Something for Nothing Flog It: Trade Secrets

Over the last 11 years on Flog It, we've made nearly 1,000 shows.

We've seen literally hundreds of thousands of items

and we've helped you sell around £1 million worth of antiques and collectables.

-Please tell me where you got it.

-They'll make between £150 and £300.

-Fantastic, yeah!

-HAMMER BANGS

-Gone!

But what we've learnt over those years has been absolutely priceless.

So in this series, I want to share with you

some of the information and knowledge that we've collected

to help you get in the know. Welcome to Flog It! Trade Secrets.

On today's show, we're giving you the inside track on bargain buys,

how to spot them and where to buy them,

and also what you might have in your house that could be worth a small fortune.

'We'll be looking at some of the best bargain buys Flog It has ever seen.'

-How much did you pay for it?

-75 pence.

Outrageous. But lucky her!

'Our experts pass on their wisdom to help you bag a bargain of your own.'

Quality and the unusual and you can't go wrong.

'Stay watching and all will be revealed.'

ALL CHEER

There's one thing we love to see on Flog It - the bargain buys.

And I've learned that you have to keep your eyes peeled at all times

because there are wonderful treasures out there just waiting to be picked up

for as little as a few pounds in charity shops,

car-boot sales, auction rooms and antique shops.

It's staggering what's out there.

TRUMPET SPLUTTERS

'So what are our experts' secrets for getting a bargain?'

The important thing is to look everywhere.

A fair or a car-boot, look under the table or at the bottom of the box.

Look even behind the vendor. They may not have unpacked a box

and you might spot something poking out behind them that you can show an interest. So use your eyes.

You've got to get down on your hands and knees, rummage under tables,

have a good rummage through those boxes.

It feels like Christmas every day. It's fantastic.

Go for the unusual.

Don't buy things that everybody knows about,

because if it's Moorcroft, Clarice Cliff, Royal Doulton,

you look it up in a book and it's a fool's guide to buying antiques.

Buy something that nobody else knows about.

So here are some of our very best finds and what you can learn from them.

Often on Flog It, people bring in things

which they have bought maybe at a car-boot sale

or in a charity shop.

And it's always wonderful when these things go to auction

and get enormous prices. And I had one such item.

This is a very interesting little brooch.

I think it's absolutely gorgeous.

In fact, I think it might just suit my jacket.

Absolutely.

The lady had picked it up because she liked it and she found it attractive.

I actually got it in an adjacent town at a car-boot sale

within the last 12 months. It was just lying there on the stall.

Apparently there'd been a lot of really good stuff.

He said, "You've missed it all." That was just there and it was £4.

-£4. That's not a lot of money.

-No. Indeed, no.

When I first looked at it, I thought it might have been Russian,

but when we looked at the marks on the back,

we realised that it had been made by Marius Hammer,

who was one of the most prestigious Norwegian silversmiths.

We have an M and a little hammer.

And we have the mark 930, which is the silver mark.

The Norwegians and the Swedish were wonderful with enamelled work

and this is representing that type of work.

'This was a highly collectable item.'

I couldn't believe that she'd only paid £4 for it.

It's a very finely-crafted piece.

We have a maker's name.

-It's in the original box.

-Yes.

Taking all these factors into account,

I would estimate it 80 to 120.

-So it was quite a good investment for £4.

-It certainly was, wasn't it?

'Scandinavian jewellery appeals to collectors

'because of the quality.'

The quality was always there and the design was always there.

'At £4, that brooch was a real steal.

'But the main reason Sheila bought it was because she liked it,

'which should always be the main criteria.

'If it doesn't sell, she'll be happy to keep it.'

OK, silver enamel brooch by Marius Hammer.

'But was it the car-boot bargain of the day that Anita thought?'

Hopefully we're going to make you lots of money right now.

-Millions.

-It's a packed room. Ooh, I don't know about that!

50. 60. And 70.

At 80. 90. 100. And 10.

-120. 130. 140.

-Wow!

150. 160. 170.

180. At £180, are we all done?

180.

-HAMMER BANGS

-Yes! £180!

You see, a lot of people don't know the value of 20th century modern...

180!

'She was delighted at that.'

Bought for £4, sold for £180.

Isn't that just wonderful? So the bargains are still out there.

What I always say to people is, "See if you can spot a little quality.

"See if you can spot good design."

These are the things that will determine the value of the item.

Another thing that people should be looking for are the unusual items,

the items that make you think, "What's that?"

or "That's amazing!"

So quality and the unusual

and you can't go wrong.

-'Great advice from Anita there.'

-HAMMER BANGS

'What about David Fletcher's trade secrets?'

The lesson is, I think, that you turn these things upside-down,

you look for silver marks, you look for gold marks,

manufacturer's marks and so on.

You know, use what knowledge you've got

and use the very business of going to car-boot sales to improve that knowledge.

Wow, this is a stylish thing, isn't it?

A cigarette lighter, of course.

Tell me how you came to own it.

Well, last year we were at a car-boot sale and wandering around

and picked it up because I thought it was a cute piece

which was up for sale for £7.

-£7?

-Yes. And the boyfriend bartered it down to £4.

Outrageous. But lucky her!

I'm pretty certain it's by Dunhill, and what's more,

it looks to me that it was made between the wars.

It's sort of in the Art Deco style.

Reminds me a bit of a skyscraper.

You know, that very modern style of architecture that was sweeping America in the 1930s.

Very understated base

and capital, really, echoing the sort of architectural theme.

But above all else, it's just a cool thing to own.

Smoking was in itself stylish.

You know, people blowing smoke rings.

You'd see people like Noel Coward smoking on television in the old days

and I'm sure he used to positively blow his smoke

and it circled elegantly around his head.

You can just imagine sitting on your sun chair on your yacht in Monte Carlo

and just flicking it and lighting your very long cigarette,

perhaps in the cigarette holder, as well. It is so cool.

And that particular cigarette lighter was one of the earliest ones to be manufactured

so you could just use one hand.

There's a sort of elegance about it, isn't there, really?

It's funny that we should associate it with smoking,

which is today not considered to be politically correct or at all elegant.

It's clearly marked Dunhill and it also states on the base, "Cartier Licence"

so that means it was made under licence to a Cartier design.

And we also have the assay mark, which tells us that it's nine-carat gold.

Cartier is one of those big brands.

I think it was Edward VII who said,

"Cartier is a jeweller for kings and the king of jewellers."

And very fitting that the Dunhill lighter,

which itself is a brand associated with quality and style and class,

should in this instance tie up with Cartier.

-You have to bear in mind it's gold, so there's going to be a significant melt value in the base.

-Mm-hm.

But it's worth far more than its melt value.

And of course, you have to bear in mind that the mechanics of it actually aren't gold.

They're probably brass. And I think it's worth somewhere between £250 and £350.

'But how much did this bargain buy go for?'

A nine-carat gold Dunhill Cartier tallboy lighter.

London, 1934, with the engine-turn case.

I've got two commission bids.

-That's good.

-I'm starting at 4...

-4?

460 starts me.

-That's great.

-At 460. 480 now.

-At 460. At 460.

-HAMMER BANGS

-Bang! Sold!

-Well, your chap turned a good profit on that.

-Yes, he did.

The auction finished very quickly. I was very surprised.

But that's the way it is. There were bidders out there who wanted it

and they were falling over themselves to buy it.

'Not bad for a £4 investment.

'Now, one of my top tips is always look for a good name,

'like Cartier or Dunhill.

'There's an immediate cachet and value.

'And don't be too timid when you're buying.

'Push on the price. The vendor can always say no.

'In 2006, Thomas Plant found a real bargain and a real haggler.'

How much did you pay for it at the car-boot sale?

The lady wanted £8 but I negotiated down to a fiver.

Why was that? Why was the negotiation in there?

Because it's sort of like a matter of principle, really.

If you're a car-booter, you always want to get the best deal.

When they've told you they've bought it for a fiver,

they're either really relaxed

or become incredibly greedy

and want everything for it, want the top, top dollar.

I found it at a car-boot sale last summer, rummaging around,

and I knew it was something nice, but I didn't know exactly what it was.

Richard was very relaxed and a very affable man.

It's a piece of Art Nouveau pewter made by the factory Kayserzinn.

Kayserzinn is a German manufacturer.

They made pewter in the Art Nouveau style

in the late 19th, early 20th century.

Now, we can call it Art Nouveau, or the German word, which is Jugendstil.

-Right.

-The young style. And it's got all the typical attributes

of any Art Nouveau or Jugendstil piece.

You have the sinuous flowing lines here,

which the fish have made through swimming in it, and then the other interesting thing is the decoration.

The decoration is asymmetrical. That's very typical of the Art Nouveau period.

-Do you know where that comes from?

-No.

-Japanese plates.

-Oh, right.

Or Japanese design and Chinese. It's asymmetrical.

If you look at their designs, they don't always fold.

Here in the West, we love things which match.

We're obsessed by it. Look at our mantelpieces.

-That's right.

-Fire, mirror, vases. Match, fold them on each other.

And here, they've really sort of turned it on its head.

Decoration here, bulrushes, and then some more here.

It would've been better if you had a naked lady on here, which is a real femme fatale,

real motif of the Art Nouveau period. But they were interested in nature.

And this shows that this is a fish dish, it's got fish on it.

I think I was quite mean with my estimate.

-What do you think it's worth?

-Well, I guess £25, £30, something like that.

I think a bit more. I think 40 to 60, something like that.

-That's good news.

-Cos it's a popular thing, Art Nouveau.

He was going to spend his £40 on wine, women and squander the rest, I think.

'That's my kind of man. So how much did that bargain platter,

'picked up for £5, make at auction?'

We've got this pewter fish dish.

Stamped by Kayserzinn. 30, thank you. 35.

40 I'm bid for it. 45. 50 I'm bid.

60 I'm bid. 70 I'm bid. 80 I'm bid.

-90 I'm bid. 100 I'm bid.

-This is good.

-£100. 110 I'm bid.

-Yeah, another 10.

-120 I'm bid.

130. 140. 150. 160.

-This is great.

-This is...

-170. 180.

190.

-£200.

-Ooh!

-For £200, then.

-HAMMER BANGS

-That's superb! Good find!

-Thank you very much.

-Well done!

-Thank you.

It made a whopping £200 at auction. Well done him.

And in the end, he gave the money to charity.

Here's a very simple top tip.

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

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

'Even if you don't know anything about an antique, don't be put off.'

I'm fascinated by it. SHE LAUGHS

'If you were attracted to it, it's likely someone else might be, too.

'Good news if you plan to sell.

'You may find the thing you like could be worth a small fortune.

'Elizabeth Talbot came across something special

'which proved to be just such a thing.'

What can you tell me about your wonderful sugar caster?

Erm, all I can tell you is that I got it from a car-boot

probably about four years ago

and I just liked it so I bought it for a fiver.

-£5, really?

-It was £7.50.

-And you beat them down.

-To five!

-On the bottom, Moorcroft with a signature

and the "Made in England" impressed into the bottom.

So it's beautifully documented.

And it's amazing nobody else spotted it. You must have been secretly jumping up and down.

-Well, I didn't know what it was.

-Right.

-I just assumed it was something to do with sugar or flour.

When they know nothing at all, you have a clean sheet

with which to unveil the true story for them,

and that's really, really satisfying.

As a professional valuer and cataloguer,

that gives real satisfaction on a personal level.

The use of the combination with pewter

links it back to the early days when in the early 1900s

they produced a lot of items for outlets such as Liberty,

and I was rather hoping that I'd find a Liberty mark on this

but I can't find any stamp on that.

But certainly the combination suggests that it's a nice early 20th century example.

In terms of a piece of Moorcroft, anything which is culinary

or, sort of, more unusual

obviously is quite a find.

One tends to find bowls and vases,

whereas a sugar caster is a little bit more exciting.

Pieces which were more intricate or more unusual

were made is smaller numbers

and therefore, by definition, there were fewer to start with, so they have greater value.

I'd have said it should make between £300 and £400 quite comfortably.

-Right.

-And it might do a little bit more,

but £300 to £400 I think is a realistic pre-auction estimate.

-It's a good return for a £5 note.

-It is!

'Well, let's see.'

-That's such a good spot in an old junk shop, was it?

-No, a car-boot.

-260. 280. 300.

-It's climbing, Sue.

-300 this side.

320. 340. 360.

380. 400. 400 now.

This side at 400. 420. 440, new money.

440. 460.

It's nice when something just takes off

and you feel it's caught the imagination of the market.

-480. 500.

-It is literally electric in the room.

600. 620. 640. 660.

680. 700.

720. 740.

It's live drama, it's real life happening right in front of your eyes

and that's what really sort of makes it special. Yes, definitely.

-At 840. 860. 880.

-Are you all right?

900. 900.

-950. Make it 1,000.

-You're shaking.

At 1,000. At £1,000.

-Done, then, at £1,000?

-You're going to settle for that, aren't you?

Yes! HAMMER BANGS

It's wonderful to see the response of the owner who's selling,

because in many cases, it's true delight from them, too.

-How fantastic is that?

-That's fantastic!

-Absolutely brilliant.

So here's what we've learnt so far.

'Look for quality and good names.

'Don't be afraid to try and haggle down the price.

'And buy things which appeal to you personally.

'That sugar shaker proved to be a brilliant buy.

'Bought for £5 and sold for £1,000.

'But would you know how to recognise a piece of Moorcroft

'if you were delving into a box of mixed ceramics at a car-boot sale?

'To find out more about Moorcroft, I've come to the heart of the British pottery industry.

'This area is so synonymous with the trade that it's traditionally referred to as the Potteries.

'You may know it as Stoke-on-Trent.'

Today Staffordshire boasts some 350 potteries.

Renowned names like Clarice Cliff, Royal Doulton

and, of course, Moorcroft with its exquisitely vibrant style,

were all born and based here, producing everything from the little egg cup

to the most expensive, highly sought-after bowls and vases.

Now, they may be all the rage with the collectors today,

but the industry has been around for centuries.

'Pottery was established in the West Midlands in the early 1700s,

'but it wasn't until 1897 that the world was introduced to a style legend.

'William Moorcroft caught the attention of a local pot manufacturer,

'James MacIntyre and Company, and that moment marked the official birth of an artistic genius.'

Young William Moorcroft had already gained an enviable reputation as a gifted painter,

even though he was just a recent graduate,

and he started working for MacIntyre as the lead designer.

With his vibrant, colourful designs inspired by nature, he soon captured the market

and even boldly placed his signature on the bottom of every MacIntyre pot.

He was a visionary designer and revolutionary in his approach to ceramic art.

Demand for William's work soon exceeded any other designer in the firm.

In 1912, aided by money from Liberty of London,

Moorcroft left MacIntyre's employment,

taking with him 12 members of staff to start up his own factory.

They marched the 500 metres from the old premises to Moorcroft's new factory,

taking with them sketches, designs, pot moulds and tools.

A new age of ceramics had dawned and the iconic Moorcroft was born.

'Today, Moorcroft is a much-loved worldwide brand.

'Its delicate but intricate detail delights thousands upon thousands

'and it's been a bit of a regular for us on Flog It.'

How about 150, 250?

-Yeah!

-Yeah, definitely!

-They're not worth that.

-Oh, OK.

-They're worth 300 to 500.

-You are kidding.

-No.

'And it doesn't often disappoint us when it comes to selling on at auction.'

-At 2,050.

-HAMMER BANGS

-That is a great Flog It moment.

-£2,050.

-APPLAUSE

'So to find out why it's so sought-after,

'I've come to the Moorcroft visitor's centre to meet MD Elise Adams

'and take a look at their stunning collection.'

What an incredible room.

Moorcroft is vying for my attention everywhere!

-Everywhere you look! I'm surrounded! What's this room called?

-This is the Moorcroft Museum.

It's part of the Moorcroft Heritage Visitor's Centre here in Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent.

-How long have you been working here?

-I've been at Moorcroft for 12 years and slowly worked my way up.

And every day is a new day. That's the nice thing about being a living art pottery,

-there's always something new happening.

-We've got a few that you've pulled out from the cabinets.

I've started here with some very early pieces to show you.

This is where William started out when he worked at MacIntyre's,

a local firm that was founded back in the 1830s,

and he started with pieces like this. This is Aurelian Ware.

It's flat to the touch, it's not like the pieces of Moorcroft that we then come to know

-which have the raised slip trailing.

-Where did he get his inspiration from?

Very much from his environment around him.

A lot of British flowers, little forget-me-nots and daisies, things he would see.

And then these pieces lead on to other pieces that come forward.

But obviously he was very clever at this stage

because he was signing all his wares, although he was working for MacIntyre,

-he was signing them Moorcroft.

-Yes, he was.

-How did he get away with that?

He was a very canny businessman and MacIntyre's don't seem to have objected from what we know.

Pieces like this, it's a MacIntyre piece of ware,

it's got the MacIntyre back stamp on it, but then quite clearly in green

is actually William's signature. He's branding his own name there,

he's setting himself up for when he's going to go it alone and set up his own factory.

-So people are knowing these pieces as Moorcroft when they're actually MacIntyre's.

-Yes

-What's distinctive about this piece?

-This piece is the very first range

that William designs when he moves to this new factory in 1913.

This follows the following year in 1914 and it's called Persian Ware.

The shape is inspired by Middle Eastern culture.

William starts to work with Liberty & Co in London

and they start buying pieces of MacIntyre Ware

and he starts actually then designing specific ranges exclusively for them, such as this powder blue ware,

which they actually used in their Liberty tea rooms.

-Flambe.

-Flambe, wonderful. From blue to red. I mean, it's such a rich colour.

-This was his technique.

-It was.

-His little invention.

-This was something that he held very close to his heart.

He actually took the recipe with him to his death bed

and only passed it on to his son Walter on his death bed in 1945.

He didn't let anyone fire the kilns or load the kilns,

he was very, very protective over it.

-So what period are we looking at now?

-We're coming forward a little bit in time here

to more contemporary pieces and pieces by William's son, Walter,

who takes over the factory in 1945.

But as you can see, we do start to get away a little bit from what Moorcroft's all about here.

There's very little tube lining on the pieces,

which is exactly the opposite to what William had devised.

Let's talk about the new designers. Do they have to have a good archive knowledge of previous designs?

They do. They're all very aware of pieces that have gone before.

They always have access to the museum.

You often find them in here looking at old shapes and designs.

But they're very careful to always be moving forward.

But the process of Moorcroft has changed very little.

It's still tube-lined by hand, painted by hand, dipped by hand, and so on.

So from that point of view, in 112 years, very little has changed.

I think that's great, to see some animals.

Yeah, it's by Kerry Goodwin, who's one of the newest members of the design studio.

She actually works here on our factory and is here today,

so if you would like to come and meet her, Paul,

-and have a look round, we can see how this piece is actually made.

-That'll be interesting.

'The first stage of the process is mould-making.

'The craftsman hand-makes each mould with plaster of Paris.

'Next the piece is cast.

'The mould is filled with liquid clay and then emptied, leaving a wet shell.

'When the clay has dried, the mould is removed, revealing the shape.

'The vase is then placed in a damp room overnight to harden.

'The dried vase needs to be smoothed. It's mounted on a lathe

'and any seams removed by hand.'

That's precision work.

'Excess flakes of clay are removed with a sponge dipped in water

'and those familiar stamps are then pressed into the base.

'The pattern is inked onto a clear sheet of paper with a special ink mixed at the factory.

'Then the wet design is pressed onto the pot with the tube liners to follow.

'Once the pattern has been pressed onto the pot,

'the famous Moorcroft tube lining can begin.

'They follow the pattern precisely, laying it onto the pot.

'It's a good job my work is being overseen by the designer who created this piece, Kerry Goodwin.'

My hands are so thick and clumsy, I'm worried that I might break off what's already been done.

That's hard. That's very difficult.

It's not going on! It's not running.

You're doing quite well.

Come the final glaze, that'll be very vibrant, like this.

Yes, the glaze is the main part

because the colour soaks into the pot itself

and then once you put the glaze on, it turns into, like, precious jewels,

all the colours come through, all the reds and the greens, and it's really...

And then the whole thing just comes to life.

-So, you do want to finish this or would you like me to?

-It'd take me two days, not three hours.

-Right!

-Can you finish it off for me?

-Yeah.

-I'll finish it off and send it through the kiln.

-Thank you so much.

And thank everybody here because they've shown me the secrets behind Moorcroft.

And it's well and truly alive and kicking.

'Hopefully you and I can now spot a piece of Moorcroft at 100 paces.

'In 2010, a rare piece sold for nearly £20,000.

'If you are lucky enough to come across a piece at a bargain price, snap it up.

'It'll be a quality thing and should only go up in value.

'A canny shopper can usually pick up a bargain

'if they know what to look for.'

So here's another trade secret.

I think, to a new collector, it's always going to be a spoon.

But in this case, a particular type of spoon.

At the moment, 18th century table spoons are very undervalued.

And you can still buy beautiful examples like this,

this is a Newcastle spoon, old English pattern,

made by Langlands & Robertson in 1778.

And you can see, it's got an absolutely pristine set of hallmarks

on the back of the stem.

The bowl's got its original tip, there's no wear, there's no damage to it.

And when that was made, it would be the equivalent today of £300 or £400.

£50, £60 will buy that.

And actually, in scrap weight in just the silver,

if you went over it with a steam roller,

there's £38 worth of silver in it, so you're actually paying £12 or £22

for an 18th century masterpiece.

So it's very undervalued at the moment.

Probably not after this goes out, there'll be a stampede and they'll be £500 each.

But if you want to start collecting silver, which is always prohibitively expensive,

this is where the smart money is at the moment.

'Still to come, more absolute bargains bought at rock-bottom prices.'

I said, "Are you selling it?" and she said, "Yeah, £1."

'And more insider info on how to make your own brilliant buys.'

Picked it up. Why? Well, because it's 2,000 years old.

'And we discover Philip Serrell has been finding bargains in surprising places.'

They either kick me or they bite me.

Vases don't do that.

There are some wonderful works of art out there,

great names and superb antiques,

and we want to give you some more information

on what makes them special.

'A perennial favourite on Flog It is Whitefriars glass.

'We see it all the time and it can sometimes make serious money.

'And just occasionally you can pick up pieces ridiculously cheaply.'

One of my favourite items by Geoffrey Baxter for Whitefriars, this banjo vase.

'This piece was bought in the 70s by Neil

'at a department store's bargain basement

'for the equivalent of 75 pence.'

Banjo in willow. What do we say?

'It sold at auction for £680.'

We're going to settle for that. I think you are, Neil.

-Yes, I am indeed.

-Better than 75 pence, isn't it?

It is indeed. It's a good profit.

He was thrilled.

So was I at the time.

I'm not quite sure whether it would make the same amount of money now.

Because markets fluctuate.

You know, there was a big boom in Whitefriars

and some of these banjo vases were topping £1,000.

He sold at the right time, I think.

'You'll be doing really well if you can pick up as good a bargain as Neil

'with his 75 pence vase.

'But it's still really worth looking out for,

'as despite passing its peak, it's still in demand from glass collectors

'and starting to see a resurgence

'in the current red-hot retro market.

'The original glass works in London dated back to the 1720s,

'but it only really gained popularity

'when it was taken over by James Powell nearly 100 years later.

'Over the years, the company became known for their heat-resistant glass,

'their experimental designs and their use of new colours.

'But much of the iconic Whitefriars glass we see on Flog It

'was the work of Geoffrey Baxter,

'who joined the company in the 1950s

'and revolutionised glass-making

'by using things like nails and bark in the making of his moulds.

'This new textured glass, with its bold designs and colours,

'summed up the swinging 60s.

'The Whitefriars glass works closed in 1980

'but the glass itself remained and remains popular.

'But watch out for fakes.'

There's an awful lot of cheap copies coming in from China.

The colours are wrong, the finish is wrong.

But to an untrained eye, they could look like the real thing.

Be careful you don't spend a lot of money on something which is a fake.

Finding a bargain piece of Whitefriars these days I think is very unlikely,

largely because it's so well-known.

But, you know, there are car-boot sales our there

and there are charity shops out there who don't do their research.

And if they get a box of bric-a-brac in,

they might well plonk it on the shelf for 50p or something.

'Other good glass names to look out for include Lalique and Kosta Boda.

'Pieces by these makers will always be signed and will always be collectable.

'If they're cheap enough, you can't go wrong.

'But if you're buying as an investment, steer clear if the pieces are badly chipped,

'as their value will plummet.'

At every valuation day,

our experts wow us with their depth and breadth of knowledge.

They seem to know pretty much everything.

But where does all this expertise come from?

We're spending the day with Flog It favourite Philip Serrell,

who learned to buy and sell bargains wheeling and dealing on the hoof.

I think the expression is,

"Worcester born, Worcester bred,

"strong on the arm, thick in the head."

I've spent the whole of my life in and around the county and I really, really love it.

50 then, at 50, please. At 5, 45...

I started in Worcester livestock market

and my first boss was a very, very forgetful man

and he told me to come to work on the Monday morning

wearing a pin-striped suit, so I did.

First day at work, he sent me to the market, here.

And I ended up in one of these pens in a 48-hour-old pin-striped suit.

And, well, without going into too much detail,

you can see what the back end of a sheep looks like in this weather.

Most of it was deposited all over my brand new suit.

I can look back at this now quite fondly, but at the time,

up to your thighs in the back end of a sheep, not good.

45 here. 6. 7.

47, I've got a bid...

My very first day, I can remember

watching the sheep and the cattle being sold

and I swear, it was about four months before I ever saw anybody bid.

You come to the refined atmosphere of a fine art auction room

and everyone's holding their paddle like this.

You try and spot a bidder here. It's all...

It's all this stuff. It's done it code.

It's a secret society, I'm convinced of it.

The thing about animals and me is

they either kick me or they bite me.

Vases don't do that.

I think the thing that does it for me about being an auctioneer

is the people that you meet.

But also, for that short period of time before you sell something,

you have a massive, ever-changing collection of items.

And it's the opportunity to perhaps hold things and see things and appreciate things

and they're yours for that very instant of time before you sell them, and that's lovely.

It's not so much what something is

but it's the social history of something.

It's not the chair but it's whose bum's been on the chair, and that's what I love.

Most people think of house clearances as big castles and country houses,

but sometimes ordinary properties need clearing, and this is an example.

I first came here about three years ago to look at a single item

and now the family want me to advise them on clearing what's left in this property.

HE KNOCKS ON DOOR

-This was my mother-in-law's house.

-So basically, all of her belongings are here.

-All of her belongings.

-And you now need it just cleared.

-We just need it cleared.

-I have found...

-Is that a Wedgwood service?

It is a Wedgwood service. So is that silver?

-What do you reckon?

-Hm. It's quite heavy.

-So am I.

-THEY LAUGH

A spider's nest.

In truth, I don't think there's too much of massive value in here.

But you never know what you're going to find, do you? Let's see what else we can come across.

My mother-in-law claimed she wasn't a hoarder but her father was.

There are some things in life that are assets and there are some things that are liabilities,

and I think a lot of this falls into the... Although, that's nice. That's an old croquet set, 19th century.

-Yeah.

-And a set of crown green bowls.

What would possess you to keep a set of skis in deepest, darkest Worcestershire?

We've had some dodgy weather, but...

They are my grandmother-in-law's,

who would've used them in the Alps in probably the 1920s.

They were last knowingly used in the bad winter of 1982.

You've got your croquet set, your bowls, you've got your skis.

If you owned a pub called the Sporting Tavern,

you've already got the lounge bar all decorated, haven't you?

Cos these things now form part of theme pubs and the like.

Sanoid Compound. Zinc and starch toilet powder, whatever the hell toilet powder is.

It's a dusting powder for tender feet

or any part of the body. It is very soothing and comforting.

-Hold on, shall we do the brave thing?

-Ooh!

Oh, look at this.

Whose hand, yours or mine?

Look at that. That's what it is.

Oh, can you smell that? It smells of old people, doesn't it?

I wanted the Beano, the Dandy, the Hornet or the Victor, right?

And my dad made me have Look And Learn because he thought it made me intellectual. He failed.

Oh. Here we are. I can see through those. I'm going to keep these.

That's interesting. If I'm right, that's a microscope in there.

-Well, she was a scientist.

-Was she?

-A horticulturalist, so she did a lot of botany and biology.

That would be quite exciting, if that was her microscope, wouldn't it?

Let's have a look. Oh, that's cool, isn't it?

That's just fantastic. For me, this is the crown jewels.

So what are these in here? These are her slides.

Don't know what that is. What on earth is that?

-What do you think that is?

-Could be spores from a mushroom.

-Is it?

Possibly.

-Did you know this was here?

-No.

-Here's a decision for you.

-There's so much that I didn't know about.

-So is this going to stop or go?

-It can go.

I've got to tell you, if I was in your shoes, I'd struggle to sell that.

The but is, if you didn't sell it and you were sentimental and you kept it,

what's going to happen to it? Well, you'd do that

and then you'd put it under a bed or on top of the wardrobe

and it probably would never see the light of day again.

And the one thing she did say before she died

was not to keep things just because they were hers

-but to make sure that somebody else who might enjoy them got the opportunity to have them.

-Fantastic.

That was a lovely job to do. And the real joy is, you get back to the saleroom

and you just never know what surprise you're going to find when you start unwrapping things.

So fingers crossed.

'Philip has yet to value all the items in the house

'but thinks the microscope alone might fetch £300 to £500.

-'Not bad money for something that was tucked away in a cupboard.'

-HAMMER BANGS

'So if you want to make money, take a good look around your own home.

'There could be items in your attic or your shed that you don't want

'but that someone else may pay good money for.

'That's my tip. And now here's some more advice from our experts

'on how to spot a bargain.'

It's so difficult. I have to say, it's all about luck.

The best thing to do to spot a bargain is know the subject,

study the market and actually concentrate on things

which are not necessarily fashionable at the moment

because that is where prices fall

and you can achieve good value purchases

that you can benefit from in the future.

Spotting bargains is all about knowledge.

Do your homework, handle things, find out about the prices.

And that's the way you'll be able to find if something really is a bargain.

Now, our experts may be pretty good a spotting a valuable object

amongst the rest of the items, but they're not the only ones.

As I found out week after week,

you lot are very impressive at spotting a bargain buy.

I'll never forget a valuation day in Devon back in 2005

when one rock-bottom purchase put a big smile on all of our faces.

There are definitely still bargains to be had at boot sales.

That's what gets me out of bed early on a Sunday morning.

When you've asked that question, "Where did you get it from?"

"Oh, I got it from a car-boot." As a valuer, you just think,

"Oh, I wish that had been me in front of him at the table. I would've snapped that up!"

Sometimes these people who are going to car-boot sales,

they're not experts, they're just members of the public that have an interest in antiques

and a lot of the time, they're just going with their gut instinct.

They'll see something and they'll think, "That's got something about it."

I was car-booting and it started to rain.

A lady was packing up and I just looked in the bottom of a box

-and it was wrapped in a towel.

-Really?

-Yep.

The Cheshire Cat is a fairly scary character, really,

a slightly gruesome grin and these teeth.

-I said, "Are you selling it?" And she said, "Yes. £1."

-And you said, "I'll have that."

-Yeah.

-But you didn't even know what it was.

-No, I didn't.

-You didn't even look at the mark?

-No, I just had that thing that it was worth something.

Let's have closer look at him. I can just see inside here,

1957, Royal Worcester, modelled by Freda Doughty,

in this case, for a series of Alice In Wonderland figures.

Freda Doughty is one of the big names. Royal Worcester and Freda Doughty, great combination.

She came to Royal Worcester almost to sort of challenge Royal Doulton,

who really had cornered the market in figures and figurines.

When I was at the car-boot, there was a dealer there

and he said, "I'll give you £50 for it here and now."

And that's what tipped me over the edge. I thought,

"No, I'll stick with it, I'll keep it just to have a bit of a study."

And I looked it up, and lo and behold, it was worth more than I thought.

I think I put it in at 150, 250,

which at the time, to be honest, I'm going to stand by my guns here,

that is the price that it should've been worth.

I'll start the bidding with me at £300.

300. 320. 340.

-360. 380.

-Wow.

-400.

420. 440. 460.

480. 500.

It was the internet where the buzz was

and they were bidding against each other on the internet.

-520 on the internet.

-Yes! Fresh legs.

540 on the internet. 540. 560.

That's a modern saleroom for you.

You don't have to be in the room for things to make good money.

-580 with me on the book.

-They absolutely love this little cat.

580. With me on the book at 580.

600. At £600 on the internet.

620 with me. Still on the book now at 620.

Make it 640 on the internet? At £620.

I'm going to sell it. Fair warning now. At 620.

-HAMMER BANGS

-£620!

-Yeah!

-We should be clapping you. Gosh!

-For £1, not bad.

They say it had a face that only a mother could love,

but someone out there loved him enough to pay that sort of money for him.

'It was the combination of designer and manufacturer names

'that made that £1 cat worth more than £600.

'My top tip is always take hallmark and marker's mark books with you if you're bargain hunting.

They'll help you identify items of real quality.

I think the one that sticks out in my memory

was Coral and her lovely hair slide, her Art Deco hair slide that she brought in.

Well, I don't know a lot about it, I just picked it up at a car-boot sale.

-At a car-boot sale?

-Yeah. It was in amongst some other junk jewellery.

-Right.

-And it just seemed to stand out.

-And how much did you pay for it?

-75 pence.

-You didn't.

-I did, yeah.

-That is amazing.

Wow. Everything Art Deco should be diamonds, for a start.

You can't get really much more exclusive or decadent than having diamonds.

Mixing it with one of the most expensive precious metals that you can find, platinum,

that diamond-platinum combination.

The fact that the diamonds, I seem to remember, they were baguette cut

with brilliant cuts, as well. So that combination of the two

worked really well in that architectural form, as well.

It reminds me of cocktails at the Ritz in the 1920s.

"I'm just going for cocktails, darling. I'm just going to put my diamond pin in my hair."

She was selling it, I seem to remember, because her parrot

loved everything sparkly. It sounds more like a magpie than a parrot.

-A parrot with taste!

-Yes, very good taste.

-But unfortunately, he destroys every piece of jewellery.

-Oh, no!

-So you cannot wear it.

-No.

-Because of your naughty parrot.

-Yeah, I couldn't wear it. There'd be nothing left of it.

-Oh, dear.

Personally, I think I would've probably flogged the parrot

before the hair slide, but that's Coral's choice.

We're probably looking in the region of about £200 to £300,

which is an absolutely fantastic profit on your 75p, isn't it?

-Big potential profit, yes.

-That's a good morning's work.

-Yes.

-Fantastic.

-So shall we flog it?

-Yes, flog it! Flog it!

-Brilliant.

The white metal diamond-set hair clip,

200 may I say? Selling it on the internet.

£200. On the phone now at 200.

220 online. 240. 260. 280.

This is fantastic, isn't it? £280.

£300 I'm bid. 320 on the phone. 340 may I say? 340.

£340!

-£340.

-HAMMER BANGS

Yes, Coral! 340 quid! Well done, you two!

-Fantastic!

-That's good, isn't it?

-All for 75p.

You see, it still is out there, you've just got to get there early and hunt for it.

'Here's Christina's secret for bagging future bargains.'

You can buy things now which in the future will be incredibly expensive and incredibly collectable.

HAMMER BANGS

To me, I always think that textiles is a hugely undervalued area,

bearing in mind the time that goes into making them.

Things like embroideries. And I think that could very well be an emerging market

that may well need looking into and possibly in the future will blossom.

And here's some more inside information.

'Do have a rummage through job lots at auction houses.

'These salerooms are often turning over vast amounts of kit each week,

'and can easily overlook something in a job lot.

'There could be a bargain at the bottom of that box,

'as Flog It favourite Charlie Ross knows.'

I saw these and I was wondering to myself,

"I hope they're not plastic." And indeed they aren't.

I think I ran across the room when I saw these. They were so exciting.

They are Austrian cold-painted bronze,

heavy, virtually got all the original paint,

mounted on this brass double, what I take to be a photograph frame.

I'm sure it is. Do you know how old they might be?

-1900, 1910.

-Exactly. 1900, 1910.

I think they were probably by Bergmann,

but they were wonderful, and not only that,

the colours were still vibrant on them, which was remarkable.

So often with a cold-painted bronze, the colours have worn away,

and really that's most of the charm gone, and that's really what did it for me.

Where did you get them from?

-From a fairly local auction. An auction house.

-An auction?

-Yeah.

-Blimey! Recently?

-About six months ago. Early last year.

They'd come in a job lot from an auctioneer for £32.

-And what else was in the box?

-Er, a brass clock, a brass dog.

-Have you sold anything else from the box?

-No. No. But I would say, cos we kept the clock,

erm, I would say that's probably £20, £25, something like that.

Yeah. So that's good. So if we can get you £32 for these then everything else is free.

Yeah. THEY LAUGH

-Except I wouldn't sell them. I'd keep them for £32.

-I thought you might.

-Well, I think you've turned your £32 into at least £200 to £300.

-Yeah?

If you don't get that, don't sell them.

200 I'm bid straight in. 200. 220. 240.

260. 280. 300 here.

320. 340.

360. 380.

-This is great. They love it.

-400. 420.

440? 440. 460.

480. 500.

In hindsight, one would've put more on them.

But when someone tells you what they've paid for something...

600. 620.

So I put £200 to £300.

Yeah, a low valuation.

800. 820.

850. 880. 900.

-Oh.

-I wanted to keep them.

-Money! Money!

This is beginning to smack of incompetence, isn't it?

-1,000. 50 this time.

-You've got the four figures.

-1,050.

1,100. 1,150.

1,100 here.

1,150 on the other phone?

-I'll wake up in a minute.

-1,100 in the room.

It goes in the room, then, at £1,100.

Come and buy me!

-Come and sack me!

-THEY LAUGH

I sell over there at £1,100.

£1,100, the hammer is going down, yes!

-Sue, what do you think of that?

-That's brilliant.

'What a result! Bought as a job lot with other things for £32

'and sold for a staggering £1,100.

'So here are my final Flog It bargain buys trade secrets.

'Spend time researching pottery and hallmarks or take a guide book with you.

'And don't assume everything will be marked.

'The platinum hair clip wasn't.

'You just have to go with instinct on something like that.

'And if you see a job lot at an auction house or fair,

'have a good dig around. There could be something precious buried in there.

'And here's one of the best tips in the business.'

When viewing an item,

whether it be inside an auction room or antiques shop,

make sure you take it to the doorway to a source of natural daylight or to a window

because daylight will reveal the impurities and restorations

in fine art, ceramics or in furniture

much quicker than artificial light will.

And believe me, I have made that mistake, and it's cost me.

'We know lots of you Flog It viewers love collecting things.

'But for those of you wanting inspiration

'into starting a collection and finding a bargain to boot,

'here's a tip from Nick Hall. I love this story.'

This is an innocuous little object that I picked up at a car-boot sale

probably 15, 18 years ago for next to nothing, 50 pence.

And I picked it up. Why? Well, because it's 2,000 years old.

An original Roman pottery oil lamp.

If you know what you're looking for and you're prepared to work hard and scour around,

you can pick up genuine antiques, works of art, for next to nothing.

If you had to go and buy it at auction, it would probably not cost you 50 pence but maybe £50.

Age doesn't always equate into value.

There's an interesting story to this, as well.

I'm not particularly into the early artefacts,

I'm more about Georgian, Victorian, 20th century design, the classic collectable areas.

But some years ago, one of my three sons said,

"Dad, we're studying Romans at school."

I said, "Great. I've got a little genuine pottery lamp.

"You could take that in, show it to the teacher, show it to the class, it'll be an interesting object.

"Sort of a hands-on era, if you like."

"Great," he said, "Could you bring it in?"

So I arranged to bring it in at the start of the school lesson.

I was just going to hand it over, make sure they didn't drop it.

But, lo and behold, the teacher announced my arrival as,

"Welcome, boys and girls.

"Mr Hall is not only the owner of a rare pottery lamp from the Roman period

"but a specialist on the Roman settlements of Britain

"circa 2,000 years ago." Which, of course, I'm not.

I think my part, my interest and my knowledge had been somewhat overplayed by my son.

So I had to blag a 30-minute lesson on Roman settlements in England,

which I got through, I think, unnoticed and unscathed.

But the kids enjoyed it and they got to handle something that's 2,000 years old

and possibly stirred some of them to become collectors of today.

At most auctions there's often one sale which takes everybody's breath away,

and like you, I want to find out more about how one object

can change the life for its owner.

So here's one that really stands out for me.

'Sometimes the biggest bargains of all are those lurking in your own home.

'Unloved and unwanted antiques can be the key to fulfilling your dreams.

'Barbara, who came to our Stockport valuation day,

'was one of those lucky ones.'

Why should I settle down when I'm still quite active and fit

and I want to see these countries and I have the opportunity to see them?

-Barbara, this has been in pride of place in your jewellery box, is that right?

-Erm, not quite.

I had a necklace from my mother, which I'd never seen her wear

and I didn't really like it.

So we decided to take it to Flog It.

Where's it been all these years?

It's been in a little box, in a polythene bag,

-buried under my waterproofs as a hiding place.

-Well, I think that's disgraceful.

-I'm sorry.

-To keep such an elegant piece of jewellery under your waterproofs.

-I'm sorry.

-That's all right. We'll forgive you. You brought them in. You've redeemed yourself.

They're not British, they are Italian.

Now, the Italians and the Romans have been making this sort of jewellery

for hundreds and hundreds of years.

They've been using mosaics and micro-mosaics,

and this is what we have here.

-We have little micro-mosaics set into, I think, cornelian...

-Right.

-..which is a type of agate.

-Right.

And we have little panels of birds and then some sort of classical scene and then another bird.

-Yeah.

-And a matching pair of earrings with birds in them again.

And they sit beautifully here, as we can see, with these little gold swags.

And on the back we've got a little swing. I mean, they're lovely quality.

In terms of date, I think they're going to date to the Edwardian period.

-Oh, right.

-Value. I'd like to put 200 to 300 on them.

-Really?

-Would that be OK with you?

-That would be lovely.

And we'll put a 200 discretionary reserve cos we don't want to give them away.

-Oh, no, no.

-We don't want them to sell for nothing.

-Is there a long-held ambition you'd like to put it towards?

-Yes.

I've always had a fascination for Japan.

I wouldn't spend it on the house and things.

The things I've got will last me.

One is getting older.

You can cut that bit out. SHE LAUGHS

It was fantastic. We went early so we could get the atmosphere

and see what was happening and see how the things were being sold.

It was great.

Going under the hammer, the most exquisite micro-mosaic necklace and earrings belonging to Barbara

who needs to go to Japan.

And then when it was my turn,

it started off OK, I was all excited.

It's a lovely lot this, a 19th century yellow metal necklace

with the micro-mosaic hard stone panels with the matching earrings.

Micro-mosaic stuff is making great prices at the moment, I find,

and very, very popular. And what a lovely set this is.

Lot 760. I'm bid £200. Take 220 next.

-Straight in at 200.

-Wow.

-320. 40.

-60. 80. 400. 20. 40. 60. 80. 500.

-This is flying.

And then when it went above a certain price, the whole place was so quiet.

520. 540. 560. 580. 600. And 20. 640.

-Wow.

-660. 680. 700 here. And 20.

-It was amazing.

-This is an upgrade.

-800.

-SHE GASPS

-This is an upgrade from economy.

840. 860.

-880. 900.

-£900.

920. 940.

960. 980.

Hey! This is wonderful!

£1,000. And 50.

-1,200. 1,250.

-First class soon.

-1,300. 1,350.

-Japan.

-Japan. Japan.

1,400. 1,450.

-1,500. 1,550.

-Arigato.

-1,600. 1,650.

-Do you know Japanese for, "This is absolutely bonkers"?

1,650 on the phone.

-1,650!

-At £1,650. Are you all done then?

-What did we value it at?

-200 to 300.

-Phone bidder.

-HAMMER BANGS

-1,650.

-Wow!

-Wow!

-APPLAUSE

Absolutely amazing. I got a round of applause at the end of it, as well.

Do you know, I just love it when that happens. Well done, Adam Partridge, as well.

'With her fantastic Flog It windfall,

'Barbara was able to go on and book her ticket to ride.'

It was beautiful. It was cherry blossom time.

Beautiful buildings. But we did go down a river which was like white-water rafting.

Very exciting and scary. SHE LAUGHS

'Barbara brought back enough memories and souvenirs to last a lifetime.'

This is what I do when I get up.

I put on... my dressing gown.

Which reminds me of being in Kyoto and Japan.

And it is absolutely beautiful.

'So go on, search your home,

'you could be sitting on some treasure and not even know it.'

Well, that's it for today's show.

And if we've learnt anything on Flog It, it's take nothing for granted.

I hope we've given you some inspiration and some insider tips

on how to root out your very own bargains.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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