Holidays and Travel - Part 1 Flog It: Trade Secrets

With over a decade of "Flog It!" valuation days and auctions

all over the British Isles,

we've built up a wealth of knowledge valuing your unwanted antiques.

-And now, we want to share some of that with you.

-Hello.

What have you got lurking in there?

It's like a voyage of discovery in your sack, isn't it?

Our experts are raring to go with inside information,

so if there's something you need to know,

you'll probably find it right here.

Welcome to Trade Secrets.

They are planned for months, anticipated for weeks

and collectors seek out the antique paraphernalia related to them.

I am talking, of course, about holidays, and whether it's classic luggage or vintage travel books.

There is a ready market for any item

associated with our desire to see the world.

In today's show, there's a surprise around every corner.

-Ah, look at that. This is where...

-If you go in here...

-..the diamond necklace goes!

-£400! Right.

-Is that good?

-Is that good news?

-That's amazing.

-Our estimates are blown out of the water.

-Sold!

Brilliant! How about that?

-£900!

-I can't believe that!

£900!

And Charlie seeks out the weird and wonderful in Blackpool.

It's quite extraordinary to me that thousands of people

will queue and pay money to see a vicar in a barrel!

We British are great travellers.

We invented the steam engine,

which led to the evolution of the railways and steamships,

which ultimately revolutionised travel.

Now, today, getting from A to B

is all about doing it as quickly as possible.

But in days gone by, it was a much more stately affair.

Suitcases, beautiful early suitcases, and trunks,

complete with labels of glamorous far-off places and shipping lines

sell very, very well.

Railway posters that you used to see in carriages

advertising the pleasures of the seaside.

Gosh, don't they make some money?

Particularly the 1930s Art-Deco ski posters. But condition.

You've really got to check condition.

If the margins have been cut, if there are slight tears, rips,

or if any damp has crept in, it will kill them.

So, condition, period, Deco ski posters. You won't go far wrong.

Over the years, we've seen some marvellous

travel-related collectables on the programme.

Kath delighted two of our "Flog It!" experts when she brought in

a wonderful map from one of Europe's most sophisticated cities.

David Barby had the pleasure of valuing the map

whilst Adam Partridge worked his magic on the rostrum.

Maps are very popular.

Lots of people like maps,

from the sort of enthusiast

that likes an Ordnance Survey map of the area they live in

to the real passionate collectors

that want the rare and the wonderful maps.

So, there's an awful lot to go at in maps.

It's a map of Paris, dated 1780.

Nine years before the French Revolution.

I can imagine English tourists having this and going to Paris,

looking out the sort of fashionable watering places,

going to the shops, seeing the sights.

At the same time, the Scarlet Pimpernel

would have needed one of these, wouldn't he?

-Yes, he would!

-During the French Revolution. This is extraordinary.

Where did it come from?

Well, my father left it to me with one or two books.

-Did you have an interest in maps?

-Yes.

-Oh, right.

Well, this is a beautiful map.

It's a steel engraving and then all this is hand-tinted.

And, obviously, it was never taken out during the rain,

because it hasn't got any runs or stains on it.

It's always quite a surprise when maps survive well

because, of course, you can imagine them being opened up

and folded out and studied and maybe got wet and folded away,

and so, clearly, this one was one that wasn't used a great deal.

What I do find absolutely extraordinary

is this wonderful plate here, which is so decorative,

explains the routes of Paris,

and then you've got these two emblematic figures either side,

and the royal coat of arms here.

Lovely, lovely piece.

Kath had also brought to the valuation day

a quarter of a Bradshaw map of canals,

and David put it together into one lot with the map of Paris,

an estimate of £80-£120 for the pair.

-We've got some interest here, and I can start at £200 bid.

-Oh, lovely.

210. 220. 230. 240. 250.

260. 270. 280. 290. 300. 320.

This was a lovely lot brought to us by the King of "Flog It!",

David Barby, who is such a wonderful man and a great valuer.

Very talented, very knowledgeable.

But it was a very rare occasion here

of him really underestimating something.

380 bid. Any more now? 400. 420. 440.

-This is very good.

-420, then.

£420. Are you all done, then, at 420?

Finished at 420.

-Oh, that's good.

-Gosh, I never expected that.

-Nor was I. I don't think you were either.

-I said double.

-I said double.

-You did.

-You did.

-You did.

-Yes.

-Gosh, that's wonderful.

-Little bit of commission to pay.

But what will you spend all that money on?

Well, we've got our first grandchild on the way at the end of August.

-Have you?

-It's going to be Grandma's indulgence.

-Rather.

-It is, isn't it?

David was surprised at the sale result,

but the lesson here is not to underestimate an antique map,

as there is a huge market for them,

particularly for one like Kath's, in such exquisite condition.

But what else would a well-heeled traveller of yesteryear

have needed to take on holiday?

Well, a travel guide, of course,

and Mark Stacey had the privilege of valuing a wonderful set.

Well, they have just gone from loft to loft.

You've inherited them from a relative or something like that?

Yes. Yes, my great-grandfather.

-So, they've been in the family quite a while?

-Oh, yes. Yes.

Whenever you come across items like this that have been hidden away,

I want to go to every house in the country

and start rummaging through people's draws and cupboards and attics,

because there's a wealth of stuff out there that we don't know about,

and we prove this on every "Flog It!" valuation day.

You've got about 27 volumes here,

and if we just take one of my favourite ones,

which is Spain and Portugal, and each one is similar, in a way.

-When we open it up, we find a little map of the country in question.

-Yes.

And then we have the title of the book.

The Modern Traveller. Popular Description.

And the various countries of the globe.

-Each one is dated either 1824, 1825 or 1826.

-Yes.

And, in some cases, you know, when you look at the others,

we've got four volumes of India, we've got Russia,

we've got all of the Far East,

This would undoubtedly have been for the middle classes.

To buy a set of books like this,

you would have had to have been quite a wealthy person.

They were beautifully leather-bound.

There were illustrated maps there. Those were not a cheap item to buy.

I would say, if we were putting these in for auction,

we ought to be looking at something like...

£400.

£400?

-£400?! Right.

-Is that good? Is that good news?

-That's amazing!

Course you love it.

I mean, when somebody brings something in that, you know,

they've been queueing up many hours to have looked at

and you can say to them it's worth X amount

and there's a lightning, you know,

it's almost like that sort of chocolate box moment

when the face lights up, it's wonderful.

But was Mark's faith

in the strength of the travel collectables market well placed?

What did Will Axon, who wielded the gavel, think?

Anything to do with travel and typography is always well received.

There are a lot of collectors,

because I think it is just an interesting subject.

You know, this is the world we live on, so why not learn about it?

They've got the look. The decorators will love these.

Well, I've got a couple of hopeful bids here that I'll bypass those,

and we start already at 260, 280, 300, I'm bid on commission.

-Sold them.

-Yes.

-320. 340. 360. 380. 400.

420. 440. 460. 480.

500. 520. 540. 560. You're in now by 10.

At £560, in the room now. 560. At 560. My bid is out.

All done, then, are you sure, at £560?

Sold.

-Brilliant! How about that?

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-That's brilliant.

-Thank you.

-See your little face!

I think the estimate was spot-on

and I think the selling price was spot-on.

Yeah, I think everyone should be happy all round, really.

Fine auctioneer, wasn't he?!

Will was never one to undersell himself,

but the quality of Pauline's collection of travel guides

was clear for all to see.

Not all travel-related items which make it to our valuation days

immediately scream quality.

It's always worth looking in a battered old suitcase,

because you do not know what you will find.

Now, on first appearances,

it looks like you've brought along a rather tatty case.

-Shall we have a little look inside?

-Yes.

-By all means.

There we are.

We have a beautiful selection

of tortoiseshell and silver dressing accessories.

When I think of this,

I think of Orient Express or something like this.

I mean, this is really beautiful.

This is not the average ladies' handbag, is it?

It's not something that we find. But it actually belonged to you...

-My great-aunt.

-Your great-aunt.

-My Great-aunt Ida.

-And do you think she ever used it? Did she ever travel?

-Oh, yes.

She was married to a captain in the Army.

When he retired, they did a lot of travelling.

She was a multi-linguist and travelled all over the world.

-Oh, right. So, she was a pretty special lady.

-Oh, she was.

-And she would have taken this around with her?

-Yes, we believe so.

-Yes.

I mean, it's a wonderful set.

We've got mirrors, we've got brushes, we've got a shoehorn.

Now, each one, I can see, looks like it's hallmarked.

-Yes, we believe they are.

-And hallmarked silver.

Birmingham mark, and the letter Y,

and that would date it to around the 1920s.

The sort of people that would probably go for an item like this,

they could either be silver dealers who'd be looking for

good quality pieces of silver with tortoiseshell on,

or they could be interior designers.

Now, these interior designers and, indeed, dealers,

would be looking for a good name sometimes on the suitcase,

so it's always worth, when you get a suitcase,

having a good old look around the rim

to see if they've got some nice retailers' names on.

Perhaps Mappin & Webb, something like that.

It is genuine tortoiseshell, but it's pre-1947,

so it's something that we are allowed to sell.

It's a smart thing and I would be happy to put an estimate on

of 100-150, with a £70 reserve.

-How does that sound to you?

-It's fine, thank you.

-Happy to see it go?

-Yes.

-He's VERY positive!

-He is.

Catherine was clearly taken with Mike and Anne's case,

but did the bidders fall in love?

I'm bid £180 for it. At 180. 190. 200. 210. 220.

230. 240. 250.

At £250.

At 250 here.

Finished, then, at £250. Quite sure at 250?

-It's a good price.

-Yeah!

-It found its level.

-Yeah. That was nice.

-That's good.

A great result for Mike and Anne.

Travelling boxes and cases are a popular collecting field

and we see lots of them on the show, and they often do well,

but how do you spot one of quality?

James Lewis is the man in the know.

If the outside is good,

then you open the lid and all the jars are there as well,

then that's really nice to see.

Look at that. Fantastic! We now know what this was used for.

It's a travelling box. Probably made 1840 to 1860.

It's likely that it would have been owned

by somebody of some social standing,

because to actually afford to travel at all,

you'd have had to have had a fair bit of income.

Here we've got boxes, and if you hold the box lid up to the light...

-you see it's got holes through it?

-Oh, yes.

And that's so that whatever was inside didn't go mouldy.

So, with holes, we know it was something that would have been wet.

-Oh, yes.

-So, that's likely to be for the toothbrush.

At £360 sitting here. At 360. At 360, are you done?

GAVEL BANGS

-£360.

-Wonderful.

And it isn't just James who can spot a winner.

I came across a glorious travelling case

which perfectly captured its period.

This kind of thing would have been around in the 1920s.

-The age of the motor car. The golden age.

-Yes.

-Cars were first introduced in the early 1900s.

-Yes.

-Out went the canvas baskets, out went the wicker baskets.

-Yes.

-Because everything was horse-drawn then.

-Yes.

In came the leather travel ware.

-You had to be quite wealthy to have something like this.

-I'm sure.

I was over the moon to discover the case had a hidden secret.

-Ah, look at that. This is where...

-If you go in here...

-..the diamond necklace goes.

-Well...

-Oh, come on. Is there one?

-I wish there was!

-Oh, look at it. It's exquisite.

Absolutely exquisite.

When it came to the auction, did Anthea's 1920s travelling case

struggle without the addition of a diamond necklace?

600 right there. 620. 650? 650. 680.

700. 720. 750. 780. 800.

-(800!)

-820. 850. 880. 900.

At £900 in the middle there. 920?

At £900 I'm bid.

At £900. Going 20? No. At £900.

-GAVEL BANGS

-£900!

-I can't believe that.

-Yes!

The next time you see what appears to be a battered old case,

remember, it's worth having a closer look.

Now, not all travel-related items we see on "Flog It!"

have been used for holidays.

Some have travelled far and wide for different reasons.

It's an Attaboy, isn't it?

An Attaboy is a trade name, it's a hat company, or a range of hats

made by the Denton Hat Company of Stockport, Manchester.

Of course, Stockport the home of hat making.

They even have a hat museum there. Did you know that?

So, let's have a look at it. Let's get that lid off there.

-This is the sort of salesman sample, I think, really.

-I see.

And salesmen would have taken it out,

because it's small enough to carry around, and say, "Believe it or not,

"this miniature Attaboy is half the size of an ordinary Attaboy hat."

-So, you've got an idea of what it'll make.

-What it would be.

Isn't that cute?

I suppose you could have had any amount of small hats like that

in your salesman's kit - it would have made it a lot easier

hawking them round the streets, through the rain and the wind,

on public transport,

trams and horses and carriages and things like that.

So, I can imagine there was a real need for salesmen's samples,

and they were made to exactly the same specification and quality

so that you could show your potential buyer,

look at the detail, look at the quality,

and what you're going to get is a full-size version.

I think that's dead cute.

And it serves a purpose for me because, of course,

-now I'm getting on a bit, I've got one of these bald spot.

-Oh!

That will cover it just nicely.

Unfortunately, it's got a bit bigger since then, so...

..I think I might need the full-sized hat now!

So, why are you selling it? I suppose cos it's in the loft.

Yes. We're trying to get rid of quite a lot of things.

Well, that will free up a load of room, won't it(?)

I know, this is it!

-Um, it's not worth a lot.

-I know.

-We know.

-We know that, but...

-Great fun, though.

-I know.

-It's not all about the value.

-It's a novelty thing, isn't it?

-It's a curiosity.

It's about what you've got and the story you can tell.

-So, I think it will make £20-£40.

-Yeah? Quite surprised.

-Fingers crossed.

-Yeah!

INDISTINCT SPEECH

It wasn't just Adam who was taken with the Attaboy.

The auctioneer was rather fond of it too.

I know that my opinion counts for nothing,

but I think this is one of the most delightful lots in today's sale.

It really is. It's a real little gem.

It's always nice when an auctioneer is fond of your item,

as it's always depressing when they don't like it.

It's happened both ways.

But he was really a great fan of this hat

and he did his real very best in talking it up,

and I think the fact that he liked it so much

undoubtedly rubbed off on the bidders.

40 bid. 40. A real little beaut. At 40.

40 I'm bid. 50. £50.

-60.

-60.

-60 bid. £60.

70 with me. £70.

5 again now. At £70. A delightful little lot.

75. 80. 80 bid.

-Go on.

-£80.

-That's good.

-Final call.

-Great.

-On the book at £80.

I didn't think we'd get that.

I thought we was going home with it.

-80.

-£80. The hammer's gone down.

-Great.

Even though it was £20-£40 and made, I think, £80,

which is an awful lot of money for it, really,

when you look at other comparable examples,

it's right up my street, that sort of thing.

It's right up my street too, Adam,

and I wasn't surprised it sold so well.

The Attaboy had rarity and an enthusiastic auctioneer on its side.

A winning combination.

Other things to think about when buying travel-related collectables.

Check that all-important condition.

Well-kept pieces fetch good prices.

-Oh, that's good.

-Gosh, I never expected that.

And if you're buying a case that comes with extras,

make sure they're all there.

It will seriously affect the price if any components are missing.

It's often the case that an object travels a long way

before finally finding a home.

And that's certainly true of an item that's of great

sentimental value to expert, David Fletcher.

A friend of mine, who is a book dealer in Bedford,

telephoned me about six or seven months ago

and said, was I related to a chap called Fred Fletcher?

Might he be an ancestor of mine? I thought, funnily enough,

my grandfather was called Fred Fletcher.

And he said, "Well, I think I've got his diary."

So I popped down to his shop in a state of some excitement,

as you might imagine, really.

When I got back, I was fascinated when I sat and read it.

It describes a journey he makes between December 1916

and April 1917.

We did know that he was in the Royal Army Medical Corps

and that he travelled to Mesopotamia.

And on the way, he called in at Cape Town,

Durban and Bombay.

And he describes his experiences in some detail.

He says he has one hell of a time in Cape Town.

He obviously thoroughly enjoyed himself there.

And he arrives in due course in Basra.

And he says, at that stage on Friday 6th April,

"Today, for the first time since I have been in the army,

"I have done some work that counts.

"All day, from 6.00am to 8.00pm, 100 of us have been loading

"and unloading wounded on and off hospital ships."

So he's a medic and he feels what he went there for

has suddenly happened, really.

But there's a very, very poignant ending to this diary.

And this occurs in the last entry, which is

written on Friday 20th April.

And he says, "At last I can say I am settled."

And he goes on to say, "All I want now is a letter."

And at the same page in that diary,

there's the front of an envelope, that's all that remains,

addressed to him. It's originally sent to India,

but it's been forwarded to him in Mesopotamia.

I have no proof of this, but I'm certain the letter it contained

refers to the fact that his brother had been killed

a few days earlier on the Western Front,

in France.

I know that Tom, his brother, died on St George's Day, April 23rd.

And the letter has a Bedford postmark of April 27th.

And the diary finishes there.

Not another word's written.

You can just imagine the feelings that this young man had,

on the other side of the world, learning from all those miles away

that his brother has been killed.

So, this was a remarkable buy for me.

And obviously one I treasure very much.

In 1846, when the railways arrived in Blackpool,

people started flocking there for their holidays.

Aside from the Pleasure Beach, the Illuminations and the Tower,

there was a whole host of theatrical entertainment to be enjoyed.

Flog It! regular Charlie Ross has a notion that theatrical ephemera,

as a collecting field, is on the way up.

I've had a love of the theatre from a very early age.

I can remember being taken to the West End aged eight,

seeing My Fair Lady and being completely thrilled

by the whole experience.

And from that, I started doing am-dram myself.

Through that I've become interested in the ephemera side of it as well.

The great thing about theatrical ephemera, it touches everybody.

We've all got a favourite film or favourite show.

I don't think there's anybody that isn't excited by a certain

sphere of this.

I've come to Blackpool to see the most extraordinary collection

of theatrical ephemera put together by the late Cyril Critchlow.

Cyril Critchlow was a remarkable man.

He was a magician, an impresario, he put together wonderful shows.

He ended up with his own museum.

And sadly passed away in 2008.

After his death, his daughter Pat

and librarian, Tony Sharkey, went through all

this ephemera, which was kept in, I think, five or six garages.

All these items are now put together in Blackpool Central Library.

And that's where I'm going.

We were amazed by how much he had. We knew he was an avid collector.

When we put Cyril's collection together,

-we made 179 volumes, just of archival material.

-How many?!

179?

I'd love to see just one or two things from the collection.

Take a look at this.

This is Blackpool's first summer season programme.

There's something unusual about that programme.

It's... Well, there it says "Souvenir Cotton Programme."

So that links the cotton industry with Blackpool.

Blackpool's visitor heartland is the Lancashire cotton industry.

It's right on Blackpool's doorstep.

And when they came to Blackpool, as the wakes week started

and they were able to start spending a full week in Blackpool,

-they knew how to spend their money.

-Yeah.

And they wanted to be entertained while they were here.

The good thing, from our point of view,

it's still in perfect condition.

If you have a paper one and somebody folds it,

it falls to bits fairly quickly, doesn't it?

-It's a talking point.

-So, you know, that is...yes.

And how proud you'd be to go home and say,

"I've got a cotton programme."

How wonderful. That's splendid.

How many people would come here?

I mean, not just presumably the Opera House, other theatres as well?

Blackpool would have a full-range of entertainments.

In the '30s, Blackpool was claiming seven million visitors a year.

-Seven million!

-And all of those people, of course,

would want to be entertained in the evening.

-That's a huge number of people.

-It's a huge number of seats to fill.

Providing a massive amount of income.

-The income that came into the town was considerable.

-Yeah.

-But the expenditure on glamorous shows was also considerable.

-Yeah.

Of course, there's many aspects to Blackpool's entertainment culture.

Once side... Maybe not totally acceptable today,

but it was Blackpool's sideshow culture.

Which was vast.

-Which was very considerable.

-Yeah.

-Who have we got here?

-Here we've got Harold Davidson.

-A vicar!

-He's a vicar. He's a discredited vicar.

-Oh, dear.

-He's the former rector of a parish in Norfolk.

-Yeah.

He ended up exhibiting himself in a barrel on the promenade in Blackpool.

HE LAUGHS

Crikey! Look at the number of people!

It's quite extraordinary to me that thousands of people will queue

and pay money to see a vicar in a barrel.

-This was the reality of Blackpool's sideshow culture.

-Bizarre.

Very bizarre.

I think from a collection point of view, what is one looking for?

Fame, one's looking for rarity.

And this is obviously as rare as a show could get.

Where else will you see a picture like that? Nowhere else.

-We've looked at Blackpool's sideshows.

-Yes.

But Blackpool in the '40s and '50s attracted major Hollywood stars.

-Yeah.

-And sometimes they went nowhere else.

-Judy Garland.

"The only concerts in the British Isles..."

-So she didn't go to London.

-She came to the Opera House.

She didn't go to the West End.

-Crikey.

-She didn't go anywhere else. She came to Blackpool.

And that's where the people were.

Once some major stars started to come, others

followed in their footsteps.

That's Mae West.

The thing that really took my eye here

is that it's signed. That makes all the difference.

Something like that is worth hundreds of pounds now.

People collect these things.

And the thought that somebody stood in a queue and got the signature,

met the person...

Blackpool does do, and did do, glamour.

-At the very, very top level.

-At the very top level.

As well as your Northern seaside humour,

as well as your Blackpool sideshows...

-A huge mixture, isn't it?

-It's a huge mixture.

Cyril's left us a legacy which shouts Blackpool,

-we feel really proud of.

-Yes.

Nothing quite beats the excitement of travel

and collectibles that evoke that spirit of adventure

will always have a dedicated following.

Gosh, I never expected that!

Eye-catching luggage with a dash of vintage glamour

is a first-class investment.

But don't forget to also look out for pristine maps,

travel guides and posters.

That's it for today's show.

I hope you've enjoyed it and join us again soon for more Trade Secrets.