Lincolnshire 46 Flog It!

"The stately homes of England, how beautiful they stand

"amidst their tall ancestral trees over all the pleasant land."

That famous 19th-century poem

sums up our love for the English manor house.

We are so passionate about them,

12 million of us visit them each year.

It's become a national pastime.

And today, for one day only, this one, Normanby Hall, is ours.

Welcome to Flog It!

Stately homes in England have a varied history.

And this one is certainly no different.

It has seen 13 generations of lords, ladies, barons and earls,

hundreds of domestic staff and two World Wars.

And like many other stately homes in the UK,

the lady of the house, Julia Sheffield,

decided to open her family home as a hospital during World War I.

She spent six years working as the commandant in Lincolnshire's very own Downton Abbey.

I'll be finding out about Lady Sheffield and this magnificent house later on.

But right now I'm walking round the back gardens of this architectural delight

where I've joined up with our Flog It crowd

who are all going to take part in a very special garden party today.

They're here to ask our experts that all-important question, which is...

ALL: What's it worth?

And if you're happy with the valuations, what are you going to do?

Flog it!

Today's experts, ready to welcome our crowd and find some historic gems

are lady of the house, Caroline Hawley.

-Do you use this?

-No.

-If that's not a rude question!

-I never have.

-Why not?

And lord of the manor today is none other than Michael Baggott.

-Is it a lot of china?

-Yes.

I won't... Concrete can be very unforgiving.

I'll let you unwrap that inside.

So, our experts are ready, our guests are arriving in droves

and we're set up to find items fit for these glorious surroundings.

We're going to take the best ones off to auction.

On today's show, can you guess which of these makes hundreds of pounds at auction for its lucky owners?

Will it be this beautiful collection of micro mosaic frames?

Or this risque Paris print

set to raise a few eyebrows later on?

Or this single draw brass and leather Victorian telescope,

handed down through the generations?

It certainly is a big event today here at Normanby Hall.

You have six camera crews, 40 members of production,

six off-screen experts plus two on screen.

We all have our work cut out, don't we?

So let's kick things off and get on with our first valuation.

It might be early but Michael Baggott has already found himself a wine bottle.

-Graham, thanks for bringing this bottle. Sadly, it's empty.

-Yes!

We can't have everything.

It's really interesting. Before I tell you anything about it, where's it from?

It came from the eaves of a roof in Beverley.

I'm a joiner. We were doing renovation on the roof,

repairing and altering bits and pieces on it that had rotted over the years.

How long it had been there, I don't know,

but there's a thing in the building trade,

-when you're putting a roof on a property...

-Yeah.

..you call it topping out, so we put a flag up and then we have a drink.

Whether this was there from when they put the roof on the property, I don't know.

How old was the property that you were renovating?

I would have thought somewhere in the 18th century,

probably earlier, I don't know.

That corresponds quite well with the bottle.

So you found it. Did you find out anything about the bottle?

Only that it's a mallet wine bottle.

-Absolutely.

-Nothing else.

When you turn it upside down, it's quite obvious you've got the carpenter's mallet.

And it's a lovely thing.

Wine bottles are a very specialist field.

There are variations in shape from the 17th century onwards.

-Right.

-Some bottles are more desirable than others.

A lot of it depends on tone and quality.

And also, the most desirable bottles

can be those with seals on them.

-Right.

-Sadly, I don't know if you've noticed this scratched area here.

I have, but I didn't know what it was.

-That's where a seal would have been.

-Right.

Date. I'm always... I'm always getting these things terribly wrong!

Um, I think it's somewhere between 1730 and 1750.

Which seems very old and very rare.

But it's of a period where they're not that sought after or collected.

You really want a nice 17th-century onion-shaped wine bottle.

Or one of these with a rare seal on.

One of these with a very rare seal on, you might be talking five, six, seven thousand pounds.

-Oh!

-Value.

Not seven thousand pounds, sadly.

I don't want to have got your hopes up.

Let's say 50 to £100.

Put a £50 reserve on it.

Didn't cost me anything, so...

It might make a bit more, so we'll see where it ends up.

That's a very good starting price for it.

You've obviously found it in a loft, you've kept it. Why sell it now?

We collect Murano glass. We've been to Venice and bought some there.

-So we'll probably do that again and buy...

-Swap a bit of English, 18th-century glass

for a bit of modern Italian glass?

Oh, it's criminal! I'd do it the other way round.

I'd sell the Murano to buy the bottle.

I think it'll appeal to a lot of people.

Thanks very much for bringing it in. It's lovely to see.

A genuine period antique. And the story of how you found it is great.

Michael's right. That's what it's all about here on Flog It.

A quality item that tells a story.

But will the bottle smash the roof of its estimate

later on in the sale room?

Around the front of the house, Caroline has her eye on a sparkler.

Right, Elsa, what do you know about this and how have you come to own this delight?

I inherited this ring from my Auntie Grace.

She lived all her life in Canada.

She died about ten years ago

and she left it to me in her will.

Lucky lady! Let's have a closer look.

It's the most beautiful ring

in 18-carat yellow and white gold.

It's the most enormous sapphire.

It's so dark, it's almost black, isn't it?

It is almost black, but it's 2.78 carat.

Does that make you like it any more?

Well... Maybe. Maybe.

But I've never worn it. It's not something that is my taste, really.

What else don't you like about it?

-Well, it's too small!

-Is it?

Yes, my auntie was a very petite, elegant lady.

-And so are you, Elsa!

-Thank you, Caroline!

With very, very small hands.

I can only get it on my small finger.

It doesn't feel right on there. So I can't wear it at all.

It feels very right on mine!

-Do you like all these beautiful diamonds around it?

-Oh, yes.

Good! I'm glad you like those!

I love the diamonds, yes.

And the shape. It's beautifully set

in an Art Deco-style setting.

-Your aunt bought it in 1988?

-That's right, yes.

I think it's possibly dating from that period,

but harking back to a style of the Art Deco period,

the late teens, 1920s, perhaps.

-Yes.

-And it's a very fashionable look at the moment.

It's a large ring.

-To talk about value...

-Yes.

I would be happy to put an estimate, an auction estimate on it,

of 300 to £500.

-But with a reserve of 300.

-Yes, I would like it fixed at that.

Yes, we'll do that.

-I don't want to give it away.

-Absolutely not.

If you do, give it to me!

With everyone working hard to unearth treasures in the gardens,

I've got time to explore inside the house

to find out more about the people who once lived here.

This is a portrait of John Sheffield, once the man of the house.

He was a major figure in the Royal Navy

and he spent most of his time in London where he was a frequent visitor at the royal court.

In fact, it was his close relationship with Queen Anne towards the end of the 17th century

that led him to be given the grand title of The Duke of Buckingham

in 1704.

With it, he had a house built on The Mall in London.

It was then sold to George III in 1762

and with later additions by George IV, it eventually became - you've guessed it -

Buckingham Palace.

Right, let's catch up with our experts who are somewhere in this house.

Michael thinks he's spied something special on the horizon in the drawing room.

Well, Mitch, thank you for bringing this wonderful telescope. I couldn't see anything, but never mind!

Where did it come from?

It's a family hand-down from my paternal grandfather.

All I know about him is he was a sniper in the First World War.

-He's obviously spent time in Europe.

-Oh, he was a sniper?

-Yes.

Normally I would think that this was for naval use.

We've got a single draw, this lovely leather covering.

But what's nice is that we've got this brass shade

that pulls out.

That will shade the lens, so if you need to look at things on the distant horizon,

and you were in a sunny area, that will enable you to see.

It's a good powerful instrument.

Like modern-day telescopes, you're not endlessly losing the cover to it.

It's all together.

Sadly, we've had the draw fully out.

It's a very stiff draw. It's not something that's been used regularly.

But there isn't a signature.

That's where you would look for an instrument maker's mark on the draw.

But it's going to be a good workmanlike London manufacturer.

Anywhere from about 1880 up to about 1900.

It's late Victorian.

It would have been nice to see a War Department mark on it.

But a lot of people during the First World War outfitted themselves as well.

That could be the connection with my grandfather being in Cyprus, then.

It could have started off as naval.

And then gone on to military use in the First World War.

But you've obviously got attachments to it. Why have you decided to sell it now?

It's always wrapped up. It's in the cupboard.

If somebody who's a collector can get pleasure by looking at it every day,

then good luck to them.

There's only so much enjoyment you can get out of something when you unwrap it every six months.

But these things are no good locked away in a cupboard.

It's better it goes to an instrument collector.

Value.

It's a good clean thing. It should be worth 100 to £150 any day of the week.

We'll put it in auction and put 100 to £150 on it.

-We'll set the reserve at £90 and we won't go below that.

-Yeah.

Hopefully, two people on the day, the auction's online

so technically you've got everybody in the world bidding for it, if they want to.

I think it should do fairly well.

-And get another lease of life.

-Indeed.

If somebody can get some pleasure out of it, then it'll continue...

If they can see out of it better than I did at the start, that would help!

It's a lovely thing. Thanks very much for bringing it in.

We're now half-way through our day.

Everybody has been working flat out.

We have found some real gems.

I've got my favourites. You've probably got yours.

Right now, we'll set off to auction for the very first time

and put those valuations to the test.

Here's a quick recap of what's going with us.

Michael loved this English wine bottle and I did, too.

But will we find a buyer who agrees with us?

Will the sapphire and diamond ring be the perfect fit

for a lady in the auction room?

And will we find someone who can see the true value

of this telescope?

From the beautiful gardens of Normanby to the historic city of Lincoln.

This city's imposing cathedral

was once the tallest building in the world

and was used as a double for Westminster Abbey

in the recent blockbuster film, The Da Vinci Code.

Just down the road is today's auction house.

The seller's commission here is 15% plus VAT,

so make sure you factor that in

if you're planning to put anything into auction.

Auctioneer Colin Young is on the rostrum

and today's sale is being broadcast live on the internet,

so it's Lincoln and the rest of the world bidding on today's items.

First up, it's the wine bottle.

It's absolutely gorgeous, a real antique, and not a lot of money.

50 to £100. Graham, pleased to meet you.

-Pleased to meet you.

-I think you should be keeping this,

but it's too late. You can't withdraw it right now.

It's about to go under the hammer. Why are you selling this?

It's stunning!

Now we collect different things and Murano glass has come into it.

You've gone more 20th-century modern.

Isn't that depressing, Paul?

You're talking to two purists, here!

But I'm not married to you two!

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

Let's start at 100 for it. 100. 100. 80 to go, then, surely.

£80, anyone? 80?

80? 50 to go, then, surely.

-£50 anyone?

-Please, don't.

£50 for the wine bottle. We're straight in at 50.

-They're obviously...

-I should think so, Paul.

55, straight in. Five?

60. 60 bid. Five anywhere else now?

At 60 bid. Obviously the wine connoisseurs are in now.

There we go. 60 bid. Five anywhere else now?

60 bid. Five. 65.

It's 70 now. £70 bid. 70.

70 bid. 70 and five now.

At £70 bid. Any more now? Looks like we're settling.

At £70 bid. Any more now?

No? At £70 bid. Last call, on the net.

You're out in the room. Going at £70.

It just goes to show how the market fluctuates. Two or three years ago,

200 to £300.

It's not just an antiques industry, it's a fashion industry.

People are buying Murano, so it's your fault, isn't it?

-Good luck. Happy shopping.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Pleasure, Graham.

Proof that art really is subjective,

Graham is swapping his 18th-century glass for a piece of Italian Murano.

There's a colourful transformation.

But as we always say on Flog It,

you should invest in what you like.

And now for something that I liked.

It's a nice boys' toy, this.

I will always find a little home for a telescope.

I wouldn't sell it.

There are people like you and me, Paul, who love these desk items.

And it's useful. We took it out. It's got good magnification.

It's not a practical object any more.

It is a gentleman's toy, a library accessory.

-But it's lovely.

-Good luck with it, anyway.

Hopefully we'll get the top end and a bit more.

We've got a packed sale room. Let's find out what they think.

Who's going to start me at 200 for it? 200.

150 to go, then, surely?

150, anybody?

-Telescope 150. Hundred to go, surely. 100.

-Come on. In, someone.

100. 80.

50 if we must. £50, anybody? 50?

£50 bid. 50. Five anywhere else?

Five. 55 bid. 60. 60 bid. Five.

70. Five.

80, now. £80, anybody?

80 bid.

85. Bid 90.

And five? At £90 bid. Any more now?

At 90. It's on the market and we are going to sell it.

At £90 bid. Any more bids now?

At 90. Last call. Done and finished at £90.

Close. We did it.

-It's gone.

-Thank you.

Thank you for bringing it in.

It was a skin of the teeth job, wasn't it?

But it didn't have a name and didn't have a War Department mark.

So it was a good buy for somebody.

A bird watcher. You never know.

We are in Lincoln. There are lots of birds in Lincoln!

Next up, it's Caroline's favourite.

The sapphire and diamond ring.

Since the Royal Wedding, sapphires have become so popular.

-Yes?

-We're looking at 300 to £500.

Why are you selling this ring? You don't wear it any more?

It's languished in a drawer for the past ten years.

It never sees the light of day.

-So I thought, well...

-Happy with the valuation?

-Yes, very happy.

-Hopefully we'll get that top end.

That's what we like. Will it sparkle, Caroline? Will it do the business?

I think so, yes. It's a big ring. It's showy, it's attractive.

As you say, sapphires are fashionable.

I think it will. It's a lovely ring.

Let's find out what the bidders think.

It's down to the people in the room and online throughout the world.

It's going under the hammer.

Let's start this one. Where do we start?

Start me at £400 for it. 400.

Three to go, then. £300 anyone? 300?

Two to go, then, surely. £200.

Anyone, surely? 200.

100 to go, surely. 100?

Come on, we're going the wrong way, Colin! Upwards!

£100 bid. At 100. 110. 120.

Now 120. 130. 140.

150. 60. 170.

180. 190. 200. 220.

240. 260. 280.

-300.

-We're there.

-320. 340. 360.

380. 400. At 400 bid.

At 400. 420, now, surely?

At £400. Any more bids? At 400.

-I was getting worried, then!

-So was I!

Going this time at £400.

-Yes! Bang on mid-estimate.

-Yes!

It's sold! That hammer going down is a sold sound!

Phew!

-That's good.

-Yes!

-I'd take that before we started the sale, wouldn't you?

"Would you take four?" "Yes, please!"

'A nervous start, but we did it. There's always a market for diamonds

'and that's just proved that sapphires are also a fashionable choice.

'That concludes our first visit to the Lincoln auction.

'With three good sales, all on the estimates,

'it's proof that our experts are on the money.'

From the excitement of the auction, it's back to the splendour of our English country manor house.

I'm off to explore how Lincolnshire's Normanby Hall

was transformed from a stately retreat

into a hospital for the wounded.

4th August 1914.

Britain declared war on Germany.

Men responded in their millions to the government's plea to enlist

and very soon, the country was fighting a battle from the trenches.

But as quickly as they went out, they started coming back.

By the end of 1915, half a million men from the British army

had been killed, wounded or were missing, presumed dead.

Back at home, there were very few facilities.

At the start of the Great War, and at a time before the National Health Service

which wasn't formed until 1948,

there were only 7,000 hospital beds available

for sick and injured people throughout the whole of the United Kingdom.

So Barclay Sheffield and his wife, Lady Julia, knew they had to act and act fast.

So they volunteered Normanby Hall and the estate over to the war effort.

Through Sir Barclay's generosity,

they managed to transform the entire ground floor of this magnificent architectural delight

into a hospital ready to welcome sick and injured servicemen

back from the front line and the battlefields.

Today, the place is full of fine art and antiques,

but back then in 1914,

the furniture was removed, put into storage,

and the walls lined with beds for the recovering servicemen.

Over 1,000 men were treated here at Normanby Hall during the war years.

To be sent home from the battlefield, they would have been suffering severe injuries

from the constant shelling, artillery bombardment

and poisonous gas inflicted on the trenches.

This book is part of the Sheffield family archive

and it's been kept safe for many years now.

But it lists the names of every single soldier who had a bed here.

It's a fascinating insight into the history of this house

during the Great War years.

It looks like the servicemen have come from all over the Commonwealth.

Canadian Light Infantrymen,

Servicemen from Australia and all over the United Kingdom.

Hundreds of names of maybe brave young men

who risked their lives fighting for our country.

I've found one chap here by the name of E. Richardson,

and he was admitted on 10 November 1916

and was discharged on 8 May.

That is a period of 180 days.

I guess you could say some of these were the lucky ones.

They made it back here.

They received the best treatment possible.

Within nine months of the outbreak of the war,

there were 800 hospitals in private manor houses like Normanby Hall

in every part of England, Scotland and Wales.

These relied on a group of women

who volunteered on a Voluntary Aid Detachment

know as V.A.Ds.

One of the most famous examples of these hospitals

is Highclere Castle, fictionalised in ITV's Downton Abbey.

Peter Starling is the programme's medical adviser

and director of the Army Medical Services museum.

Tell me about everybody's role here.

I think we mustn't forget that these V.A.Ds were from the great and the good of the country.

Middle and high-class ladies.

So they weren't skilled at nursing.

But they could do the washing of the soldiers, help with their dressings.

So all of a sudden, the tables are turned.

Rather than being waited on themselves by their own staff,

they're doing the menial jobs of waiting on these poor wounded soldiers.

And they needed to be controlled,

so each organisation of the V.A.Ds

had a commandant.

Which, of course, is what Lady Sheffield was.

You've brought a few things along to show me.

Are these particular to the house here?

Not particularly to the house here,

but the sort of things that were common to these auxiliary hospitals.

The first thing we ought to look at his the patient themselves.

The patients, when they came back from France,

their filthy, muddy lousy uniforms

that would have been taken off them a long time ago.

So when they were up patients, they couldn't sit in their pyjamas all day long,

so they had what we call a hospital blue uniform.

This was a blue jacket and blue trousers,

a white shirt and a red tie.

So you could identify that this chap was a patient

and he was also a hero.

He was. What he didn't want is a young lady to come up to him in the street

regarding him as a coward and giving him a white feather.

That would hurt, wouldn't it?

-After going through what this guy went through.

-Yes.

-To have that done to him.

-Yes.

-What have you got here?

-These V.A.Ds were prolific collectors of autograph books.

We've got some examples here.

This is a Nurse Shingleton. And the idea was

that would you would get the soldier

to write a little poem or do a drawing of his hat badge,

or to write his thoughts.

This one is even more interesting because it has a photo of the soldier put in there.

-That's nice.

-This is how he refers to this nurse.

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever."

Volunteers were key to the war effort.

As the war progressed, more and more men were returning home

and the demands on hospitals like Normanby grew.

Women working for the Voluntary Aid Detachment

only had a few weeks training before they were put to work under professional nurses.

Many had to perform minor operations as well.

However, they were all well loved by the men they were treating.

I have a copy here of some of the letters that were written.

This one is by Fred Stepman from the East Yorkshire Regiment.

This was August 1916. He's penned...

"Nursie, can I have a drink

"Is the nightly cry

"Nursie smiles and with a wink

"Asks what would you like to try?

"Milk and soda head the list

"Water, then lemonade

"And you study how to twist

"Something stronger, but it's forbade."

I like that!

And there's another one here.

This is from Private Tom Scurr, again in August 1916.

"A far cry from Ypres

"I long to be

"Where German snipers Can't snipe at me

"Think of me crouching Where the worms creep

"Waiting for someone To sing me to sleep."

For the men who were treated at Normanby Hall

by Lady Julia and her team of devoted V.A.Ds,

it must have felt like paradise

and a far cry from the life in the trenches.

There's a page in this book devoted to Lady Julia and all her hard work.

I'll just read a paragraph.

"The success of the hospital was undoubtedly due

"in the first place to the determination, energy and enthusiasm of the Commandant

"who always mastered her subject

"and informed her capable hardworking staff

"as well as inspired them."

There you are. Praise indeed for a lady who gave up five years of her life and her family home

to help injured young soldiers.

Indeed, a very special woman.

Back at our valuation day

and our crowds have been joined by The Vintage Dancers for some lunch time entertainment.

Charleston style!

After the Great War, those who had survived launched themselves into a round of escapism.

It wasn't called The Roaring Twenties for nothing.

Dance bands, the Charleston and early jazz

was making its way over the Atlantic.

And at parties thrown by the bright young things,

they would have been doing it a bit like this!

Yeah! Fabulous!

Fabulous. Well done.

Well done.

But in post-war Paris, they were dancing the Charleston in a more risque fashion.

Caroline has found a cheeky poster that comes from the first Parisian dance hall,

the Folies Bergere.

So, John, what a pleasure to see this poster.

When the good Lord handed out bodies, this young lady was first in the queue!

First in the queue! A lovely pair of eyes!

Yes, she has. Beautiful eyes, yes.

She's not got a lot on, has she, John?

No, she hasn't. She's got a lot off!

She has got a lot off!

At the risk of asking the obvious, do you like it?

-Yes, I do.

-Do you?

-Yes.

-Very much?

-I do.

Over the period of time, the likeness has slackened somewhat.

-Has it?

-As it comes with old age!

Or older age.

Tell me, John, how did you come by this? If it's not a rude question.

No, not a rude question.

I took a group of people to Paris. I was a coach driver.

One evening was a visit to the Folies Bergere.

How fortuitous.

Unfortunately I didn't go in, I had to park the coach,

but when I went back to pick them up later in the evening,

the gentleman on the door gave me a rolled up paper foil.

And when I opened it up, there, behold, was the lady.

Right!

So I gingerly took her home

and I'm very proud to say my wife liked it very much.

-Yes.

-So I framed it.

Where did you hang it at this stage?

At that stage, it was hung in our living room.

-Yes.

-But about four years ago,

we moved into a two-bedroomed flat

and the walls got quickly taken up

with photos and cross-stitch...

-All of semi-clad ladies?

-No.

-I only had one semi-clad lady, which was this one.

-Right.

-And she ended up in the workshop.

-The workshop?!

-Sorry to say.

-Do you spend a lot of time in your workshop, John?

Yes, I did, actually!

I thought you might!

Doing odd jobs. And I just felt she was misplaced.

-Then I came to the decision to pass her on to somebody...

-To Flog It.

Exactly. Bring it to Flog It for somebody else to appreciate.

Well, I'm sure there will be no shortage of people appreciating it.

I hope so. I'm sure it will go to a good home.

I'm sure it will.

It's a beautiful picture, altogether. No doubting that.

From the Folies Bergere in Paris, it's evocative of romance

and glamour.

It's lovely.

-It doesn't have age on its side. Nor does she!

-No.

-Which is good.

-She doesn't. Late 1980s.

-Late 1980s.

-Yes.

I would say if we put it in auction,

if we put an estimate of possibly 20 to £30.

-On her. With a discretionary reserve of £20.

-Right.

And I'm sure if two people really like it,

or more likely 20 people like it, it could get a lot more.

But I'd say why not let's have a go at 20 to 30?

-Well, I'm well in agreement with that, yes.

-Great.

-That's fine.

-Thank you very much, John.

You're very welcome. It's caused quite a few laughs during the day.

I'm sure it has, yes.

In its early days, the Folies Bergere

were known for ballet, opera and pantomime.

But from the 1920s onwards, it was the leggy dancers that really made its name.

Let's just hope John's poster turns a few heads at auction.

And staying with the '20s, but with something a little tamer,

Michael is in a quieter part of the garden

putting Anne in the picture.

What lovely frames. What can you tell me about them?

Not a lot, to be honest.

They were my mother's. I think they're approximately 60 years old.

She came from Edinburgh, so I've always thought they were probably Scottish.

-Right.

-I don't know any more, really.

Well, that couldn't be further from the truth!

They're basically a very late style of what we call micro-mosaic.

This is basically like a mosaic,

like a tiled floor or a tiled pattern,

but done with small extruded canes of coloured glass.

Originally, when this was done, it was done in hard stone.

And you'll go back probably to Italy which is where these are from,

to the 16th century, back to the Medici family.

They would make these beautiful table tops and objects

from inset small cut hard stones.

I thought they were stone to begin with, but they're glass.

-Sadly, no. No, it would take a lot of stones to do these!

-It would.

Later on, this style became very fashionable,

this smaller style, the micro-mosaic style,

which was run basically in Rome.

There was a patent workshop

and the office of the Pope oversaw these workshops.

They would make these huge tabletops

with very fine Roman or antique scenes

with infinitesimally small pieces of tile.

And from that, you get - dare I say - a boom in tourist mosaics.

-Tourist micro-mosaic.

-Yes.

These would have been made around anything from about 1900 up to about 1920.

-Right.

-So they're older than you originally thought.

-They are, yes.

There's a very strong Italian community in Scotland

-and it might be that they came over initially with an Italian family.

-Yes.

-And were then sold and your mother bought them.

-Right.

They're in gilt metal frames.

-Just needs a nice picture of a family member in them.

-I had pictures in them

-but the frames were in the attic with pictures in them.

-Right.

-When did they end up in the attic?

-When we moved to the house we're in now about three years ago.

-It is a very modern house.

-I understand completely.

There's a bone in me that thinks that the very young trendy folk down in London

might just go for these.

-They might be their taste. Not being a young trendy person I have no idea.

-Neither am I!

Early micro-mosaic is very valuable.

One of those late 18th, 19th-century tabletops

produced in the Papal workshop,

about as big as our Flog It tables, might be a million pounds!

Right.

-Not a million pounds today.

-No.

I think, and I'm probably being mean,

but it's always better to be mean at auction than generous...

-Right. Yes.

-Let's say 200 to £400 with a fixed reserve of 200.

-OK.

-And see where they end up.

Somebody might love them even more than that.

-But I think that's a very sensible figure and very achievable.

-Yep.

-We should be seeing top end of it.

-That would be lovely.

They are super examples of late work.

-Thank you.

-If anyone's got any of the earlier work at home,

-they can also bring that in!

-Thank you, Michael.

-Thank you very much.

While our experts are busy finding gems like that to take to auction,

I'm exploring Normanby's finery.

Inside the house, as you'd expect,

it's brimming with fine art and antiques.

English country houses were often seasonal homes for their owners

and Normanby Hall is no exception.

The family spent their winter months here

and frequently held shooting parties out in the grounds.

And this fine piece of kit is a hunting table.

It's in a semi-circular form, can you see that, known as a demi-lune.

And it is rather fine.

It's circa 1760, 1770, George III period.

It's made of Cuban mahogany,

a wonderful decorative grain here.

It's very clever because when you've got a gathering of chaps here

all desperate for a drink,

to serve the guy on that side of the room, you'd just swing this little tray around.

In there would be two decanters, one with port and one with brandy.

In order to serve this chap, you'd just do this.

Without moving. It's suspended on brass rods, as you can see.

A wonderful piece of kit and a fine piece of engineering.

Well, from a splendid antique table to one of our valuation tables.

Let's catch up with Caroline and see what she's looking at.

So, Terry, you've brought along two fascinating items.

This wonderful picture here, black and white photograph

of a fascinating-looking young gentleman.

And this Patheorama.

Tell me, is there a link between the two

and tell me what you know about them.

The only thing I do know about it

is that George was my great-uncle

and he brought that back from the First World War.

It's been in our family ever since.

So he probably brought this back for his brother who he refers to on the back,

-"To brother Matthew with love from brother George."

-That's right. Yes.

Matthew I did know. I knew him for years and years.

He died when I was 14.

-And sadly George didn't survive the Battle of the Somme.

-No. No.

And died out there.

It's a very sad tale.

-So, Terry, may I open this?

-Yes, certainly. Yes.

Now, inside you can see the films

and as I turn it, here,

-can you see the film moving around?

-I can, yes.

Tell me, have you played with this yourself?

Yes, I played with it many, many times when I was a child.

"And you can say your prayers."

There's a little tale. "Now, Miss Dolly,

"Keep quiet while I put your dress on."

It's a young lady dressing her doll.

I can't understand why that's in English and that's in French.

Well, it would have been made in France, about 1910.

For Britain.

The export market. For Britain, yes.

-Value. Have you any idea as to value?

-No, not a clue. No.

-No, I'm afraid...

-I haven't seen its like before.

But it's a charming thing. And with the story of your great-uncle as well.

I think we would put an auction valuation

-of 30 to £50.

-Right.

With a reserve of £30.

-Right.

-If you're happy with that, Terry.

-Yes, fine. Yes.

I think that's a lovely lot. Thank you very much for bringing it in.

Thank you.

And a fitting item for a location with such a poignant connection

for the First World War.

There you are. You've just seen three wonderful items.

Our experts have made their final choice.

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

the wonderful Normanby Hall,

as we head off to auction for the very last time.

Here's a quick recap of what we're taking with us and what's going under the hammer.

This 1980s poster raised a few eyebrows earlier on.

But will it be dancing its way out of the auction room?

Whilst they won't make her a million,

Anne's hoping her frames will reach the top end of Michael's estimate.

And Terry's Patheorama complete with original Pathe film strips

has a real personal history.

But will it find an audience in the sale room?

'We're back in our Lincoln auction room

'and it looks like a full house.

'Let's hope the bidders are still on fine form.

'First up it's John's cheeky poster.'

Hello, John. Good to see you.

Hello, Paul. Good to see you. This is my wife, Pat.

I was about to say, "Did the wife like this poster?" Hello, Pat.

-I love it.

-You do?

-Yes, I do.

-I do, as well.

I think it's great. Not a great deal of money, though.

20 to £30. But hopefully, we'll get a bit more than that.

It's gorgeous. It appeals to everybody.

It's going under the hammer now.

What shall we say for this one? Who'll start me at £40 for it? 40?

40. Everybody should want one of these on their wall. 40.

30 to go, then. 30?

30. 20 to go, then, surely.

£20, anybody? 20?

£20.

£10? Thank you. £10 I'm bid.

12 anywhere else? £10 I'm bid. 12, do I see?

12 on the net. 12 bid. 15 in the room?

15. 18, now. 18 bid.

18 bid. 20. At 20 bid. 22.

25 now. No?

At 22. It's on the internet then.

At £22 bid.

Anybody else going to bid? Just raise your leg!

Sorry, your arm!

At 22. Five anywhere else?

Going at £22.

-Yes.

-He sold it.

-£22.

-Got the estimate.

-It's not going back to your workshop!

No. It's going in somebody else's!

Yes!

A low price, but it sold.

I'm sure the new owner will get as much joy out of it as John did.

Next up it's Terry's Patheorama,

brought back from France during the First World War.

It's something new to me.

-It's so unusual.

-Yes, very.

I can't find anything out about it.

I've not seen one before.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone said it's worth £150.

Yes, you're probably right cos I haven't seen one.

-No, I haven't. Not ever.

-I'm not that lucky.

-We'll see.

-You might be.

-Could well be.

-Might be.

-Anything can happen.

-Anything can happen at auction. We've seen it before.

-Fingers crossed.

-Hopefully.

Let's put it to the test, shall we?

It's going under the hammer right now.

Who's going to start me at what, £40 for it? 40.

40? 30 to go, then, surely. £30. Who's first in for this? 30?

30? 20? £20 bid. Two bid.

Do I see five?

At 22. Five bid. 28 bid. Got a bid 30 now.

30 coming in on the net. £30 on the net.

£30 bid. Two, now, do I see?

At £30 bid. Net bidder takes it. Anybody else in the audience?

32 bid. 35, now, do I see?

32 now. At 32.

At 32. Any more now? At 32.

The last call. It's on the market, it's on the net.

You're all out in the room. I will sell at £32.

-You were spot on.

-Sold it. You were spot on. 30 to 50.

-Thank you very much.

-It's a pleasure.

Good valuing. Very good valuing.

I doubt I'll see another one for another ten years.

You've taught me something and that's what it's all about.

We're all learning. The older I get, the more I realise I don't know!

-Same here!

-That's like everybody.

That's the beauty of watching Flog It. You can always pick up information

and put it to some good use.

Get out there and get buying a few things.

You never know. You could make a profit.

Yes.

And for our last lot of the day,

it's the frames.

I think we've got the market covered here and I think the value's right.

-There's four of them.

-They should make £100 each.

-Yeah.

Which is the top end of it.

But we'll see. It's whether they go to a private person or to a dealer who has to leave a margin.

But they're there to be sold.

-Exactly.

-Good.

-Let's put it to the test.

Every picture frame has a story. Here it is.

What shall we say for these?

At least a couple of hundred pounds. £200, anybody?

200?

150 to go, then, surely.

150? 150 bid.

150. 160 now, surely.

There should be more arms than this.

At 150 bid. 60 now, do I see?

60, surely. 160. 170.

180. 190? 190.

-200. 220.

-Taking off now.

260. 280. 300.

320. 340. At 340 in the room.

At 340 bid. 360 anywhere else?

At 340. All done and finished?

It's in the room and we're selling. Centre of the room.

At £340.

-We're happy with that. That's good.

-Very happy with that.

That was spot on, Michael.

-It wobbled at 150, didn't it?

-It did!

I was thinking, "Oh, no!"

But what happens at auction sometimes

-is people want to see what everyone else is doing.

-Yes, everybody else.

Once it starts, it goes very quickly.

Keep your powder dry. Don't wave your hand straightaway.

Be the last to put it up. Play the market properly.

That's what they're all waiting to do.

We keep saying this, but it's true.

Quality always sells.

The detail in that was exquisite.

-Absolutely.

-Good.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you for bringing them in.

What a fantastic result for Anne,

and a fitting end to a successful day

on the Lincoln sale room floor.

To find out where are next valuations are,

just log on to our BBC website.

Keep an eye out in your local press, as well.

We'd love to see you. Raid those cupboards and unearth some antiques of your own.

See you next time!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd