0:00:02 > 0:00:06For 11 years, you have brought us thousands of items to value
0:00:06 > 0:00:10and often they're only worth a few pounds, but every now and then,
0:00:10 > 0:00:15we hit the big time with items worth tens of thousands of pounds.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19£44,000.
0:00:19 > 0:00:26You might have something at home worth a great deal of money, but how do you know it if you see it?
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Well, that's where we come in.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Welcome to Flog It Trade Secrets.
0:01:06 > 0:01:12Today, we're sneaking a peek at some of life's little luxuries, whether it be a Rolex watch...
0:01:12 > 0:01:15- I'd love to own that. - ..or an Art Deco Dunhill lighter.
0:01:15 > 0:01:21- This is a stylish thing.- These are the things we talk about when we're talking about quality and value.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Gosh, look at the quality of that enamel!
0:01:24 > 0:01:28If you were the aristocracy, flaunting these would be de rigueur,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31but which collectable has held its value today?
0:01:32 > 0:01:38It's a show full of the unexpected as we reveal which of life's luxuries dazzle the saleroom...
0:01:38 > 0:01:42It's got "win, win, win" all the way down there.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46..and which leave the crowd cold.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48I'm sorry. That lot is unsold.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57For the rich, dining was a great opportunity to display their wealth and the luxuries of life -
0:01:57 > 0:02:01fine crystal glass, beautiful porcelain and silverware.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04The simple act of eating was anything but.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09Until recently, most families used their best china and silver for special occasions,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13but nowadays, most of it is stashed away in cupboards gathering dust
0:02:13 > 0:02:16and it turns up frequently at our valuation days.
0:02:16 > 0:02:22And today, there is a very healthy collectors' market for anything related to food and drink.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27While they may not have a use in today's world, these luxury items will help preserve the memory
0:02:27 > 0:02:30of a more glamorous age,
0:02:30 > 0:02:36so here are some of our best Flog It finds from over the years and what we've learned from them,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40starting with a man who knows a thing or two about wining and dining.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Champagne has always been the luxury drink.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45It has a certain mystique to it.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49If you have a party and you can afford it, what do you go for?
0:02:49 > 0:02:51You go for champagne.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54You can make red wine anywhere in the world.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Champagne has to come from Champagne.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04# Champagne Charlie is my name
0:03:04 > 0:03:06# Champagne drinking is my aim... #
0:03:06 > 0:03:09'I love champagne.'
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Champagne is my wife's favourite tipple as well.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16- Alex and Terry, you've brought a bottle of champagne along.- Yes.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19- In the hope that it might be worth something?- Hopefully.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23- You haven't thought of drinking it? - No, it's too old.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28Collectors of wine invariably don't buy the wine to drink it.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32They buy it because it's rare and it's interesting.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34And I was fascinated by it.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39And the reason I'm interested in it is the year - 1943.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44- So how did you get it?- It was found in the bottom of my mum's larder.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- It had been there for donkey's years.- Yeah.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52Pol Roger, one of the great, great champagne houses in Epernay,
0:03:52 > 0:03:57which is east of Paris, which is where all the champagne comes from.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02I do like a little tipple now and again. Not to excess, you understand.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06So seeing a bottle with age is unusual.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09This is 1943.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12What was going on in 1943?
0:04:12 > 0:04:16- Not much champagne-making. - No.- No.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20There was very, very little produced during the war.
0:04:20 > 0:04:26What was produced, the Germans drank a lot of and ransacked.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29It's rare in its year.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33A lot of the French makers, when the Germans were occupying,
0:04:33 > 0:04:38steamed labels off, great labels and great clarets, and stuck other ones on,
0:04:38 > 0:04:44so when the Germans pilfered these things, they thought they were getting a really nice 1930s Margaux
0:04:44 > 0:04:48and they were getting something that had been made five minutes before.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53They probably didn't notice when they got home. They just liked drinking.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58It's worth, I would think, certainly £40 to £60.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- Mm-hm.- Right. - And somebody will buy it
0:05:01 > 0:05:06because of the interest of the war, coupled with the lack of production and the name.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11- So can we put it in the sale?- Yes. - It's not doing any good where it was.- No, it isn't.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14- It's going under the hammer. Good luck.- Roger & Co, 1943.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17A bottle of French champagne. There it is.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Where will I start for this one? £40?
0:05:20 > 0:05:22£20?
0:05:23 > 0:05:26£10? 10, thank you.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29£12. 15. 17. 17.
0:05:29 > 0:05:3120. 22.
0:05:31 > 0:05:3425. 27. 30 with me. 32.
0:05:34 > 0:05:365. 7. 37.
0:05:36 > 0:05:3840? At £40, standing at the back.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- 42 I see, thank you. 45. - This is good.
0:05:41 > 0:05:4447. 50.
0:05:44 > 0:05:4655. 60.
0:05:47 > 0:05:4965. 70.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- This is interesting.- Keep going.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56In the doorway, it's yours at 70. At £70, I'm going to sell it. At £70...
0:05:56 > 0:05:59- Yes, £70.- That's good.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01- Super-duper!- Thank you very much.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06Not a bad result for an undrinkable bottle of fizz.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11So if you think you've got some bottles worth selling or want to start an indulgent collection,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Charlie has some tips for you.
0:06:13 > 0:06:20Collectors of wine really want full cases, rather than the odd individual bottle.
0:06:20 > 0:06:26The great clarets need to have a history behind them.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31They need to have been in a cellar at the right temperature unopened.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Provenance is all-important with good wine,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38whereas with an odd bottle like that, it's just the quirky nature.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43It was just spotting 1943 that did it for me.
0:06:45 > 0:06:51So, as is always the case, look for history, story and condition when investing in wine or champagne.
0:06:54 > 0:07:00Without provenance, it won't be as appealing to the collectors as we saw in Colchester
0:07:00 > 0:07:03when this 86-year-old bottle of red didn't sell.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07No, I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen. That lot is unsold.
0:07:08 > 0:07:15That bottle may have done better in a specialist auction where the wine collectors were out in force,
0:07:15 > 0:07:19so if you want to buy or sell wine, head to a specialist sale.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Buy a bottle with provenance and stay away from the corkscrew
0:07:23 > 0:07:27as it won't be an investment if you drink it right away.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29And talking of corkscrews...
0:07:29 > 0:07:34- Grace, Sophia, both friends, aren't you?- Yeah. - You've come along to Flog It today.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36You've brought this rusty old thing.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41I remember a fascinating corkscrew. It's unusual when a young girl brings something in.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44What can you tell me about it?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46It was my grandad's.
0:07:46 > 0:07:52My dad said he remembers using it as a child, but other than that, it's been in a box for 20 or 30 years.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56If we open this up, we've got everything we need to know, actually.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00We've got Wier's Patent, which is 1884,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03and we've got JHS and a B.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10That's J Heeley and Sons. I think they were working in Birmingham, which is why you've got the B.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14'It was made in Birmingham and I'm a Birmingham lad,'
0:08:14 > 0:08:18but the fact that it enabled me to talk about corkscrew collecting
0:08:18 > 0:08:20was lovely.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Now, it's what we call a lever action,
0:08:23 > 0:08:27but what's very nice about this is it's a double lever.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31Now, this basically means it's more complicated to make,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33it's more expensive to make,
0:08:33 > 0:08:38but it is not more effective as a corkscrew.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42And they are rarer. What that translates to today is money.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45What would you think something like that was worth?
0:08:45 > 0:08:47I'd have probably said about 50 quid.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52Most of them are worth about £50, but there are those few, and this was one example,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55that are worth so much more because of the rarity value.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Let's put £800 to £1,200 on it.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Wow!
0:09:00 > 0:09:03So that was a fantastic gift from your grandad.
0:09:03 > 0:09:10- Yeah. We only found it last week. We didn't know what it was or where it came from.- You're kidding?- No.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13So, really whose is it in the family then?
0:09:13 > 0:09:20- It was my grandad's. I've been helping my grandma clear out his room.- Having a clear-out?- Yeah.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22This is pretty special, isn't it?
0:09:22 > 0:09:26It's helping to put Grace through university.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30There we are. Where do you start me on the corkscrew?
0:09:30 > 0:09:33I'll have to open the bids at 750.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38I'm looking for 760 in the room. 750, 760, 770, 780.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42780, I'm out of the mix. It's in the room at £780.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Do I see 790 anywhere else?
0:09:44 > 0:09:48At £780. I will sell it at £780.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51- He's going to sell it. - Are you sure and done at £780?
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Just shy of estimate at £780 and selling... Are you sure?
0:09:56 > 0:10:00It's gone at £780. He's used his discretion and got that away.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04- That pays for a lot more things at university.- Yeah, definitely.
0:10:04 > 0:10:09- The money will come in handy. - I'm a student, so every penny counts.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12If you've got something like that
0:10:12 > 0:10:18and you don't value it particularly, it's not special to you and it's worth a lot of money,
0:10:18 > 0:10:23and you've got a charge on your purse that you need to pay like university fees,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26why not sell it and make life easier for yourself?
0:10:26 > 0:10:31Like so many of our old wining and dining accoutrements,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34the corkscrew hadn't been used in over 20 years
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and was found lying redundant in a box.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42Now it's helping a relative through education and probably making a collector very happy,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46so why not search through your cupboards under the stairs?
0:10:46 > 0:10:51Maybe you've got a rusty old corkscrew that's worth three figures.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Next, Adam found another item that embodies the luxury of a bygone era.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02These oyster plates may not have a place on today's table,
0:11:02 > 0:11:06but they have a value, as Adam well remembers.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10The majolica oyster plates, I knew you'd bring those ones up.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14They're one of my biggest mis-estimates of my Flog It career.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Where are the oysters?
0:11:18 > 0:11:23- I forgot to bring them.- I'm getting hungry.- I've ruined your day. Sorry.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27So, clearly, these are majolica oyster plates.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Can you tell me how long you've had them and where you got them from?
0:11:31 > 0:11:36- They were my grandma's. She left them to my mum and they're still my mum's.- Right.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41What attracted me to the plates, firstly, majolica is very popular,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43oysters, well, what a luxury item...
0:11:46 > 0:11:52They're made by the well-known firm George Jones, a famous majolica maker around the 1870s, 1880s.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57They are the sort of thing that you could easily walk past
0:11:57 > 0:12:01and disregard, especially because they were damaged.
0:12:01 > 0:12:07- This one, as you can see... - Has been eaten. - ..has some old damage on the bottom.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12It's got a few little chips and nicks here and there. Majolica is very prone to damage.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16In terms of majolica, there were only a handful of prominent makers.
0:12:16 > 0:12:23There was Minton's and Holdcroft and George Jones was one of the big names of majolica manufacture.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26And there's the G and a J there, you see,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28which is the George Jones mark.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31This is a registration lozenge and we could look in a book
0:12:31 > 0:12:38and it'll tell you exactly when this was produced - the day, the month, the year and everything.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42The fact that they were associated with the George Jones factory...
0:12:42 > 0:12:48They made other things. They made lots of ordinary ceramics that no-one cared a great deal about.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51It's just majolica that people want from George Jones.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54- Any idea what they might be worth? - No idea at all.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59- Have you ever shown them to anyone else?- My father died 13 years ago.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04At that time, an antique dealer came to the house and he offered us £30.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08- £30.- We weren't bothered, so we left them back in the cupboard.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13I don't think that was the most generous offer, but the market for majolica has improved a bit.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17- I'd estimate £100 to £150.- Fine. - For the pair.
0:13:17 > 0:13:23Damage is a real important factor, as we keep banging on about on the programme,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26so I didn't want to overburden them with a huge estimate.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30That's the biggest turn-off to the potential buyer,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33so hence the low estimate.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37These belong to Rosalyn, George Jones majolica, great name.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41We've got a valuation of £100 to £150 put on by our expert.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46- Very conservative.- It is a bit, isn't it?- Very conservative. - Especially for George Jones.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50And a pair. It's not very often you see two of anything of George Jones,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54but I like these, I think the colour's very good.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59And I'm sure you'll find these will double or treble the estimate, your bottom estimate.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Yes.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04- We had a valuation of £100 to £150. - Yeah.
0:14:04 > 0:14:10- I had a chat to John, the auctioneer. He thinks they might creep to £300 to £400.- Lovely.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13You want to put it nice and tempting.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17- Hopefully, we'll get another great auction result.- I think we will.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21- This is it.- One of the prize lots of the day, 170.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- Watch this. - And the commission bids start here
0:14:24 > 0:14:26at £750.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Oh, yes! That's a "come and buy me", Adam!
0:14:30 > 0:14:32£750 I'm bid.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34780...
0:14:34 > 0:14:40As the auction kicked off, I soon realised that I had undercooked my oysters.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- 800.- Wow!
0:14:43 > 0:14:45And 20. 850.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49At 850... 880.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51- 900.- 900.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53920.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56And they raced on. They kept going and going and going.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00£980.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02All done? Sold.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07£980, how about that, serving up for you right now on those plates?
0:15:07 > 0:15:12- Fantastic.- I guess we missed a nought off that estimate, didn't we?- Wow!
0:15:12 > 0:15:15£980.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Ouch!
0:15:18 > 0:15:22- That was a "come and buy me".- It was. It was very conservative.- Yes.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Oysters are meant to be an aphrodisiac,
0:15:25 > 0:15:30but if I came home with £980, I think that would be more of an aphrodisiac
0:15:30 > 0:15:33than two broken majolica plates.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37The oyster plates were damaged, but expert Philip Serrell explains why,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41in this case, it didn't put the bidders off.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45You never, ever want to buy really damaged items.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48The only exception to that is when rarity dictates
0:15:48 > 0:15:50that the only way you'll own something
0:15:50 > 0:15:54is by buying something that might have a bit of damage to it.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59So just because an item is cracked, it doesn't mean it can't make you cash.
0:15:59 > 0:16:06But if a period piece is in mint condition and made of the finest quality like this cocktail shaker,
0:16:06 > 0:16:08the bidders will pay serious money for it,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11as Charlie Ross found out.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13What a stunning object!
0:16:13 > 0:16:18What an absolutely typical object from the Deco period!
0:16:18 > 0:16:24The shape, the materials from which it's made, I think this is a real statement of the period.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29I just looked at it across the room and it just screamed "charleston" at me
0:16:29 > 0:16:35and old-fashioned cigarette holders and ladies and flappers and things.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37It was such a great thing.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40And the reason I really love it
0:16:40 > 0:16:45is that you twiddle the top round and it's got all the recipes for each of the cocktails.
0:16:45 > 0:16:50- You've got a choice of about eight recipes. - That'd keep me going for an evening.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54- That's a sure way to end up on the floor.- Most of which contain gin.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- There's a strainer there.- Yes.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00You put your cocktails in there with the ice
0:17:00 > 0:17:05and that will drain out lemon pips and a bit of peel and mint if it's in there.
0:17:05 > 0:17:11Here we are, spout. It's foolproof, isn't it? They don't want to waste any of their cocktails.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14A cocktail was a 1920s, 1930s drink,
0:17:14 > 0:17:17based on gin or vodka or rum
0:17:17 > 0:17:21or even whisky, vermouth, whatever.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23It was in mint condition.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28Generally speaking, a cocktail shaker is not an item of any particular value.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31They're usually silver-plated, sometimes Bakelite.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34So where did you get it from?
0:17:34 > 0:17:36That came from my parents.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40I think it might have been a wedding present. They were married in '36.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- That's spot-on. - I can't see my father buying one.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49- Did you bring it, thinking it will send you to the Bahamas?- I thought it might buy me a bottle of gin.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53It's going to struggle to make more than £50, I would have thought.
0:17:53 > 0:17:59My guide price would be perhaps 40 to 60. It won't make £200 or £300 in a month of Sundays.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01By golly, weren't we wrong!
0:18:01 > 0:18:05It's a bit of fun and I'm sure this will do really, really well.
0:18:05 > 0:18:11It's put a smile on everybody's face. Here it is, it's going under the hammer.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Lot 529, an early 20th century Art Deco cocktail shaker.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20And if you twist the lid round, it tells you how to make these drinks.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Somebody's on the phone for this.
0:18:22 > 0:18:2510. 12. 15. 18. 20. 25...
0:18:25 > 0:18:29- They're keen.- 35. 40. 45. 45 over there.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33At 45. 50. 55. 60. 65.
0:18:33 > 0:18:3570. 75.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37This is amazing.
0:18:37 > 0:18:4090. 95. 100. 110.
0:18:40 > 0:18:41120.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44130. 140. 150.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47- Wow!- 160. Behind you at 160...
0:18:47 > 0:18:51- On the phone, 170... - It's an iconic design, isn't it?
0:18:52 > 0:18:55190. 200.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57210. 220.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02- 230.- We would have been happy with 40 quid, wouldn't we?
0:19:02 > 0:19:04290. 300.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08- 310.- You said 40 to 60!
0:19:08 > 0:19:13- I think they missed a nought off. Didn't we say 400 to 600?- 340...
0:19:13 > 0:19:18- 350.- This is astonishing.- This is madness.- This is a golden moment.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21At 360, I sell in the room...
0:19:21 > 0:19:26At 360. Are you sure you're out on the phone? It's an important piece.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30Someone has designed a whole range of giftware on this.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32At £360...
0:19:33 > 0:19:36- Amazing!- Absolutely incredible.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Thank you so much.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42And thanks for your advice - 40 to 60 quid!
0:19:42 > 0:19:44LAUGHTER
0:19:44 > 0:19:46A pleasure to be so incompetent!
0:19:46 > 0:19:51Why did it do so well? It looked very good. It was in mint condition.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54I don't think it had ever been used before.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57It had those recipes, some of which I had never heard of,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01but quite fun to experiment and I'm sure whoever bought it
0:20:01 > 0:20:04would have mixed all those cocktails within a week!
0:20:05 > 0:20:08While they may not have a use in today's world,
0:20:08 > 0:20:13these luxury items help preserve the memory of a more glamorous age.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17All these items were handed down from past generations,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21family heirlooms that might not look like they're worth much,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23but the key is in the quality.
0:20:23 > 0:20:29If it's a luxury piece, it's likely to be well-made and therefore hold its value.
0:20:29 > 0:20:35So have another look at that trinket from the '20s your great-aunt left you.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39If it's good quality or rare, it might be worth a bob or two.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43If you want to buy something from this period or anything at all,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45turn the item upside down.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Look at it from every single face side.
0:20:48 > 0:20:54Check the construction joints. Look at it in detail. Look at it through a magnifying glass.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57If it's too dark in the premises, shine a torch on it.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02Items made from precious metals are most likely to retain their value,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06but the market for silver and gold is always fluctuating
0:21:06 > 0:21:10and it can be difficult to know what your piece of silver is worth.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15Fortunately for us, there isn't much that Flog It expert Michael Baggott doesn't know
0:21:15 > 0:21:18about silver dating from the last few centuries.
0:21:18 > 0:21:23Today, there is a group of talented silversmiths working away, the next generation.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Are they crafting the antiques of the future?
0:21:28 > 0:21:32I grew up in a little council estate on the outskirts of Birmingham.
0:21:32 > 0:21:38Really, there wasn't any exposure to antiques there, apart from a burning Cortina.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44When I was young, I had no idea that Birmingham was this very important centre
0:21:44 > 0:21:47for silversmithing and it had its own assay office.
0:21:47 > 0:21:53That was all something that I came to subsequently when I started to have an enthusiasm for silver.
0:21:56 > 0:22:02Metalworkers and craftsmen have been turning out all kinds of treasures in the Jewellery Quarter
0:22:02 > 0:22:08from shoe buckles to trinket boxes, as well as jewellery, since the 17th century and beyond.
0:22:08 > 0:22:14I think my first exposure to silver was going to a garden festival with my grandmother and mother
0:22:14 > 0:22:19and there was a small collection of stands selling modern gardening things
0:22:19 > 0:22:23and there was one silver dealer there who was doing no business.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26She was bored to tears and I was just enthralled.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30I was lucky because she had the time and the patience
0:22:30 > 0:22:34to allow this small boy to sort of go through all her stock.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39It was absolutely fascinating and that's probably what got me hooked at first.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44What was surprising to me to find out within my own family,
0:22:44 > 0:22:48my father told me years after I'd had an interest in silver
0:22:48 > 0:22:55that his father had, for a long time, run a silver polishing workshop in the Jewellery Quarter.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Michael is taking the opportunity to visit the factory
0:23:00 > 0:23:04of Smith and Pepper, the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06with silversmith Owen Condon.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Later, Owen is going to teach Michael a thing or two
0:23:10 > 0:23:14about fashioning silver at the Birmingham School of Jewellery.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19- Owen, lovely to meet you. - Michael, nice to meet you.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21What an auspicious place to be meeting in!
0:23:21 > 0:23:25My grandfather was a silver polisher in Birmingham
0:23:25 > 0:23:29and he'd be quite at home in this wonderful workshop.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33As a contemporary silversmith, I'm quite at home within this workshop.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38I could sit down here and work away quite nicely with all the machines here.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43Even though they're 200 or 300 years old, they can do the job I need them to do today.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47It puts in mind that, I think in the middle of the 18th century,
0:23:47 > 0:23:53there were 8,000 people just in this area of Birmingham involved in the buckle and button-making trade.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Yes, it was quite famous for its small work called "toys",
0:23:56 > 0:24:00not in the traditional sense of the word for children,
0:24:00 > 0:24:06but snuff boxes and small perfume bottles, scent bottles, that sort of thing, caddy spoons.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Any small work was known as toys.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12I've brought a few things because later on, you're going to try,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15I emphasise "try", and get me to make a spoon.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- These are all Birmingham made. - Right.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23That one's by Edward Sawyer who was working in Great Charles Street.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26That was in the early days of Birmingham.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29That's hand-forged. That's the type of work you do, isn't it?
0:24:29 > 0:24:33It is. We do hand-forge a lot of spoons still, cold-forge.
0:24:33 > 0:24:39But we have obviously moved on slightly and we have little tricks and new ways of raising the spoons up
0:24:39 > 0:24:41which I'll show you today.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45- Hopefully, in 240 years, you've made some leaps forward.- Yeah.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49- You are the future.- Yes. - So what's your perspective on it?
0:24:49 > 0:24:56I like to mix traditional skills and keep the core traditional skills, but mix them with new technologies,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59such as laser technologies and computer design.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Even in the couple of years that I've been here in Birmingham,
0:25:03 > 0:25:07the technology has moved on and on and is getting better every year.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12- So they're always pushing... - More innovation again.- ..forward all the time?- Most definitely.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15- Their forebears would be proud of them.- I think so.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18- Now you can try and get me to make a spoon.- Yes.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20- Follow me.- Let's go.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24If someone wants to start collecting silver now,
0:25:24 > 0:25:29the first thing to do is go out and spend your money on some very good reference books
0:25:29 > 0:25:32because they'll stand you in good stead for ever.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Spoons are by far the most accessible.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39I know people make fun of me because I promote spoon collecting,
0:25:39 > 0:25:44but the reason is you can buy a beautiful piece of 18th century silver for £80 or £100.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49£80 is a lot of money, but for something that was hand-made and is 250 years old
0:25:49 > 0:25:52and has an intrinsic value of maybe £50 or £60,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55it's not a lot of money to pay
0:25:55 > 0:25:59and I think in years to come these things will go up in value quite dramatically.
0:26:05 > 0:26:11- So we're here in the workshop, which is fantastic, and we've got some of your silver here.- Yes.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Talk me through what you've made here because these look fantastic.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20We've already seen the traditional spoons and these are made in the traditional way,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22hand-forging, cold-forging.
0:26:22 > 0:26:28I love this. That's the most beautiful design. You've got a moonstone in the end of that?
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Yeah, a little moonstone set in an 18-carat bezel.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34You deliberately leave all the planishing marks?
0:26:34 > 0:26:40Yes, we use that as the finish. It looks like a glitter ball and the light sparkles around the silver.
0:26:40 > 0:26:46- It's bizarre to think that 250 years ago, they were at pains to get rid of that.- Yes.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49- Because that's the idea... - To add it as a texture technique.
0:26:49 > 0:26:54- Where would we start? - We've marked a circle on a 1mm sheet of sterling silver,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57which we pierce out with a piercing saw.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Gently turn the piece.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05- This could be a little more awkward for you.- You're left-handed?- Yes.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08That's why it's not going to work.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15It's going every... It's going everywhere.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19- I must finish without breaking the blade.- Brilliant.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23- Still outside the line. - As long as we're outside the line, we can fix it.
0:27:23 > 0:27:29- There was a bit of danger there, but I veered away.- We can file it now into a true circle.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33- How do we turn that into the bowl? - OK, so we drop it into the centre.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38So we're pretty good.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Now it's at this point, we can let it go a bit more aggressively.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45- Go for it again?- Yeah.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52So we're really getting close to our end line now.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- Done.- There we go.- Yeah.
0:27:57 > 0:28:04Now we're going to planish-finish, so we will basically put small, flat facets on to this using the hammer.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09- Light?- Yeah. And you can see the facets start to appear.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20I think it's as good as I'll ever get it, so what do we do now?
0:28:20 > 0:28:24- Now we will move on to the handle. - Let's do the handle.
0:28:24 > 0:28:29So we've got this handle ready-made, but it's not finished enough to go on the bowl.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34What we need to do now is basically curve the end to solder to the bowl,
0:28:34 > 0:28:39- so we want to match it in the same radius.- Right, how do we do that?
0:28:42 > 0:28:45We've started to ease it into place.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48- We're getting there. We need to do a bit more.- Just a bit more.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Now try it a little bit further.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53It needs to be over there.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59- Pretty good.- Shall we solder that on? - Yeah, I think we're ready to solder.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14I think we're pretty good at that. What we do now is we'll quench it
0:29:14 > 0:29:21- in some water, then we put it into a weak acid solution, just to take that blackness back off it.- Right.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27Now, Michael, we've taken it from the pickle and it's basically white,
0:29:27 > 0:29:32- which is a layer of fine silver that's come to the surface. - But it's matte.- Exactly.
0:29:36 > 0:29:44We just give it a little rub of the cloth and we're ready to present you with your finished spoon.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48Oh, that's amazing. I can't believe
0:29:48 > 0:29:54that not that long ago that was a disc of metal and a bar of silver.
0:29:54 > 0:30:00It's transformed it. Thank you so much indeed for helping me make this lovely condiment spoon.
0:30:00 > 0:30:06- I'll treasure it forever. - You're more than welcome.- I'll be back tomorrow! Thanks very much.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09'Didn't Michael do well?
0:30:09 > 0:30:14'And here are some of his Flog It colleagues with tips on buying silver.'
0:30:14 > 0:30:17Look for an area you find interesting.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20It could be nutmeg graters. It could be vesta cases.
0:30:20 > 0:30:27But don't be narrow-minded and look for a year. Look at that whole section of nutmeg graters
0:30:27 > 0:30:29or vesta cases.
0:30:29 > 0:30:34If you're serious about it, you're looking for really good makers.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37Different with historical pieces,
0:30:37 > 0:30:39but I'd suggest with modern pieces
0:30:39 > 0:30:44that you concentrate on the designer. Someone on the way up.
0:30:46 > 0:30:52Lots of you have told me that Flog It has inspired you to explore the world of antiques,
0:30:52 > 0:30:56but what inspired our experts? One of our most dapper experts
0:30:56 > 0:31:03is Nick Hall. He's been cutting a dash in the saleroom for 30 years, but where did it all begin?
0:31:03 > 0:31:07One of the early items that really inspired me into this business,
0:31:07 > 0:31:11was this incredibly rare little clock that this handsome young chap
0:31:11 > 0:31:16is holding up. Circa 1987. 19-year-old trainee.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20I was involved day-to-day in an antiques saleroom
0:31:20 > 0:31:27and one day a local house clearer walked in with this little clock, which he'd picked up for peanuts.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31It was obviously an early clock, a nice quality antique clock.
0:31:31 > 0:31:37I was assisting the cataloguer to research it and the more we found out, the more interesting it got.
0:31:37 > 0:31:44And the story grew and grew. It turned out to be rare early Regency by the Vulliamy family.
0:31:44 > 0:31:51And this clock was sold at that sale for over £7,000, which was an incredible sum of money.
0:31:51 > 0:31:57And I think that hooked me, it got me interested in what was it about these incredible objects.
0:31:57 > 0:32:02The history, the research, the passion of the bidders involved.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04And then that final hammer price.
0:32:04 > 0:32:10And the look of joy on the little chap who'd found it. Absolutely made his year.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15I think the local press even ran the story on it and him at the time.
0:32:15 > 0:32:21A real inspiration and it really drew me in to the finer points of research and valuation
0:32:21 > 0:32:25and led me to where I am today, still enjoying every minute.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29Our experts have a real passion for the business of antiques
0:32:29 > 0:32:34and I hope some of that enthusiasm and knowledge rubs off on you.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41Still to come on the show: Head Guide at Longleat House Ruth Charles
0:32:41 > 0:32:45gives you tips on how to preserve textiles.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48And there's more advice.
0:32:48 > 0:32:54Get out there. Buy hunting things, smoking things, everything banned. They've got to come back in value.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57But first more extravagance.
0:32:59 > 0:33:06These days we tend to hit the town with our mobile phones and credit cards. Not glamorous accessories.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08But life wasn't always like that.
0:33:08 > 0:33:15Each week you bring us a whole host of wonderful items which remind us of altogether more stylish times,
0:33:15 > 0:33:20so today we're going to be unpicking the secrets of the luxuries of times gone by.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24Here are some of the best finds from over the years.
0:33:24 > 0:33:30We start with James Lewis who got his hands on a cigarette case that exemplified old-fashioned style.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32This certainly looks interesting.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36Wow. That's lovely.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40Absolutely super quality.
0:33:40 > 0:33:45Gosh, look at the quality of that enamel. 'Whenever you see enamel,'
0:33:45 > 0:33:47it always does very, very well.
0:33:47 > 0:33:54Originally, it belonged to my grandmother. First known to be in the family about 1944.
0:33:54 > 0:34:00- It appears on a house inventory that my grandfather kept for insurance purposes.- That's what we have here.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04And the item appears here.
0:34:04 > 0:34:10"Silver enamelled cigarette case and match box." Two pounds fifteen.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13Two pounds fifteen shillings, yes.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17- 1944.- That's right. - How super.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21Having a silver case to start with, you have to have money,
0:34:21 > 0:34:26but then the enamelling on it times the value by 20 or 30 times.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29The enamel is the key, not the silver.
0:34:29 > 0:34:35The three wheat sheaves in the centre for Chester and the date is Chester 1900.
0:34:35 > 0:34:41So that's good and clear. Now let's have a look at this one. That's lovely, too, isn't it?
0:34:41 > 0:34:44If anything, that's slightly better.
0:34:44 > 0:34:51Nice and clean. Ah, that's interesting. Now that's different hallmarks.
0:34:51 > 0:34:56We've got the leopard's head there for London and the T, which is the mark for 1894.
0:34:56 > 0:35:01They were made six years apart in different towns, different makers
0:35:01 > 0:35:07and somebody, probably in the 1920s or 1930s, has decided to put them together as a smoking set.
0:35:07 > 0:35:12'Yes, OK, it's hunting, so it's not quite such a popular subject,'
0:35:12 > 0:35:16but still there are hundreds and thousands of people out there who love that.
0:35:16 > 0:35:21Then you've got the quality as well and you've got it boxed.
0:35:21 > 0:35:26It's got win, win, win, win listed all the way down there.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28Now then, value. Any thoughts?
0:35:28 > 0:35:31I haven't got a clue.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35- More than £2, 15 shillings. - I would have thought so by now!
0:35:35 > 0:35:40- I think if we put these into auction, they'll make £300-£500. - Really?
0:35:40 > 0:35:46- That much.- Yeah.- I had no idea. - I think they're going to do really well.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50I love this match box, I love the vesta and the cigarette case,
0:35:50 > 0:35:56but the vesta to me is worth 300 quid alone. The auctioneer thinks it might struggle at the bottom end.
0:35:58 > 0:36:04Well, I agree with you. The vesta case is worth that on its own. Hunting's not that popular,
0:36:04 > 0:36:06- but it's worth it.- It's right now.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10Put together as a set, Lot 565. Can I say £300 to start?
0:36:10 > 0:36:13£200 away?
0:36:13 > 0:36:16It's a strange atmosphere when the person that's in control
0:36:16 > 0:36:20doesn't have as much faith in the object as you do.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23At 200. I'll take 20 to get on. At £200.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27Come on! This is worth it! Put your back into it, man!
0:36:27 > 0:36:30220. 240. 260.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32280. 300. 320. 340.
0:36:32 > 0:36:37360. At 360. The bid is at the back. At £360.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41"No, it's worth far more than that!" And then the bids start.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45380. 400. 420. 440. 460.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47480. 500.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51520. 550. 580. 600.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54And the telephones come in...
0:36:54 > 0:36:56620. 650. 680.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59700. 720. 750.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02780. 800. 820.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05820, still at the back. At 820.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08At £820.
0:37:08 > 0:37:14And then to turn to the people who own it and see their expression. Super.
0:37:16 > 0:37:21- How cool was that?- Yeah! - How cool was that?- Oh, my God. - Top, top money.
0:37:21 > 0:37:26Enamelled cigarette cases were an item of real luxury at the turn of the century
0:37:26 > 0:37:32and were still being carried as a fashionable accessory 50 years later. Very few people use them now,
0:37:32 > 0:37:38but there's a smoking hot collectors market for them as Kate Bliss realised.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42- Where did it come from? - It was my grandmother's.
0:37:42 > 0:37:48- She must have bought it in the 1920s but I don't know the history. - And did she use it?- Yes, she did.
0:37:48 > 0:37:55- She used to smoke Black Russian and she kept them in there. - They'd fit very well in there.
0:37:55 > 0:38:00Modern cigarettes are too big and too fat. They don't fit any more, which makes it useless.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04I think 1920s is pretty much bang on for the date.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08The style of decoration is very much 1920s,
0:38:08 > 0:38:14but I think in fact that this is reminiscent of a Georgian style of design.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18And the Georgians loved silhouettes. If you look at her hairstyle,
0:38:18 > 0:38:25it's very much like a Georgian-style portrait, the sort of thing you'd have on a Georgian cameo.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29And she's wearing a rather diaphanous dress, isn't she?
0:38:29 > 0:38:33In this lovely green, very 1920s green.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37And, of course, with a bare chest, which is a little bit exotic,
0:38:37 > 0:38:43a little bit risque. And, of course, risque items like this, enamelled items,
0:38:43 > 0:38:45are very commercial today.
0:38:45 > 0:38:51Now value, I think, because it's got this little bit of erotic, risqueness about the design,
0:38:51 > 0:38:56I would think it'll make towards £100 at auction, possibly £150.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00- Are you happy to sell it at that? - Yes, I would.- That's great.
0:39:00 > 0:39:06I like this. It's continental. We're looking for £100-£150. Let's hope we get it.
0:39:06 > 0:39:12- It's very unusual.- From the inside it looks like a very ordinary continental silver cigarette case,
0:39:12 > 0:39:18which would be £20 at the most, but the enamelling makes the difference. And it's quite an unusual subject.
0:39:18 > 0:39:23- The pressure is on. You have already spent the money. - I have.- What did you buy?
0:39:23 > 0:39:26A history of Scarborough for £95.
0:39:26 > 0:39:33- Right. So we've got to get the 100 quid mark.- I hope so!- We're going to find out right now. This is it.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37435A. A silver and enamel cigarette case. £100?
0:39:37 > 0:39:4050 bid. 60? £50 the bidding.
0:39:40 > 0:39:4255. All right. 60. 5. 70.
0:39:42 > 0:39:4575. 80. 85.
0:39:45 > 0:39:4790 next door. 95. 100.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49110. 120.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52130. 140. 150. 160.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54170. 180?
0:39:54 > 0:39:57170, it's yours. 180. 190.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59200. 210.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01£200!
0:40:01 > 0:40:05£200. Anyone else? It's going at £200.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Yes! We thought it would struggle. Well done, Kate.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11- I am pleased!- £200.- Fantastic.
0:40:11 > 0:40:18- You can spend a bit more money now. - I work in a home for people with dementia, so we'll have a party.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20- Oh, superb.- Yes.
0:40:20 > 0:40:28Luxury cigarette cases sell very well at auction, but not all smoking paraphernalia has the same appeal,
0:40:28 > 0:40:31no matter how flamboyant it looks.
0:40:31 > 0:40:36One of the things I love about this business is things are done in style.
0:40:37 > 0:40:43- I know exactly where this has come from.- Where?- Your house.- Yes!
0:40:45 > 0:40:48And James from Lancaster brought in a cigar dispenser.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51Would we have one today? No.
0:40:51 > 0:40:57This is typical of Black Forest or Bavarian carved wooden items
0:40:57 > 0:41:02that were produced in the 19th century and typified by this here.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06- Right.- This is wonderfully well carved.- What's it made of?
0:41:06 > 0:41:09It might be oak. A lot of them are oak.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12- It lifts up like that.- Yes.
0:41:12 > 0:41:17- I reckon in today's society that is a particularly useless item. - It probably is.
0:41:17 > 0:41:23It wasn't actually a humidor which keeps your cigars at the right humidity.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25Practically, it hadn't much use.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29So your cigars would sit in these channels
0:41:29 > 0:41:35and after your dinner party the brandy would come out and you'd offer your guests a cigar.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39'I can see that on the desk of an Edwardian gentleman'
0:41:39 > 0:41:45with a very luxurious 'tache and perhaps calling for the footman to bring his table lighter over.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49Gently puffing away with his large brandy.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53Today he'd be outside in the bus shelter smoking it.
0:41:53 > 0:41:59- It's quite a fun thing. Where did it come from? - Just down from my father originally.
0:41:59 > 0:42:04I assume he bought it second-hand or had it given or something.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08- And you just want rid? - I don't smoke so...
0:42:08 > 0:42:14I think we can put an auction estimate on this of £100-£200 and a fixed reserve of £80.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16- How does that grab you?- Yes.
0:42:18 > 0:42:24Next up, something that really caught my eye and Philip's. It belongs to James, but not for long.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28It's that Black Forest carving, catalogued as a cigar holder.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32- Why are you selling this? It's a nice object to look at.- It is.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36- But somebody may as well use it if they can.- OK.
0:42:36 > 0:42:42We'll find out if that somebody is right here, right now. It's going under the hammer. This is it.
0:42:42 > 0:42:48Lot number 74, the Black Forest-style cigar box. It's a very, very nice piece.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52Can I ask a couple of hundred? Start me at 100, surely.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54100? Where will I start, then?
0:42:54 > 0:42:57£70. £70 bid.
0:42:57 > 0:42:58- Come on.- 70 bid.
0:42:58 > 0:43:03- 80 away now? £70 on the bid. I'll take 80.- We're in trouble.
0:43:03 > 0:43:0670 bid. 70 bid.
0:43:06 > 0:43:0880 now. £80 seated. 80 bid.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12That's little money. £80 only. At 80.
0:43:12 > 0:43:17It sold. That is really surprising for a bit of Black Forest carving.
0:43:19 > 0:43:24Smoking is a real big no no, but people collect smoking memorabilia.
0:43:24 > 0:43:32But with James I probably got it a little bit wrong. I said £100-£200 and there wasn't that demand.
0:43:32 > 0:43:37- Well, it's gone, anyway, James. Somebody got rather lucky.- It's OK.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41It fetches what it fetches. Thank you very much.
0:43:41 > 0:43:47Our business is incredibly fashionable. Things become fashionable and unfashionable.
0:43:47 > 0:43:54Black Forest items were hugely popular in America and at that time there was a recession there.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59It's still going on. So that affects the money these things make today.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04If you're going through your cupboards for things to part with,
0:44:04 > 0:44:10remember this tip. The more usable an item is, the more value it is likely to have.
0:44:10 > 0:44:18Next, Catherine found a piece of theatrical history that only the very elite would have enjoyed.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22As soon as I saw this lovely little cylindrical fish-skin case,
0:44:22 > 0:44:26I knew we'd have something interesting. Shall we take a look?
0:44:28 > 0:44:32There we are. This lovely little monocular.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36It was really neat and it fitted into this really smart case.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38'It really was a beauty.'
0:44:38 > 0:44:45Because of the decoration, it's something maybe a lady would use, or a gentleman at the opera.
0:44:45 > 0:44:49Now this monocular is by a very important scientific instrument maker.
0:44:49 > 0:44:54On the bottom, the name's G Adams. Does that mean anything to you?
0:44:54 > 0:45:00- I believe he also used to make sextants for the navy. - G Adams is George Adams.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04There was a George Adams Senior and son. So a father and son team.
0:45:04 > 0:45:12They worked in Fleet Street in London. I would say this one probably dates from around 1800.
0:45:12 > 0:45:18George Adams was a very significant instrument maker, in the 18th and 19th century.
0:45:18 > 0:45:23As soon as I saw the monocular and the name, I got very excited.
0:45:23 > 0:45:28There's a band of tortoiseshell and then this mother of pearl inlay,
0:45:28 > 0:45:32these little spots going round and then strips of mother of pearl.
0:45:32 > 0:45:37I think it's a charming little piece. Are you happy to let it go?
0:45:37 > 0:45:39Yes, I am really, yeah.
0:45:39 > 0:45:45I've been a bit of a collector and a hoarder and now it's time to get rid of some of the things.
0:45:45 > 0:45:50It was all there. Often you find the monoculars without the case.
0:45:50 > 0:45:56It was nice to see it was all there, complete and in the case and by a good maker.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59It had everything going for it.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03Value-wise, I hope that people will recognise the importance of this
0:46:03 > 0:46:08and I would probably put an estimate on of £100-£150.
0:46:08 > 0:46:12- I would like to see it making about £200.- I'm happy with that.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15Thank you very much.
0:46:15 > 0:46:20Lot 206, a 19th-century monocular single-draw opera glass. £100?
0:46:20 > 0:46:24In the original case. I'll start at £100.
0:46:24 > 0:46:2710 I'd like. At £100. 110 I see.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31- 120.- Come on... It's a nice thing.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34At 130, thank you. 140.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37150. 160. 170.
0:46:37 > 0:46:39This is great. They love it now.
0:46:39 > 0:46:43190. 200. And 10 again?
0:46:43 > 0:46:45210. 210.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47At £210.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50Yes! What a great result!
0:46:50 > 0:46:54- That's another great one. - £210.- Beautiful.
0:46:54 > 0:46:55Quality.
0:46:55 > 0:47:03Monoculars were used by the cream of society to view the theatre stage.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07And they wouldn't have been out of place in Richmond, North Yorkshire.
0:47:07 > 0:47:13OK, it looks unassuming on this road, but it is a Grade 1 listed building
0:47:13 > 0:47:18and has a very important claim to fame. It's the oldest and most complete Georgian playhouse
0:47:18 > 0:47:23in Britain. And that's a fact. All the good stuff is inside,
0:47:23 > 0:47:28so without further ado so let's go in and view the piece de resistance.
0:47:28 > 0:47:36'In the early 1700s there weren't any theatres in Britain as it was illegal to act for money.
0:47:36 > 0:47:42'However, plays were performed by travelling companies of actors who found ways around the law.
0:47:42 > 0:47:46'From the 1760s, royal patents were granted to a few provincial theatres
0:47:46 > 0:47:51'but the biggest change came in 1788 with the passing of the Theatre Licensing Act,
0:47:51 > 0:47:59'which allowed companies of actors the right to apply for licences to put on plays for 60 days at a time.'
0:48:01 > 0:48:07And it was shortly after this that a remarkable Yorkshireman called Samuel Butler signed
0:48:07 > 0:48:12a 21-year lease with the Richmond Corporation. On 2nd September, 1788,
0:48:12 > 0:48:16this remarkable, unique little theatre was opened to the public.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19And isn't it just marvellous?
0:48:20 > 0:48:25It really is. It's so tiny. It's fabulous.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29'When it first opened, this venue was simply named The Theatre.
0:48:29 > 0:48:35'And Butler's company of actors played not only here, but at seven other theatres
0:48:35 > 0:48:39'that the entrepreneurial butler had established across Yorkshire.'
0:48:39 > 0:48:43Sadly, in 1830 the lease on this building was never renewed.
0:48:43 > 0:48:49The theatre and the Butler company parted ways. Over the following centuries, a few odd performances
0:48:49 > 0:48:54were played out on this very stage, but it was put to different uses.
0:48:54 > 0:48:58It became a wine vault. During WWII, it was a storage depot
0:48:58 > 0:49:02and, believe it or not, it was even an auction room.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06Thankfully, the core and fabric of this very building was never altered greatly.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10That's why it's become so important to theatre historians
0:49:10 > 0:49:15because it's the best surviving example of a Georgian playhouse in Britain.
0:49:15 > 0:49:21'The stage itself is typical of the period and is known as a proscenium arch,
0:49:21 > 0:49:28'which acts as a window to the action. The stage is raked and is a foot higher at the back
0:49:28 > 0:49:32'in order to give the audience a better view.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36'Today, the Georgian Theatre Royal can seat up to 214 people,
0:49:36 > 0:49:42'but back in the Georgian era 400 eager audience members would have squeezed in.
0:49:42 > 0:49:47'You can imagine how lots more people were jammed in this small space altogether,
0:49:47 > 0:49:50'but which were the good seats and which were bad?'
0:49:50 > 0:49:54Up here is called the gallery and these are the cheap seats,
0:49:54 > 0:50:02used by the young and dissolute. To watch performances here in the Georgian period cost one shilling.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05- KNOCK - Did you hear that? That was me!
0:50:05 > 0:50:10This gallery has a unique Georgian feature - the kicking board.
0:50:10 > 0:50:16That's exactly what you do to it. The Georgian patrons would have used this
0:50:16 > 0:50:20to show signs of disapproval if the act wasn't working out properly.
0:50:20 > 0:50:27And I'm told it's still used today, but only as a sign of approval to encourage an encore.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30- KICKS BOARD - More, please! More!
0:50:30 > 0:50:36'So that's how the Georgians would have watched theatre, but I want to see behind the scenes.
0:50:36 > 0:50:42'I'm going to tread in the actors' footsteps as I head down underneath through the dressing room
0:50:42 > 0:50:45'to the very guts of the theatre.'
0:50:45 > 0:50:49I'm underneath the stage right now. There it is above me now.
0:50:49 > 0:50:55This whole area is known as the machine room and these are the footlights or floats,
0:50:55 > 0:51:01as they were called in the Georgian period. These candles would have been alight in troughs of water.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05This whole trough would have been winched up here,
0:51:05 > 0:51:10going up to the stage to project light back on to the actors' faces.
0:51:10 > 0:51:17And they were in water because if they fell over it would put the flame out and not catch on fire.
0:51:17 > 0:51:23Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of the theatre is operated from right down here.
0:51:23 > 0:51:29That's the trap doors. This enables items and actors to spring up out of nowhere
0:51:29 > 0:51:34onto the stage. There were originally three trap doors here, but now there's only one.
0:51:34 > 0:51:38This is a reconstruction and, sadly, it doesn't work.
0:51:38 > 0:51:42So I've got to take the long way back up.
0:51:43 > 0:51:50'The Georgian Theatre Royal holds such a prestigious place in the history of theatre in Britain
0:51:50 > 0:51:56'that many of our finest actors feel it's a status symbol to have played here - Timothy West, Judy Dench
0:51:56 > 0:52:00'and plenty of other legendary actors have graced the stage here
0:52:00 > 0:52:07'and yours truly is very proud to have visited this fascinating piece of theatre history.'
0:52:13 > 0:52:20Throughout the series, we've been finding out which item inspired our experts' love of antiques.
0:52:20 > 0:52:25- Here's the ever-theatrical Charlie Ross.- A French mirror!
0:52:25 > 0:52:30When I left school and joined the firm of surveyors and auctioneers,
0:52:30 > 0:52:34I started working in Buckingham in the saleroom. I was 19, 20.
0:52:34 > 0:52:40And I immediately fell in love with furniture of all sorts.
0:52:40 > 0:52:46And the mirror you see here was the first piece of furniture I ever bought.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49And I bought it as a present for my mum.
0:52:49 > 0:52:54And it was completely knackered when I bought it.
0:52:54 > 0:52:59I can't remember how much. Let's say it was £12, £14, something like that.
0:52:59 > 0:53:04And I had it restored, which cost considerably more,
0:53:04 > 0:53:09and I gave it to my dear mother who was thrilled with it and used it throughout her life.
0:53:09 > 0:53:13And subsequently when she died it was left back to me.
0:53:13 > 0:53:20So it's gone full circle and it is, to me, the most precious piece of furniture.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23No, it's not Chippendale, it isn't of huge significance,
0:53:23 > 0:53:27other than sentimental value. It is a nice piece of furniture.
0:53:27 > 0:53:33It's George III, it's mahogany, it's serpentine-fronted. You can see it's a swing-toilet mirror.
0:53:33 > 0:53:39It has three rather capacious drawers. It's a really nice piece of furniture.
0:53:39 > 0:53:46Value today? £200 or £300? I dare say in the good old times, the late '70s, '80s,
0:53:46 > 0:53:50it would have been worth probably £400-£600, but I don't care.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52To me it's priceless.
0:53:54 > 0:53:59Brown furniture, as it's called, has dropped in value significantly in the last 20 years.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03You can pick up beautiful pieces for a bargain in auction rooms
0:54:03 > 0:54:08but plan ahead if you're thinking of buying big bits of kit.
0:54:08 > 0:54:14Make sure you have man with van on standby if you've got something large that needs collecting.
0:54:14 > 0:54:21If you don't collect it within one week of purchase, there will be storage charge and insurance
0:54:21 > 0:54:24and VAT. It will cost you a lot more.
0:54:29 > 0:54:34Over the years, we've visited hundreds of stately homes,
0:54:34 > 0:54:40but one of my favourites is Longleat in Wiltshire. The sumptuous home of the 7th Marquess of Bath,
0:54:40 > 0:54:47it's filled with a luxurious 500-year-old collection of clothing, furniture and paintings,
0:54:47 > 0:54:50but preserving it for the future can take work.
0:54:50 > 0:54:55What better person to provide some tips on preserving your precious luxury pieces
0:54:55 > 0:54:58than Head Guide Ruth Charles.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02We're over the Great Hall now and this is the Minstrels Gallery.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06On the plinth here, we've got this rather fabulous piece of fabric
0:55:06 > 0:55:12which is made up from a wedding dress dated 1733 when Louisa Carteret got married.
0:55:12 > 0:55:18It would have been fantastic colours all those years ago, with silk and silver.
0:55:18 > 0:55:24All of this would have been silver and gold thread, but over the years it's been oxidised
0:55:24 > 0:55:30to become quite a flat grey. But in its time it would have been spectacular.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34Look how much silver there is on it. It would have glistened beautifully.
0:55:34 > 0:55:38This is not for your average person in the street. This is high society.
0:55:38 > 0:55:42But at Longleat, it's also paintings that need preserving.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48This is one of the most important paintings in Longleat
0:55:48 > 0:55:52and so it has pride of place.
0:55:52 > 0:55:57The problem with that is it's opposite the door visitors come through so, with our weather,
0:55:57 > 0:56:03especially the damp weather, the humidity rises and that's not good for paintings.
0:56:03 > 0:56:09You get mould growing. If it's too dry and it's on panel, it will shrink it and crack it.
0:56:09 > 0:56:14So if you have a painting such as this, you might have it glazed.
0:56:14 > 0:56:19We had this glazed last year and that protects it from that fluctuating atmosphere.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22So what are Ruth's other top tips?
0:56:22 > 0:56:27If you have a special painting at home, just be aware of where you're placing it.
0:56:27 > 0:56:33Don't put it over a radiator. Don't put it in front of a door. You've got air fluctuation.
0:56:33 > 0:56:37Don't put it near the fireplace as you'll get smoke on it.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40They have a stunning collection of costumes here,
0:56:40 > 0:56:45so what does Ruth advise you to do about keeping old fabrics fresh?
0:56:45 > 0:56:51This is a lovely dress. It would have been a vivid pink in its heyday. You see in the crease
0:56:51 > 0:56:57just a remnant of how vivid the colour was. We do have a sash that goes with this dress
0:56:57 > 0:57:03which still retains its colour. But to do that we have to keep it in a darkened box,
0:57:03 > 0:57:07wrapped in acid-free paper never to see the light of day.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11But from a history point of view, at least we see the original colour.
0:57:11 > 0:57:16But what do you do? Keep them in a cupboard and nobody sees them
0:57:16 > 0:57:23or do you get them out and we can have a glimpse of what the fabrics and styles were like?
0:57:23 > 0:57:30Luckily, they decided to take these sumptuous costumes out of wraps for us to enjoy.
0:57:30 > 0:57:38Top tips for looking after your collection. Fabric - make sure it's away from light and heat.
0:57:38 > 0:57:44And make sure if it's got natural fibres such as horsehair, for instance, in sofas,
0:57:44 > 0:57:49that there's nothing alive in it. That can be most uncomfortable.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52You can have things fumigated.
0:57:52 > 0:57:57Sounds nasty! As Ruth says, even if a fabric fades a little or a painting picks up dust,
0:57:57 > 0:58:01get it out and, most of all, enjoy it.
0:58:05 > 0:58:12Fashions change and antiques go in and out of favour, but luxury goods that are well-made
0:58:12 > 0:58:16will also have a value and don't have to be hundreds of years old.
0:58:16 > 0:58:22- Family heirlooms from the recent past could make you a small fortune. - Let's put £800-£1,200 on it.
0:58:22 > 0:58:24Wow.
0:58:25 > 0:58:31Today's extravagant buys may well be electrical goods rather than silverware,
0:58:31 > 0:58:35but there's still a massive collectors' market for small luxury items.
0:58:35 > 0:58:41I hope today's show has given you a little trip down memory lane and an insight into what to look for.
0:58:41 > 0:58:47Join me again soon for more for more top tips from Flog It's Trade Secrets.
0:59:05 > 0:59:07Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd