The Great Outdoors Flog It: Trade Secrets


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We've all got bits and pieces tucked away in garages and attics

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that haven't been looked at for many years.

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150...

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-WOMAN EXCLAIMS

-Good Lord!

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It may be you that's got something of real historical interest and value,

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or something that a collector is looking out for.

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It's a bottle of gin now, never mind a glass of gin!

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For over ten years now on Flog It, you've shared with us your stories and items,

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and today I want to share some inside knowledge with you.

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Welcome to Flog It! Trade Secrets.

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Among the thousands of things that you bring along to show us at our valuation days,

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there's always something relating to our love of the countryside,

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whether it's walking sticks or fishing rods.

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And more often than not Flog It!

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valuation days feature a few pieces of sporting memorabilia.

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Of course, they're all gold.

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So, stick around because today we're playing to win.

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-£580.

-Yes! The hammer has gone down.

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Charlie Ross has an unusual game plan.

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I'm working this out as I go along.

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And David Fletcher is in for a few sporting surprises.

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In all my years as an auctioneer I've never encountered one of those.

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But let's get the ball rolling with some tips

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from our match-fit experts.

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Really go for the most prominent sportsperson that you can

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and the most sought-after sport.

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I see endless boxes and boxes of football programmes,

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but it's really the pre-war ones that people are collecting.

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Don't spend a lot of money on sporting memorabilia

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unless you know its provenance.

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The national excitement over the 2012 Olympics

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is just the latest example of our nation's passion for sport.

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It's a passion that's reflected at our valuation days.

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We see all manner of sports memorabilia turning up.

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-From the rare...

-It's a Sunday stick.

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-..to the iconic...

-We've got David Beckham's boots!

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..to the quite frankly bizarre.

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I love the adult bats.

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Collectors of sporting memorabilia are some of the most fanatical you are going to come across.

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How many have you got in your collection?

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I would think about 15 to 20,000.

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This is what collecting is all about - a fanatic!

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So, if you want to know the secrets and the inside track

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on what's hot in the world of sport,

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then get ready, we're under starter's orders.

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Here are some of the most interesting items we've seen over the years.

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If you have a sporting hero or a team you support,

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you want sort of relics, objects,

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that relate you to them.

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And sometimes the memorabilia is literally related to its owner.

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The nice thing about this group of medals is, they come from the vendor's father.

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He'd gone and seen his father play, he had the whole history with it and he had all the records, as well.

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So, this is your father here.

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Yes. Ernie Pattison.

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It was as complete an archive of that footballer's life

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as I think it's almost possible to get.

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We've got some of his original contracts, as well.

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-Yes. That one, I think, is the Scunthorpe contract.

-This is the local interest one.

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But what's more important is, we've got the medals.

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-And, of course, they're all gold football medals.

-Yes, they are.

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There was a nice history. He'd started off as an amateur,

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he was a miner, and it had got him out of the mines.

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He came from a mining village called Barlborough, near Derbyshire.

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He left there when he was 16 and he went to play for Frickley Colliery.

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And then Notts Forrest came and they signed him on,

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and then he was transferred to West Bromwich Albion.

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You had all of it, the whole story,

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encompassed by a tableful of objects, which is lovely.

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Any idea of value?

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-I had them appraised locally for gold...

-Right.

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..just the gold itself, and it's somewhere between

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£360 and £400, with the gold value.

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Thankfully, the interest in football

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takes them above and beyond that, you'll be glad to know.

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I think we should put them in auction

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at a reserve figure of, say, £700

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and we'll put the estimate at eight to 1,200.

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A sporting connection will often increase the value of an item beyond its weight in gold.

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But auctioneer Colin Young thought Michael overshot the estimate

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and revised it to £500 to £700.

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But let's see how much it went for.

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Lot number 275. Who's going to start me at £500?

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Four to go, then, surely? £400. 400? Three? £300, anyone?

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-That's far too low.

-Mm.

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320. 340. And 360 on the book. At 360.

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380 now? 380. 400.

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-420.

-You can't buy gold football medals for 400 quid.

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460 do I see? 460 bid now?

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460 bid. At 460. 480. At 480 bid. Any more bids now?

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At 480. 500 bid. At 500.

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-It's going up.

-Just teased it.

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At 500. 520 now. At £500, are we all done? Going this time.

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-It's one interested bidder, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Any more bids from the net?

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No. Any more from the room?

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All done and finished, then.

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They are sold at £500.

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Well done, Colin. He teased that last bit out.

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Colin knew his market and was right to bring the estimate down.

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It was a bit disappointing,

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but the most important thing is that the vendor's happy.

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-Thank you.

-Thank you.

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Thankfully, the medals sold for more than their scrap value.

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If they belonged to a famous footballer, they would've sold for even more.

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Here's our expert Michael, with the inside track.

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If you're investing, really go for the most prominent sportsperson that you can

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and the most sought-after sport.

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So it's going to be football, it's going to be cricket.

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I don't suspect you could buy Andy Murray's tennis racket

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that he won the Olympic Gold Medal for,

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but if you could, that's the sort of thing that will be an icon in 100 years to come.

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Merchandise relating to big names in sport

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is certainly worth looking out for.

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But more obscure items can have value, too.

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You never know, you might have something lurking in your garage

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that's a treasured collector's piece,

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but it's disguised as something else.

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In all my years as an auctioneer, I've never encountered one of those.

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I've never seen one of these.

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I suppose it's possible I might've done and not known what it was,

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but I was very surprised and pleased to see that.

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-Have you hurt your leg?

-No. This is not really a walking stick.

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-Is it not?

-No. It's a Sunday stick, as it was called.

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You could go walking on a Sunday, when golf wasn't able to be played,

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and you could use this to hit the occasional golf ball.

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People would think you were out for a walk with your walking stick.

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It evoked a time when people didn't take leisure on a Sunday.

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Sunday was a day of rest. You didn't work and you didn't play.

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-You weren't allowed to play golf on a Sunday.

-In certain places, no.

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Like, St Andrews is closed on a Sunday.

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So if you're out a walk, you would take this with you

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and when no-one was looking, hit a few golf balls.

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So, you'd be in trouble if you saw the minister coming along

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-on the opposite side of the road?

-Possibly, yes!

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That's when you spun it round and reverted to it as a walking stick.

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And what a lovely story.

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Doesn't it seem curmudgeonly to prevent people from playing golf on a Sunday?

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You work jolly hard all week, you want a bit of fresh air,

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and your local minister says "No, no, no!"

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I think I'd rather be playing golf.

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Now, this is going to appeal to collectors both of walking sticks

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and, of course, people like yourself who are golfers.

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-How did you come by it?

-It belonged to my mother. She had it for many years.

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Although she wasn't a golfer, she was interested in golf and anything Scottish.

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It's difficult to value something which you haven't encountered before.

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It's very useful to get a bit of input from the owner,

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and Richard, frankly, knew more about that golf stick than I did.

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We're always very grateful for a piece of input like that.

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It helps us to come up with a valuation.

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I suppose, otherwise,

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your valuation probably is instinctive.

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I knew it wasn't going to make £400 or £500,

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but I knew it was of some value.

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Now, I would be inclined to estimate this

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-in the region of £30 to £50.

-Yes.

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If it made 50 or 60,

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-I wouldn't be surprised.

-Yes.

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But I can't see it making much more than that.

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Collectors of golfiana, as it's called, what a horrible word,

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tend to be reasonably well off and they'll spend money on their hobby,

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and that'll end up in a collection somewhere.

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I don't think the owner will take it out for a walk when he exercises the dog,

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but I might be wrong!

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I think this will go in Scotland.

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There's a lot of golf memorabilia in Scotland.

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-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Here we go.

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We have the Sunday stick in the form of a golf club.

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-I'm bid 40 to start. At £40. 45. 50.

-That was good.

-Five. 60.

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At £60. Anybody else left? 65. 70.

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-Five.

-Someone on the phone here.

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£80. Are you all done?

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£80 and we're away at 80.

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-£85.

-85. Just in time on the net.

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At £85. All done, ladies and gents?

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On the internet - the room's out - at £85.

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-That's more like it, isn't it?

-That's good.

-That's a good price.

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-Someone was serious about that. That's going in a collection.

-I hope so.

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When it comes to sport and leisure you can collect anything from bats to books,

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but how do you know what will reap you rewards in the future?

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It's back to David Fletcher with some advice...

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If I was collecting sporting items,

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I would collect in the field which I either played or watched.

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Clearly, if you're not a golfer you're going to get as much enjoyment out of a golf stick.

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If you like football, collect football programmes.

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If you like rugby, collect signed rugby shirts.

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See if you can find something autographed by..

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an All Black team from the 1930s.

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That is where the potential lies, something which has got a bit of age and character.

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That's a good tip from David.

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To get a sporting chance of success in the saleroom,

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look out for items that you have special interest in.

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You're likely to know more about the subject and enjoy your buy,

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regardless of its value.

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But now to our most modest expert,

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with a very personal connection to cricket.

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I'm going to be in the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack

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because I played cricket for Poland.

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There you go. A surprised look from the director there!

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Poland does have a cricket team and I'm half-Polish, my mother's full Polish,

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and I qualified and played in a Euro cricket tournament for Poland a couple of years ago.

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Did quite well, especially against Croatia!

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So when I saw the autograph album, I thought,

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"This is a good way of me giving some of my knowledge on cricketers

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"and the famous names of olden-day cricket."

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So your father got this book and managed to fill it with lots of autographs of famous cricketers.

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All in the 19...

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-..about 1924, I think.

-1924, 1925.

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So we'll look through...

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This one was a particularly good one because it had some real old-time legends of cricket in there,

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names like Jack Hobbs and Hammond and Sutcliffe

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and all the big names.

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When you get something really good like that, the price is hard to predict.

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There's going to be a few famous Yorkshiremen there, I'm sure.

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-Herbert Sutcliffe.

-Absolutely.

-That's great, isn't it?

-Yes.

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It's a super album. There's a lot of interest to cricket collectors there.

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I think it'll probably make between £100 and £200 for the collection.

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-That could be good.

-Yes.

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When we got to the auction room, I always thought it would do a bit better,

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and there was a sort of palpable sense of excitement about the album,

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but you don't know for sure until it comes under the hammer.

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He absolutely loved it.

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And he's got a buyer on the phone from Spain.

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-Has he?

-Yes!

-Goodness me!

-It's going under the hammer now.

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When the album came up for sale, Paul may have given me a slight indication

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that this was going to go well.

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As it came up...

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150. 160. 170. 180. 190.

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-..it went really quickly.

-This is more like it.

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It was one of the more exciting auction moments that you can find.

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540. 580.

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580, our number-two telephone. All finished in the room?

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Sold and away at £580.

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-Yes!

-Brilliant!

-The hammer's gone down. £580.

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I thought it might make two or 300, perhaps a little more.

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As it happens, I think it made almost 500,

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which was a bit more.

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It's a new game - "Higher" she says "Higher!"

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I can't believe it!

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-Janet, what's the name of your grandson?

-BOTH: Lewis.

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-Well, what do you think of that?

-It's amazing.

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Part of the reason that the autograph album sold so well, I'm sure,

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is because the autographs were not overlapping each other

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and they were all done on a single sheet

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so that later on, if you decide to sell it

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or your descendants decide to sell it,

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they will be able to maximise the profit out of it

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by having the potential to split it up, if necessary.

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So if you're a keen autograph collector,

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get each signature on a different page

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and don't write their name underneath.

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Like most collections, they'll get split up in the future

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so make sure there's room for the scissors to cut around them.

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The Flog It experts have decades of experience and an encyclopaedic knowledge of antiques.

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But sometimes, even the very best are left baffled.

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I love to find something about which I know nothing.

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And I think, unlike some people,

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I'm very, very capable of putting my hands up and saying,

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"I know nothing!"

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I need you to tell me what it is. Let's just talk it through on the outside.

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It's a bamboo...

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basically a bamboo walking stick with a bit of carved bone on the top.

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-It's not ivory, it's carved bone.

-Yes.

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The age looks to me to be...

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almost Victorian, probably Edwardian.

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What an exciting thing to find. I thought it was just a walking cane.

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Hello.

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When I pulled the top out,

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I thought it was going to be a sword stick!

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Does that give you a clue?

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Was it a sword stick? No! It was a horse-measuring cane.

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It's got the hands... Can we stand it upright? There we go.

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-That shows the measurement there or opposite here?

-It would have to be there.

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-It would show on there, yes.

-It couldn't be there because that would always be the same.

-Yes.

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You're quite right!

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I'm working this out as I go along!

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And it was really beautifully made,

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it had some restoration, but an unusual thing.

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Difficult thing to value. I think I put about £50 on it.

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Lot 237! Nice old horse-measuring stick!

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These used to make an awful lot of money round Newmarket,

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-and still do.

-Oh!

-All the traders used to have them.

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50. 55. 60. 65. 70.

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-75. The undertaker's in on this one.

-LAUGHTER

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85 with the lady. 85.

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You see, it's equine memorabilia. Big money.

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That lady there, at £85. Anybody else? Who's going to bid?

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It goes with the lady, then, at 85.

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-Yes! £85.

-Brilliant.

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It's remarkable, something like that,

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that was used purely for the purpose for which it was intended -

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measuring horses - has become a collector's item.

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I don't suppose it'll ever be used to measure a horse again.

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It's a fantastic piece of memorabilia.

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Sporting memorabilia can certainly win gold in the saleroom

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and there are a few things you can do to secure yourself a medal.

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Look out for famous sporting names. If they're famous now,

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there's a good chance they'll be sought-after in the future.

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-He played for Glasgow Rangers.

-He's going to be well sought-after. Very collectable.

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Collect a sport you're interested in.

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If you're asking a player to sign their life away in an autograph book,

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make sure the names could be split in the future.

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Or you could take your sporting memorabilia to a specialist sports auction

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where you might get a better price.

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Very good!

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And one tip that applies not just to sport

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but to all sorts of antiques...

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Always buy something that makes you feel good inside, that puts a smile on your face

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because it's always going to be a good investment, even if it doesn't go up in value.

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If you could have any beautiful antique you liked,

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what would it be?

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I put that question to Charlie Ross.

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If I wanted to own one thing in the world,

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it would be a complete set of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.

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What is Wisden? Wisden is the cricketer's Bible.

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First published, I think, in, er, 1864 and still being published today.

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They are just a history of cricket,

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and you can look up anybody.

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I love using them today. You meet someone and they say, "My dad played for so and so"

0:19:100:19:16

and then when they've gone home you can look in Wisdens and check them out,

0:19:160:19:20

see if their dad did really play for so and so.

0:19:200:19:23

Because people tend to spin yarns about these things, dare I say it!

0:19:230:19:28

But for me, it's a complete fascination.

0:19:280:19:30

I'm a member of the Lord's Taverners, of the MCC.

0:19:300:19:34

I still, dare I say it, turn out and play the odd game of cricket.

0:19:340:19:38

There are about 150 volumes of Wisden,

0:19:380:19:41

of which I have 120, 125,

0:19:410:19:44

so I've got more to buy. But they're the expensive ones, of course.

0:19:440:19:48

The relevance of this particular Wisden, 1938,

0:19:480:19:51

it's got the scores from the 1936-37 tour of Australia,

0:19:510:19:57

England playing Australia Down Under.

0:19:570:19:59

Now, the bat has got signatures

0:19:590:20:03

of all the players that played in the test matches.

0:20:030:20:06

Some of the names are a little illegible now.

0:20:060:20:11

Signed in old fountain pen, it's hardly surprising they're illegible.

0:20:110:20:15

But if you look up the Wisden, you can check all the names so you've got the full teams.

0:20:150:20:20

That, for me, is real history.

0:20:200:20:22

This bat belonged to Len Hutton who was playing for the England team.

0:20:220:20:26

And at the top of the Australian list is the signature of Donald Bradman,

0:20:260:20:31

the greatest cricketer that ever lived - by miles.

0:20:310:20:34

I don't think anybody would argue with that.

0:20:340:20:37

If you're a good batsman,

0:20:370:20:39

you average 40 or 50 runs per innings.

0:20:390:20:44

Quite simply. Donald Bradman's average when he finished playing

0:20:440:20:49

was 99.9.

0:20:490:20:52

Had he scored four runs in his last ever test innings, he would've averaged 100,

0:20:520:20:57

twice as much as anybody's ever averaged, or nearly twice as much.

0:20:570:21:01

Sadly, he was out for nought.

0:21:010:21:03

But they say that possibly a tear in his eye got in the way of the ball.

0:21:030:21:08

I think Charlie might shed a tear when he sees which Flog It! expert

0:21:100:21:13

appears in this year's almanac.

0:21:130:21:16

Cricket is just one sport we Brits are proud to have invented.

0:21:200:21:26

But not all lawn games that evoke an image of Englishness were born on our shores,

0:21:270:21:32

as I found out in Devon.

0:21:320:21:35

There's something quintessentially English

0:21:350:21:37

about playing croquet on a lovely summers day like this,

0:21:370:21:40

on a very smooth velvety lawn.

0:21:400:21:43

This particular croquet court is at Castle Drogo,

0:21:430:21:46

in the heart of Devon.

0:21:460:21:49

But far from being the embodiment of Englishness,

0:21:540:21:56

the game is thought to possibly have been French,

0:21:560:22:00

developed around the time of William the Conqueror in 1066.

0:22:000:22:03

The game was recreated to construct the battle scenes where William the Conqueror's army

0:22:030:22:09

were marching through the ranks of Harold's defenders.

0:22:090:22:13

Over the next few hundred years the game grew in popularity,

0:22:150:22:19

and when James I descended to the throne of England in 1604

0:22:190:22:23

he brought his croquet equipment down from Scotland,

0:22:230:22:26

and along with it... his golf clubs!

0:22:260:22:29

Well done! Roger, it's a pleasure to meet you.

0:22:350:22:38

You're chairman of the Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club,

0:22:380:22:41

so you must know all there is to know about this wonderful game.

0:22:410:22:46

I think the game really is lost in the midst of time.

0:22:460:22:49

There are many, many old references to the game.

0:22:490:22:52

But the modern game can be traced to 1851, to the Great Exhibition no less,

0:22:520:22:58

when it was a demonstration game,

0:22:580:23:00

and it came in from Ireland with the kind of rules that we play these days.

0:23:000:23:03

Has the game developed much over the years?

0:23:030:23:06

Oh, yes. It's developed considerably.

0:23:060:23:08

Like most games, it's developed mostly because people get so good at it.

0:23:080:23:12

Therefore, the rules get modified to make it more difficult.

0:23:120:23:16

So you and I will play a game, we'll have one ball each.

0:23:200:23:23

-I'll be yellow. What are you going to be?

-I shall be blue.

-OK, come on, then.

0:23:230:23:28

-We've got to what?

-Get in front of the first hoop.

0:23:300:23:33

-You always know the first hoop because it's got a blue top.

-Blue top. First hoop, blue top.

0:23:330:23:39

Find my line...

0:23:390:23:41

That's not bad at all. That's very good, Paul.

0:23:410:23:43

Let's see if I can do as well as that.

0:23:430:23:45

That's a good effort.

0:23:480:23:50

-That's the way it could go.

-Now that is a good shot.

0:23:530:23:56

That's a very good shot. He's a cunning old fox, isn't he?

0:23:560:24:00

Yes. Yes!

0:24:000:24:03

Ohh!

0:24:030:24:05

-It was so close, wasn't it?

-It just turned at the last minute!

0:24:050:24:09

-Look at the grin on his face!

-ROGER LAUGHS

0:24:090:24:12

-Oh!

-That was good!

0:24:140:24:17

Ohh! Oh...

0:24:180:24:20

Run that and you've won. That's a lovely shot.

0:24:200:24:24

Well, I think you let me win that, Roger.

0:24:240:24:26

But we've gone through all the hoops,

0:24:260:24:29

that's the end of the game, what's this peg for in the middle?

0:24:290:24:32

There's another version of the game. It's not usually played by people just starting,

0:24:320:24:36

because croquet's all about fun and they like to be able to play and socialise.

0:24:360:24:41

-And have a few drinks while you're doing it!

-Exactly.

0:24:410:24:44

-What's this game called?

-Association Croquet.

0:24:440:24:47

Association Croquet.

0:24:470:24:48

-Shall we peg out, so they say? Shall we have a go at hitting that?

