Cheshire Flog It!

Today, we've pitched up at one of the North West's most historic areas - Liverpool Docks.

This is where the old really does meet the new,

Grade II listed buildings combine with state-of-the-art architecture,

like this magnificent museum

which houses treasures from Liverpool's rich history.

More about that later.

First, we need to find some old treasures of our own.

Welcome to Flog It!

Our valuation day is at another historic property in the North West,

famed for its stunning grounds, plush interiors and extensive collections.

We're at Tatton Park.

The Egerton family, who owned Tatton for 360 years,

kept up with the latest trends and innovations,

filling Tatton with all manner of curios and precious artefacts.

What a stunning place for our valuation day! You can see it's going to be a busy day.

Let's hope we find some antiques worthy of such a marvellous location.

Our sellers have come from far and wide to get a price on their valuables.

And on the lookout for all that glitters, Anita Manning and Mark Stacey.

-What are these?

-Lovely little diamonds.

-I love them.

-They're sweet.

-But I'm sure this lady said she was keeping them for me.

-Get away!

And David Fletcher has also got his eye on the prize.

-Have you seen anything nice yet?

-I'm not telling you!

You're not tell... LAUGHTER

Coming up, Liverpool may be the home of Hornby Model Railways,

but how much will this Bassett-Lowke locomotive run away with?

-At £35...

-We often feature the bold Art Deco work of Clarice Cliff,

but will this teapot smash its estimate?

I think it's about time we put our experts to work. Let's see who's first up at the tables.

And it's Anita talking high fashion with a keen costume collector.

You seem to be very passionate about vintage clothing.

-I am.

-What's your favourite period?

I love everything, really.

It's hard to define it, but everything Victorian, Edwardian,

'30s, '40s, '50s.

It stops there though, really.

They say that the '50s was the last period of true style,

but those who like the '70s and '80s wouldn't agree. Tell me, do you get dressed up in your vintage clothing?

I do. I go to a lot of mainly 1940s swing-jive events

because that gives me an opportunity to dress up and to do a bit of dancing as well.

Sounds great fun, sounds great fun.

These are divine.

-Tell me about them.

-I got these about ten years ago from the internet.

£50, including postage and packing.

When they arrived, they were a bit black, but I'd had them actually for quite a while and worn them,

then I gave them a good old clean.

When I took a close look at them, I realised that they were absolutely exquisite.

It's not until you handle them

that you realise that they're not your usual hat pin.

-No.

-They are a wee bit special.

Let's look at the actual items.

We have a little diamond set in silver or a white metal.

I'm not sure yet whether it's a white gold or a silver

and we have this wonderful structure inside.

Now, to establish whether these are real pearls, we would have to do an X-ray test,

but they are a natural substance,

either a big piece of mother-of-pearl or a baroque pearl, and they're very, very fine,

dating, I would say, the late 1800s.

You're the expert in vintage. Would you agree with me?

-Well, I'd say turn of the century, 1900, the Belle Epoque era.

-Belle Epoque, yes.

And it would be one of these wonderful big Belle Epoque hats that you would wear.

Now, value, you paid £50 for them.

Well, somebody a while back offered me £650.

-In your hand?

-In my hand, yes, cash,

but I actually declined it

because I had previously been given a valuation of £1,000 to £1,500.

But given that I only paid £50 for them originally, it's quite shocking, really.

I think that 1,000 to 1,500 may be nearer the insurance valuation.

Right, yeah.

I think 650 in your hand is a very good offer.

But in the end, I think it's best to put it in a competitive situation

within an auction environment,

where you have competitive bidding, where you have them fighting for it.

I don't know what they're going to go to.

If you are wanting your 650 in your hand,

you're probably having to consider the auctioneer's commission and the VAT.

So it's going to have to go in with a reserve of near enough £750.

Well, I'd be happy for that.

-Shall we give it a go?

-Let's give it a go.

-Let's give it a go!

Brilliant!

It will be interesting to see how far these bonnie things go.

I've decided that this year I would like to part with them

because I'm 50 in October and I want to have a family meal, invite all the family and I can treat them

for my 50th birthday, and also I'd like to give a donation to Cancer Research.

-And so these might be the babies that will supply the dosh for that celebration?

-Yes.

-Let's have a party.

-Can I come along?

-You'd be more than welcome.

It would be lovely to have you.

Anita's invite is in the post and Mark has also found some sparkling party pieces.

-Hello, Phil and Jerry.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-A lovely, sunny day at Tatton Park, isn't it?

-It's beautiful.

You've brought a dazzling collection of silver here, which is glistening beautifully in the sunshine.

-It is indeed.

-It's a little group lot for the sale, but I particularly want to identify two bits of it.

-Right.

-There's a very pretty, little silver cream jug which is hallmarked for 1896.

-Oh, right.

-Then I love these little butter dishes with their knives.

You can imagine some grand house like Tatton Park,

where you'd wake up as a guest and the butler would give you an individual serving of butter,

just like you do at home.

Of course. THEY LAUGH

And where did all this come from?

Inherited from my father.

You've got a real cross-section, apart from those two little bits that we've mentioned.

You've got a sovereign case, you've got two vesta cases.

You've got a silver salt, which would have been part of a set, a little pierced bonbon dish.

This little toilet jar would probably have gone with a lady's dressing table case.

-You don't like any pieces particularly?

-They're pretty,

but we're getting too old to be polishing silver all the time.

They're just tucked away in a cupboard really now.

-When Phil uses the word "we", Jerry, does that mean you?

-No, I don't do the silver.

-I might do the vacuuming.

-I thought she was using the royal "we" there.

But I think it's a good little lot.

It's a trade lot, something that collectors and dealers will go for.

In terms of value, I would suggest something like £150 to £200.

-And we'll put the reserve at 150 with a bit of discretion for the auctioneer.

-Yes, that's fine.

That should be fine. If they glitter like they've glittered today, you're on a winner.

-Indeed.

-Thanks for coming in to see us.

-Thank you.

And Phil will be back later with something else from the family attic.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, young men took themselves off on a grand tour of Europe.

I've left our experts hard at work to come and have my own little grand tour of this splendid building

and I'm looking for a Canaletto.

They've normally got water in them. If it's not the River Thames when he was over here, it's of Venice.

And here it is. Look at that, beautifully executed.

Here you've got the Customs House and over there St Mark's Square, just creeping into the corner there.

This was commissioned by Samuel Hill, Samuel Egerton's uncle, directly from the artist in 1732

when he was on HIS grand tour.

Upon Hill's death, he left Egerton all of his fine art and treasures and a small fortune,

so not only did Egerton inherit a lot of the art here, but also, he used that money wisely.

He spent it on Tatton Park, turning it into the house that we see today.

-David...

-Hi.

-I love 20th century stuff and I love glass,

so this is a smashing little vase.

-Where did you get it?

-I bought it six or seven years ago in an antiques fair in Liverpool.

-How much did you pay for it?

-I think it was about 60.

-That's not bad.

Tell me what attracted you to it.

It was unusual and the colours sort of stand out.

-Do you collect glass?

-No, I collect bits and pieces, but more Moorcroft than anything else.

-Oh, right.

These are similar colours to Moorcroft,

-so I wonder if you were turned on to Moorcroft because you were looking at that.

-It's a possibility.

-Right, do you know what it is?

-It's an Okra vase. That's all I know. I don't know anything more about it.

Yeah, it's made in the late '70s

by Robert Golding.

It's a Midlands glass

and his work is characterised by this lovely mottled pattern

and I like it very much.

Did you have it in pride of place?

It's been collecting dust really.

-We had to give it a good clean before we brought it.

-Right.

-Glass shouldn't be on a dark shelf.

-I know that.

-The light should be flooding in towards it.

As it is just now. That's awfully bonnie.

I love the colours. I love that sort of rust-red and blue

with these squiggly darkened lines.

