Alnwick Castle Flog It!

We love a bit of history here on "Flog It!"

And it doesn't get any better than this - this is Alnwick Castle,

the family seat to the Duke of Northumberland.

It's nicknamed the Windsor of the North and it's our host venue today.

Welcome to the show.

There's been a castle here for over 1,000 years,

built close to the volatile border between England and Scotland.

It was designed to protect the town against attacks from the Scots.

And our "Flog It!" crowd is under attack from one of our own Scots,

expert Anita Manning, who will do anything to draw in the punters.

You'll all get a wee sherry when we go inside.

-Wow!

-And if you've got anything good, a big sherry!

And Anita's flanked by David Fletcher,

who has a more sober approach.

Are they both in good condition? That's what's so crucial with these things.

-You do get tea in there.

-You said sherry!

-Aye, but I was only kidding!

Well, of course, this is the BBC, after all!

What a marvellous turnout we have here today

and I've got a good feeling about this one -

the sun is coming out - everybody's smiling, look!

THEY CHEER

And the great thing is, somebody here in this queue

has got something that is worth a small fortune and they don't know what they've got yet.

And nor do we - but it's up to our experts to find it,

-so I think we should get on with the show, don't you? Shall we go inside?

-ALL: Yes!

And whilst they make their way into the castle,

here's a taster of what we've got to look forward to.

In this intriguing venue, we find all manner of intriguing items,

each with their special history.

But which will fetch the most at auction?

Is it the Art Deco gold Dunhill lighter?

The Marklin electric train set?

Or the bi-corn naval officer's hat?

Everybody is now safely seated inside the outer bailey -

we are filming outdoors today,

so fingers crossed it's not going to rain. But what a stunning backdrop!

It doesn't get much better than that.

Hopefully, we can have some wizard work by our experts today,

and Anita Manning is first at the tables,

so let's get a closer look at what she's spotted.

Anne, thank you for bringing along these two glass items.

Can you tell me, where did you get them?

I inherited them from my sister and she died about 12 years ago.

She had them out on display in her house and I always admired them

and then I got them after she died.

I did intend to try and collect more.

That would have been a good idea

-and I love to see lots of glass together...

-That's right.

I think it looks beautiful, particularly that type of glass.

-Do you know what this is called?

-I know it as cranberry glass.

Uh-huh, well done, that's good!

So these are Victorian,

they would have been from about 1850 to 1900.

If you hold it up, look at this - wonderful, mouth-watering tones -

that sort of pinky-red, and I think that's absolutely lovely.

Glass-makers have always experimented with colours

and they coloured glass by including different coloured powders or enamels.

Cranberry glass was expensive

because this lovely colour was produced by the addition

of a gold chloride in and that would give them that wonderful red colour.

Tell me, do you have it on display?

I used to, when I lived in the type of property that I thought

it looked best in, but I live in a more modern bungalow now.

-So time to pass it on?

-Yes.

If you look at the items more closely, we will see that

the jug has this wonderful twisted glass handle and the glass-blower

would have taken that and twisted it round

to make this wonderful shape.

That's an added interest to the item.

Here, we have a little sugar shaker and this would have sat

on your summer table when you had your strawberries and cream

and it would have been used to sprinkle your sugar on.

The top, with these perforations,

is silver-plated, and this has been well-used,

because the plate has started to come off of the lid here.

-Yes.

-We have to take that into consideration.

I would like, if we're going to put them into auction,

to put them as one lot.

I would put an auction valuation of 45-60.

-Would you be happy to sell it at that price?

-Yes, I would.

Good. No sentiment... Will you be sorry to see them go?

Not really. Not really, no, not now.

Well, we'll put them in, 45-60,

and we'll put a reserve price of £40 on them.

-They might run away at that, Anne!

-Well!

-And it'll be great fun at the auction.

-Yes.

Well, we'll look forward to that, Anita.

Next up, magpie David's spotted some gold.

-Hello, Richard.

-Hello, David.

-You've brought along with you three gold items.

-Yes.

Now, I'm interested in the inscription in the lid, here.

"Eaton Quality Award." And something similar in this. 1995, this one is.

-And you were awarded these?

-Yes, they were quality awards.

OK, and were they personal to you, or did other people...?

-No, it was a division in the company got it.

-OK.

Very interesting that they should have given you something which has turned out to be an investment.

When I retire, I don't suppose I shall get anything.

But if I do, I hope it's something that will go up in value!

The sovereign and the gold ingot here have both increased

substantially in value since the mid-'90s,

but a gold sovereign today is going to be worth £160-200.

This little chap here, the ingot, it tells us

it's 999.9 parts per 1,000 pure gold,

and there are five grams there,

so if you put that in at about £20 a gram, you've got another £100 there.

Now, these are based on melt values,

but that's not to say they'll be melted.

That's a bit confusing, sometimes, as people assume that

if something has a high melt value, it automatically gets melted.

But that's not the case, because people will buy these as investments.

This one is a half-sovereign.

This dates from 1900,

so this has a bit of extra age and as such has appeal to collectors.

So we'd expect that to make a little bit more than the melt figure,

but it is really quite badly worn

-and I would reckon that at between £60-100.

-Yes.

-You're happy to sell them, presumably?

-Yes, I am.

-OK.

So if we think in terms of them having a minimum value

of about £320, and I'm optimistic that they'll make 360, 370 maybe...

-Very good.

-Sell them as one lot, with a reserve of £300.

-Yes.

-That's OK, is it?

-Yes.

We'll go ahead on that basis, Richard, and I'll look forward to seeing you at the sale.

That's a golden opportunity for someone to put aside

an investment for the future.

Back on Anita's table, she's joined by Ada, who's getting the sharp end of the stick.

Thank you for bringing along this sweet little collection of tie pins.

Can you tell me, where did you get them?

Well, they're not mine, actually.

They were collected by my husband - I think he started in the '60s

and I just thought I would bring them along.

-Tell me, did he wear these?

-Well, of course, everyone wore ties then.

-It was a different age!

-It was.

And do you think it was just a wee thing to satisfy a collecting bug?

Yes, he certainly wasn't a person for collecting jewellery, as such,

cos he didn't wear anything except a plain gold ring,

I think it was just the collecting.

Uh-huh. It's the fun of going out and searching and finding something that you haven't got.

Let's have a wee look at them - we've got 15 here.

And a variety of different types.

I particularly like that one there, and that is a nine-carat gold one,

probably from the Edwardian era, 1900-1910.

What we have here is a peridot, which is that lovely green stone

and two tiny seed pearls here - it's almost like a baby bar brooch.

Yes, it is.

Here again, we have a gold one, and in the centre here,

we have a tiny little diamond chip, so that's quite a nice one as well.

-That's my favourite, actually.

-That's your favourite? Ah!

And I quite like this one, which has a piece of turquoise

and a little tiny diamond chip, so three rather nice ones here.

And we have maybe more typical ones. He must have liked these sort of

floret shapes - here it's almost like a starfish, with seed pearls...

It's very delicate, isn't it?

We've got a four-leafed clover and this looks like little milky opals.

-Oh, they're opals, are they? Right.

-We have a sweet variety here.

A couple of them are gold, most are gold-plated

and they're not containing any precious stones.

What about value, what do you think?

I honestly don't know what they're worth. I don't think they're worth very much,

but I just think someone else should have them.

I think you're absolutely right.

-I think we should put them into sale at say, £50-70.

-Right.

We've got 15 there and let's hope that we go towards the top estimate.

We can put a reserve price on them and I would suggest that

the reserve price would maybe be in the region of £45.

-Right. That's fine.

-Would you be happy enough with that?

-I would, yes, fine.

-OK, let's put them there.

Will you be sad to see them go?

No, because I'll be pleased that somebody else can have them.

-It's a good thought, isn't it?

-Yes.

And hopefully, they will go higher than the bottom estimate

and towards the top estimate.

Well, that would be good.

What a lovely little collection.

It looks like eagle-eyed David has been train-spotting.

-Hello, Mary.

-Hello.

-Thank you for bringing this in for us today.

-Are you interested in trains and locomotives?

-Mainly toys.

-OK.

-And do you collect them?

-Yes.

-And this is part of your collection.

-Well, yes.

-Why are you selling it?

It's been on top of my wall unit for the last 20 years

and I wanted to sell it to try and make some money

for one charity of mine and some trips away, I think.

OK, splendid.

You probably know as much about this as I do if you're a collector.

The tender is known as a steeple car,

made by a firm called Marklin,

a very well-known firm of German tin-plate toy manufacturers.

A particular type of locomotive, as you can see, really -

rather strange in appearance.

But I gather a very functional type of locomotive.

It has an electric motor -

the power is picked up through the pantograph, it's a 220-volt motor.

With that amount of voltage flooding through it,

it's capable of whizzing along.

And it tows this carriage - also by Marklin -

I forget the name of that type of carriage. Can you help me?

-I think it's a Mitropa.

-A Mitropa carriage, exactly right.

We can date this to about 1926.

I mean, there are various early features that enable us to do that.

Not least, the way these rivets are painted,

little dots painted onto the green ground.

The carriage itself is lithograph, that's not hand-painted,

that's printed, that decoration.

And the mark also, which is an MC, formed in a monogram.

Look at it, not unlike the MCC as in Marylebone Cricket Club monogram,

which helps us to determine that it's of a relatively early date.

It's an incredibly realistic thing

and any child would just love to play with this,

and they were made for children, of course.

I think they've become boys' toys really

and you're probably quite unusual in being a lady who collects.

-Strange.

-I wasn't saying it was strange at all,

I think it's charming. Good for you, buck the trend, I say.

Have you any other similar tin-plate toys in your collection?

-I have a few wind-up toys, horses that jump...

-OK.

-..a bartender whose nose goes red and blows smoke out of his ears.

-As you'd expect.

But where they are, I haven't a clue.

-They're there somewhere.

-But you might dig them out one day?

-Yes.

I think this is going to make somewhere between £200 and £300.

-Lovely.

-And a reserve of £200.

-Yes, that's lovely.

-Excellent.

Did you buy it yourself or did you inherit it?

I bought it from the salerooms just round the corner.

-Can you remember what you paid?

-About £30, I think.

With any luck, we'll be adding a nought to that.

OK, so off we chug, "chug" is the wrong word,

because it's an electric locomotive.

Off we whizz to the sale room with it.

I'll sit in the front, you can sit in the back. And I'll see you there.

'Mary's train set may have been designed as a child's toy,

'but there's nothing childish about the price they can command in the saleroom.

'Back in 2008, we saw this collection of popular Hornby engines

'sell for a steamy £550.

'But it's pre-war Marklin

'locomotives that fetch the most

'and really desirable models like this one are worth over £2000.

'Let's hope the price Mary gets

'for hers goes off the rails.'

Well, that's it, that's our last item found this morning.

Now it's time to put those valuations to the test,

as we head over to the auction room for the first time.

And while we make our way over there, here's a quick recap,

just to jog your memory of all the items going under the hammer.

Anne's Victorian cranberry glass is right up Anita's street,

but will the bidders love it?

David thinks Richard's

gold collection will appeal to collectors,

rather than scrapdealers.

Anita hopes these 15 delicate tie pins

will be a success in the sale room.

And David's also confident

about his train set.

He's valued it for ten times the original price.

We're travelling an hour down the north-east coast

to Boldon Auction Galleries in Tyne and Wear.

Commission rates do vary,

but here, sellers pay 17.5%, plus VAT.

As you can see, it's a packed saleroom. There's two floors here.

Hopefully, a lot of these people are going to be bidding on our lots. We'll find out a bit later.

We could have one or two surprises. Don't go away, anything can happen.

Auctioneer Giles Hodges is raring to go,

the bidders are primed and here's our first lot.

It's Anne's jug and sugar sifter.

Not you at all?

-You didn't like the cranberry glass?

-I did like it.

-Why are you selling them?

-It was handed down through the family

and I'd like to share the money with my grandchildren.

65, £70?

Well, cranberry glass isn't getting as much as it was getting five or six years ago,

but these are nice pieces and they're in good condition.

-Not my cup of tea, I've got to say.

-We're subject to fashion and fad,

the same as any other type of business,

and this is a wee outer taste into these markets.

Well, let's find out what the bidders think, shall we?

It's going under the hammer right now. Good luck, both of you.

We've got the Victorian cranberry glass jug,

with the clear glass handle

and the sifter with the plated mount to match.

There we go, and a £20 bid.

At 20, for the bid of cranberry. 25. 30, 35, 40.

This is OK, it's going.

-£40, latest bid on the front row. At £40. 45.

-Yes.

50. Five. £55, it's on the balcony.

At £55. 60, anybody?

In the room, on the balcony, at £55.

-Yes. Sold, good valuation.

-That's not a bad price for them.

-Much better, a wee bit better than I thought.

-I'm delighted.

Happy, happy, everyone?

THEY LAUGH

-Yes, thank you.

-Are you happy?

-Job done.

Let's hope the new owner is just as happy as us three.

Well, it certainly is a good time to sell gold

and that's exactly what we're doing.

Richard has three gold awards,

lovely coins, in a way, but they're awards.

-Awards, yes.

-Why are you selling these now?

I've had them for many years, I got them in the 1990s

and I just thought, gold's at a good price.

-It is. You were aware of that, weren't you?

-Yes.

-Exactly.

We have the 22-carat gold sovereign,

dated 1980, the half sovereign,

and a little medal as well, roughly about 17 grams.

I have, again, four bids.

380 to start me.

-At 380. 390...

-That's the scrap value.

-Yes, I think.

400, 410, 420, 430,

440, 450, 460.

-460, with me. It's on commission at £460, are we all done?

-Straight in.

Still on the internet at £460.

That's OK, we'll take that.

It's done far better than it would've done in an ISA,

or stocks and shares, or a building society.

It's something tangible to look at and talk about.

You can't show off your ISA to a friend.

You can't invite them round and say, "Look at my ISA."

But at least you can say, "Look at these, these are nice."

And you can boast about what you sold your gold for on Flog It! You can't boast about your ISA.

And let's see if our next lot is something to boast about.

Going under the hammer right now, a collection of 15 tie pins.

Something that wouldn't really suit me, Ada,

-because I've actually only worn a tie on TV once.

-Scruff.

-Lovely collection though, Ada.

-Yes, I think so. Yes.

-I'm sure these are going to find a home right now.

-I hope so.

Happy with the valuation?

Yes, well, 45 is not dear. I think we have two or three gold ones

there and there is such a variety

in tie pins that people like to collect them.

Let's find out what the bidders think. They're going under the hammer right now.

A collection of 15 various tie pins, some of them nine carat.

I'm bid 30 to start them, at £30.

35, 40, 45. On the balcony at £45. 50, anybody?

-We're in.

-At £45. On my right, at £45.

This is good.

Ladies and gentlemen, at 45.

Yes, he sold them, hammer's gone down, 45.

That's a good valuation.

I would've liked a wee bitty more, but that's what happens.

They've gone to a good home, I imagine.

-Somebody's going to use those.

-Yes.

But not me. You can't pin me down and make me wear a tie, Anita!

Going under the hammer right now,

Mary's train set, with a value of £200-300.

-You're a bit of a toy collector.

-Yes, that's right.

You got this in auction, 30 years ago? How much did you pay for it?

-I think about £30, I'm not sure.

-That's not too bad, is it?

Hopefully, we can turn it into 200 to 300?

-That's what we're hoping to do.

-Lovely, good.

I'm pretty confident, I'm not 100% confident, but pretty confident.

Let's find out. I was going to say, it's a boy's toy, but obviously not, it's a girl's toy as well.

Let's find out what the bidders think.

We have the pre-war Marklin electric four-wheel speed loco

and the little single carriage.

I'm bid £200.

At 200. 20, anybody?

-It's placed.

-220, 240,

260, 280, 300.

To my left at £300. Another 20 now.

-At £300, to my left.

-That's good.

-That's very good, 300.

-£300, anybody on the net?

£300, are we all done, ladies and gents at £300?

That was worth hanging on to, wasn't it?

Bought for £30, sold for £300. Everything has a value over time.

It's sort of affordable, I suppose.

-Somebody else can look after it now.

-Yes.

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

You've heard what our experts' opinions were

and you've seen what the bidders' reactions were.

We are coming back later on in the programme, don't go away.

But the great thing about antiques is they have not just a good life,

they have a second life, third life and fourth life

under a different owner, in a different guise.

They just keep going around and around.

While I was up here in the area,

I took the opportunity to go off and film a building

that's had many different guises over the centuries,

and it's absolutely fascinating. Take a look at this.

Lindisfarne Castle, on the Northumberland coastline,

is cut off from land twice a day by three miles of the North Sea at high tide.

Now, that building behind me has to be the ultimate grand design.

But is it a 16th-century fort,

built to protect Lindisfarne harbour from the invading Scots?

Maybe it's a coastguard's lookout, a Jacobite hideaway,

inspiration for Charles Rennie Mackintosh,

or even a luxury holiday home for a London publishing tycoon.

Over the last 400 years, Lindisfarne Castle

has been all of those,

and I'm here today to find out how one place

can have so many different owners.

The story starts back in 1570.

It was decided that the island and harbour

needed greater protection from the Scots, and so a fort was built here.

Now, imagine how bleak it must have felt being posted here

on the highest point of the island in the deepest of winter.

Luckily, the fort had a relatively easy life.

There were never any bloodthirsty battles here.

In 1603, the accession of James VI of Scotland to the English throne

united the two kingdoms.

So there was no longer a need for Lindisfarne to have a border fort.

However, for the next three centuries,

a detachment from the Berwick garrison were stationed here

to defend the harbour against various enemies.

And in 1893, the building became a coastguard station.

Then in 1901, Edward Hudson, the editor of Country Life magazine,

discovered the empty remains of the castle whilst on holiday.

He scaled the walls and looked around.

The coastguards had left it in squalor,

but Hudson saw the castle's potential

and he fell in love with it.

As a Londoner, he had a romantic view of the country

and aspired to have the same lifestyle

that his magazines promoted.

Hudson leased the castle from the local landowner

and immediately commissioned his good friend

and architect Edward Lutyens to transform the fort

into a dream holiday home within its Tudor walls.

It was a challenge that Lutyens was certainly up for.

He embraced the project.

At the age of 33, he'd already established himself

as England's leading country house architect.

He was fit for the challenge.

It got him away from that picturesque Surrey house look

and he was able to embrace local materials.

So how did Lutyens go about creating a modern holiday home

from a castle fort?

He extended the building, playing with the rise and fall of levels,

angles and contrasts between stone, grass and skyline.

Inside, he leaded windows and created fantastic columns

and rounded arches.

The rooms are linked with dramatic corridors

and play on the subtle combinations of stone, bricks, slate and cobble.

The almost seamless integration of the materials and textures

gives the impression the rooms are carved from the rock itself.

Lutyens embraced the castle's original features

with his own arts and crafts details,

something typical of his early style.

This is part of the original fort building.

That huge red brick fireplace, and these windows

have been cleverly incorporated into an old gunpowder magazine.

The vaulted ceiling above dates to the 18th century.

That was cleverly installed to take the weight of a new gun battery,

right above our head.

But the attention to detail is quite exquisite.

It runs throughout this entire building.

Some of it is obvious, some of it is subtle.

For instance, these curtains just pull back on these rods.

They swing back.

The curtains aren't bunched in a tight group when they're drawn back.

It allows the maximum amount of light to flood through the window.

Something on a more subtle note.

The architectural detail on the door over there. I'll show you.

All the doors in this building have the most wonderful latches.

Just look at this.

All incorporated with a lead weight in them.

The idea of that is, it moves the bolt across.

It not only shows off Lutyens' unique style,

but it embraces the whole of the arts and crafts ethos.

Something born of good craftsmanship.

Something beautiful to look at,

and something practical.

And that ticks all the boxes.

Perhaps the most unusual feature in this building is this,

the internal wind indicator.

It's something that Lutyens installed

in many of the fine buildings he designed.

This was painted by the artist MacDonald Gill in 1912.

Gill and Lutyens share the same sense of fun and vibrancy

in their work.

This is a good example. It's full of ambiguities.

There are several stories going on at once

within the main theme.

In this case, the main theme

is the effects of the unfavourable winds.

This depicts a scene from 1588.

In the centre, you see Lindisfarne.

But around it, the defeated Spanish fleet being blown up the east coast,

with the English fleet in hot pursuit.

Around it, here, all the other castles protecting Northumberland.

Places like Alnwick and Bamburgh.

Isn't that marvellous? There's the dial.

It's linked to this weathervane, using a series of cogs and rods.

And it still works.

At the moment, the dial says 'West South Westerly'.

In its heyday, the castle played host to magnificent parties

and welcomed a number of distinguished guests,

including the future King George V,

and the cellist Medim Suggia.

Just imagine the atmosphere at one of these parties.

It had become a home that exuded warmth and comfort.

Perfect for entertaining,

and a million miles away from the cold and functional fort

of its former life.

Hudson bought the castle in 1918.

But without an heir to leave it to,

and an increasing workload back in London,

he decided to sell it three years later, in 1921.

It then passed through the hands of two private owners,

before being given to the National Trust in 1944.

The incredible transformation this castle has gone through

over the centuries

makes it a building like no other.

It'll be fascinating to see what it looks like,

and who its visitors are in another 100 years' time.

From Lindisfarne Castle,

it's back to Alnwick Castle, our spectacular valuation day venue.

It's time to seek refuge inside,

because the weather hasn't won its battle.

Louise, I think your coach awaits you here.

It's ready to take you home.

What have you brought in to show us today?

I've brought in this Bicorne hat I found in the house I've just bought.

It's an old vicarage.

-Is that far from Alnwick?

-It's about 40 miles from here.

So you've just bought an old vicarage,

-and now you're doing it up?

-I am, yes.

And you found this in the house?

There was a lot of old boxes left in the attic,

and when we cleared out the boxes,

this was in the bottom of one of the boxes.

We've seen these on the show before.

There is great interest in maritime memorabilia.

Have you seen what's inside here yet?

-No.

-Do you know

what we're talking about?

It's an officer's hat. Look at that.

Bicorne, meaning 'two sides to it'.

There are tricornes, that point at the front.

I think possibly the most famous

person to wear a bicorne

would be Napoleon Bonaparte.

You hold this, will you?

Can we have a model

that can wear this?

-What's your name?

-Thomas.

Are you ready? Here we go.

Gosh, this chap had a tiny little head, didn't he?

-How d'you feel, Thomas?

-THEY LAUGH

A little bit silly, probably!

Look at the work and detail that's gone into that.

-There's a name on the front, isn't there?

-Yes.

Have you done any research on this?

I couldn't find anything on the name.

'MH Piuie Esquire'.

It's a shame. If we knew who owned this,

we could trace the vessel he was on.

So the whole thing would have provenance, more history.

Normally, it's the provenance that puts the weight of value

onto an item like this.

The hatbox itself is really interesting.

That's quite collectible in its own right.

I've a feeling the hatbox and the hat

are virtually the same value each.

I think you had a good find.

Let's put a valuation of £60 to £100 on it.

I know this will get snapped up by maritime collectors.

-Are you happy with that?

-Very happy.

-Do you know why they fold flat like this?

-No.

-No, I don't know.

It's because they're designed to be tucked under the arm for comfort,

when you walk along when you're not on duty.

Wonderful little thing.

They're worn right up until 1914, in the British Navy.

We'll put that back inside,

and take that over to the auction room for you.

Hopefully, we'll get the top end of the estimate.

I think that's rather good.

-A classic bit of antique recycling. That's what it's all about.

-Thanks.

'What a fascinating piece of history.

'Now, over to the guest hall, where David's head's been turned

'by a small, but perfectly formed, collectible.'

-Hello, Susie.

-Hello, there.

This is a stylish thing, isn't it?

A cigarette lighter, of course.

It appears to be gold. I'll look in a moment.

I'm pretty certain it's by Dunhill.

What's more, it looks to me that it was made between the wars.

It's sort of in the Art Deco style.

Reminds me a bit of a skyscraper.

That very modern style of architecture sweeping America

in the 1930s.

Above all else, it's just a cool thing to own.

You can imagine sitting on your sun chair on your yacht

in Monte Carlo, flicking it and lighting your very long cigarette.

Perhaps in a holder as well.

It is SO cool. Let's have a look

and see if I'm right.

I am. It's clearly marked 'Dunhill'.

It also states, on the base, 'Cartier Licence'.

So it was made under licence to a Cartier design.

What a combination of names,

Cartier and Dunhill.

We also have the assay mark,

which tells us that it's nine-carat gold.

Engine-turned decoration, very understated base,

and capital, echoing the architectural theme.

Tell me how you came to own it.

Last year, we were at a car-boot sale,

and wandering around, and picked it up,

because I thought it was a cute piece,

which was up for sale for £7.

-£7?

-Yes.

And the boyfriend bartered it down to £4.

We knew it was a Dunhill lighter,

cos it was at the bottom,

but when we got it home

and took the filler cap off,

there was some engraving on the inside.

I said, "here, it says .375."

I said, "That's nine-carat gold."

Exactly.

That was a fantastic buy. Did you do any homework?

A little bit, yes.

And you found out much what I've told you?

-Yes. A 1934 hallmark.

-1934? That's the hallmark.

-It came as no great surprise to you when I told you what it was?

-No.

OK. So it cost you £4?

-Have you any idea what it might be worth?

-No.

Well, you have to bear in mind it's gold.

There's going to be a significant melt value in the case.

But it's worth far more than its melt value.

You have to bear in mind the mechanics aren't gold.

I think they're probably brass.

I think it's worth something between £250 and £350.

-I would suggest a reserve of £250.

-Lovely.

Which is quite a profit on £4.

Well done, your boyfriend and you.

I think we'll do very well for you.

It's a wonderful object.

Smoking is no longer fashionable,

but its paraphernalia

is still very popular.

Zippo and Ronson models are the most collected.

But good news for Susie, it's Dunhill that fetches the most.

In 2011, "Flog It!" saw this aquarium lighter

go under the hammer

for an impressive £1,510.

Collectors of the brand can pay

up to £10,000

for a gold concealed

watch lighter like this one.

Now, still burning through their valuations,

over to Anita.

Thank you for bringing along this

lovely little suite of jewellery.

Can you tell me, where did you get it?

From my mother, just before she died.

It had apparently belonged to her grandmother

and had come down through the family.

-Are you married, John?

-I am, yes.

-Did your wife wear that at all?

-No, she didn't.

She thought it was a bit too flamboyant.

That's right. A bit ornate for today's tastes.

What I find delightful, first of all,

is that it's in its original box.

That's always good, in the buying of jewellery.

The date, somewhere between 1880 and 1900.

It's made of coral, and it's all small pieces of coral

which have together been gathered.

We can see the little child lying in a bed of flowers and leaves.

Quite a romantic thought.

If we turn it round the back,

we can see there is a brooch or pin mechanism here,

so it can be worn as a brooch.

But we also have a hook, so it can be used as a pendant.

And we have these long drop earrings,

which were very popular in Victorian times.

It's a nice little suite, John.

I like the colour of coral. I think it's beautiful and it's warm.

I quite like the flamboyance of it.

I would wear that with a yellow jumper, or whatever.

-Have you had it valued before?

-No.

We're not talking about precious stones here.

It is a natural substance.

If it was coming into auction, I would put it

in the region of £50 to £80.

It may do more than that, John.

That may be a conservative estimate.

-But I think it's the proper estimate to draw the bidding in.

-Right.

Would you be happy to put it in with a reserve on the lower estimate?

Well, I'd prefer to see the lower end up a bit,

-if that's possible.

-It is, of course.

In the end, John, we want you to be happy.

But we certainly can't put the reserve above the lower estimate.

If we take the lower estimate up,

you might feel more comfortable with that?

Yes, I would.

£60 to £80, with a FIRM reserve of £60?

Right, fine. I hope people fight over it.

They will. I think it'll go at least to the higher estimate.

And we might get a wee surprise.

Yeah. Fingers crossed.

Not long to go before we find out.

Sadly, it's time to say farewell to these magnificent people

that have turned up today, without whom we would not have a show.

A big thank you there, and also to our magnificent backdrop,

Alnwick Castle.

Let's get straight over to the saleroom.

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

Louise rescued this officer's hat from her loft.

I'm confident it will be snapped up by a naval collector

on the double.

Susie paid just £4 for this stylish Dunhill lighter,

which certainly set alight

David's imagination.

Anita thinks the vibrant coral jewellery will draw the bidders in,

with a conservative estimate.

We're back at Boldon Auction Galleries

in Tyne and Wear.

Remember, if you're buying or selling at auction,

there is commission to pay.

Here, it's 17.5%, plus VAT.

So check the details in the catalogue, because it does vary

from auction room to auction room.

Going under the hammer right now, the hatbox belonging to Louise,

with a value of around £60.

It might do £100, but it's somewhere in that margin.

-We might be taking this home.

-OK.

I hope not.

-Nevertheless, it was a good find in the house, wasn't it?

-Yes, it was.

How are the restoration works going so far?

Slowly, but surely.

We were knocking a wall down yesterday, so I had my hard hat on.

Hopefully, we can have some proceeds from this

-to go towards that.

-Yes.

-I hope!

Here we go. This is it.

An old, Napoleonic-style hat.

Inscribed 'M H Piuie, Esquire'.

I have one, two, three

-four commission bids before we start.

-Great.

We are starting at £100.

£10, anybody? At £100. £10, anybody in the room?

At £100, or the net.

At £100.

With me, on the commission. So, the maiden bid's going to get it.

-At £100, we're away.

-Yes!

At £100, thank you.

Thank goodness for that.

That'll get all your plaster, hopefully.

-Bags of plaster.

-Yes.

-And a bit of cement.

-Hopefully.

Good luck with the rest of the project, and thanks so much

-for bringing that in.

-Thanks.

-Phew!

Next up, the gold Dunhill lighter belonging to Susie.

I have good news for you.

Since the valuation day, about six weeks ago,

the price of gold has shot up in value.

Had a chat to Giles yesterday. He said it's gone up

at least £100.

A little bit more.

-That's not bad going, is it?

-It's not.

It's worth the wait!

So it's made by Dunhill, retailed by Cartier.

Top names. A nice little thing.

The nine-carat gold Dunhill-Cartier tall boy lighter.

London, 1934.

With the engine-turned case.

-I've two commission bids.

-(That's good!)

-Starting at four...

-Four...?!

£460 starts me.

That's great!

At £460.

£480, now.

At £460. £480, anybody?

At £460,

are we all done?

The internet's quiet.

-At £460...

-That's not bad, Susie, is it?

We're away, at £460.

That was virtually straight in, wasn't it?

At £460. Bang! Sold.

-Well, your chap turned a good profit on that.

-Yes, he did.

-What a cool item. Very Noel Coward, isn't it?

-Very.

-Thank you so much for bringing that in.

-Thank you very much.

Not a bad profit on a £4 investment, Susie.

Going under the hammer now, something really stylish.

Coral brooch and some long drop earrings, belonging to John.

Well, they weren't really John's, were they?

But they were your grandmother's?

Great-grandmother's.

Gosh! They've been in the family a long time.

I'm not quite sure how they came down,

but I ended up getting them from my mother.

I don't think the box has been opened for about ten years.

-I love this.

-There's not a lot of money here. A reserve of just £60.

They might do better than that. They aren't a precious stone.

We don't have gold, silver, or diamonds.

-But they have the look.

-They have the look.

-So, hopefully, we're looking for twice that!

-Or three times!

Fingers crossed, here we go. It's going under the hammer.

We have this Victorian coral brooch,

with the matching earrings,

and in its original box.

And I'm bid £40 to start it.

£45, £55.

-£65.

-That's good, it's bouncing

backwards and forwards.

£65. £70. Fresh place.

£75. £85.

£90. £95. £100.

-£105.

-The commission bid

he's working from the book.

£115, £120. £125.

£130.

£135. £140.

-£145.

-They LOOK expensive, let's face it.

Bidders upstairs. Now the net.

-£180.

-£180!

-£190.

£220.

He's off the book. It's all going on in the room.

It's in the room at £230.

£300.

£320. £380.

-Wow, John.

-£400.

Got £400 on the internet.

£420. It's in the room at £420.

-That's a good price.

-We've quadrupled it.

First and the last time.

At £420...

£440.

Wow.

At £440. You're all out upstairs.

At £440, and we're away!

At £440.

Wasn't that wonderful?

-Wasn't that wonderful?

-Result!

The thing is, you couldn't ask someone to make them today,

at that sort of price, £440.

So that's how you can gauge values, in a way.

They were worth every single penny of that.

Proper quality.

I told you there'd be a good surprise at the end.

I hope you enjoyed that. I know John did.

He's going home with lots of money!

Join us next time, but from Boldon, here, on the north-east coast,

-it's goodbye from us. Well done, John!

-Yeah, that was brilliant!

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