-Yes.

-Let's do it.

0:24:480:24:53

-Ready? Who's going first?

-You go first.

-All right.

0:24:530:24:57

-Nicely done.

-Just!

0:24:570:25:00

-Well done. Thank you.

-Thank you.

-I think it's time for Pimm's.

0:25:000:25:03

I've often wondered what some of our successful owners

0:25:060:25:08

have done with the money in the past.

0:25:080:25:11

You probably have, as well. We've caught up with a few of them.

0:25:110:25:15

Today, we hear how the sale of a silver plate

0:25:160:25:19

helped Berenice Williams realise her artistic dream.

0:25:190:25:23

I think I've always been artistic and always wanted to paint,

0:25:230:25:28

but with a very busy life, with three children,

0:25:280:25:31

I never really had the opportunity.

0:25:310:25:35

I had a very nice silver tray

0:25:350:25:38

and I wasn't quite sure what it was used for.

0:25:380:25:42

Where does it live in your house?

0:25:420:25:44

Well, it sits on the coffee table in the sitting room

0:25:440:25:47

and it gets knocked around by the grandchildren,

0:25:470:25:50

so I just thought, "What a pity. I'll bring it to you and see if you liked it."

0:25:500:25:54

Unless you're living in a bungalow, you've got it on the wrong floor.

0:25:540:25:58

-Oh, right.

-This belongs in the bedroom.

-Oh!

0:25:580:26:01

-Oh, really?

-This is a dressing table tray.

0:26:010:26:05

It's very commercial at the moment. It never really falls out of fashion.

0:26:050:26:09

-Let's put it into auction with £100 to £150 on it.

-Really?

0:26:090:26:13

-Oh, gosh!

-Let's put a reserve of £90 on it, fixed,

0:26:130:26:17

-and let's see how it goes.

-Amazing!

0:26:170:26:19

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Here we go. It's going under the hammer.

0:26:190:26:23

80. 80 a bid there only. At £80. Five anywhere now?

0:26:230:26:28

At £80. Five. 90. Five.

0:26:280:26:30

-Brilliant.

-Silver's selling well here today.

0:26:300:26:33

-I hope Uncle John's watching from up there.

-I bet he is.

0:26:330:26:37

-140. 150 now.

-Good heavens.

0:26:370:26:40

At £140. All out in front of me, then? At 140...

0:26:400:26:45

-Well done!

-Top end!

-He knows his onions, doesn't he?

0:26:450:26:49

-That'll pay for my art now.

-What sort of art? Art classes?

0:26:490:26:53

I'm just going on some art courses and the next one is £140.

0:26:530:26:58

-It was meant to be!

-Exactly!

0:26:580:27:02

So it all seemed very fortuitous

0:27:020:27:04

that my silver tray sold for £140.

0:27:040:27:08

I'm a very fast painter.

0:27:110:27:14

And I like using acrylics

0:27:140:27:17

because you can actually be quick,

0:27:170:27:20

and then if you make a mistake, you can get rid of it

0:27:200:27:23

and paint over it and they dry quickly.

0:27:230:27:26

There is a large exhibition in Reading

0:27:270:27:31

with over 400 exhibits,

0:27:310:27:34

and I sold quite a few paintings there,

0:27:340:27:37

which was absolutely amazing to see those red dots.

0:27:370:27:42

And I got highly commended, as well.

0:27:420:27:44

So obviously, like everybody, I've got a long, long way to go,

0:27:440:27:50

but I just feel that I've made a lot of progress,

0:27:500:27:54

and probably it all started

0:27:540:27:56

with my £140 from my silver tray at Flog It.

0:27:560:28:00

'It just goes to show, selling unwanted antiques

0:28:010:28:05

'can lead to more than just cash in your pocket.

0:28:050:28:08

'We hope you've been inspired

0:28:130:28:14

'by our snapshot of the intriguing items

0:28:140:28:17

'that reflect our love of sport.

0:28:170:28:20

'If you've got an object an home that you're tired of looking at...'

0:28:200:28:23

Dust it down. You never know, a collector may want it.

0:28:230:28:27

I hope you've enjoyed today's show. See you next time for more Flog It! Trade Secrets.

0:28:270:28:32

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