Priceless Flog It! Flog It: Trade Secrets

Flog It has been on your screens for over ten years now

and during that time we've helped you sell your unwanted antiques and collectables.

-APPLAUSE

-Sue!

-£600.

-Yes!

-Yeah!

And hopefully, you've taken home a lot of information, too.

This series is all about giving you more.

Welcome to Flog It Trade Secrets.

On today's show, we'll be meeting a few famous names in British antique history.

Some real Flog It favourites.

And however much we think we know about these items,

as I've discovered from working on the show over the years,

there's always something new we can learn.

'And who better to learn from than Flog It's dedicated team of experts

'whose passion is the world of antiques and collectables?

'In today's show, we look at some of the items that turn up all the time

'at our Flog It valuation tables.'

These sort of things are very collectable.

'And see what alternatives you should be looking for.'

Charlotte Rhead I think is undervalued.

'What insider tips can our experts offer the budding collector or dealer?'

When I started, they were about £1,500. I wish I'd bought one then.

Everybody always equates best to the most valuable

and that isn't necessarily the case.

You pick an object up

and the hairs on the back of your neck go up

and you get excited.

I think that's when you know you've got something good.

I've learned over the years that British ceramics

play a very important part of our antique history.

Many of those creations were groundbreaking in their day,

as were the people who created them.

And I'm always saying Flog It wouldn't be Flog It without Clarice Cliff on the show.

But who were the other women making a splash in the Potteries?

'On Flog It, we're very familiar with the Potteries' most famous daughter.

'But her work is not to everyone's taste.'

Bleurgh! I hated it when I saw it, I hated it when I sold it,

and in truth, I still don't like it too much now. But it was Clarice Cliff.

I can't stand Clarice Cliff.

-Do you like it?

-Not a lot, no.

-Dreadful, isn't it?

Why do people buy this?

My husband bought it because he thought it was a good investment.

-He bought it for his pension fund.

-How much did he pay for it?

-£8.

A lot of people tend to collect what they thing they should collect,

what the newspapers, what the magazines,

dare I say it, what the television programmes tell them they should collect.

I'm of the school that I think you should go and buy and collect

what you have a real passion for, what really turns you on, what does it for you.

Clarice Cliff worked at the Newport Pottery, a factory set up in 1928.

And I would think this dates to around about 1930.

-There are some inherent problems with it.

-Yes.

Apart from the fact that it's horrible, you've got a chip there.

-This coffee pot is really quite badly crazed.

-Mm.

When I saw it at the valuation day, it was the condition,

it was really in poor order, but I was mindful of the fact that if it was a rare thing,

it could've made its money.

Now, you'd normally see this in reds and greens.

And I wonder whether this is perhaps an early blue design that they failed with.

It's a rich era, really, I think, the '30s, for ladies

in that the First World War had come and gone,

we were building up to the Second World War.

I also think that ladies, in a way, might be a little bit more creative than chaps.

But I guess the one real reason might be

that they probably charge less, or their pay rate was less than a man's.

-I think we've got to put £200 to £300 as an estimate on it.

-Yeah.

We'll put a fixed reserve on it of £150.

The one thing I would say to you is I've never seen this in this blue colour before.

-Really?

-Yeah. If that is that rare

and the Clarice collectors really leap into it,

you know, they could... the damage might become an irrelevance

-simply because of its rarity.

-I see, yeah.

We've got the Clarice Cliff blue firs pattern coffee set.

The minute you hear the auctioneer go, "I've got commission bids and three phone lines,"

you sort of know you're on a winner.

1,300, my bid. 1,350.

On the phone, 1,350

'But the opening bid took us all by surprise.'

-2,300.

-Gosh, this is rare!

They know something we don't know, Philip.

2,600. Are we all done at £2,700, then?

Hammer's gone down. What a wonderful moment.

-£2,700!

-Oh, dear.

How do I explain Clarice Cliff's appeal?

Well, I'm not sure I can. You're talking to the wrong bloke.

'So far, so Clarice Cliff.

'But who were the other women whose designs have stood the test of time?'

The Charlotte Rhead bowl in Edinburgh,

a real good piece of Art Deco pottery

with those stylised trees, very typical of the 1930s style of decoration.

It dates from the 1930s

and it's a piece by one of the most well-known ceramic designers of the 20th century called Charlotte Rhead,

who worked in the Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent

at a similar time to Clarice Cliff, who everybody's heard of.

Poor Charlotte Rhead has lived in Clarice Cliff's shadow

probably ever since the 1930s.

Clarice Cliff with her bold and jazzy, colourful designs.

Charlotte Rhead was rather more muted, I suppose, in style.

And most of her things were vases and bowls

and big trays and chargers with various designs.

But this is quite an unusual design for her, cos they're mainly stylised flowers and foliage

-and here you've got more trees really, haven't you?

-Yeah.

Charlotte Rhead is an unsung hero of the Potteries.

Her technique was rather than hand-painting, she was a tube-liner,

so she piped out these tube-line designs,

similar to the Moorcroft pottery of the period.

The most desirable are the ones that are signed on the bottom.

-Mm-hm.

-And luckily, yours is one of those that's signed on the bottom.

-Oh, I see.

I suppose it's all about fashion and name.

Everyone's heard of Clarice Cliff, most people have heard of Susie Cooper.

Charlotte Rhead, perhaps not so much.

When you see sometimes huge prices paid for Clarice Cliff and the likes,

-and this is probably going to make £40, something like that.

-That's fine. That's fine.

-We could put an estimate of £30 to £50.

-OK.

Charlotte Rhead, I think, is undervalued.

She was a great exponent of pottery of the period.

Start at £30. 30 bid. 30 bid.

'Did Adam's valuation reflect Charlotte Rhead's limited appeal?'

-5. 70. £70 on commission.

-What did we say?

Any advance on 70?

-At £70.

-Spot on.

-THEY LAUGH

'Not a bad price. But what did Isla plan to do with the money?'

When I did a search on Charlotte Rhead,

I discovered that she had breast cancer

and subsequently died from it,

and because I'm in remission from breast cancer,

if there's any money, that's where it's going, to cancer care.

-What more appropriate way of spending the proceeds?

-'Here, here!

'And now to another Potteries contemporary of Charlotte Rhead and Clarice Cliff.'

-It's by Susie Cooper, as I'm sure you know.

-Yes.

-How long have you owned it?

-Er, 54 years. It was a wedding present.

-Really?

-Yes.

Susie Cooper was born in 1902, the youngest of seven daughters,

and she started working for Gray's, a very influential potter in the Potteries,

at the age of 20, so she got going very early.

Susie Cooper was an important designer

and quite rare, because there weren't many lady designers working in industry.

And she became governor of her own firm. The company became known as Susie Cooper.

She specialised in tablewares.

You don't get so much decorative pottery by her.

This shape is known as the falcon shape, for obvious reasons.

If you look at the spout, it in profile look rather like a falcon

-with its bill taking the form of the spout.

-Yes.

I think women came to the forefront, in terms of design

and in terms of decorating for a number of reasons, really.

It was a relatively liberated time.

Society was more responsive, I think, to young women than it had been before.

There were fewer men about. Let's not forget that.

There were a great number of men in their teens and early 20s

who were killed in the First World War. They might have gone on to be decorators.

It's in perfect condition. A slight crackle.

A sort of crazing, which you do get.

I suspect it's just age which has caused the glaze to shrink, really.

Susie Cooper is definitely, and in my view quite rightly,

overshadowed by Clarice Cliff.

Clarice Cliff was avant garde.

She introduced bold shapes, bold designs. But she had a sort of freedom.

She was given her own studio and allowed to get on with it.

-It was bought in 1955...

-Yes.

..which I think tells us that the pattern, the decoration, is actually a bit later.

So we have a 1930s shape decorated in the mid-1950s.

I think things should speak of their period.

Something that was made in the 1930s

should look as if it was made in the 1930s.

'That's why Clarice Cliff is so collectable.

'She absolutely reflects that time.'

-I think this is going to make somewhere between £40 and £60.

-Right.

-How about a reserve of £30?

-That sounds reasonable.

It's a nice little set, this.

At £55. At 55. Is there 60? At 55. I'm not going to dwell on it.

-At 55.

-He's going to sell.

-At 55.

-All done?

-Yes!

Susie Cooper is not as highly regarded

and I think the owner was indeed disappointed in my valuation.

But that's just the way the market is, really.

'Very true. The market is a fickle beast,

'and you never know, Susie Cooper may yet rise in value.

'So if you've got some of her work, keep hold of it.

'Around the time that Brenda's mother acquired her Susie Cooper tea service,

'another woman was making a splash in the world of ceramics.'

I was delighted to see this Midwinter service, or part of it,

they only brought part to the valuation day

with a promise that they had a service for six at home.

It's made by the Midwinter factory and they were in operation between 1910,

when it was established by William Midwinter,

and it operated right through to about 1987.

The amazing thing was, it came out looking as fresh

and as wonderful

as probably the first day they were presented as a wedding present.

During the mid part of the 20th century, Jessie Tait was commissioned by William Midwinter

to create this rounded square shape.

Jessie Tait was an amazing lady. She's actually, since the programme was filmed,

she has actually died. She died in the early part of 2010.

She was a very influential lady throughout the 20th century,

and from the 1940s to the 1980s,

carried forward the female role, as it were,

in terms of cutting-edge design within the Potteries.

I think you and I agree that it's very much of the period

-but actually it looks very much now, as well.

-Yes, both.

She was very clever in terms of fusing

the modern taste and modern capabilities of production

with obviously what she's learnt from tradition

and taking the two things forward together.

I mean, to see one or two pieces now and then is something we might expect,

but to see so much is really quite exciting.

I think realistically anywhere between £350 and £550

-would be a fair bracket of value.

-Yes.

She's probably one of the leading lights, or is the leading light,

in terms of her chosen career, definitely.

Lot 56, the Midwinter dinner, tea and coffee service.

Selling at £380. Bid's at the back of the room.

-All done at £380?

-We're going to take that, aren't we?

Dinnerwares, tablewares,

tea services are not selling particularly well

because people have too busy a life,

they perhaps don't sit down to a full laden table

with all the matching crockery.

If they do, it then needs to be really dishwasher proof

if they're going to enjoy it to its full and relax about using it.

So such a service is really bucking current trends

for lots of reasons. And it was just wonderful, yes.

'Often you can snap up a set for less than the individual pieces.

'And Jessie Tait's work may prove a canny investment in the future.

'There's one more established Flog It favourite

'which is the magical work of another of Stoke's visionary women.'

Doncaster valuation day, I remember it well.

It was a dream valuation day

and I remember this lady pulling out this Fairyland Lustre bowl.

I saw her from the other side of the room. I was straight there.

-What a wonderful piece you've got here.

-It is beautiful.

-As soon as I saw it, I ran over, didn't I?

-Yes.

It's beautiful. It's by Wedgwood

and we've got the Wedgwood mark on the bottom there.

