Basingstoke 14 Flog It!

STEAM BLOWS

RINGING, HORN BLARES

This is a military lorry that was built in 1916, that carried

provisions to and from the front line during the First World War.

Only 5,000 of these beautiful old vehicles were made,

only a handful survive. Today, we are at Milestones Museum

in Basingstoke, Hampshire.

And later on in the programme, I'll be finding out more about

incredible objects like this and how they have survived against the odds.

Welcome to Flog It!.

Today we are in Basingstoke,

a town that has seen tremendous change in 900 years.

In 1086, it was recorded as having 200 people,

but by the mid-19th century, factory workers had flooded

here in their thousands.

Then, after the Second World War, the overspill policy set up to

reduce overcrowding in London brought 75,000 people to its door.

New housing estates, modern businesses

and roads sprung up, replacing the old Victorian high streets.

But not altogether.

Well, as you can see,

those high streets haven't entirely disappeared in Hampshire

because, at our valuation day venue here at Milestones Museum

in Basingstoke, the shops and the streets have been recreated!

And look at our wonderful queue today.

And judging by the size of this, they are raring to go

and hoping to earn a few bob themselves.

So if you're happy with your valuations,

what are you going to do today?

-ALL:

-Flog It!

Our experts are off to a good start,

with Nick Davies feeling his way into history.

It is a bit like pass the parcel, this one. There we are.

While James is getting a real taste for the past.

It is a wax bobbin.

And judging by this crowd, James, there will be more

curiosities for you to get your teeth stuck into later.

-Do you know what this is?

-I don't, no.

-I bet you know what it is.

-You know what it is.

-Trust you to find a lovely little

-bit of jewellery.

-It is sweet, isn't it?

-Beat me to it.

-Beat you to it.

-Damn!

-Carry on.

Now, boys, there's plenty more to go around on the show today.

There's a painting that's won James's heart.

She is a stunner.

And a clock that's got Nick's heart beating faster.

It is just little details that show quality.

But which object will get our blood pumping at auction?

"Flog It!" Yeah, we did it.

So, as I'm getting everyone settled in,

I can't help but notice where we are.

London Road? Well, not really.

This museum recreates the high streets of Hampshire,

and I've just got time to visit its backstreets.

The museum has brought together shops and businesses

and exhibits which represent 200 years of technological

and domestic advances in Hampshire.

For instance, this Victorian street is laid with cobbles, but

if you look closely, these cobbles are actually end grain of wood.

You can see it, look. Hard oak.

And if you pull up half the streets in London,

get rid of that tarmac, that's what you find underneath.

The valuation day is already gearing up and we are ready to hit the road.

Our first stop is with Nick and Alan on a vintage 1930s bus.

Well, Alan, welcome aboard. Nice to see you.

Thank you for coming to Flog It.

Now, 1930s bus.

Art Deco surroundings, what do you need when you go on holiday?

-You have brought the ideal thing, haven't you?

-Yes.

You need a suitcase.

But what's in the suitcase? This is great.

Look at that.

-It's a lovely Art Deco travelling set.

-Yes.

Tell me about it, where did you get it?

It's come down from my mother's side of the family.

I believe it was my aunt's originally.

She worked for a wealthy family in Mayfair and we believe it was

a present to her from them and she passed it on to my mother

and hence to me.

-It looks like it has hardly ever been used!

-Exactly.

-Doesn't it? I mean...

-No, the brushes are clean.

-Absolutely pin clean.

A couple of little issues with it.

We're obviously missing the mirror in the back here.

Not too much of a problem.

It probably would have just been a plate mirror, anyway,

without any border at all.

So it doesn't really retract from it.

And there's a tiny little, I mean tiny little nibble

to one of the bits of enamel.

But, hey, I'm being ultra-picky.

Two hallmarks on it, it's not an issue. Don't worry about it.

It's the same manufacturer, a company called Adie Brothers.

From Birmingham. My neck of the woods, up in the Jewellery Quarter in Hockley.

Big manufacturers of all sorts of silverware.

Often they spread their work over a couple of years and then they would do a run of these.

And so some will be hallmarked one year, another, and they would just put them together.

So that is explained away, it's not a problem at all.

The enamel box is, oh, beautiful!

You've got this sunburst guilloche enamel radiating from the bottom.

They all match. I mean, it's a complete set!

I mean, it's pushing 100 years old and it's all together.

I even love this one, because still inside, still got the hair grips.

I mean, it's fantastic.

Brushes aren't so popular.

People don't tend to like the brushes for obvious reasons.

So, Alan, tell me, why are you thinking of selling such a beautiful thing?

It's ... At the moment it's sitting in the loft. Nobody uses it.

-You haven't got a holiday planned with it?

-No, I haven't got a holiday planned.

-It weighs too much to go on an aircraft.

-It does.

It does weigh a bit, doesn't it? It does.

So, I'd put a valuation on this of £400-£500.

-OK?

-Yes.

-So you are happy with that?

-That sounds reasonable.

-I would like to put a reserve on it.

-Absolutely, I couldn't agree with you more.

-What shall we say? Shall we say £400 with a little bit of discretion?

-Yes, that sounds good.

Perfect.

And now James, who is definitely keeping it teetotal.

Graham, let me take you back to a time when spice, exotic fabrics,

wonderful smelling aromatics and teas

were some of the most expensive things you could possibly buy.

-OK.

-And were only a thing for the rich.

Because what we have here is a piece of

Oriental porcelain, made when

porcelain, in the UK and Europe,

was still...

a dream away from being made.

And this is the Kangxi mark,

the little leaf mark that was used between 1662 and 1722.

A mark that was also reused later in the 18th century.

And this, I have to say, is a bit later.

It is late 18th century, or mid-18th century.

-And it is a tea caddy.

-OK. I thought it was a scent bottle.

-Oh, no.

-It is almost certainly for tea.

-Right.

At a time when tea was more expensive,

per pound, than gold.

And when only the very richest people in the land could afford it,

-which is why it's so small.

-All right, OK.

Tell me, where did you find it?

How did you come to have it?

Um, this was a possession of my uncle in Holland,

-who in fact was Indonesian and worked...

-Oh, OK!

And served in the Indonesian or Dutch army in the Second World War.

-OK.

-And just before. And from what I remember as a child,

he was a bit of a collector of various items, including some china.

So, whether he brought that over from there or whether he

bought it in Holland in a second-hand shop, antiques shop,

-I don't know.

-OK. That's interesting for two reasons.

The first is that it was the Dutch East India Company that was

the major trading company in the 18th century.

-Yeah.

-But the Dutch East India Company had ships going to India,

China, all over the Far East,

and bringing all those spices and treasures

and silks back to Europe.

Now, this certainly came from China back to Holland

-because the mounts on there are Dutch.

-OK, right.

So, we've got an 18th-century Chinese porcelain tea caddy.

I think at some stage there may well have been some damage.

And because the porcelain was so treasured and so valuable,

-they've put Dutch mounts on it in the 19th century.

-OK.

It's a difficult thing to value because without taking all those

mounts off, it's hard to say what the condition is like underneath.

Having said that, in good order, it would have been a valuable piece.

But it isn't. It's damaged. So...

-£60 to £100.

-Yes, I think that's...

-Is that OK?

-Yes, that's fine.

-Thank you.

-And in terms of reserve, £60.

-Yep.

-Is that all right?

-Yeah.

Well, fingers crossed it'll do well and see you at the auction!

OK, thank you very much, James.

All right.

A lovely example but will that damage affect the price at auction?

Our crowds today are seated in this recreated

early 20th-century high street, filled with the kind of shops

we're used to seeing in many of our old towns.

I'll tell you what I miss, everybody. The old ironmonger's.

-Who remembers those shops? ALL:

-Yes!

Yeah! Every town and village had one, didn't they?

-Have you got one near you?

-Um, not an ironmonger's, no.

-Yes, we do!

-Lincoln's.

-Do you?

-Lincoln's.

-And you support it?

-Yes, definitely.

And you can get anything in there, like a letterbox, door knocker,

-tin of paint, broom...

-Absolutely everything. Cake-making stuff.

-Candles?

-Fork handles!

-Fork handles!

I was getting to that one! She robbed my line.

The Two Ronnies would be pleased to know the hardware store is

still alive and well.

Over to Nick now, who's found some collectables that might have

been bought on any Edwardian high street.

Three well-loved dolls, brought in by David.

So, where have they been? Tell me a bit of history about them.

-Um, well, my mother was born in 1915.

-Right.

And we believe that they were her childhood dolls.

She died about 15 years ago.

And we found them in a suitcase in the loft.

So, they haven't seen the light of day for many years.

Well, your dates are spot on.

I mean, the main girl here is this lovely lady in front of us.

Lovely but tired!

She is an Armand Marseille doll, so she is a German doll.

And, with all dolls, heads are of paramount importance.

The head is made out of bisque china,

so, any damage there and, really,

the rest of the doll suffers greatly to collectors.

OK, she's got model numbers on her back.

She is stamped A and M, which is Armand Marseille.

German bisque-head dolls were made prolifically at the beginning

of the 1900s.

They were turning out 1,000 heads a day at their peak

-in Armand Marseille.

-Gosh.

And where the factory is, in southern Germany,

the clay was really good for this type of ceramics.

She is a common-sized model. She is a 390 model.

And that's one of the larger ones.

And also on the back of the head is the number 12, which is

the size of the head. So, they did the same model in graduated sizes.

If we tilt her back, her eyes will close, and she's got little

teeth showing in her mouth, which is quite a nice detail.

This chap over here is completely different.

His eyes are fixed and painted.

So, she is a better-quality doll than he is. Do you like her?

-Not particularly.

-Not particularly? Do you like him?

-Not at all.

-We're going for three in a row. Do you like HER?

-Not really.

Not really either. Oh, dear! Oh, dear.

Well, listen, I reckon we can find really good homes for them

because there are collectors for these type of things.

And, yes, the wigs are a little bit dodgy.

They need a little bit of TLC and a little bit of care.

So, what I'll do is put a value of 100 to 150 on the three dolls.

-Most of your value is in the large Armand Marseille doll.

-Right.

-OK?

This little French doll here is quite sweet as well.

He's probably the least valuable of the three.

-Are you happy with that?

-I certainly am.

As Nick says, there's a market for old dolls.

But let's see if the bidders

are troubled about their careworn condition.

It seems James's next lot, brought in by owner Nicola,

has definitely won his heart!

-She is a stunner, isn't she?

-She is beautiful.

-She's very, very pretty.

-Yes.

And she's typical of this sort of rather risque picture that

you would find around the Art Nouveau period.

It's sort of almost Pre-Raphaelite in style, with these doves

courting at the top and another pair here bathing at the bottom.

-It's all about idealised beauty.

-Yes.

-And symbolism.

-And it is very beautiful.

-She is.

-Yeah.

In terms of a subject matter, nude women are always great.

But then we start to look down here.

-Lutyens.

-Yeah.

Now, Lutyens, an artist who was a great friend of Edwin Landseer.

He was the father of Lutyens the architect,

and he was also famed for painting horses.

-But I don't think he's as good at people...

-No.

-..as he is at animals.

No.

And you tend to find that people that collect animal subjects

-don't necessarily also collect portraits and nudes.

-No.

But then you have to think, well,

if we've got a picture of a person, what is the bestselling selling

type of a picture of a person, if we were going to have one?

-And that is...

-A nude.

-Nude, young female.

So, it's a really difficult balancing act to come to a value.

Some of his works sell for lots and lots of money.

Horse subjects, good horse subjects, command thousands of pounds.

HE SIGHS

What does a nude make?

There's a lot of dodgy aspects of this part of the body.

The face seems to have the most finest detail.

Yeah, typical again of that sort of Pre-Raphaelite style of painting.

-So, where did you find her?

-I didn't exactly find her.

It was my mother's.

She left me her entire collection of all sorts of paintings

and photographs. And I gave most of it to family members.

And, um, I was left with this, which was my favourite. Of course.

So, why are you selling it now?

We've had it for seven years

and it doesn't really go with our decoration in the house.

But it's been nice to look at it for seven years.

And now it's time for it to move on to someone else that wants it.

Yeah. Oh, it's a very good way of looking at it.

OK, I think we should put a conservative estimate on her.

And I think we should put 300 to 500 on her as an estimate.

-300 reserve and see what happens.

-Yeah.

-Are you happy?

-Yeah, very happy.

-Super.

Before we head off to auction,

there is something I would like to show you.

Now, whilst I've been in Hampshire,

I've had the chance to visit Southampton,

the busiest cruise port in Europe.

Every year, over 1.5 million passengers

head out from here to foreign shores.

I've come down to the docks to learn about the history

of the great cruise liners

and to find out why it's not always been plain sailing.

Ocean liners first took off in Southampton 177 years ago.

During that time, many vessels have been berthed here.

I've been given special permission to come aboard

P&O ship the Oceana.

And like all these modern cruise ships,

it really feels like the height of luxury.

But riding the waves hasn't always been about glamour

and entertainment. When the first cruise liners

took passengers across the oceans,

it all looked very different.

For hundreds of years, ships had been used for trade,

but in 1840, there was a sea change.

Companies like Cunard,

and the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation group,

now known as P&O,

got the first contracts to take mail around the world

on scheduled voyages,

and diplomats and merchants went along for the ride.

By the late 1800s, the transatlantic cruises

had become big business,

as ships took immigrants to America and Australia.

But the long trips meant weeks at sea

that could be harrowing for the passengers.

Journeys to the far reaches of the British Empire,

like the Middle East,

were so hot that, despite awnings being rigged up over the decks,

and stewards operating fans,

people took to sleeping on the decks.

Men would sleep on one side,

women on the other.

For decorum, of course.

Britain was steeped in the class system,

and from the early days of the ocean liner,

passengers were allocated three classes of travel -

first, second and steerage...

..as Peter Boyd, a leading expert on the history of cruise liners

and the Titanic can tell us.

Steerage, on the Titanic, for instance,

there was one bath for 750 passengers.

-One bath?!

-One bath.

That was third class.

And that would have been cold water?

Cold water. Salt water.

HE CHUCKLES

The ships themselves would have been very, very luxurious,

especially the Cunard and the White Star ships.

They were the most luxurious on the North Atlantic route.

What was the food like?

Excellent. It really was.

For dinner, you'd probably have five or six courses in third class,

you'd have up to 12 courses for first class.

So, when did the first cruise holiday kick in, so to speak,

as opposed to the necessity of travel, getting to America

or Australia? When could you just go for a jolly one week somewhere?

The first purpose-built cruise ship was a German ship,

Hamburg America, in roundabout 1900, 1902, thereabouts.

And she carried round about 200 passengers,

-and she was the world's first purpose-built cruise ship.

-Wow.

But the days of these early cruise liners were short-lived.

During World War I, they were requisitioned as troop carriers

and hospitals, and after the war,

the fate of the transatlantic liners looked sealed for good

when, in 1919, America put a cap on immigration.

Companies had to find new ways to fill their ships

and they had just the ticket.

They created a new tourist class,

which appealed to the cash-strapped public.

You still had first and second class,

but tourist class replaced steerage class,

which appealed to a wider group of people.

This early film shows how they began to lay on organised entertainment,

like balls, dinners, and promote the benefits of exercise.

But this heyday wasn't to last.

During World War II, liners were requisitioned again,

and this time cruise companies lost half their ships,

along with thousands of merchant seamen.

After the war, the liners had a brief resurgence,

thanks to a new wave of immigration.

Liners gave passage to hundreds of thousands of immigrants,

including the £10 poms - people leaving Britain

to go to Australia for a fare of only £10.

One-way ticket, mind you.

Now, despite it being prosperous times here,

the liners faced another challenge for their survival.

In the 1950s, the new jet airliner shot onto the world stage,

offering a safe, quicker route to any destination.

Yet again, the shipping companies

found a way to weather the storm.

They began to offer a new type of cruise,

many of which came out of Southampton.

They were short, affordable and, this time,

one class for all.

In 1966, social commentator and broadcaster Alan Whicker

made this documentary for BBC's Whicker's World,

which captured the appeal of cruising to the growing clientele.

Everybody speaks to each other.

There is no such thing as a class on board a ship.

You're all the same person.

I expected millionaires and quite glamorous ladies,

and there just aren't.

-WHICKER:

-While the phlegmatic British, inspired, perhaps,

by all that African abandon,

initiate their own quaint tribal ceremonies.

Go!

This had become cruises for the masses.

CHEERING

Good evening.

By the late 1970s,

the transatlantic crossings had become things of the past.

In their place was a new, growing package of cruises

accessible to anyone.

That resurgence has continued to the present day.

Now cruising is a global industry,

so slickly run it's not uncommon

for 2,000 passengers to be brought on and off the ship

in just four hours on changeover day.

It doesn't faze seasoned sailor and bar manager Jamie Collins.

Jamie, you're the bar manager and it's changeover day today.

It must be chaotic.

Hectic. Very hectic days, Southampton turnaround days,

-as you can imagine.

-Yeah.

Welcome aboard.

We have to prepare all the cabins,

all the cabins have to be turned round,

all the bed coverings changed, cleaned, hoovered.

-You name it, it happens today.

-Yeah.

-On top of that,

nearly 300 tonnes' worth of stores.

-You can't have a dry ship.

-Of course not!

What's the most difficult thing about getting the ship ready?

It's that last half hour,

when you're expecting 2,000 passengers to come up that gangway,

and their expectation.

We need to match that. I think we do.

But 20 years in the business, you're still smiling.

There must be a big attraction.

There's got to be, hasn't there?

Well, Paul, let's say it beats nine to five.

It's nice waking up in a different port every day.

One day you'll have the Sydney Opera House outside your porthole,

the next day you're in Madeira. It's hard work but it's worth it.

Brilliant. I think there's only one thing left to say.

-Bartender, I think we'll have a drink!

-What would you like, sir?

We've got our first four items. Now we're taking them off to the sale.

There's Graham's mismatched 18th-century Oriental tea caddy.

That could do well if the Chinese buyers are out in force.

We have David's dolls,

the finest of them by maker Armand Marseille.

All a bit shabby, but will they be chic enough for the collectors?

We'll be taking Alan's evocative Art Deco travel case.

It's in tip-top condition,

so it should be as irresistible to the buyers as it was to Nick.

And there's Nicola's much-loved nude portrait by highly regarded

painter of horses Charles Lutyens.

Our auction today is in Winchester

and in Anglo-Saxon times, it was the capital of England.

And The Great Hall of Winchester Castle contains a medieval

imagining of King Arthur's Round Table.

It was later decorated by Henry VIII,

with the ornately painted names of the knights.

It all goes to show, recreating the past isn't a modern phenomenon.

Well, let's hope we're making some history for ourselves today

here at Andrew Smith and Son.

Our lots are just about to go under the hammer.

I'm going inside to catch up with our owners.

Don't go away, we're going to have some fun!

Today, the seller's commission is 18%, including VAT,

something you mustn't forget to check when you're selling.

And looking after us here are two auctioneers,

Nick Jarrett and Andrew Smith, who's first up on the rostrum,

starting us off with that damaged 18th-century Chinese tea caddy

with the Dutch mounts.

-Graham, it's belonged to you for a few years.

-Yes.

What have you been doing with this?

-It's basically been sitting in a cupboard.

-In a cupboard.

In a cupboard, glass-framed cupboard.

Oh, I see, appreciating it.

Yes, but slowly got pushed towards the back, I think,

-and forgotten about.

-OK. It's got some later mounts on it.

-Yeah.

It's not a lot of money. £60, £80, hopefully, that sort of thing.

No, but it's the sort of thing that sometimes just goes crazy.

It's one of those speccy things, as they say in the trade. Speccy!

We're going to find out right now. Let's speculate.

It's going under the hammer.

We have two commission bids here. I'm going to start the bidding at

-£90...

-That's top end, straight in!

95, 100, and 10, 120, 130...

140, 150, commission bids out, 150 in the room. Is there 160?

At £150 and selling, is there 160?

180 on the net, 190, 200 and 20.

240. 260. 280...

300? At £280 then, any more?

At £280, selling on the net, if you're all done, last time...

£280, the hammer has gone down.

It is all about opinions at the end of the day, isn't it? Let's face it.

But by the time they've paid commission,

that's up in the mid-300s.

-Well done, you!

-Thank you very much!

And well done for looking after it as well!

What a great start!

That buyer was obviously happy to overlook the damage to pick up

a taste of the Orient. Will the bidders be as kind to our next lot,

the well-used dolls brought in by David?

The best of the three being by the highly sought-after German

doll-manufacturer Armand Marseille.

This time, our auctioneer is Nick Jarrett.

-They were your mother's and you found them up in the loft?

-My mother's childhood dolls.

So, she would have loved these. And she's obviously treasured them and put them up in the loft.

-I don't know about treasured them but they were certainly up in the loft.

-OK.

-They've been played with.

Oh, have they? Slightly... slightly worn...

Girl's hair's cut, that type thing.

OK, hence £100 to £150 valuation.

Because otherwise, you could normally say,

"Right, easily, £120, £150 per doll. Couldn't you?

Sure, sure. They've had a hard life.

They've had a hard life. Good luck!

-And I'm sure we'll find a new home for them.

-Well, let's hope so.

-Ready for this?

-Yes, indeed.

-Here we go.

The Armand Marseille doll here, in fact, there's three in the lot.

I have to start you here at, um, £55... 60, can I say?

-At £55, 60, is it? 60 on the phone. 65, 70.

-We are nearly there.

-And five... 80...

-That's our reserve.

-And five... 90...

Still going.

£90, then. At £90, on the phone, I'm out here.

At £90, then, on the phone, then, at £90, have you done?

Yes! The hammer's gone down at £90.

I was getting slightly worried there.

-When you mentioned condition...

-Yeah...

-But a good valuation.

Well, they've sold, that's the main thing. They've got a new home.

Your mum would be pleased. You must be pleased?

Well, we'll be taking the family out for a nice meal, I think, on that.

-Fantastic.

-Good on you!

Now for that near-pristine travelling vanity set

by well-known Birmingham maker Adie Brothers.

I absolutely love this, with all that wonderful blue enamel.

-Alan, it's good to see you again.

-And you.

-Who have you brought along?

-My wife, Sheila.

-Sheila.

-Hello.

-Pleased to meet you.

What do you think of this?

It's really different, because we've never been to a sale before.

I think this will go. 400 to 600. Not a lot of money.

Not a lot of money. Break it down, there's a lot amongst it.

There's a lot of collectors that want these kind of things.

Condition's good. If you add up what's there, 400 to 500

-is pretty reasonable.

-Yeah.

-Absolutely.

-Let's find out what the bidders think.

Hopefully it TRAVELS well! Here we go.

I'm going to start you at 260. 280 now?

-320?

-Interest in the room.

All right, 310.

320 with me.

330, then?

Yes? 340. 350.

360. 370.

380. 390.

It's getting a lift.

At £390, then?

