Life's Little Luxuries Flog It: Trade Secrets

For 11 years, you have brought us thousands of items to value

and often they're only worth a few pounds, but every now and then,

we hit the big time with items worth tens of thousands of pounds.

£44,000.

You might have something at home worth a great deal of money, but how do you know it if you see it?

Well, that's where we come in.

Welcome to Flog It Trade Secrets.

Today, we're sneaking a peek at some of life's little luxuries, whether it be a Rolex watch...

-I'd love to own that.

-..or an Art Deco Dunhill lighter.

-This is a stylish thing.

-These are the things we talk about when we're talking about quality and value.

Gosh, look at the quality of that enamel!

If you were the aristocracy, flaunting these would be de rigueur,

but which collectable has held its value today?

It's a show full of the unexpected as we reveal which of life's luxuries dazzle the saleroom...

It's got "win, win, win" all the way down there.

..and which leave the crowd cold.

I'm sorry. That lot is unsold.

For the rich, dining was a great opportunity to display their wealth and the luxuries of life -

fine crystal glass, beautiful porcelain and silverware.

The simple act of eating was anything but.

Until recently, most families used their best china and silver for special occasions,

but nowadays, most of it is stashed away in cupboards gathering dust

and it turns up frequently at our valuation days.

And today, there is a very healthy collectors' market for anything related to food and drink.

While they may not have a use in today's world, these luxury items will help preserve the memory

of a more glamorous age,

so here are some of our best Flog It finds from over the years and what we've learned from them,

starting with a man who knows a thing or two about wining and dining.

Champagne has always been the luxury drink.

It has a certain mystique to it.

If you have a party and you can afford it, what do you go for?

You go for champagne.

You can make red wine anywhere in the world.

Champagne has to come from Champagne.

# Champagne Charlie is my name

# Champagne drinking is my aim... #

'I love champagne.'

Champagne is my wife's favourite tipple as well.

-Alex and Terry, you've brought a bottle of champagne along.

-Yes.

-In the hope that it might be worth something?

-Hopefully.

-You haven't thought of drinking it?

-No, it's too old.

Collectors of wine invariably don't buy the wine to drink it.

They buy it because it's rare and it's interesting.

And I was fascinated by it.

And the reason I'm interested in it is the year - 1943.

-So how did you get it?

-It was found in the bottom of my mum's larder.

-It had been there for donkey's years.

-Yeah.

Pol Roger, one of the great, great champagne houses in Epernay,

which is east of Paris, which is where all the champagne comes from.

I do like a little tipple now and again. Not to excess, you understand.

So seeing a bottle with age is unusual.

This is 1943.

What was going on in 1943?

-Not much champagne-making.

-No.

-No.

There was very, very little produced during the war.

What was produced, the Germans drank a lot of and ransacked.

It's rare in its year.

A lot of the French makers, when the Germans were occupying,

steamed labels off, great labels and great clarets, and stuck other ones on,

so when the Germans pilfered these things, they thought they were getting a really nice 1930s Margaux

and they were getting something that had been made five minutes before.

They probably didn't notice when they got home. They just liked drinking.

It's worth, I would think, certainly £40 to £60.

-Mm-hm.

-Right.

-And somebody will buy it

because of the interest of the war, coupled with the lack of production and the name.

-So can we put it in the sale?

-Yes.

-It's not doing any good where it was.

-No, it isn't.

-It's going under the hammer. Good luck.

-Roger & Co, 1943.

A bottle of French champagne. There it is.

Where will I start for this one? £40?

£20?

£10? 10, thank you.

£12. 15. 17. 17.

20. 22.

25. 27. 30 with me. 32.

5. 7. 37.

40? At £40, standing at the back.

-42 I see, thank you. 45.

-This is good.

47. 50.

55. 60.

65. 70.

-This is interesting.

-Keep going.

In the doorway, it's yours at 70. At £70, I'm going to sell it. At £70...

-Yes, £70.

-That's good.

-Super-duper!

-Thank you very much.

Not a bad result for an undrinkable bottle of fizz.

So if you think you've got some bottles worth selling or want to start an indulgent collection,

Charlie has some tips for you.

Collectors of wine really want full cases, rather than the odd individual bottle.

The great clarets need to have a history behind them.

They need to have been in a cellar at the right temperature unopened.

Provenance is all-important with good wine,

whereas with an odd bottle like that, it's just the quirky nature.

It was just spotting 1943 that did it for me.

So, as is always the case, look for history, story and condition when investing in wine or champagne.

Without provenance, it won't be as appealing to the collectors as we saw in Colchester

when this 86-year-old bottle of red didn't sell.

No, I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen. That lot is unsold.

That bottle may have done better in a specialist auction where the wine collectors were out in force,

so if you want to buy or sell wine, head to a specialist sale.

Buy a bottle with provenance and stay away from the corkscrew

as it won't be an investment if you drink it right away.

And talking of corkscrews...

-Grace, Sophia, both friends, aren't you?

-Yeah.

-You've come along to Flog It today.

You've brought this rusty old thing.

I remember a fascinating corkscrew. It's unusual when a young girl brings something in.

What can you tell me about it?

It was my grandad's.

My dad said he remembers using it as a child, but other than that, it's been in a box for 20 or 30 years.

If we open this up, we've got everything we need to know, actually.

We've got Wier's Patent, which is 1884,

and we've got JHS and a B.

That's J Heeley and Sons. I think they were working in Birmingham, which is why you've got the B.

'It was made in Birmingham and I'm a Birmingham lad,'

but the fact that it enabled me to talk about corkscrew collecting

was lovely.

Now, it's what we call a lever action,

but what's very nice about this is it's a double lever.

Now, this basically means it's more complicated to make,

it's more expensive to make,

but it is not more effective as a corkscrew.

And they are rarer. What that translates to today is money.

What would you think something like that was worth?

I'd have probably said about 50 quid.

Most of them are worth about £50, but there are those few, and this was one example,

that are worth so much more because of the rarity value.

Let's put £800 to £1,200 on it.

Wow!

So that was a fantastic gift from your grandad.

-Yeah. We only found it last week. We didn't know what it was or where it came from.

-You're kidding?

-No.

So, really whose is it in the family then?

-It was my grandad's. I've been helping my grandma clear out his room.

-Having a clear-out?

-Yeah.

This is pretty special, isn't it?

It's helping to put Grace through university.

There we are. Where do you start me on the corkscrew?

I'll have to open the bids at 750.

I'm looking for 760 in the room. 750, 760, 770, 780.

780, I'm out of the mix. It's in the room at £780.

Do I see 790 anywhere else?

At £780. I will sell it at £780.

-He's going to sell it.

-Are you sure and done at £780?

Just shy of estimate at £780 and selling... Are you sure?

It's gone at £780. He's used his discretion and got that away.

-That pays for a lot more things at university.

-Yeah, definitely.

-The money will come in handy.

-I'm a student, so every penny counts.

If you've got something like that

and you don't value it particularly, it's not special to you and it's worth a lot of money,

and you've got a charge on your purse that you need to pay like university fees,

why not sell it and make life easier for yourself?

Like so many of our old wining and dining accoutrements,

the corkscrew hadn't been used in over 20 years

and was found lying redundant in a box.

Now it's helping a relative through education and probably making a collector very happy,

so why not search through your cupboards under the stairs?

Maybe you've got a rusty old corkscrew that's worth three figures.

Next, Adam found another item that embodies the luxury of a bygone era.

These oyster plates may not have a place on today's table,

but they have a value, as Adam well remembers.

The majolica oyster plates, I knew you'd bring those ones up.

They're one of my biggest mis-estimates of my Flog It career.

Where are the oysters?

-I forgot to bring them.

-I'm getting hungry.

-I've ruined your day. Sorry.

So, clearly, these are majolica oyster plates.

Can you tell me how long you've had them and where you got them from?

-They were my grandma's. She left them to my mum and they're still my mum's.

-Right.

What attracted me to the plates, firstly, majolica is very popular,

oysters, well, what a luxury item...

They're made by the well-known firm George Jones, a famous majolica maker around the 1870s, 1880s.

They are the sort of thing that you could easily walk past

and disregard, especially because they were damaged.

-This one, as you can see...

-Has been eaten.

-..has some old damage on the bottom.

It's got a few little chips and nicks here and there. Majolica is very prone to damage.

In terms of majolica, there were only a handful of prominent makers.

There was Minton's and Holdcroft and George Jones was one of the big names of majolica manufacture.

And there's the G and a J there, you see,

which is the George Jones mark.

This is a registration lozenge and we could look in a book

and it'll tell you exactly when this was produced - the day, the month, the year and everything.

The fact that they were associated with the George Jones factory...

They made other things. They made lots of ordinary ceramics that no-one cared a great deal about.

It's just majolica that people want from George Jones.

-Any idea what they might be worth?

-No idea at all.

-Have you ever shown them to anyone else?

-My father died 13 years ago.

At that time, an antique dealer came to the house and he offered us £30.

-£30.

-We weren't bothered, so we left them back in the cupboard.

I don't think that was the most generous offer, but the market for majolica has improved a bit.

-I'd estimate £100 to £150.

-Fine.

-For the pair.

Damage is a real important factor, as we keep banging on about on the programme,

so I didn't want to overburden them with a huge estimate.

That's the biggest turn-off to the potential buyer,

so hence the low estimate.

These belong to Rosalyn, George Jones majolica, great name.

We've got a valuation of £100 to £150 put on by our expert.

-Very conservative.

-It is a bit, isn't it?

-Very conservative.

-Especially for George Jones.

And a pair. It's not very often you see two of anything of George Jones,

but I like these, I think the colour's very good.

And I'm sure you'll find these will double or treble the estimate, your bottom estimate.

Yes.

-We had a valuation of £100 to £150.

-Yeah.

-I had a chat to John, the auctioneer. He thinks they might creep to £300 to £400.

-Lovely.

You want to put it nice and tempting.

-Hopefully, we'll get another great auction result.

-I think we will.

-This is it.

-One of the prize lots of the day, 170.

-Watch this.

-And the commission bids start here

at £750.

Oh, yes! That's a "come and buy me", Adam!

£750 I'm bid.

780...

As the auction kicked off, I soon realised that I had undercooked my oysters.

-800.

-Wow!

And 20. 850.

At 850... 880.

-900.

-900.

920.

And they raced on. They kept going and going and going.

£980.

All done? Sold.

£980, how about that, serving up for you right now on those plates?

-Fantastic.

-I guess we missed a nought off that estimate, didn't we?

-Wow!

£980.

Ouch!

-That was a "come and buy me".

-It was. It was very conservative.

-Yes.

Oysters are meant to be an aphrodisiac,

but if I came home with £980, I think that would be more of an aphrodisiac

than two broken majolica plates.

The oyster plates were damaged, but expert Philip Serrell explains why,

in this case, it didn't put the bidders off.

You never, ever want to buy really damaged items.

The only exception to that is when rarity dictates

that the only way you'll own something

is by buying something that might have a bit of damage to it.

So just because an item is cracked, it doesn't mean it can't make you cash.

But if a period piece is in mint condition and made of the finest quality like this cocktail shaker,

the bidders will pay serious money for it,

as Charlie Ross found out.

What a stunning object!

What an absolutely typical object from the Deco period!

The shape, the materials from which it's made, I think this is a real statement of the period.

I just looked at it across the room and it just screamed "charleston" at me

and old-fashioned cigarette holders and ladies and flappers and things.

It was such a great thing.

And the reason I really love it

is that you twiddle the top round and it's got all the recipes for each of the cocktails.

-You've got a choice of about eight recipes.

-That'd keep me going for an evening.

-That's a sure way to end up on the floor.

-Most of which contain gin.

-There's a strainer there.

-Yes.

You put your cocktails in there with the ice

and that will drain out lemon pips and a bit of peel and mint if it's in there.

Here we are, spout. It's foolproof, isn't it? They don't want to waste any of their cocktails.

A cocktail was a 1920s, 1930s drink,

based on gin or vodka or rum

or even whisky, vermouth, whatever.

It was in mint condition.

Generally speaking, a cocktail shaker is not an item of any particular value.

They're usually silver-plated, sometimes Bakelite.

So where did you get it from?

That came from my parents.

I think it might have been a wedding present. They were married in '36.

-That's spot-on.

-I can't see my father buying one.

-Did you bring it, thinking it will send you to the Bahamas?

-I thought it might buy me a bottle of gin.

It's going to struggle to make more than £50, I would have thought.

My guide price would be perhaps 40 to 60. It won't make £200 or £300 in a month of Sundays.

By golly, weren't we wrong!

It's a bit of fun and I'm sure this will do really, really well.

It's put a smile on everybody's face. Here it is, it's going under the hammer.

Lot 529, an early 20th century Art Deco cocktail shaker.

And if you twist the lid round, it tells you how to make these drinks.

Somebody's on the phone for this.

10. 12. 15. 18. 20. 25...

-They're keen.

-35. 40. 45. 45 over there.

At 45. 50. 55. 60. 65.

70. 75.

This is amazing.

90. 95. 100. 110.

120.

130. 140. 150.

-Wow!

-160. Behind you at 160...

-On the phone, 170...

-It's an iconic design, isn't it?

190. 200.

210. 220.

-230.

-We would have been happy with 40 quid, wouldn't we?

290. 300.

-310.

-You said 40 to 60!

-I think they missed a nought off. Didn't we say 400 to 600?

-340...

-350.

-This is astonishing.

-This is madness.

-This is a golden moment.

At 360, I sell in the room...

At 360. Are you sure you're out on the phone? It's an important piece.

Someone has designed a whole range of giftware on this.

At £360...

-Amazing!

-Absolutely incredible.

Thank you so much.

And thanks for your advice - 40 to 60 quid!

LAUGHTER

A pleasure to be so incompetent!

Why did it do so well? It looked very good. It was in mint condition.

I don't think it had ever been used before.

It had those recipes, some of which I had never heard of,

but quite fun to experiment and I'm sure whoever bought it

would have mixed all those cocktails within a week!

While they may not have a use in today's world,

these luxury items help preserve the memory of a more glamorous age.

All these items were handed down from past generations,

family heirlooms that might not look like they're worth much,

but the key is in the quality.

If it's a luxury piece, it's likely to be well-made and therefore hold its value.

So have another look at that trinket from the '20s your great-aunt left you.

If it's good quality or rare, it might be worth a bob or two.

If you want to buy something from this period or anything at all,

turn the item upside down.

Look at it from every single face side.

Check the construction joints. Look at it in detail. Look at it through a magnifying glass.

If it's too dark in the premises, shine a torch on it.

Items made from precious metals are most likely to retain their value,

but the market for silver and gold is always fluctuating

and it can be difficult to know what your piece of silver is worth.

Fortunately for us, there isn't much that Flog It expert Michael Baggott doesn't know

about silver dating from the last few centuries.

Today, there is a group of talented silversmiths working away, the next generation.

Are they crafting the antiques of the future?

I grew up in a little council estate on the outskirts of Birmingham.

Really, there wasn't any exposure to antiques there, apart from a burning Cortina.

When I was young, I had no idea that Birmingham was this very important centre

for silversmithing and it had its own assay office.

That was all something that I came to subsequently when I started to have an enthusiasm for silver.

Metalworkers and craftsmen have been turning out all kinds of treasures in the Jewellery Quarter

from shoe buckles to trinket boxes, as well as jewellery, since the 17th century and beyond.

I think my first exposure to silver was going to a garden festival with my grandmother and mother

and there was a small collection of stands selling modern gardening things

and there was one silver dealer there who was doing no business.

She was bored to tears and I was just enthralled.

I was lucky because she had the time and the patience

to allow this small boy to sort of go through all her stock.

It was absolutely fascinating and that's probably what got me hooked at first.

What was surprising to me to find out within my own family,

my father told me years after I'd had an interest in silver

that his father had, for a long time, run a silver polishing workshop in the Jewellery Quarter.

Michael is taking the opportunity to visit the factory

of Smith and Pepper, the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter,

with silversmith Owen Condon.

Later, Owen is going to teach Michael a thing or two

about fashioning silver at the Birmingham School of Jewellery.

-Owen, lovely to meet you.

-Michael, nice to meet you.

What an auspicious place to be meeting in!

My grandfather was a silver polisher in Birmingham

and he'd be quite at home in this wonderful workshop.

As a contemporary silversmith, I'm quite at home within this workshop.

I could sit down here and work away quite nicely with all the machines here.

Even though they're 200 or 300 years old, they can do the job I need them to do today.

It puts in mind that, I think in the middle of the 18th century,

there were 8,000 people just in this area of Birmingham involved in the buckle and button-making trade.

Yes, it was quite famous for its small work called "toys",

not in the traditional sense of the word for children,

but snuff boxes and small perfume bottles, scent bottles, that sort of thing, caddy spoons.

Any small work was known as toys.

I've brought a few things because later on, you're going to try,

I emphasise "try", and get me to make a spoon.

-These are all Birmingham made.

-Right.

That one's by Edward Sawyer who was working in Great Charles Street.

That was in the early days of Birmingham.

That's hand-forged. That's the type of work you do, isn't it?

It is. We do hand-forge a lot of spoons still, cold-forge.

But we have obviously moved on slightly and we have little tricks and new ways of raising the spoons up

which I'll show you today.

-Hopefully, in 240 years, you've made some leaps forward.

-Yeah.

-You are the future.

-Yes.

-So what's your perspective on it?

I like to mix traditional skills and keep the core traditional skills, but mix them with new technologies,

such as laser technologies and computer design.

Even in the couple of years that I've been here in Birmingham,

the technology has moved on and on and is getting better every year.

-So they're always pushing...

-More innovation again.

-..forward all the time?

-Most definitely.

-Their forebears would be proud of them.

-I think so.

-Now you can try and get me to make a spoon.

-Yes.

-Follow me.

-Let's go.

If someone wants to start collecting silver now,

the first thing to do is go out and spend your money on some very good reference books

because they'll stand you in good stead for ever.

Spoons are by far the most accessible.

I know people make fun of me because I promote spoon collecting,

but the reason is you can buy a beautiful piece of 18th century silver for £80 or £100.

£80 is a lot of money, but for something that was hand-made and is 250 years old

and has an intrinsic value of maybe £50 or £60,

it's not a lot of money to pay

and I think in years to come these things will go up in value quite dramatically.

-So we're here in the workshop, which is fantastic, and we've got some of your silver here.

-Yes.

Talk me through what you've made here because these look fantastic.

We've already seen the traditional spoons and these are made in the traditional way,

hand-forging, cold-forging.

I love this. That's the most beautiful design. You've got a moonstone in the end of that?

Yeah, a little moonstone set in an 18-carat bezel.

You deliberately leave all the planishing marks?

Yes, we use that as the finish. It looks like a glitter ball and the light sparkles around the silver.

-It's bizarre to think that 250 years ago, they were at pains to get rid of that.

-Yes.

-Because that's the idea...

-To add it as a texture technique.

-Where would we start?

-We've marked a circle on a 1mm sheet of sterling silver,

which we pierce out with a piercing saw.

Gently turn the piece.

-This could be a little more awkward for you.

-You're left-handed?

-Yes.

That's why it's not going to work.

It's going every... It's going everywhere.

-I must finish without breaking the blade.

-Brilliant.

-Still outside the line.

-As long as we're outside the line, we can fix it.

-There was a bit of danger there, but I veered away.

-We can file it now into a true circle.

-How do we turn that into the bowl?

-OK, so we drop it into the centre.

So we're pretty good.

Now it's at this point, we can let it go a bit more aggressively.

-Go for it again?

-Yeah.

So we're really getting close to our end line now.

-Done.

-There we go.

-Yeah.

Now we're going to planish-finish, so we will basically put small, flat facets on to this using the hammer.

-Light?

-Yeah. And you can see the facets start to appear.

I think it's as good as I'll ever get it, so what do we do now?

-Now we will move on to the handle.

-Let's do the handle.

So we've got this handle ready-made, but it's not finished enough to go on the bowl.

What we need to do now is basically curve the end to solder to the bowl,

-so we want to match it in the same radius.

-Right, how do we do that?

We've started to ease it into place.

-We're getting there. We need to do a bit more.

-Just a bit more.

Now try it a little bit further.

It needs to be over there.

-Pretty good.

-Shall we solder that on?

-Yeah, I think we're ready to solder.

I think we're pretty good at that. What we do now is we'll quench it

-in some water, then we put it into a weak acid solution, just to take that blackness back off it.

-Right.

Now, Michael, we've taken it from the pickle and it's basically white,

-which is a layer of fine silver that's come to the surface.

-But it's matte.

-Exactly.

We just give it a little rub of the cloth and we're ready to present you with your finished spoon.

Oh, that's amazing. I can't believe

that not that long ago that was a disc of metal and a bar of silver.

It's transformed it. Thank you so much indeed for helping me make this lovely condiment spoon.

-I'll treasure it forever.

-You're more than welcome.

-I'll be back tomorrow! Thanks very much.

'Didn't Michael do well?

'And here are some of his Flog It colleagues with tips on buying silver.'

Look for an area you find interesting.

It could be nutmeg graters. It could be vesta cases.

But don't be narrow-minded and look for a year. Look at that whole section of nutmeg graters

or vesta cases.

If you're serious about it, you're looking for really good makers.

Different with historical pieces,

but I'd suggest with modern pieces

that you concentrate on the designer. Someone on the way up.

Lots of you have told me that Flog It has inspired you to explore the world of antiques,

but what inspired our experts? One of our most dapper experts

is Nick Hall. He's been cutting a dash in the saleroom for 30 years, but where did it all begin?

One of the early items that really inspired me into this business,

was this incredibly rare little clock that this handsome young chap

is holding up. Circa 1987. 19-year-old trainee.

I was involved day-to-day in an antiques saleroom

and one day a local house clearer walked in with this little clock, which he'd picked up for peanuts.

It was obviously an early clock, a nice quality antique clock.

I was assisting the cataloguer to research it and the more we found out, the more interesting it got.

And the story grew and grew. It turned out to be rare early Regency by the Vulliamy family.

And this clock was sold at that sale for over £7,000, which was an incredible sum of money.

And I think that hooked me, it got me interested in what was it about these incredible objects.

The history, the research, the passion of the bidders involved.

And then that final hammer price.

And the look of joy on the little chap who'd found it. Absolutely made his year.

I think the local press even ran the story on it and him at the time.

A real inspiration and it really drew me in to the finer points of research and valuation

and led me to where I am today, still enjoying every minute.

Our experts have a real passion for the business of antiques

and I hope some of that enthusiasm and knowledge rubs off on you.

Still to come on the show: Head Guide at Longleat House Ruth Charles

gives you tips on how to preserve textiles.

And there's more advice.

Get out there. Buy hunting things, smoking things, everything banned. They've got to come back in value.

But first more extravagance.

These days we tend to hit the town with our mobile phones and credit cards. Not glamorous accessories.

But life wasn't always like that.

Each week you bring us a whole host of wonderful items which remind us of altogether more stylish times,

so today we're going to be unpicking the secrets of the luxuries of times gone by.

Here are some of the best finds from over the years.

We start with James Lewis who got his hands on a cigarette case that exemplified old-fashioned style.

This certainly looks interesting.

Wow. That's lovely.

Absolutely super quality.

Gosh, look at the quality of that enamel. 'Whenever you see enamel,'

it always does very, very well.

Originally, it belonged to my grandmother. First known to be in the family about 1944.

-It appears on a house inventory that my grandfather kept for insurance purposes.

-That's what we have here.

And the item appears here.

"Silver enamelled cigarette case and match box." Two pounds fifteen.

Two pounds fifteen shillings, yes.

-1944.

-That's right.

-How super.

Having a silver case to start with, you have to have money,

but then the enamelling on it times the value by 20 or 30 times.

The enamel is the key, not the silver.

The three wheat sheaves in the centre for Chester and the date is Chester 1900.

So that's good and clear. Now let's have a look at this one. That's lovely, too, isn't it?

If anything, that's slightly better.

Nice and clean. Ah, that's interesting. Now that's different hallmarks.

We've got the leopard's head there for London and the T, which is the mark for 1894.

They were made six years apart in different towns, different makers

and somebody, probably in the 1920s or 1930s, has decided to put them together as a smoking set.

'Yes, OK, it's hunting, so it's not quite such a popular subject,'

but still there are hundreds and thousands of people out there who love that.

Then you've got the quality as well and you've got it boxed.

It's got win, win, win, win listed all the way down there.

Now then, value. Any thoughts?

I haven't got a clue.

-More than £2, 15 shillings.

-I would have thought so by now!

-I think if we put these into auction, they'll make £300-£500.

-Really?

-That much.

-Yeah.

-I had no idea.

-I think they're going to do really well.

I love this match box, I love the vesta and the cigarette case,

but the vesta to me is worth 300 quid alone. The auctioneer thinks it might struggle at the bottom end.

Well, I agree with you. The vesta case is worth that on its own. Hunting's not that popular,

-but it's worth it.

-It's right now.

Put together as a set, Lot 565. Can I say £300 to start?

£200 away?

It's a strange atmosphere when the person that's in control

doesn't have as much faith in the object as you do.

At 200. I'll take 20 to get on. At £200.

Come on! This is worth it! Put your back into it, man!

220. 240. 260.

280. 300. 320. 340.

360. At 360. The bid is at the back. At £360.

"No, it's worth far more than that!" And then the bids start.

380. 400. 420. 440. 460.

480. 500.

520. 550. 580. 600.

And the telephones come in...

620. 650. 680.

700. 720. 750.

780. 800. 820.

820, still at the back. At 820.

At £820.

And then to turn to the people who own it and see their expression. Super.

-How cool was that?

-Yeah!

-How cool was that?

-Oh, my God.

-Top, top money.

Enamelled cigarette cases were an item of real luxury at the turn of the century

and were still being carried as a fashionable accessory 50 years later. Very few people use them now,

but there's a smoking hot collectors market for them as Kate Bliss realised.

-Where did it come from?

-It was my grandmother's.

-She must have bought it in the 1920s but I don't know the history.

-And did she use it?

-Yes, she did.

-She used to smoke Black Russian and she kept them in there.

-They'd fit very well in there.

Modern cigarettes are too big and too fat. They don't fit any more, which makes it useless.

I think 1920s is pretty much bang on for the date.

The style of decoration is very much 1920s,

but I think in fact that this is reminiscent of a Georgian style of design.

And the Georgians loved silhouettes. If you look at her hairstyle,

it's very much like a Georgian-style portrait, the sort of thing you'd have on a Georgian cameo.

And she's wearing a rather diaphanous dress, isn't she?

In this lovely green, very 1920s green.

And, of course, with a bare chest, which is a little bit exotic,

a little bit risque. And, of course, risque items like this, enamelled items,

are very commercial today.

Now value, I think, because it's got this little bit of erotic, risqueness about the design,

I would think it'll make towards £100 at auction, possibly £150.

-Are you happy to sell it at that?

-Yes, I would.

-That's great.

I like this. It's continental. We're looking for £100-£150. Let's hope we get it.

-It's very unusual.

-From the inside it looks like a very ordinary continental silver cigarette case,

which would be £20 at the most, but the enamelling makes the difference. And it's quite an unusual subject.

-The pressure is on. You have already spent the money.

-I have.

-What did you buy?

A history of Scarborough for £95.

-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.

435A. A silver and enamel cigarette case. £100?

50 bid. 60? £50 the bidding.

55. All right. 60. 5. 70.

75. 80. 85.

90 next door. 95. 100.

110. 120.

130. 140. 150. 160.

170. 180?

170, it's yours. 180. 190.

200. 210.

£200!

£200. Anyone else? It's going at £200.

Yes! We thought it would struggle. Well done, Kate.

-I am pleased!

-£200.

-Fantastic.

-You can spend a bit more money now.

-I work in a home for people with dementia, so we'll have a party.

-Oh, superb.

-Yes.

Luxury cigarette cases sell very well at auction, but not all smoking paraphernalia has the same appeal,

no matter how flamboyant it looks.

One of the things I love about this business is things are done in style.

-I know exactly where this has come from.

-Where?

-Your house.

-Yes!

And James from Lancaster brought in a cigar dispenser.

Would we have one today? No.

This is typical of Black Forest or Bavarian carved wooden items

that were produced in the 19th century and typified by this here.

-Right.

-This is wonderfully well carved.

-What's it made of?

It might be oak. A lot of them are oak.

-It lifts up like that.

-Yes.

-I reckon in today's society that is a particularly useless item.

-It probably is.

It wasn't actually a humidor which keeps your cigars at the right humidity.

Practically, it hadn't much use.

So your cigars would sit in these channels

and after your dinner party the brandy would come out and you'd offer your guests a cigar.

'I can see that on the desk of an Edwardian gentleman'

with a very luxurious 'tache and perhaps calling for the footman to bring his table lighter over.

Gently puffing away with his large brandy.

Today he'd be outside in the bus shelter smoking it.

-It's quite a fun thing. Where did it come from?

-Just down from my father originally.

I assume he bought it second-hand or had it given or something.

-And you just want rid?

-I don't smoke so...

I think we can put an auction estimate on this of £100-£200 and a fixed reserve of £80.

-How does that grab you?

-Yes.

Next up, something that really caught my eye and Philip's. It belongs to James, but not for long.

It's that Black Forest carving, catalogued as a cigar holder.

-Why are you selling this? It's a nice object to look at.

-It is.

-But somebody may as well use it if they can.

-OK.

We'll find out if that somebody is right here, right now. It's going under the hammer. This is it.

Lot number 74, the Black Forest-style cigar box. It's a very, very nice piece.

Can I ask a couple of hundred? Start me at 100, surely.

100? Where will I start, then?

£70. £70 bid.

-Come on.

-70 bid.

-80 away now? £70 on the bid. I'll take 80.

-We're in trouble.

70 bid. 70 bid.

80 now. £80 seated. 80 bid.

That's little money. £80 only. At 80.

It sold. That is really surprising for a bit of Black Forest carving.

Smoking is a real big no no, but people collect smoking memorabilia.

But with James I probably got it a little bit wrong. I said £100-£200 and there wasn't that demand.

-Well, it's gone, anyway, James. Somebody got rather lucky.

-It's OK.

It fetches what it fetches. Thank you very much.

Our business is incredibly fashionable. Things become fashionable and unfashionable.

Black Forest items were hugely popular in America and at that time there was a recession there.

It's still going on. So that affects the money these things make today.

If you're going through your cupboards for things to part with,

remember this tip. The more usable an item is, the more value it is likely to have.

Next, Catherine found a piece of theatrical history that only the very elite would have enjoyed.

As soon as I saw this lovely little cylindrical fish-skin case,

I knew we'd have something interesting. Shall we take a look?

There we are. This lovely little monocular.

It was really neat and it fitted into this really smart case.

'It really was a beauty.'

Because of the decoration, it's something maybe a lady would use, or a gentleman at the opera.

Now this monocular is by a very important scientific instrument maker.

On the bottom, the name's G Adams. Does that mean anything to you?

-I believe he also used to make sextants for the navy.

-G Adams is George Adams.

There was a George Adams Senior and son. So a father and son team.

They worked in Fleet Street in London. I would say this one probably dates from around 1800.

George Adams was a very significant instrument maker, in the 18th and 19th century.

As soon as I saw the monocular and the name, I got very excited.

There's a band of tortoiseshell and then this mother of pearl inlay,

these little spots going round and then strips of mother of pearl.

I think it's a charming little piece. Are you happy to let it go?

Yes, I am really, yeah.

I've been a bit of a collector and a hoarder and now it's time to get rid of some of the things.

It was all there. Often you find the monoculars without the case.

It was nice to see it was all there, complete and in the case and by a good maker.

It had everything going for it.

Value-wise, I hope that people will recognise the importance of this

and I would probably put an estimate on of £100-£150.

-I would like to see it making about £200.

-I'm happy with that.

Thank you very much.

Lot 206, a 19th-century monocular single-draw opera glass. £100?

In the original case. I'll start at £100.

10 I'd like. At £100. 110 I see.

-120.

-Come on... It's a nice thing.

At 130, thank you. 140.

150. 160. 170.

This is great. They love it now.

190. 200. And 10 again?

210. 210.

At £210.

Yes! What a great result!

-That's another great one.

-£210.

-Beautiful.

Quality.

Monoculars were used by the cream of society to view the theatre stage.

And they wouldn't have been out of place in Richmond, North Yorkshire.

OK, it looks unassuming on this road, but it is a Grade 1 listed building

and has a very important claim to fame. It's the oldest and most complete Georgian playhouse

in Britain. And that's a fact. All the good stuff is inside,

so without further ado so let's go in and view the piece de resistance.

'In the early 1700s there weren't any theatres in Britain as it was illegal to act for money.

'However, plays were performed by travelling companies of actors who found ways around the law.

'From the 1760s, royal patents were granted to a few provincial theatres

'but the biggest change came in 1788 with the passing of the Theatre Licensing Act,

'which allowed companies of actors the right to apply for licences to put on plays for 60 days at a time.'

And it was shortly after this that a remarkable Yorkshireman called Samuel Butler signed

a 21-year lease with the Richmond Corporation. On 2nd September, 1788,

this remarkable, unique little theatre was opened to the public.

And isn't it just marvellous?

It really is. It's so tiny. It's fabulous.

'When it first opened, this venue was simply named The Theatre.

'And Butler's company of actors played not only here, but at seven other theatres

'that the entrepreneurial butler had established across Yorkshire.'

Sadly, in 1830 the lease on this building was never renewed.

The theatre and the Butler company parted ways. Over the following centuries, a few odd performances

were played out on this very stage, but it was put to different uses.

It became a wine vault. During WWII, it was a storage depot

and, believe it or not, it was even an auction room.

Thankfully, the core and fabric of this very building was never altered greatly.

That's why it's become so important to theatre historians

because it's the best surviving example of a Georgian playhouse in Britain.

'The stage itself is typical of the period and is known as a proscenium arch,

'which acts as a window to the action. The stage is raked and is a foot higher at the back

'in order to give the audience a better view.

'Today, the Georgian Theatre Royal can seat up to 214 people,

'but back in the Georgian era 400 eager audience members would have squeezed in.

'You can imagine how lots more people were jammed in this small space altogether,

'but which were the good seats and which were bad?'

Up here is called the gallery and these are the cheap seats,

used by the young and dissolute. To watch performances here in the Georgian period cost one shilling.

-KNOCK

-Did you hear that? That was me!

This gallery has a unique Georgian feature - the kicking board.

That's exactly what you do to it. The Georgian patrons would have used this

to show signs of disapproval if the act wasn't working out properly.

And I'm told it's still used today, but only as a sign of approval to encourage an encore.

-KICKS BOARD

-More, please! More!

'So that's how the Georgians would have watched theatre, but I want to see behind the scenes.

'I'm going to tread in the actors' footsteps as I head down underneath through the dressing room

'to the very guts of the theatre.'

I'm underneath the stage right now. There it is above me now.

This whole area is known as the machine room and these are the footlights or floats,

as they were called in the Georgian period. These candles would have been alight in troughs of water.

This whole trough would have been winched up here,

going up to the stage to project light back on to the actors' faces.

And they were in water because if they fell over it would put the flame out and not catch on fire.

Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of the theatre is operated from right down here.

That's the trap doors. This enables items and actors to spring up out of nowhere

onto the stage. There were originally three trap doors here, but now there's only one.

This is a reconstruction and, sadly, it doesn't work.

So I've got to take the long way back up.

'The Georgian Theatre Royal holds such a prestigious place in the history of theatre in Britain

'that many of our finest actors feel it's a status symbol to have played here - Timothy West, Judy Dench

'and plenty of other legendary actors have graced the stage here

'and yours truly is very proud to have visited this fascinating piece of theatre history.'

Throughout the series, we've been finding out which item inspired our experts' love of antiques.

-Here's the ever-theatrical Charlie Ross.

-A French mirror!

When I left school and joined the firm of surveyors and auctioneers,

I started working in Buckingham in the saleroom. I was 19, 20.

And I immediately fell in love with furniture of all sorts.

And the mirror you see here was the first piece of furniture I ever bought.

And I bought it as a present for my mum.

And it was completely knackered when I bought it.

I can't remember how much. Let's say it was £12, £14, something like that.

And I had it restored, which cost considerably more,

and I gave it to my dear mother who was thrilled with it and used it throughout her life.

And subsequently when she died it was left back to me.

So it's gone full circle and it is, to me, the most precious piece of furniture.

No, it's not Chippendale, it isn't of huge significance,

other than sentimental value. It is a nice piece of furniture.

It's George III, it's mahogany, it's serpentine-fronted. You can see it's a swing-toilet mirror.

It has three rather capacious drawers. It's a really nice piece of furniture.

Value today? £200 or £300? I dare say in the good old times, the late '70s, '80s,

it would have been worth probably £400-£600, but I don't care.

To me it's priceless.

Brown furniture, as it's called, has dropped in value significantly in the last 20 years.

You can pick up beautiful pieces for a bargain in auction rooms

but plan ahead if you're thinking of buying big bits of kit.

Make sure you have man with van on standby if you've got something large that needs collecting.

If you don't collect it within one week of purchase, there will be storage charge and insurance

and VAT. It will cost you a lot more.

Over the years, we've visited hundreds of stately homes,

but one of my favourites is Longleat in Wiltshire. The sumptuous home of the 7th Marquess of Bath,

it's filled with a luxurious 500-year-old collection of clothing, furniture and paintings,

but preserving it for the future can take work.

What better person to provide some tips on preserving your precious luxury pieces

than Head Guide Ruth Charles.

We're over the Great Hall now and this is the Minstrels Gallery.

On the plinth here, we've got this rather fabulous piece of fabric

which is made up from a wedding dress dated 1733 when Louisa Carteret got married.

It would have been fantastic colours all those years ago, with silk and silver.

All of this would have been silver and gold thread, but over the years it's been oxidised

to become quite a flat grey. But in its time it would have been spectacular.

Look how much silver there is on it. It would have glistened beautifully.

This is not for your average person in the street. This is high society.

But at Longleat, it's also paintings that need preserving.

This is one of the most important paintings in Longleat

and so it has pride of place.

The problem with that is it's opposite the door visitors come through so, with our weather,

especially the damp weather, the humidity rises and that's not good for paintings.

You get mould growing. If it's too dry and it's on panel, it will shrink it and crack it.

So if you have a painting such as this, you might have it glazed.

We had this glazed last year and that protects it from that fluctuating atmosphere.

So what are Ruth's other top tips?

If you have a special painting at home, just be aware of where you're placing it.

Don't put it over a radiator. Don't put it in front of a door. You've got air fluctuation.

Don't put it near the fireplace as you'll get smoke on it.

They have a stunning collection of costumes here,

so what does Ruth advise you to do about keeping old fabrics fresh?

This is a lovely dress. It would have been a vivid pink in its heyday. You see in the crease

just a remnant of how vivid the colour was. We do have a sash that goes with this dress

which still retains its colour. But to do that we have to keep it in a darkened box,

wrapped in acid-free paper never to see the light of day.

But from a history point of view, at least we see the original colour.

But what do you do? Keep them in a cupboard and nobody sees them

or do you get them out and we can have a glimpse of what the fabrics and styles were like?

Luckily, they decided to take these sumptuous costumes out of wraps for us to enjoy.

Top tips for looking after your collection. Fabric - make sure it's away from light and heat.

And make sure if it's got natural fibres such as horsehair, for instance, in sofas,

that there's nothing alive in it. That can be most uncomfortable.

You can have things fumigated.

Sounds nasty! As Ruth says, even if a fabric fades a little or a painting picks up dust,

get it out and, most of all, enjoy it.

Fashions change and antiques go in and out of favour, but luxury goods that are well-made

will also have a value and don't have to be hundreds of years old.

-Family heirlooms from the recent past could make you a small fortune.

-Let's put £800-£1,200 on it.

Wow.

Today's extravagant buys may well be electrical goods rather than silverware,

but there's still a massive collectors' market for small luxury items.

I hope today's show has given you a little trip down memory lane and an insight into what to look for.

Join me again soon for more for more top tips from Flog It's Trade Secrets.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd