Exmouth Flog It!

Well, I'm here in Devon on the beach at Exmouth and I've got it all to myself.

It's a wonderful day to take in the sea views, the breathtaking scenery, but this is no holiday.

It's the roller-coaster ride that's Flog It!.

Exmouth is where the River Exe meets the sea

and this area is perfect for sailing,

kiting and even swimming, for the brave.

This seaside town, like many others along the South Coast here,

has been plagued by pirates, but, hopefully, there's no pirates

in this massive queue outside the pavilion on the seafront.

Hundreds of people are lined up. There's plenty of treasure for our experts to delve into.

Are you all happy to be beside the seaside?

-Yes!!

-And what's that all-important question you're going to ask our experts?

-What's it worth?

-Stay tuned and you'll find out.

'So leading our team of valuers and ready to pounce on the crowd and their items,

'our experts, Christina Trevanion and Will Axon.'

Right, Christina, I've spotted some new people in the crowd...

-No, I'm going first.

-Pregnant women, they get all the advantages!

'Christina will be looking out for silver and jewellery, but she does love a puzzle.'

"How to drink and not to spill? We'll try the upmost of your skill." That's wonderful!

'And Will is looking for quality in items AND their owners.'

-A floral box in a floral bag.

-Yeah.

-Rather nice.

-You can sell me as well.

-Well done...

'People are flooding in to the Exmouth Pavilion

'and we're ready to put on a fantastic seaside show, so coming up...

'We're all in holiday mode. Christina's hungry.'

I could think of something to put in them. Lots of sweeties!

LAUGHTER

'Will is ready for some fizz.'

I think we could get a couple of bottles of bubbly out of this one.

'And I'm enjoying the scenery.'

This is absolutely stunning. It's like a little window into the past.

TOOT-TOOT-TOOT!

'It's time we saw some antiques and Mary has brought in a lovely bowl to show Will.

-Well, Mary...

-Hello.

-Hi, there.

You've brought with you, potentially,

a very early piece of Chinese metalware.

Tell me, has this come to you via China? Have you got any connections with the Far East?

No, none at all.

My memory is that my father bought it in a house sale

at the end of the War, so that would be the end of the '40s.

OK, yes. And it was in a house sale, was it, an auction-type sale?

-Yes.

-You don't happen to remember what the house was?

-I wouldn't actually, no. I was too young.

That's a shame. It's always nice to give pieces that sort of concrete provenance.

-Any ideas what it is, first of all?

-I just know it's a heavy, what looks like, a brass bowl.

-OK, so a heavy, brass bowl.

-Yes.

-And Chinese.

-Yes. Chinese. That's correct.

-You've probably picked up on the decoration...

-And the dragons.

-..As being typically Chinese.

And these dragon handles. Well, it's Chinese, you're right.

-It's not brass.

-Isn't it?

It's bronze. So it's cast in bronze.

So a little bit better quality than if it was cast in brass.

-Any ideas what it would have been used for, originally?

-I don't, actually.

I bet it's been in your house with a plant pot in it, has it?

-Yes, that's right.

-That's invariably how they get used.

Cos they're perfect for that, aren't they? It is, in fact, a censer.

-A Chinese censer.

-Yes.

So they were really used as sort of ceremonial incense burners.

If we spin it upside down... Aw!

And here we've got the impressed, six-character mark,

the Chinese mark, similar to the marks that you see on Chinese porcelain,

in the painted blue marks under the base.

Now this mark here, if it was right,

would mean we were holding a piece of 15th-century, Ming Dynasty bronze-ware,

which we're not.

The marks there purport to be the Xuande mark,

which is sort of 1420-1435, that sort of period.

-So that would be a Ming mark, would it?

-That would be Ming, yes.

But it isn't!

I can tell you that most of the ones that you see of these

that are sort of 19th century have that mark on them, the Xuande mark.

So if I spin it back up and if you look at the inside,

you can see the sort of finish that the bronze would be

without being polished.

You'd see more of that on the outside if it was a period, shall we say, 15th-, 16th-century piece.

Before I tell you what I think it's possibly worth, tell me why you're selling it.

-12 years it's been in a cupboard.

-In a cupboard?

-Yes.

We hear it all the time on this show. It's either in a cupboard, under the stairs...

-One downsizes and you have personal things that you like to have on show.

-Yes.

-I think it should be worth around the sort of £300 mark.

-Brilliant.

-Yeah? Does that come as a surprise to you?

-It does. I honestly had no idea.

-No idea?

-No idea.

I'm going to say to you, if we can straddle that £300 mark,

-at sort of a £250-£350 estimate...

-That's fine.

-Then I think probably reserve it at that £250...

-Yes.

I don't think you're going to need any discretion on that. So let's firm that reserve at £250.

I'm hoping it will make a bit more, but if it made 250, would you be happy?

-I'd be delighted.

-That takes the pressure off me a little bit! Mary...

Thank you for bringing the censer in. I'm pretty confident it's going to find a new home.

Thank you.

That's a nice thing.

That's a good way of making the letters show up.

-You know when you clean your glasses, you go... It makes the letters stand out.

-Lovely.

'We'll always try and give you top tips on the show.

'Christina is at her table with three friends of Flog It! -

'Derek, Marion and good old Clarice Cliff.'

-So, Marion and Derek, we've got these two bowls here...

-Yes, yes.

-Very different in style, but by the same maker, who is...?

-Clarice Cliff.

-Clarice Cliff.

And where did you get them from? Do they belong to you, Derek, or you, Marion?

-They were my mother's.

-Right.

The great memory I have is that she used to grow hyacinth bulbs in them.

-They'd have hyacinths in them?

-On the window sill. Lovely.

-Do you use them today?

-We have them on display on a shelf, in the bedroom, actually.

Never used them or put anything in them, no. They're a bit big to fill up.

I could think of something to put in them. Lots of sweeties!

-They wouldn't stay very long, would they?

-They wouldn't! Especially in my house.

-No!

-But we've got two very different bowls here.

This one we're going to talk about first. This is a Holborn-shaped bowl.

-And it's what we call the "Gibraltar pattern".

-Yes.

Because, as you can see, we've got the Rock of Gibraltar there,

or what looks like the Rock of Gibraltar,

and these wonderful sailing boats and a nice cloudy landscape and nice, brightly coloured bands.

-They're pretty colours.

-They're very pretty.

What worries me slightly is this blue banding here is slightly scratched,

which might have been done when she was re-potting the hyacinths.

-Yes, I think so.

-So that will affect the value slightly.

A collector won't find it quite as appealing.

It dates from the 1930s. It's Clarice Cliff Bizarre, from the Bizarre range.

So eternally popular with collectors, as you know.

-Unfortunately... Did Mum do that chip?

-Yes!

-Oh, dear!

-I'm sure it wasn't me.

Having said that, it is quite a rare pattern.

Moving on to this one. This is her slightly later work. This is what we call the "Napoli pattern".

This, with the starry background, is really, really lovely.

But it's also on a mushroom glaze.

Slightly later. 1940s, rather than 1930s.

And still really very nice together.

Having said that, I think this is your more valuable one.

-Yeah. Even though it's got a chip in it?

-Yes.

Collectors like the Bizarre, 1930s wares, rather than the slightly later 1940s wares, OK?

I think, to be perfectly honest, we would probably offer them as one lot,

rather than offering them independently.

And I think you're probably looking in the region of about £200-£300 for the two.

-Really?

-Good.

-OK?

So I think we'll put an estimate of 200-300

and a reserve of 200 with some discretion should we need it. How do you feel about that?

-I think that's fine.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes. Thank you.

-Good.

'It's wonderful to see a variety of objects turning up.

'Over at Will's table, Jean's brought lots of sparkle.'

Well, Jean, welcome to Flog It! and, can I say,

when you pulled these out of your bag, the sparkle caught my eye. Are these personal rings?

Are these something that you've decided to sell on your own behalf?

Erm, yes. I inherited them about 30, 35 years ago

-and they've been in a drawer up in the loft I think ever since.

-No!

I don't mind getting rid of them

because the person to whom they belonged I think I met once as a child.

-Right.

-So there's no real...

-Sort of sentimental value.

-Or emotional attachment to them at all.

Let's have a quick look at this first ring here.

Two diamonds. Obviously, they are diamonds.

And a little cut emerald in the middle there

in a sort of white-and-yellow setting.

I think the band is stamped. Yes, it is, so it is on a gold band.

Moving along to this one here,

which is a fairly plain sort of wedding band.

I think 22-carat gold, in this instance, which is quite nice.

-A good purity of gold.

-A gentleman's? A gent's?

Either, or. Either, or. If it fits, wear it.

-This one here with the little sapphires in...

-Yes.

..Has got a bit more age than the other ones.

You can tell that by this nice scroll-work mount that the stones are set in.

And, again, on a yellow metal ring. And, lastly, this one here.

If I pick that up. With the little emeralds

interspersed with the diamonds and the centre stone there is a reasonable size.

Now I've weighed the gold band.

That in itself sort of... It's a shame to talk in these ways,

but it does scrap in at about £120 plus, so 120 for that one.

I think these at either end - they're probably going to be worth about 150 each.

-Oh!

-So we're already into sort of 400 plus.

-Yes.

Then I think this one here, you're probably looking at £80-£100.

So we're looking at around that £500 mark.

I would suggest putting them in the auction with an estimate of £400-£600. Straddle that 500 mark.

-You're going to want to reserve these?

-Please, yes.

I'm happy to do that. I'm confident these are going to make above bottom estimate.

-So let's fix the reserve at 400.

-400, yes.

-And I'm sure they are going to find a new home.

-Lovely. Thank you.

-Thanks, Jean.

Well, there you are. We have now just found our first items to take off to auction.

Stay tuned, because there could be one or two big surprises.

I've got my favourites, you've probably got yours, but it's all down to the bidders.

And here's our experts to give you a quick recap of what we're taking.

I think my 250-350 valuation on Mary's bronze censer

let's the market know it's here to be bought.

And the way Chinese things are at the moment, this could make anything on the day.

Clarice Cliff collectors will be spoilt for choice with this lot.

Two very different styles, but two equally popular bowls in one lot.

£400-£600 of unwanted jewellery in the loft.

I know it doesn't really suit me, but I'm sure it will catch someone's eye at the auction.

And we're heading inland to the City of Exeter for our auction.

Right, this is where it gets exciting because it's auction time.

Today, we're guests of Bearnes, Hampton and Littlewood in the heart of Exeter City.

On the rostrum, the man with all the local knowledge is Chris Hampton.

Yesterday, I caught up with him and this is what he had to say about one of our lots.

Four gold rings.

They belong to Jean, with various jewels in them.

We have a value of £400-£600.

-I think it might be a little conservative.

-OK.

-Perhaps the estimate may be just a little bit higher. Sort of £500, £600.

-That's what you think?

Is that because gold prices have gone up or have we got the gems' value slightly wrong?

I think there's some pretty rings in amongst them,

-but, underlying it, it is the base value of gold.

-The bullion market again.

And the way it's gone up over a number of years.

-Just at the moment, it is still riding high and I suppose it will continue to do so.

-Yes!

If only we knew when it was going to stop, cos the brave person would start investing right now.

They'd pull all their money out the bank and buy all of this.

It is a gamble. You don't know what's going to happen with the markets.

'So it's auction time. Chris is on the rostrum

'and will test out the gold prices with Jean's rings.'

Emeralds, sapphires and diamonds - a girl's best friend.

They're here, mounted on four gold rings. They belong to Jean. Not for much longer.

We had a valuation and Will put on 400-600.

It has changed because gold prices have literally shot up.

-Keep creeping up, don't they?

-So we're looking now at £500-£700.

-Excellent news.

-Which is good for you, isn't it?

-Indeed it is.

-The longer we wait, the more they go up in value.

-Great!

Don't say that! She'll withdraw them for the next sale.

Anyway, let's find out what the bidders think. This is it.

And this lot,

an 18-carat gold, diamond and emerald five-stone ring.

An emerald and diamond three-stone ring.

A sapphire and diamond seven-stone ring

and a 22-carat gold wedding ring.

All the rings there and £400 is bid.

At £400. At 400. And 20. 450.

At £450.

With me at £450.

Commission bid then at £450. Are you all done?

Selling.

-He's selling.

-At £450.

-That's still OK. It's gone, hasn't it?

-Yes!

-We got excited though.

Obviously, we put the value up...

Well, we had to really. The gold prices went up.

-Nevertheless, it's gone within your estimate.

-I was confident with that, yeah. Good money. Sold.

-Good money?

-Yes, Yes.

-Happy?

-Very, yes. Thank you very much.

'Well, a good result, even though the gold didn't rocket away.

'Derek and Marion's two Clarice Cliff bowls are surely going to be popular with the bidders.'

-£200-£300 and, hopefully, we'll get that top end.

-Hope so.

I mean, the name "Clarice Cliff". She was such a pioneer. That will sell it for you. I hope!

-Yes, yes.

-And two nice patterns, as well.

-Yes.

-Different patterns.

I like the Gibraltar one. That's really, really pretty.

It's in good company. There's plenty of Clarice Cliff here.

So there's something for the collectors. Let's find out what they think.

Clarice Cliff Fantasque pottery bowl in the Gibraltar pattern.

And another in the Napoli pattern.

Lot 420.

And let's start at £150.

At £150.

Where's 160? At £150.

Come on!

At £150 then.

All done? 150.

-Oh!

-Well...

-That's not sold.

I can only say, in ten years of filming Flog It!

and the amount of Clarice Cliff on the show, I think only two items prior to this have failed to sell.

-You make me feel so special!

-LAUGHTER

You are in an elite... You are in an elite club.

There are Clarice Cliff collectors out there that will find this, eventually.

There is another day in another sale room or just hang on to it.

'Well, that was a surprise.

'Let's hope Mary's fantastic bronze bowl stands its ground.'

Thank you for bringing in such a wonderful thing. I'm talking about that bronze, Chinese, censer bowl.

-19th century. We're looking at £250-£350. Fixed at 250.

-Yes, that's right.

-Very exciting.

-Yes.

-And you're very calm about all this.

-Yes, I think I am.

I think you should be fairly confident. My only reservation

was that the patina's gone - that nice, mid-brown, mid-green patination.

-But someone's polished that away.

-That nuttiness.

-Exactly.

-You're not to blame for that.

-Let's find out what they think.

I've been waiting for this moment ever since the valuation. This is it! Good luck.

The Chinese, bronze, circular bowl.

Lot 495.

And let's start at £200. And ten.

220.

230. 240. 250.

At £250.

At £250. And 60 now.

At £250. Do you wish to bid?

-£250 is in the room.

-It's against you on the phone.

£250 I have. Do you wish to bid?

260. It could be a hard afternoon.

£270. On a sort of "yes" or "no" basis, really.

270! 280?

280. 290? 290.

-This is better.

-300.

-It is good, isn't it?

-310.

-If someone shows interest, they all start showing interest.

-They think, "Oh, maybe I've missed something!"

-350?

£350. The bid's in the room.

Now selling at £350. Last chance.

Well done. Hammer's gone down. Top end! It took a while, didn't it?

-Cautious bidders. But there you go, Mary.

-That's good.

-Thank you for bringing that in.

-Thank you.

95?

Well, that concludes our first visit to the auction room here in Exeter today.

We are coming back later in the programme. Don't go away.

While we were filming in the area, I took the opportunity of going back to the coast

and doing some sightseeing with a difference. Take a look at this.

I'm here in Seaton in south Devon and behind me is the famous Jurassic coastline,

which is now a World Heritage Site.

There's plenty of dramatic scenery here. The sun is shining and the air is bracing.

And on a day like today, it's the perfect place to be.

The Devon coast has been popular with holidaymakers for years.

Seaton's quiet charms appealed to holidaymakers

and the arrival of the branch railway line to the town helped to fetch tourists in droves.

And over the years, cars and coaches opened up the town to even more new visitors.

So what was on offer to them?

Well, for over 40 years, these trams have been one of Seaton's most popular tourist attractions,

taking the visitors on a gentle little journey of around three miles

to the nearby town of Colyton.

This fleet of trams attracts around 100,000 visitors a year.

But life for Seaton's tramway started out in North London

at an electrical company whose owner was passionate about trams.

Claude Lane had a tram car constructed at his factory

and ran it during the summers in Rhyl and on the south-east coast.

Looking for a permanent site to run his trams in the mid-1960s,

Claude came across Seaton, which just had its railway line closed.

He bought a three-mile section to Colyton

and in 1969 started the first of 36 return lorry journeys with his assistant

transporting the whole tram system from Eastbourne to Seaton.

The tramway now has 15 trams in its system,

including a brand-new, very popular, bright pink version.

And the journey normally starts a few 100 yards down the track, that way, in Seaton itself,

which you can see there, look.

But we've been given permission to start outside the depot

with our own private tram and driver, a chap by the name of John.

Along this journey I'm going to point out some of the historical points of interest

that this beautiful part of Britain has to offer. And here's John. Hello.

-Hello. Morning. Welcome to my tram.

-Thank you for taking me out today.

As it's such a beautiful day, I'm going to go on the top deck.

-Be my guest.

-OK.

So come aboard with me and let's go sightseeing.

Here we go!

TOOT-TOOT!

This is absolutely stunning. It's like a little window into the past.

England in the 1930s. Time stood still.

That's the River Exe. Now, it was a lot wider than this.

But over the centuries, the shingle beds have shifted.

It's hard to imagine because all that's grazing land now.

But it's got narrower and the shingle beds have literally moved,

blocking part of the mouth of the estuary, closing it up a bit.

A lot of the locals say it was due to a big, historic storm,

but it's safe to say this part of the countryside is on the Jurassic coastline

and it's been subject to many geographical changes over the centuries. Nevertheless,

it's still beautiful.

TOOT-TOOT-TOOT!

TOOT-TOOT-TOOT!

We've stopped here at Axmouth Loop. This is where we let other trams pass by.

And that's the village of Axmouth over there. Quite a picturesque place really. Deep in the valley.

It's got an important place in history, because that was a port dating back to Roman times.

It was clearly a very busy place.

That connected to the Fosse Way, the Roman road,

starting near Cirencester through the Cotswolds to Leicestershire.

And it would have been a very busy place. There were 14 inns.

14 pubs in that village! Obviously, there was nothing to do but drink and fight.

You can imagine it. Lots of sailors knocking around

and the odd pirate flexing their muscles along the South Coast.

It only stopped being used as a trading port in the late 19th century.

Access to the sea had become limited and there was competition from the railway.

It finally arrived in Seaton in 1868.

And you had the road bridge, which was built connecting Seaton, just over there, in 1877.

And that restricted the height of the larger vessels getting here.

But, thankfully, it's still used as a little port

but mainly for fishermen and for tourists and for the odd yacht.

TOOT-TOOT-TOOT!

Well, that's it. We can now restart our journey.

We've just stopped - another treat for me - at Black Hole Marsh,

so I can have a look at the bird hide. This whole area is known as the Exe Estuary wetlands.

It includes Colyford Common and Seaton Marshes.

And it is an absolute haven for wildlife, so you must bring a pair of binoculars.

Otters and roe deer have been spotted here and, of course, you'll find lots of rabbit

and even shy kingfishers have been regularly spotted.

It would be really nice to see one of those today.

Do you know, in my entire life I've only come across three kingfishers in the wild.

So I'm quite excited today. Now, let's have a look.

This is a terrific spot to come and sit if you're a bird watcher.

And I've been told there's around 30 to 50 species of birds here. This is incredible.

Well, no kingfishers for me today, but let's get back on the tram

and keep moving.

HORN TOOTS

-Hi.

-Hello!

The tram passes through the village of Colyford as its first scheduled stop.

The village is actually a Royal Borough with its own mayor

and it holds a medieval-style goose fair every year.

-CROSSING ALARM BLARES

-There's enough noise, isn't there?

-TOOT-TOOT-TOOT!

-We're crossing the main road.

There's sirens and all sorts kicking off.

Colyton can be seen as we approach this station.

It's another ancient town and it's a five-minute walk over there.

Success in the wool and the farming industries brought a lot of wealth to this town,

despite it being known as the most rebellious place in Devon.

Because its residents took part in the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685.

You can see the ancient church there. Look at that.

Towering above the houses.

Oh, that's so beautiful.

It's only one of three lantern churches left in the country. Believed to have been built

in the 14th century to aid sailors as they navigate their way in and out of the Exe Estuary.

-Thank you so much, John.

-It's been a pleasure.

-I thoroughly enjoyed that.

-Nice to see you, m'dear.

-Enjoy the return journey.

Now that is the original railway building which dates back to 1868,

where I'm going to go and have a cup of tea to round off my day.

I must say, although the tramway system here is relatively new to this ancient and historic area,

I think it sits in so comfortably with its surroundings

and I can't think of a better way of travelling

to take in all the wildlife and the sites and the history of the Exe Valley.

TOOT-TOOT!

'Over in Exmouth, there's hardly anyone on the beach,

'but Exmouth Pavilion is packed with people waiting for valuations.

'And Christina's found a bit of quality in Sue's silver frame.'

Sue, I really, really like this frame. Where's it come from?

It's come from the top drawer of my desk.

LAUGHTER

My mother gave it to me years and years ago when she was moving house...

-Right.

-..From the south-east to the south-west.

-Right.

As to where it came from, I don't know. So I'd be interested

to know what part of the country it came from or how old.

If we look at the frame, we've got a nice hallmark down here.

We've got a maker's mark of "H.M.",

which is Henry Matthews, who was quite a prolific silversmith in the early 20th century.

Did a lot of frames. Obviously, we've got one here.

We've got the town mark for Birmingham.

-So that is where it was hallmarked.

-Birmingham. Right.

-And a date letter for 1904.

-Ah!

So it's 100-and-something years old, which is quite good really, isn't it?

We've got another hallmark on the inside rim.

So it tells us that these pieces have not been replaced,

-which often you do find.

-OK.

It is in remarkably good condition, but if we look at the back of the frame,

it really looks like it was made yesterday. This velvet is still in such good condition.

It's got a nice flap at the back, which when we lift up,

you can see the inside of the frame with the watered silk lining.

-Is that a watermark or is that the...?

-That's watermarked silk.

-Oh!

-OK, so really very lovely.

In great condition. We've got... We've got some, what we call, gadrooned

and beaded decoration around the front.

Now this would have been made in a sheet and then embossed from the back to give these raised areas.

Also what's quite nice is that we've got this nice, vacant cartouche here.

Sometimes you find they've got initials or engravings in.

No initials, so it makes it more appealing for a buyer. They wouldn't have to get it removed.

-I see.

-With regards to an auction estimate...

We're looking at somewhere in the region of maybe £80-£120.

-How do you feel about that?

-Oh, no. Very pleased.

-Very pleased?

-Yes. That's more than I anticipated.

Wonderful. OK. I think if we put an estimate of 80-120

and maybe a reserve of 70 with some slight discretion should we need it.

-Yeah.

-But fingers crossed we won't

-and it will sail away for you.

-Thank you very much.

-You're more than welcome.

'The sun may not be shining but I've taken a break outside with Stephanie and her vase.'

-What time did you arrive today?

-I arrived at about 10.30.

-Yeah!

-The queue was still outside by then, wasn't it?

-It was.

It's evaporated now. We're coming to the end of the day. So how long have you had this?

-Probably about 20 years.

-Really, that long?

-Yeah.

-How did you come by this?

-A little old lady who lived in Burnham,

where I used to live, in Buckinghamshire, gave it to me.

-I used to do a bit of gardening for her, a bit of shopping.

-Right.

She used to do a bit of babysitting for me when my children were younger.

She said, "You collect things. Would you like this?" I said, "That's pretty. I'll have it."

-That was sweet of her. Can I have a look?

-Yeah, sure.

-You know what it is, don't you?

-It's a bit of Newlyn copper.

-Yup.

And we've seen plenty of great examples on the show before.

The whole thing was started off really by an artist called John Drew Mackenzie.

He felt sorry for the plight of the Cornish fishermen in the last quarter of the 1800s.

With bad weather they couldn't go out fishing. They became very poor.

They started fighting amongst each other, getting drunk, that kind of thing.

So he tried to teach them a skill to do in the winter months

when they couldn't fish, so they could earn some money.

And because they repaired their fishing vessels with copper,

he thought to himself, "Right. They know how to work with copper.

"Let's see if they can fashion pieces of copper

"to make items like this that they could sell."

You can identify Newlyn copper because it's normally full of bubbles and fishes and seaweed.

This is called repousse work.

-So this copper is laid on a wooden mould and hammered...

-Oh!

-..On to that mould.

Repousse work, yeah? It's then bent around into that circle shape and finely soldered together.

It's finished off with a rolled edge, which is typical of Newlyn copper.

And here it's stamped "Newlyn". Now this is good because it definitely tells us it's Newlyn.

If this wasn't stamped...

this would be a piece from the late 1800s.

They started stamping the pieces in around 1912, 1914, after John Drew Mackenzie died.

So it's not a very early one. If this was an early one, it would be worth a lot of money.

-I think it's a cylindrical vase. Any idea of value?

-I have no idea of value.

-£300.

-You're joking!

On a good day it will get that.

-I can't believe that.

-Might do a little bit more.

-Wow!

-Do you want to sell this?

-I certainly do.

-Do you really?

-Yes.

-It's lovely! And just as I've said that,

-the sun has come out. You have made my day.

-I think you've made mine!

'It will be hard to top Stephanie's thrilled reaction.

'And we agreed on £200-£300 as an estimate and a reserve of 200.

'Now, let's see what Will thinks of Lorna's silver pin cushion.'

Lorna, you've heard the saying, "There's an elephant in the room". There's one here somewhere.

There he is, look! Tiny little fella on the table in front of us.

Is this something you collect?

No, not a lot. I worked for two old ladies many years ago

and I used to clean it religiously.

-And she said it was mine, eventually.

-Very kind of them.

A little silver, elephant pin cushion's not bad going.

-I haven't cleaned him since. Except for today.

-You gave him a little dust off.

That's not too bad with silver. We're telling people all the time, "Don't over-polish your silver!"

You lose the definition on the detail and you also rub the marks.

-Now the marks on this one have been a little bit rubbed.

-That was before I had it.

-I can make out the maker's mark. Levi and Salaman.

-Right.

-Who were well-known makers.

Assayed in Birmingham. They were known for making little trinkets,

as was a lot of silversmithing around Birmingham.

That's where most hallmarking occurs for small novelty pieces.

The date letter is a little bit obscure, but I would imagine this is going to be an Edwardian one,

so pre-1910.

So of a good age really. Have you done a bit of research on them?

No, he's just been sitting on my mantelpiece.

-So not used as a pin cushion?

-No.

-Which is obviously what he was originally made for.

-Have you ever wondered why he's got his trunk up in the air?

-No!

It's supposedly meant to be good luck, isn't it?

An elephant with his trunk up is good luck and in small, novelty silver bits like this

it's unusual to find them complete, because it's fragile

and silver, being a soft metal, it's quite easy to break those trunks off, isn't it?

This is a really good example of a piece of silver that way exceeds its value in what it's made of.

-Right.

-Because if we weighed this little chap, he's not going to weigh a great deal.

He might scrap in at £20, £30, something like that.

What sort of value should we pitch it at the auction?

I haven't a clue what it would fetch, to be honest. I know it's collectable, but I haven't a clue.

-Would you let it go for 100?

-Well, cos it's so tiny...

It's bizarre, isn't it? Something so small could be worth £100.

-Let's put it in at £100-£150.

-Right.

-What about a reserve?

-Yeah, 100.

-Yeah, 100?

Straight in there. 100. Let's fix it at 100.

-I think so.

-I'm confident he's going to make it.

-What's the money going towards?

-We're going on holiday. So it will go towards some champagne.

-Bubbly on holiday.

-Very nice. Where are you going?

-Spain. Majorca.

-I'm jealous! Spain.

-Half of my homeland! Half Spanish.

-Oh, are you?

-Spent a lot of years in Majorca. Enjoy it.

We could get a couple of bottles of bubbly out of this one.

-I'll see you on the day.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

'Time's up on today's show for valuations,

'so let's find out why the chosen three are heading off to auction.'

This is a really nice silver frame.

It's over 100 years old, but it's still very usable today.

This piece of Newlyn copper is going into auction

because it sums up for me all the traditional values and skills of the artisans

here in the West Country from a bygone era.

And, boy, is that good!

There's always a market for novelty silver

and this little fella with his upturned trunk is going to give Lorna some luck at the auction.

'So at the Exeter sale room there's no time to waste.

'Will the price of silver today help out our next item?'

In the frame right now, literally, we have Sue with a wonderful silver picture frame.

-We like this.

-It is beautiful...

-It is sweet.

-Yeah, really sweet.

But I want to buy my mother a pair of handmade, leather shoes.

I'm hoping to get enough. That would be of more use to my mum.

-OK, OK.

-This is really nice. Ready to go.

It's got everything going for it, so...

The trade will love this and the private buyers and the decorators.

-I'm pretty sure we'll get within estimate and, hopefully, the top end.

-Oh, I hope so.

Fingers crossed for you and your mum. We'll get those shoes!

Lot 240 - an Edward VII, silver, easel photograph frame.

£80 is bid. At £80. Five.

90.

Five. 100. And five.

-No messing about.

-120. 130.

Oh, Sue!

150. With me.

£150.

-Commission bid then and selling at £150.

-Brilliant, brilliant!

-Top price!

-Well done.

-Very good.

-£150!

-Yes.

That's fantastic! That's two pairs of shoes for mum.

Do you think so? I think it's one really for handmade shoes..

-One and a half!

-Maybe a little bit of change.

-I'm absolutely amazed.

-Oh, good.

I hope it goes to a good home as well.

-What's your mum's name?

-Margaret.

-Margaret, enjoy those shoes!

Every time you walk in them think of us.

'What great news for Sue and her mum. And following that result...

'Will Lorna's elephant pin cushion bring the good luck it's supposed to?'

Lorna, if we sell this elephant pin cushion with its trunk up in the air, as you pointed out...

It could be quite rare. Do you know, all the money's going towards champagne on holiday?

Not the holiday, but the champagne.

If we get that top end, you'll have so much champagne you won't remember that holiday. Will you?

-Is that your favourite tipple?

-I do like champagne. Yes, I do.

-Do you?

-Bubbles, any bubbles.

-Do you like champagne?

-Yeah. Bucks Fizz for breakfast. Love it.

-Do you know, it does absolutely nothing for me, champagne.

-Really?

-No, it doesn't.

-I do like it.

-Here it is! It's going under the hammer.

It's an Edwardian, silver pin cushion in the form of an elephant.

And at £75.

£75.

80. Five. 90. Five.

-100.

-Yes!

£100. Thank you.

And ten. 120.

130. 140. 150.

-160...

-This is good! They're having a little fight over this.

170 is bid.

At £170 and selling. At £170.

-Done it! Good valuation.

-I think that's right.

-Well done.

-Don't say it.

-I was no Dumbo on that valuation, Paul.

He had to say that! That little elephant has helped Lorna pack her trunk to go on holiday.

-How about that?

-Cheers!

-Thank you.

75. 80. 85. 90.

90 seated.

£90. 95? 100. And five.

It's my turn to be the expert and I found what I think is the best thing of the day at the valuation,

-possibly the best thing in the auction room today.

-Really?

-It is just beautiful.

Every artist would love this and I'm a big fan of Newlyn copper.

And I think this is quite a rare piece. So £200-£300 I think is pretty safe.

-Fingers crossed.

-Yeah.

The Newlyn copper case of cylindrical form,

decorated with fish.

£150.

At £150.

Where's 160? 160.

170.

At 170.

Where's 180?

At £170 only. Are you all done then?

-Come on!

-£170.

-Last chance.

-It's not selling.

At £170.

-He didn't sell it.

-Not sold!

-He didn't sell it.

I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say.

I really, genuinely, am speechless.

I've waxed lyrical about that.

-I don't understand it, but there you go. Hey, I'm pleased we put a £200 reserve on it.

-Are you?

-Yes. I am.

-Good!

-I am! I am, honestly.

-Hang on to it. It's worth that.

-Yeah?

Please hang on to it. Use it, won't you? I don't know what to say.

-But I've thoroughly enjoyed myself here today. I hope you have as well.

-I've had a great time.

We don't normally end on something like this, but that was a bit of a shock, wasn't it?

Not everyone's a winner. Join me again soon for more surprises.

But for now, from Exeter, it's goodbye.

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