Saltaire Flog It!

Today, I'm in Yorkshire.

Some of you may recognise where I am

because I had the privilege of filming here eight years ago,

talking about this village's creator, Titus Salt.

The clue is in the name.

Welcome to Saltaire, a World Heritage Site and, of course,

welcome to Flog It!

Founded in 1853 by Yorkshire industrialist, Sir Titus Salt,

this picturesque and historic Victorian village in West Yorkshire was recognised

as a place of special cultural and physical significance in 2001.

And being a World Heritage Site,

today we are rubbing shoulders with the likes of Aylesbury stone circle,

Stonehenge, the Tower of London and even the Giant's Causeway.

So, with so much historic pedigree, I've got high hopes

that in all of these bags and boxes,

someone has a real treasure worthy of such a location.

And I'm not the only one with high expectations today.

So have our lead experts, Michael Baggott...

Had it been a bit earlier, it would have been well worth it.

..and David Barby.

That's very nice, we'll have a look at those. What's that, sir?

And they're already busy rooting around in the queue,

both determined not to let any goodies slip by.

And they've certainly come up with the goods

finding treasures spanning the centuries,

but can you work out which of the following is almost 400 years old?

These sandwich markers? This gold coin?

Or is it this leather-bound Yorkshire estate ledger?

So with that little teaser to think about, let's get valuing.

First up, it's that estate ledger on Michael's table.

Thank you for bringing in this intriguing book.

I love the look of old books, old bindings

and especially gilt labels like this. Where did this come from?

I got it from my father about three or four months ago.

He said he got it from a car boot for a couple of pounds a number of years ago.

You've broken my heart now.

I was hoping that he was involved with the estate

-and your grandfather was and your great-grandfather.

-Unfortunately not, no.

-Let's open this up.

It's about Yorkshire estates, we know that.

Right. Ripley Estates and what we've got here.

If you think of those very large 18th and 19th-century landed estates,

four times a year on the quarter days, you've got to go

and pay your rent and this is simply a list of their tenants

and the amounts paid on the date. It's a fascinating social document.

We think of rents today and properties

and you're paying hundreds of thousands of pounds sometimes.

Rents can be tens of thousands of pounds a year.

There's some debts in there as well, which is intriguing.

-So many shillings etc. There's a debt.

-You've looked through this?

I've had a reasonably good look through it

and that's the interesting fact. I like it for the social issues.

You look at that and you think, obviously,

generations gone by, people would say how much it cost.

"In my generation, it was this much."

In this generation, nobody can tell me but that book tells me

and it's fascinating to me, just for the history side.

The only thing is that when you get to early documents like this,

they become valuable when they crossover with people's interests.

We've had a look for Ripley Estate.

There is, of course, Ripley Castle in Yorkshire.

We can't be definite to say

that this is a rent book for their estate. What I think we can say

is that because the front has Yorkshire estates on it,

it would have been large enough to go through various counties

and this would have been the Yorkshire book.

It runs all the way up.

If we go to the very last page, we have 19th December, 1899.

It's quite nice to think that at the end of that century,

they got to the end of the book, closed it up

and probably started the new century with a new bound copy.

-So, this was purchased at a car boot sale?

-Yeah.

Was a lot of money paid for it?

A couple of pounds, but that was a few years ago.

-It might have been a lot of money years ago.

-It probably was.

It was almost a year's rent! Because it's a rent book,

as interesting as it is to leaf through,

-it's not dramatically valuable.

-Right.

It's got local interest because it's Yorkshire, so I think

if we put it into auction, we're going to be saying £20 to £40

and we'll put a reserve of £20 on it, because it's worth that to you,

all day long, isn't it?

Your father will be happy that you're putting it in?

Whatever he gets for it, obviously, I'll take him out for a meal anyway.

It's a meal or a pint, depending how it goes.

-Thanks so much for bringing it in.

-Thank you. Cheers.

It's a fascinating piece of social history

but will there be a market for it?

Fingers crossed it'll balance the books in the sale room.

Most items tell a story and our next one is no exception,

taking us back to the First World War.

Hello, Terence. You've got your father's medals here.

What is the story behind them? He won, basically,

-the First World War trio, didn't he?

-Yes.

He won them two as well but he bought them

-because he lost his.

-So he's lost the originals?

Yes. That's the Military Medal,

that's the Distinguished Conduct Medal

and this is the Afghanistan Star, which is from 1921.

What was his story?

Talk me through his story, when he joined the Army and why, maybe?

He joined the Army and in 1911, his father brought him out.

-Why?

-Because he was under-age.

-He was only 13.

-Gosh, he was desperate to join the Army, then.

Then the father went into the Army in 1912 as Thomas Victor Smith.

-His proper name was Ben Kimber.

-So he changed his name?

-That's correct.

In order to get back into the army?

And he went in and he stayed in until 1922.

-So he saw a lot of action?

-He went all the way through it.

In the Second World War, he joined the fire service

and he got as high up as a station officer.

-Which is quite a way up.

-What happened to him eventually?

He died in 1963 and he died from being gassed in the First World War.

What happened was, when they got mustard gas in their lungs,

-it ate away at the lungs, and that's it. He died.

-Poor chap.

-What a brave young man.

-Yeah.

-Are you sure you really want to part with these?

-Yes.

I've only got three daughters and my sister, who's getting half of it -

we're getting half a piece -

she's only got one son and he says sell them, and so did my girls.

Have you any idea of the value?

I rang the auctioneers up and they said about £500.

Do you know what I was going to say?

I was going to say £400 to £600 any day of the week.

What you've got there on the end,

that's a 1940 Star and Bar trio - £200.

You've got a DCM and an MM - there's another couple of hundred pounds

and you've got that extra Afghanistan medal.

-Are you sure you want to sell them?

-Yes, definitely. OK.

Would you like to put them

into auction with a value of £400-£600, or would you like to put them in

with a value of £500-£700 and a fixed reserve at 500?

Is it going to make 500, honestly?

Yeah, I do, but in order to make £500, we need to start at 400.

To give everybody a chance.

If the auctioneer starts bidding at £400, who will give me 420, 440,

do you know what I'm saying?

If he says, who's going to open the bidding at £500, I don't think

many people will put their hands up,

-so we need to start the bidding at £400.

-Right.

-I'm hoping they'll do maybe £600.

-We'll put them in auction, then.

Let's do it.

So, both Michael and I have a valuation each,

leaving just one more person to catch up with - Mr Barby.

-Now, Marion.

-Yes.

-I find these absolutely fascinating.

What do you think they are?

-My brother always said that they were hatpins.

-Hatpins?

But they're so small.

But that's what we've always known them as in the family.

-Did you ever use them as hatpins?

-No.

Have you ever used them for anything?

No, but I think my mother and my godmother have in pre-war times.

Right, you say pre-war times. This is perfectly correct.

These date from the '20s and '30s

and they're all Oriental symbols.

-Yes.

-I like to think in terms of the '20s and '30s movies -

Shanghai, ladies from Shanghai, and anything Oriental

-had an edge of exoticism.

-Yes.

It was very fashionable in costume, in dress,

think of all those Mandarin collared outfits that ladies wore.

I love Japanese work.

With clutch handbags, very, very fashionable.

But these have one particular use. These are sandwich markers.

That's interesting.

I'm going to pick up one and right at the very back,

you see that little clip there? That is where you put your sandwich card.

I think you could associate these

with a very sophisticated bridge party.

When people were playing bridge, the hostess would retire

and come back with a plate or a tray of sandwiches and each block

of sandwiches would have one of these stuck in and a little label

saying sardines or cheese or ham, or something like that.

So these are very functional and can still be used today.

And all marked sterling silver, so that's 925 quality.

There's not a great deal of weight, and if you took those purely

on weight value or scrap value, it would come to just under £13.

-Yes.

-But I think they have interest beyond scrap value.

I can see a price range in the region at auction

-of about £30 to £40.

-Yes.

I suggest we put a reserve on them of £30. What do you think?

-That would be lovely.

-Oh, good.

Marion, you've brought such a lot of interest.

With these objects here,

you've recreated a period when these were used, 1920s to '30s.

Why have you decided to sell these?

They are just sitting in a little drawer

and have never been brought out to the light of today.

So you just have no use for them and want to cash in.

What would you do with the money? Let's say they go for about £50.

What would you do with £50?

I've got 180 teapots

and it would go for another teapot or go for a trip to Blackpool.

-Which would you prefer, the trip to Blackpool?

-Both.

I'd go to Blackpool and look for teapots.

What a fabulous idea. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, Marion.

So, we've got our first three items and here's a quick reminder of what they are.

Michael kicked off with a large Victorian leather-bound rent book,

found in a car boot sale for just £2.

Next, there was certainly no conflict in my mind

that Terence's medals deserved their story to be told.

And finally, David served up six tasty silver sandwich markers.

And now it's the bit none of us can predict. It's auction time

and we've come to Calder Valley Auctioneers just outside of Halifax.

Ian Peace will be taking to the rostrum today, but before

he wields the hammer, I caught up with him

on the preview day for his take on Terence's World War I medals.

They relate to Ben Kimber aka Terence Smith,

who joined the Army at the age of 13. His father pulled him out.

Wonderful story. I've put £400-£600 on that.

It's a fabulous group.

Since the original filming, he has been across

-and has brought lot of provenance.

-Who? Terence?

-Terence, the son.

We've got a copy of the letter to the unit to say,

my son is under age and I want him back.

I also liked the fact that after the war, he was short of money

to put food on the table and then he goes off and sells them,

then he becomes a fireman, despite going through the war and being injured.

He becomes a fireman, rises to station officer

and then has the ability to buy some replacements back. Gorgeous.

Sadly, that won't really relate to the bidders.

-They won't know that little bit of detail.

-I know.

Fingers crossed, Phil, the top end of our estimate. Before we discover what they sell for,

our first lot is the Yorkshire estate book. Good luck, Adrian.

That's all I can say. Hopefully, a little bit of local interest here.

We're talking about a leather-bound Victorian Yorkshire estate book.

They say the pen is mightier than the sword, so hopefully we get

the top end of Michael's valuation.

Why are you selling this? I know Dad picked it up at a car boot sale.

Dad picked it up at a car boot sale, it's been in the attic for years.

It's time to get rid of it, but it's for somebody to use

-and look at and the history, I think...

-It's all there, isn't it?

-That fascinated you at the valuation.

-There are so many people

interested in local history now and doing research, and for £20.

This is a lovely piece of heritage and I know, for the rest

of the day, when the auction's over, Adrian is off to put a shed up.

I'm going to help my father, who's 76, put a shed up

and hopefully, the profits will get us a bacon sandwich.

-There you go.

-No pressure.

It doesn't get any better than that, does it?

Not a bacon sandwich, no, Paul.

Now then, some local history here from Ripley Castle, Ripley Estate.

The rather beautifully handwritten ledger, there.

What am I bid for this? £20? £20, 15. Open at 10.

Thank you, 10 I'm bid. 12.50, 15, 17.50, 20. £20.

Research.

22.50, 25, 27.50, £30.

32.50, 35, 37.50.

Bit of local interest.

All done at 37.50.

It's gone. 37.50. Well done, Michael.

Bacon sandwich today.

That's one hell of a bacon sandwich, isn't it?

-That's one that big.

-Thank you very much.

Enjoy the rest of the day, that does sound good.

And a bacon butty would go perfectly with our next lot,

the silver sandwich markers.

Marion, it's great to see you again.

I've known you for about nine years and so has David.

We've seen you on the road at the Flog It! valuation days.

Marion is our Flog It! superfan and today, you are selling something.

-Yes.

-For the first time on the show, we've got some silver sandwich markers

-and we're looking for around £40 for these.

-I hope so.

Fingers crossed. OK? Let's give it a go.

Here we go, enjoy this moment. This is it.

The silver sandwich markers with ornate finials.

We'll say 40, 30, 20.

20, thank you very much. £20, 25.

-At 25, 30.

-Good.

-35, 40, 45.

-Marion.

50. 55. At £55, have you all done?

Good result, £55. Are you happy?

You said that would go well.

-Did you enjoy your experience?

-Yes, I did.

Well, thank you for bringing something like that in.

If you've got something you'd like to sell,

we would love to see you bring it along to one of our valuation days.

You can find details on our BBC website.

Just log on to...

Follow the links. All the information will be there.

We would love to see you.

Now it's my turn to be the expert and to welcome back Terence.

We're just about to sell the collection of World War One medals

and what a lovely story.

Had a chat to Ian, the auctioneer, yesterday at the preview day.

He thoroughly loved the story as well and he's met you as well.

I did, I came down here.

He loves it and he agreed with me, like I said to you,

two of those medals are worth that estimate. Who knows,

-it might even exceed that.

-Good.

-That's the beauty of auctions.

-It would be lovely.

It would be lovely, wouldn't it? Let's find out exactly what they're worth right now.

Group of World War One medals rated to Ben Kimber

and Thomas Victor Smith.

A very interesting collection and I believe we have a phone bid there

and I have a commission bid on the book here.

-I'd like to open the bidding at £400.

-Right, we're in.

At £400, 425, 450, 475.

At 500. 525, 550, 575, at 600.

And 25, at 650.

At 675. 700 on the phone.

Phone line now.

725, sir. 725. 750. At £750.

Any further bids? At £750 on the phone.

At £750, we're going.

The hammer's gone down. It's gone above the estimate, £750.

It went to that guy on the phone.

Yeah. We could have done with somebody here.

If there was somebody else in the room also bidding against

-that guy on the phone, but that's auctions for you.

-It is, it is.

We got it away, that's the main thing.

-It's been a pleasure meeting you. And a lovely story as well.

-It is.

Not a bad price, but his memories of his father and others like him

are absolutely priceless.

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

We are coming back later on in the programme.

Now, as you know, the condition of antiques does vary.

When a bit of restoration is required,

you have to seek the right expertise.

While we've been up here in the area filming, I took the opportunity

to visit a house just outside of Leeds where a dedicated team

of experts are restoring something on a rather larger scale.

You could say this is one big antique.

Over the last ten years of filming Flog It!,

it's given me the privilege of visiting many stately homes.

I'm constantly reminded we're a nation very proud of our heritage.

Today, I've come to Temple Newsam, which is on the outskirts of Leeds.

Not only to admire the magnificent architecture but also,

I've been granted permission to go behind the scenes to meet

the restoration team responsible for acquiring and maintaining

all the art and artefacts within these magnificent walls.

As one of the great historic houses of England,

this impressive Tudor-Jacobean mansion was home

to the Ingram family for over 300 years.

It was sold in 1922 and is now managed by Leeds City Council.

It's these individuals who are responsible for conserving it.

The curator, Polly.

Furniture expert, Ian.

Painting conservator, Jenny.

And part of the installation team, Kevin,

where no job is too big or small.

With over 100 rooms, three floors and some 20,000 antiques,

they have quite a task.

-Hello, Polly.

-Hello, lovely to meet you.

Meeting you in the butler's pantry!

I didn't realise the place was so vast.

You've definitely got a big project on your hands here.

What are the main problems with restoration?

Just as you said, it's size, isn't it?

There are something like 20,000 objects

so just trying to keep track of them is one of the things.

Restoration in itself.

It's making sure, as a curator, you know exactly what's going on.

You know your object so that you can

produce something that is coherent at the end of it.

-What motivates your work?

-Sometimes when you go

round a gallery space and you just see

a little child smiling and a family smiling, that's what motivates me.

Those two or three minutes,

they are looking at something beautiful and great.

Having an in-house team is becoming rarer and rarer.

But for Temple Newsam, it's essential

and a never-ending mission.

In the 1940s, the historic interiors were ripped out.

But in the 1980s, Leeds City Council took the ground-breaking decision

to restore the house to its former glory.

Over the last 30 years, that's exactly what's happened, room by room.

Another objective was to collect as many of the house's original

treasures - treasures that had been sold off in the 1920s.

Probably the most significant was the return of the paintings that

hung in this spectacular room, the picture gallery.

Lord Halifax, an Ingram descendant, returned 85 heirloom paintings.

The majority of those were family portraits

and once again, the house was coming back to life.

Jenny, hello. Pleased to meet you. You are the painting conservator

and I know over a period of two of three years,

you've single-handedly restored most of these fine paintings.

-What was the biggest challenge?

-The biggest challenge was really

managing the movement of all these pictures,

-because some of them are quite large.

-How did you get that one out?

We got it down from the wall with the help of the excellent

installation team and I cleaned it in the gallery itself.

-Who is that?

-That is Arthur, the third Viscount Irwin.

That painting actually cost only £35 when it was commissioned.

That gives you a bit of insight.

What were the main problems with restoring some of the paintings?

Were the canvases damaged or was it just dust and dirt?

It was really surface dirt and a lot of dust.

They were in quite good structural condition but the frames,

because so many of them are gilded, they're quite difficult to clean.

The gelding is so susceptible to abrasion.

I bet that was a big responsibility,

with everybody watching over your shoulder, bringing these canvases back to life.

It was a responsibility but that's what you're trained for.

If you know what you're doing, you can get on with it.

I had helpers, too. Technicians helping.

Some of these pictures, you need six strong men just to turn it over.

I tell you what, it's a wonderful room to walk into.

It really is a powerful feeling walking through the length

of this great picture gallery.

Unsurprisingly, the picture gallery was high on the list to restore.

In 1996, to mark the room's 250th anniversary,

that's just what happened.

They found a scrap of the original green flock wallpaper

when the room was created in 1746 and replicated it.

It was the first facsimile wallpaper in the country.

Traditional methods were used.

The design was hand printed using a specially carved block.

The wool used to create the flock was painstakingly chopped

and sprinkled on by hand.

More often than not,

when you start a restoration project, one thing leads to another.

Inevitably, you have these unexpected discoveries.

It could be hidden behind a piece of panelling that you're repairing

or underneath the floorboards.

It just doesn't happen in the important state rooms,

it can be anywhere in the house. Take this room, for instance.

The still room, where the servants worked.

Nobody knew this was one huge display cabinet full of china.

This, at some stage in its history,

was split up into separate units and distributed all over the house in different bedrooms.

There was carpet on this flagstone floor.

During the restoration project, when the carpet was lifted up,

it left a footprint running along this wall, where something had been.

A few measurements later, and a bit of detective work,

all these cupboards were reassembled back into this room.

It's a small but very significant part of the history of this house.

Something now has been restored how it would have been

back to its former glory.

Old houses are like a jigsaw puzzle. A mosaic of styles and fashions.

They pose many questions, especially when it comes to restoration.

The current challenge is a bed.

Polly, you've got a big project on at the moment.

This, the Queen Anne state bed. Why did you buy it?

Temple Newsam has the most marvellous furniture collection.

No furniture collection is complete, really, without a grand state bed.

We purchased it in 1981 and before that,

it had been to two country houses, seven antique dealers

and the Henry Ford Museum in America.

A lot of history.

-Yeah.

-Can you actually date it?

-We can date it precisely to 1711.

That was right at the end of Queen Anne's reign.

-Do you think she slept in it?

-It's a funny story.

John, 1st Earl Poulett, was desperate to find favour with her

so he remodelled his whole house, creating the Queen Anne suite of rooms.

He even named his third son, Anne, and invited her to the christening

in the hope that she would perhaps sleep in this bed.

She never did.

There's lots of later elements. Lots of new oak, green oak going into this.

Yeah, there's an awful lot, but we saved the main elements.

-The headboard, the inner canopy, the valances.

-What about the cornices?

The cornices are, for me, one of the most exciting parts of the bed

and it was one of the great bits of detective work, actually,

for this project. In order to get

new ones carved, we had to study the old ones very closely.

Was it always in this configuration or did it actually hang?

In about the early 19th century, there were actually four bedposts.

Now, the canopy suspends from the ceiling.

Actually, restoring it back to its suspension is helping to save

the bed a little bit more because otherwise, the canopy would collapse

in the middle if you've got pressure coming in from the wrong place.

-What an exciting project.

-Yeah.

-It looks fabulous in this room.

I think it's going to look even better when it's finished.

A real treat, I think, for people.

A wonderful bit of work to have done.

More than 30 people over 18 months have worked on this bed.

It's a fabulous example of how many various crafts and skills have collaborated,

each one key to the success of the overall project.

I must say, it's been a real privilege

to get an insight into the work and the dedication it takes to conserve

and restore a magnificent historic house like this.

It gives us a glimpse into the past, so when people like you and me

come to visit, they can step back in time.

We're back to the equally historic

surroundings of Saltaire's Victoria Hall and its non-stop valuing.

It is a busy day but not everything needs a valuation.

So we move from this small man to another.

-Michael. Great, great name, first off.

-Absolutely fabulous.

I'm very glad you came today because you've brought this little fellow.

-Does he have a name?

-Do you know, he's an old, old friend

but I've never in the 60-odd years I've had him, given him a name.

-You've had him 60 years.

-I feel guilty about that.

Oh, my word. Where did you get him from, then?

He was given to me by my mother, who inherited him from a French uncle.

He was apparently an avid collector of all things Oriental.

When would he have been collecting them?

I would imagine the turn of the century.

Because there was a huge vogue for Chinese,

but moreover Japanese, works of art at the end of the 19th century.

Basically, in about 1868, there was an exhibition in London.

For the first time, pieces from Japan were exhibited.

Things that were of a native design rather than for export.

There was no frame of reference, there was no similarity in design.

So, of course, immediately, everyone went mad for it.

This spawned quite a good trade in export wares from Japan.

We have these two very distinct camps of items.

We've got those that are made for the Japanese in Japan to

a very high quality and then we've got those items which were made

specifically for export.

This little fellow is made for export. Still lovely quality.

We've got a carving of a woodsman with his axe,

but what we've got here is a mixture of carved wood and ivory.

I thought it was ivory.

We're all right, we're before 1947.

This would have been carved in about 1890 up to about 1910,

but this is a very good and economic way to use small offcuts

from larger single-piece ivory carvings, which were the most prized.

If you think, a small section forms the head, the hand, the branches.

You can take all these waste pieces

and re-use them and make a whole figure.

Also, the wood, of course, is far cheaper to carve

and quicker and easier than the ivory.

It does actually work very well because you're using

the wood for the robe and it gives it a lovely contrast.

If we turn him over, we should... There we go,

a signature on a small ivory panel.

I cannot tell you who that is today but what I can say is that

whilst the head is nicely carved, some of this is quite crude.

You only realise that these are not the best carving

-when you see the best carving.

-Right.

When you see the best Japanese carving, it blows you away.

It's still a very nice figure, and you can imagine someone

in France buying this and thinking it was the bee's knees

100 years ago.

-But you've had him and loved him, haven't you?

-I love him to bits.

I think he has one of the nicest smiles I've ever seen on a figurine.

The reason that I want to sell him is because I think,

somewhere along the line, he'll get badly damaged,

you know, grandchildren and things like that.

And I don't want to hide him away.

Yes, I can see how a little figure with an axe is really going to

-appeal to grandchildren.

-Little fingers.

Well, look, let's put him in at a sensible figure,

let's say £100-£200.

But let's put a fixed reserve of £100 on him.

But as I say, unless it's a very large, one-piece,

-very fine carving...

-I can appreciate that.

-..we're not into, sadly, the many hundreds of pounds

-that they used to fetch.

-Very sadly.

-Very sadly.

HE LAUGHS

-Mark...

-Yes.

-I don't think we've had a programme of Flog It!

without a piece of Clarice Cliff, Troika or Moorcroft coming along.

And you've made it for me

by bringing this item of Clarice Cliff along.

Now, Clarice Cliff is so familiar now as the sort of icon of the 1920s

and the '30s. And you look at this and you think of the period,

you think of the Jazz Age.

And this is emblematic of that particular period.

The design is bold, the colours are vulgar,

they're sharp but they're exciting.

And this is all what you expect to find in a piece of Clarice Cliff.

This is much more desirable than, let's say,

the very ordinary crocus pattern.

Now, this piece of Clarice Cliff is a little candle holder,

and what I like, just tucked inside, you've got three grooves

-which make certain your candle is not going to move.

-Right.

So that's quite nice. This should be a pair.

-Have you got the other one?

-Unfortunately not.

-Right.

-Where did this come from?

-From my sister-in-law a good few years ago.

She was clearing out, we admired a couple of pieces

and she said we could have them.

We'd never even think about having a pair.

We put it in the room and it didn't look right,

so we wrapped it up and put it in storage.

How long has it been in storage?

Since we moved into our new home, probably 15 years.

-15 years?!

-Hmm...

15 years ago, Clarice Cliff was just coming to emergence

-as a collectible commodity.

-Yeah.

I like this immensely.

-This would have been for a dressing table.

-Right.

-Or let's say a supper party.

So you just had four people round a circular table,

you could put that in the middle there,

with a little candle shade on it, it would look quite good.

It's that sort of period feeling.

-Can you tell me actually hold it is?

-I would say this piece dates from about 1927.

-'27.

-So it's quite a nice object. Fully marked, is it?

There's no damage on it? Yes, there we are.

This is the Bizarre range, Clarice Cliff, melon pattern.

And there we've got the melon design there.

You can see that pink design.

That would appeal to Clarice Cliff collectors.

-Right.

-It's gone beyond just a candlestick.

Now, my idea of price is round about £90-£120.

It could go more.

If there was a pair of them, it would be treble that sort of figure.

But you never know, there might be somebody in that auction room

-that has got one and wants the pair.

-Wants the pair.

And is going to buy this. And they'll go any price to get the pair.

I think we need to protect the price and put a reserve of £90 on it,

-if that's agreeable.

-That's agreeable. I didn't realise the value of it.

Being a single item, I thought it'd have been less

because it's on its own without the pair.

That's true, but I think there are so many interesting characteristics, particularly the design.

If you get £90 or £100-plus, what are you going to do with the money?

-Take the wife out for a nice meal.

-Oh, it's going to be a special meal.

She deserves it, putting up with me!

He's got all the banter, that Mr David Barby.

Now, our final item is a first for Flog It!

and one of the oldest treasures we've ever had on the programme.

Ernie, this is a fantastic condition gold coin

Where on earth did you get this from?

Well, me and my two mates were working out in Chesterfield,

putting a new water main in, and we took some muck out of the ground

and it dropped into the trench.

-Good grief!

-My mate picked it up, I thought it was a bottle top

-till he rubbed it and we saw the head on it.

-What a fantastic find.

Of course, as a single coin, it isn't treasure trove,

but you did take it to the museum?

Chesterfield Museum, yeah.

-What did they tell you about it?

-1603 to 1619

and it was 22 carat gold. It's nearly 400 years old.

I think the most amazing thing about this coin is that you dig it up

with a mechanical digger and spot it. I'll tell you more about it,

not that I can add much to what the museum told you.

We've got the head there of King James I

who, of course, is the son of Mary Queen of Scots.

And, of course, he reigned from 1603 to 1625.

The denomination of this is actually a laurel -

a wonderful name for a coin.

You know, we used to have guineas and sovereigns.

But you go back a bit, you get angels, half-angels and laurels.

We've got the denomination actually struck here, which is XX.

That's the number of shillings it represents.

So it's a 20 shilling piece.

We've got the figure of James in profile looking terribly

imperial and powerful

with that sort of Roman-style wreath through his head.

And if we read the inscription on the edge, we've got "Iacobus" -

so James - "DG, by the grace of god.

"Majesty of Britain, France and Ireland."

And if we flip it over, we've got the Royal coat of arms

surmounted by a crown.

Now, we have to think about a whole series of things

when we value coins.

These are hammered coins.

A hammered coin is anything which is struck by hand

and does not have a milled edge.

So they're individually cut and struck,

so the first thing is how even is the flan,

the surface of the coin?

We've got a little bit of trimming here, but that's fine.

Then we look at the condition or the definition

of the features and the motto.

But really, it is in absolutely wonderful condition.

For it's age, isn't it?

This represented an awful lot of money at the time

to someone who lost it.

If you lost a coin like this, you spent some time looking for it

if you'd known you'd lost it.

This was lost probably within a few years of it being struck.

And it's just lain there, undiscovered

until 400 years later... Beep! Beep! Beep!

Down comes the bucket of the digger, up and we see it.

I mean, it's a fantastic thing.

Value - now, most of these coins

are about £400 to £600.

When you get something that's in lovely condition,

that's the one everybody wants to buy.

So I think we would be safe

in putting £800 to £1,200 on it

and a fixed reserve of £800.

So if it does particularly well, what's going to happen to the money?

I'm going to spilt it with my other two mates.

Oh, that's fantastic, split three ways.

It's just as well that you found it now.

In the 18th century, if they found anything like this

and it was between a group of workmen,

they'd cut it up to however many people there were.

-Not worth anything cut up, would it?

-No, not anymore.

Well, that's it.

We've now found our final three items to take off to auction.

So it's time to say goodbye to our magnificent host location today,

the Victoria Hall and, of course,

to the hundreds of people who have turned up.

It's been a wonderful day, but we now have to put those valuations

to the test. We're going over to the auction room.

Here's a quick recap of what we're taking.

Michael thought this carved Japanese figure was charming.

But after 60 years in the family, will selling be too emotional?

David found a Clarice Cliff candleholder,

but will it light up the saleroom?

And finally, the sort of object we'd all like to dig up.

A 400-year-old James I of England

or James VI Scotland gold coin.

So we're back at Calder Valley Auctioneers in West Yorkshire

with auctioneer Ian Peace.

The place is still packed, but will it be a sad

goodbye as Michael says farewell to an old friend?

-How are you feeling, Michael?

-Absolutely fine.

This has been in the family a long time.

I've had it for about 60 years. My mother had it before.

So are you regretting now we've come to the moment that you're going

-to part with this?

-Only in a small way.

-This is quality, it is quality.

-I do like it.

It's a nice entry level carving for someone.

-You know, that's a good way to start collecting Japanese.

-Yeah.

We're going to find out right now.

Let's find out what the saleroom think.

-Someone should be going home with this.

-I think so.

The Japanese signed carved wood ivory figure of a woodsman.

£100, shall we say? 180?

I'm opening this at £50. Add £50, at 50. At 60, at 70...

Come on.

At £70, at £70.

At 70, at 80. At £90 here. 100 do I see? £100.

Gentleman on the right, £100. Are you all done?

At 110, a fresh bid. 110...

Ooh, just in time!

110. Anybody else now? At £110, then.

GAVEL BANGS

-Just!

-It shows that this is the time to go out and actually buy Japanese

works of art, especially if they're all at the top level.

They're very affordable. There's a lot of work in that.

-We've made the reserve, so I'm happy enough.

-Yeah.

-Exactly, job done.

Going under the hammer, we've got a Clarice Cliff candleholder

-belonging to Mark. Hello, Mark. It's great to see you.

-Hello, Paul.

-Who's this?

-This is my wife, Heather.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-He was going to treat you, wasn't he?

-He was talking all about you at the valuation day.

-Yes.

-Happy to sell this?

-Yes, yes.

-Why are you selling anyway?

It was a gift from my sister-in-law and it's been in the loft.

In the loft? Well, good for you for looking after it anyway,

even if it has been in the loft.

Tucked away out of harm's way. It's going under the hammer right now.

The Clarice Cliff Bizarre Fantasy hand-painted candlestick.

Do I get an open bid of £70? £70. £60, then.

£60 I have and £70 here. At £70, at £80.

At £90, at £100, at £110...

-Good!

-£110 I am bid.

£110, I'll take five. At £115, sir.

£120 on commission.

£120 against you. £120, £125, I have £130 here..

He's determined.

-Nope, you're out.

-Now he's out.

It's selling for £130.

That's OK. £130, well done.

Over the top, there.

That's added another star onto the restaurant.

-That's going to be a meal out.

-And a bottle of wine.

-Yes, a bottle of wine.

-Somewhere classy I hope?

-A nice little Italian.

-Good for you. Good choice.

Well, it's time for our final serving

and it's that scrumptious laurel gold coin,

circa 1603 to 1625.

It's definitely the oldest thing here today. Ernie, great to see you.

You've brought this in to the valuation day. Who's this?

-I'm Paul.

-Hiya, Paul. Great name!

-Now, I gather that you're the digger driver?

-Yeah.

-So you both work together, you're mates.

-Yeah, yeah.

What were you doing digging this piece of land up?

Laying a watermain.

As we were digging, cos it were a summer's day,

it reflected with the sun.

Gosh, you were lucky! That could have been one inch under the soil.

There are five busts of James I.

The first, second and fifth busts are very rare and valuable.

Yours, I'm afraid, is the fourth but the condition is lovely.

So we're just going to have to see if it carries it.

Smashing thing.

Real history here. This is what it's all about.

Antiques is a sense of connection to the past.

We can all own something like this or something like it.

-It gave you a great feeling, didn't it?

-Yes, it did.

-A sense of connection.

-Yeah.

The James I gold laurel.

20 shillings, 400 years old.

£500, please.

£500 I have...

There's a bid on the book.

£600, at £650, at £700.

At £750, at £800. £800 bid.

At £800, behind you £850...

-Ooh, they're going!

-That's good.

£900.

£950, gentleman behind you. At £950...

I can see Ernie going, "Come on, come on!"

£1,050. £1,100.

And 50.

No, shaking your head. It's £1,150 for the gentleman behind you.

Condition, condition, condition.

£1,150 then.

Good price, £1,150. Spot on, Michael.

When are you next putting a watermain down?

Yeah, we'd like to come along. We will be your spotters.

You can stay in the cab then, carry on.

What we've got, we'll split them with you.

We absolutely promise.

Thanks for bringing it in.

It's a lovely story and that's what the programme's all about. Marvellous.

Well, that's it. It's all over. We've had a fabulous day here.

I hope you've enjoyed it.

And if you've got any antiques you want to sell,

we would love to see you.

Bring them along to one of our valuation days

and it could be you in the next auction room.

Until then, from the Calder Valley, from all of us here, it's goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd