Colchester Flog It!


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This is Colchester town hall,

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our fabulous venue for today. All these wonderful people

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have come to ask our experts that all-important question:

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"What's it worth?" When they find out, it's off to auction.

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Colchester is Britain's oldest recorded town.

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It thrived during the 16th century

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when large numbers of weavers and cloth-makers from Flanders immigrated to the area.

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It became one of the most prosperous wool towns in England

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and an area in Colchester is still known as the Dutch Quarter.

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Heading our team of experts in this prestigious setting

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are the youthful Kate Bateman and David Barby.

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Kate is a second-generation auctioneer

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who knows how to cherish and care for antiques.

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-Don't be horrified that I'm going to spit on your picture!

-Is that for luck?

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David is a valuer and consultant who knows what he likes!

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-Oh, just look at that!

-Yes, I like it.

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Coming up on the show, David tries to do a deal!

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-I'll give you a profit. I'll give you six pounds for it!

-No, thank you!

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Things don't go too well for me at auction.

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Help!

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And I get to learn about the creator of a much-loved aristocratic detective.

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She loved life and lived it to the full.

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What a fantastic turnout we have here.

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I think we're in for a good day!

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First up, cat-lover David is talking to Vivien about a rather sweet little dog!

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Vivien, this is an extraordinary piece to bring along.

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It's heavy because it's bronze.

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-Did you buy it from an important gallery?

-No, a boot sale!

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-A boot sale where?

-Lacock in Wiltshire.

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-Where Lacock Abbey was? Is.

-Yes.

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-Where they filmed Pride and Prejudice.

-Yes.

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Extraordinary. How much did you pay?

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Five pounds.

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Oh, I don't believe it! I cannot believe anybody would part with this for five pounds!

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-Yep.

-What an eye you've got.

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This is a lovely, lovely piece of French bronze sculpture.

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We have the name of the artist here,

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which is Emmanuel Fremiet, at the front here.

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What's important about this sculpture

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is he was born in the early part of the 19th century

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and died just into the 20th, in 1910.

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He produced these wonderful small models of animals

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up until round about the 1860s.

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-Oh.

-This was his speciality and probably dates from around 1855.

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But he had that sort of sympathetic quality with animals.

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He was able to imbue them with a sympathetic nature.

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So if they were sad or affectionate or happy,

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he was able to produce it in these small bronzes.

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He was very, very popular. They don't come on the market very often.

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-Oh. Right.

-So this is a lovely find of yours.

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I think at one time or another, some attempt has been made

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to maybe polish it?

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-No, not me!

-Not you. You're far too sensible!

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-I don't know about that!

-In the past I think somebody may have taken a cloth to it.

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-Right.

-Because it's got highlights here and there.

-He looks sad.

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Melancholy.

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A melancholy pooch!

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He brings all the sympathetic response when you look at him.

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He's almost saying, "No walkies today!"

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But I can imagine people holding this

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and stroking it and feeling it.

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It's very comforting.

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The description of the hair by the sculptor is very good.

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Has it been in pride of place in your home?

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First of all, it acted as a doorstop, then it just sat on the shelf!

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Sat on the shelf! Gosh!

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I think it's lovely. It's basically a desk ornament.

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I can imagine this in a gentleman's study.

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Or in a collection of bronze on the shelf.

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Why do you want to sell it now?

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It's just sat there, doing nothing, so I thought, "Why not bring it along and see what it's all about?"

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At auction, I think somebody is going to buy this

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because they love bronzes,

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or because they like animalia sculptures, dogs in particular.

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I think they'll pay between 250 and £400 for it.

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-Do you really?!

-I do, indeed.

-Ooh, lovely!

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-Are you happy with that sort of money?

-Definitely!

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-Portugal, here I come!

-I'll give you a profit. I'll give you six pounds for it!

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No, thank you!

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Great. Our first item found. What a wonderful find for five pounds.

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No hang-dog expressions there!

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It's me, next, with a bit of a thirst for a bargain.

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-All we need, Lena, are two glasses and we're well away!

-I know.

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But would one want to drink that, though, it's so old?

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You might.

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-You pay your money and you take your chance, with a vintage wine.

-Yes.

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-1928.

-It is some vintage, 1928. How did you come by it?

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I found it in the cellar of a house I bought.

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-A proper wine cellar, or just under the stairs?

-Just a cellar with coal and stuff.

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-This was down with the coal?

-There were loads of bottles down there.

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-Loads of them?! All of this?

-Yes.

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-Have you still got them?

-No, I only took one.

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-You've just got the one?

-Yes.

-OK.

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I did some research, looked on the internet,

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and I put this name in. It's from the Gironde region of southern France.

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If you look on the cork, you can see the name.

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Chateau Yquem.

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And an amber-coloured

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1928 wine is renowned for its complexity,

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its sweetness and it's very drinkable after two decades of laying down.

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But if laid down in the right conditions, it's still drinkable after a century!

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-Ooh, my goodness!

-After 100 years!

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-Oh, dear.

-You wouldn't want to try it, though, would you?

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I won't be around, I suppose!

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It hasn't had its seal broken, can you see?

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Wine is a fantastic investment.

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People make millions from investing in wine.

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You're buying it at a young age and selling it six years later

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but you don't take your money out, you just keep reinvesting in earlier wines.

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-Have you any idea what that's worth?

-No idea at all.

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I looked up this same chateau,

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the same year, same vintage,

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and I saw an amber-coloured liquid like that,

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known for its sweetness, its high acidity.

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Which it loses after a while.

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After a while - that's after two decades! - it balances out.

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It fetched quite a good price in auction.

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One sold recently, in America...

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..for 12,000!

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Not wine you can't drink!

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Maybe we could say speculatively,

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we might get 400 to £500 for this in auction.

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Really?

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If I'm right. I could be wrong.

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I could be going bonkers, absolutely staggering.

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-You can only drink it once, can't you?

-Exactly.

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Once it's open, once the cork's pulled,

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-it's lost its value completely.

-Yes.

-You wouldn't want to drink it.

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-Is this something you're thinking of selling?

-Well, yes! I am now!

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-Stupid question!

-I wasn't when I came here, but I am now.

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You took that out 30 years ago and kept it where, in your kitchen?

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Yes.

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Good on you, Lena, for hanging on to this for 30 years

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-and not being tempted to drink it.

-I sound like an eccentric!

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You're an old magpie, aren't you?

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-So, I hang on to a bottle of wine!

-30 years you've hung on to that!

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-Can we take a chance?

-Yes.

-Will you trust me?

-Of course!

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We'll put it into auction and let the auctioneer do more research.

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-See what he comes up with.

-A lovely idea.

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-OK?

-Yes.

-I'll see you at the auction room.

-Yes.

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And we'll put 400 to £600 on this bottle of wine.

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It might be worth a bit more.

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It might not be worth anything. You might break it on the way to the...

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We'd better not break it!

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I'll drink to that!

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Now, Kate's hoping to make the headlines with Terry!

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Hello. You've brought in two quite strange items. Tell me about them.

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They're two wooden printing blocks.

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They were used for printing the posters for The Times.

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-The Times newspaper?

-The Times newspaper.

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How have you ended up with these?

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I worked for the Sunday Observer, which used to print on a Saturday.

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-Right.

-From Sunday to Friday, The Times was printed

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-at the old Printing House Square.

-Right.

-Outside Blackfriars station.

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Then they moved from Printing House Square to Gray's Inn Road.

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-Yes.

-When they were clearing all the bits and pieces out,

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I managed to rescue them from the bin!

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-Which I thought was...

-They threw them out?

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-There were bins full of...

-Is this because old-school printing was dying out

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and being done on computers?

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It could have simply because they were moving and the printing presses were never going to be used again.

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Everybody was just leaving.

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You picked them up and thought you'd have a bit of history?

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No, I actually picked up a piece of wood! I saw it round that way.

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I thought, "What a nice piece of wood. I'll have that."

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When I turned it over from out the skip, or out the bin,

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I saw "The Times." I looked further down and The Times was on there again.

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What's nice is the fact you have the different type faces.

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This is Times New Roman, and this is quite a Gothic script.

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It's great fun. It's not something we get to value every day because they don't turn up.

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They're quite rare, but there's a limited number of people that will want them.

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So you pulled them out of a bin. Where have they been since then?

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They've been in my loft. In the loft.

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Out of the bin into the loft! How long ago was that?

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-Nearly 30 years, I suppose.

-Quite a long time.

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They've been gathering dust, so we thought we'd come to Flog It and flog 'em!

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Come to Flog It and flog it.

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As a decorator's piece, they're quite quirky. I can see them on a wall in a swanky London pad.

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So in terms of value, they're quite hard to put a figure on. They don't come up at auction often.

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Only a limited number of people will like them, but they're quirky and somebody will love them.

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So I think an estimate, really low estimate at 20 to £30, something like that.

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-Yes.

-Just to see what happens.

-OK.

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Put a reserve on of maybe £10, to cover the charges for the sale room

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so you're not out of pocket. Are you happy with that?

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-Yes, thank you very much.

-They didn't cost you anything, so anything's a profit.

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-Let's see how they do at the sale.

-Thank you.

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What unusual things.

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And how evocative of the hot metal age!

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That's our first selection of items. Here's a reminder of what we're taking to auction.

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This lovely dog was bought for a fiver

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at a country car boot sale.

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Never happens to me! I'd have loved this!

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I know about wines if they cost six, eight pounds from a supermarket, but I don't know about vintage wines.

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So I hope it does well.

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Interior designers would like these. I've put 20 to £30 on them,

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but I think they'll do well. Let's hope the times are a'changin'!

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We're taking our items to sell in Colchester. Don't forget there's commission to pay.

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Here I am, in a jam-packed auction room feeling really nervous

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because our job is only half done.

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We put those valuations on back at the valuation day

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and now it's time to put them to the test.

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I'm, frankly, really worried about my bottle of wine.

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Before the sale, I had a chance to talk to auctioneer James Grinter

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about another one of our lots.

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This poor little doggy belongs to Vivien.

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She got this at a car boot sale in Lacock, near where I live,

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-down in Wiltshire.

-Having a clear-out, Paul?

-A clear-out, yes!

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This is one I made earlier!

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David said it's a lovely little desk bronze.

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-It's signed. He says circa 1850, 1860.

-Right.

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-Bought for a fiver!

-Well, that was a good buy, but in my opinion,

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it's far more modern that that. I think it's a re-strike.

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-When you say re-strike, you mean from the original mould?

-Yes.

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The quality of it just is not there.

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This is by Fremiet, who's a really good animalistic bronze sculptor.

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-You'd expect clearer definition?

-Much better.

-David's entered this in the sale

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with a valuation of 250 to £400, with a reserve at 200. So where do we go?

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Sadly, because I don't think it's quite as old as he does,

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-I don't think it'll fetch that money.

-OK.

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What do you print in the catalogue?

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-We've called it 20th century.

-OK.

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-It's 20th century. It is bronze.

-It is bronze.

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-It is hopefully still French!

-Possibly!

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-It's a second casting, basically.

-So it's still made from the original cast.

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-But maybe that cast was at the end of its life.

-Exactly.

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-So it's by "as found", then.

-Indeed. And hopefully,

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if two private people fall for it, it could still make your estimate.

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It's still a nice bronze, at the end of the day.

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-You never know. It could still go.

-Fingers crossed. It's a nice thing.

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For dog-lovers. There's lots out there, hundreds!

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We'll see how Vivien's cast dog does right now as it's first to go under the hammer.

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-I know we've got a £200 reserve, but you two have had a chat.

-Yes.

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You're going to drop the reserve down to what, £100?

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-Yeah.

-£100.

-£100.

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It's still a jolly good profit on what you paid for it!

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Hopefully, it'll sell. Never know, it might still sell at 200 to 250.

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-I have my fingers crossed.

-Good luck. Got yours crossed?

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Here we go.

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Number 911 is the French bronze model of the seated dog.

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Impressed Fremiet. The dog there. A handsome beast. What do you say?

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I have two commissions. Start the bidding with me at £90.

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Straight in now at 90.

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£90 with me. 95. 100.

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110. 120. 130 with you, sir.

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130 is bid now. At 130.

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130 is bid. 140, anywhere?

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£130 is bid.

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All done at 130.

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That's OK. I call that a good profit on what was it, a pound?

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-No, five pounds.

-Five pounds.

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-They said very thoughtful.

-Exactly.

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Too heavy to carry home!

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I think Vivien was happy with that.

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It was still a good investment.

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Next, it's Terry and his Times' printing blocks.

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-Excited? It's not a lot of money, but tell you what, a cracking piece of wood.

-Really quirky.

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-Decorator's piece.

-Polished up.

-Let's hope they go well.

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-Hopefully, they'll fetch a bit more.

-More than they were in the loft!

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-You pulled them out of a skip.

-Good luck. It's recycling, anyway.

-Yes.

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Number 981 is the two wooden The Times printing blocks.

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£10 for these? £10 to start them.

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£10 I have. £10 bid now. At ten.

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£10 for these now. At ten. 12. 14.

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16.

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We're going to get that £20.

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18. 20.

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At £20, the lady's bid now at 20. £20 bid down here now. At 20.

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Any advance? All done at £20.

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Good result. That's what you said. A quirky bit of memorabilia.

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We've never sold anything like that before, so that was fun.

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-Unique.

-It is unique. And hard to put a price on.

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-Somebody will enjoy that. Polish them up and it's a nice bit of treen.

-Hang them on the wall.

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Another good result. Next, it's my turn and I hope I'm just as lucky!

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So far, so good. We're having a fabulous time

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and everything is selling.

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But it could all go wrong now.

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It's my turn to be the expert and next is Lena's bottle of wine.

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Sadly she can't be with us today, she's not feeling well.

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Hopefully you'll enjoy this, or not!

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There's no reserve on this. I'm looking for 400 to 500, maybe £600.

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It's dated, stamped, on the cork, it's completely sealed.

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1928. Fingers crossed there's some wine dealers here!

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It's sold in the past for that sort of money.

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Let's see what it does. Here we go. I'm pretty nervous about this.

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Lot 871 is the bottle of vintage Chateau Yquem. 1928.

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What do you say to start me? £200 to start me?

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£200 to start me somewhere for it?

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£200 somewhere?

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Oh, help!

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£100 to start me?

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£100 for it somewhere.

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No interest?

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No interest at all? Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, that lot is unsold.

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Oh, well. Lena, I'm ever so sorry.

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I'm pleased you didn't waste your time coming today! Get well soon!

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Oh, dear. That wasn't great, was it?

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Lena could do well if she takes her wine to a specialist auction sale.

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It's a mystery to me why it didn't sell.

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Perhaps we need to do a little detective work. In which case, I know just the man!

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Lord Peter Wimsey, the aristocratic detective,

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is a character loved by millions on film and in print.

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He was the creation of a fascinating authoress who, for 30 years,

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lived here in this house in the village of Witham, just outside Colchester.

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Dorothy Sayers, or Dorothy L. Sayers,

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as she was known professionally, was a renowned crime writer, poet,

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playwright, theological essayist and translator.

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But Lord Wimsey was the character who brought her mass appeal.

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Dorothy wrote 11 Lord Peter Wimsey novels

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plus numerous short stories, all evoking the Edwardian age.

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They were all exciting and thrilling, but even they couldn't match the drama

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of her own private life.

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Dorothy was born in 1893 in Oxford,

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where her father was the chaplain of Christchurch and headmaster of the Choir School.

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In 1912, she won a scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford, and received First Class Honours.

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At the time, women weren't awarded degrees, but a few years later, when the rules were changed,

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she was one of the first women to receive a degree and she graduated with an MA.

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A feisty, spirited young lady,

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she went to work as a copywriter for an advertising agency in London.

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She was very good and was behind the Guinness Toucan campaign - incredibly successful -

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and she's also credited with coming up with the phrase, "It pays to advertise!"

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While at the ad agency, she wrote her first novel

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and Lord Peter Wimsey was born.

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This upper-class amateur sleuth became an instant hit

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and brought Dorothy international fame.

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Here in Witham village library

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is a centre set up by the Dorothy L. Sayers Society.

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I'm going to meet one of its members to find out who Dorothy really was!

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Shona Ford, who lives in Witham, isn't just a fan of Dorothy's work.

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Her family also got to know the writer in her later years.

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Shona, why did you get interested in Dorothy?

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-This was because of my father, who was her doctor.

-The GP?

-Yes.

0:20:490:20:53

It was after Mac, her husband, died. Mac was a difficult man.

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-But she missed him.

-Hmm.

-And she wasn't going to go out and gather people in.

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She didn't want that. But of course, in my father,

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she had the ideal person to invite round.

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Dorothy would ring up my mother during the evening and say, "I wonder if the doctor could call in?"

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-My mother knew never to ask...

-..what was the problem!

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There would be a bottle of Amontillado sherry

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-and a box of 100 cigarettes!

-Gosh!

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And they would sit and talk.

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-They had...

-Good fun.

-They had good fun, yes.

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She loved life and lived it to the full.

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But she made some big mistakes.

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Things didn't work out quite as she had hoped with the men she fell deeply in love with.

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Did that spirit of hers get her into trouble? It must have done.

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Well, yes.

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Because she got pregnant and he was a married car salesman.

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And, in fact, she had the child secretly

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-down in the country with the help of his wife.

-What happened?

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She got her cousin, Ivy, to foster the child.

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-Can you imagine now...

-Well, that's scandal, I guess, back then.

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But nobody knew. Her parents didn't know.

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She paid for his fostering.

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-She sent him to school.

-Did he ever find out?

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Gradually he got to know. I think when he went to boarding school,

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I think that Dorothy felt it was important that he should know.

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And he was very proud of his mother.

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And he went to Oxford, to Balliol,

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where Lord Peter Wimsey, her famous detective, also went!

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What was her relationship with Lord Peter? Did she like him?

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Lord Peter was, for her, an ideal.

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-Yes.

-Based on someone she knew at Oxford.

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-Bits of other people...

-All the elements of people put in.

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A man of tremendous... Of great skills, of taste,

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he was always going off to auction!

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-To buy the odd rare manuscript.

-A man of taste, you see!

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A man of taste!

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-He was everything that...

-A superhero.

-Absolutely.

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But the trouble is, when you invent a character like that,

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they do rather take over.

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I think there came a point

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where she just felt, "Enough is enough."

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That's when she was getting involved with the religious drama.

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What happened in her final years?

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After Mac, her husband, died,

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she was working on her great translation of Dante.

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And that, to her, was a wonderful intellectual exercise.

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-That was the academic coming out again.

-Yes, absolutely the academic side of her.

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-She lived for her work, really.

-Absolutely.

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-And her cats. She liked cats.

-She loved her cats!

-Bonkers about cats!

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There was once a young woman who took service for the bishop's wife.

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Now, the bishop's wife, feeling a certain responsibility in the matter,

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suggested that she might like to attend a class for instruction in Christian doctrine.

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So she went, and came back full of enthusiasm.

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She said, "The clergyman explained all about the Holy Spirit.

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"I was so glad to know what it meant.

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"I always thought it was something you put into lamps."

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Thanks to my friend, the bishop's wife, this young woman has been preserved

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from thinking that Christians worship a trinity of Father, Son and Methylated Spirit!

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I remember the Peter Wimsey TV series that was on during the '70s

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where you'd gather round the telly, a proper family event, trying to solve the mysteries.

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But having found out more about this fascinating lady,

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I wish I could have met her. She's got a lot more going for her than any of the characters!

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Wouldn't it have been great to have a sherry with her, talking about cats!

0:25:050:25:10

Our valuation day is at the town hall in Colchester.

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David's chatting to Eileen about a nice painting.

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I like this particular scene

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because it reflects Norfolk.

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You have these fishing ketches here

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which are so typical of the Norfolk scene.

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They'd be sent out to catch herrings

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and this one is in full jib, heading towards the harbour here.

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Where did you get it from?

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-I inherited it from my in-laws.

-Right.

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I know they purchased it in the London area,

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they lived in Wimbledon at the time,

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but I know nothing more about it.

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Well, on the back is a label from a picture framers at Sydenham.

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If you think in terms of the time,

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this was painted probably latter part of the 19th into the 20th century.

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Norfolk area was very popular with Londoners to holiday.

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-Yes.

-They'd take their sketching pads and their walking boots

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and it was fairly flat country.

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I think this may have been one of these artists that went to the Norfolk area

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and painted this scene. I like to explore pictures.

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This one leads to an exploration of the picture, does it not,

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when you look at these figures going to a point in the background.

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We've got this wonderful perspective. When you look at the quality of the picture,

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it's very good perspective in that direction and down here.

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It meets round about that section. Everything's in perspective up to that particular point.

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Then you look at little details here, like the lobster pots

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and the timbers leaning against the wall.

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And the shadow and the actual glazing bars.

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Then we've got fishermen in the typical striped smocks.

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Do you think this might be a smoking house or maybe for drying nets?

0:27:040:27:09

-Yes.

-Probably for drying nets because there's no chimney.

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This is a well painted scene.

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The artist is E. Lewis.

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It's either Edmund or Edward Lewis.

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Not an artist recorded for selling large amounts of work

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either in the sale rooms over the last 20 years.

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So this one here,

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he may have painted it for his own use, his own ability,

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his own holiday memories,

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rather than put it onto a commercial level.

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I think it's nice. I think the price is 50 to £80.

0:27:400:27:44

Not an awful lot, when you consider you have to pay more for a print!

0:27:440:27:48

-Yes!

-But this has got so much detail.

0:27:480:27:51

This here, Eileen, is the problem.

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This is either fading paintwork or it's some blemish coming through.

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But skilful restoration could get rid of that.

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So overall, I think it's a very handsome picture that needs a little bit of work

0:28:030:28:08

Have you ever had it hanging at home?

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-No, only for a very short period.

-Right.

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-You don't like it?

-Yes, actually,

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I think it's a very easy to live with picture. A peaceful picture.

0:28:160:28:22

-So why are you selling it?

-Because I now have so much in my house,

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-I really must downsize!

-Right.

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You're making a sacrifice.

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-Don't expect grand results.

-No.

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But at least you're getting rid of something in the right manner

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and it'll achieve the best possible price.

0:28:380:28:41

-Someone else will appreciate it.

-Someone will fall in love with it.

0:28:410:28:44

I like it because I explore the pictures.

0:28:440:28:48

Next up, Doreen is talking to small and beautiful Kate Bateman.

0:28:540:28:58

What's she talking about?

0:28:580:29:00

You have brought something small and beautiful today. Tell me about it.

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I bought it at a table sale in my town and I paid a pound for it.

0:29:050:29:09

-A pound?! Was this 50 years ago?

-No, about four or five years ago.

0:29:090:29:14

-Do you know what it is you bought?

-No.

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-You saw it and thought it's a nice vase.

-Yes.

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-I thought it was pretty.

-Did you know it's hand-painted, who it's by?

0:29:190:29:23

-No.

-Just thought it was pretty.

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That's the reason why you should buy it in the first place.

0:29:250:29:28

This is absolutely fantastic. Let's have a closer look.

0:29:280:29:32

What we've got is quite a strange shape, a diagonal-shaped vase.

0:29:320:29:37

On it, we have this fantastic hand-painted decoration

0:29:370:29:40

of flags or irises and in here it's etched. The background is very pale and frosted.

0:29:400:29:48

The more you look, the more you see.

0:29:480:29:50

And here, this is the magic words, "Daum, Nancy."

0:29:500:29:54

-What do you know about Daum? Anything?

-No, not at all.

0:29:540:29:58

A French factory. Turn of the century. So this is Art Nouveau,

0:29:580:30:02

1900, 1910, something like that.

0:30:020:30:05

It's a really attractive piece. There are loads of collectors for this.

0:30:050:30:09

-You're not a glass collector?

-No.

-You saw it and liked it.

0:30:090:30:12

-Yes.

-OK. You've brought it to Flog It. It looks fantastic condition.

0:30:120:30:17

There's a tiny chip, here on the corner,

0:30:170:30:19

but other than that, it's really good. No cracks, no chips.

0:30:190:30:23

They got the background with an acid etching, that's how it's frosted.

0:30:230:30:27

Then they cut away to get the coloured bits, then hand painted over the top of that.

0:30:270:30:33

It's quite a complex design.

0:30:330:30:35

The whole glass is etched pate, pate-sur-pate so you've got a different mottled effect as well.

0:30:350:30:41

So quite a complicated series of ways to produce it.

0:30:410:30:45

Price-wise, it's a lot more than your pound!

0:30:450:30:48

At auction, for this kind of size, I would think maybe 300 to £400.

0:30:480:30:53

You're surprised by that? Are you happy to sell it at that figure?

0:30:530:30:57

-Yes.

-You'd part with it? Make a 300% increase in your spend.

0:30:570:31:02

How about a reserve of 250, and put the estimate at 300 to £400.

0:31:020:31:06

Fingers crossed, it'll go better on the day.

0:31:060:31:09

This is a fantastic piece, a great buy.

0:31:090:31:12

I wish you'd bought more at that sale, fantastic stuff you didn't buy!

0:31:120:31:16

-Thanks for bringing it in. You've made my day.

-Thank you.

0:31:160:31:19

What a super piece of glass! That could do well.

0:31:220:31:25

Now, Jane has brought in a pretty pot to show David.

0:31:290:31:32

I'm fascinated by this particular piece.

0:31:340:31:39

I want to know whether in fact, do you still use it?

0:31:390:31:42

And why are you bringing it along today?

0:31:420:31:45

I bought it from a charity shop.

0:31:450:31:47

Its use, I'm not quite sure. I think it's for pot-pourri.

0:31:490:31:53

Absolutely correct.

0:31:530:31:55

I brought it along to Flog It so I could treat my grandchildren.

0:31:550:32:02

How very, very nice. Was it in danger at home as a result of grandchildren?

0:32:020:32:06

They don't live with me, but I have a cat

0:32:060:32:08

and as I think it's beautiful, I didn't want anything to happen to it.

0:32:080:32:13

-You're passing it on. How much did you pay for it?

-Five pounds.

0:32:130:32:17

-I can't believe it!

-Five pounds.

-Five pounds from a charity shop.

-Yes.

0:32:170:32:22

What a marvellous buy! I think it's Worcester, but it has no marks whatsoever.

0:32:220:32:26

But the paste, the consistency of the porcelain,

0:32:260:32:32

would lead me to think it is probably from the Worcester factories.

0:32:320:32:37

Not necessarily Royal Worcester,

0:32:370:32:39

but there were other concerns at Worcester,

0:32:390:32:42

such as Grainger & Company, and Chamberlain, but I think this is Grainger & Company.

0:32:420:32:49

So this has a wonderful practical use.

0:32:490:32:52

So if we take the lid off, that would be filled with lavender

0:32:520:32:57

and you have all these pierced sections here.

0:32:570:33:01

Put the lid back on and let the odour float round the house!

0:33:010:33:05

It's a lovely little piece.

0:33:050:33:07

But just to emphasise the fact that it was intended for pot-pourri,

0:33:070:33:10

we have decorated all the way round the lid

0:33:100:33:14

these wonderful hand-painted wild flowers

0:33:140:33:16

of sedges, juniper berries, forget-me-nots,

0:33:160:33:21

and we've got a lovely decoration of violets and other flowers here.

0:33:210:33:25

All hand-painted.

0:33:250:33:27

We actually call this Parian ware

0:33:270:33:30

because it resembles the marble from the Isle of Paros.

0:33:300:33:34

This one is classical shape

0:33:340:33:36

so we've got a classical urn on three paw feet on a raised plinth.

0:33:360:33:41

It's the most attractive piece of porcelain.

0:33:410:33:44

Porcelain collectors, for them, it's a little bit too late.

0:33:440:33:48

18th century is the porcelain to collect at the present moment.

0:33:480:33:53

But I think this will come back into vogue. I like the shape. It's so simple.

0:33:530:33:58

And the fact it has a practical use and pot-pourri today is very fashionable.

0:33:580:34:04

I couldn't think of anything better than putting pot-pourri or lavender in this

0:34:040:34:09

and let the perfume go through.

0:34:090:34:11

Marvellous in a bedroom, wonderful in a bathroom.

0:34:110:34:14

So it's a very attractive piece.

0:34:140:34:16

My idea of price. How much did you pay for this?

0:34:160:34:19

-Five pounds.

-Five pounds. Add a nought on and I think that's what you'll get. £50.

0:34:190:34:24

The auctioneers may put 60 to 80 as the guide.

0:34:240:34:29

-If you get £50, what'll you do?

-Treat the grandchildren!

0:34:290:34:32

-Thank you for bringing it in.

-OK. Lovely. Thank you.

0:34:320:34:35

So that's our final item found to take off to auction.

0:34:350:34:39

Here we are, back at Reeman Dansie auction rooms for our second sale.

0:34:450:34:49

The first half wasn't exactly plain sailing, but we got there in the end!

0:34:490:34:53

Stay tuned for more surprises because this next batch could fly away.

0:34:530:34:57

I'm going to catch up with our owners who are feeling nervous,

0:34:570:35:01

and leave you with a run-down of all the items we're selling.

0:35:010:35:04

It never ceases to amaze me how much people will pay for prints.

0:35:040:35:08

Here they can purchase, at very little cost,

0:35:080:35:12

an original work of art.

0:35:120:35:14

Maureen got an absolute steal when she bought this classic piece of Art Nouveau for £1 at a recent sale.

0:35:140:35:20

I think this is fantastic.

0:35:200:35:22

I wonder if we'll have the sweet smell of success at auction?

0:35:230:35:27

I hope so, for Jane's sake.

0:35:270:35:30

'Before the sale, auctioneer James and I had a quick chat about Doreen's glass vase.'

0:35:310:35:36

Doreen got this at a garage sale. A bit of Daum Nancy.

0:35:360:35:41

In a garage sale for next to nothing!

0:35:410:35:44

-Fantastic.

-A couple of pounds, maybe even a pound.

0:35:440:35:47

We've got a value of 300 to £400 on this.

0:35:470:35:49

I could say that's a very fair estimate on it, Paul.

0:35:490:35:53

-It's lovely quality, isn't it?

-Yes.

0:35:530:35:55

This wonderful cameo glass. It's in good condition.

0:35:550:35:59

One or two minor nibbles on it.

0:35:590:36:02

But nothing to worry you. Yes, I think it'll sell well.

0:36:020:36:06

The one we sold in Canterbury sold for around £600.

0:36:060:36:09

It was in mint condition. I don't understand - why is it so expensive

0:36:090:36:14

and why so highly sought-after?

0:36:140:36:16

It's just the quality of them, Paul. They're so stylish as well.

0:36:160:36:20

It's the process of all these layers of glass being put together.

0:36:200:36:23

So you get this wonderful, almost three-dimensional, effect

0:36:230:36:28

-with the background decoration.

-There's a lot of depth.

0:36:280:36:31

Then this raised bit on the outside.

0:36:310:36:33

And the wonderful colours. They are wonderful quality bits of art glass.

0:36:330:36:38

People appreciate them and always have.

0:36:380:36:40

-I guess there's not that many around.

-They are scarce.

0:36:400:36:43

A very good factory. Late 19th-, early 20th-century manufacturer.

0:36:430:36:49

-So we'll hit the top end of our estimate?

-I hope so.

0:36:490:36:52

Yes, I really do.

0:36:520:36:54

There's a smile on your face. You don't give much away, but that says it all!

0:36:540:36:58

We'll see how the vase does a bit later. But first up, Eileen's watercolour.

0:36:580:37:03

Next, something for you fine art lovers.

0:37:060:37:08

A watercolour, a Norfolk scene, late 19th-century, by Mr E. Lewis.

0:37:080:37:12

-Possibly is Edward, isn't it?

-Or Edmund.

-Edmund.

0:37:120:37:16

Anyway, Eileen, it's yours for the time being.

0:37:160:37:19

But I have a feeling this is going to go. Not a lot of money on it, but why are you selling it?

0:37:190:37:24

I've inherited a lot recently, and I've got to have a clear-out.

0:37:240:37:29

I think this is a great way of investing in a piece of original signed art.

0:37:290:37:34

-Rather than buying a print.

-Exactly.

-Buy yourself a lovely watercolour.

0:37:340:37:38

-Affordable ones.

-Where better than at auction?

0:37:380:37:41

Number 1019 now is the E. Lewis Victorian watercolour.

0:37:430:37:47

The harbour view. What do you say?

0:37:470:37:50

£50 to start me. £50 to start me. 50?

0:37:500:37:53

40, then? 40 is bid on there. At 40.

0:37:530:37:55

-£40 bid. 42. 44.

-That's very good.

-Excellent.

0:37:550:38:00

46. 48.

0:38:000:38:01

50. At £50 at the back now. At 50. £50 is bid.

0:38:010:38:05

55? £50 is bid at the back of the room. All done?

0:38:050:38:09

At £50.

0:38:090:38:11

Yes, it's just gone on the reserve. Just got it away.

0:38:110:38:14

-Yes.

-Are you happy with that?

0:38:140:38:17

Yes, I'm quite happy with that.

0:38:170:38:19

Thank you for coming in. Without you, we wouldn't have a show!

0:38:190:38:23

We'd love to see you. If you have any unwanted antiques, bring them along.

0:38:230:38:27

Details of up-and-coming dates and venues are on our BBC website.

0:38:270:38:30

Follow the links. All the information is there.

0:38:330:38:36

We'll be in a town not far away.

0:38:360:38:39

Dust them down and bring them along!

0:38:390:38:41

I thought that watercolour might do better

0:38:430:38:46

but Eileen seemed happy.

0:38:460:38:48

Let's hope we can do as well for Jane.

0:38:480:38:51

Next, a bit of Victorian Parian ware, belonging to Jane.

0:38:510:38:55

It's a pot-pourri vase with lovely paw feet.

0:38:550:38:57

A bit like your cat!

0:38:570:38:59

-She's got bigger feet than that!

-Much bigger.

0:38:590:39:02

-You're standing next to another big cat lover!

-I love cats.

0:39:020:39:05

-Love cats.

-Why do we have them, cos they're so destructive!

0:39:050:39:10

They're very therapeutic. They put you at rest and at ease.

0:39:100:39:13

What will you do with the money? Spend it on the cat?

0:39:130:39:16

-Oh, no. Grandchildren.

-Grandchildren. How many?

0:39:160:39:19

-Seven.

-Wow!

0:39:190:39:21

OK. We need a lot of money, David. Will we get top end of estimate?

0:39:210:39:24

We should do. It's a nice piece of porcelain. Though not in favour at the moment.

0:39:240:39:29

Again, not a typical thing to buy, but it will come back.

0:39:290:39:33

Here we go. Let's see what it's worth.

0:39:330:39:35

Number 350. A Victorian porcelain pot-pourri vase,

0:39:350:39:41

possibly Grainger & Co Worcester. Where will you start me? £50 start me?

0:39:410:39:47

Come on, where are these hands?

0:39:470:39:49

50 for it? 40, then? 40's bid. At 42.

0:39:490:39:53

44. 46. 48.

0:39:530:39:55

-This is more like it.

-50.

0:39:550:39:57

55.

0:39:570:39:59

60. £60 at the back now. At 60. £60.

0:39:590:40:02

65 anywhere?

0:40:020:40:04

All done at £60.

0:40:040:40:07

-Hammer's gone down. That's good.

-Yes.

0:40:070:40:10

Treat the grandchildren to a day out somewhere.

0:40:100:40:13

One wants to go to London, one wants to go to Colchester Castle.

0:40:130:40:16

We visited that on the valuation day. We left the camera outside.

0:40:160:40:20

-One of the turrets is round and not square.

-I've not been.

0:40:200:40:24

Go and check it out! All will be revealed!

0:40:240:40:28

Some pocket money there to treat the grandchildren. Just great!

0:40:290:40:33

Let's hope Doreen has made a nice investment

0:40:340:40:37

on her one-pound glass vase!

0:40:370:40:39

-Did you know exactly what you had when you picked it up?

-No.

0:40:390:40:42

-Did you do some research?

-When I got home.

0:40:420:40:45

I bet you were chuffed! I bet you went, "Ooh, look at this!"

0:40:450:40:49

-It's a nice thing.

-There's been interest.

0:40:490:40:51

Wonderful overlaid glass with an iridescent finish.

0:40:510:40:55

It's a great name. Not many have survived.

0:40:550:40:58

-So for one pound, well done!

-That's good!

0:40:580:41:01

There's a lot of fakes out there, but this is real. Hopefully it'll do the top end estimate.

0:41:010:41:06

Let's find out what the bidders think in this packed sale room.

0:41:060:41:10

Lot 199 is the fine quality Daum Nancy overlaid glass vase.

0:41:130:41:18

A lot of interest. I start the bidding with me at £300.

0:41:180:41:21

Straight in at the bottom end.

0:41:210:41:24

£300 with me now. At 300.

0:41:240:41:26

320. 340. 360 with you, sir.

0:41:260:41:29

£360 bid now.

0:41:290:41:31

360. 380. 400.

0:41:310:41:34

At £400. Make it 420.

0:41:340:41:36

-Keep going!

-Somebody on the phone.

0:41:360:41:38

420. 440.

0:41:380:41:40

440 is bid now. 440. 460. 480.

0:41:400:41:43

480 is bid now.

0:41:430:41:45

480. 500. 520. 520 is bid now.

0:41:450:41:48

520. 540.

0:41:480:41:50

This is what we like!

0:41:500:41:51

-540. 560.

-Great, isn't it?

0:41:510:41:53

At 560. 580.

0:41:530:41:55

600. £600 bid now. At 600. 620.

0:41:550:41:59

640. 640 is bid now.

0:41:590:42:02

640. 660. 680.

0:42:020:42:04

At 680 is bid now. At 680.

0:42:040:42:06

700. 720.

0:42:060:42:08

At 720. 740.

0:42:080:42:10

At £740 on the telephone.

0:42:100:42:14

760, another place. 760 over here now. 760.

0:42:140:42:18

At 760 against you.

0:42:180:42:19

At the far end of the room at £760. 780.

0:42:190:42:22

Round it up, sir? Make it 800? £800 I have.

0:42:220:42:26

At £800. Are you sure?

0:42:260:42:28

At £800. All done at £800.

0:42:280:42:31

The hammer's gone down. That's what it's worth!

0:42:310:42:35

-£800. You must feel on top of the world!

-Yes!

0:42:350:42:39

What's going through your mind?

0:42:390:42:41

-I can't believe it!

-Looking back to the moment you found it?

0:42:410:42:45

What will you do with the money? There's commission to pay.

0:42:450:42:48

-I'll put it towards a new car. I need a new car.

-Do you?

0:42:480:42:51

-Yeah, the car fund.

-That's a good deposit, isn't it?

0:42:510:42:55

Brilliant. Happy motoring, that's what I say!

0:42:550:42:58

-Well done, Kate.

-What a great result!

-What a result!

0:42:580:43:01

I told you somebody's going home with a lot of money. Hope you've enjoyed today's show.

0:43:010:43:06

But for now, from Colchester, until next time, with more surprises,

0:43:060:43:10

stay tuned and keep watching Flog It! Bye!

0:43:100:43:12

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