Blackpool 3 Flog It!

SCARY MUSIC

Today we are exploring the spooky side of Lancashire

with tales of ghosts and witches.

Let's hope there's nothing scary about what our experts

have to say when it comes to valuing antiques.

Welcome to Flog It!

EVIL LAUGH

Can someone let me out?

We will be back at Lancaster Castle later on in the show

but right now we are off to the location for today's valuations.

We are in Blackpool,

one of the UK's most popular holiday destinations.

It originally became fashionable in the 1800s,

when the opening of the railway meant that workers

from the cotton mills of Lancashire

could escape the grime of the cities for a bit of sea air.

The town still attracts over ten million visitors each year,

who come to be thrilled and scared by the attractions,

including the country's tallest rollercoaster ride

and today's venue, the Tower Circus.

But it's not about the tourists today.

We're here to do some business and of course,

it's about the good people of Blackpool and the surrounding areas.

They have turned up en masse, laden with unwanted antiques

and collectables, all hoping to make a small fortune in auction.

Our experts are already hard at work in the queue.

There's Anita Manning over there. There's James Lewis.

All hoping to find the best items.

Of course, this lot have one question on their lips

and they are dying to say it, aren't you?

-Come on!

-ALL: What's it worth?

We've got the crowd, they've got their items,

all we need now are our experts.

And as the crowd settle in, James has made a head start

with a spooky-looking mask that's a long way from home.

Anybody who knows me knows I am an Africa nut.

I've been to Tanzania

and I have spent time with the tribe who made this mask,

called the Makonde.

They are northern Tanzania and Mozambique.

They are the most amazing people with, in my opinion,

-the most ferocious masks on the planet.

-Yeah.

So, what is a fantastic mask like that doing here today?

-It was a find off the internet.

-Right, OK.

And it was so unusual and the markings on it, I found it bizarre.

And being a full helmet rather than just a mask...

Did you buy it because you had an interest in African art

-or because you thought it strange?

-We had a staff and that, didn't we?

And we got a couple of the normal wooden masks that everybody gets.

-Yeah.

-But it's just so unusual and to have the hair

on the top and everything, it's a bit freaky.

-And you know it's real hair?

-BOTH: Yes.

There are different designs that you find on different masks

for different purposes.

These type of helmet masks were used in marriage ceremonies,

in death ceremonies, funerals,

but also for fertility,

for wishing a new season of a fertile harvest.

Some of the masks are denoting female, some male.

The rarer ones are the female ones. This is a male.

The teeth, they are actually pierced.

The mask was designed to be worn like that and some masks,

you would look through the mouth, use it as eye slots.

I think this one would have been worn more like that.

So it is one of the only masks that was worn on the top of the head

rather than like that.

Inside you see white wood under the dark staining.

-That dark staining is made to look older than it is.

-Right.

And this is very light.

They often were light but...

..made for the tourist market.

The masks that were made to be used in their own ceremonies,

19th century and earlier, are massively in demand,

worth sometimes tens of thousands of pounds.

The ones that are made for the tourist market

are a totally different thing. But there we are.

The staff, it's not so exciting.

It's a bit of hardwood.

It's probably Ghanaian. North-west African.

Probably a tribal chief's staff, or meant to be.

But again, it's made for the tourist market rather than for their own.

-So, shall I ask what you paid?

-Well, we would rather keep that one quiet.

-Oh, really?

-Especially if my wife's watching.

-Definitely.

-Do you think you might have paid a bit too much?

A little bit too much, yes!

Well, I reckon at auction -

you might have bought a bargain, you don't know -

£60 to £100, as an estimate.

-You paid too much, didn't you?

-Yes!

-Your face!

I'm sorry. You never know.

It might absolutely fly and do really well.

But if it does, then you will have done really, really well.

But it's a great thing to find. It's very unusual.

It's the first time I have ever seen one on the Flog It! tables

-and thank you for bringing it in.

-You're welcome.

-Thank you for telling us about it.

-A bit of Africa.

-Made my day.

-Thank you very much.

From a Flog It! first to a Flog It! classic. Over to Anita.

Tina, welcome to Flog It!

It's lovely to have you along and thank you

-for bringing in our old favourite, Clarice Cliff.

-Yes.

We see lots of Clarice on the programme.

Some people love it, some people hate it. I love it. What about you?

I absolutely love Clarice Cliff. I have done now for 30-odd years.

-How did you come by this lot?

-It was from a house clearance.

My mum helped our old neighbour clear her sister's house

and this was part of some pottery

that she put in the back of the cupboard.

When I discovered this was Clarice Cliff I was about 18,

and this started my collection.

-So, this started a love affair with Clarice Cliff's work?

-Yes.

-Yes, it did.

-So, why have you brought this in today?

I mean, I've got some of these pieces out of newspaper

-that has got the 2001 date on.

-You haven't had it out since then?

-No. No.

-So it's time to pass it on.

I just love it and I think that somebody else will as well.

I mean, I love Clarice Cliff.

She was a poor girl who became enormously successful

in her designs in the pottery trade.

Wonderful, wonderful designs which were ground-breaking.

This little coffee set is the Sundew pattern

and it was done for the 1930s.

We've got six cups, six saucers, a coffee pot here, sugar,

cream and a little jam dish.

But I did notice, Tina, that we have some damage on the coffee pot.

That's right.

So that's the only thing that worries me a little bit, the crack.

And it's quite a substantial crack

which goes the full length of the pot.

But we still have our six cups and saucers,

we still have our sugar and cream and we still have our jam pot.

Estimate on this, I would say maybe £150 to £200.

It would be more if we had, you know...

-if everything was in good condition.

-I know. I realise.

-Would you be happy to pass it on at that price?

-Yes.

-Shall we go for it?

-Absolutely.

-OK.

-£150 to £250. Keep it wide.

-Yeah.

With a reserve of maybe round about 130 on it.

-Yes. I agree with that.

-We'll do that.

-Thank you again for bringing it along.

-You're welcome.

Just a short walk down the corridor from the Circus

is the world-famous Tower Ballroom.

Whilst it is better known as the occasional home

of the stars of Strictly Come Dancing,

there are one or two more permanent residents here

of a slightly spooky nature,

and I'm not talking about Len Goodman and Bruno!

A number of ghosts are said to inhabit the ballroom

and other parts of the Tower complex.

First is the man who had the idea of the building in the first place,

Sir John Bickerstaffe.

He died in 1930 and people believe he loved the building

so much that he refused to leave it, even after his death.

Most sightings here in the ballroom report of an elderly gentleman

and a young girl sitting here in the balcony dressed in Victorian attire,

watching a performance going on on the stage.

And they've been seen on a number of occasions

over the last two centuries.

Maybe they were watching some spooky entertainment

taking place on this very stage.

Many people have heard the laughter of the most famous clown,

Charlie Cairoli, who performed here in the Circus, laughing away.

Others have claimed to have seen a lady dressed in white

playing that piano on this very stage.

Well, it seems the place is quite popular with the living

as well as the dead, don't you think?

From doing a bit of ghost-hunting I think we should catch up

with our experts and do a bit more antique-hunting.

Stella, I have to say, these are two of the most unusual

things that I have ever seen on the Flog It! tables.

I think I know what they are. I'm sort of 99% there.

-What do you know about them?

-Not a great deal.

They are a family heirloom

and I've been asking people do they know what they are and they say no.

I haven't seen anything quite like them for probably 25 years.

My last family holiday with parents was to go to the Somme battlefield.

My dad is a great sort of military historian.

And we would walk the battlefields and try and work out

-where the trench lines were and all that sort of thing.

-Right.

As a sort of an eagle-eyed collector, I was ferreting around,

trying to find interesting things to pick up, and one of the things

I picked up was one of these, or something very similar.

I think what we have here are a pair of World War I

-shell case fuses.

-Fuses? Honest?

-From the pointed end of the shell.

-Oh.

-There we have a hole at the end

and then a spiral to contain something.

-I think it's a wire, a fuse wire.

-A wire? Oh!

There is a gap at the bottom

and then there is a little hole that comes out either at zero -

which I presume is zero seconds -

-or 49, for 49 seconds.

-Right!

And that is a bit of a guess, but I think that's what they are.

Now, the fact that they are First World War

would indicate that they were probably put together in this form

by probably somebody in the trenches.

If you think in terms of an infantryman 100 years ago

on the front-line battlefields,

we often see the scenes of them going up over the edge

and fighting, but the truth was,

95% of their time was literally sitting in the trenches,

waiting - cold, damp, bored,

and up to their knees in mud with very little to do.

So they made things known as trench art, and they made snuffboxes

out of bits of brass shell case,

they made fire implements for them for stoking the fire and tongs

and also things like desk weights.

And it wouldn't surprise me if these were made

-by an infantryman in the trenches 100 years ago.

-Could be right. Yeah.

So, now the final thing to try and work out is a valuation.

It's a little bit like that.

-I've not sold them before.

-No.

-But...

-..I think £30 or £40.

-OK. That's fine.

-Would that be all right for you?

-Yes.

I'm sure it is not going to do anything explosive

in the saleroom, but you never know.

Somebody might love them.

Somebody might love. Let them enjoy them.

Things have got off to a flying start at the Tower Circus.

I'm just watching Anita Manning, one of our experts, hard at work there.

We are ready for our first trip to the auction room, but before that,

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

Phil and Sean are hoping their mask doesn't scare off the bidders.

There's that Clarice Cliff tea set, brought along by Tina.

And Stella is hoping her artillery fuses go with a bang.

We are leaving Blackpool and heading a few miles down the coast

to Lytham St Annes,

where it's time to put our first lots under the hammer.

And the man in charge of today's proceedings

is auctioneer Jonathan Cook.

The auction house is packed and ready to go.

Let's get moving with our first lot.

Fingers crossed, Stella.

-Is this your first auction?

-Yes.

-Is it really?

-I've never been.

-Gosh. Are you nervous?

-Yes, I am.

-Got your hands behind your back.

Whatever you do, don't do that! You might buy something!

These two fuses from the First World War,

that's what's going under the hammer right now.

-Not a great deal of money, James, is there?

-No.

They are unusual things, things you don't see a lot of at auction.

There are a lot of militaria collections out there

and I'm sure these will find a new home.

Good luck, both of you. Let's put it to the test.

Lot 80. World War I trench art.

A pair of brass and copper shell tops.

Converted to paperweights.

A bid's there at £20 on the internet, at 20.

It's all down to the bidders now.

£20. On the net at 20. Are we all sure at 20?

Any further interest?

£20. 22. 24.

At £24. Any further interest on 24?

-On the internet at 24.

-There's no hands in the room.

At £24. Selling away at 24. All finished? At £24.

-It sold. You were right.

-Absolutely.

-Spot on, James.

They are not easy things to sell, are they? Who wants them?

-Paperweights.

-Yeah.

-Exactly.

We love seeing trench art on Flog It!

but often the priceless stories behind them

aren't reflected in their value at auction.

We've come downstairs for our next lot, the wooden helmet

and staff brought along by Philip and Sean.

Philip has some mobility problems

and there are a lot of steps to the auction room,

which is on the first floor above us, so we've set up a live link

to the auction room down here

so we can watch it on this monitor and follow all of the action

and hear what is going on.

-So are you excited, boys?

-Very. Apprehensive.

-Apprehensive.

-We are going to put that valuation to the test.

-That's what auctions are all about.

-Yeah. It's a great lot.

We haven't got much tribal art in this sale

but it's live on the internet.

What we're watching here

is what thousands of people across the world are watching as well...

Thank goodness for modern technology. Here's the action now.

Let's follow it. This is our lot coming up right now. Good luck.

Lot 180. Tribal art. Together with the carved staff.

Bid's there at £40 on the net. Any advance on 40?

At £40. Any advance on 40?

At 42. £42. Any advance on 42?

At 44. 46.

At 48. 50.

55. 60. 65.

70. 75.

-80.

-£80.

-85.

-This is getting better.

At £90 in the room. Any advance on 90?

At £90. Gent's bid at 90. Are we all done at 90?

At £90. Sell away at 90.

It seems to have settled at 90.

-I think it's settled now. It's found its level at £90.

-£90.

-No further interest.

-He's sold.

-£90. Well done.

-Thank you.

Another lot making its estimate.

Time to see if the Clarice Cliff tea set can improve on that.

It wouldn't be Flog It! without it, would it?

-Ever used it?

-No.

It's just been locked in the back of a cupboard before I had it

and I have been storing it in boxes.

A lovely thing like that shouldn't be stuck in a box

or in a wardrobe or at the back of a cupboard.

-It should be out, making people happy.

-Very much so.

Let's put it to the test. It's going under the hammer. This is it.

Lot 380. Clarice Cliff. Hand-painted. Six-piece coffee set.

Showing there. Bids of £100. 110. 120.

At £120. Any advance on 120?

130 right at the back at 130. In the room at 130.

At £130. Any advance on 140?

At 140. 150. At 150.

160. 170.

At 180. 190.

Come on. Let's get 200. Come on, come on, come on.

-Yes, we've got it!

-220.

240. 260.

£260. £260 in the room.

Any advance on £260? All sure at 260.

-£260!

-No further interest.

-Yes!

-Wasn't that wonderful?

Clarice doesn't let us down.

It's a great name, isn't it? It's a great name in design, basically.

-Yes.

-Happy? You've got to be over the moon.

-I'm just shocked.

There you go.

If you've got anything like that as well, we want to sell it.

Bring it along to one of our valuation days

and you could be standing in the next room next to us next time.

Blackpool is a place best known for fun and laughter,

but the County of Lancashire itself has had a scary and sinister past,

with tales of witchcraft and magic throughout its history.

And I've been off to investigate one of the most famous stories of all.

From our early childhood, most of us have heard tales of witches,

and they seem to be warted women concocting deadly potions,

stirring a cauldron and casting wicked spells on people

and they seem to have black cats and ride around on broomsticks.

Well, such stories have thrilled and frightened us for centuries

so today I've come to Lancaster Castle to unearth one of the

greatest witchcraft tales of our history, that of the Pendle witches.

It all began in March 1612,

when an argument in a small town spiralled out of control

and soon led to 20 people being arrested and accused of witchcraft.

Colin Penny is the manager of Lancaster Castle

and an expert on the Pendle witch trials.

20 people were arrested. On what grounds?

Well, the whole incident of the Lancashire witches begins

with an argument between two people.

Alison Device, who is very poor, she is a beggar,

and John Law, a pedlar who basically is travelling around, selling things.

He passes by, she asks him for some pins.

He says, "Have you got any money?" She says no.

"Well, you can't have any pins, then."

He walks off, but he almost immediately becomes very ill.

He has what we think was a stroke,

judging from his symptoms as described at the time.

He believes himself to have been bewitched. So did his son.

Alison was arrested. That then began a snowball effect.

Her friends, her family are also interviewed

and the charges against them basically spiral out of control.

There was a genuine belief in the power of magic,

both for good and for evil.

Not least because James I was obsessed by witches

and by witchcraft.

He wrote the Daemonologie in the late 16th century,

which is essentially, if you like,

a handbook in how to identify and go through the process

of what you should look for in a potential witch suspect, if you like.

And it's no coincidence that there is a huge rise

in the number of witch accusations under James I.

The 20 accused were held in Lancaster Castle for five months

between April and August 1612.

And the conditions at the prison were far from comfortable.

One of the accused, an elderly lady named Old Demdike,

died in the jail before the case could begin.

However, in August that year, the remaining 19 stood trial.

The proceedings were unusual

because they were documented by the court clerk, Thomas Potts,

in his account, The Wonderful Discovery Of Witches,

which became a historical document of the trial.

What was unusual was evidence was given from a nine-year-old girl.

Now, that is totally out of the question normally, but here,

the rules were bent to help the prosecution.

The jury, no doubt basing their decision on their own fears

and prejudice of witchcraft, found ten of the accused,

including the original girl, guilty and they were sentenced to death.

And it was here on Gallows Hill, overlooking the town,

that the ten guilty people were hung

and later their bodies were buried at a crossroads

so if their spirits returned,

they couldn't find their way back to haunt those that they cursed.

What about the castle itself?

Well, it's still playing its part in law and order.

The castle was used as a fully functioning prison

right up until March 2011.

This room today is still being used as a fully working courtroom.

Luckily enough, there are no witches to be put on trial any more.

Welcome back to Blackpool and our valuation day

here at the Tower Circus, where hundreds of people have turned up

today with their unwanted antiques and collectables,

all hoping to make a small fortune at auction.

Now, which item will get a standing ovation?

We are about to find out. Let's catch up with our experts.

Bobby, welcome to Flog It! It's lovely to have you along.

I had a wee blather with you in the queue

and I know you're not from around these parts. Where are you from?

-I am from Texas.

-Texas! That's fabulous!

-What are you doing here?

-I came, my husband lured me over.

After he moved back here, I came back with him.

-So now you are a Lancashire lass.

-Yes.

Now, you have brought along a wee group of things.

-Can you tell me where you got these?

-Yes.

These watches were my husband's grandfather's.

This necklace, my mother-in-law gave me

and this necklace was my brother-in-law's.

-He worked for a lady in a large house and so she gave it to him.

-As a gift.

-Yes.

-Maybe she thought it suited him.

-THEY LAUGH

So these are all stuff that's maybe come from your husband's family.

-Yes.

-Right.

And it really is the type of thing which anybody

might have in a drawer, passed down in the family.

Nothing of any great value, but a nice wee group.

And if we look at them closely, this is a Victorian necklet.

It is silver.

It's not hallmarked but I think it is silver.

-You are probably talking about 1880 to 1890.

-Oh.

Going on to this one, this necklet is a Norwegian necklet.

It is sterling silver and it's marked sterling,

but it has this wonderful enamel finish on the leaf design

and the Norwegians were masters of enamel work.

We have three pocket watches here that are all in various states of...

..disrepair.

We have hands missing on this one, we have the second hand missing

on this one and we have this Waltham here,

which is an American watch but it's not silver.

So, it is a wee sort of mixed lot.

If you put them all together,

we could have some interest in the saleroom.

If they were coming into auction I would put an estimate,

grouped together, between £40 and £60.

Would you and your husband be happy to put them

-to auction at that price?

-Yes. That's fine.

-Shall we do that?

-Yes.

They may get more than that, but for a wee mixed lot,

I think we keep the estimates conservative on them.

-We'll put a reserve price on them. Would you want to do that?

-Yes.

We will put £40, but we will put "with discretion"

-so the auctioneer has a little discretion if he needs it.

-OK.

-But I think they will sell away.

-OK. Sounds good.

Back to James Lewis now, who has discovered something

that looks a bit and usual and even a little bit spooky.

Helen, Doulton are very well known for making little models

of girls in frilly dresses, little clowns, ladies with parasols.

Really, as far as I'm concerned they should be smashed onto the floor,

rolled over with a digger and used as road fill. I hate them.

I hate them, I hate them, I hate them. But that is fantastic!

He's a great little figure!

He's called Spook and he's really sort of naughty,

mysterious, hiding under a cloak.

Modelled after my mother-in-law, I think, originally.

-You'll be in trouble!

-I think he's fantastic. What do you think?

I'm not really keen on him myself.

My husband bought him but I just don't like his evil-looking face.

As if he's up to no good.

-I like them ladies what you would like to smash!

-You don't like those!

You can't like those! No! No! I prefer him.

He is in a titanium glaze, which is this wonderful iridescent blue.

They came in different models. This titanium glaze was a trial glaze.

The original and most well-known of the Spook,

he's known as the Spook,

is actually hand-coloured and decorated fairly naturally.

If we turn him over, there we have the Doulton mark.

But it is very faint.

I can understand why people probably wouldn't have recognised it

as being a Doulton.

But I think also, being a trial glaze,

it's something that's slightly more difficult to identify.

The date is 1916, 1917. Something around there.

Modelled by Tittensor, one of Doulton's leading modellers.

So, your husband liked him, he bought him,

brought him home, fell in love with him

and now you've brought it here to Flog It!.

-Yes, that's right.

-That's not really fair. Where did he find him?

-He found him in a car-boot sale.

-Really?

-Really. Yeah.

-Recently?

-About a month ago.

-OK. And how much did you pay?

-Two pounds.

-Two pounds.

-Would he take three?

-No.

-Four?

-No.

-10?

No.

50?

-Yeah. Possibly 50.

-Would he say 50? I'll buy it for 50.

I'm not allowed to do it. I'm not allowed to and I wouldn't.

It's not worth 50. It's worth 200 to 300.

-Oh! Crikey!

-Well done!

Your two pounds has turned into 200 or 300. That is a car-boot dream.

-Well done. It's a great little object.

-I like him now!

Do you? You are going to take him home?

No, he can go.

No, he's really brought you a bit of luck.

He's a great little figure.

You can see how the Spook does later on at the auction.

It's coming towards the end of the valuation day now

but Anita has found one last item that's caught her eye.

Molly, this is a charming little snuffbox.

Can you tell me where you got it?

It was left to my husband and myself

with quite a few other things in 1989 from a dear friend.

-So you've had it for a wee while.

-I have, yes.

-Have you had it on display?

-Not really.

It's been in the china cabinet, inside a teapot.

-Inside a teapot? Not doing much good there.

-Not really.

-I like this one.

If we open the lid we can see your silver marks here.

It was made in Birmingham in the 1860s, so it's a good age.

And this is important - when you look at an item like this,

the hinges must be pristine to keep the snuff fresh.

It's in very good condition, but one of the things

I like most about this is the little dedication on the cartouche.

Usually in items of silver we like to see the cartouche empty

because it means if it is given as a gift then it can be engraved

afterwards, but this one has a marvellous little dedication.

"To Old Copey, from Scissors."

-Do you know anything about that?

-I'm sorry.

-We know nothing at all.

-You know nothing about it.

If you think about it,

I can see these names as being nicknames

of two old friends.

Two old pals.

And to have something like that really does

spark off your imagination.

It makes us wonder who Old Copey was and who Scissors was.

What about value, then?

Snuffboxes were making a little more,

say, ten years ago, five years ago.

-In today's market they are a little less.

-Yeah.

I would put a value on that of between £60 and £80.

-Yes.

-Would you be happy to sell it at that?

Yes, that would be quite all right.

It would go to a collector and I think that is

a far better place for it to go than in an old teapot.

I think so too.

-Shall we put a reserve on it?

-We will leave that to you.

We will put £60 with a little bit of discretion

but I'm sure it will go higher.

The buyers will like the condition

-and they will like the inscription on this cartouche.

-Lovely.

There you are.

What a wonderful time we have had at the Tower Circus in Blackpool.

Everyone has thoroughly enjoyed themselves,

I know I have, and our experts. And I can't wait to come back.

But right now we've got some unfinished business

in the auction room down in Lytham St Annes.

While we make our way down the coastline,

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

Time is up for Bobby's collection of pocket watches and two necklaces.

There is Helen's unusual ceramic Spook

that was bought at a car-boot sale.

And finally, Molly hopes her snuffbox

isn't something to be sniffed at.

I caught up with today's auctioneer Jonathan Cook at the preview day

to take a closer look at one of our items.

Jonathan, I'm absolutely in love with this lot.

Royal Doulton Spook figure.

Not the kind of thing you associate Doulton with

-when you look at their figures.

-Not at all.

I think he's quite rare, a lovely blue lustre to him.

Belongs to Helen.

Her husband bought it in a car-boot sale. Guess how much for?

I don't think... A fiver?

Less than that. It's horrible. It's horrible.

-It's two pounds.

-Two pounds!

-I mean, that's bonkers, isn't it?

Somebody sold that for two pounds.

They are going to be sick if they are watching.

James our expert has put £200 to £300 on this.

Could this be a little sleeper? Could this go for a lot more?

I think this is a prototype. I've not seen this colour before.

I've seen various other colours

and some of them can fetch £2,000 to £3,000.

-I'm not saying this one will.

-£2,000 to £3,000!

-Yes.

-This is exactly what we like. This is what auctions are all about.

I can't wait.

Good luck on the rostrum with the rest of the lots

but we are looking forward to this one.

A bit of a mixed lot going under the hammer right now.

Two necklaces and three pocket watches belonging to Bobby,

all the way from Texas, who married a man from Lytham

a couple of years ago.

-Happy here? Like it?

-Yes! I love it!

-Great stretch of coastline.

We originally had £40 to £60 put in by Anita.

You've now upped the reserve to 80, new valuation of £100 to £120.

-I think you're spot on with the money, I really do.

-Yeah.

I think it should. We have got...

We've got watches and those two

lovely enamelled pieces of jewellery.

And that is very popular in today's market

so we have put it up a wee bit but I think we're in with a great shout.

Let's find out what the bidders think. This is our lot. Here we go.

Bids of £70. Any advance on 70?

At £70. 75 on the net.

80 on the net. 85, 95, 100.

110. 120. At 120 on the net. Any advance in the room?

-At £120 on the internet. At 130 now on the net.

-Good!

Any advance in the room? At £130.

Are we all sure at 130?

Any further interest? At 130. All sure?

At £130.

-It's gone. The hammer's gone down. That was a good result.

-Well done.

-I'm pleased with that.

-You're pleased with that.

I know you are. And your husband will be as well.

Thanks very much for bringing that in.

Next up we've got a Victorian silver snuffbox.

Is it a pinch at £60 to £80? We are about to find out.

Let's find out what it's worth. It's going under the hammer now.

Victorian silver snuffbox marked for 1861.

42, 44, 46, 48, 50.

55. 60. 65. 70. 75.

80. 85.

90. 95.

At £95 on the internet. Any advance in the room?

At £95, then. Are we all done at £95?

Sell away, then, at 95. No further interest.

It's sold.

The hammer has gone down. Short and sweet.

-Lovely.

-Above the upper estimate.

-Very nice.

Good little things to collect, snuffboxes. They really are.

We were lucky enough to have it left to us.

Snuffboxes are a regular on Flog It!,

but now for something we've never seen before.

Are you all sitting comfortably in your chairs?

This could get exciting. Could get scary. It's quite spooky.

It's the Doulton Spook belonging to Helen. Hello there.

Thank you so much for bringing this along to our valuation day.

I had a chat to the auctioneer yesterday and he said

he's seen them come up for sale before in different colour glazes.

Exactly. Different colour.

I'm not going to tell you how much he said

just in case it ruins the surprise

-but, I mean, what are you thinking of getting? 200?

-Hopefully.

Maybe 300. If we're really lucky today, we could get 300.

Good luck. That's all I can say. Fingers crossed.

I think this will go online. It'll go on the internet.

But let's watch this and hopefully,

hopefully it will go through the roof. Here we go.

Lot 360. Royal Doulton.

Rare lustre figure. Spook.

Lots of interest and we can start it off at...

£650. 650 on commission.

Any advance on 750?

850.

950. 1,000 with me.

At 1,000 on commission.

1,100 on the net. Any advance on 1,100? 1,200.

1,200.

Any advance on 1,200? 1,300 on the phone.

1,400.

1,500. 1,500. 1,600.

-1,600!

-1,600.

1,700.

I love this, and they love it as well.

1,800. 1,900.

-2,000.

-I'm tingling.

I hope you're tingling at home.

2,200.

2,400.

-2,600.

-2,600!

-Helen! You're in the money.

-I know!

3,000.

-3,200.

-3,200.

3,400.

3,600.

3,700. 3,800.

Now we know what they are worth!

£3,900.

-4,000.

-Wow!

-4,100.

-£4,100, and don't forget,

this was bought at a car boot for two pounds.

-4,200.

-£4,200.

4,250, if it helps.

4,250.

4,250.

At 4,250. Are we all sure?

At £4,250. Fair warning.

Fantastic!

APPLAUSE

Bang! 4,250!

-Thank you.

-£4,250.

Bought in a car boot for just two pounds.

And you said to me at the start of the sale you would be happy

-with 200 to 300.

-I would.

-How about that?

We didn't know what it was worth, now we do and now you do.

Helen, enjoy that money, won't you?

What's going through your mind? What will you do with that?

I'm going on holiday next week with my daughter.

It doesn't get much better than that. Have a good time.

-Bit of spending money.

-You will just love it.

Thank you so much for bringing that in.

That's what auctions are all about. That's why we love them.

I hope you've enjoyed watching today's show.

More surprises to come in the future so keep watching Flog It!,

but for now, from Blackpool, it's goodbye from all of us.