Modern Classics - Part 1 Flog It: Trade Secrets

Over the years on "Flog It!"

we've helped you sell many thousands of your antiques and collectibles

and the variety of items that turn up on our valuation days

have been absolutely astonishing.

As some of you know, it's not easy to put a value on them all.

The market for Troika does go up and down a bit.

But you never know, it's a funny subject.

The truthful answer is, I haven't got the first idea what it's worth.

But there are some things that we know

will always find a ready market and here's where YOU can find out more -

this is Trade Secrets.

When we think of antiques,

the 20th century doesn't instantly spring to mind.

Most people define antique as

"something that's around 100 years old."

But increasingly, we're becoming more aware

and we're beginning to prize items that date from the modern era.

We see a great deal of them at our "Flog It!" valuation days.

So, today, we're going to be exploring

what makes a 20th century design classic

and what names and styles you should be looking out for.

Coming up - some iconic 20th century designs.

Well, aren't these charming little Steiff toys here you've got?

Some 1970s ceramics...

I've never seen one as big as that.

I bet you haven't(!)

Anita shows us some prized Art Nouveau from her home turf.

This little cabinet is quite, quite wonderful.

And we hear how much design classics can make at auction.

I'll finish at 3,400.

ALL: YEAH!

The 20th century saw some high-profile movements

in art and design.

It started with Arts and Crafts at the turn of that century.

It went onto Art Deco of the '20s and '30s,

to post-war industrial design of the '50s

and the groovy psychedelia of the 1960s.

For the most part, the modern era was all about mass-production,

which means modern collectibles aren't valued for their rarity.

So, what is it we like about them

so much and what constitutes a design classic?

If you look at something and you think,

"Gosh, that reminds me of the '30s,"

or the '50s, or even the '70s - that's probably the sort of thing

you want to be buying to put away for the future.

Posters, travel posters, or advertising posters.

They can be wonderfully designed and that's my tip.

Aim for a late 20th century artefact, which was ahead of its day

in design, that was utilising late 20th century,

ultra-modern materials

and that will produce a super collectible for the future.

We see all manner of modern designs in our valuation days.

So here is our choice of the best.

We all have our favourite names.

And mine is an absolute classic from the Newlyn School,

the legendary John Pearson.

I can feel my heartbeat really racing right now.

I'm ever so excited because I know a lot about Newlyn copper

but I've only had the privilege of holding two or three items

made by one of the masters of the movement

and that's John Pearson.

When I first saw this...

Look at that, signed "John Pearson, 1891".

The Newlyn School started for...

basically fisherman that were out of work.

If it was rough and they couldn't go out in their boats,

then somebody was teaching them how to work with copper.

So it gave an extra string to their bow and became a very important part

of the Arts and Crafts movement and Pearson was the main man.

He taught the local fishermen handicrafts.

-Of course, copper - ready and available from the mines.

-Mm.

And they repaired the fishing boats with sheets of copper.

So he thought, "Right, OK, I'll carve some moulds...

"They can hand-hammer sheets of copper on the moulds

"and make lots of things."

And that's called "repousse" work.

It doesn't get better than this, it really doesn't.

-And it's not been out of your family?

-No.

-No-one's got their hands on it at all?

-No.

-So this is really fresh to the market.

-Yes.

This is cracking provenance, do you know that?

I think it might be that Pearson's work

doesn't come on the market much

because people that have that sort of thing don't want to sell it

because it is so gorgeously tactile and just visually splendid.

-Let's put a value on it.

-Uh-huh.

-And I'm going to say £400-£800.

-Right.

-That's lovely to know.

-Ever so excited.

Thank you so much for putting a big smile on my face and possibly,

not just making my day, but maybe my year.

-Wow.

-Because I've handled a piece of John Pearson.

And I can start at £460.

-480, I'll take.

-It's gone, isn't it?

460? 480? 500?

550? 600?

650? 700, would you like?

700. 750?

800? 850?

900?

Go on, one more - squeeze it.

At 850, selling then at 850.

Sold!

£850!

-That's good, yeah.

-Brilliant.

-Ever so pleased.

-Yeah.

Paul knows his Newlyn School very well.

But I think it shows just how buoyant that market is.

'The right price for that piece and that maker.

'Pearson is certainly a name to look out for.'

Modern classics come in all sorts of guises.

And some can take you right back to childhood.

Like some charming toys that Anita Manning spotted.

Ben, "Flog It!" is so much fun!

Where did you get these?

Well, these I would have bought in the early 1970s,

when my daughter was small.

-Mm-hm.

-She would have been about six or seven at the time.

-Yeah.

It came from a London toy shop in Regent Street,

one of the most famous toy shops in London.

Well, they're absolutely wonderful.

As you know, they're Pelham Puppets.

Pelham Puppets, I would say, were design classics.

They were so, so popular - every child would have them.

These were made in Wiltshire

and the company was started by Robert Pelham in 1947.

Round about '53, they acquired the rights to make Disney characters.

-You bought them for your daughter?

-Yes.

-Did she play with them?

Not so very much.

You need a certain dexterity to...get the marionette

to perform as you would like it.

-Uh-huh.

-And that's a struggle for a six- or seven-year-old.

Yeah, uh-huh. Well, that's possibly the reason that they're in

such good condition now.

With Pelham Puppets, it's important that they are in good condition.

It's important that the paintwork isn't chipped,

it's important that the string isn't broken

and it's very important that you have the original box.

-And the box as well.

-The boxes, wonderful to have the boxes.

Having your box with a Pelham Puppet will add to its market value.

-In fact, I think I can still see a price tag.

-You can.

Well, the dragon's a rarer one than, say for example,

your little Dutch maid.

Dragon's wonderful and so is the giant.

When we're looking to buy Pelham Puppets,

we're looking for the rarer ones.

And, if you manage to get the Scottie dog, go for it,

because that's very rare and it will fetch you a lot of money.

Because of the condition, they will do well.

-But they're still not going to make you a fortune.

-No.

-I don't think I expected that.

-No.

-In auction, I would put them in the one lot.

-Yes.

And I would put the price estimate between £50-£80.

-Would you be happy to sell them at that?

-That sounds nice.

With a reserve price of £45.

-This is it, then.

-We move on to the Pelham Puppets.

There we are for you - three in the lot.

-I'm bid 50 here, at £50 I'm bid.

-A good start.

At £50, my bidder here.

My bidder here, then, at £50 and make no mistake at 50.

-Sold.

-Sold - straight in, straight out.

-Straight in, straight out.

-Yes.

-Someone's got a bargain.

They did indeed get a bargain.

But, as with all antiques, rarity is the key,

so keep your eyes peeled for that Scottie dog.

MUSIC OVER CONVERSATION

When it comes to classic toys,

there's one name that stands out above all others.

If you're going to talk about icons of the 20th century,

then THE iconic piece

of teddy bear toys is Steiff.

Aren't these charming, little Steiff toys here you've got?

-I think they're very special.

-Aren't they? They're really, really lovely.

Lovely features on them.

-Can you tell me about them?

-I got the first one in 1958 or 1959.

Well, Steiff is such an important name in antiques,

not just in the world of teddy bears - we've all heard of him -

but also, I think, a significant name in 20th century design.

Let's not forget, in 1902, this lady - in a male-dominated world -

was the pioneer of teddy bears

and even invented the first teddy bears with articulated limbs.

And it looks like you've really preserved them.

So you must have cherished them at the time?

Yeah, they weren't played with, really,

cos I wanted to leave the badges on them.

Yes, and you've done well with that, haven't you?

The badges are all there, that one's called Mopsy.

There's another one there.

I think that little one's my favourite.

Lovely, characterful face.

When I first saw those Steiff figures, I thought

the squirrel looked just like Adam.

So, why have you come to decide to sell them now?

Well, I've got six great-nephews and nieces

and you can't make three go six.

Well, not without ruining them.

There are loads of Steiff toys and bears

that are very, very sought-after.

The early ones, of course, are the rarest

and therefore the most valuable.

I think, a couple of years ago,

a harlequin example made almost £50,000,

which is a lot of money for any teddy bear, surely.

Have you any idea what they might be worth at all?

Well, I would hope that they would be at least £25 each

but maybe that's too much.

No, I think they're worth £20 or £30 each,

I think you've got it just about right.

-Shall we put a bottom reserve of £60 on them?

-I think so, yes.

I think so, they must be worth £20 each.

They've got to be.

Lot number 360 is the Steiff plush dog "Mopsy" and "Noggy"

and the bear, who apparently is un-named,

which I think's rather sad.

-ADAM:

-Aw.

-There we go, I'm bid £60 on the book to start.

At 60, 70, 80. 90, 100?

110, 120. 130, 140.

150, 160, 170, 180.

190, 200.

210, 220.

-Gosh.

-Any more?

240. 250.

-260.

-Going up.

-Yes, it is.

-"Come and buy me."

290.

-300.

-That's about a £100 little animal now, that's good.

Any more at all?

At £310, there's the bid and they sell, then,

at £310 and done, thank you.

-You've got to be happy with that result?

-I'm delighted, delighted.

Great result, isn't it?

Those three animals made a cracking price at auction.

This was a case, I think, of auction fever.

They were quite common examples, they were late 1950s,

they're not that rare or valuable, so two people got carried away

and that's when you end up with a cracking result.

They really made the money they did, simply and solely,

because of the calibre of the auctioneer.

Yes, Philip, that must be the reason.

Nothing to do with Steiff being a 20th-century icon?

Some design classics have been sold on the show

so many times before, you can make a close estimation of their value.

You could say they've got a book price.

But that doesn't mean to say a collector won't get carried away

and bid well over the top in an auction room -

we've seen it time and time again.

So, don't disregard pieces where you think the price is set.

The more we see of a design classic, the easier it is to value.

But sometimes our experts are completely taken by surprise.

James Lewis certainly was when he valued a fabulous 1930s tea set.

Lynette, Robin, if you're going to bring a tea service,

you can't bring anything better than this.

I mean, what a stylish set. Where have you had it?

It's in my mum's cupboard in our house.

-In the cupboard?

-Yeah.

I was young, goodness me, wasn't I young(?)

Oh, my goodness. Not only did the Shelley look in good condition,

even I looked in good condition(!)

-I don't know if you know much about Shelley?

-No.

No, they were based in Foley, in Staffordshire.

And they started around 1925.

They used to be called Wileman & Co

and then they became Shelley in 1925.

By 1930, they were making these vibrant, bright, Art Deco tea-ware.

And of all the shapes of cup you could have, this is the best -

known as Vogue.

The Vogue is the very best,

it's the triangular shape with a solid triangular handle.

What made that so sought-after was the rare pattern.

Typical of Art Deco - angular lines, bright colours.

They really sacrifice everything that's practical just for style.

I mean, look at that cup.

How can you hold a heavy cup of tea with that? It's not easy, is it?

No, it wouldn't be.

It really was an example of design over practicality.

Because you can't grip it.

I mean, you can't grip it when it's empty,

let alone when it's full of hot tea.

I think, in a way, that may well be why this

has survived in such good condition. What do you think it's worth?

I'd like to think it was over 100-and-something.

I think...

-that's a little cheap.

-A little cheap?

Yeah, how about 200-300?

-That'd be OK as well.

-300-400? 400-500?

-Now you're just winding me up.

-I am, 400-600.

-No way?

-Yeah, I think so.

It is really good. It is a great design, it is a great set.

It should be worth £40 per cup/saucer/plate.

But it is such a sought-after design.

You can imagine Poirot...

or Miss Marple, there on the Orient Express,

drinking out of a bit of Shelley.

Flapper girls dancing in the background, all that sort of thing -

it's classic Art Deco.

178.

It's a Shelley blue-and-white, jazz patterns tea-ware.

There are 40 pieces.

-£800? I'm bid 800.

-Yes.

-My God.

-900?

950?

1,000?

-Yes, come on.

-And 50?

1,150?

1,200?

1,250?

-1,300?

-It's going to do it.

-It's going to do it.

-1,350?

1,400?

It was strange, as the Shelley went up...

..the realisation that I'd made a complete howler started to come...

more and more alive by every bid.

Thinking, "Gosh, when's this going to stop?"

It's on the phone at 1,950.

-MAN: Yes.

-At 2,000.

They're stuck in like pit bull terriers, aren't they?

At 3,000.

-3,100?

-MAN: Yep.

3,200? 3,300?

3,400?

Any advance on 3,400? The bid's on my right, on the phone, at 3,400.

ALL: YES!

-Brilliant.

-God, I'm boiling.

I'm sweating here.

How tense was that? £3,400!

It's amazing!

'£3,400 was an incredible price for it.'

I'd like to be able to say,

"Well, of course, I knew it was going to do that."

I hadn't got a clue.

It was just a complete...

I got it wrong.

All it takes is two bidders fighting over an item of quality

and the sky is the limit.

They get stuck in and they want to go home with that prized trophy

to show off to all of their friends.

Whether you're buying or selling, if Pelham Puppets is your thing,

look out for the rare ones.

Keep them in good condition and whatever you do,

don't throw away the box.

If you want to check that your bear is a Steiff,

look for that trademark button in the left ear,

or a chest tag to be sure.

If you collect Newlyn copper, don't be tempted to polish it -

it'll affect the design and the price.

And remember, an estimate is just an estimate.

Of all the 20th-century designs that pass through our auction rooms...

my favourite has to be Art Deco.

The movement began in Paris in the early 20th century.

But it wasn't until the end of World War I that it really took off.

Fuelled by the post-war spirit of jazz, speed, travel and prosperity.

The popularity of travel meant influences from outside Europe

began to appear in all forms of design.

Between the two wars, new buildings appeared in the Art Deco style,

not only in Europe, but all over the world.

A famous example in Britain is the Burgh Island Hotel in Devon.

It was an iconic bolthole for the rich and the famous in the 1930s.

And the setting for some of Agatha Christie's mysteries.

Take a look at this!

It absolutely oozes nostalgia.

Could you imagine just dining here in the evening?

Oh, gosh.

Take a look at these radiators, they run the length of this wall.

Heavy-duty cast iron - Art Deco style.

The Art Deco style influenced everything

from furniture to ornaments,

from ceramics to jewellery - even telephones.

It was all the rage and everyone wanted to be part of it.

Names like Clarice Cliff and Shelley have come to epitomise this period

with their bold colours and geometric designs,

which replaced the flowing, organic shapes of its predecessor -

Art Nouveau.

The popularity of Art Deco waned after the Second World War

but today the market is as strong as it ever was,

-as the Shelley tea set proved...

-I'll finish at 3,400.

..the highest price

ever fetched by an example of Art Deco on "Flog It!".

"Flog It!" expert Anita Manning is a regular on the show and she's

a great favourite with all of you who turn up at our valuation days.

She's a Glasgow girl, born and bred, and a bit of a pioneer -

one of the first female auctioneers in Scotland.

She's very proud of her fellow Scots' achievements as well

and there's one person in particular who's left an indelible impression

on her, as well as Glasgow itself.

And that person is the designer who came to epitomise

Art Nouveau in the UK - Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Art Nouveau was part of an artistic revolution...

that broke away from the over-fussy Victorian designs

at the turn of the 20th century.

Its main inspiration was nature.

Working-class boy Mackintosh...

was one of the most successful Art Nouveau architects.

His buildings form a central part of Glasgow's cityscape today,

including its famous School of Art -

a stone's throw from Mackintosh House.

This strange-looking building behind me is called the Mackintosh House.

It holds reconstructions of rooms where Charles Rennie Mackintosh

and his wife, and fellow artist, Margo Macdonald lived.

I live just round the corner and I visit this house regularly.

I love Charles Rennie Mackintosh's work.

He was a bit of a rebel and that appeals to me

because I'm a bit of a rebel too.

The story behind the Mackintosh House is incredible.

In the early 1960s, the Victorian terraced villa

that the Mackintoshs lived in had to be demolished.

But a decision was made to build this structure

and to recreate the interiors of the Mackintosh house

right here on the university campus,

as part of the Hunterian Art Gallery.

The first room that we come to is the dining room,

with this marvellous stencilled wall,

with the Glasgow Rose and the honesty leaves.

But my favourite piece in here is this chair.

This chair is known as the Argyle Chair

and it is an iconic piece of Charles Rennie Mackintosh furniture.

It was one of the first high-back chairs to be made

and we can it stretching

from the rectangular at the base here

and it comes up...

into a circle at the top.

I just love these little, perfect details in Mackintosh's design.

In the back crest we see -

he's referring again to Art Nouveau -

a stylised bird here.

Now, each of these pieces...

the rectilinear

and the curvilinear pieces slot together like a big jigsaw puzzle.

And again we're looking at the craftsmanship

and the skill in joinery in Glasgow at that time.

Quite wonderful chair - the Argyle Chair.

This drawing room studio is L-shaped,

with light streaming from a south-facing window.

The overall effect is white, with white-painted furniture

and occasional pieces of dark oak...

for contrast and the effect is stunning!

Mackintosh believed that his interior should be

a unified work of art, bringing harmony to the whole room,

where the fittings, the furniture

and the decoration was part of the WHOLE decorative scheme.

This is one of a pair of cabinets

that was exhibited in the Turin Exhibition of 1902.

But if we look inside...

The doors open to reveal these wonderful decorative panels.

The panels are lined in a silvered metal.

In that metal we have these wonderful elongated female figures

in stained glass.

The female figures are holding one of the most iconic

of all Glasgow's style symbols - the Glasgow Rose.

Now, this theme is repeated in these little details here -

little naturalistic details with pink stained glass.

This little cabinet is quite, quite wonderful.

The overall scheme is repeated in the bedroom

and in these white-painted wardrobes

we have these wonderful, carved lovebirds.

This is reflecting Charles Rennie Mackintosh's passion for nature

and his interest in Art Nouveau symbols.

Now, why did Charles Rennie Mackintosh

paint his furniture white?

What he wanted to do was

to reduce all the distracting features...

of the object...

and bring it to its purest, sculptural form.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was an innovator, and a creative genius.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people come to Glasgow

to look at his work and I am very proud of him.

If you're lucky enough to come across

an overlooked piece of Mackintosh, you will recognise it straightaway.

All great names and designers will have their imitators

and devotees of the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh

always get slightly upset when they come across a copy of his style -

the so-called "Mockingtosh".

But sometimes imitations can be of value, as Nick Hall explains.

Now...if you're lucky enough to be invited out to dinner

by your local aristo in your local stately home,

then you're going to be

subjected to some fine dining in an exquisite, sumptuous setting

like this one laid out behind me.

You're going to want to wear something appropriate.

A bit of bling, something that shines and sparkles

and dazzles your fellow dinner guests.

So, you're going to need a piece of jewellery.

Now, there's a fine little selection of jewellery

set out on this little table next to me here.

Now, what I'm going to talk about is buying on a budget,

creating that look

but without spending thousands and thousands of pounds.

Now, on here,

you've got an assortment of five pieces of costume jewellery,

dating from 1930 to about 1960.

All classic, early, mid-20th-century design pieces.

Now, four of the five

are pieces of good quality costume jewellery.

And worth probably £50 each, but one of them

is actually an exquisite piece of gem-set jewellery,

worth probably £5,000-6,000.

Now, if you're looking at those, thinking,

"Well, I can't tell the difference" -

fantastic, because that's the whole point of the exercise.

Nor will anyone else that you're sat with.

Unless, of course, they're an auctioneer or a jeweller, then you're stuffed.

So...which one is it?

Well, you got this wonderful little drop-piece here

and this Art Deco design here.

You've got this piece here that shakes and shivers.

You've got this Canadian maple leaf here and this floral brooch.

Well, I can tell you, that the one piece...

Go on, have a guess.

Go on, which one do you think?

It's that one.

Now, this here was made in England, probably around 1950.

It's absolutely, beautifully made of the finest white gold.

Smothered in the finest cut diamonds.

And then you've got this amazing cabochon emerald

of the finest green, intense colour.

But to the uninitiated,

it looks no different to the other pieces of costume jewellery.

So, top tip here, if you buy fine quality,

mid-20th century costume jewellery, you can get away with it

and you won't disrupt your bank balance.

The clean lines and the organic curves

of the modern classic design still hold huge appeal today.

I hope we've equipped you with enough knowledge to seek out

the best from this design period.

Well, that's it for today's Trade Secrets,

so, goodbye and good luck.