0:00:07 > 0:00:11Edinburgh, a city brimming with history and culture.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18With a list of literary giants as long as the Royal Mile,
0:00:18 > 0:00:20it's no wonder Edinburgh was named
0:00:20 > 0:00:24the world's first City Of Literature in 2004.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27And at its very centre is the world's largest monument
0:00:27 > 0:00:31to a writer - Sir Walter Scott.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34And, Great Scott! It is huge.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39And he was a great Scot. Welcome to Flog It!
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Edinburgh has an incredible literary legacy.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson
0:01:08 > 0:01:12and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were all Edinburgh-born,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15and were, no doubt, influenced by the landscape and the character
0:01:15 > 0:01:19of the city which was known for its smog, as "Auld Reekie."
0:01:20 > 0:01:23And later we'll be finding out what inspired
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Robert Louis Stevenson's famous work, Jekyll And Hyde.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30But first, welcome to Hopetoun House, our stunning
0:01:30 > 0:01:33and unique valuation day location,
0:01:33 > 0:01:34just outside of Edinburgh.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Well, the writing's definitely on the wall - that's for sure.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Hundreds of people have turned up here, today,
0:01:40 > 0:01:42to have their antiques and collectables valued.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Now, somebody here in this massive queue has got something
0:01:45 > 0:01:48that's worth a small fortune. It's our experts' job to find it,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51and, hopefully, they'll be going home with a bob or two.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54A touch of rain couldn't keep these hardy Scots away,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57and even our experts are braving the weather.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00- What have you got?- Go away!
0:02:00 > 0:02:02I'm sick of you already! It's only the morning.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07They're the authors of today's story.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10The ever articulate James Lewis...
0:02:10 > 0:02:12That is fantastic!
0:02:14 > 0:02:17..and the well-versed Adam Partridge.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19"Among the heathy hills and ragged woods,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21"the roaring Fyres pours his moosy floods,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24"till full he dashes on the rocky mounds,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27"where, thro' a shapeless breach, his stream resounds."
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Do you know, I'd stick to the day job if I was you, Adam!
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Well, their valuations will be put to the test
0:02:33 > 0:02:36when the items go under the hammer at auction.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39And now it's time to put pen to paper,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41as we ask that all-important question, which is...
0:02:41 > 0:02:44What's it worth?!
0:02:44 > 0:02:46I think we've kept everyone waiting long enough,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50so let's open the doors and invite everyone into the warm.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54On today's show, two musical items from a bygone era.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00The delicate tinkle of a 19th-century music box...
0:03:00 > 0:03:02TWINKLING MUSIC
0:03:04 > 0:03:07..and the less refined bellow of a concertina.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15But can you guess which hits the high note at auction?
0:03:15 > 0:03:171,200...
0:03:18 > 0:03:19..and 50.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Well, this magnificent ballroom here at Hopetoun House
0:03:24 > 0:03:26was designed at the height of the Victorian period,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30when the aristocracy used to love to dance and throw big balls,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32and what a party you could have here.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35This room measures 28 metres by ten metres.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37That is vast. And today,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39well, we're using it for an altogether different purpose,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41but we have filled it with hundreds of people,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44laden with antiques and collectables. So let's get started
0:03:44 > 0:03:47with the valuing and hand the proceedings over to Adam Partridge.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53He's found an item that befits our surroundings.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Gordon and Liz. Thank you for coming along.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59- Not at all.- I was delighted to see this object.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02This is the sort of thing that would, perhaps, 100 years
0:04:02 > 0:04:05after it was made, might have been used as an entertaining item
0:04:05 > 0:04:06in the parlours, do you think?
0:04:06 > 0:04:10- That's right. I'm sure it was.- It's a late 19th-century musical box.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14With this rosewood lid, inlaid with a drum and a trumpet,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17to give you the idea, of course, of what's inside.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20And there it is, there. Can you tell me how you came to own it, first of all?
0:04:20 > 0:04:23My mother bought it when I was a child, from the Red Cross shop
0:04:23 > 0:04:25- for 15 shillings. - Was that a lot then?
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- Probably quite a lot.- A dozen loaves of bread.- A dozen loaves of bread.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Do you have childhood memories of this, then?
0:04:30 > 0:04:34- Was it played, or was it something you had to stay away from?- No, no.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- We could play it.- And how about presently, now, in your home?
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Is it still out and used, or where does it live at the moment?
0:04:40 > 0:04:44It's only played occasionally when I dust it, but it needs a good home.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Well, good. There are a lot of collectors for this type of thing.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50- Yeah.- Musical boxes and mechanical music, in general,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53are keenly sought after, and there are lots of different models,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56in the same way as, I suppose, you get a basic car
0:04:56 > 0:04:59and a very flashy car, with all the different features on it.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01- Yes.- You'd get that with a musical box.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04These were made at the end of the 19th century,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07late 19th century, and the movements were Swiss-made.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10And this is a fairly humble model, really.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14- But a nice one, nevertheless. Is it working?- Oh, yes, it works.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17It looks in pretty good order, in general.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19All the teeth are present.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Which isn't bad for over 100 years, is it?
0:05:21 > 0:05:24The only thing it's missing, though, would have been a glazed cover.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28I think it had one when we first, when Mum first bought it.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31But where the cover has gone - the mists of time has taken it,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- I think.- Oh, well. Any idea on value?
0:05:34 > 0:05:37I had it valued about 20-odd years ago.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40- And it was then about £200.- Yeah.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43I would think 2-300 would be a sensible estimate.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46- That sounds fine.- Probably, your reserve should be £200.- Fine.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50I think it'll make towards the 300, or maybe even a touch more.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Whatever it makes, it'll be more than we had this morning.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56- Well, absolutely. That's the spirit. So can we have a play?- Yes.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00I think that's an Italian...
0:06:00 > 0:06:02TWINKLY MUSIC PLAYS
0:06:10 > 0:06:11- There we are.- Bravo.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Well, thank you very much for bringing it along.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17- Thank you very much, indeed.- And I hope we hear the tune of success
0:06:17 > 0:06:19- at the auction.- Yes.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25James has also got his hands on a piece of early entertainment.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31Eleanor, there are certain things that are just archetypal antiques.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Things that you see very rarely,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36but the public have seen so often.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39But the interesting thing with this is it's going to appeal
0:06:39 > 0:06:43to two very different groups of people.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45It's going to appeal to the child,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- who's going to enjoy the images... - Yes.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51..but also the scientific brain,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54- who's going to want to understand how it works.- Yeah.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58And it almost comes under the same category as a globe,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01or a microscope, that sort of thing.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03What do you know about it?
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Well, I know it's called a zoetrope.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09As children, we used to
0:07:09 > 0:07:12sit and very carefully watch
0:07:12 > 0:07:14the moving pictures.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17It came from my grandmother's family.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20I don't know where she got it from.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23It didn't come out very often. It was kept in the attic.
0:07:23 > 0:07:28My grandfather brought it down very carefully, unravelled the slides,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32and we sat round the old big table in the kitchen
0:07:32 > 0:07:34with our eyes glued.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38It is a very interesting bit of entertainment history,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40but also scientific history.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44The idea that you can look through an aperture
0:07:44 > 0:07:47and swivel a picture and change it,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50is one that dates back generations.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52I don't know if you ever did this at school,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55but paint a little picture on the corner of your jotter
0:07:55 > 0:07:57or your sketchbook at school.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59- And flick through.- Flick the pages.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03If we look through the side here, and then turn,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07the whole picture starts to form.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10And we see here a horse leaping over a hedge,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14and of course it helps to date this
0:08:14 > 0:08:16by the fact that the horse is
0:08:16 > 0:08:19a classic early 19th-century horse.
0:08:19 > 0:08:25Of course, the horse's stride is totally wrong.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30This is how we thought a horse would walk before, with two front legs
0:08:30 > 0:08:34going forward first, followed by the two back legs, a bit like a rabbit.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Of course, the right front goes with the back left.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41If you look at the base of it, it's a turned section of mahogany.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44- Was this part always made of tin? - Normally made of tin.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46This is slightly buckled.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50I've seen them made from card, as well, the later ones,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53but they very rarely last in the way that this has.
0:08:53 > 0:08:59And here, we have various types of paper band -
0:08:59 > 0:09:01we've got the circus,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04that would be attractive to a child.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07The great thing about this is that you have a mass of them,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09- you've got loads of them.- Yeah.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10OK, some of them are tired,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14but others are in relatively good condition.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16OK, we need to come up with a price.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21I would like to put £5-£800 on it with a reserve
0:09:21 > 0:09:23of 500 firm.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25OK, that's lovely, thank you very much.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Well, I look forward to seeing it at the auction
0:09:28 > 0:09:30and I think it's going to do very well.
0:09:30 > 0:09:31Thank you so much.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34What a great piece of history,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37and it shows just how far technology has come.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43Adam has found something that is hugely popular and beautiful to boot.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49- Sally, we see lots of Moorcroft on this programme.- Yeah.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52In fact, very rarely does a show pass without an example
0:09:52 > 0:09:56coming across, but I couldn't help noticing this one because it's
0:09:56 > 0:10:00quite a nice distinctive shape, and it's quite a large piece.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Now, how did you come to own this?
0:10:02 > 0:10:06Well, I did have a next-door neighbour, an elderly lady,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08and she died.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Her daughter-in-law came up because they had to sell the house,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16so I was helping them out and we came across this Moorcroft dish.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20She said, "I've got no use for it, would you like it?"
0:10:20 > 0:10:24And I thought, well, I love Moorcroft, so yes, I'll take it. That's great.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26- Absolutely.- I tried to do research,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29or even to get to know what the design was.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32I couldn't see a dish like this on the internet.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37OK. The shape is quite an unusual... That lipped bowl.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41It's quite nice, but it's tube-lined, as they always are,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45with the anemone design on this green ground.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Commercially, it's not the top end of Moorcroft.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52The vases always sell better than bowls, for a start,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55because they display better in a cabinet.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58This green ground isn't as popular perhaps as the blue
0:10:58 > 0:11:02and the red flambe grounds, but is a very pleasing thing.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04And it's decorated around the outside.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08- Shall we do the old flip over and see what's underneath?- Yes, please.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Fascinating to know about it a little bit.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15Yes, and you've got the blue signature there of Walter Moorcroft,
0:11:15 > 0:11:21- which dates this probably to the end of the 1940s or so.- Oh, is it?
0:11:21 > 0:11:24I asked you why you've decided to sell it - presumably, it's out
0:11:24 > 0:11:27in Sally's house looking wonderful, full of fruit, overflowing.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31No, it isn't. I have it wrapped up and packed away in a drawer.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36- Oh, stop it!- I don't have a place to display it and it's really pretty.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41The only time I really get to enjoy it is to have a quiet moment
0:11:41 > 0:11:43where I take it out, have a look at it,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46wrap it up and go, "Well, one of these days..."
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Maybe somebody else would enjoy it.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52- Not tempted to have it on the sideboard?- No, because...
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Good, too late now! We're selling it - off to auction!
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- Any idea on the value?- Um, no.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05- I think most probably about 200, £300.- Very good. Very good.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09You've done your research. You're obviously an intelligent lady.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12I think you're right, it's going to make about £300,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14hopefully a touch more.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17I would suggest 250 to 350 for the estimate
0:12:17 > 0:12:23- and my bet is it will make £340. - Ooh, that would be nice.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- Don't hold me to it! But thanks for coming.- Oh, you're welcome.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31- I've really enjoyed it. And I found a little bit out about it.- Good!
0:12:31 > 0:12:33- Well, I've enjoyed talking to you.- OK, thanks!
0:12:33 > 0:12:38A very precise prediction of £340 and, yes, Adam,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40we will hold you to it!
0:12:41 > 0:12:47So, that's our first three items in the bag and ready to go to auction.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49We have the delicate-sounding musical box.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Will anyone find a place for it in their home?
0:12:55 > 0:12:57This zoetrope is a classic antique,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00but will anybody want to pay £500 for it?
0:13:03 > 0:13:09And Adam is confident this Moorcroft bowl will sell for exactly £340.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Well, let's see if he's right as we travel west to Glasgow
0:13:13 > 0:13:15and the Great Western Auction House.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19And it's nice to be welcomed by a friendly face - Anita Manning!
0:13:21 > 0:13:25- What's it like being up on that rostrum?- It's absolutely wonderful!
0:13:25 > 0:13:29- It's home territory for me. It's where I feel comfortable.- Do you?
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Yes, I like to give them a show, to make it an event!
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Save me time, then, in at 200.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Lovely wee thing, there. Are you bidding?
0:13:37 > 0:13:3950 on the floor. Fresh bidder.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43With me at 30. 260. 220 with me!
0:13:43 > 0:13:46You've been auctioneering now for most of your life, haven't you?
0:13:46 > 0:13:50- Were you the first lady auctioneer in Scotland?- One of the first.
0:13:50 > 0:13:5625 years ago, I stood on the rostrum for the very first time.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59I had 400 lots to sell and I know that
0:13:59 > 0:14:02when auctioneers start off, they're given 10 or 20.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05- But you had 400. - Straight in at 400.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09As soon as I started, within ten lots,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11I knew...
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- this is the job for me!- This is it!
0:14:13 > 0:14:16- Any advance on 180? 180.- Hey, look -
0:14:16 > 0:14:18have great fun on there later, OK?
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- Yes.- Good luck.- Thank you.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Remember, at every auction house,
0:14:25 > 0:14:26there's commission to pay.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Here, it's 18% and first to the fore,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32it's the ever popular Moorcroft bowl.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Going under the hammer right now, one of the most famous
0:14:34 > 0:14:37names in pottery - a bit of Moorcroft and it belongs to Sally.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39It's a gorgeous bowl.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42At the valuation day, Adam had an exact...
0:14:42 > 0:14:48An exact, I must say, not an approximate, but an exact valuation.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50I'm going to look stupid again, aren't I?!
0:14:50 > 0:14:52- 340.- 340.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57- I might want to review that slightly!- 2 to 3(!)
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Why are you selling it? Because for me, it's a keeper.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Well, I don't have a place to put it, I don't use it,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06I just wrap it up and put it in my drawer.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08It's the old Flog It! story - it lives in a drawer!
0:15:08 > 0:15:11- But also, a bowl of this size, Paul...- Fruit?
0:15:11 > 0:15:15Yeah, I know, but it's easier to have a vase than a bowl.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- Right now, we're trying to sell this one. Here we go.- It's beautiful.
0:15:18 > 0:15:19Let's hope so.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22It's the anemone pattern.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Can we say 400? 300?
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Will you start me at £200? 200 bid.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29With you, madam, at 200.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Any advance on 200? 210.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34220. 230. 240.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38Any advance on £240?
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- Any advance on 240...?- Oh, no, I've lost, Paul.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43All done at 240.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46100 quid out!
0:15:46 > 0:15:49It sold, though, within estimate, OK?
0:15:49 > 0:15:51That was good.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54It's not a good day at the office for Adam! He's a perfectionist!
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Hey, you're happy. Within estimate.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02It's not easy putting a value on antiques, Adam,
0:16:02 > 0:16:03so we'll let you off this time.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Let's see if he does better on the musical box.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Right, Liz and Gordon! We're going to make sweet music, all of us.
0:16:12 > 0:16:17Adam is here. Eight airs, I believe, this musical box, top of the range.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20There's a huge interest in mechanical music of all sorts, so...
0:16:20 > 0:16:22We're interested to find that you've
0:16:22 > 0:16:25decided it comes from Switzerland, because we just assumed...
0:16:25 > 0:16:29- Yes, quality!- Well engineered, like Swiss watches and movements.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Victorian mechanics, as well.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35So let's hope we strike the right note with this lot - the bidders.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37It's all down to them right now
0:16:37 > 0:16:40as we hand things over to Anita Manning.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Can we say £300?
0:16:43 > 0:16:46200? 200?
0:16:46 > 0:16:50I have bids on the books. 200 bid.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53It's with you, sir, at £200.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55220 here?
0:16:55 > 0:16:57250. 280.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59280 on the books.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Any advance on 280?
0:17:02 > 0:17:06- 300, fresh bidder.- Come on.- 320.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08It's on the books at 320.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10That's better, I like that.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Any advance on 320?
0:17:12 > 0:17:15All done at 320, 320.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20- Didn't go for a song!- No, it didn't! We'll leave you with that, ouch!
0:17:20 > 0:17:22That's a lovely one! "It didn't go for a song!"
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Adam has redeemed himself and his musical box made over the estimate.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Let's hope the zoetrope gets the bidders watching.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37Invented in 1853 by mathematician William George Horner
0:17:37 > 0:17:40we have the zoetrope going under the hammer and it belongs to Eleanor,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43who's standing right next to me with our expert, James.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47Now, for me, this was the best thing at the valuation day.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I love it! It's early telly!
0:17:49 > 0:17:52That was what it was all about, wasn't it?
0:17:52 > 0:17:57- It was!- I bet, as a young girl, you enjoyed this.- We did, yes.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Yes, lots of use. Condition is slightly against it,
0:17:59 > 0:18:04but where can you find another with all of the pictures and diagrams?
0:18:04 > 0:18:08- There's a lot there. - Yes, I mean it's SO rare.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Well, we've got a fixed reserve at £550.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Hopefully, we will sell it beyond that. Here we go.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16It's a mid-19th century zoetrope.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19We have 23
0:18:19 > 0:18:23coloured printed circular discs,
0:18:23 > 0:18:28so you have the full home entertainment kit there!
0:18:29 > 0:18:33£1,000. 1,000. 500.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Will you start me at £400?
0:18:37 > 0:18:39400. 400 bid.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Any advance on 400?
0:18:42 > 0:18:45450. 500.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48550. £600.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51650. £700.
0:18:51 > 0:18:52700.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55750.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59- It's going in the room.- £750.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Any advance on 750?
0:19:02 > 0:19:04All done at 750.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06750.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11- Yes! Eleanor, we did it! £750. - Gosh!- Well, I'm happy.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15I was a bit worried there, for a moment!
0:19:15 > 0:19:18- Thought I'd be taking it home with me!- Condition was against it.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23- Nevertheless, it's a good price. - Thank you very much.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Back at the valuation day at Hopetoun House,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35James has found a very special musical instrument.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Gordon, as a valuer,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41as soon as you see a leather box
0:19:41 > 0:19:43that's had some tooling
0:19:43 > 0:19:46and gilt originally around the border there,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49you know there's something of real quality.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51You know what's in there, I know what's in there,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55it's a concertina of the most fabulous quality.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58We've got the maker's mark,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Wheatstone & Co.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02So, tell me, do you play?
0:20:02 > 0:20:05- No, I don't play. - Can you make a noise?
0:20:05 > 0:20:08- I can make a noise.- Go on, go for it. Let's see how good you are.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Not at all.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13CONCERTINA SQUEAKILY PLAYS
0:20:16 > 0:20:18I told you I couldn't play.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20APPLAUSE
0:20:20 > 0:20:23You're very easy to please.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26It is the god of concertinas, Wheatstone.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30They're the best makers. They started around 1850.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35On each end, we should have a pierced, in this case,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39wooden end board, ebony in this case.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41You also find them in rosewood,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44you also find them in chrome or polished steel.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49And at the end here, 26542 is the serial number
0:20:49 > 0:20:51that gives you an idea of when it was made.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54I cheated earlier and I asked one of the off-screen valuers
0:20:54 > 0:20:59to look it up for me and he said it's about 1885 to 1890.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03The value in these things is always dependent on the number of buttons,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07and we've got 48, which is great, which is good news.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10I always think as soon as one of these arrives in the saleroom,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12if it's in good order,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16it is about the easiest thing to sell in the world.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19It is an auctioneer's dream, but...
0:21:20 > 0:21:23..it's clearly not your dream, so why are you selling it?
0:21:23 > 0:21:28Well, it was my great-uncle's. He did play it, and when he died,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32it passed to my father, they were downsizing and it...
0:21:32 > 0:21:33He said did I want it?
0:21:33 > 0:21:37And I said, "Yes, it's a really nice thing, so I'll take it."
0:21:37 > 0:21:39But all it's done is sit up in the loft
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- for the last kind of ten or 12 years.- Really?- Yeah.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47Most of its value lies in its modern-day demand for somebody who
0:21:47 > 0:21:51would actually still want to play it because it's in such good order
0:21:51 > 0:21:55and at the moment the biggest market for these is in Celtic bands,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58but there are plenty of collectors for them, as well.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01- I'm going to give you two values. - OK.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03- One is what I think it'll actually sell for.- OK.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07But the other one is the estimate that I think we should put on
0:22:07 > 0:22:11- to encourage the right interest to end up at that figure.- OK.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16- So I think an auction estimate should be £500-700.- OK.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20But I think it'll make over 1,000.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- I'm hoping.- OK. - Fingers crossed.- Good.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25- It's a good thing. - That's good, yeah.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28If anything ever was a guaranteed seller,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30without putting the curse on it...
0:22:30 > 0:22:33It'll probably end up not selling now I've said that,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36- but that is as much as a guaranteed sale as you'll ever get.- OK.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40- And a reserve of 500?- Reserve of 500.- OK, that's fine.- Brilliant.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44You heard it here first. James says it's a guaranteed sale,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47so keep watching to find out if he's right.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49This is what I love doing at a valuation day -
0:22:49 > 0:22:50mixing it up amongst all the people.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54Now, you can't come to Scotland and talk about literature
0:22:54 > 0:22:57without mentioning the notorious Robbie Burns.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00So how notorious were his poems?
0:23:00 > 0:23:01Let's find out, shall we?
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Anyone here...? Can anyone recite a bit of Robbie Burns?
0:23:04 > 0:23:06- Just a verse or two. Anyone?- Yeah.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11Can you? Go on, then. Nice and loud. Ready? Listen, everyone. Here we go.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12OK. Tam O'Shanter.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15"When chapman billies leave the street
0:23:15 > 0:23:17"And drouthy neebors, neebors meet
0:23:17 > 0:23:19"As market-days are wearing late
0:23:19 > 0:23:21"An' folk begin to tak the gate
0:23:21 > 0:23:23"We sit bousing at the nappy
0:23:23 > 0:23:26"Getting fou and unco' happy."
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Bousing at the nappy!
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Well done! I love it.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34It just goes to show the poems of Robbie Burns still live on today.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38And there are a wealth of collectables in homage
0:23:38 > 0:23:40to the great man.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Now Adam's found a glove box that's never seen the inside of a car.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Well, picture the day when this was a ballroom full of very
0:23:48 > 0:23:52elegant people having a dance and the ladies would've been wearing...
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Their gloves, yes.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57..very fancy evening gloves and things like that
0:23:57 > 0:24:00and they would've stored their gloves in a box just like that -
0:24:00 > 0:24:03perhaps in this very box, which is made locally.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06- Yes.- In the town of Mauchline. - Yes, that's right.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09So, Pat, thank you very much for bringing it.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Tell me, where did you get it from, what do you know about it?
0:24:12 > 0:24:13Well, I don't know much about it.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17- It was my aunt's, so I inherited it a couple of years ago.- OK.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21- Would it be Victorian?- Yeah, Victorian or maybe slightly later.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Turn of the century, 1900s or so, most likely.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Although Mauchline Ware was made from the early 19th century
0:24:27 > 0:24:29- right up until the 1930s, I think.- Was it?
0:24:29 > 0:24:32So judging by the construction and the type of decoration,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34- 1900s or thereabouts. - That age, yeah.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36- You know people like little boxes. - Well, they do, yes.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38A lot of collectors of boxes
0:24:38 > 0:24:41and a lot of collectors of Mauchline Ware, of course,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45relatively locally made, South Ayrshire, in the town of Mauchline.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47- Do you use it at all?- No.- No?
0:24:47 > 0:24:50I think someone's been using it for pencils.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52There we are, simple box inside and it does actually...
0:24:52 > 0:24:55You can see remnants of pencil storage in there.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59- But it's just a decorative box, isn't it?- It's a very nice thing,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03made from sycamore, as they always are.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07And we've got three famous Scottish landmarks on here,
0:25:07 > 0:25:12Burns' monument, Burns' cottage and Alloway Kirk.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15- Do you know much about Alloway Kirk? - No, I've been to the cottage.
0:25:15 > 0:25:16Years ago, when I was young.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20I believe also that a lot of them were decorated by children,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23- because it's a fairly simple transfer print.- That's right.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25So why have you decided to sell it?
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Just because I don't do anything with it, it just sits on the top.
0:25:28 > 0:25:29- It's in the way.- Yeah.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- My estimate would be something like £30-50.- Yeah.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Does that fit in with your expectations?
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Yes, that fits in OK, no problem.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Are you going to trust in the auction system
0:25:38 > 0:25:40and let it go to the highest bidder
0:25:40 > 0:25:41or do you want to put a reserve on it?
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- No reserve, yeah, just hope for the best.- No reserve, let it go.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Well, thanks. That's very good. Thanks for bringing it along.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49- Thank you very much.- Pleasure.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Now, if you've got any unwanted antiques and collectables
0:25:55 > 0:25:57you want to flog, we'd like to do it for you
0:25:57 > 0:25:59and this is where your journey starts -
0:25:59 > 0:26:02a valuation day very much like this one.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Details of up-and-coming dates and venues
0:26:04 > 0:26:06you can find on our BBC website,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09or check the details in your local press because, fingers crossed,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12we're coming to an area near you soon.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Dust 'em down and bring 'em in.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22- Pearl, you're a brave lady.- Ooh.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26- Transporting mercury in a barometer. - I know.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30Though the good news is you clearly know how to move a barometer.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34Do you know, the first time I ever handled a barometer in a sale room,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36I was a porter, I was 19 years old,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40- first thing I did was put it flat. - Right.- Big mistake.- Yes.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Mercury went everywhere
0:26:42 > 0:26:48but this is a really lovely piece of 19th-century interior furnishings.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51- Known as a stick barometer for obvious reasons.- Yeah.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Barometers come in three various forms -
0:26:54 > 0:26:58the most valuable is the signpost barometer.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01The most common are the wheel barometers
0:27:01 > 0:27:03and those at the moment are very unfashionable
0:27:03 > 0:27:06and they're selling for as little as £100.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08These are somewhere in the middle,
0:27:08 > 0:27:13this one towards - much, much closer towards - the wheel barometer.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19But what we've got is a glass tube
0:27:19 > 0:27:25and then that goes right the way down into the mercury reservoir here
0:27:25 > 0:27:28and you can see that that compresses there,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31- you can see there's...- Yeah. - Pressure can be applied
0:27:31 > 0:27:34and as the atmospheric pressure changes,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38the mercury rises up the tube
0:27:38 > 0:27:41and comes to a temperature gauge here at the top.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45And in very, very fine weather,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48it raises, and in cold weather,
0:27:48 > 0:27:49it falls.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51The case itself is mahogany,
0:27:51 > 0:27:56but it does have a feel that it has been somewhere unloved.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01- Yes, yes. Neglected. - So why is it neglected?
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Well, we found it, it was lying in the back of a wardrobe in the house.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09- Really?- I mean, a chappie did offer us £50 for it, but...- I bet he did!
0:28:09 > 0:28:12But it was a curious thing, we hadn't seen one before,
0:28:12 > 0:28:16we thought, well, we will just go and see. Get some information on it.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Well, that is certainly a cheeky offer.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23Judging by its style, I would say it is a British maker.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24Very, very plain.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Now, in terms of value,
0:28:28 > 0:28:34I would put an estimate of £180-£250 on it.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38- And I would like to see a reserve of about £180.- OK.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41- Yes.- But I think it would certainly make that.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45- I am hoping it will make top end. It is a good thing.- Yeah.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48- And thank you for bringing it in. - Thank you.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52And well done for not selling it to the man for £50!
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Antiques go in and out of fashion
0:28:55 > 0:28:58and barometers are not as popular as they once were.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00Will it make the £180 reserve?
0:29:00 > 0:29:02Find out in just a minute.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08The concertina is of the highest quality.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11James thinks it is a sure thing. But could he be proved wrong?
0:29:14 > 0:29:17The Mauchline Ware box is fit for a scholar.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20Will there be any Robert Burns fans willing to bid?
0:29:22 > 0:29:25And an item that has been replaced by technology, the barometer.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28The pressure is on to see if it will sell.
0:29:36 > 0:29:37400.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40And it's back over to Anita for the last time.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Well, we couldn't come to Scotland and make a Flog It! show
0:29:43 > 0:29:46without featuring a bit of Mauchline Ware, let's face it!
0:29:46 > 0:29:50It would go against the grain. We've seen it before and we'll see many more in the future.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52This bit belongs to Patricia and she is right next to me.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55I like the images. The Burns Monument and the little cottage.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58Not a lot of money, £30-£50, but it's going to do it.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00Yeah, of course it will. It's its market level
0:30:00 > 0:30:02and we put it through without reserve,
0:30:02 > 0:30:04because where better to sell something local?
0:30:04 > 0:30:07Let's put this value to the test. I am sure it will find a buyer here.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09This is it.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Scottish item, ladies and gentlemen.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15One of our charming Mauchline Ware pieces.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18A glove box here, with three views.
0:30:18 > 0:30:24We have Burns Monument, Alloway Kirk and Burns' cottage, of course.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Can we say £50?
0:30:26 > 0:30:28£50 for the Mauchline? £50?
0:30:28 > 0:30:31£30. Start me at £20.
0:30:31 > 0:30:3320, 30, 40,
0:30:33 > 0:30:35£40.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37With you, sir, at 40.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Any advance on £40?
0:30:39 > 0:30:41All done at £40? £40.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44- £40, mid-estimate. Well done, Adam. - That's fine, yeah.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46- That's a good result, isn't it? - Yeah, fine.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48- Thank you for bringing that in. - Thanks very much.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50Bit of local interest.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52110... 120, 130,
0:30:52 > 0:30:54140...
0:30:54 > 0:30:57Are you out? 140.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Well, so far, so good.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01And I tell you what, things are really flying out today.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03And it is getting so hot in here.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05And I know that, because we have a stick barometer
0:31:05 > 0:31:08and I have just read it. And it belongs to Pearl.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11- I reckon this is going to fly out of the room.- Well, hopefully, yes.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12I reckon everyone needs one of these.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14I don't think they are accurate,
0:31:14 > 0:31:17- but they look fabulous, don't they? - They do.- If it's hot. Look at this.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21Oh, wow! I told you it's getting hot in here.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23They're really the in thing.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26- What are they called? - Hot glasses.- Hot glasses.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28Because it is getting hot in here.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30- Aren't they just fantastic? - They are brilliant!
0:31:30 > 0:31:33- Well, keep them on, James.- Sorry... Anyway, moving on!
0:31:33 > 0:31:3719th-century mahogany case stick barometer,
0:31:37 > 0:31:40with the inset ivory scale.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44Can we say 300? 200? Start me at £100.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46£100 on the barometer?
0:31:46 > 0:31:48100? 100.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50100 bid.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53Any advance on £100?
0:31:53 > 0:31:57Any advance on 100? 110, 120.
0:31:57 > 0:31:58Any advance on £120?
0:31:58 > 0:32:02Any advance on 120?
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Any advance on 120? 120?
0:32:06 > 0:32:07- Not sold.- Aargh!
0:32:07 > 0:32:09- Oh!- It is suddenly cooling down.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16I have got to take it all the way home again! SHE LAUGHS
0:32:16 > 0:32:19- Give it some love. - Yes, it is going to have to be...
0:32:19 > 0:32:21It is just so insane, isn't it?
0:32:21 > 0:32:25That that stick barometer would have made £500 just ten years ago.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28- Stick it on the wall for another five or ten years.- Exactly.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31- And see what happens?- Exactly. Good luck.- OK. Thank you.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33- Thank you very much.- Goodbye.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37Fashions come and go, so maybe Pearl will have more luck
0:32:37 > 0:32:40selling her barometer in a few years' time.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46Right, now it is time to squeeze some money out of the bidders.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48We have Gordon's Wheatstone & Co concertina.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52We have seen them on the show before. Did you ever play it at all?
0:32:52 > 0:32:55- No. No.- No, just inherited it?- Just inherited it from my great-uncle.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Condition is good and that is what it is all about.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00If the bellows are all split and worn, there are problems,
0:33:00 > 0:33:01but it is all there.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04- Definite.- Let's find out what it makes, shall we? Here we go.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08The ebony Wheatstone octagonal six-bellow concertina.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11- I have bids in the books, ladies and gentlemen.- That is good.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14And I can start the bidding at...
0:33:14 > 0:33:17- £450.- Oh!
0:33:17 > 0:33:20- We wouldn't sell it for that!- 450.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22450 on the book.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Any advance on 450?
0:33:25 > 0:33:28- 500?- She's playing with them.- 550.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31600. 650.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34700, 750.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37800, 850,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40900, 950.
0:33:40 > 0:33:45- 1,000, 1,050.- Ooh...
0:33:45 > 0:33:471,100. And 50.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49- We might do the 12 now.- Oh, oh, oh.
0:33:51 > 0:33:521,200.
0:33:54 > 0:33:55And 50.
0:33:57 > 0:34:001,300. The book is out.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04It's on the phone. At £1,300.
0:34:04 > 0:34:09Is there any advance on 1,300?
0:34:09 > 0:34:11Any advance on 1,300?
0:34:11 > 0:34:131,300.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16- Brilliant. - APPLAUSE
0:34:16 > 0:34:20- Well done.- Well done.- Somebody will be going out busking tonight!
0:34:20 > 0:34:23- That is a good result, isn't it? - A very good result, yes.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26- Enjoy that money.- Absolutely. Yes. - Thanks for bringing it in.- Yes, thank you.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28150, 160, 170, 180...
0:34:28 > 0:34:30Well, that is it from Anita's saleroom.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32Lots of lucky folk go home with heavier pockets
0:34:32 > 0:34:36and Pearl gets to enjoy her barometer for another year!
0:34:38 > 0:34:39See you next time on Flog It!