0:00:03 > 0:00:06Welcome to the show that helps you to get in the know
0:00:06 > 0:00:09when it comes to buying and selling antiques and collectables.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12- Price-wise, any idea?- Not really, no.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15- Good gracious, I never knew that.- Wow!
0:00:15 > 0:00:18We have got well over ten years of "Flog It!" behind us,
0:00:18 > 0:00:20that is literally hundreds of shows
0:00:20 > 0:00:22with thousands of your items sold in auction.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24So if there is something you need to know,
0:00:24 > 0:00:28you will more than likely find it right here, on Trade Secrets.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00The 20th century has seen great changes both socially and
0:01:00 > 0:01:04culturally that have occurred within our lifetime or that
0:01:04 > 0:01:07of our parents. Or grandparents.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10So join us on a stroll down memory lane
0:01:10 > 0:01:12as we reflect on the part nostalgia
0:01:12 > 0:01:15plays in our great love of antiques.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18On today's show, we meet a couple
0:01:18 > 0:01:20who have uncovered a saucy past.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22We looked in the attic and we found these.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26- Hidden away. A sordid past.- A sordid past.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Thomas reveals his own hidden passion.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Thomas is a Barbie doll specialist.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33You are though, come on. Let's face it.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37I thought it was fabulous. It really was a really good thing.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40And we divulge the secrets of the modern collectables market.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Well done.
0:01:42 > 0:01:48- 3,000.- Well done.- Thank you. Gosh!
0:01:54 > 0:01:58It's funny how an item can evoke memories - the place where
0:01:58 > 0:02:02you got it, the person who gave it to you, the moment in time.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05And all of those things can make an item made in living memory
0:02:05 > 0:02:07highly collectable.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Collectors' items are bought
0:02:10 > 0:02:14on memory, they are bought on feeling.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18If you remember having the Corgi James Bond as a boy, then
0:02:18 > 0:02:22that brings back memories, which is why you want to have it now.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24- Yes!- 80 quid.- Very good.- That's good.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28I think that does encourage people to bid a little bit more,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32pay something for an item which is reminiscent of their own
0:02:32 > 0:02:34childhood, definitely.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Yes! What a result!
0:02:37 > 0:02:38I remember as a child,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41queuing up with great excitement for the first Star Wars film.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44And some of those early figures, particularly the rarer ones,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46in mint condition with their original boxes,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49are starting to make serious money.
0:02:49 > 0:02:55A good 20th century collectable will reflect the age
0:02:55 > 0:02:56that it was made in,
0:02:56 > 0:03:02whether that's the '20s, '30s, the '50s, the '60s or the '80s.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06So go for things within their own period,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10which you personally have fallen in love with.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15And at our valuation days, we see many seemingly ordinary
0:03:15 > 0:03:19objects that evoke nostalgia for these eras.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22I think it is either a picnic box or a gramophone.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24I'm going to open it up and have a look.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29It's a gramophone. Tell me all about it.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Well, it was my gran's, she used to play it when I was a young lad.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37The favourite one of hers was Davy Crockett by Max Bygraves.
0:03:37 > 0:03:38# Davy, Davy Crockett
0:03:38 > 0:03:40# King of the wild frontier. #
0:03:40 > 0:03:41- Yeah.- I remember it.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46People are quite fascinated by old record players, even those ones
0:03:46 > 0:03:50from the 1950s, like this one, are fascinating bits
0:03:50 > 0:03:52of kit, really.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56But people then have to be that old to remember playing
0:03:56 > 0:03:59music on one of these things as a child.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Even me, I say, can remember winding up a gramophone
0:04:03 > 0:04:04and playing records.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06It's quite good quality.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10I haven't been able to see here
0:04:10 > 0:04:12a maker's name. Have you any idea?
0:04:12 > 0:04:13No idea whatsoever.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15I don't think it's an HMV
0:04:15 > 0:04:20because I think HMV had their names on the playing head as well.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Look for rarity. Most are made by HMV or Columbia or whatever.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Try and find a name that you haven't heard of. Look it up.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Think, "Well, there were many of these made,"
0:04:30 > 0:04:34therefore, by definition, providing it is of a reasonable quality,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37it will make more money than a standard object.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40There is a needle case on the corner there.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- The winder has lost its handle, I think.- Yes.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47- But it is in good condition.- Yeah.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50There is a little bit of rusting around the catch,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52but the chrome here is in super order.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56Condition is very important because it needs to look nice.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00If you're going to have it sitting on a table in your drawing
0:05:00 > 0:05:03room, you don't want to have bits hanging off it.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05If this record player hadn't been working,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08to restore it would cost more than it was worth in the first place.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09# One, two, three o'clock... #
0:05:09 > 0:05:12I would rather think we'd let it take its course, really,
0:05:12 > 0:05:13in the sale room.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Don't put a reserve on it and let's say goodbye to it,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19and we'll be excited once it gets above a tenner.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22- If it makes a tenner. - Oh, it will make more than that.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25This is the portable gramophone.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28And I have got competing bids here to £50.
0:05:28 > 0:05:3050, straight in, top-end, yes!
0:05:30 > 0:05:34- They are going up, aren't they? - Yeah. You see, it is a big hit.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36£55. I'm going to sell in the room then at 55.
0:05:36 > 0:05:3960, new bidder. 65.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42It seemed the bidders knew something Charlie didn't.
0:05:42 > 0:05:4585.
0:05:45 > 0:05:4790. 90 in the centre, then.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Any advance on £90?
0:05:50 > 0:05:52The hammer has gone down. £90.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54I'd say that's twice what it would've done a year ago.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Twice your valuation.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Wrong again.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03I was very surprised at the time.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06But looking back, I think it came with six records.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11And I have a cunning suspicion that there might have been
0:06:11 > 0:06:15a bit of rare vinyl in there that added to the price.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19That great result proves music can really stir emotions.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22But for Philip Serrell, one item in particular takes him
0:06:22 > 0:06:25on a memory merry-go-round.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Now, I'm not exactly going to tell you how old I am, but I am
0:06:28 > 0:06:30of a certain age.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33And I am of that certain age when in the 1960s and you went on holiday,
0:06:33 > 0:06:38you went to seasides. And seasides would have fairgrounds.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40And fairgrounds had rides.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42And rides had these lovely painted boards in front of them.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Now, I think this is probably earlier than '60s.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47I think this might be '30s or '40s,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49but it is just a cool thing. I love this.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51I bought this this year from an antique shop,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53and I think it cost me 60 quid or something.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55And I bought it for two reasons.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59One, it sort of does remind me of those childhood holidays.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01And two, I just think it is a bit of fun.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03And it is something that...
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Well, it just appeals to my sense of humour, really.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08# Barbara Ann Ba-Ba-Ba, Ba-Ba-Barbara Ann. #
0:07:08 > 0:07:11But perhaps the things that most take us back are toys,
0:07:11 > 0:07:15and there is a huge collector's market for these.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18What a toy name to conjure with.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22And Barbie, well, you know, the most iconic doll
0:07:22 > 0:07:25of, I'd say, the post-war era, isn't it?
0:07:25 > 0:07:26Fascinating.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29If you are a collector of dolls
0:07:29 > 0:07:31or of toys,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33I think you want the best of the best.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35This Barbie was the best
0:07:35 > 0:07:37of the best. It was tremendous.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Tell me, how did you come by this almost mint Barbie?
0:07:40 > 0:07:44It was a present to me in 1963 from my auntie,
0:07:44 > 0:07:49whose next-door neighbour brought it back from Canada.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53Nobody else had one that I knew of so that is why it is still in the box.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59I've never seen the like of this Barbie, with its three wigs.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02I thought it was fabulous. It really was a really good thing.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Very rare.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Of course, early Barbie, early Cindy,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08those are the best to collect.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- It would have had a cellophane cover to it.- Yes.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13- Which is gone, unfortunately.- Yeah.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16- But I would suggest we put it in at £80 to £120.- Yes.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18We fixed the reserve at 80.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22And I wouldn't be surprised if it made £150.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24- I really wouldn't.- Really?
0:08:25 > 0:08:30It's the stuff of childhood, and apparently of Thomas's dreams, too.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Thomas is a Barbie doll. You are, though. Come on, let's face it.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37You specialise in lots of things like this, don't you?
0:08:37 > 0:08:38Collectors' things.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40We have a sale room which sells toys,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44so I see lots of things coming up in the Barbie doll world, etc.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47So I am a little bit excited.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51But I don't want to come over like I'm excited about selling dolls.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56At £30. At five.
0:08:56 > 0:08:5840. Five.
0:08:58 > 0:09:0050. Five.
0:09:00 > 0:09:0360. Five. 70. Five.
0:09:03 > 0:09:0580. Five if you like. At 80 here.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07At £80, you all sure, now then?
0:09:07 > 0:09:12Lady's bid at £80. You all done?
0:09:12 > 0:09:14- On estimate, well done.- Good.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16At least somebody will appreciate it.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- Oh, yeah.- Yeah, I'm pleased.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22I was disappointed at the £80.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25And maybe this Barbie should have been in a proper doll sale.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28And I think maybe it could have made more money.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Of course, today, with online bidding,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35wherever dolls are sold, they will be found by the serious collectors.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Dolls are ever popular. There is something for everyone.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43- £580, who could have predicted that? - Beautifully made.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45The doll world is massive.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48If you want to collect baby dolls, big dolls, Barbies...
0:09:48 > 0:09:51It's up to you, really.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53You need to find your niche, and then from that niche,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55you pick the best of the best.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58You've brought three very pretty young ladies along with you.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01If you want to start collecting antique dolls,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03the ones that you are most likely to come across
0:10:03 > 0:10:06are the porcelain-headed variety, produced in the 19th century.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08You brought a little friend here.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10She has got a bisque porcelain head, which is
0:10:10 > 0:10:14typical of dolls made from the late 19th and early 20th century.
0:10:14 > 0:10:15So she is 100 years old.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19What are our experts' tips for budding collectors of dolls?
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Look at the quality of the head.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25The rarity of the mould that the head is made from.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27If it is a rarer number, the better.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30If you look at the back of the necks of the doll,
0:10:30 > 0:10:32it will usually tell you all you want to know.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35So we have got Heubach Koppelsdorf and then a number
0:10:35 > 0:10:37and "made in Germany" underneath.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39The best tip for collecting dolls -
0:10:39 > 0:10:42go for the one with the weirdest expression.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46This is a most disturbing object you have put in front of me.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48I think she is quite scary.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- I think she is scary as well. - With a trembly tongue.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55I couldn't sleep at night if they were in my house.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57The other thing to look at is the eyes.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01These eyes are weighted so when you lay them down, they go to sleep.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03When you bring them up, their eyes come up.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07This really will scare you. The eyes open and she comes alive.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09The colours of the eyes as well.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11It is always good to have blue-eyed dolls.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13People always love blue-eyed girls.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- She has lovely blue eyes, just like yourself.- Thank you very much.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Condition is all-important.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22If the head has a crack on it, a chip or any damage,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25to be honest, I'd leave it alone.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27I'm afraid eyelashes have gone.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Also, costumes as well. It's the clothes.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Are they in the original clothes? Has the hair been cut?
0:11:35 > 0:11:40Cos the hair does get cut by beastly children snipping away.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44It is museum quality. The condition is very, very good.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47And I would say they are the original clothes as well.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51So if this is the area of collecting for you,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53which makers' names should you look out for?
0:11:53 > 0:11:57You could be buying German dolls made by Simon & Halbig,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Armand Marseille.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Then you could collect French dolls by Jumeau
0:12:03 > 0:12:08and earlier dolls in France, which are just super, super quality,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11made in the late 19th century, early part of the 20th century.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16You can pick up a good quality doll for around £150,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19but values vary.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22The highest price so far recorded was for almost four million pounds.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24But if you are thinking of entering this field,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Thomas has a few words of warning.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29The doll market is the worst market in the world.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Cos after a view, their limbs, head, hair, everywhere,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35and the doll collectors will come in,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38they'll pick up a porcelain-headed doll and, if it's really good,
0:12:38 > 0:12:42they might get a little pencil out and draw a line down the doll
0:12:42 > 0:12:46so it looks like a hairline crack so the next person viewing it...
0:12:46 > 0:12:48thinks it's broken!
0:12:52 > 0:12:55It's not just nostalgia for our childhood that makes us
0:12:55 > 0:12:59spend our money, we are all touched by the momentous,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01historical events we have lived through.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07So items connected to these memories can have just as much appeal.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12If items are associated with a particular event,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16it may mean that they will have more significance.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18But on the other hand,
0:13:18 > 0:13:22it may mean that they are produced in greater quantities.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26And because of that, will be less rare and less valuable.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29For example, a royal wedding.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Every newspaper - "Special, souvenir issue"
0:13:33 > 0:13:37for the wedding of Charles and Diana,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40William and Kate or whoever.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44As soon as it becomes an object to be collected, you might as well burn
0:13:44 > 0:13:47it, it will never be worth anything, because everybody thinks,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49"Oh! I'll keep that."
0:13:49 > 0:13:51And there's no point.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53But it is not all about the value,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56some people like commemorative items.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00I like this one particularly because it is for Halley's Comet,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03which last appeared in 1986.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05So certainly within my living memory.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09And I know how exciting it was then, waiting for it to appear.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Wedgwood, of course, capturing the market,
0:14:11 > 0:14:15got a designer called Richard Guyatt to produce a commemorative mug.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20This is exactly the same shape as you would have found a royal
0:14:20 > 0:14:23wedding mug, but what the designer has done is produced it
0:14:23 > 0:14:26in this almost sort of '30s graphics,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28with this sort of writing.
0:14:28 > 0:14:34And it says, "Return to Earth every 76 years - 1986."
0:14:34 > 0:14:36And then he has put the next time it is due to appear -
0:14:36 > 0:14:42so 2062, 2138, 2214.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45And underneath, they have got,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48"To mark the return of Halley's Comet," and you have got the trajectory
0:14:48 > 0:14:52of the comet as it goes through the solar system.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56I'm also quite a fan of Star Trek, so this sort of thing appeals to me.
0:14:56 > 0:15:02They only made 2,000 of these, so it is a limited edition. This is 610.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05And actually, it comes with the original label that says
0:15:05 > 0:15:07that as well.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09But I just like it for its design element.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12I think this could be quite a collectable item in the future.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15BIG BAND MUSIC
0:15:21 > 0:15:25It is almost impossible to predict what will become a collectable,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28but items that an older generation hung onto,
0:15:28 > 0:15:33which once seemed insignificant, can now be highly sought after.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36An amazing collection of the risque sort of theatre land
0:15:36 > 0:15:38from the 1920s right through to the 1950s.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Obviously, they are not yours. Whose were they?
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- Well, they were Val's uncle's, actually.- OK.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49He died some 20 years ago and Val was the next living relative.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52And when we cleared the house out, we looked in the attic
0:15:52 > 0:15:53and we found these.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57- Hidden away.- Hidden away. - A sordid past.- A sordid past.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Magazines, generally, are
0:16:00 > 0:16:02an auctioneer's nightmare.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07They tend to come in vast numbers and,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09generally, worth almost nothing.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12The earliest one that we have is 1927 - the Folies Bergere.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Now, if we have a look at this one here,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17this one is particularly interesting because of one person.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20There she is. Josephine Baker.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25She was one of the first ever black strip dancers or naked
0:16:25 > 0:16:27dancers at the Folies Bergere.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29She was very well known
0:16:29 > 0:16:31and has gone down in history as one of the best ever.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35And whenever we get something at auction that is
0:16:35 > 0:16:38revolutionary in its time, a little bit risque,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41they are really sought after today, because they are a collectors' item.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44- Yes.- When it was done, nobody thought it would have any relevance,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47nobody thought it would be a collectors' item in the future.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51In the same way, actually, as
0:16:51 > 0:16:54the front page of the Times newspaper,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57when the Titanic sunk.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59At the time when that was printed,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02nobody thought it would be of any value.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Today, it is worth thousands of pounds.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Valuing this sort of thing is very, very difficult.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08- I mean, we have got hundreds, haven't we?- Yes.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Some of them are worth less than a pound.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13That has got to be worth something like £30, £40 on its own.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17So if we put an estimate of £100 to £150 on them...
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Now, I do hope that somebody with a real passion for theatre
0:17:20 > 0:17:22history will go for these.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27There is some interest here.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30And we start the bidding at...
0:17:30 > 0:17:32100. 120.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- 130. 140.- Top-end.
0:17:35 > 0:17:36Commission bid at £140.
0:17:36 > 0:17:3950, will you? Commission bid at 140.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42It's with me on the book. Are you all done?
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Do you want to take a second look? No?
0:17:46 > 0:17:49It's on the book then and we are selling at £140.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- Yes, hammer's gone down! That was great, good valuation.- Brilliant.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Brave man.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57- £140, happy? - Yes, lovely, that's great.
0:17:57 > 0:18:03Whenever anything reminds people of when times, in their own mind,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07are better, it is bound to create these lovely,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10warm feelings of nostalgia, and that is where the collectors'
0:18:10 > 0:18:13market comes from for this sort of thing.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Now, our parents and our grandparents have marvellous
0:18:15 > 0:18:19tales to tell about their youth, and some of the things they have owned
0:18:19 > 0:18:23speak volumes, as David Fletcher knows.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26Now, my grandmother, like so many people of her generation
0:18:26 > 0:18:29and background, had quite conservative taste, really.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33My grandmother was born in 1900, so she was a Victorian.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36So what made her buy this? It's glamorous,
0:18:36 > 0:18:41it's a bit glitzy, it's quite sexy, I suppose, and it
0:18:41 > 0:18:43speaks of its period.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47I would've said this would have been bought in about 1934, 1935.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52Well, my theory is that my grandmother, who was a great
0:18:52 > 0:18:55filmgoer, had been to see one of Busby Berkeley's films,
0:18:55 > 0:18:5742nd Street perhaps,
0:18:57 > 0:19:01and had been so impressed by the glamour of that,
0:19:01 > 0:19:05by the way it took us all away from that really rather depressing
0:19:05 > 0:19:08period of time, the 1930s, with all the economic problems that
0:19:08 > 0:19:10people were struggling with at that time.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14And she thought, "Well, I'll pop into my local china shop
0:19:14 > 0:19:16"tomorrow and see if I can find something that reminds me
0:19:16 > 0:19:18"of that film."
0:19:18 > 0:19:22'Luxurious settings, spectacular dance routines, set to the rhythm
0:19:22 > 0:19:27'of inspiring music in scenes never before attempted on stage or screen.'
0:19:28 > 0:19:30This is one of a pair.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33It is by a very minor German factory,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36but it speaks of its period.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40And I remember this when I was a young boy,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42sitting on the mantelpiece in my grandmother's house,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45with the other one at the other end of the mantelpiece.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48And in that sense, I grew up with this, really.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53I'm not really sure that I actually like this, although I am
0:19:53 > 0:19:57interested in the Art Deco period, the 1930s and cinema of the 1930s.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00So in that sense, it has a value to me.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03It doesn't have a great financial value.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07But it and its pair are two items I would never sell.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12But if you do want to sell, auctioning an item
0:20:12 > 0:20:15at a relevant moment in history can make all the difference.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18And James couldn't believe what turned up at a valuation day
0:20:18 > 0:20:21in 2012.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25There are certain things in history that everybody wants to
0:20:25 > 0:20:29get their hands on. I think the World Cup is one.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34But I think very close behind that is an Olympic torch.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37The Olympic year, what a time to sell it.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42And to get a London Olympic torch, you could not find a better time.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Fantastic.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48This was, obviously, for the London Olympics of 1948.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52There were 20 of them made and each person would have
0:20:52 > 0:20:56kept their individual torch as a souvenir of their leg.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01The 1948 London Olympics were known as The Austerity Games.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02The event was crucial
0:21:02 > 0:21:05in lifting spirits during the post-war gloom.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08What is it doing here, in the centre of Coventry?
0:21:08 > 0:21:11My father used to run, but I'm sure he'd have told me
0:21:11 > 0:21:14- if he'd been a stage bearer in the Olympics.- Gosh, yes.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16We kept a pub and it probably came into his possession
0:21:16 > 0:21:20from someone coming into the pub and perhaps selling it some time ago.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23So do you think somebody paid off their bar bill with this,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25swapped it for a pint of beer or paid off their slate?
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- It could have been something like that.- Gosh!
0:21:28 > 0:21:30And with the Olympics still in everybody's mind, I thought
0:21:30 > 0:21:33it was an appropriate time to perhaps sell it.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36The Olympic torch was fairly easy to value
0:21:36 > 0:21:40because if you look online and you look at the records, and there were
0:21:40 > 0:21:46Olympic torches from 1948 selling at £1,500 to £2,000, complete.
0:21:46 > 0:21:47Um,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50but this one had the burner missing.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53I think that should have contained an inner section.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56- It must've had a burner or something. - Must have done.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Generally, a piece lacking, an integral,
0:21:59 > 0:22:04an important part of it will make a huge difference to the value.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07But I think it is a great time to sell it.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10We should put an auction estimate of 600 to £1,000.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- Gosh.- All right?- Yeah.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17That's not bad for something that looks like a toilet plunger, is it?
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Not at all. It certainly isn't.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22It may have looked like a plunger to James,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24but the auctioneer had high hopes for it.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26We have already got some phone lines booked.
0:22:26 > 0:22:27We have got quite a bit of interest in it.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30And I am confident that we are going to well exceed the estimate.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34Let's hope we can break a record with this one.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Have you purposely saved it for this year?
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Did you think about selling it last year?
0:22:39 > 0:22:43- No, last year I thought about making a table lamp out of it.- Did you?
0:22:43 > 0:22:46- I'm glad I didn't.- No, exactly.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51The Games of the 14th Olympiad, commission bids on the book,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54and I am going to start it at 1,050.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56- 1,050.- Fabulous!
0:22:56 > 0:23:00- 1,050.- That's our top end, isn't it? - It is.
0:23:00 > 0:23:041,100 there. 1,150 I've got. 1,200?
0:23:04 > 0:23:081,200. That clears my commission bids at 1,200. Do I hear 1,250?
0:23:08 > 0:23:11There's a couple people on the phone now. It is out of the room.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15- It is backwards and forwards to the phone.- 14.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Let's go in hundreds. 15 now.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21- I don't believe it.- 16. 17.
0:23:22 > 0:23:2418.
0:23:24 > 0:23:2619.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28- Gosh.- 2,000.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Go 22.
0:23:32 > 0:23:3424.
0:23:35 > 0:23:3726.
0:23:37 > 0:23:3928.
0:23:39 > 0:23:423,000.
0:23:42 > 0:23:4432.
0:23:45 > 0:23:4734.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51- 32 on this phone. - I just love these moments.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54At 3,200. Is there any further advance?
0:23:54 > 0:23:58It's going to be sold, £3,200.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00- Yes! Hammer has gone down. - Well done.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03- 3,000.- Well done.- Thank you.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08I thought it might make the 1,500, but it did brilliantly.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14That certainly was an iconic and symbolic item.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17And the sale was certainly something to behold.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19And there is a lesson for us all there -
0:24:19 > 0:24:23selling something at exactly the right time can pay dividends.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Now you may not have an Olympic torch hidden away at home,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30but it is worth considering looking for items that are related to a big
0:24:30 > 0:24:33event or an anniversary that is coming up soon.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36If you are interested in modern collectables, keep
0:24:36 > 0:24:37this check list in mind.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Everyday objects can have hidden value
0:24:41 > 0:24:43if they strike a chord with the bidders.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46The most collectable toys are those with their packaging
0:24:46 > 0:24:49and accessories intact.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53And keep in mind that commemorative pieces aren't always collectable.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Look for the rarer items that mark historic events.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03There's nothing quite like childhood
0:25:03 > 0:25:07to evoke all sorts of wonderful memories, especially a toy as iconic
0:25:07 > 0:25:10as the one Caroline showed Catherine Southon
0:25:10 > 0:25:13at a valuation day in Chippenham back in 2005.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17Caroline, this is what I like to see. Toys in their original boxes.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Now, you and I are probably
0:25:19 > 0:25:22a little too young to remember Muffin the Mule on TV.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26But certainly he was an important character for children
0:25:26 > 0:25:28of the 1950s and early '60s on BBC One.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32How did Muffin the Mule come into your family?
0:25:32 > 0:25:35He's either my mum's or my dad's. They both had one,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38- so we've got another one up in the attic somewhere.- Something like this,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41they're probably not as popular as they once were
0:25:41 > 0:25:44about ten years ago when the toy market was a bit stronger.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45But, nevertheless,
0:25:45 > 0:25:49I think you should still ask about £60-80 at auction.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52I don't think my parents were very fond of Muffin the Mule,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55but we had to downsize and clear out the attic,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57so I think they were just keen to make some space
0:25:57 > 0:25:59and see it go to a good home.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Caroline had outgrown childhood playthings,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06and her parents wanted to help her raise some money
0:26:06 > 0:26:09to invest in grown-up toys.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13I started rowing in 1997, I went to college here in Oxford
0:26:13 > 0:26:16and my friend who rowed persuaded me to go along
0:26:16 > 0:26:18and do a couple of training sessions.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21I think we had three outings and then we raced, and we won the race
0:26:21 > 0:26:25and I just fell in love with the sport from that moment on.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27But rowing is an expensive hobby
0:26:27 > 0:26:30so off to the market Muffin trotted.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32We've had one on the show before and we sold it for £90.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35So, fingers crossed we can get a little bit more today.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37It should do. What worries me slightly,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39I don't know if there's that many toy buyers here.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41There doesn't seem to be a lot of them.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44There's not many toys, I think it's about the only toy here.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47It might be a little bit lost, that's the only thing that worries me,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50but it would've been nice if it had been displayed with all the strings showing.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Hanging up somewhere near the rostrum!
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Anyway, let's hope someone's picked it out of the catalogue. Here we go.
0:26:56 > 0:26:57This is it.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00And 531, Moko Muffin the Mule
0:27:00 > 0:27:04in his original box, articulating joints.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08- And apparently, it's just coming back onto the television.- It is.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11I didn't know that.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Absolutely fantastic and I have got commission bids,
0:27:14 > 0:27:18so it makes life ever so easy. I'll start the bidding at £90.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22- Oh, that's excellent.- At £90, at 90, I'll take five.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24At £90, at 90.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Five anywhere else?
0:27:26 > 0:27:31At £90, then. It's going to a good home. At 90, all done.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Yes! 90 quid! What are you going to do with the 90 quid?
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- I'm saving towards a sculling boat. - It's a start.- It's all contributing.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47I did want to use the money from the show to buy a sculling boat,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51but they're very expensive. Probably a couple of thousand pounds
0:27:51 > 0:27:54and so, the £90 that we got from Muffin the Mule didn't go that far.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58So with the money I made, I bought these blades. They were £395.
0:27:58 > 0:28:04The £90 from "Flog It!" probably bought me this much.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09It's always a pleasure to hear
0:28:09 > 0:28:13that "Flog It!" was able to help out - albeit in a small way.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15If you've got any unloved toys you want to sell
0:28:15 > 0:28:19or any other antiques or collectables for that matter, you know where to come.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Well, that's it for today's show, so go on, go out there, have fun,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27buy some antiques and join us again soon for more Trade Secrets.