Gloucester 6 Flog It!

Apart from antiques, the other great passion in my life

is dogs and horses. And here, I have them in one.

This is Herman and Hades, stars of the world-famous

Giffords Circus, based right here in Gloucestershire.

We'll be seeing more of them a little later on.

One thing's for sure, you never know what to expect on this programme.

Welcome to Flog It!

At the heart of this beautiful county is the ancient

city of Gloucester -

first settled by the Romans over 2,000 years ago.

Its position on the River Severn, at the boundary of Wales,

ensured the city's future.

And the mix of historic buildings and narrow alleyways

in the city centre reflect its long and busy history.

But one building towers above it all,

Gloucester's glorious cathedral, our magnificent venue for today.

They say the sign of a good event is the size of its queue and

judging by this lot, I think we're going to be in for a fantastic day.

With antique expertise provided by Michael Baggott and Philip Serrell.

Philip's knowledge is boundless, extending even

to the gargoyles on the cathedral.

-It's you, isn't it?

-What? The one that looks like a pig?

-No!

The little monkey!

In today's show, some of our items evoke strong emotions.

My mother gave it to me and...

..she would love me to have the money.

But not always favourable.

Mum bought you these cufflinks for the prom.

Did you wear them on the night? No?

It's the sort of thing my mum would do to me.

"Mum, I don't want to wear them."

And I take a trip of a lifetime.

Drum roll!

Let's get everyone inside and enjoy these splendid surroundings.

The cathedral has hosted many grand occasions over the years

and we're honoured to be part of it,

contributing in our own unique way to the incredible history of this

building, which we'll be looking at a little later on in the programme.

Right now, we need to find some antiques

and I've just heard that Philip Serrell has spotted a real gem.

Let's take a look.

-Rhiana, how are you?

-I'm fine, thanks.

-Gloucester girl?

-Cheltenham.

Cheltenham girl.

-This is a great building, isn't it?

-It's brilliant.

So, just explain to me what is a young lady doing with cuff links?

I bought them in a second-hand shop with my son in mind.

He's 17 and I thought it would be useful for the proms

and things like that. But when I got them home to him he rejected them.

-They got the "uh-uh", they got duffed, didn't they?

-Yes.

-Why did he not like them?

-He's in a band, he's a bit cooler than those.

He's a bit cool.

I thought everybody needs a nice pair of cuff links.

They're retailed by the Goldsmiths & Silversmiths company.

That's a pretty good badge to have on them. How much did you pay for them?

-About

-£10. When was this?

-It's this year.

A couple of months ago.

-What are they made of?

-I think they're gold.

You have bought a pair of gold cuff links

and I don't think they are gold...

-Oh.

-..I know they're gold.

-Oh!

Because they're all stamped up just here, look.

Not overly fashionable with this, almost like this, bark engine turn decoration here.

They are really, really dated.

But they're gold.

You bought some gold cuff links for £10.

I'm going to start going shopping with you, I think.

So your son doesn't like them.

Who's going to get the money, him or you ?

Oh, probably it'll go his way now. He is the money drain.

He's the money drain! I like that.

-What do you think they're going to make?

-I've no idea.

More than £10, I hope.

I think they're going to make between £50 and £100.

-That's good, isn't it?

-Brilliant.

-Absolutely, really good.

-Shall we put a £50 reserve on them?

-Yes. Anything you advise.

I think those are really wiz. Well done.

What an excellent off-the-cuff valuation from Philip!

Michael has found a stylish piece of silver but I'm not sure what it is.

Keith, what a wonderful and mysterious little object

you've brought along today.

Is this something that you've collected?

Are you a big silver collector?

I do like silver, I collect odd-looking pieces of silver

or interesting bits of silver.

Yes. Why everyone on the planet doesn't collect silver amazes me.

Such wonderful stuff.

When you bought this, did you have an idea of what it was

you were buying, or did you just think, that looks a bit peculiar,

-I might have a go on that?

-I didn't know what it was

or who made it at the time I bought it.

-So, where did you buy it? An auction?

-At an auction, yes.

Now, was it expensive?

-No.

-What's not expensive?

Well, I paid £32 for it.

Did you?

That could be pushing the boat out for such a small item,

you never know. Let's look at it.

Lovely. Lots of hallmarks. Not just one or two.

What we've got is, we've got the original Danish hallmarks here.

We've got London import marks for 925, sterling silver,

and we've got the date letter for 1931.

What's more interesting is we've got the maker's mark which is

GI in a dotted oval.

-You know who that is? Do you know who that is?

-I do now.

-You do now.

Georg Jensen.

That master Danish silversmith, the name everybody looks for.

And here in the most wonderful stylised Art Deco server.

We've all heard of Danish pastries,

what do you pick your Danish pastry up with? One of these.

It's one of the rarer patterns, it's parallel pattern.

Obviously named because you've got these parallels striations

going up the back of the stem.

You've got this lovely bit of open work.

-There's no need for that.

-No.

That's not structural.

That's just design. That's frivolity and that's Jensen's eye.

Rare pattern.

Relatively rare pattern, relatively rare object.

This all these into value. Is it worth more than £32?

You bet it is.

Let's say £100 to £150.

A fixed reserve of £100.

So, thank you so much for bringing your eagle-eyed purchase in.

The only thing I need to find out from you after we've stopped filming

is where that auction was.

We'll talk about that later. Thanks very much for bringing it in, Keith.

The cathedral is full of treasures

but, possibly, its greatest has to be the royal tomb.

This is the final resting place of Edward II.

An unpopular king with his people during his reign,

due to his fondness and closeness to certain favourites within his court.

He finally abdicated in favour of his son

but even that wasn't enough for some of his enemies.

In 1327, he was allegedly murdered at nearby Berkeley Castle.

His body was retrieved and buried here and his son, Edward III,

commissioned this rather elaborate tomb with canopy.

You can imagine this during the Middle Ages, this would have

been full of colour and brightly gilded, and the crown would have

had jewels inset, which would have caught the candlelight and sparkled.

From medieval to modern,

let's fast forward just under 700 years

and see what's turned up on Philip's table.

-Terry, I Leica your camera!

-Very good.

We've been practising that for hours! How did you come by this?

Unfortunately, just before Christmas a dear friend of mine died.

When his wife was clearing out, she knew I was into cameras

and various other things, so along with other cameras she gave me that.

She said Jim had looked into it...

He felt it didn't have much of a value.

-He didn't think it had much of a value?

-No.

Do you know what one of the most expensive cameras in the world is?

-A Leica?

-A Leica. Do you know what one made at auction last year?

Erm... £2,000?

You are...

..about 998,000 out.

Because a Leica camera last year sold for over £1 million.

Crikey!

-That's not it.

-I doubt it.

That is definitely not it, Terry, I can tell you that for sure.

It's about the best make you can get, isn't it, Leica?

And these things, I think, were first produced in the early

part of the century or the last century.

But they're massively collectable things.

I'm not sure if I'm qualified to give this advice

but certain mechanical items aren't subject to capital gains tax.

So, seriously, if you have an investment that's a motorcar,

or a clock, or a watch, and you sell it on...

..check with your accountant but there's no capital gains tax

which means things like this suddenly become huge areas

of collectability.

Have you any idea what this might be worth?

-No, not really, no.

-If I said, £20 or £30, that would be OK, would it?

It's more than I've got at the moment.

I think you'll end up with a good bit more than you've got at the moment

because I think it's going to make...

I think we'll put a fixed reserve on it of £100 and we'll

keep our fingers crossed that it's going to make between £100 and £200.

If this goes and does really, really, well at auction,

what will you do with the money?

Well, Beryl, Jim's wife, she didn't know it had any value

so I shall probably, once it goes to auction

and makes a bit of money, I'll share the money with her.

-Oh, that's nice, isn't it?

-It's only fair.

-Yeah, that's lovely.

-And you've got an interest in cameras?

-Yes. All sorts of cameras.

You haven't got a million pound Leica at home, have you?

I have thousands of pounds worth of valueless equipment.

I think, on that note, we'll probably finish there because I like that!

So do I! Very funny!

I'm told it's always good to get a few extra shots for the edit.

Let me do some filming - here we go!

IMITATES CAMERA NOISE

Smile, everyone!

And here is Michael with a cameo appearance.

Thea, I was slightly disappointed to see this in a box

and you not wearing it in the queue.

It's a wonderful thing. Where did it come from?

My mother left it to me when she died.

-She spent a couple of years looking for it.

-Yes?

-Yes.

She didn't want just any old cameo, she wanted something spectacular.

Oh, marvellous.

I don't know where she actually bought it in the end.

I don't know whether it was on one of her trips abroad or

whether she bought it in this country.

But she wanted something...

I think your mum was a lady after my own heart.

Normally, of course, they are shell cameos.

And we have that slightly pinky-orange background

and white shell, which are carved out of the large conch shells.

-Yes.

-Of course, you can also get cameos and intaglios -

-these carved portraits - done in hard stone.

-Yes.

But there is another material, and I know you know what this is,

but this is probably the most unusual material,

and once you've seen it, you will never forget it.

It is, of course, lava.

-Yes.

-And, of course, it carves extremely well.

It's actually, I mean, we think of lava and the heat

and the furnace of the volcano. The stone is very light.

So you can wear it comfortably on a garment without it falling off.

It is also quite fragile.

It's marvellous that it has survived.

Did your mother give you any idea when it was carved

or where it was carved?

I was told that it was lava from Vesuvius.

It is indeed.

And about 1845, something like that.

At the height of the classical revival.

Because this is particularly well-modelled,

it's in a lovely unmarked but low carat gold mount.

It could be nine, it could be ten, 12 or 15 -

different carats of gold used in Italy,

-which is where this was carved.

-Yes.

-The only shame is that sometimes

when they are this good, you will get an artist's name on the back.

-Right. Yes.

-You sometimes do with shell cameos.

I don't think this one has.

No. It's a lovely thing. Have you ever worn it or do you wear it?

I haven't worn it, no, but my mother used to.

She used to dress quite flamboyantly.

She went to balls and things like that.

So yes, she had a particularly nice grey crocheted dress,

which sort of flared out, and she used to wear that on the shoulder.

It did look lovely.

Any idea of what the value might be?

Not really, no.

I think we'd be sensible

putting it into auction at £150-£250...

-Right.

-..and hoping that it goes on from there.

-Yes.

-We will put a fixed reserve of £150 on it.

OK, that sounds fine.

That's wonderful. Thank you so much for bringing it in.

Thank you very much.

What a little treasure!

Before we head off to auction,

there is something I would like to show you.

THEY SING IN LATIN

THEY SING IN LATIN

If there is one thing that is guaranteed to send a chill

up my spine it's that -

the sound of those wonderful voices filling this vast, enormous,

magnificent space.

There is nothing quite like it on earth.

And that was the idea, the vast and soaring interiors of the great

medieval cathedrals, like Gloucester,

were designed to inspire awe.

The represented heaven on earth.

And to complete the effect, the monks added a choir of angels.

CHORAL SINGING

Cathedrals across the country have male voice choirs,

at the heart of which are boy choristers.

To appreciate the full effect, you have to use your imagination.

Just imagine the cathedral flickering with hundreds of candles

burning bright, the air heavy with incense and music playing.

It really would have been a multisensory

experience for the worshipper,

designed really to take their breath away.

Well, it certainly takes my breath away.

SINGING CONTINUES

The choir in its current form dates back to 1541, when Henry VIII,

who was a highly accomplished musician,

established choir schools alongside the new cathedrals.

Today's choristers are continuing in that 500-year-old tradition.

Gloucester Cathedral choir is one of the finest in the country.

And for the moment, carries on the all-male tradition

with the men singing the bass, tenor and alto parts.

And the boys singing the treble.

CHORAL SINGING

And it's these choristers, or boy trebles, with their voices

and their angelic faces, that have the ability to move whole

congregations with their ethereal sound.

To achieve this effect, the choir works hard,

with 11 hours of rehearsal and six services each week,

plus all the extra services at Easter and Christmas.

It's a huge commitment but the boys get a first-class musical education

and the chance to perform in one

of the country's finest medieval buildings.

The choristers start at an incredibly young age,

just seven years old,

and work their way through to the ages of 13 and 14,

basically when their voices break.

CHORAL SINGING

'But what does it take to be a chorister?

'I asked the cathedral's director of music Adrian Partington.'

It's incredible to see boys as young as seven.

What do you look for vocally in a seven-year-old?

Actually, I don't necessarily look for something vocal.

I always look for a bright boy.

You know, somebody who can react, somebody who is alert.

-A part of the test is I say, "What's six times seven?"

-Right.

And if they get the answer right, then I know their brain works.

The thing is, voices at seven aren't very developed.

So I sometimes take a chance.

Nine out of ten, they blossom into something really special.

And that's obviously what they take away with them.

Definitely. I was one myself a long time ago.

Have things changed?

No. No.

Rehearsals have been happening in this very room for 400 or 500 years.

This room is steeped in history.

It certainly is. And the boys, they feel that. They do.

Without exception.

The best thing about it is esprit de corps, you know.

They feel like they are doing something special.

They feel like they are doing something worthwhile.

There must be quite a few times during the difficult

process of nurturing these children

and getting their voices up to scratch that you stand

back and go, "Gosh, yes, this is fantastic."

There is one piece in particular which always moves me to tears.

Italian piece. The Miserere, which we do on Ash Wednesday.

It has lots of top notes

and each year we have to find a boy who is going to hit those top notes.

And each time he does, I think, "You know, there is a heaven."

They look like a little angels. Are they?

Um, no, actually. They are not.

INDISTINCT CHATTERING

But don the robes and start singing and they become like angels.

CHORAL SINGING

Well, the monks certainly got it right.

Hearing these glorious voices in this spectacular space is such

a unique experience, not least because it's

carrying on a tradition that stretches back hundreds of years.

CHORAL SINGING

We're now halfway through our day, everybody has been working

flat out and we've found some real gems to take off to the saleroom.

This is where it gets exciting because anything could happen.

You could say it is the...

..cut and thrust of the saleroom.

Here's a quick recap of all the items going under the hammer.

Unlike Rhiana's son, I think the bidders will see

the value in the gold cufflinks.

Next, a must-have for any self-respecting Danish pastry lover.

The Georg Jensen silver pastry server.

And who couldn't fail to be impressed

by Thea's lava brooch?

And I think the camera buffs are bound to focus

on Keith's Leica in the saleroom.

We've travelled across the county today for our auction

just outside of Cirencester.

And we're always assured of a warm welcome from the proprietor

and auctioneer, Philip Allwood.

With the auction already started, it's time for me

to catch up with our first owner.

And it's Michael's find for those with a sweet tooth.

-Keith, good luck.

-Thank you.

-It's a great name, Georg Jensen.

I'm sure this is going to be found on the internet all over Europe

so there's a lot of collectors out there.

Good luck with it because I know with the proceeds of this silver sale,

Keith here is going out to buy more silver.

-He'd better not bid against me!

-We'd like to see that.

Anyway, your bid is going under the hammer right now. This is it.

Parallel-patterned pastry server there. There we go.

Who'll start me? Should be a couple of hundred, really.

Let's start with 100. Good stylish piece. 100.

50 to get on. £50 bid there. £50, 5 now. 5.

-60, 5...

-That's a teaser start. A teaser.

75, at 80 now. At £75 for the Georg Jensen. 75, 80 now.

80. 5.

90, if you like, madam. 90. 5. 100.

100, and 10 if you like. 100 here.

At £100 on my right now. £100.

110 anywhere now? At 100, 110.

I love it when people shout out when the auctioneer doesn't see them.

At 140, 150 if you like.

At £140. It's yours at 140.

Yes! Hammer's gone down on £140.

I've never seen one of those before and I've seen a lot of Georg Jensen.

-I've never seen a pastry slicer.

-They're rare things.

Never thought he'd make one of those in his life.

-I didn't know what it was.

-Haven't you heard of Danish pastries?

I know but that's a bit cliched, isn't it? I just thought, what?

-That's where it all started.

-It all started!

A spot-on valuation by our expert.

Going under the hammer right now,

we have those 1960s cufflinks with our owner, Rhiana.

-Hi.

-Good to see you.

-I brought Sam with me.

-This is your son, Sam.

Hiya, Sam, pleased to meet you.

Mum bought you these cufflinks for the prom. Didn't like them.

Did you wear them on the night, though?

Not on the night.

Oh, I love it!

That's the sort of thing my mum would have done. I would've gone,

"Mum, I don't want to wear them."

-But you only paid a tenner for them.

-A bargain.

You've got a good eye, Mum, haven't you?

They're going under the hammer right now. Let's put them to the test.

Gold cufflinks there.

There we go. Who'll start me?

Should be 100, really. Start me 50.

50.

I can start you at 35. At £35, going to be cheap on the book here.

At £35, 40, 5.

50. At £50, I have.

At £50. At £50 right in front of me.

You're out of the net. 5 there, 5.

60. At £60 in the room now. At £60.

5 anywhere now? At £60 in the room.

You all sure? At 60.

-Well, I think you did well...

-Yeah.

-..on your investment.

I think you did really, really well.

I'm so pleased you didn't wear them. Do you know?!

-I wouldn't have worn them.

-Wouldn't you?

-No!

'Oh, well. Boys will be boys!'

Michael has pinned his hopes on our next item.

Going under the hammer right now,

we have a 19th-century tourist piece from Naples.

It's a lava brooch. Unfortunately, we do not have our owner, Thea,

she can't make it today,

but we do have the brooch and we have our expert, Michael,

who put the value on it. It's quite showy and big, isn't it?

It's a big one and it's beautiful quality.

Right, here we go, it's going under the hammer.

100 - the best one I've seen for a long while. 100, 110, if you like.

110, 120...

130, 140...

150, the book's out at 150. 160 on the net.

170, 180.

190, at 190.

-I think we're near the top end.

-Yes.

220, at 220. 240, 260.

At 260, lady's bid. At 280.

This is good, this is really good, actually.

-Are brooches back in fashion?

-I think they are, Michael.

At 320, gentleman's bid at 320.

It's in the room, then, at 320, 340.

At £340, are you sure? At 340...

Hammer's gone down, £340. I think they're back in fashion.

I think that's quite showy, it's quite large.

It's showy and I wouldn't be surprised if that

was an Italian bidder.

Cos they, they are big money over in Italy.

-And not much to post, is it?

-No, no, exactly, a bit of bubble wrap, yeah.

And thank goodness for the internet.

Online bidding - there you go.

Excellent result, Thea will be pleased with that.

Well, so far, so good and going under the hammer right now,

going in that frame is that Leica camera belonging to Terry.

Let's hope we get top dollar for this camera, Phil.

Well, you know, there is a name and the name is Leica.

-It's the best name.

-Yeah. I'm hopeful this will do very well.

-OK.

Fingers crossed, everyone. Here we go, it's going under the hammer.

The Leica camera there. Where are you going to be?

It should be 100 to start me, 100.

£100 for the Leica.

Anybody like-a a Leica!?

I can start... 85. At £85 a bid. At 85.

90, now. At £85, 90. 5. At 95. 100, now.

-100.

-Well, it's gone, it's sold.

Come on, let's now get the top end.

110, I already have. 120 now. 130.

At 130 in the room now. 140. 150.

At 150, 160 now. 150.

-Come on, come on, come on.

-At £150, it's in the room.

You're out of the net. 160.

170. 180, if you'd like.

At 180. 180. 190, if you like, sir.

At 190 back in the room. At 190.

At £190. It's yours on 190.

Yes, we did it! Got the top end.

Well done, Phil.

It was a long journey, that one. Thank you for bringing it in.

Well, it is my pleasure, believe you me. I've had a great time.

'Well, that was certainly snapped up.'

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

We are coming back here later on in the show with some more

unfinished business to do.

But you know that phrase, it's every kid's dream

to run away and join the circus.

I'm not a kid any more but let's face it,

everybody is a child at heart.

I've just been told the circus is in town, so here's my chance.

It's a little-known fact that the modern circus

was invented in 18th-century England.

Philip Astley, a retired soldier, toured the country

with his merry band of acrobats, rope dancers and jugglers,

and his own amazing feats of horsemanship.

Most of us are familiar with the huge, international blockbuster circuses

but one small British troop is doggedly holding on

to the simple joy of Astley's Circus.

Pitching up on village greens throughout the summer

is Giffords Circus.

Based in Gloucester, the company tour the Cotswolds

for three months each summer pitching up in fields

and on village greens with their vintage caravans

and, of course, the big top.

They're just days away from their first performance

here in the grounds of Sudeley Castle.

Everybody's busy setting up, getting ready

and even the band are tuning up.

At the heart of it all is owner, Nell Gifford, and her horses.

Following in the footsteps of her esteemed predecessor,

Philip Astley, Nell's speciality is horsemanship.

'Nell, you have created every kid's dream. You've got your own circus.'

How would you describe Giffords to somebody that hasn't seen the show?

Giffords Circus is like a miniature village green circus

and something that you might have seen as a child.

It's very nostalgic and something of a children's book,

like the village green, the white tent, little wagons

and people living on the road with their animals and their families.

I've seen the show a few years on the trot now

and it makes a want to run away and join the circus.

How did you get inspired? You grew up in Gloucestershire

and it's not renowned for circuses around here. Let's face it.

It definitely isn't but I had the chance to work on a circus in America

when I was 18, and I fell in love with the tent and the sawdust

in the way it was very multicultural and everyone was speaking

different languages, cooking different foods from around the world.

Is it fair to say that circuses go in and out of favour in this country?

I know they're big in Europe, but here they are sort of in and out,

especially working with animals.

I love the animals, I love working with them.

The animals are part of the family, they're our pets.

They have great diet, dentist, vets, chiropractors.

All the dogs are rescue dogs

and I'd like to think that they could go on to be re-homed in family homes

so anyone's so welcome to come and see them and meet them.

Well, I know it just gets better and better each year

and you change the themes. What's this year's theme?

This year's theme, it's called The Thunders

and it's inspired by the Greek myths

so it's all kinds of swords and sandals and togas everywhere and a Trojan horse

and lots of Greek dancing. It's great fun.

We're just trying to, every year, explore new shows and new things.

I'd love to think that in 100 years' time,

there's a whole new generation of children coming in

and enjoying Giffords Circus and it's part of the English culture.

I'm sure it's going to be and it's definitely a date in my diary each year

-so, Nell, thank you very much.

-Thank you, thank you very much.

'With less than 48 hours to go till the curtain goes up on their first show,

'the atmosphere during rehearsal is tense.'

They're rehearsing for the grand finale and timing is crucial

because that's the entire troupe together for the first time in the ring.

This happens at the end of every night's performance

and the kids in the audience get to join in as well so this is quite special.

'I couldn't come to the circus and not meet the clown

'and, like everything here, Giffords' resident funnyman is unique, like his name.'

I've got to ask you, why are you called Tweedy?

Well, it comes partly from my real name, which is Mr Digweed.

-PAUL LAUGHS

-So it was going to be Weedy,

but there was already a Weedy the Clown

so someone suggested I put a T at the front

and cos of the Scottish connection,

that seemed to work so Tweedy it has been for 20 years now.

-What makes a good clown?

-Oh, dear, just a sec.

I've seen this act and I was so impressed, I went home to try it.

It's not too bad, it's just a question of balance.

-Oh, dear, no, no.

-That is very clever.

-That's quite painful.

The thing with clowning is - one of the things with physical comedy

is once you've kind of found your clown character,

you then just find situations to put that character in.

A man in trouble is a very good thing,

to get your character into trouble

and then try and get him out of trouble.

But you're brilliant at it. Can you teach me that?

I can, I'll try and come down if I can.

-I'm not sure how to get down from this position.

-No, OK.

It's all right, I'll just fall. It'll be fine. Aaaaargh!

-And that is your comedy fall.

-There we go, bounce on the bum.

It's all about falling correctly as well, isn't it?

Yeah, so you don't hurt yourself.

I don't think I'll be doing that sort of fall though.

-No, you don't have to.

-You'll be catching me.

Right, Tweedy, here we go.

-OK, I'm about there. Let go, see what happens.

-Twist this one round.

-Yeah, got it.

-Twist it like that.

-Done.

You put the foot over here now.

OK, now what do I do? I'm actually stuck.

If you can, you can twist this one round.

-OK.

-Mustn't laugh, really.

-No.

-OK?

-Yeah.

Oof! OK.

I tell you what, now I've got it.

I make it up as I go along. And he's off!

-Oooh-oooh!

-PAUL LAUGHS

-You were nearly off.

-Here we go.

Gosh! My kids would love me doing this around the front lawn.

-Oh, they'd fall about with laughter. Right, Tweedy!

-I'll see you later.

-OK.

-He's off!

-Will I make a good clown?

-Yeah, I think so.

How do you...

How do you get down?

-Oh, now, there is a big problem.

-OK.

-You can do it.

-DRUM ROLL

-One...

-Drum roll!

-Geronimo! Oh, yeah!

-Thank you so much!

-That was brilliant, that was brilliant.

-You're welcome.

That was brilliant.

Oh, I've used some muscles I haven't used for years!

I'm sure it doesn't need saying, but don't try that at home.

And now, it's on with the show.

With its traditional big top and trailers, well-cared-for animals

and the friendly staff, this is the perfect village green circus.

APPLAUSE

Welcome back to Gloucester Cathedral,

our magnificent host location for today.

Fingers crossed we can find some more gems

to take off to auction and we might have one or two big surprises.

Let's now catch up with our experts

for our next item to go off to auction.

Yvonne, I was surprised you weren't sporting this in the queue.

-It's such a lovely necklace.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for bringing it along.

Is it something you wear regularly

or you've gone to a jewellers and bought?

No, my mother gave it to me.

I don't think she ever wore it and I only wore it once

because it's very special and that was for a dinner dance,

but no, I'm afraid it is in a drawer and this is why I brought it today.

-It so often the way, isn't it?

-Yes.

When your mother gave it to you,

did she tell you what it was or where it came from?

It came from her side of the family.

I think she might have been given it by her godmother,

but she wanted me to have it because she thought it had a lot of value,

but she wanted me to find out what value it had.

-Well, it's not marked, is it?

-No.

So there's nothing to say this it is gold, is there?

I hope it is gold and the views, I think you would tell me,

is it Italian or Greek?

Some influences there. First of all, let's deal with the gold issue.

It is that bright, buttery, soft yellow

-that tells me it's a very high carat gold.

-Really?

And lovely workmanship.

We've got these little straps here - are all woven threads,

so not only is it a gold strap,

but the amount of work that went into doing that was phenomenal.

But all of the gold is subservient to these wonderful oval panels

-and we've had these on Flog It! before.

-Did you?

-Do you know what they're called, this particular technique?

-No.

-It's called micro-mosaic.

-Oh!

It's from the Roman so Greek wasn't far out

-and it certainly was a technique practised in Italy.

-Right, right.

These are typical of the wares that you will find

if you were a tourist going over in the middle of the 19th century.

It will have been made in about 1850.

We've got a bit of damage.

-Yes.

-The clasp is a little bit of mosaic

-and that's lost half of the inlay on there.

-Yeah.

-So we've got to consider that.

-Yeah.

But it's sought-after stuff and it's rare stuff and you've got here,

I think what's lovely, is you've got the combination of the ruins,

which are the larger roundels, then you get the butterfly

-and then you get the flower.

-Yes.

So as the stones get smaller,

the subject matter becomes more ephemeral and it's lovely.

-Value - it is damaged.

-Yes.

-And damage does affect value.

-Any ideas what it might be worth?

-No idea at all.

-So if we were to say...

-..£500-£600, £600-£700, that would be agreeable with you?

-Yes. Yes, it would.

-Right, we'll put it in for £1,000-£1,500.

-Really?

Really, honestly.

We'll put a fixed reserve of £1,000 on it

-and hopefully it will go on from that.

-Ohhh!

It's a stunning bit of jewellery.

It is one of the nicest bits of jewellery I've seen on Flog It! for a very long time.

-Thank you.

-So you've made my day.

-Oh, lovely!

Why have you decided to sell it now, though?

Well, my mother died in 2005 and, erm...

..she would love me to have the money.

Well, hopefully she'll be watching over us...

Yes, I'm sure she is.

..at the auction and let's hope it storms onto a magnificent price.

Yvonne, thank you so much for bringing it in.

Thank you, thank you very much.

What a stunning piece!

Next, we have Philip,

who is ready to bang on about a Flog It! favourite.

-How are you, all right?

-Yes, thank you.

-What's that, then?

-A Troika drum, I believe it's called.

-And is it worth anything?

-I hope so.

-How do you know that?

Why do you think that's worth anything?

I watch the television programmes.

Ohhhh, you watch the television?

-I do.

-So what else do you know about it then?

I know my mum bought it in Cornwall

when she was on holiday in the late '70s.

-And it's a Troika drum dish, isn't it?

-Yes.

And when did this factory set up, do you think?

Hold on. (1963.)

-When was this factory set up?

-1963.

Good girl! When did it finish?

(1983.)

-1983.

-When did your mum buy it?

-('73.)

-The late '70s!

Right, and how much do you think it cost her?

-I wouldn't like to say.

-It wouldn't have been a great deal.

This was the original, really, sort of tourist present.

You went on holiday, you went to the Troika pottery

and you took this home as a memento

and it's become massively collectable.

I have a theory that one of the reasons why it's become collectable and valuable

-is because of Flog It!

-Yes.

Everybody sees it and you've got this sort of self-perpetuating snowball

that gets bigger and bigger and bigger and I think we've created a market.

-Yes.

-So if you turn it over...

-It tells us everything, doesn't it?

-It does.

-What does that say?

-Troika.

-What does that say?

-Cornwall.

-And what does that say?

The initials of the person that made it?

-Oh, no, that's cheating! And who was that?

-I don't know.

(Honor Curtis.) And who was that?

-Honor Curtis.

-Oh, you're good, aren't you?

How much do you think that's worth?

-I haven't said anything, have I?

-No!

How much are you wanting it to be worth?

-About £100.

-Right.

Let me just tell you that I think if you brought that into a saleroom,

-Troika has dipped a little bit in value.

-Yes.

If you came to my saleroom,

I'd properly say to you to put £80-£100 as an estimate on it

and a fixed reserve of £60-£70 on it.

That would be my advice.

-But I think you want a bit more than that, don't you?

-I do, really.

-You do, really.

Right, so if the reserve on this is going to be £100,

we've got to estimate it at £100-£150

and that still stands a chance.

-I think the important is I want you to go away being happy.

-Yes.

So let's leave it at £100 fixed reserve.

So when did they start making this?

-1963.

-Get in there!

I'm not sure that Anne really needed much help from Philip there.

Let's see how Michael's doing.

Melanie, thank you for brightening up our day

with this exquisite set that you've brought in.

Is this a family thing, something that's been handed down?

Erm, no, it's something I bought in a charity shop perhaps six months ago.

-What?! How much, may I ask, did the set cost?

-It was £25.

Well, that's quite a serious amount of money in a charity shop, isn't it?

Yes, and it was marked as silver and I just thought it was beautiful.

Did you think it was a good buy or...?

-I thought it was probably a good buy, yes.

-Right, right.

So did they say what it was or have you looked up...?

I've looked up the maker's mark and I think it's...

Is it Gerrard's or Garrard's?

Garrard's, now there's a name to conjure with. Let's have a look.

Yes, we've got G & Co Ltd in a little inverted diamond punch,

which is Garrard's, and of course they were the Royal jewellers

and that's next to the standard mark for sterling silver

so they were right in the charity shop, solid silver.

The leopard's head, which is for London,

and we've got a capital S in a very plain punch, which is for 1953.

-But the Garrard mark is overstriking another silversmith's.

-Right.

So these, whilst they are exquisite quality

-and were made for Garrard's, they weren't made BY Garrard's.

-Oh, that's interesting.

And it throws up one interesting point,

which is what is a maker's mark on a piece of silver?

And often it's the retailer or it's the person it was supplied to.

Very rarely is it actually the person who made it.

It's a big system,

but this would certainly be part of a much larger set when it was made.

We've got the hairbrush, the clothes brush -

-these both would have been in pairs.

-Right.

And we've got the mirror

and we probably would have gone on to things like hair tidies

and little boxes for pins and needles and even little trays,

all with this wonderful decoration.

-The mirror is the most important thing.

-Right.

Nobody likes using somebody's else's brushes.

No, I quite understand that, yeah.

And actually what often happens is these sets will go abroad

-and this will actually be converted into a mirror as well.

-Oh, right, yes.

Cos you can see how easily you could remove the bristles

-and put a mirror into it.

-A small mirror, yes.

So beware - if you're buying a mirror with that profile,

it started life as a brush.

Was £25 a wise investment? Six months ago!

I mean sensibly and cautiously,

-we'd say £80-£120.

-That's brilliant.

Which is the auctioneer's chestnut,

but I would be very disappointed if we didn't see...

..a few pounds above the top estimate of that,

-so that was a very shrewd and canny buy.

-Fantastic!

Well, it's a wonderful set and thank you so much for bringing it in.

-Thank you, it's been fascinating. I've had a lovely day.

-Pleasure!

-Margaret, how are you?

-I'm very well, thank you.

What brings you to Flog It? then?

-Oh, I love Flog It!

-You love Flog It!? Say it louder, hold on...

-Who is your Flog It! favourite?

-Paul Martin.

-What?!

Yes!

-And you. And you.

-That's all right.

-I like you as well.

-That's all right, then.

-Of course.

-What have you brought along for us?

I've brought you some measures. They were at my father's shop

and he worked for his uncle and his cousin...

-Is that the...?

-George Alder.

Right, and who was GF Alder?

He was my father's uncle.

And they grew their own seed.

-This is my father.

-That's your dad.

-Yes.

-And he worked there, did he?

-Yes.

-So, he would have used

-these.

-Yes.

-So these are...

Seed measures, so someone who came in to the shop,

and wanted half a pint of marigold seeds,

you scoop them out...

-And that's the seed measure.

-Yeah, that's right.

And what's lovely about these is the fact they are all stamped up...

And because a measure - you can't just say,

"Oh, that's a pint..." Or a half pint...

-Yes.

-It's got the GR

-or George's stamp on it.

-That's right.

And this one has got ER on it,

-which is Edward, isn't it?

-Yes.

And that's... They're stamped with the reign of the monarch

and they are actually...

It just basically guarantees the measure, doesn't it?

That's right, that's right.

And this one, which is also...

That's a half gallon...

-And that's such a lovely colour, isn't it?

-Yes.

This is patinate. Patinate - it's the lines on its hands,

it's the wrinkles on its face...

It just tells you where it's been all of its life

and it's just lovely.

It's like chewed toffee.

Why would your family have kept these?

Well, we've always had them, since the shop closed down.

When did the shop shut?

I think it was in the 1970s.

-These wouldn't have been worth a great deal then, would they?

-No.

-So you just kept them?

-Oh, yes.

-In a way, it's been quite clever, hasn't it?

-Yes.

Why do you want to sell them now?

Just to meet that Paul Martin, isn't it?

That's what you want to do?

-Yes!

-You just want to meet that Paul Martin.

Oh, I do. I wanted to...

to sell them cos they just collect dust, really.

-I think they're lovely.

-Although, I use them for pens.

-That's a waste-paper basket.

-Is that a waste-paper basket?

What do you think they are going to make, then?

-Oh, I don't think much.

-What - 10 or 15 quid?

-Hmm.

-Really?

Each?

-No, the lot.

-Really?

I think you're wrong.

I think we can put a £50 reserve on them

and we'll estimate them at £60-£90.

And it wouldn't surprise me, it really wouldn't surprise me

if they made over 100.

-Ha-ha, thank you.

-So...

-Thank you.

I'm hoping that I might have just overtaken that

-Paul Martin...

-Yes, oh, definitely.

-Oh, yes.

-Definitely.

-OK, cut, don't need any more at all, thank you.

So, Philip's fan club is up and running with a healthy

membership of...one!

Right now, we have some unfinished business in the auction room

and here's a quick recap of all the items that are going under the hammer.

Philip's estimate is spot-on for Margaret's

set of early-20th-century seed measures.

Who could not fail to be impressed

by Yvonne's exquisite micro-mosaic necklace?

Troika is always popular so the drum will sell,

and I think Philip's valuation is bang on.

And the dressing table set is so unusual,

it should catch the bidder's eye in the sale.

Back to the auction house for more surprises!

We're starting smartly with the dressing table set.

Good luck, Melanie.

Now is the moment we're going to put that valuation to the test.

This is one of those classic charity shop finds,

which we love to hear about.

Just remind us again, how much did you spend on this?

-I paid £25 for it, yes.

-And you got it home and did a bit of research.

Yes, I looked it up on the internet and I looked up the hallmark,

-yes, and it was Garrard, is it?

-It was.

It's a beautiful set and if you went to Garrard's to buy it now,

even these three pieces would be £1,000

so it's good value for somebody.

It's fantastic value when you think about it.

Right, it's going under the hammer now. This is it.

The dressing table set there with the enamel decoration.

There we go, a lovely piece. Start at £100.

Should be £100 to get on, shouldn't it?

Nice guilloche enamel there, £100? £50 to start me then.

-At £50, a bid there. £55. £60, £65...

-They should be all over this.

£75, £80. At £80 on my left here, £85 now.

At £80, it's on my left here at £80. £85 anywhere now then?

At £80, you all sure at £80?

-It's gone.

-Oh, it's sold!

-But you made a profit, a big one, didn't you?

-I made a profit, yes.

-I was hoping for a little bit more.

-So was I.

I think there might have been a group of like-minded bidders,

but, you know, that's how these things go at auction, isn't it?

The new owner has got to be delighted with that.

Philip's choice next.

Going under the hammer right now, we've got something from Cornwall.

Yes, a bit of Troika, you guessed it, and decorated by Honor Curtis.

It belongs to Anne. Unfortunately, Anne cannot make the auction,

but we do have our expert Philip Serrell. It's that little drum dish.

I've seen a lot of Troika on the show and in my life,

but I've not seen many of these come on the market.

This should do the top end.

The Troika bowl there and who will start me?

-Good looking piece.

-Come on.

£100. £50 to get on.

At £50, £55 if you like now.

At £50, at £55, £60, £65, £70 now?

At £70, £75. At £75, £80 now?

-At £75, £80 anywhere?

-It's struggling. Come on!

At £75 here, £80 if you like now?

At £75, are you all sure?

At £75, are you all done?

That is quite rare.

We have not seen a drum dish on the show before by Honor Curtis

so I don't know if that tells me

everyone's completely gone off Troika all of a sudden.

I know Anne has, that's why she's selling it, she prefers Moorcroft.

But there's a lot of people in Cornwall

that would like to own that drum dish.

I'm surprised, really.

What a shame! But there is always another day in the saleroom.

And now it's the set of seed measures belonging to Philip's

number one fan, Margaret.

OK, going under the hammer right now,

my favourite lot in the whole sale.

Literally in the whole sale and there's around 900 lots here, Margaret.

You've made my day.

-Philip spoilt it at the valuation.

-I know!

No, he didn't, actually. I had such a good time

and I'm really pleased that you picked these.

I know you're a man like me, you love stuff like this.

Why don't you want to keep these?

-Well, I have kept them for a good while.

-Yeah.

But I thought somebody else might like them for a change.

-Oh, well, they're divine.

-I shall miss them.

-I bet you will!

-Yes.

-Because they're so tactile.

-Yes.

When you pick them up you actually you hold them...

Someone's loved these for a long time.

When you say someone else might like them, there's two people here

that would love them.

Hey, look, good luck.

Good luck. Fingers crossed, everyone.

This is it.

The grain measures, Alder of Stroud.

A good little lot this.

Should be 100, where are you going to be, start me?

50 to get on, then.

At £50 bid, thank you. At 50.

At £50. At five, if you like.

55, 60, 65, 70

75, 80, 85

-90.

-Come on.

-95.

100, 110.

At 110. 120 now?

At 110 I have.

At £110 you're all out in front of me now.

At £110 are you all done?

-Sold top end, that's good. We're happy.

-That's good.

Yes, they've gone and hopefully they've gone to a good home,

-a good collector.

-Yes.

-And they'll never be split up.

-Yes.

-Thank you very much.

-You made our day, anyway.

Oh, good, I'm so glad.

You made our day at the valuation day but you put another smile

-on our faces.

-She's a lovely, lovely lady.

-Bless you.

-Thank you so much.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye-bye.

If you've got anything like that we want to see you,

bring it along to one of our valuation days.

You could be standing here, just like Margaret, going home with a bit of money.

A great result and I even get a kiss.

Now, fingers cross for our final item of the day.

Well, I've just been joined by Yvonne

and going under the hammer right now, we've got that wonderful

Italian micro-mosaic necklace which I think is beautiful.

You shouldn't be selling this!

Well, yes, my mother gave it to me

and she was always wanting to know the value of it

and when I heard from Michael of the value,

my mother died in 2005

and she would be over the moon if I can get the money for it.

-It is nice, isn't it?

-It's micro-mosaic.

-Yeah, quality.

It's what everybody wants.

If you're fashionable in London and you're a jeweller,

you want to buy this. It's rare.

It's a rare thing and it's survived in near-pristine condition, so yeah.

Well, I'm excited. I hope you're excited

because right now, it's going under the hammer. Watch this.

310 is the Italian yellow metal and micro-mosaic necklace there.

A lovely lot. Where are you going to be for that? Who will start me?

Start me for that.

-They've gone quiet. This is the one they're here for.

-It's gone quiet.

Start me at £1,000.

It would sound cheap at £1,000, I would have thought.

Well, I can start you on the book here at £620.

-It sounds very cheap at £620.

-There's someone waving over there.

£680. £700. £720.

£750. £780. £800.

£850. £900.

£950. £1,000.

At £1,000 in the room now, £1,000.

At £1,000... £1,050. £1,100.

-There's a chap waving like mad over there.

-He hasn't stopped waving.

-No.

£1,300. £1,350. £1,400.

-Oh, this is great.

-£1,450.

-£1,500.

-On the internet?

-£1,550. £1,600.

-No, in the room.

At £1,600, £1,650 now?

At £1,600 in the room. £1,650. £1,700.

The Italians are bidding online.

He's got one bid on the computer.

-It's in the room at £1,700.

-One bid in the room, fighting it out.

At £1,700, it's in the room now.

At £1,700, you're out on the net at £1,700...

-Yes.

-Thank you.

-Fantastic. £1,700.

-Well done, you!

-Thank you very much!

Brilliant! Well, it did over the top estimate. Thank goodness for that!

-It did. Well done, Michael.

-Thank you, Michael.

-It's a pleasure.

-I hope you enjoy the money, I really do...

-Definitely.

..and thank you for making our show so colourful and so beautiful.

-Thank you!

-Because you really have.

-It was brilliant.

-Thank you very much, Michael.

Sadly, we've run out of time here in Cirencester.

We've had a wonderful time.

Join us again for many more surprises in the next auction room,

-but until then, it's goodbye from all of us.

-Bye.

-Well done, you two.