0:00:09 > 0:00:11One of the things I love about "Flog It!"
0:00:11 > 0:00:14is seeing and hearing about the thousands of interesting,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17beautiful and sometimes valuable items
0:00:17 > 0:00:20you bring along to our valuation days.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Tell me the history. Where did you find it?
0:00:22 > 0:00:24In a junk shop in Chingford.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28- Where has it been for the last few years?- In a drawer upstairs.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Over the years, we've made hundreds of trips
0:00:30 > 0:00:32to auction rooms all over the British Isles,
0:00:32 > 0:00:36putting our experts' valuations to the test.
0:00:36 > 0:00:377,000.
0:00:37 > 0:00:387,001.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42This is what auctions are all about. When it goes like this...
0:00:42 > 0:00:44- £7,600.- Yes!
0:00:44 > 0:00:45£7,600.
0:00:45 > 0:00:46APPLAUSE
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Now, in this series I want to share some of the knowledge
0:00:51 > 0:00:55we have picked up with you to let you in on some of our trade secrets.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28The natural world has been a source of inspiration to artists
0:01:28 > 0:01:31ever since humans first started daubing images
0:01:31 > 0:01:32on ancient cave walls.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34And in more recent times, makers
0:01:34 > 0:01:38and writers have continued to find their muse in the world around them.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40So in today's programme, we're going to be looking at antiques
0:01:40 > 0:01:45and collectables that have found their inspiration from the wonders of Mother Nature.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Coming up on our nature-inspired show, something new.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56I've not seen the like before or since.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58It's a lovely, lovely set.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01And something VERY old.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04That about 50 million years old.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Plus, the pieces that made us laugh.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10You've put a smile on my face today.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12And cry.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15There's a tear in your eye. He's crying.
0:02:22 > 0:02:23As a predominantly urban society,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27we have always tended to bring nature into our homes.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Not just real plants and flowers, but objects, and designs too,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34that reflect the organic forms of Mother Nature.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37There is a lot to choose from, so what deserves a closer look?
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Nature inspires the human mind.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48It inspires the artists and craftsmen
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and we see it everywhere in their work.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54You are in luck, really, because there is so much out there,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57isn't there? You think of William Morris.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02I think of William Kent-style side tables with lion's masks
0:03:02 > 0:03:06and ball and claw feet. You can practically hear them roar.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Probably the greatest period that used it was the Art Nouveau period,
0:03:10 > 0:03:11where you have this wonderful,
0:03:11 > 0:03:16sinuous plant design and that's very collectable.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18If you're not inspired by nature,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21I think there's something severely wrong with you.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27It is a constant delight on "Flog It!" valuation days to see
0:03:27 > 0:03:31so many objects that are inspired by nature.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Artists the world over have celebrated
0:03:33 > 0:03:37the beauty of the natural world for centuries.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40And in Japan, it's been going on since ancient times.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45And you won't just find nature in fine art.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50It can turn up in everyday objects too, as James Lewis discovered.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52When I first saw these, I thought
0:03:52 > 0:03:55they were just a standard string of beads,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58but they are actually a lot more interesting than that, aren't they?
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Well, so I believe. I've been told that they may be Japanese.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Ojime are tiny little beads,
0:04:05 > 0:04:10normally either cylindrical or spherical,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13but they come in squares and rectangles and different forms.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16The ones that we saw, I have never seen anything like it.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18A whole string of beads like a necklace.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Each one of these would never have been anywhere near the others.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26They are normally made from bronze and they are part of a Japanese dress
0:04:26 > 0:04:31because, of course, in a kimono, you don't have pockets.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Here's one I prepared earlier. There we go.
0:04:35 > 0:04:42That's a very plain ojime bead, there. And this is known as an inro.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47And this bead could go down to hold the pieces in place,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50to stop them falling apart, like that, and at the top
0:04:50 > 0:04:51would be a toggle called the netsuke
0:04:51 > 0:04:54that we have seen a lot of times on "Flog It!".
0:04:54 > 0:04:56That's basically the use of it.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00These are all individually cast out of bronze.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Some have got little silver flowers on them.
0:05:02 > 0:05:08That one appears to be a leaf with a crab crawling all over it.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12The Japanese, as a whole, are almost obsessed with symbolism.
0:05:12 > 0:05:17So you could find a bat or a chrysanthemum
0:05:17 > 0:05:21and each thing would mean something different.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24So they are all wonderful little individual works of art.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28There we go - there is a little frog on that one.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30- Super, aren't they?- They're lovely.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32I love looking at them,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35but it's time to start clearing some junk out.
0:05:35 > 0:05:36Junk! Throw it my way.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Because I think these are great.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45And thank goodness they're still together, all those years later,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48to make a very tempting bounty for those keen bidders.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53We have four commission bids and a telephone bid.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57I shall start the bidding at...
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- £450.- Ooh!- Is there 470 in the room?
0:06:00 > 0:06:05470. Commission bid is out. 470 in the room. 500.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08500. 520.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11550. 570.
0:06:13 > 0:06:19- 600.- It's incredible. - And 20. 650. 670.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22700.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- And 20.- 720 quid!- At £720.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27GAVEL BANGS
0:06:27 > 0:06:32- Bang! That is a big sold sound. £720, Janet.- Wonderful!
0:06:35 > 0:06:39With such a strong Oriental market, I wouldn't be surprised
0:06:39 > 0:06:42if some of those phone bids weren't international.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47I would like to think that Janet's nature-inspired ojime beads
0:06:47 > 0:06:50made it back to Japan.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Artistic interpretations of nature can be found in the earliest
0:06:54 > 0:06:56of cultures and the most recent.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00The dawn of the 20th century saw the flowering of Art Nouveau,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03with its desire to bring natural forms into art.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08This was famously interpreted in ceramics by William Moorcroft,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12whose organic designs flowed over the curves of his pots.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16It also inspired Morris Ware,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19which was developed in 1918 by George Cartlidge,
0:07:19 > 0:07:24and Catherine Southon was quick to spot one of his collectable pieces.
0:07:26 > 0:07:27Now, when I first saw you,
0:07:27 > 0:07:31you said, "This is a piece of Moorcroft that I have got."
0:07:31 > 0:07:36But it is actually Morris Ware. They do look very similar.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40But Morris Ware was actually produced over a much shorter
0:07:40 > 0:07:43period of time, but really, one of the main ways to look
0:07:43 > 0:07:47is to turn the piece over and have a good look underneath.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51We can see on the bottom it is actually stamped here "Morris Ware",
0:07:51 > 0:07:55which is a type of style that was done by Hancock & Sons.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58This particular piece will date to probably early 20th century,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01sort of 1910, something like that.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03I don't know if you can see, but that is actually the signature
0:08:03 > 0:08:06there of the designer, which is George Cartlidge.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10It is a really beautiful piece. I just love the colours.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Wonderful stylised tulip design.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18It is very much in keeping with sort of Arts and Crafts and William Morris.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23One of the most popular motifs of Morris Ware was the tulip pattern
0:08:23 > 0:08:26and I think because it was so simple,
0:08:26 > 0:08:27it was so stylised,
0:08:27 > 0:08:32and I think the way that it's actually used, these red, vibrant
0:08:32 > 0:08:36colours, that is probably one of the reasons that makes it so popular.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Why do you want to sell such a lovely item?
0:08:39 > 0:08:41I don't want to take it with me because of a breakage or...
0:08:41 > 0:08:45- Because I'm going away.- Right. Where are you going?- I'm going to Sri Lanka.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49- Not something that you want to take with you.- No. - It can break very easily.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52I would probably put an estimate on of about £300-£400,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56but I really hope that there are a lot of people like me in the
0:08:56 > 0:08:59crowd at the auction that just go mad for it and it makes a lot more.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06500 I'm bid, then. 500 bid.
0:09:06 > 0:09:11520. 550 bid. 580, is it? 580.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13600 we're bid now.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16It's like a game of Ping-Pong, isn't it? Backwards and forwards.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- Come on.- This is getting exciting. - At 620...
0:09:19 > 0:09:21650. Give them time.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26No? At 650. 650. 680, I've got it.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31- 680 is left.- He's missing a bid over here.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33At 720 I am bid. 750...
0:09:35 > 0:09:41780... At 780, on the right. £780, then. I'm selling in the room.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- 780, it's going. 790.- That's fantastic.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49- That is a lot more than what you were expecting.- Yes.- Isn't it?
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- Definitely.- What's the first thing you're going to do
0:09:52 > 0:09:54- when you get out there? - Spend it!- Spend it!
0:09:55 > 0:09:58And I am sure Lourdes enjoyed doing just that.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02So look out for the name George Cartlidge.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04His richly coloured designs,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08which formed the core of the Morris Ware range, are highly sought-after.
0:10:14 > 0:10:15At the end of the 19th century,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19another movement was emerging in Cornwall.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22The Newlyn School was a colony of artists who
0:10:22 > 0:10:26settled near Penzance, taking advantage of the fantastic
0:10:26 > 0:10:29light and rugged beauty of their surroundings.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34As Antonia discovered, it's a subject close to my heart.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36I absolutely love this.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39You have brought this to the right guy as well
0:10:39 > 0:10:41because I am from Cornwall and I just love the Newlyn School.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45I really do. I think it's one of the best art movements.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Right, let's start with Lamorna Birch.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Really, his name is Samuel John Birch, OK?
0:10:49 > 0:10:52He is born in Cheshire and he is really known as a northern artist,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54but he did move to Cornwall.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57Which is where he did some of his best work.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Something auctioneer Claire Rawle was quick to spot.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04The light in it, the quality, the impressionistic style,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06was beautiful because I have sold a few of his in the past and they
0:11:06 > 0:11:11tended to be rather sombre woodland views, but this was just delightful.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15- Really, he adopted the name Lamorna after Lamorna Cove.- Oh, right.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18It's a beautiful little spot in Cornwall.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22- And it is signed in the corner. - Yes, it is.- SJ Lamorna Birch.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25There you are. Samuel John Lamorna Birch. It's absolutely beautiful.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28I personally like this a lot.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30I'd like to put it into auction with a value of £300-£500
0:11:30 > 0:11:33- with a fixed reserve at £300. - Well, that sounds wonderful.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- So you won't get a penny less. - Yes, well, thank you so much.- OK?
0:11:36 > 0:11:38You've put a smile on my face today.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40As we ran up to the sale,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42I had a feeling it was going to do quite well.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44I was really hoping it would.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49Unfortunately, Antonia was unable to join us for the auction day.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51She didn't see the packed house
0:11:51 > 0:11:56- and the expectant bidders waiting on the phones.- 420 on the telephone.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58- 450.- Good. We have got a phone bid.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02- We've got interest in the room. - 480. 500.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04520. 550.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06580. 600.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- This is great.- 620. 650.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13- At 650, the bid still in the room at 650.- Top money for his work.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17At £650, then. You all sure? Selling, then, at £650.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20I'm very pleased with that.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24£650, the hammer has gone down. Antonia, enjoy this moment.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27That was good money and it was a lovely painting.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30It was the sort of thing I would love to have had on my wall. Absolutely lovely.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34And you are not the only one, Claire.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Paintings from the Newlyn School do fetch large sums of money at auction.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43But many are still proudly kept on the walls of local Cornish families.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Some of these were originally used by the artists as payment
0:12:46 > 0:12:48for board and lodging.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Not a bad exchange, as it turns out!
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Now, from the southwest to the far north.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Wemyss Ware, famous for its free-flowing hand-painting,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05was born in Scotland in 1882
0:13:05 > 0:13:10and this unusual set, featuring an earthy profusion of nature's harvest,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12caught the eye of Thomas Plant.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Wemyss is so collectable.
0:13:15 > 0:13:21I mean, because it has got this Scottish pull, and anything Scottish
0:13:21 > 0:13:27goes back home, and this dressing table set was really special.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31- Where has it come from?- Originally it was from my grandmother's house.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- It was on display there for many years.- It is great.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36I mean, it's a lovely, lovely set.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38You are missing one item.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- Yes.- Which is the cover to the buckets, the water bucket here.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44This dressing table set was so unusual.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48I've not seen the like before or since this filming.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53The black ground and the grape and the vine design.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55They are very bacchanalian, really.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00On here we've got the Wemyss stamp, and this T Goode & Co, London.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Now, that is the retailer.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07- I would like to put this in at about £400-£600 for the set.- Right.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12- How does that grab you? - Yes, that's lovely.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17- More than I expected, I think.- What were you expecting?- I don't know.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20To me, it's just not very attractive.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24They really looked after it, so it was in brilliant condition,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26so that's why it made so much money.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Wemyss, rare, perfect.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31320 I'm bid for it. 350 bid.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33380 bid, £100 bid.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35420 I'm bid. 450.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37480, 500.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39A rapid climb.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43700...and 50. 800 and 50.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45- 900.- I love these moments.
0:14:45 > 0:14:481,050, no?
0:14:48 > 0:14:501,050 I'm bid for it.
0:14:50 > 0:14:511,050.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55- £1,100.- Come on.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58- At £1,100. - It's quite comical, isn't it?
0:14:58 > 0:14:59At £1,100.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01For £1,100.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05- Thank you.- Debbie, it's gone. 1,100. Hammer's gone down.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08- Fantastic.- That's great, isn't it?
0:15:08 > 0:15:10- Twice what you were expecting.- Yes.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Wemyss Ware has to be the most highly collectable
0:15:15 > 0:15:18and sought-after Scottish pottery.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23I was confident that set would smash Thomas' conservative estimate.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25A great result for Debbie.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29The most collectable pieces of Wemyss are pigs, cats...
0:15:29 > 0:15:30thistles...
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Obviously being Scottish.
0:15:32 > 0:15:33..with mauve colours in them.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36So anything really Scottish, really, makes it very collectable.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Of course, this dressing table set or toilet set...
0:15:40 > 0:15:42it was its rarity value, the background
0:15:42 > 0:15:44and having something unusual to it.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50If a piece of Art Nouveau pottery appeals,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53bear in mind that for both Moorcroft and Morris Ware,
0:15:53 > 0:15:57simply but stylistically interesting flower patterns are more
0:15:57 > 0:16:02collectable. Look out for designs that feature tulips or lilies.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Some Newlyn School artists are more desirable than others.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09One of the greatest is Walter Langley,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12the first of the painters to settle in the town.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16But do your research and see which artist's style appeals.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Before you know it, you might own a work that really captures
0:16:20 > 0:16:23something special about the great Cornish outdoors.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42There are many ways in which nature has inspired
0:16:42 > 0:16:45the makers of beautiful things.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Take these two 17th-century Italian collector's cabinets on stands,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51for instance. They were the height of fashion
0:16:51 > 0:16:54for the connoisseur back in the 1680s,
0:16:54 > 0:16:58but it's not the construction we're interested in. It's the artwork.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01The cabinets themselves are constructed of mahogany,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03which has been ebonised so it looks like it's a dark black,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06which contrasts beautifully with the gilding that picks out
0:17:06 > 0:17:10all the mouldings and the architectural detail.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12But it's the exotic birds that we're interested in.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14This technique is known as pietra dura,
0:17:14 > 0:17:19which literally translates from Italian meaning "hard stone".
0:17:19 > 0:17:22What you have here is a craftsman at the very top of his genre.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26It looks like these birds have been painted on, but they're not.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29This has been inset into the wood...
0:17:29 > 0:17:31with little pieces of stone.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35You've got agate, quartzes, jaspers, marbles, granites.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39You've even got fossilised petrified wood.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43In fact, all of these stones have such varying degrees of hew,
0:17:43 > 0:17:47you have an almost limitless supply of colour.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Now, that is the beautiful thing about it.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52This technique was around in Rome in the early 16th century,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55but it flourished in Florence towards the end of the 1600s,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57where these cabinets were made.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Circa 1680.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02This is one of the nicest cabinets I've ever come across in my life.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Not only has it got architectural proportion and detail
0:18:05 > 0:18:09but it is so decorative and it's all down to nature.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Look at that lovely bluebell wood.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19'When you come to our valuation days across the country,
0:18:19 > 0:18:23'sometimes the items you bring aren't just inspired by nature...
0:18:23 > 0:18:25'they are formed by nature itself.'
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Ooh, look at that. Wonderful amber necklace.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35This is timeless. This is amber and it's millions of years old.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Let's see what it looks like. Shall we put it on?
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Yes, there we go. Look at that.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Amber is one of these magical mystery stones.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49It's from nature, carved by man.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Amber is actually fossilised tree resin
0:18:53 > 0:18:57which oozed out of the cracks in the bark millions of years ago.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01It was used for decoration in the Stone Age...
0:19:01 > 0:19:06and has been transformed into jewellery for thousands of years.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Although most of the world's amber comes from the Baltic
0:19:09 > 0:19:11regions of northern Europe...
0:19:11 > 0:19:14it can also be washed up on the British coast,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16including the beaches of Suffolk.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21And it was there, in Southwold, that I visited the Amber Museum
0:19:21 > 0:19:24back in 2004 to chat to the owner, Robin Fournal.
0:19:27 > 0:19:28Look at this crown.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33Well, it's probably the most popular piece in the museum.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Everybody mentions it.
0:19:35 > 0:19:41It's beautiful. It was made in about 1920 for a German family.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43Dare we talk about value today?
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Well, it's frightening, this.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Yes, this is actually insured for £20,000,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52but it is... It's a wonderful piece.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55There are many factors affecting the value of amber...
0:19:55 > 0:19:58including the presence of animal life inside.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04As a sticky resin, it often trapped insects and other organic matter,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07and these pieces are especially sought-after.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09This is a stunning piece
0:20:09 > 0:20:11because the insect is quite large.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14The smaller insects were the ones that usually got trapped
0:20:14 > 0:20:17because the bigger ones could usually fight their way free.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20- Yeah, or lose a leg. - BOTH LAUGH
0:20:20 > 0:20:24That's about 50 million years old.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27That has been identified by the Natural History Museum in London.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31And people like them because they are a contact with pre-history.
0:20:31 > 0:20:32Before man walked the Earth,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35some of these tiny insects were trapped in the amber.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Amber is a wonderful substance.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42It's got a warmth and a quality about it.
0:20:42 > 0:20:43But be careful.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46There's an awful lot of stuff about on the market today that's
0:20:46 > 0:20:50modern and they push interesting insects and things into it,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52so be careful if you're buying it as an investment.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54There are many forms of imitation,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58with fakes being made out of anything from glass to plastic.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02It can be very hard to distinguish the real deal,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04but Thomas Plant has a handy trick to share.
0:21:05 > 0:21:11What I have here are two amber coloured beads.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14It could be plastic. It could be amber.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16How does one tell the difference?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19The easiest way is to use this cola and drop one in.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22It sinks.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26The other floats.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28The one which floats is amber.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32The cola is the same consistency to sea water
0:21:32 > 0:21:34and amber floats on sea water,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38and therefore all amber floats in cola.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43And if you're fortunate enough to own a piece of genuine amber,
0:21:43 > 0:21:45there's some good news.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50We have seen the price of amber rise dramatically within the salerooms...
0:21:50 > 0:21:55and it is literally worth its weight in gold.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58I was at an antiques fair not so long ago
0:21:58 > 0:22:00and they were pricing amber up by the gram,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02like they do with gold and silver.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06So with the market clearly on the up,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08what should you bear in mind?
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Large, completely clear pieces are very collectable.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18But amber containing ancient bugs is very sought-after too.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23This rare necklace with a collection of mosquitoes, ants and spiders
0:22:23 > 0:22:29encased inside each bead recently sold at auction for £11,500.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34But watch out for imitations.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Buy from reputable sources
0:22:37 > 0:22:40and check with your local auction house for advice.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42If you follow these tips,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46you could soon have in your hand nature's very own time capsule.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55An item that we frequently see on the show is treen, small
0:22:55 > 0:22:58household objects that have been turned out of wood.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Now, normally these wonderful little items
0:23:01 > 0:23:02are made from fruit woods grown
0:23:02 > 0:23:05here in this country, but every now and then
0:23:05 > 0:23:10they turn up with exotic hardwoods from overseas, and I love them all.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14You've made my day. You really have made my day.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16This is absolutely stunning.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20- Collectors really go for these. - Oh, good.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23So, how do these exotic hardwoods find their way to our shores?
0:23:23 > 0:23:25And how do you identify them all?
0:23:25 > 0:23:29Well, expert David Fletcher shares my passion for all things wooden
0:23:29 > 0:23:30and he went to investigate.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35David's meeting Adam Bowett, a friend and wood historian,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37at Tennant's Auction Rooms in Leyburn...
0:23:38 > 0:23:42..where they're at a preview day for a furniture sale.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49It can be extremely difficult to identify wood.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51I hope we're going to crack some of the conundrums today
0:23:51 > 0:23:53and make it easier for people,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55but it is difficult. But it's important that we know.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Any piece of furniture is more than itself.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02It's more than somewhere where you hang your clothes.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05It's more than somewhere where you write your letters.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07It tells us about the people who made it.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09It tells us about the time it was made.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13What's going on in the world at that time and how interesting is that?
0:24:13 > 0:24:16So, it's more than just that thing.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18It's so much more than that.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28We start here with a piece of oak furniture.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Now, oak, for many people, is typically English, isn't it?
0:24:32 > 0:24:34What can you tell me about this?
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Well, oak is really the default wood for any British furniture maker
0:24:38 > 0:24:40because it's a great all-rounder.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43It's commonly available. It's relatively cheap.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46We can tell where this chest comes from
0:24:46 > 0:24:50because it's of a style associated with the Lancashire Pennines
0:24:50 > 0:24:52and, actually, this one is dated.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54So, we've got the owner's initials here, IB,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58and then the date, 1706, which is nice to see.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01If we look inside, the first thing you notice is that it's very
0:25:01 > 0:25:03dark, and that's because it's high in tannin.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07The second thing is that the grain is very wild,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09so it's fast-grown, it's knotty,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12so this is quite a struggle to work with this kind of wood.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15It's typical upland oak, and you can bet that the joiner only used this
0:25:15 > 0:25:17because he really didn't have any choice.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18So, what you're saying, really,
0:25:18 > 0:25:22is although this is quintessentially English,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24the maker is making the best of a bad job, really.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27In a sense, yes, because he wouldn't use this wood
0:25:27 > 0:25:30if he could get anything better.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33At the same time as these more primitive pieces were being made,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35for those with deeper pockets,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38oak was being used in quite a different fashion -
0:25:38 > 0:25:41as a carcass for a more expensive veneer.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45You use a good, stable wood like oak
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and you lay the veneers onto it, which is what they've done here.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50- And this is walnut? - Yeah, absolutely.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52This is figured walnut. What you've got is a...
0:25:52 > 0:25:57a sort of a pale brown ground with the smoky dark grey streaks
0:25:57 > 0:25:58running through it.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Almost certainly at this stage, we're thinking about 1700.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03This is going to be imported from France.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- It has an amazing visual effect, doesn't it?- Absolutely.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08And don't forget that it's now relatively faded,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11so when this was new, it would have been very, very striking.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14And this is the gentlemen's piece of furniture.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Yes, absolutely. I mean, this is quite an expensive object,
0:26:17 > 0:26:22probably between £10 and £12 in 1700, something like that.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26A hundred years later, it was a gentlemen
0:26:26 > 0:26:28of an entirely different sort who was
0:26:28 > 0:26:31responsible for a new species of wood
0:26:31 > 0:26:33arriving at these shores - Napoleon.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37It's rosewood.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Nothing to do with roses, of course, but nevertheless called rosewood.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43That's right. This is a Brazilian hardwood.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46It has a deep purple-ish brown heartwood
0:26:46 > 0:26:50and then you get this very strong, very black, marking in it...
0:26:50 > 0:26:53and it's really almost unmistakable.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57And it suddenly arrives in Britain at the beginning of the 19th century
0:26:57 > 0:27:02and becomes the quintessential regency in early Victorian wood.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05And, really, if there's one person we have to
0:27:05 > 0:27:09thank for the advent of this wood, it's Napoleon Bonaparte.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Until the early 19th century, Brazil was a Portuguese colony
0:27:12 > 0:27:15and nobody could trade with Brazil except the Portuguese.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18But when Napoleon invaded Spain and Portugal,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20the British, in return for military help,
0:27:20 > 0:27:22extracted a concession from the Portuguese,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25which was that they would allow British ships to Brazil,
0:27:25 > 0:27:26so we brought back wood.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28I find that absolutely fascinating.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Not only does it answer the question -
0:27:30 > 0:27:32what did Napoleon ever do for us? -
0:27:32 > 0:27:35it also tells us about the significance
0:27:35 > 0:27:37of socioeconomic factors.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42World events were also responsible for introducing the defining
0:27:42 > 0:27:48wood of English furniture making in the 18th and 19th centuries.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Mahogany was a product of colonisation
0:27:51 > 0:27:53and of the infamous triangular trade.
0:27:53 > 0:27:58Under terrible conditions, enslaved Africans in Jamaica harvested
0:27:58 > 0:28:02the wood to satisfy the high demand in Europe.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08When do we first find mahogany in English cabinet making?
0:28:08 > 0:28:11It begins to come in in the 1720s,
0:28:11 > 0:28:15and from that period on to the 20th century,
0:28:15 > 0:28:19it was not only Britain, but probably the world's cabinet wood.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Tell us a bit about this flame veneer.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26This is very typical of the way the Victorians used mahogany,
0:28:26 > 0:28:30so this essentially comes from the part of the tree where it branches.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35So this disturbed grain here is the wood between the two
0:28:35 > 0:28:37- branches of the tree. - What would this have cost?
0:28:37 > 0:28:41When this was made, probably around £25, £30.
0:28:41 > 0:28:42Certainly, you know,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45perfectly affordable for a middle-class professional.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49But if you are looking to invest in a piece of antique furniture today,
0:28:49 > 0:28:52here's a tip from David.
0:28:52 > 0:28:53It's all down to quality,
0:28:53 > 0:28:56so you might find a fine quality piece of mahogany furniture
0:28:56 > 0:28:59and you might find an indifferent piece of rosewood furniture,
0:28:59 > 0:29:02so look for quality. But if you can identify your timbers,
0:29:02 > 0:29:05this can make it easier for you to make that quality judgment.
0:29:06 > 0:29:12Why not take David's advice and be brave? Visit the salerooms.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Antique wood furniture is generally better quality than new
0:29:15 > 0:29:17pieces on the high street.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19It can be picked up for a reasonable sum
0:29:19 > 0:29:23and you could be buying yourself a slice of British history.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38Still to come, we look at the veritable Noah's Ark of animal
0:29:38 > 0:29:41antiques you bring to our valuations.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44This lovely glowing light that is falling on their backs
0:29:44 > 0:29:47- and shoulders.- It's nice, isn't it? - Lovely. Lovely piece.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50There are thousands of people out there that are absolutely
0:29:50 > 0:29:51passionate about dogs.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54In fact, most us prefer them to real people.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Elizabeth and Beryl fall out of a reptile.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00Well, I said tortoise and Beryl said turtle,
0:30:00 > 0:30:02and to this day I still think I'm right.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06And the magic of majolica wows the bidders.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09£1,800, £1,900.
0:30:10 > 0:30:11£2,000.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13SHE GASPS
0:30:18 > 0:30:19At our valuation days,
0:30:19 > 0:30:24we often see beautiful artwork that's been inspired by nature.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28And in 2012, I had the privilege of finding
0:30:28 > 0:30:31out about one of our country's more intriguing 19th-century artists,
0:30:31 > 0:30:35an artist who is better known for his poetry.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40The owl and the pussycat went to sea.
0:30:40 > 0:30:41In a beautiful pea green boat.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44They took some honey and plenty of money.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Wrapped up in a five pound note.
0:30:46 > 0:30:47OWL HOOTS
0:30:47 > 0:30:49The Owl And The Pussycat is one of the world's most famous
0:30:49 > 0:30:51and best-loved children's poems,
0:30:51 > 0:30:54and it's brought its author, Edward Lear, fame and fortune.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56And his limericks and nonsense poems
0:30:56 > 0:30:58have secured his place in literary history.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02However, as a young man, he had a very different plan for his future.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05He was an extremely talented artist and an animal lover,
0:31:05 > 0:31:07so there's only one place he could come to work
0:31:07 > 0:31:11and that was right here at the newly opened Zoological Gardens,
0:31:11 > 0:31:13and he began his career painting parrots.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15- HE LAUGHS - Hi, guys.
0:31:35 > 0:31:40London Zoo was established in 1826 for the scientific study of animals,
0:31:40 > 0:31:45and as photography had yet to be invented, the zoo employed artists
0:31:45 > 0:31:48to document their growing collection of exotic wildlife that was
0:31:48 > 0:31:50arriving on a weekly basis.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59And amongst these daubers was a very young Edward Lear with
0:31:59 > 0:32:03brush in hand. He was eager to show off his artistic skills.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07He spent two years here at the zoo, sketching and painting parrots,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10and, uniquely, many of them were drawn from life.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13What he would do is actually get inside the aviary, this very aviary,
0:32:13 > 0:32:16and join them and paint them and sketch them.
0:32:16 > 0:32:21In 1832, Lear published the results, illustrations of the family of the
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Psittacidae, containing 42 lithographs
0:32:24 > 0:32:26hand-coloured by Lear himself.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28It immediately secured him
0:32:28 > 0:32:33a reputation as a supremely talented ornithological draftsman.
0:32:33 > 0:32:38175 books were made, of which about 100 survive today,
0:32:38 > 0:32:40and one of them is here in the zoo's archive.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43I'm meeting up with natural history artist Rebecca Jewell
0:32:43 > 0:32:45to take a closer look at it.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50BIRDS SQUAWK
0:32:53 > 0:32:56- They are exceptionally good. - They are.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58I'm not a bird expert, but that looks real.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02Well, it is. It's absolutely stunning, and...
0:33:02 > 0:33:06I think what makes Lear stand out as a bird artist is that he
0:33:06 > 0:33:09did many of his...well, most of his drawings from life.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13- So, he went to...- Inside the aviary. - Yeah.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17And he was sketching from the live birds,
0:33:17 > 0:33:19and he did many, many sketches.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21There's a lot of work has gone into that.
0:33:21 > 0:33:26He would've drawn with the pencil and then done layers of watercolour,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30- probably with gum arabic in it, which is...- A glue with...
0:33:30 > 0:33:35- Yeah. And it give it this beautiful luminescence.- Hmm.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38And rich colours.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43It's just beautiful. Can you turn the page? Can we see some more?
0:33:43 > 0:33:47Is there a big difference between drawing these birds
0:33:47 > 0:33:50when they're living and when they're dead?
0:33:50 > 0:33:54If you compare him, say, to Audubon, who was the equivalent
0:33:54 > 0:33:58and an absolutely amazing artist in America drawing birds,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00he actually...
0:34:00 > 0:34:05He did sketch out in the field, but he then shot his birds
0:34:05 > 0:34:08and strung them up and put wire in them.
0:34:08 > 0:34:13So, his birds are slightly more constructed and angular and...
0:34:13 > 0:34:15- And awkward-looking.- Yes.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18I mean, they are still beautiful, but the thing about Lear is
0:34:18 > 0:34:23he was recording the parrots scientifically correctly, so that...
0:34:23 > 0:34:26- It's not just a pretty image. - No. Exactly.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28And, really, if you look at them all,
0:34:28 > 0:34:32they are absolutely perfect, because he was drawing from life.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36So, he's captured the expressions and the bird being puffed out
0:34:36 > 0:34:38- and sort of ready to go.- Yes.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42So, Lear's an absolutely wonderful record...
0:34:42 > 0:34:45My eye's gazing off towards that eagle owl.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47It's an eagle owl, isn't it? Yeah.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49But you can see the expression on the face now.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53You can see where Lear would develop his characters from, can't you?
0:34:53 > 0:34:57Yeah, absolutely. And Lear adored owls. And...
0:34:57 > 0:34:59Thought he was one.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02He did, yeah. He often did a caricature of himself as an owl.
0:35:03 > 0:35:09- And this is just absolutely fabulous. The detail...- Hmm.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11..the speckling, the colours of the feathers.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19Sadly, due to failing eyesight and lack of financial success, Lear gave
0:35:19 > 0:35:24up bird painting in his mid-20s, but he never gave up his love for birds.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27They're a theme in all of his nonsense poems and his sketches.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30And he often caricatured himself as an owl,
0:35:30 > 0:35:33so perhaps there's more to his famous poem after all.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35OWL HOOTS
0:35:35 > 0:35:37And hand in hand on the edge of the sand.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40They danced by the light of the moon, the moon, the moon.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42They danced by the light of the moon.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47OWL HOOTS
0:35:47 > 0:35:50The exotic fauna from all over the world has intrigued
0:35:50 > 0:35:51travellers for centuries.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55Intrepid explorers have brought back tales of the creatures
0:35:55 > 0:35:58they've seen and their stories have inspired makers of fine things
0:35:58 > 0:36:01to reproduce animal images in their work,
0:36:01 > 0:36:04but which are worth a closer look today?
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Some animals do appeal to collectors more than others.
0:36:11 > 0:36:12Cats.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15Pigs. People love to collect pigs.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19Farmers, of course, will buy Beswick cows and Beswick bulls.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21So, yeah, some animals are more collectable than others.
0:36:21 > 0:36:27For me, it's horses. But for someone else, it might be dogs.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31For someone else, it might be ducks.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33Everybody knows someone who collects elephants or frogs,
0:36:33 > 0:36:35or something like that.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38And also some of the more obscure animals will appeal to people,
0:36:38 > 0:36:42emus and koalas and penguins and things like that,
0:36:42 > 0:36:44so I think any animal is good news, really.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49We see dozens of animal-themed antiques on "Flog It!"
0:36:49 > 0:36:51and as we're a nation of animal lovers,
0:36:51 > 0:36:53these items tend to sell well.
0:36:55 > 0:37:00Whether it's cats, dogs, horses, cows, we've all got our favourites.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03At a valuation day on HMS Warrior in Portsmouth,
0:37:03 > 0:37:07Will Aksen showed that he clearly values a bird in the hand.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Russell, tell me, how have you come by this?
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Cos this really caught my eye when I saw you in the queue.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16- I bought it in an antique store in West Sussex...- OK.
0:37:16 > 0:37:17..about six months ago.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20- I thought, at first, it was a print.- Yes.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22But my other half is a picture framer,
0:37:22 > 0:37:26and we had a good look at it and thought maybe it is a painting.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29There's no doubt you've bought yourself here what I think is
0:37:29 > 0:37:31a rather nice watercolour.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33Most of the painting is actually exposed paper.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37The whole body of the cockatoos, we'll call them,
0:37:37 > 0:37:40is actually where he's left the paper. He hasn't painted that,
0:37:40 > 0:37:43so I think that in turn helps accentuate this lovely,
0:37:43 > 0:37:46glowing light that is falling on their backs and shoulders.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49- It's nice, isn't it?- I think it's a really nice watercolour.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51And signed as well. HSM.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Now, I think you've done yourself a little bit of research, haven't you?
0:37:54 > 0:37:57- I have.- What have you come up with?
0:37:57 > 0:37:59I believe it's Henry Stacy Marks,
0:37:59 > 0:38:01- who did lots of bird paintings. - Exactly right.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03You've got to be careful
0:38:03 > 0:38:06because a little bit of research can be a dangerous thing.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08It takes you off on a tangent.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10All of a sudden, you think, "Oh, my days.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13"I've got the crown jewels here.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16"There's an example of this painting hanging in the V&A
0:38:16 > 0:38:18"and I must have another copy of it."
0:38:18 > 0:38:21If that's the case, the original's probably in the V&A
0:38:21 > 0:38:23and you've got a print of it.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26Russell did a bit of research on the cockatoo picture, and
0:38:26 > 0:38:30so he would have seen that Stacey Marks was a well-known artist.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32His most famous work is of birds
0:38:32 > 0:38:34and hangs in the Walker Gallery in Liverpool,
0:38:34 > 0:38:38so he is well-known for this subject matter.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40He's an artist. He was sort of mid-19th century.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44He was actually working for Minton, for example, painting on ceramics
0:38:44 > 0:38:47and doing more decorative works and things like that.
0:38:47 > 0:38:48But this was really his love.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51He took a real interest in birds, mainly parakeets,
0:38:51 > 0:38:54- I suppose for the exotic flavour of them.- Yeah.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58You looked at it and you believed it, whereas other bird pictures,
0:38:58 > 0:39:00when they're perched on a branch or in a tree,
0:39:00 > 0:39:03they almost look like they're floating.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06They don't quite sit. You know, he's got gravity right.
0:39:06 > 0:39:07They stand well.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Really, you've just got to go with your gut instinct.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14Does the picture work? If it does then it's probably something.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18If it doesn't, maybe a lesser artist or someone trying to copy.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22For me, it was the light around the heads. It was quite stunning.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25Yeah. Cos it's something that is...
0:39:25 > 0:39:28very effective, but looks simple, but I'm sure is very difficult
0:39:28 > 0:39:31to get right, because you just get the form of the body, don't you?
0:39:31 > 0:39:34And like I've said before, there's no painting here to suggest that.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37It's purely done on the highlighting. Lovely, lovely piece.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40- You say you bought it in an antiques shop.- Yes.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44- What was the price ticket on it? - It was 55 and I got them down to 50.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46Well, listen, Russell, I'd give you £100 for it now
0:39:46 > 0:39:48if you wanted a quick profit.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50But we're going to work on your interests.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52I'm going to say let's put it into auction
0:39:52 > 0:39:54and I'm fairly confident, with that name,
0:39:54 > 0:39:57you'd get a price of at least £300-£500 at auction.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00- Fantastic.- Yeah?- Good return.
0:40:00 > 0:40:01People love birds.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04I don't know what it is about them, but everyone knows a twitcher.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07And you hear stories of people travelling thousands of miles
0:40:07 > 0:40:11just to see one bird that maybe got lost on its migration route.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14So, you know, there's a passion there for birds.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18So, did those cockatoos ruffle a few feathers in the saleroom?
0:40:20 > 0:40:23We have one, two, three, four commission bids here.
0:40:23 > 0:40:24- That's good.- Wow.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28I will start the bidding at £500.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30- Wow.- Top estimate!
0:40:30 > 0:40:32Is there 20 in the room?
0:40:32 > 0:40:37At £500 and selling. Is there 20? At £500. Commission bid.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42At £500, any more? All done at £500, then, for the very last time.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44That was short and sweet.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47I don't think Russell minds how short it was.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50You could say those birds flew away, couldn't you, at £500?
0:40:50 > 0:40:53- You have got to be happy with that. - I am indeed.- Ecstatic!
0:40:56 > 0:41:00I think Russell did earn his money. He took a chance.
0:41:00 > 0:41:06Because I know he was thinking of pursuing a career in the antiques trade, and I hope he has, you know.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10With an eye like that, I think he's got a head start on all of us.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14I dare say Russell has gone from strength to strength!
0:41:14 > 0:41:18He spotted a quality piece and, as we say time and again,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21quality always sells.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25Now, a survey in 2013 claimed to answer definitively
0:41:25 > 0:41:29the question of whether we British prefer cats or dogs.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32By a slim margin, it's dogs!
0:41:32 > 0:41:35And that comes as no surprise to us on "Flog It!".
0:41:35 > 0:41:39Dogs are extremely popular, not just as man's best friend going
0:41:39 > 0:41:43back generations, but in antiques and art we see dog paintings,
0:41:43 > 0:41:46dog sculptures, anything dog-related always commands a premium.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49Because like me, there are thousands of people out there
0:41:49 > 0:41:51that are absolutely passionate about dogs.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54In fact, most of us prefer them to real people.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57- So, who spotted him? - My dad.- Did he?- Yes.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59- Did he think he was clever spotting them?- Yes.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03How much did he pay for them? £5. £5?
0:42:03 > 0:42:05Do you think that is a lot?
0:42:05 > 0:42:07- Not really. - What about when you got it home?
0:42:07 > 0:42:11Nothing, really, apart from the wife moaning about getting another
0:42:11 > 0:42:14- load of junk coming into the house. - I know that feeling.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16You have done very well there for a fiver.
0:42:16 > 0:42:21Because these are early 20th-century Austrian cold painted bronze dogs,
0:42:21 > 0:42:25bookends, of course, that sit on these sort of onyx bases.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27They've both come detached, haven't they, from the bases?
0:42:27 > 0:42:31Onyx was a very popular material used particularly in the 1920s
0:42:31 > 0:42:33and 1930s, sculptures, bronzes and spelter figures.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36It's typically green, but it does come in other colours.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39A lot of the time you see it polished and highly finished,
0:42:39 > 0:42:41but these ones were left in the rough a bit
0:42:41 > 0:42:45and I think that was quite charming. They've been through the wars,
0:42:45 > 0:42:48but they are getting on for 100 years or thereabouts.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50As I say, they are Austrian and cold painted bronze.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53A lot of these are made in spelter, which is a cheaper alloy,
0:42:53 > 0:42:55but if you have a look underneath,
0:42:55 > 0:42:57this yellowness shows us that they are bronze.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59Also the weight, they're nice and heavy.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03Wouldn't like one to drop on your toe, would you? Or that, actually.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07Sometimes we also see cast-iron figures which are simulated,
0:43:07 > 0:43:10pretending to be bronze as well, and people say, "Oh, look,
0:43:10 > 0:43:12"they're very heavy and they must be bronze."
0:43:12 > 0:43:15That's when you need to get your magnet out,
0:43:15 > 0:43:17because bronze is not magnetic.
0:43:17 > 0:43:22- What do you want for them? A tenner?- More?
0:43:22 > 0:43:24- About 50.- About 50.
0:43:24 > 0:43:25It is a good start.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28- I'd like to think they would make £100 or maybe a bit more.- Really?
0:43:28 > 0:43:31So, because they've cost so little, let's go for it,
0:43:31 > 0:43:33put a big estimate, see what happens.
0:43:35 > 0:43:40- So, will the bidders bite at auction?- 80, please. 80, thank you.
0:43:40 > 0:43:4385 anywhere? 85. And 90?
0:43:43 > 0:43:48- 85, with you, sir.- Fingers crossed. - 100. 105.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50110. 115. 120.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53125. 130. 135. 140.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57145. 150. 160. 170.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00180. All done. £170.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04£170. The hammer went down on that.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06That is a lot of money, isn't it?
0:44:08 > 0:44:10They are on the cute end of things, I think,
0:44:10 > 0:44:13the Scotty dog bookends, they also had a great story,
0:44:13 > 0:44:17they were picked up, I think, for a nominal sum at a car-boot sale.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21They're not my favourite breed of dog, but they are a very cute thing
0:44:21 > 0:44:26and I think that is undoubtedly why they appealed and sold so well.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29Yes, the "ahh" factor often add value.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31The cuter it is, the more collectable!
0:44:33 > 0:44:36But I'm not sure this quality can be applied to the item
0:44:36 > 0:44:41James Lewis found at one of our Scottish valuation days.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44Of all the things I was expecting to find here in Fife,
0:44:44 > 0:44:48a Turkish prisoner of war work snake dated 1919 is not one of them,
0:44:48 > 0:44:49I have to say!
0:44:49 > 0:44:54When the Turks were over in England as prisoners of war,
0:44:54 > 0:44:57these were things that they could go into the local community
0:44:57 > 0:44:59and sell to raise a bit of money.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01What is it doing here and where did you find it?
0:45:01 > 0:45:05I found it in a market in London when I was about eight years old.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09- I bought it for a pound. - That is ridiculous.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12That is a really good bargain. Well done, you.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15It's an interesting thing and I don't know why the Turkish prisoners
0:45:15 > 0:45:20of war decided that it would be a really good thing to make snakes.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22You can imagine, you are sitting there
0:45:22 > 0:45:25in your prisoner of war camp thinking, "Hmm, what can I do?
0:45:25 > 0:45:28"I know. I'm going to make a beadwork snake!"
0:45:28 > 0:45:31But they made them in their hundreds and their thousands.
0:45:31 > 0:45:36I think there are two quite distinct categories of what was made
0:45:36 > 0:45:38in the prisoner of war camp.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41Those that were made by the prisoners for the captors,
0:45:41 > 0:45:46and those that were made by the prisoners for themselves to sell on.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50But both have a significant collecting area.
0:45:50 > 0:45:54I've seen the snakes all over the place. They always sell well.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57So, how you found it for a pound, I really don't know.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00At aged eight, what attracted you to that?
0:46:00 > 0:46:06- The looks generally.- The colours? - The mad colours. Beautiful green.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08It is completely bonkers, isn't it?
0:46:08 > 0:46:11- It doesn't even look slightly realistic.- Not at all.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14- So, when you got home, did you have sisters to taunt with it?- I did.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16- Two.- That would be good fun.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19- Did you stick it in their bed and things?- Yes.
0:46:19 > 0:46:23- It got played with for a bit. - Great fun. Value...
0:46:23 > 0:46:27I don't move. £40-£60. Something like that.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31- So, your £1 investment has done all right.- Not too bad.
0:46:31 > 0:46:32They come in various sizes,
0:46:32 > 0:46:36and this is a particularly long one, so that is in its favour.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39- Shall we put a £40 reserve on it? - That sounds good to me.
0:46:39 > 0:46:45How Andrew found that for a pound, I really don't know.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48I wish I could find those for a pound. It was a great investment.
0:46:48 > 0:46:49It was a great buy.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54The Turkish prisoner of war beadwork snake.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57I am going to start this at £25. 25.
0:46:57 > 0:47:0130. 5. 40. 5. 50. 5.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04I'll come to you. 60. 5. 65.
0:47:04 > 0:47:0870. 5. 80. £80 on my left. At 80.
0:47:10 > 0:47:1185.
0:47:11 > 0:47:1390. 5. 100.
0:47:13 > 0:47:18110. 120. 120, standing at 120.
0:47:18 > 0:47:23Anyone else want in at £120?
0:47:23 > 0:47:25There's the hammer. That's good.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27The condition was very good on that, that is...
0:47:27 > 0:47:31- And it was a big size.- Very good condition.- Excellent condition.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33- BOTH: Well done you! - Thank you very much.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38Well, Andrew deserves double the praise - you couldn't have
0:47:38 > 0:47:43wished for a better example of prisoner of war craftsmanship.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45A great return for a £1 investment!
0:47:47 > 0:47:50It's probably fair to say nobody loved nature
0:47:50 > 0:47:52quite like the Victorians.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56The publication of Charles Darwin's masterpiece On The Origin Of Species
0:47:56 > 0:48:00in 1859 caused an upsurge of interest in animals
0:48:00 > 0:48:03and animal-themed items in the home.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06This is a piece of Victorian beadwork
0:48:06 > 0:48:10I bought many years ago at an auction. It formed
0:48:10 > 0:48:16the door of a very, very tatty pine cupboard and it was filthy.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18So, you open the door of the cupboard
0:48:18 > 0:48:20and this was actually set into it.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24It's a piece of, I would say, mid-Victorian beadwork.
0:48:24 > 0:48:30Each of these tiny beads is sewn on by hand, one at a time,
0:48:30 > 0:48:33it is beautifully done and intricately done.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37And it shows the form of a bird, here, caught an insect,
0:48:37 > 0:48:44and bringing it back down to the babes in the nest, down here.
0:48:44 > 0:48:45Beautifully embellished.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48I think the whole cupboard cost me something like £70.
0:48:48 > 0:48:53And I took it home, took this door out of the cupboard,
0:48:53 > 0:48:57sold the cupboard, got my money back on the cupboard and kept this.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01And I can imagine a gentleman making the cupboard for his wife,
0:49:01 > 0:49:05and his wife sewing this to put into it.
0:49:05 > 0:49:10So, it would be a very popular subject.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12My tip would be to go for something that you like,
0:49:12 > 0:49:17because ultimately it has got to hang on your wall or sit in your
0:49:17 > 0:49:20living room, so buy something that you like and pleases you.
0:49:20 > 0:49:22Wise words, Caroline.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28Going for something you like might not mean reptiles.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30But many of us would make an exception, I think, for the
0:49:30 > 0:49:34piece Elizabeth Talbot uncovered at a valuation day in King's Lynn.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39I think this is a tortoise, Beryl. What do you think it is?
0:49:39 > 0:49:42- I would have said a turtle. - Would you?- Mm.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45I think we are going to disagree on that one.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48- But we both think it's rather special, don't we?- It is.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50He's very special.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52I said tortoise and Beryl said turtle.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55To this day, I still think I am right, but Beryl knew
0:49:55 > 0:49:59the piece far longer than I did and I shall bow to her better decision.
0:50:00 > 0:50:06It was given to my mother. And when she died, she passed it on to me.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09She had been looking after someone that was sick.
0:50:09 > 0:50:14And they gave her that before they died. And so she did the same.
0:50:14 > 0:50:18How lovely. So, he has always been loved and cherished to this point.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21- Can I demonstrate him now?- Yes. - Is that all right?
0:50:21 > 0:50:24If you just touch his head like this...
0:50:24 > 0:50:25BELL
0:50:25 > 0:50:27- That's it.- Isn't that great?
0:50:27 > 0:50:30Over the years, I have seen a few novelty table bells or shop bells
0:50:30 > 0:50:33and they come in a variety of guises.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36I have seen pigs and I have seen some little dogs and things.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39But I don't believe I'd seen a turtle or a tortoise before.
0:50:39 > 0:50:44- Do you know where this one started life?- I think it was in a shop.
0:50:44 > 0:50:48- I think it was.- A lot of these were.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50I have seen them as pigs and all sorts of things,
0:50:50 > 0:50:54where you actually press the curly tail and it makes a bell sound.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57The tortoise ones, or the turtle ones, often were found in shops.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00Sometimes butcher's or haberdasher's and things like that.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02Yes, yes.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05If we turn him over, we will see that he is very cleverly,
0:51:05 > 0:51:09but very simply made, he's made of cast iron.
0:51:09 > 0:51:13But he's absolutely pristine and in very genuine condition.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17These bells are much rarer in finer metals.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19Bronze are rarer than cast metal
0:51:19 > 0:51:23and the silver ones would be top of the pile.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26Silver ones are less likely to be found for use in shops or
0:51:26 > 0:51:29public places, they tend to be for the refined
0:51:29 > 0:51:32environment of grand houses or wealthy families.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35I would like to see him make between £80 and £120.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40If you're happy to enter him with that sort of estimate,
0:51:40 > 0:51:43it doesn't sound frightening, but it sounds achievable.
0:51:43 > 0:51:48- And if two people...- Really want him.- ..they could keep going.
0:51:48 > 0:51:52- All right, that would be lovely. - All right. Can I ring him again?
0:51:52 > 0:51:54BELL
0:51:55 > 0:51:58I'm sorry, Beryl, but I have to side with Elizabeth.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00I think it's a tortoise!
0:52:01 > 0:52:06But did it make slow progress at the auction, or end up winning the race?
0:52:06 > 0:52:09It's going under the hammer now. This is it.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11Fun little lot.
0:52:11 > 0:52:15Let's start, what, 30 quid. 30 I'm bid. 32, 35, 38.
0:52:15 > 0:52:19At 38 now. Done, then? At 38. 40. 42.
0:52:19 > 0:52:23- 45.- He is behind me.- 50. 55.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26At 55. 58. 60. 65.
0:52:26 > 0:52:2970. 75.
0:52:29 > 0:52:3280. At 80. Sell over here at £80.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34I sell there at £80.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37- Done at 80.- Yes. Right at the lower estimate.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39It has sold, though.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41He has hit his clipboard!
0:52:41 > 0:52:44That was a little bit of fun, that really was.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46A gorgeous little thing.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49Little bells like this are not overly common.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52They are rare enough to be quite an interesting thing to seek out
0:52:52 > 0:52:53and collect.
0:52:53 > 0:52:58But still accessible, and therefore within a budget of £50-£80,
0:52:58 > 0:53:00you can pick up some lovely examples.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02That is a very reasonable price.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06If you fancy an animal-themed collection, that's a fun place
0:53:06 > 0:53:08to start, and at entry level prices.
0:53:10 > 0:53:11And talking of fun,
0:53:11 > 0:53:15what could be more entertaining than the wacky world of majolica?
0:53:16 > 0:53:21Majolica is fun, funky and so very Victorian.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24The Victorians loved this hugely decorative
0:53:24 > 0:53:28and colourful ceramic, which is often inspired by nature's bounty.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31Kate Bliss was lucky enough to come across a great
0:53:31 > 0:53:33example at a valuation day in Bangor.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39That's a family piece, it belonged to my great-grandmother
0:53:39 > 0:53:44and she had it and passed it to my grandmother, and when my grandmother
0:53:44 > 0:53:49died, my cousins and I were asked to choose things from out of the house.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51And that was my first choice.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54You do find animals are used a lot in majolica.
0:53:54 > 0:53:59Certainly I suppose there is this element of the monkey in humanity,
0:53:59 > 0:54:02if you know what I mean, so it was quite interesting to place
0:54:02 > 0:54:06a monkey as a finial or as a handle or as the feet of something.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10And the Victorians, I think, found it rather jolly and fun.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13The first thing I will do is just take the lid off carefully
0:54:13 > 0:54:15and have a look at the bottom.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18We have not got anything at all on there.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21We can see the little marks where it stood in the kiln,
0:54:21 > 0:54:24but there is no impressed mark to tell us which factory.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27So, we can see from the quality of it and the moulding and the way
0:54:27 > 0:54:31the glaze has been put on that it is by one of the leading factories.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34In the 19th century, there were three factories producing this
0:54:34 > 0:54:39sort of ware. George Jones, Minton and the third one was Wedgwood.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43As it isn't marked, it could be one of the three.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46My gut feeling is that it is George Jones.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48But we can certainly look at the pattern of it
0:54:48 > 0:54:51and I will do some further research.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54This particular teapot was made by George Jones,
0:54:54 > 0:54:57it was part of a tea service in simple blue and white.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00They can be much more exuberant, with many colours,
0:55:00 > 0:55:02bright turquoise, blues and greens.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06This one was nice, because the monkey formed the handle.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10And it is a typical piece of Victorian quirkiness, really.
0:55:10 > 0:55:14Now, one thing that is a shame is the condition.
0:55:14 > 0:55:15If we take off the lid,
0:55:15 > 0:55:18we can see we have got quite a chunk taken out of the corner.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21The finial is badly cracked, isn't it?
0:55:21 > 0:55:24And we have got a funny little repair here to the spout,
0:55:24 > 0:55:28which is a very vulnerable piece. Tell me about that.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30Did you know that that had been repaired?
0:55:30 > 0:55:34- I believe it was done in the 1920s by the local blacksmith.- Oh, right.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37He's just soldered on a spout.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40Yes, I believe that was a usual repair that the blacksmith did.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43Damage, of course, is important when you're collecting something.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46But there are some areas, and majolica is one of them,
0:55:46 > 0:55:48where collectors will be a little bit lenient,
0:55:48 > 0:55:50particularly if it is a rare shape.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54I think in this condition, you're going to be talking a serious amount at auction.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58- I am going to put a conservative estimate of £200-£300.- Gosh.
0:55:58 > 0:56:02- What do you think about that? - I think that's very nice, yes.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05But I think the monkey might attract quite a few people.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12Kate wasn't wrong about the appeal of the monkey, but nothing could
0:56:12 > 0:56:16have prepared Graham and Lesley for what unfolded
0:56:16 > 0:56:18once the bidding commenced.
0:56:18 > 0:56:22- 200 I am bid. £200. - They are straight in at 200.
0:56:22 > 0:56:26£300. £400.
0:56:26 > 0:56:27£500.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31£600. £700.
0:56:31 > 0:56:32£800.
0:56:33 > 0:56:38'After smashing the estimate, it kept climbing higher and higher.'
0:56:38 > 0:56:41- £1,700.- I can't believe it.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45£1,800. £1,900.
0:56:45 > 0:56:46£2,000.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52- Good God. Two grand.- 2,100. Oh, you've gone, have you?
0:56:52 > 0:56:54£2,100.
0:56:54 > 0:56:55£2,200.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58- God.- £2,300.
0:56:58 > 0:57:02- £2,400. - INDISTINCT WHISPER
0:57:02 > 0:57:06- I can feel you shaking. - £2,400. £2,400.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Anybody else in the room wants to come in?
0:57:09 > 0:57:11GAVEL BANGS
0:57:11 > 0:57:14What do you think about that? Bang, there we go. Yeah!
0:57:14 > 0:57:16APPLAUSE
0:57:16 > 0:57:17Hello, Kate.
0:57:17 > 0:57:22Well done. Well done. 2,400. There is a tear in your eye!
0:57:22 > 0:57:24Look at this. He is crying.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27THEY LAUGH
0:57:27 > 0:57:30- That was fantastic. - I couldn't believe it.- 2,400.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35It's moments like that that live long in the memory.
0:57:36 > 0:57:39The teapot did so well because the majolica market
0:57:39 > 0:57:42was particularly buoyant at that point.
0:57:42 > 0:57:43And timing is key.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48Prices rise and fall in the world of antiques,
0:57:48 > 0:57:50so take advice from your local auction house.
0:57:50 > 0:57:54If it's a bad time to sell, keep hold of your item for another day.
0:57:57 > 0:57:59When it comes to collecting animal-themed antiques,
0:57:59 > 0:58:01always examine the workmanship
0:58:01 > 0:58:05and look for finely executed decoration and good condition.
0:58:07 > 0:58:11But in the end, it comes down to horses for courses, so to speak.
0:58:11 > 0:58:15Go for what appeals to you. If you fall in love with something,
0:58:15 > 0:58:18just enjoy it for what it is - that is,
0:58:18 > 0:58:20until the next piece catches your eye!
0:58:22 > 0:58:26So, if you have any antiques and collectables that need
0:58:26 > 0:58:29re-homing, I hope you come and see us at one of our valuation days.
0:58:29 > 0:58:34That's it for today's show. Join me again soon for more trade secrets.