Wiltshire 53 Flog It!

This is the River Frome, and this stretch of the river is home

to one of the oldest river swimming clubs in the country.

And later on in the programme,

I'll be finding out more about wild swimming, as it's known.

But it's something you would not want to do at our valuation

day venue. I think the sea lions

and the hippos would have something to say about it.

Now there is a clue as to where we are filming. Welcome to "Flog It!"

As I'm sure you've guessed, today's valuation venue is

Longleat, in Wiltshire, home to the Marquesses of Bath.

Not only was Longleat the first stately home

to open to the public on a fully commercial basis in 1949

and the first to open a drive-through safari park in 1966,

it also planted what was then the world's longest hedge maze

in 1975.

But for the current incumbent, the Seventh Marquess,

one maze just wasn't enough.

And here in front of the Sun Maze, the crowds are already gathering.

The more people, the more antiques,

the greater chance we have of finding that hidden

gem in all of these bags and boxes.

Already using their animal instincts to sniff out something

special in the queue are our experts.

And in this heat wave,

Claire Rawle has found a collectible she could put to good use.

Absolutely glorious. Aren't they beautiful?

-And on a day like today...

-I know.

-It works.

But Michael Baggott is happy to get hot under the collar

for the contents of a Wiltshire wallet.

Yeah, my father-in-law dug it up about 40 years ago.

Oh, that's marvellous.

It's in lovely condition.

And I'm sure there are many more gems waiting to be discovered.

Anyone of these people could end up making a small fortune in auction.

It could be you or you. We have our cameras ready to record the action.

We've got our crowds, which means we've got lots of antiques,

the greater chance of finding that hidden gem.

So, what are we waiting for? You know what we've got to do.

ALL: Flog it!

Whilst everyone makes their way to the valuation area,

takes a seat and gets comfortable, how about a sneak preview?

Coming up, has Michael made the right call on these Chinese pots?

I think what you've got here are two pieces that are purporting

to be 19th century.

And he's not the only one making a claim.

I took them on, considering the rest of the family just wanted to

-bin them.

-Really?

-Yeah.

But which goes on to cause a bidding frenzy?

2,000. 21. 22.

-Wow, what a result!

-Yeah.

Let's wait and see.

Now, this section is known as the Love Maze

and it looks absolutely stunning when the roses are in full bloom.

And if you cut through the yew hedge here to another section,

this is another labour of love, where our experts will be getting

to the heart of the matter, valuing antiques all day long.

And it looks like Claire Rawle has made a magnificent start.

Let's take a closer look at what she's found.

Hi, Marin. Now then, you've brought along two whips -

a hunting crop and a switch whip. What is the history behind them?

Well, that was my father's hunting whip.

And I don't know really where he acquired it from.

The crop was given to me by an elderly gentleman.

My father was captured at Dunkirk during the war,

in a German prison of war camp.

And a fellow officer's father came to see my mother, I suppose

to discuss the prisoner of war situation, sending passes and so on.

And I was about 18 months or two years old,

and I picked all my mother's carefully grown green tomatoes...

-Oh, brilliant.

-..which she was cultivating and presented them

to this elderly gentleman.

And thereafter, he remembered every birthday and Christmas until he died.

-And that was one of the presents that he gave to me.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Oh, wow.

-So it probably came from his family, then.

-It might have done, yes.

-I don't know where he got it from at all.

-Your dad was a prisoner of war.

-He came back all right?

-He did. He certainly did.

I met him for the first time when I was about five and a half.

-He had seen me as a baby...

-Right.

-..before he was captured.

That's amazing. Now, with the hunting crop.

Obviously, it's a fairly standard design.

We can see on the bands here, they are silver,

and it dates from the Edwardian era, it's about 1906.

-This part, the T-piece, is used for closing gates.

-Yes.

-This is actually made of antler.

-Oh, is it?

-It is always made of antler.

And then it is just crisscross carved, very traditionally,

cos it gives you a surface to grip with.

And then a leather band here and a leather-plaited thong.

And as you see, it has lasted for years.

-And as long as it is cared for, it will go on for more years.

-Good.

This is Victorian, so a little bit earlier.

And then very much used as a switch stick.

And very often ladies, when they road side-saddle, they used this

in the hand on the side where your legs weren't.

You'd switch on the shoulder of the horse, cos this,

in its day, would have been... You know,

if you were a lady, you would've ridden side-saddle.

-Not many road astride at that time.

-No, I suppose they didn't.

I don't think it's hallmarked anywhere.

We've searched and searched.

But these lovely little silver mounts here,

very typically Victorian with the scrolling foliage.

And it has got a little name at the top. And this is so pretty here.

Little mother of pearl, little handle.

And it is engraved with a thistle. Are you responsible for the damage?

Unfortunately, yes.

But I think that just got damaged in the loft,

-where they've been sitting.

-Oh, right.

It's not good for either of them,

so I think the time has come to flog them.

As they say.

I think... I'm tempted to say... You could either sell them together,

-cos they go to the same sort of buyer.

-I think they should, yes.

So, if you're going to do that, I'd suggest an estimate of 80 to 120.

-Great.

-How does that sound?

-Excellent.

I would put £80 on them as a reserve,

-perhaps with a bit of discretion.

-Fine.

-We'll look forward to seeing you at the auction.

-Yes.

-And I shall look forward to being there.

-Great. Thank you very much.

It really is hotting up here in the formal gardens,

and Ray and Michael have both sensibly got their sun hats on.

Ray, thank you for bringing in these two mysterious-looking pots.

Where did you get them from?

I was on a study tour in around about 2005 in China,

in a place called Kuning, up in the mountains.

And I came across them in a museum,

which was rationalizing its collection.

These caught my eye, so I bought them.

-So you bought them from the museum?!

-Yeah.

-In China.

It all bodes well, doesn't it?

If we look at them, they're in the form...

I think they're trying to be archaic vessels.

And in this case, we've got these little lion masks, we've got

all this detail of the piercing of the dragons chasing

the flaming pearl, trying to achieve immortality.

The lion is well done.

And the little toads are well done.

But it starts to fall down a bit round the collar.

And you've got this ostensibly old piece of soapstone.

But when you look at the insides,

-that looks like it has been done by a Black & Decker.

-Ah.

The Chinese, it has to be said, are the greatest culture

in the world for producing, let us say, copies of earlier things.

And I think what you've got here are two pieces

that are purporting to be 19th century.

But when you look in detail, that collar could be stamped

out of a sheet by a machine with some regularity.

And when you start to see concretions and discolorations,

but then you see bright bits of solder,

then the alarm bells ring.

It is at this point, because I don't want to crush you, Ray,

I'm going to ask you what you paid for them.

Uh... Five pounds each.

Thank goodness for that. Thank goodness for that. That's great.

-Yeah.

-That's fine, it doesn't matter.

I don't think that these are tremendously old.

I think they're, at best,

-1930s or '40s.

-Oh, OK.

They're still Chinese and they're still decorative,

so they have a value. If we say £50 to £100 for them,

and put a reserve at £40, that is still showing you sort

-of a four-fold return on your investment.

-Indeed.

And they may go on from there. I mean, we might be surprised.

But I think if you are offered any more for them,

-I think just stick at five pounds.

-Yes.

And maybe they'd go up to six.

Well, my instinct was right.

But lovely to see them. Thanks so much for bringing them along.

-Thank you for telling me the story.

-It was a pleasure.

Well, from a tale of trickery in the gardens,

how about we head inside to find out about the skulduggery of some

of the fascinating inhabitants of the rather splendid Longleat House?

Now, here in the lower dining room, is a rather beautiful three-quarter

length portrait of Louisa Carteret, reputedly of angelic disposition.

Now, in the early part of the 18th century, she married this chap,

Thomas, the Second Viscount, who, apparently, was rather ill-tempered.

Louisa had a favourite manservant here in the house, which caused

a lot of jealousy amongst the rest of the household staff.

So when one of the minions mentioned this to Thomas, that this

servant knew more about her favour than he did,

Thomas flew into an absolute rage.

He pushed the servant down a spiral staircase,

sadly breaking his neck.

But the story doesn't end there.

With the unwelcome prospect of a murder investigation on his hands,

the manservant's body was brought down to the basement,

where it was buried underneath the flagstone floor.

And Louisa was told he'd left the service of the house.

In 1915, a new boiler installation meant the flagstone floor had

to be lifted. And beneath it, in fact, this flagstone right here,

the remains of a body was discovered.

It was in a bad state of decay, but a pair of boots in the style

of an 18th-century footman could be identified.

Now, that is not the kind of antique discovery I'd like to make.

But away from the drama of those chilly flagstones,

in the warmth of the topiary garden,

Claire has uncovered some drama of a different kind.

Well, Tommy and Debra, it is great to see you here this afternoon,

and with this absolutely fantastic collection of film posters.

-I think there is about 93 in all, aren't they?

-Yes.

What can you tell me about them?

They were collected by my great uncle, which passed away.

And then I took them on,

considering the rest of the family just wanted to bin them.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-So, Debra, tell me

a little bit about the uncle that owned this collection.

His name was Ken.

When we were cleaning out his bungalow,

we just found all these movie posters.

Tommy spotted them and said, "I would like to keep them."

So, Tommy, are you a bit of a film buff, then?

Yeah, I quite like quite a lot of the newer films, really.

-These are a bit before my time.

-Just a tad.

-Yeah.

-Cos they are mainly 1960s, '70s, aren't they?

-Yeah.

Did you have any favourites amongst them?

Yeah, we've got an original Star Wars Episode Four,

which we've got at home.

But then especially this Logan's Run, it was their vision

of what it'd be like really now, where it's not really like it, so...

That's right, but back then,

that's what they thought it was going to be.

You've got a really good sort of selection here.

-I just picked out a few. Had to pick Born Free.

-Yeah.

Cos, you know, we've got a lion on it, haven't we?

It's probably not one of the more valuable ones amongst all these.

We've got some horror. Wonderful sort of design here.

A terrifying creature. And then the futuristic Logan's Run.

It's good fun, isn't it? Moonraker, so you've got Bond as well.

And then presumably, amongst all these,

you've got quite a selection of different types of films.

-Yeah, there are quite a lot of war ones, really.

-Yeah.

A couple of comedies, a couple of horrors.

Obviously, the auctioneer can only list so many and illustrate so many.

I think if you've got a list, if you let them have the list...

Cos the first thing they'll be asked by someone trying to buy these is,

"What are the titles?"

Really, when you work out a basic value on 93 posters,

you're looking at quite a lot of money.

I think you're looking at a value between £500 and £1,000

-as a collection. Does that sound good to you?

-Yeah.

And I would suggest putting £500 on them as a reserve.

What would you spend it on?

Well, I've just done two years of photography, so I would like to

start editing a bit like this and hopefully creating some own artwork.

It'd really go towards some software

-and maybe a bit of hardware to edit.

-I wish you luck with it all.

Thank you very much indeed for bringing them all in. Thank you.

Thank you.

Well, right now, it's time for us to take our first trip to

Devizes' Auction Rooms, to put those valuations to the test.

You've heard what our experts have had to say, well, it is

now time for the bidders to decide exactly what it is worth.

And here is a quick recap of what we are taking with us.

There is the whip and the riding crop.

Marin has decided she wants to flog them,

so let's hope they trot off with a new owner.

Ray is not worried these pots haven't a great age.

Bought for just five pounds each, I'm not surprised.

And didn't Tommy do the right thing

saving these movie posters from the skip?

Our auction venue today can be reached,

if you've got a bit of time, via the spectacular Caen Hill Locks,

a major engineering feat when built at the end of the 18th century.

It fell into disrepair, but was restored and reopened in 1990.

It leads up to the market town of Devizes, which lies

beside the Kennet & Avon Canal, and is home to our saleroom today.

There is a great buzz in the building

and I can see plenty of eager bidders.

Well, it is auction time.

This is where we put our experts' valuations to the test.

Don't go away, there could be one or two big surprises.

But do remember, if you're thinking of selling or

buying in a saleroom, there is commission to pay.

Now, it varies from room to room,

but here, in Devizes, it is 18%,

and that's inclusive for VAT and all the other costs.

Right, the hammer has gone down, let's get on with our first lot.

Up on the rostrum today is auctioneer Alan Aldridge, and he is

going to be trying out the whip and the riding crop on today's crowd.

I've just been joined by Marin. And I think these are quality.

Fingers crossed we sell them, 80 to 120.

I don't think it is a lot of money. Are you happy to sell them now?

-Oh, yes. Yes. I hope they'll whip up a bit of enthusiasm.

-Oh!

-We hope so. Anyway, we are in the right area.

-Yeah, yeah.

And they're lovely, actually.

-I mean, it isn't a high price, is it, for the two of them?

-Not at all.

It is absolutely nothing. Let's find out what the bidders think.

To a nice bid, please.

Let's have £100 for them.

50, start me.

-That's a big drop, wasn't it?

-40, get me away.

40, I've got.

40, I've got. 50? At £50. Is there 60?

At 50. It's not quite enough. I need a little bit more.

-Come on.

-At £50. Is there 60?

I'll take five if anyone would like it.

-Not enough.

-Didn't sell it.

-No.

We were in the right area, I just don't know why

-that hasn't gone.

-It should have done.

Auctions are so unpredictable.

Let's hope Marin has better luck next time.

Ray, we are just about to sell your incense burners,

brought all the way back from China, on a trip in 2005.

-That must have been a wonderful trip.

-Wonderful.

-First time you've ever been?

-That was, yeah.

-You've been back since?

-That's right.

-Oh, you love it then.

-Yeah.

-Architecturally, strong-looking

-and decorative.

-Exactly. That is exactly what they are.

Let's find out what the bidders think, shall we?

Hopefully, we can get them away.

Oriental incense burners, both decorated with Chinese themes.

Somebody start me at £40 for them.

20, get me away.

Ten, I've got. 20.

30. 40.

£40 at the very back.

45 anywhere else? At £40.

At £40, is there five?

At £40. All going...

-45.

-Just. There were go.

-50?

At 45 for timing...

Well, the extra fiver helps. £45.

-You all right?

-Yeah.

It pays for my charity show tickets for tomorrow.

Well, that's a great return on ten pounds and a fun way to spend it.

Sadly, our next owners, Debra and Tommy,

cannot make it here today at the auction.

They're on holiday, enjoying themselves.

Good luck to you. I hope you're watching this.

We do have your movie posters going under the hammer.

And Claire, our expert who put the value on them.

Originally, you said £500 to £1,000.

I know they got in touch with Alan

-and they upped the reserve to £600.

-Yeah.

-It doesn't really change much.

-No, not really.

-There's a lot of posters there from the '60s

-and the '70s, and sometimes these can do big money.

-Yeah.

There's a real mixture there as well, because there's

everything from sci-fi to sort of middle-of-the-road to...

-A really good mix there.

-There are some good ones here.

There are some nice ones, well-made films.

Let's find out what the bidders think. It's down to them.

I'm handing things over to Alan on the rostrum. Here we go.

Very rare posters in this lot.

A very nice lot.

I'll start at £1,000.

11.

12.

13. 14.

15. 16.

17. 18.

19. 2,000.

21. 22.

23.

At 22. Would you like to go 2,350?

Cos you might have travelled a long way.

At 2,350.

Is there four anywhere?

-Wow, 2,350.

-Brilliant!

-No messing around.

I hope you're enjoying watching this because I wish you were here.

I know you're enjoying your holiday, but, wow, what a result!

-That's great, he'll be so pleased as well.

-He will, won't he?

-Yeah.

And I'm sure that'll help Tommy buy the editing equipment he was after.

What a great result.

Well, that is our first visit to the auction room done and dusted.

So far, so good.

Now, on a hot day like this, there is

nothing better you could do than go for a swim.

But I'm not talking about a dip in a local municipal pool.

How about a bit of wild swimming?

Yes, wild swimming.

There is a club not far from here that embraces the great outdoors.

And also, they have an incredible history,

as I discovered earlier this week.

In a quiet corner of Wiltshire, just outside of Trowbridge,

is one of the oldest river swimming clubs in the country -

the Farleigh & District Club on the River Frome.

-Rob.

-Hi.

-Hello.

-Great day for this.

-Absolutely, you got the right day.

Brilliant.

Giving me a guided tour is Rob Fryer,

club chairman and river swimming devotee.

This is brilliant, absolutely brilliant!

And there is a lot of people here.

If you weren't privy to this little swimming club being here,

you wouldn't know it existed, would you?

No. For a long time, it was a bit of a secret. But it got out now.

And I see you've got some facilities.

You've got some port-a-loos and some... Well, a little changing hut.

-Our pavilion, I'll have you know.

-It's nothing like a pavilion.

I tell you what, I was expecting a bush to change behind,

so it is better than nothing. How long has that been there?

It goes back to the 1930s, when the club started.

-So it is a bit of our original property.

-Yeah.

I guess that's what it's all about - getting back to basics.

-That's the kind of show we are, really, we are pretty basic.

-Yeah.

It was back in 1930 that local landowners, the Greenhill brothers,

invited some casual swimmers to start a club on their land.

Soon, changing huts were built and diving boards erected.

There was camping nearby, too, and even a club flag.

So the 1930s were a bit of a heyday for this club.

That is when it was started.

-What happened during the Second World War?

-The Second World War...

Cos the first thing is, you weren't allowed to visit the...

-The coast, no.

-You couldn't go to the coast.

-So you had to come here if you wanted to swim, or some other place.

-Yeah.

And, of course, a lot of our guys signed up.

And 12 of them never came back.

It's easy to imagine,

those young men leaping carefree from the boards.

It's much harder to imagine them as infantry men under fire,

or killed, serving in the Home Guard, like James Burkett,

or lost in action, like Ted Hamilton, a Swordfish pilot.

So, in 1947, the club erected a memorial spring diving board

dedicated to their fellow members who had lost their lives.

Sadly, this diving board, along with the three-tier board,

had to be dismantled back in the 1990s,

thanks to modern health and safety regulations.

Fortunately, the story doesn't end

with these forlorn reminders of times past.

Alongside these diving boards, the club put up a plaque naming

the 12 members who were killed in action.

Now, at some stage, we don't know the date, the plaque disappeared,

assumed missing forever. That was until recently

a blackened piece of metal was found in the river.

And it scrubbed up rather nicely.

It is now in pride of place on the side of an ancient stone barn,

just a few yards upstream, at Stowford Manor Farm.

Rob then organised a re-dedication service,

as he felt the memory of the men deserved a ceremony.

It is wonderful that your members have strong ties with

the club's history, with what happened in the past,

but also what is happening today.

And what was it like being at that service?

I have to say, it was very emotional.

Because we were wearing our club T-shirts

and we felt we were representing our 12 dead members.

And 12 living members had to each read

one of the names of the deceased.

And we finished the service up

and we dedicated it with our club song -

With Me Farleigh.

It's clear to see Rob's passion for the club and for wild swimming, but

to fully understand and embrace it, I think I need to plunge in myself.

-Not too bad.

-Not too bad, he's says! Not too bad? It's freezing!

It's refreshing.

I think we can go in...

HE LAUGHS

It is cold!

HE LAUGHS

Actually, do you know what?

If you keep moving, it is really refreshing.

This is wonderful.

The water is very dark and it feels very cold,

even through my wetsuit, but once you get used to it, there is

a wonderful feeling of connecting somehow with nature.

It really does feel like you are escaping the real world, doesn't it?

Well, yeah. What it is, is it's you're...

You're escaping from materialism, and this is the real world.

Mm. This is how nature intended it.

People say, why do I like wild swimming?

Well, I actually learnt to swim in a river, the River Cherwell,

and I just wonder why people want to swim in concrete pools.

It was after the war when new municipal swimming pools sprang

up across the country that clubs such as this went into decline.

By the early 1990s, Farleigh & District

was one of the few river swimming clubs remaining.

Fortunately,

there has been a resurgence of interest in swimming

in the great outdoors of late,

thanks in part to a clean-up of Britain's waterways

and a number of recent publications about wild swimming.

The club now attracts people from far and wide,

and membership has soared.

But is the locals who make the most of the river.

It's just like a piece of heaven here.

You just feel wonderful. Your skin and your hair feels lovely.

It's really nice to come, you know, among the fresh air and water

and wildlife.

And it is a lovely place to relax and just unwind and lose yourself.

You know, when you go swimming in a pool,

it sort of becomes part of your weekly exercise,

which in turn, becomes part of that sort of day-to-day,

getting down with a life routine.

It's stressful.

Whereas here, swimming in the river, embracing nature,

sort of framed by foliage

and water rushes with a canopy of trees carving over like that,

well, you just get rid of all those urban constraints

and enjoy life, live it to the maximum.

And just embrace everything. I feel invigorated.

I'm freezing cold, but I tell you what, I feel fantastic!

Please check out a local river swimming club near you.

As long as it is run properly, it is going to be safe.

And I tell you what, you're going to have so much fun.

So, back in the water to keep warm.

Welcome back to our valuation day here at Longleat House.

As you can see, it is still in full swing.

We've got hundreds of people hoping they are going to be

one of the lucky ones to go through to the auction later on.

But right now, I think it is time we caught up with our experts to see

what other gems we can find.

Well, hi, Dave.

Good to see you here today with your early form of cinema, in a way.

It is a little magic lantern.

So what was the history behind this one, then?

It was always brought out when I had a birthday party.

-My father used to have a cinema show with these on a sheet.

-Yeah.

And I expect all the local kids hated it,

-because he did it every time until I was about ten.

-Yeah.

And that was all my memories of it. And then they were put away.

We've shown the children once, and they weren't interested

-because they're not fast enough.

-Yeah.

I'm guessing it didn't start life with this electric cable

coming out of it, cos it should have had a candle originally.

-Yeah, but my father actually converted it.

-Oh, did he?

-Yes.

Oh, right, OK.

So it made life a lot easier than having to light a burner

and everything in it.

They are known as magic lanterns, and this really is a nursery

form of lantern, because of course, they come in all different sizes.

When this was actually made, at the turn of the 19th,

20th century, or when they came in, which was the late 19th century,

there was no general form of cinema

and photography was still in its infancy and very expensive.

They are glass slides,

they are lithographically printed rather than hand-painted.

Very, very colourful.

And literally, we'd have the burner in here

and then the slide goes through there, in front of a big lens.

And the light shines through the back.

-I think he had a converter to put the small ones in.

-Oh, right.

-He had a piece of wood that he put the bits inside.

-Right.

-You had, like, a holder.

-Yeah.

And then, of course, the images were projected out onto the wall.

These are known as story slides.

I quite like the one here, where there is a lady.

And she is obviously listening at a door. And she is listening away.

And then all of a sudden, someone opens the door

and slams it into her face.

-I can imagine...

-We all laughed.

-Yeah, exactly.

The lanterns themselves don't have great value.

It tends to be in the slides. It is still not going to be huge value.

They are very collectible,

but really a collection of the number of slides you've

got is going to be in the sort of £100 to £150 bracket.

-Is that all right?

-Yep.

I would suggest putting a reserve,

but just tipping it under the lower estimate, say at about £90?

What are you going to spend the money on, then?

-We've lived in the same house for 43 years.

-Oh, wow, yeah?

And it was run down when we bought it.

We did it up and it has now come to the stage where it has got

-to be done up again.

-OK.

-I need money for home improvements.

-OK.

That's good, put the money... Something practical.

I look forward to the auction. Fingers crossed it will do well

and we can do lots of painting in your house.

-Thank you very much. It'll buy a lot of paint.

-Yeah. Thank you.

Let me take you now from magical lanterns to a magical world

under the sea.

Sue, Debbie, thank you for bringing in this wonderful lighter.

Are either of you heavy smokers?

Unfortunately, my parents were smoking quite a bit,

and they used to use it a lot, but it has been dormant for many years.

So we've got this lovely Dunhill aquarium lighter.

We've got all of the brass fittings, picked out in chrome.

And we've got this lovely Lucite or Perspex body,

which has been shaped and polished.

And on the inside, it has been carved and drilled out with

the design of the fish and the coral and the seaweed.

And then all of that, that would be plain white

when it's finished, is reverse painted.

But the first colour that you see, or rather the top colour,

has to go in first. So you are basically painting backwards.

There was a time, maybe 15 years ago, that would not have been

-worth five or ten pounds, and nobody collected them.

-Interesting.

But now people have realised that they are iconic of their period.

I mean, when did your parents acquire it?

I would think probably the early '50s.

Early '50s is spot on for when these lighters were being made.

Mid-'40s, early '50s.

-You've also got, sadly, that.

-My brother dropped it.

If you've got a bit of damage on something,

-it tends to be worth a tenth of something that is perfect.

-Yeah.

I'm sad to say.

A very good one in a retail setting might be £2,000 or £3,000.

-The crack makes a big difference.

-Mm.

I think we would be sensible putting

£300 to £500 on it. Whoo!

-And put a fixed reserve of £300.

-Whoo! That sounds very fair.

-Lovely.

If it does particularly well,

-any plans for what you might do with the money?

-We're having

a garage built, and it will go towards building a garage.

-It is quite a big feature.

-Well, it's something functional, isn't it?

-It is.

-Thank you both so much for bringing this in today.

-Thank you very much for telling us about it.

-Pleasure.

-Thank you.

And from under the ocean to riding the waves, and the half-mile lake

is providing the perfect setting for an item I am really excited about.

It is something that has never been seen at a valuation day before,

and it belongs to a captain of the high seas.

Commodore Warwick, thank you for bringing in a dugout canoe.

That is a first on the show. It really is.

What exactly is a commodore?

-Is it a captain and has had a lot of experience?

-Yes.

I was in Cunard Line for 36 years and joined as a junior officer

and worked myself up to the position of a captain.

And then I was recognised by the company as the most senior,

-and they bestowed the title of commodore on me.

-Wow.

And what ships were you in charge of?

The smaller ones, like the Cunard Countess and the Cunard Princess.

Then I went on to be captain of the Queen Elizabeth II.

-And my command of that ship spanned 13 years.

-What a career!

So tell me a little bit about how you came across this dugout.

Where did you get it from? On one of your trips?

In 1973, I was on a voyage as a junior

officer on the Queen Elisabeth II, and we called in at Haiti,

in Port-au-Prince, and there the natives paddled out in these

canoes to sell carvings to the passengers.

-And I wasn't interested in any carvings.

-You wanted the canoe!

I said to the chap, "How much for the canoe?"

And we started a bidding and he let me have it for 12.

-I contacted Greenwich Maritime Museum.

-Oh, yes.

I didn't think they would want it, but in my letter,

I asked them if they knew anywhere that would like it,

and they wrote back and said, "Well, we'd like it."

And it was in the History Of Ships section for 25 years.

I don't think it's 18th century.

At the earliest, it is late 19th, possibly early 20th century.

It is dug out by hand in indigenous wood.

You can see the girth, can't you, of the trunk here, that it

has been dug out from.

This is one piece of wood, which has been adzed out by hand.

Value wise, if you put this into a general auction, I think

you'll quite easily get your £300 to £500.

A general auctioneer will not understand this canoe.

It needs to go into a specialist maritime sale,

with a bigger worldwide audience, people that want this kind of thing.

Because on a good day,

three or four bids bidding against each other in the room

will push this to around £1,500 because of the provenance,

because of its history,

and because it's unique and you're not going to find another one.

This is a vessel, not only that you are proud of,

that I'm proud of as well.

It has been a pleasure to be here and thank you very much

for everything you've said about this canoe.

And let's hope it goes to some people that really appreciate it.

Thank you.

Sadly, we are not taking this dugout to auction,

as it is a general sale and probably wouldn't do it justice,

but we do wish Commodore Warwick

the very best of luck in a specialist maritime sale.

And I'm sure some real enthusiasts will bid for it.

And now over to Claire, in the topiary garden.

Well, Chris and Sally, it is lovely to see you here this afternoon,

with some very sparkly silver.

-Have you been polishing it a lot?

-Yes.

-Yesterday.

-Oh, right, specially to come here?

-Yes.

-Because it was rather grim.

OK. So it has been obviously lurking in the cupboard somewhere, has it?

-In the garage for the last two, three years.

-Right.

I always say to people, "Don't worry about cleaning silver too much,"

cos every time you clean it,

-you actually take off a little bit of silver.

-Oh, right.

So in my mind, that's a really good excuse not to clean it too much.

-I like that.

-Yes, exactly.

Two quite different types of decoration,

because they are from two different parts of the world.

Do you know the history of them at all?

Well, we thought that the bowl might be from India or Sri Lanka.

-Cos my mother was born in Sri Lanka.

-Oh, right, OK.

And spent some time in India and then came back to this country.

And I have a feeling that could be from my father's side,

-cos that's the Victoriana side of the family.

-Right, OK.

Well, that would fit in, because, yes, that is

definitely Indian-Sri Lanka, or Ceylon as it was,

cos of the decoration on it.

And probably, actually, it's quite a high grade of silver,

because a lot of the silver they used out there was of high quality.

And I love the decoration, because you've got this continuous scene

of these sort of thatched houses, absolutely ginormous birds.

Quite a primitive scene. Nicely embossed. It's marked underneath.

-And then this one is actually... It's English.

-Yes.

It has got an English assay on it, dated to 1901.

And I like this. This is very sort of typically late Victorian

decoration, of cherubs,

cavorting about, shooting things with arrows and playing with...

There's a hound there and a bit of fishing going on.

So a very, very typically sort of rather more romanticised

Victorian scene.

But they are both very saleable.

And if you put them together, I think possibly you're looking

-at £60 to £80.

-That's good.

-Does that sound good?

-That's OK.

-Excellent.

And I mean, perhaps a reserve at just under the lower estimate,

-say 50?

-Yes, that's OK.

-So we will put 50 fixed on it, I think.

And now, once they are sold, have you got any idea what you might

-spend this massive amount of money on?

-We've recently retired

and we've got a Greek Odyssey planned,

-where we just go off in our caravan for 42 days.

-Really?!

-Going around, touring Greece.

-Oh, that sounds good.

Mainland Greece and Europe. We'll be away for 60 days in total.

That sounds great. Oh, wow...

This should help pay a little bit towards it.

Well, every little helps. It all mounts up. Brilliant.

We'll hopefully set you off on your way.

I look forward to seeing you at the auction.

-Lovely.

-Thanks very much.

-Thank you.

Sadly, that brings our time here to a close.

What a marvellous day we've had here.

The weather has been good to us and so has the treasure.

We found some real gems at Longleat House.

But right now, it is time to say goodbye to this magnificent

setting as we head over to the saleroom in Devizes for the very

last time to put those valuations to the test.

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

There is David's magic lantern.

Will this enchanting but outdated form of entertainment

find a new home?

Smoking might be out of fashion, but this lighter isn't.

The intricate artwork

and the iconic 1950s look makes it highly collectible.

And let's hope the silver bowl and pot will make a good

contribution toward Chris and Sally's caravan adventure.

So, let's put our experts' valuations to the test

as we return to the saleroom.

And first up, it's time for a bit of old-fashioned recreation.

Right now, we are all off to the cinema

with David's early projector and the slides.

Absolutely love this.

David, I kind of envy you in a way

because my dad never had one of these.

It's the narration that I would think would be totally entertaining.

-Wouldn't it?

-I think we as children got a little bit fed up with them.

-Of course.

-Because we had them at every birthday party.

Out they come, and at Christmas time.

-I agree with the valuation. Good luck.

-Hopefully.

Let's find out what the bidders think.

It's going under the hammer right now.

Tin-plate magic lantern

with lots of slides,

approximately 60 of them in total.

Somewhere around about £110?

100, get me away.

£60, then. 60, I got.

70 anywhere? At £60.

On the maiden bid. 70 anywhere?

At £60. 60.

Is there 70? I want a little bit more. It's not quite enough.

Is there 70...?

Ladies and gentlemen, that is not quite enough.

-Didn't sell.

-What a shame.

-That's mine...

I nearly...got the reserve.

Reserves are a good thing, I totally agree.

If it is a little family heirloom, a little bit of family history,

do protect it.

It is not worth giving it away for nothing,

-cos you'll never buy it back.

-We won't. Go in the loft again.

Well, I was thinking of entertaining the grandchildren.

That's what you should be doing.

Although David's grandkids may not thank me for that,

let's hope we have better luck with our next lot.

-These were Mother's, weren't they?

-Yes, they were.

One from Sri Lanka and the other, a Birmingham assay mark.

Why have you decided to sell now?

Because we recently retired and we're going on the trip

of a lifetime and we want some money to spend.

Right. How lovely. Look, that's exciting.

-Let's hope we get top dollar for this.

-Please.

The silver trinket box plus a Burmese bowl,

about 8.8 ounces approximately.

Should be somewhere around about £100.

£100. 50, start me.

40, get me away.

40, I've got. I've got 40. I've got... 50.

40, 50. £40 on the maiden.

50. 60.

70. 80.

-At £80. 80, I've got.

-This is a bit better, Sally.

At £80, I shan't dwell on it. Am I done?

-He sold. That was short and sweet, wasn't it?

-Yeah.

Once it was in, it was like... Hammer down!

-£80.

-Exactly. It gets you the pool, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

Well, that'll buy a few tanks of diesel towards

their fabulous adventure.

Bon voyage, Chris and Sally. And now, for the final item of the day.

Even with the damage, it is still highly desirable.

Sue, it is good to see you.

-I know Debbie can't be with us today.

-No, sadly.

-But I have high hopes for this Dunhill lighter.

-So have I.

I think this is a bit of a come-and-buy-me.

I know you are put off by the slight damage.

-Better to be cautious and let it do well.

-Yes.

-Let's see what the bidders think. Good luck.

-Thank you very much.

Very collectible little fellow.

So, who's going to start me at £500?

Five?

Two?!

Right. Two, I've got. Two, I've got.

Three. Four.

Five. Six.

It's going up in hundreds, that's good.

Seven. 50?

Eight. 50?

Nine. 50?

At £900. At 900, am I all done?

-That's good.

-Brilliant.

-£900. Fantastic!

It's a lot more than I was going to go for.

But it just goes to show, if something is damaged, put it in low

and then let people make their own minds up.

They ended up fighting for it, didn't they?

Yeah, on a good day, you could buy a perfect one for 1,000.

-Yeah. 800 to 1,200 they normally are.

-Yes.

-So actually, that was a brilliant price.

-Brilliant price. Happy?

-I'm ecstatic.

-Good.

-Thanks very much.

Well, I'm really pleased for Sue,

and what a great way to end the show.

Well, that's it, it's all over, another day in another saleroom.

And what a fabulous time we've had here.

I hope you've enjoyed today's show.

See you soon for many more surprises. Until then, it's goodbye.