Dulwich Flog It!

This magnificent building is Dulwich College in South London

and the architect was Charles Barry Junior.

His father designed the Houses of Parliament, but it's what's on the inside that interests me

because it's our valuation day. Welcome to Flog It.

This magnificent school was founded in 1619

by Edward Alleyn, one of the most famous actors of the day.

Originally, it was to educate just 12 pupils, poor scholars as they were known,

but despite Dulwich College's humble beginnings,

it's grown to be one of the most successful independent schools in the country.

Hundreds of people have turned up to get their items valued by our experts.

They want to know what it's worth, it's our job to tell them, so let's get on with the show.

'This London crowd can't wait to put our experts through their paces

'and who knows what treasures lie in all those bags and boxes, waiting to be unearthed?

'Heading up the experts today is the lovely Kate Bateman.'

-That's quite cool, isn't it?

-It's rather nice.

'And the distinguished Michael Baggott.'

-You might be thinking of parting with it?

-That might be a "no".

-'Coming up, Michael gets philosophical.'

-It's got the peach of immortality in it.

-Yeah.

Maybe the buyer thinks he'll live for ever.

'Kate's lost for words.'

Um, I thought about 200 to 400?

Oh... Oh...

'And as always, the tension of the auction.'

Fingers crossed!

'The crowds are pouring in, the heat is rising

'and first up on Michael's table are Cristina and her beautiful brooch.'

Cristina, thank you for bringing along this intriguing brooch.

Can you tell me where you got it from?

It was my wedding present in 1965.

-Good grief!

-I come from Italy, so it was from Italy.

And a friend of the family gave it to me and she said it belonged to her grandmother. That's all I know.

-That's marvellous. So it's come all the way from Rome to Dulwich to be on Flog It?

-Yes.

-It's actually come further than that.

-Really?

-Do you know where it was made?

-No idea.

-This is in fact a Chinese brooch.

-Oh, my goodness!

-There are certain factors. Chinese jewellery is heavily influenced with filigree work.

-Yeah.

And all of this ground, the little flowers and scrolls,

it's all very fine lines of wire

that have worked and soldered together to form these decorative motifs.

Amazingly difficult, technically demanding

and you can imagine the time it takes to do something like this.

But if you didn't know, because there are no marks on it apart from a little silver mark,

if you didn't know it was Chinese from that, you know it's Chinese from what's in the middle of it.

And that is a little immortal peach.

So the gods would eat these peaches and become immortal.

Oh, it's got a lot of history.

And I think is earlier than the brooch.

I think the brooch is about 1890, 1900.

But this little carving which is out of amethyst,

I think is probably late 18th, early 19th century.

It isn't of marvellous quality, but it's a rare little precious item on its own.

Fantastic journey, to have something from China to Italy.

I thought she just gave me something to get rid of it.

You might be forgiven for thinking it's costume jewellery at a glance,

but it's got all of this history tied up with it and all this craftsmanship.

-The sad thing is it's not dramatically valuable.

-Yeah.

-That, I think, just as a pretty brooch, is worth £30 to £50 of anybody's money.

-Yeah.

And because of its sentimental attachment to you as a wedding gift,

-I think we've got to put a reserve of £30 on it.

-Yeah.

But who knows, two people might see as much in it as I do and it might go on from there,

-but you're happy to...?

-Yeah, quite happy.

-Why now have you decided to part with it?

I don't know. It's always inside a jewellery box. I never do anything with it.

-That's the sad thing with brooches today.

-I know.

But that craftsmanship might prompt someone to feel, "I'll buy it and wear it."

-You never know.

-Even if it's just to go to the supermarket on a Saturday! Who knows?

-We'll just see on the day.

-I look forward to it.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Let's hope Cristina's brooch catches the eye of someone who will wear it with pride.

Now, over on Kate's table, Karen has brought in an unusual bronze figure.

You've brought this fantastic figure in. What can you tell me about it?

That it belonged or belongs to my mother.

And she's had it since the late 1920s.

It came from a gentleman that used to be a doctor

and my mum used to go and visit him with her mother.

He knew that she liked it and used to let her play with it, then he gave it to her.

It's always sat on the side indoors.

-Just on a shelf somewhere?

-Just on a shelf somewhere.

-We were told not to touch it as it's very heavy.

-Do you like it?

-Yes and no.

-It's a funny thing.

-I don't know.

-There's something about it, but I'm not quite sure that I'd give it house room myself.

-OK.

-Do you know who made it, first of all?

-I know it's Bergman,

-but only because of the programme.

-A-ha! We've popularised Franz Bergman!

It is a chap called Franz Bergman. On the bottom you've got the "B" in a little urn

which is the mark for Franz Bergman.

He did various things. He's known for his slightly risque, sort of naughty, erotic ladies,

so bronze, very Art Nouveau, Art Deco ladies. This is not one of those ones.

He did a series of North African, Arab-type scenes.

This is one of those. It's somebody like a Berber tribesman, a North African,

with his camel gun or something like that.

And his dirk or his curved sword behind him and traditional dress.

It's quite fun. It's not to everyone's taste.

-No.

-You don't particularly like it. Your mum liked it.

-Yeah, it's got memories.

-How old do you think it is?

-Oh, about 1920s.

-Right, OK.

About the same time as the naughty figurines. He was a sculptor.

-You can tell that in...

-There's a lot of detail.

-It's very well done.

He is very collectable. He is the best.

Basically, condition-wise, I'm going to have a moan at this point.

He's got a bit of a wonky barrel of his gun.

It's a cold-painted bronze, so it was a cast bronze figure that then they let cool, they painted

and all of these chips is where the original paint has chipped back to the bronze underneath.

-That's why it's so heavy because it is a bronze and it's a very dense thing.

-Right.

-Do you have any idea what you think it's worth?

-I thought about 200 to 400?

Oh... Oh...

That's fairly... That's fairly... That's fairly good.

-The condition might be an issue with this one.

-That's fair enough.

This can be straightened out, but there's always a chance that it will break,

-so you've got to be fairly gutsy to try and do it and that will affect the buying of this.

-Right.

-I would say maybe the lower end of your estimate, so 200 to 300 is doable in this condition.

-OK.

I would put a reserve of 150 just to protect it,

-so that if it doesn't make it, we'll make a firm reserve at 150.

-OK.

-Hopefully, between 200 and 300.

-That would be good.

-Your mum will be happy with that.

-Yes, she will be.

'Fingers crossed we can make Karen's mum's day and get a great price at auction.

'I've found something special and I want to take it somewhere quiet for a closer look.'

Come with me, Annette. We've left the hustle and bustle of the valuation in the next room.

We're in the library. You've brought in a book to show me, so I thought I'd show you several thousand,

but I bet there's not a book like that in here. Tell me all about this autograph album.

-I saw Paul McCartney quite often as I lived close by. And I was a big Beatles fan.

-Were you?

-I still am.

-Can I have a look?

-Yes.

Oh, look at this. This is lovely.

Oh, look, there's Jane Asher.

-She was engaged to Paul McCartney?

-She was, yes.

-So you've got all the Beatles.

-I have.

-All on separate pages.

-Yes.

-Did you take all of these photographs?

-I did take them all.

-So you got behind the scenes?

-Yes.

Lots of hanging around, lots of hours just waiting?

-Yes, but he was worth it.

-What a reward!

-I know.

-Not just Paul McCartney, but John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo.

-Yes.

-And the wives.

-That's right.

-You're a good photographer as well.

-Thank you.

You've captured a moment back in time in the 1960s which is so evocative, isn't it?

-It's so rock'n'roll. It really is.

-Yeah.

-Is this something you're thinking of selling?

-No.

-I couldn't twist your arm?

-No.

Look, Ringo Starr, the drummer. This... This is priceless.

This is a wonderful piece of Beatles memorabilia.

In ten years of doing Flog It, we've seen a lot of Beatles memorabilia,

but nothing as comprehensive as this. Those four autographs on one sheet of paper,

you'll fetch two grand for, with provenance, £3,000.

But what you've got here, what do you think this is worth?

-I don't know.

-If I said to you around £4,000 to £5,000, would you be really happy?

-I would be very happy.

-That's what it would be. Make sure you get this insured.

-I will.

-Don't lose it.

-I know. I won't.

-Oh, gosh! It's all your memories.

-It's so old as well.

-I'm pleased you're not selling it. Do you have kids?

-I do.

-That'll be their inheritance.

-Yes.

-Thank you for bringing that in.

-Thank you.

'That was such a treat. I'm so pleased Annette is hanging on to that book for her kids to enjoy.

'Back in the hall, Michael has homed in on some silver that Josephine has brought in.'

I'm always delighted to see a bit of silver on Flog It.

These are wonderful. It's a christening bowl and spoon.

-So are they yours?

-Yes, they're mine.

-When were they given to you?

-When I was christened.

It's indiscreet of me to ask!

So you were given them for your christening.

It's strange they don't have more of a sentimental attachment to you?

Well, it's just that my daughter and son are not terribly keen,

so I just thought I would come and see what it was worth and see if I could sell it.

Very sensible. What we've got...

It's unusual because they were bought second-hand for you

and we've got an earlier spoon with a later bowl.

-Oh, right.

-So if we look at the spoon first, this might have been from a three-piece christening set.

It's usual to get the spoon, knife and fork.

As it's a very elaborate pattern, normally the hallmarks would be struck towards the top of the stem,

but that would damage the design, so in this case it's marked on the edge of the back of the bowl.

And if I huff on it, and I only do that to reduce the glare when I look at the marks,

we can see that it was made in London in 1878.

-Right.

-And there's the maker's mark. It's always good to see on a spoon "GA".

George Adams for Chawner & Company.

-They're one of the best silversmiths producing flatware in the 19th century.

-I see.

This is somewhat later

and from a different assay office.

And that's got the mark of Atkin Brothers. And that was made in Sheffield in 1901.

-Oh, I see.

-So, Victorian and just, just Victorian, early Edwardian.

-Yeah.

Really, they're two separate items. We'll put them in together, but they don't relate to one another.

That spoon is worth...£15 to £25.

-Oh, right.

-Probably in its silver weight alone, actually, these days.

The bowl is the more commercial thing and I think the two together would be £100 to £150 at auction.

And I think if we have a little bit of discretion and put a reserve of £90, would that be OK?

Well, I'd like to put it a bit higher because they do take commission as well, don't they?

-So you'd like it at 100?

-I wouldn't like it to go for less than 100.

-Well, we'll put 100 fixed on it.

-Yeah.

We'll hope that two people are looking for christening gifts at the auction.

-Yeah.

-And we might do very much better than that.

-OK.

-You're happy to do that?

-Yes.

-We'll put them into the auction and hope for a marvellous result.

-Thank you.

'Some level-headed thinking from Josephine

'and I think she made a good call with that reserve.'

We are now halfway through our day. We've found our first three items to take to auction,

so this is where all the talking stops and the action begins.

Here's a quick reminder from our experts, just to jog your memory, of the items we've found so far.

Given the immense work that's gone into making this wonderful brooch,

it well deserves to make its £30 to £50 estimate at auction.

This Bergman bronze is the best that you can get.

It's great quality. I'm hoping the condition doesn't do for it on the day. I hope it makes my estimate.

As this spoon and bowl have been together for so long already, I hope the new owners keep them together.

Our items are going under the hammer at Greenwich Auctions in south-east London.

Right, it's auction time. I'm getting excited. I hope you are.

'The saleroom is already filling up with eager bidders.

'I met up with auctioneer Robert Dodd and asked him what he thought about Josephine's bowl and spoon.'

Josephine's family silver - she's selling this because her son and her daughter don't really want it.

We've got £100 to £150 on the two as one lot.

I spoke to the lady again and said I'm going to split them up,

only because they are two completely different eras.

-I've got people who are collectors of spoons who I don't think would pay £100 for that spoon.

-No.

I've also got people who collect Edwardian silver or whatever it might be

and I think it gives the vendor more of a chance

of hitting that reserve and hopefully going over by separating them.

-So I'm confident.

-I'm confident about that one. I think you've done the right thing.

-Thank you.

'We'll find out in a bit what the bidders think.

'Auctioneer Robert has tweaked the estimates on our items to give them the best chance of selling.

'And now it's our first item.'

Going under the hammer is a Chinese brooch. It belongs to Cristina and it was a wedding present.

-A long time ago.

-1965?

-Yes.

-That's what I read in my notes.

-Correct.

Fingers crossed we get the top end.

-I know brooches are out of fashion, but it's so much work.

-You never know. We might be lucky.

We might be lucky. Fingers crossed. Here we go. Let's find out.

Lot 355, late Victorian, Chinese filigree brooch.

And the bid's with me straight away at £40.

-Straight in.

-Looking for 42. I've got 40 on it. Looking for 42.

45. 48. 50.

5 I need. 55. 60 with me.

-It's the quality of it.

-I'll take 62. 5 with me.

Looking for 70 on the brooch. I've got 65. Are we all done?

-£70 there.

-They like it.

-That's good.

Are we all done? Last time on this brooch. Selling at £70...

-Yes, £70.

-I'm pleased.

-That's good.

-Thank you very much.

-It was worth every penny.

-Thank you.

-It's got the peach of immortality.

Maybe the buyer thinks he'll live for ever.

-Thank you for coming in.

-Thank you.

-I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you.

'What a great result for Cristina! Let's see if Josephine's silver items can do as well.'

Next up, the silver christening bowl and spoon. They belong to Josephine who's right next to me.

-Hello, Josephine.

-Hello.

-The auctioneer has split the lot.

The christening bowl is coming up first, then the spoon.

-Hopefully, we'll get all the money in the first lot.

-Yes.

-£100 reserve.

-Ready?

-Yes, sure.

-This is it.

Lot 310 is the early 20th century, hallmarked silver bowl.

-Fingers crossed.

-The bid's with me at £100 on this.

-Straight in.

-Straight in. We've got our reserve.

-Yes.

100, looking for 110. All done?

Last time on this silver bowl at £100...

-Sold.

-I hate to say it, but it's down to the scrap, I'm afraid.

-That one is, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-OK, and now the spoon.

Lot 311, Victorian, hallmarked silver, Art Nouveau tablespoon

with a vine relief. Lovely lot. The bid's with me at £12.

Looking for 15. 18. 20 with me. Looking for 22, are we all done?

-Selling at £20...

-£120. Got to be happy with that.

-Yes, that's fine.

-Yes.

-Silver of the 20th century lacks a bit of excitement because we can value it almost so precisely.

-Yeah.

The reserve was its price and it's met that. We got a bit more for the spoon. That's the upside.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-OK, that's fine.

-Thank you.

250. 260. 270...

Remember, if you are buying or selling at auction, there is commission to pay.

It does vary from saleroom to saleroom. You can pay as low as 10% or as much as 20%.

Here in fact, it's 21.6% including the VAT, so you must factor that in to whatever you are selling.

'Well, the sale is in full swing and we've had two super results so far.'

190. 200. 210. 220. 230...

'Karen's up next with her tribesman figurine.'

Karen, good luck. We've seen many Franz Bergman bronzes on the show and they never let us down.

OK, here we go. Good luck.

Lot 280, painted bronze sculpture of a Middle Eastern warrior,

attributed to Franz Bergman.

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

..£120.

Looking for 130.

140 here. Looking for 150 on this cold-painted bronze.

£150...

-On the phone. That's good.

-Back of the room, looking for 160.

160. 170 at the back of the room. Looking for 180.

180 on the phone. 190 at the back of the room. Looking for 200.

There's somebody in the room. That's good. They've seen it as well.

210 at the back of the room. Looking for 220...

£210. 220 I need.

Are we all done at £220 on the second phone?

£230 at the back of the room. Looking for 240...

-£240...

-You see, it doesn't let us down.

-That's good.

-It is Bergman. You know that.

-Yeah.

Looking for 280. 280 I need.

280. 290 at the back of the room. Looking for 300.

£300 I want. £300 on the phone. 310...

-We're getting a bit more now.

-Yeah.

320. 330 at the back of the room. Looking for 340...

340. 350 I need. 350 I've got. Looking for 360...

360 on the telephone. Looking for 370. Are we all done?

At £360 on the telephone...

Yes! Doesn't that hammer go down with a lot of force? Crack!

It's like a carpenter's mallet!

-That's a really good result - top end and a bit more.

-Yeah. Thank you very much.

'Things are sailing along nicely at the auction

'and we'll be back later on with more items to go under the hammer,

'but first I want to tell you about a dilemma of astronomical proportions.'

Life at sea in the 15th and 16th centuries was extremely dangerous.

Sailors had started exploring the high seas in search of new worlds,

but had no accurate way of knowing their longitude, their position east or west.

Maps were useless without being sure of your location

and ships often hit rocks, causing thousands of deaths.

But when King Charles II realised how serious the problem was, he decided something must be done.

By 1674, he was convinced the solution lay in astronomy.

So he set up the Royal Observatory in Greenwich to try to solve the longitude problem

and he made John Flamsteed the first Astronomer Royal.

'The first building here was completed in 1675.

'The following year, Flamsteed started recording star positions,

'hoping navigators at sea could use this information to work out their longitude.'

But despite all of his hard work to find an astronomical solution,

more awful tragedies at sea put pressure on the government to find a quicker answer.

They appointed a panel of experts called the Longitude Board, who offered a £20,000 reward to anybody

who solved the problem of longitude at sea within half a degree.

'The prize attracted a lot of interest and people throughout the world tried to crack it.

'Many thought the answer lay in a device telling you how far you were from a set point in terms of time.

'This is because the Earth rotates at 360 degrees every 24 hours.

'So an hour of time is equal to 15 degrees difference in longitude.

'So if you knew what the time was at your original home port, you could work out your position.

'But no clock existed that could keep accurate time at sea.

'The treacherous conditions affected the workings of all clocks in existence.'

A carpenter finally solved this.

John Harrison dedicated his life to designing a timepiece that could withstand the rocking of a ship

and constant changes in temperature without losing any time.

After decades of research, finally, in 1772,

one of Harrison's timepieces was successfully trialled and approved by the Board.

That clock that finally nailed it and is possibly the greatest timepiece ever designed

is right here. That's it there.

'Harrison's masterpiece solved the longitude problem and his invention saved countless lives.'

Important astronomical work continued here at Greenwich,

each Astronomer Royal studying the sky at night, using telescopes along a meridian, a north-south line.

By comparing thousands of other observations along the same meridian,

they pieced together essential information for navigators, astronomers and cartographers.

'Every time a better telescope was developed, it was placed on a new meridian line.

'Essentially, a meridian line can be wherever you choose, so there's a number of old lines here.'

Up until the mid-19th century, towns and cities around the world kept local time.

The discrepancy in time didn't really matter until the railways.

Once a rail network system linked all these places, trying to write a timetable was almost impossible.

So in 1884 an international conference discussed which of the half a dozen or so meridians

currently being used could be recommended to governments.

Eventually, Greenwich was picked for its widespread use of data produced here.

So not only am I standing on the eastern and western hemispheres,

I'm also at the very start of time.

'So this is what the meridian line looks like at night.

'It's projected via a laser into the capital's night sky.

'You can see it as far as 10 miles away on a clear night.'

Something else here can be seen from afar - the big, red time ball.

It was used to help sailors on the Thames in the 19th century.

Every day, that big red ball would rise up the mast and then at 1pm it would drop down.

So navigators aboard the ships could calibrate their chronometers before setting out to sea.

'It was first used in 1833 and it still drops every day.

'The sailors would have seen this.'

20 years after the time ball was set up, the Royal Observatory started distributing time electronically

to Big Ben and the Royal Exchange clock, but accurate time wasn't accessible to everybody,

so John Henry Belville and later his daughter Ruth set up a private service, selling time.

They would come here on a Monday morning, set their chronometer against the clocks here

and then wander off to the city giving accurate time to all the main chronometer makers.

Of course, I couldn't visit the Royal Observatory without showing its most impressive telescope.

It is a bit of a whopper. It's a refracting telescope and uses a lens rather than a mirror

to focus and gather light from the object being observed.

It's the largest refracting telescope in the UK and the seventh largest in the world.

The 28-inch lens weighs 200lbs and it was so complicated to produce,

only two glassmakers in the world were capable of making it.

The telescope itself took 8 years to make and it was finally completed in 1893.

The telescope was used for research into double star systems -

stars that share a common centre of gravity. But nowadays this remarkable piece of technology

is used as an educational tool for visitors.

By the late-19th century, light pollution from the city and vibration from trains

started to affect the good work being done here.

Plans were afoot to relocate in the early 20th century and in the 1930s,

but that was interrupted because of WWII. The last observation to be done here was made in 1954.

Further astronomical work continued to flourish at Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex,

but today the Royal Observatory is open to the public and it's a fascinating insight

into early science. I hope my little visit inspires you to take a look at this remarkable place.

We're at Dulwich College in London and our valuation day is bustling.

Kate's with Sue who wants to find out more about her childhood toy.

-Sue, welcome to Flog It.

-Thank you.

-You've brought a really pretty doll. What do you know about her?

She was given to me in the 1950s, when I was a child,

-by the wife of one of my father's army pals.

-OK.

Her name was Audrey Smith and she worked at Chad Valley in Shropshire in the 1930s.

So with hindsight I think she probably dates from the 1930s, rather than the '50s.

And she was so beautiful I couldn't play with her.

-What?!

-I just displayed her and looked at her.

-The name I chose for her was Caroline because it was the nicest name I could think of.

-She's lovely.

And she is Chad Valley. When we take her shoe off,

she has the little Chad Valley label. She's really pretty. I can see why you liked her.

She's got the Nora Wellings-type face. This hand-painted over the top of felt face.

And then she's got this really lovely little dress. Little flowers. She looks a bit wartime bride.

I can see why 1950s, but I think she is a bit earlier, as you say.

-You've got her original box.

-I have.

-She's velvet or velveteen body

and then other composite parts are calico. A rather sweet little dress.

-Yeah, she's an interesting thing and it's brilliant to have it from someone at the factory.

-Yes.

Chad Valley started out as printers in the 19th century, producing all kinds of printed matter.

And then basically they started producing soft toys in WWI

-because there was a ban on soft toys made in Germany coming into Britain.

-Oh, right.

That sparked off their turn to the soft toy market and they did a great job.

-They had artists like Nora Wellings producing them. You loved her.

-I did. I thought she was special.

-And I still do, but she's been up in the loft for 50 years and she has been chewed...

-Some little mice.

She has this fantastic bright pink dress, but it is a little foxed, I suppose, and a bit faded.

But overall the condition is really good, considering how old she is.

There are lots of collectors. And her face is good.

She's got little mohair bits of hair falling out a little bit, but she's pretty good.

-In terms of value...

-Yes?

-..I was thinking maybe £50-£100, something like that.

-Is that a figure you're happy with?

-I think £100 is probably a better bet. Can we...?

-100 is always better than 50!

-I know!

-OK, you want it a bit higher. How about we put £100-£150?

-Yes.

And maybe a fixed reserve just below, say 80?

-I think that's absolutely fine.

-You'd be happy to let it go?

-Yes.

-Sweet Caroline.

-We hope she sells well. I'm sure she will.

-Thank you.

I hope we can find Caroline a new owner to admire her like Sue did.

Now what on earth has Michael got on his table?

Ian, thank you for struggling in today with this massive heavy beast of a candlestick.

-Can you tell me where you got it from?

-What it is, basically, is 20 years ago my flatmate died

and he left it and I thought it was out of character of the house so I've decided to get rid of it.

Well, if you're going to have something in Orientalist taste,

this is bells and whistles!

We've got this wonderful Indonesian detailing, these dragon mouths with the scrolls coming out,

forming the three tripod feet. But if you move up we've got this lovely formal knop and vase

with these petals coming out and possibly a lotus flower.

It's not everybody's taste, but if you like the design of this, it's got everything going for it.

-What century would you say it was?

-These aren't marked in any way, so we have to go by the patination.

Certainly the colour around these knops and the detailing here make me think that it's...

mid- to late-19th century.

So 1850 up to 1900.

There's been a little bit of work, but we can forgive that.

The one thing we can't forgive is we haven't got another one.

There's nothing sadder than a single candlestick, so they are sometimes quite difficult things to sell.

-Any idea what the value might be?

-I haven't a clue.

I think had we had a pair of them,

£150-£250, £200-£300, with no difficulty at all.

But of course a single one, I think we're in the region of 50... Let's be generous and say £50-£100.

-Yeah.

-But I would certainly set the reserve, with a little bit of discretion, at say £40, fixed.

I think that's sensible. If we proceed along those lines,it's an attractive purchase to somebody.

-But why now have you decided to part with it?

-I need to get some money to get married.

-Oh, marvellous.

-Oh, it's going to a good cause, then.

-It's going to a good cause.

-Well, let's hope it does really well on the day, in that case.

-Thanks.

Thank you very much indeed.

That's a lovely way to spend the proceeds. I hope Ian gets a great result towards his special day.

What a fabulous turnout we have here today. I think that's because it's half-term school holidays.

-But hang on - what are you two doing back at school? What's your name?

-Phoebe.

-Luke.

-I guess you're into antiques, are you?

-We're just here with my grandmother.

-Here with grandma.

-She's into the antiques, isn't she? This is quite a fine school.

-Yeah.

-Are you going to come here one day?

-Maybe.

It's all go here, both in front of and behind the cameras.

Kate's up next with Alan, who has something a bit fishy.

Alan, you have brought a table lighter. What do you know about it?

-It's a Dunhill.

-Because it says Dunhill on the front.

-Exactly.

-It's called an aquarium lighter.

-For obvious reasons.

-Yeah.

-So where did you get it?

-Belgium or Amsterdam in the middle '70s.

-Mid-'70s.

-So you just saw it at an antiques fair?

-In the old flea market.

-OK.

-And do you collect lighters?

-No, no, no. It just caught my eye.

-You just liked it. Since you've had it, is it on a table or do you use it?

-It's just on a shelf.

-Right.

-Well, it's a fairly collectable lighter.

-Yeah.

-It is 1950s and probably by a chap at Dunhill

called Ben Shillingford. We know this because he pioneered the use of what they call Lucite,

which is the American version of our Bakelite. Lucite is clear, lucid, it's a clear plastic.

-An early plastic polymer. These are single panels - front, back and two sides.

-Yeah.

And you've got this fantastic aquarium scene. He's carved it from the back and then painted.

-Effective, innit?

-It's quite fun. It's not everyone's type of thing.

-Have you done any research on it?

-I have. I've seen them on the internet.

-Right.

And I've seen them going for nine to fifteen, up to sixteen.

-Hundred pounds?

-Yeah.

-For this type of lighter?

-Yeah.

There are collectors out there. Dunhill's a very good make of luxury goods, from the 1900s onwards.

I'm not sure. I think that might be a bit punchy for auction.

-I was thinking £600-£800, but you'd be a bit gutted.

-Without a doubt.

-How about if we compromise with a slightly higher estimate? £800-£1,000?

-That's a lot better.

-That will be inviting for buyers. But put a reserve at £800.

-Yeah.

-Would you be OK with that?

-OK.

-It will find its own level. It will make at least £800 or not sell.

-Yeah.

-So let's have fingers crossed,

-firm reserve at £800, estimate of £800-£1,000.

-Right.

-All right?

-That sounds all right.

-We'll give it a go.

-OK.

And that's our final item from Dulwich. Before we go to auction,

let's have a quick reminder of why our experts loved these objects.

Caroline's really happy to be out of her box and going to auction.

Let's hope somebody gives her a good home. If she went back in the box, she'd get into worse condition.

Let's hope the dragons on this breathe fire into the auction!

This 1950s lighter was for the discerning gentleman. Let's hope someone in the sale room likes it.

We've not got long before we find out how they fare at auction.

-£50. 55. £60.

-That pretty doll who belongs to Sue is about to go under the hammer.

The Chad Valley doll. Unfortunately, we don't have Sue, but we do have Sue's husband, Steve.

You're obviously not a doll fan or this would stay in the house.

-Well, quite possibly!

-Happy with the valuation?

-Absolutely.

-Spot on.

-Well, I hope so. There might be collectors here. You just can't tell.

-Find out right now!

Lot 141 is the vintage Chad Valley textile doll with original clothing.

-Come on.

-It's got to start with a bid with me of £72.

Looking for £75 on the Chad Valley doll. It's worth all of that.

-Looking for 80.

-They're struggling a bit, aren't they?

-Oh, I don't know...

At £78.

-No.

-Thank goodness we put a reserve on. We protected it.

-You did the right thing.

-It can go into another sale another day.

That's a real shame for Sue. Let's hope for better luck next time.

You never know what's going to happen at auction.

Let's see how Ian gets on with an unusual candlestick.

All the money for this lot is going towards Ian's wedding and he's right next to me and really excited,

-but nervous about this auction.

-Correct.

-We've got that cast metal candlestick, £50-£100.

-It's got all the flavours of the Orient.

-It's got so much detail.

-And that period is in vogue.

-It is.

-So hopefully you've hit the market at the right time.

-All we need is two people interested.

-He knows the score.

Let's find out what the bidders think. It's now down to them.

Oriental cast metal bronzed and gilt effect candle holder.

-Great lot, this. Bid's with me at £45.

-Brilliant.

-Straight in.

-That's good.

48. £50. 55. £60.

65. £70. 75.

-80 with me. Looking for 85. 90 with me.

-This is very good. They love it!

Are we all done? Last time at £100!

-Yes! A nice £100.

-That's good.

-Got to be happy.

-What's the good lady called?

-Rosella.

-How long have you known her?

-About a year and a half.

-She went back to Florida and we're just together again.

-Love is in the air!

-Have a great day.

-Thanks.

-Well done, Michael.

I love a happy ending. And now it's our final item in today's sale.

And now the one we've been waiting for. It's the Dunhill lighter,

the aquarium lighter belonging to Alan. We've got £800-£1,000.

We'll find out what the bidders think right now.

It's Lot 510, the early to mid-20th century Dunhill aquarium table lighter.

It's got to start with a bid with me of £550 on this lighter. Looking for 600.

600. 50 with me. 700. 750.

800. I'm out. 820 on the telephone.

-850 in the room. 880 I want. 880 I have.

-It's a phone bidder.

-Yes.

-Come on, 900.

-910 I want.

910. And 20 in the room.

930. 940 in the room. 950.

-Moving, isn't it?

-It's moving, yeah.

960 in the room. Looking for 970.

-970 I've got. 980.

-Let's get that magic £1,000.

-£1,000.

-It's done it.

-Come on!

-I'll take 1,010.

£1,010. £1,020.

1,030 I've got. Have I?

1,030. 1,040. Looking for 1,050.

1,050. 1,060.

-1,070. 1,080.

-I love it when a plan comes together!

Good quality lighter, innit, eh?

£1,110. 1,120.

1,130. 1,140.

He's just going for it.

1,170. 1,180.

1,190. 1,200.

And 10. 1,220. 1,230. 1,240.

1,250. 1,260. 1,270.

1,280. 1,290.

1,300. And 10 I need.

-This is a great result.

-1,320. 1,330.

1,340. 1,350.

1,360. 1,370.

1,380. 1,390. 1,400. And 10 I need.

-£1,410...

-Alan, that's very good, isn't it?

Yeah.

1,440. 1,450.

1,460. 1,470. 1,480.

1,490. 1,500. And 10.

1,510. Looking for 1,520. Are we all done? Last time.

On the telephone at £1,510!

Yes! £1,510!

-Yeah, well.

-Alan, that is tops! Tops, tops, tops!

-I remember saying to you 1,200 quid. Didn't I?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Wow. Wow, Kate...

-Eight, you said, Kate!

-What was I?

-600-800.

-Did I?

-You've got to start somewhere.

-I like to keep expectations low and build the suspense!

-Exactly.

What a lovely result. I hope you enjoyed that. We certainly have.

Sadly, we've run out of time, but do join us again for more surprises.

From Greenwich until the next time, it's goodbye.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2011

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