Dulwich Flog It!

I'm in the leafy suburbs of south London. Today school is out

because our show is coming from Dulwich College. Welcome to Flog It.

This school, as you would expect, has had many famous pupils

and its fair share of authors. PG Wodehouse, for example, who created Jeeves and Wooster,

Raymond Chandler, responsible for the private eye Philip Marlowe,

and also CS Forester. He wrote the Horatio Hornblower novels.

So this might be an omen. Maybe today we might find some rare books or some first editions.

'It's all smiles here in the queue, but what will our experts think of today's items?

-'Leading the team is head girl Kate Bateman.'

-Is that your sandwiches in there?

'And head boy Michael Baggott.'

I have an automatic gold detector in my fingertips.

'Coming up on today's show, Kate drops a bombshell.'

-I'd put £60-£100 on that.

-As much as that?

-Oh, you're surprised at that?!

-Yes!

-'Michael seems to put himself up for auction.'

-Things with beards are absolutely irresistible.

'And I'm all in a spin.' You really do have to trust it.

It's quite therapeutic in a way! 'Welcome to Flog It!

'We've got a great turnout today and out crowd have come armed with all manner of antiques.

'Kate's first valuation is a bit of a family affair.'

-Janet and Phoebe, hello.

-Hello.

-You're granddaughter and grandma?

-That's right.

-And what have you brought today for us?

-We've brought some of my mum's perfumes.

-These two she's had since ten years ago.

-OK.

-She bought them on holiday in France.

-And this one?

-Bought locally at an antiques fair.

It's part of a larger collection?

-Yeah, my mum collects. She has about 100 perfume bottles.

-Wow!

-So she has quite a lot.

Has she got others like this? why these few?

She sent these because they are the most unusual ones she's got.

You've got quite a range.

There's quite an early one - Georgian, Victorian,

early 19th century. Hand-blown. I like that it's wobbly glass.

This great big bubble inside is quite irregular, so you have all the different thicknesses,

then it's cut, a little silver top. Not a full hallmark, so we can't exactly date it, which is annoying.

But that's a nice thing. And these two are a bit later.

Sort of early 20th century.

-You said she bought them in France.

-Yes.

-Do you know how much she paid?

-10 francs each.

-How long ago? 10 years ago?

-10 years ago.

That wasn't a lot of money then. I think they are continental.

They look a bit like Venetian glass or something like that, especially with the silvered background to it.

-Is that not enamel?

-Enamel is glass as well,

so it's an overlay, effectively. You've got a body cover

and then this is twisted. The back is silvered like a mirror,

then you put these stripes on top.

It's a fantastically difficult thing to make.

And they've all got their little stoppers and the condition's good. They're probably 1920s.

Price-wise, I was thinking maybe £100-£150.

For the three. Would she be happy?

Yes, I don't think that she would want to go lower than 100 as a fixed reserve.

-OK, put your reserve at 100.

-Yes.

-And if it doesn't sell, she'll have to try something else.

But they might go. They'll appeal to collectors.

-I'm surprised you've not got the collecting bug. Not tempted?

-No.

-Well, thank you for bringing them. Fingers crossed.

-Thank you.

'They might not be Phoebe's bag, but I'm sure they'll catch the eye of someone in the sale room.'

-Wouldn't be nice if that was a tray of tea and biscuits?

-Oh, lovely!

I'm dying for some myself.

'There's no time for a tea break. Michael is with Daniel.'

Daniel, thank you for bringing this lovely box along today.

We've had a peek, haven't we? You know what's in it, I know.

-Shall we open it up?

-Reveal it.

Fantastic. Crikey.

Where on Earth did you get this?

-My mother died in October.

-Right.

-And I went down and cleared out the flat and this was on the side.

My sister's having a baby next week, so if I make any money it'll go to my sister's baby.

Oh, that's marvellous. So we've got this wonderful complete set.

We've got the mirror, we've got the two hair brushes,

two clothes brushes and the comb,

and just to add to it, the little button hook, which would either be for gloves or shoes.

-Hard work, them days.

-Very hard work.

-Well, initially, when I looked at this I thought an Edwardian...

-I do love the style.

-..dressing table set.

It's this wonderful Art Nouveau. Flowing lines, comes in about 1875, 1880.

And it should go out about 1910, 1915. This is the quirky thing.

It was made in 1929 and 1930.

-Wow.

-And that's really curious as by then we're well into Art Deco

and all these sets are very angular, machine-engraved.

So why they still produced what would be 15 years out of date,

I can't really think.

There are upsides and downsides.

It is this wonderful Art Nouveau style, which is the main thing,

and it is in silver. The next thing is you've got the mirror, which is the most commercial part of it.

-There's a little dent there, but it's not initials taken out.

-Wear and tear.

-Which can happen.

The only thing is that using other people's brushes

-is...

-Hygiene.

-Yes, it's a hygiene thing.

-If you were to replace each one of these, it would cost far more than the set's worth.

-OK.

-You're really looking at a collector or a dealer that wants the mirror.

-And it's all together in its box.

-Any idea what the value might be?

-No, I haven't. Not a clue.

It looks a lot more valuable than it is. I think at auction

-we've got to be conscious that it's a style out of date.

-Yeah.

-And that it's an item no longer used.

-OK.

-If we put £50-£80 on it.

-OK. It could always make more.

-It could.

-If we get collectors...

-Well, we hope so.

-But the mirror should be worth £40.

-Wow. So it's really all about...

-That's the value of it.

-Because you can still use it.

-Yeah.

-But it's a lovely set. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

-Thank you.

'Some sound advice from Michael.

'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 hard to believe Irene picked that brooch up from a table-top sale.

'I can't wait to see whether it makes Kate's estimate.'

Three items ready to go off to auction. I've got my favourites and you've probably got yours.

But it doesn't matter what we think. It's all down to the bidders.

So let's get over and put the valuations to the test.

Here's our experts with a reminder of what's going under the hammer.

Phoebe's mum has decided to part with a small part of her collection.

Let's hope another scent bottle collector falls in love with them.

We all see a lot of these dressing table sets on Flog It,

but the design of this one is so nice, it'll be interesting to see how it does.

Think of all the work that's gone into this micro-mosaic brooch.

I would love to buy this, but hopefully a collector will go for it.

'We'll find out soon. Those three items are about to go under the hammer.'

This is where it gets exciting. This is auction time.

Today we're at the Greenwich Auction Rooms, a bright red building that is absolutely vast inside.

Just take a look at that. The room is now filling up.

In a moment, the auction will start and anything can happen.

Our lots may fly away or they might just sink. Who knows? Stay tuned and you'll find out.

'On preview day, I met auctioneer Robert Dodd. He split the perfume bottles into individual lots

'and had more news to tell.'

Janet's perfume bottles. We've got three, but I can only see two.

-What's happened?

-After they were brought into the auction room,

I spoke to each of the vendors and the young lady, on the telephone,

ummed and ahhed whether or not to keep one of them.

And my view was, if she likes it, keep it.

-Of course. It makes her happy.

-However, I'm hoping

that when she does decide to sell it, she can bring it down. That was a stunning little perfume bottle.

-I wouldn't have sold it!

-No.

I think she's kept the best one.

Knowing you were going to split them into three lots, it was easier for her to withdraw that one.

We did have a valuation on all three, before you split them up, at £100-£150.

Are you still sticking to that or has that been reduced?

I haven't reduced the reserve. I've said to the young lady

that I will keep the £100 reserve

and I hopefully will go a little bit above it. Who knows?

Having the two separate lots, they're two completely different eras.

This... It's probably Georgian.

Nice silver top, original stopper.

-Yeah. They fit perfectly.

-You've got people who collect Georgian glass, Georgian silver.

And the other one, to me, that to me is '30s.

So anyone with the Deco period, anyone who likes a pattern is going to go for it.

-That's why I've separated them and I hope to get as much money as I can for them.

-Good luck.

'We'll see if Robert's tactics pay off any minute now.

'Robert's also tweaked the estimates on all our other items to give them the best chance.

'So here goes with those perfume bottles.'

-We've got Janet and...

-Charlotte.

-We didn't see you on the day.

We had three perfume bottles as a total valuation.

-You've decided to withdraw the best one. The auctioneer said it was the best one.

-Yes.

-He's kept the reserve on the last two at £100. He's confident they'll do that.

-I hope he's right.

I would have valued it differently for just the two. We'll see if he's right.

They're going under the hammer now.

Your next lot is Lot 495, the first of two.

The first one is the Art Deco period hand-blown glass pocket perfume bottle

and start with a bid with me of £35.

Looking for 38. It's absolutely stunning.

I've got 35, looking for 38. 40. 2, I'm out.

Looking for 45. I've got 42 at the back. Looking for 45. Are we all done?

Last time. Selling at £42!

Sold it. The next one I prefer. I like the next one.

Lot 496. This is a late-18th, early 19th-century Georgian cut-glass perfume bottle.

And it's got to start with a bid with me of £62.

64. 6 with me. Looking for 68.

I've got 66, looking for 68. Are you all done? Last time on this bottle.

-At £66...!

-Yes!

-So that's £108. It's done it.

-Good.

-Just.

-That just sneaked it in.

-Just.

-And you kept the one you liked.

-I couldn't give it up.

'What a great result. £108 for just two bottles

'and Janet keeps her favourite.

'Now remember Irene's unusual brooch that Kate loved so much? Well, that's up next.'

-I think this is a nice brooch.

-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.

'Now how will Daniel get on with that mirror and brush set?'

-Why are you selling these?

-I'm giving the money to my sister for the baby. She's overdue!

-Any minute now?

-Could be right now!

-Congratulations.

-Thank you.

-Uncle Daniel.

-Let's hope we get the top end.

-They're not the most popular things.

-No.

-Pressure with the baby, though!

-Not a lot of silver on them, either.

-You can't scrap them for weight!

It's Art Nouveau style but in the Art Deco period,

-so maybe someone will buy them because they're quirky.

-And they look good. Good luck.

Lot 295 is the six-piece hallmarked silver Art Nouveau-style vanity set.

The bid's with me at £38 only.

42. 5. 8. 50, I'm out. 5 I need. 55. 60.

-It's sold.

-Like lightning.

65 there. Looking for 70.

£70 there. 75.

-Go on!

-Yes, have some of that!

-Have it!

I've got 85, standing. £90, new place. Looking for 95.

Are we all done? At 90, are you sure?

At £90 on my right...!

-Yes!

-90 quid! One happy man.

-Yeah.

One happy sister!

'Three great Flog It sales so far and we'll be back later on with more items to go under the hammer.

'Whilst I was in the area, I took some time out to visit one of the most cutting-edge museums in London.

Design affects us all every second of the day, from the buildings that surround us,

to the cars we drive, to the clothes that we wear.

We often talk about good design and bad design, but what is good design? How do you define it?

Well, I've come to Butler's Wharf to learn a little bit more about the world of contemporary design.

'The Design Museum was founded by Sir Terence Conran back in 1982.

'It was originally housed in the basement of the V&A Museum,

'but by 1989 the exhibition had outgrown its space and moved to its new home here on the South Bank.'

It was built in 1955 and back then this whole area was packed with warehouses containing tea,

spices and fruit, ready to be offloaded onto the river boats to be distributed elsewhere.

It's hard to believe that this building was a banana warehouse.

'The area went into decline when the last warehouse shut in 1972

'but it's since been regenerated and the old warehouses have been converted into striking flats,

'restaurants and shops.

'The old cobbled streets here really give a sense of history.

'It's a fantastic blend of old and new and a very fitting place to house a museum dedicated to design.'

As well as being visited by design students and tourists, it's also a port of call for manufacturers.

They like to come here to see what's hot in the world of design.

It is cutting edge, so they get inspiration for product design.

The museum has a very important role in influencing what objects are going to look like in the future.

There are many exhibitions every year featuring contemporary designs from all around the world,

from graphics to architecture, fashion and product design.

'What's great about the exhibits is they are not just the weird and wonderful,

'they're everyday objects, too, making us question the design of things we take for granted.'

Everything here has been planned with detail and design in mind -

these clean, sharp lines, that severity of surface, so pleasing to look at,

wallpaper designed by graphic designer Wim Crouwel,

also the wastepaper bins to put a smile on your face, designed by British fashion icon Paul Smith.

'But I'm really here to check out the Designs of the Year exhibition.

'It's been described as the Oscars of the design world and features the most forward-thinking designs

'from the previous 12 months.

'Josephine Chanter from the museum has promised to show me around.'

-Welcome to the museum.

-Can I have a go on that?

-Do.

That looks a lot of fun. It's very sculptural-looking.

-Yes, when it stands up, you wouldn't know it's a chair.

-What's it called?

It's called Spun Chair.

You really do have to trust it, don't you?

It's quite therapeutic in a way.

But bags and bags of fun.

-It's made of plastic. Is that an injection mould?

-Yes.

The little bits of plastic are put into the machine, then spun to make this shell of a form.

This is made by Heatherwick Studios

and it works sort of as a sculptural form,

but it's a chair as well. At first glance, people don't know what it is which is part of its charm.

I envy you because you're surrounded by the best quality design in the world.

Do you go home and question what's in your kitchen, the cutlery, the bookshelves? It's endless, isn't it?

I think it does make you look at things closer which is important.

At the Design Museum, we try and make people more informed consumers, so you buy better.

And good design never dates because it's good.

We exhibit things here that can be 100 years old, but they look like they were made yesterday.

How does the exhibition work? Who gets to pick what comes in here? That's a tough job.

For this exhibition we have a team of international spotters

who have to select what they think are the top designs from last year,

then our curator looks at that very long list

and tries to make an exhibition and select what are the best.

That is a great start. Can we look at a few other things? You choose

because everything in here is vying for my attention and I'm getting confused, so you lead the way.

So I gather these light bulbs won this year's Design Award.

That's right. Out of all the exhibits, all the entries, it was the humble light bulb that won the day.

-Less is best.

-Absolutely. This was Samuel Wilkinson, a British designer, with a company called Hulger.

What is so special about them? At the end of the day, they are just light bulbs.

We've all had to convert to low-energy light bulbs and they're really, really ugly.

We put them in our lamps and they're really unattractive.

-What's lovely about these is not only are they attractive in themselves...

-You don't need a lampshade.

-No.

-They put a lot of time and effort into getting a really lovely quality of light.

-Yeah. It's a whiter light.

They've worked to give a really good luminescence, so they beautifully light a room.

They're really gorgeous. It turns a light bulb from being an everyday commodity into a real design object.

Yeah.

So, Paul, this is the YikeBike.

Oh, gosh! Why is it called a YikeBike?

I think probably because it's going to make you go, "Yikes!"

-I've seen a design like this before. It's the penny-farthing, isn't it?

-It is.

It's an electric penny-farthing.

It's the lightest and smallest electric bike available on the market.

-Is that it folded up?

-It folds up small.

So you can carry it around, it's completely portable.

And then you unfold it into this quite unusual bike formation.

So all your front is exposed as you're sitting on that?

You're facing forward with the handlebars behind you?

Absolutely. You're sitting on the seat and your hands are by the side of you, instead of in front.

Most electric bicycles are basically just bicycles with an electric motor.

Someone here has really thought about how can I get around in a city environment quickly,

efficiently

and hopefully safely?

-Have you been on this?

-No, but where it was invented in New Zealand, they're quite popular.

Yikes!

What I love about the exhibition is it's so interactive.

It gives people the opportunity to enjoy design,

something which is very much at the heart of the museum's philosophy.

This exhibition runs until August 2011, but there's always something new at the Design Museum.

One thing that really strikes me about my visit here today at the Design Museum

is how the old has influenced the new

and how looking backwards is just as important as looking forward when it comes to good design.

I'll go home and question the things I've surrounded myself with because a lot of them aren't good design.

I hope it's inspired you to question what you've surrounded yourself with

and the next time you want to buy something,

put some of the principles we've talked about today into practice.

We're back at our valuation day at Dulwich College with Kate,

Michael and the rest of the Flog It team.

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.

Next up, Carol's brought in some Chinese porcelain.

Carol, you've brought in some dinky little Chinese pots. What do you know about them?

Well, my aunt who's in her 80s remembers them being on the mantelpiece

-of her aunt's when she was a child.

-OK.

We can have a quick look on the bottom and it will tell us a bit more about it, hopefully.

This mark on the bottom is a four-character Chinese mark

and this is for Kangxi, which is quite an early date.

What we often find with Chinese porcelain is that they're not the right date for the mark,

so this is marked for Kangxi, but probably not the period of Kangxi.

So it's not 1650, 1700, something like that.

It's probably a bit later and the mark is more like a homage to say this is in the style of Kangxi.

-But they are beautifully painted. Do you like them?

-Yeah, I like the bats.

Oh, I see, yes, we've got bats. If we turn them round, we've got bats here.

And on the front, we've got scholars.

I think she's writing, and ladies there...

These handles are really sweet. This is what's called a Ruyi sceptre end.

It's just another part of Chinese mythology.

A lot of the mortals hold this as a staff with this type of end, but it's really pretty.

They are also slightly different shapes and sizes and colours.

Yeah, that one's slightly bigger and this one, the figures are slightly darker.

This is a dark cobalt blue, this one is paler and has a larger rim,

but they've been made or used as a pair as they have the same handles and they're both marked the same.

-If you're thinking of selling them, any ideas price-wise?

-Not at all.

These aren't the most exceptional vases and there's a tiny chip

and a few hairline cracks in it, but they are quite sweet.

Having a very cautious estimate, I personally would put £60 to £100 on them.

-As much as that?

-You're surprised at that? That's always a good sign.

Excellent. What about a reserve of maybe £40?

-Yeah.

-Estimate of 60 to 100.

-Yeah.

-And see what happens cos they are rather nice.

We can't tell if they're right in terms of period,

but the experts will look and see if they like them.

-Yeah, that sounds good.

-We'll give them a go.

-Yeah.

-Let's flog it!

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

Kate was being cautious there, so let's hope they make even more in the saleroom.

There's time for one more item from Dulwich and it's a pretty bracelet that belongs to Jean.

Jean, I feel like Midas today because you've brought this wonderful bracelet in.

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

It was given to me about 10 or 15 years ago by an elderly gentleman who I worked for.

-Did you think that's a lovely thing?

-I thought it was very unusual.

But the first thing one does is try it on and it didn't fit.

It would have done 50 years ago, but it didn't then, so I've never worn it actually.

-Being well-proportioned myself, you have to have a very slender wrist to put that on.

-Yes.

-We've had a look all the way round and there isn't a mark on it.

-No.

-It falls into this category of Victorian jewellery.

-Oh, right.

And a large proportion of Victorian jewellery isn't marked.

It was most unusual to get full sets of hallmarks

-in the 1850s onwards up to about 1900, 1920.

-Yeah.

-This is all hollow.

-I thought it might be for the weight of it.

-It doesn't feel very heavy.

-It's very light. Then you've got this very fine engraving on the top.

-This is tremendously intricate work.

-Yeah.

Having said that, it has got its faults

and it's been repaired there.

I've had it repaired myself.

There was already one repair on one part and when I had it, this part was broken away.

-So you've had that done?

-I had that done, yes.

-There's another repair on the inside here.

-That was already done when it was given to me.

What happens, if you get a break in these hollow bangles or a dent,

sometimes the only way to get it out is with pressurised air.

-So you have to make a little hole, blow the dent out and that leaves a small hole.

-Yeah.

-It's not the most commercial thing in the world now.

-No, it wouldn't be.

-So I'm afraid the value is rather down to the gold weight.

-Yeah, that's what I thought, actually.

We haven't tested it. It could be 12-carat, it could be 15-carat.

-But for the purposes of valuation, I'm going to assume it's 9.

-Right.

A lot of this jewellery was made in 9-carat

and it was either dipped in acid or plated with a higher carat gold

to give it this very yellow finish.

-I see.

-In terms of date here, I think we're about 1870, 1880.

Yeah, I understood that, actually.

Value... Any idea of value, hopes for value?

Well, 100?

£100 is spot-on. We're dealing with its bullion value.

If we put it into auction at £80 to £120...

A bit of a cliche, but there it is.

And put a fixed reserve of £80 because that is the gold weight.

-Yeah, that's fine.

-It deserves to make that. It will make that.

-If the price of gold goes up towards the end... Who knows, on the day, maybe 100?

-Well, there you go.

-Thank you so much for bringing it in.

-That's very interesting. Thank you.

-Thank you.

Now, before we take our items to auction,

let's have a quick reminder of why the experts rate the objects they've picked.

What a magnificent pipe!

Well, here's one bearded gentleman the saleroom won't be able to resist.

This is a really nice, decorative pair of Kangxi vases

and they're a bargain at £60 or £70.

Hopefully, somebody else will go for them at the auction.

Even with scrap prices so high, I hope this appeals to a private buyer

and they take it home and wear it.

'We're back at Greenwich Auctions in South London.

'On the sale preview day, I wanted to see what auctioneer Robert Dodd thought of that bracelet.'

Jean's gold bracelet - we got a value of £80 to £120 on this.

We assume it's 9-carat gold.

I like this.

I think this is a stand-alone piece of jewellery

and I wouldn't ever want to sell this to be scrapped.

-No.

-I haven't got a clue what the scroll and the twist means. I tried to find out.

-But as a piece of jewellery...

-It's caught your eye.

Yeah, it did as a stand-alone piece. We've tested it.

We've tested this to be 18-carat.

It's 18? So we should be doubling our money?

I've put an estimate on this of £150 to £180.

-Great.

-And the reserve will stay as it is.

-Yes, cos the vendor's happy.

-It's going to go above the reserve, but I've gone for 150 to 180.

-Lovely.

-That's what we like to see - another little surprise.

-We hope.

'That's great news for Jean. Find out in a moment if my prediction is right and she doubles her money.

'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.

'Right on the reserve. That was close. Now it's Carol's two Chinese porcelain vases.'

£60 to £80, maybe a bit more?

There's a tiny chip or two on them, but they're fine.

-Not quite a pair.

-A near pair.

If you had them at either end of the mantelpiece, you wouldn't notice.

Yes, it wasn't until we looked at them closely that we realised they weren't a pair.

Good luck. Let's find out what the bidders think. Here we go.

Lot 240, two 19th century, blue and white, classic design vases.

Lovely little lot. The bid's with me at £32.

Looking for 35 on these. They're worth all of that. I've got 35.

35, I'm out. Looking for 38.

I've got £35 at the back of the room. Are we all done?

-He's struggling.

-Yes.

At £35... Not sold.

-Oh, well...

-The good news is Kate put a fixed reserve on that,

so we haven't given them away. They're going home.

Enjoy them. If you do decide to sell them, do it in six months' or a year's time.

-Don't put them straight back on the market. Have you had a good day?

-We've had a good day.

-It's been a good Flog It experience.

-Yes. Thanks very much.

-Thank you.

'Auctions really are full of highs and lows. I hope Carol gets a great price next time.

'Now it's time for our final item, that gold bracelet that caught auctioneer Robert's eye.'

Jean, we had a chat to the auctioneer about your bracelet.

Michael, he said 18-carat gold. He thinks it's going to double that estimate.

-On the day, I thought it might be 9 or 12-carat gold.

-You weren't sure.

-We couldn't test it.

-No.

-If he's had time to test it...

-It wasn't marked either.

-..weigh it and it comes out at that, that's fine.

That's a bonus for everybody. Let's find out what the bidders think. Good luck.

Lot 550, really nice lot. It's an 18-carat gold bangle

with a scroll and twist design, foliage relief.

And it's got to start with a bid with me of £80 only on this.

-Straight in.

-Yeah.

-Looking for 85. 85. £90.

95. 100. And 10.

120. 130. 140.

-Wow!

-150, I'm out.

Looking for 160... 160 there. 170.

180 I need. 180 there then.

190 at the back of the room. £200 I want.

£200 I've got. Looking for 210. Are we all done?

Front of the room at £200 on this bracelet...

-Top money, Jean!

-Great, lovely.

-I think someone has bought that to wear it.

-Yes.

-That's great.

-I'm pleased.

-We're all happy. Job done.

'What a super result for Jean! It even went for more than Robert's estimate.'

That's it for another day. It's all over for our owners.

The auction is still going on, but that was fast and furious.

All credit to our experts, but also to that man on the rostrum - Robert Dodd.

He sold our items with verve, passion and enthusiasm and at the speed of light.

Not only has he done our lots, but he's done 600 lots here today. Where does he get his energy from?

I need a rest, but he needs a well-earned rest. See you next time.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2011

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