Weird & Wonderful Flog It: Trade Secrets

This is the show that aims to give you the inside track

on buying and selling antiques and collectables.

We've got over ten years of Flog It! behind us.

That's hundreds of programmes

and thousands of your antiques valued and sold.

Stand by for some top tips. This is Trade Secrets.

The majority of the items you bring along to our valuation days

are comfortably familiar to all of our experts

and their valuations are pretty accurate.

But every now and then,

you bring along something that takes us all by surprise.

So today's programme is going to be dedicated

to the weird and the wonderful

that not only puts our experts to the test,

but makes the programme so much fun.

Coming up on today's show - Philip tears a strip off one owner

for mistreating a very strange-looking creation.

Some hooligan, over the years, boy, have they done some damage to it.

-I think that might be my fault.

-What, you're the hooligan?

Mark shares his tips with us.

You might find something which is valuable, you might not.

But it will still be a lovely object to look at.

And I get the best surprise ever at a valuation day.

That's one of the rarest things we've ever seen on the show.

24,000.

-26,000.

-26,000! I'm tingling.

-Are you tingling?

-Aye.

-£26,000.

Now, it's often the case with all these with weird

and wonderful things that turn up at our valuation days

that generally, they are just normal household objects,

except they are the eccentric versions,

dressed up, in a way, to keep us guessing.

To create a conversation.

Even the stuffy confines of the gentleman's study weren't

exempt to this kind of practice.

Take, for example, the humble desktop object.

Some of them can be rather intriguing.

BELL CHIMES

It's good, that, isn't it? I've been dying to do that for hours.

-Kevin and Karen. Whose is this?

-Mine.

-It's yours?

I'm a great believer that it's back to the boys' toys things

again and blokes definitely do buy things for their desk

but I've got to say

that I think that rams' horn thingummyjiggy-whatsit doo-dah,

it does say something for your own ego

if you have got to buy one of those to stuff on your desk, doesn't it?

These are rams' horns. And you see them from about 1850 to about 1900.

We start off with this quite sweet little circular clock up the top

and then we've got our bell and I wonder

whether that's to ring someone and tell them to, you know,

come and collect my post, because this is actually a desk tidy.

So it would have sat on your writing desk. Where'd it come from?

It was my grandfather's.

Well, some hooligan, over the years,

boy, have they done some damage to it.

-Do you know how they have done that?

-I think that might be my fault.

What, you're the hooligan?

Well, as a child, it was my job to clean it with Brasso.

Why didn't you go the whole hog and use a scratch brush as well?

I was ten years old at the time. I knew no better.

-So, can you remember cleaning this initially?

-Yes.

-And all this was silver?

-No.

-Can I just show you something?

Can you just see there? That's silver. Or it's the plate.

-And you want to sell it.

-I do.

-So it's his but you want to sell it?

-I do.

-How does that work, then?

-I'm just getting my own way again.

-Again?

-Again.

-Is this the story of your life?

-Sometimes.

Kevin and Karen were a little bit at odds over the desk tidy

but there is no doubt in my mind that Karen was going to have

her way and it was going, and she was going to get the money.

I think if all of this was beautifully silver-plated,

it would look a whole different proposition.

And then it could be worth £1,000 or more.

I think, as it is, this is worth £300-£500. That's my view.

If it makes, I don't know, £450, what would you do with that?

-Well...

-Holiday.

-Let's think about this for a moment.

-Holiday.

I can sense a family debate coming on. So a holiday here or here...

-What is the "or"?

-I've got a 1969 Mustang that I'm renovating.

-Have you? Are you a car man?

-Yes. Big petrolhead.

Let's get it sold for you.

Philip's face lit up at the mention of cars,

but will one of these bidders be driving home with Kevin's ornate desk tidy?

Start me that at, what, 500?

400? 300. Two.

£200 I'm bid. At 200. Two I am bid.

At 200. 220. 250 the lady.

250. 280. 280. At 300.

£300 I am bid. At 300.

-Well, we've sold it.

-320. 320. 350.

380. At 380. Four, is it? £400.

£400 I am bid. At 400. And 20.

-420.

-This is good.

-450. 480. 500.

500 quid. 520.

520. 550. 580.

600 on the telephone.

620. 650. 650. 680. 700.

-What a fantastic price.

-Brilliant.

-720 bid. 750. 780.

-800.

-Gosh.

-800. 850.

900 I will take. 950.

At 950, in the room.

-You all done? It's going to be sold.

-£950!

£950!

-I have to say, I'd rather have 950 quid.

-So would I!

So would I, that's why I'm selling it!

These guys would as well!

Wow, it might not have been the most beautiful object but two bidders

were so keen on it, they were prepared to fight to the finish.

I think that rams' horn desk tidy was probably bought

for the export market. In all probability, America.

And, you know, I think

the Americans see their antique life as through what's

reflected in this country and I think they see that as being

the height of Victoriana and that's what they buy.

Just because the rams' horns aren't to our taste today,

it doesn't mean they won't find a market

so don't dismiss strange-looking objects out of hand.

-Hi, Dave.

-Hiya.

-I love this.

I homed on this instantly I saw you in the queue with it.

It's a great little thing. It's a real Victorian novelty.

-How on earth did you come by it?

-I was given it by a family friend.

-OK.

-Recently, or a while ago?

-Recently.

-Quite recently.

Just to let everyone else know what it is we're looking at here,

if you just flip the hinge up, it's an inkwell.

It's a real gentleman's collector's item, I guess.

Unusual one-off objects like this are notoriously difficult to value

because as auctioneers,

we often use comparable results to value objects.

I've seen one of these before, I've seen the type of thing.

And you use your knowledge and experience to sort of second-guess.

We'll take this to auction and there will be a lot of interest in it.

People that collect sea-related items,

people that collect brassware, people that collect inkwells,

predominantly, will be the main bidding force.

And I can see it making maybe a couple of hundred pounds.

But when you've got things like this you've got no comparables

to fall back on so you've got to go with your gut instinct.

Will people like it, why will they like it,

how much can they afford to push it up to?

So it becomes less of an accurate estimate,

and a little bit more of a guesstimate.

A round figure of, say, £100 would be a good reserve

but don't be surprised if it makes more than that and goes on.

-Are you happy to do that?

-Yes.

-OK.

If I like it, then surely someone else there is mad enough to like it

and lo and behold, they did.

Cast brass lobster-pattern desk inkwell. Novel item.

-Three bids on the books. 140.

-Three bids.

-We're starting at £140.

Looking for 150. 150. 160. 170.

If you're going to buy and sell curiosities,

make sure they are curios, OK? Don't buy bland, mainstream items.

Find things that make people sit and say, gosh, what is that?

180. 190.

200. And 10. 220. 230.

-This is more like it.

-240. Anybody at 240?

Bid is in the room at £230. Standing at 230 and selling at £230.

Yes, the hammer's gone down.

That's a "sold" sound. £230. They loved it.

So if you're buying curios, the curiouser, the better.

Desk items are, to me, wonderful.

I love the idea of sitting at a desk and writing,

rather than sitting at a screen and typing words in.

Desk items are popular. They make great presents today.

They're very decorative, they are very varied.

There are some very, very keen collectors out there.

Something a bit unusual and a bit different as a gift,

a little desktop item, is a great thing to have.

And the more unusual they are, I think,

the more readily they are going to be chased up to a high price.

In the 19th century, as the middle classes grew richer

and more influential, a gentleman's desk became a status symbol

and the Victorians were masters of making strange

and wonderful desktop objects to place upon it.

What all these desktop status symbols have in common is

they are still worth hundreds of pounds today and apparently,

the odder, the better.

But talking of weird, I've never seen anything like these before.

Come on, Ken, tell me a bit about these?

They are originally from my great grandparents, who owned a farm.

Obviously, it was a well-loved cow and they mounted two of the hooves.

I'm not sure whether all four were done or not but certainly the two.

I love the cow's hooves.

A great family history.

They were quite an unusual item. You don't very often find cow's hooves.

They were in place on a sideboard in my grandmother's house.

When she passed on and I don't think anybody else in the family wanted them,

we took them and we've had them in the cupboard ever since.

-And you don't really care for them?

-No.

-But the nice thing is, the name is on the top of the lids.

-Yes.

-Mulberry and her dates, as well.

-Yeah.

They preserved the hooves as a memory of the animal.

It's usually horses' hooves, your favourite hunter,

the best racehorse you've owned.

But, in this instance, it was a favoured cow.

-And, of course, they're an inkwell.

-Yes.

If we lift the hinged lid.

Erm, and then in this one we've got the little glass well,

which you would put the ink in.

It's a memorial of the cow.

So every time you look at the ink well, you think of Mulberry.

And there are collectors of all sorts of taxidermy

and I've always found the horses' hooves sell quite well

but not for a huge amount.

-We are probably looking in the region of 40 to £60.

-Really?

That's surprising. I thought, maybe, the price a joint of beef

that we were going to buy.

I say, is that what you're spending the money on?

'Now let's see how much of a guesstimate that was, Claire.'

One of you start me on this, £40, for the hooves?

40, quickly. 40, thank you. 5 anywhere else?

45 and 50. And 5?

And 60, and 5?

£60 front row. 65 and 70 says "No".

65 a fresh bid. 70 anywhere else?

At £65 for the hooves. I'm selling the hooves at £65.

Are you sure then at £65?

The hammer's gone down.

-That's a good price for a pair.

-That is.

-That's really good.

Even with today's prices, you should get a nice joint of beef

for that, shouldn't you?

People are more concerned about bits of animals being sold

but where you're talking about unendangered species like this,

there is a strong market. There are people out there that love them!

'Flea markets and general auction sales are the best places to buy

'unusual objects but make sure it's something you genuinely love

'and can live with, as they won't always be great investment pieces.'

Quirky sales, unusual sales,

the salerooms are full of bland, mass-produced objects.

But those one-off, unique items, there is

a buyer out there somewhere for it.

The wackier the better and don't be frightened to have a go

if you see something cheap, pick it up, go home,

have a bit of fun, do some research.

You might find something which is valuable, you might not,

but it'll still be a lovely object to look at.

'I'm lucky enough to see some fantastically unusual antiques.

'Sometimes their strange shapes will have an unexpected purpose

'but at a valuation day in Scotland I was blown away to find

'an object made of something that hardly ever comes onto the market.'

This has to be one of the nicest things I've ever seen on "Flog It!"

And possibly one of the most valuable items

we've ever had on the show.

-You know what this is, don't you?

-It's a libation cup.

It's a libation cup. It's a ceremonial drinking vessel.

-Do you know what it's made of?

-Wood?

It's got a grain in, hasn't it? You can see there is a grain detail.

Lots of compressed hair but it's rhinoceros horn.

Yes. This dates back,

last quarter of the 18th-century.

We read about the visit of "Flog It!"

And Evelyn, my sister insisted on taking the libation cup,

which, I must admit, I thought was just made of ordinary wood.

I spotted one that was sold at Christie's so I thought

ours was worth something, so I took it to the valuation.

Let's just talk about the damage. You can see how it was used

-as a ceremonial drinking vessel, can't you?

-Yes.

There are one or two chips,

there's bits of damage to the horn

and here we've got some mythical beasts climbing the side of the cup.

Half a head's missing there. Can you see that?

But, if you turn it over, you can actually see the compressed hair

and almost the grain of the horn.

Can you see that, that's definitely horn?

That's one of the rarest things we've ever seen on the show.

Mum, she inherited it from my grandfather.

He had travelled the world.

We actually thought it was African to start with

but it turned out to be Chinese

so we're not really... he dabbled in antiques,

so we're not really sure where he got it

but she obviously inherited it but she didn't realise what she had.

Where has it been in your house?

This has spent many years in a glass cabinet,

-kept in our living room.

-So you've been looking after it.

How much do you think that's worth?

Well, listening to what you've said...

You've said you think it's slightly valuable?

A couple of hundred pounds?

A couple of hundred, yeah?

A couple of hundred pounds.

I've got to be so careful here.

We've got to do an awful lot more research.

OK? But do you know what my gut feeling is?

It's a lot more than that?

A heck of a lot more.

My gut feeling is this is worth eight...

..to £12,000.

-Oh!

-Yes.

Then they said, how about 12,000?

Everybody went, "Oh," you know.

So that's when we discovered it was actually worth something.

-It could be even more than eight to £12,000.

-I'm quite happy.

Quite happy?

The easiest thing to do is take it to an auction where the public

can bid on it because the auctioneer will get this on a website

that will go all over the world so people, in all countries,

can place their bids.

We won't even bother discussing a reserve

and putting pen to paper at the moment

because I do need a second opinion on this.

Let's wait for that, OK,

and we'll get on the phone to you within a couple of weeks' time.

Hopefully we're going to find out exactly what this is worth.

There's been an international ban on trading in rhino horn

for more than 35 years but it is legal to sell carved items

made before 1947.

Tom and Evelyn's rhino horn cup was such a rare find that we sent

it to Bonham's Auctioneers in London,

where Chinese Art Expert, Angela McAteer took a closer look.

It dates to the 17th/18th century,

most probably to the period of the Kangxi Emperor,

who was the first great emperor of the Qing Dynasty.

He reigned from 1662 to 1722

and, you have on either side,

er, towtier masks

and you've got chilong dragons carved in high relief,

which are typified by their split tails and their single horns

and their heads poke up over the rim.

'Remember the damage when we first saw the Libation Cup.

'Well, the auction house recommended restoration to Tom and he agreed.

We've used a person who is really the top restorer

in the country for any sort of organic Chineseware

and if you were looking at it, and didn't know that it was restored,

then it would be very difficult to tell. The really positive thing

though is that the horn hasn't dried out over the years.

What we often see in Western collections,

that have rhinoceros horns,

is that they've been put in direct sunlight,

or they have been put near a radiator

and it really sucks the life out of them

and they lose their colour and their appeal.

This has a wonderful lustre and a wonderful texture.

So, it's obviously been kept in a fairly humid environment which,

over the years, has retained its nice qualities.

'So it sounds like sitting in a cabinet in Scotland for years

'has actually been in its favour

'but will this specialist work to repair it be worth it?'

The restoration costs were around £600

and that amount is deducted from the final proceeds of the sale.

Really, it may sound like a lot of money

but when you think of the difference that it will make

in the final hammer price on the day,

I think it's a very sensible investment.

'Angela agrees with my valuation of eight to £12,000

'and we'll see how far the bidders are prepared to go

'a little bit later in the programme.'

We do see some weird and wonderful things on "Flog It!"

But we don't usually get the chance to see what curiosities the experts have at home.

One of Will Axon's favourites is a cool piece of retro technology.

Well, nowadays, you don't think twice about reaching

into your pocket, do you, and pulling out what is, essentially,

a minicomputer. We've all got smartphones.

If you're lost, you press a button and it'll tell you where you are.

Imagine the high-powered business meeting in the mid-'70s

where you were number crunching and the chap opposite you

pulled out of his pocket what can only be described

as a very stylish pocket calculator here. You would tremble in your boots, wouldn't you?

You'd think I'm up against the big man here, I'm going to have to pull my game together

because this is a Sovereign calculator

made by Sir Clive Sinclair.

I actually went to school with Sir Clive's nephew

so we kind of got some early insights into the designs.

I remember when everyone else brought their bikes to school,

he turned up with a C5 and had souped it up with a couple of batteries.

It went some and, Sir Clive, he was obsessed

with miniaturisation of electronics.

He was very much forward thinking and how can I make things smaller

and slicker and more designed, more contemporary-looking?

It was his downfall, really,

because he ended up concentrating more on that

than he did with things such as quality control and cost

because this, at the time, would have cost you two weeks' wages, about £30.

I've just got to get a couple of batteries to replace

the mercury-filled ones and I think I might be pulling that out

at a client's house or two just to work out my commission.

No, Sir Clive, I love it.

'If you are interested in technology,

'look out for the early items that were trailblazers

'in their design and technology, if you want to make money.

'A rare Apple 1 computer sold recently, at auction,

'for £442,000.'

Now when you think of weird and wonderful,

you wouldn't necessarily think a chair fits the bill, but it does.

When we think of furniture construction,

you straightaway think of, let's say, a carpenter and a joiner,

somebody that assembles and makes pieces of furniture,

tables and chairs, hence the name joiner,

joining the wood together with mortise and tenon joints.

Then you would ask a wood turner to apply some decoration,

maybe in the form of some split bobbins that are applied afterwards

or to turn the odd leg or two.

Well, it wood turner obviously got frustrated in the 17th century

and he said, "I can make something that's practical and functional

"and it's not just decoration, it's a piece of furniture!

"It's a chair!" Here we have a wonderful, one of the best examples

I've ever seen in my life of a 17th-century wood turner's chair.

Apart from that seat, everything here has been made in the round,

turned on a pole lathe in the woods.

He's shown some great skill here because look at the ornamentation,

all of these turnings are slightly different.

It is wonderful. It would have taken hours and hours to do,

but it is not that comfortable.

It is very uncomfortable and it takes up a lot of room.

It's hardly surprising these turner's chairs didn't take off

but, nevertheless, this one is as good as it gets.

Now, back to the rare rhino horn cup which turned up

at our valuation day in Scotland.

Amid all the excitement of the Bonham's sale approaching,

brother and sister Tom and Evelyn got some devastating news.

Their mother, who owned the cup originally, had sadly passed away.

Well, we were quite upset that she didn't get to be on the TV

because she was a wonderful 93 years old.

But...she would've wanted us to go ahead, so that's what we did.

We went ahead with it and got the benefit.

Lot number 470.

-£5,000 for it. £5,000 is offered. Thank you, madam.

-We're in.

-5,500.

6,000. 500. 7,000. 500.

8,000. 500. 9,000.

The phones are coming in now. 9,500. 10,000. 11,000.

12,000.

13,000. New bidder.

14,000. 15,000.

Do we get a smile? Yeah, smile.

-18,000 against you.

-'I think it's sort of surreal.

'You feel like you're not really there.'

I think it was cos it was like it wasn't really happening.

You know, but it did happen.

-20,000, new bidder.

-20,000.

-24,000.

-26,000.

-26,000! I'm tingling. I am tingling! Are you tingling?

-Aye!

The bid's at £26,000.

And there was a slight pause about £27,000.

And we thought that, naturally, that was it, finished.

But, no, the telephone started again!

Oh, come on. Take it!

-Two bids.

-£30,000 I have behind you.

£30,000.

34,000. 36,000 over here. 38,000.

Astounding! £40,000! £40,000 on the left.

Against the phones, against both the ladies. The bid's at £40,000.

40 grand!

I actually said I can't believe that somebody would pay that much

money for such a small thing.

42,000. Just in time.

42,000. It's the lady's bid here.

Against the telephones. Against you, far left and against you standing.

Ladies, please, in the centre. £42,000.

I can't believe it. £42,000.

No? 42,000, I'm selling it, lady here in the Bonham's boardroom...

Saleroom at 44,000. With the hammer.

£44,000.

At £44,000 on the telephone,

selling it, then, for £44,000.

You're quite sure, madam?

I can't believe somebody wants it that badly.

£44,000. The auctioneer's asking...

On the telephone at £44,000.

You're all done. Sold!

-Thank you very much!

-What's it worth? £44,000.

Congratulations, Tom. Congratulations, Evelyn.

Do I get a kiss for that? What a lovely kiss that was!

-Happy?

-Yes.

-Great surprise.

What an incredible result! The most valuable item ever sold on the show.

I think I was nearly as stunned as Tom and Evelyn.

So, what did they do once they got over their shock?

It did actually come in quite handy for me

because I had a couple of small debts which I paid off,

but I still had something left so I got my laptop

which I kept talking about. I kept saying, "I'm wanting a laptop."

And Tom was able to blow some of his windfall

and indulge in his love of cars.

I wouldn't say I'm a speed hog...

I actually appreciate the rumble of the engine and the sportiness.

He bought himself a nippy run-around.

Of course, I drive within the legal limit, most times!

And enjoyed a track day at his local circuit.

Selling a family heirloom that's been passed down through

the generations can be a tough decision to make,

but that libation cup was worth a fortune

which Tom and Evelyn have been able to enjoy to the full.

Well, that's it for today's show.

Good luck with all the buying and the selling and do join us

again soon for more Trade Secrets.