Dulwich 12 Flog It!

Today, we're south of the river at Dulwich College.

Welcome to Flog It!

As well as the famous school, which was established in 1619,

Dulwich is known for its beautiful Victorian park.

Outside the splendid gates, you'll find Dulwich Village itself.

It's so green around here, it still feels like a village,

even though we're just a few miles from Central London.

This is what I like to see.

The sun is shining, everybody is happy, smiles everywhere.

And we've got a whopping queue today.

Everybody here at Dulwich College is eager to get inside.

Our team is headed up by Michael Baggott and Kate Bateman,

who are already starting to value items in the queue.

Michael is an antiques consultant from Birmingham,

who has a passion for silver.

I'll tell you one thing, it's over 46 years old.

Kate has been surrounded by the world of antiques all her life

and works for the family auction house in Lincolnshire.

Be still my beating heart. You get a sticker.

You get two stickers, just in case I miss you.

Somebody here today is going home with a lot of money.

Stay tuned and you'll find out.

I guess, as I'm the senior member of the team, I can be the headmaster.

So let's get the doors open and get on with our lessons.

Coming up on today's show -

Kate has delusions of grandeur.

..I might have a Kate Middleton moment. Is it going to go?

-It suits you.

-I think so.

Michael gets excited.

I feel I should beat out a tune on this wonderful drum. Marvellous!

And auction fever has us all in a spin.

-I'm shaking.

-I am gobsmacked.

Kate's at her table with a cheeky monkey and its owner, Patricia.

-Patricia, welcome to Flog It!

-Thank you.

You've brought a little person, a little monkey. Who is he?

I don't know what his name is. He hasn't got one.

We've had him for 15 years. He was my late husband's mother's

that we found in the loft when she died.

-So he wasn't yours?

-No. Where she got it from, I'm not sure.

What intrigues me... I looked at his face and he looks familiar to me.

He's got a little hole in his ear.

I was looking for a button in his ear,

which would mean he was Steiff.

I think, just looking at him, I'm fairly sure he is a Steiff.

Date wise, he's pre-war, certainly. Probably about the 1920s.

He's had a bit of a hard life.

He's straw filled. He's mohair.

You can see he's obviously had some quite long bits here.

He was obviously this fantastic, all-over brown colour.

-Any idea, price-wise, what you think he's worth?

-Haven't got a clue.

Well, Steiff's one of the big names.

But he's not in good condition.

I think he's probably £50-£80, something like that.

Although he's missing his button, but he is recognisable as a Steiff.

-Is that the kind of figure you'd go for?

-Yeah, that's fine.

I look at him and I think, "I don't really like him."

No? He's got a sweet little face!

-He's just been sitting in the cupboard.

-Oh! Reserve?

What would you think?

It should be the least that you'd be happy to sell it for.

So if you say, "I'd let him go for £20, I'd be happy with that,"

I'd say put that reserve on him

and let him find his own level at the auction.

-OK, yeah.

-Fingers crossed.

-Fine.

-Wave goodbye, monkey.

-Bye.

-Thank you for bringing him along.

Michael didn't have to wait too long

to get his hands on some silver, courtesy of Gillian.

Look at this wonderful thing that you've brought me.

I'm always delighted to see a piece of silver on Flog It!

Before I tell you anything about it, where did it come from?

When I cleared out Mum's flat, when she died, I found it.

I didn't know anything about it at all.

-So you'd never seen it up until that point?

-No, never.

Any idea where your mother got it from?

No. It could have belonged to my father's side of the family.

Silver's very helpful because it's usually marked.

What we need to do is flip it over.

And we've got those hallmarks there. Three little marks.

Have you looked at them under a glass?

I have. They didn't mean anything really.

-Well, it's actually Russian.

-Oh!

The first one is the assay master's initials.

He's the man that would supervise the scraping of the silver

and the testing to see that it was up to standard.

Underneath that we've got a line, then the date when it was made,

which is incredibly helpful.

And we've got 1863.

Next to that we've got an "84".

It actually means "84 zolotniki",

which is the Russian standard of silver.

So we can tell from this it's Russian.

If we move on,

the last mark we've got is a figure of St George on horseback,

which is for Moscow.

-So we know that this was made in Moscow in 1863.

-Oh, my God!

The mark underneath there is the maker's mark,

but unfortunately I can't tell you who that is today.

If we tilt it back up, that's the clue as to where it comes from.

All of this lettering is from the Cyrillic alphabet,

the Russian alphabet.

No wonder I couldn't understand it!

It's a typical drinking form.

They had a lot of beakers. This flared foot is more unusual.

Often they tend to end in just a cut foot.

Then we've got all this surface decoration,

which is fantastic detail, and it's engraved.

And it's heightened in a substance called niello,

which is basically an amalgam with a sulphur base

and, when you apply it and fire it onto the body,

you get these wonderful black lines, almost like a black enamel.

Oh, I see.

That throws up the contrast of all the decorations.

This is a presentation inscription in Russian,

which I can't translate for you.

Those are the initials, in Cyrillic, of the owner.

It would be fascinating to know how your mother really got it.

Oh, I know. As I say, my grandfather used to...

He was in the Royal Marines.

-Travelled round the world.

-Travelled round the world.

I think we may have our answer. Well, it's a lovely thing.

-Why have you decided to part with it now?

-Well, it's in a cupboard.

Nobody seems that interested in it.

-You're not a big vodka drinker, are you?

-Not that big!

You couldn't have that much on a regular basis!

-The good news is that Russian silver is very collectable.

-Right.

It's fallen back slightly from what it was three or four years ago

when Russian oligarchs were spending millions of pounds.

As a consequence I'd be remiss not to put a reserve on it

of £200 at auction.

Really?

Absolutely. And we'll put an estimate of £200-£300 on it,

-but we'll keep that reserve fixed.

-Oh, my goodness!

-OK. Thank you.

-And we can hope maybe on the day for a phone bidder

from Moscow or St Petersburg.

-Might be hoping too much, but we'll see on the day.

-You never know.

I think it will be keenly sought after whatever.

Thank you so much for bringing it in.

Let's hope all of Moscow get bidding, but in the meantime,

magpie Kate has jewellery on her table, brought in by Elizabeth.

-Liz, hello.

-Hi.

-You've brought some pretty rings.

-Where did they come from?

-My husband gave them to me.

-My late husband.

-Lucky you!

They bring back very good memories, but there does come a time

when you have to let go a bit.

Are these all or...?

No, I've got very many rings.

Did you wear them? Presumably.

Yes, I did. I wore them to many functions.

-He took me out quite a lot as well.

-Showed you a night on the town!

There's some really nice ones here.

There are three on 18-carat gold,

so he's obviously bought quality. You're a lucky woman!

These front three here have all got diamonds in.

This one is a sapphire and diamond one. That's just on 9-carat gold.

Clusterings like this flowerhead-type cluster

went out of fashion a little bit over the past few years,

but because of the Royal marriage

they've had a bit of a resurgence really in fashion.

It just shows how the Royals are still setting the trends.

Ten years ago, that would be quite hard to sell,

but it's become a lot more easy to sell now.

So I would say, maybe try these three.

Individually, they don't have very large diamonds.

There are a couple of solitaires,

but the largest is about a third of a carat.

This one has an illusion setting, which means it's a small diamond,

but they've put a setting in platinum

around the outside with little cuts in it.

It sort of catches the light and tricks the eye

into thinking the diamond in the middle is bigger than it is.

It's quite cunning.

Absolutely.

I would say, probably put these three in as one lot together

and then put the sapphire as a separate lot.

For these three together, you're probably talking £120-£180.

And maybe the same sort of thing, so 100-150, for the sapphire one.

-Would you want a reserve on that?

-Yes, please, I would.

OK. Your reserve needs to be a bit below your low estimate usually.

So maybe put a reserve of £100 on the three, a firm reserve of £100,

-and maybe an £80 reserve on the sapphire.

-Right.

Would you be happy with that?

-I'd like £100 on the bigger one, if you don't mind.

-OK.

-They're your items.

-My husband paid quite a lot of money for it.

-I know it's going back a bit, but he did pay quite a lot.

-They're your items.

We can estimate them,

but if you don't want to let it go below a certain point,

that's the entire point of a reserve.

-So 100 firm on this one and 100 on the three.

-That's lovely.

And estimates a bit higher.

-Brilliant. Thanks for bringing them in.

-That's lovely. That's OK.

I might just have a Kate Middleton moment. Will it go?

-Oh, it suits you.

-So glad I did my nails! I think so.

-And it's the right size.

-My husband will be sweating.

Tony is at Michael's table

and he wants to find out more about his family heirloom.

Thank you for bringing in this curious box.

I think we might be able to guess what it is before we open it.

What a magnificent meerschaum pipe!

Look at that handsome fellow.

Absolutely wonderful.

Where did it come from?

It was my grandad's and my dad passed it to me when he passed away.

-Did your grandfather used to smoke it?

-Yeah, I think so.

Good grief! When would he have had it about? What time?

I couldn't honestly tell you. I was a babe in arms when he...

Might it be 1900? Might that be going back to...

Possibly about then.

We have a little silver collar as we do with the best meerschaum.

And it's got the marks for Birmingham around 1895.

They're a little bit discoloured. I can't exactly make them out.

But that would tie in perfectly with the style of the pipe and the box.

And you've just got this fantastic capped and bearded gentleman.

When these were made and carved out of this very soft meerschaum stone

that you find in Germany,

they were white.

The reason they were used for pipe bowls

is as you smoked through them,

they acquired this wonderful colour, this almost amber glow to them

and it's just absolutely wonderful condition,

the only problem being at some point

someone's bit the amber mouthpiece off which is a bit of a shame.

But it's still a super thing.

I mean, it is a pipe and thankfully, pipes haven't been affected

as people have moved away from smoking and smoking paraphernalia.

They are little works of art in their own right.

And you can just see by the quality of the carving

-that it's just wonderful, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I think it's the sort of pipe

that really deserves to be in one of the best collections.

Value is always difficult when it's a bearded gentleman,

not the most popular, not the most commercial.

Pretty young girls are what people want

or figures, or examples with scenes carved round them.

Those are the very valuable meerschaums

and they make between £400, £500, £600, £700, £800.

The other end of the scale

is just a plain meerschaum with a little bit of carving - £30, £40.

You're somewhere in the middle with this. Any idea of the value then?

No, not really.

I think bearing that damage in mind which is expensive to put right,

let's put £60 to £100 on it,

put a fixed reserve of £60,

and that will get the pipe collectors interested,

-and hopefully, we'll go above that top figure on a good day.

-OK.

-So if you're happy to put it into the auction...?

-Yeah.

We'll do that and fingers crossed, it does really well.

-Thanks very much.

-Thank you.

It's not often you see three bearded men

around one of our valuation tables.

We'll find out later what the bidders think.

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

Let's hope we have a good result at auction.

Next to the Thames, we've headed to Greenwich to sell our items.

But first, Tony's pipe is about to go under the hammer.

The meerschaum pipe, late 19th century,

in its original case, £60 to £100.

Valued by Michael. And it is, of course, a gentleman with a beard

if you look at that pipe. And...

Something's missing!

-You're the odd one out, Paul.

-Exactly, yes.

Things with beards in salerooms are irresistible,

so people will put their hands in the air for this.

-Why are you selling this?

-It's sitting around doing nothing.

-Where did it come from?

-It was one of Dad's things from his father.

-Did he collect then?

-No, he was just a hoarder.

It's a lovely example, bit of damage,

but these things used to fetch good money.

They used to be £300 or £400, but those days have gone.

The damage held me back, but I hope someone will see it

and think it's a really fine quality carving.

And it's a bearded gentleman, so I've got to have it!

Let's find out what the bidders think right now.

Lot 60 is the late 19th century, large meerschaum pipe

with a bearded gentleman.

Absolutely stunning pipe, this. Great example...

I love the way Robert sells things.

Poetry!

Looking for 55 on this pipe. It's worth all of that.

55. 58. £60, I'm out.

Looking for 65. I've got 60. I'm looking for 65.

-Are we all done?

-He's selling, isn't he?

-Yes.

-Selling the pipe at £60...

-It's sold - £60.

-That's all right.

-Happy?

-Yeah.

-It's better than losing it somewhere in the house.

-Definitely, yeah.

-Thanks for bringing it in.

-Thank you.

Patricia's Steiff monkey's about to go under the hammer.

This little monkey's come out of the loft

and now it's in the auction room.

-It belongs to Tricia. Hopefully, not for much longer.

-Hopefully!

Why do you want to sell this?

It wasn't mine. It was just in the loft.

It's been sitting in the cupboard, so...

-You found it in your loft?

-Yeah.

-It was my late husband's mother's.

-Oh, right.

-I was thinking maybe the previous owners left it there.

-No.

Good luck, Kate. Good luck, Patricia. This is it.

Two-tone brown. Lovely little chap.

It's got to start with a bid with me of £22

on this Steiff monkey.

Looking for 25. I've got 22 on it.

Looking for 25. 26. Eight, I'm out.

£28. Looking for 30. I've got 28.

Oh, phone bid!

Looking for 32. 32. I'll take 34.

I'll take 34 on the phone. 36 in the room. 38, I need.

38, I want. 38. £40 there. Looking for 42.

42 I need. On the phone at 42.

44 in the room. 46, I'll take.

-Room against phone, isn't it?

-48.

50, I want.

£50. I'll take 52. Four, I need.

£54, I want. 54.

Six, I want. 56 in the room.

58, I need. 58.

£60, in the room. I'll take 62.

62, I want. 62. 64 in the room.

Not monkeying about, is he?!

66. No? Are we all done? Last time.

On the monkey at £64, on the Steiff.

-£64!

-That was good.

-That was good, wasn't it?

You were worried to start with.

I was. He was damaged and didn't have his Steiff button.

But he had the look.

Much better than expected. Someone loved that monkey.

Gillian's silver goblet is ready to go.

Good luck. OK? First auction.

So many of our owners, it's their first auction.

But first auction with a lovely Russian beaker. You can't beat that!

What is it, Moscow, 1863 or something like that?

We couldn't find the maker on the day, but I have looked it up.

There are two makers using those initials.

One is Ivan Alexeyev, but he's too late.

And the other one, we don't know his name, so we're not much further on!

Did you find out the writing on the top?

-No, I don't think we translated it.

-We do know it's £200-£300.

It could go for more. This is it. It's going under the hammer now.

Absolutely stunning piece of Russian silver

and the bid's with me at £140. Looking for 150 on this.

I've got 140 on it. 150.

160 with me.

Looking for 170. I've got 160. I'm looking for 170.

-Are we all done?

-It's worth that.

At £160!

The hammer's gone down on 160. We had a fixed reserve at £200.

-So we didn't sell it.

-Oh!

Thank goodness there was a reserve.

-Disappointing for your first auction.

-Yes.

But it's a rare Russian beaker

and if you bought it in Bond Street, you might be paying £500.

Thank goodness we put that reserve on it.

Has it been a good experience?

-Have you enjoyed yourself?

-I thoroughly enjoyed it.

-Yes!

-It is a good day out on Flog It!

-I loved it.

If you'd like to take part in the show,

come to one of our valuation days.

You can pick up details on our BBC website.

Log on to bbc.co.uk/flogit.

Follow the links. All the information is there.

And, hopefully, we're coming to a town very near you soon.

Well, the goblet didn't sell.

But will Elizabeth's diamond ring stand a better chance?

Diamonds are a girl's best friend

and we have four coming up right now.

They belong to Elizabeth. Originally in two lots.

One really nice one

you valued separately, which is kept separate.

The other three, the auctioneer has decided to split up.

Yesterday, he said he thinks the others are quality as well.

They're all nice, yeah.

And we could fly through that estimate. Fingers crossed.

The jewellery buyers are here today, so hopefully they'll go.

It's going under the hammer right now. Good luck.

First, a vintage, 18-carat, white gold, lady's solitaire-style ring

with a diamond stone.

Absolutely stunning little lot.

The bid's with me straight away at £38 only on this ring.

Looking for 40. I've got 38 on it.

Looking for 40. 40 I've got. Looking for 42.

Are we all done? 42, it's at. Looking for 45.

I've got 42. Are we all done? Last time.

At £42!

42. The first one's gone.

Vintage, 18-carat gold, lady's solitaire-style ring

with a diamond stone.

Bid is with me on that at £30.

Looking for 32 on that one. I've got 30 on it.

Two, four, five, eight. 40, I'm out. Looking for 42.

42 there. Looking for 45. I've got 42 here.

Are we all done? Last time. At £42!

Two down, two more to go.

Mid-20th-century, 18-carat gold, diamond ring

with a sapphire, heart-shaped stone and platinum shank.

Size "K". Absolutely sweet little ring this.

And the bid's with me at only £38 on it.

40. Two. Five. Eight. 50. I'm out. Looking for 52?

I've got £50. Are we all done?

52 there. 55.

58. £60, I want.

£60, I've got. 62.

Looking for 65. Are we all done? Last time.

-It's a good result.

-At £62!

Three down. One more to go.

Good, stunning, vintage,

lady's, diamond cluster ring with a beautiful sapphire stone.

I like this one. The Kate Middleton ring.

OK, the bid is with me at £85 only on this ring. Looking for 90.

Five with me.

Looking for 100 on this ring. I've got 95.

100, I'm out. Looking for 105. I've got 100.

Looking for 105. Are we all done? Last time.

At £100!

-£100. Well done, Elizabeth.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done, Kate.

-That was good. It was the right decision.

-Good result.

-That makes a grand total of £246.

-Wow!

-I'm very happy with that.

-You are, aren't you?

-I am, yes.

-Oh, wonderful!

And I'm very glad to have been here. It's been a wonderful experience.

-It's been a pleasure meeting you.

-Thank you.

Splitting the rings up separately paid off.

Now I want to take you on a journey

around one of London's most famous landmarks.

St Paul's Cathedral -

there's no denying that is a beautiful building,

especially when you view it from the Millennium Bridge.

You get an uninterrupted view.

The only one left between those two modern pieces of architecture.

This is my favourite building in London. I can't wait to explore it.

To do that, we need to get to the heart of the building.

I know today we can barely scratch the surface of its history,

but let's make a start somewhere.

There's been a place of worship devoted to St Paul

on this site, north of the River Thames, ever since the year 604.

This is, in fact, the fourth cathedral to be built on the site.

It's just celebrated its 300-year anniversary.

As part of the festivities and essential maintenance,

it's had a thorough clean inside and outside.

So come with me. Let's take a closer look inside.

This panel of stonework

is an example that's been left to show you

how dirty the building has got over the last 300 years.

It's not surprising with the pollution in London.

It would have been particularly bad

during the Industrial Revolution and shortly afterwards

with the smog and soot in the air,

penetrating the very fabric of the stone.

And this is what it looks like years later.

The stone has now been cleaned up

at a cost of around £40 million, but it's been given a new lease of life.

The building is starting to breathe again,

so we can appreciate the original vision

of the cathedral's architect, Sir Christopher Wren.

# Gloria, gloria! #

Wren was a clever man, an achiever.

His early projects as an architect

included the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford

and the Royal Greenwich Observatory.

Both feature a domed design - a trademark element, some might say.

# Gloria, gloria... #

He was commissioned to design a new St Paul's Cathedral in 1668,

two years after the Great Fire of London

had destroyed its predecessor.

The process of getting the designs approved took a long time.

This magnificent scale model, which is constructed of oak,

is an incredible six metres in length.

It shows us what Wren had in mind

for the architectural outline of the cathedral

when it was still in its planning stages.

An earlier design was rejected

for featuring a Greek cross as the footprint of the cathedral.

This is another representation of one of his designs.

It really is truly incredible!

He commissioned two joiners to make this. It took them a year.

It cost £650.

Now that is a staggering amount of money back then.

Equivalent of a very smart London townhouse.

And quite fittingly, this model is known as the "Great Model".

I'm admiring the level of craftsmanship

that has gone into this.

Take a closer look.

In there, you can just see the incredible amount of work.

I'm surprised it only took a year for two men.

These guys have created a work of art

that historians and architects

are still marvelling at centuries later.

This model's design was turned down by the dean and chapter.

So it wasn't until 1675 that a new warrant design

was given the Royal seal of approval.

If it took seven years to get the plans approved,

how long do you think it took to build it?

This building project took 35 years from start to finish.

Although the cathedral was open to the public halfway through, in 1697,

there were tweaks and changes made to the design

until its completion in 1710.

Wren by then was an old man,

but was still heavily involved.

He was even winched up to the higher floors,

so he could inspect the latter stages of construction.

I've been wanting to show you this.

Up here in the Whispering Gallery,

you can appreciate the complexity and skill

of Wren's design for the dome.

When you look up there, towards the windows,

or should I say the heavens?

You just gravitate upwards and look up there in amazement

and wonder how these craftsmen managed to construct

such a huge architectural feature.

The inner height of the dome is 225 feet.

There are three tiers to this construction.

The inner one, which we're looking at now.

Then there's a middle one, a supporting brick skin,

and the outer layer,

which is a construction of wood covered in lead.

That's what's visible from the London skyline.

Add all that together

and it's an incredible 64,000 tonnes in weight.

There's a more quirky feature to this mezzanine balcony.

It's called the Whispering Gallery.

Because if you sit here and whisper something facing the wall,

your voice will travel all around there.

Somebody over the other side there,

which is a distance of 100 feet, will be able to hear it.

And I know it works,

because as a young lad I came here on a school trip and tried it out.

Once the fabric of the building had been agreed,

the pressure was on to make the interior as impressive.

Hidden from public view is this mind-boggling geometric staircase,

used by the dean of the cathedral.

In the heart of the building is the choir,

which features an impressive organ with over 7,000 pipes,

as well as exquisite decorations

by respected woodcarver to the Royals, Grinling Gibbons.

There have been many modifications to the cathedral

over the last 300 years since it was finished.

That's mainly due to national events,

like the funeral of Lord Nelson

and the marriage of Prince Charles to Lady Diana.

Other leading monarchs have wished to leave their mark

on this incredible building.

So what we see today here, looking in the nave,

isn't exactly how Wren's work would have been when he finished it.

A century later,

when Queen Victoria came to visit,

she was said to be not too impressed with the interior decor.

It was rather dreary.

As a result of that visit, this is what you see today -

wonderful, brightly-coloured mosaics in the inner dome

and along the surfaces of the nave,

drawing your eye right down there into that perspective.

Mosaics depicting prophets and saints and gilding everywhere.

Not just on the images, but on all the architectural details.

Highlighting it, picking it out,

making it dazzle, making it sparkle.

Above all else,

St Paul's Cathedral remains a place of worship

with prayers every hour, several services a day.

It's become a refuge for many people, not just from this country,

but from all over the world.

Sir Christopher Wren paid tribute to the significance of this site

by building this incredible cathedral

and, in turn, the people who come to visit the cathedral can enjoy

his achievements in architecture

and marvel at that ever-familiar dome on the London skyline.

Dulwich College is our learned host for today's programme

and there are plenty of items for our valuers to choose from.

Michael has drummed up a treat from James.

I feel I should beat out a tune on this wonderful drum.

A marvellous thing. Can you tell me where it came from?

Well, it came from the home of one of my wife's aunts.

You know what it is, don't you?

I've no idea. To us, we've called it a biscuit barrel.

But it's not really very airtight.

It isn't very airtight, but you're spot on.

It is, strictly speaking, a novelty biscuit tin.

Simply because it's modelled, very cleverly, as a drum.

It actually doesn't take a lot of work

to turn a standard cylindrical form into a novelty

when you just add this very naive, surface engraving of the tensioners.

You've got this engine-turned...

Actually, a honeycomb, engine-turned ground

to simulate the fabric and, of course,

a little bit of cast cleverness

to have the two strikes as the thumb piece.

If we turn it over, we always have marks. Oh, that's nice.

What we've got are...

-Because it's not solid silver, it's electroplate.

-Right.

We've got the electroplate marks for GR Collis.

These other marks are simply fake punches.

So, to the untrained eye, if you were being a nosy visitor,

and you turned it upside down,

you might think it was hallmarked and solid silver.

We've got the retailer's address there, Regent Street, London,

but there are manufacturers in Birmingham as well.

So this was probably made in Birmingham for their London shop.

Any idea of date?

-No idea at all.

-I think we can go back to late Victorian.

Really?

This is certainly going to be anywhere from 1890 up to 1910.

It would be the sort of thing that at the end of the Boer War,

if you saw our troops marching back...

With a military theme, 1900,

I think this, for a recently returned military gentleman,

-would be the de rigueur biscuit tin.

-Right.

Now the thorny question of value. We know it's not solid silver, sadly.

Any idea what a drum-form biscuit tin is worth?

No idea. 60?

60. I think I'm with you there.

I think £60-£100

is a reasonable figure.

I would put a fixed reserve of £50 on it.

-Right.

-And that protects it.

But it is an unusual thing

and the one thing we learn about auctions today

is it's the unusual things that tend to sell well.

-Right. What about a reserve at 60?

-We could do that.

I don't see £10 either way breaking anybody's heart.

Let's give it a go and we'll let the market decide what it's worth.

Thank you very much for bringing it in.

'Now what will Kate make of Irene's brooch?'

Irene, you've brought a little bit of the continent to Flog It today.

What do you know about this?

Not a lot, except that I bought it in a table sale.

-About 10 years ago.

-OK. You instantly fell in love with it?

-I just thought it was interesting.

-OK. What did you pay for this item?

-£3.

-£3?

-3.

I never go to table top sales that have things like this for £3!

I'm going to the wrong place. What do you know about it?

Well, I imagine that people used to go on these Grand Tours

and bring these back as souvenirs?

Yep. It is, as you can see, the Roman ruins in Rome.

So it's fantastic.

I think the Arch of Constantine is what it's called.

And all of the various pillars. It's a micro-mosaic,

which is tiny, tiny pieces of stone or glass - glass in this case -

that somebody's put together to form this design.

Then you've got an ebonised surround and then metal,

which was probably gilt originally.

It's probably late Victorian, so you're right about the Grand Tour.

The Victorians had a newly-emerging rich middle class

and they sent their young men off

to do a Grand Tour round Europe, and they got souvenirs.

So it's about 100 years old, I would have thought. The work is amazing.

-You obviously liked it. Did you wear it?

-It's too heavy.

Right. Quite a practical reason.

-You're quite happy to sell it?

-Yes, I am.

-OK. It cost you how much?

-£3.

I'll give you a fiver right now! Let's do it.

-Would you take that offer?

-No, I'd like a bit more.

I think at auction you're right to hold out.

I would have thought about £50-£80.

They are very collectable

and we see a lot of worse quality ones with bigger pieces

and they're a bit clunky. This is beautiful. I can't see any damage.

Maybe a few tiny pieces lost, but otherwise it's really good.

So estimate £50-£80. Would you want a reserve?

-I think so, yes.

-We put it below the estimate, so a £40 reserve?

-Right.

With the estimate at £50-£80.

-And we'll make it a fixed reserve.

-All right, then.

-You're happy to give it a go?

-Yes, I am.

-OK.

-Fingers crossed it will go.

-Good.

-Thank you for bringing it in.

It's my turn to value now.

I found Ken and Pat with their lovely watercolour.

This looks interesting. Can you tell me anything about it?

How long have you had it?

I've had it for about ten years. It belonged to my father.

He loved collecting 1930s, 1940s paintings.

I thought it was painted by a man.

I knew he was something to do with the art school.

That's about all I knew about it.

The reason you can't find much about him if you tried looking

is because HE is a SHE.

It's Pegaret Anthony!

It had me going for a minute.

You think Anthony is the Christian name and it's just in reverse order,

like you sometimes see a man's name printed.

But, no, definitely a lady.

Taught at the Central College of Arts and Crafts in London,

where she was a pupil.

She ended up staying and teaching there for 40 years.

She fell in love with the history of costume.

And I think that's coming out here

in this lovely, faded, watercolour, pencil sketch.

Look at all the faces hard at work, concentrating.

They've all got, more or less, the same shaped nose.

Probably gossiping away!

She died in the year 2000,

but funnily enough there are two of her pictures

in the Imperial War Museum.

And upon her death in 2000,

I know that they went and spent a lot of money on more of her work.

Oh, right.

Value wise,

I did a search online of something that sold recently,

about the same size, again with wonderful use of costume,

that whole sort of 1930s period, and that sold for £150 in auction.

So that's a good price guide for this.

I'd be happy with that.

It's not a lot of money for such a nice image.

No, it's not. I do like it very much actually.

I know you won't let it go for anything less

and I don't blame you really.

-So put a fixed reserve on at £150?

-Yeah.

-All right.

-Thank you very much.

For our final item, Kate's got a flash of red at her table,

brought in by Paul.

-You've brought in a nice vase. What do you know about it?

-It's flambe ware.

Yeah.

-Royal Doulton.

-Yup.

-And by Charles Noke.

-Right, OK.

So are you a collector of Doulton?

-I have collected Doulton, yes.

-OK.

Where did you get this one from - antiques fair, market?

No, I got it from a charity shop.

-Charity shop!

-Yes!

-Tell me how much you paid for it.

-I paid £6 for it.

-Recently?!

-Recently, yes.

-You've got a good eye.

So it just caught your eye and you went for it?

-Yes, I did, yeah.

-Wow!

You, presumably, know as much as I do about it. It is Charles Noke.

If we look on the bottom,

we can see he signs his items "Noke"

and, usefully, it says the word "flambe" on the bottom.

It's exactly that - flambe ware.

Charles Noke was a real pioneer.

He joined and he was actually head designer in 1899 at Doulton

and brought these fantastic flambe wares, copying the oriental.

The "sang de boeuf", which is sort of bull's blood,

this very deep red colour.

Basically, he threw everything at this one.

I mean, it's a really interesting piece.

He's got, not just the red, but all these different colours.

There's mossy browny-green here.

There's some yellow, sort of mustard colour.

I'm not sure it entirely works.

Do you like it?

Yeah, I think it's beautiful.

-You think it's great?

-Really great, yeah.

It's unusual though.

It only cost you £6. What do you think it's worth?

Do you have any idea?

I've got a fair idea of what it's worth.

Price wise, I think at auction

you're probably between £80 and £120. Maybe £100.

Is that the kind of figure you were thinking of?

Yeah. I'd be well pleased to get that.

-That's quite a return on your money for £6.

-It is, yeah.

A few words about condition.

Obviously, that does affect the price.

There is a tiny little chip that I've noticed on the top, on the rim,

and also a little chip here,

just there on the body,

but nothing that's going to really deter a bidder.

-Would you want a reserve on it?

-Oh, I would, yeah.

-Yeah?

-What do you suggest?

-70 reserve?

Just below your low estimate.

-Oh, that's a bit low. I thought...

-80?

-80.

OK. You can have a reserve firm at 80

and that's the same as your low estimate.

Reserve at 80.

80-120 guide price.

Brilliant. Thank you for bringing it in.

So, how do you think our experts' valuations went?

There's only one way to find out - we're off to auction

and here's a quick reminder of what we chose,

and see what the bidders think.

Up the road to Greenwich to sell our final items

and Paul's flambe vase is ready to go.

Why are you selling this? You're looking very, very nervous.

-I am, yeah.

-Are you changing your mind?

-No.

You got it from a charity shop.

Good for you. It cost you next to nothing.

Let's see if we can get you a fabulous profit. Here we go.

It's the early 20th-century, Royal Doulton,

classic design, waist-neck spill vase,

in a flambe ware design with artist mark.

Paul looks so worried.

Looking for 80 on the flambe ware. I've got 75.

-It's your first auction, isn't it?

-It is.

Yes, I can tell. It's the nerves.

Where's 80. I've got 70... £80. I am out.

-Right, it's sold.

-It's sold, yeah.

I've got £80 seated. Looking for 85. Are we all done?

Last time. 85.

Look, I'll take 88 if I have to.

I've got 85. Looking for 88.

Are we all done? Last time standing.

Are you sure? At £85!

-Sold.

-It's gone.

-Yeah.

-That's a good profit for you as well.

-It is!

-Yeah!

Now he's smiling, look. Yeah!

From flambe to my find.

Let's watch the Pegaret Anthony painting go under the hammer.

-Pat and Ken, it's good to catch up with you. Are you OK?

-Very well.

We're about to sell this wonderful Pegaret Anthony work of art.

And it is quality, isn't it?. Let's find out what the bidders think.

Ladies working in a clothes factory.

Dated 1943. Signed by the artist.

It's a lovely, lovely lot this.

And the bid's with me at £130.

Looking for 140. It's worth all of this. 145.

£150, I'm out.

-Looking for 160.

-It's selling.

I've got 150 on this. Are we all done on this watercolour?

Last time. I'll sell it at £150.

It's gone. It went on the reserve.

Yeah, yeah.

I'd like to have seen the top end and so would you have done.

Yes, I would have because I did like it that painting.

We tried our hardest.

'Now remember Irene's unusual brooch

'that Kate loved so much? Well, that's up next.'

-Such a beautiful thing.

-Quality.

-I'd buy it. It's beautiful.

-It is.

Good luck. It's going under the hammer right now.

Lot 340 is the late-19th, early-20th century micro-mosaic brooch.

Absolutely stunning piece of work.

And it's got to start with a bid with me of £45.

-Looking for 50.

-Come on.

-50.

55. 60. 5. 70.

5. 80. 5.

£90. I am out. Looking for 95.

95 with the hand. 100 seated. Looking for 110.

£110 standing.

I've seen ya! 120.

130 I need, madam.

-£120 seated...

-Carry on, madam. Keep bidding.

130, new place. 140 seated.

150 standing. 160 there. Looking for 170.

-Are we all done? Seated. Last time at £160.

-£160!

That was a great result. It was such good quality. Well done.

Thank you for bringing it in.

'That's a brilliant return on the £3 Irene spent on it.

Just how will James' drum biscuit tin fare? Let's find out.

I'm standing next to James and next up is that silver-plate drum,

the biscuit tin.

-Why are you selling this?

-It's not really used.

It's just been wrapped up in a black cloth, keeping it out of daylight.

-Have you given up the biscuits as well?

-Oh, not a chance!

You've got to have a few custard creams with your cup of tea!

You can't give up the biscuits, Paul.

I speak as a man who has tried on many occasions.

It's a mid-19th-century silver-plate biscuit tin in the form of...

Biscuit tin, ice bucket, in the form of a drum

with the engine-turned relief marks.

GR Collis & Co, 130 Regent Street, London.

Absolutely stunning lot this.

It's got to start with a bid with me of £60.

-£60.

-Oh, just in!

Looking for 65 on this drum.

Where's 65? £70. 75. 80.

Five. 90 here. 95.

100. And 10.

And 20. And 30.

140. 150.

160 here.

170. 180.

-They love it, don't they?

-That is good.

200 here. Looking for 210.

210, I need. On the phone at 210.

Phone bids. Excellent.

230, I want. 230 on the phone. 240 here.

Looking for 250.

-260 here. Looking for 270.

-Gosh!

270. 280 here. Looking for 290. 300.

They think it's silver, do they, Michael?

The market for electroplate has obviously recovered.

Looking for 350. 360 here...

It's flying away. 370.

380.

400 here in the room.

Looking for 410. 410, I need. 420 here.

Looking for 430.

I wonder if it's going into some sort of military collection.

-We're in Greenwich, aren't we?

-450 on the telephone.

-450 - what have we missed?

-470.

480 in the room.

Looking for 490.

500 here in the room.

I'm shaking. I'm shivering.

-It's beyond any...

-Comprehension!

-I am gobsmacked.

540 in the room. Looking for 550.

540!

560...

Bless, Michael, he's normally so rhetorical

and he's so reticent right now.

-The words aren't flowing, are they?

-I'm stunned.

600 here in the room. Looking for 610.

£610!

Are we all done? Last time.

At £600 on the drum!

Bang!

£600.

-That is...

-Crumbs!

-..absolutely amazing.

We're just going to see biscuit tins on Flog It! from now on.

We'll see every biscuit tin in the country.

Are you happy with that, James?

-That's amazing.

-What wonderful result

and a perfect end to a wonderful day here in Greenwich.

I hope you've enjoyed the show. I told you there was a surprise.

Join us again soon for many more. But for now, it's cheerio!