At £390. I have in the room at 390.

It's a lovely thing, that. £400. I should think so.

420. 440.

Got 450.

470, do you mean?

This is better.

450, then. On the net at...

470. New bidder. 500.

-ALAN:

-Keep going.

That's it.

It's £470, then. In the room at 470.

500 do you mean?

No. £500.

And 20.

At £500, then.

At £500 on the net.

Anybody I've missed?

At £500. All done at £500?

Top end!

-Yes, I'm pleased with that. That's a good result.

-Excellent.

That was a slow climb, wasn't it?

It TRAVELS very slowly.

It did travel very slowly.

But we got there in the end,

and what a great result.

Will our next lot be owner Nicola's meal ticket?

Time to find out, as the oil-on-canvas nude,

by famous painter Charles Lutyens, goes under the hammer.

Nicola, I like this.

And we've all heard of the famous architect Lutyens.

-This artist is his father, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Charles.

-Yeah.

-I think it's good.

-Yeah.

-I think it's really good.

Hopefully, it will find a new home today

because I don't think £300 is a lot of money for that.

Let's find out what the bidders think. Here we go.

Now, we have the commission bid here.

-Commission bid...

-I'm going to start the bidding at...

-um, £300...

-We've sold it. Straight in!

At £300 and selling...

320 up at the top. 340, 360...

360, my commission bid's out. 360 in the room. 380 on the net. 400.

It's £400 in the room.

420...450 now on the net.

470...500...520...

570 now on the net. Is there 600?

-Yes.

-600, we have.

-Ah, good!

-650.

670...

-This is good, this is good.

-Yeah, I'm a bit nervous now.

-At £670 on the net, we are going to sell at...

-Yes.

-700 we have now.

-720.

720...750?

At £720.

If you're all done, at £720, for the very last time...

-Yes! The hammer's gone down.

-Great!

-Thank you for bringing that in.

Flog it! Yeah, we did it!

It just shows, it might have been an unusual subject but the name

was enough for that sale to raise the roof.

Lots of happy customers so far

and still some more objects to come later on in the show.

Now, you know, a lot of our high streets have

changed beyond recognition over the last 50 years, with those small,

family-run businesses being replaced by those big chain stores.

Now, back at our valuation day venue, Milestones Museum,

they've recreated some old high streets.

Earlier, I went behind the scenes to see how they've rebuilt

the past, brick by brick.

As the Industrial Revolution raged during the 19th century,

in Hampshire, the population was drawn to the towns and cities.

Along with these newcomers came an explosion of commerce.

This changed the profile of the high street from market-based hubs

to prolific shopping streets, serving every need.

By the turn of the century, the high street was absolutely thriving.

You could get anything on it.

There was a general store, the Co-op, that sold boots and shoes,

tea, chocolate, soap, clothing, furniture.

There was an ironmonger's. If you wanted to post your letter,

you visited the Post Office.

And if you wanted the latest hat,

well, you popped in to the milliner's.

These shops at Milestones Museum

have been inspired by the kinds of businesses that would've

existed in towns across Hampshire,

from Victorian times to the mid-20th century.

Others are representations of the original premises,

as Jo Bailey,

head of collections at Hampshire Cultural Trust, explains.

So, what shops are based on real shops and businesses?

Just around the corner from here, GW Willis & Son's,

that was a faithful copy of the original.

Not least because some of the timber work was pulled

out of a skip in the 1990s and has been reinstalled into the museum.

Gosh! Well, it looks so authentic.

-Have you used photographs to recreate the facades?

-Yes, we have.

We've got collections, huge collections of photographs

from the towns of Hampshire in our collections, that we can use.

-So, it's as authentic as it can be.

-Yes, yes, it is.

Time's stood still when you take a walk down the high street here.

-I imagine these shops would have served the local community.

-Yes.

I mean, during the Victorian times,

Hampshire's towns were growing rapidly.

The middle classes were getting much bigger,

there were factories opening up in the towns.

So lots of people who used to work on the farms were

moving into the towns as well and all becoming customers.

A lot of the work here has relied on volunteers

and curators to bring these shops back to life,

the ironmonger's being one example.

A Basingstoke family-run business,

established in the late 19th century,

it served the new influx of people.

Even though many businesses disappeared with the town's

redevelopment after the Second World War,

Kingdon's survived up to the 1970s.

One of those who has been working on it here is volunteer

and history lover Bob Applin.

Bob, I'm pleased to say I am old enough to remember

ironmonger's like this. My dad used to take me.

But you can remember this actual shop. Where was it?

It was in the marketplace in Basingstoke.

-Yes.

-A prime site.

And it was the premier ironmonger's in the town.

The thing I do remember about the shop is the characteristic smell.

-Mm...

-Paraffin mixed with the smell of dog food or animal feed.

-Yes.

-And I'll tell you what else, oil, the smell of oil.

-Yes.

You know, because they sold oil as well.

In those days, it was those cans that squirted out. Dad had loads of those.

-Yes.

-But I'm so pleased that this is still here.

And it's thanks to dedicated volunteers like you.

Because places like this wouldn't survive without you guys.

Bob and the team are busy fitting out this shop.

But there's even more to the museum.

There are over 4,500 domestic appliances here, including 200 irons,

52 kettles and 11 washing machines. That's a lot of housework.

Where does this stuff come from?

Well, lots of the sort of social history stuff,

the sort of everyday stuff, has actually come through

donations from members of the public.

Back 100 years, but those ordinary things are actually very special

to people because they bring back some really lovely memories.

-The nostalgia aspect to it...

-We can all relate to it.

Our grandmas and grandads had it, didn't they? And mums and dads.

Yes, we hear that comment all the time.

You know, "Oh, I used to have one of those and I'd forgotten all about it."

It's not a museum that's all about kings and queens.

There are lots of those that do that very well.

But what we do here is about the history of everyday life.

And that's why they call this a living museum.

It's also a place that celebrates its successful home-grown industries.

Two names to conjure with are Taskers,

a company which was at the forefront of the 19th-century steam engine development,

and Thornycroft, which built commercial vehicles in the 20th century.

Eventually, the businesses closed.

But like the high street, it wasn't all over.

It seems that these local companies had the foresight to see

that their items had a value as pieces of social history.

And as early as the 1940s, Taskers deliberately started to

track down pieces from all over the country.

And when Thornycroft closed down,

they gave this huge great big gantry crane, you can see it up there,

look, it's got huge big orange girders,

they gave all of that plus their documents to the museum.

It seems that families who invested in their businesses wanted to see

this stuff preserved, rather than just memories, lost forever.

BRASS BAND PLAYS

Now, I love the story of this piece.

As well as commercial vehicles, Thornycroft

also built high-end cars from 1903 to 1912.

And this was the Rolls-Royce of the day.

And it cost a king's ransom as well. £400.

Especially to the man who owned this, the local vicar,

who had a salary of £120 a year.

But he got his comeuppance when he was caught "en flagrant delit".

Now, that is basically caught in the act with the housemaid.

CAR HORN PARPS So, off went the car. It ended up in America!

I don't know what happened to the vicar!

But anyway, the car came up for auction in 1993,

Sotheby's sold it to the museum.

And it came here and it underwent a wonderful restoration project

with the rest of the vehicles here.

And I think they have done a tremendous job, they really have.

£400. Whew!

Museums like this, with the significant

contribution of local people, do more than preserve the past.

They keep a community's memory alive.

And there's one vehicle here that epitomises that.

This military lorry, known as a J Type, and built by Thornycroft

in 1916, took men and ammunition to the front line during the First World War.

5,000 of these lorries were made,

so it's even more incredible that only a handful have survived,

not only the First World War but also the intervening 100 years.

And that's thanks in no small part to a dedicated team of experts

and volunteers here at the museum, who have rebuilt this engine

and other parts of this wonderful lorry, screw by screw. OK, guys.

-Crank it up!

-Fingers crossed!

ENGINE WHIRS Now, that's what I call people power!

And now, it's time to go back to our valuations for more people power,

as we look at some of the objects you've brought us.

And Nick has found something that's about much more than its face value.

How did you come by them, first of all?

-Um, they were my late husband's.

-Right.

-He used to collect coins with my late father-in-law.

-OK.

My late father-in-law used to help him collect them

-and he created these albums and dated...

-Very particular!

Absolutely. He was a very particular man.

-All dated, all with the monarchs on them.

-Yes.

-It's fantastic.

-And you've got some really interesting little bits and pieces, as we flick through.

-Very.

One caught my eye - this one here, which is a Cartwheel Halfpenny. It's 1797.

And the reason why I like this coin, it's from my neck of the woods,

Birmingham, and it was mass produced at Soho House by Matthew Boulton, the great industrialist.

And it's a really good example of that period coinage.

And he's started putting this raised edge round the outside,

so the shape became absolutely die-cast.

And he was producing these in their MILLIONS at the time.

When you think wages were pennies, these were your wages.

So, we'll pop that one back in there.

I wouldn't want to get told off for putting it in the wrong place!

-SHE LAUGHS

-But not only all these, as your husband was very organised,

we've also got more of the same.

But these are slightly more valuable

because a lot of these are silver examples.

And again, we go into Victorian and onwards.

Now, with your silver coins, there's two dates.

Do you know what the dates of importance are for silver coins?

-Pre-1947?

-Brilliant. Pre-1947. And?

-The other one I don't know.

-Pre-1921.

-Oh, right.

So, pre-1921, the content of the coin is all silver.

Between '21 and '47, half content,

after that, nickel.

-And you've got shillings in here, and sixpences.

-Yeah.

And you told me you did something with one of the shillings, was it?

-No, the old half-crowns.

-Half-crowns.

What did you used to do with a half-crown?

Come on, Chris, spill the beans.

I used to use it as a plug.

You used to use it to stop the water going down the sink?

Stop the water going down the sink.

Well, if you have money like that, why not use it?

But we go right the way through all this era,

and we come right the way up to 1970,

-and then right up to more or less modern-day.

-That was the year...

-The reason with that one is that's the year we got married.

-Yeah?

-Ah, and that's got the special purple velvet round it as well.

-Yes.

-Oh, how sweet. That's lovely.

-Yes.

So we come to value, really, don't we?

-Valuing money - you'd think it would be very easy.

-Yeah.

-I would put these in at £150-£200. OK?

-Yeah.

But let's make sure they're covered

and we'll put a reserve on at £100 just to keep an eye on them, OK?

Yep, yes, yeah.

-Excellent.

-Can I ask you just one question, please?

Yes, fire away. You don't have to put your hand up.

Can I take the 1970 one?

-I think that's a really, really good idea.

-Because that's special.

Yes, special memories.

-Yes, and I won't use it as a plug.

-No. Good.

-No.

The objects you bring us hold such unique memories,

and it's especially nice when they connect to your family history, too,

like this oil painting I've spotted in the crowds.

-And who's it by?

-Margaret Lindsay Williams.

-A Welsh artist?

-A Welsh artist, yes.

-Yes.

-I think she died in 1960 or the early 1960s.

-Uh-huh.

Here's a picture of the lady, my aunt, great-aunt.

Aw, aw, and who...? What else is in there?

-Who's that?

-That's my great-grandfather.

He's a bit battered.

-He's seen a bit of sun damage, hasn't he?

-Yes.

-And water damage.

-Yeah.

He looks a bit like Captain Mainwaring.

I'd say these are worth around £1,500-£2,000.

-Oh, wow.

-OK?

-Yeah.

-So do look after them, won't you?

-Yes.

But this lady's not for turning,

and being such precious family heirlooms,

they're going home with her,

but what a pleasure to see something by such a distinguished artist.

MUSIC: September by Earth, Wind & Fire

James is ready to open up more family memories

with a box brought in by Julie.

There is something about this that is the work of a cabinet-maker

who is experimenting and loving his veneers.

What's the history?

Well, my great-grandfather made it,

-and I never met him...

-OK.

..but my grandmother had it,

always in her room, on the sideboard,

-in the middle, always locked.

-OK.

I never knew what she had in it,

because if you asked, it was always "private papers".

-Oh, really?

-Yes.

-Oh, gosh.

-So, I've known it for a long time.

We always say 30 years is a generation,

so he would have done this around 1870-1880.

-Yes.

-So that ties in.

Great.

So we've got a casket that, from the outside, looks almost official.

It's the sort of thing people were given silver boxes inside,

and given freedom of the city.

Fantastic quality.

Round the outside here we've got ebony - the very dark wood.

Then next to that, we have a satinwood,

and then we've got a boxwood,

and then mahogany and satinwood around the outside,

more ebonised wood there, so it's a redwood that's been stained black.

So, a really interesting box, OK?

And we open it up.

Got a detachable tray.

Baize-lined, and velvet underneath,

and a velvet-lined interior.

It's not sectioned for jewellery.

It's not divided for tea.

In the cover, we've got two vacant squares.

-Mm-hmm.

-Almost for two names.

Maybe a marriage piece.

I'm guessing.

Anyway, it's 1870.

It's lovely quality, but this is just a box.

It's not for any particular purpose.

There are tea caddy collectors.

There are snuffbox collectors.

There are tobacco box collectors.

So, although it's lovely quality,

it won't actually appeal to any of those specific collectors,

and it's worth £80-£120.

Oh, right.

I would say, reserve of £70.

If it makes more than £120, I think that's a great result.

-I still think it'll do well.

-Yeah, thank you.

-Is that all right for you?

-Yes, that's fine.

A mysterious box indeed,

but let's see if the bidders value it for its craftsmanship.

MUSIC: Our House by Madness

Nick certainly seems to appreciate the piece Dulcie has brought in.

Look what we have in front of us -

a beautiful Tudric pewter clock.

Tell me about it. How come it's here?

Erm, I lost my grandmother 29 years ago...

-Right.

-..and it was in her belongings.

-So it was inherited down to you?

-Yes, yes.

-Stylish grandmother?

-Must have been.

-No.

-No?

-I'll tell you the story.

-My grandmother was a housekeeper for two spinsters...

-Right.

..a lady doctor and a headmistress.

-OK.

-When they both died,

the family took what they wanted

and they asked my grandmother,

would she like to get rid of the rest and choose what she wants?

-And she chose this?

-Yes.

Well, this dates from the Art Nouveau period, obviously,

-so it's 1910, somewhere around that era.

-Yes.

It's designed by Archibald Knox for Liberty,

and if you look underneath,

we've got the marks all here on the base -

a Tudric stamp, and a model number as well.

But the thing I really like,

if you turn it round and have a look,

look, they've even put a little hole there to keep the key.

That's for the key.

-It's just little details that show quality.

-Yes.

So, I've told you what I love about it. What do you like?

-Um...

-Not your taste?

-Not your style?

-No, no, not really.

-You've surprised me.

-No, I find it...

-I find it quite dull.

-Quite dull?

-Yes.

-Well, I mean...

-Maybe the colour.

Yeah, you can polish pewter up and make it look like silver.

Oh, I thought you weren't allowed to touch it.

-But I'm with you.

-Yeah.

-Things like this are best left alone.

-Mm-hmm.

-People...

It's very easy to polish up, but you can't polish down,

-as everybody knows.

-Yes.

-Well, it's working. It's in great condition.

-Yes.

-I think it will interest a lot of buyers.

-Yes.

Um, I would at auction put it up for sale around about £400-£600.

-SHE GASPS

-Oh, my goodness.

-Obviously you're pleased with that.

-Wow, I should say.

So we'll reserve it just below the £400,

-if that's OK with you...

-Yes. Gosh, of course.

..and I think we'll be able to find it quite a nice home.

-Oh, thank you very much indeed.

-That's a pleasure.

-Wow.

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

And now for his next item, James has found a furry friend.

OK, Tim, who's this?

-A bear, my sister-in-law's bear.

-A bear?

-Yeah, a bear.

-Does he not have a name?

-Nope, haven't given him a name.

She was given it as a gift from a lady that she looked after.

And did that lady give him a name?

Not that we know of, no.

You poor bear. But he can't go for the rest of his days without a name

-so I think we need to christen him.

-OK.

Something like Paul?

-Or Martin?

-Paul.

-Paul the Bear.

Hello, Paul.

This old bear is a bit of a character.

-Do you know what to look for for an early bear?

-No idea.

First thing, boot button eyes. Second thing, a hump on the back

just below his head.

Third thing, very long arms.

If his arms come down to the side of him, longer than his bottom,

then he's an early bear.

-Right.

-Then look at things like the stitched over snout.

This snout has been restitched at some stage.

And his pads aren't original either.

But he's what we call a mohair bear.

And if he was to go and have a professional clean,

he'd be a lot fluffier, have a lot more life in him.

So how long has he been with you?

My sister-in-law's had him three or four years.

-Just had him in a cupboard.

-In a cupboard?

-Poor bear. OK, date, about 1910-20, that sort of period.

-Right.

Value.

-She wants to sell him, I guess?

-Yeah.

The market for bears isn't as strong as it once was.

But the market is still good.

I still think he's worth £300-500.

-Something like that.

-Really?

But he needs a bit of work.

So I think to take that into consideration

-let's put £200-300 on him...

-Right.

..let's put 150 as a firm reserve

-and let's see how he does.

-Sounds good.

-All right?

-Great.

-Good.

Well, what a fantastic day we've had here at Milestones Museum,

with echoes of the past around every street corner.

Sadly, it's time to say goodbye to this wonderful host location,

as we head over to the saleroom for the last time, so let's hope

our experts haven't led us down any blind alleys with their valuations.

It's time to put them to the test.

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

There's Chris's collection of coins,

minus the one from 1970, that

she's hoping will make her a mint.

Also, Julie's cabinet-maker's box,

whose purpose has been lost in the mists of time,

but could be put to great use.

And could we be in for a big surprise

when Tim's early 20th century bear, now named Paul,

goes under the hammer?

And Dulcie's saying goodbye to her classic Art Nouveau clock,

but will it cause a stir at auction,

as she hopes?

Back at the saleroom,

auctioneer Nick Jarrett is about to sell our next lot.

It's the beautiful inlaid wooden box,

lovingly constructed by Julie's grandfather.

He must have been a great craftsman.

-Yes, must have been.

-Great craftsman.

Why are you selling this? It's a family heirloom.

Well, it's stuck in the wardrobe,

and it doesn't really go in a modern home.

-You've got other things.

-Yeah.

We've got other things, other boxes as well.

-Oh, other boxes?

-Yes.

-Well, of course, you would.

If he made things all the time. Well, good luck with this.

-Thank you.

-It's a nice thing. It's a really nice thing.

One of the best apprentice things I've seen.

-Lovely quality veneers.

-Thanks.

Good luck. We're putting it to the test. It's going under the hammer.

Lovely thing there,

and I've got a few bids.

I'm going to have to...

In order to clear other bids,

I have to start you at £80,

and I'll take five on that.

85? 95.

100.

95, bid on the side here at £95.

Bid it in somewhere?

£100 on the net.

110. 120.

130.

140.

-Come on.

-Come on.

It's 130, then.

In the room at £130.

At £130, then,

last chance at 130...

-It's gone.

-That was good.

-It was good.

That was all right, wasn't it?

-Great.

-I'm happy with that.

-Yeah, me too.

-Nice thing, nice thing. Talented family.

Now, will Nick be on the money with his valuation for our next item?

Guess what's coming up next? Yes, you've got it right.

Chris's coin collection.

-These are your late husband's, aren't they?

-Yes, they are.

I know he was collecting when you first met him

-and he carried on collecting.

-Yeah.

-There's a lot there.

There's about... I think there's about 400. I'm not sure.

So you must have learnt a lot about coins over the years as well.

How to spend them.

-Let's find out what the bidders think, shall we?

-Yes.

Here we go. This is it.

Start me at 150. £150.

150.

150, here we have it.

-Straight in at 150.

-That's good.

At £150, and we are selling.

Is there a 160?

We've got 240.

It's all happening on the net.

-200 and...

-40.

240 now on the net.

-That was a big jump, wasn't it?

-That is a big jump, that is.

-God.

At £240, are you done?

Anyone in the room that wants to come in at this point,

now is a good time.

At £240, we're about to sell.

Last time.

Well, I'm pleased with that. We got the top end, didn't we?

-We did. Thank you very much.

-And that was well worth it.

-Good.

-Well done, Chris.

-That's good, thank you.

-You can afford some plugs now.

-I can, yeah.

Next up is the slightly dog-eared, turn-of-the-century bear

named after me.

He's not a Steiff but I've got all the right attributes, long arms,

the hump back.

Padded paw.

The right stuff, then.

For me, he's got those characteristics

you fall in love with as soon as you see him and say,

"Can't leave him here. Got to take him home."

Great face.

"I need a new home, I really do."

This could be the next Paddington Bear.

It's going under the hammer right now.

I have to start you here at £100.

110 can I say now?

At £100 and 10, is it? Surely.

-£100. 110, yes?

-130.

130 on the net.

-140 I have.

-150.

150 then. At £150. On the net at 150.

-160 can I say anywhere else?

-170.

170, it's still going on on the net at 170.

-180.

-180. 190.

200.

It's all on the net. Shout if I missed you here.

On the net at £190. All done?

At £190, have you done? Last chance.

It's gone. That was a good result.

Sister-in-law said she's be happy with £50.

She's done all right.

Everyone loves a bear, don't they?

Brilliant.

Finally, it's time for that early 20th-century Tudric clock.

-I can understand it's not everybody's cup of tea.

-No.

-I can, I can understand that.

-Yes.

-What are you into?

Erm, little ladies.

-Porcelain ladies.

-What, sort of, Royal Doulton figures,

-and things like that?

-Coalport and...

Yeah, I think they're pretty.

-You know, they're nice to look at.

-Colourful.

-Thank you.

Well, I tell you what, if you sell this

and you get the right money for it, you can buy two or three of those.

-I could buy a few more.

-You could, couldn't you? Here we go.

It's going under the hammer right now.

This is the Liberty Tudric pewter mantel clock

and we've had good interest here.

We have two commissioned bids with me.

I'm going to start the bidding at £450.

Is there 470 in the room?

720 to the internet.

-720?

-720.

-Some person online.

-It's just jumped.

£720, then, on the net at 720.

At £720, we are about to sell.

If there's anyone in the room who wants to

put their hand up at this point,

it's a good time.

At £720, and selling, then.

-820.

-820 on the net, now.

-Oh, no.

-Now, that's better, isn't it?

£820, and selling on the net.

Are you all done?

-920.

-£920.

-Oh, my knees are shaking.

-Oh...

£920. We are selling, last time...

-970.

-900... There's a bit of gamesmanship going on here.

970, now, on the net.

Make it 1,000.

At £970,

for the last time, at £970...

-Hold me up.

-Get in there.

£970, Dulcie - that's incredible, isn't it?

That's a good result,

and that's a great way to end today's show, isn't it?

On a high like that.

Well done, Dulcie. I hope you've enjoyed the show.

We've thoroughly enjoyed being here,

so until the next time, it's goodbye from all of us.