Aggie MacKenzie Cash in the Celebrity Attic

Welcome to Cash In The Celebrity Attic,

the show that searches out treasures hidden in the homes of the well-known and then sells

them at auction, hopefully raising money for good causes.

Today I'm on my way to meet a mother of two, for whom clean living is the be-all-and-end-all.

She once took on the role of Miss Moneypenny - not in the movies but in real life.

When she spent four weeks Dancing On Ice she cut a really impressive figure.

But she's probably best known for showing Britain's

dirtiest home-owners how to clean up their act.

She's an expert in a pair of rubber gloves, even if I'm not.

Have you guessed who it is yet?

I'm in London on my way to meet Aggie MacKenzie,

and no doubt I'll be finding out how clean her house is.

Well, it looks like she's got our lunch on the go already.

Aggie MacKenzie has been a regular fixture on our screens since 2003

when the first series of How Clean Is Your House? hit our screens.

The dirt detective was already an established columnist on Good Housekeeping magazine,

but she came late to this line of work as a journalist and presenter.

When she left college in the 1970s after training

as a bilingual secretary, she joined MI6 and spent two years in a role rather like Miss Moneypenny.

We'll have to interrogate her about those years a little later, as we take a tour of the pristine

North London home she shares with her family.

Considering there are two teenage sons about the place, I'm pleased to see it's all so clean.

Joining Aggie is her sister-in-law Felicity Everett, but as everyone calls her Flick, we will too.

Coming up, we get to see just how clean Aggie MacKenzie's house really is.

-I notice we've got a bit of staining here.

-I'm going have to get that out.

Well, you know, do you know anyone who's good at getting rid of stains at all?

-I do have a contact.

-Have you?

We hear stomach-churning tales about the state of other people's homes.

The rice was moving.

It was a pan full of maggots.

it was just the best. I was like, "I've never seen this before."

It was just amazing.

But will Aggie clean up when her items get to auction?

You've done really well so far today, Jonty.

I'm trying. I know, I'm very trying.

You are very trying!

Find out when the final hammer falls.

It's always a pleasure to team up with Jonty Hearnden.

He sports more than 20 years' experience as an antique hunter,

and I bet he's no stranger to furniture polish.

He starts our search for collectables, while I meet our hosts.

Ladies, how did I know I'd find you in the kitchen?

-How are you, Aggie.

-Hello!

-Nice to see you again.

-Yeah, good.

-Who have we got here?

-This is Flick, my sister-in-law.

-Hello.

-Hi Flick.

-Lovely house you've got.

-Thank you very much.

-Do you clean it yourself?

-Most of the time.

Don't look for any cobwebs, you might find them!

No chance! I presume you've called us in because you want to raise some money for charity?

Yes I do, for my charity Hackney Youth Orchestras' Trust.

And I mean, I haven't got that much actually,

because I did take part in a charity auction a few years ago,

and I love to get rid of things all the time, so I did have a rummage around to try to find a few things.

I hope they'll be of some use to somebody.

I can't believe she's saying now she's got nothing!

I'm sure you've got loads of treasures. How much you want to raise?

I'm hoping to raise about £500. That's my target anyway.

We'll talk more about that orchestra later on.

Looking forward to hearing more about that.

-The good news is that Jonty's here, our expert. He's already got his hands in boxes, no doubt.

-Excellent.

Let's see what he's found. Come on, follow me.

'Aggie's stylish and tidy pad is minimalist in terms of its contents.

'It's all very attractive, but will these shelves and cupboards offer us enough to make that £500 target?

'Maybe Jonty's had a chance to find out.'

-What did I tell you? He's found something already.

-I found this at the top of your house.

-I remember this. Yes.

-What is it?

Actually, this is part of a pair.

My sister and I were at a flea market one day - this is years and years ago - and both liked it but neither of us

could afford the buy the pair, so we decided to buy the pair between us and split it.

-So the other one's now in New Zealand, actually.

-Right.

I think she still has it. I think they're essentially to go

on top of a dressing table or a chest of drawers, for trinkets and jewellery and stuff.

It is dressing table. These sit on top of a dressing table, and if I pop this down, hence the

reason why we've got two holes in the top there, because that supports

-a mirror that sits in the middle.

-Ah.

So that's what people have done in the past, they have taken the

dressing table and almost taken away the best bits, so these little chests of

-drawers have become separated.

-Why did this grab your attention then?

A small chest of drawers are always very saleable.

If you think about how old that is, that's probably 150 years old.

Because of the two little holes, they might put a few people off,

but we're still looking at £30-50 at auction.

-Will you be sad to see it go?

-No, if it goes to a good home

and it's raising money for a good cause, that's fine.

-That's absolutely fine, that will sell without any problem at all.

-Fine.

Come on, let's carry on.

'That's a modest start, so let's hope the antiques keep on coming.

'While we've been chatting, Flick's been turning over the study.

'Let's hope she didn't find any top secret documents left over from Aggie's MI6 days.

'She soon discovers a silver case full of costume jewellery.

'The collection includes a gold chain and several brooches.

'Costume jewellery has been around for almost 300 years, dating back

'to a time when noblemen and women needed low cost lookalike baubles to wear on long journeys, so they

'wouldn't lose anything valuable if the highwayman struck, which he did.

'These items date to the late 20th century and Jonty thinks they're worth

'about £20-40.

'Jonty's checking out the study too. Maybe there's some more treasure to be found there.'

Flick, can you have a look at this clock with me?

Do you think this is an object that might be saleable?

-I think I might buy that. I like it.

-Really?

Yes. It's attractive, isn't it.

Do you know what sort of style we're looking at here?

-'30s, maybe?

-Spot on.

-Is it?

-Absolutely.

It's 1920s/1930s. It's Art Deco.

Art Deco used a lot of chrome, so here we can see the chrome fascia, the outside of the clock itself.

And then it's contrasted by this sort of black/ebony

decoration that we've got here, and look how simple it is.

What I find so extraordinary about the Art Deco period is it's a complete contrast

to the designs that went before, so if you think about that heavy Victorian look, if you think about

that really busy decoration that went on, and then all of a sudden Art Deco, incredibly simple.

Somehow, Art Deco works in a modern setting as well.

-Yes, it's really stylish.

-You like it?

-I do, yes.

If you look at the back, if you look at the workings,

this was the new technology of the time, an electric clock.

All of a sudden, from mechanical workings you had an electrical

working as well, so it was something new to have on your mantel shelf.

Now, we can't put that it's working in the catalogue,

simply because we can't prove that, or the auctioneer can't prove that.

So it is buyer beware and that's the reason why we can't put a massive estimate in the catalogue.

But it's still worth selling and these

do sell pretty well at auction, so we're looking at £30-50 here. So one for the pot, do you think?

-Definitely.

-Good. Let's go and find some more bits.

-OK.

'Well, let's hope the bidders appreciate

'the value in this attractive timepiece come auction day.'

20, I'm bid. 22. 24.

-Keep going.

-28...

'So what are Aggie's chances in front of this frugal crowd?

'Find out later.

'She wants to make £500 for her charity,

'and so far we've found items with a total estimated value of £80.

'She did warn us it might be tough going!

'Jonty's still at work though, good old Jonty.

'Unfortunately this decanter is not destined for the sale room.

'Come on, girls, stop messing around!

'And there's one thing that Aggie and I have in common, it's our love of lycra.

'Yes, we've both taken part in TV dance shows.

'Still, it's her history in espionage I'd like to hear more about.'

-I think we deserve a sit down, don't you?

-We do.

Now don't tell me you baked these.

I did. I love baking much more than I like cleaning, that's for sure.

It's fair to say everyone knows you from How Clean Is Your House?,

-but that's not how you started.

-You're thinking of my days at MI6.

I'm not particularly proud of that, but it's part of my past so I have to own up to it.

Why are you not proud?

-I'd be so proud.

-No, I thought I was going to work in the Foreign Office, and then on day one this guy took a

few of us into rooms and said "It's not the Foreign Office, it's MI6, and you need to think about whether

you want to stay here or not", and I thought "Yeah, yeah.

-"Sounds really exciting." It wasn't that exciting at all.

-What did you have to do?

It got a little bit too exciting near the end and I thought "I don't really want to be part of this."

How did you end up in television?

From the outside it always sounds exciting.

I suppose it's like being a model. Not that I've ever worked as a model.

But you know what... It's a job, isn't it?

Do you enjoy the television work?

-Yes, I do actually.

-Did you ever think the How Clean Is Your House? series would be so successful?

No. I remember before the show was actually transmitted, we'd made some programmes and

I remember reading a Sunday paper, it was one of the broadsheets, this writer complaining about all

the property shows, the gardening shows, this, that and the other show, "And now they're going to

"have this programme about cleaning, presented by two middle-aged women.

"What could be worse?" I thought, "Oh, my God, he's so right."

"It's going to be a complete failure"

-But it wasn't.

-Were some of those houses really bad?

-No, all of them were.

-Really?

-All of them, not some.

What were some of the worst houses you saw?

I think, actually, one of the worst for me was one of the houses in America,

and the woman who lived there was really intelligent.

She had a law degree, very kind of... Lots of work done on the face but none in the house.

I remember we were in the kitchen, and the director was

behind the camera, pointing to one of the pans, like, "Look in the pan", and the pan had a transparent lid,

and I thought "It just looks like cooked rice to me." I lifted off the lid, the rice was moving.

It was a pan full of maggots!

It was just the best. I was like, "I've never seen this before." It was just amazing.

I sat down here with these lovely scones in front of me.

-I thought this is going to be a lovely little chat.

-Good for the diet, isn't it?

I can't think of putting anything in my mouth now.

I am a dirt tourist. I love it.

I absolutely love it, and the great thing about the programme is that

everyone's dirt is completely different.

You know, it's all extreme in a different way.

As someone who foolishly said "yes" to a reality TV show and then regretted it...

OK, we won't talk about that!

Did you see me dancing? It was a lot worse than your ice skating.

No, no, no. Nothing was worse than my ice skating. It's so hard, isn't it?

Such hard work. Before you come on, and it's live, knowing that there's

ten million-plus people watching and you don't know whether you're going to get it right, not get it right.

Oh, it was just horrendous.

Well, I was hoping for a nice chat.

Now I've got sweaty palms, taking me back to Strictly Come Dancing.

It's true. When you hear the music, doesn't your stomach turn over?

-"This is horrendous."

-Let's leave all this and carry on with the rummage.

Yeah, let's rummage.

'Best idea I've had.

'Give me an antique hunt any day over a cha-cha-cha.

'Still, it was a good way of losing weight.

'Well, Jonty's still doing what he does best, that's looking for antiques.

'And Flick, she's made it down to the cellar,

'often a great place to look for forgotten mementos.

'Aggie keeps her wine here and it's not long before Flick discovers something that could fizz.'

A-ha, you got something?

-Look, champagne.

-Very nice too.

What have we got inside? There we go. Oh, it's full too.

For now!

But Krug champagne, wonderful.

-Have you ever tried Krug champagne?

-I don't think I have.

It's regarded as one of the finest champagnes that is produced from the region.

Now Krug champagne was established in 1843, not by a Frenchman but by a German, Johann Krug,

which I find quite extraordinary, if you think about it, something that's

so French, so typically French, was established by a German immigrant rather than a Frenchman.

But it really is regarded as one of the finest champagnes to drink.

Excellent, so it's a goody?

This is really very good, and we've got 1990 on the outside.

Now, I'm no connoisseur of champagne, but what I can tell you

is if we can sell this at auction, it's going to raise us an awful lot of money.

-That's fantastic.

-Very good news indeed.

So we're talking about £100 just for one bottle.

-Wow. That's fantastic.

-That's very good news.

So can we put this in the sale?

Definitely.

Or shall we drink it now?

Don't tempt me.

-Great. Excellent. I'll take this back down to the kitchen.

-OK.

-Follow me.

'I'd have drunk it there and then!

'That's more like it. The values are starting to creep up. Jonty's always saying

'that vintage cooking utensils are worth a look,

'so I make a start on the kitchen cupboards.

'I can see Aggie likes to keep everything hidden.

'Unfortunately, the only thing she's prepared to part with is this old kettle, which isn't worth that much.

'Well, not to be put off, I try my luck in the cellar and find something Flick missed.

'This heavy box turns out to contain a large stone pestle and mortar.

'It used to belong to a friend of Aggie's, who was throwing it out,

'but its huge weight made it too cumbersome for regular use,

'so Aggie's happy for it to find yet another new home.

'Jonty is optimistic about its chances, and thinks on a good day it could make between £40-60.

'Aggie's busy in her son's music room.

'It's unlikely that this sheet music will bring in the money, but how about this?

'Another jewellery box, made of rosewood, and with a mother-of-pearl inlay.

'It's Regency in style, and although there's a little damage to the lid,

'Jonty thinks it could make £30-40.'

-Hey!

-Hello!

-You caught me.

-I didn't know you were musical!

-I'm not.

Couldn't you hear it? This drum kit, who does it belong to?

It's my son Ewan's, he's 14. Never plays it, of course.

It's brilliant. What an invention. I love it.

Saves falling out with the neighbours!

Everywhere you look around this house there are musical instruments.

I know. Actually, mainly belonging to my older son who is at music college.

Is music important to you as well?

-I'm so unmusical.

-Are you?

Yeah, I haven't got the first idea.

Their dad's musical, actually, but I'm not.

Tell me a bit about the charity that you've chosen.

It's a local charity called the Hackney Youth Orchestras' Trust,

and it was set up specifically for children

-who might not normally have access to musical instruments or tuition.

-How did you get involved?

Actually, partly because it's local and also my oldest son Rory joined at the age of 7,

learning to play the violin.

SHE MAKES SCREECHING NOISE

It was torture!

But it's, you know, it really was the bedrock for him,

for his musical career, and that's all he's interested in now.

So do you think music is important for kids?

Oh, I do. And I think music's definitely important for children.

It's a whole other aspect of a child's life.

It's different from, you know, computers, telly, playing football, I think it's really special and I'm so

disappointed that I didn't learn a musical instrument when I was younger.

What difference would £500 make to your charity, do you reckon?

The thing I like about belonging to a small charity is

a small amount of money makes a huge difference.

It absolutely does, and you know, this amount of money can buy tuition time,

an instrument,

it will just give a child or a few children a bit extra.

Well, listen, I need the practise, so I'm going to carry on playing the drums, you can do the rummage.

-Thank you.

-I'm quite happy here.

Take your time.

'That's what you call work in progress!

'Perhaps I actually should rejoin the search, as there are plenty of areas still to explore.

'I head upstairs for a recce and find my way to the cleaning cupboard.

'This must be where Aggie keeps her scrubbing brush!

'Jonty's got his eye on her son's double bass.

'Careful, Jonty, that's a valuable musical instrument.

'Can't take him anywhere!

'Aggie, meanwhile, is on the ground floor and comes across

'some blue and white porcelain which she was given as a wedding present.

'There's a tureen, serving plates, tea plate, cup and saucer.

'They're all examples of Adams Ware, a Staffordshire-based pottery

'who've been producing porcelain since the 17th century.

'They're attractive and Jonty thinks that grouped together

'they'll probably make between £20-40.

'Fortunately, my trip to the cleaning cupboard has paid off.

'Let's hope I've struck gold.'

-Guys, come and have a look at this.

-Oh, yes.

-There's lots of detail here.

Yeah, there is. I bought this at a flea market a long, long time ago

and I used to use this sort of thing a lot actually, but I don't anymore.

-It is beautiful and I can appreciate it, but I'd like somebody else to have it.

-OK.

Well, all of this genre of linens are hand made, and there was a fashion for a long period of time in

the 18th, 19th century, all the way through to the 20th century, where a

lot of people would have made these, more often than not for newlyweds.

-Who'd buy this at auction?

-A lot of people do like to still buy linens, because all of a sudden

work like this is almost having a renaissance.

There are people that do want to buy this and trade with it,

because people still appreciate the work that's gone into this.

So if we do decide to put this up in auction, how much do you reckon we'll get for it?

As far as value is concerned, it really is into

the condition and I notice we have a bit of staining here.

I'm going have to get that out.

-Well, you know, do you know anyone who's good at getting rid of stains at all?!

-I do have a contact.

What do you use for that?

-Well, actually...

-Look, she's getting down to business now!

-I'm going to make notes.

-I'd start with a biological washing powder.

I think I'd probably boil it up.

It'll be fine, because it's fairly resilient.

Excuse me!

I'll go back to asking you, how much do you hope we'll raise?

Well, I think if we can get that stain out, that'll be really good news.

I'm going to put my neck on the block and put £30-50 on it.

-£30-50, that's fantastic.

-Good.

-OK, onward and upward, let's carry on.

You two can lead the way, I'm going to have a bit of a back massage.

Oh, I needed that! Hey, wait for me.

'As I turn my attention to one of Aggie's fine bookcases,

'Jonty conducts his own search of the kitchen.

'This colourful jug and bowl catch his eye.

'They are what's known as Arcadian Ware,

'a form of crested china that dates from the 1950s.

'Aggie wants to keep hold of the jug,

'but she's happy for the bowl to go,

'and Jonty thinks, on a good day, it could fetch £50-60 at auction.

'There are china pieces like this

'everywhere you look in her property.'

You're looking at how much dust is on my shelves!

There's no dust on your shelves, I have checked.

This is lovely, what is it?

Actually, this is lovely, isn't it?

This is a Clarice Cliff sweet jar, I think.

I bought this at an Art Deco fair many moons ago, probably about 25 years ago, and I did pay quite a lot

of money for it actually, but I feel that I'd like to give this to the auction and raise money for charity.

I think I paid about £150 for it.

Quite a lot. I don't know how I had so much money in those days.

But yeah, I'd like for it to be worth a bit more.

I know there's a slight flaw. I remember being told that at the time, but I can't remember where it is.

You say there's a flaw in it. If there is one, I know the man who'll find it.

Jonty, come on in.

-What have we got?

-What do you make of that? It's lovely, isn't it?

Oh, I say. Look at that.

Very nice too. Yes, Clarice Cliff, thank you very much indeed.

Yes, yes. Well, I've got such rubbish stuff, I need to give something that's half decent.

This is really superb. So how long have you had it?

-I think about 25 years.

-Aggie says there's a flaw in there somewhere.

Really? Well, if there is a flaw, it's probably likely to be the area where there's the least amount of

support, so sometimes these handles can come loose and therefore we might have some restoration.

-If one looks closely there, can you see very closely that there might be a difference in colour?

-Oh, yes.

-I can see that.

-Now that's possible restoration, and the only way to

properly tell that is to take a look at this under ultraviolet light.

-There you will see the difference.

-I've used that.

-Have you now?

-We know what we're talking about.

-Yes. It finds wee-wee as well!

Moving swiftly on...

Back down to the gutter we go.

-Every time.

-But this is really fabulous news, because for the last

20 years Clarice Cliff has grown and grown as far as value and interest.

That's simply because she was an iconic designer of her time.

During the 1930s when she was developing her new ranges, her new wares,

she completely revolutionised the way the Potteries developed

and created new lines. It was a very simple form, and this is really what we are looking at here.

Likewise with the clock, Flick, that we looked at earlier, very simple Art Deco lines.

So how much money do you reckon we'd make at auction?

If we don't have a flaw there,

then we're really looking at £200-300.

You look like you've got plenty of energy left, but the rummage is over for today.

-We have found our items.

-Excellent.

-You wanted £500 for your beloved charity.

-Am I going to make that?

-You'll make more than that.

-How do you know?

I've added it up in my head. I'm not just a pretty face, you know.

What we've done is taken Jonty's lowest estimate on all the items, added them up together.

You wanted £500 for your beloved charity, and we're looking at making

-something in the region of £530.

-Wow!

-That's good, isn't it.

-£530!

-Yes.

-That's cool.

-Next time, I'll see you in the auction.

-Marvellous.

-It's been fun today. Really enjoyed it.

'What a time we've had in Aggie's spick-and-span home.

'It's a diverse collection of things heading off to auction,

'all with modest estimates, but as Jonty would say,

-IN POSH ACCENT:

-'"Priced to sell." That's how he speaks, isn't it?!

'Among them, the costume jewellery in the attractive silver case.

'He thinks these are worth £20-40.

'There was that stone pestle and mortar,

'which almost put my back out!

'£40-60 is the asking price for these

'heavy-duty kitchen accessories.

'And our star item, with a price tag of £200-300,

'that sweet jar from the talented hands of Clarice Cliff.

'We're all really, really excited about that one.

'Still to come. A tough day in the sale room as Aggie's items fail to excite the bidders.'

-Could have been better.

-It could have been better,

but let me tell you, it could have been worse as well. £30 is good.

'So will Aggie's dream of cleaning up at auction go down the drain?'

-£70, that's not bad at all.

-I'm happy with that.

-Good.

Well, show it in your face then!

-I'm ecstatic!

-Yes, that's what we want to see.

Find out when the final hammer falls.

It's been just over a week since I ran a curious finger over the surfaces of Aggie McKenzie's house,

and discovered lots of interesting items which we've brought here to Chiswick auctions.

Now, we're hoping to raise something in the region of £500.

Let's hope the bidders are in here when her items go under the hammer.

There are a massive 1,200 lots on offer in today's sale.

So we're fully expectant of a big turn out,

and that is just what's needed if we're to raise our target for Aggie's charity.

I'm feeling confident.

What's this, is Jonty in need of some Dutch courage?

Please tell me you're not hitting the bottle already! It's a bit early, isn't it?

-I was pondering whether we're going to have a champagne day.

-I hope we do. That's one of our items, right?

-It certainly is. Bottle of Krug.

-Vintage?

-Vintage 1990.

-And hopefully we're going to get £80-£120 for it.

-She's got loads of nice stuff, hasn't she?

Yes. The Clarice Cliff, that's always a great seller.

Art Deco clock. We've got some really interesting things.

We're hoping to raise something like £500, fingers crossed.

I've heard a vicious rumour that she's already here cleaning the toilets. Let's go and find her.

I'm relieved that the champagne has remained unopened,

even though it's been on view to the public for several days now.

As Jonty says, let's hope we'll all be in the mood for celebrating at the end of the day.

As we seek out our celebrity and her sister-in-law I get wind of some startling news about a missing item.

-Is this yours?

-Yes, it is.

-It's a poor substitute for the Clarice Cliff.

-Why?

It's not here, it's still at home.

-Right.

-I had everything sitting, ready to come to the auction house.

Husband Matthew walks in and said "Hang on, you're not putting that to auction, are you?" and I said "Yeah."

"You can't do that!"

I was going, "Well, it was mine, I did buy it myself with my own money long before I met you."

He said, "I'm really, really upset about that."

-That's a massive dent in the budget then. You valued that at what?

-Well, £200-£300.

I know, but I'm going have to make it up. It's better we keep the peace.

So, no Clarice Cliff, then. What about all the other items?

Is there any other item that you might be sad to see go?

I think I'm quite sad to see that table cloth go.

-If I remember rightly, there was a big stain.

-Did you manage to get it out?

-I got the stain out.

-Never!

-I was quite surprised!

-How did you do it?

I slathered it with biological detergent, rubbed the fabric,

left it overnight, into the washing machine, hot wash, marvellous.

It's sad about the Clarice Cliff, but at least you're keeping your husband happy.

The auction's about to start. Let's go and get in position.

It's quite understandable that Aggie's had a change of heart over the Clarice Cliff pottery,

which there was clearly more of a family attachment to than Aggie first realised.

Its absence does leave a £200 hole in our chances,

so £320 is now the goal to achieve today with the items that have made it to auction.

Let's hope the bidders are in a generous mood.

My fingers are crossed.

We get into position as Aggie's first item comes up.

It's the small mahogany chest.

One half of a pair that Aggie and her sister bought some years ago at a flea market.

-Jonty, you really liked this, didn't you?

-It's really sweet.

I think it's a wonderful story, the fact that you have one part

and the other part is in, what, New Zealand.

So they really couldn't be further away if you tried.

But we want £30-£50 for this.

This little miniature chest of drawers, 528.

I have a little bit of interest in it already, so I'm bid £20.

£20 for the chest. At £20.

2 I'll take. At £20. 22.

24. 26. 28. 30.

Hey, we've got the minimum.

32, I'll take from somebody else.

At £30. Anybody else?

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

-£30.

-Good start.

-Don't look like that!

-It could have been better.

-I know,

but, let me tell you, it could have been worse as well. £30 is good.

-Are you going to be like this for the rest of the day?

-Yes.

I can see Aggie would have liked a few more pounds for the drawers, but £30 was Jonty's bottom estimate

so I don't think we should be too disappointed with our first sale of the day.

Let's see if our second lot can put a smile on Aggie's face.

It's the collection of blue and white Adams ware that Aggie was given as a wedding present.

Jonty valued it at £20-£40.

So we have a little collection of blue and white now.

Now there's an Adams tureen and cover, where was that from?

-I think it might have been given to me as a wedding present.

-Oh, really?

-I know.

-You're having a serious spring clean, aren't you?

I know. I thought I'm not using these things, the money may as well be going to charity.

Puts a smile on the fiddlers in Hackney's faces.

-That's right.

-Is it worth £10 to go? £10 for the blue and white charity lot for £10? Anybody?

£5 then? £5 I'm bid there, at £5.

And £6.

Seven. Eight.

Nine. Ten.

£10. There at 10 with the number raised. At £10. Anybody else?

At £10, I'm going to sell for a £10 note.

£10 and going.

Hold her back. Hold her back.

Disappointing.

At least somebody's bought it.

Am I not helping the cause here?

Oh, dear. That result clearly hasn't gone down too well.

It's fair to say we haven't got off to the start we hoped for,

but it's early days

and we have plenty more items to sell,

including the 150-year-old rosewood and mother of pearl jewellery box.

-Don't tell me this was a wedding present.

-It wasn't.

I think I bought it at an auction actually, about 30 years ago, so I probably paid about a fiver for it.

I'll be amazed if you get 40 quid.

Is she always this ruthless at throwing things out?

She pretty much is. She is, yes.

It's a good job we caught you in time, cos this box is 150 years old.

There we go, is it worth £10 for it?

Surely, a £10 note for the jewellery box.

Victorian jewellery box for £10. £5 for it? £5 for it.

Oh, we're on. £5 in the room.

£6, 7?

Eight, nine, ten,

12. £12 with the catalogue raised. £12. Anybody else at £12?

I'm going to sell it at £12. It's going then, £12 and going...

191, thank you.

They look a miserable lot now to me.

It's not that bad, our lowest estimate was 20 and we got £12 for it.

Yeah... No, it is bad.

Did you not do arithmetic at school?

No, I didn't. I was too busy making albums.

At least I'm trying to keep positive!

There's no denying we're a long way off where we'd like to be at this moment in time.

Three items sold and only £52 banked. Oops!

We really need a change in our fortunes and just maybe,

Aggie's costume jewellery is the lot to do it.

So, Aggie, we've got a collection of jewellery and costume jewellery.

I've put a very low estimate to attract the buyers on this one.

-The bottom end estimate is 20 quid, so it should do more than that.

-I hope so.

You'll be pleased to know there's a little bit of interest,

this is another charity lot. I'm already bid £20.

We're there, lowest estimate already.

22, 25, 28, 30, 32, 35,

£35 then at 35.

38, 40.

£40 I'm bid there at £40 in the doorway. 45...

Oh, yeah.

£45, at 45 in the corner then. 45.

OK, that's great.

-Who'd have thought?

-I put £20 to £40 on it.

45 quid we got.

There's no pleasing this girl.

No pleasing this girl.

You know, for a brief moment

I think I actually saw Aggie smiling during that sale.

I was really pleased with the jewellery.

I mean, that stuff's just been lying in the back of a drawer.

In fact it was in the top drawer of the little mahogany chest

for years and years in the attic, so, it's great.

I'm really pleased with that.

The rest of us are also delighted with that result as it's our first sale to exceed Jonty's top estimate.

A few more like this and that smile may yet return.

Could the Art Deco clock be the catalyst?

Jonty and Flick both liked it.

Let's hope they're not the only fans in the room.

You liked this clock, didn't you?

It's quite sleek, smart and stylist, yeah. I think it looks good.

-Does it work?

-It does work, yes.

It worked for as long as it was on my mantelpiece and I changed my decor and I took it out.

-So it's 50 quid.

-That's right. Happy to see this one go?

-Yeah.

568, is the Art Deco mantel clock.

And again I've got some interest in this, straight off.

I've been bid £20 for the lot. For £20. 20, I'm bid. 22, 24...

-Keep going.

-28, £30...

£30 for that mantel clock.

£30, it's a charity lot.

£30... At £30, anybody else?

Anybody else want to come in? Working Art Deco mantel clock...

Selling then for £30. I'm going to sell it for £30 all done.

I put £30 to £50 on that.

-Look, is there a smile?

-No.

-That's a rye smile.

-She's thinking to herself,

"I'm completely cuckoo for putting that clock into auction."

They get worse.

They certainly do and there's plenty of them.

If we have to rely on my jokes to raise the smiles today we could be in for a very long afternoon.

Once again we reach Jonty's bottom estimate

and it's another all-important contribution towards our target.

So, at the half time stage,

just how much have we managed to raise so far?

I think you should go out and get some air before you chin someone.

You wanted £500.

Halfway through I can tell you that we've raised £127.

-It's not looking good, is it?

-It's half-time!

I think you go and have a cup of tea, have a look around,

deep breath, relax and we'll come back in a while, shall we?

OK. All right, then.

Whilst we have a well deserved break following a tricky first half,

Aggie takes the opportunity to have a snoop around at the various lots here today.

She's not buying but we know she has an eye for china and it doesn't take her long to spot this tea set.

It was made by Poole pottery who first began producing porcelain back in 1873.

This part tea set is offered for sale together with a matching bowl and biscuit barrel

with an estimate of £40 to £60.

When it takes it turn in front of the room,

it would seem that Aggie is the only fan as it goes unsold

and proves it's not just our items that are failing

to tempt the bidders into parting with their cash.

If you're thinking of buying or selling in this way,

remember that charges such as commission will be added to your bill.

It's always best to check these fees in advance with the saleroom.

While there are plenty more lots still to come in the second half of our sale,

and Aggie's next item is about to go under the hammer.

It's the heavy duty pestle and mortar

that Jonty valued between £40 to £60.

Who'd want that in their kitchen?

-Don't say that too loud.

-Excuse me, you had it in your kitchen.

It was never in my kitchen. A friend of mine gave it to me, who was chucking it out and I said,

"Don't chuck that out." Actually, I don't want it.

Where would you chuck it out to?

You'd have to take it to the recycling centre.

-Even they wouldn't want it, maybe.

-Heave it over the side.

-This is the best recycling centre because we can get £40 to £60 for it.

-You're kidding!

What's it worth, the pestle and mortar? £10 to go for it. £10, surely.

Anybody want it for £10? This is a charity lot. I'm bid £10 there.

At £10 for the pestle and mortar.

£10 is all I'm bid. At £10...

is all I'm bid for the pestle and mortar.

At £10, are you all done? At £10 it's a charity lot, I'm going to sell it at £10 if that's all right.

It's going to be sold for £10. £10, going for £10.

That was tough.

It was in your cellar, or something.

It was. I mean, £10 is fine, it's just that he said more!

That is a disappointing result

for one of the world's heaviest pestle and mortars.

On the plus side, Aggie's taking her frustrations out on Jonty now

which is certainly a welcome relief to me.

Now our next lot is the rather splendid Victorian tablecloth

which, true to her word, Aggie boiled and cleaned with a biological washing powder.

As you might expect, it looks as good as new.

Possibly too good, in fact!

-So next up is the very, very clean tablecloth.

-Yes.

The one you don't want to give away. That's right. So what I've done is I've put a reserve on it.

I don't want it to go for a fiver, I've put a £25 reserve on it, so fingers crossed.

Well, Jonty, you said £30 to £50.

-Yes.

-You've done really well so far today, Jonty.

I'm trying. I know I'm very trying.

You are very trying.

It's that lot out there I'm fed up with.

Yes, stare at them harder.

No, don't, that's probably the problem.

You're making them nervous.

Where shall we go with this lot? Maybe £10 to start, get things going.

£10 for the tablecloth, at £10 anybody?

I'm bid £10, £12 now.

14, 16, 18, 20?

No, not quite enough at £18. £18 for the tablecloth. At £18...

Anybody else at £18? With me at 18, at 18.

All done for £18. £18 and going...

Not sold I'm afraid.

-Do you know what? I'm pleased about that.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

I bet you'll put it back in the cupboard and never use it again.

-You're right! It'll get yellow again.

-Exactly!

-I know.

You just want it to get yellow again so you can get the stain out.

Well, Aggie is clearly relieved

that the tablecloth wasn't sold for just £18

but that lack of a sale doesn't help our target,

which is currently stalled at just £137.

Maybe there'll be some Clarice Cliff fans in the room

because, although it's not the genuine piece like the one that so nearly made it to auction,

there's a definite similarity with our Arcadian bowl.

Jonty valued it at £50 to £60 when we found it at Aggie's house but,

judging by the results so far today,

I think that may have been somewhat optimistic.

Next up is the Clarice Cliff, of course.

Oh, no, you didn't bring it(!)

I'm glad I didn't now. It'd have gone for a fiver!

No, it wouldn't have.

-What are we hoping for this?

-Well, if it had been Clarice Cliff, we could be looking at £300 to £400.

But, this is not. So, the bowl is £50 to £60.

Start me £10 for the bowl. A charity lot for £10, surely.

-I'm bid £10.

-Oh, 10.

£10, 12, thank you, James. 14, 16, 18, 20,

22. £22 there, at 22.

Anybody else, £22 in the middle there, at 22. To you, Sir, at 22.

At £22, doesn't seem much.

At £22, I'm going to sell it at 22. Thank you, 22.

The buyers just aren't here.

-No, they're not.

-Not today.

They've apparently come for the Clarice bowl but unfortunately...

I think I'll keep quiet from now on. I do feel for Aggie though.

When the bidders aren't in a spending mood, there really isn't anything we can do.

We have just one lot to go, so let's hope we can at least finish the auction on a high.

Vintage champers, anyone?

Next up is the Krug and you've put a reserve on it?

I have cos I was in a restaurant last week and that very same bottle was on the menu for £500.

-So I can't let it go for less than 50.

-Between you and me I'm hoping that it doesn't go at all,

so we can just crack it open!

-A glass of warm champagne.

-Hey, why not?

It must be worth, start me 40 to go,

to start me for the bottle of Krug. £40.

It'll cost an awful lot more than this in the shop. Nobody want it for £40?

40, I'm bid.

-He's got 40.

-£45, 50, sir? £50 now at 50.

In the room, further away at £50, still a cheap bottle of Krug at £50.

£50 is all I'm bid in the middle. 55, thank you.

60, sir?

£60.

65, thank you. 70?

£70 further away at £70.

Anybody else at £70? For the bottle of Krug, I'm going to sell it at £70.

Still cheap at £70, a charity lot, selling at £70.

-70 quid, that's not bad at all.

-I'm happy with that.

-Good.

-I'm happy.

-Well, show it in your face, then.

-I'm ecstatic!

Yes, that's what we want to see!

At last, a notable sale price for one of Aggie's lots.

Although it still falls short of Jonty's estimate,

but at least, at the end of the day, we're finally all smiling.

I'm crossing my fingers and toes that this all adds up to a total that meets with Aggie's approval.

-I can tell you that your day at the auction is over.

-What a flop.

No, it wasn't a flop at all.

With all the lots that you've brought here, you've actually raised £229, which isn't bad.

Remember, you've taken £200 out of the equation.

-Yes, the lovely Clarice Cliff.

-Which you are going to donate...

-Yes, I am.

You wanted 500, you actually made 429.

-That's OK.

-A lot of money for Hackney Orchestra.

-Actually, that's true.

It could have been worse. It could have been even worse.

-And you've got your tablecloth back.

-I know, that's what I'm happy about.

I'm slightly gutted that the Krug's sold. I'll have to make do with a glass of water.

-It's been lovely meeting you.

-And you.

-And you too, Flick, as well.

-It's been great.

-I'm glad you enjoyed it. And good luck with everything.

After that somewhat turbulent day at auction,

Aggie is heading to north London to the home of the Hackney Youth Orchestra,

to enjoy a performance of some of her charity's rising stars.

What I love about this organisation is that it's so inclusive.

All sorts of kids from all sorts of different backgrounds and creeds

and everyone is here to enjoy the music. That's the common theme.

It's really fun and we get to meet people, talk to people

and it's just somewhere where we can play our music and enjoy music.

It's just a big load of fun.

After such high emotion at auction, hopefully this day out

will be a less stressful experience for our queen of clean.

I love the fact that it's a really small charity

and for a small charity any input makes a huge difference.

I know that I can make quite a big bit of difference to the charity.

Kids come because they really want to learn their music. It's just fantastic.

Well, considering Aggie withdrew her best item

on the morning of the auction, I didn't think she did too badly.

She was after £500 and she was slightly under budget.

The main thing is her charity will benefit.

If you want to raise money for something special,

and you think you've got the treasures hidden around your home,

why not apply to be on the programme? All the details are at:

Good luck and we'll see you next time on Cash In The Attic.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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