And it's Fairyland Lustre. That's what it's known as.

And it was designed by a very interesting lady called Daisy Makeig-Jones,

who was at Wedgwood for many years.

Daisy Makeig-Jones was a genius designer, really.

I believe she had a dispute with Wedgwood and left under a cloud

and smashed loads of pots, which all helps add to the mystique and the rarity of Fairyland Lustre.

And the castle often features

and the fairies always feature.

And you can see the exquisite decoration all round.

If you have a look at that, the decoration is absolutely magnificent.

No offence to Charlotte Rhead and Clarice Cliff

with their simple painted and tube-lined designs,

but this is an absolute masterpiece of pottery.

It's smothered in decoration, in gilding, there's a huge amount of effort and man hours

that goes into the creation of Fairyland Lustre.

-I think we could put a reserve of 800.

-Do you really?

So it doesn't go for any less.

-Fine.

-No leeway at all. I shall tell him myself.

The Daisy Makeig-Jones Fairyland Lustre bowl,

discovered by Adam Partridge, and I remember her saying,

"Ooh, I don't really want to sell it, but if it makes 800 or 900, I'm prepared to let it go."

We have five telephones.

-Yes.

-I'll start it on the commission bid of £800.

But whenever you get something good, you have that feeling

and you know something's going to happen.

1,500. 1,500.

And 50. 1,550.

1,600.

You know, if Adam had put 2,000 to 2,500 on that bowl,

I don't think we'd have sold it.

I don't think there would've been very much interest at all,

because the majority of people would've gone, "Oh, it's too much."

But put a low estimate and it builds and it builds.

2,200. 2,300. All sure at 2,300?

-HAMMER BANGS

-Yes! That's a sell. £2,300.

The name Daisy Makeig-Jones to some people was like,

"Who's that, then?" until you say Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre

and she's the person that has made that famous.

'Another name to add to the list of innovative women in ceramics.

'Her work is highly sought-after and commands high prices.

'So look for smaller pieces of Fairyland Lustre

'or the less ornate examples.

'Since her death, Jessie Tait is definitely one to watch.

'And remember, there may be more value for money in buying a service

'than in individual pieces.

'Many feel that Charlotte Rhead and Susie Cooper are underrated,

'but as such, they could represent a sensible investment.

'When it comes to Clarice Cliff, the market is very complex

'with different ranges and colourways attracting vastly different prices.

'Pieces from the long-running crocus range can be picked up for £30 to £50,

'but rare combinations of shape and pattern

'command exceptionally high prices.

'The world record, set at the height of the market in 2004,

'was £39,500

'for an 18-inch charger in the May Avenue pattern.

'Clarice Cliff's work has gone from being thought avant garde

'to being regarded as iconic of its time.

'The same is true of many great names in the world of antiques and collectables

'and a clever collector will look ahead and buy when things are new or unfashionable.

'That was certainly true of two Welsh women

'whose eye for a bargain resulted in a collection

'that's now considered priceless.

'In the early 20th century, two spinster sisters,

'Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, began collecting art.

'Today their collection is seen as one of the largest and most important

'of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works in the world.'

The 260 works of art were bequeathed to the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff

and I've come here to talk to Dr Ann Sumner, head of fine art,

to take a look at this incredible collection

but also find out a little bit more about these remarkable women

and the role they played in Welsh history.

'And the star of their collection is undoubtedly La Parisienne by Renoir,

'one of the most famous Impressionist paintings in the UK.'

This is absolutely stunning. Look at this French ultramarine blue.

That sort of shouts out at you and it's quite bold, the brushstroke. Tell me about it.

Well, this painting was one of the most famous pictures

at the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874

and it really made Renoir's name.

And Gwendoline Davies purchased this in 1913

and they didn't start collecting Impressionist paintings until 1912,

so this is only the second year of collecting Impressionist paintings.

-Tell me about the ladies. They must've been so remarkable.

-They were.

The Davies sisters were the granddaughters of David Davies of Llandinam,

-who was a self-made industrialist.

-In coal.

-In coal, in railways,

and actually developing Barry docks, as well.

So they were to inherit an enormous amount of money

when they both became 25.

They both drew.

Margaret painted throughout her life.

And, in fact, they had this extraordinary exposure

to the Salon in Paris, to the Royal Academy in London,

because that's what really interested Jane Blaker, their governess.

And when they went to London, she would turn up

and take them off to the Royal Academy to see the latest British paintings.

And then when they went to France, which was primarily for shopping

and to see the theatre and to go to the opera,

she also made sure they went to the Salon and they saw the best exhibitions.

Why were the sisters exceptional as collectors?

Well, first of all, they were women,

but also, they were really, really unusual in that they were buying Impressionist paintings

and that was exceptional at that time.

-Cos it was considered avant garde. It wasn't the thing to invest in.

-No.

I mean, let's be honest, they were buying these paintings cheaply.

Relatively cheaply. They weren't fashionable.

That's the idea with antiques and collectables, isn't it? Get in before they're fashionable.

They were certainly getting bargains, to a certain extent, with some of the pictures they were buying.

Did they collect mainly impressionistic works?

Well, as you can see from the gallery that we have here,

they started off collecting in a slightly different vein.

They bought works by Corot, works by Millet, by Daumier.

So they bought French paintings, but not initially French Impressionist paintings.

-And then, of course, Turner. Turner is the artist who they were really interested in.

-I've spotted some.

And they started off buying some of these wonderful works here.

And you can see, in a way, they were drawn to this impressionistic style of painting by Turner.

And it's not such a huge leap

-to then be appreciating Impressionist painting.

-I was going to say that,

-because there's a correlation. You can see how it's evolved. It's not random, is it?

-No, not at all.

Every single wall vies for your attention at once, doesn't it?

-Every work of art...

-There's just so much.

This is a lovely Manet, painted during the Franco-Prussian war, actually,

when Manet was serving in the guard. He was actually a soldier this time.

-And this was a wasteland.

-It is a barren landscape.

-Yes.

It's covered in snow, you get that heavy feeling...

-Of not wanting to be there.

-Yes, absolutely. And it was painted in about an hour and a half,

so we know it's one of Manet's first Impressionist paintings.

So it's a remarkable work.

Now, this was purchased for just over £200 in 1912,

so it's a real bargain.

'But I think the sisters' most favourite artist had to be Monet.

'They purchased nine of his works,

'three of which are paintings of his beloved Venice.'

Here we are, look. So typically Monet. Lovely pastel colours.

These are wonderful Monets. The San Giorgio Maggiore By Twilight

is probably one of the most famous paintings in our collections.

Monet himself came late to Venice

and he wished that he'd gone earlier.

He was incredibly inspired by the buildings and by the light.

-He actually painted in a gondola.

-You sound very passionate about Monet.

I love Monet. He's my favourite artist in this collection by far.

And the Davies sisters bought so well.

Oh, wow. Look at that.

Paul Cezanne.

One of his best-known works, actually, L'Estaque.

There must be so many interesting stories

with every single piece of art in here.

Well, I think what was interesting for the sisters was,

this wonderful lifestyle they had before the First World War

where they were holidaying all over Europe and also went to Egypt, this completely changed.

They volunteered for the Red Cross canteens,

and despite being in France and being so much involved in the war effort, they were still buying paintings.

Talk about confidence of brushstroke. Just take a look at this.

-Wonderful Provence landscape.

-Ohh!

-Actually painted on Cezanne's own family estate.

But it is an interesting situation, because they were very concerned about these paintings.

Paris was under considerable bombardment from the Germans

and so as quickly as possible, they got these pictures out of France, over to Britain.

And this was cutting-edge collecting, because these pictures were not appreciated in Britain at the time.

When they tried to lend them to the Tate Gallery a few years later, they were initially turned down.

And then, after a rumpus in the paper, lots of letters to The Times, they were put on loan.

-You see, the girls had an incredible foresight.

-They absolutely did.

'This is truly an incredible exhibition.

'Thanks to two remarkable women, works by Turner, Monet and Cezanne

'have found a home here in Wales.

'This is collecting at its best. And what a legacy to leave

'for us all to enjoy.'

Lots of you have told me at our valuation days

that Flog It has inspired you to go out and explore the world of art and antiques.

But what was it that first inspired our experts?

Because we have Scottish ancestry, we went on a holiday in 1978

as a family to visit relatives.

And on one hot day,

we were in the back of the car

but stopped, much to my delight,

in the little village of Kirriemuir, red sandstone village, a weaver's village.

I was told we'd arrived at the birthplace of JM Barrie.

And as a 12-year-old girl, the little cottage,

which was owned by the National Trust for Scotland,

and the little outhouse, which was Barrie's first theatre, captured my imagination

and I found that on returning from the holiday,

much to my delight, a book which I had grown up with,

that had been my mother's when she was young,

was indeed a book that Barrie had written.

And this one is Peter Pan And Wendy

and this is a second edition, which was printed in 1950,

illustrated by Mabel Lucie Attwell,

who in herself is a very famous illustrator.

And I knew this story very well but hadn't put the two and two together.

Quickly following this was my desire to collect other things Barrie-related,

and so I started to collect thimbles,

because Peter Pan expected of Wendy a kiss

and Wendy gave Peter a thimble from her sewing kit.

But that hasn't stopped there.

My collection has grown.

And by enjoying Barrie,

I have gathered together

lots and lots of artefacts from the Edwardian period.

Barrie wrote Peter Pan and it was first published in 1904,

so from that period onwards, items which belonged to him

or his plays,

illustrating of Peter Pan, objects such of toasting forks and spoons,

magic lantern slides,

theatre programmes, posters.

Trawling antique bookshops for early editions of his plays and books.

And so the whole thing snowballed from that very simple beginning.

'Simple beginnings are often the start of much bigger things.

'And in the world of collecting, this couldn't be more true.

'Experts advise you to buy what you love

'and it's clear that Elizabeth does just that.

'Once you find your real passion, go with it.

'Sticking to a theme or the works of one individual

'will help give your collection a focus to start with.

'Still to come, advice on what to do with outdated heirlooms.'

Although these aren't popular as things to wear,

they are collectable.

'And we'll look at the seemingly baffling world of hallmarks

'and help you decode these historic symbols.'

The date letter is for 1781.

'But first, let's see what sparked Catherine Southon's passion for a career in antiques.'

I wouldn't really say that I had an interest in antiques as such as a young child,

but I was really interested in what you would probably term as collectables,

especially little novelty bits and bobs.

A lovely tin-plate model of an Alfa Romeo.

I think it's a stunning piece.

The item that I would love to own

more than anything is a pocket globe.

I love globes, but what I love more than anything are pockets globes,

these small globes, Georgian globes,

that are about 1750 in date.

I love the colours, all these different colours

that are outlined around the continents. I love the geography.

I love the fact that on some of the maps,

Australia hasn't really been discovered,

California is only an island. I love it.

Once upon a time, when I started, they were about £1,500,

and I wish I'd bought one then

because now they're about £5,000.

However, I have bought something

which is not quite a pocket globe,

but it's the same kind of idea.

It's not in a fish-skin case, but I saw this at an antiques fair

and my eyes lit up when I saw it.

But it is, in fact, a little inkwell.

So you put your ink in here,

you dab your pen on there

and then you roll it with a blotter.

I bought it for a couple of hundred pounds and it's a bit of fun.

Not quite the real McCoy, but one day perhaps I'll get it.

'On our travels with Flog It,

'I'm especially privileged to go behind the scenes

'of some of the most beautiful heritage sites in the country,

'and I want to give you a sneak peek at one of our filming days.

'Today we're at Guildford's stunning Cathedral.

'The day starts early at 8am for the crew.'

Lots to do. We're filming two inserts today,

so there's lots to get done, lots of pieces to camera,

lots of people to interview and talk to, so it's going to be busy. Excited to get going on it.

I'm the director, which basically means...

It sounds far more grand than it is.

It's my job to make sure Paul knows what he's doing, and everybody else,

and get it done as quick as possible.

'They're ready for action,

'but where is the presenter?'

Sorry about that. Traffic problems.

-THEY LAUGH

-Hello. Are you all right?

The good news is, I've learnt all my lines, being stuck in traffic with nothing else to do.

-Do you want to do the first piece to camera?

-Shall we do some out here while we've got the weather?

-Hi, Chris. Good to see you.

-And you.

-So, a cathedral built 20th century.

So it's the history church script.

-We'll do it out here. You turn around at the end and go back in.

-OK.

And we're set. And... action.

A cathedral built in the 20th century is perhaps impressive enough,

but the story that lies behind this magnificent building

makes this feat of modern architecture truly unique.

-Right, good.

-And cut.

That's good. Let's go in and do our bell-ringers.

'On this show, I've made almost 1,000 film inserts

'and have been to countless amazing and inspiring places,

'and there's always something new to learn.'

There's a lot to get done in a very short amount of time, so the pressure is on.

And it should be fine.

It will be fine. It always is.

So we've got the bell-ringers here today.

They're showing us a little bit about what they do and Paul's just going to have a go.

We'll pick it up on you and then if you just have a quick chat.

-Ready?

-Yeah.

-That was excellent! How do you do that? Is it just feel?

It's definitely a sense of rhythm.

The gap between each bell is as important as the sound of your own bell,

to have it evenly spaced. So, yes.

Would it be yourself showing Paul how to do it?

I think the best thing about working on Flog It

is the fact that you get to learn so much about so many different things.

So, for example, today we're filming this insert,

it's not just about learning about the venue and the history of it

but it's also about learning about bell-ringing and the people involved in that.

And actually, you become a mini expert overnight about so many different things

that perhaps you wouldn't have ever spent the time investigating or looking into.

So it's all that knowledge that maybe you probably wouldn't have ever picked up.

'I agree, Jess. In between takes,

'I love to wander about and get a real feel for the place.

'I always find I come across wonderful people, and at the cathedral,

'I bumped into Dennis who's carved some of the most beautiful wood figures here.'

I'm impressed with your work, the big sections of lime wood that you've carved.

-How long did each figure take to carve?

-I would think two to three months.

-That's a lot of work, isn't it?

-Yes.

-You were a young man.

-How long ago was that?

-56 years ago.

So that was quite an important commission for you back then?

Oh, yes. I was only just out of college.

I'd just qualified,

and like most people who'd just qualified, I thought I owned the earth.

I wrote Sir Edward a letter telling him he needed me.

THEY LAUGH And he said, "Well, as it happens,

"the lady who's doing two in the chapel here can't finish four of them

"and so would you like to do the other two?"

I love the swags in the fabric, you know, those lovely undercuts creating shadow.

-Yes.

-The whole thing's got movement. Is that modelled on anybody?

It wasn't intentionally meant to be, but it was so like my wife,

-it looks very like her.

-Yeah.

Well, this whole building is a celebration of great craftsmanship

and I've been fortunate enough today to bump into one of them.

-So, Dennis, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-A chance meeting!

-Great work.

-Thank you very much.

'What an unexpected treat. That made my day.'

It's a real privilege to come behind the scenes and learn this kind of thing.

I mean, that's what keeps me going in this job for the last 12 years.

I've learnt so much and I'll never stop learning

and I'll always remember these moments, the special moments.

'And that experience just goes to show, if you visit somewhere fascinating, go a little off-piste.

'Strike up a conversation and you never know what you'll discover.

'And that's the spirit of Flog It.

'On Flog It, there are certain types of item that crop up again and again.'

You brought in a variation of exotic woods here. Some table treen.

'One of my Flog It favourites is treen, small items of turned wood.

'It speaks to me of great craftsmanship and simple pleasures.'

These sort of things are very collectable.

What I do like about it is all the lovely little studs here

and the beautiful patterns that we can see all over.

Lot 375 is the 19th century treen snuff box in the form of a boot.

In the room now at £60. And 5 anyone else? Selling on the 60.

-Hammer's gone down.

-Excellent.

-Right on the bottom end.

'These little items don't command huge prices,

'but they're a lovely thing to own.

'Produced in Cornwall between 1963 and 1983,

'Troika is a very familiar sight to our valuation days.

'It's one of those things that you either love or you hate.

'And I'm not alone in loving it.

'In 2004, a piece like this one sold for £2,700.

'Another regular on the show is Beswick pottery.

'One of Stoke-on-Trent's many potteries, it was founded in 1892

'and it's known to this day for having produced high-quality figurines,

'particularly farm animals.'

Beswick is certainly up there

as the choice item to collect.

'A figure like this rare pit pony, dating from 1931,

'sold in 2005 for £8,500.'

We've got the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh,

Trooping The Colour, 1957, by Beswick England.

-Well, I think we'll put them in the sale as three separate lots.

-Right, OK.

-But I think on these two, we'll put an estimate of £300 to £500 each.

-Really?

-Yeah.

Now the Beswick. Hammer's up. And sold away at £640.

-What do you think?

-Oh, my goodness! I can't believe it!

'Beswick ceased production altogether in 2003,

'so even the late figures may one day prove a wise investment.

'It just goes to show that because we see a lot of something, it doesn't mean it's not valuable.

'Something that we see a great deal of at the valuation days is jewellery, often family pieces.

'One particular category of jewellery that was especially popular in the Victorian period

'can today divide opinion.'

Things have certainly changed since the days of Queen Victoria,

particularly in the process of mourning.

People nowadays conduct themselves totally differently.

But it's been fascinating to learn more about what we call memento mori

through the items that you bring to us at our valuation days.

Jill, welcome to Flog It.

Many pieces of jewellery come through the saleroom

which I suppose I would call memento mori.

Now, these are mementos of the dead, loved ones who have passed away.

We see a lot of Victorian items like this.

Let's just have a closer look at it.

The case is not marked for gold.

Very often, when a piece was made

specially for someone by a jeweller,

if it had been commissioned

then they would not have hallmarked it.

But the touch of it, the colour of it, the weight of it,

all these things indicate to me that it is gold.

Jewellery has always been influenced by the fashion of the day,

what was happening. When Prince Albert died

and Queen Victoria went into mourning,

and she was in mourning for a long, long time,

she wore black

and that became fashionable.

The front of it

has this beautiful banded agate oval on it.

And we have a gold and enamel starburst here

and a beautiful pearl.

So it's a lovely thing. It's a quality item.

I like it very, very much.

When we opened the locket, there was a little portrait of a whiskered gentleman,

quite a young chap.

Not my taste, but I suppose some Victorian lady thought he was good-looking.

And on the other side there were locks of hair,

so this locket was obviously worn by a Victorian lady.

-Do you know who this is?

-I'm afraid I don't, no.

-He's quite a sombre-looking chap.

-Yes, he is.

Could he have been a boyfriend or a fiance?

-I just don't know.

-You don't know?

-No.

And we have the hair horror here,

which is typical of mourning jewellery.

People like to collect jewellery,

and folk have different periods that they're interested in.

And someone who collected Victorian jewellery or Victorian objects

would buy this type of thing

because it told us part of the history of that time.

Although these aren't popular as things to wear,

they are collectable.

Price-wise, I would put an estimate

of 120 to 180 on this locket.

-Would you be happy with that estimate?

-Yes.

-Well, let's put it to sale, Jill.

'The locket went for sale under the watchful eye of Flog It favourite Charlie Ross.'

Gold, pearl and enamel pendant, circa 1880,

late Victorian pendant. And I can start that at 85.

90. 5. 100. And 10. 120. 130.

Although this belonged to the Victorian age,

I think that it was quite a fashionable item in today's tastes.

380. You're out on the stairs.

380, middle of the room now.

At £380, are we all done?

-Selling at £380.

-Yes!

Memento Mori is a practice which has died out, really,

in today's modern world.

But people still want to look back and see how people lived,

and see the customs, the traditions and fashions and so on, of the past.

And nowhere can this be more clear

than when we look at the memento mori jewellery of the Victorian age.

I thought that it might be to today's tastes.

-And also a come and buy me, come and buy me valuation.

-Yes.

-I can be a bit like that, you know.

-That's excellent.

-A canny lass.

Would I wear a picture of a dead person round my neck?

-I'm not sure.

-SHE LAUGHS

'It might be beautiful, but the Victorian way of death isn't everyone's cup of tea.'

The whole concept of having a lock of a deceased person's hair confuses me.

It's a watch chain, or more strictly a watch rope, really,

because obviously it's not a chain as such.

What makes this interesting is the fact that it is almost certainly,

and again, I can't prove this, made out of human hair.

The Victorians did have a thing about death, there's no doubt about it.

They dignified it in some ways. They romanticised it.

I suppose they were more religious than we are today.

They probably were confident that you were going somewhere else, to a better place.

We feel a little bit unhappy about these things today,

and perhaps we don't confront it like the Victorians did. Perhaps they had it right.

A person would, at some stage in their life,

probably have just cut a piece of hair off

which they might have given to a friend or a husband or a wife,

and when that person died, those lockets of hair

were mounted into what became known as mourning brooches

and presented after the funeral of the deceased to members of the family.

Death is less commonplace than it was.

You know, your children died young,

your wife was likely to die in childbirth,

your husband might die young,

for heaven's sake, he might die in battle somewhere,

he was as likely to do that as die of natural causes.

And it was part of their life.

-Did you have a particular sum of money in mind?

-No, I didn't have anything.

I was just hoping perhaps there might be enough

to plant something in the garden.

-Right.

-I mean, if there was enough, perhaps it could be a small tree.

-Dear Nancy was such a lovely, lovely lady.

-Right.

-And I have fond thoughts of her and I thought it would be a nice thing to remember her by.

-That's lovely.

-And Nancy was the lady who left you...

-Yes.

I think that's a great idea.

If my death was to be commemorated,

I would rather someone planted a tree.

That would be something lasting, wouldn't it?

So I think this is going to make, as a group, between £30 and £50.

The plaited hair watch chain.

At £50 and I sell to the back of the room,

-and done then at 50. Thank you.

-It's gone.

So whilst we wouldn't necessarily want to own a watch chain made out of human hair,

I don't think we should condemn the Victorians for wanting to do so.

'Mourning jewellery is often passed down through generations,

'among other precious heirlooms.'

It was recently at Glasgow when we filmed at the Kelvingrove Museum

that a lady brought in a rather unassuming box.

Well, you've got a real mix in here. Let's get a few pieces out.

Let me see, what have we got here? We've got a little gold framed cameo brooch.

And we've got this rather interesting gold and enamel naturalistic frame,

-which I think must have had something in the centre at some stage.

-At some point, probably.

We opened it up, and sure enough,

inside there was a vast range of memento mori jewellery,

mourning jewellery, Victorian mainly.

And it's one of those odd areas of collecting

that some people find it slightly morbid,

but there is a market for it, certainly the earlier pieces.

We've got a right Aladdin's trove here.

Well, there's a little selection of brooches in there, some portrait brooches,

I can see here we've got another mourning brooch. Typical one there with the plaited hair.

You had people who were skilled in plaiting and making these patterns

out of human hair.

And they would often adorn the back of a brooch or a pendant, or even a portrait miniature.

There seems to be a theme running through the jewellery you've got here, doesn't there?

-Brooches...

-Yeah.

-..and mourning jewellery.

Such as with the plaited hair and again here with the black enamelling

and the seed pearls there,

a classic combination of mourning jewellery.

That's what interests me, I think,

is the iconography of mourning jewellery,

and some of the inscriptions, as well,

because it gives you an insight into some of the social history of the time.

These are people's names and dates and so it evokes an interest

in what this person did and who they were.

We'll let Anita go through it and catalogue it in detail for her sale.

Erm, and we'll give her a guide price

-of 100 to 150.

-OK. Excellent. Yes.

'Was Will's estimate right?'

It's a superb lot of Victorian jewellery.

A lovely lot. Will you start me at £100?

I often find that if you have that group,

it promotes a lot of bidding,

a lot of interest, because they've got lots of bits.

£310. That's the hammer going down. Yes!

'In some families, those Victorian mourning traditions have survived to this day.'

I'm enthralled by this lovely little piece that you've brought in today. Do tell me about it.

Well, it's a brooch that's been in the family for many, many years,

and mostly brought out, well, always brought out for funerals occasions,

because it was looked upon in our family as a mourning brooch.

The brooch had a charming family provenance

and was so beautifully and positively

described and explained by the owner,

it was just lovely to hear, erm,

the context of funerals

represented in such a positive and quite joyous way.

My aunt who gave it to me,

she had a wonderful sense of humour.

-And so funerals weren't terribly sad things.

-Good.

And so it was a case of out with the jewellery box, out with the brooch,

stick it on whatever you were wearing.

The brooch itself, I personally wouldn't have taken that up

and said, "This is a piece of mourning jewellery."

But the interpretation of it was perfect, and with the two little doves on it,

actually does tie in with Victorian symbolism

for memory, remembrance and the passing of a life.

Stylistically, it retains a lot of the Victorian sentiment

and expression of feeling through imagery,

in this case with the birds.

The Victorians used the symbols of doves

for lots of aspects of both memorial

and, sort of, passion, I suppose.

Two sides of the same coin, I suppose. Passion and death are linked inextricably.

And the Victorians were very good at expressing that.

I would think, as the market stands currently,

which is very enthusiastic for good quality jewellery,

that it should fetch between £100 and £150 at auction.

-Oh, gosh! How lovely!

-Are you pleased with that?

-Yes!

It was all summed up in this beautiful piece of jewellery.

I found it quite moving, quite emotional, really,

but in a very positive way.

You depart from things, whether it's a place or a piece of furniture

or an article, but no-one can take your memories away.

-This is very true.

-And so I have those happy memories.

-Good.

So maybe it will bring joy to somebody else.

Lot number 80 is the micro-mosaic brooch, this time with doves.

550 in the room. 550. 580 may I say?

No? I have 580 on the net, then.

At 550. 580 anywhere else in the room? At 550 bid.

Last call, then. We're selling on the internet at £550.

That is a sold sound.

Mourning jewellery, I would say, at the moment,

good value.

'Well, Anita couldn't be clearer. What other tips have we?'

If you're talking 17th, early 18th century,

when mostly it was iconographic, say, skulls, picks, spades,

crosses, an hour glass, for obvious reasons,

the more morbid, in a way, the more collectable.

'If mourning jewellery interests you, here are some pointers.

'Many memento mori encapsulates a slice of cultural history.

'And their value lies in that context.

'Lost art forms like hair-work or miniature paintings are worth looking out for.

'With a plethora of pieces to be found, aim for quality and style.

'Craftsmanship and design will transcend any association with sadness.

'Go for earlier pieces if you can find them.

'Victorian items became mass-produced

'after the widowed Queen made mourning fashionable.

'Pieces may have been commissioned so the metal might be unmarked.

'Weigh it up in your hand if you think it might be gold.

'The only way to tell for certain, though, is have it tested by a jeweller.

'Precious metal cannot officially be called silver or gold or platinum

'unless it has been hallmarked.

'The first thing our experts look out for when presented with an item of jewellery

'or precious metal at the valuation day is a hallmark.'

So, there we are, we've got the hallmarks.

-What else does it tell us?

-How old it is.

-How old it is.

-Yeah.

We're seeing a little bit of Birmingham silver with the anchor.

If we look along here, we've got a full set of hallmarks.

And it's for London 1781.

And the maker is John Schofield.

'These symbols are official marks struck on items made from precious metals,

'gold, silver and platinum.

'The hallmark guarantees the purity of the metal,

'which has been determined by formal testing at an assay office.

'The original assay office was in London,

'but others opened up shortly afterwards,

'including one in Birmingham, Sheffield and Chester, during the 18th century.

'Each office has its own identifying symbol,

'a leopard's head for London, an anchor for Birmingham,

'a crown or rose for Sheffield,

'and a castle for Edinburgh.

'Items will generally bear other marks, such as the metal type,

'a lion for silver, makers' marks and the year the item was assayed.'

That's interesting. There's the hallmark there

and that's got the leopard's head for London.

'You've brought us many fine examples of the work of great silversmiths

'such as Marius Hammer,

'Omar Ramsden

'and Mappin and Webb.

'One of the best names in the business from the 18th century

'was Hester Bateman.'

-The date letter is for 1781.

-Oh, right!

-Little mark in the centre. HB.

-Right.

HB is the mark for Hester Bateman.

And Hester Bateman is probably the most famous

of all the silversmiths in London in this period.

-A woman?

-Because she's a woman.

-Oh, right!

Exactly. Now, her husband was a maker of gold chains.

-Yes.

-And they had a business in London,

but he died shortly after the business started. I think it was 1760.

And, of course, Hester Bateman took over the business. She never made a bit of silver.

-How brave.

-Exactly. It really is a woman in a man's world in those days.

The fact that she was a woman in the 18th century as a silversmith,

-that is why she's sought after.

-Yes.

-What's it worth?

-You tell me.

-Go on, have a go.

Er, 200, 250, something like that?

-You've been watching too many Flog Its, haven't you?

-I've watched a lot of Flog Its.

-Spot on.

-Is it really?

-It really is spot on.

-Oh, right. OK.

-£200 to £300.

I mean, you can't even get a tablespoon by Hester Bateman for less than £100 these days.

'Was Susan really spot on?'

It's the Hester Bateman silver half-pint mug.

London, 1781, 200 grams.

Been a lot of interest in this. 290, he says. 290.

290. 300?

At 290. All done at £290. Are you all sure?

'Larger pieces by Hester Bateman can set you back a great deal of money.

'A silver soup tureen recently sold at auction for £52,000.

'You'll find it hard to get by in the world of antique precious metals

'without a hallmark bible.

'There are many books on the market which list over 14,000 hallmarks.

'Check for rubbed marks. Not being able to identify a hallmark can reduce the value of an item.

'And be on the lookout for the Chester mark, the wheat sheaf and the shield.

'The Chester office closed in 1961

'and the items assayed here are now highly collectable.'

I've often wondered what some of our successful owners

have done with the money in the past. You probably have, as well.

So we've caught up with a few of them.

'At one valuation day in Wiltshire in 2009,

'Thomas Plant's knowledge of those all-important hallmarks

'stood him in good stead with one visitor.'

It was given to me as a gift

from somebody who knows that I like small silver.

-But for me, it's a bit too big.

-It's not really small silver, is it?

-No, it's not as small as I usually collect.

-What do you usually collect?

Well, I like spoons, all sorts of different spoons.

-And I like little salts...

-Oh, yeah.

-..and little mustard pots.

'Linda is an avid collector of spoons

'and wanted to make room for the smaller items she collects.'

I just love collecting.

I love objects, I love the history of objects,

I love the form of them, the function of them.

I really can't help myself. So it's a curse or a passion.

'With such a diverse collection,

'Linda has to make some tough decisions on what to keep and what to sell.'

You've got these quite good marks on the base here.

-Yes, they're quite big, aren't they?

-Quite big and quite fine,

and as you know from collecting silver, they look quite fresh, so that's brilliant.

Because it's by Emick Romer and it's 1771,

you've got to think, the value is going to be higher

than a usual chalice from this date.

-Right.

-So I would put this in at auction between £300 and £500.

-I'd fix the reserve at 300.

-Mm-hm.

-How does that grab you?

-That was a nice friend, wasn't it?

-It was a nice friend.

Lot number 285 we're onto now,

which is the George III silver goblet by Emick Romer.

420. 440 anywhere?

-At 420.

-HAMMER BANGS

Yes! Good man, Philip!

'Linda made the money she wanted at auction,

'and was able to spend it on adding to her collection of Georgian spoons.'

I've been building up a collection of Georgian silver

for about five or six years.

I hadn't collected silver to that extent before.

But it just started with one spoon

and it was a very old spoon.

And I just realised what a very personal object that was.

I'm very pleased to have found this one,

which is a trefid spoon,

the top is a trefid shape.

And this one is dated

circa 1680 to 1685.

So it's in the reign of Charles II.

It's an absolutely beautiful spoon.

'Linda also has some more unusual items in her collection.'

As well as the spoons,

I've got a small collection of larger silver.

Again, personal items. I have pap boats. A couple of these.

Little things that cradle in your hand.

And they were used for feeding infants.

So simple and so beautiful to hold.

'It's clear that Linda has a passion for these beautifully-designed and crafted objects.

'But what tips has she got for anyone thinking of starting their own collection?'

One of my tips for people who wanted to start collecting anything, really,

is to focus on something you really like that you can afford.

You may not be able to afford it at the end,

because the thing about colleting is that

when you get the ordinary, you then want the extraordinary.

And that always costs a lot of money.

Hopefully today's show has given you some food for thought

and helped you rediscover some of those lost and overlooked items in your house.

I hope you've enjoyed the show. See you next time for more trade secrets.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

.