0:00:04 > 0:00:07It's been well over ten years now since "Flog It!" first set up shop
0:00:07 > 0:00:10and, during that time, you've come to trust us to value
0:00:10 > 0:00:13and sell your unwanted antiques and collectables.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15APPLAUSE £1,100. Put it there.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17- Well done...- Thank you, thank you.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19- Oh, my...- Absolutely wonderful.- Ah.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21And during that time, the variety of things
0:00:21 > 0:00:24you've brought in to show us has been absolutely astonishing,
0:00:24 > 0:00:26and it's not easy to put a price on them all,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29but some things we know are guaranteed to sell
0:00:29 > 0:00:31and this is where YOU can find out more.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Welcome to Trade Secrets.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Artefacts from China and Japan
0:01:04 > 0:01:07have always held a particular fascination for Europeans.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12It's a market that can be a minefield for budding collectors.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16But items from those lands regularly turn up at our valuation days,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19so today, we're exploring all things Eastern.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26Coming up, a Japanese sculpture provokes mixed reactions.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29I'm not fond of it at all, to be honest with you.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31The thing with something like this,
0:01:31 > 0:01:33the auction house will love it.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36- Hammer's gone down.- Wonderful. - Isn't that good news?- Yes, lovely.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Big smiles all round.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41We learn how to sniff out Chinese fakes.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42I have to be honest,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45I looked at it and I thought, don't want to look at that, that's a fake.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49All the scratches and all the marks are telltale signs of wear.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52But...it is a minefield.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57And we get a glint of just how lucrative the Oriental market can be.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59At 3,600...
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Yes, that hammer's gone down. Well done.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04'Low-end collectors in China'
0:02:04 > 0:02:05are millionaires.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07The top-end collectors are billionaires.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Antiques from China are always popular,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20but its smaller neighbour is catching up.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Japan came late to the worldwide antiques trade
0:02:23 > 0:02:26because it didn't open up its ports to foreigners
0:02:26 > 0:02:28until the mid-19th century.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32You've brought in this really exquisite item.
0:02:32 > 0:02:33What a lovely find.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Karen, you've really made my day today,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39bringing this little collection along.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Because of the interest in the Chinese market,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45it's pulling the Japanese items up as well.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48- Got to be so happy with that. - I am. Very happy with that.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50With the wealth that the Chinese are creating,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54they're buying up Japanese works, because they look so similar
0:02:54 > 0:02:57and a lot of the symbolism you see in a Japanese...
0:02:57 > 0:03:00means something to the Chinese anyway.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02£1,100. Put it there.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06There's a great dissemination between Japanese and Chinese taste.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10The Japanese will copy the Chinese, the Chinese will copy the Japanese,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12so you just have to look at the individual items
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and sometimes get it right and sometimes get it wrong.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Today, there's a wealth of Japanese treasures to choose from,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26like the one Mark discovered in Cardiff in 2012,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30brought along by sisters, Ulwyn and Lynne.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Where on earth did you get it from?
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Well, my husband inherited it in the year 2000
0:03:36 > 0:03:39and it was from an uncle of his.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44And his wife, when she was alive, was in the antique business.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49- Was she?- Yes.- Now, this was made during the Meiji period,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52so between 1868 and 1912.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56It was so humorous, the little crushed...
0:03:56 > 0:04:00figure underneath the barrel and these little Japanese characters.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03It just screamed the Meiji period in Japan,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05and beautiful quality.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07To me, it looks like this tradesman
0:04:07 > 0:04:10is being attacked by these little gargoyles.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- Yes.- I think he's throwing salt or something.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Down here, we've got somebody rubbing their eyes,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19- so maybe some of the salt has gone into their eyes.- Yes.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22This one is protecting himself with a sort of bowl of...
0:04:22 > 0:04:25- I don't know, eels or something. - Yes.- And they're all carved ivory.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29The Japanese carvers, of course, used many materials.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32They used wood, they used bamboo, they used silver.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Ivory, I think, lent itself to carving these types of figures,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39because it was in plentiful supply and they have that lovely,
0:04:39 > 0:04:45creamy, soapy feel that age has added to the ivory.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48It's wonderful, isn't it? And where does it live at home?
0:04:48 > 0:04:50- Have you had it out on display? - No, I haven't.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52It's been wrapped in tissue paper
0:04:52 > 0:04:56and then bubble wrap in a box in the bottom of the wardrobe.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58- Well, that's not very nice, is it? - I know, it's not.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02I just, you know, I'm not fond of it at all, to be honest with you.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04The thing with something like this,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06the auction house will love it.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- Yes.- Because it's fresh to the market, it's quality
0:05:09 > 0:05:12and there's a big collectors market for it, I'm sure.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16So if we put it in at 500 to 700 with a 500 fixed reserve...
0:05:16 > 0:05:20- Yes.- ..I think they'll come out of the woodwork, if you use the pun.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24- Yes.- 'This has obviously been in private hands for many years,'
0:05:24 > 0:05:26so when it came to the market,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28it really excited both the collectors and dealers.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30720, 750.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32780, 800.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33- Great.- 820, 850.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- 880, 900...- It's you. It's very good, isn't it?- Yes.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40'It flew past the top estimate and just kept going.'
0:05:40 > 0:05:42And 50, 1,200. And 50. 1,300.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47- And 50...- Is this exciting enough? - Yes, it is. Very much so.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49With me at £1,500.
0:05:49 > 0:05:511,550 on the net.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Are we all out on the telephones and in the room?
0:05:53 > 0:05:57And £1,530.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59- Thank you.- Hammer's gone down. - Wonderful.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02- Isn't that good news?- Yes, lovely... - Big smiles all round.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03There was a lot going on there.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06I mean, you had three, four, five, six figures or so.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08And the whole humorous nature of it
0:06:08 > 0:06:11and to collectors and to dealers, I mean,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13that just would've floated their boat.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15In fact, it DID float their boat.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19There is a huge collecting market for Japanese items,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22but you do have to go for quality.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24190. 200...
0:06:24 > 0:06:27So, how do you spot a quality piece of Japanese carving?
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Well, I know just the man to ask.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Auctioneer Nick Hall is a regular on "Flog It!"
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and his auction room has been the scene of some high drama
0:06:35 > 0:06:36over the years.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41He's a man who knows quality when he sees it.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44So who better to let you in on some trade secrets?
0:06:44 > 0:06:47One of the questions I'm asked an awful lot
0:06:47 > 0:06:48is what makes an object valuable?
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Is it the rarity, the material it's made from, the quality?
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Or the author of the object?
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Well, in this instance, and here we're talking about
0:06:57 > 0:07:02oriental works of art, it's the quality, the craftsmanship.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Now, on the face of it, they're very similar objects,
0:07:04 > 0:07:08they're both Japanese, they both date from the late Meiji period,
0:07:08 > 0:07:101900, 1910.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12They're both carved from ivory
0:07:12 > 0:07:14and they're both what we call okimono,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17which are just freestanding, decorative ornaments
0:07:17 > 0:07:18that serve no purpose,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20so you'd have thought on the face of it,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22they should have very similar values.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24But you need to look closely.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26The little group of fishermen at the front,
0:07:26 > 0:07:30when you get very close, the carving actually is quite bland.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33If you look at the features on the hands and the face,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36the feet, there's not a lot of detail there.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39But you get closer, closer still,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42and you look at the fruit picker behind,
0:07:42 > 0:07:46you can see the veins in the leaf hanging down at the front here,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50you can even see the feathers on the quail perched on the top there
0:07:50 > 0:07:54and the features on the elderly chap's face there,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56the lines from all that toil and labour,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58and it's little touches and detail like that
0:07:58 > 0:08:02that collectors of Japanese carvings go wild for.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04And that's what pushes the price up.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06So what are they worth?
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Nice little group at the front, 100 years old, plainly carved,
0:08:10 > 0:08:12you could buy that for probably £100,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14whereas the fruit picker at the back
0:08:14 > 0:08:17with all that fine quality detailing,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19that's going to be nearer £1,000.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22So look closely and then you will know exactly
0:08:22 > 0:08:25the value of the object you're dealing with.
0:08:25 > 0:08:26Worth remembering.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31The Japanese are world-renowned for their superior carving.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Another area in which they excel is lacquer work,
0:08:34 > 0:08:36an intricate and elaborate technique.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Claire Rawle found a typical example in Hertfordshire.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43And you've bought such a pretty item in.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46A Japanese lacquer, but tell me a bit about it.
0:08:46 > 0:08:47How did you come by it?
0:08:47 > 0:08:50It was tucked away in one of the boxes at home.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53We've got a whole collection of items from my dad,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57who was an avid collector for antiques -
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Japanese items, especially.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02So we've got, on the essence, a sort of lacquer box.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06In actual fact, it's a card case, isn't it, to put visiting cards in?
0:09:06 > 0:09:08- Correct.- And it was made
0:09:08 > 0:09:10latter part of the 19th century,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13for exports to be sold in this country,
0:09:13 > 0:09:14used as a European item...
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- Very interesting.- ..and they made the most beautiful lacquer work.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Well, it's a varnish, the Chinese discovered it
0:09:20 > 0:09:24and used it to really protect items initially,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26so it's a varnish that's built up in layers
0:09:26 > 0:09:29and then they are very often carved back through the layers
0:09:29 > 0:09:34to decorate it, or just build up the decoration and then gild it finely.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37It's very intricate art and you've got this wonderful eagle,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41very typical Japanese emblem, that. And then on the back,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44we have, which is always a giveaway if it's Japanese,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46you always have Mount Fuji.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49The most traditional emblem you'll see on Japanese works of art
0:09:49 > 0:09:50is Mount Fuji.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54The summit was always believed to be... Well, still is, to be sacred,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57and in fact, ladies were not allowed up on the summit
0:09:57 > 0:10:00until the Meiji period, which is the late 19th century.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04And then again pagodas. Very, very typical. It's lovely.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06You've got a bit of general wear, which you would expect.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09The eagle's a bit rubbed. It's been used.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11You hold it in your hand, that's fine.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13So it's actually in very nice condition.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15There are some items that you will accept damage on.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19The trouble sometimes with a lacquered item, for instance,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21it's very, very difficult to repair because
0:10:21 > 0:10:25it's difficult to restore it without making it look brand-new again.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30- I think, really, an estimate of 150-200.- Oh, lovely.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32It's just such a pretty item that somebody out there
0:10:32 > 0:10:34is going to love it.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37What about that Meiji period box?
0:10:37 > 0:10:40There it is with the gilt decoration to it.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43£150 for a fine little box.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Yes or no, sir? 80, OK. Are you 90 for the box?
0:10:46 > 0:10:47100 for the box.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51- Oh, come on, a bit more.- 10 in the middle. 120 and 30 and 40 and 50...
0:10:51 > 0:10:55- Here we go.- £150 for the box, then. 150 I have.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57At £150 I'm going to sell.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59- GAVEL BANGS - Thank you.- Great result anyway.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01That was good.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03'It wasn't a bad price for what it was'
0:11:03 > 0:11:05but I think maybe if it had been Chinese,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08there would have been quite a different price, yeah.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15DRUMMING
0:11:15 > 0:11:18On "Flog It!" we're used to seeing Japanese ivories and ceramics,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21but you may be surprised by this Japanese export
0:11:21 > 0:11:23of a very different kind.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28It's taiko drumming, which I tried my hand at in 2011.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34The drums used for taiko are traditional instruments in Japan
0:11:34 > 0:11:36and they've been heard for centuries.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39It's believed they were first used by the military.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42THEY CHANT
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Modern taiko drumming like this
0:11:44 > 0:11:49was developed in the 1950s by Japanese musician Daihachi Oguchi.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Now, many of you may know, at one stage in my life
0:11:56 > 0:11:59I was a professional drummer. Many moons ago.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02So I'm absolutely delighted to come here today to the Barnfield Theatre
0:12:02 > 0:12:07in Exeter to pick up the sticks once again, albeit with a difference.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11I'm here to meet Jonathan Kirby,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14one of the first people to bring taiko drumming to the UK.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18I know a little bit about drumming, but nothing about taiko,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20so explain a little bit further.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22We talk about four principles when we play taiko.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Attitude, so the way you approach it,
0:12:25 > 0:12:27your kata, which is a martial arts term.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29That means your stance, the way you stand,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31the way you project your performance art.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35- Technique is about doing simple things well.- Yes.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37And then we move on to ki, which is the energy,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40and that's what makes it so exciting.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- That's what you need to channel. - Get the breathing right, get focused.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47So, how do you go about converting a kit drummer?
0:12:47 > 0:12:49We introduce you to one of our group members.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52My son, Oliver, is a member of the main performing group.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- Thanks for helping us out today, Oliver.- No problem.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57- Where do we start? - We can show you the ropes,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00introduce you to some of our fundamentals and have a little go.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Come on, then. I'm quite excited about this.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07First of all, take your left leg and plant it behind the left corner of the drum,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10- and then right leg going behind... - This is to get your body weight down?
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Yeah, and you've got a nice foundation to work off.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14OK, then the arms go out in front.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17- Space under the armpits... - Open your diaphragm.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- Yep, open your body out. - So you can breathe.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22And even just this, a group of people doing this,
0:13:22 > 0:13:23is a performance in itself.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25- It's quite ceremonial, isn't it? - Absolutely.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29It's a very powerful feeling, just standing here knowing that you're
0:13:29 > 0:13:31going to hit this in a moment and it's going to be really loud.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- Exactly, and that feeling of tension...- Suspense.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36It goes to the audience as well.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40OK, so the first beat that we're going to play is called the dongo.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42It's a swung base rhythm and it sounds...
0:13:42 > 0:13:45- HE BEATS DRUM - Dong-o, dong-o, dong-o...
0:13:45 > 0:13:47There you go. Exactly.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50I wonder if you're up to the challenge of playing a little piece
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- with myself and Jonathan. - OK, come on. Get Dad on. Here he is.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57- The master.- Oh.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58What are we doing?
0:13:58 > 0:14:01- Is this a traditional song or one of your songs?- It's one of mine.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04We'll pay a piece called Congruenza, an extract from it.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07It will feature Oliver playing a couple of melodies,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10as we call them, on that side. I'll play a couple this side
0:14:10 > 0:14:12and we'll have a little bit at the end,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- and you'll play the same as Oliver or me throughout.- OK.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16Here we go.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49MORE SOFTLY
0:14:49 > 0:14:51THEY GET LOUDER
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Absolutely fabulous. HE LAUGHS
0:15:05 > 0:15:09When it comes to Oriental antiques, China is the undisputed emperor.
0:15:11 > 0:15:1620 years ago, Japanese pieces were FAR more valuable,
0:15:16 > 0:15:17far more saleable than Chinese.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21Today, it has reversed so much.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- GAVEL BANGS Brilliant.- Definitely very happy.
0:15:24 > 0:15:25That is a good result, isn't it?
0:15:25 > 0:15:28I think mainly because the Chinese themselves are buying them back.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30There's great wealth out there
0:15:30 > 0:15:32and for a long time, they were denied their culture.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35They were denied owning items that showed history.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38- GAVEL BANGS - Sold.- £980!
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- That is wonderful, Paul. - What a lovely surprise.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43- I can't believe...- I'm tingling.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Chairman Mao put forward a law to say that
0:15:45 > 0:15:48if you were caught with items from the imperial past,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52you were seen as being disloyal to the Communist doctrine,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56so people buried things in their back garden, they destroyed them, they were burnt, they were smashed,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00and now, of course, China is the economic superpower.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04The hammer's up. We're selling at 3,300.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07THEY LAUGH £3,300!
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Much of China's surviving artistic heritage is here in Europe,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19but it isn't all fine antiques.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22There are items that reflect the country's social history too.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Angela, I have never, ever seen shoes like this before
0:16:28 > 0:16:31and I think they are absolutely incredible.
0:16:31 > 0:16:38These are Chinese women's shoes,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41- not dolls' shoes, women's shoes.- Yes.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45I must admit, I don't think I've ever seen Chinese shoes before
0:16:45 > 0:16:47coming into a "Flog It!" valuation day.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52They are a bit unusual, a bit of a curio,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54and something that I don't know if I'd like to handle again.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Young girls, when they were about four years of age,
0:16:57 > 0:17:02their mothers used to bind back their toes with cotton...
0:17:03 > 0:17:07..so that they had small feet, cos they were considered to be pretty.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09And those are minute.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12The standard size of foot was considered to be three inches.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Where on earth did you get these from?
0:17:15 > 0:17:20Well, my in-laws had lived out East from the mid '30s.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22They certainly date from the 20th century.
0:17:22 > 0:17:29This idea of binding children's feet was actually outlawed in 1911,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32- but it still went on a lot longer than that.- Yeah.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36As objects, aside from that, whether it's right or wrong,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38these are absolutely beautiful.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43I think they are silk, with this wonderful embroidery.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47It's really hard to value something that you've never seen before,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51something that you've never had any experience with.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55'A lot of it comes down to whether we've seen similar items
0:17:55 > 0:17:59'like that sell at auction, and how much they have gone for before.'
0:17:59 > 0:18:02I would suggest probably putting a reserve on of £50,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04cos I certainly don't think they should go
0:18:04 > 0:18:06for anything less than that,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10and probably an estimate on of about £80-£120.
0:18:10 > 0:18:11When you don't quite know
0:18:11 > 0:18:13whether it's going to make into the hundreds
0:18:13 > 0:18:16or whether it's going to go for under £100...
0:18:16 > 0:18:19So you put £80-£120 on it.
0:18:19 > 0:18:20That's my secret.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Right, lot 386 here. Can I say £80 away?
0:18:24 > 0:18:27£50 away? £30 I'm bid. At £30 the bid.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29I'll take 5 to get on. At £30 the bid.
0:18:29 > 0:18:3135. At 35. 40?
0:18:31 > 0:18:34- 40. At £40. 45... - This is interesting.
0:18:34 > 0:18:3850. At £50 on the phone. At £50, the bid. I'll take 5 now.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- At £50, are we all done? At £50... - GAVEL BANGS
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Yes, they've gone! Only just, though.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47- They went right on the reserve.- Yes.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49- Happy?- Yes, I'm happy.- It's gone.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52It's one of those things that you either like or you don't like,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55so I just think the right people weren't there on the day.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03But one area that's ever popular and breaking all records
0:19:03 > 0:19:06is something the Chinese have been producing for centuries,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08and the clue is in the name - china.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Lynette and Caroline, when I was a boy,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13I had all my goldfish in the pond.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Some people have them in little bowls,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17but if you're in 18th-century China,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20this is what you would have used - a fishbowl.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24- It's a fishbowl?- A fishbowl.- I had no idea that's what it was.- Really?
0:19:24 > 0:19:27I thought it was a bidet.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Well, you can wash your bottom in it if you like,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33but I really don't think the fish would approve.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37I have to be honest, when I first saw this, I looked at it
0:19:37 > 0:19:39and I thought, "Don't want to look at that. That's a fake,"
0:19:39 > 0:19:42and I dismissed it completely.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45The more valuable a subject area becomes...
0:19:47 > 0:19:52..the more attention is spent on trying to fake those items.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56The world record for a piece of art other than a painting
0:19:56 > 0:20:01was a Chinese porcelain vase selling for £53 million.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Sold!
0:20:04 > 0:20:06So when you get something making that,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10imagine how many people there are trying to fake it,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14and the biggest difficulty we have today
0:20:14 > 0:20:16is telling whether it's right or wrong.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18So how could you tell that it was...?
0:20:18 > 0:20:24The first clue was when you said, "I've had it for 40 years."
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Then I thought, "Hm. They've only been making these fakes
0:20:26 > 0:20:29"in the last 20 or 30, so let's have another look."
0:20:29 > 0:20:32And then there are signs, when you start to look.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36The scratching in the glaze, the chips around the edge here
0:20:36 > 0:20:38and I think it's right. I think it's right.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42All the scratches and all the marks are telltale signs of wear,
0:20:42 > 0:20:47but it is a minefield, and the fakers can make things
0:20:47 > 0:20:49that we can only dream about.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52They will take something and put keys in the bottom of the bowl
0:20:52 > 0:20:55and put it on a thing that just shakes keys,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57so it makes little scratch marks.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01They have these pushers and rubbers to actually wear the piece out.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05It lived outside and I took a pottery class,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08and they gave me some pottery magazines to just inspire me,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10and that's when I saw this bowl and I went,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13"Well, Lord, it's got the same pattern around it."
0:21:13 > 0:21:15- How extraordinary.- That's when I brought it inside the house.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18- So pottery classes have saved it. - It saved it, yes.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Estimate, let's put £800-£1,200.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Reserve - £800.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28But, you know, if it doesn't sell, you're not having it back.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30SHE GASPS
0:21:30 > 0:21:34James was confident that the bowl was the genuine article,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36but would the bidders agree?
0:21:36 > 0:21:41And I've got to start this at 1,200. 1,400, 1,600,
0:21:41 > 0:21:441,800. 2,000, 2,200, 2,400,
0:21:44 > 0:21:472,600, 2,800. 3,000 I am bid on commission.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49- At £3,000.- What?- 3,000.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51At 3,200. At 3,200 in the room.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54All three bidders are out at 3,200 bid.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58- 3,200.- ..on the phone now. I have you at 3,200.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Caroline...
0:22:01 > 0:22:04At 3,200. All done at 3,200...
0:22:04 > 0:22:083,400. On the telephone at 3,400.
0:22:08 > 0:22:123,400. 3,600. At 3,600 here.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15At 3,600 now bid.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19At 3,600, the hammer's up. At £3,600 now.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23All done? You're out at the back. At 3,600...
0:22:23 > 0:22:27- Quick if you do.- £3,600.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29At 3,600...
0:22:29 > 0:22:34- Yes! The hammer has gone down. Well done. Well done, you.- Fantastic.
0:22:34 > 0:22:35Gosh!
0:22:35 > 0:22:39We always knew it was going to make above what James had suggested
0:22:39 > 0:22:42as a printed estimate, but I think he probably had an inkling as well.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47I just felt a bit of an idiot, but that's nothing new.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49I know that feeling quite readily.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51But to be fair to James,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54at the time of the sale, it was a fast-moving market.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56It was a time when...
0:22:57 > 0:23:01In January, it would have made £1,000.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04In June, it would have made £3,000.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08If we'd sold it six months later, it might have made £6,000. Who knows?
0:23:08 > 0:23:10The market has now stabilised.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14I think if you're thinking of collecting Japanese or Chinese,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16it's quite a dangerous area.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19We're all caught out all the time and I think if you're going to
0:23:19 > 0:23:24venture into that field, unless you really know your stuff, take advice.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27The low-end collectors in China are millionaires.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30The top-end collectors are billionaires,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32so within that, there's tremendous scope
0:23:32 > 0:23:36for all sorts of nonsense and skulduggery to go on.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38So, there we go.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40It's a minefield,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43but it's one that I would be very careful about entering.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46One thing that I would not be collecting at the moment
0:23:46 > 0:23:47is Chinese porcelain.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49So here are a few things to think about
0:23:49 > 0:23:52if you're buying antiques from the Far East.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56Japan is a safer bet than China right now, as prices are lower.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58There are fewer fakes and the quality
0:23:58 > 0:24:01and the range of items is extraordinary.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05But more than anything, watch out for fakes. Provenance is everything.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08It provides proof of age and history.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13If Chinese ceramics scare the life out of you,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16honest curios like the shoes can be bought at a snip
0:24:16 > 0:24:19and are a great starting point for a budding collector.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30At our valuation days, we see thousands of people,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33many with fascinating stories to tell.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36We got to hear Sandra's when she brought along some ivory pieces
0:24:36 > 0:24:40she'd inherited from her father, who lived in Hong Kong.
0:24:40 > 0:24:46We have two ivory plaques and we have an ivory scent bottle.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50And these were made around 1880 to 1900.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52What makes them unusual is the colouring.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57My father was fascinated by what we called curios.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01He would go down the little alleyways in Hong Kong
0:25:01 > 0:25:05and he loved finding bargains and buying exquisite craftsmanship.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12But in 1941, during the Second World War,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Hong Kong was invaded by the Japanese,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17and Sandra's father was taken prisoner.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21- TV:- In this battle, 11,000 British soldiers are taken prisoner.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31When Hong Kong fell, my father was in a prisoner of war camp
0:25:31 > 0:25:37with the troops, so my mother and father and my sister were separated.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44After three years, the Americans liberated the POWs,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47but in the ensuing chaos, it was another four months
0:25:47 > 0:25:49before the family was reunited.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54Sandra's father's journey took him home via Canada,
0:25:54 > 0:25:58and Sandra hoped selling the ivory pieces she inherited from him
0:25:58 > 0:26:02would enable her to retrace his steps.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05400-600 for the pair here.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08- The bottle, 1,000-1,500.- Gosh.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11I think you have timed it to perfection
0:26:11 > 0:26:14and I think we're going to have a surprise in the auction room.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18It was great impetus to do what I've always wanted to do,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21which was part of the journey that my father did
0:26:21 > 0:26:26after his release, and that was from Vancouver through the Rockies,
0:26:26 > 0:26:30because he'd kept a diary and he'd said
0:26:30 > 0:26:33when they travelled through the Rockies how beautiful
0:26:33 > 0:26:37the snow-capped mountains were, the lovely autumn colours.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42It always made me want to go and see it for myself and...
0:26:44 > 0:26:46..that was it. I could feel my father saying,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48"Yes, go. Go for it. Do it."
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Carved and stained ivory...
0:26:51 > 0:26:53For the auction, Sandra was joined by her sister
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and first under the hammer were the ivory plaques.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00And we'll bypass the estimate and start these at...
0:27:00 > 0:27:03- 1,000. 1,200.- What?!- 1,400. 1,600...
0:27:03 > 0:27:06James had said that it might fly.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11At 3,600, the bid's here and selling then at 3,600. All done?
0:27:11 > 0:27:12And the hammer's going down. Wow.
0:27:12 > 0:27:13I told you to come to "Flog It!"
0:27:13 > 0:27:15And you've got the scent bottle now.
0:27:15 > 0:27:181,200. 1,300. 1,400,
0:27:18 > 0:27:201,500. 1,600. 1,700...
0:27:20 > 0:27:22I think it became rather unreal.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25At 2,400 - it's in the room, then, and selling.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29I just remember my heart going bang, bang, bang, bang...
0:27:29 > 0:27:31GAVEL BANGS Have you just added that up
0:27:31 > 0:27:32- in your head?- No.- Well, I have
0:27:32 > 0:27:37- and it is a whopping £6,000.- Wow.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44The money was more than enough to enable Sandra and her husband
0:27:44 > 0:27:46to make the journey to Canada.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52We actually took a boat ride to Vancouver Island
0:27:52 > 0:27:56and it was when we were on the boat and actually in the harbour,
0:27:56 > 0:28:03I really felt, wow, this is similar to what my father would have felt,
0:28:03 > 0:28:05coming in on a big liner.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10So that was very special, to be able to go to where my father had been.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18Well, I'm so glad the sale of those lovely things meant that Sandra
0:28:18 > 0:28:21could retrace some of her father's footsteps.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Now, if you've got anything you want to sell,
0:28:23 > 0:28:25bring it along to one of our valuation days.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Well, that's it for today. I hope you have enjoyed the show.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32Join us again soon for more trade secrets.