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Recognised the world over as iconic symbols of Scotland,

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the two bridges spanning the majestic Firth of Forth.

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And in 2016, they'll be joined by a third bridge,

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making this the only place in the world where you can see

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three magnificent bridges at once, spanning three centuries.

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And later on in the programme,

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we'll be crossing over to the other side.

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Welcome to Flog It!

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In 1964, tens of thousands of people turned out to see the Queen

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open the new Forth Road Bridge which,

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at the time, was the longest suspension bridge in Europe.

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But the Scottish weather paid no notice to the important occasion

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and a thick mist hung over the bridge all day long.

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Luckily, the fog has lifted today

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and just a few miles away in the distance, you can

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see our venue with its own tales of visiting royalty,

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from King George IV to Prince Philip.

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Welcome to the beautiful Hopetoun House

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for a rather regal valuation day with just a spot of rain.

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Nice jugs. Thank you.

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THEY LAUGH

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I was hoping you would say that!

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Well, the queues have definitely gathered here,

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laden with antiques and collectables.

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Hopefully, when they go to auction, we'll have a royal flush, as well.

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I think we're all blushing here, don't you? Yeah.

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Giving their seal of approval to today's proceedings

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are the king and queen of the auction room.

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James Lewis...

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I know that feeling. Oh, dear!

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..and Caroline Hawley.

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Isn't that nice? Just the thing for today(!)

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A competent and professional team at all times.

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Head down! Aargh! Relax. Try and breathe. I'm fine. I can breathe.

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SHE LAUGHS

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Oh, dear!

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So now it's time for our loyal subjects to get inside

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and get out of the rain and let our experts start valuing, and

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

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ALL: Flog it!

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Let's get them in.

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On today's show, three items of commemoration.

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A ceremonial tipstaff, dated 1836.

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This, if it were a car, would be a Rolls-Royce. Really?

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And ever wondered what the cake is like at a Royal Wedding?

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Well, Caroline finds out. Have you never been tempted to eat these?

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I ate Princess Anne's. You ate Princess Anne's?

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And an unusual set of medals awarded to a nurse on the front line.

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They are so much rarer than anything you can imagine awarded to a man.

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But can you guess which celebratory item makes over ?1,000 at auction?

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Good luck, everybody, and enjoy the day.

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It could be you or you going home with a lot of money.

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As you can see, everybody's now safely seated,

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but it's not just about the money.

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It's about great British craftsmanship,

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objects that show us a window into the past,

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documents of social history, and we're here to find them,

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and James Lewis has made a cracking start.

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Let's hand the proceedings over to him. He's just over there.

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Glynis, there are certain things that,

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when you pick them up,

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just send tingles down my spine.

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And this sends tingles for me.

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I absolutely love it.

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It's an incredible document.

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It says at the top, "The Oaths of Allegiance" and here we have,

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down the right-hand column, a whole list of local people who have

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signed up to say that they will support

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King George III in 1768.

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Now, before we go into the historical importance of what

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they're saying, how did you get that?

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About 40 years ago, I was a student in Edinburgh,

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and weekend entertainment, we would go and look at historical buildings

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and places of interest, and a friend and myself went to Culross,

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which is a historical village just across the water from here,

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and a local caretaker allowed us into a building that he was helping

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clear and restore.

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As a memento of the day, when we were leaving,

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he put his hand in one of the boxes and said,

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"Glynis, here's a memento,"

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and I took it and I didn't know what it was till I got it home.

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OK, to understand what we're looking at, we need to go back

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to when King George II is confronted with the uprising.

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Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Jacobite rebellion, and they start to make

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their way down into England and they are fighting for the British crown.

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That's what he wants. He wants to become King of England.

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They got as far as Derby.

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He was defeated and he went back and fled back to France.

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So that's 1745.

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23 years later, George II's son, King George III, is thinking,

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"Gosh, what happens if it happens again, if they return?"

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So he gathers signatures

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and oaths of allegiance from people all over Scotland.

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Now, I read it through and made some notes earlier and it says here,

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"I do sincerely and faithfully promise to maintain

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"and defend His Majesty's government

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"and I will do my utmost endeavours to disclose

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"and make known to His Majesty all the reasons of conspiracies."

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So I reckon these guys are spies. Yeah.

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I think they're important people and I think they are people that have

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been commissioned by the King to find out what's

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going on here in Scotland and report back.

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My goodness, I never knew. So, tingles, lovely.

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What will it make? I don't know.

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It's very much that.

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They're not rare, these things.

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There are lots of papers relating to this sort of thing. Antiquity value.

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?100 maybe. It's not its real value. It's so much more than that.

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It's just so much more. I love it. Good.

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One of my favourite things for years. I'm delighted. Thank you.

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You're very welcome.

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# Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing... #

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How incredible that Linda rescued this special document 40 years ago

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and has kept it safe.

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Now this humble piece of paper transports us

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back to a poignant moment in history.

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Now that's antiques for you.

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And Caroline's found another slice of social history.

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Hello, Robert. Hello.

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Now, you have brought some fantastic things along

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and they're wedding cakes from both the marriage of Charles and Diana

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and Andrew and Sarah. Yeah, that's right.

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You tell me how you came to own these two pieces of wedding cake.

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Well, on Charles and Diana's wedding,

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I was coachman to Princess Margaret and Princess Anne.

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For the actual wedding day? Actual wedding day at St Paul's.

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Oh, my goodness!

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And then, on Andrew's wedding, I drove Princess Diana and Charles.

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I've never met a real-life coachman in my life,

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so how long did you work for the Royal Family?

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Between 25 to 30 years. What got you into that line of work?

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I started off in the coal mines

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and then I went into racehorses for a little bit

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and then I went into carriage driving.

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Goodness me, you went right to the top in the carriage-driving stakes.

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Yes, I started at the bottom and went up.

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And do you still have horses yourself? I'm lucky.

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When I left, I got two horses. You got two horses?

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Two horses from Her Majesty.

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That beats a gold watch, doesn't it, any day? Yeah, it did to me.

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Wow, Robert!

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It must have been fabulous to be there.

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I mean, we all remember the royal weddings,

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but you were given these wedding cakes? Yes. Fabulous.

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Now, this one here from Charles and Diana's wedding, July 29th,

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1981, because Charles was Commander in the naval forces,

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this cake was made by the naval forces and it was in five tiers.

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Yes.

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So you can imagine, you'll have seen it, what a beautiful cake it was.

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Now this one here from Sarah

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and Andrew's wedding has the little card in it.

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Yes. And then if we open this one up...

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..and have a look, oh, it smells a bit like it's gone off, doesn't it?

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Have you never been tempted to eat these? I ate Princess Anne's.

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You ate Princess Anne's! Yes, by mistake. I was hungry at the time.

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Oh, dear, Robert. It was nice. Was it? It was lovely.

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And you've not been tempted to eat these then? No, no.

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It's very difficult to put a price on such history

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and it's full of memories for you.

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But put a price on I must, and I would say if we put

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an estimate for auction for ?60-?80, would you be happy with that? Yeah.

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They're fabulous pieces of royal memorabilia

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and it's just a pleasure to talk to you.

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Let's hope we can get them to the saleroom before any of us eat them!

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Well, you do find all sorts at a Flog It! evaluation day.

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Moira, we are, at the moment, about 100 years

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since the outbreak of the First World War

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and when we see two service medals awarded to a woman,

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they are so much rarer than anything you can imagine awarded to a man.

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Tell me, what's the history behind them? What do you know?

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The only thing I know is they were given

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to my husband by my sister-in-law.

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And what relation...

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If we turn this one over, it's named

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"Miss JJ Roy - Civil Hospital Reserves."

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I really don't have that information. You don't know who she was?

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I don't know, no. What a shame. I bet she was a relation somewhere.

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Probably, yeah. So, let's start here.

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We've got the most fancy-looking medal, that one.

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"RRC" - Royal Red Cross. Yes. And it says, "2nd".

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That's second class and this is made in silver.

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The first class were a gilt metal, gold-coloured.

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It's not something that's awarded for bravery.

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It's something that's awarded for being a good nurse. Yes.

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It was an interesting group, these reserves,

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because they found themselves in 1914, only about 60 of them,

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straight to the front into these mobile hospitals,

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almost on the front line. Yes.

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And this also was unheard of for women to be there.

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This is really quite a rare group of medals.

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So we've got this one which is for being a nurse.

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We've got this one, a 1914 star.

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The 1914 is a rarer star than the 14-18 or 14-15 star

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and this is the Victory Medal that was awarded to everybody who

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served throughout the First World War, and here, this one,

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if we turn it over, May 1935, almost all the nurses were given one of

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those, reflecting the service they had given to the country, really.

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But that's a commemoration medal for the Coronation.

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So...value.

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Any ideas? No, I haven't any idea at all. OK. None whatsoever.

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That's worth about ?40, something like that. Really?

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That's worth about ?30. Right.

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But on top of that, we've got these two. Yes.

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If they were awarded to a private, just a foot soldier,

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they would also be worth about ?30. OK. But they're not.

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They're awarded to a nurse, a lady. Yes.

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And therefore they're worth ?200. Oh, yeah. So it's a good group.

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So this little group together is worth ?250 to ?350. Right, OK, yeah.

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Would you like to put a reserve on them? I think so.

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Where would you like it to be?

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250, 200. 200? Yeah.

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200, let's put 200 on them and that should be absolutely fine.

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Thank you very much. Well, thank you for bringing them.

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It's an absolute pleasure. Thank you.

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Let's hope we have a good result at auction.

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Up next, Caroline's found a quiet spot to value

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a lovely collection of animals, of the stuffed variety, of course.

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So here we are in this fabulous yellow-silk drawing room

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of Hopetoun House.

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Thank you so much, Andrew,

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for bringing these gorgeous little toys in.

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My pleasure.

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Now, you tell me what you know about them first.

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I've collected toys for quite a few years.

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German toys, I specialise in, and Schuco is a very good make.

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I'd had these for about 15-20 years, and I arrived this morning

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and forgot to bring a key to wind them up.

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Oh, Andrew!

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And it's just a very standard clock key? Yeah.

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What can I say?

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Well, not to worry. They're all here, and they're beautiful.

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Now, as you say, they're all made by the famous German toy maker Schuco.

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Now, Schuco is one of a group of German toymakers,

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mainly based in Nuremberg, but there was Steiff...

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Have you heard of the Steiff company that make teddies? Yeah, the bears.

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Yeah.

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Bears, and then the Lehmann Brothers, that specialised

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in tin plate toys, but these little felt animals I think are lovely.

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They're in very good condition apart from the little bear at the front,

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which is missing an ear, isn't he? Yeah.

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They would all wind up at the back and do the actions.

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This one here would play the drum,

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and then this one is a sort of dancing bear.

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I think this here one at the front, missing an ear...

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I think if he was wound, he'd do sort of tipple-tails, wouldn't he?

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Tipples over. Tipples over.

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Yeah, and then this one, my favourite, holding the stein,

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the pottery stein, he would take it to his mouth and drink this, and

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it's lovely that this little pottery stein is in perfect condition.

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Survived. Survived, yeah. Actually, coming from the theatres, you know,

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you would think...

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They should be actually worse than that, but they've been looked after.

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An awful lot worse than that.

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If we look this good nearly 100 years on,

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we're going to be all right, aren't we?

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Well, I'm 127 as it is. I'm doing well, you know?

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You're doing very well. You look great on it.

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These would've belonged in a fairly wealthy family.

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They're not everyday items. No. No, no.

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They would've cost a fair amount.

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Do you recall what you paid for them?

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I probably paid maybe ?15 each or something like that for them,

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you know?

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But we need to look at today's value.

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As a group, I would say we'd put

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an auction estimate of ?150-200 on them,

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with a fixed reserve of ?150. I'm sure...

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You know, they could fly. They could do a lot better than that.

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I've every confidence. Every confidence. Well, I have.

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I've got every confidence. I think they'll make that.

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So shall we take them to auction? Let's do it.

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Excellent. Let's do it. What is it they say in "Flog It!"?

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It is... Let's flog it! Let's flog it!

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That's the spirit!

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Before we head off to auction,

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there is something I would like to show you.

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Hopetoun House has been home to the Hopetoun family

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for ten generations,

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and it sits amongst 6,500 acres of beautiful landscape.

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This is a family home full of remarkable history.

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For over 300 years, the Hopetouns have lived on this land,

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and looked after this fine house.

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The earls of Hopetoun were military men, politicians

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and some of the first bankers in Scotland.

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They played important roles in Scottish society,

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and were very well-respected for their clean reputation.

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Here at Hopetoun, they were looked after by dozens of staff,

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from chambermaids to gamekeepers and footmen.

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Hopetoun remains a family home with loyal staff and volunteers.

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Without all of these people,

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Hopetoun could not survive as a living, breathing historic building.

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Meet the people of Hopetoun, past and present.

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The 11th Earl, Andrew Hopetoun,

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Hilda and Mabel,

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volunteers with over 60 years' service between them,

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head guide and dapper gentleman, Ian Low,

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and education coordinator Kath Ward.

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Who better to tell us about their favourite Hopetoun characters?

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This is the small library,

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and what we have been doing this winter is taking the books down...

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The cleaning staff do that for us.

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We're not allowed to go up ladders any more.

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..and gently clean them, and I'm making a shelf index as well,

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and I do that at home on the computer.

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My favourite person is the sixth Earl and Countess,

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because of the wonderful travels they did.

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With the coming of railway,

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they travelled all over the Continent,

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and they went to Russia, they went to Oberammergau, and they also took

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a trip up the Nile and back again, and then all over the Holy Land.

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Can you imagine?

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It would be very, very hard to pick a single favourite

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character from Hopetoun's history, not least

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because they're all members of my family,

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so they'd get very upset if they were to hear me

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choosing favourites, but, having said that,

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the fourth Earl of Hopetoun, who is behind me here,

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is a truly magnificent man.

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He was a general in the Napoleonic Wars.

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He was one of, ultimately, Wellington's generals,

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and Wellington described him as the ablest man in his army.

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He was an extraordinary character. He was very tall.

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He was probably six foot five, six foot six,

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so he was a good three or four inches taller than me.

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He was a very brave man,

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and when he was on the field of battle with his troops,

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he did keep getting wounded,

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which was a concern for all those about him.

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After that, once he'd retired from the army,

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he came back to live here after his brother had died.

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He did a huge amount for Hopetoun,

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but he also did a huge amount for the community as well.

0:19:280:19:31

He did a lot of works on the estate.

0:19:310:19:33

He built a lot of buildings, he built a lot of walls,

0:19:330:19:35

purely in order to create jobs and employment.

0:19:350:19:38

He really must have been a fascinating character.

0:19:380:19:41

The children come here to learn about life

0:19:480:19:51

in the Georgian and Victorian times - in particular,

0:19:510:19:54

life as a domestic servant.

0:19:540:19:56

We do have a particular favourite.

0:20:000:20:02

He was a man called Mr George Jameson,

0:20:020:20:05

and he was the under-butler at Hopetoun,

0:20:050:20:06

and I know that because I happen to have his jacket here in front of us,

0:20:060:20:09

and this is one of the jackets that the children actually get

0:20:090:20:12

to wear when they dress up as servants,

0:20:120:20:14

so they really are wearing a piece of history.

0:20:140:20:16

It says on the nametag,

0:20:160:20:18

"The Most Honourable Marquess of Linlithgow Under Butler Jameson."

0:20:180:20:22

We do have a lovely photograph in the servery upstairs.

0:20:280:20:30

It shows a gathering at Hopetoun with the servants at the front,

0:20:300:20:34

and in particular, there's a butler there,

0:20:340:20:36

and we like to believe that's Butler Jameson.

0:20:360:20:38

Well, we open the house at 10.30.

0:20:490:20:51

I walk round the house room by room,

0:20:510:20:53

checking that everything's where it should be,

0:20:530:20:56

and at 10.30 we open the doors and welcome the visitors in

0:20:560:20:59

to share with us the experience of Hopetoun House.

0:20:590:21:02

I'm drawn particularly to Hersey,

0:21:030:21:06

who was the wife of the seventh earl,

0:21:060:21:08

who went on to become the first Marquess,

0:21:080:21:10

so she was the first Marchioness of Linlithgow.

0:21:100:21:14

She was a very Victorian lady. Painfully shy.

0:21:140:21:17

When they went out to Australia,

0:21:170:21:19

that shyness was regarded as haughtiness and aloofness.

0:21:190:21:23

Now, nothing could be further from the truth.

0:21:230:21:26

The earl was offered an opportunity to shoot in a gallery,

0:21:260:21:29

and she asked if she could shoot as well,

0:21:290:21:31

and she hit five bull's-eyes in a row,

0:21:310:21:33

and that happened after she fell from her horse and nearly died,

0:21:330:21:37

and it came out that she could ride a horse and shoot a gun like a man.

0:21:370:21:41

The news of that got back to Australia,

0:21:410:21:44

and she became very much one of them.

0:21:440:21:47

One of my very favourite people involved with Hopetoun would be

0:21:510:21:55

third Marquess, who was the laird when we started coming here.

0:21:550:22:00

He was a honey.

0:22:000:22:02

One of his claims to fame, in inverted commas,

0:22:020:22:06

was that sadly he was taken prisoner early in the war,

0:22:060:22:11

and because his father was who he was, Charles ended up in Colditz.

0:22:110:22:18

Charles and several others were considered the "prominenti",

0:22:180:22:23

and I gather that the Germans retreated

0:22:230:22:27

with the "prominenti" as hostages, which must have been very scary.

0:22:270:22:32

It's a house and it's a home. It's not just "a" home.

0:22:380:22:41

It's the home of the Hope family, so it's an ongoing story,

0:22:410:22:46

it's a living story.

0:22:460:22:47

It's not something about the past, which is dead.

0:22:470:22:49

It's something which is continuing on today.

0:22:490:22:53

It's a lovely house, it's a lovely family,

0:22:530:22:55

and we, as guides, just seem to be absorbed into it.

0:22:550:23:01

But it is a lovely house.

0:23:010:23:03

It's one of Scotland's well-kept secrets.

0:23:030:23:05

It is an extraordinary privilege to live here.

0:23:070:23:11

I mean, it's a very, very beautiful house.

0:23:110:23:13

It's a wonderful house, and one of the great joys is that it works

0:23:130:23:17

very well now to live in as a family home,

0:23:170:23:21

in the same way that it did in, I imagine, the 1750s.

0:23:210:23:25

Hopetoun has filled my retirement.

0:23:270:23:32

I also embroidered one of the chairs in the dining room,

0:23:320:23:36

so I've made my mark.

0:23:360:23:39

And now a quick reminder of what's going off to auction.

0:23:460:23:50

A document of huge historical significance, but will anyone

0:23:500:23:54

pay the ?100 reserve for this 18th-century oath of allegiance?

0:23:540:23:58

Now, don't call her a fruitcake.

0:23:590:24:01

Caroline picked these out as top royal memorabilia.

0:24:010:24:05

Will the bidders agree?

0:24:050:24:06

The Schuco collection is in great condition,

0:24:060:24:08

and that's really important when selling toys.

0:24:080:24:12

Will they make over the estimate?

0:24:120:24:14

And the medal collectors will have a field day tracing

0:24:170:24:20

the provenance of this group.

0:24:200:24:22

Let's see how they do when they go under the hammer,

0:24:240:24:27

over the bridge in the city of Glasgow,

0:24:270:24:29

at the Great Western auction house,

0:24:290:24:31

owned and run by our very own Anita Manning.

0:24:310:24:34

Our first lot to go under Anita's hammer is the oath of allegiance.

0:24:350:24:40

Going under the hammer right now,

0:24:400:24:42

two 18th-century handwritten documents

0:24:420:24:44

pledging allegiance to King George III and the constitution.

0:24:440:24:48

Bit of a hot potato back then, Glynis, what do you think?

0:24:480:24:50

Fingers crossed somebody will get it who will appreciate it.

0:24:500:24:53

Oh, I love this. I wish I was there bidding, not here.

0:24:530:24:57

I want maximum money for this,

0:24:570:24:58

because you won't find another two on the market.

0:24:580:25:01

It's going under the hammer right now and this is it, here we go.

0:25:010:25:04

Two documents of historical interest, and at that time...

0:25:040:25:10

Should be serious money. Don't you? Well, they SHOULD be.

0:25:100:25:15

200. 150.

0:25:150:25:18

Will you start me at ?100 for these rare documents?

0:25:180:25:22

?100. Come on! 100. 80, then. 90.

0:25:220:25:26

100. 120. This is more like it. Come on. 130.

0:25:260:25:30

140. ?140.

0:25:300:25:34

150. ?150. Any advance on 150?

0:25:340:25:41

Any advance on 150, all done at 150, 150?

0:25:410:25:44

Well, you were right at the valuation,

0:25:460:25:47

spot on with the valuation. Absolutely.

0:25:470:25:49

Well done, James, don't be disappointed.

0:25:490:25:51

But, I just... Oh, I know, I know.

0:25:510:25:52

You kind of... You think, "Hang on a minute,

0:25:520:25:55

"these are handwritten by a quill. Back in the late 1700s."

0:25:550:25:58

I've got goose bumps. Yes. It's not about the money, though,

0:25:580:26:02

it's about someone having them that really wanted them.

0:26:020:26:05

Will look after them.

0:26:050:26:06

I'm certain they've gone to a good home, Linda.

0:26:060:26:08

Now let's see if anyone wants to have some cake and keep it,

0:26:080:26:11

not eat it.

0:26:110:26:13

Robert. Royal carriage driver. And the pieces of wedding cake.

0:26:130:26:18

I'm surprised you kept them for such a long time and didn't eat them.

0:26:180:26:21

I ate one, I ate Princess Anne's. Princess Anne's. Unfortunately.

0:26:210:26:24

It was good. What a job, and what a career you've had.

0:26:240:26:28

It was good cake, was it? Was it a fruitcake? It was a fruitcake.

0:26:280:26:31

Like me! I tell you what.

0:26:310:26:34

You're an auctioneer,

0:26:340:26:35

have you ever sold anything like that in your life? Never.

0:26:350:26:38

And I'm sure Anita hasn't, either. So it's a first for all of us.

0:26:380:26:42

So do enjoy this moment. This is it, here we go, good luck.

0:26:420:26:46

Two pieces of royal wedding cake.

0:26:460:26:48

Now, wonderful conversation pieces, ladies and gentlemen.

0:26:480:26:51

You could pretend to your friends

0:26:510:26:53

that you attended both of these weddings.

0:26:530:26:56

I have two bids on the books. I can start the bidding at ?40.

0:26:570:27:01

40. 50.

0:27:010:27:03

60. 70.

0:27:030:27:05

80. 90.

0:27:050:27:07

It's with the lady at ?90. 100.

0:27:070:27:12

Oh, she's going to go again, she's going again.

0:27:120:27:14

She's got to go again. 110, 120.

0:27:140:27:17

Yes. 130, 140. This is good, this is good.

0:27:170:27:21

?140. 140 over there now.

0:27:210:27:24

It's with you, sir, at 140. Any advance on 140?

0:27:240:27:29

150, fresh bidder.

0:27:290:27:31

150.

0:27:310:27:33

Any advance on ?150, all done at 150? 150?

0:27:330:27:39

Great result, ?150, that's brilliant, isn't it?

0:27:390:27:42

Well, thank you for bringing those in.

0:27:420:27:44

I tell you what, if you were a baker or a cake maker,

0:27:440:27:46

to own those and have them on display in your shop window,

0:27:460:27:50

would just attract all the people off the pavement.

0:27:500:27:54

Thank you so much, because I've not seen anything like that before. No!

0:27:540:27:59

A distinctive item with provenance,

0:27:590:28:01

always a winner at auction.

0:28:010:28:03

Up next, the little drummer and his friends.

0:28:030:28:06

This lot will definitely put a big grin on your faces.

0:28:070:28:10

It's the Schuco toys,

0:28:100:28:11

and I particularly love the pig playing the drum.

0:28:110:28:14

Andrew, it's fantastic!

0:28:140:28:16

OK, look. We had a valuation of ?150-200.

0:28:160:28:18

Anita thinks it should do 2-3,

0:28:180:28:20

so she's put a fixed reserve at 2, and I think she's right.

0:28:200:28:24

I think you could get the top end of that. Are we ready for this? Ready.

0:28:240:28:27

Fingers crossed. Let's do it. Let's put them under the hammer.

0:28:270:28:30

Here we are. Will you start me at ?100 for the Schucos? 100.

0:28:300:28:32

100 bid. 110. 120. 130.

0:28:320:28:35

140. 150. 160.

0:28:350:28:38

170. 180. 180.

0:28:380:28:40

Yes, we're in. Look. 190. We've got another bid.

0:28:400:28:43

190. 200.

0:28:430:28:44

210. 220.

0:28:440:28:47

Any advance on 220?

0:28:470:28:48

230. Yes. There's a guy bidding down there.

0:28:480:28:51

230. Any advance on... It's a nice little lot. Good lot. Good lot. 250.

0:28:510:28:56

Good nucleus for a collection to start. Absolutely.

0:28:560:28:59

290. ?290. 300.

0:28:590:29:04

Yeah, that's more like it. 310.

0:29:040:29:06

Any advance on 310? Any advance on 310?

0:29:070:29:12

310.

0:29:120:29:13

Yes. Yes. ?310. We're happy. Are you happy?

0:29:130:29:16

Over the moon. Over the moon.

0:29:160:29:18

That's a brilliant result. It's a good deal.

0:29:180:29:19

Thank you, and I've got one thing to say to that...

0:29:190:29:21

IMITATES DRUM STING

0:29:210:29:23

Toys in good condition are really sought after,

0:29:240:29:27

so it's no surprise his collection beat the estimate.

0:29:270:29:31

Next up, Moira's medals.

0:29:310:29:33

So far, so good,

0:29:330:29:34

going under the hammer right now, World War I medals.

0:29:340:29:37

Nurses' medals, in fact, belonging to Moira.

0:29:370:29:40

These have been in the family quite some time. They have, yes.

0:29:400:29:43

In the attic.

0:29:430:29:45

And we're looking for ?250-?350. Let's put the value to the test.

0:29:450:29:48

They're going under the hammer right now.

0:29:480:29:50

The group of four medals, to Sister JJ Roy,

0:29:500:29:55

and I can start the bidding at ?150.

0:29:550:30:01

For Sister Roy's medals. OK. 150.

0:30:010:30:04

Any advance on 150, 160, 170, 180, 190.

0:30:040:30:08

200, 220.

0:30:080:30:11

240, 260.

0:30:110:30:13

280, 300.

0:30:130:30:16

On the books at 300. 320, I'm out.

0:30:160:30:20

It's with you, sir, at ?320.

0:30:200:30:25

320. Any advance on 320, all done at 320?

0:30:250:30:30

320. They've gone, Moira. Gone, yes.

0:30:300:30:33

Oh, well, to a good home, hopefully. Yes, exactly.

0:30:330:30:37

And go to a good home they did, Moira -

0:30:370:30:40

to a father and daughter, in fact.

0:30:400:30:41

My name is Elise Reilly and my dad bought some medals at auction.

0:30:410:30:47

The medals that I bought, it was really for my daughter.

0:30:470:30:51

She's been doing some history at school, on the First World War,

0:30:510:30:54

so I thought it would be nice if she could do

0:30:540:30:56

a bit of history on those medals, as well. Well, there you go,

0:30:560:30:58

World War I medals enjoyed by the next generation.

0:30:580:31:02

That's our first visit to the auction complete.

0:31:020:31:05

We'll be back later on in the show.

0:31:050:31:08

On a clear day, from our

0:31:080:31:10

valuation-day location, Hopetoun House,

0:31:100:31:12

in the distance you can see two magnificent engineering

0:31:120:31:15

structures spanning the water.

0:31:150:31:17

They are of course the Forth Bridges,

0:31:170:31:19

taking hundreds of people each day - in fact, thousands of people -

0:31:190:31:22

backwards and forwards across the Firth of Forth.

0:31:220:31:25

Soon, that load will be shared by a third bridge,

0:31:250:31:28

the Queensferry Crossing,

0:31:280:31:29

so I donned a hard hat and work boots

0:31:290:31:31

to check out this engineering marvel.

0:31:310:31:34

It's a claim that's thought to be unique the world over.

0:31:420:31:45

Three bridges built in three centuries, spanning one river.

0:31:450:31:51

Striking engineering and cutting-edge construction.

0:31:510:31:54

The first rail bridge that you can see in the distance over there,

0:31:580:32:01

the red one, that was built in the 19th century.

0:32:010:32:03

The second road bridge, the one with the traffic running over it,

0:32:030:32:06

was built in the 20th century.

0:32:060:32:08

And the bridge you can see behind me here, look,

0:32:080:32:11

under construction now, again of epic proportions.

0:32:110:32:14

Take a look at that. That is colossal!

0:32:140:32:18

That will be completed in 2016.

0:32:180:32:20

"But why three bridges?" you're probably asking,

0:32:200:32:23

and what does each superstructure tell us

0:32:230:32:26

about the century it was built in?

0:32:260:32:30

The new bridge is the biggest engineering project

0:32:300:32:32

Scotland has seen for a generation.

0:32:320:32:34

The ?1.45 billion project,

0:32:340:32:37

named by the public as the Queensferry Crossing,

0:32:370:32:41

will carry traffic from Edinburgh to Fife

0:32:410:32:44

on a road equal in size to a motorway.

0:32:440:32:46

Well, this is where it's all happening.

0:32:460:32:48

I'm surrounded by bridge and it's all going on right now.

0:32:480:32:52

There are five piers that form the supporting platform

0:32:520:32:55

for the bridge on the land, and out at sea there,

0:32:550:32:58

there are three huge, great big towers

0:32:580:33:01

and you can just see one there.

0:33:010:33:03

Now, they stand firmly like a rock in these turbulent waters,

0:33:030:33:06

and they go down to a depth of 28 metres, which is around 85 feet.

0:33:060:33:11

And the foundations are filled with 28,000 tonnes of concrete.

0:33:110:33:15

Nearly 1,000 people from all over the world are working on the site.

0:33:170:33:22

The road is being constructed and pushed out onto the viaduct,

0:33:220:33:25

and over the next two years,

0:33:250:33:27

the three towers will rise up 200 metres above sea level.

0:33:270:33:33

The Queensferry Crossing was commissioned

0:33:330:33:35

because the Forth Road Bridge is no longer up to the job.

0:33:350:33:38

Although only just over 50 years old,

0:33:380:33:41

it's showing signs of wear and tear,

0:33:410:33:43

and that's not surprising when it was designed to carry

0:33:430:33:46

a load of five million cars per year

0:33:460:33:48

and now it's ended up carrying 24 million.

0:33:480:33:52

Although it hasn't stood the test of time as well as initially hoped,

0:33:530:33:57

the Forth Road Bridge still represents a massive achievement.

0:33:570:34:01

It was opened in 1964 by Queen Elizabeth.

0:34:010:34:04

It was Europe's largest suspension bridge, spanning 1.5 miles,

0:34:040:34:09

using 30,000 miles of cable.

0:34:090:34:12

That's long enough to go all the way around the world.

0:34:120:34:15

It took 400 men six years to build.

0:34:170:34:20

It was hard and sometimes dangerous work.

0:34:200:34:23

And the conditions in the early '60s were rather different to today.

0:34:230:34:27

Alex Porteous worked on the bridge when he was just 18

0:34:290:34:32

and remembers the time fondly.

0:34:320:34:35

Alex, what section of the bridge did you work on?

0:34:350:34:38

I worked on two sections.

0:34:380:34:39

I worked on the south viaduct here,

0:34:390:34:42

with a company called Reed and Mallik, on the concrete squad.

0:34:420:34:45

And later on I got a job with the ACD Bridge Company.

0:34:450:34:48

Happy days, were they hard days?

0:34:480:34:50

Oh, it was one of the best jobs I ever had.

0:34:500:34:53

I look back now and I think, yeah,

0:34:530:34:54

it definitely was one of the best jobs I ever had.

0:34:540:34:56

Was it dangerous at times? Depends how stupid you were! Really?

0:34:560:35:00

I went up one day and I was curious as to what was over the edge,

0:35:000:35:05

just to have a look. To see how high it was? And I tripped.

0:35:050:35:09

I just fell from a vertical to horizontal, lying down,

0:35:090:35:13

looking at the safety net below me. You were lucky.

0:35:130:35:16

What did you trip on? Oh, there'd be electric cables up there.

0:35:160:35:19

Just stuff lying around? Yeah. Which you won't get today? No.

0:35:190:35:24

It was a good job. You were well-paid, good team to work with.

0:35:240:35:29

What about the weather? That was a killer. That stopped everything.

0:35:290:35:33

Shirley-Smith, who was the head of the resident engineers,

0:35:330:35:36

he'd built bridges all over the world and he said this was

0:35:360:35:39

the worst stretch of water that he's ever worked on.

0:35:390:35:42

But I mean, this is Scotland. You can get four seasons in one day.

0:35:420:35:46

You must be so proud of what you've helped achieve, really.

0:35:460:35:50

Well, you see it now, it's very unique.

0:35:500:35:53

You worked on one bridge as a young man,

0:35:530:35:55

and then as a 68-year-old man now, they're building another one.

0:35:550:35:59

So to see two bridges in your lifetime is very unique.

0:35:590:36:02

Look at it now, it is fantastic, isn't it? It is.

0:36:020:36:05

The first bridge, opened for rail in 1890,

0:36:090:36:12

has one thing in common with the others - the use of steel.

0:36:120:36:16

It may be an everyday material now,

0:36:170:36:19

but at the time it was considered a wonder material

0:36:190:36:22

and was taking construction to new heights.

0:36:220:36:26

Properties of steel enabled engineers to build huge structures

0:36:260:36:30

like this that were strong, but not too heavy.

0:36:300:36:34

The Forth Bridge was one of the first bridges in the world

0:36:340:36:36

to be built using steel, and at the time, this was considered to be

0:36:360:36:39

a cornerstone in the history of modern civil engineering.

0:36:390:36:43

It was the world's longest cantilever bridge,

0:36:450:36:48

at 1.6 miles long.

0:36:480:36:51

And at its peak, 4,600 men were employed on the project.

0:36:510:36:55

Working conditions were treacherous,

0:36:550:36:57

and upwards of 60 men lost their lives, and thousands were injured.

0:36:570:37:03

And some of those men were painters who had the unenviable task

0:37:030:37:06

of painting this bridge that notorious red colour.

0:37:060:37:10

And it's said that it took such a long time to do,

0:37:100:37:13

by the time you started on the north side

0:37:130:37:15

and got all the way over to the south side and finished,

0:37:150:37:18

it was time to paint the north side again.

0:37:180:37:20

And start all over!

0:37:200:37:23

And that gave rise to the expression "Painting the Forth Bridge",

0:37:230:37:26

used to describe a never-ending, monotonous job.

0:37:260:37:31

I tell you what, I wouldn't fancy doing that. I really wouldn't.

0:37:310:37:35

Truth be told, the painting was never continuous

0:37:350:37:38

and the metaphor can no longer be applied,

0:37:380:37:40

as a new type of long-lasting paint has been used

0:37:400:37:44

so the bridge won't need a fresh coat for another 25 years.

0:37:440:37:49

This really is, truly, an exceptional bridge.

0:37:490:37:52

It's one of my favourites in the world.

0:37:520:37:54

And it's 123 years old, believe it or not.

0:37:540:37:58

And trains still rattle across it every day - hundreds of them.

0:37:580:38:01

It caused some controversy in its day,

0:38:040:38:06

but its place as a Scottish icon is assured.

0:38:060:38:11

In 2016,

0:38:110:38:13

when these two bridges are joined by the Queensferry Crossing,

0:38:130:38:16

this stretch of water will be one of the most distinctive in the world.

0:38:160:38:20

Welcome back to Hopetoun House and, as you can see,

0:38:350:38:38

our valuation day is still in full swing.

0:38:380:38:40

Hundreds of people keep turning up throughout the day.

0:38:400:38:43

So let's now meet up with our experts again

0:38:430:38:45

and see what else we can find to take off to auction.

0:38:450:38:48

Pearl, you're a brave lady. Oooh!

0:38:530:38:56

Transporting mercury in a barometer!

0:38:560:38:59

I know...

0:38:590:39:00

Though the good news is,

0:39:000:39:01

though, you clearly know how to move a barometer.

0:39:010:39:03

Do you know, the first time I ever handled

0:39:030:39:06

a barometer in a saleroom, I was a porter, I was 19 years old.

0:39:060:39:10

The first thing I did was put it flat.

0:39:100:39:12

Right. Big mistake. Yes. Mercury went everywhere.

0:39:120:39:16

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

0:39:160:39:22

Known as a stick barometer for obvious reasons... Yeah, well, yeah.

0:39:220:39:25

Barometers come in three various forms.

0:39:250:39:28

The most valuable is the signpost barometer.

0:39:280:39:31

The most common are the wheel barometers.

0:39:310:39:35

And those, at the moment, are very unfashionable,

0:39:350:39:38

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

0:39:380:39:40

These are somewhere in the middle. This one, towards...

0:39:400:39:43

Much, much closer towards the wheel barometer.

0:39:430:39:47

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

0:39:470:39:49

But what we've got is a glass tube,

0:39:490:39:53

and then that goes right the way down into

0:39:530:39:56

the mercury reservoir here, and you can see that that compresses there.

0:39:560:40:01

Yeah.

0:40:010:40:03

Pressure can be applied, and as the atmospheric pressure changes,

0:40:030:40:07

the mercury rises up the tube

0:40:070:40:11

and comes to a temperature gauge here at the top.

0:40:110:40:15

And in very, very fine weather it raises,

0:40:150:40:20

and in cold weather it falls.

0:40:200:40:23

The case itself is mahogany,

0:40:230:40:25

but it does have a feel that it's been somewhere unloved.

0:40:250:40:30

Yes.

0:40:300:40:31

Neglected. So why is it neglected?

0:40:310:40:34

Um... Well, we found it...

0:40:340:40:36

It was lying in the back of a wardrobe in the house.

0:40:360:40:38

I mean, a chappie did offer us ?50 for it, but... I bet he did.

0:40:380:40:42

..we thought, "Well, it's a curious thing."

0:40:420:40:44

We hadn't seen one before. We thought,

0:40:440:40:46

"Well, we'll just go and see.

0:40:460:40:48

"Get some information on it."

0:40:480:40:50

Well, that's certainly a cheeky offer.

0:40:500:40:52

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

0:40:520:40:56

Very, very plain.

0:40:560:40:57

Now, in terms of value, I would put an estimate

0:40:590:41:04

of ?180-250 on it,

0:41:040:41:09

and I'd like to see a reserve of about 180.

0:41:090:41:13

But I would think it would certainly make that.

0:41:130:41:14

I'm hoping it'll make top end.

0:41:140:41:17

It's a good thing, and thank you for bringing it in. Thank you.

0:41:170:41:21

And well done for not selling it to the man for ?50.

0:41:210:41:25

Antiques go in and out of fashion,

0:41:260:41:28

and barometers are not as popular as they once were.

0:41:280:41:32

Will it make the ?180 reserve?

0:41:320:41:34

And now Caroline has snuck off to the peace and quiet

0:41:360:41:39

of the red drawing room.

0:41:390:41:41

Lovely to see you both. And thank you for bringing this gorgeous object.

0:41:410:41:46

Now, are you going to tell me anything about it?

0:41:460:41:48

I don't know a great deal about it,

0:41:480:41:49

but I do know it comes from the branch of the family

0:41:490:41:53

personified to me through three maiden aunts.

0:41:530:41:56

And was their name, by any chance, Strachan?

0:41:560:41:58

I didn't mention the name because if there are any Strachans out there,

0:41:580:42:01

they might be outraged by what I'm going to say. Right!

0:42:010:42:05

Continue saying it. Now it's out in the open. So it's fine.

0:42:050:42:07

So, it was in their house and it came down to my dad,

0:42:070:42:10

but it brought back to me memories of being in their house with them.

0:42:100:42:14

And they were three Victorian aunts,

0:42:140:42:17

in this dark and gloomy Victorian house.

0:42:170:42:20

And after church every Sunday - and we're going back to the 1950s -

0:42:200:42:24

after church I'd be there in my kilt and we'd go in to visit the aunts.

0:42:240:42:29

And I wasn't allowed to speak unless spoken to.

0:42:290:42:33

And so, the goblet personifies these dark and disturbing memories.

0:42:330:42:38

I can see why you want rid! It is a beautiful object. It is.

0:42:380:42:42

Well, I'll tell you what I know about it. I've had a good look.

0:42:420:42:46

It's solid hallmarked silver. The date of it is 1862.

0:42:460:42:52

It's made in London. And the inscription on the front is 1860.

0:42:520:42:57

Which... That might commemorate a birth or something.

0:42:570:43:02

The extraordinary thing is, this wasn't made until 1862.

0:43:020:43:07

So two years afterwards.

0:43:070:43:10

It's a lovely thing,

0:43:100:43:11

and not only does lily of the valley happen to have

0:43:110:43:14

a particular significance for me,

0:43:140:43:16

it's my favourite flower, I adore lily of the valley.

0:43:160:43:20

And it's beautifully embossed and etched here.

0:43:200:43:23

Do you have any idea of value? About 100, 150? You're spot on.

0:43:230:43:28

You're spot on, John! I don't need to be here!

0:43:280:43:31

Well, I would absolutely agree with that.

0:43:310:43:33

I think between ?100 and ?150, but I would put a reserve on of 100.

0:43:330:43:38

Yes. Would you like that a fixed reserve or a discretionary reserve?

0:43:380:43:42

Oh, I think fixed. I'd rather take it home. Fixed, OK. We'll do that.

0:43:420:43:46

That's made my day, I adore that. Oh, good!

0:43:460:43:49

Maybe with a little more digging into the family archive,

0:43:490:43:53

John will be able to find out where the Strachan connection comes from.

0:43:530:43:57

I love you too! I love you back!

0:43:570:44:01

THEY LAUGH I love you all!

0:44:010:44:03

Without you guys we would not have a show.

0:44:030:44:04

You know what, it's still raining outside.

0:44:040:44:06

Ah, we're used to it. It's just Scottish weather!

0:44:060:44:10

Well, it's warm inside the ballroom

0:44:100:44:12

and every single person will be seen by one of our experts.

0:44:120:44:17

And James is one of the best.

0:44:170:44:20

Whatever the subject matter, there are always differences in quality

0:44:200:44:24

of whatever it might be - whether tea caddies,

0:44:240:44:28

or snuff boxes, cars.

0:44:280:44:30

And this, if it was a car, would be a Rolls-Royce. Really?

0:44:300:44:34

It's a lovely example. Tell me what you know.

0:44:340:44:39

It was given to my father

0:44:390:44:41

by an old lady who lived with us for several years.

0:44:410:44:45

And she died while I was still a little girl. OK.

0:44:450:44:49

Been in the family since then, and you remember it as a child? Yes.

0:44:490:44:52

1950s, yeah. Gosh. Well, do you know what a tipstaff is?

0:44:520:44:57

Well, I just thought it was a truncheon.

0:44:570:44:59

Someone else put me right, told me it was a tipstaff. Yeah.

0:44:590:45:03

A tipstaff is something that was often to do with the police,

0:45:030:45:07

and I guess originally it would have been something that would have been

0:45:070:45:10

bashed over the head, used as a weapon.

0:45:100:45:13

But in latter years, it became a ceremonial staff of office in a way.

0:45:130:45:18

The shaft of this one is in mahogany,

0:45:180:45:21

and then we've got a solid silver end and terminal at the base.

0:45:210:45:26

Then we've got a Chester hallmark.

0:45:260:45:30

And also the date letter for 1836.

0:45:310:45:34

At the top here, we've got the N for the maker.

0:45:340:45:37

And then the start of the L. Yes.

0:45:370:45:39

For Nicholson Lee, who were Liverpool makers,

0:45:390:45:42

who specialised in the making of tipstaffs.

0:45:420:45:45

OK. That matches.

0:45:450:45:46

So, that's your maker. Now, you've done some research, I understand.

0:45:460:45:51

Yes, I tried to find out who they were. James Magnell Esq.

0:45:510:45:54

He's the boroughreeve. Yeah. And William Haslam? And Robert Knowles?

0:45:540:46:00

Two constables. Two constables? Yes, they're constables.

0:46:000:46:03

I found out that they were in Salford in Manchester. Brilliant.

0:46:030:46:09

It's a lovely thing. It is, yeah. Oh, it's a lovely one. 1836.

0:46:090:46:14

In good condition. Names that are traceable. Solid silver.

0:46:140:46:19

It's got everything,

0:46:190:46:21

everything that you want to see from a tipstaff is there.

0:46:210:46:24

I think it's worth about ?1,000.

0:46:240:46:29

That's very good. I think that's good money for it, at ?1,000.

0:46:290:46:32

But I'm hoping it'll do that and maybe a shade more. OK!

0:46:320:46:37

What a wonderful thing.

0:46:370:46:38

We're always on the lookout for quality

0:46:380:46:41

and Caroline's next item is no exception.

0:46:410:46:44

Sheena, these are lovely.

0:46:440:46:46

I'm very much a jewellery lady and these shout quality to me.

0:46:460:46:53

And they would be worn by a lady

0:46:530:46:55

that was lucky enough to grace a drawing room such as this.

0:46:550:46:58

Have you worn these, Sheena?

0:46:580:47:00

Yes, I've been lucky enough to wear them.

0:47:000:47:02

I've worn them to a ball,

0:47:020:47:04

and I wore them to a wedding in a chateau in France.

0:47:040:47:06

And how did it come to you?

0:47:060:47:08

A lady, a friend gave it to my grandmother, and she gave it to me

0:47:080:47:12

when I was a student, for the very first ball I went to.

0:47:120:47:15

Oh, wow. And then she said, "You can keep it."

0:47:150:47:18

Oh, how... And did your grandmother wear it? I don't think she did.

0:47:180:47:23

And you've decided now you don't want to keep them any longer?

0:47:230:47:26

You know, maybe you go to one big ball or one wedding,

0:47:260:47:30

and twice in a lifetime is not enough for a necklace like this.

0:47:300:47:33

No. Right.

0:47:330:47:35

Well, I can see why you say that, but to me, it's a beautiful object.

0:47:350:47:39

It's three strands of cultured pearls.

0:47:390:47:42

Do you know what a cultured pearl is?

0:47:420:47:44

No. Right, well, a cultured pearl is a pearl that's made,

0:47:440:47:48

fabricated, so the oyster shell would be opened

0:47:480:47:52

and something would be put in, a chemical would be put in

0:47:520:47:55

to stimulate the growth of the pearl.

0:47:550:47:58

So it was cultured. And the clasp is what also screams quality to me.

0:47:580:48:04

That is a nine-carat gold clasp, set with garnets,

0:48:040:48:09

and seed pearls, surrounded with seed pearls.

0:48:090:48:12

So the clasp is an item of beauty in itself.

0:48:120:48:15

And if we turn it over, we can see, it's marked nine carat here.

0:48:150:48:21

And the clasp itself, you would open it like that and put it on.

0:48:210:48:26

It just... To me, it screams glamour, all that is gorgeous.

0:48:260:48:32

It dates from the 1920s, '30s.

0:48:320:48:35

Now, to me, a valuation in today's market,

0:48:350:48:39

I would put an auction estimate of between ?300 and ?400. Really?

0:48:390:48:45

That would be good.

0:48:450:48:47

And I'm sure somebody would be very happy to pay that. Really? Yeah.

0:48:470:48:51

If we put a reserve, a fixed reserve of 200?

0:48:510:48:54

Just to stop them falling into that net.

0:48:540:48:57

And thank you so much for bringing them,

0:48:570:48:59

it's a pleasure to see them, I love them.

0:48:590:49:01

Thank you very much. That's a pleasure, Sheena.

0:49:010:49:03

Have you all enjoyed yourselves? Yes, thank you.

0:49:030:49:06

Good, that's what it's all about.

0:49:060:49:08

Thank you so much for turning up, because you've all made my day.

0:49:080:49:10

And I think it's fair to say we've found some wonderful treasures

0:49:100:49:13

here today at Hopetoun, worthy of our regal surroundings.

0:49:130:49:17

Right now, we're racing off to the auction room for the very last time,

0:49:170:49:20

and here's a quick recap of what we're taking with us.

0:49:200:49:24

John remembers the goblet from his childhood,

0:49:240:49:27

but has no idea where the name Strachan comes from.

0:49:270:49:30

Nevertheless, it's up for grabs with a reserve of ?100.

0:49:300:49:35

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

0:49:350:49:38

The pressure is on to see if it will sell.

0:49:380:49:40

And jewellery goes in and out of fashion,

0:49:440:49:46

so will anyone be willing to pay ?200 for a pearl necklace?

0:49:460:49:51

And the Rolls-Royce of tipstaffs.

0:49:520:49:54

Will it make the weighty sum of ?1,000-?2,000?

0:49:540:49:58

Well, there's only one way to find out. Let's flog it!

0:49:580:50:02

First up, the goblet.

0:50:030:50:05

Hopefully, it's going to be cheers all round

0:50:050:50:07

when we get over the top end for the silver goblet

0:50:070:50:10

belonging to Claire and John,

0:50:100:50:11

who are with me and our expert, Caroline.

0:50:110:50:13

Now, I know this has been in the family some time.

0:50:130:50:16

The name Strachan, there's a family connection somewhere

0:50:160:50:18

but you couldn't establish that at the valuation day.

0:50:180:50:20

So we dug out a family tree and it turns out that

0:50:200:50:25

Alexander Strachan was married to one of John's great-aunts.

0:50:250:50:30

OK. There were three great-aunts.

0:50:300:50:33

Now, does that make you want to keep it and not sell it? Yes, it does.

0:50:330:50:37

That's just what I was going to say!

0:50:370:50:38

This is what we find, it's all about provenance and family connections.

0:50:380:50:42

It's too late because it's going under the hammer right now,

0:50:420:50:45

this is it.

0:50:450:50:47

This charming Victorian silver goblet.

0:50:470:50:50

Can we say... Oh, I have three bids on the books.

0:50:500:50:54

Oooh! And I will start the bidding at...

0:50:540:50:58

..?180. Yes! Wow. Brilliant.

0:50:590:51:03

180, 190, 200, 210, 220.

0:51:030:51:07

220 on the book. 220. 230, fresh bidder.

0:51:070:51:12

230. With you, sir, at 230.

0:51:120:51:15

240 on the book. 250, 260.

0:51:150:51:19

It's on the book at ?260.

0:51:190:51:21

260. That's a good price, that. Commission bid. It's very good.

0:51:210:51:24

At 260. Any advance on 260? All done at 260, 260?

0:51:240:51:30

The hammer's gone down! Sold. That's fantastic!

0:51:300:51:34

Over the top end. I half thought for a moment

0:51:340:51:36

you might put your own hand up and try and buy it back!

0:51:360:51:38

Honestly, honestly, I nearly did!

0:51:380:51:41

Well, that's a great result, and John and Claire found out

0:51:410:51:44

a little more about their family history.

0:51:440:51:46

Well, so far, so good,

0:51:490:51:51

and I'll tell you what - things are really flying out today,

0:51:510:51:54

and it's getting so hot in here, and I know that because we've got

0:51:540:51:57

a stick barometer, and I've just read it, and it belongs to Pearl.

0:51:570:52:00

I reckon this is going to fly out of the room. Well, hopefully.

0:52:000:52:02

I reckon everyone needs one of these at home.

0:52:020:52:04

I don't think they're that accurate, but I'll tell you what -

0:52:040:52:07

they look fabulous, don't they? They do. It's hot.

0:52:070:52:09

Look at those. Oh, wow, look! I told you it's getting hot in here!

0:52:090:52:12

They're really the in thing. What are they called?

0:52:120:52:15

Hot...hot glasses. Hot glasses, because it's getting hot in here.

0:52:150:52:20

They're just fantastic. They are brilliant.

0:52:200:52:23

Well, keep them on, James. Sorry. Anyway, moving on.

0:52:230:52:26

19th century mahogany-case stick barometer with inset ivory scale.

0:52:260:52:32

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

0:52:320:52:36

?100 on the barometer.

0:52:360:52:38

100. 100.

0:52:380:52:41

100 bid.

0:52:410:52:42

Any advance on ?100?

0:52:420:52:44

Go on!

0:52:440:52:45

Any advance on 100?

0:52:450:52:47

110. 120.

0:52:470:52:49

Any advance on ?120? Come on, Anita!

0:52:490:52:52

Any advance on 120?

0:52:520:52:54

Any advance on 120? No! 120.

0:52:540:52:58

Not sold.

0:52:580:53:00

It's suddenly cooling down.

0:53:000:53:02

I'm going to have to take it all the way home again.

0:53:050:53:07

Give it some love. Yes.

0:53:070:53:09

Give it some love. I mean, you know...

0:53:090:53:11

It's just so insane, isn't it,

0:53:110:53:13

that that stick barometer would have made ?500 just, what, ten years ago?

0:53:130:53:17

Yeah. Quite easily. Stick it on the wall for another five, ten years.

0:53:170:53:20

Exactly. Then see what happens then? OK. Yes. Good luck with that.

0:53:200:53:23

OK. Thank you. Thank you very much.

0:53:230:53:25

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

0:53:250:53:29

her barometer in a few years' time.

0:53:290:53:32

Fingers crossed, Sheena. Good luck, Caroline.

0:53:320:53:34

Going under the hammer right now, we have that seed pearl necklace.

0:53:340:53:37

It is absolutely gorgeous. And you're selling this because...?

0:53:370:53:40

I need a new car. You need a new car. No pressure, Paul! No.

0:53:400:53:44

Well, at least it adds towards the kitty, let's face it,

0:53:440:53:47

if we can get that top end of ?400? That would be fantastic. Will we?

0:53:470:53:51

The reserve's two. I saw that! HE EXHALES HEAVILY

0:53:510:53:55

We'll get two, surely, we'll get ?200. Yes. Got to.

0:53:550:53:58

Well, it's going under the hammer right now, this is it.

0:53:580:54:02

Three-strand pearl necklace.

0:54:020:54:05

Three strands of superb cultured pearls.

0:54:050:54:09

Can we see ?400?

0:54:090:54:11

400?

0:54:110:54:13

300?

0:54:130:54:15

Will you start me at ?200? Start me at 200.

0:54:150:54:19

Start me at ?100. THEY GROAN

0:54:190:54:21

100 bid. 100 bid. We're in.

0:54:210:54:25

Any advance on ?100? 110.

0:54:250:54:29

There's a reserve at two, isn't there? Yeah. 130.

0:54:290:54:32

140, 150. 160, 170.

0:54:320:54:36

180, 190. 200.

0:54:360:54:39

?200.

0:54:390:54:41

It's with the lady at 200.

0:54:410:54:44

Any advance on 200? All done at 200, 200?

0:54:440:54:49

Just! Just! Are you pleased? Yes.

0:54:490:54:53

We did it. We did it. We did it. Yes!

0:54:530:54:57

Gosh, that was close, wasn't it?

0:54:570:54:59

That's auctions for you, it really is quite tense, isn't it?

0:54:590:55:02

Very! Yeah. You deserve a cup of tea now.

0:55:020:55:05

Oh, no, I'll have a pint, thank you! A pint!

0:55:050:55:08

Yeah, and you'll get a few drinks for that money, Sheena!

0:55:080:55:11

And finally, the tiptop tipstaff.

0:55:110:55:14

Well, this will ARREST your attention.

0:55:140:55:16

Going under the hammer right now,

0:55:160:55:18

we have a policeman's ceremonial tipstaff and James,

0:55:180:55:20

you're nicked if it doesn't sell.

0:55:200:55:22

We've got a value of ?1,000-?2,000. I like it a lot.

0:55:220:55:25

Now, I know since the valuation day,

0:55:250:55:27

you've done a bit more additional homework, haven't you?

0:55:270:55:29

And what have you come up with?

0:55:290:55:30

Well, I wanted to find out who the people were on the engraving,

0:55:300:55:34

so I did a lot of research online.

0:55:340:55:37

And in the end I found a newspaper in 1836

0:55:370:55:40

had an announcement saying that that had been presented to them.

0:55:400:55:45

So there's a photocopy of that.

0:55:450:55:47

Really nice, so we've got a little bit of provenance to go with it.

0:55:470:55:50

It's going under the hammer right now, good luck.

0:55:500:55:52

Thank you. Let's put it to the test. Here we go.

0:55:520:55:56

Can we say 2,000?

0:55:560:55:59

1,500, 1,000?

0:55:590:56:01

Would you start me at 800?

0:56:010:56:04

800, 850.

0:56:040:56:05

850. Any advance on 850?

0:56:050:56:09

900, 950.

0:56:090:56:12

It's on the books at ?950.

0:56:120:56:15

950, 1,000.

0:56:150:56:18

?1,000.

0:56:180:56:20

1,000.

0:56:200:56:22

Any advance on 1,000? We've got to that magic number.

0:56:220:56:26

1,100. ?1,100. Any advance on the 1,100?

0:56:260:56:31

I'll take 50. 1,150. 1,200.

0:56:310:56:35

?1,200. Any advance on 1,200?

0:56:350:56:39

All done at 1,200? All done at 1,200?

0:56:390:56:42

1,200?

0:56:420:56:43

Hammer's gone down, ?1,200. Brilliant, I'm happy.

0:56:430:56:48

You're happy with that, aren't you? Yes.

0:56:480:56:50

Fantastic, thank you for bringing that in. Thank you. Quality.

0:56:500:56:53

Quality, quality.

0:56:530:56:55

And as we always say, quality sells.

0:56:550:56:58

Well, there you are, it's all over for our owners

0:57:000:57:02

and what a fabulous day we've had here in Glasgow.

0:57:020:57:05

All credit to our experts, they were right on the money today.

0:57:050:57:08

And that's not easy.

0:57:080:57:09

All I can say is, I love Scotland

0:57:090:57:11

and I love the Scottish people, so thank you to everyone here.

0:57:110:57:15

Hope you've enjoyed the show, see you next time.

0:57:150:57:17

That's why we come to work.

0:57:540:57:55

We know we're the last thing

0:57:550:57:56

between something disastrous...

0:57:560:57:58

..and something hopeful.

0:58:000:58:01

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