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'In the last 11 years, we've valued thousands of your items' | 0:00:02 | 0:00:05 | |
and helped you sell | 0:00:05 | 0:00:06 | |
around £1 million of antiques and collectables. | 0:00:06 | 0:00:09 | |
-You've turned your £32 into at least £200 to £300. -Yeah? | 0:00:09 | 0:00:13 | |
-Happy? -I'm very happy with that. | 0:00:13 | 0:00:15 | |
-That is amazing! -Cracking result. | 0:00:15 | 0:00:18 | |
In this series, I want to pass on some of the knowledge we've learnt | 0:00:18 | 0:00:22 | |
from having those wonderful objects pass through our hands. | 0:00:22 | 0:00:26 | |
Welcome to Flog It! Trade Secrets. | 0:00:26 | 0:00:29 | |
History tends to reflect the lives of the people who write it. | 0:00:58 | 0:01:01 | |
Great generals, proud monarchs and intrepid explorers, | 0:01:01 | 0:01:05 | |
and the houses and objects they leave behind, | 0:01:05 | 0:01:08 | |
are a source of wonder and inspiration. | 0:01:08 | 0:01:11 | |
It's not so much what this chair's worth, but whose bum sat on it. | 0:01:11 | 0:01:15 | |
'Coming up: Our experts share their thoughts | 0:01:16 | 0:01:19 | |
'about some of the poshest items we've seen on Flog It!' | 0:01:19 | 0:01:23 | |
Two really nice quality decanters. It's a very posh thing, this. | 0:01:23 | 0:01:28 | |
A really good example of how life used to be. | 0:01:28 | 0:01:31 | |
-PHILIP: -I think this is just about the business. It really is lovely. | 0:01:31 | 0:01:35 | |
Tortoiseshell tea caddies are a red-letter day for an auctioneer. | 0:01:35 | 0:01:39 | |
It could easily top the £1,000 mark. | 0:01:39 | 0:01:42 | |
We have a collection of the most glorious gaming pieces. | 0:01:44 | 0:01:50 | |
These are made for the upper classes. | 0:01:50 | 0:01:53 | |
The Jane Austen crowd. | 0:01:53 | 0:01:55 | |
-Where we were before. -£3,600! | 0:01:55 | 0:01:58 | |
-You didn't see that coming, did you? -No. | 0:01:58 | 0:02:02 | |
When you visit grand historic houses or castles | 0:02:05 | 0:02:08 | |
it's usually the splendour and the grandness of the state rooms that you gravitate towards | 0:02:08 | 0:02:13 | |
to admire the gorgeous tapestries and the priceless furniture. | 0:02:13 | 0:02:17 | |
Because, let's face it, that's not how most of us live. | 0:02:17 | 0:02:21 | |
'Over the years, objects from these places have been sold or gifted | 0:02:21 | 0:02:25 | |
'and many have turned up at our valuation days.' | 0:02:25 | 0:02:29 | |
Here's how the other half live. | 0:02:29 | 0:02:31 | |
'Get ready for a tantalising array of quality items. | 0:02:31 | 0:02:35 | |
'One of our experts who had an eye for the finer things in life | 0:02:35 | 0:02:38 | |
'was the formidable David Barby, a true gentleman.' | 0:02:38 | 0:02:42 | |
Of all the things that have been brought in today, Sheila, | 0:02:42 | 0:02:46 | |
this is one that I wish to take home with me. | 0:02:46 | 0:02:49 | |
-Is that right? -Absolutely. It's in such lovely condition. | 0:02:49 | 0:02:52 | |
And beautifully polished, as though you only did it this morning. | 0:02:52 | 0:02:56 | |
-I bet you did, didn't you? -LAUGHING: Yes! | 0:02:56 | 0:02:59 | |
-It was brown. -Was it brown? -Yes. -Not stuck in an attic? -Yes. | 0:02:59 | 0:03:04 | |
-Really? -Yes, till last night. | 0:03:04 | 0:03:06 | |
-So you've never used it? -I used to use it. | 0:03:06 | 0:03:09 | |
It used to be on a sideboard, but I'd got a big place then. | 0:03:09 | 0:03:14 | |
Since I've moved, it's been up the loft. | 0:03:14 | 0:03:17 | |
-Right. What do you use it for? -Nothing, really. Just decoration. | 0:03:17 | 0:03:21 | |
-Just decoration? -Yes. -It did have a purpose when it was made in 1806. | 0:03:21 | 0:03:26 | |
It's solid silver and this would have come from a very affluent home. | 0:03:26 | 0:03:30 | |
-Oh! -If you read books by Mrs Gaskell... | 0:03:30 | 0:03:35 | |
-Yes. -North And South, Cranford, this fits into that sort of society. | 0:03:35 | 0:03:40 | |
-Really? -Yes. It really is quite an interesting piece. | 0:03:40 | 0:03:43 | |
The design, if you look at it, it has a classical appearance. | 0:03:43 | 0:03:48 | |
-It's a pedestal form. -Yes. A nice shape. | 0:03:48 | 0:03:51 | |
Let's think in terms of a Regency dining table. | 0:03:51 | 0:03:53 | |
We'd have fresh cut chunks of bread in there. | 0:03:53 | 0:03:58 | |
-Lovely. -And passed round by the servant or the butler. | 0:03:58 | 0:04:02 | |
'A quality piece, the serving basket was valued £350 to £500 | 0:04:02 | 0:04:07 | |
'and was sold at Adam Partridge's saleroom.' | 0:04:07 | 0:04:10 | |
It wouldn't have been something that most of us would have had. | 0:04:10 | 0:04:14 | |
You would have been a company owner or a politician or military man | 0:04:14 | 0:04:18 | |
or a semi-aristo type to have owned something like that. | 0:04:18 | 0:04:22 | |
You'd have never polished it yourself! You'd have someone to do that for you. | 0:04:22 | 0:04:27 | |
'Are silver items with little practical use still sought after, | 0:04:27 | 0:04:31 | |
'or are they bought for scrap?' | 0:04:31 | 0:04:33 | |
People buy silver for condition, for what it is, for the maker, the age, | 0:04:33 | 0:04:37 | |
various factors. | 0:04:37 | 0:04:39 | |
The only things I imagine go for scrap are the ones that are damaged | 0:04:39 | 0:04:43 | |
or the ones that no-one wants any more. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:46 | |
'That was more for the serious collector.' | 0:04:46 | 0:04:49 | |
I've got four bids. Shall we cut to the chase and say we've got 460? | 0:04:49 | 0:04:53 | |
Is there 480? 460 bid. Is there 480 now? | 0:04:53 | 0:04:57 | |
At 460. If you're all done. We'll sell it. Short and sweet at 460. | 0:04:57 | 0:05:04 | |
Blink and you'll miss that one! £460. Well done, David. | 0:05:04 | 0:05:08 | |
'And that wasn't the only fine item we've seen.' | 0:05:10 | 0:05:13 | |
I think this is just about the business. It really is lovely. | 0:05:13 | 0:05:17 | |
Tortoiseshell tea caddies are a red-letter day for an auctioneer. | 0:05:17 | 0:05:21 | |
You have to be mindful with tortoiseshell and ivory. | 0:05:21 | 0:05:24 | |
They have got to pre-date 1947, but that was a 19th-century caddy. | 0:05:24 | 0:05:29 | |
I don't know which half of the family it's come down from. | 0:05:29 | 0:05:32 | |
What often happened is you find that back at the latter end of the 19th century, | 0:05:32 | 0:05:37 | |
someone might have been in service. | 0:05:37 | 0:05:41 | |
When they retired, they were given a present for the house. | 0:05:41 | 0:05:44 | |
I think, on my father's side of the family, they were in service. | 0:05:44 | 0:05:47 | |
It's an area I've got to explore. | 0:05:47 | 0:05:49 | |
So this could have been a present from a house that he worked at? | 0:05:49 | 0:05:53 | |
'It's almost like a class thing.' | 0:05:53 | 0:05:56 | |
Tea was an expensive commodity, | 0:05:56 | 0:05:58 | |
so tea was locked up in this little box. | 0:05:58 | 0:06:01 | |
The more elaborate and expensive the box was, | 0:06:01 | 0:06:04 | |
the better the household that it came from. | 0:06:04 | 0:06:06 | |
And you locked it up so those nasty servants couldn't get at your expensive tea! | 0:06:06 | 0:06:10 | |
Regency tortoiseshell tea caddy. | 0:06:10 | 0:06:14 | |
Silver wire mounts in here. | 0:06:14 | 0:06:16 | |
Little silver escutcheon. | 0:06:16 | 0:06:18 | |
There's just a hint of damage. | 0:06:20 | 0:06:22 | |
-Can you see just there? -Mm-hm. | 0:06:22 | 0:06:24 | |
-And on that corner, a little bit missing. -Right. | 0:06:24 | 0:06:28 | |
A certain amount of minor blemishing I always think is acceptable. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:33 | |
Some people would prefer to restore it. | 0:06:33 | 0:06:35 | |
What happens then is you get... | 0:06:35 | 0:06:37 | |
You clearly can't use modern ivory or tortoiseshell. | 0:06:37 | 0:06:41 | |
So people will buy old items that are damaged | 0:06:41 | 0:06:44 | |
and they will use them to repair other items. | 0:06:44 | 0:06:47 | |
So, if you've got an old piano with ivory keys, | 0:06:47 | 0:06:50 | |
you might be able to buy the piano for nothing, take the ivory keys | 0:06:50 | 0:06:54 | |
and use that in the restoration of something else. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:57 | |
What's it worth? | 0:06:57 | 0:06:59 | |
-You don't know. -Not a clue. No. | 0:06:59 | 0:07:02 | |
-If it made over £100, you'd probably be quite pleased. -Mm. I think so. | 0:07:02 | 0:07:06 | |
Well, I think we ought to estimate that at... | 0:07:07 | 0:07:12 | |
-£500 to £800. -Really? | 0:07:12 | 0:07:14 | |
Yeah. And I think... | 0:07:14 | 0:07:17 | |
..that it could easily top the £1,000 mark. | 0:07:18 | 0:07:22 | |
The thing about anything is that you're going to get different ends of the spectrum. | 0:07:24 | 0:07:29 | |
You can buy a tea caddy today for £5 or £10. | 0:07:29 | 0:07:32 | |
Tortoiseshell tea caddies are still massively collectable. | 0:07:32 | 0:07:36 | |
They're not quite worth the money they were, but they're up there at the Rolls-Royce end. | 0:07:36 | 0:07:40 | |
Things go in vogue in this business. | 0:07:40 | 0:07:43 | |
At the minute, tortoiseshell tea caddies are the thing. | 0:07:43 | 0:07:48 | |
Do you like it or not really? That's why you want to sell it? | 0:07:48 | 0:07:51 | |
I don't dislike it, but I have... | 0:07:51 | 0:07:54 | |
-You'd like £1,000 more? -Yes, probably! Yes! | 0:07:54 | 0:07:57 | |
PHILIP LAUGHS | 0:07:57 | 0:07:59 | |
'It's off to the saleroom, but will quality always out?' | 0:08:00 | 0:08:04 | |
You've done some research on this, haven't you? | 0:08:04 | 0:08:07 | |
Talking to Philip, he said it was the kind of thing that would come from somebody in service. | 0:08:07 | 0:08:13 | |
-Big grand house? -Yes. I've started doing genealogy on my father's side of the family. | 0:08:13 | 0:08:18 | |
I've discovered that my great-grandfather was a butler. | 0:08:18 | 0:08:21 | |
The rumour within the family is that he worked for Sir Titus Salt junior, | 0:08:21 | 0:08:26 | |
-the salt mill with the David Hockney exhibition. -Yes. | 0:08:26 | 0:08:29 | |
A great thing about Flog It! is that it sparks an interest. | 0:08:29 | 0:08:32 | |
Someone comes to the valuation day, we tell them something, | 0:08:32 | 0:08:36 | |
they take it home and, whether they sell it or not, they find out more about it. | 0:08:36 | 0:08:41 | |
What we discovered is it could well have belonged to Sir Titus Salt. | 0:08:41 | 0:08:45 | |
He would have come from that great age of Victorian invention and money. | 0:08:45 | 0:08:50 | |
Industrialists set up businesses and made huge sums of money. | 0:08:50 | 0:08:55 | |
What do you do with huge sums of money? You buy a very trendy, at the time, tortoiseshell tea caddy. | 0:08:55 | 0:09:00 | |
A single caddy in very good condition. | 0:09:00 | 0:09:03 | |
Very little to quarrel about with this. | 0:09:03 | 0:09:06 | |
I have to start on my sheets at £900. | 0:09:06 | 0:09:09 | |
Do we have £950 in the room? 950. 1,000. And 50. | 0:09:09 | 0:09:14 | |
1,100. And 50. 1,200. And 50. | 0:09:14 | 0:09:16 | |
1,300. And 50. 1,400. And 50. | 0:09:16 | 0:09:19 | |
1,500. And 50. 1,600 in the room? | 0:09:19 | 0:09:22 | |
1,600 on the phone? | 0:09:22 | 0:09:24 | |
1,600 is it anywhere, then? | 0:09:26 | 0:09:30 | |
We finish 1,550. All done and finished. All done. | 0:09:30 | 0:09:34 | |
Fantastic! | 0:09:34 | 0:09:35 | |
-I'll calm you down. -I need a bottle of gin never mind a glass of gin! | 0:09:37 | 0:09:42 | |
There are certain things that just go, "Ker-ching!" | 0:09:42 | 0:09:46 | |
You get the three bells that light up across here. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:49 | |
Tortoiseshell tea caddies are one of those things, but... | 0:09:49 | 0:09:53 | |
When that was sold, and I can't remember exactly when, | 0:09:53 | 0:09:57 | |
but it wouldn't make as much now because there are peaks and troughs. | 0:09:57 | 0:10:01 | |
I think that we sold it at the peak and now it's probably a trough. | 0:10:01 | 0:10:06 | |
'The trick of this business is to do your research. | 0:10:06 | 0:10:09 | |
'If you can learn to pinpoint the peaks and the troughs, | 0:10:09 | 0:10:12 | |
'you could be onto a winner. | 0:10:12 | 0:10:14 | |
'Over the years, we've seen hundreds of decanters at our valuation days. | 0:10:14 | 0:10:19 | |
'But in 2010, Adam found a rather striking set.' | 0:10:19 | 0:10:23 | |
-Steve, welcome to Flog It! -Thank you. -How are you doing? -Fine. | 0:10:23 | 0:10:27 | |
-You've got a nice thing here. -Yeah, it is. | 0:10:27 | 0:10:30 | |
-Very precious. -Is it? -I hope so. | 0:10:30 | 0:10:33 | |
-Is it precious to you, sentimentally? -In a way, yeah. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:36 | |
But it's been in the loft for 20-odd years, doing nothing. | 0:10:36 | 0:10:40 | |
-So might as well... -If we could clear every loft in the land, | 0:10:40 | 0:10:44 | |
-I think we'd solve the economy! -LAUGHS | 0:10:44 | 0:10:47 | |
This pair of decanters in their wonderful coromandel fitted case | 0:10:47 | 0:10:51 | |
are a really good example of how life used to be. | 0:10:51 | 0:10:55 | |
With the divide of the upstairs and the downstairs | 0:10:55 | 0:10:59 | |
in these country houses with their servants. | 0:10:59 | 0:11:03 | |
How did it come to be in your family's possession? | 0:11:03 | 0:11:06 | |
My grandfather and granny and me mother worked in a hall. | 0:11:06 | 0:11:11 | |
-So they were in service? -Service, yeah. | 0:11:11 | 0:11:14 | |
Last of the upstairs and downstairs people. | 0:11:14 | 0:11:17 | |
Me granny was a cook and me grandfather was a butler and me mother was a maid. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:21 | |
-And where was that? -That was in Thornby Hall. | 0:11:21 | 0:11:24 | |
People watching now will wonder, "What's all this 'in service'?" | 0:11:24 | 0:11:28 | |
It just doesn't happen any more. Very few people are butlers any more! | 0:11:28 | 0:11:32 | |
I can't remember ever having met a butler or a maid. | 0:11:32 | 0:11:36 | |
I've met a few cooks, but not private, really. | 0:11:36 | 0:11:39 | |
All you get nowadays is the odd nanny here and there. | 0:11:39 | 0:11:43 | |
-How do you think they got these? -I think they were given to them. | 0:11:43 | 0:11:48 | |
-As a thank-you gift or retirement gift? -Could have been. | 0:11:48 | 0:11:51 | |
Well, it's a very posh thing, this. | 0:11:51 | 0:11:54 | |
It's made out of a... Look at the thickness of the wood! | 0:11:54 | 0:11:58 | |
It's made out of coromandel, which is an exotic and expensive timber. | 0:11:58 | 0:12:02 | |
It was mainly used to make small things. | 0:12:02 | 0:12:04 | |
You don't see much furniture made out of it, it was all boxes | 0:12:04 | 0:12:07 | |
and small things like this. | 0:12:07 | 0:12:09 | |
Fitted with two really nice quality decanters. | 0:12:09 | 0:12:13 | |
-Is it English-made, do you think? -Yes, it is. Definitely. -Yeah. | 0:12:13 | 0:12:17 | |
Another sign of quality, you've also got the key, which is unusual. | 0:12:17 | 0:12:20 | |
Most have lost their keys by now. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:22 | |
And you've got this special type of lock, Bramah patent lock. | 0:12:22 | 0:12:28 | |
These locks are a special secure lock. | 0:12:28 | 0:12:31 | |
I remember you saying before we started, "Don't shut it because it's a terrible thing to open." | 0:12:31 | 0:12:37 | |
That's because of this lock. | 0:12:37 | 0:12:39 | |
It's wonderful quality, a Bramah's patent. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:42 | |
You only see it on fine things, so it's another sign of quality. | 0:12:42 | 0:12:47 | |
Decanters aren't the easiest things to sell any more. | 0:12:47 | 0:12:51 | |
Of course, there are collectors, but there are many on the market | 0:12:51 | 0:12:55 | |
which means, generally, prices are pretty low. | 0:12:55 | 0:12:58 | |
You have to have something pretty special, in decanter terms, for it to have a considerable value. | 0:12:58 | 0:13:04 | |
These were a nice decent pair in their fitted case. | 0:13:04 | 0:13:08 | |
If you took those pair of decanters out of that coromandel box, | 0:13:08 | 0:13:12 | |
they'd be worth £30. | 0:13:12 | 0:13:14 | |
The value was as a parcel, I think. | 0:13:14 | 0:13:17 | |
-What do you think it might be worth? -What do YOU think it's worth? | 0:13:17 | 0:13:21 | |
I haven't a clue, to be honest. | 0:13:21 | 0:13:22 | |
Realistically, in that order - because the glass isn't perfect. | 0:13:22 | 0:13:26 | |
-There's a few minor grazes, aren't there? -Yeah. | 0:13:26 | 0:13:30 | |
-I would have thought between £100 and £200 is your likely realised price. -Oh, yeah. | 0:13:30 | 0:13:34 | |
Bids all over the book on this one. | 0:13:38 | 0:13:41 | |
453... | 0:13:41 | 0:13:42 | |
-Whoa! Straight in! -That's the lot number. | 0:13:42 | 0:13:47 | |
The auctioneer read out the lot number, which I think was 450 or something. | 0:13:47 | 0:13:52 | |
"Right, 450!" And Paul went, "Oh, my goodness! It's amazing!" | 0:13:52 | 0:13:56 | |
I said, "Calm down, Paul. It's lot number 450." | 0:13:56 | 0:13:59 | |
You've got to keep alert at auctions! | 0:13:59 | 0:14:02 | |
70, if you like. 170. 170. 180. 180 bid. | 0:14:02 | 0:14:07 | |
Is there 90? At 180. 90. 190. | 0:14:07 | 0:14:11 | |
Phew! Better not fan. I might bid! | 0:14:11 | 0:14:14 | |
Level money at 190. | 0:14:14 | 0:14:17 | |
-That's a good result. -Top of the estimate. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:19 | |
At £190... | 0:14:19 | 0:14:21 | |
-We'll settle for that. That's drinks all round, £190. -Yeah. | 0:14:21 | 0:14:26 | |
'Adam was right. It was the box that sold those decanters. | 0:14:26 | 0:14:30 | |
'A top tip is look for complete sets of things in original boxes. | 0:14:30 | 0:14:35 | |
'Bits missing will generally affect the value.' | 0:14:35 | 0:14:38 | |
And here's another trade secret. | 0:14:38 | 0:14:41 | |
'Look for fine, well-crafted items, no matter what it is. | 0:14:41 | 0:14:45 | |
'Quality should always hold its value.' | 0:14:45 | 0:14:48 | |
'In 2011, Flog It! visited the beautiful Bath Assembly Rooms. | 0:14:50 | 0:14:55 | |
'In the Georgian era, they would have seen the aristocracy at play. | 0:14:55 | 0:14:59 | |
'David Barby found a very appropriate object to value - | 0:14:59 | 0:15:02 | |
'a set of George IV gaming boxes.' | 0:15:02 | 0:15:05 | |
Janita, I was hoping when we were filming at Bath, | 0:15:05 | 0:15:09 | |
that something would come along that would evoke | 0:15:09 | 0:15:13 | |
the late Georgian Regency period. | 0:15:13 | 0:15:16 | |
And these boxes fall into that category. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:20 | |
-Where did these come from? -My mother was a great collector | 0:15:20 | 0:15:24 | |
of Victorian treasures and she particularly loved mother-of-pearl. | 0:15:24 | 0:15:29 | |
Inside, we have a collection | 0:15:29 | 0:15:31 | |
of the most glorious mother-of-pearl counters. | 0:15:31 | 0:15:36 | |
When you had the Assembly Rooms like this in Bath, | 0:15:36 | 0:15:39 | |
you would have an element of gaming or assignations for gaming later. | 0:15:39 | 0:15:44 | |
These would have been the gaming pieces they'd have used. | 0:15:44 | 0:15:48 | |
They date from, let's say about 1800, 1820, that sort of period. | 0:15:48 | 0:15:53 | |
These are made for the upper classes. | 0:15:53 | 0:15:55 | |
-The Jane Austen crowd. -LAUGHING: Good. | 0:15:55 | 0:15:58 | |
On the outside, they look as though they've suffered along the line. | 0:15:58 | 0:16:03 | |
Of course, they would do. These are Oriental boxes. | 0:16:03 | 0:16:06 | |
They're lacquer. Lacquer is not a stable material. | 0:16:06 | 0:16:10 | |
Clearly, you never want to see damage. | 0:16:10 | 0:16:12 | |
But I'm a great believer that if something's been around 150 years, | 0:16:12 | 0:16:17 | |
then the damage that it has, it's the lines on its hands, it's the wrinkles on its face. | 0:16:17 | 0:16:23 | |
It's patina, it's what we look for. | 0:16:23 | 0:16:25 | |
'It was valued as two lots, but would the damage to the lid | 0:16:25 | 0:16:29 | |
'put the bidders off as they went under the hammer?' | 0:16:29 | 0:16:31 | |
320, my bid. 320. 340. 360. | 0:16:31 | 0:16:35 | |
-Another bid in the room, look. -400. 420. | 0:16:35 | 0:16:38 | |
440. 460. 480. 500... | 0:16:38 | 0:16:41 | |
'Clearly not.' | 0:16:41 | 0:16:43 | |
Auctions. Don't you just love them? | 0:16:43 | 0:16:46 | |
-..700. 750. 800... -'And the bids kept coming.' | 0:16:46 | 0:16:50 | |
..1,800. 1,900. | 0:16:50 | 0:16:53 | |
-This is what auctions are all about. -Wow! | 0:16:53 | 0:16:56 | |
2,000. | 0:16:56 | 0:16:58 | |
-2,100? 2,200? -This is just the first lot. | 0:16:58 | 0:17:02 | |
2,300? | 0:17:02 | 0:17:04 | |
-2,400? -LAUGHING: -2,500! | 0:17:04 | 0:17:07 | |
2,500? 2,600? | 0:17:07 | 0:17:11 | |
And selling at £2,500, then. | 0:17:11 | 0:17:15 | |
The hammer's gone down! Such a tiny tap. It should have been... | 0:17:16 | 0:17:20 | |
£2,500. That's the first one. That is incredible. | 0:17:20 | 0:17:25 | |
'And the other one did even better.' | 0:17:25 | 0:17:28 | |
-2,700. 2,800. -This one's even more desirable. | 0:17:28 | 0:17:32 | |
2,900. 3,000. | 0:17:32 | 0:17:34 | |
-Ooooh! -£3,000! | 0:17:34 | 0:17:37 | |
3,200. | 0:17:37 | 0:17:39 | |
-3,400? 3,400. -3,400. Late legs. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:42 | |
3,600? | 0:17:42 | 0:17:44 | |
3,800? | 0:17:45 | 0:17:47 | |
-Oh, gosh! -No. £3,600, then. | 0:17:47 | 0:17:51 | |
-Where we were before. -£3,600! | 0:17:51 | 0:17:54 | |
-Plus your other. £6,100! -That is marvellous. | 0:17:55 | 0:18:00 | |
-That's beyond my expectations. -You didn't see that coming, did you? -No. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:05 | |
'If two people have their eye on an item there can be real money made. | 0:18:05 | 0:18:08 | |
'But if you're buying at auction, don't get carried away by the excitement. | 0:18:08 | 0:18:13 | |
'Set yourself a budget and stick to it.' | 0:18:13 | 0:18:16 | |
So here's what we've learned so far. | 0:18:16 | 0:18:18 | |
'Always look for quality because quality always sells. | 0:18:18 | 0:18:22 | |
'In some cases, damage will not deter a buyer. | 0:18:22 | 0:18:26 | |
'But that's not always the case, so get some advice. | 0:18:26 | 0:18:29 | |
'Provenance is important. | 0:18:29 | 0:18:31 | |
'If you can trace an object to a particular stately home or a family, | 0:18:31 | 0:18:36 | |
'it can seriously add to its value.' | 0:18:36 | 0:18:37 | |
'Over the years, I've been to some wonderful historic homes. | 0:18:44 | 0:18:48 | |
'From Arley in North Cheshire to Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire. | 0:18:48 | 0:18:54 | |
'One of the most interesting is a place I visited back in 2006.' | 0:18:54 | 0:18:59 | |
One great thing about antiques is it's not just about appreciating the detail and beauty and craftsmanship, | 0:18:59 | 0:19:06 | |
but it's also about the stories and history that lie behind them. | 0:19:06 | 0:19:10 | |
That's why I brought you here to Lanhydrock House | 0:19:10 | 0:19:13 | |
set in 900 acres of parkland on the River Foy, | 0:19:13 | 0:19:16 | |
just a few miles up the road from St Austell. | 0:19:16 | 0:19:19 | |
This country mansion house | 0:19:26 | 0:19:29 | |
isn't just a stunning example of 17th and 19th-century architecture. | 0:19:29 | 0:19:33 | |
With all the trappings and atmosphere, | 0:19:33 | 0:19:35 | |
its very fabric tells the story | 0:19:35 | 0:19:37 | |
of the socially and sexually divided life for the Victorian family. | 0:19:37 | 0:19:41 | |
In 1881, the house, which had stood for almost 250 years, | 0:20:11 | 0:20:15 | |
was severely damaged by fire. | 0:20:15 | 0:20:17 | |
The then owners, the Agar-Robartes, had the house rebuilt | 0:20:17 | 0:20:20 | |
by architect Richard Coad and he used this book on this table, | 0:20:20 | 0:20:24 | |
a book by Robert Kerr called The Gentleman's House, | 0:20:24 | 0:20:27 | |
to design a new layout, | 0:20:27 | 0:20:29 | |
based on the strict morals and principles of Victorian living. | 0:20:29 | 0:20:33 | |
-With me is curator for Lanhydrock, Paul Holden. Hi, there. -Hello. | 0:20:33 | 0:20:37 | |
What did this book actually tell the architect to do? | 0:20:37 | 0:20:41 | |
The book acted as a guide to show how a house could be designed | 0:20:41 | 0:20:45 | |
and how it could be segregated. | 0:20:45 | 0:20:47 | |
For example, we're in the drawing room now | 0:20:47 | 0:20:50 | |
and the farthest room from this room is the nursery. | 0:20:50 | 0:20:53 | |
Children and adults didn't mix, apart from when the family were ready for them. | 0:20:53 | 0:20:58 | |
It's not even a case of "be seen and not heard" it's "not even be seen"! | 0:20:58 | 0:21:02 | |
-CHILD SINGS -# Oranges and lemons | 0:21:02 | 0:21:04 | |
# Say the bells of St Clement's | 0:21:04 | 0:21:07 | |
# You owe me five farthings | 0:21:07 | 0:21:11 | |
# Say the bells of St Martin's. # | 0:21:11 | 0:21:14 | |
'This day room is one of several in the nursery quarters. | 0:21:16 | 0:21:19 | |
'Here, the children would play and eat their meals under the supervision of a nanny, | 0:21:19 | 0:21:23 | |
'only seeing their parents when they were sent for.' | 0:21:23 | 0:21:27 | |
That is a strict moral code. Surely, all houses weren't built like this? | 0:21:28 | 0:21:32 | |
I'm sure all houses weren't designed like that, but certain people picked up on Robert Kerr's ideals. | 0:21:32 | 0:21:38 | |
This family, being high Anglican, wanted to put those morals into this house. | 0:21:38 | 0:21:42 | |
I think it was very important for the High Victorian period | 0:21:42 | 0:21:46 | |
that they set those moral codes. | 0:21:46 | 0:21:48 | |
-We got gender separation in the house as well. -Gender separation! | 0:21:48 | 0:21:51 | |
That is such a harsh word! Tell me what you mean by that. | 0:21:51 | 0:21:55 | |
Obviously, you're talking about the family. | 0:21:55 | 0:21:58 | |
It was very important for the High Victorians. | 0:21:58 | 0:22:00 | |
The drawing room was a very feminine space. | 0:22:00 | 0:22:03 | |
We have very masculine spaces, | 0:22:03 | 0:22:05 | |
particularly the dining room downstairs and the billiard room, | 0:22:05 | 0:22:09 | |
and smoking room in the male quarters. | 0:22:09 | 0:22:12 | |
I've come to the smoking room, which Paul was telling me about. | 0:22:23 | 0:22:27 | |
As soon as you walk in, you can tell it's a man's room. | 0:22:27 | 0:22:31 | |
You can imagine them sitting here, supping a glass of brandy | 0:22:31 | 0:22:35 | |
and reminiscing over a recent shoot or a bygone hunting party. | 0:22:35 | 0:22:40 | |
All the rooms we've seen so far would have been used by the Agar-Robartes family themselves. | 0:22:52 | 0:22:58 | |
What was life like for the servants? | 0:22:58 | 0:23:00 | |
Did the segregation of the sexes apply below stairs? | 0:23:00 | 0:23:03 | |
I'm in the kitchen to ask the question to Paul. What was life like for the servants? | 0:23:03 | 0:23:08 | |
Life was very good, in general, they had their own accommodation. | 0:23:08 | 0:23:12 | |
But compared to the opulence of the main house, it was very different. | 0:23:12 | 0:23:16 | |
Mind you, looking around this marvellous kitchen, there's a wow factor. Look at the size of it. | 0:23:16 | 0:23:21 | |
It's gorgeous. Surely, males and females worked together here? | 0:23:21 | 0:23:26 | |
It was an area where male and female mixed in the kitchen. | 0:23:26 | 0:23:29 | |
But the servants' hall was the only place they could relax together, | 0:23:29 | 0:23:34 | |
talk generally and have their annual servants' ball. | 0:23:34 | 0:23:37 | |
There were two separate staircases away from the servants' hall. | 0:23:37 | 0:23:41 | |
We had a wooden staircase leading up first to the females' accommodation on the top floor | 0:23:41 | 0:23:46 | |
and secondly the male servants' accommodation on the top floor. | 0:23:46 | 0:23:49 | |
Male and female servants' accommodation met at a right angle, | 0:23:49 | 0:23:53 | |
and the butler had the key for that door in between. | 0:23:53 | 0:23:56 | |
Quite a few mod cons. You've got hot and cold running water. | 0:24:06 | 0:24:09 | |
Very modern tiling for its day, and grouting, and a steam oven. | 0:24:09 | 0:24:14 | |
Mm. The tiling was for hygiene. It could just be wiped clean. | 0:24:14 | 0:24:18 | |
-But there is steam equipment in this kitchen. -Look at that apparatus. | 0:24:18 | 0:24:23 | |
-What a fireplace! What an oven. -It is an amazing spit. | 0:24:23 | 0:24:26 | |
It is, isn't it? Look at the size of it! | 0:24:26 | 0:24:29 | |
The pulley system involved, and all the linkage. | 0:24:29 | 0:24:33 | |
It's all generated by this smoke jack, | 0:24:33 | 0:24:35 | |
which is generated by the heat of the fire | 0:24:35 | 0:24:38 | |
and the smoke going up the chimney that would revolve the apparatus. | 0:24:38 | 0:24:42 | |
You would have had roasts on there, your rotisserie for your chickens. | 0:24:42 | 0:24:46 | |
You've got mechanical jacks, so the whole thing would turn by its own momentum. | 0:24:46 | 0:24:51 | |
Gosh. It's wonderfully preserved. It really does take you back in time. | 0:24:51 | 0:24:55 | |
-You can just imagine a spit roast going on now. -Definitely. | 0:24:55 | 0:24:59 | |
This beautiful house perfectly evokes a bygone era of class divide, | 0:25:05 | 0:25:10 | |
and the wealth and the power of the upper crust. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:13 | |
If you could choose any beautiful antique, what would it be? | 0:25:19 | 0:25:23 | |
I put that question to our experts. | 0:25:23 | 0:25:26 | |
'And today, it's Philip Serrell.' | 0:25:27 | 0:25:29 | |
It's funny, you think about all the things you see in Flog It! One thing keeps homing back to me. | 0:25:29 | 0:25:35 | |
It was a country house stationery box or letter box. | 0:25:35 | 0:25:38 | |
It was in rosewood lattice, like a lattice box with open panels | 0:25:38 | 0:25:44 | |
or open gaps, so you'd post your letter into it. | 0:25:44 | 0:25:48 | |
I think it's absolutely lovely. | 0:25:48 | 0:25:50 | |
Answered postcards in this side. Unanswered in this side. | 0:25:50 | 0:25:55 | |
Just lift that flap up, there's a maker's name, Thompson. | 0:25:55 | 0:25:59 | |
I think that refers to the maker of this hidden brass handle, | 0:25:59 | 0:26:05 | |
rather than the whole lot. | 0:26:05 | 0:26:07 | |
I would think it's about 1840 and it's made out of rosewood... | 0:26:07 | 0:26:11 | |
'This is a box that would have sat' | 0:26:11 | 0:26:13 | |
on a table in the hall of a large country house. | 0:26:13 | 0:26:16 | |
When you were stopping there, you'd put your letters in it. | 0:26:16 | 0:26:19 | |
A footman would have opened it up and taken the contents to the post for you. | 0:26:19 | 0:26:24 | |
You've got a great bit of social history, almost like Downton Abbey. | 0:26:24 | 0:26:28 | |
It's all there for you. | 0:26:28 | 0:26:30 | |
This was just clean. It hadn't been touched or stripped clean. | 0:26:30 | 0:26:33 | |
It was just honest. It was just absolutely lovely. | 0:26:33 | 0:26:37 | |
I can remember it like it was yesterday. | 0:26:37 | 0:26:40 | |
Have you any idea what it might be worth? | 0:26:40 | 0:26:42 | |
Well, I thought, possibly, £50 or £60. | 0:26:42 | 0:26:46 | |
-Would you take a cheque? -Oh, I see! LAUGHS | 0:26:46 | 0:26:49 | |
I think it's lovely. I think that will make £300 to £500. | 0:26:49 | 0:26:53 | |
-Gosh! -That is a surprise. -Put a reserve on it of 250. | 0:26:53 | 0:26:57 | |
I have to say that if you get two ardent collectors there, | 0:26:57 | 0:27:01 | |
I think it could way exceed that. | 0:27:01 | 0:27:03 | |
-I really like it. -I'm glad I brought it. | 0:27:03 | 0:27:06 | |
This is one thing that I would really love to own. It is absolutely beautiful. | 0:27:06 | 0:27:10 | |
'It wasn't just Philip who loved it.' | 0:27:10 | 0:27:13 | |
At 560, 580, £600. | 0:27:13 | 0:27:16 | |
-Unbelievable! -That's absolutely amazing. | 0:27:16 | 0:27:18 | |
£640. 660. 680. At 680. | 0:27:18 | 0:27:22 | |
-It's incredible. -700. 720. | 0:27:22 | 0:27:25 | |
-740. On the telephone at £740. -I can't believe it. -No. | 0:27:25 | 0:27:29 | |
At £740. At 740. | 0:27:29 | 0:27:31 | |
-BANGS GAVEL -What? 740! | 0:27:31 | 0:27:34 | |
That is fantastic. You were right. | 0:27:34 | 0:27:37 | |
I have to say, I'd really rather have the box. | 0:27:37 | 0:27:41 | |
'Must have been ten years ago.' | 0:27:41 | 0:27:43 | |
Out of all the things I've seen, it was just a lovely, honest lot. | 0:27:43 | 0:27:50 | |
'It just goes to show how much we still love objects | 0:27:50 | 0:27:53 | |
'from our country's aristocratic past.' | 0:27:53 | 0:27:57 | |
As we've seen, there are plenty of items | 0:28:02 | 0:28:03 | |
that were the preserve of the rich, but as times change, | 0:28:03 | 0:28:06 | |
they've become valuable collectables. | 0:28:06 | 0:28:09 | |
So, if you have an object that's been handed down to you, | 0:28:09 | 0:28:13 | |
dig it out! | 0:28:13 | 0:28:14 | |
You might not own a stately home, | 0:28:14 | 0:28:16 | |
but it could just bring you riches too. | 0:28:16 | 0:28:18 | |
See you next time on Flog It! Trade Secrets. | 0:28:18 | 0:28:22 |