Hampshire 42 Flog It!

In 1882 a man landed here in Portsmouth on Clarence Pier,

which is just over there, via a coastal steamer.

He had nowhere to live,

no job and little more than £10 in his pocket,

but he was a doctor and a writer

in the midst of creating one of the most timeless fictional characters

in English literature.

A character who could be recognised by his hat and his pipe.

Have you guessed who it is yet? Well, the answer is elementary.

Welcome to Flog It!

Portsmouth has been the literary home of many great writers

over the decades.

From Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his Sherlock Holmes

to one of the most famous authors and social commentators of all time,

Charles Dickens,

who was born at number one Mile End Terrace, Portsmouth.

But today we're writing our own story

on board the historic HMS Warrior.

It's one of antiques and auctions.

And it all starts here at the historic dockyard at Portsmouth,

on board HMS Warrior,

the first iron-hulled armoured warship of its day,

the pride of Queen Victoria's fleet.

And hoping to sell their antiques and collectibles

are the good people of Portsmouth and the surrounding areas.

And they're here to ask our experts that all-important question,

which is....

ALL: What's it worth?

And answering that question today are two men who have read

quite a few antiques books in their time.

Michael Baggott...

-Any treasure in the bag, or...?

-Er... Lunch.

Lunch.

Good grief.

Would they be something you might consider putting into auction?

Well, we'll see.

..and Will Axon.

I've done my three, you know, my normal three.

Oh, you've been very good. Normally people bring a truckload.

Don't normally do as I'm told.

Everybody ready to go on board?

-ALL: Yes!

-Of course you are.

Well, look, good luck, and if there's any misbehaving,

you'll be walking the plank.

But when I get to the front of this massive queue

we'll be going up the gangway there, I'll be leading them on

because I know our experts Will and Michael have already found

some gems in the queue and they're eager to get started.

And so am I. So, come on, everybody, follow me!

We're starboard side of HMS Warrior on a beautiful sunny day

in Portsmouth, and we've got a packed show ahead of us.

Now, can you guess which material makes the most at auction?

Will it be the wood? A fighting club from the South Pacific.

The silver? An English trophy cup.

Or the ceramic? A Worcester vase.

Find out later.

Well, what a fantastic setting we have here today,

and the weather is absolutely marvellous as well.

It doesn't get any better than this for a Flog It! valuation day.

Valuations are taking place all over the dockyard today,

and Will's starting up on the bridge.

Well, listen, I don't know about the crow's nest, but look what

we have here - we've got a couple of pirate's parrots, maybe.

Russell, tell me, how did you come by this?

Cos this really caught my eye when I saw you in the queue.

-I bought it in an antiques stall in West Sussex...

-OK.

-..about six months ago. Um, I thought at first it was a print...

-Yes?

-..but my other half is a picture framer...

-Right.

..and we had a good look at it and we thought maybe it is a painting.

-So we bought it.

-Yeah, I think you were dead right.

Yes, you can see that.

Usually you can just sort of see the texture of the paint on the surface.

I mean you do occasionally get prints that try and mimic that,

-oleographs and so on.

-Yes.

But there's no doubt that you've bought yourself, here,

what I think is a rather nice watercolour.

-Most of the painting is actually exposed paper.

-Mm.

Rather than being the paint surface on the paper.

So, the whole body of the parakeets or cockatoos, we'll call them,

is actually where he's left the paper, he hasn't painted that.

-Right.

-So, I think that in turn helps accentuate this lovely

glowing light that is falling on their backs and shoulders.

It's nice, isn't it?

I think it's a really nice watercolour.

And signed, as well. HSM.

Now, I think you've done yourself a little bit of research, haven't you?

-I have.

-What have you come up with?

I believe it's Henry Stacy Marks, who did lots of bird paintings.

Exactly right. I mean, he's a great name, Henry Stacy Marks.

Certainly when you're talking about bird pictures,

which is really something that he concentrated on,

and his most famous work is of birds,

and hangs in the Walker Gallery in Liverpool.

-Right.

-So, you know, he is well known for this subject matter.

He's an artist, he's sort of mid-19th century,

enrolled into art school.

His father ran a business which went belly up,

and because of that, Henry Stacy Marks had to become the breadwinner

of the family, he had to support the rest of his family.

And because of that, he started doing more commercial work.

He was actually working for Minton, for example, painting on ceramics

-and doing more decorative works and things like that.

-Yeah.

But this was really his love, he took a real interest in birds.

-Mainly parakeets, I suppose for the exotic flavour of them.

-Yeah.

So, what actually drew you to the picture?

I've told you what I liked about it.

-For me, it was the light around the heads, it was quite stunning.

-Yeah.

It's something that is very effective, looks simple,

but I'm sure is very difficult to get right.

-Because you just get the form of the body, don't you?

-You do.

And like I said before, there's no painting here to suggest that,

-it's purely done on the highlighting.

-Yes.

Lovely, lovely piece.

-You say you bought it in an antiques shop.

-Yes.

-What was the price ticket on it?

-It was 55, and I got them down to 50.

And did they think it was a print? Was it listed as a print?

It didn't have any label at all,

so I assume at that price they probably thought it was a print.

Well, listen, Russell, I'd give you £100 for it now,

if you wanted a quick profit.

But we're going to work in your interest.

I'm going to say, let's put it into auction

and I'm fairly confident with that name

you would get a price of at least £300-£500 at auction.

-Fantastic.

-Yeah?

-Good return. Very good return.

-You get one of those a day, you're laughing, aren't you?

-Yeah.

-You could give up your day job and become a professional!

-Mm.

You know, this just sits really nicely,

and you say your partner's a framer, did they frame it for you?

Yeah, it was in a cheapy plastic frame,

so he put it in an old frame to suit it.

Yeah, I mean, I think the frame is spot on as well.

For £50, I think you've done a good deal there.

I'm going to find out where you're going next

and maybe follow you in there and see where your eye ends up.

Listen, it's been a pleasure meeting you.

Thank you for bringing the picture in. I've enjoyed seeing it

and I'm confident it's going to find a new home.

-Fantastic.

-All right, Russell. Thank you.

-Cheers.

Talking of birds that flock together, our next couple

have been married for 60 years, and they're massive Flog It! fans.

And they used to be keen car-booters.

Sadly, in 2006 Ken had a stroke,

and Jean has been his sole carer ever since.

They may not be able to attend car boot sales much any more,

but nothing could stop them

from coming to our Flog It! valuation day.

-Jean, Ken, hello.

-Hello.

-Hello.

You've brought this lovely parcel in.

Before we unwrap it - cos I love unwrapping

these hidden little parcels we get on Flog It! -

can you tell me, where did it come from?

-Well, er...

-Cleared the...

-Ken cleared the warehouse out.

-Right.

I think he had three of these,

and he gave one to a friend that was helping him,

-and he actually sold one...

-Right.

And he gave me the other one to keep.

And I've had it years.

It's exciting to find anything in brown paper,

-with original retailers' labels.

-Yes. Yes.

And it looks unprepossessing, but let's open it up.

You've obviously seen what it is.

-Look at that.

-Yes.

-Isn't that fabulous?

-Yes.

Gramophone needles.

Now, I have to say,

we do see little tins of gramophone needles on Flog It!

We have seen them.

You know, every gramophone had some left over,

they get put in Granny's box.

But never - in fact, in all my dealing and auctioneering days,

I've never seen a set like this.

Absolutely pristine,

-with all the different varieties in the original packaging.

-Mm.

And what's exciting is,

this rather dull brown paper has preserved this in mint condition.

-I mean, this would have been made in about 1920, 1925.

-Mm-hm.

It obviously would have gone out to a retailer, not an individual.

And then when you bought one, they would slip one out of the back,

and you would pay whatever for them.

And we've got all the different types of needle, as well,

-for the different sound effects that you could achieve.

-That's right.

And, conveniently, they're all put on the back here.

"Extra Loud Tone..."

"Loud Tone," "Medium Tone,"

"Soft Tone..."

And "Bronze" and "Golden," I would have thought,

to give a richness of the timbre of the recording.

They're absolutely fantastic,

and I would think anyone that collects gramophones

would want just this as the example in their collection of the needles.

I don't think you could get better, actually. Um...

They were made by a Glasgow manufacturer

and sent out throughout Britain, and of course throughout the world.

And they're just absolutely pristine.

You're not tempted at all to keep the last set, then?

We've been waiting, actually, to see a Flog It! programme in this area.

-Yes, yes.

-They've been wrapped up ready and waiting for us?

-Yes.

-Oh, well, we'll have to do very well for you.

-Yes.

In terms of value....

-It's difficult, because I've got nothing to compare it with.

-No, no.

But I think, in its original packaging...

Let's be very broad and say £50-£100.

-Mm.

-Would that...?

-We were hoping a little bit more than that.

-A little bit more.

What were you hoping for?

Well...when Ken sold his on the internet,

-he got 500.

-£500?

-Yes.

-He got £500.

-Crikey, that...

-There is a rarity-factor, obviously, to collectors.

-Yes.

-I think people can get carried away.

-Oh, yes!

-And it's very...

It's great at an auction,

-but it's very dangerous to base a valuation on one result.

-Mm-hm.

-Because you never know exactly the circumstances of it.

-No.

We're willing to take the risk.

-If you're willing to take the risk, let's say £100-£200.

-Yes.

-And let's see where it ends up.

-That's right.

Thank you so much for bringing them in, and thank you, Ken,

for finding them in the first place.

-Yes, and doing the hard work.

-Absolutely.

Will Michael's estimate of £100-£200 be on the money?

Wait and see.

Well, I told you this ship was full of treasure, didn't I?

And it's just been plundered by our experts.

In fact, this is a Jolly Roger flag

from a Second World War submarine, an English submarine

called Tantalus,

and it's been brought in by the son of the sailor

who was at sea on it. He doesn't want to sell it,

but that's a lovely piece of naval memorabilia,

and a wonderful piece of family history.

And that's what it's all about.

You get a sense of connection to the past

when you deal with antiques.

And there's nothing greener than antiques,

they're not second hand or third hand,

they just keep going around and around and around,

and if you've got any unwanted antiques, we would love to see them.

Bring them along to one of our valuation days.

Details can be found on our website,

or, if you don't have access to a computer,

check the details in your local press.

Michael's gone ashore with an item that arrived in Portsmouth

from 8,000 miles away.

George, thank you for bringing in this most intriguing item.

Before I tell you anything about it, how did you come by it?

Well, I've had it since I was 12 years old.

-I bought it in a second-hand shop locally, in Portsmouth.

-Good grief!

And I paid the price of 75 pence, which was 15 shillings.

15 shillings. Was that money that you'd worked or saved up?

This was money that I saved up with my pocket money.

Good grief.

I think it's very interesting - when you go back into the history

of where people bought things and sold things.

They didn't have the internet.

Auctions weren't the favourite haunt of most people,

and often people would buy and sell things locally, to local -

either antique dealers or second-hand dealers.

Now, it's very interesting

that that shop you went to all those years ago had weapons like this.

Because we're obviously, in Portsmouth, a seaport

and there must have been a history of people going out from here,

taking things from all around the world and coming back,

-and then of course they get sold locally.

-Yeah.

Um, I don't think you were ever going to go

-and buy this for 75 pence again.

-I don't think so, no.

-It's a beautiful, obviously tribal, club.

-Yeah.

-This would be the root wood section.

-Yes.

Because if you think -

you wouldn't take a trunk that size and taper it down,

but if you think of root ball that grows very thick and dense,

-and then a slender stem coming from it...

-Yeah.

So, you take that, you cut the top of the branch off there,

strip the bark back...

-And, in this case, the root is quite dense and hard.

-Right.

And this is what I call the whacking end of it.

Um, I believe, although I'm not an expert in ethnographica,

that from this chip-carving here and the form of it, that's it's Fijian.

-Right.

-And that it's a throwing-club.

-Yeah.

Although I think it would be equally effective if you just gripped it

here and gave somebody a jolly big whack over the head with it.

-As a weapon, yeah.

-Um...

It's difficult to date these things,

but you go by wear and surface patination.

That is, when this was made, it would have been a very fresh timber.

And it's only the oils and natural greases from our hands,

handling it, that turns the wood this colour.

I think it would be very safe to say

that this was late-18th, early-19th century.

And of course that ties in

with when our navy was going around to these islands and trading

with them for the first time, and bringing these pieces back.

-1770, 1780 to about 1820.

-That old?

I think that's a sensible figure.

The only thing we've got is, we've got

-a little bit of string tied round here, which is evidence of...

-Yeah.

-And it's just split a little.

-Yeah.

And you've popped that round just to retain it.

And I don't think that does any harm at all.

You know, you want to see age and wear on these things,

you don't want to see them in pristine condition.

What sort of return are we going to make on 75 pence, do you think?

Well, I'd like you tell me, if you could, please. I'd be very grateful.

I think we'll put it into the auction with a wide estimate.

You always have to be quite wide with these ethnographical pieces.

-Yeah.

-Let's say £200-£400.

And let's put a fixed reserve at the bottom end of that.

-A fixed reserve of 200.

-Yep.

-Thank you for bringing it in.

-I wish I had your eye when I was 12.

-HE CHUCKLES

Michael Baggott with a new word for you - "ethnographical".

The understanding and description of specific human cultures.

I like it.

Well, there you are,

three magnificent items all ready to sail off to the auction room.

Our experts have just made their choices,

let's put those valuations to the test.

And here's a quick recap of what's going under the hammer.

An identical set of these gramophone needles

sold on the internet for £500, but Michael has valued these much lower.

Only the bidders will decide.

The Fijian club may be a weapon of war,

but it's also a thing of beauty.

And Russell thinks he's bought a bargain at £50,

but will anyone want to take these birds home?

Due north of Portsmouth is the picturesque village of Itchen Stoke,

which lies in the valley of the River Itchen, hence its name.

And a beautiful Grade II listed building is home

to our auction today.

It's Andrew Smith & Son,

and I caught up with the man whose name is over the door,

to see if the bidders are fighting over the Fijian club.

Now, not only is it a work of art, but it's also a weapon of war,

a Fijian war club.

And if you could feel the weight of this, you'd realise, when that was

flying through the air, that would give you a nasty knock on the head.

Feel that.

-Isn't that beautifully balanced?

-Yes, it's a very tactile object.

This is not a ceremonial piece?

-No, no, this would've been used in anger.

-Mm.

Although not successfully,

because it would've had notches to record its deaths...

-For the kills.

-..had it done so.

I'd like to see top money on this.

I know we've got £200-£400 on this, but on a good day...

that should be somewhere in the region of £800-£1,200, shouldn't it?

I would hope so.

We haven't had the level of pre-sale interest yet,

to get it up to the top end of that,

but I'd certainly hope to get towards the bottom.

-Well, look, good luck, Andrew.

-Fingers crossed.

So, to the auction, where our Flog It! fans

are ready and waiting for their big moment.

But first, the club is going under the hammer.

Well, let's hope we can deliver that knockout blow right here,

right now, with the Fijian throwing club,

belonging to George, who's standing right next to me.

Great to see you again.

I remember when I was handed this on board the Warrior, and I went,

"Ooh, I like the look of this. I like the feel of this."

It's lovely. It's got the patination.

-It's got everything you want.

-It's got the carving,

it's just a wonderful thing.

Of course, you have to be very careful

-when you value something like a club.

-Of course you do.

Just in case it doesn't sell,

the owner gets it back and attacks you.

-Cosh.

-Cosh.

-Anyway, we're looking at £200-£400.

I had a chat to Andrew, the auctioneer, on the preview day.

You know what he had to say.

And we both agreed that, hopefully, I'd like to see this do about £600.

So, why do want to sell it now?

You've had this ever since you were 12 years old, lots of memories.

Well, my wife kept saying to me, "Bring it along,

"and if you can sell it, we'll go back to Greece, where we had our honeymoon."

-That's a good call, isn't it?

-It's a brilliant cause.

-Well, look, good luck, George.

-Thank you.

Hopefully we're going to have phone lines booked on this,

there should be interest left on the book.

-We've had commission bids, hopefully.

-Good.

So, a lot of activity in the room. Let's see what happens, shall we?

This is it.

Lot 480, this is the Fiji tribal throwing club.

We have a telephone, I think... And we have a commission bid.

I'll start the bidding at 200, commission bid.

Is there 220 in the room?

At £200 and selling, is there 20?

220, 240, 260...

280, 300.

Commission bids out, 300 to the telephone.

Is there 20? At £300, are you sure?

-£300, then, for the very last time...

-Mid-estimate.

It's gone.

-Yeah.

-It's gone.

-That's fine.

-Better than lower estimate.

-Yeah!

-It is.

-It's more than I thought, actually.

-Yes, yeah.

I'm a bit disappointed, to tell you the truth,

-but it's more than you thought, so that's good news.

-Yes, yes.

Now, something to make song about.

Good luck, both of you. I've been waiting for this, Jean.

This is something we're about to sell that we've never had

on the show before - a set of gramophone needles.

And I can't believe the condition!

-Museum quality! The packaging, everything, is superb.

-Yes.

-And you've had these 21 years?

-Yes. Just kept in a drawer.

-Waiting for Flog It!

-Waiting for Flog It! to come along.

-And you mean that, don't you?

-Yes, I do.

-Wow.

-A big Flog It! fan.

-Yes.

Well, I didn't think my day would be lit up by gramophone needles,

-really! But they are THE gramophone needles.

-Yes.

Probably... They're the best set, probably, in the world.

They probably are, actually!

-And how can you put a price on that?

-Well, you can't.

This is when our job becomes difficult.

We put an estimate on, let the market decide.

-Hey, look, good luck.

-Oh!

-And enjoy the moment.

Enjoy this Flog It! moment, as well. Here we go, it's your turn.

This is it.

Lot 135, it's a pre-war trade pack of 24 Songster gramophone needles.

We have a commission bid.

Great, Jean!

I'm going to start the bidding at £100, is there £110 in the room?

110, 120, 130, 140...

-We're getting there, we're climbing.

-170, 180...

He's not taking his paddle down.

190, commission bids out, 190 in the room, is there 200?

-At £190, then.

-MAN: 200.

200 to the net. 220. 220 in the room, and selling.

At £220, any more?

If you're all done...

-£220, the hammer went down.

-Yes.

-Well, it's gone. 220, just over the top end.

-Yes.

-That's good.

-Is it? Yeah.

-It's a good result.

-Yeah.

-That's a good result.

-Yeah, it is.

We caught up with the buyer,

a gramophone enthusiast all the way from Germany.

It's a very nice display, and a very rare display.

It's about 80 years old, and in very good condition, like new.

And it's a very good addition to my collection of gramophones.

And now, those birds of a feather.

Next up, the gorgeous watercolour, pair of cockatoos by Henry Marks,

and I tell you what, Russell, you've got a good eye for spotting that.

-I like to think so!

-It definitely wasn't a print, was it?

-Definitely not, no, you did really well.

-Yeah, you did.

And I've got a whole full of pictures at home. We collect art.

Ready to sell, or just to collect?

-Bit of both.

-Bit of both.

-Yep.

-I can see Russell owning an antique shop before long.

-Maybe one day.

-Is that an ambition, something like that, to get in the trade?

-It is.

-What do you do at the moment?

-I'm actually a charity shop manager.

-I see! So, you're constantly handling the things.

-That's right.

-Yes, yes.

-That's the best way to learn, as well, isn't it?

In my business, as an auctioneer, that is how you learn.

You start off, you're a porter, you help unpacking the boxes.

You're holding the stuff,

someone's telling you what it is, you're learning.

-Getting hands on.

-You've got to handle it.

-It is the only way to learn.

-Exactly.

A good artist, and I think three or four of his works are in the V&A.

-Right.

-So, we're in good company, here.

-Yeah.

Well, good luck, Russell.

We're going to put it under the hammer.

Let's find out what this packed auction room think.

Lot 45, study of a pair of cockatoos, Henry Stacy Marks.

We have one, two, three, four commission bids here.

-That's good.

-Wow.

I will start the bidding at £500.

-Wow.

-Top estimate.

£500, is there 20 in the room?

At £500 and selling, is there 20?

At £500, then, commission bid.

At £500, is there any more?

All done at £500, then, for the very last time...

Well, that was short and sweet.

I don't think Russell minds how short it was.

-You could say those birds flew away, couldn't you? At £500.

-Fantastic.

-You've got to be happy with that.

-I am indeed.

-Ecstatic.

-Yeah.

A £50 purchase - you see, it is out there,

you've got to keep your eyes open and keep them peeled.

That's our first visit to the auction complete.

All three items have found new homes,

and all three owners walk away with hundreds in cash.

Time for me, now, to go off and explore

some of Portsmouth's literary history.

Now, we do know Sir Charles Dickens

and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle came from the port town,

but there's a lesser-known man who helped rewrite the future

for many deprived children, by opening up his doors to education.

Portsmouth, 1818.

A rapidly-expanding industrial town with a growing working class.

The streets were dirty, and like a scene form Oliver Twist,

orphan children roamed about.

More likely to beg and steal than to read and write.

It wasn't me, sir, it wasn't me!

Nearly 200 years later, we tend to take free education for granted.

But in the 19th century, schooling was for the privileged elite,

really. The middle classes.

That meant hundreds of thousands of children

went without even the basics in education.

That is, until one Portsmouth man came along.

He recognised the plight of the poor kids in ragged clothing,

and he decided to do something about it.

He was known as the Crippled Cobbler, John Pounds.

From his shop window in central Portsmouth he saw the plight

of the destitute, and noticed a boy, disabled like himself,

with a family on the breadline.

He offered to take the young boy in and give him an education.

This would be the start of a very important movement.

John Pound started to teach the boy from his cobbler shop.

Before long, his improvised school grew, by visiting the streets

and the quays of Portsmouth,

offering deprived and hungry children bits of clothing

or food if they would come to his shop for lessons in the three Rs.

Before long, he was teaching around 40 children

from two tiny little rooms.

In homage to his philanthropy, a reconstruction of his shop

has been built here at the John Pounds Memorial Unitarian Church.

This room is the exact size of John Pounds' shop,

but I'm not sure the waxworks are quite so accurate.

John Pounds would not only teach reading and writing

and Bible studies, but also traditional skills and crafts,

like shoemaking and carpentry, leatherwork and cooking.

He gave every child their chance to work their way out of poverty.

And relatives of his students live on to appreciate the work he did.

I spoke to one of the locals, Pat Innstead.

Pat, you have a very special connection with John Pounds.

Yes, my great-great-grandmother

and her sister were pupils of John Pounds.

They lived in St Mary Street, which was just along the road from here.

-Mm-hm.

-Their parents couldn't afford to send them to a paying school,

so they went to John Pounds' school.

When he used to teach the children,

he always had the top of his door open,

and people would walk past and say, "Could you teach my children?"

And he would say, "As long as you can't afford to pay."

How did you find out they were educated here?

My great-uncle told my sister and I

that the two little girls in the picture of John Pounds

with their arms around each other

were my great-great-grandmother and her sister, Anne Amelia and Georgina.

They obviously came from a very, very poor family,

they'd got an education, but what became of them?

I'm not quite sure about Georgina.

Anne Amelia, she got married to another bootmaker,

and they had a shop in St Mary Street.

And helping her run a business, obviously,

would have been that education that she got from John Pounds.

Oh, definitely. Definitely, yes.

By the 1830s, schools such as Pounds'

were opening up in shops, barns and stables all across the country.

And they were even given a name, Ragged Schools,

to teach the children whose ragged clothes

belied their impoverished circumstances.

The Ragged School movement, created in the model of John Pounds'

humble shop, went countrywide by the mid-19th century.

And John Pounds wasn't the only local advocate.

Charles Dickens, who was born in Portsmouth,

visited one of the Ragged Schools.

And the visit compelled him to write to the Daily News,

imploring them that...

"Those excellent persons who aid, munificently,

"in the building of new churches to think of these Ragged Schools -

"to reflect whether some portion of their rich endowments

"might not be spared for such a purpose."

Dickens' visit to Field Lane Ragged School

made such a lasting impression on him,

and it's thought that was the inspiration

for the writing of A Christmas Carol.

The Ragged School Union put pressure on the state

to educate the poor rather than punish them.

The Free School Movement became respectable, even fashionable,

and wealthy philanthropists donated to the cause.

It's estimated that in its first 40 years,

300,000 destitute children received a free education.

The success of the Ragged School demonstrated the need

for schooling for all, and in 1870,

the Elementary Education Act encouraged poor children

into schooling by paying their fees.

Free education and the model of today's schooling system was born.

And that's thanks in part to a philanthropic shoemaker

from Portsmouth.

What does all this mean to you,

finding out that John Pounds' educated them?

Oh, I'm so proud, and I'd really like to let as many people as I can

-know about John Pounds.

-A remarkable man.

Now, back to our valuation day on board HMS Warrior,

in its day, the fastest and strongest ship of its kind.

Will's disembarked to value some silver,

but what price would you put on it?

Well, Martina, I can tell from talking to you, and your accent,

that you're not from these parts originally, are you?

You're right, Will. I'm originally from Germany.

-Mm!

-But have lived in the UK since 1984.

-And always in Portsmouth?

No, spent the majority of the years up in Sheffield.

OK, so, that's quite a change, isn't it? From Sheffield to Portsmouth.

-You couldn't get much further apart.

-It is.

-You enjoy it here?

I do, I wouldn't go back to Germany.

OK, and this, of course, is English.

We can tell by the hallmarks, that are kindly struck in there.

We've got Sheffield, 1910. Where's this come from?

-I actually inherited this from my godparents...

-OK.

..who lived in Duisburg in Germany,

and were avid collectors of anything British.

Oh, really? So, they were proper, sort of, Anglophiles, were they?

-Very much so.

-Well, let's go back to the silver trophy cup.

Is this something that your godfather won,

or do you think he bought it?

No, he bought it, and my auntie actually used it as a vase.

So, it looks fantastic with tulips and roses.

Well, I bet it does, exactly.

And I can tell, here, that it has actually been well cleaned,

shall we say?

There's a bit of evidence here that it's been well cleaned,

but she hasn't rubbed the marks off, which is nice.

You've still got some nice, crisp hallmarks there.

Jay, Richard Attenborough Co Ltd,

well-known firm in various cities, Birmingham, Sheffield, London.

And what is also nice about the cup is that it hasn't been engraved,

cos, obviously, as a trophy cup, somewhere along the line,

usually someone has won it, or been presented it.

It gets engraved with their name, what they won it for and the date.

And that has the result of sort of personalising the piece,

and then doesn't appeal to people

cos it's got someone else's name on it.

So, the fact that it's plain means that it could actually

recycled as a trophy cup.

I see, inside, I've got a bit of old paint splashes

-in there, where've they come from?

-Um, I'm guilty there.

-It's actually been used to store brushes.

-Paintbrushes.

-Paintbrushes.

-Where, in the house?

-In the garage.

-In the garage!

Well, you must have a very fancy garage

if you store your paintbrushes in a silver trophy cup, very nice!

I think mine are in an old coffee jar.

Well, listen, I think

at auction you should be looking at around the £200 mark.

How do you feel about that?

-Brilliant.

-If we said put it in at, say 200-250.

-Let's put the reserve at the bottom estimate, 200.

-Yes.

Tell me, what are you what are you going to do with the money?

Go and visit the family?

-No, we've actually just bought a 1988 Chevrolet Camaro Z28...

-Wow!

-It's third generation, so it does need some work doing.

-Bit of TLC.

-A lot of TLC.

-So, the money's going to go towards that?

It's going to help.

Well, listen, I think it's a great cause, so I'm really hoping

that we earn as much as we can out of it for you,

-and see you at the sale room.

-Thank you!

-Well done.

Will's valuation is based on the current price of silver,

but will it be as high when we get to the auction?

Back on deck, Michael's also found himself some silver,

but from further afield.

John, thank you for bringing in these two lovely bits

of Russian silver. Can you tell me, how did you acquire them?

I'm quite interested in Russian silver,

I speak a little bit of Russian, read a bit of Russian.

My wife is from that part of the world.

I bought them from an antiques fair here, a few a year's ago.

Oh, fantastic!

So, you got a little collection of Russian items and artefacts?

Yes, I collect English and Russian silver.

I'm trying to learn more about Russian,

which is why it's always good to speak to people like yourself,

cos, you know, you can pass on knowledge.

Well, it's a tricky area, Russian silver,

because it's been heavily faked since the revolution.

I mean, in 1917, when it was overthrown,

you still had the same workmasters,

you still had the same workshops producing of a quality,

and, of course, they continued throughout the Communist period.

And at some point they did start making fakes

deliberately for export to the West.

-Really?

-And there's always been a fascination with forging.

-Faberge is the main name.

-Yes.

I think, probably, for every right piece of Faberge I see,

-I probably see 99 wrong pieces.

-Really?

These smaller domestic wares

really haven't yet started to be forged in any great way,

because it's not cost efficient.

-So, you did right in buying these little things.

-Good.

-We've got, of course, a lovely pair of sugar tongs.

-Yeah.

These are nice, because we've got this -

this is typical of Russian work,

we've got this stylised geometric decoration, slightly foliate.

-And we've got this parcel gilding.

-Yes, yep.

And then this little caviar fork has cloisonne enamel.

And, basically, what's happened here

is we've got a plain fiddle-pattern silver gilt fork,

and they've just applied hundreds of little tiny wires,

little silver gilt wires,

and then they've fired in the various colours of enamel

and built those up layer after layer after layer, and colour by colour.

The main thing we have to check is that it's in perfect condition.

-Fine, yeah.

-Because...

it is fired glass, and glass chips.

And of course, silver is quite robust!

So the two aren't a happy marriage, but that's perfect.

-We've got marks on the back here for St Petersburg 1889.

-Yeah, yeah.

The sugar tongs, these sugar tongs,

are always a devil to look at the marks.

-Cos they mark them...

-They're in the groin.

..deep inside of the curve of the bow,

and you can't get your lens in.

Um, but we've got... Oh, this is tricky.

I found those really difficult, to try and find those small marks.

It's a Moscow mark with an "84",

which at least tells us that it's prior to the Kokoshnik mark of 1896.

-Yes.

-And I'd date those, stylistically, 1890-96.

Now, the thorny question of price.

-Um, if we said 120...

-Yeah.

-..fixed reserve...

-Yeah.

-..and an estimate of £120 up to £200?

-I think that's a fair price.

-That shows you a fair return on what you paid for them.

-Yeah.

And the you can go off and put the money and buy

a better bit of Russian or a better bit of English silver,

-which is the way collections always grow and change.

-Yeah.

Thank you so much for bringing those in,

it's always a delight to see a bit of silver,

and I hope we get them away and you continue with your collecting.

Thank you, it's been really interesting,

because it's going to help me build my collection, so that's really good.

-Thank you.

-Best thing in the world. Thanks very much, John.

A masterclass in Russian silver from Michael Baggott.

And finally, Will's on the windy dockside.

Well, these are an impressive trio of vases you've brought in.

-Are you a collector of this type of ware?

-I'm not, but my father was.

My father had them when I was...

Well, I can remember them at two years of age, I'm 63 this year.

You've got a pair here, these are definitely a pair,

the ones that are painted with pheasants.

Let's have a closer look at one of them here.

Nice urn shape, with these sort of scrolling handles

and this flared rim.

Typical, sort of, blush ground, that Worcester were known for,

because that is who they're by. People at home will recognise.

But it's interesting, if I show you the mark underneath,

that's not your regular Royal Worcester mark, is it?

That's actually your Grainger Worcester mark.

Yeah, before it became Royal Worcester,

which is where most people remember this type of decoration from,

you see the Stinton brothers, people like that,

who were painting animals on these vases for decoration.

The gilding is good, that's important with these pieces.

The collectors and buyers of these sort of things really want

the gilding to be in tiptop condition.

We've got a date letter on there as well -

I think we're looking at 1901 for these two,

so about a year before they turned into Royal Worcester.

But that's the pair, and I'll just lift up this one, if...

Keep one hand on there,

because we don't want these tumbling into the water, do we?

I think you'll be throwing me in after them,

to pick 'em out if we did.

So, again, you've got the pheasant opposing the other one,

so the other ones were facing right, these ones are facing left,

which is how we can tell that they were intended as a pair.

-I remember them as either side of the fire, yeah.

-Yeah, exactly right.

On a fire grate in my mother's bedroom, yeah.

Yes. And do you have them, displayed?

-I've had them in a glass case, since I've had them.

-Yeah.

Just to protect them. But they're frightening the life out me!

They are at the moment!

I'm having heart attacks, you're having kittens!

So, I won't hang about.

Let's have a quick look at the third one,

which, again, is beautifully painted with these -

I mean, I'm not a twitcher, myself, what are they?

Swallows, or house martins, maybe? Something like that.

Nicely painted, and I would imagine,

would have had a pair at some stage as well.

-I don't know if you remember a pair to it in your childhood?

-No.

There was these either side and that one was always in the middle.

Right, OK.

And I see we've just had a little bit of flaking there on the gilding.

I mean, I did mention to you that the collectors and buyers

of these sort of pieces are really keen that the gilding

-is in tiptop condition, so...

-Tiptop, yeah.

That's going to be an issue.

I mean, what we're looking at here, really,

is a decent pair decorated with pheasants,

and this one's almost a little bonus for whoever buys the other two.

You say you admired them, you say your father collected them,

did he ever give you an inkling of what they might have been worth?

-No, no. I was always too young.

-Yeah.

-I used to look and watch the pictures of the pheasants...

-Yes?

..and think how beautiful they all were.

I think you should be looking at an estimate of £300-£500,

-how does that come across?

-That's lovely.

-Yeah?

-That is really lovely.

-That would be a handy sum.

-Yes.

It's been a pleasure talking to you, thank you for bringing these in.

-They're in one piece, still!

-Still, yeah!

Yeah, just check them over once, OK?

I don't want to get to the viewing and you tell me you've broken 'em,

cos they're in one piece, and I look forward to seeing you

and them at the auction.

-Thank you very much.

-No problem, take care.

Sadly, we have to say goodbye to HMS Warrior

here at the historic dockyard in Portsmouth,

as we head over to the auction room for the very last time.

And here's what we're taking with us.

There's a huge market for ceramics, but these have some flaking -

will that put the collectors off?

And which piece of silver will win gold?

The Russian fork and tongs?

Or the English trophy?

Find out in a moment.

Back at Andrew Smith's sale room,

the place is packed with antiques and animals.

First to the floor is John and his Russian silver.

Well, things are certainly flying out the sale room today,

and next up we've got a Russian silver fork and tongs

belonging to John, who, I believe,

is getting in a bit of niche collecting.

You have found your zone for collecting and dealing in a way,

and I know you're trading upwards, and you can speak Russian?

Speak Russian, read Russian.

Not fluently, unfortunately, but, I know enough about the language,

when I see it on TV I can understand it.

This is why you want to specialise in Russian jewellery

and artefacts, which is a niche market. And do you know what?

You will do well if you can speak Russian.

If you can speak the language, you know what the inscriptions mean.

You know what the marks are,

-it gives you a tremendous advantage, it really does.

-Yeah.

-Well, good luck with this.

-Thank you.

-Let's find out what the bidders think.

-Thank you.

Lot 440, the pre-Revolution St Petersburg sugar tongs

together with an interesting enamel small fork.

Start me at 150.

150?

120, then.

£100.

-£100, surely?

-Come on, come on.

-I think it may struggle.

110, 120. At £110, is there 20?

At £110, are you sure?

-It's struggling, isn't it?

-It is, I think we were there or thereabouts.

At £110, then...

I'm afraid I can't let it go at that.

I think, on the day,

-you particularly wanted a certain price for them.

-Yes.

And I was happy because you didn't want to sell them for any less.

What did you pay for them, do you know?

Er, I paid about £60 for each piece.

So, you were looking to get your money back, which is fair enough.

-Exactly.

-I think, pop them back in your collection.

-Yeah.

-Don't do anything with them now for maybe a year or two...

-Yes, yeah.

-..and then put them maybe into a specialist silver sale.

Our first no-sale of the day. But some good advice from Michael.

Going under the hammer right now we have a silver cup

belonging to Martina. Good luck with this.

And all the money is either going towards renovating the house,

-or doing up the Chevy. Which comes first?

-The Chevy.

-The Chevy, does it?

-Definitely.

-It's bright red at the moment, with white stripes.

-Augh!

It would be nice if we could get back to the original,

-discreet red metallic.

-And every penny helps.

Yeah, well, it's a good, clean trophy cup,

-and like I said, it's not engraved.

-No.

Which helps, because then it can be recycled...

-And it looks the part, doesn't it?

-Yeah, it's nice.

It does look the part. Good luck, both of you.

Here we go, let's put it to the test, this is it.

Lot 460 is a two-handed silver loving cup,

Richard Attenborough, Sheffield.

Um, start me at 200.

£200. £200.

150, then.

-150, I have.

-We're in. 150, we're in.

I have £150, 160.

170, 180, 190, 200.

190 in the middle, here, is there 200?

At £190, we are selling. At £190, then, if you're all done.

Very last time.

-Just, £190. It's gone.

-Just a quick note on the price.

When I saw you at the valuation day, silver was more expensive.

And since the valuation day, silver's come down a bit.

So, you know, it just goes to show that from week to week

-it's a fluctuating market.

-You have to monitor it.

-Yeah.

-But it's gone, so that's good.

-It's no longer in the garage.

-Holding paint brushes, wasn't it?

-Yeah!

Well, it's Harold's turn to experience the rollercoaster ride

of the auction room, and we are selling

the three Worcester vases, dated 1901.

And are you sure you want to sell them?

-I'm so frightened they're going to get broken.

-Do you think...

Have you got pets that are going to knock them down?

-I've got a mad dog...

-Have you...?! What is it?

-It's a cross between a cocker spaniel and a golden retriever.

-Oh, gosh!

-And it is mad.

-Lively!

-Loopy, yes, it's going to be jumping around.

Yeah. THEY CHUCKLE

Here we go, this is it. Good luck.

The Grainger & Co Worcester pair of urns, lot 600. Start me at £300.

£300.

£300. 250, then.

£250. 250.

270. 300.

Yes, we're in, look. We're in.

300. And 20.

350.

370. 400.

Someone in the cafeteria.

450. 470.

500. And 20.

550. 570?

£550, right at the top.

At £550, if you're all done.

Very last time...

£550, that's a good result for a bit of early Worcester.

-You're happy with that, aren't you?

-I'm very happy with that.

What a fantastic day in the sale room.

In total, our Flog It! lots made over £1,000,

and even John, whose lot didn't sell, seems to be happy.

Join us again next time but until then,

it's goodbye from all of us here in Hampshire.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd