Car Booty Flog It: Trade Secrets

'Welcome to the show that aims to put you in the know

'when it comes to buying and selling antiques and collectables.'

This is where we let you into some of our trade secrets.

In today's show, we are looking with envy at the eagle-eyed amongst you

who can spot a car-boot gem at 100 paces.

Now, is it good luck or is it good judgement?

I don't know. Maybe it's both.

'Coming up, we're astonished buy your car-boot finds.'

It really is the most exquisite embroidery box that I've seen.

-Car-boot?

-Car-boot.

'We see how some of you have the talent to turn purchases made from a few pennies into some serious cash.'

-Finished? You got it.

-Well done!

-Thank you, Paul.

'And I send out two of our Flog It experts to see if this car-booting lark is as easy as it seems.'

-MIMICS HUNTING HORN

-Go on, then. Ready, steady, go.

At pretty much every Flog It valuation day, we encounter someone

who has made an incredible car-boot find,

whether it's jewellery, ceramics or bronzes.

You have taught us that it pays to keep your eyes peeled at all times,

because there are wonderful things out there

waiting to be picked up at car-boot sales all over the country.

Get up early, get out there early

and go round quickly and see if you can spot anything.

Don't, you know, go laden with books.

The best thing you can do is go laden with speed

and get round as quickly as possible.

As soon as the car opens its boot, get in there and start rummaging.

That's the key, I think. Because there are treasures to be unearthed.

I'm sure people buy things and get them home and think,

"Heavens, what have I bought this for?" So don't do that.

'At our valuation days, I'm often in awe of people

'who've found good antiques for next to nothing at car-boot sales.

'Philip Serrell was stumped for once when he came across Linda and her extraordinary vase.'

He's a monster. Where did you buy it?

-I bought it from a car-boot.

-Right.

-How much did you pay for it?

-Do you really want to know?

-Go on.

-Three quid.

-Do you have any conscience at all?

No, he wanted to get rid of it. He even carried it to the car for me.

-You bought this for three quid?

-Yeah. Yeah.

-So, what is it?

-Burmantofts.

-How do you know?

-It says so on the bottom.

-No flies on you, is there?

It was an ideal example of someone who'd gone out,

they'd had a go, they'd bought something,

it wasn't overly expensive, but they used their eye.

That's what guided Linda to buy that in the first place.

And I think that's fantastic.

You know, it was a spur of the moment thing, "That's cheap. I'll buy it."

It's a double-gourd shape,

-which is almost sort of Chinese in inspiration.

-Yeah.

-Going back hundreds of years.

-Yeah.

-And you've got this, sort of,

monumental lizard

or dragon crawling all around it.

With another little lizard here.

And if we just turn him over,

we can just see here the Burmantofts mark on the base.

The thing about Burmantofts is, they made all sorts of different things,

but Linda's vase, in a way, it was quite grotesque,

and that typified their wares of that period.

-It is cracked.

-Cracked? Cracked?

Cracked isn't the word for it!

We've got a chunk out of the lizard here.

-We've got all this damage to the top...

-Yeah.

-..just here.

And, erm, we've got the crack to end them all,

that sort of goes all the way round it.

What's it worth perfect? Cos it's easy to value these things perfect, right?

Well, people tell me if it's later, a different design, the Persian design, it could be thousands.

So I would say 100, 150.

-You think this is worth £100, £150?

-Perhaps, if it was good.

-If it was good, right.

Well, I think if this was good, this would be worth between £1,500 and £2,000.

-Oh, my goodness! If it was good?

-Yeah.

-Oh, amazing!

-Yeah.

-Amazing. But it's not.

-But it clearly is not good.

Because you've got such a huge financial outlay involved in this...

-I know.

-..I don't want to see you lose money. That three quid is very precious.

-I think what we'll do is, I'm going to put on this what I call a "come and buy me" estimate.

-Oh, yeah.

-I'm going to put on this £100 to £200.

-Amazing.

'The big question is, did Linda's bargain basement find manage to turn a profit?'

Looks like it's been under the hammer already,

but never mind, it would've been a lovely vase originally.

Who'll give me £100 anyway? It's got to be worth that sort of money.

£100. 110. 120.

130. 140. 150. 160.

Yes? 170. 180.

190? No, 180 with H42.

190 here. At 190. Fresh money at 190.

All done at 190? Any more?

-HAMMER BANGS Well done!

-Yes! £190, Linda.

-That is fantastic.

-It's marvellous.

The Burmantofts jardiniere had very, very serious damage.

And I thought the sale price was pretty strong, bearing that in mind.

I think if it was perfect, it would've been in the region of £1,000 to £1,500,

but it was far from perfect, and the restoration cost on that would've been immense.

So I think it was a pretty good price.

'On Flog It, we're always making the point that condition is key,

'particularly when it comes to ceramics.

'However, Linda proved when it's been bought at rock bottom price

'at a boot sale, it's possible to turn a tidy profit

'on a cracked and battered vase.

'Now, there's something you're guaranteed to find at a car-boot sale,

'though it normally holds little interest for serious collectors.

'I'm talking about children's toys

'and Mark Stacey was enchanted by a children's play thing which made him feel a bit nostalgic.'

Jeanette, David, this really takes me back to my childhood.

Sitting at home, just at tea time, waiting for The Magic Roundabout to start.

-Tell me, where did you get it from?

-I got it from a car-boot sale about 20 years ago.

-And I paid £1 for it.

-Good lord.

I loved The Magic Roundabout as a child.

I mean, the theme tune itself

just got me straight in front of the television.

Who was your favourite? Mine was Ermintrude, the cow.

You know, with the flower that went across.

I didn't like Dylan, or the one that bounced up and down.

Things like The Magic Roundabout now have become quite a cult show.

-Mm-hm.

-You know, amongst collectors.

And not only have we got all the pieces here, but of course, more importantly,

we've got the original box.

Now, this particular toy

was brought out between 1974 and 1976.

So a little after the show started.

It was made by Corgi Toys, who originally started in the 1950s.

And they are a well-known name.

The other nice thing you've got, of course,

is we've got a little spare train.

Yes. The persons who bought it originally bought a spare one

so it would stay brand new, and it's unopened.

Having the original packaging is key.

Even if the packaging is slightly damaged, it's better to have it with it.

Condition is everything. If there's damage or if there's scratches,

it really does put collectors off.

Sensibly, one would put it into a sale at £400 to £600,

something like that, with a 400 discretionary reserve.

'Bought for £1, how much profit did The Magic Roundabout toy make?'

Boing! It's time for bed. Yes, that jogs the memory.

It's the whole game of The Magic Roundabout.

It was valued at £400 to £600,

but you've had a word with the auctioneer and you think that you would like a little bit more,

-so you've actually upped the reserve...

-Yes, I have.

-..to 500.

It does happen occasionally on Flog It, vendors will go home,

have a sleep on it, talk to other members of the family

and they'll decide, actually, they weren't terribly happy with the suggested reserve.

And they'll have a word with the auctioneer. That's fine.

That's life. I'd rather them be comfortable in the price that we sell it for.

290. 300. 320.

340. 360. 380. 400.

-420. 440. 460.

-This is good. They like it.

490. 500 with you, £500.

520 anywhere? £500 then, it's away on my left.

At £500. In the door at £500. All finished?

-I can't believe it.

-What a good result.

Well, it's not going home, but 500 quid is.

£500, I suppose, sounds a lot of money for something which is relatively modern.

But, of course, the condition was good,

and you had an unopened toy train inside with all the little animals and things on it.

And the box was there.

Of course, you should go into your loft. We've all got things hidden away.

I've got a Lady Penelope toothbrush at home that my dentist gave me,

which I haven't opened, but she was my favourite Thunderbird.

'What a fantastic price for that car-boot toy.

'The Magic Roundabout has attained cult status today.

'And if you've got the talent to spot what's going to be the next big thing,

'my advice is snap up the merchandise

'and then tuck it away for a few decades.

'Now, you might expect to see plastic toys for a few pennies at a boot sale,

'but some people find things altogether more unexpected.'

Tell me about it. Where did you find it?

Well, I bought him about three years ago

-from a car-boot sale in Horwich...

-A car-boot?

-A car-boot,

believe it or not. And he just really appealed to me.

What did you pay? Don't tell me, £2.

-No, I paid 100 for him.

-100.

-£100 I paid, yeah.

-OK.

The dealer or the car-booter

obviously realised it was something that wasn't rubbish,

because otherwise why put £100 on it?

But what I don't understand is that when you realise

that something's probably worth £100,

why not research it? Why not find out?

Why not take it to Flog It yourself?

Let's have a good look at him.

The first thing to say is he's a dark patinated bronze.

This isn't his natural colour.

The bronze, when he was made, would've been more of a brass colour.

So when people go home and they polish a bronze,

-they're not just making it shine, they're ruining the whole patination...

-Right.

..that was designed for the initial look.

Now, if we have a look at the base,

there's a little signature there, L-E-Q-U-E-S-N-E, Lequesne.

Now, that's Eugene-Louis Lequesne, who was a sculptor

working in Paris in the 19th century,

and he was one of the most famous sculptors of his time.

'Having a signed bronze is no different to having a signed picture.'

It's almost the guarantee that it has a value

that will not just fall away into nothing.

The fact that it's signed, the fact that you can put a name to it,

gives you that bit of extra confidence.

But realistically, it shouldn't be that that makes you buy it.

You should always look at the object first,

and the signature should be the confirmation that it's good.

This piece will appeal to so many different areas of collecting.

People that collect bronzes in their own right,

people that are just interior designers,

and people that just want him for what he is, a bit of fun.

-I would like to see an estimate of 300 to 500.

-Right.

-A reserve of 300.

-Right.

But he'll do more than that.

'Did the bidders think Laura's bargain bronze

'was worth more than the £100 she paid?'

580. 600.

-620.

-620! See, you have got a great eye.

You should still be going to buy bronzes.

-I may do again.

-I think you will.

700. 720.

740.

720 here. At £720. On this phone at 720.

Anyone else? 720. All finished?

-Yes!

-Wonderful!

-That little bronze certainly called a tune there.

£720!

It sold pretty well, that one. It was a good estimate by James.

It was a nice conservative guide price to show the buyers that it's on the market.

We always like that, not overpriced,

and that gives bidders the freedom to have a good bid at it.

'Bronzes are always collectable.

'There's a huge market for them amongst decorative art collectors.

'And over the years on Flog It, we've seen many fabulous sculptures

'which always fetch great prices.

'If you're at a car-boot sale searching for bronzes, here are a few things you should bear in mind.'

Have a look at the base. If it's showing yellowing on the metal,

it's bronze, if it's showing white then it's a white metal, such as spelter.

The other thing is a magnet test.

Bronze is not magnetic, but cast iron is.

So often cast iron figures were patinated to look like bronze.

Get your little magnet out, should be part of your toolkit, along with your eyeglass and everything else,

and have a final check with a magnet.

If you've got a young, buxom, pretty girl with her top off,

I have to say, it's worth ten times more than an old grizzly old man, looking miserable.

So, same artist, same size sculpture, different subject matter, makes a huge difference.

'Most importantly, if you're buying a bronze for yourself,

-'you can't go wrong with one you love.'

-HAMMER BANGS

'Often the car-booters we meet on Flog It

'already know something about their item.

'But at a valuation day in Twickenham, I met Joy,

'who had no idea at all of the treasure she'd found.'

-You've looked after it.

-It hasn't been out of the box since I brought it home.

And it really is the most exquisite embroidery box that I've seen.

Shall we see if it's as good on the inside as it is on the out?

Here goes. Opening up now.

-That weighs a lot, doesn't it?

-It does, it's very heavy.

Pin cushions. Obviously, little sections here for buttons and things.

-And there's like a false drawer...

-That's right.

-..in there.

-And how old do you think it is?

-Oh, early 1800s.

-No!

-Yes, no later than 1820,

-1830 at the very latest.

-Gosh!

-Good heavens!

-Yeah. It's so well-built, but look at the amount of ivory and horn there.

-How much did you pay for this?

-£4.

-£4. Well...

..shall we add an 0? And then add another 0?

-That's £400.

-No!

-Base level.

'What rewards did Joy reap on her £4 car-boot bargain?'

£800. £800.

-850.

-They're keen. They love it!

£1,400 in the middle of the room. 1,400. 15 on the phone there.

-I've still got five people bidding. 1,600.

-1,600.

-No!

1,700. 1,800. 1,900.

2,000. 2,100.

2,200.

Against you. No? All done at £2,200, then.

-Finished? You've got it.

-HAMMER BANGS

-Well done!

-Thank you, Paul! APPLAUSE

They gave you a round of applause!

£2,200.

I just don't believe it.

Joy certainly made a fantastic return on her car-boot bargain,

turning £4 into a whopping £2,200.

I wasn't surprised her sewing box sold so well.

It had two qualities which really attracted serious antique collectors.

Firstly, it was in great condition,

and secondly, it had a good age to it.

So what other things should eager bargain hunters look out for at a car-boot sale?

Here's what we've learnt so far.

'If you're at a boot sale buying a toy for the children,

'consider whether it could become collectable in years to come.

'If so, let your kids have their fun, but make sure you keep the original packaging.

'It can make all the difference if you come to sell.

'When contemplating whether to buy a bronze,

'a name to look out for, apart from Lequesne,

'is Franz Bergman, who created Austrian cold painted bronzes.

'Many of his works are signed with a B in an urn-shaped cartouche.

'When you're out and about at a car-boot sale,

'the normal rules don't really apply. Consider every item you see.

'When you're paying a pittance for an antique,

'there's always going to be room for a profit.'

It always amazes me how many of you can sniff out the most astonishing bargains at a car-boot sale.

Now, how much of that is down to luck or good judgement?

Well, to put it to the test, we asked two Flog It regulars to get up with the larks and go on a mission.

'Britain is a nation of car-boot sale lovers.

'Every year, we hold around 100,000 sales

'with, on average, 2,000 to 3,000 eager bargain hunters pouring through the gates.'

What have you done to me?

This is the world of the Sunday morning car-boot, Philip. Come on!

At this time on a Sunday morning, it's either golf,

breakfast or reading the newspapers. It is not wandering round a field.

It's rummaging through other people's stuff, Philip.

You never know what you're going to find. Look at that!

Laid before us.

Oh, hello. Right.

"Good morning, gentlemen, and welcome to the Short Hills car-boot sale."

Now, your mission, if you wish to accept it,

is to search the car-boot sale in order to find a bargain piece of pottery or porcelain.

Your budget is a whopping £25.

"And the winner will be the person who I deem to have bought

"the best bargain for the amount spent. Good luck, gentlemen."

No, you can't get anything good for £25.

25 quid is like a fortune at a car-boot!

-It's a cheap day out, this!

-So, is this it, then?

-Yeah. This is it.

-Over the top. Up and at 'em.

MIMICS HUNTING HORN

-Ready, steady, go!

-Go! Come on! Come on, man!

He's mad, absolutely mad.

'Phil doesn't seem too keen, but Will's got off to an enthusiastic start.'

If you ever see a crowd around a stall,

always look over their shoulders in case you're missing something.

-Ladies, how are you? Good morning.

-ALL: Good morning!

What's going on here, then? What's being bought?

-We're trying to sell everything.

-Are you?

-We still haven't unpacked it all.

-What are you ladies buying?

-We're just browsing.

-Are you?

-Just looking for bargains.

'Is it a case of the hare and the tortoise?'

Nothing here is priced. How do I know how much that is?

To me, I put it at about six quid.

-You put that at six quid?

-What would you put it at?

-Not six quid.

-Six quid is a very poorly octopus.

-Uh-huh.

-See, that's sick squid.

-Yeah.

-We got there. Good. Good.

That's how much? You want 30 for that, young man?

-Or 25.

-Or 25.

See, it's coming down, coming down. Why aren't you out playing football?

Skipping Monkey. A bit like Philip this morning.

It's no good walking past a box like this, is it? You've got to have a rummage, have a look.

What's down the bottom? A boat in a bell.

What more do you want on a Sunday morning?

Look at him. Look at him over there.

He's rummaging through someone's boxes.

Honestly, this is just like a different culture to me.

'Philip gets down to the nitty-gritty on prices.'

-Everything's £1 or 50p?

-More or less.

I mean, if you put it at £2, there'll say £1. So, you know...

If you've got something priced at six quid,

-what do you expect them to say then?

-Three.

-And if they said £1, what would you say?

-Well, it depends how late it is in the day.

-So the later on, the cheaper the prices?

-I would've thought so.

So if I come back at 2 o'clock, you'll give it away?

Just take the lot, yeah. SHE LAUGHS

'Will's extolling the virtues of car-booting.'

You're not going to find something that belongs in a museum at a car-boot, unless you're very lucky.

What was it recently, the old Thunderball watch, wasn't it?

-Did you see that?

-No. I didn't see it, I heard about it.

£25. £25 it was bought for at a car-boot.

Thunderball watch. Breitling.

I think it sold the other day, it made over 100,000.

You just never know what you're going to find.

'That's right.

'You've had enough fun, chaps, time to make your choices

'before the boots slam shut and the cars go home.'

-Are you a regular?

-No, I just do it as a bit of a hobby.

That's a nice teapot, isn't it?

-That was my mum's.

-Was it?

-Yeah.

-It's got a chip in, look at that.

-Faulty goods.

-It's very old.

-So am I, I ain't worth anything.

-My budget's £1.

-No, I can't do it.

-Oh, behave!

-Go on, then.

-Are you sure?

-I'll give you it.

-You're an angel.

Cheers, my love. Let me just find a pound for you, hold on.

I've taken a bit of a gamble here because that is like...

That's like a rum baba and a black forest gateaux.

You know, it's just real 1970s, but people did used to collect teapots.

I just hope it's Paul's cup of tea.

Morning!

-Got some interesting little bits. All from your own home, is it?

-Yes.

-What about something like that?

-Four.

-£4.

I quite like that. Don't you like that? It's rather...

It's good, isn't it? Nice colour.

Do you think you'd take three for it?

-£3.50.

-Oh! Look, I'm being screwed to the floor.

-£3.50.

-Lovely.

-Thank you very much. Good luck for the rest of the day.

-Thank you.

Hallmarked up at the bottom. CH Brannam, Barnstable.

Made in England.

A genuine bit of English art pottery.

£3.50. It's nothing, is it? Less than a burger.

'Job done! Time for a coffee.'

How have you found it, Philip? Survived? It's not that bad, is it?

Well, all this expertise and we come back with two polystyrene cups.

-Yeah, mine's got a rather nice coffee in it.

-I found it really hard.

-Did you?

Yeah, because it's just a complete alien sort of concept to me, all this.

I know where you're coming from.

-It is harder and harder, I'll give you that...

-It's impossible.

-..to find a real, proper antique.

'Will's up for anything, but Philip clearly feels more at home at an auction or high-end antiques fairs.

'You've both done well though, fellas.'

-Well, I'm actually quite pleased.

-Shall we go together?

-Yeah, go on.

-Uno.

-Dos.

-Tres.

-Oh, nearly dropped it.

Ah, there's a shock, we both bought pots!

-Look! Has yours got anything in it?

-No.

-Maybe a...

-Cheers, Philip.

-Yeah, good health, mate.

-It's been emotional.

-Yeah, wicked.

Well, it's the result time. Who has the best eye?

Let me see. Well, quite honestly, that is a bargain.

That's a teapot you could use today.

And that is actually hand-decorated, that's not a transfer.

That's not bad, actually, for £1. That's very usable.

And for £3.50, well, actually, this is Brannam, look.

We've seen that on the show before. It's from Barnstaple. It's all in the clay.

Down in the West Country. That is nicely thrown.

Architecturally, it's a good height. I like the strap handle.

You know, a lot of traditional country skills going on there,

and it's really true to the principles of hand-thrown pottery.

It's a good contemporary colour, as well.

I think, if you had to sell these, that one would turn the best profit.

'Congratulations, Will.

'I estimated his tankard at £30 to £50.

'And Philip's teapot at £20 to £30.

'Proof positive that Flog It's finest aren't as good as you at spotting bargains at car-boot sales.

'If you're hunting for bargains, there's something you need to be wary of,

'especially if you're parting with serious cash.'

-They're all from car-boot sales and they're all different prices.

-Really?

-Yes.

I was frightfully excited when I looked into your bag and saw this.

I thought this is item of the day on Flog It.

Erm, it's silver. It's Russian.

It purports to be 1884.

-And it's fake.

-Oh, no! THEY LAUGH

'The business of faking is very lucrative. It goes back centuries.

'It covers high-end items made by real craftsmen to mass-produced Chinese fakes.

'Quite a few forgeries have crossed the Flog It tables over the years,

'and it's been our experts' unenviable task

'to break the bad news.'

This one is the cheeky fake.

-Made in brass.

-OK.

There are an awful lot of fakes on the market.

That's the only thing that's going against it.

Because Blue John is so sought after, they're faking it.

'So, what can you do to protect yourself?

'When you're buying from a reputable dealer or auction house, check the description and provenance.

'If you discover you've bought a fake when you get home,

'you're well within your rights to return the item.

'It's a different story when you're at a car-boot sale, though.

'If you're thinking of parting with serious cash,

'how can you make sure you're not buying a fake?

'There are some things to look out for to give yourself a fighting chance.

'Forged gold and silver items are rife on the market.

'Fakes are made from base metals that have been gilded or silvered

'and given false hallmarks.

'When buying precious metals, look out for crisp hallmarks.

'Forged ones tend to have a softer outline

'as they've been stamped with a brass punch

'rather than the hard steel ones used by the assay offices.

'Gen up on where the marks should appear on a piece.

'Forgers often put them in the wrong place.

'And if you've got a silver item in several pieces,

'make sure all of them bear the same hallmark.

'And if you're buying coins made from precious metal, James has a word of advice.'

If a gold coin is the right size,

a fake will be too light.

-But if it's the right weight, a fake will be too big.

-OK.

That one is the right size and the right weight. So that's good.

'Another collectable that's a favourite with our Flog It audience is good old Clarice Cliff.

'And it's Clarice's very popularity which makes her a target for forgers.

'So, how can you tell if your Art Deco ceramic is the genuine article?'

The style of the pottery, the glaze and everything, it's absolutely right.

It's got this lovely yellowish tinge to the glaze on the underside,

which is typical of a right piece.

'You should also check the weight of your Clarice Cliff.

'Fakes often feel too heavy or light.

'No matter what you're collecting, the best way to make sure you don't get stung

'is by taking time to research and get to know the genuine article.

'Good luck next time you're scouring the sales for bargains.

'And if you do get taken by a fake,

'chalk it up to an experience and remember that it happens to the best of us.

'As we've seen on the show, if you want to bag a car-boot bargain,

'remember - the early bird gets the worm.

'And if you keep your wits about you, you might just find an overlooked bit of booty

'or, at best, a genuine hidden treasure.'

See you again soon for many more Trade Secrets.