0:00:10 > 0:00:14I'm here in the heart of London, where later on in the programme,
0:00:14 > 0:00:15I'll be showing you
0:00:15 > 0:00:17some of the hidden work by one of our greatest architects,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Sir Christopher Wren.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21But right now, it's time for me to catch up with the rest
0:00:21 > 0:00:24of the team at our valuation day, so I better get my skates on.
0:00:24 > 0:00:25Welcome to Flog It!
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Today's valuations come from Longleat, in Wiltshire.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58A 16th century Renaissance palace, Longleat House
0:00:58 > 0:01:03was built by Sir John Thynn, a political player in the Tudor court.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07A well read man, he started a book collection at Longleat,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10which has been growing ever since.
0:01:12 > 0:01:13Nearly five centuries later,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16it is one of the largest private book collections in Europe,
0:01:16 > 0:01:22with over 40,000 volumes catalogued within seven libraries.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27But today, it is
0:01:27 > 0:01:31the volumes arriving outside the house that we're interested in.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38And here, on the beautiful east side of the house, bathed in the morning
0:01:38 > 0:01:42sunshine, the crowds are already gathering in their numbers.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Somebody here is going to go home with a small fortune today,
0:01:46 > 0:01:47so don't go away.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49It is up to our experts to find that hidden gem
0:01:49 > 0:01:51and take it off to auction.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56And it is a responsibility our two experts,
0:01:56 > 0:01:58Michael Baggott and Claire Rawle,
0:01:58 > 0:02:03enjoy immensely, as they get to meet all the local characters.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06My family might have used these planes here.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09- We don't know.- Oh, that is marvellous.- We don't know.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11I'll get Paul to come and have a look at that.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13That is right up his street.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15And he's not wrong. Thank you, Michael,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18I'll have a look at that tool box later on in the show.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22There are certainly plenty of treasures to go around.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24- Oh, you've got quite a selection. - A Longines and an Omega.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28- Oh, OK.- But I've got a gold one here but no name on it.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30I like this one, sort of like a jumbo watch.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Which reminds me, we can't keep our Flog It! fans waiting.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37It is time to get cracking with those valuations.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39And on this glorious day,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43where better to set up than in the gardens here at Longleat?
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Whilst our crews get their cameras ready,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51here is what is coming up on today's show.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Barbara is shocked to discover the value of her Beatles signatures.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02- As much as that?- This is, of course, if they are all genuine.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05But when the autographs are sent to the auctioneer's experts,
0:03:05 > 0:03:07the jury is out.
0:03:07 > 0:03:08One said...
0:03:10 > 0:03:11I wouldn't like to say no,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13but equally, I wouldn't like to say yes.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17So are they are or aren't they genuine?
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Well, find out when the bids come in later on in the show.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Well, everybody is now safely seated,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28so it is lights, camera, action.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32This is where the action is taking place today, outside, right here.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34So let's now catch up with our experts
0:03:34 > 0:03:36and join up with Michael Baggott.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37He has spotted a real gem.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44So, Wendy, I absolutely love your rat. Is it something you've bought?
0:03:44 > 0:03:49- No, my twin sister bought it many years ago.- Marvellous.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53- At a car-boot sale.- You're joking! At a car boot?- Yeah.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55And she only paid a couple pound for it at the most.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59- So, did your sister give it to you?- Yeah.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Well, she had about five at the end,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04and they all come to me.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06- Did she know what she had bought? - Oh, yes.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10- So, she knew it was a netsuke?- Yes.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- Yeah.- Something like that she told me they were.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17This is not the best netsuke in the world, but it is a very nice one.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19- Thank you.- And it is Japanese.- Oh.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22And for people that don't know what netsukes are, they're the
0:04:22 > 0:04:28toggle that you would use to secure an inro or a sagemono.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31And sagemono just means various hanging things.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Now, it is basically...
0:04:33 > 0:04:37When the Japanese wore Japanese dress and not Western suits,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39you had no pockets.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42So everything that you needed as a gentleman or a lady was
0:04:42 > 0:04:45suspended from the obi, from the band.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47And this little toggle would slip through
0:04:47 > 0:04:50- and stop anything falling on the floor.- Oh.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54Netsukes are carved in different materials.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57The best ones tend to be carved ivory.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00That isn't necessarily so, but wood,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04a nice little exotic hardwood like this, is easier to carve.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06What wood is that?
0:05:06 > 0:05:10That is going to be something like a tropical rosewood.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14- And if we look, we can see the two little holes in the base.- Yeah.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17And that is where the cord for the inro or the purse or
0:05:17 > 0:05:19pouch would have passed through.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22And what is really nice is we've got that little signature there,
0:05:22 > 0:05:27- that two-character signature of the artist who carved it.- Oh.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30And the detail is quite nice. It is not very fine.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33The very fine ones of these, you will have the hairs of the rat
0:05:33 > 0:05:37picked out and it will almost come alive in your hand.
0:05:37 > 0:05:43But this is a lovely, middle-range example of a netsuke.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48In terms of date, we are looking towards the end of the 19th century.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51So we are 1880 to 1900.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Any ideas of what it might be worth now?
0:05:54 > 0:05:58- No, none at all. - Let's say £30 to £50.- Oh!
0:05:58 > 0:06:01- And let's say a fixed reserve of £30.- Oh, yeah.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03So it is very much entry-level.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06The only problem with these is that in the last ten or 15 years,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10- there has been massive modern copies.- Yeah.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12And they have sort of flooded the market
0:06:12 > 0:06:15and people are a little bit wary about them.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19- But that's right as rain. You now, that is 120 years old.- Oh, my God.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21- If it's a day.- Yeah. - So, if this one does well,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23you'll have to find out the other three.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25I'll have to find the others out again, yeah.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29- Thanks very much for bringing this in.- Thank you. Thank you very much.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33Now, I wonder what Wendy's other netsukes are like,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36originally a functional piece of wood, as Michael said,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39to hold in place items hanging from the sash of a kimono.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43By the late 18th century, these exquisite animals were being
0:06:43 > 0:06:47carved up by artists Masanao and Tomotada.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54Now, highly sought after, a world record was broken in 2010
0:06:54 > 0:06:57when this 18th-century ivory netsuke made
0:06:57 > 0:07:01£265,000 at auction.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04So, dig them out, Wendy, you never know what you've got.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Hi, Marin. Now then, you've brought along two whips -
0:07:13 > 0:07:16a hunting crop and a switch whip. What is the history behind them?
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Well, that was my father's hunting whip.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22And I don't know really where he acquired it from.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26The crop was given to me by an elderly gentleman.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29My father was captured at Dunkirk during the war,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31in a German prison of war camp.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35And a fellow officer's father came to see my mother, I suppose
0:07:35 > 0:07:39to discuss the prisoner of war situation, sending passes and so on.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41And I was about 18 months or two years old,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45and I picked all my mother's carefully grown green tomatoes...
0:07:45 > 0:07:48- Oh, brilliant.- ..which she was cultivating and presented them
0:07:48 > 0:07:50to this elderly gentleman.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54And thereafter, he remembered every birthday and Christmas until he died.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58- That was one of the presents that he gave to me.- Really?- Yes.- Oh, wow.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- So it probably came from his family, then.- It might have done, yes.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05- I don't know where he got it from at all.- Your dad was a prisoner of war.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07- He came back all right?- He did. He certainly did.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10I met him for the first time when I was about five and a half.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13- He'd seen me as a baby...- Right. - ..before he was captured. - That's amazing.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14Now, with the hunting crop,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17obviously, it's a fairly standard design.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20We can see on the bands here, they are silver,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24and it dates from the Edwardian era, it's about 1906.
0:08:24 > 0:08:29- This part, the T-piece, is used for closing gates.- Yes.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33- This is actually made of antler.- Oh, is it?- It is always made of antler.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36And then it is just crisscross carved, very traditionally,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38cos it gives you a surface to grip with.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42And then a leather band here and a leather-plaited thong.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44And as you see, it has lasted for years.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48- And as long as it is cared for, it will go on for more years.- Good.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50This is Victorian, so a little bit earlier.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52And then very much used as a switch stick.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55And very often ladies, when they road side-saddle, they used this
0:08:55 > 0:08:57in the hand on the side where your legs weren't.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00You'd switch on the shoulder of the horse, cos this,
0:09:00 > 0:09:01in its day, would have been... You know,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04if you were a lady, you would've ridden side-saddle.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06- Not many road astride at that time. - No, I suppose they didn't.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08I don't think it's hallmarked anywhere.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10We've searched and searched.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12But these lovely little silver mounts here,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14very typically Victorian with the scrolling foliage.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18And it has got a little name at the top. And this is so pretty here.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Little mother of pearl, little handle.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24And it is engraved with a thistle. Are you responsible for the damage?
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Unfortunately, yes.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28But I think that just got damaged in the loft,
0:09:28 > 0:09:30- where they've been sitting. - Oh, right.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33It's not good for either of them,
0:09:33 > 0:09:35so I think the time has come to flog 'em!
0:09:35 > 0:09:37- SHE LAUGHS - As they say.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41I think... I'm tempted to say... You could either sell them together,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43- cos they go to the same sort of buyer.- I think they should, yes.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47So, if you're going to do that, I'd suggest an estimate of 80 to 120.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49- Great.- How does that sound? - Excellent.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- I would put £80 on them as a reserve, perhaps with a bit of discretion.- Fine.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54We'll look forward to seeing you at the auction.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56And I shall look forward to being there.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Now, on what is possibly the hottest day of the year,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03lots of people are taking advantage of a bit of shade underneath
0:10:03 > 0:10:07the lime trees, and it is also where I can catch up with Nick and Moira
0:10:07 > 0:10:09and that marvellous tool chest.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14So, tell me a little bit about this. I guess you're the man to do that.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18- These were yours, were they? - No, these were my father's.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22And I am led to believe that he'd done his apprenticeship in a small
0:10:22 > 0:10:25village just outside of Warminster
0:10:25 > 0:10:30and a lot of the tools were used and some of the joinery work was
0:10:30 > 0:10:33actually in Longleat at the moment,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37so there is a connection between these tools and Longleat.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40- Right. So what trade did you take up?- I'm a carpenter.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43- You are a carpenter as well? You followed Dad in his footsteps?- Yeah.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45- You must have used some of these planes.- I've tried.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49I tried using the big one at the bottom, what they call a triplane.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51I find it far easier to get the router out
0:10:51 > 0:10:54and run it down or go down to the DIY shop.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57- To be married to a carpenter is pretty handy.- Oh, yes.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- Your house must be in tiptop condition.- Oh, yeah.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02- Built-in wardrobes?- Yes. - Best of everything?
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Everyone else's house is.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Just look at the fruit wood, look at what you are using there.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Some of those planes are beautifully made.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13- I would say some of these date back a good 150 years.- Yeah.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16What catches my eye are this sort of thing.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19You know, the little side rebate planes where you can actually
0:11:19 > 0:11:21put a groove on the side of the wood.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- And there is lots of varieties of moulding plane there.- One like that.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Yeah. And I mean, that's lovely, isn't it?
0:11:27 > 0:11:30- Look how beautiful that is. Look how beautiful that is.- Yeah.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Have you any idea what sort of value all of these planes are?
0:11:34 > 0:11:35I don't know.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38£150, £200 perhaps.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41I'd say you are about spot on.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45If I had to put a value on this, I'd have said £100 to £200.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48You are looking at about £6-£8 per moulding plane.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52Again, the same sort of money with the big jack planes.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54The box itself, the tool chest,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57well, that's worth a good £60 to £80 as well.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00A fixed reserve at 100. Hopefully, we'll get that top end.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02- Yeah.- And I'll see you both in the auction room?- Will do.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07- Yes, thank you.- We'll see you there. - Good luck.- BOTH: Thank you.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Well, I'm really glad Michael spotted that item in the queue,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13exactly what I'd like to get my hands on.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15And back in the main area,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18another person capitalising on an early queue discovery
0:12:18 > 0:12:19is Claire Rawle.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24- Hello, Jean.- Hello, Claire. - I feel really quite honoured today,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26cos you've come a long way here, haven't you?
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Well, I have, I've come from London.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31- But it was just nice to get some fresh air...- Yeah.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34- ..and be out of London for a couple of days.- You're making it a holiday?
0:12:34 > 0:12:36- You're staying here? - Just for a couple of nights, yes.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40- Excellent, well done. Anyway, to business.- Yeah.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42So, we have a selection of wristwatches
0:12:42 > 0:12:44and pocket watches, all from sort of different eras as well.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46So what can you tell me about them?
0:12:46 > 0:12:48I can't really tell you an awful lot.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52I know that the larger one was my grandfather's.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55In fact, I think both of the pocket watches were.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57I don't know how old they are.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01And I'd be really quite interested cos recently my uncle died.
0:13:01 > 0:13:02Right.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05- So I've really got no-one to ask. - Oh, OK.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08- So, were the wristwatches your uncle's, then?- Yes, they were.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12- This one is Victorian, the large, the sort of jumbo sized watch.- Yes.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14And then you've got the more standard.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Again, both open-faced pocket watches.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Then of course, you move into wristwatches,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22because wristwatches only really turned into wristwatches
0:13:22 > 0:13:24at the beginning of the 20th century.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26This is a nine-carat-cased one,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28and this is the earliest of the wristwatches.
0:13:28 > 0:13:29And as you can see,
0:13:29 > 0:13:31it looks a little bit like a pocket watch still,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34because it has got this very clear open face
0:13:34 > 0:13:35and it is quite a thick case.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38And the earlier ones did tend to look still a little
0:13:38 > 0:13:41bit like the pocket or the fob watches that you saw at the time.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43The two at the end here are much more recent.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47We've got two very good makes - Longines and Omega.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50And the two of those could date from
0:13:50 > 0:13:53maybe sort of the '70s, into the '80s.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- Oh, that recent?- Reasonably recent.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57Oh, I didn't realise they were that recent.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Yeah, but modern collectibles and still desirable
0:14:01 > 0:14:04because people always like retro styles.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07These are much more collectible, whereas those are more practical.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10So you've got quite a mixture of ages and styles.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12So, you've obviously decided...
0:14:12 > 0:14:14You've dumped them out of a drawer somewhere, haven't you?
0:14:14 > 0:14:17- You decided the time has come. - That's exactly it.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20And also I'm going to be moving flats in London
0:14:20 > 0:14:22- in the next couple of months.- Yeah.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25And I really wanted the money to go to buy something nice,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29- to remind me of my uncle, who was my favourite uncle. - Oh, that's great.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32That's much better, isn't it, than having watches just sitting,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36hidden away. As a group, we're looking at £300 to £400.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39And quite a lot of that value is actually in the two more
0:14:39 > 0:14:40modern wristwatches.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43It's not always age that defines value,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46- it's whether something can be worn and used.- Used.- Yeah.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- So if you are happy with that... - I am, very much so.- Excellent.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Well, I'll look forward to seeing you at the auction.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54And I really hope that they sell well and you will be able to
0:14:54 > 0:14:55then buy something great
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- to remember your uncle by. - Something really nice, yes.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06In a quiet corner of Wiltshire, just outside of Trowbridge,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09is one of the oldest river swimming clubs in the country -
0:15:09 > 0:15:13the Farleigh & District Club on the River Frome.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- Rob.- Hi.- Hello.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21- Great day for this. - Absolutely, you got the right day.
0:15:21 > 0:15:22Brilliant.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Giving me a guided tour is Rob Fryer,
0:15:24 > 0:15:28club chairman and river swimming devotee.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32This is brilliant, absolutely brilliant!
0:15:32 > 0:15:34And there is a lot of people here.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37If you weren't privy to this little swimming club being here,
0:15:37 > 0:15:39you wouldn't know it existed, would you?
0:15:39 > 0:15:44No. For a long time, it was a bit of a secret. But it's got out now.
0:15:44 > 0:15:45And I see you've got some facilities.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49You've got some port-a-loos and some... Well, a little changing hut.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53- Our pavilion, I'll have you know. - It's nothing like a pavilion.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56I tell you what, I was expecting a bush to change behind,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58so it is better than nothing. How long has that been there?
0:15:58 > 0:16:02It goes back to the 1930s, when the club started.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- So it is a bit of our original property.- Yeah.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08I guess that's what it's all about - getting back to basics.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12- That's the kind of show we are, really, we are pretty basic.- Yeah.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20It was back in 1930 that local landowners, the Greenhill brothers,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24invited some casual swimmers to start a club on their land.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Soon, changing huts were built and diving boards erected.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31There was camping nearby, too, and even a club flag.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38So the 1930s were a bit of a heyday for this club.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40That is when it was started.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- What happened during the Second World War?- The Second World War...
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Cos the first thing is, you weren't allowed to visit the...
0:16:46 > 0:16:48- The coast, no. - You couldn't go to the coast.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53- So you had to come here if you wanted to swim, or some other place. - Yeah.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57And, of course, a lot of our guys signed up.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00And 12 of them never came back.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02It's easy to imagine,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05those young men leaping carefree from the boards.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08It's much harder to imagine them as infantry men under fire,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11or killed, serving in the Home Guard, like James Burkett,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15or lost in action, like Ted Hamilton, a Swordfish pilot.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23So, in 1947, the club erected a memorial spring diving board
0:17:23 > 0:17:27dedicated to their fellow members who had lost their lives.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Sadly, this diving board, along with the three-tier board,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38had to be dismantled back in the 1990s,
0:17:38 > 0:17:42thanks to modern health and safety regulations.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Fortunately, the story doesn't end
0:17:46 > 0:17:49with these forlorn reminders of times past.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Alongside these diving boards, the club put up a plaque naming
0:17:53 > 0:17:56the 12 members who were killed in action.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00Now, at some stage, we don't know the date, the plaque disappeared,
0:18:00 > 0:18:04assumed missing forever. That was until recently
0:18:04 > 0:18:08a blackened piece of metal was found in the river.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11And it scrubbed up rather nicely.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15It is now in pride of place on the side of an ancient stone barn,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18just a few yards upstream, at Stowford Manor Farm.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Rob then organised a re-dedication service,
0:18:24 > 0:18:28as he felt the memory of the men deserved a ceremony.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33It is wonderful that your members have strong ties with
0:18:33 > 0:18:35the club's history, with what happened in the past,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37but also what is happening today.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39And what was it like being at that service?
0:18:39 > 0:18:41I have to say, it was very emotional.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Because we were wearing our club T-shirts
0:18:44 > 0:18:49and we felt we were representing our 12 dead members.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52And 12 living members had to each read
0:18:52 > 0:18:54one of the names of the deceased.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57And we finished the service up
0:18:57 > 0:19:00and we dedicated it with our club song -
0:19:00 > 0:19:01With Me Farleigh.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07It's clear to see Rob's passion for the club and for wild swimming, but
0:19:07 > 0:19:12to fully understand and embrace it, I think I need to plunge in myself.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20- Not too bad.- Not too bad, he's says! Not too bad? It's freezing!
0:19:27 > 0:19:29It's refreshing.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31I think we can go in...
0:19:31 > 0:19:32HE LAUGHS
0:19:32 > 0:19:34It is cold!
0:19:34 > 0:19:36HE LAUGHS
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Actually, do you know what?
0:19:41 > 0:19:45If you keep moving, it is really refreshing.
0:19:45 > 0:19:46This is wonderful.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59The water is very dark and it feels very cold,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02even through my wetsuit, but once you get used to it, there is
0:20:02 > 0:20:05a wonderful feeling of connecting somehow with nature.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18It really does feel like you are escaping the real world, doesn't it?
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Well, yeah. What it is, is it's you're...
0:20:21 > 0:20:27You're escaping from materialism, and this is the real world.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Mm. This is how nature intended it.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32People say, why do I like wild swimming?
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Well, I actually learnt to swim in a river, the River Cherwell,
0:20:36 > 0:20:40and I just wonder why people want to swim in concrete pools.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45It was after the war when new municipal swimming pools sprang
0:20:45 > 0:20:49up across the country that clubs such as this went into decline.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52By the early 1990s, Farleigh & District
0:20:52 > 0:20:55was one of the few river swimming clubs remaining.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Fortunately,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59there has been a resurgence of interest in swimming
0:20:59 > 0:21:00in the great outdoors of late,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03thanks in part to a clean-up of Britain's waterways
0:21:03 > 0:21:07and a number of recent publications about wild swimming.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12The club now attracts people from far and wide,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14and membership has soared.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17But is the locals who make the most of the river.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23It's just like a piece of heaven here.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27You just feel wonderful. Your skin and your hair feels lovely.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31It's really nice to come, you know, among the fresh air and water
0:21:31 > 0:21:32and wildlife.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36And it is a lovely place to relax and just unwind and lose yourself.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41You know, when you go swimming in a pool,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44it sort of becomes part of your weekly exercise,
0:21:44 > 0:21:48which in turn, becomes part of that sort of day-to-day,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50getting down with a life routine.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52It's stressful.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Whereas here, swimming in the river, embracing nature,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57sort of framed by foliage
0:21:57 > 0:22:02and water rushes with a canopy of trees carving over like that,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05well, you just get rid of all those urban constraints
0:22:05 > 0:22:07and enjoy life, live it to the maximum.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10And just embrace everything. I feel invigorated.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13I'm freezing cold, but I tell you what, I feel fantastic!
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Please check out a local river swimming club near you.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19As long as it is run properly, it is going to be safe.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22And I tell you what, you're going to have so much fun.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24So, back in the water to keep warm.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Well, right now, it's time for us to take our first trip to
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Devizes' Auction Rooms, to put those valuations to the test.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50You've heard what our experts have had to say, well,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53it's now time for the bidders to decide exactly what it's worth.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56And here's a quick recap of what we're taking with us.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00There's Wendy's wooden netsuke
0:23:00 > 0:23:04that's round 120 years old and bought for only a couple of pounds.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09There's the whip and the riding crop.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Marin has decided she wants to flog 'em!
0:23:11 > 0:23:14So, let's hope they trot off with a new owner.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Hopefully, the bidders will appreciate this tall chest
0:23:19 > 0:23:21as much as I do.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29And Jean came all the way from London for her valuation,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31so let's hope she gets a good result.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42We've headed just a few miles northeast to the market town
0:23:42 > 0:23:44of Devizes in the heart of Wiltshire,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47where today's auction is happening.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50It's already filling out with browsers and bidders.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54And wielding the all-important gavel is auctioneer Alan Aldridge.
0:23:54 > 0:23:5540.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Well, it looks like the bidders are taking to their seats.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03The auction is just about to start. Whatever you do, don't go away.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06This could get very, very exciting. But do remember, if you are
0:24:06 > 0:24:09thinking of selling something or buying on auction, there is
0:24:09 > 0:24:11commission to pay. Here, it is 18%.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15That includes the VAT and all the other little, hidden extra costs.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19But factor that sum into your cost, won't you, because it does add up.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Right, let's get on with the sale.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23And in this crowded saleroom,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27let's hope our first diminutive lot wasn't hard to spot.
0:24:29 > 0:24:30Going under the hammer right now
0:24:30 > 0:24:33we have a little netsuke belonging to Wendy.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37- It was a car boot find and it's been kept in a...- Drawer.- Shame!
0:24:37 > 0:24:41Some of these can be worth, as we know, an awful lot of money.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43It's a lovely 19th-century rat.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46- I think it is just amusing and it will find a home today.- Yeah.- Right.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49OK, we're going to find out if this rat can run up a drainpipe
0:24:49 > 0:24:51right now, it's going under the hammer.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56A netsuke in the form of a rat. Give me £35 for him.
0:24:56 > 0:24:5825 to start me.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Ten to get me away.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Ten I've got. I've got ten. I've got 15.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06At £15. At 15. Is there 20? At 15, is there 20?
0:25:06 > 0:25:0920. 25.
0:25:09 > 0:25:1130.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16At £25. What about 28?
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- At 28.- £28.- Yep.- 29.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22At £28. At 28. At 28...
0:25:22 > 0:25:26£28, and that hammer has gone down. That is a sold sound.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27He used a bit of discretion.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31You know, it was a car boot find and it was a gift, so cost you nothing.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- It'll buy my grandchildren some ice cream on holiday.- That's perfect.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Well, I couldn't think of a better way of spending your money, Wendy!
0:25:41 > 0:25:44I've just been joined by Marin. And I think these are quality.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Fingers crossed we sell them, 80 to 120.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49I don't think it is a lot of money. Are you happy to sell them now?
0:25:49 > 0:25:53- Oh, yes. Yes. I hope they'll whip up a bit of enthusiasm.- Oh!
0:25:53 > 0:25:57- We hope so. Anyway, we are in the right area.- Yeah, yeah.
0:25:57 > 0:25:58And they're lovely, actually.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- I mean, it isn't a high price, is it, for the two of them?- Not at all.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04It is absolutely nothing. Let's find out what the bidders think.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06To a nice bid, please.
0:26:06 > 0:26:07Let's have £100 for them.
0:26:07 > 0:26:0950, start me.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12- That's a big drop, wasn't it? - 40, get me away.
0:26:14 > 0:26:1540, I've got.
0:26:15 > 0:26:1840, I've got. 50? At £50. Is there 60?
0:26:18 > 0:26:21At 50. It's not quite enough. I need a little bit more.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- Come on.- At £50. Is there 60?
0:26:23 > 0:26:26I'll take five if anyone would like it.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29- Not enough.- Didn't sell it.- No.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32We were in the right area, I just don't know why
0:26:32 > 0:26:36- that hasn't gone. - It should have done.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Auctions are so unpredictable.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41The next lot is the one I valued.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43- Michael, it's great to see you again.- Thank you.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Michael brought in those wonderful carpentry tools in that
0:26:46 > 0:26:49lovely box, which really belong at Longleat, don't they?
0:26:49 > 0:26:50That is definitely true.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Every time I think of these lovely, old, artisan tools,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55I think of things made with precision and love and discipline.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Anyway, let's find out what the bidders think,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00it's going under the hammer right now. This is it.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03A very nice carpenter's pine box,
0:27:03 > 0:27:08containing 13 tri-moulding planes, etc.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Start me at £150 for it.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14100 to get me away? 50. 40. 30.
0:27:14 > 0:27:1730 I've got. 30, I've got 40.
0:27:17 > 0:27:1945. 50. 55?
0:27:20 > 0:27:2260. 65?
0:27:22 > 0:27:2570. 75?
0:27:25 > 0:27:2780. 85?
0:27:27 > 0:27:29- We're selling, aren't we?- 90.
0:27:29 > 0:27:3192?
0:27:31 > 0:27:3495. 100.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36What about 98?
0:27:38 > 0:27:39Go on, then, at 98.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41At £98...
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Is there 100 anywhere else?
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Sold. £98. Well done, you.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50- And well done, Alan, on the rostrum as well.- Yeah, very good.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52- Happy with that?- Yes, I think so.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Those little tiny moulding planes will be on display
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- on a shelf somewhere.- I think so.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Hopefully, in a craftsman's workshop.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Or a nice olde-worlde pub.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03Yes.
0:28:05 > 0:28:06Great idea, Michael.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Now, let's hope we can raise some funds with our next item
0:28:10 > 0:28:14so Jean can buy something special to remind her of her favourite uncle.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18We're looking at £300 to £400.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20You could say time's up. It is for Jean because...
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Hey, you're selling the watches.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26But this is Jean's first ever visit, Claire, to an auction room.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30- Exciting.- About time.- It's really exciting.- It is, isn't it?
0:28:30 > 0:28:33- I'm loving it, yeah.- Great.- And it's noisy, it's really loud in here.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36There is a cracking atmosphere and things are flying out the door.
0:28:36 > 0:28:37We'll find out what the bidders think.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39Here it is, going under the hammer.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43Very interesting little lot of watches. Five items in total.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48And should be somewhere around about £350, £400.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50350, start me?
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Three to get me away.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Two? 150.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57150 I've got. 150 I've got.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59175.
0:28:59 > 0:29:00Two.
0:29:00 > 0:29:01225.
0:29:01 > 0:29:02250.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05- 275. Three.- Great.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08325. At 300.
0:29:08 > 0:29:09Is there any more?
0:29:09 > 0:29:11£300...
0:29:11 > 0:29:14- Yes! The hammer's gone down. - Well done, yeah.- Claire was spot on.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17- Great valuation.- She certainly was. - Happy with that?- Certainly am.
0:29:17 > 0:29:18- Thank you.- Good.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21And now you can say, on your first visit to the saleroom,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24you had a great day out on Flog It! and you sold something.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26- Oh, I certainly can. It's been fabulous.- Thank you.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28And you're going home with a bit of money.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30Aren't you right. That's fabulous, thank you very much.
0:29:30 > 0:29:3225. 30.
0:29:32 > 0:29:3335.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35At £30 on my left.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40Well, that's our first visit to the auction room done and dusted.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44Now, in this series, we're taking a look at famous people
0:29:44 > 0:29:48throughout history who were born in the places where we visit.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52So today, I'm going to be finding out about one of our greatest
0:29:52 > 0:29:55architects, who was born just a few miles down the road.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58I'm, of course, talking about Sir Christopher Wren.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20Behind me is one of the most famous buildings to dominate
0:30:20 > 0:30:22the London skyline - St Paul's Cathedral.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26Its dome has been a symbol of our capital city for centuries,
0:30:26 > 0:30:28it's even survived the Blitz.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31And below it, some of the country's greatest events have taken place.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33But what about the man who designed it?
0:30:33 > 0:30:36Well, believe it or not, Sir Christopher Wren isn't only
0:30:36 > 0:30:38just responsible for this spectacular building,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41his name is all over this city.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45And today, I'm here to explore some of his hidden treasures.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50Wren was born just a few miles from today's valuation day
0:30:50 > 0:30:53location in Wiltshire in 1632.
0:30:53 > 0:30:58But it is here, in London, that his legacy would be most prominent.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04He designed and redesigned some of our greatest buildings,
0:31:04 > 0:31:07including Hampton Court Palace,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10the Royal Naval College in Greenwich.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13But he had no formal training as an architect.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17Back then, architecture was basically a rich man's hobby,
0:31:17 > 0:31:20a series of mathematical calculations the educated
0:31:20 > 0:31:22would use to create their visions.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26Now, whilst Wren had designed a few buildings elsewhere,
0:31:26 > 0:31:29it was an event that took place in the city of London that would
0:31:29 > 0:31:31secure his name in history.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36The Great Fire of London in 1666
0:31:36 > 0:31:38destroyed over two thirds of the city.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42That was over 13,000 homes and buildings.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46Officially, the death toll was just six people.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48But without any real knowledge of who lived where,
0:31:48 > 0:31:52it was more likely to be hundreds or even thousands.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57Wren was a favourite architect of King Charles II
0:31:57 > 0:32:01and the obvious choice to lead a rebuilding programme.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05Within two weeks of the disaster, he had surveyed the damage
0:32:05 > 0:32:09and was already drawing up plans to rebuild the city.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13He was soon involved in scores of other new projects across London.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19Including this, the first of my hidden gems - the monument
0:32:19 > 0:32:23to the fire itself, the event that led to the most prolific period
0:32:23 > 0:32:24in his life.
0:32:24 > 0:32:29Now, it stands 202 feet away from where the fire first started
0:32:29 > 0:32:33and it rises 202 feet into the sky,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35exactly the same height as it is the distance.
0:32:35 > 0:32:36Now, that tells us
0:32:36 > 0:32:40that Wren really cares about the finer points of detail.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43And there's also a tube station named after it.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49The fire the monument commemorates was so devastating
0:32:49 > 0:32:53because housing regulations weren't really enforced back then.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57Cramped, wooden, thatched-roofed houses stood side-by-side
0:32:57 > 0:33:00and were engulfed when the fire took hold.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04The fire that started here in Pudding Lane made people
0:33:04 > 0:33:08realise just how dangerous the buildings in London were.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11And Wren became part of the team that reformed
0:33:11 > 0:33:13the standard of buildings -
0:33:13 > 0:33:16out went the thatched roofs, in came slate,
0:33:16 > 0:33:21out went the clapperboard wooden buildings, in came brick and stone
0:33:21 > 0:33:24to make London a much safer place.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27But Wren's work had other surprising consequences.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31The rise in new housing led to a rapid growth in industry -
0:33:31 > 0:33:33furniture makers, potters
0:33:33 > 0:33:38and metal workers were all in high demand, replacing what was lost.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46He realised that it wasn't just homes that needed rebuilding,
0:33:46 > 0:33:51Wren is reputed to have built a pub on this site.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55Legend has it that upstairs he built an office from which
0:33:55 > 0:33:59he could observe the work at nearby St Paul's.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02And downstairs, the workers who were rebuilding the city could
0:34:02 > 0:34:05enjoy a sup of ale when their work was done.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07It is a claim to fame this pub is making the most of,
0:34:07 > 0:34:10and who can blame them?
0:34:10 > 0:34:14Wren was building a community, not just grand facades and ornate,
0:34:14 > 0:34:16decorative buildings.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19He realised that people needed more than that.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24Including places to worship.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27Over 87 churches were destroyed during the fire
0:34:27 > 0:34:31and Wren constructed over 50 new ones.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34And this is one of his creations - St Mary Le Bow
0:34:34 > 0:34:36in the heart of the city.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40And it's where the phrase "Born within the sound of Bow bells"
0:34:40 > 0:34:41actually originates from.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45And I've arranged to meet the rector, George Bush, to find
0:34:45 > 0:34:47out about the tower that Wren built.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55It's an incredible work of architecture and engineering,
0:34:55 > 0:34:57that tower. The west face of the church is quite austere,
0:34:57 > 0:35:00- but when you look up and see the tower, wow!- Yes.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02It is likely that Sir Christopher Wren,
0:35:02 > 0:35:06who was working here from 1671 to 1680,
0:35:06 > 0:35:10it's likely that he was very involved in the design
0:35:10 > 0:35:11and building of the tower,
0:35:11 > 0:35:14possibly rather less so in the facade of the church.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16You can see that, it is quite noticeable.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20- I mean, that is on a par with St Paul's, that tower.- Yes.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22It is his second most ambitious project.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25- Yeah.- And it is the second most expensive project.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27Why is this church so important to the city?
0:35:27 > 0:35:30The medieval church on this site had a tower,
0:35:30 > 0:35:33and in that tower, was a bell,
0:35:33 > 0:35:38Bow bell, and that rang out at nine o'clock every evening
0:35:38 > 0:35:40to indicate to the apprentices
0:35:40 > 0:35:43and everybody else in the city that the working day was over.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46And the sound of that bell was picked up at all the gates,
0:35:46 > 0:35:50and then the city settled down for the night.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54So, if you were born under the sound of that bell,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57- you were a true Londoner. - If you could hear that bell...- Yeah.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59..that meant that you were Londoner.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02To be born was an even greater blessing,
0:36:02 > 0:36:03to be born within that sound.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07Resonating throughout our history, that's incredible.
0:36:07 > 0:36:08I didn't know it was from this church.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12You think it is in Bow, in East London, but this is Mary Le Bow.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15Cos this was right at the centre of the city, in the middle
0:36:15 > 0:36:19of Cheapside, which was the main trading street in the city.
0:36:19 > 0:36:20That's where the hub of the city was.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23Absolutely, the centre of the city.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26- And obviously, the bells still ring out today.- Yes, and a new tower.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29In Wren's tower, we now have 12 bells,
0:36:29 > 0:36:34which are wrung very regularly for services and celebrations.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37So thanks to Sir Christopher Wren's enduring architecture,
0:36:37 > 0:36:42Londoners can still live and work within the sound of Bow bells.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47His legacy stretches far and wide over this great city.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51And if you ever visit London, you'll probably be closer to
0:36:51 > 0:36:56a building designed by our most famous architect than you think.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10Welcome back to Longleat, where the sun is still shining bright
0:37:10 > 0:37:13and people are beating a path to the valuation tables here,
0:37:13 > 0:37:15in the beautiful gardens.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21- Having a good time everyone? - ALL: Yes!
0:37:21 > 0:37:24Hey, look, fingers crossed, it could be you or you going home
0:37:24 > 0:37:27later on in the programme with lots of money!
0:37:27 > 0:37:29They could have that hidden gem.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31But right now, let's catch up with Claire,
0:37:31 > 0:37:34who has indeed found a hidden jewel.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Hello, Sue and Debbie. It is lovely to see you. You look glorious!
0:37:37 > 0:37:40Well, you've brought along something so pretty today.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43- It really is glorious.- Yes, we love it.- So, shall we have a look at it?
0:37:43 > 0:37:45- Yeah.- So, if we look in here...
0:37:45 > 0:37:48And there it is, a little piece of treasure.
0:37:48 > 0:37:49That is so, so pretty.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53So, obviously, it is an amethyst and seed pearl set in nine carat with
0:37:53 > 0:37:56a chain, but what can you tell me about it?
0:37:56 > 0:37:58It belonged to my husband's aunt.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01And when we were tidying up the house, we found it. I've loved it.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04- I've worn it a couple of times. - Oh, right.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07- And only yesterday you found the actual box.- Yes.- Oh, really?
0:38:07 > 0:38:08I've kept it out of the box
0:38:08 > 0:38:10and I suddenly found the box to put it in.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13- Just sort of sitting around in a drawer somewhere?- Yes.- Exactly.
0:38:13 > 0:38:14- Tidying up.- Yeah.- It's lovely.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17And I love the combination of the sort of amethyst with
0:38:17 > 0:38:20- the little seed pearls.- Yes. - Very, very Victorian.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23And as I say, it is set in nine carat gold
0:38:23 > 0:38:25and a nine carat chain in there.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28And at the back of it, if we just have a little look at it.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30Then you've got the brooch. It has got a brooch pin.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32Yes, I've worn it as a brooch.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36Yes. It is a brooch or a pendant. So, they're very often...
0:38:36 > 0:38:38You know, this is a good multipurpose jewel, then.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41It is the sort of thing that could be worn.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43But also there are collectors of jewellery that actually
0:38:43 > 0:38:45just like it displayed in boxes.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47- I mean, it is just so beautiful.- It is.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49- It is dainty with not being too big. - Yes.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52But on the other hand, it's not so dainty that, you know,
0:38:52 > 0:38:54you feel it's lost when you wear it.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57Right, though, I understand you've got the link, haven't you, at home?
0:38:57 > 0:39:00- Yes, a link which goes just to the chain.- That's right.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Cos it needs something that means that it can hang on the chain.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06So it's quite important to get that bit with it before we auction.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08- I found it on the carpet this morning.- On the carpet?
0:39:08 > 0:39:12Right, OK. Just glad it didn't go up the Hoover, I guess.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15Good, so we'll get the link with it so it can hang on its chain.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17Now, I think it will actually sell very well.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20I think you're going to be looking close to £300 for it.
0:39:20 > 0:39:25- Mm!- Really, I'd say an estimate of three to 350 on that, very easily.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27- Fantastic.- And I'd put a reserve,
0:39:27 > 0:39:31just perhaps pitch it under the 300, perhaps at 280.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33I really wouldn't like to see it go for any less than that.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37- No, I think the same actually.- Yeah. - Are you happy with that?- Very happy.
0:39:37 > 0:39:38Excellent. Good.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41I shall very much look forward to seeing you at the auction then.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Now, while the valuations continue apace,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50why don't we take a few minutes to do some exploring inside?
0:39:54 > 0:39:57Longleat House opened to the public in 1949.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00But before that, you could often look at stately homes
0:40:00 > 0:40:02by appointment.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07During the 18th century, it was common for butlers
0:40:07 > 0:40:11or housekeepers to show visitors around the house.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14Now, on one occasion, the Second Marquis was here,
0:40:14 > 0:40:17in the Green Library, looking at some books, as you do.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20He heard voices close by coming towards the library.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24He didn't want to be sociable, so he hid in a gap,
0:40:24 > 0:40:25a void in the bookcase.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27He squeezed in there and hid in there.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29He didn't want to see anybody.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31Now, in big old houses like this,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34it was quite common for spaces like that because walls got
0:40:34 > 0:40:38moved around and room sizes got altered, creating these voids.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41However, on this occasion,
0:40:41 > 0:40:44the couple that were in here gravitated towards this
0:40:44 > 0:40:45side of the library,
0:40:45 > 0:40:50noticed there was just a little, tiny gap in the bookcase like that.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54He hadn't pushed it too... And they pushed it open, they were curious.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57And they looked inside, and there he was, the Second Marquis.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01That must have been so embarrassing for all parties concerned.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06Well, I expect the Second Marquis was particularly red-faced.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08What a great family legend.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11And now, back outside in the gardens, there are some more
0:41:11 > 0:41:15rosy cheeks, but that is thanks to all this sunshine we are enjoying.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23Barbara, thank you for bringing in this unassuming looking album.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27It doesn't look great at the start of it. But if we open it up...
0:41:28 > 0:41:31- Well, that gives it away, doesn't it?- Yes.- The Beatles!- Oh, yes.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33So, this is your autograph album?
0:41:33 > 0:41:37Well, yes, I collected various autographs over the years.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40As I was an Army wife and we moved around a lot,
0:41:40 > 0:41:43I put them into an album to keep them safe.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47So, are these autographs that you yourself got or were
0:41:47 > 0:41:49they given to you?
0:41:49 > 0:41:53The Beatles and the Cliff Richard one were given to me
0:41:53 > 0:41:57- by my very first boyfriend... - Oh, lovely.- ..many years ago.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01- He had a member of the family who worked for the BBC.- Oh.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04So he was enamoured of me
0:42:04 > 0:42:06and so he thought I would quite like the autographs.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08- To prove his love.- Yes.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12And we've obviously got,
0:42:12 > 0:42:13from the Beatles here, we've got
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, George Harrison.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20And then on a separate one, which usually it's on a separate one.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22- "Love to Barbara, from John Lennon." - Yes.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25I am not an expert by any means in autographs.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28And the one thing I think we've come to realise over
0:42:28 > 0:42:32the years on Flog It! is that sometimes these
0:42:32 > 0:42:35signatures are acquired genuinely,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38somebody passes a book or a piece of paper into a dressing room,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41but it is not actually that person who signed it.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43Right. Yep.
0:42:43 > 0:42:48- So I think what we have to do is give these to the auctioneer.- Mm-hm.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51And he will call in a specialist who will be familiar
0:42:51 > 0:42:54with the genuine signatures and how they're done.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57Your story is promising.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00Because, you know, it's a BBC connection.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02You could see someone taking a quiet moment
0:43:02 > 0:43:05and just getting the signatures from them
0:43:05 > 0:43:08rather than in the humdrum of a concert or something like that.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11- So, there's hope.- Well.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13Of course, we have got a dedication there.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16- They are always better when they are just the name.- Yes, of course.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20Because then they can be for any person.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24I think the other autographs, and with them Cliff Richard,
0:43:24 > 0:43:28is collectible. But he's been going for a long, long time.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30He has done an awful lot of autographs.
0:43:30 > 0:43:34And we have got The Shadows. And of course Cilla Black.
0:43:34 > 0:43:39These, I think, are a matter of fives, tens, 15s of pounds.
0:43:39 > 0:43:43But they add to the history, because it is your album that you
0:43:43 > 0:43:46collected and it shows the continuity.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49Beatles signatures, any idea of the value?
0:43:49 > 0:43:50Not a clue.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54I think we'd be cautious and say £800 to £1,200,
0:43:54 > 0:43:57- and put a reserve of 800. - As much as that?
0:43:57 > 0:44:00That might be on the low side on the day.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02- Wow.- But 800 to 1,200 certainly.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05- This is, of course, if they are all genuine.- Yes, of course.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07And of course, there is...
0:44:07 > 0:44:11You can sort of have a middle ground that two might be right
0:44:11 > 0:44:13and one might be signed by somebody else.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16There's a whole degree of grey in between.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18But we will leave that to the auctioneer.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22But as four genuine Beatles signatures, 800 to 1,200,
0:44:22 > 0:44:25- no problem at all.- Wow. - Fixed reserve of 800.- Mm-hm.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27But, I mean, this is your...
0:44:27 > 0:44:28your life and your autographs,
0:44:28 > 0:44:30why have you decided to part with it now?
0:44:30 > 0:44:36Well, I've had them for... What, it must be nearly 50-odd years now.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38Um...
0:44:38 > 0:44:40They don't do anything, they are just stuck in a drawer.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42I've got the memories.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45You've got the memories, you don't need the notes of paper any more.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47No. And I think, obviously, gradually,
0:44:47 > 0:44:49they start to deteriorate a little bit.
0:44:49 > 0:44:50No, I think we are all right.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53Pencil is best for autographs as long as you don't rub it.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55- Thank you so much for bringing them in.- My pleasure.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59- Hopefully, we'll have a favourable result on the day.- Thank you.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02The big question is, are those Beatles signatures genuine?
0:45:02 > 0:45:04Keep watching to find out.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08Now, from the glamour of the pop world to the charm of a bygone era,
0:45:08 > 0:45:10when people still used calling cards.
0:45:14 > 0:45:15Well, hi, Sandy.
0:45:15 > 0:45:20You've brought along this silver salver or card tray, take your pick.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22Salver, I'm not sure exactly what it is.
0:45:22 > 0:45:23Yeah, well, I'd call it a card tray.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25I expect salvers to be that much bigger.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28- Right.- So tell me a bit about it, where has it come from?
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Well, I don't actually know very much about it at all.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35My mother used to go to this little antique shop round the corner
0:45:35 > 0:45:38- many, many years ago and buy things. - Yeah.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41And this is one of the items that she just put away.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43She never showed it or displayed it.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45And I actually have not displayed it, as you can tell.
0:45:45 > 0:45:46I've not cleaned it.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49So you're not overly enamoured with it either, then?
0:45:49 > 0:45:50- I'm afraid not.- Right.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53Obviously, she'd bought it and then she decided that she'd keep it
0:45:53 > 0:45:55- for the future, but she never did anything with it.- OK.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58So you've inherited it and kept it in the cupboard ever since.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02- Yeah.- Well, it is a nice thing. I like it because it is quite plain.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05It is very much made in the Georgian style
0:46:05 > 0:46:09and it's very clearly marked on the back. So if we just turn it
0:46:09 > 0:46:13over, it has got a Birmingham assay mark and it dates from 1939.
0:46:13 > 0:46:14Right.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18And look, you've got a silver mark, the year mark and the maker's mark.
0:46:18 > 0:46:19And it is all nicely...
0:46:19 > 0:46:21- Obviously, it hasn't been over polished over the years.- No.
0:46:21 > 0:46:25So it is very well marked indeed. It is a very nice, plain item.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28You do base the value a bit on weight. And we have weighed it.
0:46:28 > 0:46:30And it's nine troy ounces.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33I don't know what that means.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35It's not hugely heavy, but it is a good chunky piece.
0:46:35 > 0:46:40So, based on its weight and its style, I'm thinking at auction
0:46:40 > 0:46:43- you're looking at about between £70 and £100.- All right.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46- I don't know if that sounds about right to you.- I don't mind.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49- I'll go with whatever you say.- OK.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52And I think a reserve of £70, a fixed reserve of 70,
0:46:52 > 0:46:55- if you are happy with that.- I'm quite happy.- And it should do fine.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58- Wonderful.- Have you got any idea what you might buy in its place?
0:46:58 > 0:47:03- Just probably put it in the holiday fund.- Sounds good.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05Well, thanks for bringing it along, it's a lovely thing.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08- As I say, it should sell very, very well.- Wonderful.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10- I'll see you at the auction, then. - Wonderful.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12- Thank you very much. - Thank you.- Thank you.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15It really is hotting up here in the formal gardens,
0:47:15 > 0:47:19and Ray and Michael have both sensibly got their sun hats on.
0:47:20 > 0:47:25Ray, thank you for bringing in these two mysterious-looking pots.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27Where did you get them from?
0:47:27 > 0:47:32I was on a study tour in around about 2005 in China,
0:47:32 > 0:47:34in a place called Kuning, up in the mountains.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37And I came across them in a museum,
0:47:37 > 0:47:38which was rationalizing its collection.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40These caught my eye, so I bought them.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43- So you bought them from the museum?! - Yeah.- In China.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45It all bodes well, doesn't it?
0:47:45 > 0:47:48If we look at them, they're in the form...
0:47:48 > 0:47:51I think they're trying to be archaic vessels.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55And in this case, we've got these little lion masks, we've got
0:47:55 > 0:47:58all this detail of the piercing of the dragons chasing
0:47:58 > 0:48:01the flaming pearl, trying to achieve immortality.
0:48:01 > 0:48:04The lion is well done.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07And the little toads are well done.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10But it starts to fall down a bit round the collar.
0:48:10 > 0:48:15And you've got this ostensibly old piece of soapstone.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17But when you look at the insides,
0:48:17 > 0:48:21- that looks like it has been done by a Black & Decker.- Ah.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25The Chinese, it has to be said, are the greatest culture
0:48:25 > 0:48:30in the world for producing, let us say, copies of earlier things.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33And I think what you've got here are two pieces
0:48:33 > 0:48:37that are purporting to be 19th century.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41But when you look in detail, that collar could be stamped
0:48:41 > 0:48:46out of a sheet by a machine with some regularity.
0:48:46 > 0:48:51And when you start to see concretions and discolorations,
0:48:51 > 0:48:54but then you see bright bits of solder,
0:48:54 > 0:48:56then the alarm bells ring.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59It is at this point, because I don't want to crush you, Ray,
0:48:59 > 0:49:02I'm going to ask you what you paid for them.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04Uh... £5 each.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09Thank goodness for that. Thank goodness for that. That's great.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11- Yeah.- That's fine, it doesn't matter.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15I don't think that these are tremendously old.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18I think they're, at best,
0:49:18 > 0:49:21- 1930s or '40s.- Oh, OK.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23They're still Chinese and they're still decorative,
0:49:23 > 0:49:28so they have a value. If we say £50 to £100 for them,
0:49:28 > 0:49:31and put a reserve at £40, that is still showing you sort
0:49:31 > 0:49:34- of a four-fold return on your investment.- Indeed.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37And they may go on from there. I mean, we might be surprised.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40But I think if you are offered any more of them,
0:49:40 > 0:49:41- I think just stick at £5. - Yes.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43And maybe don't go up to six.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45Well, my instinct was right.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48But lovely to see them. Thanks so much for bringing them along.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50- Thank you for telling me the story. - A pleasure.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01Well, what a marvellous day we have had here at Longleat House,
0:50:01 > 0:50:03our magnificent venue for today.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05Everybody has thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09But right now, it's time to put our last set of valuations to the test.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13We have some unfinished business to do in the auction room, so here
0:50:13 > 0:50:16is a quick recap of all the items that are going under the hammer.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20We've got that sparkly amethyst and seed pearl necklace,
0:50:20 > 0:50:23which can also be worn as a brooch.
0:50:26 > 0:50:30And here is a tongue twister, it is Sandy's silver salver,
0:50:30 > 0:50:33or card tray, which is much easier to say.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40Ray's not worried these pots haven't a great age -
0:50:40 > 0:50:44bought for just £5 each, I'm not surprised.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50And to end it all, it's the exciting autograph album.
0:50:50 > 0:50:54Michael's estimate is conditional on the autographs being genuine,
0:50:54 > 0:50:57but are they? Well, we'll have to wait and see.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05The auction is still going strong in Devizes with plenty
0:51:05 > 0:51:09of flurries, nods and winks to keep Alan, our auctioneer, very busy.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12And next under his hammer is that really good-looking
0:51:12 > 0:51:14piece of adaptable jewellery.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19I take it Debbie cannot be with us today.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22- No, Debbie is doing a personal training course today.- Oh.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25- She's very upset about not coming to see this.- Oh.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27- Does she want to become a personal trainer, then?- Yes.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29Oh, good luck to her. A lot of money here.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31We are looking at £300 to £400?
0:51:31 > 0:51:34- It's quality.- Lovely thing, don't you think?- Oh, I do, yes.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37And as you say, lovely quality. It should, I think, sell easily.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40And you know what we say, quality always sells.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43Let's find out what the bidders think, here we go. This is it.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45Edwardian amethyst and seed pearl
0:51:45 > 0:51:50brooch-pendant with a 20-inch chain,
0:51:50 > 0:51:52up around 400 quid.
0:51:52 > 0:51:53Who has the 400?
0:51:53 > 0:51:56350.
0:51:56 > 0:51:57Three to start me.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59250 to get me away.
0:51:59 > 0:52:01250 I've got. 250, I've got 275.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04- It took a long time to get in, didn't it?- It did.- At £300.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06320. 320.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09350. At 320.
0:52:09 > 0:52:10Not going to dwell on it.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12£320...
0:52:12 > 0:52:16- Well done, Alan, good auctioneering. - Yes.- 320.- Yeah, yeah.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18- That's good.- We're happy?- Yes.
0:52:18 > 0:52:22- You best get on the phone.- I will do. Thank you very much indeed.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26And I hope Debbie is happy with that result, too.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29Ray, we're just about to sell your incense burners,
0:52:29 > 0:52:32brought all the way back from China, on a trip in 2005.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34- That must have been a wonderful trip.- Wonderful.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36- First time you've ever been? - That was, yeah.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39- You've been back since? - That's right.- Oh, you love it then.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41- Yeah.- Architecturally, strong-looking
0:52:41 > 0:52:44- and decorative.- Exactly. That is exactly what they are.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46Let's find out what the bidders think, shall we?
0:52:46 > 0:52:47Hopefully, we can get them away.
0:52:47 > 0:52:51Oriental incense burners, both decorated with Chinese themes.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55Somebody start me at £40 for them.
0:52:55 > 0:52:5720, get me away.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59Ten, I've got. 20.
0:52:59 > 0:53:0130. 40.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03£40 at the very back.
0:53:03 > 0:53:0645 anywhere else? At £40.
0:53:06 > 0:53:07At £40, is there five?
0:53:07 > 0:53:09At £40. All going...
0:53:09 > 0:53:13- 45.- Just. There were go.- 50?
0:53:13 > 0:53:15At 45 for timing...
0:53:15 > 0:53:18Well, the extra fiver helps. £45.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20- You were right.- Yeah.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23Well, it pays for my Charity Shield tickets for tomorrow.
0:53:23 > 0:53:24THEY LAUGH
0:53:24 > 0:53:29Well, that's a great return on £10 and a fun way to spend it!
0:53:31 > 0:53:33Going under the hammer right now
0:53:33 > 0:53:35we've got a 20th-century silver salver.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37It is not a lot of money, it belongs to Sandy.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39- In fact, this was your mother's, wasn't it?- It was.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41It's good quality English silver.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45- Is this valued on the scrap? - It is a bit, I'm afraid.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47It is a bit with this.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50- We want the top-end of the estimate, whatever happens, don't we?- Well...- Indeed.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53- That would be nice. - Shall we find out what the bidders think?- Well, yes.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56- Wonderful.- It is going under the hammer now. This is it. Look, that's your lot.
0:53:56 > 0:54:00Hallmarked silver salver, somewhere around about £75.
0:54:00 > 0:54:0275.
0:54:02 > 0:54:0660 I've got. 60 I've got. 60 I've got. 65. At 60.
0:54:06 > 0:54:0865. 70.
0:54:08 > 0:54:1270. At £70, is there five anywhere else? At £70.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14All going...
0:54:14 > 0:54:17Gosh, that was... I tell you what, hammer action or what?!
0:54:17 > 0:54:20Yeah.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23- So, it's gone. Happy?- Yes, very happy.- Good.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25It never has to be polished by you
0:54:25 > 0:54:27and you don't have to put it back in the attic.
0:54:27 > 0:54:28Thank goodness for that.
0:54:28 > 0:54:33Well, it is certainly a nice little sum to go into Sandy's holiday fund.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35Now, I couldn't wait to find out
0:54:35 > 0:54:39if those Beatles autographs were genuine, so on the preview day,
0:54:39 > 0:54:42just before the auction, I caught up with auctioneer Alan.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45- Have you done your research? - Yes, Paul.- And?
0:54:45 > 0:54:49What we do, we have a couple of chaps who we use for advice.
0:54:49 > 0:54:54- We sent them to those chaps.- Yeah. - They came back as no.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57Now, we use three fellows.
0:54:57 > 0:54:58Two definitely said no,
0:54:58 > 0:55:01one said,
0:55:01 > 0:55:02wouldn't like to say no,
0:55:02 > 0:55:05- but equally, wouldn't like to say yes.- OK.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07So...
0:55:07 > 0:55:09Lennon, definitely wrong.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12But maybe the others.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14But only a very small maybe.
0:55:14 > 0:55:18So, you've revised the estimate, the new figure is now what?
0:55:18 > 0:55:23- 150 to 250.- OK. Reserve at? - With a set reserve, 150.- OK.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25Because there are still some good names in there.
0:55:25 > 0:55:27There are some good other names, but also,
0:55:27 > 0:55:29if somebody makes up their mind that they are the Beatles,
0:55:29 > 0:55:32- they could still make £500, £600, £700.- Yes.
0:55:32 > 0:55:36But by putting the secretarial, it is up to the buyer to decide.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40So, you are calling them secretarial, meaning someone
0:55:40 > 0:55:41backstage was passed these,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44they signed them, passed them back out the door.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46- Exactly.- Looks like The Beatles signed them, but they didn't.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49- That is exactly what it is. - So the onus is on the buyer, yeah.
0:55:49 > 0:55:51Well, good luck. Good luck with that.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54Let's hope that we do get some high notes there.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58Well, although the auction house think Barbara's Beatles
0:55:58 > 0:56:01signatures are probably not genuine, which is a real shame,
0:56:01 > 0:56:05at the end of the day, it's still down to the bidders to decide.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11What went through your mind when Alan rang you up and said,
0:56:11 > 0:56:12"Look, you know, in our opinion,
0:56:12 > 0:56:16"those autographs aren't signed by The Beatles?"
0:56:16 > 0:56:20Well, it was disappointing, I don't mind admitting.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23- But, you know, you have to accept these things in life.- Sure.
0:56:23 > 0:56:27But we still have a renewed valuation of £150 to £250 because
0:56:27 > 0:56:31of the other artists involved, and there are some good names there.
0:56:31 > 0:56:32I think so, yeah.
0:56:32 > 0:56:36Hopefully, we can get the top end of the revised estimate.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39- I'll keep my fingers crossed.- Ready for this?- Yes.- Let's do business!
0:56:39 > 0:56:40It's going under the hammer now.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43All the others in there are all proper autographs,
0:56:43 > 0:56:46but we think The Beatles ones are secretarial.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48But at the end of the day, you have got to make up your mind.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50I've got a few bids on my book.
0:56:50 > 0:56:55And I will come in at...£300.
0:56:55 > 0:56:57That's more of a yes, isn't it?
0:56:57 > 0:56:59320. At 300. 320.
0:56:59 > 0:57:03320. 340. 360.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05380. 400.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08420. 440. 460.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10480.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12500. 520.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15540. 560.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20This is good. Whatever comes of this, this is very good so far.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22570?
0:57:23 > 0:57:25At 560.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28Against you all, with me at 560...
0:57:28 > 0:57:31- That is a good result.- Oh, wow! - That is a very, very good result,
0:57:31 > 0:57:34considering that revised estimate.
0:57:34 > 0:57:36- You know, it blew that out of the water.- That's tremendous.
0:57:36 > 0:57:40And as Michael said, you know, it is more of a yes or erring
0:57:40 > 0:57:43on the side of caution that one of those autographs might be right.
0:57:43 > 0:57:46- Because one alone is worth £500. - I know there are roller-coasters
0:57:46 > 0:57:49at Longleat, I didn't expect one today at auction.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52- Well, you must be pleased with that. - Oh, I'm absolutely thrilled.
0:57:52 > 0:57:56- You know, was prepared to... OK, if I was lucky to get 150.- Yes.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58Which would have paid for my piano to be tuned.
0:57:58 > 0:57:59Now I can pay for that
0:57:59 > 0:58:02and put some money aside towards my trip to Australia.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05- Fantastic! Well, enjoy it, won't you?- I will.
0:58:05 > 0:58:10What a brilliant result. You never can tell what's going to happen.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14Well, there you are. What can I say? Job done!
0:58:14 > 0:58:17It's all over for our owners, and they've gone home happy.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20That's the main thing. And one or two big surprises.
0:58:20 > 0:58:22I hope you enjoyed today's show.
0:58:22 > 0:58:24If you've got anything you want to sell,
0:58:24 > 0:58:25we would love to see you.
0:58:25 > 0:58:27Bring it along to one of our valuation days.
0:58:27 > 0:58:29Details of up-and-coming dates
0:58:29 > 0:58:31and venues you can find on our BBC website.
0:58:31 > 0:58:34Or check the details in your local press.
0:58:34 > 0:58:35Dust them, down them, bring them in.
0:58:35 > 0:58:39But until then, from Devizes, in Wiltshire, it's cheerio.