Preston Flog It!

The city of Preston has a long history of trading,

dating right back to the 12th century

when a guild was set up to represent traders and craftsmen from all kinds of genre.

In order to trade, you had to be a member.

Membership was celebrated with feasts and festivals.

Now that sounds like the club to join, just like Flog It! Welcome to the show.

The guild celebrations only happen every 20 years

so there's a great local saying here, when something rare happens -

"Once in a Preston Guild." Will today be that special?

Our venue for today's valuations is St John's Minster, in the heart

of this wonderful city.

Let's hope we find something worthy of that phrase, shall we?

-What are you going to do when you find out what it's worth?

-ALL: Flog it!

Ready to search high and low for those treasures

are our team of experts, led today by James Lewis...

It's about 1800...

..and David Fletcher.

This could be worth about £80 to £100.

On today's show, look out for traditional "Flog It!" antiques

but with a twist.

950 now.

'Which of these three items goes for nearly double the estimate?'

This is good, isn't it?

'The coin collection?'

This is some box of coins.

'A 20th-century clock?'

This is my Eureka moment!

'Or a Clarice Cliff plate?'

It might be ugly, but I love it.

We'll keep you guessing on today's show.

First, let's get everybody inside as there's a lot to get through.

Look at that, what a marvellous turnout.

Whatever you do, don't go away

because I think there will be one or two whopping great big surprises.

Hundreds of people are still queuing outside to come into this magnificent building!

Our experts have their work cut out.

It's about time I went down there and joined up with them.

'To kick things off, we have James, at his most honest.'

Winifred, I think you deserve an award.

I think you have brought to us the ugliest piece of Clarice Cliff

ever found on Flog It! It is great, I love it!

Normally, you get all these bright, pretty colours

but what is going on here? They look like some sort of weird triffid

growing from a muddy pile!

I actually like the fact that it's an ugly design. Tell me about it,

now I've insulted your plate completely!

Well, my mother must have bought it or thought it was quite nice

or just because it was fashionable.

Or something different. Did your mum just buy this on its own

-or did she buy it...

-Yes, she did.

-Single piece?

-Single piece.

And now it's mine, or has been for the last 20-odd years.

-Are you a fan?

-Well, I like some of her things, yes.

I suppose I was just proud to have a Clarice Cliff.

The thing is, I'd much rather own that

than one of these crocus-patterned bowls because that's different.

The pattern is known as "cabbage roses". And if you turn it over,

you see this wonderful Honeyglaze.

Whenever you see that yellow buff glaze, you know it's quite an early piece.

The 1930s were well known for this Honeyglaze.

Just post-war, you tend to find a mushroomy colour

which, for me, makes everything look quite drab.

We've got the date stamped into the back there.

And we've got 10 above 33. The 10 is for the month, which is October.

The 33 is for the year, 1933.

We have the Royal Staffordshire Pottery mark,

Wilkinson's Honeyglaze,

and then the normal Bizarre, Clarice Cliff, England.

And it all says it on the back.

This pattern was a fairly short-lived pattern,

it only lasted for a couple of years.

Of all the Clarice Cliff that I've sold,

I've only ever sold two pieces of this.

And I think that's worth 100 to 150.

-Really?

-Yes. You ought to put a firm reserve of £100,

no discretion, £100 firm as a reserve

and I'm sure it'll do well.

You know, if I was going to buy a piece of Clarice Cliff,

I'd buy one like that.

It might be ugly but I love it.

Well, at least a good estimate was Winifred's reward

for James' brutal honesty.

Now, remember I told you about the Preston Guild?

Well, just look what has turned up for me to see.

Emma, thank you for coming in today.

I know you are the curator of history at the local museum.

You've brought some wonderful exhibits to show us,

explaining the history of the guild of this famous city

because it's the only city left with a guild that's celebrated today.

Yes, it is. At one point, lots of merchant towns around Britain

would celebrate a guild every 20 years,

but the guild organisations were abolished in the 19th century

but Preston, in 1842, decided to continue with its guild tradition.

That makes it the only town in Britain to still celebrate a guild.

-Let's look at this first.

-This is the oldest object

-we have at the Harris Museum in Preston.

-Is it dated?

It's from 1762.

It's an official record of the guild of that year.

This records the sort of events that went on.

Amongst the famous people who visited that year,

well, soon to be famous, were Richard Arkwright, the famous inventor

-of the water frame.

-Let's look at this.

A wonderful piece of fine carving.

This is a guild object from 1952.

It's a replica of the clock tower of Preston's famous town hall

that was designed by George Gilbert Scott.

It went round the world to New Zealand, Canada, America.

And people would send their wishes to Preston

so inside these wonderful scroll holders,

are examples of the friendship scrolls that went round the world.

-And it got signed.

-This started in 1952,

it's something that's still going on today

but now we have digital scrolls so we try to modernise it now.

-But this is still an important object.

-Lovely.

-It's a lovely thing.

Thank you for bringing these lovely examples in,

it's good to learn about Preston and the places we go to when we're out and about.

Over at David's table, Gary's timepiece has caused a stir.

This is my Eureka moment. I've been waiting for it for a long time!

A clock, manufactured by the Eureka Clock Company Ltd.

What can you tell me about it?

It was left to me by my father,

about 15 years ago. I'm not too sure where he got it from.

He was a builder so it could have been something he got as a payment,

part of a payment of a job.

It was a piece we used as decoration really.

Well, at least it's right twice a day

-which is something, I suppose.

-Yes!

If you look at it, to all intents and purposes,

it looks like a Georgian mantel-clock, but it is a modern battery-powered clock.

This particular model dates from the first ten years of the 20th century.

A man called Powers invented a battery-driven clock

in America in the late 19th century.

And in the early 20th century,

the Eureka Clock Company developed clocks that look like this.

And if we turn it round, we can see...

..what's going on in here. There's an absence of a clock movement

as we know it.

What we have is a section devoted to housing the battery,

and these wires pass a current which causes this part

of the action to rock backwards and forwards,

forming the pendulum effect.

Now, if you're interested in clocks, you're going to want to own something like this

because it plays an important part in the development

of the manufacture of clock movements.

I think it would really sell quite well.

Have you any idea what it might be worth?

Not really, no.

We can expect it to make something in the region of 300 to 500.

And if you were happy with that,

I suggest we go ahead on that basis

-with a £300 reserve.

-Yes.

-Have you got any plans for the money?

I just got married last year so it'll be going towards...

We're moving into a new house so it'll go towards decorations.

And what does your new wife think of it?

She likes it but it wouldn't fit in with the decor she has planned.

-So it's not going to cause an early marital argument if you sell it?

-No!

Well, good luck with the marriage, and good luck with the clock sale!

Sue, tell me, do you say "walking stick" or "walking cane"?

Walking stick.

Ah, see, that gives something away.

A friend of mine once said - he's a stick dealer in London -

"James, a true gentleman has a walking cane,

"but a bloke has a walking stick."

I have to say, I'm a bloke, I have a walking stick.

But, er, this would certainly be an ivory handle for a walking cane.

It is a wonderful example of a carved, ivory cane handle

from the 1860s to 1880s, late 19th century,

carved out of one piece.

And would have two little glass eyes. Although one is missing,

I don't think the other one is original either.

So, why do you have it? What's happened to its cane, or stick?

And where has his other eye gone?

-My husband collects walking sticks.

-Ah, OK.

That one, he actually took it off the stick, or the cane

and then he put something else on the cane.

-Ah, he had a better handle, did he?

-Yes.

-Could he not find another cane to stick it on?

-Perhaps he can, yes.

-We've never known it to have another eye.

-Ah, OK.

-Over the years, we have tried to match it up.

-And no joy?

-No joy.

The walking-cane market is very buoyant at the moment.

A cane handle like that, if it was on its original shaft,

would be very desirable.

This little chap, almost certainly English, and very well carved.

In terms of value,

I think we should put an auction estimate of £80 to £120.

-Oh, lovely!

-Is that all right?

-That's lovely, yes.

-On that basis, shall we sell it?

-Yes, thank you very much.

And as it was carved before 1947,

that ivory dog is legal to sell

and completes our trio of items to take off to auction.

Winifred's Clarice Cliff got a strong reaction from James.

I think you have brought to us the ugliest piece of Clarice Cliff ever found on Flog It!

But he thought it was an unusual pattern

so it's down for £100 to £150.

The Eureka clock piqued David's interest

and earned Gary a generous estimate of £300 to £500.

And Sue's ivory dog head is without its walking cane and an eye.

Despite that, it's still attractive enough to gain an estimate

of £80 to £120 at auction. And that's where we're off right now.

Today's sale comes from the heart of Cheshire.

We're the guests at Frank Marshall auction rooms in Knutsford.

This is a wealthy part of the world so fingers crossed,

we should get some keen prices for some of our lots.

And here we are, inside this lovely old building.

As you can see, I'm walking past rows and rows of long-case clocks,

wonderful items of furniture.

The sale is taking place on the first floor

and that's where all our owners will be waiting right now,

feeling really, really nervous!

It's OK for you, you can put your feet up and relax.

I'm going to catch up with them and hopefully settle their nerves.

Stay tuned, this could get really exciting!

There is a standard seller's commission

and it's 15% including VAT.

With auctioneer Nick Hall

on the rostrum, we are now ready to go,

starting with Sue's ivory dog's head,

which has now been reunited with its cane

and had a small change in estimate of £80 to £100,

just to tempt the bidders.

Sue, it's great to see you again.

-Who have you brought along?

-My husband, Ken.

-Ken, pleased to meet you.

-Was this your walking cane?

-It was, yes.

-How did you come by it?

At a car boot, I think.

Car boot. You see, it goes around and around.

That's the beauty of antiques. How much did you pick it up for?

It was only a couple of quid, I think.

-I thought it was plastic!

-It doesn't get any better, does it?

Let's find out what the bidders think, it's going under the hammer now.

Late 19th, early 20th-century carved walking-stick handle.

Got a bit of interest as well, I can jump straight in...

That's good.

..65, 75, 80 with me.

£80 I have, any advance with you now, it's £80, the bid's with me.

Five online, 95, 100, 110, 120,

130 with me, bidding online, 140, got 140 online, nothing in the room?

With me now at 1-4-0...

-Happy?

-Yes, very happy with that.

-I'll have to go and look for more!

I was just about to say that.

-Turn another profit!

-Not bad for a couple of pounds.

'Brilliant result, above estimate.

'Now, next, will the bidders deliver a Eureka moment for Gary?'

-I know you're selling because you've just bought a house.

-Yes.

We're looking to redecorate and buy another timepiece

that will suit the decor of the house.

It's got the look but not for your house. Good luck with this.

We're looking at £300 to £500, it's going under the hammer right now.

Early 20th-century Eureka Clock Company,

mahogany and brass.

Electric timepiece, good little quality lot, lot of interest.

I can start the bidding on commission, straight in at...300.

-Wow.

-You're right.

Any advance on 300, where's 20? 20 with you on the phones,

340 I'd take, 340.

But it's not job done, it's still going on.

380 with me, at 380, 400, 420,

440 the phone, 460 I have.

A phone line, that's encouraging.

480, 500, 500 now. 520.

-With you on the phone.

-On the top estimate.

Someone else in the room, late legs.

520, back of the room, 520.

Bidding on the phone, 540.

540 now, 560 here.

At 560 now, any further bids?

He wanted it!

Selling now, at £560.

-Great result. Got to be pleased with that!

-Very pleased!

Just over the top end of the estimate.

Well done.

-That will help you out a lot.

-Thank you!

'A good amount for Gary to redecorate with

'and he'll need a new clock.

'Let's continue with an old favourite.'

I've just been joined by the gorgeous Winifred here

-and it wouldn't be "Flog It!" without...

-Clarice Cliff!

Well, it wouldn't, would it? Let's face it!

And James said to me earlier, he only picked it because it was so ugly!

-Yes, he did!

-You see so much Clarice Cliff but I have to say,

this is about the ugliest piece I've seen. But I love it for that reason!

Good. Ugly is beautiful, isn't it?

A nice bit of Clarice Cliff there. What shall we say, £100 for it?

100, surely? Start me at £50, come on! Nice bit of Clarice Cliff.

Come on, Clarice!

Nicely painted, good decorations, 50 I'm bid, 55, the bid's online,

£55 only, 60, 60 bid, and five, 65.

70 now, online at £70, five against you, 80,

five I have, 85 now.

£85.

Any advance on £85? Against you online,

90, new bidder. Five at the back. 100? 100 seated. 110 now.

It's selling.

Fresh blood at the back at 110, still in, madam? 120, 130...

This is good, two people in the room bidding against each other!

170, gent standing right at the back, nothing online.

Blank screen. With you, sir,

-at £170...

-HE BANGS GAVEL

-How about that?

-Very good!

-Yeah? Happy?

-I'm very pleased. Thank you very much.

-Good.

Against you, five online.

That's the end of our first visit to the auction room today.

So far, so good. Don't go away

because there could be one or two surprises when we come back later on in the show.

As we're halfway through, it is time for a break, I'm feeling hungry

so, it's time for a bit of cooking. Take a look at this.

Five miles from Preston, the historic Salmesbury Hall

in Lancashire dates back to the 14th century

and over the years, it would have been a significant estate,

with many mouths to feed.

It was crucial that most of the food came from the hall's estate,

which is why this is the perfect setting for me to explore

the county's food heritage, starting with something traditional.

Lancashire hotpot is a firm favourite amongst the county's residents

for sustenance and good old-fashioned comfort food.

Many families will have their own recipe that's been handed down over the generations.

But it's still being made here, at the hall, by the resident chefs

using produce as locally as they can source.

Now, the ingredients may vary around the country

but a proper Lancashire hotpot, a traditional one,

is comprised of four ingredients, four basic ones.

You've got lamb, potato, carrots, and onion.

Historically, meals needed to be high in calories

to sustain Lancashire's industrial workers and miners

throughout the working day.

Another traditional Lancashire dish, known for its simplicity

and convenience, is butter pie, also known as prater pie,

and it's got a simple potato and onion filling.

It was popular as a football match snack

with Preston North End fans.

WHISTLING AND APPLAUSE

Local sweet treats include Chorley cakes and Sad cakes

which originally used up bits of leftover pastry to make a dessert,

served up with Lancashire cheese.

There's still a huge value today in using local and simple ingredients,

so before I start cooking, I need to go foraging.

Although Salmesbury Hall does have its own lambs and pigs here today,

they are strictly pets. The two pigs here, Ozzy and Elvis,

eat up all the kitchen scraps so that's good.

Nothing but the best for them.

I expect they're named after Elvis Presley and Ozzy Osbourne.

HE LAUGHS

There's lots of chickens running around as well

so let's see if we can get any fresh eggs.

Open up here... Oh, yes!

And I tell you what, they don't get much fresher than this!

This reminds me of collecting eggs at home with my little boy, Dylan,

from our chickens. That's a decent-size egg.

And they're going to come in very useful later.

'One enthusiastic advocate of local produce and recipes

'is food writer and cook Philippa James,

'who's going to show me how to easily turn simple ingredients

'into something delicious.'

You're going to cook me something today

-and it's vegetarian.

-It is, specially for you.

A special dish for Lancashire, Lancashire tortilla.

Is this a traditional Lancashire dish for vegetarians?

It isn't but a lot of the traditional ingredients and recipes from the area

were based on ingredients that were cheap and easy to find.

What goes into the tortilla?

We're going to be using local eggs, we've got local cheese, butter,

cream, local potatoes and spring onions.

That's why we're in the herb garden, we need to get some herbs.

-How much do you want?

-Another bit more

and I'll just grab some parsley from round here.

CHICKEN CLUCKS SOFTLY

-Right, where do we start?

-We're doing a Lancashire tortilla

so first, we need to get some butter in the pan.

If you'd like to get some of the eggs we got from the nesting box,

there's a dish there to put the shell in.

I'm going to sling in some spring onions.

This is really easy cos you just snip the ends off.

And Ozzy and Elvis eat everything, all the scraps from the kitchen.

They're great, aren't they? Would you like to put in a bit of black pepper?

I just love cooking for people.

I have a need to feed people wherever I go, I force-feed people!

I'm going to add in some potatoes to there as well.

I've taken it off the heat for a moment because it is so hot today.

A layer of those, just to cover the bottom of the pan.

That's now taken the heat down in the pan already. I'll pop these over the base.

People think Lancashire's rainy but look at it today, isn't it glorious?

I'm going to be using some Lancashire cheese in a minute.

We get the rain in the autumn and winter, then the starches in the grass turn to sugars.

That's where we get sweet milk from.

-Are we going to grate some of that...

-Yes, I was going to ask.

Would you mind grating some for me? What sort of food do you like?

Omelettes!

-That'll be the omelettes!

-I'm an expert on omelettes, believe me.

I ask my wife, "What do you want for supper?" She says, "Not another omelette!"

I'm going to turn these now, in the butter.

-So both sides get some butter on them.

-They're just being caramelised.

-That's it, yes.

-Is that about enough cheese for that?

-That's great.

The next ingredient is our eggs.

I'm going to pop those in, there you go.

Right, listen to that sizzle.

-Run that round the pan like that.

-That's the trick of an omelette,

-isn't it, so it doesn't stick.

-Also, if you seal everything in,

-it's getting a little collar round the edge.

-It's easier to open out

-and take out of the pan.

-Absolutely.

-Can you see that hot-air balloon shape in the middle?

-I pat it down.

Let the egg run back under. These balloons have nowhere else

for the air to go that's trapped in there.

-So get the egg underneath.

-Yes, this is where you get your layers forming.

We'll put in some cheese next, now we've turned it down.

So, we'll put that back on. If you could pick some of the thyme you got

and just sprinkle some over for me, just break the leaves off.

This is where your flavour comes from.

Every time you make this dish, you could change it.

You could put sunblush tomatoes in there, finish it with basil.

-Every dish can be slightly different.

-Do you want me to slice these?

If you don't mind. Food and the provenance of our food is important.

-You can grow a tomato in a pot. You can go out and pick them.

-I've just had one!

There you go, whizz those in there.

Right, so I'm going to fold it over.

-It should, hopefully...

-Go on, go for it.

-You hope it's the right colour underneath!

-Perfect, look at that.

-We're ready to go now, this looks really good.

-Thank you.

-Exceptionally good.

-We'll put some of this on a plate.

-Cut that in half cos that's a meal for two, isn't it?

-It is.

It's economical, people don't realise. Quick and easy, made in about eight minutes.

-People say they haven't time to cook, this is quicker than a microwave meal.

-There's no excuse,

you can grow a lot of the herbs and all of the salad in window boxes

and in growbags, a little plot if you've got one, as well.

You can see, in the middle, the tomatoes you put in.

-Did you make the dressing?

-I did, it's simple, just three ingredients.

-Mustard.

-Mustard, honey

-from the bees here, the hives.

-You've got bees?

-There are bees at Salmesbury... White wine vinegar.

Finish off the dish with a little bit of snipped parsley.

The wind is doing a good job of blowing it around. There you go.

This is the good life. I'm ready to have a taste, here we go.

So simple.

-So tasty.

-This is the best omelette I've ever had.

That's a lovely meal.

We sometimes take the food we eat for granted

but there's a lot of history and wisdom that goes behind the dishes that we've grown up eating.

Circumstances and economy have dictated the creation

of traditional meals

and they can teach us something, just like Philippa has shown us, that by going back to basics,

and using locally sourced food that's affordable,

you can create a very tasty dish.

Hopefully, that's made you feel rather hungry.

What are you eating tonight?

Welcome back to our valuation day and to St John's Minster.

As you can see, there's a lot of people still here so we do have a lot more work to do.

Let's catch up with our experts and see what else we can find.

'And with David, who's in the middle of a styling session.'

-Now looking at you very quickly, you're not wearing a brooch.

-No.

-You're wearing a pendant but not a brooch. Does that mean you don't like brooches?

-I never wear them.

-This is lovely.

-It is very nice.

-You're not tempted to wear this one?

-No, no.

-Gosh.

I think it'll look very nice, sitting there.

Probably too good for everyday wear anyway.

-Do you know who it's by?

-I didn't know who it was by when I got it, when it was given to me.

The mark on the back says "Georg Jensen",

or "Geor-ge Yensen", or "George Jensen", depending on how you pronounce it.

Beneath that, it says "sterling" which means it's silver.

Beneath that, it says "Denmark" and beneath that, "295",

which is the design number.

And this particular brooch was designed by the great man himself,

probably before the war but not actually retailed

until after the war.

Georg Jensen represents today what more and more people are looking for

when they're buying antiques.

Something which is pared down, the decoration is spare

and that's what people are looking for today.

So it's a very commercial thing in today's markets.

I would like to suggest a reserve of 100, an estimate of 100 to 150,

-but I must say I'm optimistic that it will make more.

-That'd be nice.

-What will you do with the money? Buy yourself a necklace?

-No.

Not even a necklace, OK.

-Any ideas?

-There's one thing. I've done lots of different activities.

I've been in a helicopter and various things like that

but I've never been in a hot-air balloon.

-I knew you were going to say hot-air balloon!

-I might go for that.

OK, we will trade your Georg Jensen brooch for a hot-air balloon ride.

-OK?

-That sounds good.

From jewellery to soft furnishings, we're covering all the bases!

Jean and nephew Graham have brought along a quilt to show James.

This is fantastic.

What a wonderful bit of patchwork.

-How did you come by it?

-It was given to my mother

about 30 years ago. And after my mother died, I had it.

-Graham, are you the porter for the day?

-I am, yes, yes.

I carried it in, the muscle!

I bet it weighs quite a bit cos there's a lot of material in there.

Yes, there is.

Would you mind just giving me a little bit of a hand

and stretch it out slightly? And let's just see

how big it actually is.

See, now...

-Now... We've lost you!

-You'll have to come to the side. Where are you?

Look at the work that's gone into that.

Let's put it back up on here again.

-So, your mother inherited it?

-Yes.

-What was the relationship

between your mother and the person that left it to her?

She was our next-door neighbour for many years. She asked my mum

if she would like to have this quilt that had been made

by somebody in her family a long time ago.

I don't know who.

But she did say, she didn't want it to go to a jumble sale,

she would like it to be a treasure.

Well, they certainly haven't brought it to a jumble sale so you're doing the right thing.

It's something we don't see a lot of today in the auction houses

because it doesn't normally survive.

One of the things we always say is,

"I wonder how early it is?" because the same fashions went all the way

from the early 18th century really, right the way through

until the 20th century. They're quite difficult

to date, because what you have to understand

is that each individual piece is a piece of recycled material.

That was the idea of them.

But, of course, they become a little easier to date

when you've got that!

Did the neighbour give you any indication

of the relevance of that date, 1845?

None that I remember.

We've got two initials, "M" and "T".

My gut reaction is it's probably a marriage thing.

So, maybe Mary was marrying Tom, in 1845,

and this has been a gift of maybe the village,

to a newly married couple, something like that.

And I would put an auction estimate of £200 to £300.

-That's a pound a year, isn't it?

-Yes!

-It's 200 years old, isn't it?

Yes, absolutely.

Let's take it to the sale room, see how we do with it

but...it'll sell. Certainly.

Confidence there from James. Maybe he's peered into the future

with the binoculars on David's table, brought in by Maureen and Brian.

-Are you off to the races when you leave here?

-No.

Spot of birdwatching, maybe?

Clearly, they're a pair of binoculars.

-I can see very clearly that they were made by Carl Zeiss.

-Yes.

Carl Zeiss, as you probably know,

is one of those names which, in anything to do with optics,

binoculars or microscopes or telescopes, whatever,

-is one of those names that people respect.

-A good name.

You've only got to handle them

to see today what we would call "the build quality".

The element of engineering that goes into the manufacture of something like this is phenomenal.

-What can you tell me about them?

-Not a lot really.

I always assumed they came down from my father's side of the family.

They're World War I, apparently. Well, he wasn't around World War I.

Grandad didn't go to World War I because he was a miner.

-Yes.

-But my dad cleared up the estate of several bachelor friends.

So it's possible he got them from one of their estates,

-I don't know.

-The first thing you say,

which is right, is that they were made during the First World War.

And I think they were made for a German soldier,

-rather than for British. As far as you're concerned, is it price-sensitive?

-No.

-Or do you want to sell them anyway?

-We'll sell them in any case.

It's not something we use.

-They're not going to send you off on a world cruise, I'm afraid...

-Oh, shucks!

There's a pity.

But you might be able to go out and have a couple of pints

-and some fish and chips on the way back!

-That's fine.

-I'd estimate £40 to £60, something in that region.

-That's fine.

-I'll see you both at the sale.

-Yes, thank you.

Hello, what's your name?

'What a kaleidoscope of antiques brought along to the tables today!'

HE PLAYS A LOUD NOTE

'So, let's finish things off with a touch of gold

'and Graham's coin collection.'

Graham, when somebody tells me they've got a little box of coins,

I normally expect to see the odd twopence, the old sixpence,

you know, with the canted corners. This is some box of coins!

-It's a good collection.

-Isn't it.

So, tell me, this isn't a schoolboy collection.

It was my late father, he had a hobby of collecting coins.

I think he accumulated these over four or five years

so he used to get the specialist magazines and study them,

find out their history and heritage

-and make a purchase based on the back of that.

-Right.

There are some incredibly valuable coins in there.

At the moment, the sad thing is that a lot of them, in today's market,

are actually worth more for their gold value than they are

for their value as a coin. What do you think that little case is worth?

My father did have a tendency of over-exaggerating at times!

I know some of the coins are quite valuable because of the gold content.

I don't know much about the silver coins,

I've got a feeling that half the coins are valuable and half the coins aren't particularly valuable.

Silver is doing well but a lot of the silver coins

are probably worth more as coins than scrap.

Let's concentrate on the gold.

If we have a look at that one, there we have United States Of America,

20 with the bald eagle in full flight there.

And it has that lovely soft feel

that only you get with age. What's that, 1924.

And the weight... You know if you've got a fake gold coin,

if a gold coin is the right size, a fake will be too light.

But if it's the right weight, the fake will be too big.

That one is the right size and the right weight so it's good.

That's worth 600 to 650.

We've got two British £5 gold pieces, worth £800 to £850 each.

A 50-pesos gold piece, worth £700 to £750.

And this was the one that I was particularly interested in.

A Saudi Arabian gold ducat

-and that's worth between £800 and £1,000.

-OK.

Then another little gold coin down at the base here,

slightly more unusual, it's a commemorative coin

so not one for normal circulation.

This is to commemorate 500 years of the gold sovereign.

-And that's worth £400 to £600.

-Super.

This one is the cheeky fake!

-OK.

-Made in brass.

-OK!

-And that's worth a couple of pounds.

-Right.

At the moment, the gold prices are just about at an all-time high.

-OK.

-Five years ago, that would have been worth £200 or £300,

now worth 800, OK?

So, one, two, three, four, five, six coins,

you've got in that little box £4,500.

-In the gold.

-In gold.

-OK.

-Not at all bad. I think we should split them up and they'll do very well.

-Excellent.

-Well done.

-Fabulous box.

-Thank you.

What a marvellous time we've had here at St John's.

It's been fabulous.

Sadly, it's time to say goodbye as we head over to the auction room

for the last time. Let's hope we can make someone's dream come true.

Here's a recap of everything that's going...under the hammer.

Anne never wore her Georg Jensen brooch,

despite David's cajoling.

I think it'll look very nice sitting there, you know.

But she's selling it to go on a hot-air balloon ride

if it makes £100 to £150.

Jean's patchwork quilt was made in 1845 and is a great example of its type.

But will it make the predicted £200 to £300 without a reserve?

Those binoculars are unlikely to make a fortune

but Maureen and Brian were still pleased

with the estimate of £40 to £60.

Graham brought 20 of his father's coin collection to show James.

But only six gold coins will go to auction, all in separate lots.

Will they go beyond the scrap price for gold

with a minimum combined estimate of £4,100?

Time to find out.

Over at the auction in Knutsford, the saleroom is packed

with potential bidders.

Anne's brooch is on standby.

40 here, 50...

The beauty of this design is it never ages, never ever ages.

Do you know that? It's timeless, good design is.

-This is very desirable.

-Don't change your mind...

-I'm not changing my mind!

682 is your Georg Jensen, Danish, 925 silver brooch.

Georg Jensen, got to be £100, surely.

Where's £100? Thank you, sir, £100 I'm bid.

Someone down the front, discreetly bidding.

110 here, 120, 130, 130 now, 140.

150.

-That's good.

-They're all buying it for their wives.

Any further bids? 170, fresh bidder. 180,

190, 200, 210,

at 210, all done if you're sure, I'm selling.

-I'm really pleased with that!

-Proper stylish lot!

I heard, at the valuation day, a hot-air balloon ride was mentioned.

I like to do exciting things and it's one of the things I haven't done.

-You want to cross that one off the list?

-I might cross it off.

-That'll get you a balloon ride.

-I hope so.

'More than enough for a balloon ride but what about Jean's quilt

'which has no reserve?'

I'm excited about this, the auctioneer is,

you like it as well.

I do. If this won't sell well here, near Manchester,

which is the centre for textiles in the UK, it won't sell anywhere.

Nick has done his homework, he's notified all the local museums and collectors.

They know about it and I think they want it.

Very interesting little lot.

The large and impressive 19th-century stitch patchwork quilt.

I can start the bidding on commission at 200.

-Straight in, no problem with that.

-I am pleased.

Phone bidder coming in at 220, 240, 240 now.

It's so unusual and the condition is so good.

320 here, 340, 360.

380, 400 here, for 400. Still in? I've got 400 against you.

420, fresh bidder. At 420, another phone line in, at 420.

-I've got 440 against you.

-Well done.

-440 now.

460. I'm going to jump to 500.

Gosh, this is significantly very important then, isn't it?

£520, at £520, the bid's on the phone.

At 520, I sell.

The hammer's gone down. That's a nice figure, £520.

I'm surprised too, really.

But it just goes to show, those one-off items are so hard to value.

You can't put a price on our history.

That will tell a story somewhere.

Wow! Absolutely brilliant result there for Jean.

What a day of surprises!

You know what's coming up now? Yes, of course you do.

Maureen and Brian's binoculars, with no reserve.

-No reserve.

-So these are definitely going to go.

-You did not want to take them home, did you?

-No.

-No.

-Where have they been? In a cupboard somewhere?

-In a wardrobe, since we cleared Mum's house out.

Carl Zeiss Jena binoculars, pair of those.

Collectable little lot. I have some commissions here...

That's a good sign.

We'll come in at 35, 45, 50, I start.

£50 and five, 55, 60, 5, 65, the bid's with me, 70.

Five back on commission.

-It's good, isn't it?

-Very good.

75, 80 online. Bidder's out, online takes it at £80.

Anywhere else? The bid's at £80. Online bidder at £80, all done.

Yours, thank you, at 80.

-Fabulous result. Absolutely fabulous.

-Better than we expected!

Enjoy it.

I think you can get treated to a bit of lunch out now!

Yes, more than a fish-and-chip supper, isn't it?!

And for our next lot, there might be more than a fish-and-chip supper on the menu for Graham

if the fluctuating gold prices hold for the sale of his coins.

Tell me about the collection.

I had about 20 coins in total, some silver, some gold.

I decided to move the gold coins for the gold value at this moment

and sell the silver coins separately.

You've done your homework.

You knew the gold prices were quite high

but it is down to this packed saleroom and hopefully a few people online.

Let's find out what they think. This is going to be exciting!

Lot 204. I've got commission interest,

I'm going to come straight in at £1,150.

-Gold prices have gone up!

-Wow! Fabulous start!

£1,150, the bid's with me, on commission.

1,150 I sell. And sold.

First one gone.

Similar gold coinage, I'm going to come straight in here at...

you guessed it, £1,150 again. The bid's with me.

Any advance, any further bids? £1,150...

Late bidder!

1,200, phone bidder's in.

I'm out, by the way, it's just with you. At £1,200, all done,

are you sure, I'm selling.

Yours, 1,200.

You're going to be in the money!

Nice little Mexican 50-pesos piece.

Going to come straight in here at £1,200 on this one.

These aren't going for scrap value, the collectors are buying these!

I'm selling at 1,200.

1,250 online.

At £1,250. Last call, last chance, selling.

1,250, thank you.

Nice little USA gold 20 coin, 1924.

I'm going to come straight in at 650, 750, 850, 950 I have...

950!

That's a sneaky one, I got 960, back on the book at 970.

At £970, bidding online.

-I'll be having a few drinks this weekend!

-I think you will!

970 then, I'm selling, on commission bidder, at 970.

And sold!

We've lost count!

Gold proof Saudi Arabia medal this time.

-Goodness me, we're going to have to come in at £1,300, we start!

-Yes!

Get in!

At £1,300, the bid's on commission, £1,300...

-Am I allowed to jig?

-You...you can.

I've got 1,380.

1,380.

At £1,380, commission bidder.

£1,380. Last call, last chance, I'm selling

at 1,380 now.

And sold.

One more to go, we'll tot these up.

£2 coin, I'm in here at £470, I start.

The bid's with me at 470. Nothing online, are you sure?

At £470...480... I've got 480, the bidder's online.

Phones are out, it's all online.

480, I sell. And sold!

That is unbelievable! Nearly double what we were thinking.

-£6,430!

-Fantastic.

Oh, wow. If you've got anything like that, we want to see it.

-Thank you so much for coming in today.

-Well done!

What a wonderful end to a day here in Knutsford.

I hope you've enjoyed the show, we thoroughly enjoyed making it.

As I said, there was one big surprise!

We got it. See you next time!

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