0:00:02 > 0:00:05'In the last 11 years, we've valued thousands of your items'
0:00:05 > 0:00:09and helped you sell around £1 million of antiques and collectables.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13- You've turned your £32 into at least £200 to £300.- Yeah?
0:00:13 > 0:00:15I'm very happy with that.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18- That is amazing!- Cracking result.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22In this series, I want to pass on some of the knowledge we've learnt
0:00:22 > 0:00:26from having those wonderful objects pass through our hands.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Welcome to Flog It! Trade Secrets.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01History tends to reflect the life of the people who write it.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05Great generals, proud monarchs and intrepid explorers,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08and the houses and objects they leave behind,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11are a source of wonder and inspiration.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15It's not so much what this chair's worth, but whose bum sat on it.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18But the thousands of objects you bring to show us
0:01:18 > 0:01:23tell a different history, a history more ordinary and less grand.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27So, today, we're looking at both - upstairs and downstairs.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31'Coming up, it's upstairs - our experts share their thoughts
0:01:31 > 0:01:35'about some of the poshest items we've seen on Flog It!'
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Two really nice quality decanters. It's a very posh thing, this.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43A really good example of how life used to be.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46'And I visit an extraordinary stately home.'
0:01:46 > 0:01:50There's a wow factor. Look at the size of it! It's gorgeous!
0:01:50 > 0:01:54'And we show you the secrets of downstairs.'
0:01:54 > 0:01:58- This would have been used below stairs.- Yeah.- In the kitchen.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02This is something that I would desperately love to own.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07'And here are some tips from our experts on why domestic items could be valuable.'
0:02:07 > 0:02:10I love collectable domestic objects,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13because they all tell a story, they're very accessible.
0:02:13 > 0:02:19There will always be a stall in fairs and markets with kitchenalia.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Corkscrews can be quite collectable.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25'So, stay tuned to see what can make real money.'
0:02:28 > 0:02:31When you visit grand historic houses or castles
0:02:31 > 0:02:36it's usually the splendour and the grandness of the state rooms that you gravitate towards
0:02:36 > 0:02:40to admire the gorgeous tapestries and the priceless furniture.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Because, let's face it, that's not how most of us live.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48'Over the years, objects from these places have been sold or gifted
0:02:48 > 0:02:52'and many have turned up at our valuation days.'
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Here's how the other half live.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58'Get ready for a tantalising array of quality items.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01'One of our experts who had an eye for the finer things in life
0:03:01 > 0:03:05'was the formidable David Barby, a true gentleman.'
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Of all the things that have been brought in today, Sheila,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12this is one that I wish to take home with me.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15- Is that right?- Absolutely. It's in such lovely condition.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19And beautifully polished, as though you only did it this morning.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- I bet you did, didn't you? - LAUGHING: Yes!
0:03:22 > 0:03:27- It was brown.- Was it brown?- Yes. - Not stuck in an attic?- Yes.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29- Really?- Yes, till last night.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- So you've never used it? - I used to use it.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37It used to be on a sideboard, but I'd got a big place then.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Since I've moved, it's been up the loft.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44- Right. What do you use it for? - Nothing, really. Just decoration.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49- Just decoration.- Yes.- It did have a purpose when it was made in 1806.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53It's solid silver and this would have come from a very affluent home.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58Oh! If you read books by Mrs Gaskell...
0:03:58 > 0:04:03- Yes.- North And South, Cranford, this fits into that sort of society.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06- Really?- Yes. It really is quite an interesting piece.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11The design, if you look at it, it has a classical appearance.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- It's a pedestal form. - Yes. A nice shape.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Let's think in terms of a Regency dining table.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21We'd have fresh-cut chunks of bread in there.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25- Lovely.- And passed round by the servant or the butler.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30'A quality piece, the serving basket was valued £350 to £500
0:04:30 > 0:04:33'and was sold at Adam Partridge's saleroom.'
0:04:33 > 0:04:37It wouldn't have been something that most of us would have had.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41You would have been a company owner or a politician or military man
0:04:41 > 0:04:45or a semi-aristo type to have owned something like that.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50You'd have never polished it yourself! You'd have someone to do that for you.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54'Are silver items with little practical use still sought after,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56'or are they bought for scrap?'
0:04:56 > 0:05:00People buy silver for condition, for what it is, for the maker, the age,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02various factors.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06The only things I imagine go for scrap are the ones that are damaged
0:05:06 > 0:05:09or the ones that no-one wants any more.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12'That was more for the serious collector.'
0:05:12 > 0:05:16I've got four bids. Shall we cut to the chase and say we've got 460?
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Is there 480? 460 bid. Is there 480 now?
0:05:20 > 0:05:26At 460. If you're all done. We'll sell it. Short and sweet at 460.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Blink and you'll miss that one! £460. Well done, David.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36'And that wasn't the only fine item we've seen.'
0:05:36 > 0:05:40I think this is just about the business. It really is lovely.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Tortoiseshell tea caddies are a red-letter day for an auctioneer.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47You have to be mindful with tortoiseshell and ivory.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52They have got to pre-date 1947, but that was a 19th-century caddy.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55I don't know which half of the family it's come down from.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00What often happened is you find that back at the latter end of the 19th century,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04someone might have been in service.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07When they retired, they were given a present from the house.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10I think, on my father's side of the family, they were in service.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12It's an area I've got to explore.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16So this could have been a present from a house that he worked at.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19'It's almost like a class thing.'
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Tea was an expensive commodity,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24so tea was locked up in this little box.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27The more elaborate and expensive the box was,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29the better the household that it came from.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33And you locked it up so those nasty servants couldn't get at your expensive tea!
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Regency tortoiseshell tea caddy.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Silver wire mounts in here.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Little silver escutcheon.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45There's just a hint of damage.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47- Can you see just there?- Mm-hm.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51- And on that corner, a little bit missing.- Right.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56A certain amount of minor blemishing I always think is acceptable.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Some people would prefer to restore it.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00What happens then is you get...
0:07:00 > 0:07:04You clearly can't use modern ivory or tortoiseshell.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07So people will buy old items that are damaged
0:07:07 > 0:07:10and they will use them to repair other items.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13So, if you've got an old piano with ivory keys,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17you might be able to buy the piano for nothing, take the ivory keys
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and use that in restoration of something else.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22What's it worth?
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- You don't know.- Not a clue. No.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29- If it made over £100, you'd probably be quite pleased.- Mm. I think so.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35Well, I think we ought to estimate that at...
0:07:35 > 0:07:37- £500 to £800.- Really?
0:07:37 > 0:07:45Yeah. And I think that it could easily top the £1,000 mark.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52The thing about anything is that you're going to get different ends of the spectrum.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55You can buy a tea caddy today for £5 or £10.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Tortoiseshell tea caddies are still massively collectable.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03They're not quite worth the money they were but they're up there at the Rolls-Royce end.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Things go in vogue in this business.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11At the minute, tortoiseshell tea caddies are the thing.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Do you like it or not really? That's why you want to sell it?
0:08:14 > 0:08:17I don't dislike it, but I have...
0:08:17 > 0:08:20- You'd like £1,000 more? - Yes, probably! Yes!
0:08:20 > 0:08:22PHILIP LAUGHS
0:08:23 > 0:08:27'It's off to the saleroom, but will quality always out?'
0:08:27 > 0:08:30You've done some research on this, haven't you?
0:08:30 > 0:08:36Talking to Philip, he said it was the kind of thing that would come from somebody in service.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41- Big grand house?- Yes. I've started doing genealogy on my father's side of the family.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44I've discovered that my great-grandfather was a butler.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49The rumour within the family is that he worked for Sir Titus Salt junior,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52- the salt mill with the David Hockney exhibition.- Yes.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55A great thing about Flog It! is that it sparks an interest.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Someone comes to the valuation day, we tell them something,
0:08:59 > 0:09:04they take it home and, whether they sell it or not, they find out more about it.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08What we discovered is it could well have belonged to Sir Titus Salt.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13He would have come from that great age of Victorian invention and money.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18Industrialists set up businesses and made huge sums of money.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23What do you do with huge sums of money? You buy a very trendy, at the time, tortoiseshell tea caddy.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26A single caddy in very good condition.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Very little to quarrel about with this.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32I have to start on my sheets at £900.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37Do we have £950 in the room? 950. 1,000. And 50.
0:09:37 > 0:09:391,100. And 50. 1,200. And 50.
0:09:39 > 0:09:421,300. And 50. 1,400. And 50.
0:09:42 > 0:09:451,500. And 50. 1,600 in the room?
0:09:45 > 0:09:471,600 on the phone?
0:09:49 > 0:09:531,600 is it anywhere, then?
0:09:53 > 0:09:56We finish 1,550. All done and finished. All done.
0:09:58 > 0:09:59Fantastic!
0:10:00 > 0:10:05- I'll calm you down.- I need a bottle of gin never mind a glass of gin!
0:10:05 > 0:10:09There are certain things that just go, "Ker-ching!"
0:10:09 > 0:10:12You get the three bells that light up across here.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Tortoiseshell tea caddies are one of those things, but...
0:10:16 > 0:10:20When that was sold, and I can't remember exactly when,
0:10:20 > 0:10:24but it wouldn't make as much now because there are peaks and troughs.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29I think that we sold it at the peak and now it's probably a trough.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32'The trick of this business is to do your research.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35'If you can learn to pinpoint the peaks and the troughs,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38'you could be onto a winner.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42'Over the years, we've seen hundreds of decanters at our valuation days.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46'But in 2010, Adam found a rather striking set.'
0:10:46 > 0:10:50- Steve, welcome to Flog It! - Thank you.- How are you doing?- Fine.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53- You've got a nice thing here. - Yeah, it is.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56- Very precious.- Is it?- I hope so.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59- Is it precious to you, sentimentally?- In a way, yeah.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03But it's been in the loft for 20-odd years, doing nothing.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07- So might as well...- If we could clear every loft in the land,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- I think we'd solve the economy! - LAUGHS
0:11:10 > 0:11:14This pair of decanters in their wonderful coromandel fitted case
0:11:14 > 0:11:18are a really good example of how life used to be.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22With the divide of the upstairs and the downstairs
0:11:22 > 0:11:26in these country houses with their servants.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29How did it come to be in your family's possession?
0:11:29 > 0:11:34My grandfather and granny and me mother worked in a hall.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37- So they were in service? - Service, yeah.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Last of the upstairs and downstairs people.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Me granny was a cook and me grandfather was a butler and me mother was a maid.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- And where was that? - That was in Thornby Hall.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51People watching now will wonder, "What's all this 'in service'?"
0:11:51 > 0:11:55It just doesn't happen any more. Very few people are butlers any more!
0:11:55 > 0:11:59I can't remember ever having met a butler or a maid.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02I've met a few cooks, but not private, really.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06All you get nowadays is the odd nanny here and there.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11- How do you think they got these? - I think they were given to them.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- As a thank-you gift or retirement gift?- Could have been.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Well, it's a very posh thing, this.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21It's made out of a... Look at the thickness of the wood!
0:12:21 > 0:12:25It's made out of coromandel, which is an exotic and expensive timber.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27It was mainly used to make small things.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30You don't see much furniture made out of it, it was all boxes
0:12:30 > 0:12:32and small things like this.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36Fitted with two really nice quality decanters.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40- Is it English-made, do you think? - Yes, it is. Definitely.- Yeah.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Another sign of quality, you've also got the key, which is unusual.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Most have lost their keys by now.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51And you've got this special type of lock, Bramah patent lock.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54These locks are a special secure lock.
0:12:54 > 0:13:00I remember you saying before we started, "Don't shut it because it's a terrible thing to open."
0:13:00 > 0:13:02That's because of this lock.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05It's wonderful quality, a Bramah's patent.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10You only see it on fine things, so it's another sign of quality.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Decanters aren't the easiest things to sell any more.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Of course, there are collectors, but there are many on the market
0:13:18 > 0:13:21which means, generally, prices are pretty low.
0:13:21 > 0:13:27You have to have something pretty special, in decanter terms, for it to have a considerable value.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31These were a nice decent pair in their fitted case.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35If you took those pair of decanters out of that coromandel box,
0:13:35 > 0:13:37they'd be worth £30.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40The value was as a parcel, I think.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44- What do you think it might be worth? - What do YOU think it's worth?
0:13:44 > 0:13:45I haven't a clue, to be honest.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49Realistically, in that order - because the glass isn't perfect.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53- There's a few minor grazes, aren't there?- Yeah.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57- I would have thought between £100 and £200 is your likely realised price.- Oh, yeah.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Bids all over the book on this one.
0:14:04 > 0:14:05453...
0:14:05 > 0:14:10- Whoa! Straight in! - That's the lot number.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15The auctioneer read out the lot number, which I think was 450 or something.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19"Right, 450!" And Paul went, "Oh, my goodness! It's amazing!"
0:14:19 > 0:14:22I said, "Calm down, Paul. It's lot number 450."
0:14:22 > 0:14:25You've got to keep alert at auctions!
0:14:25 > 0:14:3070, if you like. 170. 170. 180. 180 bid.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34Is there 90? At 180. 90. 190.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Phew! Better not fan. I might bid!
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Level money at 190.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42- That's a good result. - Top of the estimate.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44At £190...
0:14:44 > 0:14:49- We'll sell it for that. That's drinks all round, £190.- Yeah.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53'Adam was right. It was the box that sold those decanters.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58'A top tip is look for complete sets of things in original boxes.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01'Bits missing will generally affect the value.'
0:15:01 > 0:15:04And here's another trade secret.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08'Look for fine, well-crafted items, no matter what it is.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11'Quality should always hold its value.'
0:15:14 > 0:15:18'In 2011, Flog It! visited the beautiful Bath Assembly Rooms.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22'In the Georgian era, they would have seen the aristocracy at play.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25'David Barby found a very appropriate object to value -
0:15:25 > 0:15:28'a set of George IV gaming boxes.'
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Janita, I was hoping when we were filming at Bath,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36that something would come along that would evoke
0:15:36 > 0:15:39the late Georgian Regency period.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43And these boxes fall into that category.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47- Where did these come from? - My mother was a great collector
0:15:47 > 0:15:52of Victorian treasures and she particularly loved mother-of-pearl.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Inside, we have a collection
0:15:54 > 0:15:59of the most glorious mother-of-pearl counters.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02When you had the Assembly Rooms like this in Bath,
0:16:02 > 0:16:07you would have an element of gaming or assignations for gaming later.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11These would have been the gaming pieces they'd have used.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16They date from, let's say about 1800, 1820, that sort of period.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18These are made for the upper classes.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21- The Jane Austen crowd. - LAUGHING: Good.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26On the outside, they look as though they've suffered along the line.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Of course, they would do. These are Oriental boxes.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33They're lacquer. Lacquer is not a stable material.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Clearly, you never want to see damage.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40But I'm a great believer that if something's been around 150 years,
0:16:40 > 0:16:46then the damage that it has, it's the lines on its hands, it's the wrinkles on its face.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48It's patina, it's what we look for.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52'It was valued as two lots, but would the damage to the lid
0:16:52 > 0:16:54'put the bidders off as they went under the hammer?'
0:16:54 > 0:16:58320, my bid. 320. 340. 360.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01- Another bid in the room, look. - 400. 420.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04440. 460. 480. 500...
0:17:04 > 0:17:06'Clearly not.'
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Auctions. Don't you just love them?
0:17:09 > 0:17:13- ..700. 750. 800... - 'And the bids kept coming.'
0:17:13 > 0:17:16..1,800. 1,900.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- This is what auctions are all about. - Wow!
0:17:19 > 0:17:212,000.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25- 2,100? 2,200? - This is just the first lot.
0:17:25 > 0:17:272,300?
0:17:27 > 0:17:30- 2,400? - LAUGHING:- 2,500!
0:17:30 > 0:17:342,500? 2,600?
0:17:34 > 0:17:38And selling at £2,500, then.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43The hammer's gone down! Such a tiny tap. It should have been...
0:17:43 > 0:17:48£2,500. That's the first one. That is incredible.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51'And the other one did even better.'
0:17:51 > 0:17:55- 2,700. 2,800. - This one's even more desirable.
0:17:55 > 0:17:572,900. 3,000.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00- Ooooh! - £3,000!
0:18:00 > 0:18:023,200.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05- 3,400? 3,400. - 3,400. Late legs.
0:18:05 > 0:18:073,600?
0:18:08 > 0:18:103,800?
0:18:10 > 0:18:14- Oh, gosh! - No. £3,600, then.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- Where we were before. - £3,600!
0:18:18 > 0:18:23- Plus your other. £6,100! - That is marvellous.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28- That's beyond my expectations.- You didn't see that coming, did you?- No.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31'If two people have their eye on an item there can be real money made.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36'But if you're buying at auction, don't get carried away by the excitement.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38'Set yourself a budget and stick to it.'
0:18:39 > 0:18:41So here's what we've learned so far.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45'Always look for quality because quality always sells.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49'In some cases, damage will not deter a buyer.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52'But that's not always the case, so get some advice.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54'Provenance is important.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59'If you can trace an object to a particular stately home or a family,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01'it can seriously add to its value.'
0:19:07 > 0:19:11'Over the years, I've been to some wonderful historic homes.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17'From Arley in North Cheshire to Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22'One of the most interesting is a place I visited back in 2006.'
0:19:22 > 0:19:29One great thing about antiques is it's not just about appreciating the detail and beauty and craftsmanship,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33but it's also about the stories and history that lie behind them.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36That's why I brought you here to Lanhydrock House
0:19:36 > 0:19:39set in 900 acres of parkland on the River Foy,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42just a few miles up the road from St Austell.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52This country mansion house
0:19:52 > 0:19:56isn't just a stunning example of 17th and 19th-century architecture.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58With all the trappings and atmosphere,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02its very fabric tells the story of the socially sexually divided life
0:20:02 > 0:20:05for the Victorian family.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38In 1881, the house, which had stood for almost 250 years,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40was severely damaged by fire.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43The then owners, the Agar-Robartes, had the house rebuilt
0:20:43 > 0:20:47by architect Richard Coad and he used this book on this table,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50a book by Robert Kerr called The Gentleman's House,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52to design a new layout,
0:20:52 > 0:20:56based on the strict morals and principles of Victorian living.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00- With me is curator for Lanhydrock, Paul Holden. Hi, there.- Hello.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04What did this book actually tell the architect to do?
0:21:04 > 0:21:08The book acted as a guide to show how a house could be designed
0:21:08 > 0:21:10and how it could be segregated.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13For example, we're in the drawing room now
0:21:13 > 0:21:16and the farthest room from this room is the nursery.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Children and adults didn't mix, apart from when the family were ready for them.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25It's not even a case of "be seen and not heard" it's "not even be seen"!
0:21:25 > 0:21:27- CHILD SINGS - # Oranges and lemons
0:21:27 > 0:21:30# Say the bells of St Clement's
0:21:30 > 0:21:34# You owe me five farthings
0:21:34 > 0:21:37# Say the bells of St Martin's #
0:21:39 > 0:21:42'This day room is one of several in the nursery quarters.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46'Here, the children would play and eat their meals under the supervision of a nanny,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50'only seeing their parents when they were sent for.'
0:21:51 > 0:21:55That is a strict moral code. Surely, all houses weren't build like this.
0:21:55 > 0:22:01I'm sure all houses weren't designed like that, but certain people picked up on Robert Kerr's ideals.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05This family, being high Anglican, wanted to put those morals into this house.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09I think it was very important for the high Victorian period
0:22:09 > 0:22:11that they set those moral codes.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- We got gender separation in the house as well.- Gender separation!
0:22:14 > 0:22:18That is such a harsh word! Tell me what you mean by that.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Obviously, you're talking about the family.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23It was very important for the high Victorians.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26The drawing room was a very feminine space.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28We have very masculine spaces,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32particularly the dining room downstairs and the billiard room,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35and smoking room in the male quarters.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50I've come to the smoking room, which Paul was telling me about.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54As soon as you walk in, you can tell it's a man's room.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58You can imagine them sitting here, supping a glass of brandy
0:22:58 > 0:23:03and reminiscing over a recent shoot or a bygone hunting party.
0:23:15 > 0:23:21All the rooms we've seen so far would have been used by the Agar-Robartes family themselves.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23What was life like for the servants?
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Did the segregation of the sexes apply below stairs?
0:23:26 > 0:23:31I'm in the kitchen to ask the question to Paul. What was life like for the servants?
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Life was very good, in general, they had their own accommodation.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39But compared to the opulence of the main house, it was very different.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44Mind you, looking around this marvellous kitchen, there's a wow factor. Look at the size of it.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49It's gorgeous. Surely, males and females worked together here.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52It was an area where male and female mixed in the kitchen.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57But the servants' hall was the only place they could relax together,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00talk generally and have their annual servants' ball.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04There were two separate staircases away from the servants' hall.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09We had a wooden staircase leading up first to the females' accommodation on the top floor
0:24:09 > 0:24:12and secondly the male servants' accommodation on the top floor.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16Male and female servants' accommodation met at a right angle,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19and the butler had the key for that door in between.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Quite a few mod cons. You've got hot and cold running water.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37Very modern tiling for its day, and grouting, and a steam oven.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41Mm. The tiling was for hygiene. It could just be wiped clean.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46- But there is steam equipment in this kitchen.- Look at that apparatus.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49- What a fireplace! What an oven. - It is an amazing spit.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52It is, isn't it? Look at the size of it!
0:24:52 > 0:24:56The pulley system involved, and all the linkage.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58It's all generated by this smoke jack,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01which is generated by the heat of the fire
0:25:01 > 0:25:05and the smoke going up the chimney that would revolve the apparatus.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09You would have had roasts on there, your rotisserie for your chickens.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14You've got mechanical jacks, so the whole thing would turn by its own momentum.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Gosh. It's wonderfully preserved. It really does take you back in time.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22- You can just imagine a spit roast going on now.- Definitely.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33This beautiful house perfectly evokes a bygone era of class divide,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36and the wealth and the power of the upper crust.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46If you could choose any beautiful antique, what would it be?
0:25:46 > 0:25:49I put that question to our experts.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52'And today, it's Philip Serrell.'
0:25:52 > 0:25:58It's funny, you think about all the things you see in Flog It! One thing keeps homing back to me.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01It was a country house stationery box or letter box.
0:26:01 > 0:26:07It was in rosewood lattice, like a lattice box with open panels
0:26:07 > 0:26:11or open gaps, so you'd post your letter into it.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13I think it's absolutely lovely.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18Answered postcards in this side. Unanswered in this side.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22Just lift that flap up, there's a maker's name, Thompson.
0:26:22 > 0:26:28I think that refers to the maker of this hidden brass handle,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30rather than the whole lot.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34I would think it's about 1840 and it's made out of rosewood...
0:26:34 > 0:26:36'This is a box that would have sat'
0:26:36 > 0:26:39on a table in the hall of a large country house.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42When you were stopping there, you'd put your letters in it.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47A footman would have opened it up and taken the contents to the post for you.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51You've got a great bit of social history, almost like Downton Abbey.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53It's all there for you.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56This was just clean. It hadn't been touched or stripped clean.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00It was just honest. It was just absolutely lovely.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03I can remember it like it was yesterday.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Have you any idea what it might be worth?
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Well, I thought, possibly, £50 or £60.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12- Would you take a cheque?- Oh, I see! LAUGHS
0:27:12 > 0:27:16I think it's lovely. I think that will make £300 to £500.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20- Gosh!- That is a surprise. - Put a reserve on it of 250.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24I have to say that if you get two ardent collectors there,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26I think it could way exceed that.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29- I really like it. - I'm glad I brought it.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33This is one thing that I would really love to own. It is absolutely beautiful.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36'It wasn't just Philip who loved it.'
0:27:36 > 0:27:39At 560, 580, £600.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41- Unbelievable! - That's absolutely amazing.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45£640. 660. 680. At 680.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48- It's incredible. - 700. 720.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52- 740. On the telephone at £740. - I can't believe it.- No.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54At £740. At 740.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57- BANGS GAVEL - What? 740!
0:27:57 > 0:28:00That is fantastic. You were right.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04I have to say, I'd really rather have the box.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06'Must have been ten years ago.'
0:28:06 > 0:28:13Out of all the things I've seen, it was just a lovely, honest lot.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16'It just goes to show how much we still love objects
0:28:16 > 0:28:20'from our country's aristocratic past.'
0:28:24 > 0:28:26'Coming up - downstairs.'
0:28:26 > 0:28:32If you unscrewed the sections, you could even smell the spices.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36'Can any of these objects match the value and interest
0:28:36 > 0:28:38'of the grand things we saw earlier?'
0:28:43 > 0:28:48I love functional, well-crafted objects that look deceptively ordinary.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Everyday objects can be overlooked,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53but they all have a fascinating story to tell.
0:28:53 > 0:28:59They may need more research and be less well-documented than the items of the grand and the wealthy,
0:28:59 > 0:29:04but they can tell us something about our past, and are becoming increasingly collectable.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Wendy, I really appreciate what you brought today.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14What's the story behind it?
0:29:14 > 0:29:19The story, as far as I know, is that ladies in large houses with cooks
0:29:19 > 0:29:22couldn't get flour to make their game pies
0:29:22 > 0:29:25- because of the Napoleonic Wars. - Right.
0:29:25 > 0:29:30So Wedgwood made these dishes that looked like a game pie.
0:29:30 > 0:29:36These were brought to the table with the game already cooked inside it.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38They're not very commonly found these days.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42I suppose they were practical, functional pieces in the kitchen
0:29:42 > 0:29:46and would have been used lots, so were damaged and thrown away.
0:29:46 > 0:29:53But they're lovely items which are evocative of that 19th-century good living and well eating, yes.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56How have you come by it and what brought you to bring it today?
0:29:56 > 0:30:00Well, I used to work in a little lock-up shop
0:30:00 > 0:30:02that was next to a little antiques shop.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05I used to have coffee with the lady owner
0:30:05 > 0:30:09and she used to show me anything interesting she had.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13As soon as she told me the story of this, I just had to have it.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17Well, it is what's generically known as a game pie dish.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20There were several factories that produced these.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24The most famous were Wedgwood and Majolica made from the Minton's factory.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26This one is by Wedgwood.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29This very characteristic creamware is called caneware.
0:30:29 > 0:30:34Caneware is a type of stoneware which Josiah Wedgwood invented
0:30:34 > 0:30:38with the intention that it would be appropriate for being oven-proof.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40'The history of Wedgwood is long and fascinating.'
0:30:40 > 0:30:48It was founded in the 18th century by Josiah Wedgwood, who was quite a clever man, not just a businessman.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52He was quite an alchemist and interested in the chemistry behind potting.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55So he and his team patented
0:30:55 > 0:31:00quite a lot of new forms of body of ceramic and pot.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04Certainly, a very early 19th-century, early Victorian piece.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08It would originally have had a little caneware liner inside.
0:31:08 > 0:31:13Then around the outside reflects the intricacy of pastry cooks
0:31:13 > 0:31:17who could make wonderful shapes and patterns on pastry.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Then the glorious lid, which has the little rabbit handle
0:31:20 > 0:31:24and these trophies of game - birds, ducks
0:31:24 > 0:31:27and the hares and rabbits round the outside, which add to the flavour.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31I notice by taking the lid off, this has had some historic restoration.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34- You say you bought it... - In the '70s.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38I think, looking at this, it's had two little repairs to the rim.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41These have been quite neatly done.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44But I think, given the passage of so many decades,
0:31:44 > 0:31:47what was neat restoration then is beginning to discolour slightly
0:31:47 > 0:31:51and show up in a way it wouldn't have done several years ago.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53Although it's a shame it's damaged,
0:31:53 > 0:31:56the fact that people can see the genuineness of condition,
0:31:56 > 0:32:00it's not restoration which makes it look as if it's perfect.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03A collector can see that it's honest and that counts for a lot.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07Restoration of any object is a thorn in the side of modern-day collectors.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12Because if the restoration is so good that it's near perfect,
0:32:12 > 0:32:14'it becomes a red herring for people
0:32:14 > 0:32:18'who think they're buying something which is pristine.'
0:32:18 > 0:32:24The modern-day concept is it's better to have something which has been damaged and preserved
0:32:24 > 0:32:28so it doesn't deteriorate further, rather than having something
0:32:28 > 0:32:33which is so good you lose trust in its authenticity as a whole.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37- You paid how much for it? - I paid £30 at £1 a week.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41- How lovely! Have you got any idea what it might fetch now?- No.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43I'd have thought, given that it isn't complete
0:32:43 > 0:32:49and there's a little restoration, that it would sell between £50 and £100 at auction at the moment.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52- Would you like a reserve on that? - Yes, whatever you think.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55If we put £50, with auctioneer's discretion on it,
0:32:55 > 0:32:59- you've got the peace of mind.- Yes. - Thank you for bringing it in.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02'If you give the auctioneer discretion,
0:33:02 > 0:33:04'he's able to sell just below the reserve,
0:33:04 > 0:33:07'if he feels this is appropriate.'
0:33:07 > 0:33:09- Good luck.- Thank you.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13The room is full of bidders. Let's hope they stick their hands up.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16The Wedgwood game pie dish in terracotta,
0:33:16 > 0:33:19with the little rabbit finial, rather a fun bid.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23£20 to start. 20 straight in. 20 I'm bid. 22. 25. 28.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27At 28 now. Take 30. Is that it? At £28. 30. Two.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30At 32. 35. 38.
0:33:30 > 0:33:3340. 42. 45.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36- Going to sell it. - On the stairs at 45 now.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Sell at 45. You're out down here.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41- Just! - With the lady there at £45.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44I sell on the stairs. All done at 45.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Directly above the former owner at 45...
0:33:47 > 0:33:50LAUGHTER
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Well done!
0:33:52 > 0:33:58'That pie dish had seen some use, but the buyer didn't object to a little bit of wear and tear.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01'And she was getting a slice of domestic history
0:34:01 > 0:34:03'for a very reasonable price.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06'It's always worth checking out items of kitchenalia,
0:34:06 > 0:34:08'as you never know what you'll find.
0:34:08 > 0:34:13'It may not be the finest quality, but it's got stories to tell.'
0:34:13 > 0:34:15In the context of upstairs, downstairs,
0:34:15 > 0:34:18upstairs would generally be using, probably,
0:34:18 > 0:34:21the best silver or the best china.
0:34:21 > 0:34:26'Behind the green baize door, the servants would be working with altogether different items.'
0:34:26 > 0:34:30- Judith, thanks for bringing in the pestle and mortar.- My pleasure.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33- What can you tell me about it? - I can't tell you a lot.
0:34:33 > 0:34:38We found it in my husband's parents' house when we were clearing up.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41He can remember it since he was about the age of ten,
0:34:41 > 0:34:43so it's about 55 years.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47He thinks that it was to do with his grandparents.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51Right. OK. It's certainly older than your husband remembers it.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54I've been looking at it and it can be quite hard to date
0:34:54 > 0:34:57this sort of treen or turned wood.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00Treen tends to have more of a provincial feel about it.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03More the farmhouse type kitchen table,
0:35:03 > 0:35:07or perhaps even like downstairs with the servants and so on.
0:35:07 > 0:35:12- I think we're probably into the 1700s.- That's possible.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16His grandmother was in service at a big house in Tiverton.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20This would have probably been used below stairs in the kitchen
0:35:20 > 0:35:22or even for medicinal purposes,
0:35:22 > 0:35:27for preparing medicines and so on, for mixing up certain ingredients.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30I'm fairly certain it's a lignum vitae,
0:35:30 > 0:35:34which is a well-known wood for turning because it's so dense.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37- You can feel the weight, can't you?- It's very heavy.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Lignum vitae would have been an expensive wood.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43'It was fairly exotic. It's a very dense, hard wood.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45'A lot of treen was for downstairs.'
0:35:45 > 0:35:48The wooden plates, the bread plates,
0:35:48 > 0:35:51wooden spoons, horn beakers, that type of thing.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54The pestle, I think, is probably associated, to be fair.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57I don't think they started off life together.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01If you put it inside, you can see the proportions are a little odd.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05- I thought that, yes.- It's certainly done the job, hasn't it?- Yes.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09- Have you given a thought of what it might be worth?- Absolutely no idea!
0:36:09 > 0:36:12I'm going to suggest that we put it in the sale
0:36:12 > 0:36:18- around the couple of hundred pound mark.- Wow!- How do you feel about that?- Very happy with that.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23- Let's straddle that £200. Let's put it in at 150 to 250.- Fair enough.
0:36:23 > 0:36:28- That would be fine.- Who knows? On the day it could make maybe £400.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31That sounds wonderful. Thank you very much.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34'The pestle and mortar was great quality,
0:36:34 > 0:36:37'but were bidders put off by the fact they were mis-matched?'
0:36:37 > 0:36:43The 18th-century lignum vitae mortar and a treen pestle.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47£150 starts it. 160. 170.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49- 180. 190. 200. - Bid on the book.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54220. 240. 260. 280.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57£280. Where's 300?
0:36:57 > 0:37:00At £280. Straight ahead.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03- Now selling at 280... - Come on. A bit more.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06- BANGS GAVEL - It's gone. Top end, though, 280.
0:37:06 > 0:37:11- We are happy, Judith? - I'm very happy!- That's very good!
0:37:11 > 0:37:15'I love treen and I would have had that piece, given half the chance.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18'Where should a novice treen collector start?'
0:37:18 > 0:37:23The key word when collecting treen is the patina, the colour of a piece.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26That's what buyers are looking for.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29So, condition, colour and rarity, of course.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33A nice pair of early Georgian salts, they're going to be worth more
0:37:33 > 0:37:38than a mass-produced Welsh love spoon from the 19th century.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44It's always lovely when you're working on Flog It!
0:37:44 > 0:37:47to actually see something
0:37:47 > 0:37:51that you want yourself, something that you've been looking for.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54It is absolutely fantastic.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58This is something that I would desperately love to own myself.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01I have been looking for a lovely spice tower.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04So when this lady came along with this spice tower
0:38:04 > 0:38:06which was oozing charm,
0:38:06 > 0:38:11I was very excited because it was in beautiful condition.
0:38:11 > 0:38:18What you've got is a Victorian, 1860 in date, spice tower.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22So we have these little sections,
0:38:22 > 0:38:26which would have contained different types of spices.
0:38:26 > 0:38:31At the top, we've got the paper label that's been applied for mace,
0:38:31 > 0:38:34nutmeg and all-spice.
0:38:34 > 0:38:39With something like this, condition is very important.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42What was nice, the labels were intact
0:38:42 > 0:38:44and, importantly, it wasn't split.
0:38:44 > 0:38:49It's a fruit wood that could easily get split and chipped as well.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52The little pieces on the top could easily be chipped.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55'But it was in perfect, PERFECT condition.'
0:38:55 > 0:39:00And if you unscrewed the sections, you could even smell the spices.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02Wonderful!
0:39:02 > 0:39:05It belonged to my mother. It was in the house for a while.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08But she didn't get it from any further back.
0:39:08 > 0:39:14- She got it in a jumble sale.- Did she?- The legendary jumble sale, yes!
0:39:14 > 0:39:17What did she pay for it in her jumble sale, does she know?
0:39:17 > 0:39:20- Yes. 10p.- Ten pence?- Yes.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24Well, can I tell you that your mother had a very good eye?
0:39:24 > 0:39:26This is a fantastic piece.
0:39:26 > 0:39:31If you imagine in late Victorian, mid to late Victorian times,
0:39:31 > 0:39:34in a big country mansion,
0:39:34 > 0:39:40something like this, this lovely spice tower being downstairs in the kitchen.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43It was almost too good to be in the kitchen!
0:39:43 > 0:39:47That should have been upstairs with all the paintings and sculptures.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51To me, it's a work of art in itself.
0:39:51 > 0:39:56Now, estimate-wise, we could put an estimate of £100 to £150
0:39:56 > 0:39:59and I think it will do that all day long.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03I'd like to be a little bit tentative and put 80 to 120,
0:40:03 > 0:40:05just to pull everyone in.
0:40:05 > 0:40:10I think this is going to make nearer £200. It's fabulous!
0:40:10 > 0:40:13'But was Catherine getting carried away?'
0:40:13 > 0:40:15Let's put it to the test. Here we go.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20Lot number 600 is the 19th-century fruit wood spice tower.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23Mace, nutmeg and all-spice. Lot 600.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27Numerous commission bids here. Start me straight in at £160.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31£160 I have for starters. £160.
0:40:31 > 0:40:36At £160. 170 is there now? At £160. Straight in at 160 now.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40At £160. Are we all done, then, at £160...?
0:40:40 > 0:40:43Straight in. Straight out.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45- That is amazing!- Cracking result.
0:40:45 > 0:40:50But they are incredibly rare in good condition.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54'Catherine would have snapped that spice tower up as a work of art.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57'What other tips can our experts offer?'
0:40:57 > 0:41:03Things that relate to how we used to live, things that are redundant.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06Kitchenalia, those can be very interesting.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09Buy the objects which aren't used any more,
0:41:09 > 0:41:11that have become redundant in our kitchens
0:41:11 > 0:41:13like the mincer.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17If you're going to collect something you need a theme. What better theme than booze?
0:41:19 > 0:41:23- Enjoy a drink?- Oh, yeah. - Oh, yeah?- Oh, yeah.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26- Port, sherry AND Claret? - All in one glass. Yeah.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30Drinks labels. I really enjoy those.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32One thing that I love about this job,
0:41:32 > 0:41:36it's not so much what this chair's worth, but whose bum sat on it.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39The drink labels, they tell a social history.
0:41:39 > 0:41:45They've either come from a really good 18th or 19th-century wine merchant's
0:41:45 > 0:41:49or they've come from a big country house, from a fantastic cellar.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52So my imagination builds up this fantastic picture
0:41:52 > 0:41:56of who's owned them before and, for me, that's the joy of the job.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59- Where did you get these from? - Car boot sale.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02- How much did you pay for them?- £6.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05- You're a man of generosity(!)- Yeah. He wanted eight, actually.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08- And you beat him down?- Yes. Aye.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10I think Barry was really cute.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14Because those aren't obviously valuable things, are they?
0:42:14 > 0:42:17He trawled round a car boot sale, saw them for six quid,
0:42:17 > 0:42:19grabbed his opportunity.
0:42:19 > 0:42:24For me, one of the joys is, for a short period of time, he's owned a really cool thing.
0:42:24 > 0:42:29- Did you buy them cos you thought they were cheap or because they were nice?- I liked them.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33Plus, I knew they were a giveaway at £6.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36- They were at eight as well!- Aye. BOTH LAUGH
0:42:36 > 0:42:40- Where do you think they were made? - I imagine Staffordshire.- I think so.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43There's something on the back that could be Copeland.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47- They're certainly English. And what date do you reckon?- 1850s?- Spot on.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51Picture the scene. You've got Downton Abbey or Upstairs, Downstairs.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55And Hudson walks down to the cellar, or sends his footman to the cellar,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58to bring out his lordship's finest claret.
0:42:58 > 0:43:03I think that scene is fantastic. "Bring out the Mouton Rothschild!"
0:43:03 > 0:43:06Up the stairs it comes, this fantastic port or wine.
0:43:06 > 0:43:12But he's got to identify it, so the cellar bins have those labels on. What a great story.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15You can just see the remains, and it is very faded.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19It would have had who the shipper was, the year,
0:43:19 > 0:43:23which vineyard it came from, and these were next to each barrel.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28I think they're really collectable. I think that we will put...
0:43:28 > 0:43:32£40 to £60 estimate on them, all day long.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35- Yeah. - I think we reserve them at £30.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38- I think that's a real "come buy me" estimate.- It should be.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42It's a real "come buy me" estimate and if you have a bit of luck,
0:43:42 > 0:43:44- they might just make £100.- Yeah.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47- Are you pleased with that? - Definitely. Yeah.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50- I've a wife and eight kids, so I need some money!- Eight?- Aye!
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Won't ask what YOUR hobby is!
0:43:53 > 0:43:55'Moving swiftly on...'
0:43:55 > 0:43:59- I think they'll do 100. - They've got to.- It's a good crowd.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02I'm hoping for 150. You know what Philip wants.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05- I know what I want! - Yeah, the more the better!
0:44:05 > 0:44:11Three earthenware wine cellar labels with two numbered bin discs.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15Some nice 19th-century pottery. A lot of people like them.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19A lot of interest on commission. I'm forced to start them at 140.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21- LAUGHTER - £140.
0:44:21 > 0:44:26I'll take 150 from somebody in the room. 150, is it?
0:44:26 > 0:44:28- Come on. - With me at 140.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32150. I'm out. Looking for 160.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35150 at the top. Still cheap.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39Finally, at 150. Have we finished?
0:44:41 > 0:44:44- Yes! Hammer's gone down at £150. - You were right.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47'When it comes to collecting things like that,'
0:44:47 > 0:44:51it's sad-os like me who really get into this social history element,
0:44:51 > 0:44:56because today, they don't have things like that, beautifully made things.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59It'd be some little computer-generated bit of plastic
0:44:59 > 0:45:02you just stick on with a drawing pin - who wants that?
0:45:02 > 0:45:06'Philip's right. A piece of social history is beyond price.'
0:45:06 > 0:45:08So here are my top tips.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11'If you're starting a collection,
0:45:11 > 0:45:15'it doesn't have to be an expensive item.
0:45:15 > 0:45:17'Kitchenalia is a great entry point.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21'You can even begin with downstairs and work your way upstairs.
0:45:21 > 0:45:26'Good condition helps, but a bit of wear on domestic items is expected,
0:45:26 > 0:45:31'so don't reject pieces on the basis of minor damage.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34'These quality wooden items had double appeal -
0:45:34 > 0:45:37'to collectors of kitchenalia and of treen.'
0:45:41 > 0:45:45There are wonderful works of art out there, great names and superb antiques.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49We want to give you more information on what makes them special.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53'So far, we've seen items that highlight the class divisions
0:45:53 > 0:45:55'of our nation's past.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58'At the end of the 19th century, there was a movement
0:45:58 > 0:46:00'which tried to break down barriers
0:46:00 > 0:46:04'and marry the beauty and craftsmanship of the aristocratic
0:46:04 > 0:46:08'with the practicality and usefulness of the domestic.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10'I'm talking about Arts and Crafts,
0:46:10 > 0:46:14'one of my absolute favourite periods of British design.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19'I love good honest craftsmanship.
0:46:19 > 0:46:23'Hand-made items display the skill and passion of the maker,
0:46:23 > 0:46:27'so I'm always delighted to see Arts and Crafts pieces on show.'
0:46:27 > 0:46:32Most things Victorian are very over-embellished and heavy.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34This is more in the Arts and Crafts style,
0:46:34 > 0:46:37with these lovely curved brass legs.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41'Its very distinctive style can be applied to a variety of objects,
0:46:41 > 0:46:43'from mirrors to jewellery...'
0:46:43 > 0:46:48- Would you be happy to sell at £100, £150?- That would be very nice.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51Benson Arts and Crafts oil lamp, 190...
0:46:52 > 0:46:55'..and extends to furniture and even houses.
0:46:57 > 0:47:03'It incorporated simple forms and used mediaeval romantic patterns.
0:47:05 > 0:47:10'This superb drinking cup brought in by Ken is a fantastic example
0:47:10 > 0:47:12'of the hand-crafted simple style
0:47:12 > 0:47:15'espoused by the Arts and Crafts movement.'
0:47:15 > 0:47:17A little bit of green agate.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19It hasn't been cut and shaped and stylised.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23They were saying it was morally reprehensible to facet their stones
0:47:23 > 0:47:26when you're talking about Arts and Crafts movement.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30It's stamped - Guild of Handicrafts, CR Ashbee.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33'CR Ashbee was one of the leading exponents
0:47:33 > 0:47:37'of the Arts and Crafts movement pioneered by William Morris.
0:47:37 > 0:47:41'The movement was a backlash against increasing industrialisation
0:47:41 > 0:47:43'at the turn of the 20th century,
0:47:43 > 0:47:48'and an attempt to move back to the honest work of the craftsman.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51'Ashbee took men and women from the factories
0:47:51 > 0:47:54'to work in his Guild and School of Handicraft,
0:47:54 > 0:47:58'which opened in London's East End in 1888.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02'In a way, it was a reinvention of cottage industry,
0:48:02 > 0:48:06'holding the mass production of the machine age as a betrayal
0:48:06 > 0:48:09'of the traditional methods and skills of craftsmen.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13'In 1902, Ashbee moved his Guild to the Cotswolds,
0:48:13 > 0:48:16'where a business still thrives.
0:48:16 > 0:48:21'Craftsmen produce hand-made designs using his traditional methods.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25'The influence of Arts and Crafts extended far and wide.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29'It was embraced in Glasgow by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33'Architect Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott applied its principles
0:48:33 > 0:48:37'to the design of a whole house in the Lakes.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41'It was truly international, spreading across America and Europe
0:48:41 > 0:48:46'before finally emerging as the Mingei movement in Japan.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52'With such a wide reach, how do you spot an Arts and Crafts piece?
0:48:52 > 0:48:55'Look for simple forms and plain decoration.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59'Pieces will emphasise natural materials.
0:49:00 > 0:49:05'Arts and Crafts patterns are inspired by native flora and fauna.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12'The construction of the item is often visible.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16'Put simply, you can see the joins and, most importantly,
0:49:16 > 0:49:19'they will be functional pieces.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23'The Arts and Craft ethos can be best summed-up
0:49:23 > 0:49:26'by its leading light, William Morris, who urged,
0:49:26 > 0:49:30'"Have nothing in your house that you do not believe to be beautiful
0:49:30 > 0:49:32'"or know to be useful."'
0:49:40 > 0:49:43'Will Axon is one of our regular experts.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47'When he isn't busy valuing objects for Flog It!
0:49:47 > 0:49:51'you can find him in Cambridgeshire, doing his day job as an auctioneer.'
0:49:51 > 0:49:54£50 and selling this time... Thank you.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57'But as he's keen to point out, there's a lot more to do
0:49:57 > 0:50:01'than simply climbing on the rostrum and wielding a gavel.'
0:50:01 > 0:50:05The public sees most auctioneers during the sale or the viewings,
0:50:05 > 0:50:08so they're unaware of what goes on between sales.
0:50:11 > 0:50:12That's the one.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16We have a huge number of items go through the saleroom day to day.
0:50:16 > 0:50:21We have general sales every month. They will consist of 500, 600 lots.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25There's a huge quantity of items that come through our door,
0:50:25 > 0:50:29so we have to be aware of who they belong to, what sale are they in, what's the estimate.
0:50:29 > 0:50:34This is what I like about a general sale. You've got a nice French wall clock there.
0:50:34 > 0:50:39You've got a royal wedding brick. I mean, that's an unusual lot.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43When it comes to sale day, that's almost the release.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49When someone's got something to sell, they may not know what it is, they give us a call.
0:50:49 > 0:50:54I'll have a chat, get as much information as I can, make an appointment to see them.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57Once they've decided they want to sell, it gets catalogued,
0:50:57 > 0:50:59we photograph the item.
0:50:59 > 0:51:03The next time we see it, I'm on the rostrum wielding my gavel.
0:51:03 > 0:51:07Obviously, we try to get as much as we can for the vendor for it.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11Part of my job is getting out and about on the road, really.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14I'm off to see a couple of clients today.
0:51:14 > 0:51:18Both of them I've visited before, so this is like a follow-up visit.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21- So, mainly carriage clocks. - Mainly carriage clocks.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25One bracket clock and one grandfather, the one behind.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28A nice Edinburgh, domestic regulator, wasn't it?
0:51:28 > 0:51:31- That's what they call them, yes. - Happy to sell that.
0:51:31 > 0:51:36These are nice quality clocks. Some of them are by known makers.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38They've got that decorative quality,
0:51:38 > 0:51:41so I'm pretty confident we'll get most of these away.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49Lord Hemingford, or Nick as I know him, he's actually down-sizing.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52So he just needs a bit of advice on what's left.
0:51:52 > 0:51:56He's dispersing some pieces between the family.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59Just wants an idea of if we can help with what's left.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05- Hello, Will. Morning. Nice to see you.- How are you?
0:52:07 > 0:52:10You've been doing a bit of sorting out!
0:52:10 > 0:52:13Well, it's a bit of a jungle. CHUCKLES
0:52:13 > 0:52:17We're down-sizing because we're getting on a bit.
0:52:17 > 0:52:22And we really have no idea what it's worth.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25So a bit of professional expertise was necessary.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28- It that an Atmos clock?- Yes, it is.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32My father-in-law was presented with it when he retired.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36Jaeger-LeCoultre, of course, a great name in clocks and watch-making.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39I think that would do quite well in the sale.
0:52:42 > 0:52:48'As a general valuer, people assume that you must know everything about everything, but it's not the case.'
0:52:48 > 0:52:52If there is something that I don't know, I'm not afraid to ask a colleague
0:52:52 > 0:52:54or even another valuer off Flog It!
0:52:54 > 0:52:59- I suppose the most interesting logistical piece is this one.- Ooh!
0:52:59 > 0:53:01I see! The old armoire.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04- Would something like that sell? - It would sell.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08If someone's looking for one and they've got the space to accommodate it,
0:53:08 > 0:53:12they'll be prepared to pay high hundreds, maybe even four figures.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16I think it's nice that it goes to somebody
0:53:16 > 0:53:21who is prepared to pay for it and therefore wants it.
0:53:21 > 0:53:25That's better, perhaps, than going on the junk heap.
0:53:25 > 0:53:30All good genuine pieces of family furniture, fresh to market,
0:53:30 > 0:53:34just the way the market likes them, so there's plenty there for us.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43We're into the hour before the sale so things start picking up.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47People are arriving, double-checking something they maybe viewed yesterday,
0:53:47 > 0:53:50just to make sure that it's still something that they want.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53Bids are coming in. The phones are ringing.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55People are registering on reception.
0:53:55 > 0:54:00We try to keep general sales a bit more spit and sawdust than our fine sales,
0:54:00 > 0:54:03because people like a saleroom where it's stacked high,
0:54:03 > 0:54:08they have a rummage, gives them a feeling that they'll find a bargain at the bottom of a box.
0:54:08 > 0:54:13Usually can pick up a bargain here because it's not got lots of jewellery.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16A couple of lots that I'm interested in today.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19I have a figure in my head that I will go up to.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21Hopefully, I'll get it below that,
0:54:21 > 0:54:26but you tend to go one over if it's something you really want.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30The only tip I would give you as far as bidding is concerned
0:54:30 > 0:54:32is have your limit.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35Say to yourself what you're prepared to pay for something.
0:54:35 > 0:54:39OK, go maybe one bid more. You don't want to lose it for a single bid.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43But generally, if you've got your limit, stick to it.
0:54:45 > 0:54:50Right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our first general sale of the new year.
0:54:50 > 0:54:52Welcome to you all, as always.
0:54:52 > 0:54:57He's really quick, keeps the auction going and a buzz in the saleroom.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00£40 I'm bid now. At 40. Front row at £45...
0:55:00 > 0:55:03'You see a lot of different styles of bidding.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05'Someone might come for one specific item.'
0:55:05 > 0:55:10They will march to the front of the room with their paddle in the air.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13It's pretty obvious that they want to buy this lot.
0:55:13 > 0:55:14£50 it is, then.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17'Other people skulk at the back, hide behind a wardrobe.'
0:55:17 > 0:55:20As you're going to bring the hammer down, they'll bid.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24That psychological edge on the under-bidder might make them think,
0:55:24 > 0:55:28"There's no point me carrying on." And they steal it at the back.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31And lot 110 is a nine-carat gold five-stone ring.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35£50 will it be? Straight in. 50, surely? 30 I'll take, if I must.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37I'm looking round for you. 20 I have.
0:55:37 > 0:55:41Saved you a tenner. At £20 I'm bid. And five. 30.
0:55:41 > 0:55:45Five. 40. Lady's bid at £40. Is that all it's going to be?
0:55:45 > 0:55:48I shall sell it. £40!
0:55:48 > 0:55:50Your number today is 61.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53The important part of my job, personally,
0:55:53 > 0:55:55is the interaction with clients and the public.
0:55:55 > 0:56:01These people coming to our sales want to be entertained, to a degree, but at the same time,
0:56:01 > 0:56:03you're trying to persuade them to part with money.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06You've got to do it in a nice way.
0:56:06 > 0:56:10I think most clients who had something for sale were pleased.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14As with any sale, some things do better and some do not as well,
0:56:14 > 0:56:16but in general, people seemed happy.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19A lot of it's clearing and finding its place in a new home.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22Yeah, good day, all round.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24For me, I've got the best job in the word.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31- Those are nice.- The dogs? They didn't sell.- They didn't?- No.
0:56:31 > 0:56:36- Where's Dad? Ask him for a tenner and they're yours for cash. - BOY LAUGHS
0:56:39 > 0:56:43If you could choose any beautiful antique, what would it be?
0:56:43 > 0:56:46I put that question to our experts.
0:56:46 > 0:56:50'And Michael Baggott has always had a taste for the grand.'
0:56:50 > 0:56:56The thing I most want, and I'm assuming that I don't have to break into the museum and steal it,
0:56:56 > 0:57:02is a cup I first saw illustrated when I was 14, 15 years of age.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05It's the most fantastic piece of silver.
0:57:05 > 0:57:10Normally, you see something when you're young and your tastes develop
0:57:10 > 0:57:13and in 20 years' time you think, "That's old hat!"
0:57:13 > 0:57:17This is still the best piece of silver in the world!
0:57:17 > 0:57:20It's made by a silversmith called Adam van Vianen,
0:57:20 > 0:57:22a Dutch silversmith.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25This cup was made in 1614.
0:57:25 > 0:57:30It is the most eccentric, sensational piece of silver.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33It's as if an alien melted silver
0:57:33 > 0:57:38and poured it into the most unusual shape you could possibly imagine.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41It's very modern, but it's very traditional as well.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44It's... It's exceptional.
0:57:44 > 0:57:46When it sold in the 1970s,
0:57:46 > 0:57:50it was the world record price for a piece of silver.
0:57:50 > 0:57:55I think you could show that to a working silversmith and they wouldn't be able to make it.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05Well, that's it for today's show and, as we've seen, everybody loves the grand,
0:58:05 > 0:58:08but don't overlook the seemingly ordinary.
0:58:08 > 0:58:12It could be worth a great deal more than you'd expect in today's market.
0:58:12 > 0:58:16See you next time on Flog It! Trade Secrets.
0:58:23 > 0:58:26Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:26 > 0:58:29E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk