0:00:02 > 0:00:05The great thing for me about Flog It!
0:00:05 > 0:00:07is there is no limit to what I can learn,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09and I hope to what you can pick up, too.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Amongst the thousands of antiques and collectibles
0:00:12 > 0:00:15we have valued over the last 11 years,
0:00:15 > 0:00:16there's always something
0:00:16 > 0:00:20that pops up that is completely new to me or to our experts.
0:00:20 > 0:00:21Riiight!
0:00:21 > 0:00:24This is the strangest item I've ever had to value.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Thank you, thank you for bringing these in.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30So, today, we are going to be taking a closer look at the rare
0:00:30 > 0:00:31and different things,
0:00:31 > 0:00:35or sometimes the just plain baffling things.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04This programme is dedicated to all the weird
0:01:04 > 0:01:07and wonderful things you no longer want in your homes.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10We'll be giving you the inside track on what is worth buying
0:01:10 > 0:01:13and what is worth selling - although sometimes,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15quite frankly, we are stumped.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20Really, the unusual now
0:01:20 > 0:01:23is what everybody wants.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25People want things that no-one else has.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Our experts share their thoughts about some of the wackier
0:01:28 > 0:01:31collectibles we have seen on Flog It!.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34I would have thought that someone who collects majolica
0:01:34 > 0:01:38has got to have a...shall we say a screw slightly loose?
0:01:38 > 0:01:41And Thomas Plant leaves his comfort zone to show us
0:01:41 > 0:01:44some secrets behind collectible glass.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46It's all wobbly wiggly.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49It is a sort of real amateur's first go.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54So, here are some tips from our experts about why you should
0:01:54 > 0:01:57think outside the box.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59The market for quirky things is probably better now
0:01:59 > 0:02:01- than it's ever been. - It can be anything.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04If you don't know what it is, it's likely that they don't know
0:02:04 > 0:02:05what it is.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08And you can then spend that time researching it, and that's the fun.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Think creatively about the object,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13don't take it just at face value.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15And think of its potential in another context.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18There is no doubt these are conversational pieces,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22so... I've got a few things, you know, dried out seahorses,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24stuffed tortoise... I've got a warthog's head.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Buy it if you can.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33So, here are some of our very best finds
0:02:33 > 0:02:35and what you can learn from them.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43In Edinburgh, in 2006, I was presented with something that,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46at first glance, looked like a kid's toy.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Can you guess what it is? It has got form, it has got sculptural form.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Take a closer look.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54You can just make out. It's an elephant, isn't it, Bill?
0:02:54 > 0:02:58- Yes.- That's exactly what it is. Are you a modernist?
0:02:58 > 0:03:02- No, I'm a bit old-fashioned. - You are a traditionalist.- Yes.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04- You like your proper antiques. - Yes, I do.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06- Do you know what this is? - Yes, it was a promotion
0:03:06 > 0:03:11by Liam Williamson of Faith, early '70s.
0:03:11 > 0:03:17'73, yeah. This was designed by the British artist Eduardo Paolozzi.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20In fact, he is a sir, Eduardo Paolozzi.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22It's for the Nairn flooring company.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25- That's right.- Cushioned floor and plastic flooring.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26And I'm a floorer, as well.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29And the reps would keep their paperwork in there.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33And it's made of the same material that was used in the flooring.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35But when you look at it, for me,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38that really does sum up that
0:03:38 > 0:03:40sort of cubic block work
0:03:40 > 0:03:43of the '60s, you know, the late '60s.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47It's sort of the brutal architecture of the South Bank.
0:03:47 > 0:03:48You can see a signature there.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Just at the bottom there.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53This is number 244
0:03:53 > 0:03:56out of a limited range of 3,000,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59which is striped into the base. I think it is fantastic, I really do.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03The fact that it's limited edition will add to the value of it.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05- Right.- Have you any idea of what this is worth?
0:04:05 > 0:04:08I said to my wife, "If it's a couple of hundred pounds,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10"well, it's always something."
0:04:10 > 0:04:12It's been sitting in the attic for 31 years.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- 31 years!- Yes.- Gosh.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17It is not going to be everybody's cup of tea.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20- What does the wife think? - She doesn't like it at all.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22She never has.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25I think it is quite rare. I don't know how many have survived.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28I know the Victoria and Albert Museum have one.
0:04:28 > 0:04:29That's right.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- Um... So, it's in good company, isn't it?- Oh, it is.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35I think it's great. I really do think...
0:04:35 > 0:04:38It's one of the quirkiest things I've seen on Flog It!.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41It's definitely good, contemporary, 20th-century modern.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Let's hope - big money spent on this little elephant, Bill.
0:04:44 > 0:04:45We'll just have to wait and see.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47And big money was spent.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51That elephant stomped through its estimate on the auction day.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54We are starting the bidding at £240.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56- Oh, good!- Straight in.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58260. 280. 300.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00And the bids kept coming,
0:05:00 > 0:05:05showing how hard it is to place a value on an unusual object.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08850. 900. 950.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Oh, are we going to get the 1,000?
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Bidding on the other side?
0:05:12 > 0:05:14950 beside me on the telephone.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17All done at 950. At 950...
0:05:17 > 0:05:21So, Bill, God, you must be so happy, surely.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Yes, that will be for the new washing machine.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Well, it just goes to show how it is the rare
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and the quirky that often attract a premium.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33So, go for the limited edition pieces, which have rarity
0:05:33 > 0:05:37built in, or even things that you can't quite identify.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Well, I remember at Clacton, I think it was,
0:05:40 > 0:05:41one of the valuation days,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45where I spotted in a lady's bag in the queue
0:05:45 > 0:05:48this sort of bright flash of colour.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50And I immediately thought to myself, you know,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53"This looks like the sort of colour you would find on a piece
0:05:53 > 0:05:54"of majolica."
0:05:54 > 0:05:57I must say, this is probably one of my favourite bits today.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00I love this! The wacky world of Victorian majolica.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- Yes.- Now, you knew what it was when you brought it in.
0:06:03 > 0:06:04Tell me, how have you come by it?
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Is this something you collect or have bought?
0:06:06 > 0:06:10Um, no, it was my grandmother's, and then my mother had it.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Do you know what it is? What it should be used for?
0:06:13 > 0:06:15It's a spoon warmer.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17You're right. That's exactly what it is.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20It is one of those sort of things that, if you saw it
0:06:20 > 0:06:23and you didn't know, you'd think, "What is it?
0:06:23 > 0:06:25"Is it an ashtray? Is it a funny vase?
0:06:25 > 0:06:27"Is it just ornamental?"
0:06:27 > 0:06:30But the nice thing is it has a function,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34so it's this kind of great Victorian aesthetic of being
0:06:34 > 0:06:38completely out there and wacky, but still having a function.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Now, I knew it was majolica as soon as I saw it across the room.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44You've got these wonderful, bold colours.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49This nice turquoise, the green, the blue... Real deep, rich colours.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Typical of the majolica pallet.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55They tend to be by a chap called George Jones.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58George Jones was one of three big majolica producers.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01You had Minton's, Wedgwood and George Jones.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- Minton and Wedgwood, I'm sure you've heard of.- Yes.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06George Jones - interesting, this -
0:07:06 > 0:07:09probably why you haven't heard of him
0:07:09 > 0:07:11is because all he did was make majolica.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16So, when the fashion for this waned, at the end of the 19th century, when
0:07:16 > 0:07:19we turned into the 20th century, he had nothing to fall back on.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21This was all he made.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24As soon as people stopped buying it, he went out of business.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Victorian majolica is well known for, you know,
0:07:27 > 0:07:28being pretty wacky stuff.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31I mean, some of the exhibition pieces, for example -
0:07:31 > 0:07:35huge, great pieces with grotesque masks and mermaids
0:07:35 > 0:07:36and dolphins and, you know,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39so it is always quite exciting when you see the colours,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41cos you never quite know what you're going to get.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Have you come up with a figure in your mind today?
0:07:44 > 0:07:48Well, it's only because I took it to the Antiques Road Show,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52and they said about £200, but that was over ten years ago.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Well, you've stolen my thunder now. What am I going to say?
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Because that's exactly where I was going to come into,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59at 200 to 300.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Yeah, I love that sort of slightly wacky, quirky, colourful,
0:08:03 > 0:08:08bright, bold, unusual majolica.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10It just makes me smile.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14But was Will's estimate the right one?
0:08:15 > 0:08:17A lot of interest in this lot, ladies and gentlemen.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20I have two commissions and I start the bidding with me at £300.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Straight in at the top end.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25To be honest, it's just the sort of thing that would catch my eye
0:08:25 > 0:08:28at an auction, and I think I'd find it pretty hard to keep my hand down.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31At £660, on the Internet.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34At 660, are you...?
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Yeah, more!
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Internet bidders bidding against each other.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41At £700. On the Internet now at £700.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44And I think the final selling price was £700,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46so, at the time, that did surprise me.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48I thought that was a good price.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Are you all done at £700?
0:08:51 > 0:08:52Yes! The hammer has gone down.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54£700!
0:08:54 > 0:08:58I would have thought that someone who collects majolica has got
0:08:58 > 0:09:01to have a...shall we say a screw slightly loose?
0:09:01 > 0:09:04They have certainly got to be a slightly quirky personality
0:09:04 > 0:09:07to have something like that on display in their house.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09You know, I'd love to know where it ended up.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13A screw loose maybe, but majolica is highly collectible.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Remember those names - Minton, Wedgwood, George Jones.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18They are where the money is.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22It's the rarer pieces that command good prices.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Really, the unusual now is what everybody wants.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29People want things that no-one else has.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- Liz, you have made my day today! - Oh, good!
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Thank you, thank you for bringing these in.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38I think in Winchester, I think it was 2007,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41something so unusual came in.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45These wonderful sulphur crystals had been grown
0:09:45 > 0:09:47with these Solomonic columns and VR
0:09:47 > 0:09:50for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53I've never seen anything like them before or since, to be honest.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Where on earth did you get these from?
0:09:56 > 0:09:59They were given to a great-great-uncle of my husband's...
0:09:59 > 0:10:02- Right.- ..who was a bespoke tailor.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06And a gentleman had a suit made and he wanted another pair
0:10:06 > 0:10:09of trousers, but didn't have any money to pay for them.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11So he gave him these instead.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- So they cost the price of a pair of bespoke trousers.- Yes.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17The fact that they were a payment for a pair of trousers
0:10:17 > 0:10:23might seem odd today, but in times gone by, often debts were settled
0:10:23 > 0:10:28with objects, usually objects of high-value, usually a pocket watch
0:10:28 > 0:10:32or a piece of silver. So, you know, sulphur crystals is odd.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35But that is probably why they were accepted in the first place.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38The poor chap didn't know what they were worth and just thought
0:10:38 > 0:10:39he'd have a punt.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44- We've got the VR, and they appear to be grown sulphur crystals.- Yes.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49And I have been asking my colleagues how on earth this is done.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52And we either think it's a plaster base that has been
0:10:52 > 0:10:57carved with the initials and the Solomonic columns at the front...
0:10:57 > 0:10:59- Right.- ..that's been dipped and dipped and dipped,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01or even a piece of string
0:11:01 > 0:11:04that's been corded into shape and then dipped and dipped and dipped.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06And they have been left to grow.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09- Oh, right. - But over a very long period of time.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13And I am sure that these were made for her Golden Jubilee.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17- Yes.- Being yellow as they are. Over 100 years old. Fantastically rare.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19When you value items like this,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21you really are taking a stab in the dark.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25And this is where the whole world of antiques takes off,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28because everyone that looks at them will have a different value.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32So, again, you put them in at a figure that is sensible.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34They are rare, you will never see them again.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37So, they have got to be worth £200. Are they worth 2,000?
0:11:37 > 0:11:41You put them to an auction and you wait and see what happens.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43I think we should put these into auction
0:11:43 > 0:11:45at £200 to £300.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48I think, if they don't make £200, you should have them back,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50- because they are that unusual... - Really?
0:11:50 > 0:11:52- ..and that quirky.- Uh-huh.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56One-offs. That's what antiques is about, finding these one-off things.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02These things, they are so quirky,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04I don't really know what they are worth.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06It is just a shot in the dark. You either love them or hate them.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10This is unusual, Victorian sulphur crystals.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12At £300, are you sure?
0:12:12 > 0:12:14At £300 then.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17- 320. 340. 360.- Oh!
0:12:17 > 0:12:19At £340.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21£340 for the last time.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26- Oh, Liz, wonderful! - Great! Wonderful!
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Its uniqueness, its rarity...
0:12:28 > 0:12:30So very much the more unusual, the better.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33A pair like this, probably the same ones,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37sold at auction in 2009 for over £1,600.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Now, that is a bit more than the price of a pair of trousers.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43If something is truly unusual,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46then an auction room may be the best place to sell it.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48There is nothing like putting something under the hammer
0:12:48 > 0:12:50to find out what it is worth.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55Do you know, there have been so many unusual, weird,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58slightly odd objects that have come on Flog It!.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Jeanette, when I came down to Portsmouth,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05I was hoping to find something nautical,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07something of naval interest.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10And I'm not sure about this.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14They can be strange, one-off pieces
0:13:14 > 0:13:17or sometimes pieces that you feel,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20because they are commercially made, you should have seen them before.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Let's take the lid off and have a look.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24What can you tell me about that?
0:13:24 > 0:13:29Many years ago, I did gardening for a very old gentleman.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32And just before he died, he gave me that.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36He had several things on, like, a little dresser thing
0:13:36 > 0:13:39and he said to pick any one I'd like.
0:13:39 > 0:13:40And I thought that -
0:13:40 > 0:13:42although I didn't really know what it was -
0:13:42 > 0:13:44- I thought it was quite fascinating. - It is.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46It is really, really interesting.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49And the more you look at it, the more interesting it becomes.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52And you look at the box and you think, it's rubbish.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57It's a really cheap box and it is worth maybe £20 or £30.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Then you look at it again and again and again...
0:14:00 > 0:14:05And I always think good things get better each time you see them.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09And there we have this watch glass in the top.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12So, if you hold it, it has this convex top.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14I've never really noticed that before.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Just a little detail.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Much, much, much better than having just a flat glass.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22And then offset to the centre
0:14:22 > 0:14:24is this pivoting compass.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26But it is not a compass in the true sense.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30See, it has evening, morning,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33night and noon.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38And it has this little indicator arm in the same way as you
0:14:38 > 0:14:40- would have an indicator arm on a sundial.- Right.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44And look at all these little places around the outside.
0:14:44 > 0:14:45Fascinating.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49It was all about emotion. It was about imagination.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51It was about being taken back to another era
0:14:51 > 0:14:55and imagining people going through the rain forest,
0:14:55 > 0:15:01or, "Dr Livingstone, I presume," or Nelson on board the HMS Victory -
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Any one of them could have had a little Butterfield dial like that.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07That is a really interesting object. 70 to 100,
0:15:07 > 0:15:10but it might come up with something totally different on the sale day.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Such an oddity needed more research to realise its true value.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16That is part of the job of the auctioneer.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19I don't know exactly what it is, you might have to help me
0:15:19 > 0:15:20out in pronouncing it,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23but I believe it is called an equinoctial dial.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Yes, an equinoctial dial.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29It's...basically, it's a compass, and around the edge,
0:15:29 > 0:15:34you've got the names of all the major cities in the world.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36And having got the compass,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39you could tell exactly what the time is in each of those.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42So, it is great for somebody that wants to do a lot of travelling.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Exactly, exactly. And a pocket one, too.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50360, the gentleman's bid then.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54At 360. 370. Thank you. 370.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55£370.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Selling at 370.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Yes! 370.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03- That is brilliant.- It is.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06- That is almost double your estimate. - Wonderful.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09- I am ever so pleased for you. - Delighted.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Actually, that did really well. And I have seen those since.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14And I've seen those Butterfield dials since,
0:16:14 > 0:16:16and I've seen them at antique fairs
0:16:16 > 0:16:17with much less money on them than that.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19So it was a great result.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23You heard the man, get out there and sniff out something unusual
0:16:23 > 0:16:25that might also be of value.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26Speaking of which...
0:16:29 > 0:16:33This is the strangest item I have ever had to value on Flog It!.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Can you tell me a little about it?
0:16:36 > 0:16:39I can... I am slightly undecided what it is.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44Well, we believe it is a two-headed kitten,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48and it belonged to my husband's grandfather's father.
0:16:48 > 0:16:54So it was his great grandfather. But they used to sew two heads together.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58But when he took it...the skin and all the stuffing out,
0:16:58 > 0:17:00he said, no, it was just the one head.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02One head. Rather interesting.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06It has this sort of slightly freak-show element that the
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Victorians absolutely loved.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11You know, they were permanently going around circuses and fairs
0:17:11 > 0:17:15seeing the tallest man, the shortest man, the fattest man and whatever.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18So, suddenly, to get a two-headed cat
0:17:18 > 0:17:22is almost the sort of stuff of Greek mythology, isn't it?
0:17:22 > 0:17:24I have no comparable whatsoever.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27So, £50 to £200, who knows,
0:17:27 > 0:17:32but I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't go up over £200.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34That is the beauty of these peculiar items,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37you never know what someone might be willing to pay.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Come now to the Victorian preserved double-headed kitten. 900.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42- 900.- This is good.
0:17:42 > 0:17:43950.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45We are going to do 1,000.
0:17:45 > 0:17:491,000. At £1,000, are we all done?
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I'm going to sell it at £1,000.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52Last time. Are we all done?
0:17:52 > 0:17:54- At £1,000.- Here it goes!
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Yes! That is Flog It! for you!
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Well, they say two heads are better than one,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04and when it comes to Victorian taxidermy,
0:18:04 > 0:18:05that couldn't be more true.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Here on Flog It!,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18we've met enough examples of taxidermy to re-create
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Noah's Ark - everything from ducks to cows' hooves
0:18:22 > 0:18:24to bison horns.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28Look at the size of these buffalo horns!
0:18:30 > 0:18:33The art of preserving animals can be traced back as far
0:18:33 > 0:18:35as the ancient Egyptians.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39But the golden age of taxidermy was during the Victorian era.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42The stuffed and mounted trophies of the great hunters
0:18:42 > 0:18:44and collectors of that period
0:18:44 > 0:18:47form the basis of the Natural History Museum in London.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51Taxidermy became popular among the upper classes, who displayed
0:18:51 > 0:18:56their impressive collections to show off their thirst for knowledge
0:18:56 > 0:18:58and interest in the Empire.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01You know, I have to show you these elephant feet.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Now, I have seen these used before as plant pots,
0:19:04 > 0:19:09stick and umbrella stands, or even a litter bin in a gentleman's library.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12These antique elephant feet from the Victorian era
0:19:12 > 0:19:15are on display at Tatton Park.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17And I know some people find taxidermy quite macabre
0:19:17 > 0:19:18and unsettling,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21but I quite like it, and it's making a comeback.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27The work of the great 19th century taxidermists like Peter Spicer
0:19:27 > 0:19:30and Rowland Ward is highly prized by collectors,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33and their birds of prey are especially sought after.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36I am told a rare golden eagle by Peter Spicer
0:19:36 > 0:19:40might command a price of up to £20,000.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Spicer often signed his pieces on a pebble in the tableau,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47so make sure you look closely.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50But beware of fakes.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Unscrupulous dealers may replace trade labels falsely,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57attributing the work to renowned taxidermists.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00If in doubt, get a second opinion.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06Taxidermy can be prone to damage and decay, especially the older pieces.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Look out for signs of infestation.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Drooping tail feathers suggest the presence of museum beetle or
0:20:13 > 0:20:15missing fur may indicate skin mite.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18And pieces that haven't been carefully displayed
0:20:18 > 0:20:21are likely to have faded.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24So with taxidermy back in fashion,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28it pays to keep your eyes peeled when rummaging in junk shops.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31But remember, condition is key.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Strictly speaking,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39butterfly collections aren't classified as taxidermy.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42But if you are embarking on a career in collecting,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45it could be a great start.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48And we have seen some great antique collections over the years
0:20:48 > 0:20:49on Flog It!.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51These came from Singapore.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53- Did he personally collect them? - Yes, he did.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56- So, running around the jungle with a net?- Yes, yes, indeed.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58- My word!- Yes. - Let's just have a quick look.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Nine trays altogether.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03I've never counted them accurately,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06but I suspect there are about 300 or so there.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Unusual lot.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10£380 then.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12In the balcony, they go forever.
0:21:12 > 0:21:13Wow, yeah!
0:21:13 > 0:21:16That wasn't a bad price for such a pretty
0:21:16 > 0:21:18and unusual collection.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26So, here is what we have learned so far.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29It is always wise to hunt out oddities.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Limited editions really can attract a premium.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36And unusual one-off pieces celebrating big historical events
0:21:36 > 0:21:38are always extremely popular.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Of course, some items may not be to your taste.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44But respected names
0:21:44 > 0:21:49and celebrated manufacturers can mean big bucks in the sale room.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51So, here are some of our experts' tips
0:21:51 > 0:21:54on seeking out the quirky.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Look out for pigs, owls and elephants.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00They are always very popular and can make a lot of money.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Don't be put off by odd things.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04If you look at something and say, "I don't know what it is,"
0:22:04 > 0:22:06that shouldn't put you off buying it.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Sooner or later, given the right advertising,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11you will find the person that knows what it is
0:22:11 > 0:22:13and therefore wants to buy it.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16I suppose you've just got to have a good eye for what is quirky
0:22:16 > 0:22:18and what is unusual and go around the fairs and make sure you
0:22:18 > 0:22:22are not just buying things that have been churned out by the million.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28If you are a collector, you go looking for the rare
0:22:28 > 0:22:30and the unusual to add to your collection.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Now, our Flog It! experts all love collecting.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36And away from the valuation tables, you will find them
0:22:36 > 0:22:38searching auction rooms and antiques fairs
0:22:38 > 0:22:41looking for that much sought after piece.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Thomas Plant is a connoisseur of glass.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44He is the man you go and see
0:22:44 > 0:22:47when you are looking for tips on what to look out for.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48So, what can he tell us
0:22:48 > 0:22:52about some of the most unusual pieces of glass in Britain?
0:22:57 > 0:22:59I am a Bristol boy. I was born here.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01My father is a farmer just outside,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04and I can remember crossing this bridge again and again
0:23:04 > 0:23:07throughout the whole of my childhood.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10And the whole of Bristol has this huge heritage of making
0:23:10 > 0:23:11wonderful things.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15We made beautiful porcelain. We made fantastic Bristol Blue Glass.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17So, that is where my love has come from.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24I first got really interested in glass
0:23:24 > 0:23:26when I was a very young boy. At Christmas time,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30one of my parents' friends gave me a book on antique glass.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32I can remember flicking through it and thinking,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34"This is quite a nice subject." Then, when I was at university,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38we had these seminars on glass from Sweden,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42and Scandinavian glass against the Italian glass, and all the colours.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45And it just looked so different than anything else I'd ever seen.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47So, literally, I was hooked.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54So, today, I am very excited because I get a chance
0:23:54 > 0:23:56to have a go at doing something I have never done before.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59It is one of those things you have on a list, "What do you want to do?"
0:23:59 > 0:24:03Doing glassmaking, glass blowing, is something I really want to try.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13I left Bristol over ten years ago, but I am going to meet
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Jim Adlington, the owner of Bristol Blue Glass factory,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20to see if I have got any of the city's glassmaking genes left in me.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23- I love glass.- Yeah. - Really love glass.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25I collect it, value it, etc.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29But I have never made it. This is such an old process.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Well, the process we're doing here is at least 2,000 years old.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33- That is just amazing, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35So, you are going to show me how to do it?
0:24:35 > 0:24:37I'm going to show you how to do it, yeah, or how we do it here.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39- Is it complicated?- Um...
0:24:39 > 0:24:43It can be, but we'll keep it as simple as we possibly can today.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45We're just going to do something really, really basic,
0:24:45 > 0:24:50a simple beaker, and we'll take it from there.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Brilliant, all right.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59- Right, what we have got here is a blowing iron, OK?- Yep.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04This is a hollow tube invented by the Romans 2,000 years ago.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06They actually had pipe technology.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Now, we need to warm this end up here,
0:25:08 > 0:25:10so I will go over to the glory hole.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12If you follow me over there,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16I can sort of explain what is going on as we go along.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- How hot is that? - This is 1,100 degrees Centigrade.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Wow. In there is glass?
0:25:21 > 0:25:23- In that there is glass. - Molten glass.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26There's a pot and I can gather the glass
0:25:26 > 0:25:30on the end of the iron by turning, OK?
0:25:30 > 0:25:36- Wow.- And I have got myself a gob of glass on the end here.- A gob?
0:25:36 > 0:25:38A gob. Gather.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41And as you see, I am still turning.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44We have some wet newspaper here.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46- That is technical, wet newspaper. - Wet newspaper.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50And I can just run that in my hand.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57And we're just putting some air in the end.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59You'll see the air come through.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00And now I can blow it.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07I can use the glory hole now just to keep this warm,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11because if it gets too cold, it will just shatter and fall off the iron.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13I can feel that getting softer and softer.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16What do you mean, you can feel the actual glass getting softer?
0:26:16 > 0:26:17Yeah, you can feel it moving.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21And now I am just using a little bit of gravity as I am turning.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24And I can chuck it round like that.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30- Lengthen the bubble by spinning it. - Such an amazing skill.
0:26:30 > 0:26:35This process, for 2,000 years, has almost been the same.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38You can see the colour, sort of like almost a citrine
0:26:38 > 0:26:39or amber colour to it.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42- Yeah.- Is that the heat? - That is the heat.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Now I've got that, I can just go in with my tools here
0:26:45 > 0:26:47and just open that up.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49That's wonderful.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55I've just handed that over to Connor because that cannot stay out.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57If we leave that out,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01- on the side, it would crack as it cools down.- So, what happens now?
0:27:01 > 0:27:04We have to soak it at 420 degrees Centigrade
0:27:04 > 0:27:08in a kiln, in what would be called a kiln, but we call them lehrs.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10- In the glass world? - In the glass world, yeah.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13The glass you do here, what inspired you to do this?
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Back in the 1980s when we started this,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18there was a thing called the Studio Glass Art Movement.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21- I don't know if you've heard of it.- Yeah, yeah.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23And it was the first time people were actually making
0:27:23 > 0:27:26glass in a small studio as opposed to a big, large factory.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31And I was there working with them sort of as an assistant and saying,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33"Can we make a wineglass?"
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Cos I was fascinated by making actually practical, tabletop glass.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- Yeah. The Bristol Blue is so distinctive.- Yeah.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42It's got... You hold it up to light
0:27:42 > 0:27:47and you have got that pure blue with that tinge of violet...
0:27:47 > 0:27:49- Yeah.- ..coming through it. And that is the way you look at it.
0:27:49 > 0:27:54Cobalt, as a colouring for glass, has been around for centuries.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58But Blue Glass became enormously popular during the 1700s,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01at the same time as blue and white china became fashionable.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06In its heyday, Bristol Blue was sold all around the world.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09The most famous manufacturer, Lazarus and Isaac Jacobs
0:28:09 > 0:28:12even held a Royal Warrant,
0:28:12 > 0:28:14making glass for the crowned heads of Europe.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18Today, Isaac Jacobs is the name to look out for in antique
0:28:18 > 0:28:19Bristol Blue Glass.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23A decanter stand like this one is likely to set you back
0:28:23 > 0:28:25around £1,200.
0:28:25 > 0:28:26This splendid decanter set,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29embellished with fine Sheffield silver plate,
0:28:29 > 0:28:32is worth around £27,000.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36If you can't quite stretch to that, it is well worth investigating
0:28:36 > 0:28:39these modern limited edition pieces,
0:28:39 > 0:28:42which might go up to £300.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47- Well, let's have a go.- Okey-dokey then.- Do I need some glasses?
0:28:47 > 0:28:49Yes, and if you could sit down on that bench there,
0:28:49 > 0:28:50I'll be with you.
0:28:53 > 0:28:54I'm ready with the tabloid.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58I can't believe that the red tops are going to protect my hand
0:28:58 > 0:28:59from burning.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05- OK, now just don't fight me. - I won't fight you.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09Nice and gently, nice and gently. That's very good. That's excellent.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11OK, now put the paper down.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15Now take that forward, keep going, and bend down to the iron.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19Don't, you know... That's it. And blow.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23That's good, that's good. Keep blowing.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25Big breath, big breath.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27Big breath. That's it, stop!
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Excellent.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34Oh, no! I've done it. Oh, no.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41Right, bring it out now. Oops! Did it fall off centre again?
0:29:41 > 0:29:45- God, it is so much skill, so much skill.- Perfect.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47Right, OK, if we go sit down...
0:29:47 > 0:29:48Yeah, OK.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55- This is quite a tricky bit. - It is all wobbly wiggly.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58This is just sort of a real amateur's first go.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00You can tell.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04OK, that is an incredibly good first effort.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07OK, let's put the tools down, that's done.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10- That's done?- OK, hold it up, face it down.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13That's it. Carry it over to the knocking off tray.
0:30:15 > 0:30:16Look at that!
0:30:19 > 0:30:24Stop any sharp edges. And I will put it away in the lehr.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29- And there she is.- Brilliant.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34I just love the whole idea of actually hand blowing something,
0:30:34 > 0:30:37the craft involved, the skill, utter skill.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40- And it is all about feel, isn't it?- Yeah, it's feel.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43- Feel and knowing what the glass is going to do.- Yeah.
0:30:43 > 0:30:44It is a marvellous skill.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48- Thank you very much.- It has been a real pleasure, thank you.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Well, that was just brilliant.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56It was awe-inspiring, to be honest with you. I love making things.
0:30:56 > 0:30:57I haven't done it for years,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00so to really make something was just fantastic.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03So the next time when somebody brings in
0:31:03 > 0:31:06a bit of hand blown glass to Flog It!, whatever period
0:31:06 > 0:31:10it will be, I have a new-found respect for that object.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Lots of you have a keen eye for a bargain or you're a canny investor.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24Well, come closer, here is a tip from someone who knows.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27What I would advise people to be collecting today,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30and it is very dangerous to give people advice, really,
0:31:30 > 0:31:33as I'm sure you will appreciate, but what I am thinking
0:31:33 > 0:31:36really about here is something I think might have potential
0:31:36 > 0:31:39to grow in value. But that is not what it is all about, really, is it?
0:31:39 > 0:31:42I think what it is about is trying to find something that you like
0:31:42 > 0:31:45and you can buy as cheaply as you possibly can.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49And I think English engravings from the late 19th century through
0:31:49 > 0:31:54to the 1930s are underrated and cheap.
0:31:54 > 0:32:00And I have with me an example of an etching by a man called
0:32:00 > 0:32:05Kenneth Steele, who was a poster designer, amongst other things.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08And as a poster designer, he's very well known.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12This is original in the sense that he cut or at least he etched
0:32:12 > 0:32:15the block from which this print was taken.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19And it is signed by the artist, signed in pencil.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21And I think these would fit into a minimalist interior.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24They would fit into an aesthetic movement interior.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26I mean, people like Whistler loved Japanese,
0:32:26 > 0:32:29was very influenced by Japanese etchings and woodcuts,
0:32:29 > 0:32:31and this is part of that genre, really.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34And equally they would fit into,
0:32:34 > 0:32:37you know, a Morris & Co type interior.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39I think they have infinite flexibility.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43This particular print, which depicts Stirling Castle,
0:32:43 > 0:32:46probably could be bought for £70 or £80.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49I'm not going to say that it is going to necessary be worth
0:32:49 > 0:32:52twice that or three times that in five years' time
0:32:52 > 0:32:54or ten years' time, but I think they are good fun.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56I love their understatement, their coolness
0:32:56 > 0:32:59and I like the fact they're cheap.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10We are exploring the appeal of the unusual on today's show.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12I mean, they have got to be worth £100,
0:33:12 > 0:33:15£200 just for the novelty value, haven't they?
0:33:15 > 0:33:18They have got to be worth that all day long, surely.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22And still to come, when the experts get it wrong.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24It is when it starts to spiral
0:33:24 > 0:33:26out of control and it gets higher
0:33:26 > 0:33:30and higher and higher and you think,
0:33:30 > 0:33:32"Oh, no, what have I done?"
0:33:32 > 0:33:37We asked Christina Travanian to share her most secret desires.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39How long have I got?
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Can I go on for hours? I probably could.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46And I come face to face with some unusual characters
0:33:46 > 0:33:48among the dreaming spires.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54All of the regulars on Flog It's team of experts are experienced in
0:33:54 > 0:33:57their field, either as auctioneers, dealers or collectors.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01And for the best part, you can arrive at one of our valuation days
0:34:01 > 0:34:03with anything you want and one of them
0:34:03 > 0:34:05will be able to tell you everything you need to know about it.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08But we are only human, and every now and then,
0:34:08 > 0:34:10you will arrive with something that catches us out.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17I love French prisoner-of-war work,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20and this is a beautiful model that you have brought along to us today.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24I saw this wonderful hull which was in lovely condition,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27lovely details to it, nice figurehead, nice case.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29Where did you get hold of it?
0:34:29 > 0:34:31It has been in the family for quite some time.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34It belonged to my mother's family.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38Her father, apparently, was a mariner,
0:34:38 > 0:34:41and whether he actually had it purchased and made, I don't know.
0:34:41 > 0:34:47During the Napoleonic War, from 1799-1815, prisoners,
0:34:47 > 0:34:51French prisoners, were kept in Britain in terrible conditions.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54And they tried to make whatever they could from items that they
0:34:54 > 0:34:57had around, perhaps bone, mutton bone,
0:34:57 > 0:34:59wood, whatever they could find,
0:34:59 > 0:35:01sometimes human hair,
0:35:01 > 0:35:03to make items that they could then sell on.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05The detail is incredible.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08If you look very closely at the hull, you can see all
0:35:08 > 0:35:12the individual planks and where they have been pinned together.
0:35:12 > 0:35:13It's amazing!
0:35:13 > 0:35:16The real problem that I saw was with the rigging.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19The rigging was in such a bad state.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22The rigging does deteriorate and, obviously,
0:35:22 > 0:35:26as these pieces are moved from one display cabinet to the next,
0:35:26 > 0:35:27they are going to get damaged.
0:35:27 > 0:35:32I looked at that model and I thought about that and that's why I thought,
0:35:32 > 0:35:35"Right, I'm going to put a low estimate on it,"
0:35:35 > 0:35:38because I was very concerned about getting that re-rigged.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41And I know that potential buyers would look at that
0:35:41 > 0:35:45and think about how much it would cost to re-rig it properly.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47I'll put it in at £600 to £800,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50protect it with a 600 reserve, and let's hope that it makes money.
0:35:50 > 0:35:51Yeah.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55Well, we are always going on about the importance of condition,
0:35:55 > 0:35:57but did that matter in this case?
0:35:57 > 0:36:00Starting here, £500.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03- And 50. 600. 650.- Good.- 700.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06750 with me. £800 now.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10It was interesting, because as the price creeps up,
0:36:10 > 0:36:15it's OK all the time it's around your sort of high estimate.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17And as it sort of goes beyond the high estimate,
0:36:17 > 0:36:19it is still sort of OK.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23800. 850. 900.
0:36:23 > 0:36:24900.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26950. 1,000.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28But in this case, it just kept going up.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30And 50. 1,100.
0:36:30 > 0:36:31It's when it starts
0:36:31 > 0:36:36to spiral out of control and it gets higher and higher and higher
0:36:36 > 0:36:40and you think, "Oh, no, what have I done?"
0:36:40 > 0:36:412,000!
0:36:41 > 0:36:43- 2.2.- 2.2.
0:36:43 > 0:36:462.4. 2.5.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49- 2.6.- 2,600!- 2.7.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51And then it changes from,
0:36:51 > 0:36:55"Oh, that's wonderful," to, "Oh, no, that's really embarrassing."
0:36:55 > 0:36:58I'm lost for words. I don't know.
0:36:58 > 0:37:004,500, anyone?
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Selling at £4,400...
0:37:04 > 0:37:08£4,400!
0:37:08 > 0:37:10I mean, perhaps if I had put a high estimate on,
0:37:10 > 0:37:14if I'd have put £4,000 or £3,000, nobody would have looked at it.
0:37:14 > 0:37:15It is just one of those things,
0:37:15 > 0:37:19and that's one of the reasons why we all love the auction business,
0:37:19 > 0:37:21because it is so unpredictable.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25A low estimate doesn't necessarily mean a low sale price.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28Catherine was a long way out,
0:37:28 > 0:37:31but it pays never to underestimate the determination
0:37:31 > 0:37:32of a collector.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36The best way of coming to terms with the fact that you got things
0:37:36 > 0:37:41wrong is to hold your hand up and say, "I got it wrong."
0:37:41 > 0:37:45- It's my mum's.- Right.- It was given to her after my grandmother died.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49And it was my great-grandmother's before that.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52I don't have a particular liking for dolls.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55I'm interested in dolls inasmuch as they are an important
0:37:55 > 0:37:57collectors' category.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00But they are not the sort of thing I would want to buy myself.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03She's a bisque doll, as I am sure you know,
0:38:03 > 0:38:05which means she is a china doll.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07I think she must have been made in Germany.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11Although, if we quickly turn her over,
0:38:11 > 0:38:15there is nothing to substantiate that.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17I thought it was German, I think,
0:38:17 > 0:38:19because most dolls one sees are German.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22And it was...it was an assumption.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25And, as we all know, if you assume something,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27it makes an ass out of you and me.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29And I should not have made that assumption.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33When she was made, she wasn't made
0:38:33 > 0:38:36by the very best doll manufacturer.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38Her quality is not the best I've seen.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42The moulding of the arms, in particular, I thought was weak.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46I mean, a good modeller would have just finished that off,
0:38:46 > 0:38:47just taken the seam out.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49So, that put me off a little bit.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51On some dolls of this period,
0:38:51 > 0:38:54you'd have found the eyes would have closed.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56So when you'd have sat her up... But these are fixed.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00- OK.- And to be, again, hypercritical, she has got a closed mouth.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03You'd expect to see a nice, slightly open mouth with some
0:39:03 > 0:39:05sort of pearly white teeth smiling at you,
0:39:05 > 0:39:07and there was none of that.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09It never hurts to get a second opinion.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12You either love them or you hate them.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14I know there's lots of doll collectors out there,
0:39:14 > 0:39:16and I'm sure they will love to get their hands
0:39:16 > 0:39:18on this little figure.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21It is a nice doll. It certainly has got a bit of age to it.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24What I do like is the neck, which swivels,
0:39:24 > 0:39:27which you don't first of all see underneath the pearl necklace.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31But you can see the quality down to the little leather shoes.
0:39:31 > 0:39:32Pearls nice, as well.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35Little things that just, yeah, you don't normally see on a doll.
0:39:35 > 0:39:41It is clearly a quality item, but what was David's final appraisal?
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Having sounded as if I am being a bit dismissive,
0:39:43 > 0:39:47there are collectors in this field, as you might imagine.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50I think that she is going to make somewhere in the region
0:39:50 > 0:39:52- of £60 to £100.- OK.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54A lot of interest in this lot.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58I've got two bids on the books and I am going to start at £200.
0:39:58 > 0:39:59At £200, I'm bid.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02220. 240. 260. 280.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05You know, one does undervalue things occasionally,
0:40:05 > 0:40:08and I might have undervalued it by £50 or £60.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Perhaps £100.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13620. 640.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15- This is bonkers!- 660.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19- What were you saying, David, 50 to 100?- I'm sorry!
0:40:19 > 0:40:211,400. 1,450.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24- 1,450! 'OK, you get the point.' - £1,600.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27On the phone. Go on! Don't you just love auctions?
0:40:27 > 0:40:30I told you someone was going home with a lot of money, didn't I?
0:40:30 > 0:40:32People who buy dolls, they specialise in dolls.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35You know, they know more about dolls than anyone else in the world.
0:40:35 > 0:40:40I didn't expect it to make the money that it did. I hold my hands up.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45So there you have it, always do your research, get the auction
0:40:45 > 0:40:49house to work for you and put the word out to maximise the return.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51I think the thing about valuations is,
0:40:51 > 0:40:53I mean, you can't always get it right.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56And I have never, ever had a problem with getting it wrong, because I do,
0:40:56 > 0:40:57with a lot of regularity.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59- Vicki, how are you doing? - I'm fine, thank you.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03- Do you like these?- Yeah, I think they are really nice.- Yeah?- Yes.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06- Which county do they come from, do you think?- Staffordshire, I think.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09Absolutely right. Very good size. It is a learning curve for all of us
0:41:09 > 0:41:12cos you can't be an expert in everything that you see.
0:41:12 > 0:41:1530, 40 years ago these would have been really, really popular.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18- Yeah.- And so popular that they were reproduced.- Right.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21So these were... Perhaps originally started to be made
0:41:21 > 0:41:24- in the 18th century.- Yes. - They were made in the 19th century
0:41:24 > 0:41:26- and were reproduced in the 20th century.- Right.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29I suppose the appeal originally goes back to the 17th century,
0:41:29 > 0:41:31because they were King Charles spaniels.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34If we put them into auction and they made between £15 and £30..?
0:41:34 > 0:41:36- That'd be fine, yeah. - You would be happy?- Yeah.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38Yeah, I would think you would.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40- Yeah.- Cos they'll make between £150 and £300.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Oh, right! Fantastic.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45I felt that they were better than the ordinary.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49What I didn't know, and what I got wrong, was how much better
0:41:49 > 0:41:50they were than the ordinary.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55This is the best pair of Staffordshire dogs I have ever seen.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59Yes, our auctioneer, Adam Partridge, had a rather different view.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02He noticed something Phil failed to spot.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04I've never seen any with green bases before.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08I've seen them with blue, but not with green. They're going to fly.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10HE LAUGHS
0:42:10 > 0:42:12There we are, lot 262.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17And commission bids start me at £600.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21You don't have a comparable and I hadn't seen dogs like that.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24I'd seen lesser quality dogs and they might have made,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27I don't know, 80 to 120, 100 to £150.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30- 1,500.- I might faint in a minute.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32I can't believe it, I'm going to pass out!
0:42:32 > 0:42:351,450 on this phone. 1,500.
0:42:35 > 0:42:381,550 here. At 1,550. Anyone else?
0:42:38 > 0:42:41But, you know, I was out on the value there
0:42:41 > 0:42:42by a factor of ten, really.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45At 1,550...
0:42:45 > 0:42:49Bang! Bang! That's the sold sound.
0:42:49 > 0:42:521,550 quid!
0:42:52 > 0:42:55If you get it wrong, the only thing you can really do is go,
0:42:55 > 0:42:56"I got it wrong."
0:42:56 > 0:42:58And I don't have a problem with that.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02Because I don't know anybody who doesn't get it wrong, really.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06So even when the most experienced expert misses
0:43:06 > 0:43:09the smallest detail, in this case the green base,
0:43:09 > 0:43:11they can be way off the mark.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15Valuations are not a science, they are a bit of an art.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18So it's hard for us to get them right 100% of the time.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21OK, that is enough with the excuses.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24Maybe our experts are just getting a little too big for their boots.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27Aaaah! It's not that heavy, but they are heavy.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29The one I remember most is the...
0:43:29 > 0:43:31I think my favourite lot still to this day that
0:43:31 > 0:43:32I've come across on Flog It!,
0:43:32 > 0:43:36which was the giant pair of boots at Wells Cathedral.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39I would not like to meet the guy who's wearing these in a dark alley
0:43:39 > 0:43:42at night. Have you got the BFG at home or something?
0:43:42 > 0:43:46Anything like the giant boots, which is quirky, unusual...
0:43:46 > 0:43:50You know, you get dealers who are after the unusual.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52I mean, what size are these?
0:43:52 > 0:43:54I'm only a size seven, or eight when I'm lucky,
0:43:54 > 0:43:59- and I'm feeling bigger than I am. What size are these?- 42.- Size 42.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02From memory, I think we put them in at sort of £100 to £200,
0:44:02 > 0:44:05which, I think, sounds, you know, on reflection,
0:44:05 > 0:44:07maybe a little bit cheeky. I was coming in low.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09I mean, they've got to be worth £100,
0:44:09 > 0:44:11£200, just for the novelty value, haven't they?
0:44:11 > 0:44:13- Yeah.- They have got to be worth that all day long, surely.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15Here we go,
0:44:15 > 0:44:20a pair of size 42 black leather Balmoral boots.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24Wonderful items. And I start away at £75. At 75.
0:44:24 > 0:44:25Do I see 80 anywhere?
0:44:25 > 0:44:28The bidding actually started at £75 on the book,
0:44:28 > 0:44:31went up to about 200, I think, on commission.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35440. 460. 480. 500.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38Then someone in the room came in at 500.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41They took it up to about £900, £1,000.
0:44:41 > 0:44:441,100. 1,150.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46Took it up to say 2,000, I think,
0:44:46 > 0:44:49and then a fresh bidder altogether came into the fray.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51- What?- 2,900.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53Now, even this beggars belief.
0:44:53 > 0:44:543,000.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56And took it up to 3,500.
0:44:56 > 0:44:573,600 it is then.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00Are you sure? 36.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03It's exhilarating as a valuer.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07Because you are involved in some way in getting
0:45:07 > 0:45:09this great result for the contributors.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11I think it's actually the only Flog It! lot
0:45:11 > 0:45:13that I've got a round of applause,
0:45:13 > 0:45:15though I'm not quite sure what I did to deserve that.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18It was more for the item and Liz and Conrad.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22I might sound like I'm repeating myself now,
0:45:22 > 0:45:25but it is important, always do your research!
0:45:25 > 0:45:28Be careful of selling specialist items without
0:45:28 > 0:45:29a specialist valuation.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31Get the auction house to work for you
0:45:31 > 0:45:34and put the word out to maximise the return.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38It is in your interest, if you are buying -
0:45:38 > 0:45:41don't get caught out by a low estimate.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44It doesn't follow that it will result in a low hammer price.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47Remember, the devil is in the detail.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50Subtle differences can have a huge impact on how much an item
0:45:50 > 0:45:52sells for.
0:45:53 > 0:45:58If you could have any beautiful antique you liked, what would it be?
0:45:58 > 0:46:00I put that to our expert, Christina Travanian.
0:46:00 > 0:46:05Sotheby's sold the most amazing pink diamond in 2010,
0:46:05 > 0:46:07which sold for 29 million.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10And I think that would have to be number one.
0:46:10 > 0:46:14Purely because to find a natural diamond that is coloured pink
0:46:14 > 0:46:16is incredibly rare.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19Most diamonds have been heat treated or treated in some
0:46:19 > 0:46:21sort of way to induce that pink colour,
0:46:21 > 0:46:24but to find such an intense, beautiful pink naturally,
0:46:24 > 0:46:27as it is being cut, is incredibly rare.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31# Diamonds are forever. #
0:46:31 > 0:46:34So, that would be number one. How long have I got?
0:46:35 > 0:46:38Can I go on for hours? I probably could.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42No, I think then probably some sort of James Bond car -
0:46:42 > 0:46:45an Aston Martin or something like that would be quite nice.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48Number three... No, really, I could be here for hours.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55Thanks, Christina. I think we'll leave it there.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02The quirky and the unusual are all around us,
0:47:02 > 0:47:04you may have to look hard to spot them.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07But when I travelled to Oxford, I came face to face with some
0:47:07 > 0:47:09quirky stone creations.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13Oxford's long and distinguished past has resulted in such
0:47:13 > 0:47:17a stunning city, with a myriad of architectural styles.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19And you can find examples from almost every period
0:47:19 > 0:47:22throughout history, dating right back to the Saxons.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26But as you wander around, everywhere you look, you are being watched.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34Dragons, demons and a whole array of other mystical creatures
0:47:34 > 0:47:37and quirky characters stare out from the buildings.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39For 1,000 years, gargoyles
0:47:39 > 0:47:42and grotesques have stood guard over Oxford.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45And you can't help but admire them.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47One of the finest collections of grotesques adorns
0:47:47 > 0:47:51the walls of the University's world-famous Bodleian Library.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54But being so high up, these fantastic creations
0:47:54 > 0:47:58are constantly under attack from the weather and pollution.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01And in 2007, while doing restoration work on the roof,
0:48:01 > 0:48:04the University discovered a row of grotesques
0:48:04 > 0:48:07had crumbled away beyond recognition.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09They wanted to replace them,
0:48:09 > 0:48:13but they had no historical records to work from,
0:48:13 > 0:48:15so a competition was launched among local schools,
0:48:15 > 0:48:19asking pupils to come up with new ideas.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23There were 500 entries, from which nine were selected
0:48:23 > 0:48:25to be immortalised in stone.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28The sensitive task of translating the original drawings
0:48:28 > 0:48:32into the finished stone carvings was given to local sculptors
0:48:32 > 0:48:34Fiona and Alec Peever,
0:48:34 > 0:48:36who began by making clay models.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39And I have come to their studio to find out more.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41- This is fabulous, Fiona. - Oh, thank you.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45What sort of challenges did the children's designs give you?
0:48:45 > 0:48:46Uh...
0:48:46 > 0:48:49Transferring the two-dimensional drawings into something that
0:48:49 > 0:48:52will work three dimensionally,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55and also very high up, at an angle on the building.
0:48:55 > 0:48:56Have you got some examples?
0:48:56 > 0:48:59Can I have a look at what this originally looked like?
0:48:59 > 0:49:02- Yes. Well, here are the original children's drawings.- OK.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05This is the one for Narnia.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09This is good. I was just about to ask you, what does the N stand for?
0:49:09 > 0:49:11- Aslan the lion and it's Narnia.- OK.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13Once you get the depth and the relief
0:49:13 > 0:49:15and you get those dark patches,
0:49:15 > 0:49:17that does look really good, doesn't it? It creates...
0:49:17 > 0:49:20That's what gives it impact when it is on the building.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23But, also, when you are carving, you have to make sure that you
0:49:23 > 0:49:27don't have any areas where the water will settle
0:49:27 > 0:49:32- and crack the stone.- Yes, because the frost would crack it.- Yeah.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35What are these lines dissecting it for?
0:49:35 > 0:49:38- Is that to get measurements from? - Uh, yes, that is where we measured
0:49:38 > 0:49:42off the clay model to carve it in the stone.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46The interesting thing about using clay is that it's a process,
0:49:46 > 0:49:49that you build the model up.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51You add on to it.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53And, of course, you can always take it away, as well.
0:49:53 > 0:49:57But when it comes to stone, you are just taking it away,
0:49:57 > 0:49:59you are just removing the stone, so you can't get it wrong.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02Do you get involved in the stone work, or are you just doing
0:50:02 > 0:50:05- the modelling?- I carve them as well, yeah.- You do both.
0:50:07 > 0:50:12The new designs for the Bodleian aren't strictly speaking gargoyles.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16Gargoyles have a spout to gargle water from the gutters
0:50:16 > 0:50:17clear of the walls.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23These are in fact grotesques, which are purely decorative,
0:50:23 > 0:50:25but with a character of horror or humour.
0:50:27 > 0:50:28I think that is beautiful.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31So, what else was there? Show me some of these.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33This is lovely. This is three men in a boat.
0:50:33 > 0:50:34HE LAUGHS
0:50:34 > 0:50:37I think it is a really great Oxford story.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40- And you've got some photographs, haven't you?- I have, yes.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43- These are the clay models. - Isn't that fabulous?
0:50:43 > 0:50:45Here is the...
0:50:45 > 0:50:48- Oh, I see what you have done to it. - ..the final clay model.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50That's very clever. Look at the dog's leg,
0:50:50 > 0:50:51it's just about to jump out.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55- We have also got Gimli. - From Lord Of The Rings?
0:50:55 > 0:50:56That's right, yes.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00- Which is that one.- Uh-huh. - Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02And there they are.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04There they are, yeah.
0:51:04 > 0:51:09And then we have also got Thomas Bodley.
0:51:09 > 0:51:10I gave him rather sort of baggy eyes.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13- Why did you do that? - Because I imagined him...
0:51:13 > 0:51:17He'd sit up reading books all night for his library.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20They are beautiful. They are absolutely beautiful.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22What do you do with these now that you have finished with them?
0:51:22 > 0:51:26- Just leave them at home? - Put them away.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28You can't do that!
0:51:28 > 0:51:32No, because they are made in just ordinary clay,
0:51:32 > 0:51:35- not with the intention of firing. - Right.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39We just made them so we could measure off for the stone.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44To find out more about the actual carving of these wonderful
0:51:44 > 0:51:47grotesques, I've cornered the other half of this talented partnership,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50Alec Peever, working on something of his own.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52What are you working on?
0:51:52 > 0:51:55This is a head in Portland stone.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58I am just taking off a little bit at a time,
0:51:58 > 0:52:02without taking any measurements, just discovering whatever
0:52:02 > 0:52:06is inside it, as Michelangelo is famous for saying.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09When you choose the block of stone, do you look at it from all
0:52:09 > 0:52:12angles, see if there are any fault lines running through it?
0:52:12 > 0:52:17- Yes. The thing you always have to do is to tap it.- Right.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20And if it has a ring like that, it's fine.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23If it has a dead noise, like that,
0:52:23 > 0:52:24- there is a flaw in it.- OK.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27So you don't touch it.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31And the chisels you use are the same on the grotesques as you do on this?
0:52:31 > 0:52:34Very much. These tools have not changed in 5,000 years.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37They're exactly the same tools the ancient Egyptians used,
0:52:37 > 0:52:41the Greeks and so on throughout the centuries,
0:52:41 > 0:52:44so it is an absolutely basic process.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47Can I watch for a little while? Go on, chisel away.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50- Start on the mouth, cos that's quite scary.- Quite.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53- Do you know what kind of mouth you are giving him at this stage?- No.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57I might ask you to model for me in a minute.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00Must be a good feeling knowing you are following in the footsteps
0:53:00 > 0:53:03of some great craftsmen that lived around Oxford.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07It's not what I went into it for, but once you...
0:53:07 > 0:53:10once you've made something and you see it go up there,
0:53:10 > 0:53:13you think, "Well, gosh, that's going to be there for hundreds
0:53:13 > 0:53:16"of years." My little boy, who is nine,
0:53:16 > 0:53:18his grandchildren will be able to say,
0:53:18 > 0:53:22"Great-great-grandfather made that."
0:53:22 > 0:53:25It is tremendous to see such continuity between the past
0:53:25 > 0:53:27and the present. And for hundreds of years to come,
0:53:27 > 0:53:30those brand-new grotesques will sit neatly
0:53:30 > 0:53:34alongside their ancient cousins on the Bodleian Library for all
0:53:34 > 0:53:35to marvel at.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39And that is a testament to the skills of Alec and Fiona
0:53:39 > 0:53:42and the people whose footsteps they followed in.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47Over the years on Flog It!,
0:53:47 > 0:53:50we've had some truly exceptional sales.
0:53:50 > 0:53:524,500.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54£600.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57I'll put it to 3,400.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02ALL: Yes!
0:54:02 > 0:54:05Like you, I often want to know more about the object
0:54:05 > 0:54:08and how we can change the owner's life and their family.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12So, we caught up with some past successful Flog It! owners.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14Now, it is over ten years
0:54:14 > 0:54:19since Sid Capper visited our Flog It! valuation day in Truro.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21He came with his ten-year-old daughter, Charlie,
0:54:21 > 0:54:24and they brought along one of the family heirlooms.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27Wow, that is lovely.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30Absolutely super quality.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33Enamel on silver, obviously a smoking set.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37Gosh, look at the quality of that enamel.
0:54:37 > 0:54:38It was my wife, really.
0:54:38 > 0:54:41I suggested that Flog It! was in town,
0:54:41 > 0:54:44and we should go along with an item,
0:54:44 > 0:54:47and realised that this was something we kept in the cabinet but very
0:54:47 > 0:54:50rarely got out to show people, so we thought this might be an item
0:54:50 > 0:54:52that might be of interest.
0:54:52 > 0:54:56First known to be in the family about 1944.
0:54:56 > 0:55:01It appears on a house inventory that my grandfather
0:55:01 > 0:55:02kept for insurance purposes.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04That is what we've got here.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08- And the item is here.- Oh, yes.
0:55:08 > 0:55:14"Silver enamelled cigarette case and matchbox - £2.15."
0:55:14 > 0:55:16When London was being bombed during World War II,
0:55:16 > 0:55:20many people sold everything they had to leave the city,
0:55:20 > 0:55:23and Sid's family was shrewd enough to buy many items from those
0:55:23 > 0:55:25house clearances at rock bottom prices.
0:55:25 > 0:55:27So, Sid was left with a large collection.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30- Do you know about the hallmarks? - I know a little bit about hallmarks.
0:55:30 > 0:55:35I realise that, when looking at this, it was probably made in Chester.
0:55:35 > 0:55:36Yeah, absolutely.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38You've got the three wheat sheaves in the centre for Chester.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41- The date, the R. - Yeah, I thought that was 1900.
0:55:41 > 0:55:45Yeah, it's Chester, 1900. So that is good and clear.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48The smoking set clearly depicts the thrill of the chase,
0:55:48 > 0:55:51and Sid himself is no stranger to the adventurous life.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55I really enjoy doing physical things.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59I enjoy doing practical things. I like to go skiing.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02We've just come back from a ski trip.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06I'm sitting here nursing two broken ribs at the moment.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10While Sid was off on one of his adventures, it was left to his wife,
0:56:10 > 0:56:12Sarah, and daughter, Charlie,
0:56:12 > 0:56:14to handle the excitement of the auction.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17720. 750. 780.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19And what an adrenaline rush it was,
0:56:19 > 0:56:23with the smoking set selling for twice its estimated value.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25£820.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28Your boat has come in.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32And this adventurous family had a very clear idea of how
0:56:32 > 0:56:33they would spend their money.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35This was a picture that hung in my office,
0:56:35 > 0:56:37and my wife once came to my office
0:56:37 > 0:56:40and discovered this hanging on the wall and wanted to know why
0:56:40 > 0:56:43there was no picture of her and my daughter on there.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46And I tried to explain to her that this picture just reminded me
0:56:46 > 0:56:49of why I was doing what I was doing at the time.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51And made the stress a little less.
0:56:51 > 0:56:55You will need more than £850 to buy a boat like this,
0:56:55 > 0:56:59but life on the ocean waves can be pretty dull without a sail.
0:56:59 > 0:57:03Going to auction, we knew that the money
0:57:03 > 0:57:06we were hoping to make from it would go towards a sail.
0:57:06 > 0:57:08And in fact, the money that we did make from the auction
0:57:08 > 0:57:10was more than we needed.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15Both my wife and I enjoy being on the boat because, as we are at sea,
0:57:15 > 0:57:17there is a great opportunity of seeing wildlife out there,
0:57:17 > 0:57:21whether it's gannets or cormorants or, on very special occasions,
0:57:21 > 0:57:24dolphins that like to swim actually alongside the boat,
0:57:24 > 0:57:26which we've had on a number of occasions.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29So, what top tips has this adventurer got for us?
0:57:29 > 0:57:31If you want to sell something on Flog It!,
0:57:31 > 0:57:34it's having something that is fairly unique
0:57:34 > 0:57:38and probably of some value.
0:57:38 > 0:57:40And the only way to really work out
0:57:40 > 0:57:43whether that's something that would be of interest to the Flog It! team
0:57:43 > 0:57:46is a little bit of research beforehand.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52Another of my top tips would be to make sure that the money you
0:57:52 > 0:57:54get from any items you sell,
0:57:54 > 0:57:59you use on something that will be longer lasting than perhaps a holiday
0:57:59 > 0:58:00or whatever.
0:58:00 > 0:58:02And buying a sail for the boat, which is...
0:58:02 > 0:58:04I bought ten years ago now,
0:58:04 > 0:58:09means that it will last certainly for another ten years
0:58:09 > 0:58:13and we will get a great deal of enjoyment out of that as a family.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20If today's programme tells us anything,
0:58:20 > 0:58:22it is that odd often equals rare.
0:58:22 > 0:58:26And if something is rare, it could be worth a small fortune.
0:58:26 > 0:58:28So why don't you have a look around your sitting room
0:58:28 > 0:58:31at that unidentified antique object
0:58:31 > 0:58:33and bring it into one of our valuation days.
0:58:33 > 0:58:36You never know, we might be able to tell you what it is.
0:58:39 > 0:58:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd