0:00:01 > 0:00:04PAUL MARTIN: Over the last 10 years on 'Flog It!',
0:00:04 > 0:00:05we've valued thousands of your items
0:00:05 > 0:00:08and we've helped to sell around £1 million worth
0:00:08 > 0:00:10of antiques and collectables.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14so it comes as no surprise that we can offer you
0:00:14 > 0:00:17the inside track on buying and selling.
0:00:17 > 0:00:18Welcome to Trade Secrets.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Now, often on the show, we encounter items that are rather intriguing
0:00:50 > 0:00:52because of their size.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Well, today's programme is dedicated to the antiques that are small
0:00:56 > 0:01:00but perfectly formed and the big and the beautiful.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Coming up on Trade Secrets,
0:01:03 > 0:01:08Charlie has trouble pinning down the proportions of a vast collection.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11- There must be 300, 400 of them. - Just over 400.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14- You've counted them all, have you? - 427.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Philip makes a big prediction.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19These things are flavour of the month at the minute.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22They could absolutely fly through the top estimate.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24And we catch up with Janet,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27whose sale of a small item made a big impact.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31- Fantastic. £420.- Oh, that's fabulous!
0:01:31 > 0:01:33I'm so pleased for you and it's going to a good cause.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Oh, it is. Yeah.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Buying and selling little and large objects has its own challenges
0:01:43 > 0:01:47and here's our experts' advice on what to take note of.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50In this business, what you don't want is ordinary.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53You either want things very big or very small.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56You really want to be looking at items that are difficult to make.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59For example, ceramics or glass.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02People still like a large painting.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05Perhaps it saves them painting the wall
0:02:05 > 0:02:09if you can hang up a large painting, even if it dominates a room.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13The very nature of 'Flog It!', where you bring your unwanted
0:02:13 > 0:02:18antiques along to our valuation days means we don't see that any large
0:02:18 > 0:02:21items because they can prove too difficult to transport.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24But when they do turn up, our experts generally know
0:02:24 > 0:02:26if they are looking at something special.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31When a large chunk of aeronautical history fell to
0:02:31 > 0:02:34earth at our valuation day at Stockport, Philip was left
0:02:34 > 0:02:37struggling for superlatives.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39I think this is just such a fabulous thing.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43What I love about it, it's just such a fantastic piece of sculpture
0:02:43 > 0:02:48and it's got this copper sheath on there that protects the leading edge
0:02:48 > 0:02:50as this goes round and round.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53They are what I call great study accessories.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56You find a lot of them that are cut off here and here.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00You have barometers or you have clocks that are inset into here.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02- Yeah.- I think that ruins them.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04People want things that can decorate a room,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08so oversized objects, perhaps like a propeller,
0:03:08 > 0:03:13it just then becomes a statement piece and it doesn't get lost.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16So you've got a plain white wall with that on it
0:03:16 > 0:03:17and it becomes a statement.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Can we turn it over?
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Because very often, you will find impressed into it
0:03:25 > 0:03:28either a manufacturer's stamp or what it's off.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31This is really helpful cos there's nothing here at all, is there?
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- No.- I mean, have you done some research on it?
0:03:34 > 0:03:38I was told it was from either a Tiger Moth or a Gipsy Moth.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41I think the Gipsy Moth preceded the Tiger Moth.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Are they '30s biplanes?
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Yeah, 1930, 1931 biplane.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48If we put £800-£1200 as an estimate,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51how do you feel about a £750 reserve on it?
0:03:51 > 0:03:52- Yeah, that's fine. Yeah.- OK.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57So we'll have a feature reserve of £750 and an estimate of £800-£1200.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59- OK?- Yep.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00All that aeronautica, you know,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04it isn't an area of collecting that's over 150 years old
0:04:04 > 0:04:06cos we didn't have planes that length of time ago, so it's
0:04:06 > 0:04:11relatively modern and as such I think it's going to grow and grow and grow.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13In fact, it could take off.
0:04:13 > 0:04:19AUCTIONEER: 740, 760, 780...
0:04:19 > 0:04:23760 is the bid. At £760.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28Any further interest on this at 760? The propeller.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Away now at 760. All done.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36- Yes, he's sold it. - Brilliant.- Only just.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39The important thing about selling any antique is that provenance,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42it's the details, the history, it's everything that goes with it.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45In this instance, we simply didn't have that provenance.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51Large novelty items can make a stir and if they have documented history,
0:04:51 > 0:04:53prices can really soar.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01On 'Flog It!', we often find it's not the size of individual items
0:05:01 > 0:05:06that's impressive but the scale and diversity of a collection.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10And those huge collections sometimes pose interesting challenges
0:05:10 > 0:05:14for our experts as Charlie discovered in Tunbridge Wells.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I have never seen so many hatpins.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21There must be 300, 400 of them.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24- Just over 400.- You've counted them all, have you?- 427.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29I think it's an extraordinary mix of hatpins. There are some good ones.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33- Yeah.- There are some dreadful ones. There are some medium ones.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35But all of them have got an interest.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37If you've got a collection of anything,
0:05:37 > 0:05:43go through every single item and what do you look for? Quality.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48I've pulled a couple out here by Charles Horner who
0:05:48 > 0:05:52- we could describe as the doyen of hatpin makers.- Right.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54If you look very carefully,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- signed CH into the silver.- Yes.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01The Charles Horner ones have 'CH' on them so you know he made them.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04So you can easily spot the ones
0:06:04 > 0:06:07that are of a different quality to the others.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12Now, these would have an individual value, I would hope 30, 40, £50.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13Right.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17- We've got some other ones of his which aren't gem-set.- Yes.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21We then, looking around here, have got a rare eclectic mix
0:06:21 > 0:06:24but I think there are one or two that one could say
0:06:24 > 0:06:27are quite collectable for collectors
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- because they're interestingly different.- Yes.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Do you wheedle out the good ones and sell them individually,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38thereby you think maximising the price of the good ones,
0:06:38 > 0:06:43but risking underselling the less good ones?
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Or do you put them in as one collection?
0:06:46 > 0:06:51- I think the Charles Horners need to go in pairs.- Right.- All in pairs.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56My view is between £500 and £800 is about where we're we to be going.
0:06:56 > 0:06:57Right.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59- I will speak to the auctioneer.- Yes.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02And between us, we will sort out the best way to sell these.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04- I don't think they should be sold as one lot.- No.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07I'm quite adamant about that.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Charlie and the auctioneer carved up the collection into ten lots
0:07:10 > 0:07:16and they bumped up the estimate to between £800 and £1,000.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18We need about £110 for each of them.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23AUCTIONEER: 110 is bid. 120. Any bids at 130? No. At 120.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Yes. Hammer's gone down. That's a great start. 120.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28It's a good start because they weren't the best.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30No, they weren't. The best is yet to come.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Two silver hatpins by Charles Horner.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39110 there on the telephone. Any further bids, then, at £110?
0:07:39 > 0:07:40HE BANGS HAMMER
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Yes. Hammer has gone down. Second lot now. £230.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48The hatpins had pricked the interest of plenty of punters and
0:07:48 > 0:07:53eight exciting lots later, Claire had amassed a nice little nest egg.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Yes! £950. What are you going to put it towards?
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Oh, hadn't thought about it because I didn't know if they'd sell.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Charles Horner produced exquisite work in silver
0:08:02 > 0:08:04and in particular in enamels as well.
0:08:04 > 0:08:09If you get a combination of Charles Horner's work in silver and enamel,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11then you've really got the tote double, frankly.
0:08:11 > 0:08:17With large collections, it's really important to find the quality items
0:08:17 > 0:08:20and remember, if it has an initial, stamp or a signature,
0:08:20 > 0:08:22it's likely to be more valuable.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29A collection of a very different kind held some intriguingly large
0:08:29 > 0:08:31surprises for Elizabeth.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34- Is this some of your inheritance, Beryl?- Yes.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39They belonged to my aunt and she emigrated and went to Canada
0:08:39 > 0:08:41and she left those behind.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42There were so many.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46It was a impressive collection of unadulterated silks.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Unusually, not just one or two large ones
0:08:49 > 0:08:52but several large ones within that collection, and that,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56for someone who sees cigarette cards and silks quite regularly,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58was an impressive element
0:08:58 > 0:09:01which just added that certain something to the whole.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05They were issued by the cigarette manufacturer Godfrey Phillips
0:09:05 > 0:09:09and most of them will have been produced between 1910 and 1915.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13We think as modern 21st century beings that to collect something
0:09:13 > 0:09:19in cereal packets or teaboxes or something is a new element.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21We've found something that's quite intriguing.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23It's been going on for generations
0:09:23 > 0:09:28and the early commercial minds of the cigarette manufacturers were quite
0:09:28 > 0:09:32quick to latch on to the fact that that was a very useful tool to
0:09:32 > 0:09:34encourage people to buy their cigarettes
0:09:34 > 0:09:36over and above a competitor's.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39The larger ones will have been issued with large packets of cigarettes.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Must have been very large packets of cigarettes.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43These are more standard size for cigarette cards
0:09:43 > 0:09:45and they are on silk.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47They are transfer printed
0:09:47 > 0:09:51but what I'm fascinated with in your case is that A, you have so many
0:09:51 > 0:09:54together, particularly the larger ones because they are the rarer.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57But you also have a lot of them which are in very good condition.
0:09:57 > 0:10:03Beryl was unknowingly very astute because she had kept them flat
0:10:03 > 0:10:06and she'd kept them wrapped nicely in paper,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08not in anything plastic that would sweat.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10She kept them out of the light
0:10:10 > 0:10:13and she'd obviously just not moved them for years.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18I was going to make a quilt with them or something like that
0:10:18 > 0:10:22but Mum said to me, "If you're going to make a mess of them, leave them."
0:10:22 > 0:10:24So I left them.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26I think you've got a very canny mother there
0:10:26 > 0:10:28because that's very good advice.
0:10:28 > 0:10:29By the time we get to the 21st century,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32this is just how collectors like to see them.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34People wouldn't necessarily just collect silks.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Some might collect one element, some might collect another.
0:10:37 > 0:10:38So what you want to try and do
0:10:38 > 0:10:41is keep all that competitive element within one lot and hope that
0:10:41 > 0:10:44different people are bidding against each other to achieve it.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46I'd recommend you keep them together as a collection
0:10:46 > 0:10:48- and sell them as a collection. - As a collection.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50- Yes, because one will sell the other.- Absolutely.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Overall, I would say a fair guide price before auction
0:10:53 > 0:10:56would be between £40 and £60.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58- Really?- Would you like reserve on...
0:10:58 > 0:11:01- I think I'll let them find their mark.- Find their mark. Yep. OK.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03I'm sure they'll find a very happy home.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Having been so well loved over the years or at least respected
0:11:06 > 0:11:08and looked after, it would have in a shame
0:11:08 > 0:11:11if nobody else had got as excited as I had about them.
0:11:11 > 0:11:17- 50 here. The standing bid of 50. 55. 60.- £50.- 60.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Here at 60. The taller of all of you at £60 goes then.
0:11:22 > 0:11:28Oh, great valuation. £60. Spot on. That was good, wasn't it?
0:11:29 > 0:11:31So remember, rarity can add value
0:11:31 > 0:11:37and in some cases what makes an item rare is its size.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41And nothing can quite hold a candle to Philip's find in Southampton.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Sally, even an expert as bad as me
0:11:44 > 0:11:46can tell you that these are candlesticks.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Candlesticks are sort of a bit... Yawn, passe, you know?
0:11:50 > 0:11:54And you think of the typical brass and copper candlesticks of the 18th
0:11:54 > 0:11:57century and the 19th century and you really don't want to go there.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- Where have you got them from? - They're my mum's.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04She bought them in the local church where she lives about 20 years ago.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07- What did she pay for them?- £1 each. - £1 each.- Yeah.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Careful lady, your mum.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Let's just have a look at the bottom. Do you know what that tells us?
0:12:13 > 0:12:16- Nothing. - Absolutely spot-on there, Sally.
0:12:16 > 0:12:17You'll get a job on this programme.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21The automatic thing to look for on a piece like this is the Newling stamp
0:12:21 > 0:12:22or perhaps Keswick
0:12:22 > 0:12:25or some other maker's stamp impressed onto the bottom.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26There's nothing on these.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29You want things that lift themselves up above the norm.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34So if every other candlestick that you see is that big and you suddenly
0:12:34 > 0:12:38find one that big, it's different, it's going to be more desirable.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Go buy it.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42- In terms of date, they're obviously copper.- Yep.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45They're almost like arts and crafts.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48I would date them around 1890, 1910, that sort of period.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50I think they're absolutely great.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52- They are a huge pair of sticks. - They are. Yeah.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55The great thing about the candlesticks is simply this.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58When we sold them, they were the flavour of the month.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02That style, that look, that square base, the way they were decorated,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04that's just what everyone wanted.
0:13:04 > 0:13:11I think that they will make easily £200-£400 for the pair.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14These things are flavour of the month now.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16They could absolutely fly through the top estimate.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19There's no doubt the fact they were a little bit oversized,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23that helped their value as well. Oversized, overpriced, over here.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29AUCTIONEER: 500. Spoken bid at 500.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34520. £520. 550.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37That's it. 550. 580.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Don't shake your head like that. Puts everybody off.
0:13:41 > 0:13:47- He's teasing the punters. Drawing that money out.- Selling at 580.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49- That's a great result. - That's fantastic.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50That's more than we expected.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53The next time you go to church, you ought to put a couple of pounds
0:13:53 > 0:13:55in the collection box.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58The sheer size of those candlesticks made them stand out
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and they certainly lit up the sale room.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Always keep in mind that the unusual sells and here are some more
0:14:04 > 0:14:08tips on transforming big stuff into big bucks.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12When you're selling a large collection,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15consider whether dividing into several lots or leaving
0:14:15 > 0:14:19it as a single collection is the most profitable option.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24It's well worth keeping an eye out for outsized items that can be
0:14:24 > 0:14:28repurposed as an ornament - a wall decoration, for instance.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Bigger items do tend to be harder to shift
0:14:31 > 0:14:35but if you've got something that's unusual because of its size,
0:14:35 > 0:14:39then you're likely to have more success at auction.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41And remember, always look for a maker's name
0:14:41 > 0:14:44because nine times out of ten,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47it is the one thing that will help you make big bucks.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57At the other end of the spectrum, tiny items can command big prices
0:14:57 > 0:15:02and one every that crops up from time to time at our valuation tables
0:15:02 > 0:15:04is miniature portraits.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07They never fail to catch the eye of our experts.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09I'm delighted to see these miniatures.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- They're quite special, aren't they? - They're really special.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15It's so exciting when wonderful things like this
0:15:15 > 0:15:16come in to the programme.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Miniatures have been around for generations.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22We go back many, many centuries to illuminated manuscripts
0:15:22 > 0:15:24to see very early examples of portrait miniatures.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28But the real trend started in the 17th century and onwards
0:15:28 > 0:15:30and boomed in the 19th century.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34The earliest miniature portraits were painted on vellum.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37That's stretched calfskin.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Copper and enamel were used later but by the 19th century,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44a material was in vogue that although now controversial
0:15:44 > 0:15:48still has a market, albeit a limited one.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51We're talking, of course, about ivory.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53The reason for them wanting to use ivory I think is
0:15:53 > 0:15:57because it is the finest and smoothest material which enables you
0:15:57 > 0:16:01to get the very best detail with your paints.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07The invention of photography in the 19th century led to
0:16:07 > 0:16:12a decline in miniature painting but it is by no means a dead art.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17I visited miniaturist painter Elizabeth Meek at her home
0:16:17 > 0:16:21and studio on the Isle of Wight to find out how a modern day artist
0:16:21 > 0:16:22practises their trade.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26This was the first miniature I ever did.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29She was sitting right at the back of this cafe place selling old
0:16:29 > 0:16:32tablecloths and I just thought she had the most wonderful little old
0:16:32 > 0:16:36- apple face.- Oh, she has, hasn't she? So round but it's just so happy.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39A really happy face and I just thought she was absolutely stunning.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41You capture the very essence of the moment.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46That is the most important thing for me. I don't want a photograph.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I want to capture the personality and character.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50So let's start the process off.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Where does it all start with a miniature?
0:16:53 > 0:16:58I start by going in my studio which is my sacrosanct place which I don't
0:16:58 > 0:17:03really like people going in, and I put my classical music on which gets
0:17:03 > 0:17:07me nicely calm and relaxed and sit down at my easel
0:17:07 > 0:17:11and take my ivorine and a very small brush.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14I use tiny, tiny brushes. Four noughts.
0:17:14 > 0:17:20And I lay out my paints and have my magnifying glass.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23I've only just started using a magnifying glass all the time.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27With old age, the eyesight is going a bit.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30- Can I have a look at the studio? - Yes, of course.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- OK, so come this way. - Very light space.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39I've pinched the dining room but that's the best room for me.
0:17:39 > 0:17:40HE LAUGHS
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- Well, it's got good natural light. - It has.- What's on the easel?
0:17:43 > 0:17:45What are we looking at here?
0:17:45 > 0:17:48That's one of my favourites and it's won me awards.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52- These are definitely antiques of the future.- Oh, definitely.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54And we have massive collectors.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57But of course there are the antique miniatures
0:17:57 > 0:18:01which go like hotcakes as I was told by somebody at Bonhams
0:18:01 > 0:18:03and they sell out at their auctions
0:18:03 > 0:18:06and one recently went for 1 million.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09- And who was that of? - It was of George Washington.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14- So the sitter is very important as well.- I think it is, yes. Possibly.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Have you had any famous clients lately?
0:18:16 > 0:18:20I've done work for the Prince of Wales, Princess Michael of Kent.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Were you nervous when you were painting Prince Charles?
0:18:23 > 0:18:25I was excessively nervous. Yes.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28But he was very, very nice. He was very reassuring and he understood.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34The sitter is crucial to the value of a miniature.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38In general, portraits of women are most popular, although paintings
0:18:38 > 0:18:42of men in military uniform are also sought after.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Don't forget that detail is very important.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49By and large, the more detailed the painting,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51the more valuable it will be.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55The material that the miniature is painted on will help you date it.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58If it's ivory, it will almost certainly be from the 19th or
0:18:58 > 0:19:00early 20th centuries.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Portraits on copper or enamel will generally be earlier.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06No matter what their provenance, miniature portraits look
0:19:06 > 0:19:11great in a collection and they have the added benefit of giving a tiny
0:19:11 > 0:19:16but fascinating insight into the history of their time.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23One of the reasons for the popularity of miniatures might
0:19:23 > 0:19:28be that they are fun to collect and easy to store. Not so larger pieces.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32We can't tell you often enough that if you want to collect big objects,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36you need to think ahead about where to put them.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Storage isn't just a problem for collectors like us,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43as I found out at a very interesting location.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Here on this disused airfield just outside Swindon in Wiltshire,
0:19:46 > 0:19:50the Science Museum houses all its oversized objects
0:19:50 > 0:19:54in six huge great big aircraft hangars just like this one.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57And the collection ranges from sock darning machines
0:19:57 > 0:19:59to the first ever hovercraft,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02from nuclear missiles to the Blue Peter lifeboat.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14- Peter Turvey.- Hello. - Pleasure to meet you.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16- You're the head curator here. - Yes, that's it.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18You're the exact person to tell me,
0:20:18 > 0:20:20how many items does this place house?
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Yes, we've got about 18,000 museum objects.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25And do you have a particular favourite here?
0:20:25 > 0:20:28It's difficult because I've got so many things to look at.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31I've got lots of different favourites depending on what day it is.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33But I think my favourite at the moment
0:20:33 > 0:20:35is our 1903 Gardner-Serpollet steam car.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37- Maybe we'll have a look at that bit later.- Yes.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40What I'd like to see, though, is something, let's say, quite iconic.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Something that may be the oldest item here
0:20:43 > 0:20:46or the largest or the heaviest. What have you got to show me?
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Have a look at our Fleet Street printing press.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50It's the heaviest object we've got at 140 tonnes.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54- Whoa! OK. Is it this way? - It's just down here.- After you.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS
0:21:05 > 0:21:07- It's as big as a house, isn't it?- Yes.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12- And actually, we've only got a third of it here.- It was bigger! Wow. Gosh.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15- Obviously, you had to assemble it here. It came in bits.- Yes.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18It came in pieces from Northcliffe House in Fleet Street
0:21:18 > 0:21:19and the team of skilled engineers
0:21:19 > 0:21:21put about nine weeks putting it together here.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24You could say that is a Fleet Street heavyweight.
0:21:24 > 0:21:25Oh, it really is.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35- I can see you've got the Sno-Cat here next on old bus.- Yes.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37- Everything is organised according to size and weight.- Yeah.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Tell me about the Sno-Cat.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43Well, this is really one of our star objects. It's got an amazing history.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48It was one of four cent to Antarctica in 1957 for a British expedition
0:21:48 > 0:21:51that was the first motorised crossing of Antarctica.
0:21:54 > 0:22:00They set off in late 1957 and got to the other side in early 1958.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03It was a very important scientific expedition.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Some of the research they did is very relevant today
0:22:05 > 0:22:08because one of the things they did was measure the thickness
0:22:08 > 0:22:09of the Antarctic ice sheet.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12We can see how global warming has affected the ice sheet since then.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Incredible.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16They must be a big headache for conservation
0:22:16 > 0:22:19because obviously you've got to look at these things
0:22:19 > 0:22:21once they're in here and make sure they're not rusting any further
0:22:21 > 0:22:23- or bits are falling off.- Yes.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25We've got a specialist team of conservators who look
0:22:25 > 0:22:30after our objects, so if you go over to our conservation laboratory,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32you can meet Dennis, one of our conservators.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43- Hi, Dennis. Hello. - Hi.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46I've been walking around the hangars with Peter.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47He's been showing me around
0:22:47 > 0:22:50and I just want to find out more about conservation.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Where do you start? What do you pick on?
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Well, we're usually getting objects
0:22:54 > 0:22:58ready for display down at the Science Museum in London.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00So we don't do any repairs.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03- Conservation is not about making it work.- It's not restoration.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05- Yes, that's right.- This is a computer, isn't it?
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Actually, this is ERNIE 1.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10- Oh, he picked the Premium Bond numbers.- Yeah, that's right.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Back in the 1950s.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15The acronym ERNIE stands for
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23From 1957 to 1972, ERNIE 1 produced thousands upon
0:23:23 > 0:23:26thousands of winning numbers for the Premium Bonds.
0:23:26 > 0:23:27Today, ERNIE 4 does the job
0:23:27 > 0:23:31and ERNIE 1 has been saved as a museum piece.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34So what basically are you doing?
0:23:34 > 0:23:36I see you're using traditional methods and techniques.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39It's like you're restoring a little bit of fine art on a canvas.
0:23:39 > 0:23:45Absolutely. Art conservators use saliva to clean objects
0:23:45 > 0:23:48and we found that saliva, the enzymes in saliva,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51are one of the most effective ways of cleaning it.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Not all your saliva, though?
0:23:53 > 0:23:54- Yes. Yeah.- Really?
0:23:54 > 0:23:55HE LAUGHS
0:23:55 > 0:23:58I have to think about lemons a lot.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05The Science Museum here at Wroughton is such a fascinating place
0:24:05 > 0:24:09but it's only open to the general public on certain days of the year,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12so do keep an eye open because there's plenty to see here
0:24:12 > 0:24:15and they are preserving your heritage.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21All of our experts can spy a real treasure
0:24:21 > 0:24:24when it comes through the doors on the valuation day.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27But Michael Baggott is exceptionally eagle-eyed, especially
0:24:27 > 0:24:30when he's looking through his loop at hallmarks.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34And it was Michael's keen eye that spotted a real little gem
0:24:34 > 0:24:37when one 'Flog It!' fan brought along something special
0:24:37 > 0:24:40to our valuation day in Barnsley.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45My name is Janet Clarke. I attend Hillsborough Tabernacle Church.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49We are a community church and we have what we call a bric-a-brac stall
0:24:49 > 0:24:53and that was how we received the silver camel pincushion.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54What a generous gift.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56I wonder if they knew how generous they were being.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Well, I don't think so.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00There was all sorts of bits of jewellery and broken toys
0:25:00 > 0:25:02- and that sort of thing. - This was just at the bottom?
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- And that was just amongst them. - They could be forgiven
0:25:05 > 0:25:07because it's only a little silver pincushion.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09- And these things... - And it was black.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12..shouldn't be worth a great deal of money.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15- You've made my day bringing this little fellow in.- Oh, good.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17The animals that you get in pincushions,
0:25:17 > 0:25:22- they started to be produced about 1895,- 1900. Yeah.
0:25:22 > 0:25:28And Boots, would you believe it, produced them. Some are very common.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33You see chicks, you see pigs in different poses, you see elephants.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36The rarest I think is the lizard, the spider, the lion
0:25:36 > 0:25:38and they're very sought after.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41But not far behind them is the camel.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45You get a standing camel and a seated camel and of the two,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47the seated camel is rarer.
0:25:47 > 0:25:53When I found it, it was black and it looked like it was worthless but I
0:25:53 > 0:25:58saw the hallmarks, I took it home and cleaned it and it came up sparkling.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01L&S Levi and Salaman of Birmingham.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03They produced a multitude of these small pincushions
0:26:03 > 0:26:05and other small work.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09We got the Birmingham town mark and the date letter for 1903.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14My husband and I thought that it was probably worth about £70-£80.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17We didn't want to tell anybody what we were doing and that we were
0:26:17 > 0:26:21going to 'Flog It!' in case we fell flat on our faces and it didn't sell.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25I think we should put that into auction
0:26:25 > 0:26:29for no less than £250-£350.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34We should have a fixed reserve of 250. If you're happy, we'll do that.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36- I certainly am happy.- Splendid.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43The commission's forced me to start this lot off at £420.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45- Ohh!- 420.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- Bang, straight in.- 430 I'm looking for elsewhere.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50- 430.- Can't believe it.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Bid now or lose him.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58£420 was mentioned and the hammer went down.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Goodness me. That was exciting.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03- Not bad at all.- I can't believe it! - Above top end of the estimate.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06- Fantastic.- £420. Oh, that's fabulous! Thank you.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08I'm so pleased for you and it's going to a good cause as well.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11It is, yeah. I couldn't believe when
0:27:11 > 0:27:13you said 250 to 350 that 420...
0:27:13 > 0:27:16That's fabulous. I'm thrilled to bits.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22Why it's so special is that we were busy raising funds to have an
0:27:22 > 0:27:26extension to house a lift that would be for the disabled.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31We have achieved it and we have got the lift that we were hoping to get.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36We did actually know who it had come from.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41We did offer him some money out of it but Bill, the man who had given us
0:27:41 > 0:27:46the box of bric-a-brac, said, "No. I had no idea it was there.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48"It could have just gone into the dustbin."
0:27:49 > 0:27:52I definitely advise anybody to go along to 'Flog It!'.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54It's such an interesting day.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Then when the programme eventually comes out, you can see and think,
0:27:57 > 0:27:58"Yes, I was there."
0:28:01 > 0:28:05Valuable lots come in big and small packages
0:28:05 > 0:28:09but no matter what their shape or size, one thing is for sure.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Sometimes it can be the smallest of details
0:28:12 > 0:28:14that make all the difference.
0:28:14 > 0:28:19If in doubt, dig it out and bring it along to one of our valuation days.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Well, good luck if you're trying your hand at buying and selling.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25I hope those tips come in useful.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28And please, join me again soon for more Trade Secrets.