0:00:04 > 0:00:06Over the last 11 years on Flog It!,
0:00:06 > 0:00:10we've helped you sell thousands of antiques and collectables
0:00:10 > 0:00:14and over the years, we've seen a variety of astonishing things.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Please tell me where you got it.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19- What do you think it's worth?- 200. - I think more.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21- WOMAN CHEERS - Go on!
0:00:21 > 0:00:24But as you know, it's not easy to put a value on all of them,
0:00:24 > 0:00:27but there are some things that are always guaranteed to find a market.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31Welcome to Flog It! Trade Secrets.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Flog It! valuation days play host to all manner
0:01:04 > 0:01:07of pretty porcelain objects and dainty silverware.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10And of course, there's a ready-made market for all of this stuff.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12But there are a lot of you out there
0:01:12 > 0:01:15that want to get your hands on something a little bit more playful and fun.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Coming up, we look at the risque and the downright rude,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23and why it sells so well.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25I think they should just be got rid of.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29- You're blushing!- They just... - You're blushing!
0:01:29 > 0:01:33So, very rare, and of course, now very collected.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38We discover it's not just the naked ladies that get our hearts racing.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42- You liked your men big?- Oh, I still do, even as an old age pensioner!
0:01:42 > 0:01:44I'm still a bit that way!
0:01:44 > 0:01:471,000. And 50. 1,100.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49It just went up and up and up.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54And a little hand-painted snuff box causes a huge stir.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56It wasn't till you opened it up that you got the shock of your life.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00- Goodness gracious me! - It was awfully rude.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Rodgers and Hammerstein put it very succinctly
0:02:09 > 0:02:12in their 1949 musical 'South Pacific'
0:02:12 > 0:02:14when they wrote "There's nothing like a dame".
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Now, one thing I've learned over the years on Flog It! is,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21a woman in a state of undress, in any antique form,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23generally sells, and sells well.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27Whether it's an Art Deco lamp base, an oil painting or a Parian-ware figure,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30the collectors go mad for scantily-clad women.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35But why is that? Here's our experts with their reasons.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37RAUNCHY MUSIC
0:02:41 > 0:02:45I enjoy the naked female form!
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Did that sound creepy?!
0:02:49 > 0:02:52I think if a nude is done tastefully, it has huge value.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54If it's poorly done,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57and I think the human form is more difficult to replicate
0:02:57 > 0:02:59probably than anything else...
0:02:59 > 0:03:02So quality, quality-based
0:03:02 > 0:03:05is the way forward if you're looking at nudes.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08As regard to risque things, don't get too risque.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10You find the market narrowing
0:03:10 > 0:03:13if you get a little bit over the top.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Don't ever go and try and buy anything naked.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Unless you're stunningly beautiful, the price won't come down.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22I think nudes proliferate in art
0:03:22 > 0:03:26and it's not uncommon to see a nude on, say, a bit of WMF pewter,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28and that will make it more valuable.
0:03:28 > 0:03:34If you move into erotica, which is more suggestive and of a sexual nature,
0:03:34 > 0:03:38that, ultimately, can limit the market for that object.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43It tends toward the seedier side of collecting.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46So unless you are that sort of person, I'd stay away from it.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51I've got a little collection of nudes and erotica myself, actually.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56So here are some of our very best finds
0:03:56 > 0:03:58and what you can learn from them.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02I see quite a few risque things in the auction business.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04But the difficulty with Flog It!
0:04:04 > 0:04:08is getting the directors to agree to put it on the show!
0:04:09 > 0:04:14These are wonderful. Are these things that have been in your family for a long time?
0:04:14 > 0:04:19Yes, it was my grandfather's. I think he must've sold postcards.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22It was perhaps his, erm, his sample.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26- Ahh!- It was in the early 1900s.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Very saucy, your grandfather!
0:04:29 > 0:04:31You've got lots of gaps. What happened to the gaps?
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Well, there were some that were a wee bit naughtier than others.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38There were some rather dodgy postcards amongst those!
0:04:38 > 0:04:41But I remember, the lady said she was looking through them
0:04:41 > 0:04:44and she said, "My children came down the stairs
0:04:44 > 0:04:46"so I took them away and threw them in the waste bin."
0:04:46 > 0:04:49But she went to retrieve them and the binmen had been!
0:04:49 > 0:04:54And there we have scenes of semi-dressed ladies,
0:04:54 > 0:04:55typical of the period.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00Every society is a rebellion of the society that went before it.
0:05:00 > 0:05:06So, you know, there are times in the court of William III,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08the women were topless in the court!
0:05:08 > 0:05:10They would walk around with their breasts out.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Why? Because it was a rebellion against the Puritans that went before them.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19So when we're looking at an Edwardian 1920s period of these risque postcards,
0:05:19 > 0:05:24again, that's a rebellion against Queen Victoria, all trussed up in her black.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26These are known as fantasy heads.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Each head is made up of bodies of naked girls.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32We've got here Napoleon.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Another Napoleon there. Bismarck.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Now, these cards... And a donkey. How odd!
0:05:39 > 0:05:44You couldn't imagine a less likely couple to own risque postcards.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47It could've been the Blackpool Tower and her face would've been no different.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51I looked at him and he was beginning to go a little bit pinker and pinker.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54I think they should just be got rid of.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- You're blushing!- They just... - You're blushing!
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Well, that's my age!
0:05:59 > 0:06:05Because, of course, their generation was a rebellion against the period that they were looking at.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10It was their parents' generation that enjoyed the postcards. Very funny!
0:06:11 > 0:06:13But were those postcards not quite saucy enough
0:06:13 > 0:06:16for the risque-postcard collectors?
0:06:16 > 0:06:20It's a lovely saucy postcard. A wonderful collector's item.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Start me at £100.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26100 bid. 110. 120.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29They're super. 130. 140. 150. 160.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33160. 170. 180...
0:06:33 > 0:06:36This is good. Great timing.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40..220. 230. 240. £240.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43All done at 240. 240?
0:06:43 > 0:06:46She sold them. 240.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Just used a little bit of discretion there, I think!
0:06:49 > 0:06:52The naughtiest ones had been taken out
0:06:52 > 0:06:55because they didn't want the children to see them!
0:06:55 > 0:06:57In actual fact, the naughtiest ones
0:06:57 > 0:07:01are the ones of the biggest market value.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05The very rude ones are often the rarest.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09And if... And, also, the very rude ones are often -
0:07:09 > 0:07:11how do I put this? -
0:07:11 > 0:07:14action shots! Erm...
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Erm, I'll leave it at that!
0:07:16 > 0:07:19And, of course, when you get action shots -
0:07:19 > 0:07:22it's common as anything today online -
0:07:22 > 0:07:25but in the 1920s, 100 hundred years ago,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29my word - just seeing somebody's leg or ankle or knee -
0:07:29 > 0:07:32that was pretty much hardcore.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34When you went beyond that, my goodness,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38an action shot between two people was just unheard of.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42So very rare and, of course, now very collected.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Back in 2005, Philip came across something fun
0:07:46 > 0:07:49which called for great discretion.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52- You've brought along this lovely little snuffbox.- I have.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55It's about 1820. How did you come by it?
0:07:55 > 0:07:57I found it in a shed in the back yard.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02They're interesting little things. A lot of these are continental, possibly French or Russian.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05This one looks like it's got a Scottish scene on there.
0:08:05 > 0:08:06It's inscribed, which says
0:08:06 > 0:08:08"The cudgel in my nieve did shake
0:08:08 > 0:08:11"Each bristled hair stood like a stake".
0:08:11 > 0:08:14That's quite nice. Let's just turn over and have a look.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17It wasn't till you opened it up that you got the shock of your life. Goodness, gracious me!
0:08:17 > 0:08:21And I have to tell you, they are terrible things to try and film,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24because you've got to put your thumb in some discreet places
0:08:24 > 0:08:25so you don't offend viewers.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27I think I can show people at home,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30but I've got to strategically hold it like that.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34I couldn't possibly tell you what was under my thumb. It was awfully rude.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39- You can understand why it was in the shed.- I can.- Yes.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42It's a secret thing. It's almost like "What the butler saw".
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Because you look at this papier-mache snuffbox
0:08:45 > 0:08:50and the cover is some chap walking her across a moor with his trusty staff,
0:08:50 > 0:08:55and then you open it up and, lo and behold, his staff isn't what it seemed to be.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58I think that the history of these things,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02it's getting away from Victorian puritanical views. It's there to shock you.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04If we look at the top,
0:09:04 > 0:09:06that's all painted.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09And if you turn this one over, you can just see a cut mark there.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12I think this has been a cut-out,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15possibly of a print or something, and been placed in there.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18- I think we can put an estimate on it of £100-200.- Goodness gracious!
0:09:18 > 0:09:20I think if the inside had been right,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23if this had all been original in here,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26- I think it would've made perhaps £200-400.- Oh!
0:09:26 > 0:09:28There are serious collectors of erotica.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Quite how they display it in their homes, I do not know!
0:09:34 > 0:09:37But were the erotica collectors at the auction?
0:09:37 > 0:09:39100. And ten?
0:09:39 > 0:09:41120?
0:09:41 > 0:09:44130. 140?
0:09:44 > 0:09:47150? 160.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51I think they're a talking point and I think they're the sort of thing that, you know,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54people still like to shock, don't they?
0:09:54 > 0:09:59People still like to, "Look at this. Isn't it lovely?" Bang! "You weren't expecting that."
0:09:59 > 0:10:03People who collect these things, there's still that shock factor involved.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06230. 240. 250. 260.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08270. 280.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12290. 300. And ten.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14320. 330.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- No more.- Amazing!- 320.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19320.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Bang. £320!
0:10:22 > 0:10:25You better get back down the shed!
0:10:27 > 0:10:29And here's another trade secret...
0:10:29 > 0:10:32If you find a decorated box aimed at a gentleman,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35make sure you look inside.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38There could be some additional racy artwork,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41and with that, additional value.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46Some wonderful French Art Deco lampshades came in,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48which had been thrown out.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51John, I can really have no complaint today
0:10:51 > 0:10:55because you've brought me four scantily-clad ladies.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58I was working on a house, due for refurbishment,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00and they were in boxes that were going in the skip.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05I delved into it and found one, delved a bit further and found the four glass things,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09- looked a bit further and found these and I thought... - "Those must go with those."
0:11:09 > 0:11:12I didn't, no. I brought them home and tried to fit them together
0:11:12 > 0:11:14- and...- Bingo!- Yes.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Well, I think it's scandalous that, at any time,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19these were heading for a skip.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23It was immediately obvious that they were rare and valuable things,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26but they were also very good-looking things.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28So unless it was a very prudish household,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31I can't quite understand why they made it to the skip.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35They are signed here. "Muller Freres Luneville".
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Did you look that up or do any work on that?
0:11:37 > 0:11:42Well, when I got them, I took them to a local antiques dealer to find out what they were.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45He told me that "Muller Freres" was "Muller Brothers",
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- "Luneville" was "Light City"... - Absolutely.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51..and that they were Art Nouveau, probably 1930s-ish.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Near enough. I can fill it out a little bit more.
0:11:54 > 0:12:00You've got the fantastic glassworks, run by Emile Galle.
0:12:00 > 0:12:01And Muller Brothers,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05before they set up on their own, worked for Galle.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07They left him in about 1905
0:12:07 > 0:12:09and were working through the '20s and '30s,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12and I think they closed in 1937.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15The Muller Brothers, I think, began in the Galle workshop
0:12:15 > 0:12:18although, I would say with those lampshades,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22they were much more influenced by Rene Lalique
0:12:22 > 0:12:24and his style of moulded glass.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27We've got press-moulded glass
0:12:27 > 0:12:31which is given this contrast by this acid etching.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33We've got the acid-etched signatures on each one.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36How lovely that we've got the original mounts, as well.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40By the time these were produced, which I imagine is about 1925,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Lalique is the most fashionable glassmaker in France
0:12:43 > 0:12:46and he's the one that they're imitating
0:12:46 > 0:12:49and possibly, in some respects, surpassing.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53But what did the skip-finds make at auction?
0:12:53 > 0:12:56What am I bid for this lot here, ladies and gentlemen?
0:12:56 > 0:13:00I'm going to start this at £200.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04- And 225. And £250.- Well, we're in.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07At £275. I have 300 here.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11At £320. At £340 on commission.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14360 in the room. £360.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18At 360. Are there any further bids?
0:13:18 > 0:13:22- At £360...- Come on, a bit more.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23..all done.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27- Gone. 360.- Got him away. - Well done, Michael.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31Naked ladies and antiques go well together.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34In art, on postcards, cigarette boxes and lampshades,
0:13:34 > 0:13:38the female form appears time and time again.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Almost all of the things that you find,
0:13:41 > 0:13:47in terms of nude bronze sculptures, nude enamelwork or nude paintings,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50they're almost always copied.
0:13:50 > 0:13:56So I would say that if you're going to buy nudes, make sure it's not a fake.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00I would warn against reproductions or something that has been...
0:14:00 > 0:14:03..I was going to say touched up but that's the wrong phrase!
0:14:03 > 0:14:08When it comes to nudes or risque pieces for gentlemen, shall we say,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10the key word is,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14make sure it's a pretty, young lady that's nude or risque
0:14:14 > 0:14:16because - I'm going to make a generalisation here -
0:14:16 > 0:14:20but I would suggest that pretty, young ladies sell better
0:14:20 > 0:14:23than, shall we say, ladies of the older generation
0:14:23 > 0:14:27who may be, er, exposing themselves.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30The same is true of, you know, men.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35If you've got an ugly old codger in a powdered wig as a portrait,
0:14:35 > 0:14:39he's not gonna sell as well as, say, a strapping young man who's nude.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Just look at the paintings of Henry Scott Tuke -
0:14:41 > 0:14:45there's a big market for naked young men, just as there is for naked young ladies.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50Thomas Plant fondly remembers one male figure he valued.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53I recall Eve
0:14:53 > 0:14:57and her muscular man, breaking his rods.
0:14:57 > 0:14:5950 years ago, I was newly married
0:14:59 > 0:15:03and I married a very young, handsome bodybuilder.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06My mother bought this because she thought it was the image of him.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11The marriage lasted two years, but this figure had been with her for 50.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14- You liked your men big?- I still do, even as an old age pensioner!
0:15:14 > 0:15:17I'm still a bit that way!
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Beautifully sculpted in bronze.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Quite big, as well, but his head was down.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27Most people like their bronzes up and you can see the whole body.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31Upright, head up, or, you know, them posing, doing something.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33I did suggest you lay him on his back!
0:15:33 > 0:15:36- Well, then you'd miss his buttocks! - Oh, right!
0:15:36 > 0:15:39And that seems to have impressed all of you chaps.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43- All the ladies round here have been looking at his bum.- OK!
0:15:43 > 0:15:45I'm going to be quite harsh on the value.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46I think £200-300.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51- Did George rise to the occasion? - Went to auction, it was a long time ago,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54and she'd upped the estimate. I don't think that mattered at all.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58The bronze figure of the standing woodcutter,
0:15:58 > 0:16:04starting us here at £400. And 20. 460. 480.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07- Brilliant.- 500 already. 520. 540.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09560. 580?
0:16:09 > 0:16:11600. And 20.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13It just went up and up and up.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15840.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17860.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20880. 900.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23And 20. 940, sir?
0:16:23 > 0:16:261,000. And 50. 1,100.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28And 50.
0:16:28 > 0:16:301,200. And 50.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32- Wow! 1,250!- It's amazing!- 1,300.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35And 50.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39- 1,400 seated?- No.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41At 1,350, then...
0:16:41 > 0:16:44- Oh!- That was fabulous, wasn't it? - Super!
0:16:44 > 0:16:47- That was a super surprise! - I'm so pleased.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52And what was lovely was that Eve was going to see her family in Australia
0:16:52 > 0:16:55and she needed money for the ticket.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57This is the great thing about Flog It! -
0:16:57 > 0:17:02sometimes this money makes their journey slightly more comfortable in life,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06and I think Eve went club class at £1,350.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Here's what we've learnt so far...
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Naughty sells well.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Don't be a prude when it comes to selling your antiques.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Things are not always what they seem.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Look inside, there could be a surprise.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Naked ladies and good maker's names are a winning combination.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33And there's a growing, affluent market for male nudes.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Now could be the time to sell.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42Flog It! regular and everybody's favourite joker Charlie Ross
0:17:42 > 0:17:44is not only a celebrity auctioneer,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48jetting off to glamorous locations around the world, gavel in hand...
0:17:48 > 0:17:5314.9 million dollars! Sold! CHEERING
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Ladies and gentlemen, you witnessed a new world record for a motorcar at auction,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00right here, right now.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03..he's also one of our most enthusiastic valuers.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08Sometimes we get people who almost hit me when I tell them what things are worth!
0:18:08 > 0:18:11And the thing that really gets him going is furniture.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14That's what gets him up in the morning, that's where he started out.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18He can recognise his Chippendale from his Thomas Mouseman,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21but can he spot an antique of the future?
0:18:31 > 0:18:34It all started by chance, really. I joined a firm
0:18:34 > 0:18:37and the first auction I conducted was chickens - in a market!
0:18:37 > 0:18:41But the company I was working for had a saleroom in Buckingham,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43and I remember walking in there for the first time
0:18:43 > 0:18:45and seeing these wonderful pieces of brown furniture
0:18:45 > 0:18:48and getting really quite excited by them!
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Why do I like furniture,
0:18:50 > 0:18:55as opposed to china or silver or glass?
0:18:55 > 0:18:58They're objects that you tend to tuck into a cabinet.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02With furniture, you use it. You sit in the chair, you eat at the dining table,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06you get your drinks from the cabinet, the clock tells you the time.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11And the more you use these things, the more patination they get from polishing them,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15the more wear they get, the more quirky they get and possibly even they get damaged.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19But actually, I quite like to see something with the leg slightly wonky
0:19:19 > 0:19:21or the handle falling off.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25It just means it's old and it's been loved and used.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32This piece of furniture is my favourite piece of furniture in the whole world,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36largely because it comes with history or possibly baggage even.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41It was given to my parents as a wedding present by my Uncle Mack,
0:19:41 > 0:19:46who was a wealthier member than most members of my family have been through the years!
0:19:46 > 0:19:49He obviously went into an antique shop and bought this,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52what we know as the drinks cupboard.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56And I've loved it ever since I saw it as a child.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01I was always led to believe that this was a valuable piece of furniture,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04and this was the bit that will be handed down.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Sadly, the drinks cupboard flatters to deceive
0:20:07 > 0:20:13and it is not the 17th-century chest on stand that it should've been.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16In fact, the whole thing is a complete mish-mash.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20I was talking to a friend about this and he said, "You know the doors aren't right, don't you?"
0:20:20 > 0:20:23I thought, "How come they're not right?"
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Well, he opened up the doors and he said, "They're far too thin."
0:20:27 > 0:20:30And actually, with a piece of period furniture,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33they would've been far more substantial.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37And looking at the panels, there is no real sign of age,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39and the real true thing here
0:20:39 > 0:20:43are the dowels holding together the door.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47They're mean and probably 1930s.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Now, most of the timber here is 17th century.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55A lot of early pieces of oak fell to bits because they were on flagstone floors.
0:20:55 > 0:21:01They got damp, they got woodworm and so the bases rotted away. People would save what they could.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06Here, they've saved two drawers from a chest on stand.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09But the drawer bottom is new,
0:21:09 > 0:21:14the handles, although they are old handles, have come off something else.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18The more you look at it, the worse it is, from a purist's point of view.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21When you look at something in a saleroom, look at it properly.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25If you don't know yourself, ask advice of somebody.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29Close the door and have a look at the base...
0:21:29 > 0:21:32It's in two parts,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34which, of course, a real... GLASSES CLATTER
0:21:34 > 0:21:36..chest on stand should be.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39But if we look carefully at the stand,
0:21:39 > 0:21:41it's actually Victorian.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44It's just rather sad to think that this piece of furniture,
0:21:44 > 0:21:48instead of being perhaps worth five to 8,000 pounds,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51is probably worth 300 or 400.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56That shouldn't really matter, erm, because I will never let it go
0:21:56 > 0:21:58and it will always be the drinks cupboard.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02It's still just as lovely for me as a piece of furniture.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10We're only 14 or 15 miles from Oxford here
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and there are a lot of really talented people
0:22:13 > 0:22:16making very special new furniture in Oxford today.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19I'm going to go and have a look at some of it.
0:22:32 > 0:22:33Wow!
0:22:33 > 0:22:37A cross between a Rubik's cube
0:22:37 > 0:22:41and a 1950s Eagle Annual space rocket!
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Isn't it wonderful? With an Art Deco influence,
0:22:44 > 0:22:50you can see a 1920s look to what is, I suppose, a writing table.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55I like that. Perhaps I'm not supposed to like things that aren't 18th and 19th century,
0:22:55 > 0:23:00but I think that's a really stylish and obviously beautiful-made piece of furniture.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03And I like the crisp lines.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13You'd think it was Ercol, looking at it!
0:23:13 > 0:23:15But there's a difference.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19The quality of manufacture is absolutely wonderful.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24And I imagine it's a dressing table or a wash stand, should I say?
0:23:24 > 0:23:29And beautifully made. It reminds me of quite a lot of 1950s furniture
0:23:29 > 0:23:32of similar sort of design, but the quality was horrible.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36This is real craftsmanship. Beautifully constructed.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48- Is this your handiwork? - It is indeed, yes.- Wonderful.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52I'm probably being a bit ignorant, but is it a workstation?
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Erm, kind of.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58- Have you ever heard of the idea of hot-desking?- Hot-desking? No.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Right, it's basically a desk that has multiple uses.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04- Right. - So you can stick it in an office,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08- you can have someone that's just coming in for the day to work on it. - Yes.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13Or you can use it for break-times, meetings. That was the idea.
0:24:13 > 0:24:19- It has a little compartment there. Would that be for a computer? - A laptop, or even just a folder.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22I'm showing my ignorance - looking at old pieces of furniture,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25I spend my life looking at mahogany and oak.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29I'm looking at some of these woods and wondering about what they are.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31- What is that?- That's ash veneer.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35- It's ash. And it's veneered, is it? - Yes. It's aeroply laminate.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38It's the only way you can get that really tight curve.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41This is eight or nine layers of aeroply
0:24:41 > 0:24:43that's been glued together in a vacuum press.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47- What have we got here? - That's banana veneer.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49- Banana veneer!- Yes.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51I absolutely love the colour and the effect it gives,
0:24:51 > 0:24:53so I thought I had to use it in the piece.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58How much do you lean on old designs or other people's designs,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01and how much is entirely your own design?
0:25:01 > 0:25:04- I get a lot of my inspiration from nature.- Do you?
0:25:04 > 0:25:06- So a lot of this is my own.- Yes.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09The original idea for this came from coastal barriers,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- and then you have a wave that just rolls along...- Yes, yes.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14- I could be on the seaside, couldn't I?- Yes.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16How the heck do you price it?
0:25:16 > 0:25:21- It's very difficult, as a prototype. - Yes!- You kind of have to think realistically,
0:25:21 > 0:25:26- "If I were to make it again, knowing how to make it now, how long would it take?"- Yes.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29You have to work out your hours, work out what you want to get paid.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34- But then you end up with a hugely expensive piece of furniture.- You do.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36There's no reason why it shouldn't be.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40You can buy the most horrendous things for quite a lot of money, not a work of art.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42This one is,
0:25:42 > 0:25:47I've worked it out to roughly be between 1,700 and 2,000.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Right. I'll go and get my cheque book!
0:25:57 > 0:26:00I'm totally in admiration of your handiwork.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04- I'd love to have a little go myself, if I may.- Of course, yes.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07We can get you making a very basic dovetail box.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Now, I can remember doing a dovetail at school.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13- 45 years ago was the last time I tried a dovetail.- OK!
0:26:13 > 0:26:17- I've forgotten everything. - I can teach you the basics.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20You've got to mark out the dovetail, the bit that's V-shaped.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22And it's self-explanatory.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26- It's called a dovetail because it looks like a dovetail. - Because it's the same shape, yes.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30- Just scribe across.- Come down there? That's more or less all right.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33- We've got two saws here.- Yes. - Any particular reason?
0:26:33 > 0:26:36It's just personal preference, really.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Ooh!
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Slightly out!
0:26:43 > 0:26:47Mr Gillow is never going to employ me, is he?
0:26:47 > 0:26:51- Oh!- And there we go.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58- That's the first bit done.- Yes. - The next thing is to make the housing for it.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Oh, my goodness me. So we need the other piece of wood.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Right... JOLLY MUSIC
0:27:06 > 0:27:10The dovetail joint is particularly strong.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14It's been used for hundreds of years in the simplest of furniture
0:27:14 > 0:27:17and also the most complex.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Marvellous!
0:27:19 > 0:27:24- Right.- There we are. Now the moment of truth...
0:27:24 > 0:27:28- There we go. - And there's the other component.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Do we say The Lord's Prayer as we do this?!
0:27:33 > 0:27:36What do I get out of ten for my first effort?
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Let's have a look.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42I'd say it's at least a good 7.5 out of ten, maybe eight.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46- Is that a pass mark?- Of course. - Thank you very much for showing me!
0:27:46 > 0:27:48- You're very welcome.- Brilliant!
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Some of these pieces made by the young makers
0:27:55 > 0:27:57could be worth a good deal of money in the future.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Here's a tip - visit colleges which run craft courses.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05You can pick up some unique pieces at the end-of-term shows
0:28:05 > 0:28:08at very affordable prices.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12Well, that's it for today's show. I hope you've been inspired.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14And remember, never underestimate the frivolous,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17the naughty and the childish.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21If it makes you smile, it's a fair bet somebody else will want it.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24See you next time for more trade secrets.