Bexhill-on-Sea Flog It!

We're on the south coast in Bexhill-on-Sea. It's got all you'd want from a seaside resort -

the beach huts, the spectacular views, the sunshine,

the promenade, a stick of rock if you fancy it,

but none of those are the main attraction today because we are in town. Welcome to Flog It!

With many seaside towns located on the south-east coast,

it's no surprise they were favourites with the Victorians and the Edwardians.

Even today, they still retain much of their original charm and style. And Bexhill-on-Sea is no exception.

Like any seaside town worth its salt, Bexhill has a pavilion

and a rather splendid one.

It was opened in 1935 and was the dream of the 9th Earl De La Warr.

It's the first Modernist building in Britain, built using different techniques and materials.

It's called the De La Warr Pavilion. I'm now at the front of the queue.

Our experts are looking for the best antiques to take off to auction.

Hoping to spot a dream item are lead experts Michael Baggott...

We may bring the gin out at about two o'clock. Hang around. I'll be looking for you then.

And David Fletcher...

-Walking sticks, OK. Do you do a lot of walking?

-Well...

-No.

And to help our experts out, we've got a couple of basset hounds to sniff out the real gems.

-So are you all ready to go inside, everybody?

-Yes!

-Come on then.

Amongst all these bags and boxes, there is sure to be something with a good pedigree.

Provenance or a good brand name is so important when valuing antiques,

but are the following all they claim to be?

This Mappin & Webb silver bowl,

this painting by G Dillon

or this jumbo Dunhill lighter.

The answer isn't as easy as you think. We'll reveal all later,

but first, let's get valuing and we start with David Fletcher.

-Hello, Dylan.

-Hello there.

What can you tell me about your clock?

Well, I like it very much. We think it's '20s or '30s.

I bought it in a jumble sale in North London just before my children were born.

We had a lot of fun with it. It helped teaching them to read the time.

They liked to read the lettering. We went through the story on it. Paid a shilling.

-OK. Of course, it wasn't new then.

-No.

It would have been made, I think, as you suggest, probably in the 1920s or 1930s.

More likely the 1930s, I think.

-It's in the High Art Deco style.

-Yes.

It's interesting that you should have brought this to us here today

because the building we're in, the De La Warr Pavilion, is a classic Art Deco or Modern Movement building

and this is very much of the same time with the same characteristics.

-Yeah.

-I love this very simple lettering.

It was a lot of the simplicity in the design that I was attracted to.

It's obviously made for a nursery. It has a nursery rhyme on it - Old Mother Hubbard.

We all know the rhyme, so I won't repeat it.

Underneath the figure 6 is the word "foreign".

"Foreign", that's right.

And I think that suggests that the case itself, which is china, would have been made in Germany.

-Yes, I agree.

-We'll have a quick look at the movement.

Which I'm afraid is not going.

It's a very simple movement operated on this main spring here.

-No bells and whistles, probably French.

-Yeah.

But it does the job.

-Now, we need to discuss its value, really. Have you any thoughts on what it might be worth?

-Not really.

-But I know what I would like as a return.

-What would you like? You're a very shrewd businesswoman.

I would like at least a minimum of £50.

I thought you were going to say 500! I think we're in the same area.

It's got all those characteristics we discussed,

but above all, it's in the Art Deco style and it speaks of its period.

For all those reasons, I think someone will give us £50 for it.

-Right.

-So I'm happy to go with a £50 to £80 estimate.

-Right, that's good.

-And you'd like a reserve putting on it, presumably?

-I think I would.

-£50?

-A £50 reserve would be good.

-We're in agreement.

-Yes.

-Shake on that. OK...

So an item that's a bit different and quite charming to start us off.

However, Michael has spotted something a bit more grown-up.

Margaret, you've brought my favourite thing - silver spoons.

They're lovely in their case. Where did you get them?

I know very little about them. My mother gave them to me.

She had been given them by an elderly neighbour.

I was going to say - we've got the maker's name here.

That's Sverre Nielsen, Oslo. There isn't a Norwegian connection?

-No, but she was a great traveller.

-Ah! She may have picked them up in Norway and brought them back.

Because they're Norwegian, they don't have a date letter code struck on them.

You do see these predominantly from about 1925 up to about 1935.

But what I haven't seen before and what is wonderful are the different scenes on the reverse of the bowls.

-They're beautiful, aren't they?

-They're Norwegian scenes, pure Norwegian.

We've got sort of a winter Alpine scape.

We've got a chap going along on a reindeer,

the Viking ship, of course.

The lovely thing about these is the bowls have first been engine-turned,

-so they've got this lovely pattern and very bright silver.

-Yeah.

They are breathtakingly beautiful.

-Why have you decided to bring them in to Flog It?

-They sit in a drawer.

-Although they're very pretty, I don't have any emotional attachment to them.

-There, you see.

I'm an odd person. I would have them in a drawer and occasionally look at them. That would be enough for me.

The value isn't great, but if I put it in perspective and say,

were these a set of six English coffee spoons,

fully hallmarked in sterling silver, they might be £25.

-All right.

-But I think these are so attractive,

I'm going to break all boundaries on coffee spoons

-and say they've got to be £120 to £180.

-Wow!

-If you're happy, we'll put a fixed reserve of that on them.

We'll take them along to the auction where everyone will disagree with me, but we'll give them a go.

For me, there's always a surprise at every valuation day and today, I've come across this.

It's a box, but it's not full of paperwork.

It's full of the French army...

circa early 1800s, fighting the Battle of Waterloo.

Here's the French artillery.

They're lead soldiers, hand-painted. It brings back lots of memories

because I used to collect lead soldiers and paint them by hand.

I belonged to the Kingston Military Modelling Society when I was 15

and I played war games with these old colonel types. Aren't they beautiful?

I love finding items like that, but right now, let's get back to the valuations.

-Hello, Tracy.

-Yes.

-And Amy?

-Hi.

This is amazing. I love it.

I saw you standing in the queue with a collection of walking sticks.

This one caught my eye. I was amazed to see it really

because I work and live in Bedford

and this is signed or at least it has the inscription,

"JP White of Bedford".

JP White was a very well-known Bedford person.

-We didn't even know it was on there, did we?

-No.

Why would you? I'm making a massive assumption and that assumption is that this is the same JP White.

He was a furniture designer and cabinet maker who was born in, I think, 1855.

-Oh.

-And he set up a works in Bedford called the Pyghtle Works in 1896.

The inscription is on a silver band

and the silver band is hallmarked "Birmingham, 1905".

-Oh, right.

-I am so tempted to say that this belonged to that JP White.

-It would be good if it is.

-Of course, I can't prove it.

-No.

But to anyone interested in furniture history, this is a piece of wooden gold dust.

It's fascinating. What do you think the handle is made of?

-We didn't know what that was. It's not amber.

-It's not any form of stone.

-I don't know either.

I think amber is a good shout and I think it's meant to simulate amber.

-It's more resin.

-Exactly. It's a resin or a composition material.

-That's what I thought.

-Yeah.

So, as I say, this caught my eye and I so hope that I've made the right connection.

-I could be barking up completely the wrong tree. So you're happy to sell it?

-Yes, we are.

-Yeah.

-Now, I think we've got to keep our expectations low.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

So I would suggest a "come and get me" estimate, really, of £20 to £30.

-Right.

-And a covering reserve of £20.

-That's good.

-I wouldn't like to see it given away.

-No.

It's a Bedford walking stick, I'm a Bedford man, I'm feeling tired.

-I'll walk off and get a cup of tea and a biscuit. See you at the sale.

-Thank you.

-Bye-bye.

Well, the day's hardly started, David! But while you take a break, we'll soldier on.

Helen and John, thank you for bringing in this wonderful, wonderful jug.

How did you acquire it? Was it passed down through the family?

No, it was left to me by an old lady I befriended.

She lived next door to me and when she died, she left me her cottage and all the contents.

The jug was one of the things in the cottage.

That's fantastic. Was it a particular favourite of yours?

Not really. I didn't think much about it at all.

-That's just been on the landing, on a chest of drawers for all these years.

-How do you feel about it, John?

Well, I like it because of the military history.

I quite like military history.

I thought this was the Battle of Sevastopol. It has the redan and the fortifications.

We've got the widows on this side

with "Royal Patriotic Fund".

But there we've got the scene of battle.

You've researched all that, so it's Sevastopol in the Crimean War.

The Crimean War, 1854, and there's a small date on the bottom that says "1855".

-We'll have to look at that now.

-It's very small.

-We've got almost everything we need to know.

-Yes.

"The Royal Patriotic Jug.

"Published by Samuel Alcock & Company."

They were great potters in Stoke and specialised in transfer-printing.

And we've got the date. I wish everything was this accommodating!

"January 1st, 1855."

And we've even got here the designer.

So we've got this wonderful scene, albeit sad,

-but it is to elicit sympathy, isn't it?

-Yes.

You've got a particular interest in this because of your profession?

My profession... I'm a potter.

I taught pottery at the local art school for 25, 30 years, at Eastbourne.

And so as a technical piece, it's wonderful.

-You can see its cast down here. You can see the seam lines.

-You can.

It has this soft gold and this beautifully soft, modulated, decorative rim here,

so it's a real exemplar of its kind and I loved it.

-So marks out of ten?

-It ticks all the boxes, so I think it's a ten out of ten number for...

-It's a ten.

That's from a pottery tutor. You can't get any better than that.

We'll have to have you do all our pots in future!

It is a super thing. So if it goes up at auction, John, will we not see you and you'll be at the back,

trying to buy it back?

-I don't think so.

-We have bid against each other.

-We have in the past.

-Have you?

That's fraught with difficulties. Always stay together at an auction.

An early flirt with divorce.

-Any ideas what it's worth?

-Well, I thought it was less than £100.

Wallet, wallet. Wallet, chequebook, it's in here somewhere.

I mean, I'm not a potaholic

and I prefer 18th century to 19th century,

but this does it all for me. I think this is a fabulous jug.

The military connections help enormously as well.

-Let's put it in at £300 to £500.

-Wow!

Put a fixed reserve of £300 on it. If it doesn't make that, put it back on the dresser.

-Are you happy to sell it?

-Yes.

-It won't lead to the potential for a divorce?

-We're both happy.

-My wife tells me I'm happy.

-Both smiling.

That's great. That's good enough for me. Thank you very much for bringing it in.

And it's good enough for me.

We've got four items to take off to the saleroom and here's a quick reminder of what they are.

David found that the cupboard certainly wasn't bare when he found this Art Deco children's clock.

Michael spotted six silver spoons with the most wonderful, enamelled Nordic scenes.

Suave and sophisticated, David found the quintessential gentleman's accessory,

a lovely rosewood walking cane.

And finally, Michael went potty for this patriotic jug,

commemorating the Crimean War.

It's a short trip along the coastline from one seaside town to another.

That's the moment we've been waiting for. It is sale day today at the Eastbourne Auction Rooms.

Let's get inside and catch up with our owners. Hopefully, we're going to have a few surprises.

'The place is packed and taking to the rostrum today

'is auctioneer Paul Achilleous.

'It's back to the nursery with our first lot, Dylan's Art Deco Old Mother Hubbard clock.'

Not a lot of money. I think this one could fly away, Dylan, hopefully.

-I hope so.

-And you got this in a jumble sale?

-I did, yes.

-And all the kids learnt to tell the time from it?

-Yes.

-That's lovely.

-How much did you pay for it?

-One shilling.

-Well, we're bound to make a profit.

-It's going under the hammer now. Let's see what the bidders of Eastbourne think.

-Yes.

Transfer-printed with Old Mother Hubbard scene. Nice one there.

Due to conflicting bids, we'll start this at £50.

At 50. 5...

-We're in at 50.

-Good.

-At £60. I'll take 2 if it helps?

62. 65. 68. 70. 5.

80? No, 75 is yours.

At 75. Anybody else? 80 bid on the internet now.

Do you want 5 in the room? 85 is bid.

At 85. 90 on the net. At 90. And 5 in the room.

-Come on.

-It is a bit of Art Deco.

-Yes.

-Rounds it off at 100. Is there 10?

At 110 in the seat. 120, sir? 120. 130, will you...?

140 now? 130. 140, internet. 150?

Yes, this is good.

At 140, selling to the net then...

£140 and the hammer's gone down!

-Very good indeed.

-That's more like it. I knew that one would fly.

-It just had something about it.

-I'm so pleased.

'And hopefully, it'll teach another generation to tell the time.

'Next up, Margaret's silver spoons.'

It's a packed saleroom. It's a good time to sell silver.

At 120 to 180, they're there to be bought - £20 each.

You've heard what our experts have had to say. Let's find out what the bidders think, shall we?

It's down to them. Good luck.

And where are we here? Who's got £80 to start those?

Can I see 80 for those? 80 bid on the net. And 5.

90? At £85. 90 is bid.

And 5. 100, sir.

-110 bid.

-Easily...

-120 now?

At 110 only. At 110. Is there 20?

At £110 only. 120 anywhere else? 120 is bid now.

Is there 30? At 120 only. Anybody else then? At 120.

All done and I sell it on that bid of 120 now...?

£120. Happy?

-Yeah, that's OK.

-It could have done a bit more.

-It could have done a bit more.

-I'd have gone 130, 140, 150...

They were beautiful, but they're of a period and style that people don't collect yet.

-If you've got a spare £120...

-That was a bargain.

-..buy those spoons.

Not for now, but in 10, 15, 20 years' time

because the quality is there, that's the most important thing.

'Well, someone did get a bargain, but that's the gamble of the saleroom.

'It's Amy and Tracy's walking cane next.'

And I can see, Amy, a bidding card. Look at this. Let's take a look at the number.

We are selling a walking cane, yet I know there are a lot in the saleroom.

-You want to now buy some more?

-Yes.

-I thought we'd broken you of the habit.

-No.

-It gets under your skin, this collecting thing.

-I love it.

-We both do.

-Yeah.

-I know what it's like.

-This is a nice one.

It's of particular interest to me because it bears the name "JP White"

who is a very well-known furniture designer. He had his own manufacturing works in Bedford.

-Let's hope there are Bedford bidders online.

-We'll find out now.

You have the rosewood walking cane,

the floral, embossed silver collar, engraved "JP White, Bedford".

Again an unusual one there.

And double bids here. We start at 50 and 5 and 60's bid.

At £60. I'll take 5 from you?

5. 70. 5. 80. At £80.

Anybody else then? 5.

90. 5. 95 it is.

At 95. 100? Anybody else coming in? Are we all done on that bid...?

The hammer's gone down, sold. You were spot-on with your enthusiasm.

-I feel very proud of my home town.

-That is a lot more.

-Fantastic.

-£95.

-That's really good.

-Shopping money?

-Yes!

-We're going to spend it straight away!

-These girls can shop!

'I love results like that and they say you've got to speculate to accumulate.

'And I know that's just what Amy and Tracy will do.'

We've got a Royal Patriotic Jug just about to go under the hammer.

It's a bit of Crimean War memorabilia. Very important time in our history. Hello, John, Helen.

-We've been joined by Michael.

-I fell in love with this. I saw it at a distance.

I might have over-egged it, but it's super. It deserves to make that money.

-I'm sure it's worth £300. Let's find out what the bidders think, shall we?

-Yes.

It is all down to the bidders. Let's find out what it's worth. It's going under the hammer now.

Royal Patriotic Jug with a transfer-printed decoration,

commemorating the Crimean War.

We'll start at 150 here with me.

At 150. Is there 160 anywhere? At 150 only.

160's bid on the net. 170, is it?

170's bid. 180, is it?

170 has it. At 180 on the net now. At 180.

190 it is. At 190. 200, is it, on the net?

At 190. 200 is bid. At 200.

220 I'm bid. At 220. 240, is it?

At 220 now. 240 I'll take? 240 on the net.

At 260 in the room. At 260. 280 do I see?

At £260. Is there 80 anywhere? At £260 only. Anybody else at 260?

-At £260 now. Are you all done?

-Where are those hands?

280 back in on the net. At £280.

It's on the internet at £280.

I'll take a chance and sell it at £280. Is there 300 anywhere?

-At £280 anywhere else?

-He'll sell it. Sensible decision.

280 then. On the net then at 280 and I sell it...

-He's sold it. Is that OK?

-Yeah.

-Just below.

-Well, OK.

If I tell you that's more than I think any Alcock jug has ever made, that's quite a good result.

-That's fine.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yeah.

-I think we're happy with that.

The auctioneer used his discretion. I know we didn't have a 10% discretion on it, but he took that.

Now, that was close!

That concludes our first visit to the auction room today. We are coming back for more action later.

All the antiques and collectables we've seen so far are a tangible and tactile link to the past,

but I'm going to take it even further back in time.

I'm sure this will jog some memories from school history lessons.

Over the years on the show, I've got quite used to visiting Grade One listed buildings,

but today, I'm actually visiting a battlefield -

one of 43 battlefields that are now protected by English Heritage.

Arguably, the field I'm standing in is the most significant battlefield this country has ever seen

because 1,000 years ago, two great armies clashed against each other - the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons.

And the outcome would change the face of Britain for ever.

And the year was 1066.

The battle only lasted one day, but it was an epic.

It was the largest, closest-fought battle in Medieval Britain

and became the most famous battle in English history. I am, of course, talking of the Battle of Hastings.

It all began with the death of Edward the Confessor.

The Bayeux Tapestry depicts Edward on his deathbed, pointing to Harold Godwinson,

entrusting England to his care.

However, there was another claimant to the English throne - William, Duke of Normandy.

When Duke William heard that Harold, in his view, had seized the crown, he was absolutely furious.

William's claim rested on the spurious premise that Edward had offered him the throne

and that Harold had sworn under duress to accept William as king.

However, this didn't bother William. He was an arch opportunist.

He thought he had right on his side and the endorsement of the Pope,

so he decided to avenge with arms.

While William waited with his ships and men for favourable winds to England,

King Harold had his own problems - he was being invaded by Vikings.

They'd landed on the north-east coast and overrun the city of York.

Harold reacted quickly, marching his troops 200 miles from London to Stamford Bridge in five days.

The battle was fierce, but decisive. Harold was triumphant.

Meanwhile, on the coast of France, the Normans were on their way.

Carried by a favourable breeze, they landed on the south coast and, with Harold's army up in the north,

they met no resistance. But King Harold soon marched south to confront the Normans.

Although the Normans were seasoned fighters, they were about to face an army as large as their own,

some 5,000-7,000 strong.

When William heard that Harold's men were camped six miles north of Hastings,

he marched his troops to confront them. Right here where I'm standing.

I wonder what went through their minds when those two armies met

on that Saturday, 14th of October, 1066.

Each side arranged their battle formation. William had footsoldiers in front with arrows and crossbows,

with more powerful footsoldiers in the second rank, wearing chain mail.

Finally, William himself rode with the cavalry of knights.

Harold drew up his army taking the high ground.

His formation was very different as the English fought on foot.

His men were already exhausted after two forced marches and a major battle,

so Harold had no choice but to fight defensively, forming a shield wall,

as he waited for reinforcements to swell his ranks.

When the order for battle was given, the English army were here and the Normans down there

on the lower ground.

They took the initiative and advanced.

The English hurled all manner of missiles down upon them,

but again and again the Normans came back, wave after wave.

But they couldn't penetrate this solid shield wall. It was the most marvellous form of defence.

The Normans failed to break the English shield wall and it struck fear into William's footsoldiers.

Terrified by this ferocity and facing an extremely steep slope,

William's Bretons to the left of the battle line turned and retreated.

Some of the English broke ranks to pursue them, only to be cut down and slaughtered

when they found themselves isolated from the main English force.

As the battle went on, no side was giving any quarter.

Confusion and alarm rose amongst the Normans when one of William's horses was killed

and it was assumed William was, too.

But he wasn't. He rushed towards his men, took his helmet off, held his head up high and said,

"Look! I am alive and, with God's help, I shall conquer!"

By early afternoon, both sides had been fighting continuously for hours at full pelt.

Already hundreds of men had died when William had an idea.

Seeing that the English had been lured from the shield wall earlier, when his left flank had turned tail,

he staged fake retreats. They'd be chased, then wheel around and slaughter their pursuers.

The plan worked, but it didn't thin out the English army enough.

With light beginning to fade, William made one final push.

He ordered his bowmen to fire their arrows high into the air so they rained down on the English.

What happens next is one of the most famous moments in British history.

An arrow seemed to strike King Harold. Legend has it it hit him in the eye.

Finally, the English wall had broken. The Normans found Harold and hacked him down.

So it was all over. Harold, the last Anglo-Saxon king, was dead.

This stone marks the spot where he's thought to have fallen.

William, Duke of Normandy, was now King of England.

To commemorate those who fell and his victory, he built an abbey here on this site on the battlefield.

Just standing here today, it's really thought-provoking to think

of the thousands of men who died in a fierce battle on that one day.

It's a battleground that's not only infamous,

but which has brought about the biggest political and cultural upheaval in a thousand years.

For that reason alone, this site is well worth protecting.

So time to forward wind and travel a few miles back to our valuation day in Bexhill-on-Sea.

We're still battling to get through as many valuations as possible.

It's Michael who triumphs first.

Ella, thank you for bringing in this stunning little cup.

-Can you tell me how did you acquire it?

-It was given to my husband I think in the '60s.

Before I knew him. His boss was Jewish, the story goes,

and it belonged to his daughter and my husband said it was

the equivalent of a Bar Mitzvah cup, only for the daughter.

-She married out of the faith, he got rid of all her things and gave that to my husband.

-Good grief.

It's interesting that you say it was the equivalent of a Bar Mitzvah.

You get a lot of secular items produced

that are then purchased and might have an inscription in Hebrew, to be used as a Kiddush cup

or a ceremonial vessel.

Certainly all British silver should have a hallmark on it.

-We've got the maker's mark. M&W.

-Mappin and Webb.

-You can work that out.

We've also got the Sheffield town mark and we've got the date letter for 1904.

So we're slap bang in the middle of the reign of Edward VII,

but more importantly we're in the crucible of English Art Nouveau.

You've got this hammer finish or planishing. This was introduced, this finish,

by people like the Guild of Handicraft.

They would finish everything and hand work it, so it would have all these dimples.

Ironically, because it was so popular, firms like Mappin's produced wares

-that were mechanically planished.

-Yes.

So far from being wrought by hand, it's actually machine-done, but made to look as if it's by hand.

What certainly does require a great deal of skill is the stem.

I think it's absolutely wonderful as an example of Art Nouveau silver.

-Why have you decided to bring it in and part with it today?

-Because I'm getting rid of all my silver

-and collecting pots because they don't need cleaning.

-Is it a nightmare to polish?

-It is, yes.

All these little bits here. It was black. I gave it a quick clean this morning to bring it down.

Right, well.

I don't think I'd get fed up polishing it if it was mine.

We have to think in terms of value.

I think we need to put it into auction for £250-£350.

It's the nicest cup of its type I've seen.

-And put a fixed reserve of £250. Is that in line with what you were thinking?

-I had no idea,

but I'd like somebody to appreciate it who will clean it.

Well, I'd appreciate it and clean it, but I can't buy it, sadly.

It's been an absolute joy to see. Thank you for bringing it in.

I don't blame Ella for not liking all of that polishing - she's not the only one!

-Hello, Sue.

-Hello.

-This is quite a lighter.

-A bit dirty!

Well...I was going to say you could have given it a clean!

But it doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter at all. It's by Dunhill.

-Yeah.

-It's really, of its type, as good as things get, really.

You know, if you wanted, in the 1930s when this was made, a top-of-the-range show-off lighter,

-you bought one of these.

-As early as that?

-Yeah, it dates from the '30s.

-So does it have a story?

-Not one that I can remember.

It's been in a drawer for so long, 20 years probably.

-It could have come from my father, but I really don't know.

-It just sort of appeared one day?

-Yes!

-Are you going to miss it?

-No.

I'm not surprised, really. I love these things because they speak of their period,

they evoke the 1930s. They evoke conspicuous consumption.

You can imagine a well-to-do chap lighting his cigar from one of those, you know.

They are high status objects. Have you any idea what it might be worth?

-I said a fiver!

-A fiver, OK.

I think it's worth a bit more. I think it's going to make between £60 and £100.

-That is a surprise.

-Is that good news?

-Yes.

Very pleased to hear that. I think we should put a reserve on it.

-Do you?

-Well, what's your view?

-I don't want it.

-OK, get rid of it.

-Get rid of it.

-We'll sell it without reserve.

-Yeah.

-Why don't we? It'll make its money.

-You reckon?

-We'll estimate it at £60-£100. Let's go for it!

-Definitely. Definitely flog it!

So another item dating to the 1930s, just like our fabulous valuation day pavilion.

Time for one last valuation now and it might be a bit special.

Tony, thank you for bringing in this interesting picture today.

-Is it a family thing?

-No, I bought it at auction

-about six months ago.

-Oh, recently?

-Yes.

-Did you buy it because it appealed to you? "I'll put that on my wall."

-Yes, I liked the image. Yes.

A very naive image, I suppose, of fishermen on a beach.

So when you bought this, what did they describe it as?

Just a painting by G Dillon and describing the scene on the picture.

-It's comprehensive in a way.

-Yes.

I saw this this morning and I'll be honest - I thought it had a naive charm,

but I didn't think it was a dramatically important thing,

-but we have this marvellous process to look up artists' names.

-Yes.

-G Dillon is Gerard Dillon.

-Yes.

-He was born in 1916 in Belfast.

-Right.

-Mainly scenes of solitary men because I don't think he was a terribly happy soul.

-Oh, right.

We now have a problem, though.

Is it genuine?

-I'm not an expert in paintings and I'm certainly not an expert in Gerard Dillon.

-Right.

But there are people who are experts in Gerard Dillon.

So now we come down to the most important question of value.

Yes.

If it isn't right, you still had a good buy at £50.

It's a decorative oil painting. It might be worth £100 or £200.

Good.

-If it's right...

-Yes.

-..we could put a nought on what you paid.

-500.

-Right.

Right, good.

-But we wouldn't stop there because we'd put another nought on.

-Oh, right.

A conservative estimate would be £5,000-£10,000.

-Excellent.

-So if you're happy to leave this with us,

-we will seek those expert opinions.

-Right.

And with our fingers crossed and a fair wind,

we will place it into the auction with a £5,000 reserve, a £5,000-£10,000 estimate,

-our fingers crossed and we'll see where it ends up.

-Fantastic.

-Are you happy with all that?

-Certainly!

-You bought it to go on the wall. You don't want to put it back?

-Not for £5,000!

-Certainly not.

-Well, we'll see how it turns out.

-Yes.

-As I say, it's 50/50 at the moment.

-Yes.

But it's really intriguing and this is what the world of antiques is about,

-investigation and discovery.

-Yes.

-Thank you so much for bringing such an intriguing item along.

-Thank you!

-There's still a long way to go, but exciting nonetheless.

That's it. What a marvellous day we've had here. Our experts found some cracking items.

Now it's over to the auction room and it's time to bid farewell to our wonderful host location,

the De La Warr Pavilion.

Michael took a shine to this Mappin and Webb silver bowl.

David is sure this Dunhill lighter will spark some interest.

And, finally, subject to additional research, we may have discovered work

by Irish artist Gerard Dillon.

So we've moved back up the coast to Eastbourne and we've got some news on Tony's painting.

The sale room is still heaving, which can only be a good thing for our lots.

On the show right now we've got some real quality. We've got Ella.

Quality! Look at you!

And I knew I could put you with this Art Nouveau silver bowl.

You can almost place owners with their objects. Quality.

We're looking at £250-£350 on a good day.

It's a regular name, but the quality is exceptional. It's really a little masterpiece.

I think we'll have a buyer for this. Do you know that? I think we will.

Going under the hammer right now.

The Mappin and Webb Art Nouveau silver bowl with naturalistic stem and planish decoration.

It's Sheffield 1904-05.

There it is. With me at 160.

I'll take 70 from you. At 170. It's bid on the 'net. 180?

-We want to see more than that.

-At 180. Is there 90?

-Oh, come on!

-180. 190. 200 now.

-You have to see past the weight of it to the quality.

-220 bid. 220.

-At 220. 230 do I see?

-This is more like it.

-At 220 only.

Sounds cheap to me. 30 anywhere?

At £220 only. All gone on that bid of 220?

Selling it... I'm not selling it, actually!

230 I'll take. It's not being sold at 220.

Gosh, I can't believe that. Just shy. Two more bids.

-Literally.

-I'm glad it didn't go at the bottom end. It was worth more than that.

-It's a shame.

Ella, I'm ever so sorry. I feel like we've let you down, but we protected it with a reserve.

-If you put anything into auction, stick a reserve on it.

-Yes.

-It's going home.

-Yes.

-You'll maybe have to put it in another sale room, maybe in six months' time.

So you win some, you lose some. Hopefully, our next lot will set the bidders on fire.

It's Sue's Dunhill lighter.

-I like the fact that it's all tarnished, as if it was covered in oil.

-It's filthy!

-But that's its charm.

-It's patinated with age, Sue!

-Yeah!

It's got character, personality. Everything's going for it.

-Whoever buys it will keep it like it is.

-Really?

-Yeah.

And it's not a great deal of money. We're only looking at £60-£80, which is nothing for a Dunhill.

Let's hope we can top £100.

The Dunhill silver-plated jumbo lighter. Nice thing.

What a nice one it is, too. I'll start this at £40

and I'll take 5 from you.

At £40. Is there 5? 45 on the internet. 50. And 5.

60. 60.

At £60 I've taken in the room.

£60 in the room. 5 on the 'net?

At £60. Double bids there. One on the internet, one in the room.

-The bid is in the room at £60.

-Spot on estimate.

65, back in on the internet. At 65.

Try one more. 70 it is. At £70 in the room.

Two people now getting stuck in. This is what auctions are about.

Fair warning on the internet. I sell it, room bidder, on 70.

Those two last bids took it up to a respectable £70.

-A respectable £70.

-Very nice.

-Well summed up, Paul.

It's time to reveal if Tony's painting IS actually by Irish artist Gerard Dillon.

I've certainly been looking forward to this one for quite some time.

This is where it's opinion versus opinion. Is it or is it not G Dillon, the Irish artist?

-I've just been joined by Tony.

-Hello.

-We'd like to think it was. We sent it off to Bonhams.

And, in their opinion, it's not by the Irish artist G Dillon.

-They even sent it to a lady in Ireland who is writing a book...

-On G Dillon.

She knows the family very well and, in their opinion, it's not.

This is the most important thing. On the day, I didn't know.

-I'm not a specialist in that.

-Tony, we have to be seen to be doing the best.

-We sent it to the best in the country and, in their opinion...

-It's not..

But it's here today and now it gets interesting.

-Everybody has their own opinion.

-Yes.

-We only need two people who feel that it's right,

right enough for them to bid, and we could see a very handsome return on your money.

I think we leave this to our bidders in the room. Let's find out exactly what this is worth right now.

G Dillon. Figures carrying a boat, by the look of it.

-240 I'm bid. I'll take 50.

-Good grief.

-240. 250. 260 with me.

-Straight in at 240.

260 on commission. I'll take 70.

-270. I'm out.

-Someone's having a go.

Is there 80? 270 it is. 280. 290.

-You're in!

-320.

340. 360.

-Great.

-380. 400.

420?

No, 400 has it. At £400. I'll sell it on that bid, then.

Are we all done at 400?

-He's sold it at £400.

-Wow. Fantastic.

-Well, I never.

-Someone's taking a gamble. Two or three people were prepared to. You must be delighted.

-Thrilled!

Considering you just bought it down the road. There you go.

You can never predict an auction.

We've had a fabulous day here. I know Tony's made up - he's made a big profit.

Hope you enjoyed our surprises. Cheerio.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media - 2012

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