Newmarket Flog It!

Welcome to Flog It! Today, as you might guess, we're in Newmarket.

Flog It! is all about making money from your unwanted antiques.

At an auction like this, there's nearly always somebody to bid on the things you're glad to get rid of.

Our experts put their reputations on the line as they give valuations which will be tested at auction.

If right, owners go home with the cash. If wrong, our experts go home with their tails between their legs.

Later, we'll see what the buyers in Tattersalls

make of the items brought to our valuation in Newmarket.

Here's a look at owners in the grip of auction fever.

Bang! It's great, isn't it? Wonderful!

What will you spend the money on? I think we'd better wait and see.

Well done. Are you pleased with that? Yeah.

I like it, but I wouldn't have it in my house. Yeah.

Come on, come on! Wonderful!

A bargain. It was worth a lot more. It's worth what somebody will pay!

Result!

In the Edward VII Hall, the people of Newmarket are unwrapping antiques in anticipation of a valuation.

Here to help them decide which items will go through to auction, our glamorous auctioneer Kate Alcock.

One thing that's tricky about valuing on the spot is that people come with their own expectations,

and something may not be worth what somebody THINKS it may be worth.

And the affable James Braxton.

You just have to react to what is presented in front of you, and it's great fun - Christmas every day.

We've a selection of silver. A piece I'm really excited about is this.

Tell me about this. Where did it come from? It belonged to my aunt. She left it to us.

So you've had it for how long? Six years. And do you like it? Yes, yes.

And have you any idea of the value? No, I haven't a clue. I know nothing about it.

Well, it's English silver, and we've got a hallmark on the bottom,

for London, 1899,

so it's right at the end of the Victorian period.

The nice thing about it is this lovely embossed decoration, which is typically Art Nouveau in style -

we've got big poppy heads and leaves, all embossed,

in a lovely frieze, on a hammered finish round,

again used a lot in the Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts period.

And lovely quality cast, pierce-scroll feet here, three of these.

And the other feature is a maker's mark for WC,

which is William Comyns, working in London at the turn of the century.

He's recorded in the Goldsmiths' Hall around 1902, this is just before,

and he's known for being a quality maker, quality silversmith. Yes.

Value at auction - with the William Comyns mark, that's going to add to its value -

collectors like his work, it's a sign of quality.

I would say, conservatively, ?300 to ?500 at auction, maybe more. Lovely. Does that please you? Very pleased.

And would you be happy if we flog it for you? Yes, very much. Good. Yes, lovely. Thank you. Not at all.

Just look at this. Isn't it exquisite? It's beautiful.

Absolutely stunning. And if I just do this, watch what happens.

BIRDSONG

That's priceless, isn't it?

We're in Newmarket, I'm with someone who is involved in the racing world. Tell me a little bit about it.

What did you do? I used to ride horses, and I rode for 35, 40 years.

Flat racing, of course, not jumping. Yep.

How long ago did you buy this box? I would think about 35 years ago.

35 years ago. For the princely sum of...? 10p. 10p!

And was it bought at an auction or a shop? Just an ordinary house sale I happened to be passing at the time.

The more I look at it, the more I'm unsure of EXACTLY its purpose!

Has it ever been used in the family? Not at all. No.

What, languished on a sideboard somewhere? In a drawer. Oh, it was in a drawer. For the last 35 years.

Well, it's just lovely quality. We've got this lovely Makassar ebony, or coromandel.

It's a fabulous tropical hardwood, lovely grain,

and what I like are these lovely gilt-brass let-in straps all around.

And the ivory tablet, here, marked with the maker's label of Parkins Gotto of Oxford Street in London.

We've got a rather nice glass scent bottle,

and then a secret little jewellery place in there,

and some pots, two pots - regrettably one of them's broken.

They're not silver, they're plated. Then this interesting thing would've carried liquid.

And the more I look at it, this zinc lining, maybe it was a combination, with paints, a travelling thing,

with a bit of make-up. If there had been a ceramic bowl for watercolours that would've confirmed its use,

but there's some missing items that don't confirm my suspicions, but it's a nice item.

Any idea of its worth? No idea at all. No idea.

I think it'll give you a good return on this. If we were being cautious, we'd put ?100 to ?150 on it.

But I think it should make around ?150.

Thanks. That's fine. So you've a nice item. Yeah, that's fine.

What a lovely patch box, and we've got "A Pledge of Love" on the top.

Was this from an admirer, may I ask? It wasn't. I bought it myself.

And did you buy it at auction? No, I bought it in a fair, antiques fair.

I just saw it and just thought it was so lovely, and the history of it -

who gave it to who, where it's from - and I loved it, so I bought it.

You DO wonder what sort of stories are behind these things, don't you? It's probably late 19C, by Bilston -

Bilston were enamelling patch boxes at that time. If we look inside, it's in lovely condition.

Sometimes you'll have a mirrored interior, but this hasn't.

On the top we've got what looks like a turreted building, and a bit of damage on the edge,

which actually isn't too noticeable.

Value at auction I would think is going to be ?70 to ?100. OK.

Is that about what you paid for it? I paid ?100. I see.

Would it bother you if it sold below what you paid? No. You're more happy looking for something else? Yeah.

Let someone have it that wants to give it to an admirer.

We're lucky it's not raining today.

Oh, that's beautiful. That's in keeping with where we are - a bit of equine stuff.

Leaving The Smithy. I'm sure one of our experts would love to see that.

Sorry I made you unwrap it!

God, I'm a menace, aren't I?

Maurice. Hi, Maurice.

You're on, mate. What have you brought? This came from Windsor Castle.

When the queen died, King Edward - this gentleman, I think it was this gentleman...

I'm saying, "Where's King Edward?!" He told the servants that they could have what they wanted.

This came off the wall in the Great Hall. It's very kitsch-looking! Yeah. It's enough to kill anyone else!

Maurice, you've brought along this amazing piece of Victorian majolica.

Tell me, how did you come by it?

Well, my grandmother used to work at Windsor Castle, from 1897 to 1907,

but when Queen Victoria died in 1901, I think I'm right... Yeah. ..the old King Edward came along and says,

"There's a load of rubbish at Windsor Castle. Throw it out,"

and gave instructions to the servants, within reason, to take what they wanted.

So my grandmother picked this, so we've had it in our family ever since.

I think your grandmother showed enormous presence of mind.

She's picked something now that is very fashionable and much collected.

It is in fact made by Mintons,

and Mintons produced - like any other porcelain pottery factory -

conventional wares, and then suddenly, in the 1860s,

they seemed to have this rush of blood to the head and produced amazing fantasy earthenware.

The colours are beautiful, and this fabulous turquoise interior.

If we look at the back, all the shell, but more importantly here,

for the collector we've got a nice stamp - Minton.

We've also got a date letter, and I'm looking up in the book, here -

it's 1861, with a month mark of November.

So it's really got everything.

They're very keenly collected abroad, especially American collectors love Minton majolica.

It's a great piece. Very colourful, with a great story. What provenance!

Thank you for bringing this along. I think we'll have fun at the auction, and we might be in for a surprise.

Um...I haven't told you how much it's worth, have I, Maurice? Oh, no!

I think we should put an auction estimate of ?1,500 to ?2,000 on it,

and I think we'll get ?2,000 or ?3,000. Thank you very much.

What a good start to the day! Linda Rustad's Art Nouveau silver bowl

is by a named artist and should do well at our auction.

Ex-jockey Eric bought this for 10p,

which definitely gives him the whip hand at auction.

James reckons it'll top ?100.

Small is beautiful, and Barbara's pillbox is a good example.

Let's hope the price it makes at auction

is an exception to the rule.

And we have a royal cast-off in Maurice's majolica clam shell.

It's big, it's pink, and it'll probably find its way to the USA.

Here at Tattersalls Sales Ring you'd normally find millions of pounds' worth of thoroughbred racehorses.

Today Rowley Fine Arts are having their antiques sale.

Amongst the items under the scrutiny of the local trade are our lots.

Before they're put up for sale, let's see what auctioneer Andrew Cheney thinks.

An exceptionally good quality silver Art Nouveau bowl, in Linda's family all her life - it was her aunt's.

Not my cup of tea, but what do you think?

I hope she's going to be pleasantly surprised. We put ?300 on this. I'm hoping it will make more than that.

Various elements, difficult to say,

but certainly more than ?300. The Art Nouveau flowers,

the hammered finish - really what a collector is looking for. So let's hope she's pleased with the result.

That'll be great if it gets ?500 or something. Good.

Now this gentleman's box belongs to Eric. He bought it for 10p, 35 years ago, so there's no reserve on it!

Our experts have put ?100 to ?150 on it. Do you think that's too rich?

Slightly. I think if we were just looking at it as a box, I would definitely agree with you.

The difference is it's not a mahogany box, it's got a nice brass binding on it,

there's a London retailer's mark inside.

Granted, inside it, it IS a little bit of a mess, but for someone to refit that, maybe use it for cigars,

I could see it - once transformed - being a very desirable piece.

Something that, with a little care, could be brought up to being quite a smart thing.

Excellent. So we'll see on the day, but hopefully Eric will be pleased.

This has to be the smallest lot in the auction. Probably!

Barbara's pillbox, which says "A Pledge of Love". Interesting thing.

You see quite a lot of these. In fact, we'd one in our last auction.

They WERE made quite late in the 19C

and I think this is probably a continental one and not much more than 100 years of age. Right.

We've got a value of ?70. Will it fetch that? I think that's sensible. The last one we had exceeded that.

So let's hope for Barbara's sake... I'll tell you why, cos she paid ?100 for it from an antique shop.

Did she really? Yes. OK. Try and get her money back. Let's hope we can.

Tattersalls is a huge arena and looks pretty empty, but don't worry.

The big hitters often leave bids on the book or bid on the telephone.

First, we have Linda and her stylish Art Nouveau bowl.

Linda, how are you feeling? Great. Excited? Up for it? Very excited.

Not long now. Yes. Will you be sad to see the bowl go?

A little bit, because it was left to me by my aunt,

but she collected it and this is what she wanted. It's very Art Nouveau. Were you into that sort of period?

I wasn't, but this is all down to my aunt, yes.

It's a quality piece. It's a super piece of Art Nouveau silver. Lovely decorative quality.

OK, here we go, here we go! Oh, here we go! Did you bring the boys?

No, but they're waiting at home for a call. We have the silver bowl.

London, 1899,

and a lot of interest in this lot. Starting here with me, 300...

Yes! ..350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650,

700... It's going bonkers!

?750 already bid. The highest absentee bidder at 750.

I'll take 800 anywhere. 750 it is, then. Are we all finished at 750?

Last chance at ?750, I'm selling.

Bang! That's great, isn't it?

Wonderful!

That is unbelievable! The boys WILL be pleased. They will be.

I am. I think Kate is. I didn't even like it. I didn't like the feet.

It may well be that a private buyer was taking on the trade and took it up. It's a lovely piece. Lovely.

Well done. Very pleased.

Maurice, your grandmother obviously had a very keen eye. Must've done. You didn't really like this, though.

Well, it's very nice. When I look at it, now I'm older, I appreciate it, but nobody ever looked at it

because it was hung on the wall, and who would look at it up there when you're looking straight ahead,

even if you're six foot tall, you know? Here we go.

The Americans love this, don't they?

You might have a phone bid from the States.

I think it's fair only to make mention

that there is, although it's not a WRITTEN provenance,

there is a verbal Royal provenance with this piece.

We've done as much research as we can with it, and the probability is

that it was made for Queen Victoria for the Royal Dairy at Frogmore

and was subsequently given to a relative of the current vendor

by Edward VII.

Quite amazing. Yeah. Gives you a tingle, actually. Yeah.

Yeah, you too? I mean, it's history, isn't it?

1,450, ?1,500 already bid. At 1,500.

At ?1,500 already bid.

1,550 is now bid on James's telephone. ?1,550 on James's phone.

Any advance on ?1,550, then?

At 1,550, are we all finished at 1,550, then? Your buyer.

Fair warning.

It's gone at ?1,550. It's gone. It's gone. You happy?

Yeah, but I would like to have seen ?2,000. I think James would.

I would like to have seen ?2,000. Someone's got a bargain.

I think it tickled through, but it's a very expensive wall pocket.

Yeah. A rather loud one as well. Very loud!

Next up, Eric. Guess what Eric used to do for a living.

How you doing, mate? Lovely, thanks. Great.

Rode a few winners in your time? A few. Yeah? Mm-hm.

Still miss the game? A little bit, yeah. How many injuries? Not many. Pretty good. Good man, then.

Got away with it lucky, really. Are you still involved with the whole jockey scene? No. Had enough? Yeah.

Were you ever into horses? No.

Just stood there cheering him on, you know.

I just hope this box does well for you. ..It's a cute little box.

It is a pretty little box. It seems to be a silver day today. Let's hope it's also a little box day.

What did you use the little box for? Just for knick-knacks. Yeah.

It could be converted into a nice cigar box. Yeah.

And the toilet box being held up for you there.

It's got some nice fittings inside. At 30, 40, 50,

60, 70, 80,

?90, I know have, here in my book. At 90.

100 bid there, but 110 against you.

120 is now bid there in the room.

At ?120, on my right. At 120.

130 now, in a new place.

140 now. 140. Go on!

150 now. Nose in front. 160 now.

At 160, I think we're all finished, then.

Good. Well done! That's great! Are you pleased with that? Yeah.

James was bang on. ?150, he said. A little bonus of ?10.

- Lovely. He got it just about right. - I'll have the ?10!

Well done. What about that? Thank you very much. It's an experience.

Will you look around, see what you can buy? Yeah, if I see anything, if THAT sells, I will buy something.

If it doesn't, will you jump in the car and go home? Yeah!

Go and have a good drink at home!

It should sell, shouldn't it, Kate?

Hope so. I saw a gentleman looking at it. So at least ONE took it out of the cabinet.

Lot 1, ladies and gentlemen, down there, thank you.

The enamel patch box. A lot of interest in this.

60, 70, 80, ?90 I have already bid on this.

The bid is 90. 100, I see there.

I've 110 against you. My money back.

We're in profit now. 120, 130...

Brilliant! Brilliant! 150,

160, 170, 180,

190. At 190 it's on the stairs, but 200 back there...

You can smell the money now! I know!

At 200 right in front of me... Wow!

Are we all finished at 200? Sold.

Wow! What a result! What a result! Well done!

Well done, Kate. You were nervous about that.

I DIDN'T pay too much, then. You didn't. ..Buy at fairs!

Some satisfied customers already, then. Now, in a few minutes, we'll see what turns up for valuation,

but first, let's pop across the road for a taste of racing heritage at the National Horseracing Museum.

Graham, we're surrounded by horseracing antique memorabilia, but there's also some modern stuff.

Indeed. Frankie Dettori's boots.

Those are the actual boots that Frankie Dettori wore when he won all seven races at Ascot in 1996.

What would a pair of boots like that be worth now? A tremendous amount of money,

bearing in mind that seven races were won and it may never be done again.

I take it, at auction recently, his breeches sold for quite a lot. Yes!

His Y-fronts supposedly went for thousands of pounds. I think that's probably some avid female collector.

Shall we wander through? Here we've got a section devoted to Fred Archer,

one of the greatest jockeys of all time, a Lester Piggott of his day. This is VERY collectable, isn't it?

Indeed. Fred Archer probably is regarded as the first sporting hero,

so you see his emblem, portraits of him on ceramics, plates, jugs.

He truly was a unique person who caught the imagination of the public.

The history is quite unique with Fred.

Yes. Unfortunately he committed suicide at 29. Very young. 1886.

Very young, but his achievement as a jockey was remarkable. Outstanding.

2,094 wins out of 8,084 mounts. That's a remarkable achievement for a jockey. Wow!

Here we have the head of Persimmon, supposedly a fine example of Edwardian taxidermy.

Persimmon won the Derby in 1896,

and that's in fact on loan from the Queen. Right.

Whose colours are those? The Queen's colours. Are those ALWAYS hers?

Yes, handed from generation to generation.

That looks really interesting. It's a ballot box, isn't it? Yes, it was used by stewards on the racecourse.

So how did they vote? They would've put their hand through the front of the chest, through the cylinder,

and they would've put the black ball into the "for" or "against" slot.

Hence the phrase "blackball". Right, THAT'S where it came from.

With the Newmarket folk queuing patiently,

I can't resist a sneak preview of what's in store for Kate and James.

What's that?

No idea. George Fox.

Oh, A Tale Of Waterloo. That's the Duke of Wellington. Yes. The frame's incredible, if nothing else.

I think the PICTURE'S incredible. Do you? Yeah!

That's great - they're all in the tavern. Talking a load of rubbish in the pub - what men do nowadays.

They don't talk rubbish! They do! They get drunk and it all gets exaggerated.

That's lovely.

Rita, where do you keep this at home? Under the stairs, gathering dust.

When did it see the light of day?

Last night, and I dusted it this morning. Rather a lot of dust as well.

Well, it's come up very well. Where did it come from?

It belonged to my in-laws. And did they have it under the stairs too? No, hanging over their fireplace.

That could possibly explain these cracks in it, cos they often used a slightly bitumen-based paint

that tended to crack when exposed to heat. That's the only thing that slightly detracts from it.

Otherwise, it's a very attractive image. Mid-19th century. George Fox was a London-based artist,

and he did all these genre subjects.

His particular genre was these tavern interiors

and rather nice Victorian whimsy-like scenes. It's nicely titled - A Tale Of Waterloo.

The returning soldier telling his village fellows about the Battle of Waterloo.

We've got some nice things in here. The settle - a panelled oak settle.

The trunkless longcase clock, here, hanging on the wall.

And what a fabulous silk topper. It is beautiful. And lovely waistcoat.

I think if you're not going to have a pretty lady,

what better than a soldier with a fabulous colourful tunic?

Do you have ANY idea what it might be worth? No. Stab in the dark? No.

I actually don't like it. I find it very ornate. Yeah.

It's fun, it's a good overall package, we'll put an estimate of ?500 to ?700 on it. That's good.

I think it's a very attractive item.

David and Rita, it's great to see you again. I was foraging outside, and I loved that little painting.

You've seen James, he likes it, and he's put it forward to the auction.

What did he value it at? Between ?500 and ?700. That's good, isn't it? Absolutely speechless. Really?

Brilliant! It's something you find underneath the stairs

and say, "I can get ?500, what shall I do with the money?" Exactly.

Did you like the painting? It's not to my taste. It's too ornate.

Did you take it off the wall and march it down here? No, we took it out from under the stairs...!

Then I took two years of dust off it. So you don't like it... No. ..and are pleased to get rid of it? Yes.

How long have you had it? Two years. It was my in-laws'. You inherited it.

Let's hope it reaches more than seven. How will you spend the money? Put it towards a holiday. Good.

We might not make Barbados but perhaps Malta. It'll make somewhere better than Malta! You never know!

When was your last holiday? Three or four years ago. So you deserve one? Yes.

I hope it does well at the auction. See you then. Thank you.

You've a late Victorian table here.

The thing I like most about it is this barley twist walnut column.

Super colour. In lovely condition.

Moving down to this tripod base...

It has lovely-shaped feet but we have got some repairs here,

and again here, which is going to affect the value a little bit.

But moving up to the top...

This is quite interesting.

We've got a later piece of mahogany in here.

The rest of it is walnut. Can you tell me about that?

The marquetry was all in the middle, and my auntie used to have a flowerpot stand on there,

and the water must have seeped through and broke it all up,

so I had the top restored. Right. You had that done yourself? Yes, I did.

He took this out of the middle and put it all round the outside. I see.

So the marquetry that was in the centre helped to restore this bit around the outside? Yes. Right.

This is a lovely bit of decoration. We've got all sorts of different woods in here and they're stained

to bring the floral decoration alive.

But we have got quite a late mahogany panel in the centre here, and that will affect the value.

In good original condition, you might be looking at ?200 to ?300,

but the restoration brings it down.

I would think ?100, ?150 with the repairs to the legs and the top replacement. Yeah.

Are you happy at that? Yes, fine.

Happy to offer it auction? Yes, thanks.

The thing I like about it the most is this lovely walnut column.

That's the most attractive bit about it, really, isn't it?

What wonderful pieces of contemporary furniture!

This is a Verner Panton. It's Danish. Yes.

Late '60s, early '70s. That's right.

Not just a piece of contemporary sculpture - it meets contemporary design and it's beautifully made.

It looks tidy and is comfortable to sit on.

The weight is distributed by this pivot. It's supported by the feet.

To me, all these ellipses just smack of the space age.

It's late '60s, Man getting to the moon... Wonderful! It's James Bond,

2001: A Space Odyssey,

Austin Powers even! It's superb.

I'd love to have seen this in a deep ultraviolet or a bright red.

Unfortunately, it's a bit tatty. Yes. It was well used! It's been worn a lot.

How long have you had it? We bought it new in the mid '60s, but moved to a cottage about ten years ago,

and it's been sitting in the loft ever since! Hopefully we'll sell it! I hope so, yes.

In its present condition, it's worth about ?60 to ?80. Yes.

It'll attract interest. Probably they'll get it reupholstered... Yes.

..in a vivid hue, which is what these colours would be. Indeed.

And then it might double its value. Yes. Maybe touch ?200 once it's restored.

This table is beautiful. Look at the design!

This is so cool. It is cool design. It really is.

It's functional and practical.

And it's lacquered plywood, so it's very heavy. It looks like plastic. It does. Until you go to pick it up!

I was attracted by this design.

I thought it would be an antique of the future so it's been kept. It IS!

It's wonderful to see three concentric circles.

When you bring one out, it makes a half ellipse and you can make a full eclipse. Such good design!

Its condition is fantastic, and white - no problem for anybody. We think about ?100 to ?150. Right.

It's interesting. I probably paid more for the chair than ?60,

even all those years ago, but I understand.

I do upholstery, but I couldn't do that, as it's so cleverly designed.

It would be a difficult job to upholster.

I love tortoiseshell, and this is a lovely example. Tell me about it.

It was my great-grandmother's. Although I love it, I haven't used it as a clock. Right.

Well, we can look at the date by looking at the hallmarks on this gold. It's marked 18-carat gold,

which you would expect. If we open it...

it is marked, I think, on the hinge, just inside here. Yes.

We've got the 18-carat and the date letter for 1911.

It also tells us that that A Co is for Asprey's in London... Mm-hm.

Obviously a good quality retailer.

And it's the sort of thing you'd expect to be from there.

An enamelled dial in good condition.

And lovely gold ball feet here.

One of them has had a bash, but that's not much to worry about.

The movement is French and it's a fairly standard movement. Any idea of the value?

No, not really. Is it the sort of thing you'd like to sell at auction at the right price? Yes, I would.

I think because it's in such lovely condition - and tortoiseshell, of course, is very fragile -

and it's got a lovely-shaped door here at the back. No damage at all that I can see.

A collector would love a piece like this.

I think you're going to be talking ?600 or ?700 at least.

I know you wouldn't want it to go for much less than that... No!

We can set a firm reserve for you so it wouldn't go for less than a certain level.

But I would hope it would do better than that.

Cleaned up... It polishes up beautifully.

The good thing about it is the opening is still good. Sometimes they go loose. Exactly. Mmm. Mmm.

Obviously hardly been opened. No!

It's so tiny, no matter where you put it, you can't see it unless you're right on top of it!

But as a collector's thing... Everybody's said they love it.

It's just the sort of thing that two collectors would die for and have a long battle over!

And I think if we offer it at auction for you, it would have a very good chance. All right, then.

Thank you for bringing it along!

Now what's this mystery item?

Reveal it!

This is a World War I trench periscope.

It's an officer's periscope... Yeah.

And, er, basically...

what would happen is... I'll hold that.

Um...this is the handle.

And when infantryman Jones got asked to look over the top to see if there were any enemies in view,

and had his head shot off,

the officer would probably say, "Oh, dear. We've lost another man. I'd better use my trench periscope

"and have a look myself."

We've got the manufacturer's name.

Beck Ltd. And I like this... Dated 1918.

There's a couple of chips. Maybe a couple of ricochets there.

But...this extends up, and that is the eyepiece,

and you look through it, as you know, and it works very well, doesn't it? Yeah.

It would have saved a lot of people, rather than peeping over the top and being knocked off by a sniper.

It's a great item. It's very interesting. How did it come to you?

I inherited it. It's come down through the family.

It's one of numerous bits and pieces

which have been sat in a trunk in the attic as long as I can remember.

So many items that we see are not generally displayed.

They're languishing in boxes, under stairs or wherever.

But it's just beautifully made. This is a very nice bronze coupling...

bronze-brass coupling here. Nice handle.

And it's very well made. In a beautiful leather case. Have you any idea what it might fetch?

No idea.

Difficult to say, really,

but I would put somewhere in the region of ?100 to ?150 as a suitable estimate,

because the whole package is a rather nice item, and has some practical purpose!

In these days of crowded cricket matches, football matches. Very useful, I would have thought!

Suffolk is Lovejoy country, and the fans of that show know that antiques aren't always what they seem.

Stuart Curtis is a master of such deception. He challenged me to spot which chair was born yesterday.

I've got to congratulate you. Your workmanship and craftsmanship is superb!

You're putting me to the test,

because you've been commissioned to replicate one of these chairs.

The client has one missing.

I think you've done a wonderful job.

There are a few tips which do give it away.

Hopefully your client won't notice. No. The untrained eye won't notice.

Here,

there's no palm wear where the chair would have been picked up.

You can feel it. 100 years of palm grease

where this has been picked up and dirt has been collecting.

A sliminess, almost. Yeah, which is very hard to fake.

If these had been worn, I'd have turned the chair upside-down

to look underneath at the spandrels.

There's one giveaway sign and that's here.

You can see machine marks running in at 90 degrees to the grain... Yes.

..whereas those ones are hand sawn.

Otherwise they are superb. The patination on them is wonderful.

And once they're around a table...

No-one will know. You've replicated this at a fifth of the cost.

You're in big demand - there is a need for this.

Yes, it gives you the flexibility to get the size,

and the piece of furniture to cover a multitude of things.

Hi-fi equipment, televisions...

And a lot of pieces of furniture weren't originally produced.

You never had a 17C coffee table, or a 17C video/TV cabinet.

People don't want to buy an 18C piece and have it converted. There's no need when they can come to you.

We can give a piece of furniture a look. A similar look, not an authentic, but a similar look,

such as...this type of thing here.

The surface you've given a wonderful patina to.

I see the top's fastened down in the traditional method with peg dowels.

It's great that you've left them raised.

Talk me through the method your craftsmen use.

We've got a job in the white wood with no polish on.

We take the sharp edges off and put wear onto the corners where it would naturally be.

We would then start to put the marks that we see on here.

The marks can be done with, um, a chain,

a screwdriver, a knife... A bunch of keys... Yes, or a rock.

All things that make small indentations... Which the dye will pick up. That's right.

You get this wonderful petrified look. Little undulations

and pockmarks which look superb.

The colour will gradually be enriched, the shine will be applied through different layers of resin...

Then, at the end of the day, the shine is cut back,

and it's waxed off by hand to give what we see here now... Which is what's known as the skin.

Yes. And it's only that last 2mm that you're ever really buying

for the look of a genuine antique.

You've made this look lovely and warm. A wonderful hue, which is huggable, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah.

It will harmonise with antiques now and any time.

Newmarket has been fantastic and my favourite item is Rita's painting

of barroom braggadocio! She doesn't like it. I love it!

Jean's table has had major surgery,

but the barley twist pedestal should see it top ?100.

Anne's design classics are perfect for the contemporary living space.

The table should make ?100 and the chair should match it.

Groovy, baby!

Helen's Asprey's clock is an absolute gem!

Quality always sells, and the Asprey's mark should see it to ?700.

The officer's periscope, brought in by David Lane,

was probably a life-saver.

Hopefully, at auction, it'll be a crowd-pleaser.

I'm hopeful we'll do well. Let's see what our auctioneer thinks.

Here we are, Andrew. Up periscope! Indeed. Quite an unusual item, that, isn't it?

David Lane owns this, and we've valued it at ?100 to ?150.

I have to say we've already had numerous people looking at it... This one's going to go.

..and contacting us about it. It is! The owner was probably lucky.

It was made in 1918, so hopefully he saw the end of the war, and a good many years after that!

The case is quite interesting. Yeah. A saddle-maker would be proud of that. They would.

That would cost about ?150. Round here it would! At least! Good value for money. What do you think?

Well, it certainly should top the bottom estimate.

Maybe the top estimate. ?180, ?200... Could do, could do.

Excellent. Excellent. David will be pleased. Let's hope he is.

If I was Rita, I wouldn't sell this. Really? No. It's a man's picture. I love the pub, the clay pipes...

You can imagine them back from the war recounting their stories. Yeah, 1815. It is a lovely piece.

This has been cleaned, I think. Yes, definitely.

It's brighter... That's why we put it on the cover of the catalogue!

Good for you! We've got ?500 on this.

I'd like to see this get ?750 to ?1,000. It would be exciting if it topped ?1,000.

Confident on this one? I'm hopeful. Does art sell well here? It does.

This type of thing - equestrian art, things with military connotations...

Yeah... ..are very popular in this area.

Let's hope it gets ?1,000! Yes.

Look at this. A '60s coffee table that Anne brought in.

Do you like that? I certainly do.

Although I've never owned one myself, it's something that is increasing in popularity,

and as we said earlier, it's a usable piece of sculpture.

It IS. It's functional, practical... ?100?

Worth every bit of that. Could you see yourself owning one?

I'll have to pass on that! THEY LAUGH

Next up is Helen's Asprey's clock which is absolutely divine.

I think this is my most favourite piece of all the pieces you've brought for us for this auction.

I think it's charming.

Made by Asprey's, tortoiseshell case, gold mounts on it...

You can't get much better than this.

This has been in Helen's family for three generations. Has it? Yep. Our experts have put ?700 on it.

I think it should make that. How much more, we'll know on the day.

To my mind, it's worth every penny.

Is it working? I haven't actually tried it!

Oh, well!

Sold as found! Whether it's working or not, it's a lovely piece! Great.

The talking's over now and we're under starter's orders.

How are you feeling? Yeah, pretty excited, actually!

It's great fun, actually. Really good.

What are you going to spend the money on? We've decided to purchase

a nice watercolour piece of artwork to hang on the wall as a memento.

It'll remind us more of Grandfather... And it's something that you can enjoy looking at.

Rather than having something that languished in a drawer

for the last...!

And the periscope...in its leather case is being shown to you.

And starting bidding here with me at 70, 80, 90, 100...

We have a tie at ?110. It's sold anyway. Two bidders at ?110.

Who's going to break the tie? At ?110. Are you bidding there? 120.

At ?120... It's in the room at 120. Any advance on 120?

Last chance. Someone got a bargain. Selling...sold ?120.

It went. Yeah. It was worth a lot more than ?120.

Well...it's worth what somebody's prepared to pay for it! Right!

Two people thought it was worth 100.

It's away. It's away. Now you can go and look at some watercolours! That's right!

We're one lot away

and our director let me value two pieces of contemporary furniture at the valuation day in Newmarket.

I'm feeling vulnerable, as the owner, Anne, is on holiday, so I'm representing her,

and putting my neck on the block.

They're wonderful pieces.

There's a Panton chair. It's a piece of industrial design to die for.

It's tatty, but has much potential.

And starting the bidding here with me

at 40, 45, 50, 55, ?60, 65...

I've done it! 70 is bid there.

75 here...

80, 85, 90, 95,

100, 105... I wish I had Anne's phone number!

120, 125, 130,

130... I can see this in a lovely ultraviolet colour...

135... ..in the foyer of an art gallery...

145, 150... 150!

160, 170,

180, 190,

190 it is at the top of the stairs. Brilliant! ?190.

Are you finished? ?190...

Sold!

Sold!

Well, I'm dead chuffed.

Your little Asprey's clock

is absolutely stunning. It is sweet, yeah.

It's one of my favourite lots here today. Tempted to bid?

I wish I COULD!

It's always on the mantelpiece and I've never wound it up. That was the stupid thing.

My grandmother always had it by her bed. It's fabulous!

Let's look at the auctioneer.

I have to start this now at ?450. It's here with me at ?450.

500 is bid there. I've got 550 against you, sir. At 550...

600 is bid there. I've got 650 against you, sir.

700 is now bid on my right. Seated on my right at 700.

At ?700. Are we all finished at 700? Come on! A little bit more!

Last chance. ?700.

Sold!

It's gone! You've got ?700. Better than nothing. Somebody got a bargain.

I was surprised it didn't make more than that. Are you? Yes.

700 was the reserve price, but I think it ought to have done better.

I hope you're happy. Yeah. Thank you very much. Thank you.

It's good to see you again, Jean. And you. Are you feeling excited? A little bit. Are you? Yeah!

Not feeling sad about selling your table? A little bit. Brings back memories of your aunt? Yeah.

Where do you live? I live in Newmarket. Oh, locally? Yes. So you rode your horse here, then?! Yeah!

Yeah, I did! Seriously, you haven't got one, have you? No! No!

27...the table...being held up.

We'll watch the auctioneer, shall we?

60, 70, 80, 90,

?100... You've sold it. 120.

?120... 130 is bid there in the room.

It's climbing... Yeah.

140...140, 150, 160... There's a bit of competition!

170, 180... They're warming up! Yeah.

200. I hope not. I want to buy a table later!

220, 230, 240... That's good.

It is a nice base. Come on! 270...

280, 290, 300...

I can't believe it! 310... Neither can I!

330, 340... Unbelievable!

350... At 350 now. You've got good taste!

I must have! 350...

Sold! What do you think? Oh, good! I'm amazed!

Slack jaw! Yeah!

I'm putting my neck on the block again for Anne. I don't feel such an idiot cos I've had a good result!

But I know what the experts go through.

I just hope the same guy's hung around to buy this coffee table.

I'll keep you company! Thanks. I hear YOU valued this one. Your neck on the block this time!

Yeah, so I know what you go through.

Fingers crossed, Anne. ..This is a little gem, actually.

50, 60, 70... At ?70 I have... At ?70 here with me.

At 70... ?80, ?90... At ?90...

100 is now bid. Brilliant!

Any advance on 100? Come on! Selling for ?100! PHONE RINGS

The phone put people off! Sold. 100.

I did it, anyway! Yeah, sold. I'm going to ring Anne up now.

How are you feeling? Very nervous.

I hope it sells. It's been put on the front cover,

which was good of them. Wonderful!

So...we're at the mercy of the good people of Newmarket! Exactly!

Hopefully it'll go to a good home. It'll end up in a gentlemen's club! It would suit that. Yeah.

A nice, large house...

Did you like it? No, I'm afraid not.

Not at all. Here we go. How are the nerves?

It's being shown now. 300, 350,

400, 450. I have already bid with me at 450.

450... 500, I'm taking there...

It's sold. Pardon me? Come on! Come on!

550 now across the room. I couldn't see you. 600.

650... Good. 700. Wonderful! 750.

At 750... That's you, sir, at 750.

At 750, it's by the staircase now. ?750. Any advance?

On ?750... Fair warning... Selling to you, sir.

750. Wonderful! That's good. Delighted. Really pleased.

It will go to a good... Relieved? Yes!

You didn't want it back! Not really!

I don't want to take it home again!

Our owners have made just under ?5,000 today, which is a great result.

Maurice wanted ?2,000 for his majolica,

but at ?1,550, it was a very expensive wall pocket!

Barbara's patch box made double its estimate at ?200.

Rita's not going to be sorry she brought along this oil painting. She'd rather have the cash!

And finally, Linda, whose face lit up the Tattersall sales room

as her Art Nouveau bowl made a whopping ?750.

That's it. Hope you've enjoyed it. See you next time on Flog It!

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