Car Booty Flog It: Trade Secrets

'Welcome to the show that aims to put you in the know

'when it comes to buying and selling antiques and collectables.'

-Wonderful tea set!

-Oh, I love this. I love this.

With over ten years of Flog It behind us,

that's hundreds of programmes and many thousands of your objects valued and sold.

This is where we let you into some of our trade secrets.

In today's show, we are looking with envy at the eagle-eyed amongst you

who can spot a car-boot gem at 100 paces.

Now, is it good luck or is it good judgement?

I don't know. Maybe it's both.

'Coming up, we're astonished buy your car-boot finds.'

It really is the most exquisite embroidery box that I've seen.

-Car-boot?

-Car-boot.

'We see how some of you have the talent to turn purchases made from a few pennies into some serious cash.'

-Finished? You got it.

-Well done!

-Thank you, Paul.

'And I send out two of our Flog It experts to see if this car-booting lark is as easy as it seems.'

-MIMICS HUNTING HORN

-Go on, then. Ready, steady, go.

Go! Come on! Come on, Phil! Come on, man!

He's mad, absolutely mad.

At pretty much every Flog It valuation day, we encounter someone

who has made an incredible car-boot find,

whether it's jewellery, ceramics or bronzes.

You have taught us that it pays to keep your eyes peeled at all times,

because there are wonderful things out there

waiting to be picked up at car-boot sales all over the country.

Get up early, get out there early

and go round quickly and see if you can spot anything.

Don't, you know, go laden with books.

The best thing you can do is go laden with speed

and get round as quickly as possible.

The one thing you have to do is forget all manners.

As soon as the car opens its boot, get in there and start rummaging.

That's the key, I think. Because there are treasures to be unearthed.

Don't buy anything you wouldn't want to put on your mantelpiece.

There's an awful lot of rubbish at car-boot sales

and I'm sure people buy things and get them home and think,

"Heavens, what have I bought this for?" So don't do that.

'At our valuation days, I'm often in awe of people

'who've found good antiques for next to nothing at car-boot sales.

'Philip Serrell was stumped for once when he came across Linda and her extraordinary vase.'

He's a monster. Where did you buy it?

-I bought it from a car-boot.

-Right.

-How much did you pay for it?

-Do you really want to know?

-Go on.

-Three quid.

-Do you have any conscience at all?

No, he wanted to get rid of it. He even carried it to the car for me.

-You bought this for three quid?

-Yeah. Yeah.

-So, what is it?

-Burmantofts.

-How do you know?

-It says so on the bottom.

-No flies on you, is there?

It was an ideal example of someone who'd gone out,

they'd had a go, they'd bought something,

it wasn't overly expensive, but they used their eye.

That's what guided Linda to buy that in the first place.

And I think that's fantastic.

You know, it was a spur of the moment thing, "That's cheap. I'll buy it."

It's a double-gourd shape,

-which is almost sort of Chinese in inspiration.

-Yeah.

-Going back hundreds of years.

-Yeah.

-And you've got this, sort of,

monumental lizard

or dragon crawling all around it.

With another little lizard here.

And if we just turn him over,

we can just see here the Burmantofts mark on the base.

The thing about Burmantofts is, they made all sorts of different things,

but Linda's vase, in a way, it was quite grotesque,

and that typified their wares of that period.

-It is cracked.

-Cracked? Cracked?

Cracked isn't the word for it!

We've got a chunk out of the lizard here.

-We've got all this damage to the top...

-Yeah.

-..just here.

And, erm, we've got the crack to end them all,

that sort of goes all the way round it.

What's it worth perfect? Cos it's easy to value these things perfect, right?

Well, people tell me if it's later, a different design, the Persian design, it could be thousands.

So I would say 100, 150.

-You think this is worth £100, £150?

-Perhaps, if it was good.

-If it was good, right.

Well, I think if this was good, this would be worth between £1,500 and £2,000.

-Oh, my goodness! If it was good?

-Yeah.

-Oh, amazing!

-Yeah.

-Amazing. But it's not.

-But it clearly is not good.

Because you've got such a huge financial outlay involved in this...

-I know.

-..I don't want to see you lose money. That three quid is very precious.

-I think what we'll do is, I'm going to put on this what I call a "come and buy me" estimate.

-Oh, yeah.

-I'm going to put on this £100 to £200.

-Amazing.

'The big question is, did Linda's bargain basement find manage to turn a profit?'

Looks like it's been under the hammer already,

but never mind, it would've been a lovely vase originally.

Who'll give me £100 anyway? It's got to be worth that sort of money.

£100. 110. 120.

130. 140. 150. 160.

Yes? 170. 180.

190? No, 180 with H42.

190 here. At 190. Fresh money at 190.

All done at 190? Any more?

-HAMMER BANGS Well done!

-Yes! £190, Linda.

-That is fantastic.

-It's marvellous.

The Burmantofts jardiniere had very, very serious damage.

And I thought the sale price was pretty strong, bearing that in mind.

I think if it was perfect, it would've been in the region of £1,000 to £1,500,

but it was far from perfect, and the restoration cost on that would've been immense.

So I think it was a pretty good price.

'On Flog It, we're always making the point that condition is key,

'particularly when it comes to ceramics.

'However, Linda proved when it's been bought at rock bottom price

'at a boot sale, it's possible to turn a tidy profit

'on a cracked and battered vase.

'Now, there's something you're guaranteed to find at a car-boot sale,

'though it normally holds little interest for serious collectors.

'I'm talking about children's toys

'and Mark Stacey was enchanted by a children's play thing which made him feel a bit nostalgic.'

Jeanette, David, this really takes me back to my childhood.

Sitting at home, just at tea time, waiting for The Magic Roundabout to start.

-Tell me, where did you get it from?

-I got it from a car-boot sale about 20 years ago.

-And I paid £1 for it.

-Good lord.

I loved The Magic Roundabout as a child.

I mean, the theme tune itself

just got me straight in front of the television.

Who was your favourite? Mine was Ermintrude, the cow.

You know, with the flower that went across.

I didn't like Dylan, or the one that bounced up and down.

Things like The Magic Roundabout now have become quite a cult show.

-Mm-hm.

-You know, amongst collectors.

And not only have we got all the pieces here, but of course, more importantly,

we've got the original box.

Now, this particular toy

was brought out between 1974 and 1976.

So a little after the show started.

It was made by Corgi Toys, who originally started in the 1950s.

And they are a well-known name.

The other nice thing you've got, of course,

is we've got a little spare tray.

Yes. The persons who bought it originally bought a spare one

so it would stay brand new, and it's unopened.

Having the original packaging is key.

Even if the packaging is slightly damaged, it's better to have it with it.

Condition is everything. If there's damage or if there's scratches,

it really does put collectors off.

Sensibly, one would put it into a sale at £400 to £600,

something like that, with a 400 discretionary reserve.

'Bought for £1, how much profit did The Magic Roundabout toy make?'

Boing! It's time for bed. Yes, that jogs the memory.

It's the whole game of The Magic Roundabout.

It was valued at £400 to £600,

but you've had a word with the auctioneer and you think that you would like a little bit more,

-so you've actually upped the reserve...

-Yes, I have.

-..to 500.

It does happen occasionally on Flog It, vendors will go home,

have a sleep on it, talk to other members of the family

and they'll decide, actually, they weren't terribly happy with the suggested reserve.

And they'll have a word with the auctioneer. That's fine.

That's life. I'd rather them be comfortable in the price that we sell it for.

290. 300. 320.

340. 360. 380. 400.

-420. 440. 460.

-This is good. They like it.

490. 500 with you, £500.

520 anywhere? £500 then, it's away on my left.

At £500. In the door at £500. All finished?

-I can't believe it.

-What a good result.

Well, it's not going home, but 500 quid is.

£500, I suppose, sounds a lot of money for something which is relatively modern.

But, of course, the condition was good,

and you had an unopened toy train inside with all the little animals and things on it.

And the box was there.

Of course, you should go into your loft. We've all got things hidden away.

I've got a Lady Penelope toothbrush at home that my dentist gave me,

which I haven't opened, but she was my favourite Thunderbird.

'What a fantastic price for that car-boot toy.

'The Magic Roundabout has attained cult status today.

'And if you've got the talent to spot what's going to be the next big thing,

'my advice is snap up the merchandise

'and then tuck it away for a few decades.

'Now, you might expect to see plastic toys for a few pennies at a boot sale,

'but some people find things altogether more unexpected.'

Tell me about it. Where did you find it?

Well, I bought him about three years ago

-from a car-boot sale in Horwich...

-A car-boot?

-A car-boot,

believe it or not. And he just really appealed to me.

He really did. He just took my fancy and I really liked him.

I'm not surprised. A car-boot sale. What did you pay? Don't tell me, £2.

-No, I paid 100 for him.

-100.

-£100 I paid, yeah.

-OK.

The dealer or the car-booter

obviously realised it was something that wasn't rubbish,

because otherwise why put £100 on it?

But what I don't understand is that when you realise

that something's probably worth £100,

why not research it? Why not find out?

Why not take it to Flog It yourself?

Let's have a good look at him.

The first thing to say is he's a dark patinated bronze.

This isn't his natural colour.

The bronze, when he was made, would've been more of a brass colour.

So when people go home and they polish a bronze,

-they're not just making it shine, they're ruining the whole patination...

-Right.

..that was designed for the initial look.

Now, if we have a look at the base,

there's a little signature there, L-E-Q-U-E-S-N-E, Lequesne.

Now, that's Eugene-Louis Lequesne, who was a sculptor

working in Paris in the 19th century,

and he was one of the most famous sculptors of his time.

'Having a signed bronze is no different to having a signed picture.'

It's almost the guarantee that it has a value

that will not just fall away into nothing.

The fact that it's signed, the fact that you can put a name to it,

gives you that bit of extra confidence.

But realistically, it shouldn't be that that makes you buy it.

You should always look at the object first,

and the signature should be the confirmation that it's good.

This piece will appeal to so many different areas of collecting.

People that collect bronzes in their own right,

people that are just interior designers,

and people that just want him for what he is, a bit of fun.

-I would like to see an estimate of 300 to 500.

-Right.

-A reserve of 300.

-Right.

But he'll do more than that.

'Did the bidders think Laura's bargain bronze

'was worth more than the £100 she paid?'

400 here on the internet. £400.

20 anywhere? At 20. 420 the phone.

Do you want... 540.

-This is great!

-That is good.

580. 600.

-620.

-620! See, you have got a great eye.

You should still be going to buy bronzes.

-I may do again.

-I think you will.

700. 720.

740.

720 here. At £720. On this phone at 720.

Anyone else? 720. All finished?

-Yes!

-Wonderful!

-That little bronze certainly called a tune there.

£720!

It sold pretty well, that one. It was a good estimate by James.

It was a nice conservative guide price to show the buyers that it's on the market.

We always like that, not overpriced,

and that gives bidders the freedom to have a good bid at it.

'Bronzes are always collectable.

'There's a huge market for them amongst decorative art collectors.

'And over the years on Flog It, we've seen many fabulous sculptures

'which always fetch great prices.

'But some bronzes can make absolutely staggering sums.

'In 2010, Alberto Giacometti's 1960 sculpture of a man walking,

'called L'homme qui marche,

'sold for £58 million at auction in London.

'If you're at a car-boot sale searching for bronzes, here are a few things you should bear in mind.'

Who made it? When was it made?

Is it in good condition?

Does it have a good provenance?

Is it something that is commercially saleable?

Have a look at the base. If it's showing yellowing on the metal,

it's bronze, if it's showing white then it's a white metal, such as spelter.

The other thing is a magnet test.

Bronze is not magnetic, but cast iron is.

So often cast iron figures were patinated to look like bronze.

Get your little magnet out, should be part of your toolkit,

along with your eyeglass and everything else,

and have a final check with a magnet.

If you've got a young, buxom, pretty girl with her top off,

I have to say, it's worth ten times more than an old grizzly old man, looking miserable.

So, same artist, same size sculpture, different subject matter, makes a huge difference.

'Most importantly, if you're buying a bronze for yourself,

-'you can't go wrong with one you love.'

-HAMMER BANGS

'Often the car-booters we meet on Flog It

'already know something about their item.

'But at a valuation day in Twickenham, I met Joy,

'who had no idea at all of the treasure she'd found.'

-You've looked after it.

-It hasn't been out of the box since I brought it home.

And it really is the most exquisite embroidery box that I've seen.

Shall we see if it's as good on the inside as it is on the out?

Here goes. Opening up now.

-That weighs a lot, doesn't it?

-It does, it's very heavy.

Pin cushions. Obviously, little sections here for buttons and things.

-And there's like a false drawer...

-That's right.

-..in there.

-And how old do you think it is?

-Oh, early 1800s.

-No!

-Yes, no later than 1820,

-1830 at the very latest.

-Gosh!

-Good heavens!

-Yeah. It's so well-built, but look at the amount of ivory and horn there.

-How much did you pay for this?

-£4.

-£4. Well...

..shall we add an 0? And then add another 0?

-That's £400.

-No!

-Base level.

'What rewards did Joy reap on her £4 car-boot bargain?'

£800. £800.

-850.

-They're keen. They love it!

£1,400 in the middle of the room. 1,400. 15 on the phone there.

-I've still got five people bidding. 1,600.

-1,600.

-No!

1,700. 1,800. 1,900.

2,000. 2,100.

2,200.

Against you. No? All done at £2,200, then.

-Finished? You've got it.

-HAMMER BANGS

-Well done!

-Thank you, Paul! APPLAUSE

They gave you a round of applause!

£2,200.

I just don't believe it.

Joy certainly made a fantastic return on her car-boot bargain,

turning £4 into a whopping £2,200.

I wasn't surprised her sewing box sold so well.

It had two qualities which really attracted serious antique collectors.

Firstly, it was in great condition,

and secondly, it had a good age to it.

So what other things should eager bargain hunters look out for at a car-boot sale?

Here's what we've learnt so far.

'If you're at a boot sale buying a toy for the children,

'consider whether it could become collectable in years to come.

'If so, let your kids have their fun, but make sure you keep the original packaging.

'It can make all the difference if you come to sell.

'When contemplating whether to buy bronze,

'first check to make sure it's the real deal.

'Turn the sculpture over and look at the base to check the colour.

'If it's yellow, it's likely to be bronze.

'A name to look out for, apart from Lequesne,

'is Franz Bergman, who created Austrian cold painted bronzes.

'Many of his works are signed with a B in an urn-shaped cartouche.

'When you're out and about at a car-boot sale,

'the normal rules don't really apply. Consider every item you see.

'When you're paying a pittance for an antique,

'there's always going to be room for a profit.'

I can't help but be inspired by those of you who get up early in the morning

in pursuit of car-boot treasure.

Flog It's Caroline Hawley is a committed car-booter,

and is very proud of one particular find.

ROMANTIC MUSIC

This is one of my favourite items of car-booty.

I found it possibly 10, 15 years ago.

And I asked the price and the chap said to me, "It's £4."

And my look of horror, he said, "It is Christian Dior, love."

So I paid him the four quid and I've worn it several times since.

I do feel a little bit like an overstuffed sofa in it.

However, it's corseted beautifully,

from the chest right down to the hips.

And that's what gives you, hopefully, a wonderful shape.

All these bones here, which originally would've been whalebone,

but this is from the 50s, so it's actually moved on to plastic stays there.

Once that's on and you're safely hooked and eyed into it,

then this dress goes over the top,

and it is from the 1950s,

beautiful shape, in silk velvet devore.

It looks beautiful, it sounds beautiful as it moves,

and it's unique and it's well worth the £4 I paid for it.

It always amazes me how many of you can sniff out the most astonishing bargains at a car-boot sale.

Now, how much of that is down to luck or good judgement?

Well, to put it to the test, we asked two Flog It regulars to get up with the larks and go on a mission.

'Britain is a nation of car-boot sale lovers.

'Every year, we hold around 100,000 sales

'with, on average, 2,000 to 3,000 eager bargain hunters pouring through the gates.'

What have you done to me?

This is the world of the Sunday morning car-boot, Philip. Come on!

At this time on a Sunday morning, it's either golf,

breakfast or reading the newspapers. It is not wandering round a field.

It's rummaging through other people's stuff, Philip.

You never know what you're going to find. Look at that!

Laid before us.

Oh, hello. Right.

"Good morning, gentlemen, and welcome to the Short Hills car-boot sale."

Now, your mission, if you wish to accept it,

is to search the car-boot sale in order to find a bargain piece of pottery or porcelain.

Your budget is a whopping £25.

"And the winner will be the person who I deem to have bought

"the best bargain for the amount spent. Good luck, gentlemen."

No, you can't get anything good for £25.

25 quid is like a fortune at a car-boot!

-It's a cheap day out, this!

-So, is this it, then?

-Yeah. This is it.

-Over the top. Up and at 'em.

MIMICS HUNTING HORN

-Ready, steady, go!

-Go! Come on! Come on, man!

He's mad, absolutely mad.

'Phil doesn't seem too keen, but Will's got off to an enthusiastic start.'

If you ever see a crowd around a stall,

always look over their shoulders in case you're missing something.

-Ladies, how are you? Good morning.

-ALL: Good morning!

What's going on here, then? What's being bought?

-We're trying to sell everything.

-Are you?

-We still haven't unpacked it all.

-What are you ladies buying?

-We're just browsing.

-Are you?

-Just looking for bargains.

'Is it a case of the hare and the tortoise?'

Nothing here is priced. How do I know how much that is?

To me, I put it at about six quid.

-You put that at six quid?

-What would you put it at?

-Not six quid.

-Six quid is a very poorly octopus.

-Uh-huh.

-See, that's sick squid.

-Yeah.

-We got there. Good. Good.

That's how much? You want 30 for that, young man?

-Or 25.

-Or 25.

See, it's coming down, coming down. Why aren't you out playing football?

Skipping Monkey. A bit like Philip this morning.

It's no good walking past a box like this, is it? You've got to have a rummage, have a look.

What's down the bottom? A boat in a bell.

What more do you want on a Sunday morning?

Look at him. Look at him over there.

He's rummaging through someone's boxes.

Honestly, this is just like a different culture to me.

'Philip gets down to the nitty-gritty on prices.'

-Everything's £1 or 50p?

-More or less.

I mean, if you put it at £2, there'll say £1. So, you know...

If you've got something priced at six quid,

-what do you expect them to say then?

-Three.

-And if they said £1, what would you say?

-Well, it depends how late it is in the day.

-So the later on, the cheaper the prices?

-I would've thought so.

So if I come back at 2 o'clock, you'll give it away?

Just take the lot, yeah. SHE LAUGHS

'Will's extolling the virtues of car-booting.'

You're not going to find something that belongs in a museum at a car-boot, unless you're very lucky.

What was it recently, the old Thunderball watch, wasn't it?

-Did you see that?

-No. I didn't see it, I heard about it.

£25. £25 it was bought for at a car-boot.

Thunderball watch. Breitling.

I think it sold the other day, it made over 100,000.

You just never know what you're going to find.

'That's right.

'You've had enough fun, chaps, time to make your choices

'before the boots slam shut and the cars go home.'

-Are you a regular?

-No, I just do it as a bit of a hobby.

That's a nice teapot, isn't it?

-That was my mum's.

-Was it?

-Yeah.

-It's got a chip in, look at that.

-Faulty goods.

-It's very old.

-So am I, I ain't worth anything.

-My budget's £1.

-No, I can't do it.

-Oh, behave!

-Go on, then.

-Are you sure?

-I'll give you it.

-You're an angel.

Cheers, my love. Let me just find a pound for you, hold on.

I've taken a bit of a gamble here because that is like...

That's like a rum baba and a black forest gateaux.

You know, it's just real 1970s, but people did used to collect teapots.

I just hope it's Paul's cup of tea.

Morning!

-Got some interesting little bits. All from your own home, is it?

-Yes.

-What about something like that?

-Four.

-£4.

I quite like that. Don't you like that? It's rather...

It's good, isn't it? Nice colour.

Do you think you'd take three for it?

-£3.50.

-Oh! Look, I'm being screwed to the floor.

-£3.50.

-Lovely.

-Thank you very much. Good luck for the rest of the day.

-Thank you.

Hallmarked up at the bottom. CH Brannam, Barnstable.

Made in England.

A genuine bit of English art pottery.

£3.50. It's nothing, is it? Less than a burger.

'Job done! Time for a coffee.'

How have you found it, Philip? Survived? It's not that bad, is it?

Well, all this expertise and we come back with two polystyrene cups.

-Yeah, mine's got a rather nice coffee in it.

-I found it really hard.

-Did you?

Yeah, because it's just a complete alien sort of concept to me, all this.

I know where you're coming from.

-It is harder and harder, I'll give you that...

-It's impossible.

-..to find a real, proper antique.

'Will's up for anything, but Philip clearly feels more at home at an auction or high-end antiques fairs.

'You've both done well though, fellas.'

-Well, I'm actually quite pleased.

-Shall we go together?

-Yeah, go on.

-Uno.

-Dos.

-Tres.

-Oh, nearly dropped it.

Ah, there's a shock, we both bought pots!

-Look! Has yours got anything in it?

-No.

-Maybe a...

-Cheers, Philip.

-Yeah, good health, mate.

-It's been emotional.

-Yeah, wicked.

Well, it's the result time. Who has the best eye?

Let me see. Well, quite honestly, that is a bargain.

That's a teapot you could use today.

And that is actually hand-decorated, that's not a transfer.

That's not bad, actually, for £1. That's very usable.

And for £3.50, well, actually, this is Brannam, look.

We've seen that on the show before. It's from Barnstaple. It's all in the clay.

Down in the West Country. That is nicely thrown.

Architecturally, it's a good height. I like the strap handle.

You know, a lot of traditional country skills going on there,

and it's really true to the principles of hand-thrown pottery.

It's a good contemporary colour, as well.

I think, if you had to sell these, that one would turn the best profit.

'Congratulations, Will.

'I estimated his tankard at £30 to £50.

'And Philip's teapot at £20 to £30.

'Proof positive that Flog It's finest aren't as good as you at spotting bargains at car-boot sales.

'If you're hunting for bargains, there's something you need to be wary of,

'especially if you're parting with serious cash.'

-They're all from car-boot sales and they're all different prices.

-Really?

-Yes.

I was frightfully excited when I looked into your bag and saw this.

I thought this is item of the day on Flog It.

Erm, it's silver. It's Russian.

It purports to be 1884.

-And it's fake.

-Oh, no! THEY LAUGH

'The business of faking is very lucrative. It goes back centuries.

'It covers high-end items made by real craftsmen to mass-produced Chinese fakes.

'Quite a few forgeries have crossed the Flog It tables over the years,

'and it's been our experts' unenviable task

'to break the bad news.'

This one is the cheeky fake.

-Made in brass.

-OK.

There are an awful lot of fakes on the market.

That's the only thing that's going against it.

Because Blue John is so sought after, they're faking it.

'So, what can you do to protect yourself?

'When you're buying from a reputable dealer or auction house, check the description and provenance.

'If you discover you've bought a fake when you get home,

'you're well within your rights to return the item.

'It's a different story when you're at a car-boot sale, though.

'If you're thinking of parting with serious cash,

'how can you make sure you're not buying a fake?

'There are some things to look out for to give yourself a fighting chance.

'Forged gold and silver items are rife on the market.

'Fakes are made from base metals that have been gilded or silvered

'and given false hallmarks.

'When buying precious metals, look out for crisp hallmarks.

'Forged ones tend to have a softer outline

'as they've been stamped with a brass punch

'rather than the hard steel ones used by the assay offices.

'Gen up on where the marks should appear on a piece.

'Forgers often put them in the wrong place.

'And if you've got a silver item in several pieces,

'make sure all of them bear the same hallmark.

'And if you're buying coins made from precious metal, James has a word of advice.'

If a gold coin is the right size,

a fake will be too light.

-But if it's the right weight, a fake will be too big.

-OK.

That one is the right size and the right weight. So that's good.

'Another collectable that's a favourite with our Flog It audience is good old Clarice Cliff.

'And it's Clarice's very popularity which makes her a target for forgers.

'So, how can you tell if your Art Deco ceramic is the genuine article?'

The style of the pottery, the glaze and everything, it's absolutely right.

It's got this lovely yellowish tinge to the glaze on the underside,

which is typical of a right piece.

'You should also check the weight of your Clarice Cliff.

'Fakes often feel too heavy or light.

'No matter what you're collecting, the best way to make sure you don't get stung

'is by taking time to research and get to know the genuine article.

'Good luck next time you're scouring the sales for bargains.

'And if you do get taken by a fake,

'chalk it up to an experience and remember that it happens to the best of us.

'Still to come, our experts continue to be wowed by the variety of your boot finds.'

How on earth have you found that pile at a car-boot sale?

When you put it like that, I don't want to touch it.

'And you prove to us yet again that big profits

-'are to be had by the eagle-eyed among you.'

-Did you enjoy that?

£500. The hammer's gone down.

'As Will and Philip found,

'it's hard to find quality items at a car-boot sale

'where most of what's on sale, frankly, is run-of-the-mill.

'But there's plenty out there that's taken great skill and dedication to create.

'In 2010, to learn more about the expertise involved in making something of quality

'I visited Martin Andrews, a modern British glassmaker.'

Traditional glassblowing has not really changed for 400 years.

Same sort of tools, same benches.

How do you go about making something like that? How do you get all the colours?

-In the furnace, I have clear glass.

-Yes.

-All the colour is added while it's still a solid blob.

-Mm-hm.

Once the design is on, then you start to blow the shape.

-Gosh, it sounds hit and miss to me. It really... It's experimental.

-It's quite specific.

With glass-blowing, you have no second chances.

-It's not like clay, you can't go back and patch it up.

-No.

-You get one chance.

-You have to get it right.

The skill of the glassmaker is working as fast as possible.

You are literally chasing it.

The working temperature of the glass is between 600 and 1,000 degrees.

And it will go through that temperature barrier in about 40 seconds.

So every time you reheat it, you've got about 40 seconds to do something with it.

-And then you reheat it.

-Got you.

So you're up and down the bench a lot.

I really do love that. I love the colours in that.

I love the golden hues.

Could I ask you to show me how to make something? For a novice like me to attempt something like that?

-I'd like to have a go at that.

-OK.

-I really would. Because it looks like a big challenge.

-OK, let's go and have a go.

-How long will that take?

-It would take about an hour... with my help.

-Come on, then.

-OK.

This is actually for real, we're going to take an hour to do this.

And, erm, I don't know what to do, so just talk me through it.

OK. You start by heating that up. Get that hot. Just keep it there.

-OK.

-We want to heat the tip up, so it's hot enough for the glass to stick to it when we gather.

I'm actually feeling quite nervous, to tell you the truth.

Cos I want this to really work well.

OK. I think we can take that out. That's fine. Right.

-Now you're going to gather from the furnace.

-Right.

-You do the first gather.

-Gosh, that's hot!

And you need to be in and out in about seven seconds. OK?

Keep turning. Keep turning.

And go to the bench. Don't touch.

Roll it forward, use all of your arm.

OK, and we're just going to reheat that, so put the paper down.

Reheat it in the glory hole.

-Keep turning?

-Keep turning it.

-It's not easy, is it?

-No.

I'm actually quite frightened!

I'll put some of the other colour out, as well.

And this is cooling all the time now.

It's cooling, but the coloured glass is still sticking to the clear glass.

So from here, OK...

-Pulling back all the time.

-Yeah, that's good. So take it off. OK.

-Now, the hard bit is actually a technique called thumbing.

-OK.

So what you need to do is blow down...

-Blow with this in your mouth.

-Yep.

Put your thumb over it and trap the air so the air expands in the pipe.

-Like that? Now? Ready? One big blow?

-Yep.

That's good.

It's got a little bit larger but you now need to reheat and...

-Keep my thumb on the end?

-No.

-No.

-No.

I see, you could do this several times.

-You could just keep going until you're happy with the size of the air bubble?

-Yeah.

-Roll. Turn.

-Oh, wow.

-And then back the other way.

-That's good.

-That's better.

-Now blow.

It's looking more like a light bulb at the moment.

It's getting bigger and bigger. It's getting harder to come out of that glory hole.

-OK, Martin?

-OK.

-Yeah?

-Out you come, yeah.

Agh!

Nearly, nearly. Oh!

-That's it.

-Hang on, hang on, hang on.

-Agh!

-Ohh. That's it. I've just ruined it.

Nearly had it. That was about 55 minutes' work, wasn't it?

-Sorry.

-That's all right. Never mind.

-What happens to that now?

-Er, well, we'll just put that into the bin.

Unfortunately, you caught the side and it collapsed.

-It's so difficult, isn't it?

-It is. It's very, very difficult.

-It is.

-Thank you so much, you've been brilliant.

We were so close. Ten minutes away from seeing that dish open up.

But I said we'd only do it once, didn't I? I said we'd have an hour on this.

'That's why I love antiques.

'I greatly admire the talent of the craftsmen and women

'who spend years honing their skills to create them.

'So, next time you see something for sale,

'especially if it's a bargain, just think of all the effort that went into making it.'

You know James Lewis. He's a man with a passion for antiques and collectables.

But what you probably don't know is how far he is prepared to go

to get his hands on something he wants.

Well, when it comes to sentiment,

that old piece of iron there, my old camper van,

has got to be the most sentimental thing that I own.

I know they became really fashionable about ten years ago

and lots of TV presenters started buying them

because they were the thing to have, but I have to say,

that's been mine since just about the day I was born.

I was brought back from hospital in it when I was born,

I learnt to drive in it,

I went to university, I came back

and my parents had sold it. Heartbroken.

Saw it in the local garage, they wouldn't let me buy it back

cos it was a rust trap, they said, and then five years on,

I saw it on the M1 and I followed it all the way from Leeds down to Rugby

and flagged it over on the side of the M1,

totally illegal, I know, but I bought it off him there and then, £2,500.

And it took years of love and work

and lots of money to get it restored.

But it's back to full glory now and it's on the road

and it does still have the odd thing that goes wrong,

I lost a hubcap on the way here,

and it's not as reliable as a modern car,

but I absolutely love it.

I've been round Scotland in it last year

and camped rough on the Isle of Mull and Skye,

and I have to say, I would never, ever be without it.

If you haven't had much luck at a car-boot sale, don't despair.

There are plenty of Flog It stories of astonishing finds

that will inspire you to delve a bit deeper

and rummage a little bit further.

Don't be frightened to lift up things, cos often it's just thrown around.

Have a rummage. You never know, you might find a rare Lalique vase. It does happen, you know?

You could be looking for early children's books,

anything like that, anything that isn't obviously valuable.

Look in boxes, because sometimes there can be a work box that they're asking £30,

but inside the work box, there can be a diamond ring.

Keep your eye open for the good factories.

If you buy quality, you'll always do well on that.

If you don't make a profit, you can enjoy living with it.

'I would've thought, in today's antique-savvy climate,

'it would be impossible to pick up a ceramic by a well-known factory

'at a boot sale. But a sharp-eyed couple proved me wrong.'

They are, of course, Moorcroft,

which is one of my favourites.

Can you tell me where you got them?

-Betty purchased them.

-I bought them at a car-boot sale.

-Aye. Quite near here, yes.

-Was it at Kinghorn?

-Kinghorn.

A car-boot sale? A pair of Moorcroft vases?

-How much did you pay for them?

-I think they were £2 each.

-£2 each?

-I think so.

-Do you go to car-boot sales a lot?

-Oh, yes.

-Are you avid collectors?

-Yes.

-Are you mad collectors?

-Yes.

-Magpies.

-Magpies.

Well done on them. They will have developed an eye

over a period of time,

and this is what you've got to do.

Keep looking, keep lifting,

keep touching, look at it upside-down,

ring it to see if it's whole.

The more you handle wonderful items,

the more you will learn about them.

If we look at the back stamp here,

we can see the blue stamp here, the Moorcroft stamp,

and "Made in England."

These little ones here are from about the 1930s

and they're called the Wheatsheaf pattern.

They weren't what you would expect from Moorcroft.

They were quite an unusual pattern, this wheatsheaf pattern,

they were small, they were pretty enough,

but they didn't look the deal.

If they were coming into auction,

I would put a conservative estimate of 150 to 250 on them.

-Would you be happy to sell them at that?

-Yes.

-Ecstatic.

-Ecstatic!

-SHE LAUGHS

'So, how did the £4 pair of Moorcroft vases do at auction?'

I'll start them at £330.

330 straight in. Oh, Betty!

400.

450.

480.

-Was this a "come and buy me"?

-You know me, Paul.

500. 500.

-I'm wobbling. This is fantastic!

-Phone beside me, £500.

Would anyone else like in at £500?

-At £500.

-SHE BANGS HAMMER

-How about that?

-Did you enjoy that?

These were a rare pattern.

They weren't popular so not a lot of them were made,

and this is what caused the feeding frenzy at the auction.

'It was the rarity of the pattern that allowed lucky Betty and Jim

'to snap up the vases. They must have been overlooked by the previous owner,

'who hadn't realised their significance.

'Many items you spot at a car-boot sale won't have a maker's mark to alert you to their quality.

'Instead, you'll have to judge the workmanship for yourself.'

This, I think, is just a miniature walking stick

carved to show off the skills of the craftsman who made it.

-Right.

-And the quality really is very good.

-Very good.

-You know, if we look at this dragon, for example...

-They're all intertwined, aren't they?

Exactly. And then the handle

just finishes in a sort of lotus flower, I think,

with a bat, which is a curious motif.

The nature of the decoration told me it was Chinese.

I think it was probably made in Canton.

The motifs were Chinese. There was a dragon,

I referred to a bat, I think, on the handle.

-I mean, the time it must have took to carve something like that...

-Well, time was cheap, wasn't it?

That's the thing. And they spent a long time making these.

Mind you, having said that, they'd have carved it a jolly sight quicker than you and I

-if we sat down with our Stanley knife and had a go at this.

-I wouldn't attempt it.

In order to make sure that something's ivory and not made of a substitute material,

like plastic or resin,

look for a figure, look for a grain in the material.

Ivory has a very distinct grain.

If that fails, and if no-one's looking,

you can always heat up a hat pin...

Do people still wear hat pins? I think probably not.

But a needle, maybe, and shove it into it.

And if it melts, then it's not ivory.

-So, how did you come by it?

-I bought it at a local car-boot.

-Long ago?

-About 12 months ago.

I hardly dare ask how much to paid for it.

-I gave £40 for it.

-OK. So it wasn't a steal, was it? No.

I don't think you're going to make a vast profit, but I think you'll make a good turn.

I would be inclined to estimate it at £100 to £150.

-So after your commission, with any luck, you'll just about double your money.

-Double your money.

I thought jolly good luck to him.

It always makes me very cross when I hear people are picking these things up for next to nothing,

cos whenever I go to a car-boot sale, all I see is old cylinder heads. I never see anything nice.

'It's illegal to trade in ivory unless it was worked before the 1947 cut-off,

'as David's walking stick was.

'Ivory isn't to everyone's taste. Did this £40 buy find a buyer?'

-Very nice find.

-I thought it looked all right.

It's in good company because there's a lot of other oriental artefacts here, so the buyers are here,

and hopefully they'll find this one.

230 online. 240. 240 now.

250. 250 now. 300, back on the phone again.

They're fighting this out, aren't they?

At £400. Nothing in the room. The room's out. 400.

420 online. Just when you thought you'd got it.

Back online at 420 now. 440 now.

460, thank you.

-500. At £500.

-This is walking out, isn't it?

At £500. Last call. 520.

-How much?

-HE LAUGHS

At 520. Shakes his head.

Back online it is, then, at £520.

All out in the room. Bid's online. Phone's gone.

-Selling at £520.

-HE BANGS HAMMER

Put it there. I take my hat off to anybody

that can turn 40 quid from a car-boot sale into £520.

'We're no strangers to walking sticks on Flog It.

'They're popular with collectors because they come in all shapes and sizes,

'from the rustic to those made of sharks' vertebrae,

'to elegant silver-topped canes, to those with hidden surprises.

'It's because there's so much diversity between sticks that some are priced at a few pounds

'while others can command thousands at auction.

'The most expensive walking stick we've ever sold on the show

'was a wooden one from 1852

'which had some interesting carvings on it.'

All of these signs here

are ciphers and emblems that would be known to Freemasons.

'Despite there being a split in the wood,

'the cane went for a great price at auction.'

830. 835. 840.

850. Let's get on with it. 860.

870. 860 to my left.

-860 to my left.

-Wonderful thing.

-Not a bad ten bob's worth.

-No.

£860.

Hammer's gone down. There's a sold sound.

£860!

'So if you're at a car-boot sale and you see a fine cane, don't just walk on by.

'There are some bargain hunters who have disproved the theory

'that it's always the early bird who bags the boot-sale bargain.'

We've taken a real step back into Georgian England here

with political and royal caricatures of the period.

These are all dating to the late 18th and early 19th century.

And we've got some really fantastic and famous names here.

They are collected widely and there's a great market for them in the States

and there are also very good collectors for them here in the UK.

Tell me how you've come to have them in your possession.

Well, I picked them up at a local car-boot sale...

-HE LAUGHS Fantastic!

-..in the summer time for £10.

I'd actually been there for about three hours

and it was about quarter past one and I happened to see the folder.

-That's incredible, isn't it?

-Amazing.

-It does just show you that bargains can still be had.

How on earth have you found that pile at a car-boot sale?

Not only that, he wasn't even an early bird.

They'd been there, in that folio, throughout the entire day!

How on earth could all those people have walked past them and thought, "They're not worth a tenner"?

There are 25 pieces of 18th century caricature in there.

"Can't possibly be worth a tenner." What are they thinking?

We've got here a cartoon by one of the most famous people of the time

-and that's George Cruikshank.

-OK.

Now, George Cruikshank took over as being the most popular characterist in about 1811.

I would certainly say

that you want to find caricatures that are in good condition,

where they haven't been too trimmed at the sides,

where there's a good margin around the print image.

If they have been later coloured,

then coloured delicately,

not in red felt-tip or anything horrific.

Erm, and by good artists, like Cruikshank.

Each individual one takes a little time, if you're not a specialist,

takes a little bit of time to do some research.

And today, here in Northampton,

-we're not going to have the right time to do it properly.

-OK.

So before we go down the line of value, I can tell you now, I'm not going to put a figure on these

cos I want to do the research properly.

I literally thought, "Right, OK, I've got something I don't know about, who knows?"

And part of the role of a good auctioneer and valuer

isn't necessarily knowing everything instantly.

In fact, it's quite the opposite.

You should always think, "Who knows more about this than me?"

and go and ask a second opinion.

Because you might think you know it, but half the time, you don't.

So what I'll do today, I'll take them away, I'll do some research,

and between us, we'll come up with a valuation for you and organise a reserve.

-Is that all right?

-Yeah, that's great.

'What was James's estimate for Steven's £10 boot buy?'

James, you've put £200 to £300 on this folio of caricatures.

Not many people would buy them, but I think they are great.

I really do. Good for you for picking them up at a tenner.

£130. 130 I'm bid. 140. 150. 160.

That's good. There's interest in the room.

290.

-300.

-Come on!

-Oh, this is good news, Steven, isn't it?

340. He's back in at 340. Telephone two at 340.

360. On telephone one at 360.

360. At 360. Look around the room again. At 360 on the telephone.

-And selling away at £360.

-The hammer's going down.

-£360, guys!

-Thank you very much.

Wow, that's great news, isn't it?

Interestingly, a lot of the collectors for political caricatures

are modern-day politicians,

so you've got a lot of knowledge in the houses of Westminster on this sort of stuff.

And I have to say, that's actually where I went.

I asked a couple of politicians what they thought

and they gave me the odd tip and they turned out to be bang on.

'That fantastic sale price was largely down to the research

'James put in after the valuation day.

'The lesson there is, it always pays to do your homework.

'If you're hunting for antique caricatures,

'keep an eye out for the big names, like George Cruikshank,

'William Hogarth or James Gillray.

'Some boot finds are much easier to date accurately than Steven's Georgian caricatures

'as they have their provenance written all over them.'

-Now, this is an interesting story, isn't it?

-It is, yes.

Thomas Ashmower, is that right?

-1795.

-Yeah.

-So, is he a relative?

-No.

-No?

-No.

-Have you had it a long time?

-Probably about six months.

-Six months?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Where did it come from?

-Car-boot.

-Car-boot. It was quite a bargain, was it?

-I believe so, yeah.

-Right. Tell me.

-30p.

-30p?

The loving cup was a great object, one of the great car-boot finds

of the programme that I've had involvement with, certainly.

And it was so obvious it wasn't a fake.

The age was written all over it and the marks, the telltale marks...

I remember the lip and tooth marks on it.

And just everything about it, you just knew it was 100 percent genuine.

The crack there. Well, what do you expect, really?

-That's where the mouth's been, isn't it?

-Yep.

-So you would expect that.

-Yep. It's been...

-And maybe that's from his teeth, do you think?

-Could be. Yeah, that bit of wear from his teeth.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

When you put it like that, I don't want to touch it.

You don't? That's why I want to sell it.

-Well, it is unusual.

-Yeah.

-I mean, the date appears to be right.

It's not a fake or anything like that. It's 18th century. A piece of what we call pearl ware.

It's all hand-painting. And, of course, the shape is a loving cup.

The loving cup was a real antique.

They were used, they were shared at weddings and banquets, as well, with the twin handles,

and I was really enjoying just holding this one,

because it really did feel like a piece of history in your hands.

What do you think it's worth?

Well, I did send it off with some photographs

-to get it valued down in London.

-Right.

They estimated, hammer price, between £120 and £150.

-Well, I think that's a fairly good guide from a photograph.

-Yeah.

-My first thought was £100 to £150.

-Yeah.

-Similar thing.

'Malcolm's bargain 30 pence loving cup

'was sold at James Lewis's auction house. How did it fare?'

We have, I think, two telephones.

-Oh, yes!

-Here we go.

-It was a "come and buy me".

The date does it, doesn't it?

350. 360. 370.

380. 390.

390. 400. 410.

420. 430.

Maybe there's a bit of local regional history somewhere.

480. 490.

500. 510. 510 on the second phone? No?

He's milking them, isn't he?

Absentee bid still at £500.

-All sure?

-HE BANGS HAMMER

£500! The hammer's gone down.

The loving cup sold incredibly well. There's a couple of reasons for that.

Firstly, Malcolm had only paid 30 pence for it,

so what's wrong with putting a nice "come and buy me" estimate of £100 to £150 on it?

It was so incredibly rare that it wasn't a massive surprise that it made £500.

If you've got something that's good and something that's fun

and something that's dated and something that's named,

then... there's always a good market for it.

'Malcolm's a real alchemist.

'I wish I had his skill for turning 30 pence into £500!

'He was canny enough to realise that an antique

'dating back as far as the 1700s

'was bound to be worth a bob or two.

'When you're out hunting for bargains,

'keep your eyes peeled for dated items.

'The older, the better.

'But what else should you consider if you're trawling the boot sales looking for treasure?

'Don't judge a book by its cover. When you're cruising the tabletops,

'turn over every ceramic and check the maker's marks.

'You might get a pleasant surprise.

'Leave no stone unturned.

'Rummage in boxes, look under the tables and search through folios.

'Even if it's late in the day, you might just stumble across a gem

'everybody else has missed.

'And pick your saleroom with care.

'When it comes to flogging your boot finds,

'choose a sale which has similar items in its catalogue.

'It could really help your antique walk away.'

Car-boot sales are clearly the place to unearth some hidden treasures.

Now, if your eye is taken by a curiosity,

it's definitely worth investigating further,

as Jethro Marles found out when he met up with Snowy

at a valuation day in Chippenham back in 2005.

I went to the local car-boot at Standerwick Market near Frome.

Then, years ago, I'm going back a few years now,

there was hundreds of stalls, hundreds of people doing stalls.

But I was just lucky to see these two plates and I thought, "Ooh, two plates."

£2 each. And I knew, as I said, the Poole one was unusual

because the mark on the back and the lady on the front.

Poole Swimming Club, the Jubilee Gala, 1935.

You've got a picture of a figure swimming, a young lady swimming in the water.

-You turn it over and we've got the mark of Poole Pottery.

-Yes.

That was a very old Poole Pottery mark on the back in 1935,

so it was... That was one of the reasons I knew

it was something a little bit different, because it was old Poole, not modern Poole.

It's in lovely condition, not damaged.

You've got all this association with Poole

and the fact you've got a figure from the 1930s swimming.

-What's it worth? You thought it was worth more than two quid.

-Yes, definitely!

I think you're going to get perhaps £100, £150.

Poole Pottery Swimming Club Jubilee Gala, 1935.

Depicting a young swimmer. Apparently it's one of 12 made.

-Only 12?

-Did you know that?

-I didn't know that.

-Nor did I.

At 100. At £100.

And 5. 110.

At 110. 115, sir. 120, ma'am.

The auction was really, really exciting.

A bit nervy for people who have never done it before,

because there's all the cameras and lights

and Mr Martin there and everybody else there.

165. 170.

At 170. Lady's bid.

-At £170. Finished now? 170.

-HE BANGS HAMMER

Hammer's gone down. You'll take that, won't you?

-170 quid?

-I will, certainly.

The first thing I did with £170 was put it in my pocket,

because £170 doesn't grow on trees, does it?

With that £170, I bought a push-bike, a three-wheeled cycle.

Well, this is it, this is what I spent my money from Flog It. Thank you very much.

I'm a collector and it's a collector's piece, anyway, the three-wheeled bike.

I've still got it and still ride it to this day.

It got me thinking about buying a motorbike trike,

which eventually I did.

I've always been a motorbike man.

I was a bit of a flash man. I had a motorbike and trailer on the back

and all sorts of things. But now it's just the pleasure, the trike's pleasure.

I can sit on it, enjoy it,

and it causes a lot of interest.

People come and say, "Did you make it? Did you put it together? Did you do this and do that?"

Everywhere you stop, you get a conversation about a trike.

That's what I like about the trike.

'So, what advice can a seasoned car-booter give us?'

If a car-boot's due to start at ten, get there at six.

To get up early is the most important. If you like it, buy it, cos somebody else will like it, too.

# Born to be wild #

So, the lesson from today's programme is perseverance.

I hope we've demonstrated that it is possible

to discover those overlooked treasures.

So get up early in the morning and get out there car-booting.

And who knows, it may be the best thing you've ever done.

See you again soon for many more trade secrets.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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