0:00:20 > 0:00:24And the bells are already ringing to welcome the people of Devon.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32Just look how many people have turned up here today in the sunshine. Happy faces.
0:00:32 > 0:00:38Somewhere in all these bags and boxes there's a real treasure. It's our experts' job to find it.
0:00:38 > 0:00:44And here is one of our experts, Caroline Hawley, looking fabulous. Good luck, Caroline.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48And here's an old Flog It favourite, Mr Mark Stacey!
0:00:48 > 0:00:52- Paul, how are you? - What have you found so far?
0:00:52 > 0:00:54Oh, a good little find.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58- Are you all ready to go inside?- Yes! - Come on, then. Let's get them in.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07The tables are set, the lights are on and the Flog It team are smiling.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11Here's Mark with some subtle ceramics.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15What a lovely pair! And the vases, of course!
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Debbie, I've got to ask.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22- Yes?- Do you need medical assistance? What on earth did you see in them?
0:01:22 > 0:01:29- What did you see in them? - I thought they were beautiful! - Really?- And decorative.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31- Really?- Yeah.- Beautiful?
0:01:31 > 0:01:38When you see a lovely pair of early Worcester vases, all hand-painted and delicate,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42you can say beautiful, but these? They're early 'orrific!
0:01:42 > 0:01:47- Oh, 'orrific! - Having said that, I adore them.
0:01:47 > 0:01:54- And I would love to take them home. I think they're so over the top. - They are a bit OTT.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59- Where did you get them from? - I got them from an antiques fair.
0:01:59 > 0:02:06- Yes.- At Westpoint, just outside of Exeter.- Quite recently or...? - At the beginning of the year.
0:02:06 > 0:02:12- So you haven't had them long.- No. - What attracted you to them? - I liked the detail on them.
0:02:12 > 0:02:20- I thought the cream would go with my kitchen.- I've never, ever seen anything like them before.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24- They're Victorian.- Right. - So they've got a bit of age.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28Underneath, I've had a sneaky look and it's marked Brownfield.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33And it's got a registration lozenge on it,
0:02:33 > 0:02:37- which you can date to the day and the month of the design.- Oh, right.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42It's also got some figures which says five over 81,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45which means May, 1881.
0:02:45 > 0:02:53- Wow!- That's when the pottery vases were actually made. Not necessarily when they were decorated, but fired.
0:02:53 > 0:03:00- To have all these split beans and peas on it, they are just delightfully wacky.- They are.
0:03:00 > 0:03:06- But you only bought them this year. - Yes.- And I have a hideous feeling you paid quite a lot.- I did.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10- What did you pay? - 240...for the pair.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12For the pair?
0:03:12 > 0:03:17- £240. That's quite a lot, isn't it? - It was, yeah.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21My gut feeling, really, if you put them into auction, is
0:03:21 > 0:03:25- you'd want to put the estimate really at £200 to £300.- Right.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Would you be happy to do that? Put a 200 reserve on?
0:03:28 > 0:03:31- That would be lovely. - OK? You never know.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35- Somebody else might have bad taste, too.- Yes!
0:03:38 > 0:03:42They say art is subjective and auctions are unpredictable,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45so who knows what will happen?
0:03:45 > 0:03:51It's such a beautiful day, we're using the cathedral close and grounds
0:03:51 > 0:03:55and Caroline has found herself some classic collectables.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02So, Janus, thank you for bringing along this fabulous collection. How did you come by them?
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Well, these are my toys.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08My father bought them for me in the early to mid-'50s.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11And I did play with them.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Of course, as I got a bit older, I stopped.
0:04:14 > 0:04:20- Ever since then, they've been up in the loft in boxes.- You don't play with them?- Not any more.
0:04:20 > 0:04:27- Now these are Dinky Toys.- They are. - The company came into being in 1933.
0:04:27 > 0:04:34Originally they were called Modelled Miniatures. The name Dinky Toys came in in 1934.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37They're made by the Meccano Company.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42As a collection, and the best way of selling them is as a collection,
0:04:42 > 0:04:47I think we would put an estimate of £150 to £250
0:04:47 > 0:04:49on the collection.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54There will be a lot of interest in them, so they will get away,
0:04:54 > 0:05:00- but if we put a fixed reserve of £150, are you happy with that? - Sounds very good to me.- Brilliant.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Hopefully, you'll be driving off with a decent amount at the sale.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08- I shall look forward to that!- Thanks for bringing them.- Not at all.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13Down on the Devon coastline, our auction comes from the vibrant city of Plymouth.
0:05:13 > 0:05:19But let's head straight to our auction house, where it's all hustle and bustle and flexing of muscle.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24Anthony Eldred is the auctioneer today with all the local knowledge.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28And the commission here is 15% plus VAT.
0:05:28 > 0:05:34Boys and their toys. We're going to put some to the test. Dinky Toys belonging to Jan.
0:05:34 > 0:05:40- These were yours.- They certainly were.- But you were taught to play with them carefully.- Definitely.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44- 30% of the value is in that box! - Unreal, isn't it?- Unreal.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49There's people that collect all sorts of things out there.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Let's put this to the test.
0:05:53 > 0:06:00Next is lot 299. This is a quantity this time of military vehicles.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Dinkys. And I'm bid £90. At 90.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07At £90. 100. And 10. 120.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11130. 140. 150. 160. At 160 at the back.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15At 160 at the very back.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18170. 180. Take five if you like.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21At 180. 185. 190.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24And five. 200. And 10.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27220. At 220 in the very back.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31They're fighting this one out. This is a little battle going on.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Finished at £220?
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Bang! That hammer's gone down.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39They're great. Do you regret this now?
0:06:39 > 0:06:43No, no. They just take up room.
0:06:43 > 0:06:49For many collectables, it's all about good condition, so treat old toys with kid gloves.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Now for those vases.
0:06:51 > 0:06:57Now something hideously fabulous. Can you guess what I'm talking about?
0:06:57 > 0:07:01Yes, the comments from Mark Stacey. Debbie and Lisa, good to see you.
0:07:01 > 0:07:07We've got those pea pod pots. Did you think that was a good description from our expert?
0:07:07 > 0:07:12- Yes, eventually.- Eventually! - I absolutely loved them.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- They're large, aren't they? - Very. You get a lot for your money.
0:07:16 > 0:07:24You do. Mind you, having said that, we're not giving these away. It's a fixed estimate. Not below £200.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29- Absolutely. That's quite wise. - Or they're going home with you.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Ah. Ah!
0:07:33 > 0:07:38- You didn't think of that, did you? - No, especially on the train.- Yeah!
0:07:38 > 0:07:43- You're best friends. What do you think of these? Is it something you could live with?- No. Horrible.
0:07:43 > 0:07:49- You're not going to buy them? - Oh, no!- Let's put them under the hammer and see what they do.
0:07:49 > 0:07:55- I think they're fabulous.- Two similar Brownfield pea pod vases.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00£130 bid for them. At 130. Not enough. At 130.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03At £130. 40 if you want them.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06- At £130. - I don't think they're going to sell.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09At 130. Nobody in the room?
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- At £130.- Oh, dear.- I can't sell.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16- How are we going to get them home?! - I don't know.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20At £130. Quite sure? All finished at 130?
0:08:20 > 0:08:24- They can't quite be sold. - Oh, I can't believe it.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26They're going back on the train.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30It's a good job you came along. You can carry one each.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35- We've had a fabulous time. - Have you? It's been good.- Yeah.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Taxi for Debbie and Lisa.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52'The finale on today's show comes in a small but perfectly formed package
0:08:52 > 0:08:55'that we've seen before on Flog It -
0:08:55 > 0:08:58'the vinaigrette, not for oil or vinegar,
0:08:58 > 0:09:03'but for smelling salts that could be sniffed to disguise the pong of Victorian England.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07'We've seen them go for big bucks on the show.'
0:09:07 > 0:09:09- £290!- Very nice.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14'But will Jean's beautiful gemstone piece beat them all?'
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Now, tell me the history of it. Where did you get it from?
0:09:19 > 0:09:23It belonged to an elderly lady that I used to help
0:09:23 > 0:09:26and one day, she asked me if I would like it.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31- And it's so long ago now, perhaps 30, 40 years...- Wow!
0:09:31 > 0:09:35It's been in my china cabinet ever since until this morning.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39We've heard the word "vinaigrette" quite a lot on Flog It
0:09:39 > 0:09:43and I'm sure if you've watched it, they can range in value immensely.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48- If they're silver, they can be 100, 150, sometimes 200 or more.- Yes.
0:09:48 > 0:09:54- This is a very, very unusual example. I've never seen one like it.- It's extraordinary.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59I think it's charming because without even touching it, just looking at it,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03- you know this is a quality little object.- Right.
0:10:03 > 0:10:10The use of the agates that they've cut and polished and shaped into this sort of geometric form
0:10:10 > 0:10:13and when we open it up,
0:10:13 > 0:10:18we see that we've got a pierced grille, obviously, which has been chased as well
0:10:18 > 0:10:25and you see a void inside for putting your little sponge with your favourite scent.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30- I was sorry there was no sponge. Nearly always there's a sponge. - Yes, but they do perish.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34- We thought it was enamelled.- I did. - You would, wouldn't you?
0:10:34 > 0:10:38- I did think it was enamelled.- No, I think these are Scottish agates.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41You often see them in brooches and jewellery,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45little slithers of them that have been polished and set into silver.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49- This is not marked, but I'm almost sure it's silver.- What age is it?
0:10:49 > 0:10:56I would have thought that's going to be late Victorian, so 1890, 1900, that sort of date.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01- Yes.- And very, very collectable. - Incredible, isn't it? - Very collectable.
0:11:01 > 0:11:07I just picked it up. Juliette, my niece, said, would I like to come and I said, "Yes, rather!"
0:11:07 > 0:11:10I thought, "What shall I bring?"
0:11:10 > 0:11:12She thought it was a Flog It regular.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16- You've never seen one like this on Flog It.- Probably not.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Anyone who collects an object of virtue,
0:11:18 > 0:11:24- anybody who collects that type of thing would love to add this to their collection.- Yes.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29I think certainly I would put £600 to £800 on it.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36- What?- And put the reserve at a fixed reserve of 500.
0:11:36 > 0:11:42It wouldn't surprise me if, on the day, two or three people really want it and it went for a bit more.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44It's such a charming object.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50I'm absolutely amazed. I never dreamt it was anything like that.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53I thought it might have been about 100.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57- You do surprise me.- You don't need some smelling salts, do you?- No.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01- You're OK?- There's nothing in there to smell, is there?
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Unfortunately.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11Going under the hammer now, we're selling that gorgeous, Victorian, hardstone vinaigrette.
0:12:11 > 0:12:17This is real quality. Juliette and Joan are here with your daughters. We have the whole generation.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20They're over there somewhere if we can give them a wave.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Hello.
0:12:23 > 0:12:29We just said earlier what a stunning family you all make! Good genes in your family. This is lovely.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Why are you selling it?
0:12:31 > 0:12:37I didn't think it was worth very much. I've seen them on the programme and I thought perhaps £70, £100.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40- There are so many different collectors for these.- Yes.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Small objects of virtue always have a wide appeal.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49An item of virtue and we're going to put it under the hammer and see what happens.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53This is where it gets exciting. Stay tuned. It could just fly.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Next is Lot 112.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00It's a silver-mounted, hardstone vinaigrette. Scottish one.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03And I'm bid £500 for it. At 500. 10 if you want it?
0:13:03 > 0:13:06- At 500. And 10.- We're in. Somebody's on the phone.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09- Can you see those two phone lines? - Yes.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12550. 560. 570. At 570 now.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Any more in the room at 570?
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Finished in the room at 570. 580.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19590.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24600. And 20.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28- 640...- Someone's very, very keen on it on the gentleman's phone.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31680. 700.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33At £700.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36And 20. At 720.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40- 740.- Oh!- At £740.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43760. 780.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45At 780.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48- 800.- Oh, wonderful.- Brilliant.- 820.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50- Brilliant.- At 820.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52- 840. 860.- Wow!
0:13:52 > 0:13:55At 860. 880.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57900.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00At 900. And 50.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- 1,000.- Yes! We've got it.- £1,000.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06- And 50.- It's going up.- 1,100.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09At 1,100.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11At £1,100.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15The bidding's in the corner at £1,100.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18- Quite sure then?- £1,100!
0:14:18 > 0:14:22That is what it's all about and the hammer's just gone down.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Well done, you two. Wow, what a surprise!
0:14:25 > 0:14:28- That's amazing.- Happy with that? You must be, mustn't you?
0:14:28 > 0:14:33- I'm very happy because it's going to the Children's Hospice South West. - Brilliant.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37Thank you for bringing that in. You put a smile on all our faces.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42I hope you've enjoyed today's show. Sadly, we've run out of time in Plymouth.
0:14:42 > 0:14:48Do come along and join us at one of our valuation days, but from Devon, it's goodbye from all of us.