Episode 30 Flog It: Trade Secrets

For over a decade now, you've been bringing the Flog It! team

your unwanted antiques and collectables.

And we've helped you sell around £1 million worth to date.

You've made my day today by bringing in this wonderful children's book.

Fantastic. What a lot of money.

-That was exciting.

-Well done.

During that time, we've all learned a great deal about the items

that have passed through our hands.

In this series, I want to share some of that knowledge with you,

so stand by to hear our experts' trade secrets.

The world of antiques is full of wonderful

and valuable objects of all kinds.

And over the years, our experts have had the enviable task

of assessing hundreds of pieces.

This is a particularly nice example. What can you tell me about it?

I would estimate it between £150 and £250.

Gosh!

But of course, every expert has gone through their on-screen debut.

So today, we'll be travelling back in time

to reveal some memorable Flog It! firsts.

My look then was very much...

What shall we call it? Spanish cavalier, perhaps.

Coming up, Claire gets under the skin of a designer who broke the mould.

He was probably one of the first independent designers, wasn't he?

That's right, yes, he was, he was a pioneer in that way.

I'm thrilled by the work of a trail-blazing woman.

The greatest female photographer possibly in history,

definitely in the 19th century.

And we hit on one of the questions

that none of our experts wants to answer.

Who...? Oh, gosh!

Oh, controversial.

I can't think, I wish I'd prepared this one.

Flog It! has been on your TV screens since 2002,

and a lot has changed since then.

But what hasn't changed is, at the heart, is a team that is

dedicated to helping you sell your unwanted antiques and collectables.

So, where did it all start?

'I remember my first Flog It! very well indeed.'

I was an excited young lad going off to do this filming

for this great television programme and I remember so vividly

seeing a really lovely silver tea service by Georg Jensen.

I was really excited.

My first Flog It! and this wonderful item came

and I said to the lady, "I think this is worth £2,000 or £3,000."

And she said to me, off-camera,

"Are you sure, dear? You look very young."

'So I said, "Well, if you don't believe me,

' "we'll put £800-£1,200'

"and watch it go and make a bit more."

Don't blame me if it doesn't sell.

And guess what? It made 5,000 quid!

How I wished I'd have stuck to my £2,000 - £3,000.

It wouldn't look quite so embarrassing.

And I was hoping she was going to say, "You did say beforehand."

But no, you know what she said?

"Bless him, he's only learning."

Slightly overawed by it all because there were a lot of people there.

And I wasn't sure if I would find the right things,

say the right things, and once I got going, of course it was great

because there's a great team behind you giving lots of support

and lovely people as well, great contributors.

I think the thing that makes Flog It! so special is actually

the connection between you and the contributor,

the vendor. Getting their story, where it's been,

so I was more worried about making that connection

than about getting the valuations wrong.

My very first Flog It!, I remember, was in Ipswich Corn Exchange.

And of course it was with my lovely friend David Barbie.

'And it was a bit funny actually

'because it was a bit like a tennis match.'

Because for some reason, people think we are very alike.

I really can't see it myself.

But people kept looking, like a tennis match.

And I think both of us,

if we had a pound for somebody saying, "Is that your father?"

Of course, it's my grandfather, but... We would have been rich.

Anita Manning was one of the first female experts to join the show,

so she's a bit of a pioneer herself.

What does she remember from her first valuation day,

more than a decade ago?

'I was very excited.'

I don't think I was nervous, I'm not the nervous type.

But I was full of anticipation,

thinking about the wonderful things I might see

and having a chat to the people who own these things.

Richard, do you come from Newcastle?

Not at all, I come from Lancashire, Burnley.

A Lancashire lad.

The reason I'm asking this question is

because, as you probably know, Maling is from Newcastle.

Tell me, where did you get it?

It was my grandmother's and she used them every day.

What he had, what he brought with him, was very ordinary Maling.

But I liked Richard so much, and very often for me it's the person

and their story and the story of their forebears

and their history, their family history, which is interesting.

-Can you remember your granny?

-Very well, yes.

-Tell me about her.

-What was she like?

-A great character. She was a midwife.

-Right.

And a very big woman. And she had 18 children.

-18 children and a full-time job?

-Yes, indeed.

She rode about the countryside on a 17-hand-high cob

delivering children.

As well as looking after all her 18 brood.

And I found that absolutely fascinating.

That painted pictures of Lancashire that I will never ever forget.

I think if we put it as one lot and maybe...

-..between £40 and £60.

-Mm-hm.

-£40 and £60.

-Yes.

-Would you like to sell?

-Would you like to flog them?

-We'll flog them.

-Yeah.

So, was Anita's first Flog It! auction as an expert a memorable affair?

Richard is a man of some style and he likes his clothes,

and he'd got dressed up for the auctioneer,

he had this wonderful bowtie on, his dinner jacket.

-Richard, you look so smart.

-Thank you.

-Really together here.

Well, maybe I should have been a bit more glamorous on that one,

but I thought my gold lame catsuit

might not just be the thing to wear that day.

-I'm hoping to get nearer 80.

-80.

-Would you be happy with that, 80 quid?

-Not half!

The valuation day is one thing, but when you're on the auction day

and you're hoping that all your items sell,

you're hoping you've given the right valuation,

it's quite nerve-racking.

£60. 60 bid. £60. 60 bid.

New interest, 70. 80.

That's a lot of Maling for your money.

90, well done.

100.

100. 100.

I'm selling, then, are we? At £100?

That was brilliant, 100 quid. I knew that should have done 100 quid.

-Unbelievable.

-Three pieces of Maling, it had to do it.

And Anita has remained a firm favourite

with the Flog It! contributors and you ever since.

Charlie Ross joined the programme about the same time as Anita.

But unlike her, he wasn't brimming with confidence on his first day.

Hello, Ron. Out of your box, you have pulled,

well, I can see a couple of vases here and various other pieces.

I have to say, I was extremely nervous on my first valuation day

because I wasn't expecting it to be a valuation day.

I was expecting it to be a screen test.

And suddenly confronted with all these lovely people and their

charming objects, I really felt I was being thrown in the deep end.

But, um...kicked like mad and carried on swimming

and got to the end of the day.

-They're Chinese.

-Right.

They are 18th century, so probably 1760, 1770.

There is a chunk off the bottom here.

But frankly, given the age... that's not surprising

and it certainly isn't, in terms of value, terminal.

If we move on to the next pair, as you can see,

different hexagonal shape.

Um...no damage to this part.

But some rubbing.

You can see all this would have been highlighted in gilt decoration

between each panel here, here.

Well, I think, given the condition,

you can really put £150 to £200 on each pair.

-OK.

-We wouldn't want to give them away.

-Indeed.

-No.

I was well exhausted by the end of the day,

and of course my brain was swimming around thinking, what have I said?

What valuations have I put on these things?

You know, oh, dear!

It was quite concerning.

And wielding the gavel over Ron's Chinese vases

was auctioneer Will Axon.

Will has since become another of our favourite experts.

But back then, this was his first-ever appearance on the show.

My look then was very much... What shall we call it?

Spanish cavalier, perhaps, with my long hair and goatee.

I've had longer hair than that before, believe me.

I had a raver's ponytail, me. I grew up in the '90s.

He's had his hair cut.

Other than that, I don't think he's changed at all.

Charlie was uncharacteristically low-key

during his first Flog It! filming.

But did Will manage to raise a smile by getting the vases away?

380.

390. 400. And 20? I'll take 10. 400 it is. 10, sir, if you like.

At 400, be quick if you do. At 400. At 400 now, all done.

Well, that is a result, given the damage.

Did the second pair of vases do as well?

At 380 now. You all done elsewhere?

I'm so pleased for you. I'm so pleased. Fantastic.

Thank you very much.

Today these objects would be making plus a nought, probably,

despite their damage.

Charlie's first Flog It! valuation was a great success

and it marked the start of a long friendship with the show.

But does he feel he's changed over the years?

Older. Lost a bit of hair.

I'd like to think I'm more relaxed.

I think the first time you do a programme,

the first time you do anything in your life, and it's unusual,

you're a little bit nervous

and perhaps you don't let the real you come out.

Now I think, when I'm meeting people,

on camera, valuing things,

I'd like to think what you get is pure Charlie Ross.

Charlie's on-screen confidence

has certainly grown during his time on Flog It!

Back to the drawing board, matron.

But how much has he, and the other experts, changed down the years?

Oh, gosh, that's tricky, isn't it?

Ooh, controversial.

Oh, dear, get myself into a lot of trouble here.

I can't think. I wish I had prepared this one.

I had longer sideboards.

And I looked like I was still in short trousers.

I think most of the Flog Its I've filmed so far, I've been pregnant.

I've gone from this to this, to this, to this.

Gone from blonde to brown.

Some people become wider and I include myself in that.

Some people have become greyer.

Philip Serrell hasn't got as much hair.

Anita's hair looks great!

The first thing I think of

when I look back on my first appearances on the show

is time has not been very nice to me, really.

Mark has probably changed the most.

Not so much in personality in the way he is,

but I saw an early episode

and he did look a lot younger back then, didn't he?

I certainly think, after 11 years or so...

I've probably had too much red wine, so...

Too much rich food.

It's all about easy living, Mark,

and too much of vino chateau collapso, I reckon.

But I have kept my hair, which is unlike some of us,

like Adam Partridge.

It's got a little bit thinner on top. You're welcome, Adam.

I suppose me, then, because I've gone bald.

Is that what you wanted to hear?

It's been lovely working with you all.

The general consensus, then?

The boys have changed more than the girls.

Now, to a new member of the Flog It! team

who hasn't yet had time to change.

Caroline Hawley hit the screen as an expert in 2012.

On my first ever valuation day,

I was so nervous.

The night before, I could hardly sleep, I was really, really nervous.

And then, as soon as I got there and I got in front of the items,

in front of the contributors, the whole thing was just fantastic.

The adrenaline kicked in and it was just brilliant.

I've loved it, absolutely loved it.

And we love you, too, Caroline.

How does a man like you end up with five pairs of fabulous ladies' shoes?

My girlfriend Heather is at work today so she told me to bring them

-to see if they're worth anything.

-I'm so glad you have.

They're absolutely beautiful.

They have caused such a stir with all the ladies around today.

'I remember the dance shoes. They were one of the first items I valued

'and they really stick in my memory'

because they just made you want to dance and smile,

'they were just so, so beautiful.'

They actually come from New York, from a fabulous department store,

Bergdorf Goodman.

They are beautifully made, with leather, satin,

little rhinestone buckles.

They really are fabulous quality.

And this... Excuse the pun,

but it would have to be a very well-heeled lady that bought these.

They are not for your average lady at all. They're really beautiful.

They date from the 1920s, 1930s.

They were such good quality, they were in such good condition.

'They'd hardly been used.'

One of the main things I was thinking was,

"What sort of value could you put on these?"

Because, to me, they are absolutely fantastic,

but I know, commercially,

that they are not ever going to really hit the heights.

Price-wise, I would put an estimate

of between £150 - £250 for the collection.

And if we put a fixed reserve of £150?

-Would you be happy with that?

-I think that would be OK, yes.

Fingers crossed. I'm so delighted you brought them, I love them.

So had Caroline's nerves abated by the time she got to the auction?

I'm an auctioneer, by trade,

and I'm used to standing on the rostrum and selling things.

But being put to the test the other side

and standing next to the lovely couple that put them in,

it's a different experience altogether.

Everything kicks in. It's quite nerve-racking.

At £120. 30 if you want them.

120. 130. 140. At 140.

150 now. At £150. Against the room at 150.

At £150, then, quite sure, everybody?

At 150.

Sold to somebody on the phone. They're gone. Bang on the reserve.

The pressure of the auction has eased the more I do,

but I still always am quite competitive.

I do want to get a result for them. And I want to get a good result.

Since Flog It! has been on air,

our experts have worked hard to make you gasp, make you laugh

and put those all-important values on your antiques and collectables.

So here's to all of our much-loved experts who have appeared on the show

over the years and to those we have yet to meet.

Although she is a relative newcomer to Flog It!,

auctioneer Claire Rawle has had years of experience in the antiques world.

At £260, then, if you're all done, selling here at 260.

And during that time, she's developed a passion for the work

of one of Britain's foremost designers of the 19th century,

a true pioneer.

Christopher Dresser was a prolific designer who created

a variety of objects throughout his long, industrious career.

I think my love for Dresser

came from his simple designs. I love the way he designs things

and they're very functional, you can use them

and they were made very much for the ordinary person, for the masses.

He was the first independent designer.

He was probably the leading ceramics designer, not only of his age,

but of any age.

I'm here in Middlesbrough at the Dorman Museum

where I'm going to meet curator Gill Moore who I know is going to tell me

a whole lot more about Christopher Dresser.

Dresser was actually born in Glasgow in 1834.

But his family actually came from Yorkshire.

There is a Yorkshire connection.

Dresser showed exceptional talent as an artist when he was quite young

and he was enrolled in the Government School of Design in London.

The family, by this point, had moved down to London in the 1840s.

He was accepted at this school of design

two years earlier than normal, he was only 13.

So he was obviously quite a child prodigy?

He certainly was. And he set up his own studio quite early on,

employed maybe half-a-dozen apprentices.

He was probably one of the first independent designers?

Yes, he was, he was a pioneer in that way.

Dresser was fundamental

in the development of the colourful work of Linthorpe Pottery.

In 1875, John Harrison invited Dresser

to visit his struggling brickworks in Linthorpe near Middlesbrough.

Dresser was quite impressed

by the standard, the quality of the clay, the red clay,

so he suggested it might be more profitable

to turn to production of art pottery rather than bricks.

That is how Linthorpe Pottery was born.

Because that was really his big tie with Middlesbrough,

-the pottery.

-Dresser was the art adviser for Linthorpe Pottery.

He had quite a lot of control over it.

And then, 1876, his lifetime's ambition came true,

he went to visit Japan.

He had long had an admiration for Japan.

And so this was his dream come true, really.

Because it was so soon after he returned from Japan,

there's a lot of Oriental influence.

If you actually look at the background there,

you can see the Oriental silks.

It's believed the silks

actually came from the decorating rooms at the pottery.

Really? So they were actually in there?

Yes, Dresser was quite concerned about the environment

the decorators, the artists, should be working in.

He wanted them to be inspired by looking at works like this.

Linthorpe was an overnight success.

I think the actual response to it was far greater than they expected.

So people really embraced his designs?

-It appealed to people, did it?

-It was so unusual.

People had not seen anything like it.

Linthorpe was the first pottery to use a gas-fired kiln

so they could actually control the temperature.

So we have some amazing glazes.

So, to be sure of getting a Dresser piece,

it has the facsimile signature on the bottom, and the factory name.

Yes, because he would have produced quite a lot of designs,

and a lot of them were produced after his association had finished.

But also you want the Linthorpe mark on it.

-So it always had the Linthorpe mark?

-Yes.

We have actually acquired a collection of Dresser items

quite recently. And we have examples of everything.

-We have furniture, metalware, wallpaper.

-That sounds fantastic.

-Is there any chance I could have a look?

-I'm sure you can, yes.

-Thank you.

Christopher Dresser.

He was such a pioneer because he embraced modern technology.

He used it to manufacture his goods

so that they were available to a wide range of people.

He just designed so many different things. He was an amazing man.

The chairs we have were from the 1880s and they were designed

for the Art Furnishers' Alliance, one of Dresser's retail ventures.

He actually brought together wallpaper design, textiles,

ceramics, glass and furniture.

This is one of the iconic pieces that you associate with Dresser,

the crow's foot decanter. It's also very functional and beautiful.

The little feet here, they actually raise the glass above the ground

so you could see the colour of the wine.

The shoulder on it, as well, it also has a purpose.

When you actually poured your wine, any sediment would be caught in it.

-So you get a nice, clear glass.

-Isn't that clever?

-Very clever.

So well thought of, so Dresser.

This is a Dresser design?

-That is a Dresser design.

-But it's not marked, I don't think, is it?

Anyone doing a bit of research into his design gets an eye for it,

it's the sort of thing that you can find at a boot sale or somewhere.

And just pass it by.

Because everyone says, "I hate polishing brass and copper."

You've got this lovely brass and copper teapot/kettle, whatever,

and very typical - the little stumpy legs, that's very Dresser, isn't it?

That's the sort of thing that any budding collectors of his work -

they get an eye for his design -

-they can stumble across and pick it up for not very much.

-Exactly, yes.

New items are coming up all the time

and being attributed to Dresser.

I think there is a good opportunity for collectors out there.

At the end of the day,

you end up with something really stylish and really attractive.

-So get out there and start looking.

-Exactly, yes.

It's easy to admire Christopher Dresser's work in the abstract.

The wonderful forms and colours of his designs speak for themselves.

But to get a real sense of how revolutionary he was,

it's necessary to see his pieces

alongside those of his contemporaries.

This piece, believe it or not,

is a Christopher Dresser teapot that came in to me

at the bottom of a very large box of silver-plated wares.

This completely stood out from the crowd to me

amongst this load of other silver plate which was, frankly, junk.

This is just the piece de resistance.

If you think at the time

that Christopher Dresser was making these teapots,

this was about 1880, Victorian England, high-Victorian,

prolific decoration everywhere.

This was the sort of thing that was being used at the time.

Look at all this decoration, it's so Victorian, screams Victorian.

But Christopher Dresser was making this. It's so simple, so stylish,

and it wouldn't look out of place in today's home.

He took a lot of influence from Japan.

This wonderful ebonised handle here is such a Japanese influence.

To me, just the fact that he was making this

and other people were making this,

people must've thought he was completely mad. What a pioneer.

I have put a value on it of £800 - £1,200.

The last one of these that sold, just sold nearly...

I think it was about £3,000. Ours has got a few dents

because it's been used, that's what it was made for.

But that was my Flog It! moment in real life.

Trail blazers in all fields

are an exciting prospect for antique enthusiasts.

So you can imagine my delight

when not one but two turned up in a single package

at a valuation day in Henley-on-Thames back in 2011.

My name is Angela Best, I'm the chairman of governors at,

it was Slough Grammar School, it's now Upton Court Grammar School.

We had a picture we knew had some value

and we took it to Flog It! to see how much money we could raise.

This is the scientist Herschel.

There is some local connection, isn't there?

Yes, he was born and brought up in Slough.

Which is literally down the river.

Herschel used to work at the observatory, I believe.

Eton is about five minutes up the road from here. That's the connection.

-Credited for pioneering and developing the telescope.

-Yes.

But it's not the subject matter,

it's not the sitter I'm interested in, it's the photographer.

I've been to Julia Margaret Cameron's studios on the Isle of Wight

and this is an original by her.

The greatest female photographer, possibly in history,

definitely in the 19th century.

It was hung in the head's office for many, many years

and we would have meetings, finance meetings,

and we would laugh and say,

if we ever needed money, we'll sell the picture.

I think we will take this to a major saleroom in London,

see what they think and we get it put into a specialist sale,

a photograph and print sale. Are you happy with that?

Yes, that's really good.

Angela was accompanied to the auction by Mercedes,

the school's headmistress.

It's been catalogued at £4,000 - £6,000.

We had a chat to the auctioneer yesterday,

it's due to a lot of damage.

Whatever it brings, the students will be delighted.

At 6,000. 6,500.

7,000. 7,000.

Any more at 7?

I have 7,500 ahead of you.

Will you go 8,000?

At 8,000 on the telephone. My bidder's out.

We are at £8,000 and selling, then.

-At 8,000, it's yours.

-£8,000.

-I can't believe it.

-Well done.

What we definitely needed to do and wanted to do

was upgrade the IT equipment for sixth formers.

The old computer facilities for the sixth form

was a small cramped room with a few computers.

But now we have a big area with more computers

and there's always space to sit down and there's always a free computer.

It's amazing. It's a transformation.

The students are coming in, getting their heads down, working hard.

They're able to do homework, able to do coursework.

It's really useful to have the IT

because, as well as the books that we have in the library,

it's useful to have up-to-date information

and interpretations of old texts.

-£8,000!

-We're very pleased.

It was a positive experience.

It was really good to see what happens behind the scenes as well.

I would do it again. If we find anything else in the school we can sell, we would do it again.

Well, how about that? Two pioneers for the price of one.

Herschel the celebrated astronomer

photographed by Julia Margaret Cameron,

a devoted and dedicated pioneer to the art of photography.

It just goes to show, always make sure you have a good look

at your old photographs you've got knocking around.

That's it for today's show. I hope you've enjoyed it.

Go out there, buy some antiques,

have some fun and put some of this knowledge to good use.

See you next time for more trade secrets.