Saltaire Flog It!

Today's show comes from the beautiful Victorian village

of Saltaire, nestled in the West Yorkshire countryside.

But it's no time to go sight-seeing

because there's valuations to do.

Welcome to Flog It!

We've got a deluge of stalwart Flog It fans ready to shower us

with all manner of antiques and collectibles.

And our experts won't let the British weather get in the way of their antique antics.

Michael Baggott is braving the elements.

I would love to say they were gold.

-It's a melon knife and fork.

-Really?

Whilst David Barby soldiers on.

Hello. Isn't that lovely?

Absolutely exquisite.

It looks like the whole of Saltaire has turned up

and I know the weather is appalling but we will have a fun day

so thank you so much for turning up. Without you, we wouldn't have a show.

What are you here to find out?

ALL: What's it worth?

-What are you going to do?

-Flog it!

-Do you want to go inside?

-Yes!

-Come on, then!

My word, the heavens opened up then

but we are all safely seated inside drying off.

While you're drying off, and our experts are getting ready,

we have got a small musical interlude for you.

There is a wonderful Wurlitzer organ up here on the stage.

-And there was even a little dog down on the front there. What is the dog called?

-Daisy!

I think there's a song there and here's Robert to play us in.

PLAYS INTRO TO DAISY BELL

Here we go.

# I'm half crazy...#

-Sing up.

-# All for the love of you... #

Whilst we finish off our song, here's what coming up.

We could set a table fit for royalty using items on today's show.

But which lot features the most princely sum at auction?

Is it the Victorian salt cellars?

The 1930's Shelley 20 piece tea service?

Or the Georgian tea caddy spoon?

Stay tuned to find out.

It's time to get our first valuation under way.

Now, some people might accuse our experts of being born

with a silver spoon in their mouth.

Sylvia, thank you so much for bringing in my absolute favourite

-thing to see which is a silver spoon.

-It is, yes.

But before I tell you about it, where did it come from?

It actually came from Overgate hospice shop,

-that I work for in Brighouse.

-So you are a volunteer?

-I am, yes.

-And this came in?

-It came in amongst a lot of other things.

So you looked at that and thought, that's a bit different?

-Yes.

-That might be a bit special?

It might be, and it might be a bit more than £5

than a price tag might have gone on it.

Now, really, I should tell you it's worth £5 and pop along to the shop,

shouldn't I, but that is an unkind thing to do.

This is wonderful. This is what we call a tea caddy spoon.

We have had on Flog It before,

these wonderful wooden tea caddies with the twin divisions.

Well, they didn't just reach in for the tea leaves.

You would have a little scoop or spoon like this.

And the lovely thing about these spoons is you can make them

in almost any fashion and style you want.

Leaves, jockey's caps, hands, so they've become,

now we don't use them, a tremendous area for collectors.

-I mean, it's dirty.

-Yes!

To be honest, if you are selling a bit of silver and it is as dirty as this,

don't clean it, because the person that will buy it

will clean it as much as they want to.

Sometimes you can over clean these things.

We've got the maker's mark which D-U over N-H.

It is a bit of a mouthful.

It is Duncan Hart and Naphtali Hart.

We haven't got a town mark but because this is a small article

of silver, it only needs to bear the standard mark,

the date letter and the duty mark which is for London 1805.

Urquhart and Hart, who made this,

made much larger things as well.

They are not specialist spoon or caddy spoon makers.

So you could imagine that as a gentleman in 1805,

you might have bought from them, the teapot, the sugar bowl,

the cream jug, the tea caddy in silver

and this was probably not made by them.

It was probably made by a man called George Wintle.

And they would have bought it from him and marked it up themselves.

What's very nice is we have this fluted bowl

and under all this blackness, we have bright cut decoration.

-Right.

-It's a lovely little thing. Your initial valuation for the shop is a fiver.

-Probably.

-We can do better than that.

You would have thought we were all this history pouring behind it

it would be hundreds and hundreds of pounds.

But this is a more modest example. Let's say £50 to £100.

-And let's put a reserve of £40 on it.

-That would be smashing.

To be honest, if it doesn't make that,

if you put it in the shop for £50,

it will probably sell anyway. But if there are two spoon collectors,

and there are lots of them about and they find this,

you might be going up to the 100 mark so that his great.

-It is.

-Thank you so much for bringing it in.

-You're welcome.

We've got the teaspoon, what else do we need?

My word, Frances, this is a jazzy, Shelley porcelain tea service.

-Are you a jazzy person?

-Personally, no.

-Where has it come from?

My mother passed it on to me when she was downsizing.

Did she buy it when she first got married?

I think she had it before she was married.

I think it was a gift to her, perhaps a bottom drawer gift.

And can you ever remember it being in use in your home?

-No, never in use, but on display, yes.

-On display but never used.

That accounts for its pristine condition.

There is no rubbing on the enamel or anything.

But there is just one cup with a crack which is a great shame,

and that is of long standing, actually.

-Yes. I know that was there when I received the set.

-Right, right.

-Now, we are set out for a tea party of six people.

-Yes.

Complete with the jug for milk and the sugar basin.

We've got individual plates there to take cake or bread and butter.

-Where's the teapot?

-I've never seen a teapot.

This is all I've ever seen of it.

Right, so this is in fact a part tea service.

I think the design is stunning. It makes me think of Agatha Christie.

It makes me think of Poirot, it makes me think of the Jazz Age,

early cinema, all that wrapped up in this particular design.

I think it is fabulous.

The one thing I could criticise are the triangular handles.

I think it is very much in keeping with the shape of the cup which is triangular,

and also the design,

which is a very early Russian design,

but to hold the cup, you have to pinch your fingers to hold it.

But I think this is lovely. Why are you selling this?

-It's been in storage, it's been packed away for about 12 years.

-Gosh.

12 years ago...

This type of ware was very much in demand.

The market's slightly wobbled and it's the more exotic patterns

now that tend to make the high prices.

When I say high prices, 15 to £2,500.

This is a part tea service and I think

because it is a part tea service and there is an element of damage,

that will affect the price.

And for this service, I would think in terms of round about 250

to £300, but I think you must guard the reserve price at 250.

-Does that sound reasonable?

-That sounds reasonable, yes.

Are you slightly disappointed?

I am disappointed but I think I am going by when I first received it

and I researched it, I'm thinking of the value I came up with then.

-About 400 to 500 for a perfect set?

-Yes, that's right.

-Things have changed.

-The market has changed, yes, I understand.

I love it. I'm just thinking in terms of your mother

who would have bought this at the time of her marriage.

She would have been a sort of Charleston girl

wearing those cloche hats and very with-it clothes.

-She probably was, yes.

-Thank you very much.

-I hope we do exceedingly well for you.

-Thank you.

Shelley shapes are pretty well in the sale room.

A tea service in this popular Queen Anne style would fetch around £200.

And although Vogue and Mode designs were shunned

in the '30s for being impractical, they've got the last laugh now.

Their rarity makes them the most desirable.

A set in this Vogue cube pattern, would set you back at least £500.

And at the height of the market, in 2004,

Flog It sold this Vogue Art Deco set for a whopping £3,400.

Now, that's one classy cup of tea.

Claire, thank you for bringing along these wonderful coins.

I think we'll all know what they are.

Before we getting to that,

you haven't done a bullion job or anything like that? Where did they come from?

Well, they have been in the attic for about 12 years.

They came from my brother-in-law.

One of my sons and his partner found out they are having twins in December.

-Oh!

-So I thought, get them down, see what they're worth

and they can either go on a holiday before the twins are born

-or they can buy a couple of cots.

-I think I would probably go on holiday, wouldn't you?

They'll never know! They'll never know!

Well, what we have got, are basically two gold sovereigns,

very simple.

When the sovereign was introduced in coinage,

they were for use day-to-day.

You often see Edwardian sovereign holders.

People would use them as currency, when we were on the gold standard.

We can quite clearly see that these are in sealed Perspex cases

to keep them in absolutely pristine condition

and we have these lovely presentation cases with them.

When these were minted and sold in 1979 and 1981,

-they were very much investments and collectors' pieces.

-Yes.

I remember my grandmother saying I should buy a gold sovereign as an investment.

I think back then they were about £35.

Up until very recently, they weren't very much more.

They were about 70, £75. So, over 30 years, a terrible investment.

Yes, yes.

But gold has gone through the roof in the past year and a half.

-Actually, now, if you're ever going to sell them, now is the time to do it.

-Yes.

We have got there, the figure of St George on horseback

which you get on every sovereign and we have

dear Queen Elizabeth's head on the back.

We see them as auctioneers and valuers almost on a daily basis,

so there is a fixed price for them.

Which is good in one respect as we can be nice and accurate about it

but I don't think you are going to get that run up Flog It wow factor.

No, no.

Unless you put them in for £10, which you're not going to do. Very sensible!

Have you got an idea of value yourself before you came today?

I would have thought about 100, 150 each.

Absolutely, absolutely.

I think what we'll do is we'll put them in at 250 to £350.

Fixed reserve of 250.

And then, hopefully, the gold market will stir a little bit in the next

couple of weeks and we will do very well with them.

-Thank you very much for bringing them along today.

-Thank you.

We've been working flat out. We found our first items to take to auction.

You know how this works. We put those valuations to the test.

Let's up the tempo and hopefully have one or two surprises.

While we make our way over to the sale room, here's a quick run-down,

to jog your memory of all the items we are taking with us.

Sylvia's silver spoon has won Michael over

and he has high hopes it will catch a collector's eye.

Frances's tea set has channelled the spirit of Poirot.

Let's hope David puts his little grey cells to good use

and the bidders agree he has solved this valuation.

And magpie Michael thinks the price of gold makes these sovereigns

a sure bet in the saleroom.

We're travelling 20 miles across Yorkshire

to Calder Valley Auctioneers near Halifax.

This is where all out items are going under the hammer today.

This is what we have been waiting for, this is where it gets exciting.

Don't go away because somebody is going home with a lot of money.

Today we're the guests of the Calder Valley Auction Rooms.

I tell you what, there is one big atmosphere in this room.

170. At 170 all done...

And it looks like auctioneer Ian Peace is ready to go.

And first up, it's that lovely little spoon.

Sylvia, you are in the right place to spot these little gems

all the time.

We are looking at 50 to £100. It is Urquhart and Hart, good maker.

Good maker, nice entry-level caddy spoon.

We'll have no problem getting it away and if there are a couple

of collectors here, we might get to the top end.

Good luck. OK. Good luck, everybody, this is it. Let's stir things up.

The silver engraved caddy spoon, rather nice. London 1805.

What are my bid for this? 40? 30? 20? 20 I'm bid, thank you. £20.

At 20. And five, sir, 30. And five.

40, and five. 50, and five.

£55, all done at 55? 55, then.

-£55, the hammer has gone down.

-Oh, wonderful.

-That's good news, isn't it?

-It is.

And hopefully, lots more things will be found?

-You want the tea caddy next, that's worth a couple of thousand.

-Yes!

Never mind the caddie, here's the set.

We are certainly in the Mode for selling things.

It is the Shelley tea service. The Mode pattern. Ready for this?

-Absolutely.

-Are you sure, Frances?

-I'm sure.

-Is this a-come-and-buy-me, David?

-No, I think the price is right.

It is very stylish.

It's not the flamboyant Art Deco designs you associate with Shelley.

-I think we might struggle.

-It is a nation divided.

-Oh, no!

-The auctioneer had a word with you earlier, didn't he?

-I'm confident.

-What did he say to you outside?

Yes, he said we have some bids on it. And it's going to fly.

-I've changed my mind!

-This is auctions for you. It is so subjective.

It's an "objet" concept, fine arts and antiques - a matter of opinion.

At the end of the day, it's their opinion.

They're the ones who are going to stick their hands up and bid.

Let's find out what happens. I'm going to enjoy this.

Lot 246 which is the Shelley 20 piece tea service. Lovely design.

-A phone line's booked.

-I'm going to have to open the bidding at £300.

-Straight in at 300. I'm so pessimistic.

-At 310.

320, 330.

I have 340 here. 340? 350. 355.

360 if you like.

I'm out at £360. Are there any further bids? £360 then.

£360! That hammer has gone down.

-Are you happy?

-I'm very happy.

-That's good.

Shelley does the business.

I say that about Claris Cliff but I might start saying that about Shelley now.

-Ever so happy with that?

-Very. I'm very happy.

Let's hope Michael's coins are just as bankable.

Clare, I can't believe you've been foraging around in the attic to produce two gold sovereigns.

What were they doing there? You could lose them in the attic amongst all that fibreglass.

They belonged to my brother-in-law and when he died we had a lot of stuff

so we just shoved it up there and then we forgot about it.

Like my mum does. There's stuff up in our attic as well.

-But we're having twins in the family, the first grandchildren.

-Congratulations!

So, we're hoping to get some money to go towards it.

It's a bullion consideration and bullion is still high.

On the day, I pitched them low because you never know what it's going to do.

It fluctuates. Let's find out what the price for gold is, shall we?

Now 139. Two cases of gold sovereigns. £200, please. £200.

200, please. 200 I have. 210, 220, 230.

-Should be hands everywhere at this.

-240, 250.

260, 270, 280, 290, 300.

And 10. 320, 330, 340, 350.

Now we're at the top end.

360, 370. 380, fresh bid.

-That's very good!

-Yes.

-390, 400. And 10.

At £410 at the back of the hall. £410 then. Your bid, sir.

£410!

-Great!

-Yeah, it is. What can we buy for the twins now?

Or the parents can have a holiday instead.

-Buy them something for £5 each and keep the 400!

-Oh, Mr Meanie there!

45, 55, £60. At £60.

That's the end of our first visit to the auction room today. We're coming back later. Don't go away.

There could be one or two big surprises.

I love auction rooms because you get hands-on with history,

items that are 200 or 300 years old are still sought-after and relevant today.

That's really encouraging.

But it's not always the case with historic buildings, as I found out.

There's a Grade I listed building not far from here

which is struggling to remain relevant to the town that built it.

Take a look at this.

Halifax. A good northern market town with a tradition of working hard.

Few pretensions. You know what you're getting in Halifax.

Or so I thought. Because here, in the centre of town, is Piece Hall.

It's the only complete survivor of the great 18th century northern cloth halls.

Built in 1779, the architecture is inspired by Imperial Rome.

It's splendid. It's full of romance and mad ambition.

You could say it's like a little piece of Italy, even if the weather isn't quite up to scratch.

The elegant courtyard and galleried walkways seems somewhat out of place here in West Yorkshire.

An unlikely match almost.

But Halifax and Piece Hall were initially very well suited.

Their union has lasted over 230 years. But now, sadly, the relationship is in jeopardy.

The local people here are struggling to find a meaningful use for this building in the 21st century.

There are a few shops dotted around and there's a stage down there for performances,

but it doesn't really have any clear purpose.

The Piece Hall ought to be one of the major attractions in England.

Yet, even in Yorkshire, somehow I get the feeling that it is in danger of being taken for granted.

But before we decide its future, it's worth understanding its past.

The common bond that linked the town and the all was cloth.

As Franne Wills from the Bankfield Museum explains.

What Halifax and Calderdale benefited from was that we had all the right raw materials

to make really good quality cloth.

We had the water which is really important to the process,

we had workers who were looking for diversification.

We had individual weavers and they were producing this fantastic quality cloth called Kersey.

What is so special about the quality?

Kersey is a very hard wearing fabric, particularly popular with the British Army

-and other armies at that time.

-For uniforms?

-For uniforms.

You need something that's going to be hard wearing and do everything you needed it to do.

-And a mass order.

-And a mass order.

So it was the success of the cloth and the money that it brought in

that encouraged the merchants to build what we have today, Piece Hall. All of this?

Yes, they could see obviously, the Halifax and Calderdale people,

to make the most of all business opportunities that they can,

they wanted a statement piece and that is what you have in the Piece Hall.

A statement piece of architecture saying, we're at the top of our game.

We are producing the very best.

It is encompassed in the architecture of the Piece Hall itself, I think.

The exterior of the building was plain for security reasons, to protect the valuable cloth within.

But once you got through these big heavy doors, this gateway,

through this grand entrance... Well!

It must have been love at first sight.

Despite its Italian influence, it was a local man who designed Piece Hall.

Thomas Bradley was just 22 when construction began.

It took four years to complete.

And, oh boy! Was it worth it!

Bradley had several challenges to overcome.

One of the main ones being a sloping plot of land which we're walking down now.

But he dealt with that quite cleverly by designing two floors at the top end

and at the lower end at the bottom, three floors.

Genius!

On the top floor, you've got this wonderful colonnade of Tuscan columns which look so rich.

The middle floor, supported by square chamfered columns

and on the lowered ground floor you've got this wonderful big, solid square plinths

holding up a repetitive form of Tuscan arches.

Bella!

But beauty doesn't come cheap.

The building work cost almost £10,000 - astronomical at the time.

It was mostly paid for by the manufacturers, renting 12x7 foot rooms to sell their cloth from.

But considering its architectural extravagance, its trading times were frugal,

as local heritage guide David Nortcliffe told me.

This hall, as surprising as it seems, only opened two hours a week on Saturday morning.

That's incredible, isn't it?

They wanted to concentrate the trade into that period of time

so that it was worth the merchants coming because they knew there would be plenty of cloth to go at.

It was worth the producers who were individual producers from the hills coming in at that time

because they knew there would be plenty of merchants to deal with.

It was hectic, frantic, during that period, as people were looking,

buying, feeling, sampling and arguing.

Then, at 12 o'clock, the bell at the Westgate rang. End of story.

No more trading. That was it for a week.

It worked.

The honeymoon period lasted for 35 years.

But then, without warning, something new started to turn the heads of the local men.

Mechanisation.

By the third decade of the 19th century, trade was increasingly centred at the large mills

rather than through the small individual tradesmen.

Industrialisation meant that, by 1830,

less than 200 of the 350 rooms available here were occupied.

For the next 50 years, the hall managed to survive

by marketing itself as a focal point for entertainment to the broader population.

Things like balloon rides took place here, horse fairs.

It was even frequented by internationally famous tightrope walkers doing their act.

But in 1867, the Piece Hall could no longer pay its way

and was given to Halifax Corporation as a gift.

It had a new role as a wholesale fruit and vegetable market

for, not just Halifax, but the area around.

Temporary buildings were put up in the middle here

and up against the walls and so from the 1870s to the 1960s it flourished.

So the place was really bustling, but I imagine some of the grandeur

would've been lost.

Well it had, because the place was cluttered frankly.

It no longer looked like the impressive building

-it deserved to be.

-When did it start to go wrong?

It started when changes in retailing,

like the advent of supermarkets, came on the scene.

It was also the fact that all these operations started to be more

concentrating on mechanical handling rather than gangs of men

lifting bags and bales about.

So this was no longer suitable. The wholesale boys moved out.

By the 1960s, the situation had reached a crisis point.

Nobody knew what to do

with the grand but seemingly redundant Piece Hall.

Now, even though it was a Grade I listed building,

there were suggestions it should be turned into

an open air swimming pool

or even converted into houses for old soldiers.

In the 1970s, there were plans afoot to demolish this

and turn it into a big carpark.

But luckily, once again, the hall's fortunes changed.

The Piece Hall was refurbished

and re-opened to the public in 1976.

Since then, it's hosted entertainment events,

specialist shops have opened and there is even an art gallery.

How do you think the people of Halifax see the Piece Hall today?

I think everybody finds it to be a great building,

a worthwhile thing to have, an interesting feature in Halifax.

But why should they come here?

The shops are small and specialist.

It's short of people coming through

That's one thing that's got to be addressed.

-Plans afoot?

-It needs some development work doing on it

whilst keeping the character. That's equally important.

There's a scheme afoot at the moment

to apply for a grant from national sources

to do things with it.

That could make it more useful for big events

and this might well become the equivalent of a town square.

-Exactly. It's got the potential.

-Sure.

-It really does have.

The council have submitted an application to

the Heritage Lottery Fund for £7 million to go towards transforming

the Piece Hall, possibly turning the space into something like this.

I hope they find a way to return the hall to its former vitality.

Because I, for one, think this splendid building

should be at the heart of Halifax life once again.

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.

Andy, thank you so much for bringing it in,

this absolutely marvellous and curious box.

My pleasure.

-Are you a box collector?

-No, not by any means, no.

So where did this fellow come from?

Well, it came into my possession I would say 35 years ago,

when my grandmother went into a care home at the time

and we sort of took everything from the house.

And this was just an item that nobody else wanted.

Well, I've always been a bit of a hoarder

and nobody else wanted it really.

You couldn't bear to...?

I found inside it, in particular, was attractive.

-It's an interesting looking thing.

-Did you know what it was made of?

Well, I thought it was porcupine quill.

But I'm not sure whether this is ebony

or if the inlay is ivory or bone or something.

You're absolutely right.

Porcupine quills that have been cut and fixed into panels

into this wooden frame, which I'm sure is ebony.

I mean, you get various tones of ebony. It's not just black.

You can have these flecks and variations in it.

If we open it up, as you say

-the inside is a bit more special, isn't it?

-Yes.

We've got this fabulous inlay.

It's difficult to say whether it is bone or ivory.

I know we've got an elephant in there.

Maybe the plaque of the elephant is ivory.

But it would be quite expensive work to do.

Do you think it's Indian?

I think... Now this has tested me slightly.

I've seen these variously described as African or Indian.

But I think, especially with the use of ebony,

they were made in Ceylon. I would be happy to be corrected,

but as far as I consider it, it's a Ceylonese box.

It is made for the tourist market.

If you one ring handle and I'll get the other and heave,

I dare say we've got all these fitted boxes here.

I would imagine these would be for sewing requisites,

they would be for jewellery,

basically anything you wanted to put in them.

But they're more a tourist purchase

rather than a functional day-to-day object.

When you go on your holidays and you bring back, you know,

an unusual Spanish vase or that odd piece of pottery,

this is what you would bring back maybe 100, 120 years ago,

when you were a bit more well-heeled.

I think this dates 1870 up to 1900.

-Right.

-We do see them.

I mean, you see then in larger sizes, smaller boxes.

This is actually in not bad condition.

Some of the inlay is missing,

but nothing's actually falling apart

or hanging off or missing in a big way.

-So, shall we lift that back in?

-Yeah.

-Any idea what it might be worth?

-None at all.

I thought £30 or £40 maybe?

Oh, I'd give you £30 all day long for it.

I think let's be conservative and say £80 to £120.

-Oh, yeah.

-Which is a bit on the low side.

We'll put a reserve of 80, but if it made £100 to £150 on the day...

-That'd be brilliant.

-It wouldn't surprise me at all.

-It's in basically nice condition.

-I didn't think it'd be worth that.

-Should've kept it low, we could have a surprise.

-Should have taken 30!

-Are you happy to put it into auction?

-Yes, I am. Yes.

You've lived with it for 35 years. Won't you miss it?

Is 36 years too long to live with it?

I think I can live without that, yeah.

Now, Wendie, you're going to tell me

something about the acquisition of these lovely, lovely watercolours.

Yes.

-You bought them a fortnight ago?

-About that, yes.

-And this was from a car boot sale.

-Yes.

-How much did you pay for them?

-I paid a pound each.

-£2?!

-A whole £2.

Ooh! Why did you pay so much?

Because I wasn't sure whether they were just prints.

These are delightful, delicious watercolours.

-Aren't they lovely?

-They are very, very nice indeed.

It's clearly signed here, 'Sydney Lawrence.'

We can trace him. He's a well-known artist. American.

-American?

-He was born round about 1858 and he died in the 1940s,

so he had a long life.

Round about 1889, he came over to England

and he also lived at St Ives, which was a great centre

for artists in the late 19th, early 20th century.

So he was well-regarded for painting romantic landscapes.

Now it's so nice because this is a pair.

These are comparatively new frames which might have led you

-to think that they were prints.

-Yes.

We have a well-known artist, a very descriptive

artist in watercolours, and the choice of subject is beautiful.

These are of Palestine,

and the caption underneath here is the Khayloum,

which is this sort of area here

which looks very much like a sultan's palace.

And we have a view of the tower here

and this is at, I suppose, midday.

-Everything's light, it's full of freshness.

-The colours are lovely.

Greens and blues reflected in the water.

And you've got interesting details of figures all in perspective

and this arrangement with the boat here, they are exquisite.

And then you've got this picture here, which is the other

side as viewed from that direction, because there's the tower.

-Can you see that?

-Oh, right.

So you're looking at it from the other side.

And this is at sunrise, so this is a lovely pair,

always intended to be together.

And they would have been in a home

from the beginning of the 19th century

and they would have had one in each recess.

Because when you have pairs, they were always very good to hang

either side of a doorway, either side of a window,

either side of a fireplace.

-I was lucky to get two.

-You were very lucky to get two.

You were exceptionally lucky

to buy them for £2.

-How often do you go to car boot sales?

-At least every Sunday.

Every Sunday? There's one local, is there?

Very early at daft o'clock.

-Now did you buy them with the sole intention of reselling?

-No.

I'm more interested in their value, who painted them

-and that they were real.

-They are real.

Well, we're going to put these up for sale for you

and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I estimate these would go for something in the region

of about £120 - £150.

I would be happy if I could put a reserve of £100 on these.

That gives you £100 to spend at your next car boot sale.

-Super.

-I wish I was coming with you if you spot these bargains!

-Wendie, thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you.

Wendie, with an eye for a bargain like that you can take me

car booting any time you like!

As one of the country's leading silver experts, it's no surprise

that Michael's sniffed out yet more of the stuff.

He seems enthralled by Marjorie's collection.

These look untouched. Where have you got them from?

I inherited them about 20 years ago.

I've never used them

and I doubt whether the aunt I got them from ever used them either.

Well, they're the wedding gift or silver anniversary present

-that no-one ever uses.

-It was a silver wedding gift, yes.

-It was?

-I mean, they're wonderful things.

They're little salt cellars of course.

Now if we pop one out,

there we've got the four little spoons as well to go with it.

But they're not tremendously practical and they are really made

as a gift for a time when you would put these things out

polished on a table for Sunday afternoon tea and guests would come,

they'd be in their finery, and we don't do that anymore.

-I don't think we really did it 50 years ago, did we?

-No.

The upside from that is you collect small silver

and pieces like this, they're in lovely condition.

They're all hallmarked on the lip there.

We've got the mark of The Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Company Ltd.

They're a manufacturer I see a great deal of silver from.

They were very prolific at the beginning of the 20th century.

We've got basically the tower mark for London

and the date letter for 1913.

I didn't think they would be as old as that.

Well, yeah. They're typically late Edwardian, early George V in style.

You'd see a set like this probably even 20 years earlier

in the Victorian period although,

as time goes by, salt cellars get smaller.

I don't know whether they're health conscious,

but it's something that happens. The lovely thing is

you've got all the original spoons

and they're all marked as well, all 1913.

So it's one maker, one date and it's complete.

-Even the case closes as well.

-Yeah.

-Which is a lovely feature.

So as a gift today, it's ready to go.

No initials on it, pristine condition.

So it's what dealers like to buy.

That's the good news, I mean, you don't use it.

Is that why you've decided to sell it now?

I've never used it. In fact, my sister has never even seen it.

It's not been out of the sideboard.

It's so often the story that these things are packed away,

never to see the light of day until it's too late

and they get moved on to somewhere else.

I think we need to put them into the auction

with a value of £100 to £150.

If you'd be agreeable, we'll set the reserve slightly under that at 90.

-If you're happy to do that?

-I'm very happy with that, yes.

-I think they're going to do very well.

-Thank you.

Well let's hope so - or else it will be salt in the wound for Michael.

Well, that's it. We found our final three items to take off to auction,

so it's time to say goodbye to this magnificent host location,

Victoria Hall, and of course to Saltaire.

And a big thank you to all the people that have turned up today.

We're going to the auction room now. Here's a rundown of what we're taking.

Michael thinks Marjorie's unwanted salt cellars

will make a great gift for someone.

Wendie picked up this pair of watercolours for just £1 each

and David thinks they're worth a hundred times that value.

And let's hope the bidders aren't spiky

when it comes to Andy's porcupine quill box.

We're heading back over to the auction house to sell our lots.

Auctioneer Ian has been doing a sterling job so far,

and speaking of sterling, here comes some silver.

Going under the hammer right now we have a set of silver salt servers.

We have those, but we don't have Marjorie.

-She's on holiday enjoying herself.

-Lucky for some, isn't it?

Yes, it is. But hopefully she'll have some good news

when she comes home that these have sold at the top end.

Well, top end or they don't sell.

-They're a good, tidy lot ready to go in the fitted case.

-OK.

No initials, so as a gift or anything.

-A good trade lot?

-Good trade lot.

Let's find out what the bidders think.

Lot number 357. The case set of four silver circular salts.

I'm going to open this at £100.

-£110...

-Good, straight in.

I have 120. Are we all done?

-It was sure to swing it, wasn't it?

-Ooh, they've gone on.

It's going to another bid.

140. I'll take five, 145.

I have 150 on a commission bid. 155.

155 and I'm out at 155.

155...

GAVEL BANGS

-Top end.

-Clean. In and out.

I just wish Marjorie was here to enjoy that.

I know she's enjoying herself. Hope you come back with a lovely tan.

Next up, it's those watercolours that Wendie picked up

for just £2 at a car boot sale.

And we could be looking at £150 here. What do you think, David?

-Will we get top end today?

-We should do. They're quality watercolours.

-They've always been together as a pair.

-And they will stay as a pair.

-I hope so.

-Let's find out what the bidders think.

-Yes.

-Here we go.

Lot 127, the Sydney Lawrence.

A charming pair of coastal scenes.

Right, who'd like to start? £100

£80. 50 to start for the pair. £50.

And 60, do I see? And 60, and 70.

80 here. £80, and 90...

-Come on, come on.

-90 for the pair.

-They're worth £100.

-£90. At £90.

We're not quite there in the market at £90. £100 do I see?

-At £90, are we all done?

-Oh, no!

-At £90.

BANGS GAVEL

-I can't believe that. A pair of watercolours.

-Never mind.

Are you going to take them home and put them on the wall?

I can live with them. I like them.

I'm very disappointed. I thought they were superb watercolours.

I've a feeling that if Wendie gave those watercolours

another go at auction, she'd get that £100 reserve.

Andy, I love this next item. Big fan of these boxes made in Ceylon.

It is 20th century, but it's porcupine quill and bone.

As Michael probably said at the valuation day,

if it was 18th century you'd be looking at £2,000 and more.

Yeah, I'd put it in as a "Come and buy me," just to see how it goes.

-I dropped the reserve slightly.

-Did you?

-Yeah.

-Oh, there's no need to worry! Gosh!

-I just didn't fancy taking it home.

Let's watch this, because this could be interesting.

-Here we go.

-Lot 56, the early 20th century Ceylonese box.

What bid on this box? Start with £50.

That's very low, but there are a few hands, Michael.

-They're poised, aren't they?

-Yes. That hand's not going down.

110, sir. 110. 120 in the back. 130, 140.

There's two hands there. 140.

I've got you, 140. 140...

-Confusion.

-Yeah.

150, 160, 170.

180, 190, 200.

And ten. 220...

-This is more like it.

-Fantastic.

240, 250, at £250.

£250, the chap in the back. 250.

-GAVEL BANGS

-It sold at £250.

-Wow, fantastic.

-Well done.

-Yeah, brilliant.

-Top end. Hopefully you'll use that wisely.

Go off and buy some more antiques, maybe?

-I'd like a bit of fishing tackle.

-Oh, you fish?

-Yes.

Good for you. What's the biggest catch?

Well, this season it's a 14 pound common carp.

That's not bad going, is it?

You don't need a box to keep your tackle in, do you? He just sold it!

Well, that's it. It is all over, another day

in another auction room for Flog It!

I tell you what, after that one, because it was tough-going,

I think I deserve a sit down. My voice is going as well.

But I tell you, we've had great fun making this show

and I hope you've enjoyed watching it.

All credit to our experts and to Ian Peace,

the auctioneer on the rostrum.

So until the next time, from the Calder Valley, it's goodbye.

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