Episode 8 Flog It!

Full of international flavour, this stunning manor house

is Wrest Park, home to our valuations today.

A French-style chateaux built at the end of the Georgian era.

Inside can be found rooms full of Eastern promise and we'll come

back to that a bit later on in the show, because there's

a queue forming around this building which mustn't be kept waiting.

Well, the sun is shining, there's smiles on everybody's faces.

Hundreds of people have turned up

and lined the terrace for us today,

from all over, Bedfordshire and beyond,

carrying their unwanted antiques and collectables.

And some of these items may have come from countries from

far-flung corners of the globe, but the one thing they do have in

common is, if you're happy with the valuation, what are you going to do?

-ALL:

-Flog it!

And it's a good job too, because already rifling through the

queue is our intrepid antique explorer, Anita Manning...

Do you wear it? Where did you get it? Have you used it?

No.

..who always asks the right questions.

Do you like cats?

-I do, I love cats.

-Has this one got a name?

-No.

And the man with all the answers is "Flog It!" new boy, David Harper.

Yeah, yeah, 19th-century.

Got a bit of African tribal art going on here, haven't we?

But can he keep up with Anita Manning?

A military gentleman, a military gentleman.

-Really?

-I was.

-David was a Boy Scout.

Yeah, but I was barred.

On that note, I think we'd better get a move on.

Let's get this raucous bunch down to the formal gardens where we'll

be holding our valuations today, all under the watchful gaze of

Wrest's impressive collection of 18th-century statues.

And I think the pairs of lovers are rubbing off on our experts today,

because they've got one thing on their minds.

For me, the main use of a fan is to flirt.

If it makes 200, you're taking me out on a date. How's that?

But how do our items fare at auction?

It was close, wasn't it?

It was absolutely astonishing.

And will Pat have to go on that date?

-You're a bit in shock, aren't you? I think.

-I am.

Well, look at that for a valuation day backdrop.

It doesn't get any better than this, so let's get this show on the

road and catch up with our experts and see what they've uncovered.

And, as Anita loves her diamonds,

she is very happy to have sat down with Janet.

Tell me, where did you get it?

My late husband gave it to me about 15 years ago as a birthday present.

He liked to buy me nice things and I think

he got as much pleasure of giving them to me

as I did in sort of wearing them, so, yeah, it was lovely.

Tell me, do you wear it now?

I used to wear it, but I haven't worn it for a while,

because I don't have the occasion to wear that type of thing.

It's really very much a going out to posh places thing,

-isn't it, really?

-That's exactly it. That's posh stuff.

-THEY LAUGH

-Yeah.

It's lovely. Now, I've had a wee look at it.

It's set in either a platinum or a high-carat white gold.

-OK.

-And we have both baguette diamonds and we have

round brilliants of various different sizes.

-OK.

-And I think, cumulatively,

we've probably got over two carats there.

Diamonds are always beautiful and diamonds are always in fashion.

Yes, OK.

So, I would put an estimate of, say, five to seven

on the brooch and we would put a reserve price of maybe 450.

But I would like a bit of discretion on that 450,

-if you're happy with that?

-Yeah, thank you.

Will you be sad to see it go?

I will, really, because it was a special present,

but I need a new lawnmower.

-Oh, right.

-How boring is that? But there you go.

-And needs are as needs must.

-I know, I know.

So, we'll keep our fingers crossed with that and I hope that it

-will do very well.

-Thank you.

-And I'm delighted

-that you brought it in.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-It's a lovely thing to look at.

-Thank you.

And, now, from one beautifully crafted item to another.

Well, Pat, they say, don't they,

-that size isn't everything?

-Yes.

Well, I think it probably is, because that,

look at that little diddler.

-What do you know about it?

-Not a lot.

-Is that why you're here?

-Yes.

-Well, thanks for being helpful.

Any idea what it's made from?

I think it's ivory.

Absolutely right, it is ivory.

Now then, ivory, of course, is a contentious issue.

It's something that we all believe should not ever

under any circumstances be used today,

but this object comes from a different time.

So, go on, how long have you had it for?

About 40 years.

-OK, and do you know what it was made for?

-No.

Pat, you've had 40 years of research,

but I'm now going to give you a clue.

So, we open the lid - you hold that, Pat -

and then we have little mother-of-pearl counters,

for what, Pat?

-Gambling.

-Gambling.

-Yeah, thanks for the assistance there, yeah.

So, it's Chinese, it's very exotic, made in about 1850 to 1890.

Really?

And I think it was made for us in Hong Kong during the early

-days of our ownership of that territory.

-Hm.

And it's something that a gentleman about town would own and

he would carry it with him,

because gambling was big business.

And there are accounts through the 18th and the 19th centuries

where people lost their homes,

like this, because of things like this.

Literally, estates were lost overnight and gained,

because of little objects like that.

So, you've had it for 40 years. How did you come about it?

I was given it by a lady that I knew.

I used to do her hair for her.

So, do you look at it? Do you have it on display?

-It's in a cabinet, on display.

-OK.

Now, the market for ivory, I've got to tell you,

is on the slip down, and it's going to be an example

of how cheap antiques really are

and it's going to have to be £40-£60.

-And it might make...

-Really?

-I know, it's not much, is it?

-No.

-You thought it was worth more, didn't you?

-Yes, I did, actually.

Well, it's always good, I like to build them up, you see, Pat,

and then drag them down. Yeah.

Right, shall we reserve it at 40?

-Yes.

-So, you're happy to take it home if it doesn't sell?

-Yes.

Or do you want it just to go?

No, if it doesn't sell, I'll take it home.

OK, 40-60, reserve it at 40.

If it makes 200, you're taking me out on a date, how's that?

Don't agree to anything, Pat,

you don't know what it might make at auction.

Well, the crowds are still flocking in

and bringing all sorts of items with them,

including some very cute collectables.

Oh, what a lovely teddy. Is he yours?

-My brother's.

-Your brother's. Has he got a name?

-No.

Oh, shall we give him a name right here, right now?

-Yes.

-What shall we call him? What shall we call him?

Any ideas what we can call teddy? Let's christen him today.

-Paul!

-Not Paul, there's a better name than Paul.

-Gilbert!

-Sorry?

-Fred Bear.

-Fred Bear.

Someone said Gilbert, who said Gilbert?

Gilbert, I like Gilbert, do you like Gilbert?

-Do you like Gilbert, more importantly?

-Yes.

Yes. Gilbert the bear, welcome to "Flog It!"

You've got to have a name and the more well-known, the better,

as Anita can testify with her next find.

Val, Doulton, Royal Doulton is one of the best of the factories

and this is a wonderful,

large example of Doulton's work in the first half of the 20th century.

It is called a Dickens jug.

But tell me first of all how you came by it.

It belonged to a great friend of my mother's and when she died,

my mother had it and when my mother died, I had it.

-Right. Did you like it, Val?

-I don't particularly like it, no.

Tell me why you don't like it.

I don't like the colours and I just find it a bit dark.

Well, let's have a think about it, all of these faces here

are characters in Dickens' novels.

If we turn it up and have a look at the back stamp...

..we can see that we have three banners

with lists of Dickens' characters in them.

And it's interesting to try and guess which ones are which.

-Yes, it is, yes.

-Now, we have a little bit of script here.

-The script reads, "Keep my memory green."

-Yes.

And what that is, is - "Keep my memory fresh."

So, by designing this jug, the owner of the jug is continually

reminded of the wonderful, wonderful Dickens characters.

Now, this jug was designed by Charles Noke, who was one of

Royal Doulton's most prestigious designers.

-Oh, OK.

-And just as Charles Dickens painted so wonderfully

the characters in his books, so Charles Noke designed

the characters on this jug.

So, I think that it is really quite a lovely thing.

Would it have been decorative or would it have been used...?

It would've been a decorative jug,

-wouldn't have used that for anything.

-No.

I would like to put it into auction with

an estimate of 100-150 on it,

-Would you be happy with that estimate?

-Yes, yes, I would, yes.

We'll put a reserve price of, perhaps, 80 on it,

would you be happy with that?

-Yes. I wouldn't want to go below.

-Below that. Yeah.

I absolutely love it and in this jug, I have great expectations.

And I would like a little more.

Well, you never know, Val, your wish might be granted.

Charles Noke is highly regarded and viewers might be interested

to learn that his inspiration for this pattern came from

Robert William Buss' painting Dickens' Dream,

showing the author surrounded by the characters he had created.

Buss died before he could finish it in 1875.

With this history attached,

I'm sure Val's jug won't fall on hard times in the saleroom.

But before we make our way there,

let's have a quick reminder of the items we're taking with us.

We've got that pretty diamond brooch that Janet is hoping to trade

in for a much more practical lawnmower.

Then there's Pat's Oriental ivory counter box,

made in the 19th century.

It complies with the international CITES agreement on trade,

but is David right about ivory prices decreasing?

And our third item is that Royal Doulton Dickens' Dream jug,

designed by Charles Noke.

With all those famous names attached,

it's sure to attract lots of interest from the bidders.

We're heading 20 miles southeast, as the crow flies,

to our auction today.

This takes you straight through one of Europe's largest wildlife

conservation parks - Whipsnade Zoo.

Home to around 70 different species of birds,

as we found out back in 2009.

But we can't hang out with our feathered friends today,

because waiting for us at Tring Market Auctions

is auctioneer Stephen Hearn.

And going first under his hammer or, should I say, pencil

is Janet's glamorous diamond brooch.

It's from the '40s, it's absolutely stunning,

but we do know brooches sometimes struggle.

This is where the jeopardy comes into the auction room, doesn't it?

-It's so exciting, we've got a big caratage in that brooch...

-Yes.

..so that's going to help us,

-but we have no big, significant single stones.

-No.

But cumulatively it's absolutely divine.

-We're going to put that to the test, ready?

-OK.

Here we go, this is it.

The white gold diamond floral spray brooch,

I want about 500 for it.

300 bid then. 320, 350, are you 80, sir?

At 380, 400 now.

420 is it? 420, 420, 450, 450.

I have 450. Sir has it then, I'm selling at £450 then.

Thank you.

We've sold it at £450.

-Ohh. Good.

-That's OK.

-It was close, wasn't it?

It was.

But it climbed and it climbed and it climbed.

It doesn't really matter, it's gone, that's the best thing. OK, happy?

-Yes, thank you.

-Well done. Well done.

I hope that means Janet can get her much needed lawnmower.

Now, there's been a change of plan on our next item.

Pat has increased the reserve.

At £40-£60 by David at the valuation day,

you have upped that valuation, haven't you?

You cheeky monkey.

She's not taking a gamble, she wasn't happy, were you, Pat?

-No, no.

-Go on, get stuck in.

She was going to give me a telling off on the day,

I could sense it coming.

I think you're both right, I'm going to sit on the fence with this.

Let's put it to the test right now.

Here we are. What about £70 for those?

50, 40 bid then, 40 I have,

5, 50, 5, 60, 5, 70, 5, 80.

Blimey, it's doing well.

5, 90. 5, 100.

£100, it's got to 100.

And 10. £110 then, £110, it's going.

I shall sell for £110 then.

-You've got a new career, Pat.

-Have I?

You didn't need to worry, did you?

You see, you let the market decide, £110.

-Lovely.

-That's fantastic, isn't it?

-Fantastic.

-You're a bit in shock, aren't you? I think.

-I am.

Shocked, but clearly pleased.

Now, auctioneer Stephen Hearn likes our next lot so much,

he's upped the estimate from £150-£300 to £400.

So, when the auctioneer rang you up and said,

"Look, Valerie, I think we should say £300-£400."

Did you go, "Oh, Stephen, oh, I love you.

"You've made my day and, no, I'm not going to sell it

"cos it's worth so much, I've changed my mind." Did you? I bet.

I did think about whether I should sell it, but I don't like it, so...

You don't like it. Do you know what? I don't like it either.

-Do you like it?

-I think it's absolutely fascinating...

-But you wouldn't want to own it?

-I would have it, yeah.

I'd have the 400.

-And so would Valerie, wouldn't you?

-I would.

Yes. And he's obviously confident, he knows his market,

he obviously knows the collectors around here,

we're going to find him right now,

because it's going under the hammer, this is it.

Now we have a very colourful Royal Doulton Charles Dickens' Dream jar.

I'm nervous, I'm trembling for you, Valerie.

What about £300 for it? 200?

Yes, 200 bid for it there.

At 210, at 220, 230, are you 40?

At 240, 250, 260, 270 and 80, 290.

300.

At £290, at 290 then I'm going to sell at £290, thank you.

Hang on.

Yes, sold to the gentleman over there, £290.

Thumbs up, that's very good.

-Oh, that was excellent.

-That's more than the original estimation.

-Oh, rub it in, go on.

-Much more, much more.

Our experts don't always get it right, Val.

As we know, it's not an exact science,

I'm just glad it did so well.

Welcome back to our valuation day here at Wrest Park in the

glorious formal gardens.

We've already found and valued hundreds of antiques and

right now it's time to catch up with our experts to find some more

treasures to take off to auction and, as you can see, I'm still

surrounded by hundreds of people, so we do have our work cut out.

I think we'd better get on with it, don't you?

Let's hand the proceedings over to our experts.

And down by the Long Water overlooking the 18th-century

baroque pavilion, David Harper has found a beautiful spot for a chat.

Oh, Lillian, I've got to tell you, this is right up my street.

-Isn't it gorgeous?

-I love the shape of it.

It's a very good shape and suits the house just perfectly, doesn't it?

Do you love it?

I do like it very much, but I can't find

a place in the house to put it, so it's been in a cupboard.

-No!

-Yeah.

-It's a gorgeous thing, you know it's Chinese.

-Yes.

-Where did you buy it from?

-In an auction room.

-Right.

-Job lot.

Oh, right, so you got other things with it.

-When was that?

-35, 40 years ago.

-OK.

Now, how much did you pay for it?

-I can't remember, I know it wasn't a lot.

-No? No? OK.

-No more than about £28 or more for the lot.

-For the lot.

Well, I just think it's absolutely delicious, I love the colours,

I love the shape of it.

That's a hexagonal shape which is much rarer than the typical

kind of baluster vases.

The cobalt blue is just delicious,

she is the centrepiece, but look around the outside edge

and can you see that decoration there?

Can you see what that is?

-All the way down the side of the body?

-Hm.

Oh, you've never spotted it.

-No.

-It's a bat.

Now can you see it?

I can see it now, turning it that way round,

-but I couldn't see it the other way.

-No, well, there you go.

-Yes.

-The bat in Chinese culture is an incredibly auspicious

creature, representing good luck, long life, happiness.

-I never realised they were bats.

-Well, there you go, you see.

Now, what about the condition? What do you think about that?

-Well, it's pretty poor, is it?

-It's not great.

-But it's very old.

-What date do you feel it is?

I think it's quite, quite old, but I couldn't really say,

about 17th century.

Well, I'd like to think it was 17th century,

and that says, in Chinese,

"Made during the Kangxi period."

Which is, rule of thumb, 1660 to 1720.

So, you're bang on in its date,

but Chinese markings are notoriously difficult,

because the Chinese, for centuries, have marked pieces with

earlier character marks as a sign of a reference to their

-long-gone ancestors, so it's very complicated.

-Hm-mm.

So, there we have it,

I'm going to have to describe it to be safe as 19th century with

an earlier mark, it could make a few hundred,

but I think I'd like to get it in at 50-90, which still leaves

you a profit, I believe, does it not?

-Does it?

-Oh, yes.

Well, there you go, don't... Your face dropped, that's all.

-Oh, no, did it?

-Did you want £1,000 or something?

Well, I'll accept 1,000.

Well, you know what? Odder things happen every day.

Yes, yes.

OK, shall we go and have some fun at the auction?

-Why not?

-How exciting.

David was quite right when he said the Chinese vase suited Wrest.

And if we take a quick break from the valuations to peek inside

the house, I'll show you why.

Now, since the 1930s, most of the rooms on the upper floors here

at Wrest have been used for offices

and very few original features remain.

However, something very special did survive and it's just in here.

And just look at this. Isn't it spectacular?

I'm surrounded by hand-painted Chinese wallpaper and it really

is quite tremendous to be standing in here taking in all of this.

Now, this room was originally all boarded over until curators

of the English Heritage pulled some of the boards away to reveal this.

They knew what was there, but they hadn't seen the whole room

and here we are, look, with a view of 360 degrees,

taking in this whole story.

Family records suggest this was first hung in 1792,

in the original house on this site

and then re-hung in the new house here,

in the 1830s, where it's been ever since and I'm so pleased this

has survived for everybody to see today.

Back down in the sunshine of the valuation area,

one of our experts is taking this hot weather in her stride.

Davina, give me a flutter.

That is perfect.

Well, it's a very warm day today.

And these fans are perfect for keeping us cool.

-But for me, the main use of a fan is too flirt.

-Very much.

Welcome to "Flog It!" and tell me, how did you come by these?

I saw one fan and I fell in love with just the prettiness,

the femininity of it and that started it.

So, over about ten years,

we went to antique fairs and bought fans.

So what we've got here is a sort of stepped building,

almost like the Chrysler Building in America

and, when we open it,

it's made of...these sticks are made of bone and we have this lovely

organdie here with little sequins and little pieces of embroidery.

This is a 19th-century fan and you have more in your collection,

but we have mainly 19th-century examples here.

The one with the mirrors, it's silver overlay

so we have this detail here and, again,

a hand-painted interior scene.

And, of course, an ostrich feather fan

is always froufrou and fabulous.

So, it's a great wee collection.

Price on them, I wouldn't say there are any here of high value.

I would like to put them into auction with

a very conservative estimate of between £100 and £200.

-100-200 is probably your best estimate to get.

-That's fine.

-Would you be happy with that?

-Absolutely.

I want a reserve, obviously.

-We'll put a reserve of 100 and I'll see you at the auction.

-You will.

And with any luck, there might be a couple of

good-looking blokes we can flirt with.

Let's hope so.

You don't have to wait until then, Anita, I'm sure I can rustle

you up a couple of dapper gents right now.

Hm, love that hat.

Well, Rod, I can safely tell you that is

a very posh cup and saucer and exactly the kind of cup and

saucer that the owners of a property like this would use.

-Do you know much about it?

-Not a lot. I know it's Meissen.

I presume it's the Victorian period.

And I suspect it's a sort of one-off display item.

I can't imagine anybody having a tea set, but they might have done,

-I don't know.

-Well, listen, that was designed to use...to drink what?

I don't know, it's a little large for tea,

cos tea, obviously, was a very expensive item.

Not tea or coffee, that was designed to drink chocolate.

-Right.

-Isn't that lovely?

-The big fashion for drinking chocolate began in the 1600s.

-Yes.

Incredibly expensive and all these chocolate houses

and coffee and tea houses opened up all over London

and the finest people, the grandest people would have drunk those drinks

out of Meissen tea cups and saucers.

Now then, dating this stuff is terribly difficult.

The marks, the crossed swords change over time.

That design, certainly, was made in the 18th-century.

But that particular piece, I believe, is a very late

-19th-century, it could even creep into the 20th century.

-Yes.

That's the thing I didn't know, was it early or was it late?

-It's late, but it's still Meissen.

-Yes.

-Damage. Little damage.

-Little bit of damage.

Yes, unfortunately.

And, Rod, I've got to tell you, in this business with porcelain,

-damage can really kill it.

-Yes, oh, yes. I'm aware of that.

There's one major problem here, before we get on to the prices.

That, originally, would've had a little cover,

decorated just the same, on the top to keep the chocolate warm.

-Right, right.

-So, there's a problem.

Now, how long have you owned it for?

I've owned it for about four, five years.

The trick with selling at auction is to be brave and to estimate

-it sensibly to give the buyers is a bit of hope value.

-Yes.

-And I, instinctively, would go 40-60, 50-70.

-Yeah.

-It's cheap.

-And it might make more and it might not.

-Happy with 40-60?

-Absolutely.

-Going to just let it go?

-That's right, yeah.

-I like your style.

-OK.

-Thank you, I'll see you at the auction.

All right then, jolly good. Thanks a lot.

Well, what a marvellous day we've had here at Wrest Park.

-Everybody has thoroughly enjoyed themselves, haven't you? CROWD:

-Yes!

Glorious surroundings as well.

A wonderful historical backdrop, just look at that as a view.

But, sadly, it is time to say goodbye to this wonderful historical

setting, as we go over to the auction for the very last time

today and put those final valuations to the test.

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

There's the Chinese vase.

Will the bidders love it as much as David Harper does?

And what about this collection of mostly 19th-century fans?

As Anita puts it, it's very froufrou and fabulous.

And, finally, there's Rod's Meissen cup and saucer. A very

conservative estimate by David, this could be the one to watch.

Back in the saleroom, auctioneer Stephen Hearn

is still wielding that pencil and the next lot

under his graphite is Lillian's Chinese vase.

-Very nice piece.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Oh, good.

-Yes, I don't think there's a lot of money on this...

-No.

I could see us doing a bit more.

Yeah, well, we were talking about this, weren't we?

We think it's got legs, potentially,

-it's the shape more than anything else, it's quite a rare shape.

-Yes.

Architecturally, it stands well and

that's what it's all about.

-Right, let's put it to the test, shall we? Happy?

-Yes.

-Right, let's flog it. Here we go.

-Let's go.

Now, we have got the baluster vase, what about that one?

I think £100 for it.

50 for it, 60, 70, 80, 90.

-Going to be 100, is it? At £90.

-£90.

-Really?

100 is bid.

-Better.

-Have a bit of fun with it.

At 100 then, yes, it's yours, sir.

For £100, thank you.

-£100 and it's sold.

-That's all right, isn't it?

Even with a little chip.

Do you know, I'd be a little bit sort of dubious,

if it wasn't chipped, for 19th-century.

You'd be asking questions, wouldn't you?

-Thumbs are up.

-That's good, yeah.

I'm really glad Lillian's happy.

Now, on this hot day in the auction,

something's telling me Davina's lot might do quite well.

So, our auctioneer Stephen has slightly upped the estimate.

Now, we had a reserve at the valuation day of £100.

-That's right.

-Stephen, the auctioneer,

has raised that to £150. OK? So, good luck.

-Thank you.

-They're going under the hammer right now.

Where do we start? 100 to start?

100? 80? 90. 100.

10, 20, 30, 40.

140, 150, 150, 60, 70 for madam.

80. Madam has them then,

I'm going to sell them, they're going down

at 180 if there's no further bid then, they're yours for £180 then.

Well done, spot on, spot on, Anita.

Didn't really need to raise it, did we?

But there you go.

Safety, err on the side of caution.

-Thank you very, very much.

-£180.

-Lovely. Thank you.

And, finally, it's time for our very decorative last lot of the day.

Well, our next lot, sadly, our owner, Rod, can't be with us,

but we do have the item, it's that Meissen cup and saucer.

We had a valuation, originally, didn't we, of what? 40-60?

-40 and 60. It's a come-and-get-me.

-It's a come-and-get-me.

We had a revised estimate from the auctioneer at 120, 160.

So, he, obviously, knows his local market.

-And he likes it.

-Yeah.

There it is. A nice piece of Meissen, it carries good weight.

There's a lot of work in this.

I think we ought to start somewhere around about 150 for it.

100 for it, what about sir?

Yes, 120. 150, 180.

-Are you 200?

-Wow.

-220, 250, 300, 320.

-Ohh.

At 320, 350.

-Phone line.

-Phone lines.

350. 400 in the room.

400 is bid. 420 now? No?

420 then, I'm going to sell it for £420. Your man.

What a great result, £420.

Well, it just goes to show.

That is absolutely astonishing,

but fantastic.

Fantastic. Shall we give him a ring?

Do you know what? I think we should.

I think you should say, "I slightly undercooked that."

Yeah, but my defence is come and get me, bring them in,

get them bidding, Paul, that's the trick.

Well, if it was a come-and-buy-me, it definitely worked,

making ten times its original estimate.

I think there's going to be a very nice surprise for Rod.

Well, there you are, that's it.

It's all over from Tring Market Auction Rooms

and we have some very happy owners.

I hope you've enjoyed today's show.

Now, if you've got something you want to sell,

we want to flog it for you.

Bring it along to one of our valuation days.

And details of up-and-coming dates and venues

you can find on our BBC website.

Just log on to:

Follow the links, all the information will be there.

We'd love to see you.

Dust them down and bring them in.

And keep an eye on your local press as well.

But until then, goodbye from Tring Auction Rooms.