Instruments - Part 2 Flog It: Trade Secrets


Instruments - Part 2

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LineFromTo

Have you got more stuff in there?

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-No, that's my lunch.

-Is that your lunch?

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Probably all rubbish.

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OK, next, please.

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-Have you seen anything nice yet?

-I'm not telling.

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It's been well over ten years

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since you first started coming to our "Flog It!" valuation days

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and during that time, we've seen, valued and sold

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thousands of your unwanted antiques and collectibles

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and I've discovered there's so much more to learn

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about the world of fine art and antiques that we all love,

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so if you want to know more, you've come to the right place.

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Welcome to Trade Secrets.

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The antiques trade is obviously built on buying

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and selling objects that are pleasing to the eye.

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An item's form is often more crucial that to its value than its function.

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I can appreciate that they are beautiful. I love the enamelling.

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There are, of course, exceptions to this general rule.

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And one of those is the market for scientific instruments.

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But it is a complex area and finding profitable pieces can prove

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challenging to even the most seasoned collector.

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So today we are sorting out the wheat from the chaff.

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Coming up, Philip gets to grips with some weird science.

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-No.

-It is no more than about 100 volts.

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Hold these while I give you an electric shock.

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This will make you laugh, Dorrie!

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HE LAUGHS

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We hit upon the right formula in the sale room.

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-Wasn't that good? Wasn't that good?

-Amazing!

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Everybody is giving you a round of applause in the auction room.

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Wow!

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-And Adam shares his own brand of auction using Alchemy.

-There we go.

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All of that costume jewellery, not gold.

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We see lots of instruments of a scientific nature

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turning up at our Flog It! valuation days.

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Marvellous compasses and barometers and slightly rarer items,

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such as microscopes and sextants.

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So, which scientific instruments should you be looking out for?

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A good entry-level piece for a collector of instruments

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might be a simple, extending telescope that you can pick up.

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They were made in large quantities, end of the 19th century

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and you can pick up a decent telescope for £50.

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Microscopes, that often came in big cases,

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they would have a number of eyepieces and slides

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and things that went with them

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and lots of individual accessories like tweezers -

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people like to see things in good, original, complete condition.

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You can pick up a barometer pretty cheaply today,

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and what could be better than going off to work in the morning,

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walking down the hall

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and just tapping the barometer as you pass.

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I think there's something charming about that.

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The pitfalls with early scientific instruments

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are that they're being forged on a large scale,

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and very convincingly, by the Chinese,

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and have done for the last five or six years

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and they're able to forge them to quite a high standard.

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So if you were at a car boot fair and someone shows you something

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that looks like an 18th century brass pocket dial

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and it's £30,

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it's probably come off the boat last week.

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Back in 2004,

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an exquisite example of a pocket sundial

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thrilled two of our experts,

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who were confident it hadn't just come off the boat.

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The late, great David Barby had the pleasure of valuing the item

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whilst Charlie Ross wielded the gavel.

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As an auctioneer, you are always thrilled to see quality

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and dear David didn't let us down on this occasion.

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It is a lovely example of what we term as a pocket sundial.

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What is so good about it is the case, the original case.

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Cardboard construction

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and then covered in a fish skin that we call shagreen.

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The fact that it had its original shagreen case was wonderful -

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shark skin or fish skin case, sometimes stingray skin case.

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To have that - and, of course,

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the fact that it had still got its case -

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meant that the instrument itself was in such good condition.

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Inside, you've even got the original maker's label,

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which is "J Abraham - Optician, Bath."

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He actually made things for the Duke of Wellington,

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so the highest, highest order.

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Early 19th century, workmanship was fabulous -

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you look at this thing, it's just superbly made.

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-Now, all the way around here, you have an indication of time.

-Yes.

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So you adjust that section with this lever.

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This is the actual sundial section.

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When it's pulled up, it is always facing north.

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So once you've got the position north, the sun will shine,

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and on this scale here, you'll be able to tell the time.

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The ingenuity and the thought processes

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for somebody to be able to make something like that,

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that's A, accurate, and B, portable, and C, hard-wearing...

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It's really quite remarkable.

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If it goes up to auction.

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I think it's going to sell between...£500-£800.

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Oh! Ooh!

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-It could go well over.

-Really?

-Yes.

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How does that feel?

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- That's wonderful. - Comfortable.

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Comfortable!

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-I hope I'm right.

-That's wonderful.

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So when it came to the auction,

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were the buyers as enamoured of the sundial as David and Charlie?

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It came as no surprise at all to me

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that by the time we got to the auction,

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we'd already had huge interest.

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People had, to a certain extent,

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shown their hand by booking the telephone.

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Em...

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You wouldn't expect somebody to book a telephone

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to bid for something

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unless they were going to go at least up to your estimate,

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probably a bit more.

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The bid's now in the room at £1,400. £1,500, may I say?

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1,500.

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No. 1,500.

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1,600?

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1,500 on telephone one.

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At 1,500, and I sell then at £1,500.

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-Yes! How about that?

-I cannot believe it!

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I cannot believe...

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-Wasn't that good? Wasn't that good?

-It's amazing!

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Sale price was splendid.

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It certainly thrilled David,

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David was jumping around like there was no tomorrow when it sold.

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I can only say it must have been a tremendous auctioneer.

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Modest as ever, Charlie!

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'I love it when we exceed everyone's expectations.'

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The bidders were clamouring to get their hands on the sundial,

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whose precision engineering was out of this world.

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Sometimes, it's the more fun and frivolous item

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which can catch the eye of our expert, though.

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A "magneto-electric machine."

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And it says here, "For nervous" - that's me - "and other diseases."

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You've got this lovely little...almost like a fly wheel,

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that's cranked here, and that...

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You turn that round and round and round,

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but with this magnet, it creates an electric shock.

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Picture the scenario, OK?

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You're feeling slightly unwell, just a little bit under the weather,

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and you book an appointment at the doctor's.

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And you walk in and he hands you these two brass things and says,

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"Hold these while I give you an electric shock."

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Then you plonk that...down in there.

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And you plonk that in there.

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And then you hold it...

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-I don't want my finger in there.

-No, just...

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-Look, do I look like I'd hurt you?

-Well...I'm not sure!

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I think Pat was pretty sound,

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I'm not sure that Pat needed this device attached to herself,

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but...it's always a good threat, isn't it?

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If they start getting out of line,

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you can just threaten to crank them up to the machine.

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We should carry that around with us on valuation days.

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Come on, now...

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This will make you laugh, Dorrie.

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HE LAUGHS

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There was no way I was ever going to hold those things.

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Quite happy for them to have a go, and I'll crank it up,

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but, no, no...I don't like shocks.

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-It's no more than about 100V, honestly.

-Oh, no more than 100?

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-That's all right, then.

-You won't feel a thing.

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-Doesn't do anything, does it?

-Nothing's happening, no!

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The Victorians did believe that the electric shock

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actually produced some sort of benefit for you

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and if you think about it,

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there's a certain electricity running through your body,

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your nerve endings. It operates muscles and the like.

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And I suppose that must all be interconnected.

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But it doesn't do it for me.

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I think, girls, that this is going to make probably £20-£30.

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Put a reserve on it of a tenner

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and I just think someone'll have a bit of fun with it.

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Medical instruments, or even items of torture,

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there's a massive area of collectability for these.

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Now, our little electric shock machine,

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I think this was just a little...I've got to say,

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probably a Victorian gimmicky thing, really.

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Enough to make your hair stand on end!

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Let's see what the bidders think of this.

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It's going under the hammer right now.

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10, 12, 15, 18, 20,

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20, 20 - 22. Five, eight, 30.

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£30!

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And bid two - 32?

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£30, the bid in the room, selling on £30, then...

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-Yes, £30.

-Well done, yeah!

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Shocked?!

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LAUGHTER

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Dorrie and Pat were absolute stars, you know, and for me,

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that's what makes a programme - very often,

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the contributor is more important than the item they bring.

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They were just great to talk to.

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Whilst Dorrie and Pat's electro-magneto machine

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was mostly a bit of fun,

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there is, in fact, a huge market out there for medical instruments.

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'And many of the collectables we see on the show

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'are a darn side more grisly.'

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It's a field surgeon's kit.

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Let's pick up the most obvious one, shall we?

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-The most gruesome one?

-Yes.

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That is sharp,

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and there's about seven teeth to the inch, there.

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That would rip through anything.

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It does make me feel slightly queasy, handling these. Ugh...

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Not the sort of thing that every house should have.

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But I tell you what,

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there are a lot of collectors that would be interested in this, yes.

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'Collectors of medical items

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'often tend to work in the field themselves -

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'think doctors, pharmacists, dentists and the like.'

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'But did any of them turn up to bid on the field surgeon's kit?'

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260, 270...

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280.

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280, I'll take a fiver, at £280 for the last time?

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-That's good.

-280.

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Yes, £280.

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'And there are other medical collectables which turn up

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'at our valuation days. A good example is the apothecary cabinet.

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'If you're in the market for one, what do you need to consider?'

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Originality is vital.

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So if you've got an apothecary cabinet with

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its original maker's label,

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its original bottles, its original scales,

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its original weight, pestle and mortar,

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then it's going to be more desirable than one with replaced parts.

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'And the age, the size and the quality of the cabinet

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'are hugely important too.

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'Jethro Marles came across a fantastic specimen back in 2006.'

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It's a wonderful little cabinet.

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And of course you've got everything in here,

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all of the bottles are here.

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If we open up this drawer here, we've got the scales

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for weighing out your powders and all your chemicals,

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the funnel for funnelling it into the different tubes.

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Date-wise, probably about 1870-1880, something like that.

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Start me at 1,000. £1,000, someone?

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800 I am bid, 900.

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-1,000, 1,100, 1,200 here...

-Quite exciting.

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1,300 to move on, 1,300, 1,400, 1,500.

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-Oh, yes!

-16 behind, 17?

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£1,600, you're all done at £1,600.

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How it's gone down, £1,600, Katie!

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That is a fantastic result!

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'So if you're thinking of starting a collection of medical instruments,

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'make sure you do your homework.

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'Now, Caroline Hawley had to go back to school

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'when she came across an early type of calculator.'

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I have never seen a cylindrical slide rule for sale before,

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and I've been on the lookout since because, you know,

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it sparked a bit of interest in me.

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This is like the centre stadia line on your...

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this type of slide rule, that is that.

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-That's where your answer comes up when you're finished.

-Right.

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And this goes up and down to pick up...

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There's this notch in here where you pick up your numbers at the bottom.

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Multiply by something, pick it up off that one at the top,

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and that's how you retrieve your answers,

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and this moves up and down that.

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Lionel did try and explain to me a little bit,

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and I'm afraid I'm still none the wiser.

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Years ago, my father tried to explain a flat slide rule to me.

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Fortunately, calculators came in very soon afterwards

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so I didn't ever have to use them.

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This particular model is from 1927, and it was invented,

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the cylindrical slide rule, by Professor George Fuller.

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Professor George Fuller was Professor of Civil Engineering

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at Queen's University in Belfast.

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He patented the cylindrical slide rule in 1878.

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It's a magnificent instrument, very, very complicated,

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an extraordinary piece of engineering.

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As you can see, this is in a most beautiful box, a mahogany box,

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made by a very good London maker, Stanley,

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which was established in 1854, which all adds to the value.

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I mean, it's a boy's toy, and it would look good,

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it would look quite fun and quirky on somebody's desk.

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Not mine, I hasten to add, but I think it has a fairly limited market.

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'When it came to the auction,

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'Caroline combined the Fuller cylindrical slide rule with

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'a second, smaller sliding scale into one lot,

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'and put an estimate of £200-£300 on the pair.'

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I would not know how to use one of those.

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No, you were lucky, you were born in the push button age.

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Two bids, I'm bid £210 exactly,

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at 210, at £210. 20 if you want it.

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At 210, 220, 230, 240.

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-At £240...

-Come on, come on, come on...

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At 240, then.

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You're finished at 240? Quite sure?

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Lionel, it's gone.

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The hammer went down just under mid-estimate at £240.

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'Caroline may not have known how to use Lionel's unusual

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'cylindrical slide rules but she obviously knew how to value them.

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'But it's not always that straightforward to put an estimate

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'on a scientific instrument, as Claire Rawle discovered.'

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-Well, hello, Florence.

-Hello.

-Nice to meet you, and you've brought

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a really attractive polished mahogany box here, haven't you?

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When it opens out, hey presto!

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A rather magnificent looking microscope in there

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with a huge collection of objectives. So, quite a superior item.

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-Well, my husband bought it about 54 years ago.

-So he used it?

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-He did use it, yes.

-Right.

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Yes, he used to go past puddles, do it in puddles.

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-Pick a jar up and come home...

-Oh, and take it home and look at it?

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..and then a drop of water on the slide and look through it.

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Then say to me, "Come and have a look at this,"

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you know, and he was so thrilled.

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It was a serious instrument, it wasn't a student's instrument

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because it had all those different objectives in it.

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It was a high-quality, beautifully made instrument,

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so it would have been used for somebody

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that was really into their science.

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You've also brought in a couple of rather nice boxes here

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of slides to go with it.

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-Botanical subjects, mainly, aren't they?

-Yes.

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Yeah, and so they've got all their little cards and things there.

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Nice sort of late 19th century ones.

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'Definitely, slides are worth looking out for, especially decorative ones'

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like these with those wonderful lithographic prints round the side.

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So if you see any slides like that, if they're in boxes,

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and they're always in very plain boxes,

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so always open up and see what's in there, definitely worth buying.

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-I think an estimate of 300-500?

-Yes.

-Nice, broad estimate there?

-Yeah.

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-Does that sound good to you?

-I'm happy, yes.

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'Did auctioneer Stephen Hearn agree with Claire's estimate?'

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We've got a value of £300-£500.

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Now, I know you've changed that, haven't you?

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Yes, I've moved that on, Paul, because I think it deserves

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an estimate somewhere between £500-£700.

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'But had the auctioneer over-egged Florence's pudding?

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'Or did the bidders prove to be as keen as mustard?'

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1,800 in the room. 1,850, new bidder.

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-Some fresh legs.

-1,900, and 50. 2,000...

0:17:230:17:27

..and 50. 2,100, and 50.

0:17:280:17:32

'You get quite excited, you get caught up in it.'

0:17:320:17:35

I mean, you go to auctions all the time, but it's great

0:17:350:17:37

when something starts making money.

0:17:370:17:38

-2,009. And 50...

-This is incredible.

0:17:380:17:41

£3,000.

0:17:410:17:42

3,1, 3,2,

0:17:420:17:44

3,3, 3,4,

0:17:440:17:46

3,5, 3,6. No?

0:17:460:17:49

At £3,600 in the room.

0:17:490:17:52

I'm selling, then, it's going down at £3,600.

0:17:520:17:57

Thank you, sir.

0:17:570:17:59

That's a sold sound, isn't it? Wow!

0:17:590:18:02

Florence, £3,600,

0:18:020:18:05

everybody is giving you a round of applause in the auction room.

0:18:050:18:09

Wow.

0:18:090:18:11

In the world of collecting,

0:18:110:18:13

you're never quite sure what people are going to spend on things,

0:18:130:18:16

and it's really exciting when it makes money.

0:18:160:18:18

-Thank you, Claire.

-Oh, thank you.

0:18:180:18:20

It's been an absolute pleasure. I'm so pleased for you.

0:18:200:18:23

It was the sheer quality of the piece and the extensive

0:18:230:18:26

and unusual range of accompanying slides

0:18:260:18:29

that put Florence's microscope in a class of its own.

0:18:290:18:32

But at the end of the day,

0:18:320:18:33

the result was really down to two bidders in the sale room

0:18:330:18:37

who were reluctant to let it go.

0:18:370:18:39

So, what other scientific instruments can cause a stir?

0:18:390:18:42

'If you're interested in pocket sundials, a good maker's name,

0:18:430:18:47

'great condition and original case

0:18:470:18:49

'will almost guarantee a sunny result.'

0:18:490:18:52

-Yes, how about that?

-Cannot believe it.

0:18:520:18:54

'If you own an instrument that's complicated to use

0:18:560:18:58

'and could even leave our experts scratching their heads,

0:18:580:19:01

'then please keep hold of the original instruction booklet.

0:19:010:19:04

'You'll be doing a good deed to any future buyer,

0:19:040:19:07

'and it may even bump up the sale price.

0:19:070:19:10

'Medical instruments come in all shapes and sizes,

0:19:100:19:13

'and items can start at a few pounds.

0:19:130:19:15

'If you have the stomach and the pocket for it, you can progress

0:19:150:19:18

'to those costing a few hundred or even a couple of thousand.'

0:19:180:19:23

That is a fantastic result!

0:19:230:19:25

Everyone on the Flog It! team has their own way of sniffing out

0:19:300:19:33

quality antiques and collectables.

0:19:330:19:35

But this show is all about getting you in the know

0:19:350:19:38

so we've asked Adam Partridge to reveal

0:19:380:19:40

the secrets of his success as a collector of fine things.

0:19:400:19:43

Most days in the course of my day job, running an auction house,

0:19:460:19:48

I'm out on the road visiting people, doing valuations in their homes.

0:19:480:19:53

You never know what people are going to show you

0:19:530:19:55

so there are a few essential instruments or gadgets,

0:19:550:19:58

tools of the trade that I need to take with me.

0:19:580:20:01

And they are all contained in this little box here.

0:20:010:20:04

And now I'm going to show you what those instruments are,

0:20:040:20:07

so that you can take similar things with you

0:20:070:20:09

when you go out buying or antiques hunting.

0:20:090:20:11

Well, I would say the most essential tool of the trade is the loupe

0:20:140:20:17

or the eyeglass and being quite forgetful, being very busy,

0:20:170:20:21

I have to actually get dressed in the morning and put one on.

0:20:210:20:23

I always wear one around my neck,

0:20:230:20:25

which sometimes causes a funny, unsightly bulge in my stomach

0:20:250:20:28

but there it is there, and obviously this is used

0:20:280:20:31

for having a look at things in greater detail

0:20:310:20:33

whether it be a gemstone, a diamond,

0:20:330:20:35

a silver hallmark or any other thing that you might come across.

0:20:350:20:39

Bring the object close to you, right up to the eye

0:20:390:20:43

and then you can very clearly see the hallmark.

0:20:430:20:46

It's very useful for looking at silver hallmarks.

0:20:480:20:51

And obviously some of them are very small

0:20:510:20:54

such as jewellery ones,

0:20:540:20:56

it's an absolute essential for any amateur collector of silver.

0:20:560:21:00

When you're looking at a diamond

0:21:040:21:06

you have a look under the loupe, you can weigh it.

0:21:060:21:08

But another important and very affordable piece of kit,

0:21:080:21:11

this is just a few pounds, it's a simple plastic diamond gauge

0:21:110:21:15

and you sit your diamond through until it fits the right hole

0:21:150:21:20

and there we go, that one looks as though it's 3.5 carats

0:21:200:21:23

which is quite a substantial diamond, actually.

0:21:230:21:25

Typically, you'd have a set of these balance scales

0:21:260:21:29

as well as digital scales for lighter things

0:21:290:21:32

and you simply hook this around here

0:21:320:21:35

and the silver is in troy ounces

0:21:350:21:38

and that tells me that that is 17 ounces.

0:21:380:21:41

If you're wondering what a troy ounce is,

0:21:430:21:45

it's a unit of imperial measure

0:21:450:21:47

which is most commonly used for weighing precious metals.

0:21:470:21:50

One troy ounce equates to just over 31g.

0:21:500:21:53

I have a device which blows pure air over watch parts

0:21:570:22:01

to make sure that they are working correctly.

0:22:010:22:04

Rather than blow using your breath

0:22:040:22:06

that emits moisture over the watch parts,

0:22:060:22:09

it's much better to have pure air.

0:22:090:22:11

I collect watches and take this to all the auctions.

0:22:110:22:15

We often look at watches and pocket watches

0:22:150:22:17

and things like that, and you need to open them up to have a look

0:22:170:22:20

at the back of them to see what they're made from

0:22:200:22:22

and any makers' marks etc.

0:22:220:22:24

I tend to keep this thumbnail quite long.

0:22:240:22:27

My son calls it my pocket watch nail,

0:22:270:22:29

and I tend to grow that

0:22:290:22:31

and dig it in and there you go, it normally works.

0:22:310:22:34

But in the absence of a special long nail,

0:22:340:22:37

a watch opener might be a good idea.

0:22:370:22:40

Lots of people use a penknife

0:22:400:22:41

but a proper watch opener is a better tool to use

0:22:410:22:44

because it's not going to scratch the material that you're opening.

0:22:440:22:49

And what have I got here? There it is. What's that?

0:22:490:22:53

It looks like a pen, doesn't it? But it's a magnet.

0:22:530:22:56

What on Earth would you want a magnet for?

0:22:560:22:58

Well, firstly when we're looking at bronzes,

0:22:580:23:00

some bronzes are patinated cast iron to simulate bronze.

0:23:000:23:05

Bronze is not magnetic, cast iron is.

0:23:050:23:08

A magnet is quite a useful piece of kit.

0:23:080:23:09

It's also useful when you're looking through job lots of jewellery.

0:23:090:23:12

For example, you've cleared a house

0:23:120:23:15

and there's a whole drawer full

0:23:150:23:16

and you think, "Oh, what's gold, what isn't?"

0:23:160:23:18

Well, you go through it with your magnet - well, that's not.

0:23:180:23:21

Anything that's not is usually picked up by your magnet.

0:23:210:23:24

This is telescopic, as well.

0:23:240:23:27

There we go - all of that, costume jewellery, not gold.

0:23:290:23:32

Restoration of ceramics and porcelain

0:23:350:23:39

shows up much better under a UV light.

0:23:390:23:42

If you just see here, this torch really helps show up

0:23:420:23:46

the fact that this handle has been replaced on this little cup, here.

0:23:460:23:50

All these tools and instruments I've shown you

0:23:500:23:52

are very accessible items, they're all easy to get,

0:23:520:23:55

all pretty reasonable, as well.

0:23:550:23:57

It's important to have a little tool kit with you

0:23:570:23:59

when you're going out looking for antiques.

0:23:590:24:01

It depends, of course, what you're interested in -

0:24:010:24:03

different tools are suitable for different interests and disciplines.

0:24:030:24:07

But it does give you that head start

0:24:070:24:08

on the buyers that have come unprepared

0:24:080:24:10

if you manage to spot the restoration

0:24:100:24:12

because you've got a little UV torch, if you've noticed something

0:24:120:24:16

because you've got your loupe with you and others haven't.

0:24:160:24:19

It just keeps you that one step ahead of the others.

0:24:190:24:21

The 18th century was a time of great interest in all sciences.

0:24:260:24:30

Now, expert Michael Baggott had a real treat when he met up

0:24:300:24:33

with Linda at a valuation day near Lincoln back in 2012.

0:24:330:24:38

-Are you a collector of scientific instruments, Linda?

-Well, not really.

0:24:380:24:42

I am a collector of older things.

0:24:420:24:45

We've got, oh, that's marvellous, a drawing set.

0:24:450:24:48

Look at that, beautiful ivory rule.

0:24:490:24:52

Wonderful scales on it, and we've got the maker there,

0:24:520:24:55

E Hulce & Son of London.

0:24:550:24:57

I was given the scientific instruments by an old gentleman.

0:24:570:25:01

Erm, it was back in 1984, '85.

0:25:010:25:05

I've always sort of had a mathematical bias,

0:25:050:25:08

and so I was very interested in the instrument.

0:25:080:25:12

It can be dated from the middle of the 18th century

0:25:120:25:15

-up to about 1820-1830.

-Really?

0:25:150:25:17

I think this one, from the style of the instruments,

0:25:170:25:20

probably falls at about 1790 to about 1800.

0:25:200:25:23

'It sat on the edge of the bookshelf

0:25:230:25:26

'for those...about 26 years,'

0:25:260:25:30

and, erm, apart from the odd occasion

0:25:300:25:33

when anyone expressed an interest in it, then that's where it remained.

0:25:330:25:37

It was unused. Not unloved, but unused.

0:25:370:25:42

-I think we would put this at £100-£150.

-I see.

0:25:420:25:45

-And we'd put a fixed reserve of £100 on it.

-Right.

0:25:450:25:48

And if it does well, what do you plan to spend the money on?

0:25:480:25:52

Well, I am quite a keen walker and so I think I would put that

0:25:520:25:56

-towards some walking in the Lake District.

-Oh, that's marvellous.

0:25:560:26:00

I'm set to go trekking to Everest base camp in October,

0:26:000:26:04

and so I need to get some practice in.

0:26:040:26:07

-So we'll be sending you up and round the mountain...

-Hopefully.

0:26:070:26:09

..when she comes! Thank you very much indeed, Linda.

0:26:090:26:12

'So were we able to raise the money at auction

0:26:120:26:15

'to send Linda hill walking?'

0:26:150:26:17

At 95 bid, at 95 bid. 98 now, do I see?

0:26:170:26:21

At 95 bid, are we all done at 95? So near, yet so far.

0:26:210:26:25

At 95 bid, are we all done? I'm finished at 95. Last call, then.

0:26:250:26:28

98 bid, do I see 98 bid? At 98 and 100, £100 bid.

0:26:280:26:33

At £100 bid, at 100, 110 now, do I see? £100 bid. At 100...

0:26:330:26:36

I would have been amazed if it hadn't have sold.

0:26:360:26:38

At £100, any more bids?

0:26:380:26:41

-Sale's gone down, did it.

-Ooh, just, though, wasn't it?

0:26:410:26:45

Paul said that someone had bid on it from France,

0:26:450:26:48

so I was really pleased that someone must really be interested in it

0:26:480:26:53

and actually want it, and so I felt it was going to a good home.

0:26:530:26:57

-Excellent, really pleased about that.

-Bit of money towards the trip.

0:26:570:27:00

-Thank you, Michael.

-It's a pleasure.

0:27:000:27:03

I suppose from a very early age I've been walking,

0:27:030:27:06

but it's been more recent, probably the last ten years,

0:27:060:27:09

when I've taken that interest up again.

0:27:090:27:12

I have walked in many places in the UK,

0:27:120:27:15

but really felt that I wanted an even bigger challenge,

0:27:150:27:19

and so decided to take the Everest base camp trip.

0:27:190:27:24

It was absolutely special from beginning to end.

0:27:250:27:29

The bridges over the gorges, the depth of the gorges,

0:27:300:27:35

the snow-capped mountains,

0:27:350:27:37

it was just so beautiful wherever you looked.

0:27:370:27:40

The money that we made on "Flog It!" went towards

0:27:400:27:44

one of the training ventures,

0:27:440:27:46

where we went off to the Yorkshire Dales, and that certainly helped me.

0:27:460:27:51

I feel very proud and humble in some ways

0:27:530:27:56

that I managed to get to Everest base camp.

0:27:560:28:02

I know lots of trekkers do go up there,

0:28:020:28:05

but certainly feel that, erm, as an older person,

0:28:050:28:09

that it was a real achievement

0:28:090:28:11

to actually get to the top, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

0:28:110:28:16

If you need to raise some funds to achieve a burning ambition,

0:28:240:28:27

you know where to find us, a "Flog It!" valuation day.

0:28:270:28:31

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

0:28:310:28:32

Do join us again soon for more Trade Secrets.

0:28:320:28:35

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