Sheffield 11 Flog It!

Today, Flog It comes from the city that boasts the oldest football club

in the world. Can you guess who it is?

Well, I'll let you know later on in the programme, but first,

we have to kick off with some high-scoring valuations.

Welcome to Sheffield.

Oh, missed the goal!

'Our stadium today is Cutlers' Hall,

'right at the very heart of Sheffield.

'It's home to the Cutlers' Company, the guild that has looked after

'the city's renowned cutlery manufacturers since 1638.

'It's a real slice of Sheffield history.'

Well, I cannot wait to tackle some of the treasures

that are here in this magnificent building,

but before that, we'll be unveiling the stories

behind the hundreds of antiques brought along by the people

of Sheffield and already there's a marvellous crowd here to see

our experts and there is one chant on everybody's lips which is...

ALL: What's it worth?!

Stay tuned and you'll find out.

'And hoping to score something rare

'and valuable are our star signings, James Lewis...

'..and Anita Manning.'

A couple of geishas.

'The Cutlers' Company has been here for 400 years.

'Kings and queens, the great and the good, have sat in these halls.

'Today, it's witnessing another historic event,

'a Flog It valuation day.

'We'll be taking our best finds to sell off at auction,

'but can you guess which of them fetches a winning price?

'Will it be these fabulous pair of Wade vases

'drawing in the collectors?

'Or will the autographs by the Fab Four Beatles

'get the fans into a bidding frenzy?

'Stay tuned and all will be revealed.'

This is so exciting.

There's such an electric atmosphere.

I've got a grandstand view from up here.

Down there, that's where all the action is taking place

and Anita Manning is just about to kick off with her first item.

Martin, lovely to have you at Flog It,

-and what have you brought me today?

-I put you this chain and fob watch.

Can you tell me where you got it?

Got it from my wife last night, had it tucked away in a drawer.

It was her grandmother's, that's all I know about it, basically.

That she's inherited it?

-Yes.

-And you plucked it from her drawer last night,

so she's not worn it?

-No.

-Let's have a wee look at it, because this watch has undergone

change at various times in its history.

Originally, it was a little fob watch

and it would have been worn by a lady.

She would have had a big long guard chain

and she would have had a little pocket in her belt or her shirt...

-Oh, right.

-..for the little watch.

It has come from the late 1800s, beginning of the 1900s,

-so it's probably 100... at least 100 years old.

-Oh!

And it's a very pretty little watch.

If we look at the back, it looks rather nice,

almost Art Nouveau decoration on the back.

If we open it up, we can see our hallmark for nine carat gold

and if we open the second plate, we can see that the spring is

still going, so it's in working order.

So, a little fob watch and then we look at this part here

and we think, "Well, what's that for?"

Now, wristwatches became popular in the 1930s

and this would have been changed from being a fob watch

into a wristwatch and we would have had maybe a little silk band

-on this part and this part.

-Right.

Latterly, another chain would have been put on it,

so it's gone from being a watch on a chain,

to a watch on the strap and back to being a watch on a chain again.

I would like to put it into auction, estimate 100-150,

that's a fairly conservative estimate.

-Would you be happy to let it go at that?

-100-150, I've got, er...

I've spoken to my wife and she said 120 with discretion,

so that falls between the two, doesn't it?

That's right, so 120 with discretion. Well, we'll do that.

-We'll put it in 120-160...

-Right.

-..reserve 120 with discretion.

Did she have any idea why she wanted 120 on it?

The chain cost about 100, she thinks.

She's had it quite a long time.

OK, she's paid retail price for it, but because the gold is high,

she'll be getting near enough that price for it anyway, so 120.

-I'm sure we'll have no problem with that at all.

-Rightio.

-That sounds nice.

-Thank you very much, Martin, for bringing it along.

-Thank you very much.

-And I'll see you at the auction.

You will indeed. My wife will be coming,

-so you'll be able to meet her.

-Excellent, excellent.

Next up, James has got an item that should feel right at home,

here in Cutlers' Hall.

Well then, Naina... Before we go any further - Naina?

Now, other than tenner, Naina...

-It's not Sheffield. Where does the Naina come from?

-Russia.

So you're Russian?

No, my mum had a thing on Russian ballet, so I copped for it.

I could have been Olga. I hit lucky.

OK, so the first thing to say is there is no more appropriate place

-than to be looking at these than here in Cutlers' Hall.

-Yeah.

Let's have a look.

We have a pair, volume one and two,

and there, the engraved frontispiece is the Cutlers' Hall.

-Yes, where we are.

-Lovely.

Now, two volumes, bound in green cloth and gilt

-with a vellum spine.

-Yes.

Without question, these would have been a limited edition of books.

-These are not cheap to produce.

-No.

Now how did you come to have them in the family?

My gran got them. I don't know where she got them from,

but they were in their wardrobe originally.

Why would your grandmother want a pair of books on Cutlers' Hall?

Because they were surgical instrument makers,

they were George Turton & Son, surgical instrument makers.

-Ah!

-So they're in the book.

So that was your grandmother's...

-That was my grandfather's father who owned the business.

-OK.

-And then that...

-What sort of period?

-Up to the '30s.

-Exactly this period.

-Yeah.

-So, let's have a look.

Turton, right. So list of officers, here we are.

Turton, Turton, Joseph Turton, 1846 to 1851, Thomas Turton,

so these are relations to you.

Yes, they're all relations to my grandparents.

When they were new, they were presented

to the Sheffield Club by Fred...

That was the Sheffield Cutlers'.

I wonder if it's the Shetland Cutlers' or a different club,

-because you have a county club, don't you, in each area?

-Yes.

With a building in the centre of Sheffield, with the library,

where all the gentleman would retire.

I was flicking through these earlier and it has lists of portraits

and busts that are in this building

and a wonderful, wonderful history of this building.

And given in 1906,

-which probably accounts for why the condition is a bit shabby.

-"A bit"?

All right, very shabby. But they've lived in your home where?

They've been on the bookshelf for about five years,

-but the cat's taken to going up on top of the bookshelf.

-Right.

So I thought before they were used as a clawing post,

it was probably better to get them down.

Yeah, good move, good move.

So, pair of books, vellum bound,

limited edition that have seen better days, but if they don't make

the right money here in Sheffield, they won't make it anywhere.

I think we should put an auction estimate of £200-£300 on them

and a reserve. Had you feel about a reserve?

-Do you want a reserve on them?

-Yes, please.

-What were you thinking?

-About 200.

-200, fine.

Do you want to give them a little bit of discretion?

-£10 under, but that's all.

-Is that all? OK, so...

Normally auctioneer's discretion is 10%, so instead

of having a 200 with a 10% discretion, let's put 190 firm.

-If they don't make that...

-They go home.

Go home and protect them from the cats, all right?

Don't worry, Naina,

I'm sure a local collector will want to get their claws into those books.

Meanwhile, Anita has taken a real shine to some more local antiques.

-Cath, welcome to Flog It.

-Thank you.

An interesting little group you've brought us along today.

Tell me where you got them.

They actually came to my husband when my mother-in-law died.

That was the first time I ever saw them

and they've been stuck in cupboards ever since.

So we thought we'd bring down the Flog It to see

if they were of any value and obviously to know how old they are,

particularly what the watch is,

because all I know is it slides to open.

-It does more when it slides open and shut than open and shut.

-Right.

Let's look at this little egg cup and spoon for a start.

I kind of like that.

It's the type of thing that someone in the past would have

bought for a christening present.

It's made in Sheffield and I like that as we are in Sheffield,

it's going to be sold in Sheffield and it's nice to find this here.

It was made in the 1920s, 1925, '26. It's in its original case.

-I doubt if it's ever been used.

-I don't think so.

I'll tell you what I do like about it.

In the '20s, we were thinking about the Arts and Crafts period,

the influence that the medieval had on Arts and Crafts.

I mean, I don't know if I'm just imagining this

but I do like its tiny little studs,

which are going round the rim of the cup and halfway down.

-This detail just takes it up a gear.

-Right.

-And I do like it.

-Well, that's lovely.

If we look at this watch...

-Now, this was a chronometer, not just an ordinary watch.

-Oh, right.

Swiss-made. It's a Movado, which is a very good make of watch.

Now, this little thing has had a long journey...

-Must have.

-..to get to this condition.

Because the condition is bad.

-This metal would have been covered by another material...

-Oh.

..at one point.

It was fashionable in the 1920s,

round about the same period as your little egg cup and spoon.

It would have been covered perhaps by shagreen,

which is the skin of a ray fish or a shark, but it's all off now.

It has also lost its glass and that's quite important

because what's going to happen is that it will lose its hands as well.

One of the interesting things about these little watches

-is that you wind them by opening and closing the case.

-Right.

-It's quite an interesting feature, isn't it?

-It's lovely.

It's a good watch, it's a highly collectable watch

but it's seen better days.

Coming into auction, I would put both of these items together,

-as a wee lot.

-Right. That's fine.

-It would make it attractive.

Do you have any sentimental attachment left to these?

Neither of us have.

As I say, they've just been stuck in a cupboard.

So if someone else can buy them and enjoy them, that would be wonderful.

And if someone could buy that and repair it,

and bring it back to some sort of glory again,

-that would be really good.

-OK.

So let's put them into auction.

I would like to keep the estimate fairly conservative

because this is just a nice thing,

-made of silver, in its original case.

-Uh-huh.

-This is an item of better quality...

-Right.

..but there is a lot of damage on it

and there's a lot of work to be done on it.

-I would like to put these in, possibly £60-£80.

-That's fine.

Would that be fine?

That'd be fine, yes, no problem at all.

And, possibly, if you wanted to put a reserve on it...

-It would be nice if we could.

-Uh-huh. I would suggest about £50.

-That would be lovely.

-£50.

-Thank you very much.

I mean, we might get a wee surprise.

KATH LAUGHS

It would be great if we did.

The great thing about this show is people turn up with antiques

and they don't know what they're worth - it's our job to tell them.

And that's exactly what we've been doing.

We've found our first batch of items to take off to the saleroom.

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

Martin's watch might have seen some changes

but it should tick over a handsome price in the auction room.

These books are a real part of today's venue

and bound to appeal to local collectors.

Kath's silver collection is small and perfectly formed.

Just the kind of thing that should shine in the saleroom.

This is where it gets exciting - it is auction time.

We're putting all our valuations to the test

right here at the Sheffield Auction Gallery.

It's a purpose-built saleroom on the edge of the city centre,

so I'm going through there right now, to the main room,

to catch up with our owners.

Robert Lea is on the podium

and he's already at full speed, flying through the lots.

Our first item under his gavel is the gold watch and chain.

It's great to see you again, Martin.

And to have you brought along with you?

-The owner of the fob watch!

-Oh! This was your grandma's, wasn't it?

-Yes, it was.

-Hello, Hazel. I love what you're wearing.

-Thank you.

Oh, is this a sad moment, saying goodbye?

-No, no, there's no sort of sentiment involved there.

-Right, OK.

I tried to wear it by buying the chain but I've been told,

once I had it repaired, that it was delicate

and therefore, seeing as I'm more of a barn dance person

than a little cocktail dress...

-Right, a bit too scared to wear it.

-I know!

-Good luck, all of you.

It's going under the hammer right now.

Let's put this value to the test. Here we go.

Nine carat gold cased ladies' fob watch.

Engraved with black Roman numerals.

Foliate engraved case with applied loop,

together with a flat curb link chain. Stamped 375. It's a beauty.

Commissions. I've got 100, 110, 120, 130...

Plenty of bids left on the book.

150. 160, sir? I'm out.

Who's on 170?

Gentleman on my left in green at £160 so far.

Must be 170 to progress.

Anybody else in? On my left at £160,

with the gentleman.

All done, are we?

The hammer's gone down, 160.

-Happy?

-Whoo!

-Yes, over the moon!

PAUL LAUGHS

I've got my breath back now!

-Do you do many auctions at all?

-No!

-This was your first, was it?

-Yeah, first.

-Oh, wow.

Thank you so much for coming in and looking so colourful and wonderful.

Hopefully, they've caught the auction bug

and will be going to plenty more.

Next to book their place in the saleroom

are those Cutlers' Hall books.

I've just been joined by Naina and Fred, in the nick of time

because, going under the hammer right now,

two books of the contents of Cutlers' Hall,

our valuation day venue.

-Why are you selling these?

-They're not doing anything.

-They're stuck at home.

-Not doing anything?

They've been in the bottom of the wardrobe

and then they've been on the bookcase so...

I wonder if these will end up back at Cutlers' Hall, in their archives.

-I hope so. Would be nice.

-Would be nice, wouldn't it, James?

Well, what better place to sell them than Sheffield?

If they don't make good money here,

they're not going to make it anywhere.

-They won't do it anywhere.

-No.

Well, let's find out. Let's put it to the test. Here we go. This is it.

Robert Eadon Leader,

The History Of The Company Of The Cutlers In Hallamshire

In The County Of York. First edition, 1905.

Good local books.

Must start them at £120.

130 it needs to be to move on.

With me at 120, 130, 140, 150, 160...

There is a bid on the book, look,

he's looking down on the commission bids.

Somebody in the room.

I need £200 elsewhere. 190, gentleman on the second row so far.

Needs to be 200 to move on. Don't forget...

He's going to sell at 190, isn't he?

He's going to sell, yes.

Anybody else for 200?

190 on the second row. All done, are we?

At 190 with the gentleman.

Hammer's going to drop!

-Yes!

-Yes! Sold.

-Sell it! Flog it!

That's what it's all about, that's the name of the game. Flog it!

-We're happy.

-Yes.

-Happy?

-Yes!

-Good.

-Well done.

They weren't in the best of conditions, either, were they?

-Falling apart a bit!

-They were. That is a really great result, well done.

I really should take a leaf from James's book -

his valuation was spot-on.

-Kath, are you feeling nervous?

-Very.

-Oh, don't be! Don't be.

This will be short and sweet,

because we've got some quality going under the hammer.

It's a silver christening set.

Anita has put a valuation of £60-£80 on this. There's a lot of lot.

Why are you selling this?

Because somebody has told me Granny here has got another one on the way.

-You've got a christening to go to soon.

-Probably.

-Yeah.

Fingers crossed. But the money will come in handy for the grandchild.

Right, OK. You are starting up a bank account for them.

-Yes.

-Here we go. This is it.

Marked silver christening set, Sheffield 1925-1926,

you've got the egg, cup and spoon, together with the purse watch.

A bit of local history here.

-It really is.

-Must start the bidding at 35. 40 it needs to be to move on.

-£40.

-Here it comes.

-Yes, we've got it.

-50. 45 with me.

It must be 50.

55 we've got on the internet.

-Gentleman in the room holds it at 60.

-Well, we've sold it.

75 I'm after. Room bid at 70. Must be 75 elsewhere. 75, 80 now.

-85 I need. 80 in the room.

-Go on, go on.

-85 it's got to be. 85, 90.

-95 I'm after. It's in the room at 90.

-See, this is quality.

95 it got to be. 100, sir. 110 it's got to be now. 100 in the room.

Who's on 110? 110 with the internet. Anybody else for 120?

The internet holds it at £110,

the hammer is going to drop finally at 110.

-That was good, wasn't it? Did you enjoy that?

-I did, yes.

-I didn't think it would make that much at all.

-It is quality.

Absolute quality.

And that's a fair bit of money to start the account off, isn't it?

-Lovely, brilliant.

-You'll enjoy it, won't you?

And now I've said grandchildren, it's got to be grandchildren.

Aww!

Well, that's the end of our first visit to the auction room today.

So far, so good.

Plenty more lots to go under the hammer,

but before we kick off the second half, I'm off to find out

about the club that gave birth to the biggest game on the planet.

Football.

This is Bramall Lane, the home of Sheffield United,

and the oldest football ground in the world.

So if I told you the first-ever football club

came from Sheffield, you might think it was Sheffield United.

Well, I'm afraid you'd be wrong.

The answer is actually Sheffield Football Club,

or FC, as they are known.

Most of you would probably not have heard of them,

but they have the honour of, back in 1857, starting football.

Now, that is a big statement.

Starting the game we know and love today.

A game of massive global appeal.

Some kind of game called football has been around in Britain

for a lot longer than the 1800s.

Since the Middle Ages, the most common variety,

still played in many parts of England, involved a mob of hundreds

of people running around an area that could cover several miles.

There weren't really any rules,

just a ball being moved somehow between two vague goals.

There was kicking, fighting and even the occasional stabbing.

It was so riotous that many monarchs passed laws to ban it.

Queen Elizabeth I proclaimed no football to be played, to be used

or suffered within the city of London.

Over the following centuries, the game slowly fell into decline.

By the start of the 1800s, it was almost dead.

The sport's revival came about thanks to the great public schools

like Eton, Harrow, Rugby and Charterhouse.

Sport, especially football, was a way of creating order

and discipline amongst the young men.

Unfortunately, every school played by their own

set of rules that they considered to be the game of football.

All that was about to change.

In 1857, the members of Sheffield Cricket Club put together

a team to keep the cricketers fit during the winter months

and they called it Sheffield Football Club.

The only problem was they didn't have any rules to play by.

Two of their members, Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest,

went away and wrote their own set of rules.

The biggest change was cutting out rugby style tackling

or ball carrying.

They also introduced free kicks for foul play

and kick-offs from the centre spot.

The Sheffield Rules, as they became known, soon took off.

And by 1862, 15 other clubs sprung up

and they were playing by those rules as well

around the South Yorkshire area.

This was the birth of modern football.

Quickly, more and more teens sprung up all over the country,

playing each other by a common set of rules.

By the 1900s, football had become an international phenomenon,

played in front of a vast crowds,

with players and clubs becoming household names.

Today, stadiums like this have become commonplace.

But what became of Sheffield FC, the club that started it all?

Well, the answer lies right here, six miles south of the city,

just across the border in Derbyshire.

I'm here to meet with Richard Timms,

the current chairman of Sheffield FC.

12 years ago, he bought the club and saved them

from becoming just folklore.

Richard, you bought the club back in 2001. What was it like then?

In 2001, we didn't have a ground, we played at Don Valley Stadium.

Luckily, we moved here in about that year.

We just have one team and a bag of balls and a kit.

What had happened to Sheffield FC?

Well, before 2001, we'd played football for nearly 150 years.

But remaining to our amateur principles

and the professional game taking over somewhat left us behind.

Not having our own ground left us even further behind.

So we've stumbled and stuttered along really for that period of time

-until we moved here.

-Why did you buy it?

It's the oldest football team in the world.

It's a great asset to this city and it's a challenge as well.

If you pop inside, I'll show you some of our archive and where we are now.

As well as finally giving the club a home ground, Richard has managed to

build up a collection of memorabilia that reflects its proud history.

Talk me through some of these trophies.

Well, some of these trophies we've acquired recently

as we've started to market the club.

And the more media we've done, things have come to us.

-Never having our own ground meant we had no archive.

-No trophy room?

-No.

And now you've got one.

So all this has literally come to you because of the PR the club has

generated over the years, being the oldest football club in the world.

It has, it's been in people's cupboards

and drawers all over the world.

This piece here, through some of the media we did,

-I was contacted by a woman in South Africa.

-Can I have a look?

-You can.

-So this has come all the way from South Africa?

-Yes.

Inscribed Sheffield Football Club.

So she knew exactly who it was going to belong to. 1874.

Gosh, isn't that lovely?

And that's solid silver, made in Sheffield

-and was part of an end of season prize.

-It's a nice Victorian piece.

It's done in the George II style.

It's very classical looking, wonderful urn shape.

That's worth a lot of money in itself. But priceless to this club.

You can't put a value on that, can you? That's your social history.

Indeed. And we have some other interesting pieces.

Is that an early programme or a set of rules?

This is a copy of the original Sheffield rules,

which were written in 1859.

Yes, this was actually the first printed version

which basically mapped out the development of the beautiful game.

Have you got the original? That's a copy, isn't it?

The original unfortunately got sold because we had to raise money.

How much did it sell for?

It went for a world record price, just short of £1 million.

That's a lot of money, isn't it?

It's double the previous record for a piece of football memorabilia.

A hell of a lot of money. What did you do with most of that?

We used it to pay off our land.

We now own eight acres of land, so it really did put down our roots.

So that's going to generate more income.

And you've had all the stands built.

I must say, the pitch is in fantastic condition.

You can see it's money well spent.

-Yes, we like to think so.

-Talk me through some of the rules.

What have we got here?

OK, number one rule is, as is today really,

-kick of from middle, must be a placed kick.

-The centre spot.

Exactly. It's exactly the same thing.

"No player may be held or pulled over."

Which again differs from rugby which was developed around the same time.

A ball in touch is dead, which obviously generates a throw-in.

So some of them, there was no offside,

that didn't come until a bit later on.

-So again, a unique piece of football memorabilia.

-Wow!

This football club is more than a football club, it's a part of

-social history on a global scale.

-Yes.

So what does the future hold for the young guys playing for the club now?

Well, we've done more in the last 10 years than the previous 150.

Our own ground, we've got a successful ladies' side,

community teams, 27 teams play under our banner.

So the future is bright now for Sheffield FC.

And for protecting the heritage.

It's down to you, local boy made good.

You've done something great for the city.

-It's been a pleasure to meet you as well.

-Thank you.

What an amazing piece of social history and culture.

It's like one lost valuable antique

that's been forgotten about and covered in dust.

Thanks to Richard and all the people here at Sheffield FC,

it's been found, cleaned and polished

and given a new lease of life.

And I think it's got a bright future.

Back at Cutlers' Hall in Sheffield, the second half is under way

and James is warmed up and ready to tackle his next valuation.

Christina, when I was seven, my mum and dad,

for my birthday party

-decided, you know the little kids' goody bags?

-Yes.

That they would give each child a little Wade whimsy.

-Right.

-Instead of sweets and lollies.

I'd never been so unpopular as a child.

Everybody wanted chocolates in their goody bags to take home.

And my parents made me look like a real dork

by giving everybody a Wade whimsy.

But I kept my Wade whimsy and now it's worth £2.50.

-But the chocolate would have been eaten.

-Exactly.

But these are by the same factory.

But when we talk about Wade, we talk about little animals,

little funny models for Disney, Tom and Jerry, that sort of thing.

What's the history behind these?

They've been in a display cabinet for quite a long time,

-but just over two years ago my mother and I moved into a bungalow.

-OK.

-So we had two large houses and went into one small house.

-OK.

And I have two sons and their wives

and my sons don't really like my clutter, as they put it.

-Oh, really?

-And they like minimalist.

-Oh, they'll learn.

Well, I hope...I'm trying to train my grandchildren,

but it is a case of I have far too much stuff.

And so this was a good opportunity

because I wanted to know a little more about them.

There's quite a few things about them that I've been interested in,

inasmuch as one says Wade and the other doesn't.

-Yes.

-And the lines, I don't know why they have a line down.

-OK.

Let's start with the line.

If you look here, you've got a line down this side.

Now, on top-quality pottery,

you would have a worker who would remove that line.

Well, I would have thought...

-That's the mould line.

-Yes.

-It's put into the mould in two halves.

Where the two halves of the mould separate, they leave the line.

-That's why it's exactly on the halfway line.

-Yes.

Wade started round 1868, 1869, something like that.

These are about 1890.

And they come under the art pottery category

rather than Art Deco or Art Nouveau.

Hand decorated with slip clay and moulded leaves.

But I think these are lovely.

And I think they've survived in fairly good condition

because you haven't put them in the bowls,

scrubbed them with a brush, and they've survived.

And you say they've been in cabinets and cupboards,

and I think that has also helped them.

Let's just have a look at this yellow.

I'm going to look very silly if this doesn't work.

-It would look even worse if the picture comes off.

-Yes, rubbing away.

Oh, no, we've lost the flower!

Now, I'm hoping that with a bit of a rub,

these will come up nice and bright.

-There we are.

-Magic.

Well, it's certainly an improvement, isn't it?

Look at the colours coming through here.

-Would you like to come to my home once a week?

-No.

I don't know if I'm ashamed or pleased.

No, I mean, you don't wash things in your cupboards.

You stick them in the cupboards, leave them there,

everybody's cupboards have got dust in them.

Why will they have different markings underneath.

One is Wade, the other is just a stamp.

In an art pottery world, nothing was consistent.

You're not looking at something like Wedgwood or Worcester

or Royal Crown Derby. There's a big factory.

Here, you see the Wade, it's impressed,

but it's actually impressed in quite a haphazard manner.

So I think each letter has been impressed

individually by the person at the end of the line.

-Now, here, nothing.

-There's a little squiggle.

-A little squiggle.

I can't even read what that is. But I think they are great.

I've never seen a pair of Wade vases like them.

We've got six off-screen valuers, they've never seen them.

So, value, £60-£100. How would you feel about that?

Well, I had no idea and there's no point hoping for a big number

because then you are disappointed.

Well, we sit at these tables and we are often called experts.

One thing I would say to you, there is no such thing.

We can't be an expert on everything.

And sometimes we just have to go like that and like that.

Even on the computers here, we haven't found anything like them.

-So you never know. You might get a surprise.

-Good.

-I love them.

-Thank you so much for bringing them.

-Thank you very much for taking the time.

That just shows, even when you're an expert, when it comes to

pricing antiques, sometimes you've just got to take a punt.

Luckily, Anita is in familiar territory.

-Christine, welcome to Flog It.

-Thank you.

We've got a glamorous girl here bringing a glamorous girl

-along to be looked at.

-Glamorous old girl.

-Now, tell me where you got her.

-It was my grandma's.

-Passed down to my mother's and then to me.

-Why are you selling her?

Because she is on a fire surround what's not very wide

and I have two boisterous Jack Russells.

So I wouldn't like to see her get smashed.

Not after all this time.

That's a very good reason for passing her on.

-Do you have daughters that you could...

-No. Three boys.

-Three big laddies.

-Yes.

-And they are not interested?

-Definitely no.

So I thought I'd bring it along and see what's what with her.

Well, she's a lovely and sweet figure, fairly well moulded.

Not of the quality of the best of Doulton and they also made these

female figurines lounging on settees in a glamorous and attractive way.

If we look at the back stamp here,

-we see the mark for the East German Katzhutte.

-Oh, right.

So it's East German in origin and it's probably from the 1930s, 1940s.

-Oh, I thought she were a bit earlier.

-It belonged to your aunt?

-No, grandma.

-Did she travel, or...? Tell me about her.

She went on cruises, obviously with my grandad.

They used to go to Germany, Switzerland, them sort of places.

-So she might have brought it back from holiday?

-Yes.

-It will have been my grandfather what bought it.

-Right. As a gift for her.

-Yes, yes.

-What do you like about it?

She is not really my type of thing but she's pretty

-and I can put up with her.

-You can put up with her.

-But I am frightened of her breaking.

-OK. We can put her into auction.

We certainly could. She's not going to get high, high value.

In the Art Deco figures and so on,

they are looking for Beswick, they're looking for Clarice Cliff.

The Continental figures from this particular factory

don't get high figures but I would hope that she would do in the region of 50 to 70.

I would have to put a reserve on her of £50.

-I wouldn't like to see her go for less.

-You wouldn't like to go below 50?

No. I'd sooner take her home.

Well, let's hope she makes a good price

and she has every chance of doing that.

-Good. Thank you.

-Thank you for bringing her along.

-That's fine.

Next up, speaking words of wisdom

is James with a book of rock and pop autographs.

Susan, I think that autographs say more about a person than

almost anything else that they own.

It shows who you're interested in.

It shows what you do in your spare time.

And different autographs speak volumes about the person that

has collected them. For you, you were a bit of a rock chick, weren't you?

-Are you still?

-No. Well, a little bit.

-Yes?

Because we go through this and it is pop group after pop group

after pop and rock and there we have what everybody hopes to see,

the greatest group of all time, the Beatles. There's got to be a story.

Me and three friends used to go to watch the Beatles at the

City Hall of an evening and then used to get early up on the morning

the day after and wait outside the Grand Hotel for the autographs.

One particular morning, we got pulled inside and we got all the autographs.

-Did you meet them?

-Yes.

-Wow!

-How exciting.

-In the reception area, yes.

-What was it like?

Marvellous. Marvellous, because I was only young, so...

-Best day of my life, really.

-Was it? And who was your favourite?

-George.

-George. Still is.

-It's incredible, when you look at...

I'm looking at you now and you are reliving it in your eyes

when you say it is your favourite day. So, the Beatles.

-Are they your favourite?

-Well, they were then.

-OK. So who else?

-What else have we got? Show me.

-There are loads of people.

The Small Faces, particularly.

I met those at a local club, the Mojo,

and I met all those people there.

The others are just from the same thing,

following them in Sheffield from one hotel to the other.

-Chasing different groups.

-And the best performers?

-The Beatles.

-Really?

-And how many times did you see them?

-At least five, six times.

Well, whenever you look at an autograph book, even though

they are people that we all have heard of,

they are either almost no value or really sought after.

And the Beatles are the ones that everybody looks for.

So tell me about John Lennon being in black and blue.

-I can't explain it at all.

-Can't you? Do you know?

No, I cannot explain it.

George Harrison is fine. Ringo Starr is fine.

Paul McCartney is fine.

But the one the most important name of the Beatles is John Lennon

and you look at that and we've got blue

-but then somebody's gone over it in black.

-No idea.

I think what has possibly happened there,

because the underlying signature looks fine, is the pen has

started to run out, it's a bit faint so somebody has gone...

-Let's go over that and make it a bit bolder.

-Yes.

-A page with them all perfect is £1,500-£2,000.

-Yes.

As soon as you lose John Lennon, who's the most valuable,

he's half the value alone.

So I think we are looking at an autograph album worth about £1,000.

It's not a bad return, is it?

No, I think it's about time, anyway, because

my children will probably just leave it in a drawer and throw it away.

-Really?

-Well, they will not realise what it is.

-You could tell them.

-I could tell them, yes.

But I might as well have the bit of money.

Well, enjoy it.

It's a lovely story and it's been great hearing about it.

-Thank you very much.

-I think you'll do very well.

£600 - £1,000 as an estimate.

£600 as a firm reserve, I think you should put on that.

Fingers crossed you might get a few

Beatle collectors from Sheffield fighting for them the auction.

-OK. Thank you very much.

-Lovely. Thank you.

What a great set of autographs.

I just hope John Lennon being written over doesn't put off the bidders.

Well, the whistle was blown on full-time here at Cutlers' Hall.

We've had a marvellous day but right now, we're going to put

those valuations to the test as we head off to the auction room.

And here's a quick recap, just to jog your memories,

of all the items that are going under the hammer.

James had to go with his instincts pricing these vases

but who knows? They could be worth a lot more.

I do like this lovely figurine.

Hopefully it will fetch a nice figure in the saleroom.

And Susan's autograph book should appeal to Beatles fans

but could the mystery scribbler stop it from being a massive hit?

Back in the saleroom, the auction is under way

and Robert is putting in a fine performance.

First up are Christina's vases.

She is selling them to make way for a very special person.

-Your mum has moved in and mums are precious, aren't they?

-She is.

-You are looking after Mum. How old is she?

-She's 90.

Wow.

So a lot of things are going to make room for Mum's things.

They are lovely examples of art pottery.

-You know, in the 19th century.

-1880, 1890.

-Very nice.

-A classic of that time.

-We will find a buyer for those.

-They should do.

They really should.

Well, let's hope that the bidders find a lot of interest in them.

-Let's hope there is two.

-Yes, four.

-Three.

You know it works, don't you?

They bid each other up and you go away with the top end.

Here we are. They are putting it to the test now.

A pair of these Wade pottery vases. Very nice pair.

A bit of interest in these.

I have got to start at 55, 60, £65 for so far on commission.

A few bids. Anybody else, £70 for them? £70. £75. £80.

With me at £75 on commission.

Must be £80 elsewhere.

Anybody else for £85? With me at £75. They are going to go at £75.

One last look. Have we finished?

-The hammer has gone down. £75.

-Bargain.

-Bargain.

They've gone, though.

-Yes.

-You made some space.

-Someone is going to enjoy them.

Yes, I think they will.

And you can look after your mum and treasure your mum,

-because that is what it is all about.

-Absolutely.

Auctions can be fast and furious

and it's easy to miss an item you're looking to buy or sell.

Going under the hammer right now,

we have got beautiful porcelain figure, a Katzhutte. German, 1930s.

We have that but unfortunately, we don't have its owner, Christine.

She is stuck in traffic right now but who knows,

she might just make it through the door.

Her lot is going under the hammer any second now, Anita.

Not a great deal of money for something so beautiful.

It's not a fine porcelain but what we have here is the look.

It's got the look.

It's got the look and the porcelain figure collectors will like that.

Yes. It's going under the hammer right now.

1930s Katzhutte pottery figure, modelled as an elegant young women.

Must start the bidding at £28. £30.

-Someone in the room.

-30, 35, 40.

45, 50. I'm out. Who is on 55?

Blink and you'll miss it. He's quick.

-60, 65. 70, sir? 75.

-I wish Christine was here to see this.

Is anybody else in? All done and £70? Have we finished?

-Hammer's gone down.

-£70.

-Good price.

-That is excellent.

-But what we had was a bit of style there.

-It's a good look.

Great value for money.

It's a shame Christine wasn't here to see it

but hopefully you can watch this and enjoy it at home.

Who's on 120?

Our final lot today if the autograph book Susan collected as a teenager.

It's got a lorra, lorra signatures on it, hasn't it?

-It has even got Cilla.

-Cilla Black, yes.

The Small Faces, the Tremeloes, the Hollies.

I mean, this is rock 'n' roll history.

What happened to John Lennon's signature?

Well, I can only think I did.

I was only 14 and I think, when I got home I decided to...

-Scribble over it. Oh, dear.

-You didn't admit that to me, did you?

I have thought about it since.

Well, look, James has pitched that sensibly, £600 - £1,000.

I'm hoping it will do the top end of that because of the rest

-of the signatures.

-Yes.

We could gas on all day about music couldn't we?

But right now we've got business to do.

We are going to find out exactly what they're worth

and hopefully we're going to be selling right now. This is it.

Set of Beatles autographs on a single page including

George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and John Lennon.

I think Lennon has been overwritten

but you have all these others as well.

Cilla Black, Tremeloes, Searchers, Julie Grant, Searchers.

Small Faces, the Hollies. Some famous names from the '60s.

I am forced to start the bidding at £550.

580, 600, 620. 650 bid on the internet. 680 bid. 700 bid.

720 bid, 730 bid, 780 bid, 800 bid, 820 bid, 850 bid...

900... 950.

-Sarah is giving you a running commentary.

-1,100, 1,150, 1,200.

£1,300 bid so far on the internet.

1,350, 1,400, 1,450, 1,500.

1,550 I will accept. £1,500 bid so far.

Anyone want £1,550?

Any advance? Hammer's going to drop at £1,500. Are we done?

-Good results. In fact, fab result.

-Fantastic. I didn't expect that.

-That was a great result.

-There's tears in the eyes there, isn't there?

-It's a bit of a sad moment, really.

-It is, really.

Can I ask why did you want to sell these?

-I just thought the time was right to get rid of them.

-Aw!

Lots of memories as a young girl, there,

falling in love with George Harrison.

I think the other signatures helped that, as well.

All the package on top of the Beatles.

I think what they did,

they gave people the confidence that the Beatles were right.

-Yes, because of the rest of them.

-Well, it was wonderful, that.

-Unbelievable.

-Thank you so much for bringing them in.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

I'm really glad Susan's book got such a good price.

-It's part of her childhood and obviously meant a great deal.

-Sold.

Lots of excitement in the auction room today.

I hope you've enjoyed it because that's what they are all about.

If you've not been to a saleroom, get down to your local one

or better still, come to one of our valuation days.

You can pick up details on our BBC website or check the details

in your local press because you could be in the next saleroom too.

Until then, it's goodbye from Sheffield.