Peterborough Flog It!

Many of our towns and cities started as religious centres

and this one's no exception.

First, a village around a monastery, then a town around the cathedral

and now it's the 21st-century city of Peterborough.

Welcome to "Flog It!"

What a marvellous queue we have.

Hundreds of people have turned up.

The sun is coming out, everybody is happy and everybody is hoping

they are going to be chosen to go through to the auction

and hopefully go home with a small fortune.

Everybody has come to ask that all important question to our experts,

-which is...

-"What's it worth?"

Our experts today are the perfectly polite Philip Serrell.

Pleased to meet you, how are you?

That lay at the bottom of the sea for 200 years.

It'll probably lasted better than I did.

And the no-nonsense, Brigadier Commander General Charlie Ross.

Oh, who made that?

-Mouse Man, was it?

-Robert Thompson, known as the Mouse Man.

He carved a mouse on everything he did.

While the pilgrims of Peterborough enter the Cathedral,

here's a taste of what's coming up.

There's a menagerie on the menu, but which one of these animals

makes the biggest profit at auction?

Is it this prize-winning pigeon?

Or this, pouting pug.

Or, strutting his tail feathers, this magnificent cockerel.

Stay tuned for a raucous showdown.

The crowds are flooding in and filling the cathedral

and it looks like we've got everybody inside, including that pigeon, I mentioned earlier.

-Ken, is this yours?

-It's mine, yes.

-How long have you had that?

I found it in the back of my mother's cupboard last year after she died.

-Was your mother a pigeon fancier?

-My uncle was a pigeon fancier.

She inherited it from my Uncle Albert. This is my Uncle Albert's pigeon.

-Was he Albert Spencer?

-He was Albert Spencer.

-What happened to him, was he a keen pigeon man?

-He was a keen pigeon man.

He was so keen in fact that when he asked his young lady to marry him,

she said, "It's either me or the pigeons."

-And?

-She got the elbow.

-Blimey!

-He died a bachelor.

-That is fantastic.

-This is Lucky Patch. What does all this mean?

-That's his number.

-His pigeon number.

-What's CFC?

That Chelsea Fantail Club or Fanciers Club?

-Not football club?

-Not football club, I think.

-You can't sell this to Mr Abramovich?

-I was thinking about that.

-That's his registration?

-That's right.

-From the Chelsea Fantail Club.

He came first in this race. La-Teste.

-This was painted by Edward Henry Windred.

-That's right.

Who I think was born in about 1875

and lived for about 75 years and died in the early '50s.

-I just think that is absolutely fantastic.

-Yeah.

Do you know who one of the country's biggest pigeon fanciers is?

-Who is that?

-The Queen.

-The Queen, of course.

She supposedly has a loft of racing pigeons

and these things can be worth a huge amount of money, can't they?

-Pigeons, you mean? Not the painting.

-We'll come to that in a minute.

-A racing pigeon, it's a very prestigious thing.

-It is.

I don't know what they're worth. I would guess tens of thousands of pounds or more.

-So, Edward Henry Windred he was a painter of pigeons, wasn't he?

-That's right.

The thing I like about this sort of thing, in the 18th century

there were artists who went around, the painted primitive bulls,

primitive cattle and they all had a particular subject that they painted.

Windred, he was our pigeon man.

I guess this would date, well, it's got to be after 1933,

between there and the outbreak of the Second World War.

-Why do you want to sell it?

-It's been in the cupboard, nobody can see it.

It hasn't been up for 30 years.

I'd love it to be up somewhere with somebody who appreciates it, really.

-That's the point.

-What's it going to make at auction?

-You tell me.

I was hoping a couple of hundred pounds.

Erm, I think you're spot on for an estimate, actually.

I think we probably need to estimate it at 150 to 250.

We'll recommend a reserve of 150, if you're happy with that.

I'm really pleased you've brought that, it's a great story.

Albert saying, "No love I'm not going to do your bidding. You're off."

-There's a bit of Jack Duckworth to that.

-There is a bit, yes.

The bird or the bride? Fortunately, not a choice I have to make.

How much am I worth? Well, we're just about to find out.

Jamie, thank you so much for bringing your nutcrackers in. What can you tell me about them?

I know that they're Swiss and the writing on it is for a resort in Switzerland.

-I actually bought it from a charity shop for 49p.

-How much?

-49p.

-49p!

-How long ago?

-About seven or eight years ago.

-What have you done with them since?

-Sat in a cupboard.

They were used once at Christmas to crack nuts but, in case I break it, I didn't want to use it again.

-You wouldn't want to crack a Brazil nut.

-It's not strong enough.

Or a walnut because that fulcrum is by virtue of a tiny little peg,

-can you see that.

-I can.

That's keeping them together is that wooden dowel.

What a lovely thing.

-It's a little pug dog.

-It's something like that.

It really is. I love its little glass eyes. It's in very good condition.

It's a legacy that's been left over from that region

from the Black Forest carvings that we see quite a lot of on "Flog It!".

From on the borders between Switzerland and Germany.

A trade that was very, very popular in the 1800s.

-You know the stuff I'm talking about? Chip carved.

-Mainly bears.

Bears, stags, cuckoo clocks, things like that.

Small gouges literally chipped and chipped away, that's why it's called chip carving.

This has been carved by hand from one piece of wood.

This is one section of wood and that is another.

-It's been machine polished. Have you seen that?

-Yes.

This has been offered against a real, sanding wheel and polished.

I would put this at around 1920s to 1930s.

A tourist souvenir. High-quality, tourist souvenir.

I don't think that's had a lot of use apart from the time you used it,

looking at its teeth and looking at the tongue.

No, look, hang on a minute, can you just see in the roof of the mouth.

-Can you see a glue line running across.

-Very faintly.

-That's been repaired.

-Now I can see it on the outside of the jowl. Can you see that running down the jowl?

-I can see it.

It's a nice piece of treen and it's an exciting talking point,

if you leave it on the tabletop.

-I think we put this into auction with a value of £40 to £60.

-That's OK. That's fine.

It's a nice thing, I thought it was nice when I bought it.

-I couldn't leave it there at 49p.

-No, you couldn't, could you?

-It's amazing what you can pick up, isn't it?

-It is.

-Have you been back there since?

-Yes, very regularly.

I've bought a Mouse Man ashtray for a similar price and a few other bits and pieces over the time.

-Where is this charity shop?

-I'm not saying. THEY LAUGH

-Can you make it to the auction?

-Yes.

I would love to see you there and hopefully, your 49p

could be £49.

A substantial profit, if it does.

Here is Charlie with a tale of two sisters.

-Ann and Gill, sisters, I'm told.

-Yes.

-But not only that, the story goes a bit deeper, doesn't it?

-It does.

Tell us.

Ann met her husband, Tom, and they got married in 1962 and moved away from Peterborough.

And then I started going out with one of the younger brothers and we got married in 1966.

-So your husbands are brothers?

-Yes.

-It's got to be pretty rare, hasn't it?

We didn't have a third sister for the third son.

THEY LAUGH

-Gosh, how fantastic. How far apart do you live now?

-Two doors away.

-Two doors away!

-Now we've retired, we've moved back.

Where did this wonderful creature come from?

-Our late mother, she was an avid China collector.

-Was she?

-This is one of the pieces after she passed away that we had to decide what to do with it.

-Yeah.

-Who inherited it?

-Well, jointly.

-Jointly, really.

I suppose if you are two doors away, you can have six months each.

Neither of us have really got room for it and it's a nice piece, if somebody collects Beswick.

-Do you actually like it?

-Yes, I do like it.

-I think he's a beautiful chap.

-Why are you selling it?

We've got lots of other bits and pieces of my mother's and things we've collected over the years.

-It's a matter of room, really.

-I wouldn't have bought it, put it that way.

-Right.

We can't keep everything, so we thought we would bring him today to see what it was worth.

You obviously know what it is, don't you? It is Beswick.

-Sussex cockerel, I think, isn't? Do you know the date of it?

-No.

It's about 1970. I suspect that your mother purchased this new.

Yes, probably after we got married.

It would have been quite expensive at the time. It does look perfect to me.

Actually, I like it. I like the colours, it's not too garish, is it?

-No.

-No.

-Quite soft colours.

-Yes.

Down to the nitty-gritty of the valuation, how much is a bird worth?

Somebody looked at it and they thought between £500 and £1,000.

-Did they really?

-They did.

-Oh, crumbs. Who was that?

-He was an antiques dealer.

-Yeah. Did he want to buy it?

He was quite interested in it but he felt he couldn't afford it at the time.

It's difficult when people give a valuation but won't put their money where their mouth is.

-You are never quite sure.

-No.

-How accurate the valuation is.

-I think that's high.

-Yes.

-I think £300 to £500.

-It's still valuable, it's not a £40-to-£60 piece.

-No.

It's a £300-to-£500 piece

and if we're going to put it into auction, which it sounds like we are,

we want to put a reserve of £300 with perhaps a little auctioneer's discretion.

-Are you happy with £300 to £500?

-Yes, I think so.

-Then we divide the proceeds down the middle, do we?

-That's it.

-That seems very, very fair. Thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you.

What a wonderful location to talk about antiques in. It doesn't get much better.

You can see it's lights, camera, action.

It's all going on down there.

In fact, I've just had a cue from one of the directors.

It's time to put our valuations to the test. We're going to the auction rooms in Stamford.

Here's a quick reminder of what we are taking with us.

Uncle Albert's painting of his prized pigeon, Lucky Patch.

He is a charming artefact of a bygone era.

Eagle-eyed Jamie's scouring at the charity shop has paid off

with this hand carved nutcracker.

And this fine upstanding Beswick cockerel should make the money.

We're heading over to the village of Stamford and to Batemans saleroom,

where auctioneer, David Palmer, has dressed to impress.

During the preview day, I had a chat with senior valuer, Kate Bateman about Ken's pigeon painting.

We've got £150 to £250 on this.

-It's good but it's not Naive School, is it?

-Yes, you're right.

It's not quite simple enough to be Naive School.

This artist is a fairly prolific artist.

There's lots of results of different people,

different people's pigeons selling.

-I can't say I personally fancy this pigeon.

-Are you a pigeon fancier?

Not for myself, but there are plenty of people out there that will.

You know who you are as well. It's got enough going for it and I'm sure it's going to sell.

There's enough people out there and enough interest in specialist collectors. It will go.

A nice solid 60, take 5 again? 60, behind you.

If you're buying or selling in auction there is commission to pay.

This varies from saleroom to saleroom. Here, in Stamford, it's 15% plus VAT.

So factor those costs into the hammer price.

It's time for our first item. Ken's pretty portrait of his uncle's prize-winning pigeon.

It's that moment we've been waiting for. You probably have as well.

You can't forget that pigeon, let's face it. It is beautiful.

Will it fly or will it come home to roost? It belongs to Ken but I think not for much longer.

I had a chat to Kate Bateman, one of the valuers here.

She said, "Yes, it is quality. He is a known artist."

There's been interest. So there you go.

-I love him, he's a great thing, isn't it?

-Yes. He'll look good on the wall.

-Yeah, good decorators' lot.

-And, it's affordable. Happy with that?

-Happy with that, yes.

-Let's see, shall we see what this lot think.

Are they pigeon fanciers? We're going to find out. Here we go.

Lot 280, the Edward Henry Windred racing pigeon.

Oil on canvas, interesting little fellow there.

What are my bid, 60 quid? 60, I am bid.

-Five, 70, five, five, 80, five, 90, five, 100.

-Come on.

-100, now. 110.

Back this side at £110. 120, 130, 140, at 140, now.

At 140, 150?

-Are you in? 160, 170.

-It's gone.

-It's gone.

-At £170.

Done, then at 170. 180? The internet at 180 now. The bird fancier.

-All done at £180?

-Go on.

-Come on.

-It's a nice bird.

At 180. Is there more on the net?

Goes then, with the internet, at £180. You are out in front, at 180.

-It's gone. Happy?

-Very happy.

-Good.

-I'm pleased with that.

Yes, so am I. So am I.

The money will go to my grandson whose name is Spencer

as it's a family item. So, Albert Spencer's bird will go to my grandson, Spencer.

That's a good touch, isn't it. Well done.

Looks like Lucky Patch has found a new roost.

Next up, it's the nutcracker.

Right now, we're about to, Jamie and myself, all down to Jamie, really to turn...

-49p.

-Into?

-£49.

Exactly. That is profit. He picked this up...

-Where in a charity shop?

-Local charity shop, yeah.

You've got a good eye there. This is the great thing about antiques, they keep going around and around.

They find maybe a dozen owners in their lifetime.

They're not second-hand, they're third-, fourth-, fifth-, sixth-hand.

It doesn't get greener than antiques, so invest in them now

because there's never been a better time to buy.

Let's find out if this lot heard my message and hopefully they'll put their hand up. Here we go.

Lot 345 is the German Black Forest nutcracker. Circa 1920.

There you are, nice one, crack your nuts with this.

That sounds painful!

I don't know, 20 quid. Start low, £20 for it. 20 I'm bid.

-There is damage, don't forget.

-28, this side at 28. All done...

30, 32, 35, 38, 40 in front.

At 40 now. Behind? 42. 45, 50.

-We've got that magic figure.

-Behind you, goes on at £50.

I saw behind at 50 quid. Is that it? Oh, go on, sir, it's a dog.

50 there, right on the back wall at £50. I sell at £50.

-Bang, we're going to take that.

-Yes.

That's brilliant, I'm ever so happy.

It is there, you've just got to get out there and get lucky.

Well done, you.

Now on to our next owners, Ann and Jill,

the two sisters that married the two brothers.

-I think that's wonderful. That is a first on "Flog It!".

-Is it?

-Are you still all very happy?

-Yes.

-Oh, good.

-We just celebrated 49 years.

-Wow! Right, the Beswick cockerel.

We are looking at £300 to £500.

-It's not an early Beswick figure, it's 1970s.

-But very collectable.

Very collectable. A good size. Let's find out what the bidders think. It's going under the hammer now.

Lot 500 is the Beswick cockerel

The Beswick cockerel, 180, 190, 200.

-At 200, 210, 220, 230.

-They love this, don't they?

-260.

At the back at 260 now. 270, 280. Are you in?

I've got 280 in the room. Net go 290. Or, you on the phone go 290.

-300. 300 on the net. 320 on the net. At 320.

-Oh, boy.

-Anybody else?

-340, net.

-Oh!

-At £340 with the Internet. 360 now. Room at 360.

Net, you're out. 380

-This is a serious cockerel. At 380.

-It's a very good cockerel.

-Yeah.

At 400... With the gent in the room at £400 now.

At £400. You'll be able to crow over this, sir.

THEY GROAN

All done at 400.

Yes, £400. Mid-estimate. That's a good result, isn't it?

That's easy to divide, as well. £200 each. Obviously, less commission, of course, and VAT.

-You've got to be pleased with that.

-That was good.

-I can now confess I didn't like it.

-No!

-I'm not a Beswick fan, either.

-I'm not.

-We weren't, really.

-They don't do anything for me.

It's very desirable. Very collectable. There are plenty of collectors out there.

They have done us proud in the past. They did the job today, as well.

Someone, somewhere will buy something, sometime.

We will be back at auction later on.

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

We are coming back later on in the programme.

Whatever you do, don't go away, there will be hopefully, one or two big surprises.

Before we head back to Peterborough Cathedral for more valuations,

I'm going to delve deeper into the history of Christianity.

I'm visiting the holy island of Lindisfarne,

often referred to as the cradle of Christianity.

And, those famous manuscripts are a miracle in itself.

This is an official reproduction of the Lindisfarne Gospels.

These precious manuscripts are highly regarded as artistic,

cultural, religious and linguistic masterpieces.

The original was created at the beginning of the 8th century

and it's a lavishly illustrated version of the Latin New Testament.

Even though this is a reproduction it is still worth a considerable amount of money.

It belongs to the Heritage Centre here in Lindisfarne.

Let me just flick through very carefully

and show you a couple of the illustrations.

You can see what I mean about how beautiful this is.

The original is housed in the British library and it is considered

to be such a unique piece of our history, it's absolutely priceless.

1,000 years after it was first produced,

there is a campaign to bring it back to the north-east

and some people are even saying, "Return it to Lindisfarne, where it belongs."

Let me tell you why.

Lindisfarne is a beautiful tidal island off the east coast of Northumberland.

Incredibly remote, it's cut off from the mainland twice a day.

For centuries, it's been used as a place of solitude and reflection.

Its location made it a perfect base for a monastery in 635 AD

The missionaries set about trying to convert

the northern Anglo-Saxons from paganism into Christianity.

The monastery soon became a hub of Christian learning and teachings.

Half a decade later, a monk called Cuthbert settled in Lindisfarne

and he set about trying to bring back the monastic rule

and, in doing so, bring it in line with Roman teachings.

For his efforts, he was made a bishop

and he was also well-known as a pastor and healer.

He died in 678 and was buried at Lindisfarne.

His body was removed to be enshrined 11 years later.

It's said that when his coffin was opened his body had been perfectly preserved.

This miracle elevated Cuthbert to a saint.

Lindisfarne became even more famous and the island continues

to be the most important centre of pilgrimage in the North.

Eadfrith, the Bishop of Lindisfarne, wanted to honour St Cuthbert.

He did so by creating the Gospels, which were dedicated to him

and it said that Eadfrith spent ten extremely hard, dedicated years

creating all the 259 beautifully exquisite decorated leaves

in the manuscripts.

But the fame of Cuthbert and the Gospels attracted hostile attention, as well as good.

Time and time again, the precious Gospels were removed from the island,

in case they got stolen, during bloody Viking raids.

It wasn't just the Gospels that left the island, bodies did too.

Eventually, with further threats of attacks from the Vikings,

the monks were forced to leave the island for the safety of the mainland in 875.

They couldn't bear to leave their sacred saint behind,

so they took him with them.

Eventually, they settled in Durham

where an awe-inspiring Norman cathedral was built to house St Cuthbert's body.

The monks' exile in Durham lasted for 250 years,

until the 12th century, when they finally returned to Lindisfarne.

They built a brand-new church on the site

where they believed Cuthbert had originally been buried.

This is it. The new priory building, not only the site of Cuthbert's burial

but also where those precious Gospels were created,

all those centuries ago.

This beautiful rainbow arch is one of the ribs

that would have supported the central tower of the church.

Originally, there would've been two arches which crossed

diagonally to support the building.

Although now fading, the pillars feature beautiful carvings,

like these chevron markings based on this design at Durham Cathedral.

This is what it would have looked like in its heyday.

Sadly the Priory was closed down in 1537,

on the orders of King Henry VIII, who became the supreme head of the Church of England and Wales.

He quickly realised there was money to be made by closing down the churches

and once again the monks were ordered to leave.

1613, the lead roof was stripped off this magnificent building,

the bells removed and the very heart ripped out.

It's really quite moving to think that you're standing here,

touching this brickwork, which permeates so much history.

It's still all here, really. So powerful.

Over the following years,

chunks of the priory's stone were taken away to build

nearby Lindisfarne Castle but luckily enough of the building remains today

for us to appreciate what a wonderful achievement the Priory was.

Stood here in this beautiful serene environment

it is so easy to understand what inspired the monks to write

the masterpiece, that is the Lindisfarne Gospels.

It's highly unlikely they will ever return here, back to the priory,

but what does remain is a truly spiritual place that will

attract modern pilgrims, like myself, for many years to come.

Back at our own patch of holiness in Peterborough

and Charlie Ross is on the case.

Well, Mark, there are carriage clocks and carriage clocks.

By that I mean ordinary ones and delicious ones.

-Yours is a delicious one.

-Good.

-It's got a lot of things going for it,

-over and above the standard carriage clock.

-Yes.

What can you tell me about it?

-It actually belongs to my friend, Paul.

-Yes.

-I'm selling it on his behalf.

-Yes.

-I know it was left to him five years ago by a woman that has since deceased.

-Right.

-Paul told me, he believes she had it for about 20 to 30 years.

-Yes.

-But how much older it is, neither of us know.

-It's about 1900.

-It's about 100-years-old.

-Is it?

-Yes, it is indeed.

-The quality is superb.

-Yeah.

-A straightforward timepiece would do no more than tell the time.

-Yeah.

Then you would have a chiming one, which would chime the hours, sometimes the half hours.

This, has got a little button on the top and do you know what that is called?

-Er, a regulator, isn't it?

-A repeater.

-A repeater.

Now, if you were in the days before electricity,

-and lighting, you want to know what the time was.

-Yeah.

Press the button and it will strike the nearest hour.

Which is fantastic. Now, it's a good size.

It's bigger than the average carriage clock.

It is also, dare I say, better quality than the average carriage clock.

These wonderful Corinthian columns are just beautiful.

Really give it a substantial look.

It is run on a platform movement at the top. Most clocks have a pendulum.

You nudge them and they stop.

You don't set them up correctly and they won't go.

With this, it will work like that, it will work like that.

You've been handling it very carefully, you don't need to.

Imagine, you're me going along in an old carriage,

bouncing along and it's still perfect time.

Now, carriage clocks are known usually to be French.

But, there is an anomaly to this.

-The movement is French, however, the cases were made in England.

-Ah.

So we've got a bit like the Channel Tunnel, we've got a mixture of the two.

It's an enamel dial, "Goldsmiths' Company, Regent Street, London".

You don't get a better retailer than the Goldsmiths' Company.

I actually love it. I think it's super.

You've brought it here, but it's Paul that owns it.

Did he tell you how much he wanted for it? What he thought it was worth?

-He said he thought it was worth in excess of 400.

-In excess of 400.

I think it COULD make in excess of 400.

-I would like to see the valuation at 300 to 500, which is a more, "come and get me" estimate.

-Yeah.

I think if he was expecting 400, you'd really have to put the estimate at 400 to 600,

and I think you'd probably start frightening people off.

I think 300 to 500. Are you prepared to take that on your shoulders?

On my head, so be it. Yes.

-If it makes less than 400, we'll go halves on the difference.

-Yeah!

THEY LAUGH

Well, I hope it won't come to that!

How much is that worth, Michael?

I think it's worth about £40 to £50, Paul.

-It's not much money for such a lot of work.

-No, a lot of work has gone into that,

-but it's not quite what we are buying now.

-Yes.

-Very nice. Did you buy this new in the '70s?

-'64.

-Lovely.

That's a nice thing to do on a plain, white plate, get creative. Look at that.

Now, I've seen some unusual things on "Flog It!" but nothing remotely like Philip's next item.

-Jill, what is this?

-It's a whisky still.

-That's a way to get a bloke's attention, isn't it?

-One way, yes.

It's a bizarre thing, isn't it? How did you come by it?

My husband, years ago, had a shop in Kent, antiques and junk.

-He was an antiques man, was he?

-Not all antiques, mostly junk.

But a doctor brought it in and offered to sell it to him

because he'd been given it in lieu of services rendered.

I wouldn't like to think what he did! Your husband clearly knew a bit what he was talking about.

-What was his view on it?

-He thought it might be an apprentice piece.

Engineering apprentice piece

or the other thought we had was it was just be an example of a still

-and it is in a glass dome, of course.

-We have taken the glass dome off, haven't we?

-Yeah.

-I think someone has made this as a model.

-Yeah.

Quite why they made it, I have not got the first idea.

We got this little figure here which I think is Bacchus, isn't it?

Apollo, we now reckon.

-I can't quite see...

-I don't think it's got anything to do with a still.

Let's take that off and put that down there.

All of this around here, that to me is a complete frippery.

-Great word, "frippery"?

-It's a lovely word, yes.

I can't see why any apprentice would adorn what was meant to be a working model with stuff like that.

-This comes off, doesn't it?

-It does.

Can you see here, those are all meant to be rivets.

If that was an apprentice piece they would be rivets

-and it's just popped through. It's really quite crude.

-Mmm.

Have you any idea what you think it might be worth?

I'd like to think it might be worth 300

but I think you're going to disappoint me.

Pass the whisky, Jill(!)

-Value is all about comparison.

-I appreciate that.

I've never seen anything like this before.

-So, you've never seen anything like this before?

-No.

And you are plucking £300 out of the air and I'm going to tell you

I think it's worth a third of that and I don't know where that's coming from.

-We're guessing.

-Yeah.

The point of going to auction is that if it's advertised properly,

it will find what it's worth.

In my eyes, it's worth perhaps £150 to £250.

I would be very reluctant to put it in auction with a reserve of any more than £150 on it.

OK. Well let's put a reserve of 150 and see what happens.

Yeah, but I think it's going to be interesting. It's a bizarre situation.

It wouldn't surprise me if it perhaps made £200 or £300.

I got to warn you, it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't sell.

Let's try it and see how it goes. I don't mind if I take it back home.

-We'll find out what it's worth, won't we?

-Let's see how it goes.

I think that's come straight from the land of Lilliput!

If you've got any unwanted antiques or collectables you want to sell,

we would love to see you. Bring them along to one of our valuation days.

You could end up going home with a lot of money at auction.

To check out up-and-coming dates and venues, log onto our website.

Follow the links, the information will be there plus a lot more about what goes on behind the scenes.

Back to the tables and Charlie has found a miniature marvel.

-Now, Alan, have you done any research here?

-None at all.

-Before you came here today.

-None at all.

How did you come by this delightful thing?

-It belongs to my wife and it came down via her grandmother.

-Yeah.

All I know is that she was a housekeeper back in the early 1900s.

-Whether it came via that route, I'm not sure.

-How interesting. Was she English?

-She was.

It's an Austrian cold painted bronze, dating from the late 19th century.

-It's about 1880.

-Yeah.

Of a North-African-origin boy.

You can see it's got some of the colouring still on the fez,

just a little bit of the red fez remains.

The moulding is super. Don't you think the quality is wonderful?

Absolutely marvellous.

This, in all probability, was sculpted by a chap called Bergman, who was an Austrian Jew.

He sometimes just put a foundry mark on his work,

sometimes because of what was happening even then with regard to the Jewish race,

he did not want to admit to being Jewish and signed himself, "Greb", G-R-E-B.

The first four letters of his surname backwards. "Berg" backwards, "Greb".

Interesting. I'm not quite sure, what is he holding here?

Well, I wasn't sure whether it was damaged or whether he was holding a snake.

I don't think it's damaged. There don't appear to be any breaks in it.

-Perhaps, it is a snake. He's a brave chap, isn't he?

-A very brave chap.

-THEY LAUGH

-Where has it been sitting?

-Mainly on the mantelpiece at home.

What made you bring it along today?

I saw "Flog It!" was on and rummaged through to see what we had and thought we'll find more about it.

-Are you not mad keen on it, particularly?

-Not really, no.

I love it. It is bronze, as I have said and feel the weight of it.

It's absolutely amazing.

"Geschulzt", that's the manufacturer.

There is a mark here which I think is Bergman's mark.

I haven't put a mark on it but it's of sufficient quality to be Bergman's work.

The detail of the face is fabulous. The legs are delightful.

-It really is super quality. And, really very collectable now.

-OK.

Very collectable. When you left home this morning,

and you clutched your little figure, you must've had a figure in mind?

I thought between 100 and 150.

You've been watching "Flog It!" too much, haven't you?

We have had a few Bergman figures on.

-I think that's a little conservative.

-OK.

-I would like to see the valuation at 150 to 200.

-Very nice.

-With a reserve of 150 with discretion.

-OK.

I would be disappointed. If that were mine, I would not want to sell it for £100.

We can't ever give a guarantee that something will sell,

but you just have to take it from me

that I think it's worth a bit more than £100.

-Are you happy with that?

-I am.

-Jolly good.

I agree with Charlie, that's an exquisite bronze

and an affordable acquisition to anybody's collection.

Our experts have now made their final choices of the day,

so we're going over to the auction rooms in Stamford for the last time.

Here's our final three items and a reminder of what we're taking with us.

Charlie can spot a quality clock a mile off

and this one fulfils all the criteria.

Jill's whisky still is surely a one-off and is beautifully handcrafted.

If you're after a unique item, this is it.

This beautiful Bergman bronze should have no shortage of admirers.

Back at the saleroom, auctioneer David Palmer is still looking resplendent

in his snooker waistcoat and is working wonders at the lectern.

Coming up is this carriage clock,

but first let's see what valuer, Kate, thought about it.

Nice little carriage clock. We've got £300 to £500 on this.

Mark bought this in on behalf of his friend, Paul, who owns it.

-He's selling it because he's got some bills to pay.

-Right.

Well, since the valuation day, the seller, Paul, has rung us and increased his reserve to £600.

We've obviously had to accept that and change the estimate to £600 to £800.

That's pushing it. It's the seller's prerogative to put a reserve they are happy with,

but they do have to take expert advice and the current market value. I think, this has priced it out.

-You think you're going to struggle?

-I don't think it's going to go.

-A nice thing, but it's not going to make it.

-We're not optimistic right now.

-Yeah.

The vendor did say the reason he had upped the reserve was he had had an offer.

I'm hoping that person comes to the sale, puts their money where their mouth is and goes for it.

It might go. There's a small glimmer of hope but it's risky.

I quite agree with you. Whatever you do, don't go away because this could be a bit of fun.

The auction's in full swing so let's hope the bidders have got their eyes on our lots.

Right, coming up next it's that carriage clock

which had an original valuation of £300 to £500, put on by Charlie. It belongs to Mark, here.

Well, it's your friend, Paul, isn't it? You brought it in on his behalf.

I know, since the valuation day, you've actually put the value up.

-You've reappraised it yourself because you've had a better offer. It's now raised to?

-£600 to £800.

-£600 to £800, which is almost twice the value.

-Yeah.

Why did you do that?

Because we called in at our local clock dealers

and he say he would have given us 750 there and then, Paul.

Hopefully that offer will still stand if you don't sell it for any more today?

-We've already checked it out, it still stands.

-Oh, good.

That's retail money. I've put wholesale money at £300 to £500.

If somebody were to buy it in the room at £500 plus the premium, that's £600.

-You would need to be selling it for £750, £800, wouldn't you?

-Yes.

-In a shop.

I tell you what, you've put the cat amongst the pigeons right here.

You've upped the ante. Talk about pressure. We have a safety net.

-That's what it's about.

-A very good one.

-We do, don't we?

Anyway, let's find out what our bidders think. This is it.

Lot 646, is the brass cased Victorian carriage clock.

This is going to be interesting.

-Apparently, this is going to be interesting.

-THEY LAUGH

400, I'm bid. Straight in at 400. Take 20 now.

At 400. 420. 440. 460, 480, 500.

520, 550, 580, 600. At £600 now.

Standing bid of 600. Is that it?

I sell then over here, in the blue, at £600. Nobody else?

All done at 600.

-Finished at 600.

-That's interesting. He's selling in the room.

That was quite interesting.

-We are both right.

-Yes.

-Or, we're both wrong.

I don't know because now you're down £150.

Yes, but Paul did say he wanted a minimum of 400, in the first place.

-That's right.

-He's the winner.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

It's crept over my top estimate which was 500.

-I think we're all happy, aren't we?

-It's cheers all round.

That was interesting.

Thank you very much indeed, well done. Thank you. Thanks a lot, Mark.

It's always worth a second opinion but our experts are proved right time and time again.

Going under the hammer right now is a scratch-built whisky still underneath a glass dome.

Love it. Proper antique dealer's lot, this.

-I gather it came from your husband's old antique shop.

-That's right.

-He's got a good eye, hasn't he?

-It's an awfully difficult thing to value.

I've never seen anything like it. You've to hope that someone is here that will pay that for it.

-Yes.

-It really is a guesstimate.

It's a one-off, and hopefully, that's going to make it fly away.

We hope! Let's find out, here we go.

Lot 376, is the scratch-made model of a whisky still.

Under a glass dome, an unusual thing to have. £100.

Straight in 100 to start. 100 I'm bid. At 100 now, take the 10.

-Quirky.

-At £100 only. Is that it? At £100, 10 if you will.

At £100, nobody else? Done at 100. Are you bidding, madam?

No? At £100. Is that it?

-You don't like this.

-Straight in at 100 and...

OK, not sold. Forget it.

Difficult to put a value on.

I'm not surprised, really. I'm not surprised.

I'm totally with you on the value, that's what I would have done.

You don't want things to go for nothing.

-People are frightened to invest in things they're not sure about.

-That's right.

It takes a brave man and one day that's going to be worth an awful lot of money.

-I think so. There's a lot of work in it.

-We've had it 35 years, we can have it some more.

Exactly! And enjoy. It is a wonderful talking point.

We love quirky things and they don't come quirkier than that.

Finally, it's Alan's bronze figure.

Absolutely love this next lot. We've seen many of them on the show. Bergman, it doesn't get any better

for sculpting cold painted bronzes like this using the lost wax method.

It's a wonderful technique. Just the definition of this character is so beautiful.

Franz Bergman, the greatest.

We're looking at around £150 to £200, Charlie.

-I think we're going to get that.

-I think so.

It hasn't got all its original paint on it but they haven't, usually.

No, and you would be worried if it had.

You would be slightly worried if it had.

Let's find out what the bidders think. Here we go.

Lot 405...

Franz Bergman, Austrian cold painted bronze.

Interesting little piece, this. £100 for it. 100 I'm bid, here.

At 100, 110, 120 now. 130 down here. 130, 140.

At 150, 160, 170, 180.

190. At 190. 200. At £200 now. 220.

-At 220 on the net.

-Oh.

The internet at £220. Goes then at 220... 240.

260, 280. At 280. 300, 320.

-This is what I was secretly hoping for.

-At £320, the bid's here.

Anybody else? Goes then at £320. I sell at 320.

£320. That hammer is going down.

Now. Yes, £320. How about that?

Don't forget there is 15% commission plus the VAT.

-That still is a good, good price.

-Thanks, yes.

-You've got to be happy.

-Very happy.

Worth every single penny. What a marvellous day we've had but, sadly, that's all folks.

I hope you have enjoyed today's show.

Join me again soon for many more surprises.

For now, from Stamford, it's goodbye.

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