0:00:03 > 0:00:05You've been coming to our Flog It! valuation days
0:00:05 > 0:00:08for well over ten years now,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11bringing in all manner of wonderful things
0:00:11 > 0:00:13to put our experts through their paces.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16- Oh, gosh, he's rather scary!- He is.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20During that time we've helped you sell around £1 million worth
0:00:20 > 0:00:22of antiques and collectables.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Thank you.
0:00:24 > 0:00:25- Bosh!- Excellent!
0:00:25 > 0:00:28And along the way we've all learnt a great deal about the items
0:00:28 > 0:00:30that have passed through our hands.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33In this series I want to share some of that knowledge with you,
0:00:33 > 0:00:37so stand by to hear our trade secrets.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07More often than not, when we set up home,
0:01:07 > 0:01:09we set about decorating it, too.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Not just with antiques, but with ornamentation -
0:01:11 > 0:01:14pictures, mirrors, chandeliers, carpets, curtains.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18As William Morris once said,
0:01:18 > 0:01:24"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."
0:01:24 > 0:01:28In Trade Secrets today we're looking at decorative items
0:01:28 > 0:01:32that tick both boxes - to serve a purpose and please the eye.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39Coming up on the show - Philip slips on some tiles.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44- They're not hugely valuable. - 140. 150. Keep going.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49I meet a couple with a flair for decorating their Edwardian time-capsule home.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52It's like a mini museum!
0:01:52 > 0:01:56And some Victorian embellishment drives James potty.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00I mean, really, it's vandalism in the extreme.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08When we speak about the decorative arts,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10we're normally referring
0:02:10 > 0:02:13to the design and the manufacture of functional objects.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Now, most of what we see at a Flog It! valuation day
0:02:16 > 0:02:20falls into this category - your unwanted household items.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24So, how can you spot good decorative design?
0:02:27 > 0:02:32In every case, it's always the quality that shines out.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34So, if you have a piece of marquetry furniture,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38where there's an exquisite design in the surface of the piece,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40then that's where the value lies.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42If you're looking at silver,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44an emerging area I would suggest
0:02:44 > 0:02:47is the wonderful 1970s designs of Stuart Devlin.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Great designer, innovative, very much of the era, of the period.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56His work is always signed, because you get a set of hallmarks.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58So, you get that lovely mark stamped in there.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00They are rising in value rapidly.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Don't be influenced by other people.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Because somebody else thinks something is wonderful,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10don't feel that you need to think it's wonderful as well.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Be individualistic with your tastes.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Functional doesn't have to be dull.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Some vases that Michael found
0:03:18 > 0:03:21at a valuation day in Portsmouth in 2012
0:03:21 > 0:03:23were certainly not dull.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25The vases were obviously Chinese,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28which is flavour of the month at the sale rooms.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33I spotted you in the queue with these marvellous vases.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36They have the signs that we look for in the trade
0:03:36 > 0:03:38of private ownership, continuous private ownership.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41- Do you know what that sign is?- No.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44- It's specks of white emulsion. - Ah.- All over them!
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Cos people never used to cover up,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- they just used to do the painting, and you'd get splatters.- Yes.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53- They scream Chinese.- Right.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58But very, very early form of Chinese vessel.
0:03:58 > 0:04:04This shape would date back possibly 2,500 to 3,000 years.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06These are end of the 19th century.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- Oh, right!- They're about 1870,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11- up to about- 1900. Really?
0:04:11 > 0:04:13I didn't think they'd be that old.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15We've got cloisonne decoration.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17'With cloisonne, you will have wires'
0:04:17 > 0:04:19that you apply to a body,
0:04:19 > 0:04:23although they can be cast in place when an object is more robust.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27In this case, these are quite moderate quality.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31You get little pop marks where the glass hasn't quite filled up,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- but they've still smoothed it off.- I see.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Let's be cautious and say £80-120,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42and let's put a fixed reserve of £70 on them.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44They won't go for any less than that.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51They're a good-looking pair of vases that could brighten up the home
0:04:51 > 0:04:53and come in handy.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57- What did your grandmother put in them?- Those huge...
0:04:57 > 0:05:00- Remember those huge feathers?- Yeah. - Sort, I suppose, '70s, late '70s?
0:05:00 > 0:05:04- I know the ones.- She used to have those.- Yeah, bright colours.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07- Which is a good look, really. - It is, for an interior designer.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Here we go. Let's find out what the bidders think.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14Lot 540 - the Chinese copper vases.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16£50... £50, surely.
0:05:16 > 0:05:1850 I have. And 5.
0:05:18 > 0:05:2255. 65? 70? At £65...
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Oh, we need a bit more than that.
0:05:24 > 0:05:25We do, I'm afraid.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28- At £65...- Maybe they needed the feathers in them.
0:05:28 > 0:05:3065, then, all done.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- Not sold, I'm afraid. - Sorry about that.- Never mind.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Look on the bright side, it's not a chest of drawers -
0:05:36 > 0:05:38- you don't have to drag that home, do you?- No.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42I was surprised they didn't sell,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45because I think they might have even scrapped out as bronze
0:05:45 > 0:05:50for the low estimate, but they were the lowest quality of that type.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Objects with a use generally find a buyer,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00but with highly decorated pieces, taste is a bigger consideration.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Clearly, this pair didn't hit the spot on the day.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Functional antique silverware
0:06:08 > 0:06:10is a firm favourite of the "Flog It!" tables.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14We see a huge quantity of cutlery, tea sets and plates,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18all with a variety of decorative features to delight the eye.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Of all the things I was expecting to find in Worcester today,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25it wasn't a George I solid-silver coffee pot.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Is this something you're using still today?
0:06:27 > 0:06:29No, I've never used it.
0:06:29 > 0:06:30I was a licensee for many years,
0:06:30 > 0:06:35and one day a customer came in and it was that colour all over.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36It was absolutely black.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38He said, "Jim, I'm short of cash."
0:06:38 > 0:06:42I said, "Oh, really. How much?" He said, "I want £100 for it."
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- £100, a lot of money. - It was a lot of money, I thought.
0:06:45 > 0:06:46But there you are.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51As soon as you find and you see a piece of 18th-century silver,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55you think, "Wow, fantastic, let's talk about this."
0:06:55 > 0:07:00It's that typical George I shape, tapered cylindrical,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02domed cover, spire finial.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Look at that panelled spout.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07It goes right the way down to halfway down the coffee pot,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10and it's got what's called a skirted base.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12That's a classic Georgian style.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15But... Here's the but...
0:07:15 > 0:07:17This decoration...
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Imagine you're sitting in a Victorian house
0:07:19 > 0:07:20and all your friends
0:07:20 > 0:07:23are having these up-to-date rococo-style coffee pots.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25You don't want to buy a new one,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28so you emboss and decorate something you already have.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33That was made in 1720 but all of this was done in 1860, 1870.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Banging it around to try and make it more fashionable...
0:07:39 > 0:07:43I mean, really, it's vandalism in the extreme.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48To try and put flowers and scrolls and emboss all these silly things
0:07:48 > 0:07:51onto something that was just beautiful when it was made...
0:07:51 > 0:07:52Urgh.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57If it had been plain, undecorated,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59you'd be looking at around £1,000.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03But it's not. Let's put a conservative estimate on it.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06If we put 300-500...
0:08:07 > 0:08:08All right?
0:08:08 > 0:08:11The difference between Georgian and Victorian taste
0:08:11 > 0:08:14was writ large in this poor, tampered-with coffee pot.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Did the bidders mind?
0:08:17 > 0:08:21Lot 355 is the 18th-century coffee pot.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23200 bid for that.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26210, 220, 230, 240, 250...
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Gosh, it's climbing fast.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31270, 280, 290, 300 bid.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33At £300...
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Straight up to the lower estimate.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Is there any more?
0:08:38 > 0:08:40At £300, and I sell.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42At £300 and done...
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Thank you.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Yes, the hammer's gone down. It was a good deal, wasn't it?
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Very good. One of my better deals.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51- One of your better deals. - There was a profit.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56Why the Victorians couldn't just make their own things
0:08:56 > 0:09:00and start with a lump of silver and make something themselves...
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Why they had to continuously go back
0:09:02 > 0:09:06and mess up something that was perfectly good, I really don't know.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Jim's coffee pot provides a lesson for us all.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Ornamentation can be a blessing to a piece,
0:09:14 > 0:09:19but if it isn't authentic, it can also turn off purist collectors.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Just as the Victorians disliked
0:09:23 > 0:09:26the Georgian taste for simple, classic lines,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29today's buyers don't always appreciate
0:09:29 > 0:09:32a piece of quality craftsmanship from the past.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36It's in remarkably good condition. 19th century.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39- 1850s, 1860s, something like that. - Oh, right.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42It's what we call Bohemian glass.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Bohemian glass, because it comes from that part of the world.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47I think it would have held something in it, certainly.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51It's too big to be unused.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55I think it certainly would have had a water, a tonic, something in it.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57What happens is...
0:09:57 > 0:10:01the glass is blown,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03and it's a clear glass.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Then this red ruby you can see around it
0:10:06 > 0:10:08is flashed over the glass.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10So, the clear glass is blown
0:10:10 > 0:10:13and then it's dipped in a ruby glass
0:10:13 > 0:10:15and taken out immediately.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17It's then shaped and left to cool.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Then, how does the decoration get made?
0:10:20 > 0:10:23The wheel engraver comes off and takes away the ruby,
0:10:23 > 0:10:29to leave what we see now, and it creates an effect, a 3D effect.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33It is very difficult to achieve that 3D effect,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36years and years of knowing... Because once you do something,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38you can't rub it out.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41You're taking away rather than adding.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Each side has an architectural building on it.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Austro-Hungarian, something like that. So that Middle European.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51'Karlsbad in the Czech Republic'
0:10:51 > 0:10:55certainly has lots of these Bohemian glasses in there,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57which have these scenes on them.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01They are quite collectible, and I would feel disappointed
0:11:01 > 0:11:05if you didn't get between £120 and £180.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10Lot 272, Bohemian ruby flashed and engraved decanter.
0:11:10 > 0:11:1485, 90, 95, 100.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16£100 now, selling at 100.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Got you at 100. Are we all done?
0:11:18 > 0:11:19At £100 now.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- It was a struggle.- Sold on the reserve.- It sold on the reserve.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28We see so much Bezak, Troika and Whitefriars,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31and now something quality comes along, wonderfully made...
0:11:31 > 0:11:34And much cheaper than Bezak and Troika.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Much cheaper and much rarer.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39- But, you know, maybe not so fashionable...- It's fashion.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Yeah, we're in the fashion business.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43How collectible is it these days?
0:11:43 > 0:11:46You know, I think we'd be hard pushed to make £100 on it now,
0:11:46 > 0:11:47to be candid.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49I think this would go really well in a bathroom.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Many decorative objects are more subject
0:11:52 > 0:11:57to the vagaries of fashion than purely functional ones.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Dawn, where do you reckon the expression,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02"A night on the tiles" comes from? Hey?
0:12:02 > 0:12:04That said, a collectible that combines
0:12:04 > 0:12:07functional and decorative appeal like no other
0:12:07 > 0:12:10is the common or garden ceramic tile.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13- How many of these have you got? - About 30.- Where are they from?
0:12:13 > 0:12:16- Have you been knocking somebody's fireplace apart?- No.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18They was in my nan's house, we removed them from a fireplace,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and then when I got them home I didn't know what to do with them,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23so I put them in the loft.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27I think these date from around the Art Nouveau period.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31And that's typified... If you think of Charles Rennie Mackintosh,
0:12:31 > 0:12:35if you think of those stylised Art Nouveau flowers on vases,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38they look very much like that, don't they?
0:12:38 > 0:12:41See, I do like some tiles,
0:12:41 > 0:12:45and I like early Delft tiles that are blue and white
0:12:45 > 0:12:49and relate perhaps to, you know, I don't know, 1700, 1740,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53but for me, these were just a little bit Victorian,
0:12:53 > 0:12:54and I've got to admit,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58the Victorian era actually sort of doesn't do it for me too much.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01They're not hugely valuable.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05I think they're worth between 75 and perhaps a couple of quid apiece,
0:13:05 > 0:13:06which is £20 to £40.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09- I don't think we need to put a reserve on, do you?- No.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12They're not going to make a great deal, are they?
0:13:12 > 0:13:14What will you do if I make 20, 30 quid, is that...?
0:13:14 > 0:13:16I want to send me daughter to Australia.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19- To Australia?- Yep. To meet her uncle.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21I don't think she's going to get to the bus station on these.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23- Every little helps.- Absolutely.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Did these prove to be famous last words?
0:13:29 > 0:13:3130 glazed ceramic tiles.
0:13:31 > 0:13:3530 quid, straight in. 30. 32. 35. 38.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37You in? 40. 45.
0:13:37 > 0:13:3950. 55. 60.
0:13:39 > 0:13:40At 60 now.
0:13:40 > 0:13:445 on the net. 70. 75. 80. At 80.
0:13:44 > 0:13:4685. 90.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Keep going. 95. 100.
0:13:48 > 0:13:49This is exciting.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52110. 120. At 120.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56I can only assume someone spotted something we missed.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59150. 160. 170.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Keep going.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03200 now. The net at 200. 220.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05240.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07At £240. Look at that picture again,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09internet bidders, and bid.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11260.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16At £260. Back on the net at 280.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20At £280 now. I sell at 280. Anybody else?
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Dawn, you've got to be over the moon with that?
0:14:23 > 0:14:24It's amazing.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Cos we were all going to settle for 30 to 40 quid -
0:14:26 > 0:14:28no reserve, we didn't care.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Perhaps not all the way to Australia,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33but a bit further than the bus stop, eh, Philip?
0:14:33 > 0:14:36The £1 apiece, that was clearly silly.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Perhaps it's easy to overlook tiles
0:14:44 > 0:14:47as no more than something to be walked on.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51But there's clearly a market for the rarer and more collectible varieties
0:14:51 > 0:14:53of this most commonplace item.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57- Oh, that is wonderful.- £550.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00So what is their appeal?
0:15:00 > 0:15:02These were works of art as well.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05They were mass-produced like bricks for houses,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08but they were tube-lined, they were engraved, they're embossed,
0:15:08 > 0:15:13so many techniques of decoration in something just so functional.
0:15:13 > 0:15:19I used to collect tiles myself until my mean wife made me sell them all.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23If you're in the market for tiles, what should you be aware of?
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Look for good-condition ones
0:15:25 > 0:15:30and be prepared to pay quite healthily for proper tiles.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33You can pay several hundred pounds for an individual tile
0:15:33 > 0:15:36if the design is correct and the maker is important enough.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39If you've got a name on a tile, anything like that,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43if it's particularly decorative, arty, then it's going to sell well.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Here's a name to look out for - Minton.
0:15:47 > 0:15:5111 Minton tiles are going under the hammer right now. Quality.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52Great ceramics.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55£280, that's 30 quid over top end.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Minton pottery began producing ceramic tiles
0:15:59 > 0:16:01during the Industrial Revolution.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05Both for exterior use on roofs and for inside the home
0:16:05 > 0:16:08on floors, walls and furniture.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15During the Victorian period, the use of decorative tiles exploded.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19As all the big names in pottery
0:16:19 > 0:16:21wanted a piece of this lucrative action,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24ceramic tiles were produced in their millions
0:16:24 > 0:16:27throughout the 19th century.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30To this day, millions of homes across Britain
0:16:30 > 0:16:34boast tile porches, hallways and fireplaces.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36In the early 20th century,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39the use of tiles in architecture reached new heights.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41London's famous Michelin building,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44now a swanky Chelsea restaurant,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47astonished the world with its exuberance
0:16:47 > 0:16:50when it opened for business in 1911.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53At another London landmark, Harrods,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56visitors to the food hall can still see a sumptuous display
0:16:56 > 0:16:58of Royal Doulton tiles
0:16:58 > 0:17:02designed in 1902 by William Neatby.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09More recently, tiles have moved from being seen as functional items
0:17:09 > 0:17:12to wonderful works of art, in their own right.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16This probably dates back to the 1960s and 1970s
0:17:16 > 0:17:21when there was a revival in interest in Victoriana and Art Nouveau.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25At the turn of the century,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29the Arts And Crafts movement began to champion the production of tiles.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Look for William De Morgan - he is without a shadow of a doubt
0:17:33 > 0:17:37the most interesting decorator of tiles that I know of.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40His work was produced in the late 19th century,
0:17:40 > 0:17:45the early 20th century, wonderful deep red, lustrous decorations
0:17:45 > 0:17:47of exotic birds, sea galleons,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49serpents, really wonderful things.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Nick Hall is not the only fan of William De Morgan.
0:17:56 > 0:18:02He was a close associate of William Morris and the Pre-Raphaelites,
0:18:02 > 0:18:07so he was at the very centre of the art world and the craft world
0:18:07 > 0:18:11at the end of the 19th, beginning of the 20th century.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15And he rediscovered the lost techniques
0:18:15 > 0:18:20of the making lusterware of the Middle East.
0:18:20 > 0:18:26Now, we can see this in this little tile of a galleon in full sail
0:18:26 > 0:18:30and this was one of his very common motifs.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34We see this red, a ruby lustre,
0:18:34 > 0:18:38and what this gives us is depth in the colour,
0:18:38 > 0:18:43an iridescent quality which is very, very beautiful.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48He also made huge murals composed of many different tiles
0:18:48 > 0:18:51of galleons in full sail.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55And these are just a wonder to be hold.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59If you're hoping to spot a William De Morgan tile,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02familiarise yourself with his designs.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06There's an array of different marks that you can look at,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08you can learn, so a little bit of knowledge,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10a little bit of research, you can get ahead of the game
0:19:10 > 0:19:14and buy one that's worth twice as much as some of the others.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17If you're unlucky you might unearth a gem.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21In the room, the bid at 2,600.
0:19:22 > 0:19:242,650.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29- All done. - That is incredible. £2,650.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- Even I am sitting down now. - Absolutely amazing.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Look for De Morgan, study him, find him,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38build a collection, and I think you'll earn money.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42One single De Morgan tile bearing this chameleon design
0:19:42 > 0:19:47was sold at auction in 2013 for nearly £9,000.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50If your pockets aren't deep,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54there are plenty of tiles by other makers to tempt you.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Even if you can't afford enough to cover your bathroom wall,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59you'll still have a lovely array of artworks.
0:20:08 > 0:20:09When you think of decorating a house,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13heavy industry doesn't immediately spring to mind.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16I went to Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria
0:20:16 > 0:20:20to see how people decked out their homes in Edwardian times.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22This is Vickerstown,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25built especially to house the local shipyard workers.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30A house like this is typical of the type a foreman would have enjoyed
0:20:30 > 0:20:34and, thanks to its current owners, who have lovingly restored it,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36we can see what life was like
0:20:36 > 0:20:38back in the early 1900s in Vickerstown.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49- And here are the couple, Russ and Nicola.- Hello.- Pleased to meet you.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53- Pleased to meet you too.- What a talented couple as well.- Thank you.
0:20:53 > 0:20:54This is so impressive.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Just by first impressions, it's like a mini museum.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02- It really is, but the whole house embraces you as well.- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04- Attention to detail!- Yeah...
0:21:04 > 0:21:07- Or spots of it.- Who's it down to? - It's both of us.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- We both have got a good eye for things.- Definitely.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12- We both know the same things. - We both like the same things.- OK.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Well, obviously, this was very fashionable, this look,
0:21:15 > 0:21:17in the early 1900s.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20It reminds me of William Morris. You've got the whole theme going on.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23How did this come about? You obviously bought the house...
0:21:23 > 0:21:25- You're local anyway. You were born and bred here.- Yeah.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28It was very old and dilapidated when we got in.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31- Yeah, all the fencing had collapsed.- It was crying out...
0:21:31 > 0:21:34- ..to be loved, really.- Yes. - It was just in a desperate...
0:21:34 > 0:21:37So, obviously, you had to renovate it, but were the skirting boards
0:21:37 > 0:21:39and the architraves and the cornices here?
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- No, I put all them in myself. - You're a carpenter by trade.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Yes, I served my time in the yard as a carpenter.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49That's really taking it back to sort of where, in the early 1900s,
0:21:49 > 0:21:53you would have been working in the shipyard, living here,
0:21:53 > 0:21:55maybe as a foreman carpenter,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57going to work, and here you are now.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Yeah. Maybe we've lived here before, then.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01- Yeah, this could be our second life.- Ooh, spooky.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04How do you take this house, though, into the millennium?
0:22:04 > 0:22:09- What's the kitchen like? I mean... - Well, come and have a look.- OK.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Oh, wow.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17- Nice.- Very nice! I like the AGA. Obviously you cook on it.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21Yeah, we do. Just about. We heat things on it.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23THEY LAUGH
0:22:23 > 0:22:26So how has this changed? What have you done in here?
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Originally, it used to be a small kitchen, half-and-half,
0:22:29 > 0:22:31and the bathroom, downstairs bathroom.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- So there was a toilet, bath and sink.- You've moved that upstairs?
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- We've taken that upstairs now. - So, where are the white goods?
0:22:38 > 0:22:42- Well, if you look into that cupboard there.- Can I look in your cupboard?
0:22:42 > 0:22:45- You certainly can.- Oh, yeah. Look at that. A fridge-freezer.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47- Well hidden away.- Microwave...
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Microwave and toaster under there. And underneath...
0:22:51 > 0:22:55Everybody's got to do some washing, so there's the washer and dryer.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58- They're all the boring bits. - Great, though, isn't it?
0:22:58 > 0:23:01The most recent one we've done, though, is the bedroom.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03So that's probably the favourite one at the moment.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06We've probably done the best job of our bedroom.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18- So this is our favourite room at the moment.- Great colours again.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23- Nice, isn't it? Really rich and warm.- Yes. Is it all original?
0:23:23 > 0:23:27- Most of it is, yes.- Windows? - Windows are. Fireplace is original.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- There's obviously one obvious thing that's not...- Look at that cornice!
0:23:30 > 0:23:33- I know.- We made a little mistake but we think we've got away with it.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36- THEY LAUGH - That is a bit OTT, isn't it?
0:23:36 > 0:23:38- Yeah, it is. - But, hey, it's a bedroom.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40- Yeah, it looks great. - It's nice and rich.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43- Thank you so much for showing me around.- You're welcome.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45It's great. It's a trip back in time.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49- Thank you very much.- It's been a pleasure having you, showing it off.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56This may not be to everyone's taste,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00but if you have a passion for a particular period of decoration,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02it's amazing what you can do.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14Decoration can apply as much to the person as to the house.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Now, at a valuation day in Bath back in 2012,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20a flash of blue caught my eye.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Oh, wow! Oh. Hey, look. Look.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29You'd have to give me a lot of money for them.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31This is totally out of my league.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34I wouldn't have a clue what I'm talking about here,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37but I can appreciate that they're beautiful. I love the enamelling.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41'I bought the cuff links in the belief that they were 1919,'
0:24:41 > 0:24:42that's when they were made.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Actually, they were made in 1950. Big difference.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48If I go off and get it a quick...
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Shall I say, off-the-cuff, valuation...
0:24:51 > 0:24:53THEY LAUGH
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Working away off camera are lots of Flog It! valuers,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59and I've asked Sophie Hutton to take a look at Stephen's cuff links.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02OK, let's just say they haven't got a lot of age.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- Let's say they're, what, 1950s, 1960s?- Yes.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09I would think, at auction, you'd be looking at...easily 400 to 600.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Well, there was a fine quality to them.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14You know, 14 diamonds, blue enamel.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16They looked like Faberge, almost.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18They weren't, sadly.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20This will go on the phone or online. Here we go.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25A pair of Russian diamond-set blue enamel cuff links. 340, 360...
0:25:25 > 0:25:28There's a commission bid, look. He's looking down on the book.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30420, 440.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34£420. Fresh bidder in on 420. Anyone else?
0:25:34 > 0:25:37They're just selling, aren't they, over the reserve?
0:25:37 > 0:25:40- Good bargain.- £420.- Yes. I think it's a bargain.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45I will still look for a pair that were made and hallmarked in 1919.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50If anyone can find them, Stephen can,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53with 23 years of hunting under his belt,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56he's amassed an astonishing collection
0:25:56 > 0:25:58of over 2,000 pairs of cuff links.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01My journey with cuff links began
0:26:01 > 0:26:04when I'd just been appointed into a junior management role
0:26:04 > 0:26:06in the mining industry
0:26:06 > 0:26:09and I ended up with a French cuff
0:26:09 > 0:26:12and the need for a pair of cuff links.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15And then I found, "Ooh, I'm wearing a blue tie today,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19"and a blue pocket square," because I liked to be dapper in those days,
0:26:19 > 0:26:24many years ago, so I would go out and buy a blue pair of cuff links.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Anyhow, it just took off.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Cuff links go back to 1662 at least,
0:26:32 > 0:26:37when Charles II married Catherine of Braganza
0:26:37 > 0:26:39and some cuff links were made for that occasion.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42I'd love to come across a pair of those.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49I think it's real fun collecting cuff links,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53and wearing them, of course, because I want to wear my collection.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59I've got some cuff links that are absolutely solid gold, really heavy.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01I bought them from the auction
0:27:01 > 0:27:05when they cleared out the home of Agatha Christie, the author.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10Special ones like this are, I think, 1960s.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14They're gold and it's 14 sapphires with one diamond,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16and what's unique about these
0:27:16 > 0:27:20is they belonged to the man with short, fat, hairy legs -
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Ernest Wiseman, or Ernie Wise as we knew him, out of Morecambe & Wise.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25So they're quite special,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27because I've got short, fat, hairy legs as well.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33If you want to be finely dressed and look dapper,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37then cuff links are the finishing touch. They're easy to collect.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41Lots of antique fairs and shows, bric-a-brac shops,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43and there's a value to some of them as well,
0:27:43 > 0:27:45so it's a long-term investment.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51When I want to sell some, it'll be a trip to New York.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55They fetch a good price in New York, I've noticed.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Go for it. Be smart. Get smart.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04It's always a joy to meet a collector,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07and Stephen's clearly passionate about his subject.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Now, if you fancy trying your hand at a bit of buying and selling,
0:28:10 > 0:28:13then join us again soon for more Trade Secrets.