0:00:04 > 0:00:08There are so many antiques and collectables out there,
0:00:08 > 0:00:10so how do you see the wood from the trees
0:00:10 > 0:00:12and track down those treasures?
0:00:15 > 0:00:17I want to share some of the knowledge we have picked up
0:00:17 > 0:00:20over the last 11 years of filming Flog It!
0:00:20 > 0:00:24That's hundreds of programmes under our belt, and many thousands of your
0:00:24 > 0:00:27antiques and collectables sold under the hammer.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30There's a whole world of trade secrets out there for you to know.
0:00:58 > 0:01:03In today's Trade Secrets, we're exploring the appeal of Victoriana.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05You bring along to our Flog It valuation days
0:01:05 > 0:01:08more items relating to the Victorian era
0:01:08 > 0:01:11than any other period in our design history.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15Queen Victoria was on the throne from 1837 until 1901.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And everything designed in that period
0:01:18 > 0:01:21has come to be known as Victoriana.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Coming up, our experts offer tips on the good...
0:01:26 > 0:01:28The wackier the better.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31This is probably one of the first photocopiers.
0:01:31 > 0:01:32..the bad...
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Some people wonder why we were getting so excited about this
0:01:36 > 0:01:38little pile of ugly shells.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41..and the ugly of Victorian taste.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43This is the most bizarre thing I've ever seen!
0:01:43 > 0:01:45And sparks fly for Adam.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Oh, you clever boy!
0:01:52 > 0:01:55The opening up of the world during the 19th century fuelled
0:01:55 > 0:01:59the Victorians' thirst for knowledge, and many of the items
0:01:59 > 0:02:02that you bring along to our valuation day from that period
0:02:02 > 0:02:05reflect their interest in new discoveries.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08The world, it seemed, was opening up to everybody.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11But they also liked their strange and their quirky.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22Odd things can be collectable, because most collectors are odd.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27You've got to love Victoriana, you've got to love its eccentricity.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28The wackier the better,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32and don't be frightened to have a go if you see something cheap.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Pick it up, go home, have a bit of fun, do some research,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38you might find something which is valuable, you might not,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40but it'll still be a lovely object to look at.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46And here are some of the most intriguing Victorian items
0:02:46 > 0:02:48you have brought in to show us,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52starting with one of my and auctioneer Elizabeth Talbot's
0:02:52 > 0:02:53personal favourites.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57The shell house was lovely for lots and lots of reasons,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01partly because, erm, it was evocative of a time
0:03:01 > 0:03:06when the people of this country loved follies and grottos
0:03:06 > 0:03:07and fairy stories
0:03:07 > 0:03:11and everything which was kind of far removed from "real life".
0:03:11 > 0:03:16- I've had it 58 years. - 58 years, OK.- Yes.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18And before that, that was my grandfather's.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- Don't you think it's amazing? - I do, I do think it's amazing.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Must have taken hours and hours...
0:03:23 > 0:03:26- I haven't seen nothing like it before in my life.- ..to do!
0:03:26 > 0:03:29It's brilliant, it's absolutely brilliant.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33This is definitely late Victorian, sort of around about 1880-1890.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Shell houses are not uncommon as an item of Victoriana, but they
0:03:37 > 0:03:40are increasingly rare in terms of turning up on the market,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43so to have one brought in by a gentleman who'd known it
0:03:43 > 0:03:47for several generations in his family was just a magical moment.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50It was just one of those sort of exciting times.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53- It's brilliant, look at the turrets as well!- Yes, yes.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56D'you know, I love this. So what d'you think of the value?
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Come on, how much?
0:03:58 > 0:04:04- 200-300.- Has someone told you that? - No, no, nobody's told me.
0:04:04 > 0:04:05Well, you're spot on.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07I think this is going to find a home with a collector.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11- It could go in a museum of curios, that's for sure.- Yes.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13People who collect Victoriana or who are interested in
0:04:13 > 0:04:15the ways of life of the 19th century,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18it would have been a very tangible,
0:04:18 > 0:04:23evocative summary of what was going on in the mid-1800s, and
0:04:23 > 0:04:27therefore I think a collector would get very excited about that object.
0:04:29 > 0:04:34110, 120, 130, 140, 150,
0:04:34 > 0:04:38- 160, 170, 180... - Come on, we're getting there.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40..190, 200. Are you sure?
0:04:40 > 0:04:42It's back with me at £200 now.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46At £200 only, 210, 220.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Are you all done at 220?
0:04:51 > 0:04:54- It's gone. - Well, that was satisfying.
0:04:54 > 0:04:55We put a reserve on for 200, didn't we?
0:04:55 > 0:04:57- You're happy, aren't you?- I'm happy.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00It splits and divides the audience.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Some people will think it's charming and some people will wonder why
0:05:03 > 0:05:07we're getting so excited about this little pile of ugly shells,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10so I was pleased with the £220 result.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Christina Trevanion also came across an oddity which told her so much
0:05:17 > 0:05:20about the Victorians' preoccupations.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25This is the most bizarre thing I've ever seen!
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Robin and Kathleen's egg was just wacky, wasn't it?
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Completely and utterly nuts in a way.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34I mean, it was just so sort of surreally, wonderfully Victorian
0:05:34 > 0:05:37that it just couldn't have been made in any other period of time.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39- It's an epergne, isn't it?- Yes.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42It was made to accommodate some sort of floral things
0:05:42 > 0:05:44out of these trumpets here.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46In a dining room, your epergne would be down
0:05:46 > 0:05:50the middle of your dining table, and you would have sugared fruits,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53you may have flowers, little sweetmeats in there.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56It's obviously Australian connotations.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59It's got this wonderful emu's egg here which is carved with
0:05:59 > 0:06:02a kangaroo and an emu, like the figures on the base.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06And then it's raised on this rather fantastic central leafy palm tree
0:06:06 > 0:06:08that we've got here.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10You went to church, you believed in God,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Darwin comes along in 1859
0:06:13 > 0:06:16and publishes his Origin of the Species, and he says,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18"Actually, you know, we're not related to Adam and Eve,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20"God didn't make everything.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22"We came from these very simple forms."
0:06:22 > 0:06:25So not only are Victorians having their boundaries pushed
0:06:25 > 0:06:27with regards to where they came from,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30but they're also seeing these wonderful, exotic creatures
0:06:30 > 0:06:33that they've never seen before, and that was real revolutionary stuff
0:06:33 > 0:06:36back there and something that we completely take for granted today.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40You've got these sort of vaseline glass trumpets here.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43These are particularly well made, they're wonderful,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47with this crimped rim here. And also this trail glass detail here.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50If you wanted to identify original uranium glass,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53you would stick it under a UV lamp or use a UV lamp,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55and it should glow,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58cos, of course, everyone carries a UV lamp around in their handbag(!)
0:06:58 > 0:07:00I'm slightly wondering
0:07:00 > 0:07:04whether these maybe were added to it when it was in this country.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- Oh, right.- And maybe they've mounted this at a slightly later date
0:07:08 > 0:07:09because it was such a curiosity.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12The Victorians were really into their curiosities
0:07:12 > 0:07:14and their rather wacky things.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18I think it would be a bit of an acquired taste, shall we say,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21erm, to put it politely, at auction.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24We might be looking somewhere in the region of £100-£200.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26I mean, it could well make an awful lot more.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31The bidders were clearly taken with this eggy oddity.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33320, on the book at 320.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Against you online, make no mistake, the bid is with me at 320.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Any interest in the room?
0:07:40 > 0:07:42340, back in online. 340.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46360, still here with me, 360. 360.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48380, may I say?
0:07:48 > 0:07:50At £360 I am bid.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55On the book at 360, selling against you online, all happy.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58At £360...
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Fantastic. Well done.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05It just shows you, quirky sells, especially if people also like
0:08:05 > 0:08:07the story that goes along with it.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12And Anita found an item which I can safely say
0:08:12 > 0:08:14I had never seen before on Flog It!
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Now, the Victorians loved inventions.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21They would invent at the drop of a hat.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Everyone was an inventor!
0:08:23 > 0:08:27- It's a very useful object if you lived in Victorian times.- True.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32- This is probably one of the first photocopiers.- Yes.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37This desk set was interesting in that it had the added element
0:08:37 > 0:08:39of being a printer.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Now, I hadn't seen anything like that before.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43If we look inside...
0:08:44 > 0:08:48..we see our instructions for copying.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Our book is placed in here,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54copying ink, our blank paper.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56We close the drawer...
0:08:58 > 0:09:04- ..and we operate this screw which will press the book down...- Uh-huh.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08..and copy whatever it is you want to copy.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Victorians lived in a time of great change.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16Great change brings problems so the Victorians were big problem solvers,
0:09:16 > 0:09:21and I'm sure that this little copier would have helped
0:09:21 > 0:09:25a gentleman in his, say, personal business.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30The interesting thing about it is that we have a maker's name,
0:09:30 > 0:09:34and if we look inside again,
0:09:34 > 0:09:40we can see that it was made by S Mordan & Co.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Sampson Mordan had made the copier
0:09:42 > 0:09:46and Sampson Mordan were famous for making pencils.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51Mordan & Co were famous for their propelling pencils.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54They were the first people to make propelling pencils,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57- and these are highly collectable. - Mm-hm.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00There's a wee joke in here, Geoff!
0:10:00 > 0:10:02THEY LAUGH
0:10:02 > 0:10:05When Geoff and I opened the little front compartment
0:10:05 > 0:10:08we found this... Well, I thought it was an old screw.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11In the drawer is a propelling pencil!
0:10:11 > 0:10:16Er, not made by Mordan but by Nettlefords.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20So, getting two things for the price of one here, really.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Your bottles are still in reasonable condition.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30- Now, I would put it in the region of, say, £30-40.- Yes.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34- Would you be happy to sell it at that?- Definitely.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37A really lovely, affordable piece,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40but did anyone want a bit of Victorian past
0:10:40 > 0:10:42going for a song at auction?
0:10:42 > 0:10:44£50 for this, 50, 30?
0:10:44 > 0:10:4930 bid, 30 bid, 30 bid, 30 bid, who's going on? At 30 bid.
0:10:49 > 0:10:5335, 40, 5, 50, 5,
0:10:53 > 0:10:5860, 5, 70, 5, 80, 5, 90.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00£90 standing. £90.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Any advance on £90?
0:11:03 > 0:11:06That's more like it, that's more like it!
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Victorian objects in their diversity,
0:11:11 > 0:11:16in their eccentricity, are, I still think, great buys.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Here is a good tip. Look for a patent number
0:11:19 > 0:11:22on your object. It is a great way of dating,
0:11:22 > 0:11:27and finding out more about an unusual Victorian device.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30We love it when you've done some research.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33When Lynette visited us in 2009,
0:11:33 > 0:11:38she knew as much about her object as Adam Partridge. Well, almost.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42- It demonstrates electricity.- Right. - And if you notice there,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45this is aluminium. I think it was discovered in the 1800s.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49- Aluminium was?- Yeah, they found out very soon that, as well making
0:11:49 > 0:11:52aluminium saucepans, it conducts electricity.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56Lynette had clearly done her homework on her Wimshurst machine.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58I don't think she knew what it was called, but she knew
0:11:58 > 0:12:02how it worked, which was quite pleasing for me, because it saves me
0:12:02 > 0:12:05trying to explain how it works. Whilst I am interested in all these
0:12:05 > 0:12:08quirky things, the mechanical side of things absolutely mystifies me.
0:12:08 > 0:12:14Thee is a handle here and this goes round and, then,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18- you know Frankenstein?- Yeah. - When the electricity went zzzzt!
0:12:18 > 0:12:23- Yeah.- Like your tie. Then, this arcs here, so it show the students
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- how electricity was conducted. - Were you a science teacher, Lynette?
0:12:26 > 0:12:30No. I did come... I did come first in science,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33- many years ago.- Oh, did you? - When I was a girl, yeah.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35So, it's called a Wimshurst machine.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37I never knew that.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42- The inventor was a chap called James Wimshurst.- Oh.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45And it was invented between 1880 and 1883.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48'So, there was a great interest in science and the development'
0:12:48 > 0:12:52of technology and I can imagine this Wimshurst machine,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55which would now be a quirky talking point, a sculptural, kind of,
0:12:55 > 0:13:00object being used 100 years ago to demonstrate electricity
0:13:00 > 0:13:03to classes of eager children and the next generation of inventors.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07So this is going to be Victorian, typical Victorian contraption,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11- really.- Yes, do you think anybody would want to buy it?
0:13:11 > 0:13:15I think they would. They're generally making from £50-£200.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18- Really?- Yes.- Oh, I'd like the £200. - Me too.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20And it's not out of the question.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23The Wimshurst machine is relatively rare.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28I've only ever seen three or four in 20 years of auctioneering,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31but it's the sort of thing that, once you see, you don't forget it.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Well, I certainly wouldn't anyway.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Once you've seen one of those, next time you see one you think,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38yes, I know what that is, I've seen one before.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44- We can start at £90. - Oh, you are clever!
0:13:44 > 0:13:45At £90.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Do I see 95 in the room anywhere?
0:13:48 > 0:13:53- 95, 100. 110 anywhere? - Oh, you clever boy.- 130.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58No-one. 120 on a commission bid. 130 anywhere else? At £120.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02At £120, all done?
0:14:03 > 0:14:06- That's £120.- Excellent.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12I love it when we can keep the Flog It! customers satisfied.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15I would love to know who bought the Wimshurst machine
0:14:15 > 0:14:17because of course it's not practical,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20it's not functional, it's not even that decorative to most people.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22You can't put flowers in it, you can't eat off it,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24you can't hang it on the wall.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28So it's solely an item to use to show other people, to demonstrate,
0:14:28 > 0:14:32to play with, perhaps even as an educational device.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34So I'd be really curious to know who bought that.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Nevertheless, people do love Victorian instruments
0:14:37 > 0:14:42because they speak to us of great scientific endeavours of the times.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45If you find one, blow off the dust
0:14:45 > 0:14:49and do a bit of research like Lynette, to see what you've got.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52And here are some more tips.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Look out for odd or unusual Victorian pieces.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00Chances are someone else will find it intriguing too
0:15:00 > 0:15:02as a window into Victorian taste.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06Victorians loved their marks and manufacturer's labels,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09so if you find a gadget, these should give you
0:15:09 > 0:15:12a good starting point to do some more research.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15There is a very buoyant market for collecting
0:15:15 > 0:15:17scientific instruments and gadgets.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20This rare mechanical cometarium,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23designed to show the movement of a comet around the sun
0:15:23 > 0:15:27was recently sold at auction for over £39,000.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30So don't overlook those curiosities.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33They can give us an insight into a time in Britain
0:15:33 > 0:15:36when innovation was the name of the game.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Adam's love of gadgets is reflected in his own collection.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44People often laugh at me for a variety of things
0:15:44 > 0:15:46and a lot of people laugh at me
0:15:46 > 0:15:50because I've got a collection of these curious little teapots here.
0:15:50 > 0:15:56In the 1880s, there was a Mr William Royle, from the North West,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00who went to friends for tea once and noticed the lady of the house
0:16:00 > 0:16:04struggling to lift the great big Victorian teapot full of tea.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06So he thought, I'm going
0:16:06 > 0:16:09to invent something to get around this problem.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11So he invented one of these.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14It's called a Royle's self-pouring teapot.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17A great example of the Victorian wacky inventor
0:16:17 > 0:16:20inventing something that really didn't need inventing.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23The idea of it is you place your cup and saucer
0:16:23 > 0:16:26under the spout here, you lift this bit here.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30And then you push it down again and it dispenses an exact cup
0:16:30 > 0:16:35of tea from the spout without you having to lift the teapot, thereby
0:16:35 > 0:16:40saving the repetitive strain injury to the Victorian ladies' wrists.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42I collect them because I think
0:16:42 > 0:16:45they are rather aesthetically pleasing
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and I like anything that's unusual, quirky,
0:16:48 > 0:16:52and these patents that really didn't need to be invented.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Some of them can be quite expensive, but if I see one and it's affordable
0:16:56 > 0:16:59and I haven't got the same model, I'm probably going to buy it.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06There are some things that seem to us
0:17:06 > 0:17:08to really embody the Victorian style.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12On Flog It! we see quite a few fancy epergnes
0:17:12 > 0:17:16and centrepieces and other highly decorative ornaments.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19But do these things really reflect the way the Victorians lived
0:17:19 > 0:17:21during the latter part of the 19th century?
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Well, David Fletcher went to find out.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29We all know what row and rows of Victorian houses
0:17:29 > 0:17:31look like from the outside.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35But do we know how people really furnished and lived in them?
0:17:35 > 0:17:39The Panacea Museum in David's home town of Bedford is a house
0:17:39 > 0:17:41that's a time capsule of the period
0:17:41 > 0:17:45and which offers a snapshot of one family's life there.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48- Hello, David.- Hi, Janet, good to see you again.
0:17:48 > 0:17:49Every time I come to this house,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53I marvel at this encaustic tile floor here.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56- And of course, the arch. - Our very grand arch.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59It's a modest house, but a most amazing arch,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03- it's a real eye-catcher. - And that's just a taste of what's to come inside.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Jolly good, lead on.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Now, Gemma, I've been to this house two or three times before
0:18:18 > 0:18:22and one of the things I love most about it is it enables us
0:18:22 > 0:18:26to put Victorian furniture and Victorian objects in a context.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29This table here, I've sold hundreds of these in my time,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33but I don't think I've ever actually seen one in its context.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Yes, we've got this wonderful table, which is good to see in context.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40We've also got a piano, a typical asset of the Victorian house,
0:18:40 > 0:18:42which the children would have used and a writing desk
0:18:42 > 0:18:45which perhaps would have been used by the gentleman of the house.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47What sort of family were they?
0:18:47 > 0:18:49We've got some wonderful photos
0:18:49 > 0:18:51of the Barltrop family living in this house.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55They were a fairly typical conservative, educated,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58and I would say broadly middle-class family.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Arthur Barltrop was a priest.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03They had four children - three sons and a daughter.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Also Mabel Barltrop's elderly aunts lived with them,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08which wasn't uncommon.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11They would have had between one and three servants,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13we're not sure, but certainly some help.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16The children attended the local Bedford schools.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Mabel was involved in her husband's work in the church.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22She did a lot of charity work and she would have wanted
0:19:22 > 0:19:26people to come in to see her home, to see her place in society.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Where d'you think these Japanese vases might have been bought?
0:19:29 > 0:19:32These could have been a considered purchase by the lady of the house.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36This would have been perhaps not from Bedford, maybe a day trip
0:19:36 > 0:19:39to London, a little luxury, a treat for the woman of the house.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Many of the possessions in this room would have either been
0:19:42 > 0:19:46an aspirational purchase or perhaps a gift from someone's travels.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49So the Victorians, yes, a real eclectic mix.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53But next door, where the Barltrops would have done their entertaining,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56we've got some far more impressive furniture to look at.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- So if you'd like to lead the way. - I'll lead on.- Thank you.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Home was very important to Victorians.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11They defined spaces within their homes as public spaces,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13private spaces, shared spaces.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Some rooms only had one purpose,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17other rooms had more than one purpose.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19It's quite a complex thing,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23but the home was definitely very important
0:20:23 > 0:20:27in the average Victorian middle-class person's life.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34This is obviously the dining room. And this is a public room.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35Very much a public room.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38This would have been a space for entertaining and your guests
0:20:38 > 0:20:41would have been in here for quite a while to sit down for a meal.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45I think it's noticeable that the furniture in here is grander than in the rest of the house.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48I think there is an element of showing off in that, really,
0:20:48 > 0:20:50that this is what they wanted people to see.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55Talking about showing off, I love this overmantel arrangement here.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59Three tiers of shelves, it just goes on and on and on.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02I know the Victorians used to think that
0:21:02 > 0:21:08if your overmantel was wider than it was high, it was rather coarse.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12If it was higher than it was wide, it was very grand.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20What's interesting is that this house,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24though not terribly affluent and grand, might have had some features
0:21:24 > 0:21:26that an older, grander house might not have had.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30So upstairs plumbing, you could have found in a fairly modest house
0:21:30 > 0:21:33like this, but not in a grand house built 20 years before.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37- Getting down to the nitty-gritty, a loo that flushed!- Exactly.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40- And was indoors. - Something to show off to your guests.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44While ordinary Victorians were busy keeping up appearances,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46there was a tiny section of high society
0:21:46 > 0:21:49who could really flirt with their own fancies.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53David popped around the corner to the Higgins Museum
0:21:53 > 0:21:55to admire the work of William Burges,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58a maverick designer of the day.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05It's pretty obvious, Tom, that this is not mainstream stuff.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08There's so much going on, we have Pre-Raphaelite style painting,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12you have a glass inserts, you have mirrored effects, you even
0:22:12 > 0:22:17have what looks like Arabic trellis work in some of these pieces.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21He wasn't afraid to mix and match elements from different periods.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24The key thing is that Burges was influenced by medieval furniture,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26but particularly the way, as he described it,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28it spoke and told a story.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30For instance, in the washstand, that we have here,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33we have the legend of Narcissus.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36The bed tells the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Presumably the public didn't have access to these houses,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43so they wouldn't have been familiar with what Burges was doing.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Is that right?
0:22:45 > 0:22:48It wouldn't have been possible for the average person to have seen it.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50This really was at the extreme end of a Victorian design
0:22:50 > 0:22:53and not the sort of thing that would have been accessible or even
0:22:53 > 0:22:56wanted or desired by most people.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09I think what we're saying is, you can't nail the Victorians down.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13There's no such thing as the Victorian style, is there?
0:23:13 > 0:23:14That's exactly right.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17I think people have this idea of what Victorian style
0:23:17 > 0:23:20and Victorian design is like, but you come across someone
0:23:20 > 0:23:23like William Burges, idiosyncratic, unique, really.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27I think that's a good way of describing him, as a unique designer.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Three tips if you are thinking about buying Victorian objects
0:23:35 > 0:23:37and furniture.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Firstly, scour your local saleroom, your local antique centres,
0:23:40 > 0:23:42your local car-boot sales.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45There are thousands of items of Victoriana out there
0:23:45 > 0:23:48waiting for you to own them.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Secondly, visit the sort of house I visited today.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52They are all over the place.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56You can find them, go to them and learn from them.
0:23:56 > 0:24:02Thirdly, get to learn about design and designers.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Who knows, you one day might find a piece of work by Burges,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07a piece of jewellery perhaps.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Unless you know what his stuff looks like,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12you won't know what you're looking at.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17As we've heard, the Victorians were great innovators, and a lot
0:24:17 > 0:24:21of modern technology has its roots in 19th-century inventions.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Elizabeth Talbot loves a good gadget, so she was delighted
0:24:24 > 0:24:30to meet up with Pete and Ben at a valuation day near Windsor in 2011.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32- Hello, Pete. Hello, Ben.- Hello.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- I understand you must be on half term this week.- Yes, I am.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38- So you've come along with your grandfather.- Yes.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42To produce for us today...this.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45The photograph was in an oak box, and on the side
0:24:45 > 0:24:51of it, there was some wax discs, or tubes, which it plays on.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53But we never actually put any on because I was
0:24:53 > 0:24:55frightened of breaking the machine.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57My dad said he could remember listening to this,
0:24:57 > 0:25:01- but we just couldn't find the horn. - Ah, the horn.- That was a shame.
0:25:01 > 0:25:02That is a shame.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Now, phonographs were invented in 1887 by Thomas Edison.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09He was an American. You know what the original usage of these was?
0:25:09 > 0:25:11- No.- No.- No?
0:25:11 > 0:25:15It was originally intended to capture dictated human voice
0:25:15 > 0:25:18so that it could be played back in office use, basically.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Like early Dictaphones.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23They would record on these very delicate wax discs.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26By the early 1900s, they were used for home
0:25:26 > 0:25:31entertainment for playing favourite music hall songs
0:25:31 > 0:25:32and classical pieces
0:25:32 > 0:25:35and perhaps a bit of human voice that was recorded as well.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37When we spoke to Elizabeth on the table,
0:25:37 > 0:25:42she happened to mention that the phonograph that I had was a red one,
0:25:42 > 0:25:47which she said was quite rare, because most of them were black.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49So she said this might be a good one.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51It was called a Maroon Gem.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55And its little horn, which you possibly imagine being brass,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- was also maroon coloured. - Oh, that would have been nice.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00It would have been nice, wouldn't it?
0:26:00 > 0:26:03I have seen them with horns sell for as much as £300,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05but I think to be realistic on this occasion,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09it's in very good condition, so that counts for it.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12But I think we need to be looking at about £100-£150 as an estimate.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14That's nice.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20What can I say? £100 for it, please, to start. 100.
0:26:20 > 0:26:2380 if you like, I don't mind.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Of course, when we actually went to the auction,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27there were two telephone bidders.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29And of course, that put the price right up.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31130 now. 140.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34150. 160.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38- Battling it out with the commission bidder.- 170. 180.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43- This is more like it.- 190. 200 now.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46It was unbelievable really, and I looked at Paul's face
0:26:46 > 0:26:49and Elizabeth's face, and they couldn't believe it either.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51So, they were well pleased.
0:26:51 > 0:26:5520. 240.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58260. 280.
0:27:01 > 0:27:07280, telephones out. £280, against you in the room. All done?
0:27:08 > 0:27:11The hammer went down at £280
0:27:11 > 0:27:13and I was well impressed.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18I thought, oh, what can I do with all this money? My grandson had an idea.
0:27:18 > 0:27:25A couple of years later, Pete helped grandson Ben achieve his dream.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Hi, my name is Ben Hindle, I'm Pete's grandson
0:27:27 > 0:27:29and this is my Demo 8 downhill bike.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34- # I want to ride my... - Bicycle, bicycle... #
0:27:34 > 0:27:38He had a BMX bike before and he wanted an upgrade which he
0:27:38 > 0:27:41wanted to do all the tricks boys wanted to do.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45# Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle
0:27:45 > 0:27:48# I want to ride my bicycle... #
0:27:48 > 0:27:51I thought I'd only get between 80 and 100 if I was lucky.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55But luckily, somebody wanted it more than I thought it was worth.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57And eventually it went to 280,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01so, you don't really know what's in your loft and how much it's worth.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06That bike might be a world away from the model the Victorians
0:28:06 > 0:28:09would have recognised.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14But how appropriate that Ben went for something invented by them.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17So, if, like the Victorians, you love flamboyance,
0:28:17 > 0:28:21you appreciate inventiveness, and you want to make a statement, I hope
0:28:21 > 0:28:28we've shown you that you can't beat Victoriana in all its varied glory.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32If, like Pete and Ben, you want to turn an unwanted antique
0:28:32 > 0:28:34or collectable into some instant ready cash,
0:28:34 > 0:28:37then bring it along to one of our valuation days.
0:28:37 > 0:28:38Well, that's it for today,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41join me again soon for more Trade Secrets.