0:00:10 > 0:00:13This is the show that aims to give you the inside track
0:00:13 > 0:00:15on buying and selling antiques and collectables.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19We've got over ten years of Flog It! behind us.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21That's hundreds of programmes
0:00:21 > 0:00:24and thousands of your antiques valued and sold.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Stand by for some top tips. This is Trade Secrets.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02The majority of the items you bring along to our valuation days
0:01:02 > 0:01:05are comfortably familiar to all of our experts
0:01:05 > 0:01:07and their valuations are pretty accurate.
0:01:07 > 0:01:08But every now and then,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11you bring along something that takes us all by surprise.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14So today's programme is going to be dedicated
0:01:14 > 0:01:16to the weird and the wonderful
0:01:16 > 0:01:18that not only puts our experts to the test,
0:01:18 > 0:01:20but makes the programme so much fun.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Coming up on today's show - Philip tears a strip off one owner
0:01:29 > 0:01:33for mistreating a very strange-looking creation.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38Some hooligan, over the years, boy, have they done some damage to it.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40- I think that might be my fault. - What, you're the hooligan?
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Mark shares his tips with us.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46You might find something which is valuable, you might not.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49But it will still be a lovely object to look at.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53And I get the best surprise ever at a valuation day.
0:01:53 > 0:01:59That's one of the rarest things we've ever seen on the show.
0:01:59 > 0:02:0024,000.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04- 26,000.- 26,000! I'm tingling.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07- Are you tingling?- Aye.- £26,000.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Now, it's often the case with all these with weird
0:02:13 > 0:02:16and wonderful things that turn up at our valuation days
0:02:16 > 0:02:20that generally, they are just normal household objects,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22except they are the eccentric versions,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24dressed up, in a way, to keep us guessing.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26To create a conversation.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30Even the stuffy confines of the gentleman's study weren't
0:02:30 > 0:02:33exempt to this kind of practice.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Take, for example, the humble desktop object.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Some of them can be rather intriguing.
0:02:38 > 0:02:39BELL CHIMES
0:02:39 > 0:02:42It's good, that, isn't it? I've been dying to do that for hours.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45- Kevin and Karen. Whose is this? - Mine.- It's yours?
0:02:45 > 0:02:48I'm a great believer that it's back to the boys' toys things
0:02:48 > 0:02:51again and blokes definitely do buy things for their desk
0:02:51 > 0:02:52but I've got to say
0:02:52 > 0:02:55that I think that rams' horn thingummyjiggy-whatsit doo-dah,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57it does say something for your own ego
0:02:57 > 0:03:01if you have got to buy one of those to stuff on your desk, doesn't it?
0:03:01 > 0:03:07These are rams' horns. And you see them from about 1850 to about 1900.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11We start off with this quite sweet little circular clock up the top
0:03:11 > 0:03:14and then we've got our bell and I wonder
0:03:14 > 0:03:17whether that's to ring someone and tell them to, you know,
0:03:17 > 0:03:22come and collect my post, because this is actually a desk tidy.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25So it would have sat on your writing desk. Where'd it come from?
0:03:25 > 0:03:27It was my grandfather's.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Well, some hooligan, over the years,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31boy, have they done some damage to it.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- Do you know how they have done that? - I think that might be my fault.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36What, you're the hooligan?
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Well, as a child, it was my job to clean it with Brasso.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Why didn't you go the whole hog and use a scratch brush as well?
0:03:42 > 0:03:45I was ten years old at the time. I knew no better.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47- So, can you remember cleaning this initially?- Yes.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51- And all this was silver?- No. - Can I just show you something?
0:03:51 > 0:03:56Can you just see there? That's silver. Or it's the plate.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59- And you want to sell it.- I do.- So it's his but you want to sell it?
0:03:59 > 0:04:01- I do.- How does that work, then?
0:04:01 > 0:04:03- I'm just getting my own way again.- Again?- Again.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06- Is this the story of your life? - Sometimes.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Kevin and Karen were a little bit at odds over the desk tidy
0:04:09 > 0:04:11but there is no doubt in my mind that Karen was going to have
0:04:11 > 0:04:15her way and it was going, and she was going to get the money.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17I think if all of this was beautifully silver-plated,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19it would look a whole different proposition.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22And then it could be worth £1,000 or more.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27I think, as it is, this is worth £300-£500. That's my view.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31If it makes, I don't know, £450, what would you do with that?
0:04:31 > 0:04:36- Well...- Holiday.- Let's think about this for a moment.- Holiday.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40I can sense a family debate coming on. So a holiday here or here...
0:04:40 > 0:04:43- What is the "or"?- I've got a 1969 Mustang that I'm renovating.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45- Have you? Are you a car man? - Yes. Big petrolhead.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Let's get it sold for you.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52Philip's face lit up at the mention of cars,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56but will one of these bidders be driving home with Kevin's ornate desk tidy?
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Start me that at, what, 500?
0:05:01 > 0:05:02400? 300. Two.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03£200 I'm bid. At 200. Two I am bid.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08At 200. 220. 250 the lady.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11250. 280. 280. At 300.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13£300 I am bid. At 300.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17- Well, we've sold it.- 320. 320. 350.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20380. At 380. Four, is it? £400.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22£400 I am bid. At 400. And 20.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26- 420.- This is good.- 450. 480. 500.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29500 quid. 520.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32520. 550. 580.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33600 on the telephone.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36620. 650. 650. 680. 700.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41- What a fantastic price.- Brilliant. - 720 bid. 750. 780.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45- 800.- Gosh.- 800. 850.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49900 I will take. 950.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52At 950, in the room.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56- You all done? It's going to be sold.- £950!
0:05:56 > 0:05:59£950!
0:05:59 > 0:06:03- I have to say, I'd rather have 950 quid.- So would I!
0:06:03 > 0:06:06So would I, that's why I'm selling it!
0:06:06 > 0:06:08These guys would as well!
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Wow, it might not have been the most beautiful object but two bidders
0:06:12 > 0:06:16were so keen on it, they were prepared to fight to the finish.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19I think that rams' horn desk tidy was probably bought
0:06:19 > 0:06:22for the export market. In all probability, America.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24And, you know, I think
0:06:24 > 0:06:27the Americans see their antique life as through what's
0:06:27 > 0:06:31reflected in this country and I think they see that as being
0:06:31 > 0:06:35the height of Victoriana and that's what they buy.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Just because the rams' horns aren't to our taste today,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40it doesn't mean they won't find a market
0:06:40 > 0:06:43so don't dismiss strange-looking objects out of hand.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55- Hi, Dave.- Hiya.- I love this.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58I homed on this instantly I saw you in the queue with it.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02It's a great little thing. It's a real Victorian novelty.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06- How on earth did you come by it?- I was given it by a family friend.- OK.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08- Recently, or a while ago? - Recently.- Quite recently.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12Just to let everyone else know what it is we're looking at here,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15if you just flip the hinge up, it's an inkwell.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18It's a real gentleman's collector's item, I guess.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Unusual one-off objects like this are notoriously difficult to value
0:07:21 > 0:07:23because as auctioneers,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26we often use comparable results to value objects.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28I've seen one of these before, I've seen the type of thing.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33And you use your knowledge and experience to sort of second-guess.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37We'll take this to auction and there will be a lot of interest in it.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39People that collect sea-related items,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42people that collect brassware, people that collect inkwells,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45predominantly, will be the main bidding force.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48And I can see it making maybe a couple of hundred pounds.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51But when you've got things like this you've got no comparables
0:07:51 > 0:07:55to fall back on so you've got to go with your gut instinct.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Will people like it, why will they like it,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59how much can they afford to push it up to?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02So it becomes less of an accurate estimate,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05and a little bit more of a guesstimate.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08A round figure of, say, £100 would be a good reserve
0:08:08 > 0:08:11but don't be surprised if it makes more than that and goes on.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14- Are you happy to do that?- Yes.- OK.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18If I like it, then surely someone else there is mad enough to like it
0:08:18 > 0:08:20and lo and behold, they did.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Cast brass lobster-pattern desk inkwell. Novel item.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28- Three bids on the books. 140. - Three bids.- We're starting at £140.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Looking for 150. 150. 160. 170.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33If you're going to buy and sell curiosities,
0:08:33 > 0:08:39make sure they are curios, OK? Don't buy bland, mainstream items.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Find things that make people sit and say, gosh, what is that?
0:08:42 > 0:08:44180. 190.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47200. And 10. 220. 230.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51- This is more like it. - 240. Anybody at 240?
0:08:51 > 0:08:57Bid is in the room at £230. Standing at 230 and selling at £230.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58Yes, the hammer's gone down.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03That's a "sold" sound. £230. They loved it.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07So if you're buying curios, the curiouser, the better.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Desk items are, to me, wonderful.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19I love the idea of sitting at a desk and writing,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23rather than sitting at a screen and typing words in.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32Desk items are popular. They make great presents today.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34They're very decorative, they are very varied.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38There are some very, very keen collectors out there.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Something a bit unusual and a bit different as a gift,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47a little desktop item, is a great thing to have.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50And the more unusual they are, I think,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54the more readily they are going to be chased up to a high price.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00In the 19th century, as the middle classes grew richer
0:10:00 > 0:10:04and more influential, a gentleman's desk became a status symbol
0:10:04 > 0:10:07and the Victorians were masters of making strange
0:10:07 > 0:10:11and wonderful desktop objects to place upon it.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19What all these desktop status symbols have in common is
0:10:19 > 0:10:23they are still worth hundreds of pounds today and apparently,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25the odder, the better.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29But talking of weird, I've never seen anything like these before.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Come on, Ken, tell me a bit about these?
0:10:31 > 0:10:35They are originally from my great grandparents, who owned a farm.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Obviously, it was a well-loved cow and they mounted two of the hooves.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43I'm not sure whether all four were done or not but certainly the two.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45I love the cow's hooves.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46A great family history.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51They were quite an unusual item. You don't very often find cow's hooves.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54They were in place on a sideboard in my grandmother's house.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58When she passed on and I don't think anybody else in the family wanted them,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01we took them and we've had them in the cupboard ever since.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03- And you don't really care for them? - No.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08- But the nice thing is, the name is on the top of the lids.- Yes.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10- Mulberry and her dates, as well. - Yeah.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14They preserved the hooves as a memory of the animal.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17It's usually horses' hooves, your favourite hunter,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19the best racehorse you've owned.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21But, in this instance, it was a favoured cow.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- And, of course, they're an inkwell.- Yes.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27If we lift the hinged lid.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Erm, and then in this one we've got the little glass well,
0:11:30 > 0:11:32which you would put the ink in.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35It's a memorial of the cow.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38So every time you look at the ink well, you think of Mulberry.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43And there are collectors of all sorts of taxidermy
0:11:43 > 0:11:46and I've always found the horses' hooves sell quite well
0:11:46 > 0:11:48but not for a huge amount.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53- We are probably looking in the region of 40 to £60.- Really?
0:11:53 > 0:11:56That's surprising. I thought, maybe, the price a joint of beef
0:11:56 > 0:11:57that we were going to buy.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01I say, is that what you're spending the money on?
0:12:01 > 0:12:04'Now let's see how much of a guesstimate that was, Claire.'
0:12:04 > 0:12:06One of you start me on this, £40, for the hooves?
0:12:06 > 0:12:0940, quickly. 40, thank you. 5 anywhere else?
0:12:09 > 0:12:1145 and 50. And 5?
0:12:11 > 0:12:13And 60, and 5?
0:12:13 > 0:12:16£60 front row. 65 and 70 says "No".
0:12:16 > 0:12:1965 a fresh bid. 70 anywhere else?
0:12:19 > 0:12:21At £65 for the hooves. I'm selling the hooves at £65.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Are you sure then at £65?
0:12:23 > 0:12:25The hammer's gone down.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28- That's a good price for a pair. - That is.- That's really good.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Even with today's prices, you should get a nice joint of beef
0:12:31 > 0:12:32for that, shouldn't you?
0:12:32 > 0:12:37People are more concerned about bits of animals being sold
0:12:37 > 0:12:40but where you're talking about unendangered species like this,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43there is a strong market. There are people out there that love them!
0:12:48 > 0:12:52'Flea markets and general auction sales are the best places to buy
0:12:52 > 0:12:56'unusual objects but make sure it's something you genuinely love
0:12:56 > 0:13:01'and can live with, as they won't always be great investment pieces.'
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Quirky sales, unusual sales,
0:13:03 > 0:13:08the salerooms are full of bland, mass-produced objects.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11But those one-off, unique items, there is
0:13:11 > 0:13:13a buyer out there somewhere for it.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19The wackier the better and don't be frightened to have a go
0:13:19 > 0:13:22if you see something cheap, pick it up, go home,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24have a bit of fun, do some research.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27You might find something which is valuable, you might not,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30but it'll still be a lovely object to look at.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41'I'm lucky enough to see some fantastically unusual antiques.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44'Sometimes their strange shapes will have an unexpected purpose
0:13:44 > 0:13:48'but at a valuation day in Scotland I was blown away to find
0:13:48 > 0:13:53'an object made of something that hardly ever comes onto the market.'
0:13:53 > 0:13:57This has to be one of the nicest things I've ever seen on "Flog It!"
0:13:57 > 0:14:00And possibly one of the most valuable items
0:14:00 > 0:14:01we've ever had on the show.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04- You know what this is, don't you? - It's a libation cup.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07It's a libation cup. It's a ceremonial drinking vessel.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11- Do you know what it's made of?- Wood?
0:14:11 > 0:14:15It's got a grain in, hasn't it? You can see there is a grain detail.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Lots of compressed hair but it's rhinoceros horn.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Yes. This dates back,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24last quarter of the 18th-century.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28We read about the visit of "Flog It!"
0:14:28 > 0:14:34And Evelyn, my sister insisted on taking the libation cup,
0:14:34 > 0:14:38which, I must admit, I thought was just made of ordinary wood.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42I spotted one that was sold at Christie's so I thought
0:14:42 > 0:14:45ours was worth something, so I took it to the valuation.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Let's just talk about the damage. You can see how it was used
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- as a ceremonial drinking vessel, can't you?- Yes.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53There are one or two chips,
0:14:53 > 0:14:55there's bits of damage to the horn
0:14:55 > 0:14:59and here we've got some mythical beasts climbing the side of the cup.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Half a head's missing there. Can you see that?
0:15:02 > 0:15:06But, if you turn it over, you can actually see the compressed hair
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and almost the grain of the horn.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Can you see that, that's definitely horn?
0:15:13 > 0:15:18That's one of the rarest things we've ever seen on the show.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22Mum, she inherited it from my grandfather.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24He had travelled the world.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27We actually thought it was African to start with
0:15:27 > 0:15:29but it turned out to be Chinese
0:15:29 > 0:15:31so we're not really... he dabbled in antiques,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33so we're not really sure where he got it
0:15:33 > 0:15:37but she obviously inherited it but she didn't realise what she had.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Where has it been in your house?
0:15:39 > 0:15:44This has spent many years in a glass cabinet,
0:15:44 > 0:15:46- kept in our living room. - So you've been looking after it.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48How much do you think that's worth?
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Well, listening to what you've said...
0:15:56 > 0:16:00You've said you think it's slightly valuable?
0:16:00 > 0:16:03A couple of hundred pounds?
0:16:03 > 0:16:05A couple of hundred, yeah?
0:16:05 > 0:16:08A couple of hundred pounds.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09I've got to be so careful here.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12We've got to do an awful lot more research.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15OK? But do you know what my gut feeling is?
0:16:15 > 0:16:18It's a lot more than that?
0:16:18 > 0:16:19A heck of a lot more.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23My gut feeling is this is worth eight...
0:16:23 > 0:16:25..to £12,000.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27- Oh!- Yes.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Then they said, how about 12,000?
0:16:31 > 0:16:34Everybody went, "Oh," you know.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38So that's when we discovered it was actually worth something.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42- It could be even more than eight to £12,000.- I'm quite happy.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Quite happy?
0:16:44 > 0:16:48The easiest thing to do is take it to an auction where the public
0:16:48 > 0:16:52can bid on it because the auctioneer will get this on a website
0:16:52 > 0:16:57that will go all over the world so people, in all countries,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59can place their bids.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02We won't even bother discussing a reserve
0:17:02 > 0:17:03and putting pen to paper at the moment
0:17:03 > 0:17:07because I do need a second opinion on this.
0:17:07 > 0:17:08Let's wait for that, OK,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11and we'll get on the phone to you within a couple of weeks' time.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16Hopefully we're going to find out exactly what this is worth.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20There's been an international ban on trading in rhino horn
0:17:20 > 0:17:24for more than 35 years but it is legal to sell carved items
0:17:24 > 0:17:28made before 1947.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Tom and Evelyn's rhino horn cup was such a rare find that we sent
0:17:31 > 0:17:34it to Bonham's Auctioneers in London,
0:17:34 > 0:17:39where Chinese Art Expert, Angela McAteer took a closer look.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42It dates to the 17th/18th century,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45most probably to the period of the Kangxi Emperor,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48who was the first great emperor of the Qing Dynasty.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52He reigned from 1662 to 1722
0:17:52 > 0:17:55and, you have on either side,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58er, towtier masks
0:17:58 > 0:18:01and you've got chilong dragons carved in high relief,
0:18:01 > 0:18:06which are typified by their split tails and their single horns
0:18:06 > 0:18:10and their heads poke up over the rim.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15'Remember the damage when we first saw the Libation Cup.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19'Well, the auction house recommended restoration to Tom and he agreed.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22We've used a person who is really the top restorer
0:18:22 > 0:18:25in the country for any sort of organic Chineseware
0:18:25 > 0:18:28and if you were looking at it, and didn't know that it was restored,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32then it would be very difficult to tell. The really positive thing
0:18:32 > 0:18:34though is that the horn hasn't dried out over the years.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37What we often see in Western collections,
0:18:37 > 0:18:39that have rhinoceros horns,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41is that they've been put in direct sunlight,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44or they have been put near a radiator
0:18:44 > 0:18:47and it really sucks the life out of them
0:18:47 > 0:18:50and they lose their colour and their appeal.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53This has a wonderful lustre and a wonderful texture.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57So, it's obviously been kept in a fairly humid environment which,
0:18:57 > 0:19:01over the years, has retained its nice qualities.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04'So it sounds like sitting in a cabinet in Scotland for years
0:19:04 > 0:19:06'has actually been in its favour
0:19:06 > 0:19:10'but will this specialist work to repair it be worth it?'
0:19:10 > 0:19:13The restoration costs were around £600
0:19:13 > 0:19:18and that amount is deducted from the final proceeds of the sale.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Really, it may sound like a lot of money
0:19:22 > 0:19:25but when you think of the difference that it will make
0:19:25 > 0:19:27in the final hammer price on the day,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29I think it's a very sensible investment.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33'Angela agrees with my valuation of eight to £12,000
0:19:33 > 0:19:36'and we'll see how far the bidders are prepared to go
0:19:36 > 0:19:39'a little bit later in the programme.'
0:19:44 > 0:19:48We do see some weird and wonderful things on "Flog It!"
0:19:48 > 0:19:53But we don't usually get the chance to see what curiosities the experts have at home.
0:19:53 > 0:19:59One of Will Axon's favourites is a cool piece of retro technology.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Well, nowadays, you don't think twice about reaching
0:20:01 > 0:20:04into your pocket, do you, and pulling out what is, essentially,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07a minicomputer. We've all got smartphones.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10If you're lost, you press a button and it'll tell you where you are.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Imagine the high-powered business meeting in the mid-'70s
0:20:13 > 0:20:16where you were number crunching and the chap opposite you
0:20:16 > 0:20:21pulled out of his pocket what can only be described
0:20:21 > 0:20:25as a very stylish pocket calculator here. You would tremble in your boots, wouldn't you?
0:20:25 > 0:20:30You'd think I'm up against the big man here, I'm going to have to pull my game together
0:20:30 > 0:20:33because this is a Sovereign calculator
0:20:33 > 0:20:36made by Sir Clive Sinclair.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39I actually went to school with Sir Clive's nephew
0:20:39 > 0:20:44so we kind of got some early insights into the designs.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46I remember when everyone else brought their bikes to school,
0:20:46 > 0:20:51he turned up with a C5 and had souped it up with a couple of batteries.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55It went some and, Sir Clive, he was obsessed
0:20:55 > 0:20:57with miniaturisation of electronics.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01He was very much forward thinking and how can I make things smaller
0:21:01 > 0:21:07and slicker and more designed, more contemporary-looking?
0:21:07 > 0:21:09It was his downfall, really,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12because he ended up concentrating more on that
0:21:12 > 0:21:15than he did with things such as quality control and cost
0:21:15 > 0:21:20because this, at the time, would have cost you two weeks' wages, about £30.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22I've just got to get a couple of batteries to replace
0:21:22 > 0:21:25the mercury-filled ones and I think I might be pulling that out
0:21:25 > 0:21:29at a client's house or two just to work out my commission.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33No, Sir Clive, I love it.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35'If you are interested in technology,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38'look out for the early items that were trailblazers
0:21:38 > 0:21:42'in their design and technology, if you want to make money.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46'A rare Apple 1 computer sold recently, at auction,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49'for £442,000.'
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Now when you think of weird and wonderful,
0:21:54 > 0:21:58you wouldn't necessarily think a chair fits the bill, but it does.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00When we think of furniture construction,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03you straightaway think of, let's say, a carpenter and a joiner,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06somebody that assembles and makes pieces of furniture,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08tables and chairs, hence the name joiner,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12joining the wood together with mortise and tenon joints.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Then you would ask a wood turner to apply some decoration,
0:22:15 > 0:22:19maybe in the form of some split bobbins that are applied afterwards
0:22:19 > 0:22:21or to turn the odd leg or two.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Well, it wood turner obviously got frustrated in the 17th century
0:22:25 > 0:22:28and he said, "I can make something that's practical and functional
0:22:28 > 0:22:31"and it's not just decoration, it's a piece of furniture!
0:22:31 > 0:22:35"It's a chair!" Here we have a wonderful, one of the best examples
0:22:35 > 0:22:40I've ever seen in my life of a 17th-century wood turner's chair.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45Apart from that seat, everything here has been made in the round,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48turned on a pole lathe in the woods.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52He's shown some great skill here because look at the ornamentation,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55all of these turnings are slightly different.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59It is wonderful. It would have taken hours and hours to do,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03but it is not that comfortable.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06It is very uncomfortable and it takes up a lot of room.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11It's hardly surprising these turner's chairs didn't take off
0:23:11 > 0:23:15but, nevertheless, this one is as good as it gets.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25Now, back to the rare rhino horn cup which turned up
0:23:25 > 0:23:27at our valuation day in Scotland.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Amid all the excitement of the Bonham's sale approaching,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34brother and sister Tom and Evelyn got some devastating news.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38Their mother, who owned the cup originally, had sadly passed away.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43Well, we were quite upset that she didn't get to be on the TV
0:23:43 > 0:23:48because she was a wonderful 93 years old.
0:23:48 > 0:23:55But...she would've wanted us to go ahead, so that's what we did.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57We went ahead with it and got the benefit.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Lot number 470.
0:23:59 > 0:24:05- £5,000 for it. £5,000 is offered. Thank you, madam.- We're in.- 5,500.
0:24:05 > 0:24:106,000. 500. 7,000. 500.
0:24:10 > 0:24:138,000. 500. 9,000.
0:24:13 > 0:24:19The phones are coming in now. 9,500. 10,000. 11,000.
0:24:19 > 0:24:2212,000.
0:24:22 > 0:24:2413,000. New bidder.
0:24:24 > 0:24:2614,000. 15,000.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30Do we get a smile? Yeah, smile.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33- 18,000 against you. - 'I think it's sort of surreal.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35'You feel like you're not really there.'
0:24:35 > 0:24:39I think it was cos it was like it wasn't really happening.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41You know, but it did happen.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45- 20,000, new bidder.- 20,000.- 24,000.
0:24:45 > 0:24:51- 26,000.- 26,000! I'm tingling. I am tingling! Are you tingling?- Aye!
0:24:51 > 0:24:53The bid's at £26,000.
0:24:53 > 0:24:59And there was a slight pause about £27,000.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02And we thought that, naturally, that was it, finished.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05But, no, the telephone started again!
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Oh, come on. Take it!
0:25:08 > 0:25:11- Two bids.- £30,000 I have behind you.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14£30,000.
0:25:14 > 0:25:1934,000. 36,000 over here. 38,000.
0:25:19 > 0:25:24Astounding! £40,000! £40,000 on the left.
0:25:24 > 0:25:29Against the phones, against both the ladies. The bid's at £40,000.
0:25:29 > 0:25:3040 grand!
0:25:30 > 0:25:34I actually said I can't believe that somebody would pay that much
0:25:34 > 0:25:36money for such a small thing.
0:25:36 > 0:25:3942,000. Just in time.
0:25:39 > 0:25:4242,000. It's the lady's bid here.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46Against the telephones. Against you, far left and against you standing.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Ladies, please, in the centre. £42,000.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52I can't believe it. £42,000.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57No? 42,000, I'm selling it, lady here in the Bonham's boardroom...
0:25:57 > 0:26:02Saleroom at 44,000. With the hammer.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06£44,000.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10At £44,000 on the telephone,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13selling it, then, for £44,000.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15You're quite sure, madam?
0:26:15 > 0:26:18I can't believe somebody wants it that badly.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22£44,000. The auctioneer's asking...
0:26:22 > 0:26:26On the telephone at £44,000.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28You're all done. Sold!
0:26:28 > 0:26:33- Thank you very much! - What's it worth? £44,000.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Congratulations, Tom. Congratulations, Evelyn.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Do I get a kiss for that? What a lovely kiss that was!
0:26:40 > 0:26:43- Happy?- Yes.- Great surprise.
0:26:43 > 0:26:48What an incredible result! The most valuable item ever sold on the show.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51I think I was nearly as stunned as Tom and Evelyn.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00So, what did they do once they got over their shock?
0:27:01 > 0:27:04It did actually come in quite handy for me
0:27:04 > 0:27:07because I had a couple of small debts which I paid off,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11but I still had something left so I got my laptop
0:27:11 > 0:27:15which I kept talking about. I kept saying, "I'm wanting a laptop."
0:27:17 > 0:27:20And Tom was able to blow some of his windfall
0:27:20 > 0:27:23and indulge in his love of cars.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26I wouldn't say I'm a speed hog...
0:27:27 > 0:27:33I actually appreciate the rumble of the engine and the sportiness.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40He bought himself a nippy run-around.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45Of course, I drive within the legal limit, most times!
0:27:46 > 0:27:50And enjoyed a track day at his local circuit.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Selling a family heirloom that's been passed down through
0:28:01 > 0:28:04the generations can be a tough decision to make,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07but that libation cup was worth a fortune
0:28:07 > 0:28:10which Tom and Evelyn have been able to enjoy to the full.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Well, that's it for today's show.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Good luck with all the buying and the selling and do join us
0:28:15 > 0:28:18again soon for more Trade Secrets.