0:00:08 > 0:00:12With over a decade of valuation days and auction rooms,
0:00:12 > 0:00:18we have a wealth of experience valuing and selling your antiques and collectables on Flog It.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20I'm selling at £980.
0:00:20 > 0:00:231,750 over here now.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25And finished at 4,100...
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Bash! The hammer has gone down!
0:00:28 > 0:00:33Our experts are raring to go with some more inside information,
0:00:33 > 0:00:35so if there's something you need to know,
0:00:35 > 0:00:40you're more than likely to find it right here on Trade Secrets.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Ever since an Englishman's home has been his castle,
0:01:09 > 0:01:14we've looked at ways of being comfortable and happy within our own four walls,
0:01:14 > 0:01:18whether it's something to sit on, eat from or for passing the time.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22The things we buy for our homes have a special resonance.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29Coming on today's show, we test the market for brown furniture.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33- £35.- That's good value for money.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36- For £70, that was a bargain. - It wasn't expensive.
0:01:36 > 0:01:42'Two phone bidders refuse to let go of a table they are both desperate to own.'
0:01:42 > 0:01:44550. 560.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48570. 580.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52'And we find out what happened when one owner's horse
0:01:52 > 0:01:54'romped home at auction.'
0:01:54 > 0:02:02It just kept going up and up and when it got to 1,000, I was sort of laid out because I couldn't take it in.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07If you're looking to buy a piece of furniture, please try antique shops or auction rooms.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12There's some quality pieces out there which you could pick up for a bargain if you look.
0:02:14 > 0:02:20It's quite extraordinary how people just don't go to auctions because they think antique is expensive.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24And it isn't. Let me tell you, it isn't.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30It is currently a marvellous time to buy at auction
0:02:30 > 0:02:34if you wish to furnish a home. Prices are still very reasonable,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38generally, and therefore everything is good value for money.
0:02:38 > 0:02:39Go out and buy!
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Brown furniture is a derogatory term. It doesn't sound so glamorous.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48It's not a nice way of describing this wonderful furniture that we see.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53I think there's a resurgence on its way. Now is the time to buy it. Prices are creeping up.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58'Well, they would say that, wouldn't they? They're all auctioneers.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03'But you really can find some fantastic bargains because some people can't wait
0:03:03 > 0:03:11'to get rid of their old furniture as I found out when two sisters came along to Flog It! in 2004.'
0:03:11 > 0:03:17We've got four mid-Victorian, good quality, mahogany chairs belonging to Sandra and Amanda.
0:03:17 > 0:03:24- How did you inherit these? - Well, they came from our Great Aunt Alice, but they were given to her
0:03:24 > 0:03:30by her great-grandparents. She had them for years, then gave them to Mum, but they were too big,
0:03:30 > 0:03:36so she put them in the loft and they've been there for 30 years until she moved recently
0:03:36 > 0:03:42- and gave us two each. And I put them in the shed!- They've been in the garage for a while.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47I can see that! This one has got the bottom rotted out of it.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52Furniture like this is just not selling right now. Brown furniture.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55The trade for it is on its knees.
0:03:55 > 0:04:02We could put a valuation of £80-£100 and then somebody else can put some work on them
0:04:02 > 0:04:06and hopefully increase the value. This will be quite interesting.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11There's hundreds of people with chairs like this in their sheds and garages
0:04:11 > 0:04:18and they want to skip them. But it's worth putting them into auction and let's find out what they do.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Find out what the market thinks.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24170. A set of four mahogany chairs. £100 for them?
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Oh, dear. Oh, dear.
0:04:29 > 0:04:3250, thank you very much. £50. 50.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34£60. 70.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36£70. 80.
0:04:36 > 0:04:4090. 100. 110.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45All done at £110, then? Are we quite sure?
0:04:45 > 0:04:50Yes! £110! That's brilliant. That is so good, isn't it?
0:04:50 > 0:04:55- I'm so pleased.- I'm made up. - Thank you so much.
0:04:55 > 0:05:01They were delighted to get £110 for four chairs they hadn't used for decades.
0:05:01 > 0:05:08With a bit of repair, they'll be a quality addition to any dining room.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12So can you get a cheap table to go with the upcycled chairs?
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Oh! It's a table!
0:05:16 > 0:05:23Oh, my goodness. That's lovely. You've struggled out of the house with this, tucked under your arm?
0:05:23 > 0:05:31- Not exactly, but brought it in. My husband had to take it out of the car from here.- Very good.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33What I liked about the small oak dining table
0:05:33 > 0:05:37was the fact that somebody struggled in, queued, and had it valued,
0:05:37 > 0:05:42and I actually felt that it deserved some attention.
0:05:42 > 0:05:49This table is knocking on the door of being an antique, but it's not quite there yet.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54It will date from anywhere between the 1920s and probably the late 1930s.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58It's made of oak. And it's a drop-leaf small dining table,
0:05:58 > 0:06:04which copies very much the traditional style of English oak furniture and drop-leaf tables
0:06:04 > 0:06:07of an earlier period.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11This one, however, is machine-cut. It's very smooth and precisely-made.
0:06:11 > 0:06:17This was in an era when they weren't handcrafting them. It was machine-made for mass production.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22Although it's a table that's got many decades behind it and it's good, solid oak,
0:06:22 > 0:06:29- the value is going to be modest.- OK. - So if you're happy to sell it, I'd advise you put it into auction
0:06:29 > 0:06:32for a £60-£80 estimate.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35The gate-leg. Lot 500.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37At £35. On commission at 35.
0:06:37 > 0:06:4235. It will be sold. Do I see eight anywhere quickly?
0:06:42 > 0:06:48£35. All done? Quite sure? And finished away at £35.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Good value for money, £35!
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Luckily, Chitra wasn't too disappointed with the result.
0:06:56 > 0:07:03The buyer got a solid oak table at a great price. Good news if you're on a tight furnishing budget.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Instead of going all out clean lines and minimalist, mix it up a bit.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12Maybe have shabby chic old pine drawers in a modern bedroom setting.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16You know, the contrast works.
0:07:16 > 0:07:22If your taste is for more traditional furniture, there are plenty of quality items to find.
0:07:22 > 0:07:28Adam is convinced there's a market for it.
0:07:28 > 0:07:34You've brought along this very pretty Edwardian occasional table. Why have you brought it today?
0:07:34 > 0:07:40- It's been in my loft for 10 years. - Wrapped up in a plastic bag? - A plastic bag over it.
0:07:40 > 0:07:47- Why has it been in the loft? - Because it doesn't go with my house or my decor or my grandchildren.
0:07:47 > 0:07:54It's Edwardian, so it dates from the early 20th century, about 1905 or so, 1910. Around about there.
0:07:54 > 0:08:02A lot of the items then were inlaid in this Sheraton revival style. With satinwood and boxwood banding.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07Ron's table was quite a nice example. He kept it in the loft.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11It was nicely inlaid, so a very pretty table.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15I find Edwardian inlaid furniture sells extremely strongly.
0:08:15 > 0:08:21That one had had a crude repair, but it didn't detract from the aesthetics of it.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25- These tripod legs, very pretty, but not very...- Strong.
0:08:25 > 0:08:31Not very strong or practical. I can see a couple have been off in the past. That's standard.
0:08:31 > 0:08:38- They've been broken and repaired. Is this your handiwork here? - No, that's exactly how I got it
0:08:38 > 0:08:42- about 10 years ago. - I'd suggest an estimate of £60-£100.
0:08:42 > 0:08:49- I think we'd just about get three figures. How does that sound? - It sounds right.- Good.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54'So was it worth Ron getting the table out of the attic?'
0:08:54 > 0:09:00- Will we get that £100 top mark? - We should do. I reckon we'll get £120-£150 when it's all finished.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Don't want to get your hopes up.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07Start me at £50, please, for this. 50 I'm bid. 55. 60.
0:09:07 > 0:09:1265. 70. £70 now. Yours at 70.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Are we all done at £70 now?
0:09:15 > 0:09:18- For £70, that's a bargain. - It wasn't expensive.- It's gone, Ron.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20It's gone now.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26I was a bit disappointed, but I suppose that's auctions.
0:09:26 > 0:09:32It's all down to two people on the day. Thank goodness we had a reserve on it.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35It'd be a great shame to make less.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40You can't squash Adam's enthusiasm for long and Ron got money
0:09:40 > 0:09:44instead of having an unused table in the attic.
0:09:44 > 0:09:50It just goes to show that if you want to buy quality furniture, you can still get bargains at auction.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56Take a look at what Catherine found.
0:09:56 > 0:10:03We've brought this outside to show it in its full glory so we can open it fully.
0:10:03 > 0:10:09You probably know what it dates from about the late 19th century, but where did you get this from?
0:10:09 > 0:10:15My parents got it from a sale at a house near Midhurst around 1945.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20Right. And did they buy it because they collect Arts and Craft or...?
0:10:20 > 0:10:24No, I think they just bought it to be a useful piece of furniture.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27- They were setting up house.- Ah, OK.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30I was attracted to the Arts and Crafts screen
0:10:30 > 0:10:34because it really epitomises the whole ethos
0:10:34 > 0:10:40of Arts and Crafts, which is to have something in your home which is practical,
0:10:40 > 0:10:46but also to have something that has a little bit of design on, but is not too fussy.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50You get these wonderful panels, these wonderful colours.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54They have got the flower heads as well. A popular motif.
0:10:54 > 0:11:00And also these lovely, twisting stems, which are almost bordering on Art Nouveau, aren't they?
0:11:00 > 0:11:06But it is definitely a piece of Arts and Crafts furniture. The colours are really lovely.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10Dark greens and reds and I just love this.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12It really is a smashing piece.
0:11:12 > 0:11:20Arts and Crafts can still fit in with today, but you have to be clever mixing old and new.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24It has to be done cleverly and really think about the design.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28There is a bit of damage on this, Tim... You're nodding your head.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33- You know. You've seen the damage. You haven't done it, have you?- No.
0:11:33 > 0:11:39There is quite a bit, mainly on the panels, which is a shame. That's obviously the decorative part.
0:11:39 > 0:11:47That's the bit you're drawn towards. I think we should probably say £100-£150, with a reserve of £80.
0:11:47 > 0:11:53I loved this unusual screen, but did the bidders recognise its quality?
0:11:53 > 0:11:56This is it. Good luck, Tim.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00A couple of hundred for it? 100 away? 50, then?
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Nice thing. Thank you, sir. Over the back at 50.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08Five. 60. Five. 70.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Five. 80.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14At £80, then. Far back of the room. All done? 80.
0:12:14 > 0:12:21- Yes! He's done it, but only just. That was close. That was right on the reserve.- Yes.- £80.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26It was a shame that it only just clipped the reserve.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30I think the reason was really the condition.
0:12:32 > 0:12:39If you're buying at auction, always check for damage or get a condition report from the auctioneer.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44If you don't mind a bit of wear and tear, you can get a real bargain.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47£55 on the net and done. Thank you.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52There's lots of beautifully-crafted pieces in your local saleroom
0:12:52 > 0:12:55which are much cheaper than most mass-produced items.
0:12:55 > 0:13:01You can easily keep up-to-date by getting to know the staff and checking upcoming sales online.
0:13:06 > 0:13:12But it's not only cheap and cheerful in the saleroom. You can get fantastic antique furniture, too.
0:13:12 > 0:13:18- Colin, where did you get it from? - My late father-in-law bought it for my wife.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21He bought it in Birmingham in the late '40s, we think.
0:13:21 > 0:13:28- It's been in our house ever since. - It's lovely. Why would you want to sell a delight like this?
0:13:28 > 0:13:34- Well, it doesn't quite match the modern furniture.- So you've gone a bit modern?- A bit more, yes.- OK.
0:13:34 > 0:13:41- Any idea what age it is? - We don't know what period it was from or anything.- Well, it's Edwardian.
0:13:41 > 0:13:47Made of mahogany. It's called a Pembroke table - a wide top and small flaps.
0:13:47 > 0:13:53Colin's Pembroke table was quite a good example - it was neat, it was small, it was oval.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58A lot of them are square. It had a drawer. It ticked all the commercial boxes.
0:13:58 > 0:14:05A lot of antique furniture isn't selling so well, but pretty stuff like this sells extremely well.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09This is all boxwood, ebony and satinwood.
0:14:09 > 0:14:15When one comes to a valuation, it's all down to your experience and selling similar items in the past.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20I could grade this - it's better than some, not as good as others.
0:14:20 > 0:14:27- Its auction value in today's market is maybe £300-£500.- Yeah.- You've got to put it at a realistic level.
0:14:27 > 0:14:33- Yeah, yeah.- I think we'll put a reserve of £300 so it doesn't make any less.- No.
0:14:33 > 0:14:39I'm confident it'll make more. All these small, pretty things sell very well.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46I was on holiday when this table went to the saleroom. Kate Bliss did the honours.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51- This is your lot, Colin. - Edwardian mahogany Pembroke table.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55- Lots of bids on the book. Two telephone bids.- Sounds good!
0:14:55 > 0:15:00- 500.- Top of our estimate. - 510. 520.- Still going.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04- 530 here? 530. - Telephones are coming in.- 540.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06550. 560.
0:15:06 > 0:15:12- 570. 580. Can I say 600? - Yeah.- 600.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16- 620.- 620!- 650. - It's still going!
0:15:16 > 0:15:23Once you start bidding at auction, you might think, "I'm only going to pay £300,"
0:15:23 > 0:15:30and you're still in bidding at £800, £900. There's something addictive about it. It drags you in.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33And 20. 1,050. 1,080.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37- 1,100. 1,120. - 1,100!
0:15:37 > 0:15:44- No.- At £1,120. Any more? Then I sell at £1,120. Done!
0:15:44 > 0:15:49- £1,120!- What's all that about?! - What do we know?
0:15:49 > 0:15:55To make £1,120, I think it made, under the hammer was an exceptional price.
0:15:55 > 0:16:02It can only be two private buyers locking horns and neither of them wanting to give up on this table.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07There's no doubting that that was a top quality item.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11Perhaps the key to it was as well as being top quality, it was quite small.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17It's small, can fit in any home. It makes it more marketable.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22We all love our homes. We're terribly house-proud. Buying an antique is a great way
0:16:22 > 0:16:28of creating a special, unique style for any kind of interior. It doesn't matter if your house is modern.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Don't be afraid to mix it up.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41Back in 2011, I visited a house in Nottingham
0:16:41 > 0:16:46which not only has tales to tell spanning hundreds of years of history,
0:16:46 > 0:16:49it is still a family home.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56This magnificent Jacobean house is Thrumpton Hall and it dates back to the early 1600s.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01Even though it's in this secluded setting, it's certainly had its brushes with history
0:17:01 > 0:17:04and seen some turbulent times.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07So much has happened here in the last four centuries,
0:17:07 > 0:17:12I've picked a few of the more intriguing and colourful stories to tell you.
0:17:12 > 0:17:18The house is built around the remains of an earlier Tudor house belonging to the Powdrell family,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21but as Roman Catholics in the reign of Elizabeth I,
0:17:21 > 0:17:27their involvement in the notorious Babington Plot to overthrow the Queen cut short their tenancy.
0:17:27 > 0:17:33The Powdrells were evicted when it was discovered they were hiding a priest in this very room.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37I can show you, behind all this oak panelling is a little secret door
0:17:37 > 0:17:39which leads to a priest hole. Follow me.
0:17:39 > 0:17:45Look at this. This is a remarkable survivor from the original building.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50Like any secret hiding place, it's full of intrigue, excitement.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54There's an atmosphere about this because we're talking high stakes.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57It was a matter of life and death.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01And they weren't hiding any old priest. It was Father Henry Garnet,
0:18:01 > 0:18:06one of the leading conspirators to plot against Queen Elizabeth.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09I wouldn't like to be down there for too long.
0:18:11 > 0:18:17Soon after, the new owners, the Pigots, rebuilt the house, as we see it today.
0:18:17 > 0:18:23At the end of the Civil War, having come through another, Gervase Pigot the younger embarked
0:18:23 > 0:18:26on more improvements to the house.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31He celebrated the restoration of Charles II to the throne
0:18:31 > 0:18:35by commissioning this rather understated staircase. I'm joking.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40There's nothing understated about it. It's grandly over the top,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44in keeping with the spirit of the time.
0:18:44 > 0:18:51The improvements didn't stop here. The staircase leads to the saloon, remarkably unchanged,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55yet still very much in use by the current owners.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Gervase's extravagance was the ruin of him. Unable to pay his mortgage,
0:18:59 > 0:19:05he forfeited the house to his lawyer Mr John Emerton and his descendants have lived here ever since,
0:19:05 > 0:19:09right down to its current owner, Miranda Seymour. Hello, Miranda.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14- Thank you for letting us film here today.- It's lovely you're here.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17You grew up here in this house.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22I was terrified here when I was a little girl. My parents were beginning to get
0:19:22 > 0:19:27a derelict house back after the war, getting it back into shape again.
0:19:27 > 0:19:33There were dust sheets on all the busts, cobwebs on all the windows and the staircase was black.
0:19:33 > 0:19:39- Gosh.- And I was living on the top floor. I was scared out of my wits. - Were you?- I was.
0:19:39 > 0:19:45- Now I know you're a writer. Does the whole atmosphere of this house inspire you?- I love writing here,
0:19:45 > 0:19:51particularly in this room. It's a very calm space to be in.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56- I gather there's a connection to Lord Byron.- There is indeed.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01I always feel very excited by that as a writer. What a person to be connected to!
0:20:01 > 0:20:09But Byron's cousin inherited the title and it was through him it came down to my father's uncle.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12So we've got all these wonderful Byron relics here.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17- You've got a few items to show me. - I have.- What have you got?
0:20:17 > 0:20:24I've got three things. This, as a writer, is the most exciting one to me. Byron's very own signet ring.
0:20:24 > 0:20:30The first he ever had. And it fits just perfectly on my signet finger.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- It's meant to be.- So I hope!
0:20:33 > 0:20:40- Now this is a rather wonderful relic. I don't know if you can see here. - What's in there?
0:20:40 > 0:20:47It's B on the front for Byron. And in the back it's got a tiny little strand of his hair.
0:20:47 > 0:20:53- Oh, I can see that.- Which was given to his half-sister, Augusta Leigh, the one he was so in love with.
0:20:53 > 0:20:59She passed it on to Byron's first cousin and so that's real, authentic Byron hair in there.
0:20:59 > 0:21:05- Wonderful provenance. It doesn't get any better.- I think it has to be the genuine thing.
0:21:05 > 0:21:12This is more funny. This is a little bit clipped from Byron's bed hangings
0:21:12 > 0:21:15at Halnaby on his honeymoon night.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20And he had an absolutely disastrous marriage. Poor Annabella.
0:21:20 > 0:21:26He woke up in the middle of the night and screamed out, "I'm in hell!"
0:21:26 > 0:21:32Can you imagine, on his honeymoon night? It's quite clear that what had happened was you've got
0:21:32 > 0:21:36this very deep red damask and in those days in a bedroom
0:21:36 > 0:21:43- you'd have the fire blazing in the corner.- He's looked at the fire and thought it's Dante's Inferno!
0:21:43 > 0:21:48- Wonderful artefacts. Thank you for showing me. - Lovely you could come. Thank you.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51What an amazing inheritance
0:21:51 > 0:21:55and home to generations of one family.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04There's something very fundamental about the desire to adorn our homes.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09If you're looking for something special for yours, Anita Manning has a suggestion.
0:22:09 > 0:22:16I have a special affection for Monart glass. Monart glass was made in Perthshire.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21It was made at the Moncrieff's factory in Perth by the Ysart family.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25They were a family of glass blowers from Barcelona.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30They came to Scotland after the First World War
0:22:30 > 0:22:35to make laboratory glass in the Perthshire factory.
0:22:35 > 0:22:42In their spare time, they started making these little pieces of beautiful decorative glass.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46Now Mrs Moncrieff, the owner's wife,
0:22:46 > 0:22:52saw these beautiful vases they were making and saw a business opportunity.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56She encouraged the Spanish glass blowers
0:22:56 > 0:23:02to make these fabulous pieces and they were sold in prestigious outlets
0:23:02 > 0:23:10like Liberty's, Tiffany's and so on and they were beloved in the Art Deco period.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15They brought colour into a post-war world.
0:23:15 > 0:23:22I like this one in particular because in these lovely oranges at the base
0:23:22 > 0:23:25we see the fire of Spain.
0:23:25 > 0:23:31But as we travel upwards we see the beautiful green of Scotland.
0:23:31 > 0:23:37And I think of it as a lovely collaboration of Spain and Scotland.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46If there's one thing I'd love to see more of on the show, it's paintings.
0:23:46 > 0:23:52When one does come in to a valuation day with a fascinating history, I fight the experts for it.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57In Watford, back in 2006, Mark Stacey beat me to it.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Christine turned up with a great example.
0:24:00 > 0:24:07I really like this picture, but there's a little history to it. Can you fill us in on that story?
0:24:07 > 0:24:12The story that I know about it is it's Watford's only Derby winner
0:24:12 > 0:24:18and I think it was in the 1800s and it was bred in Watford at a local farm.
0:24:18 > 0:24:24I couldn't believe from the programme people said, "You speak posh!"
0:24:24 > 0:24:26I can't believe that was me.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30- And you inherited this? - I inherited it, yes.
0:24:30 > 0:24:36- When was that?- About 10 weeks ago. My fiance died very suddenly. - Oh, I'm sorry.- Thank you.
0:24:36 > 0:24:42- Well, it's a great subject. - It's very good local interest. - Very good local interest.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47It would be nice to prove that. If we look at the painting,
0:24:47 > 0:24:52- we've obviously got the owner standing there in his best Sunday outfit.- Yes.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56We've got the trainer next to him and the jockey on horseback.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00Then the local training field in the background.
0:25:00 > 0:25:08- From the costumes, we're certainly looking at the 1800s.- That's right. - Probably 1860, 1870.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Around about that era, I would say, from the costumes.
0:25:11 > 0:25:19My late fiance had taken the picture to one of the big auction houses in London,
0:25:19 > 0:25:24but he was rather disappointed. They offered him about £200.
0:25:24 > 0:25:30So he just came back home and put it in a black bin liner up in his bedroom.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35Bearing in mind the slight damage and the fact we haven't got a full provenance,
0:25:35 > 0:25:43I'd like to be a little bit cautious. I would suggest maybe around £150-£250.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47- Yes, smashing.- You like the sound of that?- Yes, I do.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52But when she went home, Chris had second thoughts about her valuation.
0:25:52 > 0:25:58- Christine's raised the ante. - I have.- Tell us.- I've raised it to £300.- Fixed reserve.
0:25:58 > 0:26:04- A slap on the wrist for that. I don't think we have any worries. - I think we're backing a winner.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10How about this for something local and interesting? What shall we say?
0:26:10 > 0:26:13600. 620. 650. And 80.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15700 we're bid now. And 720.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18It just kept going up and up and up.
0:26:18 > 0:26:25When it got to the thousand, I just sort of blanked out. I just couldn't take it in.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27At 1,000. And 20. And 50.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Romping home, isn't it?
0:26:30 > 0:26:35I had no idea it would be worth anything because it wasn't signed.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38I'm sure my John was looking down at me to say, "That's my girl."
0:26:38 > 0:26:43It's a good valuation. Are you getting Mark round to do some more?
0:26:43 > 0:26:473,000 we're bid for it. 3,100? No?
0:26:47 > 0:26:49At £3,100 we're selling.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53- At £3,100. - Here we go, here we go.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58- That is a sold sound! - Oh, lovely!- Well done, well done.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Thank you very much.
0:27:01 > 0:27:08I had a lovely little hug from Paul at the end. Yes, it was a great thrill, great excitement.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14So, after the excitement died down, what did Chris spend it on?
0:27:14 > 0:27:21I spent the money on a cruise because my late fiance, before I knew him,
0:27:21 > 0:27:26spent 11 years in the Merchant Navy working on the big liners.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29I desperately wanted to do that.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34I went for 11 days round the Caribbean, 10 different islands.
0:27:34 > 0:27:35It was a marvellous experience.
0:27:40 > 0:27:46That wasn't the only new experience because Flog It! is broadcast worldwide.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51- There was another surprise in store. - It wasn't until six years later,
0:27:51 > 0:27:58somebody had written from Australia contacting the Watford Observer nostalgic page
0:27:58 > 0:28:04saying he was tracing his family tree and said that the owner of the horse, he believes,
0:28:04 > 0:28:09was his great-great-grandmother's brother.
0:28:09 > 0:28:15Chris made contact and plans to meet the horse owner's descendants on a forthcoming trip to Australia.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21It seems Flog It's reach has truly gone international.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25Chris's appearance on the show led to a beautiful new relationship,
0:28:25 > 0:28:29so if you've got something you want to sell, you know where to come.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34I hope you can put some of our tips to good use. Please join us again soon for more Trade Secrets.