I'm fed up of dusting them and putting them back in the cupboard.

A bid of £35 to start me. I'll take 38. At £35.

At £35. It's not enough for that. It's worth more. Not sold.

-Guess what, Suzanne?

-You're taking it home.

The heads aren't coming home!

I think OUR heads are for the chop!

'Hmm. It's just as well we're not working in ancient times

'when punishments could be very extreme.

Talking of forfeits, if this next lot doesn't sell,

I could be facing humiliation.'

Up next, the one I've been fearing

not because of the Roman glass bottle, but what comes with it -

the helmet, because we've got that bet.

If it doesn't sell, what have I got to do?

You've just got to try it on, basically. We'll take a photo!

In this auction house?

I don't know if they want it to go or not now.

They secretly don't want it to go, to see you with it on.

Start me at £50 for it? 50. 55.

Do you want 60...? 5.

70. 5. 80?

-Are you saying no? At 75...

-Come on!

£75. All done at 75, last chance? It's selling at 75 and going...

We got it away, but just under our bottom estimate.

-How do you feel about that?

-Great.

-Are you glad?

-I'm glad we've got rid of it.

-She's happy, I'm happy.

-You don't get to see Chris wearing the helmet now.

-Never mind.

-It's money in the kitty.

-You'll take the 75 quid.

-£75. That's not a bad result.

-I think that's brilliant.

'As much as I admire Margaret's relaxed approach,

'I'm worried that not one of our items

'has exceeded its minimum estimate.

'The way things stand, we need more than a final flourish

'to make our target. We need a miracle.

'I only hope our next lot proves to be a revelation.'

They always sell. A silver fob watch usually makes around £30,

the vesta case probably about the same sort of money,

hence my 60 to 80 estimate,

and the silver-plated vesta should just help the lot to sell.

£50 for it? £40 for it?

I'm bid at £40. At £40. 42. 42. 45. 48.

-50.

-Come on.

-55? 50. The bid's at £50. I'll take 5. £50.

Just under the estimate at £50. Selling, all done...

I'm not quite hitting the estimates today.

'We certainly aren't. In fact, with a disappointing £238 in the kitty,

'we're so far under our £400 target

'that our last two lots will have to make a real impact.

'Let's hope this next collection makes the point.'

Up next, and I'm a bit worried about our safety

because she seems quite a calm person so far,

but if these don't go, we might get it, cos it's the sabres.

Let's hope not, because these are interesting swords.

They're in terrible condition.

We've got two cavalry swords and an early French sword

in a Roman style. Terribly rusty, but they could still do some damage

so I hope you've had a tetanus, Chris.

I'm bid...a starting bid of £70. £70. I'll take 75.

75. Do you want 80...?

85. 90. 95. 100.

110? All done for £100? Are we going to go at £100?

At £100 and gone...

-I like to see that big, smiley face.

-I'm amazed.

Suzanne, you've got a smile on your face as well.

No, I'm really pleased with that.

'At last, a bid that's worth taking to the bank.

'Hopefully, our final lot, the classically styled statues,

'will also attract bidders with deep pockets.'

What did you say earlier that you'd do if you didn't sell them?

-Put a hammer to them.

-Oh, you never said that?

I know these are reproduction

but they're nice pieces, very decorative.

They have attained a bit of age to them because they've got weathered.

£100 for the two?

I'm bid £100. Straight in at £100. I'll take 110. At 110. 120.

Yes!

130. 140. 150?

140. A bid of 140.

At 140 and going, all done...

Oh, thank God for that!

You can put your hammer away now, can't you?

'A mixed day at Chiswick,

'which shows you it's not just about having the right items.

'It's also about matching them with the right bidders.

'The question is, where do we stand with our target?'

You wanted to raise £400

-and at the halfway stage it wasn't looking good.

-No.

The grand total today that we've raised at auction

is £478.

-Oh, brilliant.

-Really? That's fantastic.

-How about that?

-I've got my 400 that I wanted.

I didn't have to wear a helmet,

-you didn't have to take the statues home.

-I've got my jug.

-And no rusty swords being swung around.

-It's a result all round!

-I'm really pleased.

-Well done!

-Thank you.

A few weeks after the auction,

Margaret has replaced the money she lost through that burglary.

'I'm glad Suzanne said, "Let's do Cash In The Attic."'

I really, thoroughly enjoyed it.

It's been really good fun

and it's given Mum a bit more confidence

that I haven't seen before, which is really nice.

Brilliant. Now she's making sure

that home security is high on her list.

After the burglary, I am conscious of it, yeah,

so I lock everything up

and I think to myself, "Right, out you go, enjoy yourself."

Let's go and spend some money!

I'm fine now. Everything's settling down.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd