Henley Flog It!


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This is the programme where we take your unwanted antiques

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off to auction and make you a handful of cash

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but on today's show we are talking big money -

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not just hundreds of pounds but thousands of pounds

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for one lucky owner. Welcome to "Flog It!"

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Today's valuation day comes from the wonderful Henley-on-Thames

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in Oxfordshire, at their town hall. Lots of people have turned up

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with their treasures, and it's up to me and a team of valuers

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to spot the real gems in the crowd.

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Heading up the experts are Catherine Southon...

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-I bet you've had lots of fun with that.

-Yes. Used to.

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..and Mark Stacey.

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I'm going to stick this on you, all right?

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And then I'm going to put you in my big pen.

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But there's no time to lose. Let's go inside and get cracking.

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Coming up - it's always good to see our old "Flog It!" favourites

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like Charlotte Rhead.

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What I really adore about her work is the tube lining.

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It's got that lovely texture to it, that wonderful relief.

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And Clarice Cliff.

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Do you see a lot of it on "Flog It!"?

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Good old Clarice Cliff!

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But sometimes we find something that really causes a stir,

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like this photograph.

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It's not the sitter I'm interested in. It's the photographer!

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That demands special attention.

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Whatever it brings, the students will be delighted.

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Good luck. Good luck, that's all I can say.

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The town hall is packed, and valuations are underway.

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Over at the table with Catherine,

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Ellen has brought in an elegant compact.

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The reason I was drawn to this very pretty little box

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was its colour, a very beautiful light blue.

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But I don't think it does it justice...

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-It's on the same background.

-..on the "Flog It!" tablecloth,

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so I'm going to lift it up. I think this is part of a dressing-table set.

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-Yes, probably.

-If we just open this up here,

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we can see that perhaps it contained powder or something like that,

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and it was part of a big set where you would have had brushes

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and soap dishes, things like that, all different items

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which would have been kept on a dressing table.

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What I really love about this is the beautiful guilloche enamel,

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which is engine-turned. You can see there,

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all the tiny little lines there, how it's actually been worked,

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-and the lovely blue enamel.

-Yes, it's pretty.

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And I think that's really where its value lies.

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Where did you get this from?

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Well, I used to look after elderly people,

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and this was one of the pieces amongst their possessions

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that I was left, so I've had it for about ten years now.

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You can just imagine that on a dressing table with other pieces.

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But in its own right it's still a very beautiful object,

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and it's very commercial, because you can put anything in there -

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-your hair clips or whatever.

-Trinkets.

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It would sit very nicely on your dressing table.

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Looking at it more closely, we can see it's silver gilt,

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and it's got a couple of marks there...

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-I'd never noticed before.

-..which tell us that it's French.

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And then, moving around here, there's another mark.

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There we are. Very, very tiny little mark there,

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which is actually giving us the maker's initials.

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That's something we'll have to research.

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I've never seen it, all these years I've had the box!

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The only thing that worries me slightly

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-is that it does have a bit of wear.

-Oh, right.

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Can you see? There's a bit of damage to the guilloche there,

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and then also on the underside there.

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These things do get damaged quite easily,

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but apart from that, it is in rather nice condition.

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So this was given to you. What have you done with it since then?

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It's just been in a little cabinet. It seems such a shame

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to leave it unused. It should be used.

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-The time's come to flog it?

-Time's come, yes.

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Now, value-wise, it would be lovely if we had the entire set.

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-Yes.

-Then we'd be looking at, perhaps, £300 to £500.

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But for this item alone, I'd say we should put a pre-sale estimate on

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-at £50 to £80...

-Very nice!

-..and reserve on of 40.

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-Would you be happy to sell at that?

-I would indeed.

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Thank you for bringing it along to "Flog It!",

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and let's hope that it makes some money at the auction.

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That vibrant blue enamel and silver-gilt detail

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is bound to appeal to some magpies at the auction room,

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and could even complete someone's dressing-table set.

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Another decorative object has landed on Mark's table, brought in by Steven.

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What's a chap like you doing with a parasol like this?

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Basically being very embarrassed. THEY LAUGH

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Don't be silly. It's lovely. Where did you get it from?

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It was inherited from an auntie, and her mother had it

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-when she was in India, as far as I know.

-Oh, right. OK.

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Well, there's no surprise why we like it here on "Flog It!".

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It's because of this wonderful ivory handle,

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which is fantastically carved with these rather mischievous bears

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going all around it, which is really good fun.

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It's been very detailedly carved out and stained,

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and they've got little eyes and faces,

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-and it's really quite a quirky object.

-Yes.

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There are a few problems, however.

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First of all, parasols are not as collectable as walking canes.

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Now, if this had been mounted onto a walking cane,

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it would be a lot more collectable. Secondly,

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-all this has been replaced.

-Right.

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Originally it would have had a much more delicate, lacy fabric on it.

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-Right.

-So you can imagine, in the Edwardian period -

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you know, 1900, 1910, 1920,

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fashionable young ladies would have been promenading

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with their parasols up, protecting them from the sun.

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-It would have been purely used for the sun?

-Absolutely.

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It's not an umbrella. There is another interesting thing there.

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-Tell me.

-It's the name.

-Oh, yes.

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We'll have to be very careful how we open this.

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When we open it up there, like that,

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we can see the word Paragon, which is the retail name of this.

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-Right.

-And then we can see the firm Fox & Co Limited.

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Now, I don't know who Fox & Co are, but it would have been retailed

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and sold through very fashionable shops

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in India, or maybe Delhi or Calcutta.

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-Right. Right, yeah.

-So, knowing all that,

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and the fact that I think what somebody would probably do

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-is restore this, or turn this bit into a walking stick...

-Yes.

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..how much do you think it might be worth?

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Haven't got a clue. That's what I'm here for.

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-That's what you're here for? I don't, either.

-Oh, right.

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I can give a guesstimate, because I do think this makes it, actually.

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I would suggest maybe somewhere around £100 to £150.

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-Oh, right. That's good.

-Would that be all right for you,

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-to put in for sale at that?

-I think it's worth a try.

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-With a reserve of 100 with ten percent discretion.

-Yes.

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Hopefully we'll get a bit more than that.

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-How do you feel with that estimate?

-That would be fine with me.

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-Fantastic! I'll see you at the sale.

-Thanks very much.

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All the pretty things have turned up at the Henley valuation day today.

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Catherine's been won over by Joyce's pastel pottery.

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Joyce, I always love to see a piece of Charlotte Rhead on "Flog It!".

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-Where did you get this bowl from?

-It was given to us 40 years ago

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by an elderly neighbour when we lived in Somerset.

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-Given to you as a present?

-Yes. That's all I know about it.

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-And did you know who it was by?

-Oh, yes.

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-It's well marked, isn't it?

-It is very well marked underneath,

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with her signature. We see there it's got "C Rhead".

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The very early pieces were marked "L Rhead",

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for Lottie, Lottie Rhead,

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so that will help us in trying to date this.

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We can also see there's a stamp on the back for Crown Ducal,

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-for when she worked at the factory Crown Ducal.

-Right.

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So that would date this around 1925, 1930.

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-Right.

-So, it's something you've had displayed in your home

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-for quite some time.

-Yes.

-Something that you've loved?

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-Oh, yes, I love it.

-So why did you decide to bring it along today?

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Well, just something to bring, really,

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-because we were coming over anyway.

-What I like about it

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is the colours. Now, with Charlotte Rhead,

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what we often find are oranges and yellows and greens,

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real Art Deco colours. Lovely to see these wonderful mauves

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-and sort of pinks.

-More unusual.

-Yeah.

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I think so. Lovely to see that, and I do really like that.

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But what we love about Charlotte Rhead,

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and what I really adore about her work, is the tube lining.

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If you feel it, it's got that lovely texture to it,

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that wonderful relief. And it's where the clay

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has been piped through like a liquid,

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giving it this wonderful texture,

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and something that I really love about it,

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and really makes her work so distinctive.

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So, time to sell it, do you think?

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I don't worry, really, whether I keep it or sell it,

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but may as well get rid of it. It'll probably get broken.

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So time to move on. Would you be happy if we put it in auction

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-with an estimate of £120 to £180?

-That sounds fine, yeah.

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-With a reserve of £100?

-Yes, fine.

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-Are you happy with that?

-Fine, yeah.

-I think it should do well.

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If it does do well, what would you do with the money?

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-Probably buy a bear, an old bear.

-A teddy bear?

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-A teddy bear, yeah.

-How many have you got in your collection?

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-About 100, I expect.

-Wow! That IS a collection.

-Yeah.

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Well, keep your eyes peeled at the auction,

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-and perhaps you can swap this for a bear.

-Hopefully.

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-Sell this and buy a bear in its place.

-Yes.

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-I'll see you at the auction in a couple of weeks.

-Nice to see you.

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-And you.

-I've seen you lots of times.

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Charlotte Rhead will hopefully turn into a furry friend

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for Joyce's collection. But now it's my turn.

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I've got to say, I'm very, very excited about my next find.

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Right now it belongs to Angela - well, Angela's school.

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-Yeah.

-Tell me a little bit more about your school.

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Slough Grammar School is based in Slough, Berkshire,

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and we're looking at selling this because we need to do rebuilds,

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and this is an asset we can sell to help the school.

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-So the school needs the money. They're always under-funded.

-Yeah.

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OK. This is the scientist, Herschel, who...

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There is some local connection, isn't there?

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He was born and brought up in Slough.

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Which is literally just down the river.

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Credited for pioneering and developing the telescope...

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-Yeah.

-..and optical lens.

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But it's not the subject, not the sitter, I'm interested in.

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It's the photographer. I've been to Julia Margaret Cameron's studios

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on the Isle of Wight, and this is an original by her -

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the greatest female photographer, possibly, in history,

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-definitely in the 19th century.

-Yeah.

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There's a little description, isn't there, just down there,

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and I think it says "taken at the residence"

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of Herschel's own home, Collingwood,

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"by Julia Margaret Cameron, April 1867."

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Yeah. And signed by the portrait -

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Signed by Herschel himself.

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There is a little bit of damage to the image. Not a lot -

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-it's just lifting slightly, isn't it?

-Yeah.

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But otherwise it's in very good condition.

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-And this was available to buy, around 1867.

-Yeah.

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Judging by the catalogue we looked at,

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you could buy this print for around about £10, couldn't you?

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And that was expensive then. Yeah.

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So for this to turn up today is really, really exciting.

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You've done a little bit of research.

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-Yeah.

-Because something like this sold at Sotheby's a few years ago,

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in auction...

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-For about 51,000.

-£51,000!

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I said today, whatever you do, don't turn over,

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because somebody's going home with a lot of money. It could be Angela.

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-It really could be you.

-Well, the school.

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Yes, for the school. That money would come in tremendously handy.

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We had so many meetings, talking about finance,

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and we said, "We're going to sell you one day,"

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-and now's the time to sell him.

-You heard "Flog It!" was in town

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-and you thought you'd get a second opinion.

-Yeah.

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This is so important to us, and we want to act in your best interests.

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I think it's really important that we take this away with us,

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we do a little more research,

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because if Sotheby's think it's worth 50-odd thousand pounds,

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or one like it has sold for that... They haven't actually seen it?

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-They sent a researcher out.

-Oh, they did?

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And the researcher confirmed it was a Julia Margaret Cameron.

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I think we take this to a major saleroom in London,

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see what they think, and we get it put into a specialist sale,

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a photograph-and-print sale. Are you happy with that?

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-That's really good.

-Thank you so much,

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Angela, for coming in. It's been a pleasure talking to you.

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-We'll look after this.

-Thanks very much.

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'We're leaving Henley with some lovely items to sell for our owners,

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'but what made them special?'

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What drew me to this was the beautiful blue colour

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and the lovely guilloche enamel work.

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What I really hope is that we've got a couple of buyers

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who come to the auction who've got the matching set,

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and then we've got big money.

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This lovely ivory-handled parasol has all the "bear" necessities

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to make a healthy price at auction.

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I'm always drawn towards Charlotte Rhead,

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because I've got a few pieces at home.

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This is slightly different from the rest.

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What I like about this are the lovely pinks and the purple,

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which separate it from the others, and I hope that because of that,

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it will stand out at auction and it'll do well.

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And our fourth item, the Julia Margaret Cameron photo -

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well, that is going off to a specialist

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for further examination. More about that very soon.

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But for now let's get on with the sale,

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and we're at Midgham, at Cameo Auctioneers.

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I can feel the tension starting to build.

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I know our owners are really nervous right now.

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For you at home, you can sit back and enjoy this,

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but for the rest of us it's going to be a roller-coaster ride,

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so fasten your seatbelts, because anything can happen at auction.

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The standard seller's commission rate here is 20 percent plus VAT,

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including all fees.

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Let's start proceedings with Steven's ivory-handled parasol.

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Our experts are always saying, "If you want to invest in antiques,

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invest in quality." And this next lot has it in abundance!

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It belongs to Steven. Mark is our expert,

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and I'm absolutely in love with this, because it is sheer quality.

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£100 to £150. Steven, why are you selling this?

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It just sits in the umbrella stand doing nothing,

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so I'd rather it go to somebody that would benefit from it.

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-It's been in the family a long time.

-Yeah. About...ooh, 75 years.

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Well, it's down to the bidders out there.

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Good luck. We got a fixed reserve at £100.

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Let's hope we get double that. Let's put a smile on your face. This is it.

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This is rather nice. This is an ivory-handled parasol

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with the handle decorated with bears and lions.

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Manufactured by Fox & Co, in super condition.

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It really is very nice indeed. Give me 100 for it, somebody, please.

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-50, then, to start it, if I may.

-There's two or three hands going up.

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60. 65. 70. 75.

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80. £80 I'm bid. 85. 90. 95.

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-100. At £100, I'm bid.

-A bit more.

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In the room, then, at £100 and away.

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-Are you all done at £100?

-A bit more, a bit more.

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Sold! £100. Just got it away on the reserve. Happy?

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-Yeah, that's fine.

-It's better than it perishing away,

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let's face it. Enjoy the rest of the day, and thank you for being on the show,

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because it's always lovely to hold and talk about quality.

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The parasol just made its money, so Mark was spot-on

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with his valuation.

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But will Joyce's bit of Charlotte Rhead find a new home?

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Joyce, good luck. You're squeezing my hand ever so hard.

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You're nervous, aren't you? You can let go now!

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Bless you! John, how you feeling, mate?

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-All right, thank you.

-We've got the bowl going under the hammer now.

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-Right.

-Happy?

-Yeah.

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-Sad to see it go?

-In a way, yes. I was afraid of breaking it.

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Nice example, isn't it? And I know you've got £120 to £180 on it.

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Yes, because you don't just want to give it away,

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so we've put a decent price on it, and we've protected it

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-with a good reserve.

-Otherwise we can take it home again.

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-Yes. Did you ever use it at all?

-Yes. I put potpourri in it.

0:16:180:16:22

Well, it's in fabulous quality, that's the main thing.

0:16:220:16:26

Let's find out what the bidders think, shall we?

0:16:260:16:28

It's a great name in studio pottery, so hopefully that will get it away. Here we go.

0:16:280:16:34

Charlotte Rhead, Crown Ducal signed bowl,

0:16:340:16:37

in very good condition. £50 to start it, somebody, please.

0:16:370:16:40

I'm bid £50. 55 anywhere, please, for the Charlotte Rhead?

0:16:400:16:43

55 anywhere? At £50, I'm bid. 55 anywhere?

0:16:430:16:46

55. 60.

0:16:460:16:48

-65. 70.

-Struggling a bit.

0:16:480:16:51

At £65. And £70 with me, and away.

0:16:510:16:55

At £70 with me. Are you all done at £70?

0:16:550:16:58

-And with no further bids and no interest...

-No.

0:16:580:17:01

-Not the day for Charlotte Rhead.

-I don't mind taking it home.

0:17:010:17:04

You do love it, don't you?

0:17:040:17:06

So it's going home, which is not all bad news.

0:17:060:17:08

-Put the pot-pourri back in it.

-Yeah, and look after it.

0:17:080:17:11

-It's been out for a day.

-It's had a day out.

-Exactly.

0:17:110:17:15

It's not all bad news when things don't sell.

0:17:150:17:18

I think Joyce was relieved to take it home.

0:17:180:17:20

Now we've got something for the ladies - an enamelled blue compact

0:17:200:17:24

belonging to Ellen, who sadly can't be with us.

0:17:240:17:26

She's gone down to the south coast to get a bit of sea breeze.

0:17:260:17:30

-But her son Mark is with us...

-Hello.

-..flying the flag.

0:17:300:17:33

-You've been feeling poorly, under the weather.

-Yes.

0:17:330:17:36

You've got out of bed for us today. We're really grateful,

0:17:360:17:39

and I think Mum will be as well. Do you know where she got this?

0:17:390:17:42

An old friend of hers left it to her.

0:17:420:17:44

You picked up on it at the valuation day, didn't you?

0:17:440:17:47

It's probably part of a big dressing-table set,

0:17:470:17:49

but I liked it because of the blue enamel.

0:17:490:17:52

It is quite eye-catching, isn't it?

0:17:520:17:54

Hopefully it will catch somebody's eye here.

0:17:540:17:57

-It's in good condition.

-That's what it's all about.

0:17:570:17:59

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

0:17:590:18:03

The nice French blue enamelled silver-gilt compact,

0:18:030:18:07

circa 1920, in very good condition. I've got two bids.

0:18:070:18:10

They're exactly the same. £60. £60 with me. 65. At £65 and away.

0:18:100:18:16

70, anywhere? At 70, I'm bid. 75.

0:18:160:18:19

-80. 85. 90.

-Brilliant!

0:18:190:18:21

95. 100.

0:18:210:18:23

-105. 110.

-Ooh, they like this!

0:18:230:18:25

-They like this.

-125. 130. 135?

0:18:250:18:29

130, then. At £130, I'm bid. 140.

0:18:290:18:33

-150.

-It's so hard to see the bidders!

0:18:330:18:35

£150 in the room. At 150 in the room.

0:18:350:18:39

-155. 160? At £155, I'm bid.

-Yes!

0:18:390:18:43

At £155 and selling. Are you all done? And sold.

0:18:430:18:48

£155! You've got to get on the phone and tell her the good news.

0:18:480:18:51

-I will do.

-That's so unexpected!

0:18:510:18:53

I thought maybe top end, so about 60.

0:18:530:18:56

I thought that would be it, so that's brilliant.

0:18:560:18:58

If she's got any more, tell her to bring them.

0:18:580:19:01

-We want the rest of the set.

-I'll make sure she's not on holiday next time.

0:19:010:19:05

OK. Thank you.

0:19:050:19:07

50 I'm bid.

0:19:090:19:10

Well, a great start to the programme, but don't go away,

0:19:100:19:13

because we've still got that wonderful Victorian photograph to sell.

0:19:130:19:17

So, who was Julia Margaret Cameron,

0:19:170:19:19

and why is her work so highly regarded?

0:19:190:19:22

Well, back in 2005, when I was filming with "Flog It!"

0:19:220:19:25

on the Isle of Wight, I had the pleasure of visiting

0:19:250:19:27

her former home and studio. It's now a gallery and museum,

0:19:270:19:32

dedicated to her life's work. Take a look at this.

0:19:320:19:35

Being by the seaside is a fantastic opportunity

0:19:380:19:41

of taking photographs. Photography dates back to the early 19th century

0:19:410:19:45

and a famous person for taking photos of famous Victorians

0:19:450:19:48

lived here on the Isle of Wight.

0:19:480:19:51

Julia Margaret Cameron has been described

0:20:060:20:09

as the greatest pictorial photographer

0:20:090:20:11

of the 19th century.

0:20:110:20:13

She was born in 1815 in Calcutta.

0:20:150:20:18

Her first interest in photography started in 1855,

0:20:180:20:21

when she was recovering from an illness in the Cape of Good Hope.

0:20:210:20:24

She met Sir John Herschel, who had come up with the term "photography".

0:20:240:20:28

But it was 27 years later, when she was given a camera as a present,

0:20:280:20:33

that her interest really began to develop.

0:20:330:20:36

Julia Margaret Cameron moved to the Isle of Wight in 1860,

0:20:390:20:42

and she lived here in Freshwater, in this house, Dimbola Lodge.

0:20:420:20:45

It was due to be knocked down in 1990,

0:20:450:20:47

but luckily enough, a group of Cameron enthusiasts managed to save it.

0:20:470:20:51

It's now a museum dedicated to her work,

0:20:540:20:56

and the curator is Brian Hinton.

0:20:560:20:59

Why did she come to the Isle of Wight?

0:21:000:21:02

She was a great friend of Tennyson, the Poet Laureate,

0:21:020:21:05

and when her husband went off to Ceylon to run the tea estates,

0:21:050:21:09

she got rather lonely, so she'd come and stay at Farringford nearby,

0:21:090:21:12

and she liked it more and more, so eventually she bought two cottages,

0:21:120:21:16

one of which we're standing in, and put a big Gothic tower

0:21:160:21:20

to link the two together, and turned the chicken shed at the back

0:21:200:21:24

into a photographic studio.

0:21:240:21:26

But I think there's something about the quality of the light here

0:21:260:21:30

that really matters, and lots of painters and photographers

0:21:300:21:34

have found it. I think she fell in love not just with Tennyson

0:21:340:21:37

and all his friends, but with this place and the lovely scenery.

0:21:370:21:40

It's gorgeous, and that is what attracts artists.

0:21:400:21:43

-Why was she so renowned?

-Because she was a great photographer.

0:21:430:21:47

She was quite notorious. A lot of male photographers at the time

0:21:470:21:50

thought she was unspeakable, because she didn't focus her camera.

0:21:500:21:53

It was all fuzzy and artistic, and some people thought,

0:21:530:21:56

"She can't do it." She was a brilliant artist.

0:21:560:21:59

-Look at the results.

-The work is absolutely superb.

0:21:590:22:02

Did she find it hard, being a woman in a man's world

0:22:020:22:05

-in the photography business?

-She won prizes, but abroad,

0:22:050:22:08

in Ireland and Germany. Never here. And she did get a lot of flak.

0:22:080:22:11

It was becoming a profession, and all these people

0:22:110:22:14

were starting their little photographic practices,

0:22:140:22:17

and she was a lady, and she would only photograph who she chose to.

0:22:170:22:21

So you can imagine what they thought of her - dilettante, you know?

0:22:210:22:24

-So, yes, she got a lot of flak.

-How can we identify her work?

0:22:240:22:28

In terms of the subjects, she did two main things -

0:22:280:22:32

well, three main things, actually. She did Madonnas,

0:22:320:22:35

when she had her maids pretending to be the Virgin Mary,

0:22:350:22:38

very holy and very beautiful and very spiritual,

0:22:380:22:42

and again, usually just one person in shot.

0:22:420:22:45

That classical composition.

0:22:450:22:47

Very well trained in classical paintings.

0:22:470:22:49

But also portraits of famous people, again just one person,

0:22:490:22:52

head and shoulders. No-one had done that before.

0:22:520:22:55

So almost like the personality portrait - she invented it.

0:22:550:22:59

-Yeah.

-And thirdly, she was very good at children.

0:22:590:23:02

Wonderful examples here. Superb.

0:23:020:23:05

Yeah. She would get some wings off a turkey or something,

0:23:050:23:08

and stick them onto... The children weren't too happy.

0:23:080:23:11

-They used to run away.

-But... What techniques did she use?

0:23:110:23:14

She took all the photographs here in an old chicken house,

0:23:140:23:17

but her technique was to use roller blinds to control the light.

0:23:170:23:21

She always photographed in daylight. She didn't use studio lights

0:23:210:23:24

like photographers do today. So she would have the sitter

0:23:240:23:28

sitting there for about five minutes.

0:23:280:23:31

She would put a charged glass plate into the camera,

0:23:310:23:34

and let the image, upside down, of course, work its way into the plate.

0:23:340:23:37

After five minutes, the sitter would be dismissed.

0:23:370:23:41

The glass plate would be treated with all kinds of chemicals and water,

0:23:410:23:45

and it would be then put onto specially charged paper,

0:23:450:23:48

paper made partly with albumen of egg,

0:23:480:23:52

and the two would be put together in the sunlight,

0:23:520:23:55

and gradually the image would come through onto the paper.

0:23:550:23:58

You could do that endlessly from the same glass plate.

0:23:580:24:01

-What a laborious process!

-And only one in ten worked.

0:24:010:24:04

-Tell me about some of her subjects.

-Well, the main one is Tennyson.

0:24:040:24:07

The one most famous is Tennyson, because he was the Poet Laureate.

0:24:070:24:11

There's a lovely one where he looks like, as he describes it, "a dirty monk".

0:24:110:24:15

You've also got people like Browning, Longfellow, the poet.

0:24:150:24:18

Then you've got what she called her "beautiful maidens",

0:24:180:24:21

so you've got her niece, the mother of Virginia Woolf,

0:24:210:24:24

and you can really see the similarity.

0:24:240:24:26

-Are her works collectable?

-They weren't in the 1950s.

0:24:260:24:30

You couldn't give them away. But now, highly collectable,

0:24:300:24:33

and a lot of museums are still trying to build up collections of her work,

0:24:330:24:37

so when they come for auction, you have private individuals

0:24:370:24:40

fighting with institutions, especially in the States.

0:24:400:24:44

Her work is absolutely stunning. She captures people so beautifully.

0:24:440:24:48

What sort of prices are we talking about?

0:24:480:24:51

We're talking about 1,000 to 20,000 for originals.

0:24:510:24:55

Recently one went for £1,300, but not in very good condition.

0:24:550:25:00

Condition, as in every kind of antique and artwork,

0:25:000:25:03

is very important, and they have to be originals

0:25:030:25:05

from the original glass plates, not copies,

0:25:050:25:08

and you need an expert to actually tell the difference.

0:25:080:25:11

These are all copies. Do you have originals?

0:25:110:25:14

Yeah. We've got about 25 now, tucked away in a secret location.

0:25:140:25:17

The trouble is, they are so susceptible to sunlight, humidity,

0:25:170:25:21

that we can't put them on display. I wish we could,

0:25:210:25:24

but it would just be a desecration. We do sometimes show them,

0:25:240:25:27

but in very controlled conditions.

0:25:270:25:29

Julia Margaret Cameron left the Isle of Wight

0:25:290:25:32

to go and live in Sri Lanka, to join her sons who worked there.

0:25:320:25:35

Although she took her equipment with her,

0:25:350:25:37

she could never create the same style of work

0:25:370:25:40

she'd produced here on the Isle of Wight.

0:25:400:25:42

She died in 1879, and is buried in a tiny churchyard

0:25:460:25:49

high in the mountains of Sri Lanka.

0:25:490:25:51

So, will our Cameron photograph be in demand with the bidders?

0:25:530:25:56

We're going to find out shortly. But first we have more antiques to find in Henley-on-Thames.

0:25:560:26:01

Our team of experts are working flat-out

0:26:050:26:07

to get everyone's items valued, and over with Catherine,

0:26:070:26:10

it's Sue's turn to find out more about her spoon.

0:26:100:26:14

Sue, welcome to "Flog It!".

0:26:150:26:17

Thank you for bringing along your nice little spoon.

0:26:170:26:19

Not an ordinary spoon, cos if we turn it over we can see

0:26:190:26:22

that it's got this beautiful coloured enamel on the top.

0:26:220:26:25

We'll talk about that in detail in a moment.

0:26:250:26:28

But tell me, where did you get this from?

0:26:280:26:30

Actually, it was in our family sugar bowl for many, many years.

0:26:300:26:34

Growing up as a child, I would use it for the three spoons of sugar

0:26:340:26:38

I used to have in my cups of tea in those days.

0:26:380:26:41

-So it's very well used.

-Yes, very well.

0:26:410:26:44

It is in very good condition, considering that.

0:26:440:26:46

-I know!

-Do you know where it came from before then?

0:26:460:26:49

As far as I can remember, my mother said it was a friend of her mother's,

0:26:490:26:55

my grandmother, and that was about as much information

0:26:550:26:58

-as she ever gave out.

-But you've always known it.

0:26:580:27:01

-It's always been in your family.

-Yes.

0:27:010:27:03

So, why did you bring it to us today?

0:27:030:27:06

It's one of those items that I wanted very much when I was a child,

0:27:060:27:09

because I thought it was so pretty, and I begged my mother,

0:27:090:27:13

could I have it one day when she didn't want it any more,

0:27:130:27:16

and I did have it on display at home for many years.

0:27:160:27:19

Then we moved house, and it got put away in a box

0:27:190:27:22

-and never brought out again.

-It's a difficult thing to display.

0:27:220:27:26

I mean, that's the way to display it,

0:27:260:27:28

because this is what we call cloisonne enamel,

0:27:280:27:31

where it's got - if you look very closely, you can see -

0:27:310:27:34

there is wire that has been applied to the metal.

0:27:340:27:37

This is actually silver, and the enamel has been put inside,

0:27:370:27:41

so almost like little cells.

0:27:410:27:43

But the colours are very beautiful, and you said, as a child,

0:27:430:27:46

-you thought it was very pretty.

-I did.

-And I can see that.

0:27:460:27:50

It dates from 1900, and it's actually Russian.

0:27:500:27:53

So there's no Russian connection with your family,

0:27:530:27:56

-or, you say, your family friends?

-Not as far as I'm aware.

0:27:560:28:00

Right. OK. But that's its history. That's where it's come from,

0:28:000:28:04

as far as I'm concerned.

0:28:040:28:06

But the beauty, as I say, is in this enamel.

0:28:060:28:08

It's so pretty. I think I'd like to put it with an auction estimate

0:28:080:28:12

-of £60 to £80.

-Right.

0:28:120:28:14

-It should make more than that.

-OK.

0:28:140:28:16

But I'll put £60 to £80, with a firm reserve of £60,

0:28:160:28:20

to get some people excited and get the bidding up.

0:28:200:28:23

It's really beautifully made. I love it, actually.

0:28:230:28:25

The more I look at it, the more I love it.

0:28:250:28:28

It's a very fine piece.

0:28:280:28:30

I bet most of you watching at home will recognise Mark's next item.

0:28:310:28:35

-Hello, May.

-Hello, Mark.

0:28:360:28:38

You've brought a "Flog It!" favourite in with you today.

0:28:380:28:41

-You do see a lot of it on "Flog It!".

-Good old Clarice Cliff!

0:28:410:28:44

I really like it! It's slightly different, isn't it?

0:28:440:28:47

I haven't seen one on "Flog It!" or any other show so far.

0:28:470:28:51

-Where did you get it from?

-Well, I bought it over 20 years ago

0:28:510:28:55

-at a jumble sale.

-So you didn't pay very much for it?

0:28:550:28:58

I didn't pay hardly anything for it. Nobody wanted it.

0:28:580:29:01

Strange, isn't it? Completely out of fashion then, you see.

0:29:010:29:04

Have you had it valued in that 20-year period?

0:29:040:29:07

About ten years ago I had it valued, yes.

0:29:070:29:10

-Whereabouts?

-It was the Antiques Roadshow.

0:29:100:29:13

-Ooh!

-It came to Henley, outside of Henley.

0:29:130:29:16

And you took it along to one of their experts?

0:29:160:29:18

-Yes, I did.

-And what did they value it at?

0:29:180:29:21

They said around 200 or 250 at the time.

0:29:210:29:25

It's not too bad, is it?

0:29:250:29:27

Clarice Cliff is one of those funny factories.

0:29:270:29:30

It really does have a roller-coaster ride.

0:29:300:29:32

I mean, sometimes the prices can be up there,

0:29:320:29:35

sometimes they can be down there, and it depends on the shape,

0:29:350:29:38

it depends on the pattern. I must admit,

0:29:380:29:41

-I find this quite attractive.

-I think it's a nice shape.

0:29:410:29:44

-It's a very simple shape.

-Simple, yeah.

0:29:440:29:47

It's a very bold design. It's got that lovely summer-yellow colour

0:29:470:29:51

with a lovely blue flower on it.

0:29:510:29:53

And of course, when we look underneath,

0:29:530:29:55

we can see the typical mark, Bizarre, by Clarice Cliff,

0:29:550:29:59

and the pattern is Sungay. I don't think it's changed an awful lot.

0:29:590:30:03

-No.

-I think they probably got it right about ten years ago,

0:30:030:30:07

and it's flattened out a bit since then,

0:30:070:30:09

so I think the estimate is still probably around 200 to 300.

0:30:090:30:13

What I don't know, because I haven't had time

0:30:130:30:15

to research the pattern fully,

0:30:150:30:17

but if the Sungay pattern turns out to be slightly rarer

0:30:170:30:21

than I'm thinking, on the day, it might push the price up a little.

0:30:210:30:25

Would you be happy to put it in at 200 to 300?

0:30:250:30:28

-Yes, I would.

-With a 200 reserve?

0:30:280:30:31

-Yes, 200 reserve.

-Fixed or discretionary?

0:30:310:30:34

I don't want to give it away, but if we got up to 195 or something,

0:30:340:30:37

-would you be happy to sell it?

-Yes, I would.

0:30:370:30:40

So we'll put a discretionary reserve.

0:30:400:30:42

To me it looks as if it was made somewhere between 1930 and 1934,

0:30:420:30:48

somewhere like that, so right in the heyday

0:30:480:30:51

of Clarice Cliff's Art Deco period. Why are you selling it?

0:30:510:30:54

I actually didn't like it when I bought it.

0:30:540:30:57

I went to the jumble sale, and I thought,

0:30:570:30:59

"I'm coming away with nothing," and it was sitting there all the time,

0:30:590:31:03

-and nobody else wanted it!

-You didn't want to leave empty-handed.

0:31:030:31:07

-No, I didn't.

-I bet you that all those other bits of bric-a-brac

0:31:070:31:11

that were sold at that jumble sale won't be worth what this is now.

0:31:110:31:15

So, come on. We're all dying to know. How much did you pay for it?

0:31:150:31:19

Well, it was 10p. But I think they would have given it to me,

0:31:190:31:22

because nobody else wanted it!

0:31:220:31:24

I think we're going to make a good return on your 10p.

0:31:240:31:27

That'd be good, yes.

0:31:270:31:29

-It might be the best 10p you've ever spent, May.

-Probably.

0:31:290:31:32

HE LAUGHS

0:31:320:31:34

'If only we could find such bargains!'

0:31:340:31:37

Let's find out why those two items were chosen

0:31:370:31:40

by Catherine and Mark.

0:31:400:31:42

I can't believe this spoon has survived

0:31:420:31:44

going in and out of Sue's sugar bowl.

0:31:440:31:47

It's in great condition, and a very pretty piece.

0:31:470:31:49

I think it's going to do all right at auction.

0:31:490:31:52

Clarice Cliff vase. Love it or hate it,

0:31:520:31:55

we should turn a good profit on 10p at a jumble sale!

0:31:550:31:59

Don't you wish you'd found it? I do.

0:31:590:32:01

Back at the auction, it's judgement time for Sue's spoon.

0:32:100:32:13

Let's stir things up right now. I've just been joined by Sue,

0:32:130:32:17

and that wonderful Russian enamelled spoon,

0:32:170:32:19

which I think is absolutely delightful.

0:32:190:32:21

-I know you used this a lot at home.

-We did when I was a child, yes.

0:32:210:32:26

So why do you want to sell this?

0:32:260:32:28

Did you think, "Flog It!"'s in town, let's take it along?

0:32:280:32:31

Partly, but also because I have two sons

0:32:310:32:33

who probably are not that interested,

0:32:330:32:36

but I have told them that if it does sell,

0:32:360:32:38

-I will split the money between them.

-Take them out for a beer or two.

0:32:380:32:42

-Far more interested in that, yes.

-They would be, wouldn't they,

0:32:420:32:46

especially on the river at Henley, because that's the thing to do,

0:32:460:32:50

-a bit of rowing and revelry. Yeah?

-Yes, definitely.

0:32:500:32:53

-Let's hope we get the top end.

-Yeah. I like this

0:32:530:32:55

because the enamel's intact, all in lovely condition,

0:32:550:32:58

-and lovely bright colours.

-Let's hope we've got some bidders

0:32:580:33:01

in the room. It's going under the hammer right now. This is it.

0:33:010:33:05

This Russian silver-gilt enamelled spoon,

0:33:050:33:08

candy-twist stem, with a tsar's crown.

0:33:080:33:11

There's two indistinct impression marks to the stem,

0:33:110:33:14

and I'm bid £40 for it. £40 I'm bid for it, for this Russian spoon.

0:33:140:33:19

45. 48. 50.

0:33:190:33:21

£50 I'm bid. At £50, I'm bid.

0:33:210:33:23

55 anywhere?

0:33:230:33:26

-£50 I'm bid. 55 now. 60.

-We've sold it.

0:33:260:33:29

At £65 here now. At £65. 70 I'm bid.

0:33:290:33:34

At £70, I'm bid. At £70, I'm bid on the machine.

0:33:340:33:37

-Keep going. Don't stop.

-At £70, I'm bid, and away.

0:33:370:33:40

-You all done? Sold.

-Yes, brilliant! Good valuation.

0:33:400:33:43

-There we are. In the middle.

-Are you pleased with that?

0:33:430:33:46

-Yes, I am.

-Great. The boys will be, as well.

0:33:460:33:49

-Definitely.

-Lunch! That's lunch.

-Couple of beers.

-Yeah.

0:33:490:33:54

Not a bad return for such a small object.

0:33:540:33:57

May's Clarice Cliff vase is ready to go under the hammer.

0:33:570:34:01

-Hello, May. And who's this?

-Cassie.

-Cassie? What a gorgeous name!

0:34:010:34:06

-So, you're off school. It's half term, yeah?

-Yeah.

0:34:060:34:08

-What do you think of Clarice Cliff?

-It's OK.

0:34:080:34:11

-Why is Grandma flogging this?

-I don't know.

0:34:110:34:14

-Come on, May!

-Because I don't like it.

0:34:140:34:16

Do you know, I don't really like Clarice Cliff,

0:34:160:34:20

but I know someone who does. Mark, you like it.

0:34:200:34:23

I do. This is a variation of the Gayday pattern.

0:34:230:34:26

-It's called Sungay.

-Let's see what the bidders think of this,

0:34:260:34:30

-shall we? Here we go.

-We'll see.

0:34:300:34:33

This is nice. A Clarice Cliff Sungay hand-painted Bizarre-patterned vase,

0:34:330:34:37

in very good condition. What may I say for this?

0:34:370:34:40

100 for it, somebody, please? 100 I'm bid.

0:34:400:34:43

-At 110. 120. 130. 140. 150.

-Lots of bidding down on the front.

0:34:430:34:47

160. 170. 160 here. 175.

0:34:470:34:50

There's a couple of people waving their catalogues.

0:34:500:34:53

185. 190 in the room. At 190 in the room.

0:34:530:34:57

195. 200 in the room. At 200. 210. 220.

0:34:570:35:01

-Sold it, haven't we?

-Yeah.

0:35:010:35:03

230. 240 in the room. At 250. 260?

0:35:030:35:06

250 in the room. 260, if you want it.

0:35:060:35:09

-270. 280, if you want it.

-280. Oh, this is good.

0:35:090:35:12

£280? 280 I'm bid.

0:35:120:35:15

290. 300?

0:35:150:35:17

At £290. Here on the machine at 290.

0:35:190:35:22

-It's done the business, hasn't it?

-Yeah, brilliant!

-They love it.

0:35:220:35:26

-Sold.

-£290!

0:35:260:35:28

Clarice rarely lets us down. It has done on the odd occasion,

0:35:280:35:32

I've got to say. And you're glad it's gone.

0:35:320:35:34

-You don't have to look at it.

-I wasn't. It was hidden away.

0:35:340:35:38

That may be why it got such a good price. Hidden away,

0:35:380:35:41

it's protected. It was kept safe. It hadn't got any chips on there,

0:35:410:35:44

hadn't got faded. You looked after it as best you could.

0:35:440:35:49

I'm glad it's gone, though. CASSIE LAUGHS

0:35:490:35:51

Well, that's it from the Cameo auction rooms in Midgham,

0:35:550:35:59

but do stay with us, because it's not the end of the show. We're about to turn up the heat.

0:35:590:36:03

We still have that fabulous photograph of Herschel to sell,

0:36:030:36:06

taken by Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron

0:36:060:36:09

back in 1867.

0:36:090:36:12

'Remember, it was brought in by Angela

0:36:120:36:15

'on behalf of Slough Grammar School, who are hoping to raise funds

0:36:150:36:18

'from its sale.'

0:36:180:36:21

And we're selling our item at Christie's, in the heart of London.

0:36:210:36:24

We've put our item into a specialist sale

0:36:240:36:27

with 102 photographs, ranging from Victorian,

0:36:270:36:29

contemporaries like ours, right through to the 1960s,

0:36:290:36:33

and 1990s.

0:36:330:36:36

We've come here to consult Christie's international head of photographs, Philippe Garner.

0:36:360:36:40

He's going to be the auctioneer for today's sale.

0:36:400:36:43

Yesterday, preview day, we caught up with him

0:36:430:36:46

and asked him what he thought of our photograph.

0:36:460:36:50

I gaze at it every time in admiration.

0:36:500:36:52

It's a simple but compelling picture

0:36:520:36:55

which has become one of the icons of photography.

0:36:550:36:57

Julia Margaret Cameron's work has become increasingly scarce

0:36:570:37:01

on the market, and it's a treat to have a picture such as this

0:37:010:37:04

in our sale - one of her most celebrated images,

0:37:040:37:07

and an image with a great story to it, as well.

0:37:070:37:09

Prints of Herschel have survived in enough numbers

0:37:090:37:13

to suggest it was one of her more popular subjects,

0:37:130:37:15

but it remains today something very rare,

0:37:150:37:19

scarce on the marketplace, hard to find.

0:37:190:37:22

It's worth bearing in mind that Herschel introduced Mrs Cameron

0:37:220:37:26

to photography. He sowed the seeds in her mind

0:37:260:37:28

of taking up the camera. Fortunate coincidence,

0:37:280:37:32

we have two other very interesting Camerons

0:37:320:37:34

in the same sale - here, a head shot of a female subject

0:37:340:37:39

who has been cast as Cassiopeia,

0:37:390:37:41

and an intensely powerful portrait -

0:37:410:37:45

that stare is so compelling, which is very uncommon for photography

0:37:450:37:49

of this era, something we associate more

0:37:490:37:52

with a 20th-century way of photographing,

0:37:520:37:56

and really, I think, Mrs Cameron at her very best.

0:37:560:38:00

The other picture, behind me, Mary Hillier and a child

0:38:000:38:03

enacting the Madonna and Child.

0:38:030:38:06

Mary Hillier was a member of Mrs Cameron's domestic staff.

0:38:060:38:09

The Cassiopeia bears the highest estimate, at 20,000 to 30,000,

0:38:090:38:13

which is a reflection both of the power of the subject matter,

0:38:130:38:18

the rarity of that image,

0:38:180:38:21

and the fact that it really is in excellent condition.

0:38:210:38:25

That is something our "Flog It!" print didn't share,

0:38:250:38:29

and unfortunately, Herschel's signature was a facsimile.

0:38:290:38:32

A specialist process to restore the print,

0:38:330:38:36

recommended by Philippe, cost £265,

0:38:360:38:39

which will be taken from any final sale result.

0:38:390:38:43

On a scale of one to ten for condition,

0:38:430:38:45

how does our print rank?

0:38:450:38:48

Whilst this is a respectable print of the image,

0:38:480:38:51

it certainly isn't a ten,

0:38:510:38:53

and I think that is reflected in our relatively prudent estimate.

0:38:530:38:57

I sold a print of this same subject years ago

0:38:570:39:01

for in the region of 50,000. That was a ten.

0:39:010:39:04

Here we're quoting 4,000 to 6,000.

0:39:040:39:07

So, exciting news for our owners and the school,

0:39:080:39:12

all 1,100 pupils. Fingers crossed.

0:39:120:39:14

-Hello, Mercedes! Hi, Angela!

-Hi.

0:39:140:39:16

-You've got to be excited.

-We are both excited,

0:39:160:39:19

and the whole school's excited, so, er...

0:39:190:39:21

-So, you're the head teacher.

-Yes, I am.

0:39:210:39:24

-You've had Mr Herschel on your office wall...

-For many years.

0:39:240:39:27

-For many, many years?

-Yes, many years.

0:39:270:39:29

-Sad to see him go?

-It is sad. It's a bit of history

0:39:290:39:33

for the city, but the opportunity that it will bring for the school

0:39:330:39:37

and the Sixth Form Centre is too good to miss.

0:39:370:39:40

-I remember the moment we first met, and you were so excited.

-Yeah.

0:39:400:39:45

We were talking about valuations of £50,000.

0:39:450:39:47

Obviously it's been catalogued at £4,000 to £6,000.

0:39:470:39:50

We had a chat to the auctioneer yesterday.

0:39:500:39:53

-It's due to a lot of damage.

-If it didn't for sale,

0:39:530:39:55

it would sit in a cupboard. It's going to benefit the school.

0:39:550:39:58

Whatever it brings, the students will be delighted.

0:39:580:40:02

Well, good luck. Good luck. That's all I can say.

0:40:020:40:04

I can't wait for this moment. I really can't!

0:40:040:40:07

You never know what's going to happen in an auction.

0:40:070:40:10

We'll keep our fingers crossed.

0:40:100:40:12

Standard seller's commission here is 15 percent plus VAT,

0:40:120:40:15

up to the value of £3,000, and ten percent thereafter.

0:40:150:40:20

The auction's just about to start. The bidders are in place.

0:40:210:40:24

We are in place. We can't raise our voices too much in here

0:40:240:40:28

because it's quite a small room, and there's only half a dozen or so...

0:40:280:40:32

In fact there's about 20 bidders. Hopefully they'll bid on your lot.

0:40:320:40:35

-I hope so.

-I hope so, as well! I'm getting quite excited.

0:40:350:40:38

We could see this do quite well.

0:40:380:40:41

-Fingers crossed.

-Yeah. Yeah.

0:40:410:40:43

-Yeah. Fingers crossed.

-Very exciting.

0:40:430:40:46

The auction is just about to start. Here we go!

0:40:460:40:49

First of the three lots by Julia Margaret Cameron,

0:40:500:40:53

this one the portrait of Sir John Herschel.

0:40:530:40:56

Three starts it. I have interest at three.

0:40:560:40:58

3,000 starts here. 3,000. 3,200.

0:40:580:41:01

3,500. 3,800.

0:41:010:41:03

4,000. At 4,000. Any more at four?

0:41:030:41:06

We're at 4,000. 4,200, the telephone.

0:41:060:41:09

-4,500.

-Great.

-4,500.

0:41:090:41:12

Here with me at four five. Are you back in? 4,800.

0:41:120:41:15

5,000. At 5,000. Still my bidder at five.

0:41:150:41:18

At 5,000. 5,500. 6,000.

0:41:180:41:22

-6,000. Here with me at 6,000.

-Top end now.

0:41:220:41:25

At 6,000.

0:41:250:41:27

At 6,000. 6,500.

0:41:270:41:30

7,000 now. 7,000.

0:41:300:41:32

At 7,000. Any more at seven? I have 7,000.

0:41:320:41:35

I have seven five ahead of you. Will you go 8,000?

0:41:350:41:38

We're at seven five now. At 7,500. It's with you. 8,000, the telephone.

0:41:380:41:43

At 8,000 on the telephone now.

0:41:430:41:46

My bidder's out. Last chance in the room.

0:41:460:41:49

We're at £8,000, and selling, then, at 8,000...

0:41:490:41:53

It's yours.

0:41:530:41:55

-£8,000 on the hammer.

-Really good.

0:41:550:41:57

Well done, both of you. Fantastic!

0:41:570:42:00

With the bidding going over the top estimate for our print,

0:42:000:42:04

how did the other two Cameron photos in the sale get on?

0:42:040:42:07

Well, pretty good, with the Madonna print making £13,000,

0:42:070:42:12

and Philippe's favourite, Cassiopeia,

0:42:120:42:14

selling for a whopping £45,000.

0:42:140:42:18

Fantastic results all round for my favourite photographer's work.

0:42:180:42:22

We can raise our voices now. We've left the saleroom.

0:42:220:42:25

It's still going on behind us. But it's time to celebrate!

0:42:250:42:28

-Yes, you did it!

-We're very pleased.

-£8,000!

0:42:280:42:30

Yes, delighted.

0:42:300:42:32

-And what a first auction experience for you!

-I know!

0:42:320:42:35

I'm looking forward to more.

0:42:350:42:37

Is there anything else hiding in the school you might bring along?

0:42:370:42:40

We'll be going into the cupboards when we get back.

0:42:400:42:43

Send the pupils on a mission to look for things.

0:42:430:42:45

-They'd be very good at it.

-Yes.

0:42:450:42:47

I'm absolutely thrilled with the result,

0:42:480:42:51

absolutely delighted. Sales are always unknown quantities.

0:42:510:42:55

Whatever the indications beforehand may be,

0:42:550:42:57

until the moment of truth, you don't know what will happen,

0:42:570:43:00

so there was terrific competition for our old friend Herschel.

0:43:000:43:04

A great result, yes.

0:43:040:43:06

What a marvellous way to end today's show!

0:43:060:43:09

I'm ever so pleased for Angela and Mercedes,

0:43:090:43:11

and all the pupils at Slough Grammar School.

0:43:110:43:14

Certain items that turn up at our valuation day

0:43:140:43:16

need a specialist sale to find the right buyer

0:43:160:43:19

and the right price, and this certainly was the case today.

0:43:190:43:22

Join us again for many more surprises,

0:43:220:43:25

but until then, it's goodbye.

0:43:250:43:28

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0:43:280:43:32

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0:43:320:43:36

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