Cardiff Flog It!

Our valuation day venue has grown from a quiet market town

to one of the world's biggest ports in the 1900s...

..to this cool, cosmopolitan capital city.

Today we're in Cardiff, and this is Flog It!

Cardiff owes its international feel thanks to the dockworkers and sailors

from around the world that first settled here in the 19th century.

Over 45 different nationalities have come together to create Cardiff's unique multicultural character.

So I'm looking forward to seeing some eclectic items on today's show.

Today we're holding our valuation day

in an unmistakeably Welsh building,

the National Museum here in Cardiff.

People have travelled from far and wide to have their antiques and collectables valued.

They're here to ask our experts lots of questions about their items.

But there's one question they all have in common, which is...

CROWD: What's it worth?

They're gonna find out, and so are you!

Joining me in the hunt for the very best antiques

is the terribly sophisticated Catherine Southon.

What can you tell me about this?

It's very nice!

And the undoubtedly worldly, but Welsh by origin, Mark Stacey.

She's certainly got something about her.

I'm not quite sure what!

So, what are we waiting for? Let's get this magnificent queue inside this wonderful building.

All settled into the Grand Hall, where hopefully it's going to be a perfect day.

-Are you ready to go in?

-Yes!

Come on, then. Follow me!

We've got a diverse range of objects from all over the world on today's programme.

But can you guess which of these two exotic lots

makes the most at auction?

Is it the 19th-century Cantonese porcelain bowl,

or this collection of Indian landscape miniature paintings?

Well, keep watching and you will find out.

As you can see, everybody is now safely seated inside, including myself,

so it's time we got on with the valuations.

It looks like Mark is first at the tables.

Let's take a closer look at what he's spotted.

-Elizabeth.

-Hi, there.

-We talked in the queue.

-We did that, indeed.

-And I spotted this.

-I'm glad you did.

-A little travelling ink well.

And you have a lovely story. It belonged to your late mother.

It did belong to my mother. Unfortunately, she died before Christmas.

And a follower of Flog It. She wouldn't miss a programme.

She used to say to me very often, "I wish they would come nearer home."

She lived outside Llanelli in west Wales.

And she'd say, "If they did we could go and I'd take this and have it valued and maybe sell it on."

-So you saw we were coming today and you brought it along.

-It was a message from elsewhere, I think!

Well.

I hope that she's smiling down on me today and I've done the right thing.

I hope she's smiling down at me, as well.

-I hope I give you the right estimate.

-I hope so, as well!

Let's look at the item. We know it's a little leather box.

And actually it's quite interesting.

We'll pick it up, touch the little button there

and it'll spring open

and inside we've got a little interior

which is gilt metal.

-And then you push this one, I think.

-That's right.

And you open that up and you've got a little ink well inside.

It's nicely fitted there, so that when that is down,

it's really snug on the glass.

-It stops the ink from spilling around.

-Yeah.

And this you would have taken almost like a mobile stationery cabinet.

-Yes.

-You would have had this with your letter.

-Very useful.

This is a nice example because it's in very good condition.

-And it probably dates to around about 1900.

-Right.

-Pretty good.

-It's over 100 years old.

We've got a nice engraving on there.

And this is embossed with leather.

It's got that nice feeling...

It's very tactile, isn't it?

There's not a huge commercial market for it,

-because what do you do with them these days?

-That's right. Yes.

-Have you ever thought about the value yourself?

-No idea, to be quite honest. No.

I think it's one of those items we have a little bit of fun with.

If it's all right with you, Elizabeth.

I'd certainly like the estimate to be around 30 or £40, something like that.

-Yes.

-Now, on those sort of figures, you have to decide do you want to put a reserve or not.

How would you feel about that?

No, I'd just like to see what interest it has at the auction.

Just trust the auctioneer to do the best they can.

But I hope, because of the condition of it,

and because it's got that really strong decorative appeal inside,

-that we might pen a nice profit!

-That's right!

Well, I hope we can do Elizabeth's mum proud with that ink well.

Now over to Catherine, who's about to uncover her first item.

-It's wonderful to come up here and get a real feel for the sense of the building.

-It is.

-It's a fantastic building.

-It's a lovely building.

-It really is.

But I am equally excited about what you're holding.

It is absolutely fantastic.

This is something that I would desperately love to own myself.

What you've got is a Victorian, 1860 in date, spice tower.

So we have these little sections

which would have contained different types of spices.

At the top, we've got the paper label that's been applied

for mace, nutmeg and all spice.

Sometimes you see these towers that are slightly longer.

They've got additional sections for additional spices.

But this is a really nice one, just with three sections.

Tell me, where did you get this from, Janet?

It belonged to my mother. It was in the house for a while,

but she didn't get it from any further back than that.

-She actually got it in a jumble sale!

-Oh, did she?

-The legendary jumble sale, yes, she did.

-A jumble sale.

-What did she pay for it in her jumble sale? Does she know?

-Yes.

-10p!

-Ten pence.

-Yes.

Well, can I tell you that your mother had a very good eye

because this is a fantastic piece.

A nice piece of kitchenalia

that you could have in your country cottage today on your dresser.

I would do anything to own this. I think it's absolutely fantastic.

Estimate-wise, we could put an estimate on of 100 to £150

and I think it will do that all day long.

I'd like to be a bit tentative and put 80 to 120,

just to pull everyone in.

I think this is going to make nearer £200.

-It's fabulous. Thank you very much for bringing it in, Janet.

-I'm glad you like it.

-It's brilliant.

-Good.

That's a great little find.

But there's some altogether more classical objects here

that I want to show you.

As we're in such a remarkable location,

I had to steal myself away from the experts and the valuation tables

to take a closer look at some of the other treasures that are on show here at the National Museum.

There's one particular one that I really want to show you.

It's over here.

It's titled The Kiss. Many of you may know that.

This is one of several versions by Rodin,

one of the greatest sculptors of the 19th century, a Frenchman.

It's twice the size of the original one.

It's Paulo and Francesca, a scene from Dante's poem The Inferno.

Two lovers. Sadly Francesca's husband catches them

and kills them both.

But this piece is acclaimed for its intimacy and technical achievements.

Its mastery, really. It's absolutely stunning.

From every direction you can look at this sculpture.

It's interesting to gauge people's perception on things like this.

When it was first exhibited in certain parts of the country in 1913,

it was deemed a little bit risque and a blanket was thrown over it!

But thankfully, when it was first shown here in Cardiff around that time, people embraced it.

They were liberal-minded, I think.

And I know recently some guy had the gallery closed off

so he could propose to his girlfriend in front of this statue.

That's a really nice thing to do. So romantic.

That's just so beautiful.

Well, that's enough musing over art.

It's time we caught up with our experts and see what else we can find to take to auction.

Roy, you've brought along a lovely Albert chain and some sovereigns for us to have a look at.

-Tell me where you got these from.

-It was my father's.

He used to wear it on his waistcoat with a silver watch.

Where was he off to when he was wearing his finery?

Probably down the Municipal Club, something like that.

-What did your father do?

-He was a gravedigger.

-Oh. Right.

He was a miner originally, in the Forest of Dean.

So he moved from mining to grave-digging?

-Correct.

-I suppose that's a sort of similar connection.

-Yes.

-Still digging away!

-Yes.

Let's have a look more closely at these and talk about them individually.

We've got a few separate items here.

First, we've got the Albert chain which your father wore once upon a time.

It's nine-carat gold. At the bottom here we've got a full sovereign.

The value of the Albert chain by itself

would be purely on the weight around £300.

We know that gold is selling well at the moment.

And this sovereign, it is a little bit damaged on the back,

there's a few scratches.

In good condition, we'd be looking at about £200,

but it's probably a bit less than that, maybe around 150.

This one is in slightly better condition.

This is another full sovereign.

We'd be looking at around £200 for that.

And then £100, 150, for the half-sovereign.

-So there we've got quite a nice little lot.

-Yes.

About 600 to £800.

-How does that sound to you?

-Very good.

-Very good. It's not bad.

-Do you think your dad would be happy about that?

-I think so, yes.

I'll see you at the auction.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

I think it's time we put those valuations to the test, don't you?

This is where it gets interesting.

Let's up the tempo. Anything can happen.

Stay tuned, follow us to the auction room. Here's what we're taking.

Elizabeth's 1900s ink well is a great little find for a collector.

I can't believe Janet's mum picked up this spice rack

for just ten pence!

And fingers crossed the gold prices remain high

and we get a great result for those sovereigns and chain.

Here we are at the Anthemion auction rooms in Cardiff.

I expect you're wondering where all the people are.

Why isn't it busy? Well, it's because it's auction preview day

and I've come to have a chat to auctioneer Ryan Beech,

the man on the rostrum tomorrow,

to get the low-down on auction etiquette.

-Ryan, hello. Good to see you again.

-And you.

-It's nice to be back here.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

We've got some cracking lots.

But I'm here to pick your brains today.

You've been in the business for well over 20 years.

What advice could you give to somebody who wants to put something into auction for the first time,

a vendor who wants to sell something.

Very similar to the way you do it with your valuation days.

We hold regular valuation days

-and people bring in one item or 25 boxes of items.

-Sure.

You discuss a value with them that you both agree to

-and you can set a reserve.

-Yes.

People are frightened to sell something because it might not sell and they'll be charged a fortune.

-Yes.

-So if it doesn't sell, do they have to pay for anything?

We charge an unsold fee of £10 plus VAT.

That covers our administration and cataloguing costs.

They're illustrated online with these types of sale and in the catalogue.

It covers those sorts of costs, really.

-And the insurance and the photography.

-Absolutely.

You do a lot of work behind the scenes.

Do you contact many top-end collectors and dealers and museums and people all around the world,

do you flag up this as a point of interest,

to say, "We're selling this in two weeks' time, are you interested?"

We do that on their behalf.

We use also different companies that the catalogues are posted on.

Our website, our catalogues are there fully illustrated on the website

as and when they're done.

-So if you collect, I don't know...

-Tea caddies.

-..tea caddies,

you'll be notified by email from those companies that there's one coming up.

There are companies out there that you can subscribe to for about three pounds a month

and whatever tea caddy is being sold in this country,

-they will notify you by email.

-Absolutely.

Good luck tomorrow with our lots. I can't wait to see which one's going to fly.

I'm playing a guessing game with myself!

-It's quite exciting.

-It is, yes.

We may be primed on all things auction, but are the bidders raring to go?

It is now sale day, so let's see what they make of our first lot.

Good luck, Elizabeth, good luck Mark.

This is bound to sell cos there's no reserve.

Dangerous game to play. It could sell for a fiver. We don't want that to happen

because this is real quality.

We are talking about that wonderful leather-cased travelling ink well.

-It's beautiful.

-Lovely condition. The leather's good.

-I think we're looking at 40 to £60.

-I hope so.

-That's what I'd like to see.

I'd love to see it make that. Love to.

A leather-covered travelling ink well in integral form.

Commission bids here. Start me straight in at £20.

-20 I have. 20. 22. 25.

-That's good.

25. 28. 30.

32. 35. With me at £35. With me.

38. 40.

At £40. With me at 40. With me on a commission bid.

At £40. With me at £40.

At £40 with me. At 42.

At 42. Takes me out at 42.

At £42. At £42. The gentleman seated at 42 now.

At £42. At 42. At £42. Are we all done?

At 42.

Yes. Hammer's gone down. £42. Mum would have loved that!

-Loved that, yes.

-She wanted it to be sold on Flog It. She loved Flog It.

-She would that.

-And we did it.

-Yes, indeed.

-It'll go towards a nice meal out this evening.

-Good.

-That was a fair price for it, I think.

-Yes.

Enjoy your slap-up meal, Elizabeth!

I expect you've heard several times by now it's a good time to sell gold.

Everybody's saying, "There's never been a better time."

When the economy is down, the prices go up for precious metals.

Now, we're selling right now. Roy is putting under the hammer

-a half sovereign, a full sovereign, another sovereign and a gold Albert chain.

-Absolutely.

There's a lot of gold there, isn't there?

-There is.

-And this is Dad's gold.

-It's Dad's, yes.

600 to £800. Hopefully, we'll get the top end of that estimate.

So let's find out, shall we, what the market dictates.

-Let's find out what they're worth with the bidders in Cardiff. Good luck!

-Thank you.

Lot 184 is the Victorian gold sovereign dated 1888.

The George V gold half sovereign,

another sovereign and the Albert chain. Lot 184.

£500 I have to start. £500. At £500.

Ten is there, now, at 500. 510.

520. 530. 540.

550 takes me out. At 550 now.

At 560.

570. 580.

-590. 600.

-It's going in the room.

-610. 620.

630. 640.

650. 660.

-670. 680.

-This is getting good!

-690.

700.

And ten? At £700. In the corner at 700.

At £700 in the corner. At 700. 710.

720.

730. 740. At 740.

In the corner at 740.

750? 750.

At 750 on the telephone now.

At £750.

-Happy with that?

-760.

-Someone's just shouted.

770? 770.

780.

-That's very good.

-790.

At £790, on the telephone.

At 790. Are we all done?

At £790.

-Brilliant. The hammer's gone down.

-Fantastic. Well done.

That's a very good price, because whoever's bought those

has to pay 17.5% VAT on top of that.

-Yep.

-But that's a good result.

Roy, you've got to be happy with that?

-Thanks very much indeed.

-Well done, Roy.

We're going to spice things up right now.

I'm joined by Janet and we're going to put the three-tier spice tower under the hammer.

Lovely, lovely example of a Victorian one.

I love the sections. They're all in very good condition.

All the graphics, the lettering, is in very good condition.

-I knew you'd love this.

-I do. It's a tactile thing.

I've got a five-tier one at home, slightly earlier.

I think it's apple wood or pear wood. It's definitely a fruitwood.

-It's gorgeous. The condition will make this go away at the top end.

-Very good.

It's got to. £120, it must do!

Let's put it to the test. Here we go.

Lot 600 is the 19th-century fruitwood spice tower.

Mace, nutmeg and all spice. Lot 600.

Numerous commission bids here.

Start me straight in at £160.

£160 I have to start.

£160.

At £160. 170 is there now?

At £160. Straight in at 160 now.

At £160. 160. Are we all done, then?

-At £160.

-Lovely.

-Straight in and straight out.

-160.

-That is amazing!

-Cracking result.

-That's really good!

-But they are incredibly rare in good condition.

-There's a lot around, but they always have chips and knocks.

-Damage.

-They've lost their lettering. Perfect. And that's down to you.

-A great ten pence worth!

There you are. So far, so good.

That concludes our first visit to the sale room today.

We're coming back here later, so don't go away.

But as we often see on the show,

a lot of items go in and out of fashion.

They dip and rise, and the market dictates that. And also it affects the values of those items.

But as I found out on a trip across the west coast of Wales,

it's not just items and antiques that go in and out of fashion. So do towns.

Take a look at this.

Tenby, surrounded by the sparkling waters of Carmarthen Bay,

and the sweeping golden beaches.

It's no surprise that this vibrant town of colourful Georgian houses

and charming cottages is known as the jewel in Pembrokeshire's crown.

But this quaint little town has had a dramatic past.

It attracts over 1.5 million visitors a year,

but what do they really know about it?

I'm here to find out how Tenby became one of the most important and richest towns

throughout the Middle Ages here in Wales,

and how its shocking and abrupt downfall followed shortly after,

leaving it derelict and in ruin for many, many years,

only to rise from the ashes to become the popular seaside resort town that you see here today.

There's a clue to the town's history in its Welsh name.

Dinbych-y-pysgod. I apologise if that's not quite right,

but it translates as "little fortress of the fish",

which reflects its origins as a coastal fort.

But Tenby's story really starts with the Normans,

who built the castle here to protect the town from Welsh aggression.

A thriving community grew around the castle

and the sea port was born.

But attacks on the town by the native Welsh

led by Prince Llewellyn throughout the 13th century devastated it.

And that prompted the Earl of Pembroke to take drastic action.

He ordered the building of this impenetrable ring of 15-feet-high stone walls

stretching from cliff to cliff

with towers and arches.

Over the years, the walls were strengthened and this gate house was added.

This is known as the Ring of Five Arches, and you can see why.

There's five massive great big Gothic pointed arches.

What a wonderful defence system.

There's something I must show you here.

These holes here, there and there, are socket holes

so you could anchor the hinges to hold these massive oak doors which would have been here.

You couldn't have kicked those in.

And also, cut into the stone here,

which goes all the way up there, a huge slot that goes right to the top of the castle,

that's to facilitate the portcullis so it would come dropping down like that.

It's marvellous, really. You can feel the whole fabric of the town, the history within these walls.

Throughout the wars of the French Revolution, all this area here, this gatehouse, was covered over

because the ammunition was stored here.

So it kept it dry.

The town's incredible defences appealed to one notable visitor.

During the War of the Roses,

the future King Henry VII sheltered within Tenby

before sailing into exile in 1471.

The king didn't forget the town's generosity

and awarded various royal grants which financed the enclosure of Tenby harbour

helping it become a bustling and important national port.

This quay is one of the oldest in Wales

and its location is ideally situated for ships travelling from Spain, Portugal, France and Ireland

bringing in their cargoes of exotic goods -

things like salt and wine and fruit.

And in turn, they would leave laden with a ship full of Welsh fare,

things like coal, wool, tanned leather and fresh oysters.

Tenby became extremely prosperous.

The town was home to several wealthy traders. Merchants lived in houses like this one.

The owner of this house would have had a successful business

trading from his shop on the ground floor.

Life was good here.

But after the Tudor period, things changed.

Civil war and loss of trade to ships from other ports seem to have played their part.

But nothing was so devastating as the plague.

Tenby was struck in 1650

and the disease wiped out almost half the population.

LONE BELL TOLLS

Such was the fear that enveloped the town that it was literally sealed off

from the outside world and understandably so.

Food for the residents was left on the outskirts of the town

by traders too frightened to enter.

It was terrifying times. This plague was dreadful.

It's hard to believe now when you look around and see this picturesque postcard seaside town

that the whole place literally fell into disrepair and decay for many years.

Tenby was on the down. It became a slum town.

In fact, in the council records,

it's noted in 1784

that two special constables were employed to round up wild pigs

that were roaming around the streets and the yards here.

Just literally pilfering everything. They had to be impounded.

For well over a hundred years, this town was left abandoned and destroyed.

But in the mid-19th century,

salvation came in a surprising form.

The increasingly popular theory of the health-giving properties of the sea.

Doctors and Victorian tourist boards

recommended invalids suffering from the likes of scurvy, jaundice and gout

moved to the seaside to be cured by its waters

and fresh air.

Some even prescribed drinking seawater with milk or port.

This bathing house was opened in 1810.

The Greek inscription above the door sums up the attitude of the day.

"The sea washes away the ills of men."

So, if you had anything wrong with you at all,

come to Tenby!

These beaches would have been littered with bathing machines,

horse-drawn carts which provided room for the bathers to change in.

And then get straight into the water,

the perfect way to protect Victorian prudishness!

The town began to thrive once more

as the rich spent money and bought property here.

The arrival of the railways in 1866 put Tenby on the map.

It opened up the town to the masses as a tourist attraction.

So it wasn't just for the health-conscious rich now.

And even today there's a hustle and bustle of life throughout the year

with fishermen steering in their vessels into this tiny, beautiful haven.

I don't know about the health qualities today, but I'll tell you what.

The views and fresh air are certainly invigorating to the heart and soul.

It's hard to believe this town had such a dramatic past.

From a pretty seaside town to a rather more substantial

but equally as beautiful harbour city.

We're back at the National Museum, Cardiff,

and there's over 750 people in the Grand Hall

waiting to have their items valued.

So we'd better get on with it!

David, I'm terribly excited, and I need to know what's in this box.

-Shall we have a little reveal?

-Yes, we shall.

OK.

-It's a child's gramophone.

-Oh, a child's gramophone!

Wonderful!

-Is it complete?

-This is the arm. Yes, it's complete.

Fantastic.

Right. Show me how it all goes together.

-It's tin-plate, isn't it?

-Tin-plate, yes.

-The sound comes out of the bottom there.

-Right.

The arm fixes here.

-Yes?

-Right, OK.

-And the needle goes onto the record.

OK. Shall I get a record?

Aren't they lovely? They're so dinky!

Some of them are quite expensive. That one's half a penny and others cost a penny!

So this belonged to whom?

-To my mother-in-law, Doreen.

-Right.

-And she was 93 when she passed away last year.

-Right. OK.

-So was it hers when she was a little girl?

-It was, yes.

-How lovely.

And then handed down through the family?

No, it was put in the attic for years and we discovered it after her death.

Right. Well, it's 1930 in date,

and it's tin-plate.

-It was made in Germany in Nuremburg.

-Right.

And it's got a company name and a registration name down here.

-If you can see that?

-Never noticed it before.

I must say I don't know this particular maker's name,

but with a bit of research, we can probably find that out.

-How many of these records have you got?

-I think there are about 14.

-Right.

Seven nursery rhymes and others are songs. Some are overtures.

I should think it was quite a treasured possession.

She looked after everything. Not like us boys!

When we brought it out a few years ago,

I did try it and at that time it did play reasonably well.

-Right.

-But since then, I guess that the springs need oiling.

-Right.

-It's a clockwork mechanism, isn't it?

-Yeah.

So we can say that it does work.

-It works, but it needs attention.

-It does need a little bit of attention.

-Yes.

-Because it's not in perfect working order,

I think we should put an estimate on of 40 to £50,

-with a 30 reserve. Are you happy with that?

-Yes, that's fine.

Done!

Well, that certainly made Catherine's day.

-What a corker, Judy!

-Thank you!

It's wonderful! Where did you get it from?

I inherited it from my grandparents,

-but I believe it originated from my great-grandparents.

-Right.

And my great-grandfather was the Lord Mayor of Cardiff

-and was also a shipping merchant down in Cardiff Bay.

-Oh, right. OK.

So we think this might have come in on-board a ship and he took a fancy to it,

or we don't really know.

-That's...

-We've no idea.

-It could well be, you know.

-Because this has come all the way from China.

-Yep.

Through the port of Canton.

And this is generally what we call Cantonese Famille Rose.

Famille Rose meaning the pinks that you can see in there.

-And it's a jolly big bowl, isn't it?

-It is, isn't it?

In amazingly good condition.

You normally find these with chips and cracks in them.

This has no chips or cracks as far as I can see.

-There's a little bit of wear to some of the gilding.

-Yes.

Where it's been handled over the years.

In terms of date, I think we're looking at something

which dates to the end of the 19th century.

-Right.

-So it's going to be 1880 to 1900-ish.

So it's well over 100 years old.

And what's nice about this, apart from its size,

is the fact that you've got these wonderful panels

alternate panels, of foliage and fruit and birds.

Just look at this panel with the birds in the branches

and these lovely gourds

and these exotic papayas and fruits everywhere.

The butterflies are absolutely stunning, the way they've been gilded over the top.

Very rich enamels, with the blues and the oranges.

All the colours under the rainbow.

If you look around it is an astoundingly beautiful bowl.

Why is it the right time to sell it now?

Um, well... Um...

Two years ago, I lost one of my daughters to cancer.

And my other daughter and her children and I

would like to go on a family holiday, a really good one,

-on the proceeds of this.

-It's going to contribute to a family getaway.

-It sounds like you deserve it.

-We've been through a rough time.

It's time we had a bit of enjoyment in life.

It's nice, particularly in this day and age,

where, unless you've got a big house,

that this can live on a nice Georgian table or something.

It lives on the floor at the moment, under the coffee table!

It's better to get rid of it, isn't it?

One grandson, when he was a tiny baby, he used to crawl inside there and play!

-I know. Now, I think, "Oh, dear!"

-Aren't you lucky.

-But still.

-I suppose we've got to be realistic at auction.

I know the Chinese market is very buoyant at the moment

and this is a corker, as I said right at the beginning.

But I think if we put it in at 500 to £700,

-with a reserve of 500 fixed.

-Yes.

And let's just hope that two or three people really go for it.

-Yes.

-And we might even get the top estimate.

-That would be lovely.

It'll please Paul Martin, as well. Cos he likes the top estimate!

Yes, too right!

Now, I've beaten Mark and Catherine to this next set of items.

And they're so exceptional, I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself.

-Gerald, thank you so much for bringing these in today.

-That's quite all right.

The most wonderful little miniatures painted on ivory.

I'm absolutely gobsmacked at the detail.

The exquisiteness of the brush-stroke is just mind-blowing!

Really, you need a massive magnifying glass to appreciate the detail and the quality.

I'm quite lucky. I've got very good eyesight.

I can see the detail, the little figures, the windows.

I can see everything that's going on. And it is astonishing.

This is, summing it up, in miniature,

-the British Empire, our fascination with architecture in India.

-Yes.

Here you have the Taj Mahal, other temples all around.

Rajasthan.

When you think about it, we were so fascinated with Indian architecture,

when all this information came back to the country and saw this sort of architecture,

they thought, "Gosh, yes, we want something like this."

And it was our Prince Regent, when he came to the throne,

he commissioned Brighton Pavilion to be built.

It was an homage to "the great British Empire".

We want something like the Taj Mahal, there in Brighton.

-And hey presto...

-There it is.

-There it is.

How did you come by these?

My mother bought them at a house sale in Sussex during the war.

-She had a keen eye.

-Yes, she did.

-She did.

-She did.

-She had a very good eye for...

Can you remember these as a nipper, as a youngster, then?

-Yes.

-Can you?

They were in like a leather folder thing which was very dilapidated.

That's why she had them remounted.

Oh, I bet they looked nice in that Moroccan leather!

Yes, but it was in a very bad state.

-But that's the kind of thing that...

-But in those days, you see...

Yes, that would be contemporary to the period.

And the only thing that lets these down

is the fact that they're not mounted in something from the Regency period.

If you had something with an ebonised frame, a bit of gilding,

oh!

No problem, two to three thousand.

-Oh, dear.

-No problem.

If they were still mounted in their contemporary boxes.

But it doesn't really matter,

because whoever buys these is going to take them out and remount them.

Or sell them individually.

Now. Anything that is pre-1947 that is worked ivory

can be sold and can be exported.

This pre-dates that, because we're looking at around 1805,

maybe 1810, 1815.

Value-wise, what do you think they're worth?

Have you done any research on them?

The last thing I heard as a valuation, I did this by phone,

was £1,000 for each of them.

-OK.

-Making 2,000 in all.

-OK.

I wouldn't want to sell them for less than that.

If they only sell at £1,000 each,

you won't be going home with £1,000

you'll pay 17.5% plus VAT commission.

So when the cheque arrives in the post,

-it might be around £820 each.

-I'm not happy with that.

-So if we factor in the fact that you have to pay commission...

-Yes.

..we'll build that commission into your reserve.

So we're now saying each panel will go to auction with a fixed reserve

of, shall we say, £1,150 each.

-That sounds fine.

-OK?

So if they only sell at £1,150,

you'll still go home with £1,000 each.

-That sounds fair enough.

-Happy with that?

I think this is very exciting.

-Good. I thought you might be interested.

-Absolutely love it.

-This is proper history.

-Oh, it is. Yes.

'Gerald's paintings are particularly special

'because the majority of miniatures we see on the market

'are portraits rather than landscapes.

'Portraiture became the most popular form because miniatures

'were the ideal medium to carry around pictures of loved ones.

'They were made to celebrate marriages, births and mourn the dead.

'They were originally painted on calf skin

'before the artists started experimenting with ivory and copper.

'The art thrived until the late 1800s

'when photography took over.

'But there's a big market for antique examples today.

'Collectors can pick up an excellent portrait

'by a lesser known artist for a few hundred pounds.

'Like this one we sold on the show back in 2004.'

He's done it! £270!

-Goodness me!

-Mind you, I'd rather have the miniature, I must admit!

'Big names can command thousands,

'like the example by artist John Smart,

'which sold for £85,000 in 2008.

'We'll find out how Gerald's paintings get on very soon

'because that's all our items found and time to say goodbye to the National Museum, Cardiff.

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

'David's gramophone might not have played for us,

'but let's hope it will sing to the bidders.

'Judy's Cantonese bowl is bound to bring a touch of class to the sale room.

'And these paintings may be miniature,

'but there's nothing small about their value.

'So let's travel back to the sale room

'and cross our fingers for some fabulous results.

'The day before the sale, I picked auctioneer Ryan's brains

'on what his hopes were for that small child's gramophone.'

I've not seen anything like this in my life before.

I expect you have because you do collectors' sales.

It's a Bingola gramophone, German gramophone.

It belongs to David. We've got around 40 to £50 on this.

Catherine, our expert, didn't know a lot about it on the day. Couldn't do much research.

Hopefully, you've done something for us.

Yes. This is a good German factory.

It's made by Bing brothers.

You've got the trade mark on the front of the gramophone there.

A little B and W together.

This factory was established in about 1880.

They're known for their toys, usually toy trains.

-They made their first teddy bear in 1907.

-Right.

Have many of these survived?

Quite a few of them still are out there, yes.

So hence only 40 to £50.

-That's it. It is what it is.

-It's not a lot of money for something like that

-if you're into that kind of thing.

-No.

No. But at the end of the day, it's a child's toy.

-It's not the most exciting thing unless you're into child's gramophones.

-Yeah.

We don't know if it works. We couldn't get it to work on the day.

But it comes with a few discs.

This one's called the "Post Horn Galop".

Somebody getting ready for a bit of excitement there!

-Well, good luck with that, anyway.

-Thank you.

'Well, it's going under the hammer any second, so let's see how it gets on.'

It belongs to David and his wife, Jill. Hello, Jill.

Ryan was quite enthusiastic about this.

He told us where it was made and who made it.

We've got a lot of history about this.

And it's not a lot of money.

I said that's good value for money, £40.

It's by Bing, isn't it, which is a good factory.

Let's spin it away and put it to the test.

Lot number 660

is the Bing clockwork child's gramophone here. Lot 660.

Numerous commission bids here.

Start me straight in at 45, 55, 65,

75, 85, 95. With me at £95.

At £95. With me at 95 now.

At £95. 100 I'll take.

At 95. At £95.

They don't care if it doesn't work!

At £95. Are we all done, then? At £95.

-Fantastic!

-That's really good.

I said to Ryan, it's a bit of a snip, isn't it?

Surely it should be worth a lot more.

-Anyway, we got a lot more, didn't we?

-We did, yes.

-Well done for bringing it in.

-Thank you.

-It's a nice thing. A really nice thing.

Not only is the gold market pretty high right now,

but so is the Chinese market.

All the artefacts are going back to mainland China, where this one might disappear to, Judy.

-Yes.

-It's a wonderful Cantonese bowl

-and we're looking at 500 to £700 for it.

-We are.

-It's a big lump.

-It is.

-It's a rather big lump.

In very good condition, which is a good thing.

I think this is lovely. I love the artwork on it.

This is a nice piece. I hope we'll at least get £500 for it. Fingers crossed.

-You're right.

-Let's find out. A touch of the Orient comes to Cardiff.

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

Lot 365 is the Cantonese porcelain bowl here,

decorated with butterflies, flower heads and birds.

420 I have to start.

£420. At £420. 450 is there now?

At £420. The Cantonese bowl here at 420.

At £420. 450 do I see?

At £420. 420.

At £420. Are we all done?

At 420.

-Didn't sell.

-Oh, dear.

I don't mind taking it home with me. I do love that bowl.

I think it's absolutely smashing.

You're still looking at a bowl that's worth £500.

-So don't part with it for any less.

-I won't.

I've got a feeling if Judy takes that bowl to a specialist ceramics sale,

it might just sell.

No harm done, though, because it was protected with a reserve.

Well, going under the hammer now we have some real quality.

Some miniatures painted on ivory belonging to Gerald.

I had the pleasure of looking at these at the valuation day.

Absolutely fell in love with them. It's a taste of the exotic architecture

-brought back to this country, inspiring buildings like the Brighton Pavilion.

-Yes.

Painted by Thomas Daniel.

He died in 1840 and I would say this was towards the very end of his career.

We've got a fixed estimate here.

Obviously you factored in the commission. We worked that out.

-Let's find out what the bidders think. It's going under the hammer right now.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

Lot 463. Collection of 13 19th-century Indian miniatures.

All framed together. Lot 463.

£750 I have to start. At £750.

At £750. 780 is there, now?

780. 800.

820. 850.

880. 900.

-We're getting there.

-920. 950.

980. 1,000.

And 50. 1,100.

-This is good.

-And 50 takes me over. At 1,150.

At £1,150. Back of the room. At 1,150 now.

At £1,150.

Are we all done at 1,150.

That's the first lot done.

Don't forget we've got two.

-We want 1,150 for this second lot as well.

-Good.

750 again I have to start.

£750. 780. 800.

820. 850.

880. 900.

920. 950.

980. 1,000.

And 50. 1,100.

And 50. Takes me out at £1,150.

At £1,150 at the back of the room.

At £1,150. Are we all done?

At £1,150.

-Sold.

-Jolly good! Thank you very much!

Between both of us we were spot on, weren't we?

-We were dead right!

-We didn't even have an estimate, basically.

All we had was a fixed reserve of £1,150.

A grand total of £2,300.

You did well, there.

Don't forget you've got to pay the commission as we discussed.

But you're very happy with that.

-It's just right, yes.

-And what quality as well.

-That made my day.

-I'm so pleased.

That's it. It's all over for our owners. Another day in the office, another auction room.

I hope you've enjoyed the show. If you have any antiques to sell, we'd love to see you.

Bring them along to one of our valuation days.

Details of upcoming dates and venues are on our BBC website.

Follow the links. All the information is there.

We'd love to see you.

Until then, from Cardiff and from all of us here,

it's goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd