Episode 1 Flog It!


Episode 1

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Edinburgh, a city brimming with history and culture.

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With a list of literary giants as long as the Royal Mile,

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it's no wonder Edinburgh was named

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the world's first City Of Literature in 2004.

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And at its very centre is the world's largest monument

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to a writer - Sir Walter Scott.

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And, Great Scott! It is huge.

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And he was a great Scot. Welcome to Flog It!

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Edinburgh has an incredible literary legacy.

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Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson

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and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were all Edinburgh-born,

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and were, no doubt, influenced by the landscape and the character

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of the city which was known for its smog, as "Auld Reekie."

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And later we'll be finding out what inspired

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Robert Louis Stevenson's famous work, Jekyll And Hyde.

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But first, welcome to Hopetoun House, our stunning

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and unique valuation day location,

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just outside of Edinburgh.

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Well, the writing's definitely on the wall - that's for sure.

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Hundreds of people have turned up here, today,

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to have their antiques and collectables valued.

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Now, somebody here in this massive queue has got something

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that's worth a small fortune. It's our experts' job to find it,

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and, hopefully, they'll be going home with a bob or two.

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A touch of rain couldn't keep these hardy Scots away,

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and even our experts are braving the weather.

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-What have you got?

-Go away!

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I'm sick of you already! It's only the morning.

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They're the authors of today's story.

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The ever articulate James Lewis...

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That is fantastic!

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..and the well-versed Adam Partridge.

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"Among the heathy hills and ragged woods,

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"the roaring Fyres pours his moosy floods,

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"till full he dashes on the rocky mounds,

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"where, thro' a shapeless breach, his stream resounds."

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Do you know, I'd stick to the day job if I was you, Adam!

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Well, their valuations will be put to the test

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when the items go under the hammer at auction.

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And now it's time to put pen to paper,

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as we ask that all-important question, which is...

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What's it worth?!

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I think we've kept everyone waiting long enough,

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so let's open the doors and invite everyone into the warm.

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On today's show, two musical items from a bygone era.

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The delicate tinkle of a 19th-century music box...

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TWINKLING MUSIC

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..and the less refined bellow of a concertina.

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But can you guess which hits the high note at auction?

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1,200...

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..and 50.

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Well, this magnificent ballroom here at Hopetoun House

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was designed at the height of the Victorian period,

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when the aristocracy used to love to dance and throw big balls,

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and what a party you could have here.

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This room measures 28 metres by ten metres.

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That is vast. And today,

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well, we're using it for an altogether different purpose,

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but we have filled it with hundreds of people,

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laden with antiques and collectables. So let's get started

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with the valuing and hand the proceedings over to Adam Partridge.

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He's found an item that befits our surroundings.

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Gordon and Liz. Thank you for coming along.

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-Not at all.

-I was delighted to see this object.

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This is the sort of thing that would, perhaps, 100 years

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after it was made, might have been used as an entertaining item

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in the parlours, do you think?

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-That's right. I'm sure it was.

-It's a late 19th-century musical box.

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With this rosewood lid, inlaid with a drum and a trumpet,

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to give you the idea, of course, of what's inside.

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And there it is, there. Can you tell me how you came to own it, first of all?

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My mother bought it when I was a child, from the Red Cross shop

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-for 15 shillings.

-Was that a lot then?

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-Probably quite a lot.

-A dozen loaves of bread.

-A dozen loaves of bread.

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Do you have childhood memories of this, then?

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-Was it played, or was it something you had to stay away from?

-No, no.

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-We could play it.

-And how about presently, now, in your home?

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Is it still out and used, or where does it live at the moment?

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It's only played occasionally when I dust it, but it needs a good home.

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Well, good. There are a lot of collectors for this type of thing.

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-Yeah.

-Musical boxes and mechanical music, in general,

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are keenly sought after, and there are lots of different models,

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in the same way as, I suppose, you get a basic car

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and a very flashy car, with all the different features on it.

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-Yes.

-You'd get that with a musical box.

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These were made at the end of the 19th century,

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late 19th century, and the movements were Swiss-made.

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And this is a fairly humble model, really.

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-But a nice one, nevertheless. Is it working?

-Oh, yes, it works.

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It looks in pretty good order, in general.

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All the teeth are present.

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Which isn't bad for over 100 years, is it?

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The only thing it's missing, though, would have been a glazed cover.

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I think it had one when we first, when Mum first bought it.

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But where the cover has gone - the mists of time has taken it,

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-I think.

-Oh, well. Any idea on value?

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I had it valued about 20-odd years ago.

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-And it was then about £200.

-Yeah.

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I would think 2-300 would be a sensible estimate.

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-That sounds fine.

-Probably, your reserve should be £200.

-Fine.

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I think it'll make towards the 300, or maybe even a touch more.

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Whatever it makes, it'll be more than we had this morning.

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-Well, absolutely. That's the spirit. So can we have a play?

-Yes.

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I think that's an Italian...

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TWINKLY MUSIC PLAYS

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-There we are.

-Bravo.

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Well, thank you very much for bringing it along.

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-Thank you very much, indeed.

-And I hope we hear the tune of success

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-at the auction.

-Yes.

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James has also got his hands on a piece of early entertainment.

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Eleanor, there are certain things that are just archetypal antiques.

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Things that you see very rarely,

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but the public have seen so often.

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But the interesting thing with this is it's going to appeal

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to two very different groups of people.

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It's going to appeal to the child,

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-who's going to enjoy the images...

-Yes.

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..but also the scientific brain,

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-who's going to want to understand how it works.

-Yeah.

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And it almost comes under the same category as a globe,

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or a microscope, that sort of thing.

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What do you know about it?

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Well, I know it's called a zoetrope.

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As children, we used to

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sit and very carefully watch

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the moving pictures.

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It came from my grandmother's family.

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I don't know where she got it from.

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It didn't come out very often. It was kept in the attic.

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My grandfather brought it down very carefully, unravelled the slides,

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and we sat round the old big table in the kitchen

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with our eyes glued.

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It is a very interesting bit of entertainment history,

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but also scientific history.

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The idea that you can look through an aperture

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and swivel a picture and change it,

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is one that dates back generations.

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I don't know if you ever did this at school,

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but paint a little picture on the corner of your jotter

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or your sketchbook at school.

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-And flick through.

-Flick the pages.

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If we look through the side here, and then turn,

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the whole picture starts to form.

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And we see here a horse leaping over a hedge,

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and of course it helps to date this

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by the fact that the horse is

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a classic early 19th-century horse.

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Of course, the horse's stride is totally wrong.

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This is how we thought a horse would walk before, with two front legs

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going forward first, followed by the two back legs, a bit like a rabbit.

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Of course, the right front goes with the back left.

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If you look at the base of it, it's a turned section of mahogany.

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-Was this part always made of tin?

-Normally made of tin.

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This is slightly buckled.

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I've seen them made from card, as well, the later ones,

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but they very rarely last in the way that this has.

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And here, we have various types of paper band -

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we've got the circus,

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that would be attractive to a child.

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The great thing about this is that you have a mass of them,

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-you've got loads of them.

-Yeah.

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OK, some of them are tired,

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but others are in relatively good condition.

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OK, we need to come up with a price.

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I would like to put £5-£800 on it with a reserve

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of 500 firm.

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OK, that's lovely, thank you very much.

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Well, I look forward to seeing it at the auction

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and I think it's going to do very well.

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Thank you so much.

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What a great piece of history,

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and it shows just how far technology has come.

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Adam has found something that is hugely popular and beautiful to boot.

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-Sally, we see lots of Moorcroft on this programme.

-Yeah.

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In fact, very rarely does a show pass without an example

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coming across, but I couldn't help noticing this one because it's

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quite a nice distinctive shape, and it's quite a large piece.

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Now, how did you come to own this?

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Well, I did have a next-door neighbour, an elderly lady,

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and she died.

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Her daughter-in-law came up because they had to sell the house,

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so I was helping them out and we came across this Moorcroft dish.

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She said, "I've got no use for it, would you like it?"

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And I thought, well, I love Moorcroft, so yes, I'll take it. That's great.

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-Absolutely.

-I tried to do research,

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or even to get to know what the design was.

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I couldn't see a dish like this on the internet.

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OK. The shape is quite an unusual... That lipped bowl.

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It's quite nice, but it's tube-lined, as they always are,

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with the anemone design on this green ground.

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Commercially, it's not the top end of Moorcroft.

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The vases always sell better than bowls, for a start,

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because they display better in a cabinet.

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This green ground isn't as popular perhaps as the blue

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and the red flambe grounds, but is a very pleasing thing.

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And it's decorated around the outside.

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-Shall we do the old flip over and see what's underneath?

-Yes, please.

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Fascinating to know about it a little bit.

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Yes, and you've got the blue signature there of Walter Moorcroft,

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-which dates this probably to the end of the 1940s or so.

-Oh, is it?

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I asked you why you've decided to sell it - presumably, it's out

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in Sally's house looking wonderful, full of fruit, overflowing.

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No, it isn't. I have it wrapped up and packed away in a drawer.

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-Oh, stop it!

-I don't have a place to display it and it's really pretty.

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The only time I really get to enjoy it is to have a quiet moment

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where I take it out, have a look at it,

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wrap it up and go, "Well, one of these days..."

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Maybe somebody else would enjoy it.

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-Not tempted to have it on the sideboard?

-No, because...

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Good, too late now! We're selling it - off to auction!

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-Any idea on the value?

-Um, no.

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-I think most probably about 200, £300.

-Very good. Very good.

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You've done your research. You're obviously an intelligent lady.

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I think you're right, it's going to make about £300,

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hopefully a touch more.

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I would suggest 250 to 350 for the estimate

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-and my bet is it will make £340.

-Ooh, that would be nice.

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-Don't hold me to it! But thanks for coming.

-Oh, you're welcome.

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-I've really enjoyed it. And I found a little bit out about it.

-Good!

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-Well, I've enjoyed talking to you.

-OK, thanks!

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A very precise prediction of £340 and, yes, Adam,

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we will hold you to it!

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So, that's our first three items in the bag and ready to go to auction.

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We have the delicate-sounding musical box.

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Will anyone find a place for it in their home?

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This zoetrope is a classic antique,

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but will anybody want to pay £500 for it?

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And Adam is confident this Moorcroft bowl will sell for exactly £340.

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Well, let's see if he's right as we travel west to Glasgow

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and the Great Western Auction House.

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And it's nice to be welcomed by a friendly face - Anita Manning!

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-What's it like being up on that rostrum?

-It's absolutely wonderful!

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-It's home territory for me. It's where I feel comfortable.

-Do you?

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Yes, I like to give them a show, to make it an event!

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Save me time, then, in at 200.

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Lovely wee thing, there. Are you bidding?

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50 on the floor. Fresh bidder.

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With me at 30. 260. 220 with me!

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You've been auctioneering now for most of your life, haven't you?

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-Were you the first lady auctioneer in Scotland?

-One of the first.

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25 years ago, I stood on the rostrum for the very first time.

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I had 400 lots to sell and I know that

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when auctioneers start off, they're given 10 or 20.

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-But you had 400.

-Straight in at 400.

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As soon as I started, within ten lots,

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I knew...

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-this is the job for me!

-This is it!

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-Any advance on 180? 180.

-Hey, look -

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have great fun on there later, OK?

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-Yes.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

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Remember, at every auction house,

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there's commission to pay.

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Here, it's 18% and first to the fore,

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it's the ever popular Moorcroft bowl.

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Going under the hammer right now, one of the most famous

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names in pottery - a bit of Moorcroft and it belongs to Sally.

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It's a gorgeous bowl.

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At the valuation day, Adam had an exact...

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An exact, I must say, not an approximate, but an exact valuation.

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I'm going to look stupid again, aren't I?!

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-340.

-340.

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-I might want to review that slightly!

-2 to 3(!)

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Why are you selling it? Because for me, it's a keeper.

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Well, I don't have a place to put it, I don't use it,

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I just wrap it up and put it in my drawer.

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It's the old Flog It! story - it lives in a drawer!

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-But also, a bowl of this size, Paul...

-Fruit?

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Yeah, I know, but it's easier to have a vase than a bowl.

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-Right now, we're trying to sell this one. Here we go.

-It's beautiful.

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Let's hope so.

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It's the anemone pattern.

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Can we say 400? 300?

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Will you start me at £200? 200 bid.

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With you, madam, at 200.

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Any advance on 200? 210.

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220. 230. 240.

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Any advance on £240?

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-Any advance on 240...?

-Oh, no, I've lost, Paul.

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All done at 240.

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100 quid out!

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It sold, though, within estimate, OK?

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That was good.

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It's not a good day at the office for Adam! He's a perfectionist!

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Hey, you're happy. Within estimate.

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It's not easy putting a value on antiques, Adam,

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so we'll let you off this time.

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Let's see if he does better on the musical box.

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Right, Liz and Gordon! We're going to make sweet music, all of us.

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Adam is here. Eight airs, I believe, this musical box, top of the range.

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There's a huge interest in mechanical music of all sorts, so...

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We're interested to find that you've

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decided it comes from Switzerland, because we just assumed...

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-Yes, quality!

-Well engineered, like Swiss watches and movements.

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Victorian mechanics, as well.

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So let's hope we strike the right note with this lot - the bidders.

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It's all down to them right now

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as we hand things over to Anita Manning.

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Can we say £300?

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200? 200?

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I have bids on the books. 200 bid.

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It's with you, sir, at £200.

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220 here?

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250. 280.

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280 on the books.

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Any advance on 280?

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-300, fresh bidder.

-Come on.

-320.

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It's on the books at 320.

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That's better, I like that.

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Any advance on 320?

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All done at 320, 320.

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-Didn't go for a song!

-No, it didn't! We'll leave you with that, ouch!

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That's a lovely one! "It didn't go for a song!"

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Adam has redeemed himself and his musical box made over the estimate.

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Let's hope the zoetrope gets the bidders watching.

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Invented in 1853 by mathematician William George Horner

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we have the zoetrope going under the hammer and it belongs to Eleanor,

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who's standing right next to me with our expert, James.

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Now, for me, this was the best thing at the valuation day.

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I love it! It's early telly!

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That was what it was all about, wasn't it?

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-It was!

-I bet, as a young girl, you enjoyed this.

-We did, yes.

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Yes, lots of use. Condition is slightly against it,

0:17:570:17:59

but where can you find another with all of the pictures and diagrams?

0:17:590:18:04

-There's a lot there.

-Yes, I mean it's SO rare.

0:18:040:18:08

Well, we've got a fixed reserve at £550.

0:18:080:18:10

Hopefully, we will sell it beyond that. Here we go.

0:18:100:18:14

It's a mid-19th century zoetrope.

0:18:140:18:16

We have 23

0:18:160:18:19

coloured printed circular discs,

0:18:190:18:23

so you have the full home entertainment kit there!

0:18:230:18:28

£1,000. 1,000. 500.

0:18:290:18:33

Will you start me at £400?

0:18:330:18:37

400. 400 bid.

0:18:370:18:39

Any advance on 400?

0:18:390:18:42

450. 500.

0:18:420:18:45

550. £600.

0:18:450:18:48

650. £700.

0:18:480:18:51

700.

0:18:510:18:52

750.

0:18:530:18:55

-It's going in the room.

-£750.

0:18:550:18:59

Any advance on 750?

0:18:590:19:02

All done at 750.

0:19:020:19:04

750.

0:19:040:19:06

-Yes! Eleanor, we did it! £750.

-Gosh!

-Well, I'm happy.

0:19:060:19:11

I was a bit worried there, for a moment!

0:19:110:19:15

-Thought I'd be taking it home with me!

-Condition was against it.

0:19:150:19:18

-Nevertheless, it's a good price.

-Thank you very much.

0:19:180:19:23

Back at the valuation day at Hopetoun House,

0:19:290:19:31

James has found a very special musical instrument.

0:19:310:19:35

Gordon, as a valuer,

0:19:360:19:38

as soon as you see a leather box

0:19:380:19:41

that's had some tooling

0:19:410:19:43

and gilt originally around the border there,

0:19:430:19:46

you know there's something of real quality.

0:19:460:19:49

You know what's in there, I know what's in there,

0:19:490:19:51

it's a concertina of the most fabulous quality.

0:19:510:19:55

We've got the maker's mark,

0:19:560:19:58

Wheatstone & Co.

0:19:580:20:01

So, tell me, do you play?

0:20:010:20:02

-No, I don't play.

-Can you make a noise?

0:20:020:20:05

-I can make a noise.

-Go on, go for it. Let's see how good you are.

0:20:050:20:08

Not at all.

0:20:080:20:10

CONCERTINA SQUEAKILY PLAYS

0:20:100:20:13

I told you I couldn't play.

0:20:160:20:18

APPLAUSE

0:20:180:20:20

You're very easy to please.

0:20:200:20:23

It is the god of concertinas, Wheatstone.

0:20:230:20:26

They're the best makers. They started around 1850.

0:20:260:20:30

On each end, we should have a pierced, in this case,

0:20:300:20:35

wooden end board, ebony in this case.

0:20:350:20:39

You also find them in rosewood,

0:20:390:20:41

you also find them in chrome or polished steel.

0:20:410:20:44

And at the end here, 26542 is the serial number

0:20:440:20:49

that gives you an idea of when it was made.

0:20:490:20:51

I cheated earlier and I asked one of the off-screen valuers

0:20:510:20:54

to look it up for me and he said it's about 1885 to 1890.

0:20:540:20:59

The value in these things is always dependent on the number of buttons,

0:20:590:21:03

and we've got 48, which is great, which is good news.

0:21:030:21:07

I always think as soon as one of these arrives in the saleroom,

0:21:070:21:10

if it's in good order,

0:21:100:21:12

it is about the easiest thing to sell in the world.

0:21:120:21:16

It is an auctioneer's dream, but...

0:21:160:21:19

..it's clearly not your dream, so why are you selling it?

0:21:200:21:23

Well, it was my great-uncle's. He did play it, and when he died,

0:21:230:21:28

it passed to my father, they were downsizing and it...

0:21:280:21:32

He said did I want it?

0:21:320:21:33

And I said, "Yes, it's a really nice thing, so I'll take it."

0:21:330:21:37

But all it's done is sit up in the loft

0:21:370:21:39

-for the last kind of ten or 12 years.

-Really?

-Yeah.

0:21:390:21:42

Most of its value lies in its modern-day demand for somebody who

0:21:420:21:47

would actually still want to play it because it's in such good order

0:21:470:21:51

and at the moment the biggest market for these is in Celtic bands,

0:21:510:21:55

but there are plenty of collectors for them, as well.

0:21:550:21:58

-I'm going to give you two values.

-OK.

0:21:580:22:01

-One is what I think it'll actually sell for.

-OK.

0:22:010:22:03

But the other one is the estimate that I think we should put on

0:22:030:22:07

-to encourage the right interest to end up at that figure.

-OK.

0:22:070:22:11

-So I think an auction estimate should be £500-700.

-OK.

0:22:110:22:16

But I think it'll make over 1,000.

0:22:170:22:20

-I'm hoping.

-OK.

-Fingers crossed.

-Good.

0:22:200:22:23

-It's a good thing.

-That's good, yeah.

0:22:230:22:25

If anything ever was a guaranteed seller,

0:22:250:22:28

without putting the curse on it...

0:22:280:22:30

It'll probably end up not selling now I've said that,

0:22:300:22:33

-but that is as much as a guaranteed sale as you'll ever get.

-OK.

0:22:330:22:36

-And a reserve of 500?

-Reserve of 500.

-OK, that's fine.

-Brilliant.

0:22:360:22:40

You heard it here first. James says it's a guaranteed sale,

0:22:400:22:44

so keep watching to find out if he's right.

0:22:440:22:47

This is what I love doing at a valuation day -

0:22:470:22:49

mixing it up amongst all the people.

0:22:490:22:50

Now, you can't come to Scotland and talk about literature

0:22:500:22:54

without mentioning the notorious Robbie Burns.

0:22:540:22:57

So how notorious were his poems?

0:22:570:23:00

Let's find out, shall we?

0:23:000:23:01

Anyone here...? Can anyone recite a bit of Robbie Burns?

0:23:010:23:04

-Just a verse or two. Anyone?

-Yeah.

0:23:040:23:06

Can you? Go on, then. Nice and loud. Ready? Listen, everyone. Here we go.

0:23:060:23:11

OK. Tam O'Shanter.

0:23:110:23:12

"When chapman billies leave the street

0:23:120:23:15

"And drouthy neebors, neebors meet

0:23:150:23:17

"As market-days are wearing late

0:23:170:23:19

"An' folk begin to tak the gate

0:23:190:23:21

"We sit bousing at the nappy

0:23:210:23:23

"Getting fou and unco' happy."

0:23:230:23:26

Bousing at the nappy!

0:23:260:23:28

Well done! I love it.

0:23:280:23:31

It just goes to show the poems of Robbie Burns still live on today.

0:23:310:23:34

And there are a wealth of collectables in homage

0:23:360:23:38

to the great man.

0:23:380:23:40

Now Adam's found a glove box that's never seen the inside of a car.

0:23:400:23:44

Well, picture the day when this was a ballroom full of very

0:23:450:23:48

elegant people having a dance and the ladies would've been wearing...

0:23:480:23:52

Their gloves, yes.

0:23:520:23:54

..very fancy evening gloves and things like that

0:23:540:23:57

and they would've stored their gloves in a box just like that -

0:23:570:24:00

perhaps in this very box, which is made locally.

0:24:000:24:03

-Yes.

-In the town of Mauchline.

-Yes, that's right.

0:24:030:24:06

So, Pat, thank you very much for bringing it.

0:24:060:24:09

Tell me, where did you get it from, what do you know about it?

0:24:090:24:12

Well, I don't know much about it.

0:24:120:24:13

-It was my aunt's, so I inherited it a couple of years ago.

-OK.

0:24:130:24:17

-Would it be Victorian?

-Yeah, Victorian or maybe slightly later.

0:24:170:24:21

Turn of the century, 1900s or so, most likely.

0:24:210:24:24

Although Mauchline Ware was made from the early 19th century

0:24:240:24:27

-right up until the 1930s, I think.

-Was it?

0:24:270:24:29

So judging by the construction and the type of decoration,

0:24:290:24:32

-1900s or thereabouts.

-That age, yeah.

0:24:320:24:34

-You know people like little boxes.

-Well, they do, yes.

0:24:340:24:36

A lot of collectors of boxes

0:24:360:24:38

and a lot of collectors of Mauchline Ware, of course,

0:24:380:24:41

relatively locally made, South Ayrshire, in the town of Mauchline.

0:24:410:24:45

-Do you use it at all?

-No.

-No?

0:24:450:24:47

I think someone's been using it for pencils.

0:24:470:24:50

There we are, simple box inside and it does actually...

0:24:500:24:52

You can see remnants of pencil storage in there.

0:24:520:24:55

-But it's just a decorative box, isn't it?

-It's a very nice thing,

0:24:550:24:59

made from sycamore, as they always are.

0:24:590:25:03

And we've got three famous Scottish landmarks on here,

0:25:030:25:07

Burns' monument, Burns' cottage and Alloway Kirk.

0:25:070:25:12

-Do you know much about Alloway Kirk?

-No, I've been to the cottage.

0:25:120:25:15

Years ago, when I was young.

0:25:150:25:16

I believe also that a lot of them were decorated by children,

0:25:160:25:20

-because it's a fairly simple transfer print.

-That's right.

0:25:200:25:23

So why have you decided to sell it?

0:25:230:25:25

Just because I don't do anything with it, it just sits on the top.

0:25:250:25:28

-It's in the way.

-Yeah.

0:25:280:25:29

-My estimate would be something like £30-50.

-Yeah.

0:25:290:25:32

Does that fit in with your expectations?

0:25:320:25:34

Yes, that fits in OK, no problem.

0:25:340:25:36

Are you going to trust in the auction system

0:25:360:25:38

and let it go to the highest bidder

0:25:380:25:40

or do you want to put a reserve on it?

0:25:400:25:41

-No reserve, yeah, just hope for the best.

-No reserve, let it go.

0:25:410:25:44

Well, thanks. That's very good. Thanks for bringing it along.

0:25:440:25:47

-Thank you very much.

-Pleasure.

0:25:470:25:49

Now, if you've got any unwanted antiques and collectables

0:25:520:25:55

you want to flog, we'd like to do it for you

0:25:550:25:57

and this is where your journey starts -

0:25:570:25:59

a valuation day very much like this one.

0:25:590:26:02

Details of up-and-coming dates and venues

0:26:020:26:04

you can find on our BBC website,

0:26:040:26:06

or check the details in your local press because, fingers crossed,

0:26:060:26:09

we're coming to an area near you soon.

0:26:090:26:12

Dust 'em down and bring 'em in.

0:26:120:26:14

-Pearl, you're a brave lady.

-Ooh.

0:26:190:26:22

-Transporting mercury in a barometer.

-I know.

0:26:220:26:26

Though the good news is you clearly know how to move a barometer.

0:26:260:26:30

Do you know, the first time I ever handled a barometer in a sale room,

0:26:300:26:34

I was a porter, I was 19 years old,

0:26:340:26:36

-first thing I did was put it flat.

-Right.

-Big mistake.

-Yes.

0:26:360:26:40

Mercury went everywhere

0:26:400:26:42

but this is a really lovely piece of 19th-century interior furnishings.

0:26:420:26:48

-Known as a stick barometer for obvious reasons.

-Yeah.

0:26:480:26:51

Barometers come in three various forms -

0:26:510:26:54

the most valuable is the signpost barometer.

0:26:540:26:58

The most common are the wheel barometers

0:26:580:27:01

and those at the moment are very unfashionable

0:27:010:27:03

and they're selling for as little as £100.

0:27:030:27:06

These are somewhere in the middle,

0:27:060:27:08

this one towards - much, much closer towards - the wheel barometer.

0:27:080:27:13

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

0:27:130:27:15

But what we've got is a glass tube

0:27:150:27:19

and then that goes right the way down into the mercury reservoir here

0:27:190:27:25

and you can see that that compresses there,

0:27:250:27:28

-you can see there's...

-Yeah.

-Pressure can be applied

0:27:280:27:31

and as the atmospheric pressure changes,

0:27:310:27:34

the mercury rises up the tube

0:27:340:27:38

and comes to a temperature gauge here at the top.

0:27:380:27:41

And in very, very fine weather,

0:27:410:27:45

it raises, and in cold weather,

0:27:450:27:48

it falls.

0:27:480:27:49

The case itself is mahogany,

0:27:490:27:51

but it does have a feel that it has been somewhere unloved.

0:27:510:27:56

-Yes, yes. Neglected.

-So why is it neglected?

0:27:560:28:01

Well, we found it, it was lying in the back of a wardrobe in the house.

0:28:010:28:04

-Really?

-I mean, a chappie did offer us £50 for it, but...

-I bet he did!

0:28:040:28:09

But it was a curious thing, we hadn't seen one before,

0:28:090:28:12

we thought, well, we will just go and see. Get some information on it.

0:28:120:28:16

Well, that is certainly a cheeky offer.

0:28:160:28:18

Judging by its style, I would say it is a British maker.

0:28:180:28:23

Very, very plain.

0:28:230:28:24

Now, in terms of value,

0:28:250:28:28

I would put an estimate of £180-£250 on it.

0:28:280:28:34

-And I would like to see a reserve of about £180.

-OK.

0:28:340:28:38

-Yes.

-But I think it would certainly make that.

0:28:380:28:41

-I am hoping it will make top end. It is a good thing.

-Yeah.

0:28:410:28:45

-And thank you for bringing it in.

-Thank you.

0:28:450:28:48

And well done for not selling it to the man for £50!

0:28:480:28:52

Antiques go in and out of fashion

0:28:520:28:55

and barometers are not as popular as they once were.

0:28:550:28:58

Will it make the £180 reserve?

0:28:580:29:00

Find out in just a minute.

0:29:000:29:02

The concertina is of the highest quality.

0:29:050:29:08

James thinks it is a sure thing. But could he be proved wrong?

0:29:080:29:11

The Mauchline Ware box is fit for a scholar.

0:29:140:29:17

Will there be any Robert Burns fans willing to bid?

0:29:170:29:20

And an item that has been replaced by technology, the barometer.

0:29:220:29:25

The pressure is on to see if it will sell.

0:29:250:29:28

400.

0:29:360:29:37

And it's back over to Anita for the last time.

0:29:370:29:40

Well, we couldn't come to Scotland and make a Flog It! show

0:29:400:29:43

without featuring a bit of Mauchline Ware, let's face it!

0:29:430:29:46

It would go against the grain. We've seen it before and we'll see many more in the future.

0:29:460:29:50

This bit belongs to Patricia and she is right next to me.

0:29:500:29:52

I like the images. The Burns Monument and the little cottage.

0:29:520:29:55

Not a lot of money, £30-£50, but it's going to do it.

0:29:550:29:58

Yeah, of course it will. It's its market level

0:29:580:30:00

and we put it through without reserve,

0:30:000:30:02

because where better to sell something local?

0:30:020:30:04

Let's put this value to the test. I am sure it will find a buyer here.

0:30:040:30:07

This is it.

0:30:070:30:09

Scottish item, ladies and gentlemen.

0:30:090:30:11

One of our charming Mauchline Ware pieces.

0:30:110:30:15

A glove box here, with three views.

0:30:150:30:18

We have Burns Monument, Alloway Kirk and Burns' cottage, of course.

0:30:180:30:24

Can we say £50?

0:30:240:30:26

£50 for the Mauchline? £50?

0:30:260:30:28

£30. Start me at £20.

0:30:280:30:31

20, 30, 40,

0:30:310:30:33

£40.

0:30:330:30:35

With you, sir, at 40.

0:30:350:30:37

Any advance on £40?

0:30:370:30:39

All done at £40? £40.

0:30:390:30:41

-£40, mid-estimate. Well done, Adam.

-That's fine, yeah.

0:30:410:30:44

-That's a good result, isn't it?

-Yeah, fine.

0:30:440:30:46

-Thank you for bringing that in.

-Thanks very much.

0:30:460:30:48

Bit of local interest.

0:30:480:30:50

110... 120, 130,

0:30:500:30:52

140...

0:30:520:30:54

Are you out? 140.

0:30:540:30:57

Well, so far, so good.

0:30:570:30:59

And I tell you what, things are really flying out today.

0:30:590:31:01

And it is getting so hot in here.

0:31:010:31:03

And I know that, because we have a stick barometer

0:31:030:31:05

and I have just read it. And it belongs to Pearl.

0:31:050:31:08

-I reckon this is going to fly out of the room.

-Well, hopefully, yes.

0:31:080:31:11

I reckon everyone needs one of these.

0:31:110:31:12

I don't think they are accurate,

0:31:120:31:14

-but they look fabulous, don't they?

-They do.

-If it's hot. Look at this.

0:31:140:31:17

Oh, wow! I told you it's getting hot in here.

0:31:170:31:21

They're really the in thing.

0:31:210:31:23

-What are they called?

-Hot glasses.

-Hot glasses.

0:31:230:31:26

Because it is getting hot in here.

0:31:260:31:28

-Aren't they just fantastic?

-They are brilliant!

0:31:280:31:30

-Well, keep them on, James.

-Sorry... Anyway, moving on!

0:31:300:31:33

19th-century mahogany case stick barometer,

0:31:330:31:37

with the inset ivory scale.

0:31:370:31:40

Can we say 300? 200? Start me at £100.

0:31:400:31:44

£100 on the barometer?

0:31:440:31:46

100? 100.

0:31:460:31:48

100 bid.

0:31:480:31:50

Any advance on £100?

0:31:500:31:53

Any advance on 100? 110, 120.

0:31:530:31:57

Any advance on £120?

0:31:570:31:58

Any advance on 120?

0:31:580:32:02

Any advance on 120? 120?

0:32:020:32:04

-Not sold.

-Aargh!

0:32:060:32:07

-Oh!

-It is suddenly cooling down.

0:32:070:32:09

I have got to take it all the way home again! SHE LAUGHS

0:32:130:32:16

-Give it some love.

-Yes, it is going to have to be...

0:32:160:32:19

It is just so insane, isn't it?

0:32:190:32:21

That that stick barometer would have made £500 just ten years ago.

0:32:210:32:25

-Stick it on the wall for another five or ten years.

-Exactly.

0:32:250:32:28

-And see what happens?

-Exactly. Good luck.

-OK. Thank you.

0:32:280:32:31

-Thank you very much.

-Goodbye.

0:32:310:32:33

Fashions come and go, so maybe Pearl will have more luck

0:32:330:32:37

selling her barometer in a few years' time.

0:32:370:32:40

Right, now it is time to squeeze some money out of the bidders.

0:32:430:32:46

We have Gordon's Wheatstone & Co concertina.

0:32:460:32:48

We have seen them on the show before. Did you ever play it at all?

0:32:480:32:52

-No. No.

-No, just inherited it?

-Just inherited it from my great-uncle.

0:32:520:32:55

Condition is good and that is what it is all about.

0:32:550:32:57

If the bellows are all split and worn, there are problems,

0:32:570:33:00

but it is all there.

0:33:000:33:01

-Definite.

-Let's find out what it makes, shall we? Here we go.

0:33:010:33:04

The ebony Wheatstone octagonal six-bellow concertina.

0:33:040:33:08

-I have bids in the books, ladies and gentlemen.

-That is good.

0:33:080:33:11

And I can start the bidding at...

0:33:110:33:14

-£450.

-Oh!

0:33:140:33:17

-We wouldn't sell it for that!

-450.

0:33:170:33:20

450 on the book.

0:33:200:33:22

Any advance on 450?

0:33:220:33:25

-500?

-She's playing with them.

-550.

0:33:250:33:28

600. 650.

0:33:280:33:31

700, 750.

0:33:310:33:34

800, 850,

0:33:340:33:37

900, 950.

0:33:370:33:40

-1,000, 1,050.

-Ooh...

0:33:400:33:45

1,100. And 50.

0:33:450:33:47

-We might do the 12 now.

-Oh, oh, oh.

0:33:470:33:49

1,200.

0:33:510:33:52

And 50.

0:33:540:33:55

1,300. The book is out.

0:33:570:34:00

It's on the phone. At £1,300.

0:34:000:34:04

Is there any advance on 1,300?

0:34:040:34:09

Any advance on 1,300?

0:34:090:34:11

1,300.

0:34:110:34:13

-Brilliant.

-APPLAUSE

0:34:130:34:16

-Well done.

-Well done.

-Somebody will be going out busking tonight!

0:34:160:34:20

-That is a good result, isn't it?

-A very good result, yes.

0:34:200:34:23

-Enjoy that money.

-Absolutely. Yes.

-Thanks for bringing it in.

-Yes, thank you.

0:34:230:34:26

150, 160, 170, 180...

0:34:260:34:28

Well, that is it from Anita's saleroom.

0:34:280:34:30

Lots of lucky folk go home with heavier pockets

0:34:300:34:32

and Pearl gets to enjoy her barometer for another year!

0:34:320:34:36

See you next time on Flog It!

0:34:380:34:39

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