Saltaire Flog It!

Today we're in West Yorkshire,

in the charming, historical village of Saltaire.

It was founded as a model village by Yorkshire industrialist

Sir Titus Salt in 1853,

and it's a perfect example of culture and architecture,

so it's got to be the right place to meet the locals

to look at the unwanted antiques. Welcome to "Flog It!".

Along with the mills and the workers' cottages,

Sir Titus Salt built a recreation centre for his village,

and here it is - the Victoria Hall, and it's our venue for today.

Offering their expertise to the good people of Saltaire

are two of "Flog It!"'s very best -

Mr Michael Baggott and Mr David Barby.

So all the ingredients are set for a fabulous day.

This is the end of the queue.

We had to start getting them in early,

because it started to rain, but all these people are laden

with bags and boxes full of unwanted antiques and collectables,

all hoping they're one of the lucky ones to go off to auction

and make a small fortune, and you've all come to our experts

to ask that all-important question, which is "what's it worth",

and when they've found out, hopefully they'll flog it.

Here is the main venue. Look - this is where the queue ends,

right here, and as you can see, our experts are hard at work.

On today's show, we have some impressive pedigrees,

including some Moorcroft and a Lowry

as well as a few more unusual items such as an optical-testing kit

and a collection of medals. Which of these earns the most at auction?

Stay tuned to find out.

Kicking us off is David Barby, with something everyone should recognise

on the easel.

It's Karen and Rachel. You're sisters.

-Mother and daughter.

-Oh, mother and daughter!

-That's ingratiating, isn't it?

-Yeah. That was very nice.

THEY LAUGH

Well, I find this an extraordinary image.

This is by Lowry, one of the most famous of mid-20th century artists.

I want to know why you acquired this image. Did you buy it,

-or was it bequeathed to you?

-It belonged to my late husband.

-Right.

-He had it before we got married.

-Right.

-I don't know where he acquired it.

Well, this is a famous image, known as the Bearded Lady.

First of all, you might look at it and be repulsed...

-Yes.

-..because of the amount of hair. There's more hair on the face

than there is actually on her head itself.

But then I look deeper into the picture,

-and I look at the eyes, which are rather sad.

-Yes.

And then the mouth, which is one of those half-smiles,

-if you're put in front of a camera.

-Yes.

So it's a very engaging image.

Nobody knows who she is.

Can you shed any light? Have you done any research?

Well, I've done a little bit of research.

I think the story basically goes that Lowry was on a train journey.

This bearded lady was sat opposite him.

He was sketching her out of sight, without her knowing.

-Behind a book, almost?

-Yeah.

And eventually she kind of spotted him,

and there was a bit of an argument,

and the story goes that at the end they were the best of friends.

-Oh, that's nice.

-And he did this in dedication to her, really.

-And we don't know who she is, but there she is for posterity.

-Yeah.

Lowry's such a popular artist,

and there are, I would say, millions of reproductions.

This one is fortunate that it's got Lowry's signature,

LS Lowry, here, which is a bonus.

Now, I've checked on our records

of what this print has been sold for,

and they vary in price over the last few years.

-The lowest record is £240.

-Right.

And then the highest price has been 340.

Lowry is always a good seller.

So if this goes up for sale,

I would anticipate the auctioneer will put a reserve

in the region of about 300,

then guide it between £300 and £400.

Why do you want to sell it, Karen?

Um, because I don't particularly like it.

My daughter and my son do, but what I thought I would do

was split it three ways, then buy something that I do like

-with my share.

-Rachel, Karen, thank you very much.

I hope you do well at auction.

David thinks the bearded lady is strangely appealing.

Let's hope the bidders agree.

Every now and then on the show, we get big families that turn up.

It's a proper day out. Today, we've got a family of 18 -

well, not technically a family, but they do know each other,

and they've all arrived together on a coach.

Starts with Val, doesn't it? All of these ladies...

It kind of ends here with you, but I gather Vicky is in charge.

-So what's this all about?

-We're all from St James's Hospice in Leeds.

We've got 20 charity shops, and we all work in the charity shops,

so we've brought in items that we've had donated to get valued.

Wow! So you're all the manageresses of each individual shop? Good luck!

Hopefully one or two of you will get chosen to go through to auction,

and if it sells, the money will go back, as you say, to charity.

-Fingers crossed. Enjoy the day!

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Michael's next, and he's spotted an imposing timepiece.

Joan, thank you so much for bringing this impressive clock along today.

Where did it come from? Not off the mantelpiece this morning, did it?

Yes, it did. It came off the piano in the study this morning.

Oh, my word! Is it a family piece?

Yes. It was from my great-great-aunt Polly,

and it's come down the family.

You must remember it as a young child.

Yes, I do remember it, on everybody's sideboard,

in the lounge, in my grandma's, and then in my aunt Lily's,

-and then my brother's.

-These were made for the houses

of the middle-class Victorian gentleman,

who wanted a really good-looking clock.

-It is good looking.

-It's beautiful looking,

-but it possibly isn't of the finest manufacture.

-Oh.

Now, this wooden base that it's on is very suggestive

of something which isn't here. Have you got one?

A dome? Yes, but Mother inadvertently cracked it.

Well, they're very fragile, and if you hit them in the right place,

-not meaning to...

-She must have.

-..they will go.

But what we've basically got is this lovely French mantel clock,

-in gilt brass. These are panels of alabaster.

-Yes.

-If it was a better quality clock, these would be marble.

-Oh.

-So alabaster is the cheaper option.

-Yes.

These components... We've got a sailor,

in sort of classical garb,

and we've got the crossed oars and the anchor and the bulrushes,

all relating to water and to seafaring.

You could get a clock in whatever theme you liked.

If you were a sailor, you could get a sailing clock.

I've seen them with firemen on, with agricultural figures.

The favourite of the day has to be the nude lady,

or the classical lady.

There are, unfortunately, lots of them about like this,

and because they've fallen out of fashion,

they sort of fall into that middle ground.

Had you any thoughts as to the value of this?

No. I was wanting to know what you thought about the value of it.

Right. When you look at it, and it's so imposing,

you might think a lot of money,

and you might think I'm being dreadfully mean,

but it's going to be something like £60 to £120 at auction,

and I really wouldn't put the reserve any more than £60 on it.

What you can hope is that there are two people with large houses

that think, "That's a good-looking clock for the money,"

and go for it, but you have to start it off on a realistic figure.

We'll put it into the auction. We'll pop the cracked dome on as well,

cos someone might fancy superglueing it on

-and just keeping the dust off.

-Mother tried that,

-with elastoplast, I think, in one part.

-Elastoplast?

-Something like that.

-That's a new one on me.

I've never tried that before. We'll see how it does at the auction.

Thank you very much for struggling in with it today.

It did look pretty from over there when I looked across.

I said to Bill, "It looks a lot prettier here than it does at"...

Lovely at a distance.

Who knows - we might get a bit extra for the plaster on the glass dome!

Craig has just bought the most fabulous thing from one of his neighbours,

but what does he know about its history?

Craig, that's a lovely example of Tunbridge Ware.

I didn't know this event was taking place at all.

I'm over here from the Manchester area

and staying in a nearby hotel,

and I brought this with me to clean it.

-That's rather lucky, isn't it?

-Total coincidence,

that you happened to be 200 yards away from the hotel.

-So you know nothing about it?

-Not at all.

It's a beautiful thing. It's an attractive object.

Seems to be in a reasonable condition.

But any information gratefully received.

It is a little writing slope, a tiny little one,

originally made as tourist ware. It's from Tunbridge Wells,

and that's why it's called Tunbridge Ware.

Small, tiny little micro-mosaics of wood,

forming the most wonderful little inlaid pattern.

-It's almost photographic, isn't it?

-Oh, it's mesmerising.

A lot of work's gone into that -

micro-mosaic banding all around each side,

and along the top.

I would say this dates to around 1860, 1870,

when it was at the height of production,

and families made this in Tunbridge Wells

to sell to the tourists, because it was Royal Tunbridge Wells.

It was a spa town. People came.

Inside it's beautifully fitted, as well.

You can forgive this bit of velvet for being slightly shabby,

can't you? It's seen the good days.

But look at this! It's rosewood. It's absolutely stunning.

Two little inkwells, with the tops...

I think it's divine, I really do. It needs a bit of TLC,

but look at the quality! Are you thinking of selling it?

You've only just acquired this. I won't ask you how much for.

Well, I paid £200 for it.

Yeah. If this was in good condition, you'd be looking at around £600.

-Wow!

-It really is that nice.

Because of its condition, I would pitch this at £300 to £500,

-a fixed reserve at 250.

-It's fun, this, isn't it?

It is fun, but that's auctions for you.

That's why you don't put price tags on things.

It is a bit of a gamble, but as long as you protect your item

with a fixed reserve, you can't really go wrong.

'What a treat! I love Tunbridge Ware.'

But before we go over to the saleroom in Halifax,

let's take another look at the rest of our lots.

I must say, keeping up with the traditions of Titus Salt,

we've certainly had an industrious morning.

We have now found our first three items to take off to auction.

I think there's some real gems there.

You've heard our experts. You've probably got your own opinions.

Let's find out what the bidders think.

Let's leave you with a recap of the items going under the hammer.

Karen's Lowry print is signed by the artist,

which should make all the difference.

Michael has put a conservative estimate on the 19th-century clock.

And I think Craig's Tunbridge Ware is really something to write home about.

'We've come over the Calder Valley auction rooms in Halifax,

'and I tell you what - the atmosphere in the building

'is absolutely buzzing.'

I don't know about our owners, but I'm certainly nervous right now.

Anything could happen. It's an auction.

Let's get on with it.

There's a standard seller's commission of 15 percent plus VAT,

and auctioneer Ian Peace is wielding the gavel for us.

Going at £280.

It looks like time is up for Joan's mantel clock,

gilt metal and marble. This was Great-Great Aunt Polly's?

-Yes. How did you remember that?

-Well...

HE LAUGHS Yes, it was.

It's been in the family a long time. Why do you want to sell this?

-Because I don't want it.

-You just don't want it.

It's not in keeping with my house.

It wants to be in a big Victorian house,

and mine's a modern bungalow.

-It looks the part, that's for sure.

-It's bang for your buck, isn't it?

I mean, it's out of favour at the moment,

but I don't think they can be any lower in value than this, really.

No. They've hit rock bottom, and the thing is,

there are those houses out there, and they're difficult to furnish

because they're so big.

You should be buying this kind of kit now and furnishing them.

If you've got the imagination to buy that for £60,

and if you don't like winding it up, take the movement out,

-put a digital movement in, and it'll last forever.

-Exactly.

Let's find out what this packed saleroom think,

because it's so busy in here, someone's bound to love this. This is it.

Lot 176 is the gilt-metal and marble mantel clock.

What am I bid, 176? May I say £50? 40?

Good-looking clock. 40 I'm bid.

-THEY WHISPER

-"Go on, more," says Joan!

80. 90. £90.

-Oh, it turned the corner!

-£100.

-He's still in.

At £100, sat down over there. £100. All done?

There you go. Now you know where your clock's going.

-Oh, lovely.

-That gentleman there.

-I'll tell him to look after it.

-Go and tell him to look after it!

I'm sure he will.

You can feel the heat in here right now.

It's getting hotter for me. It's my turn to be the expert.

We're about to sell Craig's micro-mosaic box,

a bit of Tunbridge Ware. We're looking for £300 to £500.

Fingers crossed we get it.

Lot 344 is this lovely Victorian Tunbridge Ware writing slope.

Can I have an opening bid of £200, please?

£200? 150 I have. 150.

At 175. 175.

At 200. And 25.

-At 225. Are you all done at 225?

-That's not going to sell, is it?

At 225. We're not quite at the mark at 225.

250 do I see? Then, at £225...

HE BANGS HAMMER

-Didn't sell it.

-Never mind.

-You're not bothered, are you?

-Not at all.

I'm not bothered, either, because I'm pleased it didn't sell at 250.

If it had sold at 350 or £500, I'd have said, "It's gone,

and you've made a bit of money." I think hang on to that.

-I think it's beautiful.

-It's wonderful.

It didn't sell, and it doesn't matter.

Craig is very happy to take that home with him.

Remember the Bearded Lady? Well, she's up next.

Right! The Lowry print, and we have that and we have Karen.

We do not have Rachel, unfortunately. Where is she today?

-She has to work, unfortunately.

-But it is yours.

-Yes.

What I want to know is, did he use artistic licence,

or was there really a woman walking around Manchester like that?

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-But it is all down...

-It is all down to...

It's all down to those modern collectors.

Now lot 79, the Lowry, the signed, coloured artist's proof.

There we are. The Bearded Lady.

Lot 79.

£200 to open. £200 I have.

£200. At 200.

At 220. 240.

260. 280. At £280. At £280. You all done?

-It's worth more than that.

-300.

-There.

I'll take ten if it helps. At 300.

Chance to get a signed Lowry. At 310.

310. I can just see your head there. 320, on the stairs.

330. At 340, anywhere?

Then, at £330, your bid at 330... Are there any further bids?

-At £330...

-HE BANGS HAMMER

-All right.

-Just!

-Within expectations.

-Yes, within expectations.

You see, it really is subject matter at the end of the day,

and someone's got to live with that. That's the problem.

-You've got to like it.

-Yeah, you've got to like it,

-and you didn't, did you?

-I didn't.

-Well, you've got £330.

I think someone has got that for a good price.

There are plenty of items in the sale with a bit of age,

but I don't think any of them go back to the time of Queen Elizabeth I.

Who lived in a house like this?

Well, if you look up at this splendid Elizabethan house,

the clues are up there, the initials carved in stone

by a master mason - ES. They're on these architectural pavilions.

There's six in total adorning this three-storey building,

but they're kind of crowning it off. So, who is ES?

Obviously a very important chap - maybe a member of royalty

or a leading politician that's found favour in the royal court.

Wrong. This house belonged to a woman -

a formidable woman. These massive stone letters commemorate her -

Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury, otherwise known as Bess of Hardwick,

and this is Hardwick Hall, which inspired the popular rhyme,

"Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall."

In her day, Bess was deemed one of the most eligible women

on the circuit. She was considered good looking,

and she was popular on the social scene and at court.

She was obviously intelligent, because she amassed in her lifetime

a fortune something equivalent, in today's money,

of around £13 million to £14 million,

and outside the royal court, she was the most powerful woman in the country.

But as well as beauty and wealth,

Bess had something that can still be appreciated even today -

a love of wonderful architecture.

Now, remarkably, Bess started out life here at Hardwick in 1527

as a member of a family of minor gentry

living in the original, smaller manor house.

But by marrying wisely,

four times, in fact,

Bess was able, in the last quarter of the 16th century,

to commission this beautiful house to be built,

and at the time, it was of the cutting edge

of architectural design and detail.

Let me show you why. Here we're in the Great Hall,

and as you can see, the main entrance is there,

so it runs on a central axis right through the house,

breaking with all medieval traditions,

so, you see, this footprint has been inspired by Classical Renaissance,

and so too has this wonderful stone screen -

again, Classical Renaissance.

So this is Bess saying, "Look, I've educated myself."

"I've worked my way up. I now have the money."

"I know what the height of fashion is, and I want it."

"I have arrived."

She'd gained power, wealth and sophistication

with each of her four marriages.

Her first marriage, to her cousin Robert Barlow,

was over by the time she was 16. He had become ill and died,

but he had left her with a little money,

and a foot up the social ladder,

making her a suitable wife for the elderly Sir William Cavendish,

whom she wedded in 1547.

It was through this marriage that Bess really came into her own.

The couple had eight children together,

and she became a resourceful and capable manager

of their large household.

Sadly, Sir William Cavendish died in 1557.

Two years later, Bess was at the altar again.

This time the bridegroom was Sir William St Loe,

and once again, Bess was climbing into the upper echelons,

the St Loes being an older and more established family.

But sadly, Sir William died five years later.

He was the big love of Bess's life.

Upon his death, he left Bess almost all of his property.

So who would Bess's final husband be?

No less than an earl - George Talbot,

Sixth Earl of Shrewsbury,

who would leave Bess one of the richest people in England

on his demise in 1590 - second only to the Queen herself.

So what would this exceptional woman have been like?

To find out, I'm going to talk to biographer Mary Lovell,

who has made a particular study of Bess.

Mary, what is it about Bess of Hardwick

that captures your imagination?

Well, she was such a strong and resourceful woman,

in an age when women had very few legal rights.

When you married, as a woman, everything you owned became that of your husband.

She was involved in so many business deals,

and particularly as she was an older woman -

she was in mining, she was in finance,

she was in land deals, she was in money lending.

She would never lend a penny without a mortgage.

But Bess, she was in some tight spots during her life,

and she managed to get herself out of them by her own nous, really.

There's no other word for it. I think that's why I like her so much.

Is there anybody today who's comparable to Bess?

-I've given this a lot of thought.

-Apart from yourself.

Apart from myself! Lots of woman are successful businesswomen,

and make jobs and employ lots of people,

but there's no-one who does all the things Bess did,

and, of course, she was a big noise at the Elizabethan court.

She was friends with Elizabeth, Mary, Queen of Scots.

There were so many elements in Bess's life.

That's what makes her such a personality for us.

-She was a modern woman then.

-Why did she build Hardwick Hall?

She'd moved into Old Hardwick Hall. She'd built wings on it,

but it didn't have the symmetry and the beauty that she wanted,

so she moved across the park here,

and she's got her initials 18 times -

not once, but 18 times - socking great six-foot letters on the roof.

-In those little pavilions.

-Yes. This house was Bess's,

you know? It was not anybody else's. Hardwick, as you see it now -

Bess could have just gone out for a ride,

and you actually feel her presence here.

So, there we are - Bess of Hardwick, a self-made woman

who is still a bit of an enigma.

But as long as this magnificent house, Hardwick Hall, keeps standing

she's hardly going to be forgotten.

Welcome back to our valuation-day venue,

the Victoria Hall in Saltaire. Now let's catch up with our experts

and see what other treasures we can find.

David is in his element with this bumper piece of Moorcroft.

This is fabulous. I can't believe you've brought this along to sell.

-It's Bill and Julie, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Is this a joint decision?

-Yes.

-So, why are you selling this?

Well, much as we love it, and we do like it immensely,

it is a bit big to be in the display cabinet.

And we don't want it sitting on the hearth,

because I'm quite clumsy, and I don't want it to end up

as a jigsaw puzzle. HE LAUGHS

You shouldn't be collecting pottery or porcelain.

But I think this is a lovely piece of modern Moorcroft,

and what I like about this is its design,

and the way that the design is created by all this tube-lining,

which is that liquid clay which literally draws the pattern onto the surface.

But the beauty is that, when it's fired,

you get the glazes running into one another,

so each piece is unique. I think it's terrific.

Have you tried this tube-lining?

Yes. I tried tube-lining at the factory.

Oh, you're a member of that exclusive collectors' club?

Yes, yes, and also the painting.

Tube-lining in the morning and doing the painting in the afternoon.

-But it's not as easy as it looks.

-Oh, no. It is not.

You need a steady hand and an even pressure

-to get the tube-lining right.

-Very delicate operation.

-Yes.

Now, this piece was designed - what, mid-1990s?

-And the artist was Sally Tuffin.

-That's correct.

Now, Sally Tuffin inherited, I think, all the qualities

of William and Walter Moorcroft,

particularly in her decoration and her overall design.

I love the way this fish curls,

and the whole thing is so magical,

and the colours are extraordinary.

Anybody collecting Moorcroft would be delighted to have this piece.

Now, let's talk in terms of value. How long ago did you buy this?

-About 18 months ago.

-About 18 months ago.

I won't ask you the price you paid.

I saw one of these, an identical one,

up for sale at an auction house on the east coast,

and their guide price was £1,300 to £1,500.

These pieces were originally selling

for something in the region of £5,000 to £8,000,

so anybody buying this at auction

at, sort of, anything under 2,000,

would be getting an absolute bargain.

What are you going to do with the money?

In all probability, we will buy another piece of Moorcroft, smaller.

I would love a piece of Florian Ware to put on display.

I'm now going to ask you how much you paid for it.

-Paid 1,300 for it.

-You paid £1,300.

I think you paid the going rate 18 months ago.

With Moorcroft, it's a peculiar market,

because collectors are fanatical.

-Yes.

-If somebody wants a piece by Sally Tuffin,

of the carp pattern,

-they will pay whatever it takes to get that piece.

-Yes.

So you might be surprised at the end of the day,

and I would say, for the purpose of auction,

that the guide ought to be 1,500 to 2,000.

-Sounds fine.

-Yes.

-And if it makes more than that,

-I will be deliriously happy for you.

-Not as happy as we are.

Fingers crossed that we all end up happy after the sale.

Now, what has Michael found? Let's find out.

Angela, thank you for bringing in a lovely box like this.

A lovely box like this usually means treasure inside.

-Mmm.

-Let's have a look. Oh, wow!

Isn't that fantastic?

I inherited them after my father died in 1985.

So these aren't in the cutlery drawer at home,

being used on Saturday nights and Sunday evenings?

I'm afraid they're not.

We've obviously got a large serving knife and fork.

They actually have a specific use. Do you know what it's for?

Absolutely no idea at all.

Well, you have to go back to the end of the 19th century,

and the one thing that you could put on your table

to distinguish you from all your middle-class neighbours

-would be a freshly grown melon.

-Really?

They were incredibly difficult to get hold of,

very expensive to grow, and so this is actually a melon knife and fork.

-How interesting!

-They are solid silver,

and they're hallmarked along there.

It's for a very large Sheffield company,

Martin, Hall and Company,

and they were going into the 19th and then into the 20th century.

The knife is 1879.

We've got this beautiful sort of Renaissance-style handle,

and a beautiful engraved blade.

-The sad thing is that I have seen these sets before.

-Yes.

But all the ones I've seen are in mint condition,

and in their original cases.

-The fad for serving melon, I think, was short-lived.

-Yeah.

So they've lain locked away in a cupboard or in a drawer?

In a drawer, yes.

So why have you decided to get them out and bring them to "Flog It!"?

Well, just that reason. They would have continued lying in the drawer.

In terms of value, any idea what they might be worth?

Absolutely no idea. I know they'll have a certain value

just from the silver, but I don't know what that would be.

I think we're quite safe in saying £100 to £150.

-Really?

-And put a fixed reserve of £100 on them.

-So, if you're happy...

-That's excellent, yeah.

-..we'll pop them in the sale...

-Yeah. Yeah.

..hope there's a couple of people with melons in their grocery bags,

waiting to raise their paddles, or their melons to bid, if they want.

But I think they'll do very well on the day.

-Oh, that would be great.

-Thank you so much for bringing them in.

I think Michael has another happy customer there.

David's beady eyes have picked out something rather unusual.

Tim, this is an extraordinarily beautiful box,

hand-constructed. It's walnut, and I would date this

possibly to the earlier part of the 20th century.

I'm intrigued to see what is inside.

Oh! This is an extraordinary arrangement of lens,

and I would imagine this is probably a travelling optician's set.

-Correct.

-And if this was made at the beginning of the 20th century,

often in newspapers of the day would be advertised

an ophthalmic surgeon or optician would be visiting a certain hotel

-to receive clients.

-I see.

So he would set up his equipment

and then invite people to have their eyes tested,

-with a view to making up glasses.

-I see, yes.

Is it part of your family background?

No. I picked it up in an antiques shop about 40 years ago.

Right. Why are you deciding to sell it now?

I think mainly everybody we know has seen it,

so I thought it was time it moved on to somebody who might appreciate it.

I find it intriguing,

because first of all it's in such lovely condition,

but we have all these various labels at the back -

spherical, concave,

concave, cylindrical, convex.

Gosh, what a difficult choice!

I have tested my own eyesight with it.

And you put these onto the bridge of your nose...

-Onto the victim, yes.

-And then you fit in these...

-Keep going until you find the right lenses to match.

-Oh, right.

And then there's extraordinary test types.

I normally get to about halfway down,

and I could never read the small print.

I think that's extraordinary.

It's nice to have these relevant pieces with it.

If you could read the small print, you wouldn't need glasses.

That looks an absolute blur to me, an absolute blur.

How much did you pay for it 40 years ago?

If memory serves me well, it must have been between £12 and £15.

-That wasn't a lot to pay, was it?

-No.

-These have been up for sale.

They're not particularly rare. They do exist -

not in large numbers, but when they come up for sale,

on average they make somewhere between £90 and £150,

that sort of price range. If we put a reserve of £90 on this,

-would that be acceptable?

-Yes, that would be acceptable.

Thank you! I shall see you at the auction.

Next, a rare reaction from Michael.

David, it's not often I'm left speechless

when people produce things from their bags,

but this is such an amazing archive of your family's material.

-Can you tell me about it?

-Yeah, by all means.

It was passed down to me by my grandfather.

It's basically his life in the army,

which most of it was predominantly through boxing, amateur level.

Good grief! So, this'll be a photograph

-with your grandfather in it.

-Yep.

-Point him out for us!

-He's this one here.

Handsome-looking chap, probably with the best haircut there, isn't he?

-Definitely.

-So this was done when - in 1923, 1924,

and we see "Winners, Rhine Army Boxing Team Championship".

So throughout his career with the army,

-the boxing went hand-in-hand with that, did it?

-Yes.

-So we've got - what, a selection of his medals...

-Yes.

-..and trophies.

-Yeah.

We've got a lot more than we can actually fit on the table today.

I mean, if we just look at that medal,

that's a wonderful thing. "Ville et Portus Dover".

Those are the Dover coat of arms, City of Dover,

and we've got "12th Infantry Brigade Team Boxing Championship,

1926, lightweight winner, Colonel Wood."

So he served again in the second war?

Yes. I think maybe the back end of the First World War

through the Second World War. It's absolutely fantastic.

So we've really got a cross-section here,

not only of military history but of boxing history.

So what regiment was he in?

He was in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

Very local to today, then. Is there a history of the military in your family?

Yeah. About six generations of my family have been in the military.

Good grief! Were you serving?

Yes. I served in the Royal Artillery.

But, yes, I had a good time, though. It was good.

-Were you boxing as well?

-Yes, I did do a little boxing myself.

Good grief! So it really is in the blood?

-Yes.

-Well, I can confess to a secret

-that, actually, my father was a professional boxer.

-Oh, right!

So I know what it's all about, and the rigours and the commitment

that you have to do to make it a success,

so I can really appreciate the efforts

your grandfather went through to win

all these fantastic trophies and cups.

I almost feel a little bit vulgar trying to put a value on it for you,

because it is of such great sentimental value, I would imagine,

in your family. But why now have you decided to move it on?

Well, I've only got a young daughter myself.

She never actually met my grandfather.

And it's kind of just stuck in the loft,

so we'd like it to go to a home

where maybe a collector might want to keep it together,

or even somebody who will look after it and display it.

I think it's something that will appeal to a boxing collector,

there's no doubt of that. It's difficult,

because it is a very niche market.

I think let's be safe

-and let's say £300 to £500...

-OK.

..with a £300 reserve for the collection.

-Right.

-Where it goes to from that,

I don't know. It might make three, five,

might make £1,000 on the day. I just don't know.

I'll keep my fingers crossed, but I'll be as interested as you

to see how much this makes on the day.

Thank you so much for bringing along

-the most fascinating collection I've seen in a long time.

-Thank you.

What a marvellous collection! It deserves a good home.

Well, our experts have now made their final choices for today.

That's our last items found, so it's time to say goodbye

to our magnificent venue, Victoria Hall,

and all the hundreds of people who turned up.

We've had a marvellous day, but we have to put those valuations to the test.

And fingers crossed, we have one or two big surprises.

While we make our way to the saleroom in the Calder Valley,

here's a quick recap of what's going under the hammer.

Nobody in the saleroom would be able to miss the splendid Moorcroft vase

designed by Sally Tuffin.

Joan's silver serving knife and fork

would work for cake as well as for melons.

I hope the collectors are there for Timothy's optical-testing set.

And finally, David's collection of his grandfather's medals

and boxing trophies are bound to find a new home.

It's time to put our experts to the test!

It's always good to see a packed saleroom.

I hope you're staying focussed for this one!

Optical lenses. They're all cased, in beautiful condition,

and they belong to you, and not for much longer.

-Hopefully.

-Tim, why are you selling them?

Well, I've had them for about 40 years,

so I thought it was time to give somebody else the enjoyment.

I'm hopeful we'll sell these. There's other items of a similar nature.

You're in good company, and hopefully we should get that top end of around £130.

An early 20th-century mahogany-cased optical testing set.

What am I bid on that?

£100? 80? £50?

At £50. At £50.

At 60. At 70. And 80 there.

Oh, we'll sell them.

And £90. At £90. Selling for 90.

In the market at £90. Are you all done at £90?

That's a good lot. It's such an unusual lot.

-A really good thing to see.

-I was quite pleased.

-So was I.

-Happy?

-Yes, very happy.

I like it when more curious items like that reach their estimate.

Talking of unusual, here comes Angela's melon knife and fork.

Angela, I'm hoping you get the top end,

that £150. But you've dropped the reserve, haven't you, to £80.

Michael had a fixed reserve of £100.

We're talking about that lovely large silver fork and knife.

-For melons.

-For melons! This could be our choice dessert right now.

You need to go out and buy a melon.

I like melon, but I can't imagine using it for...

Someone will, and we're going to find them now. Here we go!

Lot 67, the cased Victorian hallmarked silver

dessert serving knife and fork.

Right. 100, may I say? 80? 50?

-HE WHISPERS

-55. 60.

And five?

At £60 there. £60. £60. 65. £70.

75. 80. 85. 90.

-95. 100. And five.

-Oh, it's done the business.

115. 120. And five.

-130. And five. 140. And five.

-Michael's feeling proud.

-£150.

-I feel vindicated now!

-THEY LAUGH

-I knew he was going to say that.

There was no worry, was there? At the top end, £150.

Michael is a really good silver expert.

-Happy? You are happy, aren't you?

-Very happy, yes.

And it's Angela's first auction experience.

Well, that should encourage her!

Julie and Bill, good luck!

This is the moment I have been waiting for.

We've got that wonderful piece of Moorcroft.

It's a great name in the industry. Here we go.

164, the large Moorcroft double-handled vase

designed by Sally Tuffin. Do I get an opening bid of £1,000?

£1,000?

800? Thank you. £800. At 800.

900. 1,000.

-We're back up now to where he started.

-Yes.

At 1,100. At 1,100.

1,200 do I see?

At 1,100. Are we all finished at 1,100?

At 1,100. We're not in the market at that level.

-1,100. Are we all done?

-HE BANGS HAMMER

-He was right.

-Back home, I'm afraid.

-At least it's not a bookcase...

-No.

..or something massive. At least you can pick it up and carry it.

You're not too disappointed? It's going back to a lovely home.

-I do really like it.

-You just wanted to test the market.

Yes!

Bill is going to have to be extra- careful around the Moorcroft now.

Right. Now I'm going to deliver a bit of a knockout blow,

because going under the hammer we've got medals and a boxing trophy

belonging to David. Thank you for bringing them in.

Hopefully we'll get the top end.

Michael, we're in good company today.

There are other medals in the sale, and the collectors are here.

It's an archive. There is a silver content too,

but I was conscious we had to move that above scrap,

because there's no way I want any of this stuff melted down.

If it comes to it, it can go back with you for another day,

so we'll see if there's the interest in it

as a complete sporting and military archive.

-OK. What are we hoping for?

-Um, I'll be happy with 300,

-but it might make 500.

-OK.

307, an interesting collection of war medals and boxing trophies.

What a collection! I'd like an opening bid at £200, please.

£200 for that collection. 150. Thank you. 150.

175. I've 200. And 25 here.

225. 250. 275.

At 300 there.

-Well, we're there.

-Yeah.

I have 325. 350.

375. I have 400.

-At 425.

-This is good!

At 450. 475.

It does deserve to make every penny of this.

And 25. 550.

575. 600.

And 25.

650.

-At 650...

-My word!

-That's very good.

Collectors love an archive they can research, that's the thing.

Yes. The hammer's gone down. £650. Top, top money.

Yeah, that was good. Thank you very much.

It's a pleasure. Glad they did so well.

Well, that's it! It's all over.

Another day in another saleroom for "Flog It!".

We've had a bit of a mixed day, some highs and some lows,

but everyone has gone home happy, and that's what it's all about.

Hope you enjoyed the show. See you next time for some more surprises,

but until then, from the Calder Valley, it's goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]

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