Peterborough 9 Flog It!

Today we're in Peterborough,

in search of unwanted treasures to liberate and resell.

Hopefully, somebody in this queue standing outside the cathedral

will go home with a lot of money.

Judging by what I've already seen in all the bags and boxes,

we're going to have no problem at all!

So come on, everybody, are you ready? Let's "Flog It!"!

The locals have turned out in their droves.

Here to sift out the prized antiques are Philip Serrell and Charlie Ross.

As they both spent their early days trading in the livestock markets,

I'm hoping they each manage to find something to cluck about today.

Coming up on the show, Charlie gets all hot and bothered

when he comes across an old fan.

That's absolutely... Pfff! I think that's staggering.

How have you managed to look after it so well?

The bottom falls out of Philip's world

when he values a beautifully preserved Georgian chair.

It's not really something you want to sit on!

No! Not for too long, anyway!

And I head off to the countryside to explore the fascinating life

of Britain's first green activist

and acclaimed 18th century peasant poet.

It's over to Charlie for a spot of tea.

Absolutely wonderful, Pauline.

-Presumably you know what you've got here, do you?

-To a degree.

-To a degree. You know it's a tea service.

-Yes.

CHARLIE LAUGHS

-And you know what it's made of?

-Silver.

-Do you know how old it is?

-No.

-Do you know who made it?

-No.

Ooh, well, I'm very excited by this.

-This is made by Robert Hennell IV, 1874 in date.

-Right.

Robert Hennell is one of the great, great names in English silversmiths.

We have this rather swirly gadrooning decoration on here,

-the bobbin decoration. Very ornate, isn't it?

-It is.

Very Victorian but I have to say the oval Queen Anne style teapot

rather flies in the face of the decoration.

This spout here you might well expect to be

on an early-19th century teapot...

-Mm-hm.

-..and not a late-19th century teapot.

Substantial size, plenty of cups available out of that,

bags of room for sugar and for milk.

I like the shape of the handles.

Here you can see a little buffer between the two bits of silver.

-You know why that's there, don't you?

-Stop your hands getting hot.

It's a very good conductor of heat - silver.

And if you didn't have the ivory in there,

-you wouldn't be able to pick up the tea.

-Oh, it's ivory.

It's ivory, that's right.

Now I'm going to turn one of these pieces upside down.

Now the hallmark is spread over a distance here and

what we have are all the elements that we would expect to find.

We have the lion passant - that simply tells you it's silver.

The leopard's head, that tells you it was made in...

-I was going to say London.

-London is correct, absolutely right.

We have Queen Victoria's head here, just as a small aside.

From 1891 until the end of her reign ten years later,

they didn't have her head on there.

So it's possible to have a piece of Victorian silver

without Victoria's head on,

but that's an aside - we can see her head there.

And we've got a T letter date which I have checked to 1874.

-Right.

-And here we've got the magic initials RH, Robert Hennell.

And in addition to that we've got a little mark next to it,

that mark he put on to pieces

-that were specifically made to order for someone.

-Right.

So this was made for somebody pretty special.

-Was it made for your family?

-Oh, no.

-Oh, no!

-No such luck.

-Be nice to think that it was.

Now the other thing that's going to tell you here,

if you look at this decoration,

this engraving must've been put in at the same time as it was made.

-Do you see?

-Mm-hm.

-There's a gap in the floral engraving here

to make way for the lettering.

-Yes, I understand that.

-Fantastic quality.

Going to have a quick look inside.

Do you know, I don't think anyone's ever made

a cup of tea in their lives in there.

Superb. Value? Come on. Have a stab.

I was thinking perhaps somewhere between 400, maybe £500.

I think we've got a pleasant surprise for you here.

I've weighed these and the weight is 36/37 ounces

but if you were to melt that down, it would come to £500 plus.

But I think we can forget about the scrap price for Robert Hennell,

but I'm going to be sensible and say 500-800,

but I think we'll probably end up at 800.

And possibly a bit more

because it's not every day you can go to a saleroom

and come back with a bit of Robert Hennell so I think it's sensational.

-Thank you so much for bringing it along.

-You're very welcome.

I feel very privileged to see a piece of Hennell today.

Philip is already in full swing, chatting up his first customer.

Lynn, how are you?

What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?!

-It's a fabulous building.

-It is.

-The ceiling's magnificent.

-It's lovely.

What's a girl like you doing with a gent's pocket watch?

I came with my mum and my husband said,

"Well, if you're going, see how much Granddad's watch is worth."

-This is Granddad's watch?

-Yes.

Does your husband know that you're flogging Granddad's watch?

-Yes!

-You asked him?

-I have!

-This isn't going to be the cause of a marital rift, is it?

-Not at all.

-So FW Philpott, Faversham. Where's Faversham?

-Kent.

-Kent.

-I think that's the retailer.

-I don't know.

If we open the back, it's got three wheat sheaves,

-that's a Chester hallmark.

-OK.

-It's got .375, so it's nine-carat gold.

-Nine carat.

-You know that, don't you?

-I do.

-This isn't working at the moment. So, what's the value?

-Can it be...?

-Yes, it could be repaired.

-It can?

And I really hope that if this goes to auction and someone buys it,

-that they get it repaired.

-Cos it's a nice watch.

-It's a lovely watch.

-But the value of this today is in...

-In the gold, I suppose.

..is in that gold case.

And I really, really hope that this goes to auction

and that someone buys it

and actually gets it fixed and gets it running.

I'd like somebody to buy it who appreciates it more than what we do.

-It sits in a drawer. It's a shame.

-People don't wear them any more.

-No.

-In terms of value, it's not going to have massive value.

-OK.

I think you're going to be looking at around £100 to £150.

-Really?

-Yes.

-OK.

-And that's for the gold value.

-The gold.

And this is worth now four times what it was

probably four, five years ago.

So if I'd come five years ago...

-You'd have slapped me!

-Really?

But the thing that you have to bear in mind is, when we say

gold and silver is X per ounce or X per gram,

-that doesn't imply that everything gets melted.

-No.

-It's a base price.

-It's a baseline.

It's a starting price. You can work up from there in increments.

We'll put a reserve on it of £100, but it would really help, I think,

if you could give those auctioneers 10% discretion if they need it.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes. I would've liked more, but...!

-She'd like more!

-I would!

-Yeah, yeah!

What's he going to think when he gets back from, where is he?

The Peak District.

-When he finds out you're flogging the family jewels...

-He'll be fine!

I've heard of selling the family silver, not the family gold!

-He'll be fine.

-Will he? What will you spend the money on?

We're going on holiday to Malta. I'd like to swim with dolphins.

-Really?

-Or maybe just a dining room carpet!

-I think I know what I prefer.

-I think I prefer dolphins, too!

Let's get it sold and hope it does well. You might be able to do both!

Hopefully, hopefully both.

We'll be back to find out if Lynn's gold pocket watch

adds some extra silver to her family's coffers in just a minute.

First, it's Charlie's turn to transform trash into treasure

with an unwanted item that Mark found in a junk box.

Have you been off to a boot fair?

No, it was in the house when I moved in,

-in a box of junk in the garage.

-No!

-So it came free with the house?

-It did, yes.

How amazing. How long did it take you to find?

The garage was full of rubbish, and halfway through, I found that,

so it made it quite nice.

-How extraordinary. How long ago was that?

-Four years now.

-Do you know what it is?

-It's a snuffbox.

-It is.

It's made of papier-mache.

I would say that it's about 1820, 1830.

-OK.

-The first part of the 19th century.

And we've got a beautiful image on the top here after Van Dyck,

the great artist.

And we've got here the name Van Dyck, and underneath it...

Incidentally, before I mention the next bit,

I'd say that I think this is German

-because it's got German writing on the bottom here.

-Good clue.

But Van Dyck, underneath "L'apres la memes".

-Now, that's French!

-Oh.

-Why have we got French writing here?

"L'apres la memes" - "after the same".

-In other words, this is a copy of a Van Dyck portrait.

-Right, OK.

-Shame it's not the original, isn't it?

-It is, yes!

So papier-mache snuffbox.

We've got some German writing here, which I can't decipher,

other than this word, which is "made by".

It's got the names of the people that made it.

But certainly, the writing on the inside of the cover is original,

-which is really nice. Beautiful handwriting.

-Yes.

-The problem, we have got some damage here.

-Yes.

And it's not an easy thing to repair.

-OK.

-Personally, I don't think that anybody collecting a box like this

-would really want to repair it.

-No.

It's just charming as it is.

I'd like to see a come-and-get-me saleroom estimate of 40 to 60.

-Reserve at 40.

-Yes.

-With any luck, the bidding will take it beyond there.

-OK.

-Is that all right?

-Fine.

-Lovely.

-Thank you.

Will Charlie's come-and-get-me valuation

make Mark some money for nothing? Stay tuned.

We're seeing some marvellous things come through the doors today,

and Philip Serrell has spotted a gorgeous Georgian chair.

Let's take a closer look at what he's got to say.

-Elizabeth, how are you?

-Fine.

-Have you come far?

-Cleethorpes.

-You got this in the car all right?

-With a bit of help!

I think this is fantastic!

-And everybody at home will think that you brought a chair along.

-Yes.

-But there's a few telltale signs that we know it's not a chair.

-Yes.

The first clue is, this has got a really deep frieze along the front.

The frieze is that little bit there.

And it's deep because its job is to hide something, isn't it?

It certainly is!

What it's hiding is a gazunder.

There would've been a pot in there, and this is actually a commode.

-Yes.

-All right? But I think it's just fabulous.

So tell me, has this been in your family a long, long time?

I remember my grandma having it in her house,

and I inherited it from my Auntie Joyce.

-Your Auntie Joyce.

-Yes.

-So it's come down the line the last 100 or so years.

-Yes.

What I love about this... Let's start at the top.

I love these wonderful carved ears at the back,

and that top cresting rail.

And then as we work down, we've got that marvellous central splat there.

For me, one of the best bits of this chair, look at that arm.

-Very touchable, aren't they?

-Yes, it starts there,

and it comes round in that wonderful sweep.

-And then you've got this great turning at the end. OK?

-Right!

-Do you know what timber it's made of?

-I wasn't sure if it was oak.

-It's oak?

-I wondered.

-No, it's mahogany!

-Right! Fair enough!

-It's mahogany!

How old do you think it is?

Well, I know my grandma used it, but it predates her.

So, your grandma would be... What, that would be about 1920?

-No, earlier than that.

-1900?

Yes, just prior to 1900.

-So, this could be 1860?

-Right.

-But it's not.

-Right.

Thomas Chippendale wrote his directory in, I think it was 1755,

and that was basically his design book for furniture.

And I think this chair, it's not by Thomas Chippendale,

but it's to one of his designs,

and I would think that this was made in England, out of mahogany,

between 1760 and 1770.

-Wow!

-And I just think it's a fabulous, fabulous thing.

And I'd love to own it.

-Its one big drawback...

-Yes.

-..it's a commode!

-Yes.

-And whichever way you look at it,

you don't really want a commode in your front room, do you?

-That's where it sits!

-Does it?

-What's it worth?

-I thought about £50.

-£50.

Anybody got £50 I can give this good lady for it?

Well, let's play a game. Forget it's a commode.

-If this was a chair, what would it be worth?

-I've no idea.

Well, the market's dipped a bit in brown furniture,

but I think, at its height, a chair like this would've been £300-500.

-Wow.

-But, and this is a massive but...

-The commode.

..the fact that it's a commode, it really does bring it down.

And I think we need to estimate it at £100 to £150.

I think we'll put a fixed reserve of £80.

And if you have a really good day, it could fly through that.

I'd love to own it. It's a really good-looking thing.

-Happy to put this in auction?

-Yes.

It's not something you want to sit on and think about, is it?

No! Not for too long, anyway!

It may be a commode, but it has excellent provenance.

If you've got any unwanted antiques or collectables you want to sell,

we would love to see you bring them along to one of our valuation days

and you could end up going home with a lot of money at auction.

To check out up-and-coming dates and venues,

just log on to our BBC website at bbc.co.uk/flogit.

Follow the links and all the information will be there,

plus a lot more about what goes on behind the scenes.

That's our first selection of items found

and here's a quick reminder of what we're taking off to auction.

Of course you can never tell what's going to happen at the auction

and even the best valuations are in the fate of the bidders on the day.

We're at Batemans Saleroom in Stamford this week,

where auctioneer David Palmer is wielding the gavel.

All salerooms charge commission.

At this auction house, they charge 15% plus VAT.

And it looks as though the auction is about to start,

so let's head straight into the saleroom.

It's Elizabeth's commode. Philip put the valuation on it.

-Who've you brought?

-My nephew, Christian.

-Hi. Pleased to meet you.

You gave up your Saturday to come to an auction!

Why are you selling the commode chair?

It doesn't fit properly anywhere, does it?

-Where do you put a commode?

-I don't know!

I've got to say, put a cushion on it, stick it in the hallway

and you've got a great antique!

-It's worth £100 for the arms.

-Yes! And the back!

-Wonderful.

Here it is, look on the screen up there.

Old Georgian commode. 50 quid!

50 quid for the commode! 50? 50 here.

-He's really selling it.

-That's a good selling point.

All done at £50? Is that it? Are you done with it at 50?

Take five anywhere. Nothing on the net? 50 only?

55. 60. 65. 70. 75.

The cameras are rolling. Go again.

At 75. Try the 80.

It's worth it, madam.

We've got an £80 reserve on this.

This is why the auctioneer is trying very hard for 80.

We are just one bid away.

It's worth 80. Are you sure?

This is a tense moment, isn't it?

You're finished and done? It's against the lady there.

I'm afraid it's not being sold. If you went 80, you'd buy it.

Yes! 80!

With the lady now at £80. I sell at 80,

unless someone else is going to bid!

The lady there at 80. All done at 80.

-It's gone.

-I'm sort of speechless, really.

I am a bit. I was rather hoping that wouldn't sell then.

You kind of live by the sword, don't you?

-At least we haven't got to carry it back.

-That's a plus factor.

Hopefully, that chair is going to go to somebody that's going to use it

and love it and that's the main thing, isn't it?

It's got another 200 years of life at least left in it.

-It has, hasn't it?

-Mm, yes.

Thanks to auctioneer David Palmer,

that commode managed to meet its reserve.

Let's see if Mark's snuffbox can create a bigger stink.

Our next lot sums up exactly what the antiques trade is all about.

It couldn't be any greener

because things keep getting recycled over and over again.

And this next item, this snuffbox, belonging to Mark,

-was found in an old garage in the house you bought?

-It was.

Instead of it being thrown away,

-it's back on the market and it gets recycled.

-Exactly.

-That's what it's all about, isn't it?

-It is!

-And by Van Dyck after all!

-THEY LAUGH

-Hopefully pay the mortgage off, won't it?

-Yes!

Let's hope it reaches the £40 or £50 mark. That'd be great, wouldn't it?

It would be nice.

We're going to find out. It's going under the hammer now.

The papier-mache snuffbox

with the portrait of Van Dyck in profile.

Probably a self-portrait.

This could be an important, undiscovered work!

-That'd be nice!

-He's bigging this up, old David!

Have a gamble. 20. Take two now. 22. 25. 28.

30. £30. 32. 35.

-Getting to the top end really quickly.

-At £40 now.

45. 48. 48. 50.

At 50. Goes at £50. On the net at 50.

Van Dyck was an important artist. He was a court painter.

-And a secret supplier of snuff!

-LAUGHTER

Here then at 50. Sold on the net at 50?

Who's in the room? Nobody?

On the net, then, at £50. Sell at 50.

It's gone down. We're happy with that. £50.

-Because that was going to get thrown.

-It was.

It really is amazing what people leave when they move.

It's extraordinary! A Mini and a Van Dyck!

A decent mid-estimate result for Charlie and a few riches for Mark.

Lynn's unwanted heirloom is up next,

so let's see if it ticks any of the bidders' boxes.

And going under the hammer right now, we have a watch.

But not mine because my wife bought me this and I'd never sell it.

It was my engagement present.

It's not technically Lynn's watch, either.

-It's been in the family a long time.

-It was my husband's granddad's.

-OK.

-So it's been passed through the family.

-Yep.

Don't you want to let the next generation look after it?

-I don't think my boys would like it.

-They probably don't now.

They might do when they're older.

But it's too late then. You can't buy back your heritage.

-Look, it's your decision, OK.

-Yes.

Hopefully, we'll get top end, around 100, 150.

If you're going to sell precious metals, now's the time, isn't it?

Yes. Good luck. Here we go, this is it. Find out what the bidders think.

It's a nine-carat, gold-cased watch by W Philpott of Faversham.

That's nice! The sort of thing you should have if you have a waistcoat.

-Yes!

-Ooh.

£50 for it. 50 I'm bid. 50.

Five. 60. Five. 70. Five. 80.

Five. 90.

Standing at 90 now. Goes, then, at 90.

-Is that it?

-We're selling, aren't we?

-Yes.

-95. 100.

-It's gone.

-110.

120. 130. 140.

Now we're getting the top end.

-In the room at 140. Goes, then, at £140.

-Come on, push them!

Right at the back at 140. Nobody else? Finished at 140.

Net, you are out. Room at 140.

-That's good.

-That was very good. Well done, David Palmer.

-Much better than I thought it would go.

-Very good.

And I've got high hopes for our next item.

This could be a rollercoaster ride, especially for Pauline here.

We're just about to sell that Victorian tea service

and there is a lot of silver there.

I mean, this is gorgeous, this is the best thing -

not just in our sale today, but I think in the whole auction.

-Yeah, I agree with you.

-And it's yours.

-It is!

There's no better maker.

Let's find out what the bidders think.

The Victorian three-piece silver tea service there.

Robert Hennell, nice little lot. We go straight in, £400.

400. Take 20 now.

400. 420. At 420.

440. 460. 480.

500. 520. 540. 560.

580. 600.

At £600 now. Is that it? At 600.

620. 640.

650. 660. At 660.

You in? 680. 680. 700.

At £700 now.

720. 720. At 720.

Sell then at £720 now. Nobody else?

-It's going in the room at 720.

-720.

The room at 720. All done. At £720. Nobody else?

-Well done.

-Thank you very much.

-£720.

It's gone to the London silver trade in the back of the room.

-I recognise them.

-Happy?

-Very. Very happy.

I've left the hustle and bustle of the saleroom

and headed to this exquisite landscape,

which, for me, encapsulates a thoroughly romantic picture

of the English countryside.

When it comes to English Romantic poets,

Keats, Byron and Wordsworth are probably on the tip of your tongues

as the three most memorable.

If I mention the name John Clare, I bet it doesn't ring many bells,

and to tell you the truth, it didn't with me.

But towards the end of the 18th and the early part of the 19th century,

he was celebrated as one of our greatest poets,

even outselling Keats.

So, how come not many of us have heard of him?

I've come to the picturesque village of Helpston,

nestling between Peterborough and Stamford, to find out.

This picture-postcard village is where John Clare lived

for the first 40 years of his life,

between 1793 and 1832.

He grew up in an impoverished and illiterate family,

and from a very early age he worked the land around here

as an agricultural labourer.

"So moping flat And low our valleys lie

"So dull and muggy Is our winter sky

"Drizzling from day to day Dull threats of rain

"And when that falls Still threatening on again

"From one wet week So great an ocean flows

"That every village to an island grows."

And you can see why it inspired him, can't you?

Even on a dull, wet morning like this,

with no leaves on the trees, it's still hauntingly beautiful.

Clare's genius lay in his ability to observe and record

every aspect of nature and English rural life.

He had a unique voice, perhaps provocative,

because he was writing at a time when this landscape was under threat

by the Industrial Revolution engulfing everything

and the subsequent Enclosures legislation.

You could say he was perhaps Britain's first green activist.

Unlike his affluent and educated contemporaries,

John Clare was self-taught.

So the fact that he became a poet at all

is nothing short of a miracle.

"And yet I am!

"And live with shadows tost

"Into the nothingness of scorn and noise,

"Into the living sea of waking dreams,

"Where there is neither sense of life nor joys,

"But the vast shipwreck of my life's esteems."

Life for the Clare family was tough,

and young John had to take on the responsibility

of supporting all of them at just 12 years old

when his father became ill.

His first job was as a potboy here at The Bluebell pub,

right next door to their small tenement.

Several families lived here in this house at any one time,

and I can tell you, the footprint of the building isn't that big.

They lived here cheek by jowl, trying to make ends meet.

John and his family would've lived in this one room,

plus the room upstairs, which would've been their bedroom.

An incredibly small space.

And John's family was rather large. Nine children, two died in infancy,

but at any one time,

there were always six kids living here with him.

Of course, he had his extended family, as well.

He had his sister, he had his parents

and his grandmother living in the next rooms.

I guess he would've worked at the table in front of the fire.

But that is the one saving grace, I think, of the whole space,

this vast inglenook fireplace engulfing this tiny room.

It would've kept them very warm and snug.

Despite all the hardship,

Clare developed his creative voice,

and in 1820 his first volume was published.

What set him apart from other poets

was the fact that he chose to draw on his local dialect,

using words such as "pooty" for snail, and "crizzle" to crisp.

It won him huge admiration

and he was affectionately known as Northamptonshire's Peasant Poet.

But sadly, the success was short-lived.

Just as Clare was finding his literary voice,

tastes started to turn to a new style of writing, the novel,

and a fickle public chose to ignore him.

His subsequent works fell out of favour.

Clare didn't help himself.

He began womanising and drinking and soon sank into depression,

which rapidly developed into a serious mental illness.

In 1837, he was admitted to an asylum in Epping.

He began suffering delusions that he was Byron and Shakespeare

and that he also had two wives.

Clare spent his last days in an asylum in Northampton.

The notes in his medical file say he was suffering

from years addicted to "poetical prosings".

Clare died in 1864, aged 70,

his celebrity all but forgotten.

So few of us know who John Clare was. But his work is being revived,

thanks to The John Clare Society in North America

and The John Clare Trust.

In 2005, they purchased his cottage

and set about faithfully restoring it.

The good news is, the cottage is now open to the public,

so it is open to a whole new audience.

You can come and visit the place, learn about John Clare's life,

read his works,

take in the garden and landscape - the things that inspired him -

and also build on his legacy,

write some poetry of your own and post it here in the dovecote.

We're back at our valuation day, where a pair of Delft plates

brought in by Marion have turned Charlie's head.

It was the colouring of these plates that really took my eye.

Of course, the closer I got to them,

the more I became aware of the rather sad condition of them.

-How long have you had them?

-I've had them about four years.

They were inherited by my mother over 20 years ago, about 1989.

Did they come with a history?

I think the elderly cousin that my mother inherited them from,

I think she had them on the wall, because they had hangers round them.

Classic thing that people did. These are tin-glazed.

You see the thick glazing with a certain amount of tin in it,

and they chip very easily.

A little chip, nobody minds,

but a huge great bite is a different matter.

-What do you think they are?

-Well, I was understood they were Delft,

possibly English Delft.

-Yes.

-But not really sure.

-We've had a real discussion here,

because my original thought was possibly Liverpool Delft,

Bristol Delft,

but it's really quite possible that they are Dutch Delft.

The vibrant yellow seems to me something of a Dutch influence.

-How old are they?

-I thought late 1700 and something.

Earlier than that. But you're in the right century.

They're 18th century. I would put them at 1740, 1750.

-So they've done remarkably well really, haven't they?

-They have.

And the one thing about Delft

is that the damage isn't terminal with them.

A certain amount of wear is acceptable with something like this,

almost part of the charm.

I'm going to just turn this over here.

This is a problem, the crack. But it's still in one piece.

I can see it's been taped up at some stage.

We haven't done that, but I think it was at one time.

I don't think it's been in pieces.

It's just possible they glued it and then taped it.

There are still people that will buy,

even in this condition,

because of the academic interest of them,

and also, because actually,

-even with the chips, they would look lovely on a dresser.

-Yes.

-Have you had them on display?

-No. They've always been packed up.

We only rediscovered them a few weeks ago.

-Why don't we let someone else enjoy them?

-We could.

-Is that reasonable?

-Yes.

Have you ever had them valued?

My husband took them up to a well-known auction house.

-Yes.

-And they said they thought they might be worth about £100.

I think they might struggle to make £100.

But I'm going to put these at 80 to 120.

You see a lot of things at 80 to 120. Perhaps people will say,

"He doesn't know what they're worth."

That is what I think they are worth.

I would suggest we put them at 80 to 120,

with a discretionary reserve at £80.

-What do you think?

-Do we need it is as high as that, the reserve?

We don't need to, madam! We can go as low as you like!

-We thought about 30 or 40 and we'd let them go.

-30 or 40.

I don't think that's a true reflection of the value,

so I'm prepared to do a compromise.

I would like to keep the valuation at 80 to 120,

-but I'll settle with a reserve of 40.

-All right, then.

If they don't make £40, put 'em back in a box! I know you don't want to.

Give them to me for Christmas!

-I don't think you're allowed to do that!

-No! All right!

I agree. It would be a shame to see those plates go for peanuts.

Here's hoping someone will come to their rescue.

On the other table, Gillian is keeping Philip highly entertained

with a few showbiz stories.

Are you a Shakespearean girl?

Not really, no. We went to see this at Stratford.

-You went to this?

-Yes.

As you see, it was 60 years ago. I can't believe it.

-And you went and you saw Robert Hardy...

-Yes.

..Michael Redgrave and Richard Burton, later to become Mr Taylor.

-Indeed!

-Those were the days.

-Twice!

-Twice Mr Taylor.

-Who's this famous lady at the top?

-That's me.

-Oh, right, OK.

I got these two when we sent the programmes to the theatre

-asking if they could get the signatures.

-Yes.

-They came back with Michael Redgrave and Richard Burton.

-Yes.

Then later on, about 20 years later,

-I went to a carol concert where Robert Hardy read a lesson.

-Yes.

-And so I thought, "Right..."

-You nobbled him.

I nobbled him and said,

"Please would you sign this programme that I got?

"And you were in it." And so he said yes and signed it.

-What do you think they're worth?

-I'd like to get £50.

I looked earlier, and I can tell you,

two of Richard Burton's autographs sold in the last five years,

-that I can trace.

-Yes.

And one, I think, made £50 and one made £160.

-The 160 one was on a photograph postcard, so that's worth more.

-Yes.

-But we've got Redgrave and Hardy.

-Yes.

-I think we should put an estimate on them of perhaps £40 to £60?

-Yes.

-Shall we perhaps put a reserve on them of £35?

-OK. That's great.

-It'll be a bit disappointing if they only made 35.

-OK.

But with a bit of luck, you might get your 50 or 60.

-We might.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, indeed.

This is your "Flog It!" day out.

This is my "Flog It!" day out indeed!

And I've really enjoyed it. It's been fantastic. Yeah.

Let's hope that programme razzles and dazzles the bidders

when it goes under the gavel.

Meanwhile, temperatures are soaring over on Charlie's side of the room.

Now, Terry and Jackie, you have brought along a fan,

and I don't think I've seen a fan in such wonderful condition.

How have you managed to look after it so well?

It's just been tucked away in a drawer for about 15 years.

-15 years?

-Yes.

-Did you inherit it?

-No, we bought it in a box of odds and ends.

-You bought it in a box of odds and ends?

-We did.

-I suppose you could do that in those days.

-You could.

But this was one you didn't like.

We thought it was something special,

but we didn't want to use it and didn't know what to do with it,

-so we just put it away, as you do.

-Well, you do, I don't!

I wouldn't have tucked it away! I'd have come running to "Flog It!"!

-What else was in the box?

-I can't remember. Bits and pieces.

I reckon you brought the best bit along today.

-This is Cantonese. Do you know how old it is?

-No.

-Have a guess.

-Turn of the century, last century?

You're rather good at this! This is about 1890, 1900.

And this is the sort of thing that, frankly, in terms of value,

has gone through the roof in the last five years or so.

And what I particularly like about it is the way that,

if you look from strand to strand,

it tells a story all the way through.

If you follow one figure, for example, you take a figure here,

half of his body's on that panel, half of his body's on THAT panel.

And same with the trees. It tells a story all the way through.

It is quite remarkable quality.

I'm sure it's ivory. I needed to check that it wasn't plastic.

-Well, may seem silly...

-We were unsure.

Plastic dates from a lot earlier than a lot of people think.

But this is undoubtedly ivory.

You can see it's been closed up all its life

because it's slightly discoloured on the outside parts of the fan.

But I'm delighted with it.

How much did you pay for this box of stuff?

-A pound.

-What?!

-BOTH: A pound!

-Did that include the box?

-We got the box included, yes!

That's absolutely... Pfff! I think that's staggering!

-What it's worth?

-100?

More.

-200?

-I think more.

-Really?

-I really do.

-I think this could be worth 300-400.

-Crikey!

-Crumbs!

-Yes!

-That's amazing.

I'll be sensible with the estimate.

I'll put 200 to 300 on it. I don't want to go over the top.

We need to have an estimate that will entice people

to get on the net from the Far East

and pop their bids in.

-So I think £200-300, if you're happy with that?

-Yes!

Sounds as if you might be!

We'll put a reserve of 200.

My advice to you, if it doesn't make 200,

it will somewhere at some other time,

so don't sell it for less than 200.

I know 50 sounds a lot against £1,

but it's worth 200-300, minimum.

I can't believe Terry and Jackie only paid a pound

for that exquisite ivory fan.

Remember, there are strict rules on selling ivory

but that fan is fine because it dates well before 1947.

Let's go over to Philip as he tries to put a price on the unusual

pepper shakers that Evelyn has brought in.

-Are you on your own today?

-Yes.

-And are these yours or...?

-No, they belong to my husband.

-Does he know you've brought them?

-Yes.

-But he'll be able to make the auction?

-Yes.

-That'll be good.

-How long has he had these?

-Not too long, about four years.

-Four years?

-Yeah.

-Did he inherit them or buy them?

They belong to a friend of mine

and my husband helped her move house and he wouldn't take money from her

and she knew that he liked the antiques so she gave him

a whole load of antiques.

Can I ask you a question - a whole load of antiques?

-Yes, a whole cabinet full.

-What's his daily rate?

-What, to move house?

-Yes!

-I don't know.

-So he got well paid.

-Yes, he did.

Well, I think these are lovely.

We've got the hare and this should be a tortoise really, shouldn't it?

Yes, it should.

But we've got a very wise owl and they're a base metal

and these heads unscrew because you know what they are, don't you?

-I think they're both peppers.

-They're peppers, aren't they?

-Yes.

And this one you can just see there the heads screw in,

we've got glass eyes.

I would think that they would date around about 1890-1910,

-something like that.

-Ooh, as old as that?

Yeah, but they're collectable and lots of people can't afford

silver ones and so these, in a way, they're almost like a substitute.

-I think you should estimate these at £50-80.

-Right.

-We'll put a fixed reserve on them at £40.

-Yes.

And then I think they'll do well. Will he be pleased at that?

-Oh, yes.

-Won't shout at me if I get it wrong at the auction, will he?

No, not at all.

Evelyn, you're a star.

-Thank you so much for bringing them in.

-You're welcome.

Thank you very much.

Will the bidders go wild for those animal pepper shakers?

All will be revealed soon.

We've got our four items, now we're taking them off to the sale.

Let's hope the bidders will want to snap them up.

It's Evelyn up next and she's brought husband Dave along with her.

-Happy with the valuation?

-Yeah, it's fine, yeah.

Well, hopefully we'll get that top end. Why have you decided to sell?

Well, got several things in a cabinet

-and they just really need offloaded.

-Too much stuff.

-OK.

Nice little items, Philip.

Yeah, I'm glad you're pleased with the valuation,

I hope you're pleased with the price.

-I think they'll do all right, actually.

-I do, too.

-And I think we should get the top end plus a bit more.

-I hope so.

Yeah, we're going to find out right now. This is it.

Two animal pepper shakers.

Oh, the hare. It's a hare, isn't it?

And an owl. That's neat.

I like that hare and the owl.

20 quid. For nothing!

£20. 28.

30. 32. 35. 38 I've got.

At 38. Net, go 40. 40.

42. 45. At 45.

You in on this, on the phone?

48 with the net. At 48. Oh, come on.

This hare is seriously cool.

At 48 I sell with the net. At £48. Nobody else?

Done then at £48. You're all done at 48.

50. 55.

-I think the hare is lovely actually.

-It's all on the internet, you see.

-At 55.

-This is where the collectors are.

-The faceless bidder at £55.

Nobody else? Done at 55.

£55, the hammer's gone down.

-That was a good estimate.

-That's OK, spot-on, Philip.

Do you know, it must be really hard being an owner

because you get here and you see how wonderful the item looks.

I bet most of our owners go, "I wish I wasn't selling this."

When they looked that good, I nearly bought them myself.

I have to say they flatter to deceive a bit.

They looked good and they managed to make a pretty good price, too.

Things are flying out the door

and I hope you've enjoyed watching the show so far!

Well, don't go away,

because right now it's a classic case of buy-one-get-one-free.

I've just been joined by Marion and Charlie.

Going under the hammer, two Delft plates, one with a whopping crack.

-Why are you selling them?

-They've been in a cupboard for 20-odd years

since my mother inherited them.

She always wanted to sell them.

Marion didn't like my reserve of 80! Do you know what she did? Halved it!

Let's find out what the bidders think of these wonderful plates.

The oldest thing in the sale today

and it's possibly the oldest thing in the room so far.

Here we go. This is it.

Two mid-18th century Delft plates. These are rather nice.

£20 for those. 20. Two. 25. 28.

30. At 30 now. Done, then, at £30.

Surely... We're not done. We're far from done.

£40.

42. At 42. On the net at £42.

45. New money at 45.

48. 50 off you, madam. 55. You're too slow anyway.

55. Here at 55. 60.

-We're getting there slowly to a respectable figure.

-70.

In the room at 70. 75.

At 75. 80. With the lady at 80.

-I feel justified now!

-I sell in the room at 80.

You've lit the screen up. I don't know if that's a bid or not.

In the room at 80. With you, madam, at 80. Nobody else?

Sold on the second row at 80. They are that big in real life.

Goes then at £80.

Crack! Yes! That's more like it, isn't it?

-Didn't it struggle to start with?

-Yes.

-Phew, dear!

At least I'm not going to have to collect them back again!

No. Thank you.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you.

They may not have been in the best of condition,

but Marion's plates certainly did some damage in the saleroom.

On stage now, Michael Redgrave, Richard Burton and Robert Hardy.

Well, in the Shakespeare programme, that is.

They belong to Gill. Unfortunately, she cannot make it today.

But the curtain's rising for our lead star, it's Mr Philip Serrell!

She was lovely! What's happened to Gill?

She's not very well today, sadly.

-Oh!

-Get well soon, anyway.

-You get well.

Now, Richard Burton, one of my favourite actors. What a voice.

-Surely Richard Burton's worth £60 alone, isn't he?

-You'd think so.

We're going to find out if there are any "actor"

kind of luvvie-types that would want to buy this!

-They're going under the hammer now!

-There's one here!

The signed theatre programme.

Who's it signed by? Michael Redgrave. Various interest in this.

25, 28. At 28 now. 32. 35.

At 35. Is that it? A little bit of theatrical memorabilia.

All done at £35. Done at 35.

-It's gone.

-It's gone. It's had its time.

The thing is, the internet makes everybody aware that it's available,

so it's made its money.

-Let's just hope that Gill gets better.

-Yes.

It hit Philip's reserve bang on.

Let's hope that £35 brought some colour back to Gillian's cheeks.

Now for the last of today's lots

and I'm really hoping we hit the jackpot with this one.

-Great to see you again.

-BOTH: Thanks.

-Excited?

-Yes.

-Nervous, yes.

-Which one of you found it?

-Me.

We've got a value of £200-300. I had a chat to the senior valuer here,

Kate Bateman, she said totally agree with the valuation.

We've got an awful lot of Chinese and Eastern artefacts in the sale.

It's bringing in overseas buyers. Hopefully, they'll pick up on this.

Looking round, there's one or two people

-who I think might well be having a bid for this.

-Yes.

-Good.

So we could have a big surprise on our hands.

Now, steady!

The Cantonese ivory fan.

As you open it up, all the figures follow through.

They make a little story.

Let's start at £150. 150 I'm bid.

150. 160. 170. 180.

190. At £190 now. Done, then, at 190. 200. 220.

220. 240. 260. 280.

-300.

-We're there already.

-360. 380.

400. 400. 420. 440.

460. 480. 500. 5...50.

-600.

-600. At 600 now.

-620.

-650.

-700.

-750.

-I'm lost for words.

-At 750. 800. 850.

-I must brush up on my Cantonese valuations!

-900. 950.

At 950. 1,000.

At 1,000 now. And 50.

-1,050.

-1,050!

-I have 1,050.

1,100. 1,150. At 1,150.

Phone, are you in? 1,200.

-1,250.

-Wow, Charlie.

1,300. 1,350. Net at 1,350.

Yes, get in now. 1,400. At 1,400.

-And 50.

-1,450.

-1,500? Yes.

1,500. 1,550.

-1,600.

-LAUGHTER

-The phone at 1,600.

-And 50.

-1,650.

-That's amazing. That is incredible.

-1,700.

-Wow.

-1,750.

-Jackie!

-I know.

-There's tears.

1,800.

Phone at 1,800. £1,800. Anybody else?

-And 50.

-1,850.

-1,900?

-No.

At 1,850. I sell with the internet at £1,850.

-Jackie.

-I daren't look.

-At 1,850. Down here at 1,850.

Any of you in the room?

-Oh, my goodness me!

-That's wonderful.

-Wow!

-That's amazing!

-Tears in the eyes!

Never mind, Charlie, you can be wrong as often as you like!

I'm going to become a decorator!

-Who would know?

-That's fantastic.

-That is absolutely amazing.

-Extraordinary.

That's where the big money is, the Far East.

Buying back their heritage.

It's a lot of money. There's commission. It's 15%, plus VAT.

But enjoy it.

-You probably hadn't thought about what you'd spend £200 on.

-No!

This is a lot of money.

What a marvellous way to end such a brilliant day here in Stamford!

Everyone has gone home so happy!

If you've got something like that, we want to see it.

Bring it to a valuation day. But for now,

well, I think we're all going out to celebrate, don't you?

It's cheerio. See you next time for more surprises.