Episode 29 Flog It: Trade Secrets

For well over a decade now, "Flog It!" has offered you

the chance to have your antiques and collectables valued

and sold in auction rooms all over the British Isles,

and sometimes for a great deal of money.

£2,400, anybody else in the room want to come in?

GAVEL BANGS

What d'you think about that? Bang! There it goes. Yeah!

And during that time, we have all learned a great deal about the world

of fine art and antiques, that we, as a nation, cannot get enough of.

So today, I want to share some of that knowledge with you.

So stand by to hear some more trade secrets.

Before the era of mass production,

skilled artisans spent long hours

creating all kinds of beautiful objects by hand

and it's the breathtaking quality of their exquisite craftsmanship

that makes their work stand out.

So today, we are celebrating all the handmade items

that light up the "Flog It!" valuation days.

I absolutely love this wonderful, big pot.

Oh, that makes two of us.

BOTH LAUGH

In a truly tailor-made show, James is blown away

by the British craftsmanship at its very best.

No, no, no, this isn't an everyday scent bottle you have.

Just look at the quality there of these individually

hand-cut flower heads.

A rare pair of handmade delights exceeds everyone's expectations...

-£2,600! Even I am sitting down now.

-Absolutely amazing!

And Thomas goes back to his birthplace

to unearth the story of a true visionary.

He enjoyed potting so much he made some great errors

but also made some great glazes.

Many of the great names in British antiques have stayed true

to the art of making things by hand - hand-painted ceramics,

hand-carved stone, handmade furniture.

We see a lot of these items at a "Flog It!" valuation day.

But the ones that stand out are those with a great name attached.

Items made by the studios,

by artists and craftsmen

are more valuable in the market today

because each of these pieces is unique.

Names are better to collect because if you've got somebody

that's popular today, rather than an amateur,

the likelihood is it will be collectable in the future.

Most people that have a skill and hand-make objects

are proud enough to put their name to the object.

One thinks perhaps of Robert Thompson - Mouseman -

who put a little mouse on his pieces of furniture.

So, of course, it helps to have a recognised name

to anything that's handmade.

I would suggest you have a look closely at mid-20th-century

studio pottery.

These are wonderful handmade pieces

that are just thrown on the potter's wheel.

And here is a brilliant example from 2011 -

studio pottery with a celebrated name.

It certainly got Anita fired up.

I absolutely love

this wonderful big pot.

-Oh, that makes two of us.

-Tell me, where did you get it?

It was a gift from my grandmother when she died

and it was left for me.

It is a big studio pot.

That means that it wasn't factory made or mass-produced -

it was produced in a small studio or workshop.

And every pot that they put out was an individual piece.

It is the studio of Charles Brannam.

Charles Brannam was one of the great potters of the late 19th,

early 20th century.

His father owned a pottery who made in the main utilitarian wares.

But Charles was an artistic child

and he persuaded his father to give him studio space.

They have made this pattern or this image by scraping out the clay

while it was still wet to make the lines which form up the pattern.

And this was very typical of this studio or workshop.

Individual studios would crop up where we had craftsmen

and artists rebelling against the mechanisation of the industrial age

and wanting to get back to the skill and the craft of the individual.

And Charles Brannam's studio pottery was one of these,

and thank goodness for them,

when we look at what they were making.

What did you like about it?

First of all, as you say, the feel and the colours.

As a child, I don't know, it was just so different.

-As a child, can you remember...?

-Yes, the fish.

And sometimes they would scowl at me.

-Yes.

-This one looks like a glowering fish, doesn't he?

Yes.

Handmade objects have the life

breathed into them by the artist.

It's his thoughts going on to the object.

And for me, that is the essence

and the pinnacle of good work.

I would put a value of between £100 and £200.

It is fairly low and fairly wide,

but I think a collector would be prepared to pay £100 for that.

I think it is certainly worth that.

But what did those in the saleroom think?

The lovely, large stoneware vase by Charles Brannam.

I've got two commission bids and 100 starts me straight in.

-Yes!

-Yes, that's good.

-Yes!

Ten will go. At 100. 110. 120.

130. 140. 190. 200.

-Yes, we've done it.

-220.

-240. At £240.

-We'll take that.

At £240 for the last time...

Yes! £240. Somebody out there really wanted that.

Anita knew that the collectors would be interested in that piece

of Brannam pottery.

But does a good name always guarantee success?

Have a look at the base here.

And here we go - CH Brannam of Barum.

-Good.

-And he set up the part of the factory

that was in charge of doing this, what we call sgraffito decoration...

I thought the vase was really boldly decorated,

so it really struck me as a strong design, strong colour.

Good strong bit of studio pottery.

I mean, I can sort of see that, if it's a perfect piece,

fetching at sort of between £150 and £250, that sort of level.

But because of the damage, I'm going to say to you...

Can I sort of tuck it at about £80 to £100?

Studio pottery is really driven by makers and designers.

So, did auctioneer Claire Rawle share Will's enthusiasm

for this damaged pot?

This is the Brannam Barum pottery vase,

designed by Frederick Brannam.

I think with Brannam,

you almost expect a bit of damage.

I do collect it myself, and you sort of accept the fact.

Start away here £45.

At 45. Do I see 50 anywhere? At 45 it is, then.

Oh, surely, come on!

You're all sure? 45 with me, then.

No, that has to stay with me, ladies and gentlemen...

No, they were sitting on their hands.

Maybe all the locals have already got enough, I don't know.

Go for the pieces with the deeper colours - the deep blues,

the deep purples. This had the right decoration on it.

It had a fish on it - that is very popular.

But I think go for the darker colours.

The Brannam Pottery stopped producing in 2005.

When a factory has closed,

it obviously means they are not producing any more wares,

so in that instance, if there is a finite supply of something,

then of course, they're going to be more valuable than something

they are still making today.

But if Brannam is not your thing, what else is worth your vote?

Artists like Lucie Rie, Hans Coper, Shoji Hamada,

Bernard Leach, of course.

If you just learn those, you won't go far wrong.

Alan Caiger-Smith, again, producing wares that are very collectable.

If you come across any with those stamped on the bottom, snap it up.

Rarity, name and design.

James Lewis was lucky to discover all three on a sunny day

back in 2010.

If you were a lady of some social standing

in the Edwardian period,

this is the sort of bottle that would have adorned

your dressing table, containing the finest French fragrances.

The engraving in this glass is just phenomenal.

It's just beautiful quality.

Stourbridge was at the heart

of the English glass-making industry.

It is of wonderful quality.

And it is likely to be by a factory that became

known as Royal Brierley in 1919.

Just look at the quality there of these individually

hand-cut flower heads.

And the stylised leaves.

And the lovely quality of decoration all the way around.

It was wheel-engraved, so... And some of it was acid etch,

but these were engraved and then polished, so the piece would be

held against a grinding wheel and each piece polished out.

The work is fantastic.

Then you go to the cover.

This is known as repousse work, which is embossed

from one side to another.

There is a little button on the front. If we open that...

-It's quite tight.

-There we are.

Now, if you look at the underside,

the underside is the exact opposite of the decoration we see above.

So it has been hammered through rather than cast in a mould.

Have you noticed the initials there?

-I noticed that, yeah.

-Yeah?

-WG.

-Well, it is WC...

-Ah, WC.

-C?

WC - William Cummins.

All right.

Very nice silversmith from the early 20th century.

A piece like that would certainly take a decent period of time.

How quickly would it take? It depends how quick the workman was,

and, I guess, whether he was being paid per hour or per piece.

-I think we ought to put 100 to 150 on it.

-Really?

I think it is very pretty. And do you know?

I would say that if it didn't make that 100 to 150, just keep it,

it doesn't matter.

-I'd rather see it not sell...

-Oh, yeah.

..than see it sell for less than that.

One of the finest scent bottles

that I have ever sold from this period

was by the great jeweller

from the Russian court, Carl Faberge.

Anything by the master Carl Faberge will fetch a premium.

In 2012, this wonderful gold-mounted smoky quartz perfume bottle

went for nearly £30,000.

We didn't expect to reach quite those heady heights, though.

This Stourbridge-style silver-mounted scent bottle.

Lots of interest in this. £100. On my right, at 100.

Anyone going on at £100?

-Quality always sells, doesn't it?

-It does.

I think £100 was... a disappointing result.

Was I just over-optimistic?

Maybe I was just wrong.

Not to worry, James - some you win, some you lose.

At least the bidder got a real bargain.

And at least YOU didn't have to work as hard as Thomas,

who ended up with a real handful.

What, are you pulling this?

-Are you doing some of the work?

-I'm letting you do it all.

All right, stay here.

This carved Cupid,

sleeping Cupid, I don't think I could have lifted it on my own.

It was that heavy. That's why it came in on the wheels.

It was from a house that was bought,

and it was left in the garden, by the pond.

-Really?

-Just left there.

-It is what I believe to be carved marble.

The reason why I believe it to be carved marble is just here.

We can see the marble coming through.

And it has been very well weathered.

So this is a hand-carved piece. This is not done by a machine.

It would have been a sculptor chipping away at the marble

with his chisel and his hammer, working extremely hard.

And then, once he has done that, rubbing it down, polishing it.

When it was new, it was probably like the surface of a pearl,

with that shimmer.

Cupid has wings. The bow has been discarded here.

And his quiver of arrows is covered.

So, from an allegorical perspective, I think the story is that Cupid

is sleeping and the abandonment of pleasures in one's life.

-That's sad, isn't it?

-It is sad.

He had had enough of making love, you know, between people.

He was having a rest before he went off on his next quest

and shot his arrows.

So I quite like the story behind it as well.

-19th century.

-OK.

Carved in, I suppose, 1860, I would say.

Michelangelo carved cupids in marble -

you can see them all around Rome and Florence.

Caravaggio painted them in the 17th century.

So, this is definitely a 19th-century copy of.

It this had come in dirty but perfect...

So, if it had been covered in all this filth,

that would have made it really special.

That would have been really, really hot to trot.

I would've put a couple of thousand on it.

Have you got any idea of value?

As long as it covers the cost of the petrol to get here.

It will do more than cover the petrol.

-I would put a value of £100 to £200.

-Fantastic, yep.

-Shall we get it to auction? Shall we?

-Let's do it.

-Come on.

-OK, let's go.

-I'm pushing!

I won't ask the porter to carry it. It is the lying marble figure.

But there it is. What about 150 for it?

Yes, 150. 200 now.

And 210. And 20 and 30 perhaps.

At £220. 230 in the room, then.

And I am going to sell it for £230.

A flurry of activity settling on £230. That is a good result.

-It is a brilliant result.

-Absolutely brilliant.

I think, if you are relaxed about an object

and you put it up for sale and you say,

"You know, let's not put a reserve on,

"the gods out there will look after you."

And they did this time.

Handmade ceramics is a popular collecting field.

One of the best-known of the Arts and Crafts ceramicists

was William De Morgan,

who drew his design inspirations from times gone by.

One of his many devoted admirers was David Barby.

These are absolutely superb examples

of a major potter of the 19th

and early 20th century -

William De Morgan.

Like David, Anita is also a big fan.

William De Morgan was one of the most important potters

in the Arts and Crafts movement.

He was a close associate of William Morris

and the other pre-Raphaelites.

They're important because not only were they William De Morgan,

but they are both different in technique of decoration.

This one is a rich, ruby lustre.

Gorgeous example of his early works.

This is more in the Persian palette -

so we have got these rich turquoises, purples and greens.

Both subject matters are galleons.

He made various wares.

He made wonderful chargers. He made wonderful pots.

But he is perhaps best known for the tiles that he made.

And these tiles were used to decorate our houses,

our fireplaces, to make wonderful, big panoramic scenes on.

So he was a man of great importance.

William De Morgan established three small potteries,

producing similar wares, not just tiles, but also vases,

large chargers, which were for the decoration of fairly wealthy homes.

And it covers a period of Arts and Crafts

right through into the earlier part of the 20th century.

We were taken away from the mass production,

the machine made into the craftsmen

and the artist who was hand decorating

each of these tiles, and, boy, can you tell the difference.

The price I think they should realise at auction

is £350 to £500, hopefully more.

The two framed William De Morgan square pottery tiles

in black frames.

1,800, Margaret's phone.

1,900 in the room.

£2,000, Margaret's phone.

2,100. 2,200.

-Fantastic!

-2,300.

-Look, there's someone.

-2,400.

-2,400!

-2,500.

-I'm going to need to sit down!

-In the room, the bid.

-Yes!

-2,600. At 2,600.

2,650.

2,650. He has had time. All done.

-That is incredible. £2,600.

-That's amazing!

-Even I'M sitting down now.

-Amazing!

These tiles commanded a wonderful price at auction

and deserved every single penny.

Wow, five times the top end of the estimate -

what a wonderful "Flog It!" moment.

And I'm sure it was the condition of Pat's tiles that sent them

through the roof.

Now, if you don't have any William De Morgan tiles hiding

away at home, what else should you be keeping an eye out for

when it comes to handcrafted items?

Studio pottery is a good bet,

but check with your auction house to see what is hot and what is not.

Remember these names - Brannam, Elton Ware,

Bernard Leach, Lucie Rie, Hans Coper and Alan Caiger-Smith.

Pieces by a factory that closed are limited, making them more desirable.

Beautiful handmade pieces which demonstrate huge amounts of skill

can be snapped up for relatively little money.

So keep your eyes peeled when you're out and about.

At £100.

-Quality always sells.

-Yes.

A big name like William De Morgan

is a clear winner, but be alert for work by his

Arts and Crafts contemporaries, William Morris, Voysey,

Ernest Gimson and CR Ashbee.

And go with your gut feeling.

If you like it, buy it.

In the late 19th century, a group of people formed a movement

later to be known as the Arts and Crafts movement, which championed

traditional skills and methods to make beautiful handcrafted things.

Almost at the same time,

a chap called Edmund Elton discovered a passion

for pottery just down the road from where Thomas Plant grew up.

Here we are at Tickenham Church.

This is the church where I was baptised.

I may have cried all the way through the service, but my godmother,

Julia Elton, was here to comfort me.

Julia Elton has played a huge part in my life.

Her great-grandfather, Sir Edmund Elton,

was the Baronet of Clevedon Court and a potter.

The pottery was called Elton Ware.

Little did I know it at my christening,

I was surrounded by all this stuff, the Elton pillars,

the Elton candlesticks, and it has become a huge passion in my life.

Sir Edmund and his assistants handmade thousands of pots,

vases, jugs, whatever you can imagine.

The great thing is, they were all unique because they were handmade,

thus making them terribly collectable today.

I am off to catch up with Julia, my godmother,

and also see lots more of Sir Edmund's work.

HE RINGS BELL

-Julia!

-Hi!

Julia, tell me, where does Edmund fit into the family tree

-and where do you come?

-Well, I am his great-granddaughter.

He was the eighth baronet, and, interestingly, his father,

actually was a very good painter.

Behind me in this room are hung two very nice oil paintings

that he did in Italy.

So the father must have passed down his artistic flair to his son.

I think very much so,

because the Eltons generally are not known for their artistic talents.

We have three pots here on the table. Which is the earliest piece?

The earliest piece is this rather crude piece here.

He began just fiddling about with clay and then the glazes, and he used

to put the pots in the kitchen oven when the cooking had been done.

You can see, crude as it is, that it has got

the beginnings of what became so distinctive.

You have got a piece down here which is an extraordinary piece.

-Can we have a look at that?

-Yes.

Where did he get his ideas for these shapes?

Well, they were influenced by the Japanese.

I mean, this is a very extraordinary piece

and it is rather Japanese, I think.

You have got this mythical beast here with horns, teeth,

but also the mouth of a fish and then the scales of a serpent.

Yes, and then back to the fish tail at the end.

From these lovely colours, glazes and extraordinary shapes,

we have this fabulous gold.

In about 1902, he begins to think about metallic glazes.

He is, in fact, as you've seen with this, putting these slabs of metal...

Do you think this is almost like an iron glaze on here,

-to give it this gilt?

-Well, it is allegedly gold and platinum.

-Gold and platinum?

-Absolutely.

He didn't scrimp, did he?

-He didn't scrimp.

-He didn't scrimp on this.

And then, in about 1909, he starts doing what they call crackle,

which is wholly metallic glazes.

-So this is all gold?

-This is all gold.

Do you think he charged the correct amount for each pot?

No, I shouldn't think so for a minute.

I don't think he was really interested in money.

Certainly, the reason there is such a lot in north Somerset

is that Sir Edmund himself gave it away to everybody.

What happened to the pottery and the legacy? What was left?

Well, mountains of pots.

Finally, my grandfather took down the kiln and broke up the pottery yard.

All Sir Edmund wanted to do, as far as I can see, is to be a potter,

and he completely took his eye off the estate.

And in 1919, he sold off £73,000 worth of the estate in their money.

We have always said in the family,

it is the most expensive pottery that has ever been made.

The sheer volume of Elton Ware produced

and all the different pieces and styles means

prices vary from £30 to £250.

But whatever it costs, you can be sure you're getting

an original from an eccentric whose life's work was potting.

Edmund Elton, the baronet who had lots of money

to indulge his passion, to really enjoy potting.

He enjoyed potting so much he made some great errors

but also made some great glazes.

It was so interesting to see the start of British art pottery,

and he paved the way.

There is something about handcrafted items, each one of them is unique.

They have their own personality which gives them extra appeal,

as Mark Stacey appreciates.

This, to me, is a very interesting figure.

We have all seen Royal Doulton and Royal Worcester

and Coalport porcelain figures which are mass-produced.

This intrigued me cos this is handmade.

And it is signed underneath, Maggie Padgett.

I don't know very much about Maggie Padgett, but I bought it

because it just looks very interesting.

It is very well-modelled. You can see instantly this is handmade.

I mean, the hair is individually done, it is not machine done.

You haven't got 100 of these coming towards you

as you are splattering the paint on.

All these are painted by hand,

the hands are modelled individually here,

and placed on - the long evening gloves

are modelled to look like that.

The face I think is... There's something sort of naive about it.

To me, that is what gives it its charm.

When you look underneath, you can see it is not all finished,

like a mass-produced figure would be.

You can see where the potter has moved the clay around.

I find that really rather charming.

There is now a collecting field for some of these studio potters

from the '20s,

'30s, up to the '50s, because they are becoming identifiable

and they are becoming more collectable

because they are limited.

You know, there aren't going to be 500 of these figures,

or 10,000 of these figures.

Each one also is going to be slightly different

because it is handmade.

But I think, to me she appeals,

because she is a bit more of a one-off.

The great strength of handmade antiques

is that they posses a naive quality that simply cannot be created

when objects are mass-produced.

I can feel my heartbeat really sort of racing right now.

You can pick up many pieces at relatively affordable prices,

but the big-ticket items will always be those created

by the famous artisans and designers of the past.

At £240 for the last time...

Yes! £240, somebody out there really wanted that.

But don't forget that the work

of today's artisans

could well be tomorrow's desirable antiques.

So, do keep a close eye on what's being produced

by contemporary craftsmen and women.

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

I hope we've given you some useful pointers and some food for thought.

So if you're hungry for more, join us next time on Trade Secrets.