York Flog It!

Flog It! is the show where you get the chance to empty your house of clutter and make some money.

Our experts will examine them and, if you want, you can flog them.

It's up to you to decide, but our experts will help.

If they get it right, you could be loaded. If they're wrong, you might be taking your antique back home.

Be warned - there's nothing as unpredictable as an auction.

£100 would make you happy? Yeah.

£190.

Fabulous! Well done! Brilliant!

Mine's a pint!

We can't all be wrong. Nigel is sometimes, but all of us can't be.

We're in York, an historic town.

Let's hope the locals have some interesting things.

Our experts are at the Hospitium in the Museum of Yorkshire Life

to help people decide whether to keep or sell their antiques.

Casting their expert eyes over our lots today are David Barby and Nigel Smith.

Mr and Mrs Medley begin with Nigel.

This figure looks most promising out of the items you've brought.

You know it's a Doulton figure, made by Royal Doulton.

Is it something you like? I do have a few. You've got a collection of them? I can't afford a collection!

Nice script mark and a printed mark - potted by Doulton.

Collectors look for the HN number.

The patent numbers. Doulton produced various models and still make these.

You'll see a date... an impressed date, there.

I can read "11, 33", which would be for 1933. It's a nice early one.

Condition's important. This one seems fine.

Is it something you'd want to sell? It's come through your family, so...

Do you put a reserve on it? We can suggest a reserve for you. Yeah.

I need to check that number, see how rare it is, and what sort of price...

The thing about Doulton is we have price guides. I'll look it up in my little book

and see what price we can put on it.

Who do they belong to? The family. They were given to my mother by neighbours about 30 years ago.

They've been in the drawer. And never used? No. Extraordinary!

The market for this is the Continental and US market.

What I so like about this service

is they reflect a design of the 19th century called the Aesthetic Period,

which had many influences, but one of the main ones was Japanese design.

The Japanese became popular -

think in terms of bamboo furniture, The Mikado - all prevalent then.

With this attractive pair of servers,

we have the influence of Japan in these grips.

Holding them, the style of the grips,

it's a comfortable feel to them, so take these as late 19th century.

This style of decoration - ferns - is typical of the period, as well.

Again, Japanese influence.

This one is in silver plate, not silver.

Pieces were made in silver, so if we put these in the range of £60 to £80,

silver ones would be three times as much.

Very nice. Can we sell them for you? Of course. Thank you very much.

Since you don't use them, what are you going to do with the money? I'll find something. I'm sure you will.

After some research, Nigel's found out the value of the Doulton figure.

HN1588.

Made between 1933 and 1952.

The book price here is £150 to £175.

They're quite generous, these prices.

We like to value on a conservative level...for pre-sale estimates. Yeah.

If we put it in at £120 to £180, that would be just about the right level.

It could make over £200. Brilliant.

Be nice, wouldn't it? Lovely. We could put £120 reserve on. That'd be sensible. Is that OK? Yes.

Lovely! Let's hope she does well, then.

Do you have a pair of these? No, it's not a pair. One on its own.

Yes. The other one has two arms and it's sort of a browny one. Right.

I like this tortoiseshell effect. It's nice.

This is part of their commercial range. I see.

Although it's been hand-potted and hand-decorated, this was done on a large number of items,

so they could replicate this many times. I see.

It's not done by one artist. No. Although at the bottom here, there's an initial... Yeah.

..which is for one of the assistants. They would've done the decoration.

You're not going to get more than about £50. I see. Oh, well, in that case, I wouldn't bother. Right, OK.

I'd probably give it as a present.

That, as I say, she must have had that, ooh, 80, 90 years ago because it was in the family. Right.

It's pretty. It's unusual - everybody admires it.

This is nice. It's a foreign piece of silver. I see.

It comes up to English standard. OK.

This stamp incorporates an "F", meaning it's foreign.

Right. It would qualify to be sold as silver. I see. We have regulations about silver. OK.

We can't sell anything unless it's stamped.

This is attractive. I think it'd be popular on the market.

At auction, we're going to get close on £100. That might be worth it.

In the auctioneer's catalogue, you might find a price of £80 to £120. Right. OK.

What would that be? This is a letter opener, a paper opener. Is it?

This is nice - it's a short blade.

Quite often they produced special books and not all the sides were cut through... I see.

That must be quite old because that was in Grandma's...

..Grandma's trunk when she died. It says "Birmingham" and dates from the tail end of the 19th century.

I would say somebody's going to pay £60, £80.

I didn't know if it was worth something.

Those two items are worth selling. I'll take that back for a present.

That's all I have. We'd like to take those in for sale. Yes, you may. Thank you very much. OK, then.

Mr Medley has silver tongs he'd like Nigel to look at.

Problem is the hallmarks aren't clear,

but they're mid-18th century. Yeah?

Sugar nips - that's what they are, and they're all absolutely genuine.

There's a London hallmark, but I can't decipher the date or the make,

um, but I would think we could put those in at somewhere round about £80...with an estimate of £80, £120.

Yeah. And put a reserve around £80. Yeah. And they should sell at that.

Nice piece of Georgian silver. I think they'll shine. Give them a go, shall we? Please. Excellent. Good.

Now some owners have chosen to sell, let's see what going to auction.

David likes Mr Race's servers. Not solid silver, but nicely decorated.

You can still use them. There should be a market.

The Medleys are ready to let the Doulton lady go,

reassured by the price Nigel looked up.

I think that'll make its money. Over £200, probably.

Oh, yes!

Mr Medley is selling his sugar nips, a nice bit of 18th century silver.

£80 to £120 for a good piece of Georgian silver.

Mrs Wood is sending two things to the sale. First, a Continental vase.

The correct marks, including the foreign silver mark. That'll do well.

She also has high hopes for this paper knife.

It has a nice embossed handle

with a vacant cartouche,

so anybody could put their own initials on.

For today's sale, we've travelled a bit further up from York to the North Yorkshire town of Malton.

It's an affluent area. I hope we're in for a busy and profitable day.

Our owners are here to see how much money they might make.

Calling the shots today, auctioneer Andrew Macmillan.

Does his opinion differ from our experts and what does he think of our items?

Mrs Medley's Doulton figure has been out of production for a bit.

Yes, this is one of the things that confers value on these figures -

how long they were produced for.

I think we stand a chance of getting it away. Nigel reckoned £120 to £180.

I think that's over the top. It stands a fair chance at £120 or so.

We'll find out later who's right. Absolutely.

These are superfluous to modern living. Do people still buy these?

They still buy them, but only at a low price.

These were David's choice. He reckoned £60 to £80. No chance? Not much.

They have some things going for them - the handles, the blades -

but I think we might be struggling.

The owner tells me they've been in a drawer for 30 years. Going back there?

Somebody else's or his, yeah.

You've got a fabulous selection of silver today. We've got Mr Medley's sugar tongs.

These are surely a collector's item. What would you do with them?

Somebody might buy them to put them in a cabinet.

It's not the sort of thing that Fred Bloggs is going to buy. They're strictly collector's items.

Very dainty. A good age about them? Yes, they're nice 18th-century ones, and a good scissor action,

but these days, silver is a bit low, a bit un-sought-after.

Silver's not doing well? No.

Right. Nigel reckons £80 to £100 - are we close there?

In the right area. Might struggle a bit. Might get there? Might do. Yeah? We'll do our best.

Mrs Wood had two items chosen. The first is this letter opener. Yeah.

Nice decoration on the handle. You can actually use it, if you had that on your desk -

open mail with a nice silver-handled letter opener. Jolly nice!

Impress the clients. Absolutely. Good. David chose these ones. £50 to £60 for the letter opener?

Mmm, yes, I think so. I think David's good with his silver. Is he? Let's hope so. Yes.

The second item was this unusual, what, triple-headed stem vase.

Yes. It's Continental. Dutch. Mmm.

Got the English silver import marks on it, but it's not exactly a thing of beauty. It's very...unusual.

I think I was right!

David chose it. £80 to £120. Continental silver not as popular as English. No, absolutely not.

That'll be difficult. £80 to £120's too much. Yeah. What do you think?

I would've thought £50 or £60 will be as much as we'll get. Really?

As the auction approaches, I want a word with David and Nigel to make sure they're confident.

How confident are we? I'm quietly confident. I'm not normally, but I'm happy with the selection I've got.

Apparently, silver's not doing too well. What about the fish servers?

A multiplicity of uses, either for fish... At home, we have a pair, we use it for serving pizza.

You must be the only person that's using a pair. Oh, I don't know.

It's a good German market and they actually use them. We've got a good crowd in. You're making me nervous!

I hope so!

This is a popular auction with the locals. We've a full house with lots of buyers.

Mr Race's dated cooking utensils are up first.

It's the fish servers that I wasn't keen on myself.

Peter, they've been in a drawer for 30 years. Happy to see them go? Yes.

It's pointless being in the bottom drawer. Hopefully, we'll make you... £100 you'd be happy with.

That'd be nice.

567. Fish servers. Bamboo handles. There we are. £50.

£20. £25. £30.

£35. £40.

£45. £50. £55. £60?

£55. Almost at the low estimate!

Anyone else? All done, then, at £55.

£55. That's a sale.

Just a fiver under the estimate. Excited? I'm quite happy. It's what was expected. Good.

£55. Are you going to replace it with something else?

Um, I'll probably replace it with something else. Good.

David, you were just about on the button. That's the name of the game.

That's a pretty good estimate.

Let's hope there are some Doulton collectors chasing after Mrs Medley's porcelain.

Mrs Medley here and Nigel, who's responsible for getting her here.

Nervous at all? Very. I'm excited more than nerves.

Are you familiar with auctions? No, never before. Never? No.

What do you think? Is it exciting? Very. Especially for you, cos you're selling something. Yeah.

Nigel, the Royal Doultons have been doing great so far. It's a nice figure - I'm sure it'll do well.

We should do well. This has been in your family for 70 years? Yes.

What makes you sell it? Just doing out the house. No room for her.

She wasn't the children's thing, so she had to go.

We're going to get you, hopefully, £150 today.

What'll you spend it on? Replace it with something else? Put it towards a holiday, something extra special.

146. Doulton figure.

Here we go! £50?

£50.

£55. £60.

£65. £70.

It's going well. £85. £90. £95. £100.

£100 already! ..£130?

£120 in the second row. £130. £140? £130 over there. Do I hear £140?

£130. £140. £150.

£160. £170. Excellent! £180. £190?

£190. £200. £210. £220.

Fantastic! In the corner at £210. £220? £210.

Anyone else? All done at £210.

Yes! Brilliant! Well done! Congratulations, that's great!

£210! Brilliant! Thank you. Marvellous! We're off to the pub now? Let's go!

Mrs Wood is under the weather, so we're taking charge of her silver.

We've got two lots belonging to Mrs Wood. She can't be with us - she's feeling poorly -

let's hope we can bring her some good news. Kind regards. Absolutely.

You've picked two lots from her - both silver. Yes. How will we do?

I think the paper knife will be good. Very functional.

Yes - opening letters or newspapers. You could put it on any desk. Mmm.

The triple-headed vase - Dutch... Dutch silver.

Import marks - it comes up to the standard of English silver. I like that piece. Very decorative.

Ideal for a lady's boudoir. Yes. Doesn't that sound old-fashioned, if I say, "boudoir"? Boudoir!

Silver has been going pretty well, so we might be doing well.

The auction's been a great success so far. He's a good auctioneer. He is. Very quick and precise.

617. Paper knife, letter opener - whatever you want to use it for.

£50? £30 I'm bid. Do I hear five?

Right in at £30. Estimated £50 to £60. Right.

£50. £55. £60. £65. £70. £75. That's fine. It's going very well.

£85 bid. £90? £85 with Charlie. Anyone £90 now? £85. Any more?

All done at £85.

Excellent! Well done. Thanks. Nice one. Appreciated!

Here's the next one right away.

618. Continental vase, year 50. £30.

In your own time. £20 I'm bid. £25. £30. £35. £40?

Bidding at £35. Anyone £40 now? Stuck at £35.

Selling at £35. Mr Wood. Thank you.

That's not even the reserve price.

That's disappointing! Andrew didn't think that would do it. He's turned out to be right and you're wrong.

Thanks for pointing that out. You did well with the letter opener.

That's the consolation? Some you win...

It just shows valuing antiques is an inexact science.

Following his wife, it's now MR Medley's turn to sweat.

We're joined by Mr Medley, husband of the fortunate Mrs Medley. She was chuffed. She was!

Now it's your turn! Georgian sugar nips. Correct.

What made you take them along? Well, we were just interested.

Did you know they were good ones in silver?

No. Really? Wow! That must've come as a shock! It did. Yeah.

£80 to £100 doesn't sound too bad. If you got another £100, you'll go home rich! I am!

593.

The sugar nips. £50?

£30 I'm bid. Do I hear £35? £30. £35. £40. £45.

£50. £55? £55.

£60. £65? £60 for Charlie. They're doing OK. £60 - a wee bit lower.

£70. With Charlie. Anyone £75? £70. Anyone else? All done at £70.

£70. Well... You were a tenner short. A bit short.

£70 all the same. Definitely.

The butterflies didn't get too bad. No. £70 is a fair result. It is.

The auctioneer wasn't convinced, but you were right. Absolutely.

We have to class that as a winner. Thanks. Thank you. Well done.

'While our experts carry on sifting through the boxes and carrier bags,

'I've got detective work of my own to do.'

I'm like a boy caught with his finger in the pudding. This is a very feminine room. It is.

Where did you get started? Well, my husband was made redundant in 1986.

We decided to start publishing greetings cards

with the people dressed up in old clothes. Where do you find all this?

All over, really. You can still find things in car boots, junk shops - it's very accessible,

especially costume jewellery, it's so affordable. You can have glam in your life,

which everybody needs. Definitely.

Once we've got everything together, what does it look like when it's on? We've got a surprise for you!

We've dressed Liz up and here she is in her 1930s afternoon dress.

Wow! Fantastic! Isn't it lovely? Crepe de Chine cut on the bias. Those colours are right for that era.

She's wearing the little crochet gloves

and a hat with a Moroccan trim.

She's even got the jewellery on. She's just got the right look. She looks fantastic. Yeah.

I think so. So if Liz is wearing 1930s afternoon wear, what's Clara here at our dressing table?

She's ready for an evening at the Kit Kat Club.

She's wearing a beaded evening dress. It's got the gloves to match with the lovely marabou round them.

It's attention to detail - you've got everything from that era. Yes.

She's wearing the right underwear, too. Really? We'll not go into that!

What about the dressing table? That's all period stuff. Yes, from the 1920s.

Very affordable. I see it around my auction room quite often,

so it's accessible. Yes, and easy to find.

We have to leave the ladies behind. There are people who want to know if their objects are worth selling.

This is a meerschaum pipe. How did you acquire it? A lady gave it to me about 70 years ago.

Right. She didn't smoke.

What I find interesting about this is that it's got "Exhibited at Vienna in 1873".

It's unusual to have a documented piece. Nice to have the original box.

Oh! Isn't that beautiful?

Isn't that superb?!

If I could take it out of its box.

Oh, this is one of the most sought-after variety of pipes,

particularly this sort of salacious girl. Very nice.

Look at this wonderful carved head, which is of, possibly, Dionysus,

or maybe just a Satyr.

It's a symbol of sort of lewdness, sexuality,

this would've been smoked in private with a group of other gentlemen that probably had similar pipes.

This is lovely. Meerschaum is a soft stone that was easily carved.

The more you used it, the harder the stone would get through the heat.

The only problem being this amber mouthpiece has become detached.

Inside here there's a small bone scroll, which you could replace, if you wanted,

so anybody buying this would be able to replace it.

Now, it's fixing a value with this damage.

If this came up for auction, allowing for this carving here,

we're looking at something in the region of about £150, £200 - that sort of price range.

I had a rough idea. You should've told me before we began.

Right, you'd like us to sell this? Yeah, fine. OK, we'll go for it.

We'll Flog It! Good idea!

It actually belongs to my cousin... Right. ..who bought it 17 years ago.

1984. Mmm-hmm. He paid quite a considerable amount of money for it, in terms of the 1980s.

Right. And I believe that it is Continental. Yup. And end of the 19th century... Mmm-hmm.

..Perhaps. Mmm-hmm. How much did he pay for it in 1984? £850. Right, right.

It's quite a marketable bronze. It's a good size, a good substantial size, good decorative piece.

It's reasonable quality - it's not the best quality, but reasonable. And the patination is attractive.

Always helps to handle bronze all the time. Why?

The acids in your hand help keep that colour.

It's late 19th century and almost certainly French.

£500 to £700 is what we would be wanting to estimate it at the moment.

There is a difference between retail prices and auction prices.

We estimate conservatively prior to the auction.

In the heady days of the '80s, prices were high.

You may be lucky and get that sort of money back, but to put it in at £850 would be far too high at the moment.

Yeah. How do you feel about that? That's fair comment -

he had surplus cash washing around in the '80s.

Now there's been a dip in the market in recent years in bronzes from what I've read. Mmm-hmm.

Whether that's the case or not...

Quality things are selling well and prices are strong, but the middle to bottom end of the market is falling.

We stand a chance of getting £500 to £700. I'd be happy with that. Absolutely. Great.

We'll give it a go. Excellent.

This is super. Did it belong to you?

Got it at a jumble sale 25 years ago for my son, who was three.

How much did you pay for it? A tenner. Quite expensive for me!

At that time, £10 was a lot. He desperately wanted it.

This dates from sort of mid-1950s to about 1962, that sort of period,

but this is the king of toys... Yeah. ..at that particular time.

It's still in working order.

If a child put his two legs on there, the whole thing goes along - it's wonderful!

So do we have a go at selling this?

Um...I'm quite tempted to keep it for my grandson.

Not everyone's here to sell. This horse is going back.

This is quite attractive to various collectors. How did you acquire it?

I inherited it from my mother. It was a gift from my grandfather.

I think he bought it just either at the end of the war

or just before it ended.

We were staying in London at the time. It's a nice object - first, from the sulphide jewel in the top.

They included these cameo portraits in paperweights. Baccarat did this in France.

The whole idea of this developed in France in the 18th century. This one is English,

and it was perfected by a person called Apsley Pellatt.

He made small jewels, paperweights, scent bottles,

incorporating these ceramic heads.

This has been put into a gilt metal mount with a protective glass on top.

Also, it's turned wood - or treen -

so a collector of treen or sulphide would be interested in this box.

Yes. It's a good piece of Georgian, dressing table furnishing. Yes.

There are traces inside of a metal foil lining. Can you see? Yes.

When you find that, it was always intended to keep something moist or in its original state -

wig powder, but I doubt that, or tobacco or maybe stamps or something.

It has a multiplicity of uses.

These were not cheap. No. This would've been for a middle class household,

maybe in London. Yes. Right.

Now, value of it... I think £80 to £120... Yes. ..at auction.

Could do more - I hope it could do more. Would you like us to sell it? Yes, please. Excellent. Thank you.

We'll do our very best. Thank you. Bearing in mind my estimate.

Yes. Splendid! Thank you. Thank you.

What do you know about it? It belongs to a friend who had an eye operation yesterday.

It belonged to her father and was passed down to her. He worked at York Carriageworks, which I think...

It's got this nice inscription. It's handy it's got the date on - 1901.

That gives an indication of its age. The clock may be slightly earlier.

It would appeal to a furnishing buyer, rather than a horologist.

These were mass-produced movements. If we look at the back of it...

and open the back up, it's got the original paper label here -

"Made in Wurttemberg". Striking on a single, blue steel gong.

It's nice of its type. Somebody had it cleaned in 1953. They've written "September, 1953 - had a good clean".

It's all there and it's all original and it's not in bad condition. It still works? It still works. Yeah?

I'd think, in a nice walnut case - it's nicely made - I think the link with North Eastern Railway company

will probably add, rather than detract from its value, so it's nice to have something like that.

I'd value it in the region of £100, £150, but it should do a bit better.

Would you be happy to sell at that? She said she'd be happy to sell it. We put it in with a reserve of £100.

It doesn't go with current antiques at all. It doesn't fit in. No.

I'm sure somebody would like it. Have you a key for it?

I've a selection of keys you can choose from. A selection. Good.

This is extraordinary. This is the second one we've had in today and this is just as beautiful.

Mother gave me it years ago.

I don't know where it came from. She lived in Cornwall, so... Really?

The date of this is round about 1870, 1880.

These were produced in Germany, in Bavaria - throughout the Eastern European countries,

and they were exported to England, America, and were quite collectable.

This one here is quite erotic because it shows a nude female.

I'll call her "Venus, Goddess of Love", with the little putto at the side holding a mirror to her face.

Beautifully carved.

All this undercutting of a sort of entwining branch with all the leaves is beautiful,

and she's putting garlands into her hair, which you can see at the side.

It's carved completely in the round.

Look at her flowing locks. It is a beautifully produced pipe. Yeah.

The pipe is not too heavy, it's fairly lightweight,

but it's heavy enough, unfortunately, to fracture the joint there

and also this other section.

Mmm. Nothing to worry about. For a collector, it's not a problem.

Have you had this on display? No, it's been in a drawer. In a drawer?

Mother gave me it many years ago,

but I was coming along here today and I talked to my daughter-in-law last night

and said I was bringing this willow bowl. OK. She said, "What about the pipe?" You've got a bowl in there.

It's still in its original box.

You've got some actual burning just here and some little bit of wear

either where it's been knocked or used, where it's wearing away through the actual colour tones.

Overall, it's very good. I'd like to see this in auction, I'd like to see it go somewhere between £170 to £200.

Less than the other one - that's slightly erotic, whereas here we have a playful female.

Can we sell this? Yes. Excellent. Thank you. Thank you.

This is your furniture? Yes. What do you call it? A chest.

That's what it is - it's a storage chest for linen,

often called coffers or kists.

It's a nice piece of furniture. Do you know how old it is? It belonged to my husband's grandmother. Right.

It goes back a long way before that. I'd think this is late 17th century. Oh.

Difficult to date, these - they're a standard piece of furniture that occurred in most provincial houses

as storage chests and they go well into the 18th century.

In the 19th century, you get similar ones made in mahogany and pine.

It's got one or two things wrong with it. That I appreciate. Yeah.

The first thing, if we open the lid, the obvious thing are the hinges.

These have been later cut in. What we would've had are wire loop hinges. You can see here,

those have been broken off.

Wire loop hinges are two pieces of wire that cross like that and they always break,

so often the hinges are replaced.

These originally stood on stone flag floors.

The feet have been cut down. As the flag floors were washed down, these feet rotted.

They get shorter, then they're replaced,

When we look at the back, you'll see it's had new feet put on.

That's one thing that would affect the price.

It's had one or two pieces let in,

then if we look at this side, it's had major worm damage and somebody's let a piece of wood into there.

Can we find anything else wrong? It's bowed... It's bowed at the top.

You've just wax polished this? Yeah. It's got...

From the outset, it looks quite a nice colour, looks quite attractive.

You're wanting to sell this piece? Yes. What do you think it might be worth? I don't know. You tell me.

The oak market has been reasonably strong over the last couple of years.

Buyers like good, original condition.

They don't like alterations - the feet being cut down, worm damage,

and they don't like later carving.

This carving's probably OK, so that may save the day.

I'd think an estimate of £250 to £350 is probably realistic, although conservative.

Does that horrify you? Yes. You thought it was worth more. About twice that. Twice.

You'd have to be realistic. Yeah. We could probably put the reserve slightly higher at £250, but...

I want to sell it. You're happy to put it in at that figure? Yeah.

Somebody should buy it at that price. Thank you. Good.

I'm off in search of a good book.

Not the latest best seller - I'm after something older and this is the right place.

Yorkshire Tour by Ella Pontefract and Marie Hartley. I'm meeting Tony Fothergill, co-owner of Spelman's.

He has a couple of old manuscripts for me to look at.

This is all handwritten, so it's not just the printed word you have.

No, we do a lot with manuscripts. They're the sort of small change of history. Few survive. What's this?

This covers three years of the house expenses

of a chap in Essex. Would this have been kept by the man of the house or would this be the butler's job?

The man. It's too personal to be done by a butler.

A particular fascination... He had a brother in Ripon.

He seems to have sent many oysters up to his brother. Oysters? Yeah.

Oysters here, and again and again you can pick these out. I must ask - what sort of value?

This we're selling for £850. It's a fair bit of money for what is, essentially, a shopping list. It is,

but what's so fascinating, it's a chart of all the wages of that time.

You know - how much did you pay the boy to scare the crows?

These things are used by historical researchers. It's a snippet of history. Yeah.

What else have you got? Well, down here... Slightly different scale, although not so different in date.

A pamphlet printed in Edinburgh, 1760. My home town.

This is a proposal to clean the city up. It's described as a place where "dung rains from the sky".

Yes, the phrase "gardyloo" came from that. Exactly.

Is this the top end of the book market or is this average prices?

We have some that are more expensive. This, again, is an 18th-century book,

designed for the use of artists - a pattern book of animals -

at a time when people may not have known what an ostrich looked like. He's laying out good examples.

OK, so you've told us it's a bit more expensive. How much is it?

This one's on sale for £6,500.

£6,500? Yeah. That's a lot of money for a book. It is, but there's only five copies known to have survived.

The rest are in...? Institutions. This is rare? Very. There's no record of it turning up at auction.

Our owners have chosen to sell. Let's see what's going to auction.

Mrs Roberts is selling her coffer, but didn't like Nigel's opinion.

The lady was disappointed with the valuation.

Does that horrify you?

Yes. It might exceed that.

The owners of the meerschaum pipes were keen to sell.

One has risque carving, the other is more intricate.

Unique, hand-carved, and there's only one example of each,

so those are very good.

Glen's cousin hopes to cut his losses after buying this for £850.

If it doesn't make £500 to £700, I'll be surprised.

And Helen Lennox is ready to pass the treen box on to a collector.

Sulphide jewel, a gentleman's portrait, classical features, contained within a gold mount.

That was very nice. I think that'll do well.

The walnut clock was brought in by a friend of the owner.

It's in a walnut case, it's a good decorator's piece -

it'll make over £100.

The auction house is packed with people hoping to pick up a bargain.

Amongst the lots are our owners' pieces. Auctioneer Andrew Macmillan is going to tell me what he thinks.

Have David and Nigel got it right?

Helen told us about her treen box.

It was bought by her grandfather for her mother and she inherited it.

Andrew, what exactly is treen?

Treen is a catch-all word meaning turned wood.

Ideal for us - when you don't know what it is, you can call it treen. It gets you out of some fixes. Yes.

This one has a cameo panel on top. A bit like a Roman head.

Roman or Greek - hard to say, because it's small, but the box is shallow. What would it be for?

I suppose just small valuable items, jewellery. Could be anything? Yeah.

David thought £80 to £120. Looks awful plain for that.

It's quite an early one, probably late Georgian. That's a fair age.

It might get to £80. As much as that? Yeah. Great.

A meerschaum pipe - explain that to us.

These are probably cheroot holders.

They have a detachable top. If you think about it, you wouldn't get much tobacco in one of those pipes.

They are very small. They'd just be to fix a cheroot in. They're ornate.

This one is almost risque. Almost. There's a nude figure on the front.

I can see the smoker fondling that.

Some are even more risque than this. Really?

Very often carved with rather Rubenesque ladies and that sort of thing, but these are quite tame.

A bit of damage. Will that affect the price? A little, but damage to the mouthpiece isn't a big problem.

It's a question of re-affixing it. David put a value of £150 to £200 on this one. Are we close there?

We're in the right area. Are they collectable? Yes. The problem is a lot of them have been faked,

which can devalue the good ones,

but this is genuine - I think it'll make the money. I'm sure Mr Hyman will be pleased if he gets £200.

Margaret Nolan gave us the second one. That is fabulously ornate. That is just over the top.

It is, and the carving goes right the way round the cheroot holder.

Although it looks more ornate, this isn't as desirable as Bacchus and the naked lady.

Because it's too much? Yes, so this will be less money than the first one.

David thought the same. He put it at £130 to £200. £130 again?

I think about in the right area. We might just struggle a little bit.

Pretty close. Interesting items. Lovely.

The owner of this bronze boy was really flush in the heady days of the '80s -

he paid £850 for it, 20 years ago. Will he take much of a loss today?

It'll be £200 or so. Really? £500 to £700 is probably about the mark.

Nigel agreed, so it should fetch in that region. Yes.

It's very nice - nicely modelled, good colour. It's got character.

He's a busy boy, filing away. Absolutely, but I think he'd be struggling to get his money back.

But Nigel's on the mark? I think so. Great stuff.

Oak is one of my very favourite materials. Mrs Robertson's oak coffer is a beautiful example.

17th-century, dark oak - the shine on it is absolutely irreplaceable.

What about this? £250 to £300, Nigel thought. In with a shout, surely? In with a good chance.

I'd expect it to make £300 to £400.

Interestingly, 15 or 20 years ago it would've made about the same.

It's not budged. Hardly, but it's a nice example. It's a beauty!

Inside, there's a box in the corner where you would've kept some private papers.

All original, apart from the odd bit of timber, but it's lovely. It's certainly a beautiful coffer.

I think we're on a winner. I'd hope so. Great stuff.

Our owners are here to watch the buyers bid, but will the bidders find our lots worth bargaining for?

First up is the treen box.

I've got Helen Lennox here, owner of the lovely Georgian treen box. Helen, what makes you want to sell?

I'm not a treen collector and it has been purely an ornament in our family for so many years.

I thought I'd let it go and perhaps somebody else would appreciate it for its intrinsic value.

Lovely, lovely.

Are you sorry to see it go? Yes, a little nostalgia. Of course. You're a bit attached to it? Yes.

£80 to £120 - in with a shout? You're nervous about selling, I'm nervous about being right.

After all, £100 - quite a good selection of stuff here for £100. Have you been tempted? Um, a little.

But you haven't yet? No, not yet.

666a is the little treen box. £50 for it? £50 I'm bid.

I'm bid £55. £60. £65. £70. £75.

£80. £85. We're in your estimate. Good.

£100. £110. £100 at the back. We're at your £100.

£110 - a new bid. Do I hear £120? £110. Anyone else?

It's going at £110. Mr P Clark, thank you.

Another one. Very good. That's the name of the game.

I'm very impressed. Didn't you think it was going to reach that?

I wasn't so sure about it, nor was the auctioneer. Yes. It's a very unusual item, a specialist market,

but clearly the people are here for it. It was that little jewel on top.

The jewel that you educated me on. Yes. Thank you. You learn something new every day!

Mrs Roberts wasn't impressed with Nigel's valuation of her oak coffer, but what will the buyers think?

Unfortunately, she's on holiday. Lucky her. Let's hope she doesn't spend too much money, just in case.

A cracking oak coffer, £250 to £350. Shouldn't be a problem, but the furniture's not going well.

Furniture's not going well today. It's been pretty groggy. Yeah.

It's a good, small, period piece, attractive, a nice size - they normally sell.

877.

Oak coffer, down in the corner. A couple of hundred to start me.

£150. £160. £180?

£180. £200. £220?

We're going well. Mmm. £200 it's stuck at. Still going!

£260. £280? £300?

£280 over there. Looking good for Mrs Roberts!

Anyone else? £300. £320?

£320. £340? £340. £360?

£360. £380? £360, still over there at £360. Anyone else now?

£360, it's going. £360, then.

And £360! I'm very pleased with that!

Another good one! A good price on a slow day. £10 above your top estimate. That's good.

£180. £200. £220? £220. £240. £260?

£260. £280. £300? £300. £320. £340? £340. £360. £380?

Will Mr Hyman's meerschaum smoking paraphernalia do as well as expected or is that a pipe dream?

I've got Mr Hyman here. It's the first of David's meerschaum pipes. You've had this for about 70 years?

60 years. 60 years already.

What brings you to sell it?

It's something that comes to an end. Move on. I've no-one to give it to.

David reckons it's going to do £150 to £200. £200 - what'll you spend that on?

I'm a pipe smoker, so maybe some tobacco.

It's a specialist subject. I hope the dealers are here.

681, meerschaum pipe.

681. £100 for it? £80 I'm bid.

£85. £90? £90. £95. £100?

£105. £110. It's going very fast already.

£140. £150. £160? £150 with Charlie. Do I hear £160?

£160. £170. £180. Wow, it's whizzing up!

£180. Do I hear £190? £180.

Anyone else quickly? £180, then. All done at £180.

£180. Excellent! What are you drinking?

Mine's a nice big pint later on. Well done, I'm so pleased for you.

Thanks very much. I hope you're not too sad seeing it go. Not really, it just lies there. Gathering dust?

£180. That's fantastic! What's so interesting, it's slap bang between the lower and the upper estimate.

Stop showing off, David! Brilliant! We know you did well.

Will the second pipe do as well? Glen's bronze boy is up next.

Glen is the cousin of the owner of the bronze boy.

Glen, your cousin was flush in the '80s? He was in the merchant navy, came out, had a bit of surplus cash

and decided to buy the bronze boy. Spent quite a lot on it, to be fair.

How is he feeling? Is he nervous? A bit. He feels he's not going to get a return on his cash,

which he understands, because he bought it at a dealer. OK.

Are you a regular of the auction? I've been here a number of times.

I've bought some furniture over the years. Here's the bronze boy now.

709.

The big French bronze. £300? Yes.

Thank you. £300. Do I hear £320?

£320. £350? £350. £380. £400? £400.

£420. £450? Bidding at £420. £420 it's stuck at!

£420. Do I hear £450? £420. Anyone else quickly? £420, then.

It's stuck - it's not going anywhere! £420. Mr Wilson.

That's a disappointment. Yes. It is.

Bad luck, Glen. Not to worry. Nigel...

You WERE short. I always say, let's try the lot and it'll bomb.

Ah! In this case! We had a lovely picture in the catalogue and didn't do any business. I'm very surprised.

I thought it would've done more, too. Glen, how do you feel? Gutted!

That bad? Not as bad as my cousin will. You make the call, not me!

Just one of those things. We'll try again another day. Yes. You cannae win them all!

Where's Mrs Nolan? Her pipe's next.

The excitement's too much for Mrs Nolan - she saw the last pipe sell for £180 and she's off to the shops!

I hope she's not spending in advance. I hope not!

Her one is even more ornate. But it hasn't got that eroticism, which I think sold the other one. Mmm-hmm.

But there's clearly meerschaum buyers here. Yes, and both were beautifully carved. Yes.

It'll be interesting how much this makes. Meerschaum pipe.

696. £100 for it?

£100 bid. £100 bid already - right in at £100.

£120. £130? £130. £140? £140. £150?

£150. £160. £170. Wow! £190.

£200. £210? £200. Told you this was more ornate!

£230. £240. £250? £250. £260?

£250 on my right. Do I hear £260? Where is Mrs Nolan?

£250. Selling at £250. Mr Josh.

£250! Ooh! That's the top end of the estimate!

Absolutely. That's terrific. It is. What can I say - I'm so impressed!

This guy knows what he's on about! I'm down on one. That's not bad.

We've reached our final lot. Mrs Lodge has made it to auction to see if the clock will sell.

Danny brought it in. Yes. You were having an operation - all OK now? Fine. Glad to hear it.

Are you nervous about selling it or pleased to see it go? Very happy.

Found it in the attic. Did you? So I thought we'd have a go. Hopefully, we're going to make you over £150.

Hopefully. Nervous about that? Excited? Excited. Yes! Wonderful!

Are you a regular at auctions? I like auctions.

It's a smart thing. I think it'll do well for you,

but every sale's different - until it's over, we don't know. We'll see.

Our auctioneer was also confident. Me, too.

We can't all be wrong. Nigel is sometimes, but all of us can't be.

777.

Mantel clock. There we are. £100 for it? "£80," he says.

£90? £90. £100? £100. £110? £100.

£110. £120? £120. £130. £140? £140. £150?

£140! We're at £140.

£140. £150? £160? £150 on the phone. £150! Do I hear £160?

£150. Any more? Selling at £150.

Mrs Lodge, £150! Wonderful! Fantastic! Great!

I saw you getting excited! Yes!

£150. Top end of the estimate. Yeah, Nigel did well for you. Very good. Yeah.

£150 in the bank or you'll spend it tonight? Oh, probably spend it tonight. Excellent! Be reckless!

Tell us which pub you're going to. Yes, OK!

What an exhausting day! Everything sold, just about, and, by and large, our owners are going away happy.

Helen Lennox's treen box sold for £110. She's sad to see it go, but knows it will be loved.

It was that jewel on top. The jewel you educated me on. Yes. Thank you. You learn something new every day!

The bronze boy didn't reach its reserve. He'll have to come back.

£420.

Gutted! Gutted. That bad? I don't feel as gutted as my cousin will be. You make the call, not me, thanks!

Mrs Nolan missed the sale of her pipe. It was the best of the two.

£250! Anyone else? Where is Mrs Nolan?

£250. Selling at £250. Mr Josh. Thank you.

We've tracked down Mrs Nolan - we dragged her out of a shop. Mrs Nolan, where did you get to?

I was trying to put time in.

Fantastic news - your meerschaum pipe that David estimated at £130 to £200...

sold for £260! Lovely! That was good, wasn't it? Great. That's great. How does that make you feel?

It was gathering dust in a drawer. It had been in the drawer for years. £260 - what'll you spend that on?

I'll put it in the bank for now and think about it. Wise Scottish move!

Savour the moment - spend it later.

The Medleys have joined us for a drink to celebrate their sales.

All done at £210!

You must be delighted. I'm really, really thrilled.

Then your husband joined in. He did. £70 for your nips. Marvellous!

Absolutely! So between you, you're going home with nearly £300. Yes. Not bad for a day out at an auction.

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