If you look into the top, it's an almost pearlised blue, very similar to Moorcroft.

-Right.

-Now, price-wise, you paid...?

-60.

-£60.

I think we should put it into auction with much the same estimate

at £60 to £80.

That's fine. I'd be happy with that.

-Tell me what you'll do with the money.

-I'll buy some more Moorcroft.

That's what we like to see. Thank you very much for bringing that along.

-I like it a lot.

-Thanks very much.

We're halfway through our day. Our experts have been working flat-out.

It's now time to put those valuations to the test,

so here's a quick recap of all the items going under the hammer.

Marian's hat pins were the belles of our Tatton ball,

but will they spark any interest in Liverpool?

Mark Stacey is hoping the silver items will also shine at auction.

And can this Okra vase help David buy his next Moorcroft?

For today's auction, we're over in Liverpool at one of the most recent dockside areas to be developed.

It feels marvellous to see this building and many like it in the area thriving now

after years of these warehouses falling into disrepair.

Let's hope our sellers go home with some fabulous returns.

Let's get started and here's our first lot.

And wielding the gavel on the rostrum is our very own Adam Partridge.

We've got nine items of silver going under the hammer right now belonging to Philippa and Jerry.

So why are you selling today?

It's from my father and it's been there a long time. I'm tired of cleaning it.

I knew you were going to say that. Most people say they get tired of cleaning it.

-Yes, they do. We're getting lazier in the 21st century.

-Yes.

Good luck, anyway, because the collectors are here.

This is definitely worth buying.

It's a good mixed lot. It's going under the hammer now.

521, nine pieces of collectable silver there.

Nine pieces of collectable silver. And where are we up to? 170 online.

-170.

-Straight in.

-Where's 180?

180 in the room. At 180.

At 180 in the room. 190. 200 is bid. At 200 in the room.

200. 10 next? At £200.

£200. Anyone else, at 200...?

-Yeah, good price. You did well.

-Yes.

-Good meal.

-A good meal out, yeah.

'No more polishing the silver for Phil and Jerry,

'but can David's Okra vase get him back his £60 investment?'

There's a cracking atmosphere and good luck with your Okra vase.

-Are you happy with Anita's valuation?

-Not bad.

-What did you pay for it?

-It was about 60.

We're on the money. Hopefully, we can get that back for you.

David paid retail for it. Auction is a different situation, but we're a few years on.

-20th-century glass is very popular.

-It has gone up in value.

-Okra is good.

-Hopefully, we will get top money here.

-We'll see.

-Fingers crossed.

But it is an auction. Nothing's guaranteed. Here we go.

419 is the Okra-coloured glass, baluster vase there.

What about £60 for this? 40 then?

Pretty glass vase there for £40.

Surely worth 40? 20 bid. 5. 25. 30.

And 5. At £35.

-It's struggling a bit.

-Yeah. Never mind.

Any advance on £35...?

I'm afraid we have to pass.

-No.

-No.

-Never mind. Another day.

-Another day.

-It's been a good bit of fun today.

-You've enjoyed yourself.

-I have.

-That's the main thing.

Put it in your cabinet for five or six years and we might double our money on it.

-It'll gather more dust.

-I'm sure it will increase in value.

'It just couldn't quite hit its £40 reserve.

'Next, with a very high reserve of £750,

'let's hope Marian's hat pins aren't another "no sale".'

I've been transported back in time, especially when I look at Marian who looks absolutely stunning.

And so typical of the 1950s, I would imagine?

Yeah, well, the hat and the jacket are 1940s.

-The dress is '50s.

-You look great, really good. Don't you think?

Absolutely wonderful. I like a woman of style.

-Like yourself, Anita.

-Yes, I'm surrounded by style. And we are selling some hat pins.

-We do see lots of hat pin collectors.

-Yeah. These are absolutely beautiful.

But you have been offered 650, which I thought was a good price for them,

so we've had to put them in at a reserve

which would give Marian her 650 back.

-I see. That's how you've gauged the valuation.

-That's how I've gauged it.

And I think that 650 was a good offer and sometimes your first offer is your best offer,

but on the other hand, to put it into a competitive situation...

-Could be good as well.

-Could be the right thing to do.

-Are you ready for this?

-Yeah.

-Are you excited about this?

-It's a bit nerve-wracking.

-It is.

-I feel sorry for you. I'm nervous and I know you're nervous.

That's auctions for you. Let's get on with it.

The next lot is the pair of silver baroque

pearl and rose diamond-set hat pins.

Bid me £800 on these?

500?

500 bid me?

-No...

-300?

-You can hear a pin drop.

-A hat pin?

-At 300. Take 20 now?

-Oh, we're in - 320.

But it's a far cry from what you want.

At 300 in the room. At £300 in the room. I'll take 20?

320 then. 340.

360. 380.

400. And 20.

440. 460.

480. 500.

And 20? At 500...

20. 540.

560, the phone? We haven't got all day.

560. 580.

600? 600. And 20.

40. 660.

680.

700. And 20.

740. 740.

In the room at 740.

-At 740, selling then...

-He's selling them.

-At £740.

We sell these then at 740 and away at 740...

-Gosh, what a lot of tension!

-I didn't think they were going to go.

Nor did I. When I said you could hear a pin drop,

-it was like no-one was interested at 300.

-They just slowly climbed.

It shows you the right thing to do was to put it into a competitive bidding situation at auction.

I really didn't think they were going to go. That is brilliant.

Especially when it slowed down, then it gathered momentum again.

-Thank you, Anita.

-Thank you.

That's brilliant.

'What a result for Marian, and to think she only paid £50 for them!

'She is £700 better off.'

We often visit medieval castles or heritage homes on the programme

and each tells a story of our rich architectural and social history.

Here in Liverpool, we've unearthed a few surprises about the urban landscape,

which just might change your view of this magnificent city.

Liverpool is famous for its stunning architecture from the Liver Building to St George's Hall.

There are more historic listed buildings here than in any other city in the UK outside of London,

more Georgian houses than Bath, which is quite astonishing.

But it's not the preserved heritage buildings that I'm here to find out about.

It's the ones that have completely disappeared.

It's both very fitting and a little bit ironic that the clues to Liverpool's lost buildings

would be housed in one of the city's newest constructions.

Completed in 2010, the Museum of Liverpool takes pride of place

on Liverpool's Pier Head, a stone's throw from the Liver Building

and the city's other grand buildings from a bygone era.

I first visited this building when it was under construction a few years ago,

but it's marvellous to see the architect's dream come to fruition. This is so exciting.

Back then, there were wet plaster walls, concrete floors and damp brickwork,

but it had that smell of optimism and inspiration and hope for the future.

Isn't this marvellous?

There's so much to see here,

but today, I'm going to take you on a magical mystery tour of the city's rich architectural past

and recreate the lost buildings which remain at the heart of Liverpool's heritage.

The museum houses exhibitions and artefacts

which trace Liverpool's history back to when it began as a medieval tidal pool next to the Mersey,

known as Lifer Pol, or "muddy pool".

By 1207, King John had founded a port here

and the records suggest he ordered the construction

of Liverpool's oldest and arguably most impressive lost building - Liverpool Castle.

Look at this, a beautiful scaled-down model of what the castle was thought to have looked like

when it was first built around the 13th century.

There is documented evidence which tells us this castle, in 1399, became a royal castle

and when you look at its structure, with its traditional keep and curtain wall and towers

built on a very high vantage point overlooking the water,

it was definitely built for defensive and fortified purposes.

Jeff Speakman, a curator at the Museum of Liverpool, has been unearthing the castle's history.

During the Civil War, Liverpool was the only port on the west coast of England

which was controlled by the Parliamentarians,

despite a lot of efforts by the Royalists who actually captured the town.

And so afterwards, when King Charles II was restored to the throne,

he took quite a dislike to the people of Liverpool.

One of the things that he ordered was that the castle would be demolished.

The only part of the castle that does survive is the dry moat.

One of the hotels on Castle Street actually has a double cellar that is built into the depth of the moat.

Our next lost building was central to Liverpool's shipping boom.

One thing you can't ignore when visiting this city is Liverpool's rich maritime history.

It is all around us, but it's a shame the old Customs House doesn't exist anymore.

It was on this redeveloped area, ready to meet new ships arriving.

An icon in bricks and mortar.

A statement of how successful merchant shipping was in the late 19th century.

It also led to its downfall.

It was a huge domed building

and a bit of a one-stop shop for tradesmen in the maritime boom.

It housed a post office, a telegraph office and the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board.

But in 1941, during the May blitz that battered Liverpool,

German bombs destroyed the beautiful dome and gutted its interior.

Liverpool was targeted by the Luftwaffe as a key Atlantic trade point,

so it brought the very symbol of Liverpool's maritime prosperity to its knees.

When the decision was taken to demolish its broken shell, there was public outrage

and there's still a debate about whether reconstruction would have been possible.

But as times change, so has the usage of the docks, and now the Hilton Hotel greets tourists

in the same spot where the Customs House greeted ships a century before.

The clue to Liverpool's next lost building is right here in this Liver bird crest.

It's the only part remaining from the city's Sailors' Home,

the foundation stone laid by Prince Albert in 1846.

It's thought visiting sailors needed protection from dishonest lodging houses,

eager to take money from men who had been at sea for weeks and just been paid.

The first Sailors' Home was built in London in 1835 and Liverpool quickly followed suit.

John Cunningham based his design on Elizabethan houses like Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire.

Very ornate building with towers at the front and a fantastic gate and ornamental stonework entrance.

The interior of the Sailors' Home was designed to very much mirror the idea of a ship.

The central courtyard was open to the glass ceiling

and created this atrium with colonnades on either side.

Each room was designed to look like a cabin on board a ship,

but when you see the interior, it almost looked like a prison.

The Sailors' Home was over 100 years old. By the 1960s, the number of sailors actually staying in it

was dropping considerably and it was demolished in 1974.

It was actually redeveloped in the last five years when a large department store was built on it.

Tram links to Liverpool's maritime past have been carefully preserved for all to behold, like this -

the last carriage from Liverpool's overhead railway, the world's first elevated electric railway.

Cleverly, the museum have suspended it at the height the actual railway would have stood.

The series of bridges were a striking presence,

providing shelter for the dockers on their way to work.

Gordon Harrison, who worked as an electrician on the "Dockers' Umbrella", remembers it fondly.

I think everybody who went on the overhead railway enjoyed it

because you had seven miles, virtually, of looking at the docks.

You could see the shipping coming in and going out.

People used to travel on the overhead railway - dockers, workmen.

They'd take their tools on it and you'd go into a carriage and see all their toolboxes,

bits of equipment that they were going to fix on the shipping.

You'd meet people, talk to people on the stations.

Very enjoyable, being a lad of 15 and a bit.

It was very, very enjoyable.

But the striking iron viaducts in the end provided the railway's undoing.

The private company who owned it couldn't afford the repair and maintenance to the iron

and they eventually went bust in 1956.

The iron plinths were dismantled the following year, leaving very little trace of these viaducts

and leaving the dockers without their umbrella.

I really miss it.

I had the choice, when the overhead railway closed, to go back into shipping

as an apprentice, or go to the railways.

I chose to go on the railways because I was fascinated.

Despite the loss of the viaducts, the Customs House, Sailors' Home and even the castle,

the existence of so much heritage under one roof here in the museum is really something quite special.

If you're thinking of visiting Liverpool, the first thing to do is wander around this museum.

It's absolutely marvellous. You can learn a lot about the city.

Then when you journey into the city itself, you might get a very different view of what once graced

the city's skyline. I'm convinced Liverpool has some of the greatest historic architecture in the world,

even if it's not all still standing.

Welcome back to our valuation day in the gardens of Tatton Park,

where the weather is holding out and the gems keep pouring in.

Tell me about this teapot.

It was Mum's. My mum had it for years and years.

-Did she use it for tea?

-No.

-It just sat on a shelf.

It was just there.

-So how did you come by it?

-One day she said, "Want this?"

I said, "All right," and that was it.

-Did you know what it was when you got it?

-No idea.

Did you become aware of what it was at some point?

-Yeah, but only through watching this programme.

-It's by Clarice Cliff.

Designed by Clarice Cliff. She was a very talented woman who was an innovator

at her time. This little pot is from the Gay Day pattern, from the Bizarre range.

I think that is so apt, the name Bizarre.

At that time we were getting away from monochromes and flowery patterns

into this very bright, vibrant design,

with oranges and blues and yellows and strong, strong colours coming together

in a wonderful pattern.

We do have a few wee chips on this teapot.

We have a chip. We have one there. And we have one there.

And if we take the lid off, we have a little chip inside.

So I'm having to take into consideration these flaws or faults

when I make the valuation.

I would also like to make the valuation fairly conservative.

And I would like to put the teapot in at £100-£200.

-Would you be happy to put it in at that price?

-Yeah.

-We'll go for that.

-Will you miss it from the shelves?

-Not really!

-Not really.

-Thank you for bringing it along to us. I look forward to seeing this coming up in auction.

-OK.

It's definitely teatime, but no break for our experts. David has caught up with Phil from earlier

and she has another family heirloom she's hoping will bring home the banknotes.

-Hello, Phil.

-Hello.

-It's very pleasant sitting here in the sun.

-It is delightful.

-Modern transport up there, but we're looking at something 70 or 80 years old here.

Let me start by opening the box.

And...I can reveal this beautiful locomotive

and tender.

There we are. I'll put the box on the floor.

-Tell me a bit about it.

-The train was given to my brother, maybe late '40s.

I can't remember if it was birthday or Christmas, but it was second-hand when he got it.

-There were not many toys available just after the war. We had a lot of fun playing with it.

-A lovely thing.

The locomotive and tender and these two items of rolling stock

were all made by Bassett-Lowke.

-Right.

-Bassett-Lowke was a firm established in Northampton

back in the early 20th century.

The quality of this is fantastic.

It's a locomotive, which, as we can see, has four small wheels on two axles

and four large wheels and another two axles.

And we can date it fairly closely to about 1935, 1936.

-It's hardly been played with, has it?

-We played with it quite a lot.

-Gosh. You were very respectful.

-Well, it was quite precious, I suppose.

But I have many happy memories of playing with this.

-We had a lot of track with it, which I think went round two rooms.

-Really?

-Absolutely.

And obviously, when you finished playing with it, you put it back in its box and put it somewhere safe.

-Model children!

-I don't know about that, but we did respect it.

-That's the word.

-We didn't have so many toys in those days.

-You've got other bits with it?

-We have quite a few wagons and a lot of track.

OK. The value really lies in these four items here.

I'm optimistic it's going to make £350 and perhaps even a bit more,

-but I think we should put an estimate on it of £250-£350.

-OK.

-I would suggest, if you were happy, a reserve of £250.

-Right, fine.

-Your brother's happy about you selling it?

-He's asked me to.

-Good! We're not going to get into trouble?

-No, no, no!

-I'm pleased to hear that. Any chance of him being at the sale?

-No, he lives abroad now.

-Twist his arm. See if you can get him over. If not, I'll see you and we'll have a good day.

-Indeed.

Well, what a fun-packed day we have all had here.

It's been absolutely marvellous and the weather hasn't let us down.

A big thank you to everyone,

but sadly it's time to say tally-ho to Tatton Park and hello, Liverpool, as we head over to the auction room.

Here's a quick recap of the items we're putting under the hammer.

It's a "Flog It!" favourite.

Barbara's Clarice Cliff teapot is a colourful teatime treat.

And Phil's already netted £200 selling her silver,

but can she top the estimate on her brother's locomotive?

So we're back at Partridge and Bray auction rooms in Liverpool's historic dock area.

Let's hope this next batch of items sails away.

But first it's over to Adam Partridge and his helper Nick Bray,

who certainly think the locomotive is going to steam ahead.

Some interesting items.

One thing that stood out to me was this Bassett-Lowke train set.

Here it is in the original box.

-A little tatty, but it would be at that age.

-But the train is... very, very good condition.

-Bassett-Lowke, premier manufacturer from Northampton.

-Very popular make and always a good seller.

-They do like their train stuff here.

-Very much so.

I think we'll get top estimate and over for it.

-Estimate is £250-£350.

-I think it'll do 400-ish.

-I'll hold you to that.

-OK!

You either love it or you hate it. I'm talking about Clarice Cliff.

It wouldn't be "Flog It!" without Clarice Cliff. It always does us proud, Barbara.

-You've brought something else in. Who's that?

-That's my husband.

-What's your name?

-Graham.

-Do you like Clarice Cliff?

-Hate it!

-Do you like Clarice Cliff?

-Yes! It's colourful and vibrant!

You're an auctioneer and you want to sell it! I can't bear it myself.

-Do you like it?

-No.

-But millions of people love it.

We'll find someone in here today.

Next is a Clarice Cliff Newport pottery Gay Day teapot.

-Doesn't it look lovely?

-It looks very colourful.

I'm bid 100. Take 10.

-110. 120. 130.

-There's a bid on the book.

In the room at 150. I'll take 160. At 150. 60. 170.

Any more? Take 180. 170. Are you all done?

-Hammer's up at £170. Selling.

-Yes!

-£170. Good news.

-Excellent.

-Well done. Spot-on valuation.

-Happy with that for something you didn't like?

-It's brilliant. It was just stuck on the shelf.

Next, we're all on tenterhooks to find out if our auctioneer's hunch is right...

Will the Bassett-Lowke smash through its estimate or hit the buffers?

So far, so good. Let's see if we're on the right track with this next lot.

I'm talking about that little train and tender. It's your brother's.

-You're selling it on his behalf. It's been in your attic.

-It has. For about 9 or 10 years.

It's boxed as well. It caused a lot of interest at the auction preview.

-Good.

-Boys and their toys, eh? Boys and their toys.

-Here's a big boy who likes toys.

-As you say, any schoolboy would have wanted to own this

back in the late 1930s.

All men are grown-up schoolboys and still want to own it.

-Hopefully, we'll get a little bit more than that top figure.

-Hope so.

-We'll be chuffed!

On to 440, which is a great collection of railway items.

As always, a lot of interest. Are you on the phone for this one?

OK. I bid 420.

-At 420.

-£420, Phil!

440. 60. 80. 500. 20.

Choo-choo!

On 60. 560. 560. Any more? 580.

600. At £600. Take 20.

On 640. 660. 680.

-This is very good, isn't it?

-This is amazing!

700 on the phone. At 700. 20 online.

740 on the phone. At 740. 60.

-780?

-How exciting is this?

760 online.

At 760. Any more on this lot? 80 in the room. 800? At 780.

The bid's in the room now at £780. Are you all done at 780?

Time to come back. It's 780.

Gosh, Philippa! £780. We are so pleased with that.

I thought I might be taking it home.

-If you've got something like that, we want to see it! Wow!

-Amazing.

I'm always shocked. At every auction room, there's always a big surprise.

Well, I'm thrilled. I don't like getting my valuations wrong, but I don't mind that way round.

-You did say it would go well.

-I bet you can't wait to get on the phone!

-I can't.

-Thank you so much. And thank you for watching.

Sadly, it's the end of our show. Plenty of surprises, highs and lows.

That's what auctions are all about. If you want to take part in one, log on to our website:

All the information is there. Hopefully, we'll be near you soon.

We'd love to see you. Until then, it's goodbye from all of us here in Liverpool.