Episode 1 Flog It!

Today we're in the wonderful setting of Dunster Castle, in Somerset.

A former motte and bailey castle, now a country house.

Here in the library, you can see the centuries of history that

have passed through the castle,

a castle that's dominated the landscape

ever since the Middle Ages.

And, of course, if you relish discovering the chronicles

of days gone by, like I do, then sit back and enjoy as we bring

together the very best finds and auctions from around the country.

Welcome to Flog It!

Dunster is located on the sweeping hills of Exmoor National Park.

And as you know, "Flog It!" travels the length and breadth of Britain

in search of exceptional stories and objects to take off to auction.

Today we have a real treat in store as we bring you

some of our best finds.

We'll be visiting Birmingham, Southall,

Edinburgh and Wallasey.

And I'll even be taking you on a tour of the country's largest

public library.

Cicero said a room without books is like a body without a soul.

And I can't help feeling that "Flog It!"

benefits from a bit of literature, too. So, on today's show...

Thomas Plant judges a book by its cover as he values three

leather-bound books dating back over 200 years.

Adam meets his ceramic nemesis.

I've had egg on my face before with majolica, on this very programme,

when I underestimated some. So I'm going to try not to do that again.

And I find a fascinating funeral invite, from many years gone by.

I can't wait. I can't wait for the auction day. I really can't.

Prepare yourself for a show filled with jeopardy.

Can you guess which of our items sells for four times over

the estimate, and which doesn't sell at all?

It's going to be a thriller.

Before we start today's valuations,

let me just show you what I found in the Dunster library.

The books that line these shelves

are a fascinating insight into the lives

and interests of the Luttrells, who have lived here for over 600 years.

And if you take a closer look, you can see there's a book on

Eton College there, where many of the male members were educated, and

here we've got the Diary Of Samuel Pepys, written in the 17th century,

but they became a bestseller in the 19th century. I like this touch.

Look, something from the 1950s. James Bond. Live And Let Die.

There really is a fascinating world to discover here.

I can highly recommend it if you get the chance to come and visit.

Right now, it's time to get on with those valuations,

and fingers crossed, we can make some history of our own.

First up, Birmingham's museum and art gallery.

Thomas Plant has already navigated the territory...

and found an 18th-century collection of books...

on one of Britain's greatest explorers.

And if you don't know who this is,

perhaps you should be in the market for these books.

-Hello, Nick, how are you?

-I'm fine, Thomas. How are you?

-So...

What do you know about Captain Cook?

He discovered, or went all round Australia, mapped it.

Shipwrecked.

-I don't know about that, yeah?

-Oh, yes, shipwrecked.

Deliverance Bay, up past Port Douglas.

What I know about Captain Cook, I learned from my school days,

so I've not, sort of, gone forward with it.

-But today you've brought along three books from a possible volume of six.

-That's correct, yes.

-Where did you get these from?

-My uncle died and we cleared his house.

-Oh, really?

-And found a few books. These are three of them.

-They're leather bound.

-Yep, that's why I like them.

-Yeah, they're lovely.

-They are in slightly distressed condition.

-Very distressed.

I think "very" is putting it mildly, isn't it?

They are the Voyages round the World: Performed by Royal Authority.

Captain Cook's first, second and third voyages,

undertaken for making new discoveries.

And these are dated 1790.

-Quite a way after he started his little journeys, didn't he?

-Yeah.

Sort of 1768.

-Yeah, that's it.

-I like the plates in them. They are interesting.

This one here is rather nice.

"The distressed situation of the success between the fire of the Spanish fort,

"Umata, and the ship in the harbour."

I mean, you know, it's obviously very well-written and

-quite interesting.

-Yep. And there's some nice maps.

There are some lovely maps. There are some fabulous maps.

-Why have you brought them here today?

-To flog them, basically.

-Because they're just sitting there?

-They're just sitting in a cupboard

-and someone might be able to do something with them.

-They do need some rebinding, etc.

And having only three out of the six will affect the value.

-Have you an idea of the value?

-No.

-No.

-No.

If you had the six in good condition, it would be worth,

-you know, £100 a book.

-Yeah.

Because they're in poor condition, I'd be really cautious.

-Say, just about £100.

-That's quite a lot of money for three books.

It is quite a lot of money for three books,

but I think you need to be conservative and put them in

at, sort of, 80 to 100, with a discretion reserve at, sort of, £70.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, I am.

-So, auctioneer's estimate.

Watch them go and make £500.

Those are books worth investing some time in.

Our next item dates back to the same era as Cook himself.

Well, rather the brand of ceramics does.

Over to our expert, Adam Partridge, who's making himself

comfortable in Hopetoun House, on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

We really should be outside on the lawns having a lovely Scottish

afternoon tea. Strawberries, Scottish strawberries, of course...

-Yes.

-..cream and sugar, in these beautiful Wedgwood majolica dishes.

-Yes.

-What can you tell me about them, Christine?

Well, a friend was emptying her mother's house,

and I was helping her. We had three boxes.

One for what she was taking home, one for charity

and one to go to the rubbish.

And she handed me these out of a cupboard and said,

-"Put these in the rubbish."

-Oh, right.

-And I said, "No, you can't."

-And she went, "If you like them, keep them."

-And do you like them?

-Yes.

-There was a hesitation there!

-Yes, well.

I like them, but what use are they?

Well, yes. I mean, ideally, strawberries and cream.

Of course, the strawberries would go in the main section here,

and then you've got these little aperture recesses

for cream and for sugar.

-They're by the famous Wedgwood factory.

-Yes.

And then majolica, as you know, which is the name of this

glazed earthenware of this type. They date to 1879 exactly.

-I thought that.

-We can tell that from the marks on the back.

You've got the Wedgwood mark there.

And then you've got this registration mark here,

which is the Victorian registration lozenge.

And we've worked that out to date them to 1879.

There are a few notable manufacturers of majolica

from the potteries. Wedgwood was one, Minton was another.

George Jones was another. And they're quite collectable.

In fact, I've had egg on my face before with majolica, on this

very programme, when I underestimated some.

So I'm going to try not to do that again.

Most of the time, you see some sort of damage -

it's very vulnerable - and I don't think there's any damage at all.

Which is really quite unusual.

I like the way they've picked out the strawberry details

either side, and it's beautifully done.

Any idea on what you think they're worth?

Well, um, I thought because they were a pair,

-they might have been worth about £500.

-500.

Well, I think that may be slightly optimistic.

Slightly.

-I would have thought 300 to 500 estimate.

-Right.

-And they might make that.

-OK.

-Sure?

-Yes, you're the expert.

Well, I hope so.

-£300 reserve?

-Yes.

-Yes. Any leeway or not?

-Would you take 280 or not?

-I'd take 280 rather than...

You would? So let's give him 10% leeway or so.

-OK.

-If they make the 500 you hope, what would you do with that?

-My daughter's getting married next year.

-Oh, congratulations.

-So it's going in the wedding fund.

-Excellent. That'll be lovely.

Fingers crossed for a sweet result at the auction.

-Oh, that would be lovely. Thank you.

-Pleasure.

Let's hope for Christine's sake Adam's on the money with his valuation today.

Over to the rather splendid Southall Minster now, where our resident

magpie Mark Stacey has spotted something rather nice.

Rachel, you've brought this lovely pocket watch in to show us,

but I want to find out a bit more about you first. Are you local?

-I am, yes.

-From Southall?

-Yes, I was born in Southall.

I was married in the minster, and christened, and so was my mother.

-What, in this very church?

-Yes.

-How wonderful.

-We go back a long way.

-So you go back several generations here?

-Yes.

-This is a family piece, is it?

-It is. It was my grandmother's,

and it may well have been her mother's before that.

It might well have been your great-grandmother's,

-because we have looked up the hallmark. It's 18 carat gold.

-Yes.

-And it's hallmarked for 1849.

-Yes.

So it goes right back to the mid-19th century.

And it's by quite an interesting firm, Bensons,

who were founded with Samuel Suckley in 1847.

-They were quite a prestigious maker of this type of item.

-Yes.

-So the quality's very good.

-Yes.

-It's a lady's pocket watch.

-Yes.

I mean, how would she have worn it?

Well, maybe on a chatelaine for a lady.

-Of course, a gentleman would have had it in his waistcoat pocket.

-Yes.

And it's beautifully chased on the outside here,

-and you see the little cartouche in the middle there?

-Yes.

That's what we call a vacant cartouche.

That simply means that nobody's put their initials

-or their family crest on it.

-No.

So if somebody did want to buy this,

and have it as an ancestral item,

they could put their little monogram or their family crest

or motto in there.

And it's beautifully chased, on the front here,

with little Roman numerals, with its engine-turned design.

And it's just a very nice, quality little item.

-Yep.

-You've looked after it very well.

-Yes.

-It seems to be working.

-You've got the original key with it.

-I have, yes.

-But the value is limited, because there's a lot of them around.

-Yes.

-And the perennial problem of, what do we do with it?

-Yes.

-But I feel a sensible estimate is £200 to £300.

-As much as that?

-Oh, I think so.

-Oh!

-Just for the gold, really.

But I think, because it's got a good name and it's a good age,

-I think it might go to a collector.

-Yes, I would like to think so.

I would hope so, I really would.

-Because it is a super example of its type.

-Yes.

-But I would like to put a reserve also on it, of £150.

-Yes.

Fixed, so we won't sell it below that fee.

No, I wouldn't like it to just...

No, we don't want it to go for nothing, do we?

-No. Thank you very much.

-Thank you for bringing it in.

-Thank you.

It looks like Rachel may have timed that sale just right.

But now, can you imagine how delighted Adam Partridge was

when he came across this wonderful collection of Edwardian postcards

on our visit to Hopetoun House in Scotland?

Hundreds of people here at Hopetoun today, aren't there?

-There is indeed, yeah.

-Absolutely hundreds.

-And there's hundreds of postcards in this album as well.

-Indeed, yes.

Fascinating, it looks to me a sort of Edwardian Art Nouveau

design on the cover, and it's absolutely laden with postcards.

How did you come to own it? Where did you get it from?

I actually found it in my dad's loft, and I believe it was his

-grandmother and great-grandmother that collected them.

-I see!

So, the album has been in the loft for a number of years.

I'm glad you brought them along today,

because there is a lot of interest in postcards.

-I mean, these were collected 100 years ago.

-Yeah.

But the majority, you see, are views of places.

We've had a bit of a look through,

and there's absolutely loads of Scarborough in here.

There is indeed.

-So, it gives you an interesting profile of your family history, doesn't it?

-It does indeed.

And some of them will have a little note on the back -

"Stayed here, see you next week," that sort of thing. "Had tea here."

So, the first one I've singled out, a nice local one here, on the Clyde.

It's obviously down the Clyde on the old steamers.

Very good, sort of takes you back to the day, doesn't it?

This is a very famous man, isn't it? Duncan Napier.

-A very famous former resident of Edinburgh.

-He is indeed, yeah.

I think he is who Napier University is named after.

We'll move along to the next one that we've got.

Along here.

Well, all of these are Edinburgh,

kind of tourist things that you'd have picked up on a trip to

Edinburgh, but apparently a popular card is this Princes Street Gardens.

-And this bandstand, I believe, is still there?

-Still there, yes.

-Familiar with the place?

-Yes, oh, aye.

And then, let's have another look over here. Now, this one.

-This handwritten one.

-This is an interesting one.

Shall I take it out for a minute?

It says on it, "If you have any to spare, please send it.

"I have had a glorious time in this delightful place that I have

"only my return ticket left. How can I dodge the landlady?

-"Excuse the card, it's all I can afford."

-So, this is 1915.

-Yeah.

July 1915. We are at war, and it's a very basic piece of card,

and this, well, rascal, by the sound of it,

is writing to his friend James Simpson,

telling him he's going to run off from his landlady, isn't he?

That's a nice personal glimpse that isn't one of these manufactured cards.

So, all in all, we've got, what, 200 or 300 cards in there?

-I think there's over 500.

-Over 500? Wow, OK.

-Yeah, yeah.

Well, a lot of the topographical ones, in value terms,

are quite common, and they are sort of 50p to a couple of quid each.

-Yeah.

-Then, some of the other ones are going to be a few pounds each.

They will find their value at auction, but we need to put

them at an estimate that's going to be relatively enticing.

-And I think around the £200 mark as an estimate.

-Yeah.

-What do you say, 150 to 250 estimate?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Put a reserve of 150?

-Yeah, yeah.

Because I think if you don't make that...

-There's no point giving them away, is there?

-No, that's right.

And if they make £300 or £400, which they could do,

what would you put that towards?

Well, my parents are 90 and 91 respectively,

-and it's their 65th wedding anniversary this year.

-Oh, wow!

So, I think the money we acquire from selling the album will go

-to maybe a wee celebration for them.

-Oh, lovely.

Well, that's a great reason, then, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Thank you very much for bringing them along, Douglas.

-Thank you.

-And I look forward to seeing the bidders get stuck into them

-at the auction.

-Thank you very much.

Before we head off to auction,

there is something I would like to show you.

Welcome to the Lady Lever Art Gallery

here on the Wirral in Merseyside.

This gallery contains one of the finest collections

of art in the world.

It's all down to one man, William Hesketh Lever,

so I've come here today to find out how the son of a grocer

became one of the most renowned collectors of art this country has ever seen.

When William Hesketh Lever joined the family grocery firm,

he decided to focus on one product, household soap.

At a time when soap was cut to order from a single block,

he decided to market pre-wrapped bars under a brand name

and began manufacturing soap himself in 1886.

The popularity of his branded soap

meant he was soon employing thousands

and the success of the company made Lever very rich.

One of the reasons Lever's soap sold so well was

because he understood the importance of marketing,

which was a relatively new concept in late Victorian Britain.

He would look for images that were appealing, thought-provoking

and familiar to promote his products,

and he found these images in contemporary British paintings of the day.

He would go to art exhibitions and galleries in London

to buy pictures which would appeal to the housewives who were his core customers.

Now, this is one of his first purchases,

and it's titled The Wedding Morning.

It shows a young bride preparing for her wedding day

and you can see she's just adjusting her veil,

surrounded by well-wishers and curious onlookers.

Lever then had the image reproduced as an advertisement,

substituting the clock on the mantelpiece

and the cup and saucer on the table for bars of Sunlight Soap.

It was so successful he repeated this formula with other contemporary

paintings, always adding that all-important brand name.

Lever started collecting art purely for business reasons

but it did give him the taste for collecting,

so as he grew richer, he started buying for pleasure.

As a newly rich Victorian businessman,

he was no art connoisseur, so he stuck to safe ground,

only buying works of other contemporary artists he admired.

Luckily enough for Lever, he had an incredibly good eye.

He collected paintings by some of the most successful artists

of his time, including Dante Gabriel Rossetti,

and thanks to Lever,

the gallery's collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings is world-famous.

Lever now had the confidence and the means

to move beyond the realms of Victorian art,

to explore the history and the breadth

of British artistic achievement.

Now take this wonderful Georgian portrait by Romney, for example.

Lever recognised its beauty instantly

and you can see why, can't you? When Romney painted this

back in 1784, he was London's most fashionable portrait painter.

His assured draughtsmanship shows a relaxed, elegant mood

which you can see.

There's an understanding between artist and sitter.

Now, Lever paid £12,000 for this back then,

which equates to around about £1.2 million in today's money,

but it was this purchase that shot Lever

into the top league of art buyers.

Lever transformed from a casual buyer into a serious collector.

As his business grew, so did his wealth.

He had enough money to buy some collections outright.

When one of the best collections of Wedgwood came to the market,

Lever had none, so he bought the lot. It cost him £17,000.

That's about £1.7 million.

Today it's regarded as the best collection of Wedgwood Jasperware in the world.

Soon, Lever's artistic daring knew no bounds

as the purchase of this incredible statue demonstrates.

I absolutely love this, it takes my breath away.

It's late 19th century and it's by the French sculptor Ferrary.

It depicts the ancient story of Salammbo, who sacrifices herself

to the gods in the form of a serpent, which you can see entwined

around her, in order to save her own people from an enemy army.

But this is no virtuous piece.

The sculptor has made this both sensual and erotic.

Just look at the expression, it is clearly one of absolute ecstasy.

This is a work of passion.

Clearly not a purchase for the faint-hearted.

But if there's one piece that shows just how far Lever's taste had come

from paintings of girls in frocks, then I guess it's this one.

Not just because of its size, which I have to say is absolutely immense,

but because of the classical subject matter.

The Daphnephoria is by Lord Frederick Leighton,

and it depicts an ancient Greek festival that celebrated art and beauty.

Leighton's drawing of the picture expresses his belief that art

is of central importance to society.

Leighton wanted to educate the ordinary working class man

by exposing him to great fine art like this.

That's possibly why Lever bought the painting.

He wasn't daunted by the subject matter. He agreed with it.

Lever wanted to share his collections with the public.

He felt he needed a purpose-built gallery to display

the many imposing works he now owned.

The construction of the Lady Lever Art Gallery,

named after his late wife, duly commenced and was formally

opened in 1922 by Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria's daughter.

Lever built this gallery to give everyone the chance to see

the incredible collection he put together during his lifetime.

He believed art should be an inspiration to everyone.

And how right he was.

Let's remind ourselves what we're taking off to auction.

Nick's books have been given a fair estimate,

considering their condition,

so I'm hopeful they will sail away at auction,

just like Captain Cook himself.

But has Adam put a fair estimate on the majolica pottery this time?

Christine's daughter certainly hopes so,

as the proceeds of the sale go to her wedding fund.

Will Douglas's substantial collection of Edwardian postcards

get the bidders' stamp of approval?

Let's hope he can make a good contribution to his parents' anniversary party.

Gold prices can fluctuate week by week, but I'm sure

Rachel's 18-carat beauty will fare well under the hammer.

First stop, we're off to the Midlands

where auctioneer and expert Nick Davies is on the rostrum,

and about to sell those Captain Cook volumes.

Well, hopefully.

Going under the hammer right now, the oldest thing

in our "Flog It!" sale, dating to the late 18th century,

in fact, 1793,

leather-bound volumes of Captain Cook's voyages of discovery.

And they belong to Nick. Now, these were Uncle Dennis's, weren't they?

-That's correct.

-Tell us about Uncle Dennis, and how he got them.

I think he must have had them from school days, probably,

the condition they were in.

Do you think he had thumbed through them?

Mind you, the actual prints are really good,

-and the images?

-Absolutely.

And there's very little foxing inside the pages,

-that's the browning spots.

-That's it.

What do you think we'll get, then,

-on this voyage of discovery today?

-Not a great deal.

If you get a 50, you'll be doing really well.

-I don't know if there's any buyers.

-You'd be happy with £50?

-Yes, yes.

-OK, here we go.

The three volumes of Captain Cook voyages,

a bit of damage to them, but interesting books all the same.

-£150.

-Ooh!

Wow.

Do I see £160 anywhere else in the room?

-A £150 for Captain Cook's travels.

-Someone's got the other three.

At £150, maiden bid, on commission, will take them then

at £150, we're all sure now at £150...

-Sold.

-Wow! There you are.

-There's so many surprises in an auction room.

You can't guarantee anything, can you? You really can't.

-We all thought that might struggle, didn't we?

-Yeah, I did!

There you go. Somebody knows something we don't know.

-Well done. Thanks for bringing that in.

-Thank you, yeah.

Nice to have it auctioned.

A positive result there,

but £150 is a good deal for such a lot of history.

And now, over to our expert and auctioneer Anita Manning

to put that Wedgwood pottery estimate to the test

in her Glasgow auction room.

Going under the hammer now, two majolica strawberry dishes,

and we've seen these on the show before, and they always do well.

This pair belongs to Christine, but not for much longer.

I think you've got the right man. He learnt a lesson once on "Flog It!".

I did. A few years ago we had a pair of George Jones examples.

-Yes, great maker's name, that.

-In Leicester.

They were damaged, and I put them on at £80 to £120

and they made about a thousand quid.

These are a different story. Don't get your hopes up.

No, they are different. They're not George Jones.

But when I saw these at the valuation day,

do you know who I thought of? Dear old David Barby. He loved majolica.

He'd wax lyrical over those, and it reminded me of David,

-and I miss him terribly. I really do.

-We all do.

He taught me so much about pottery, and I didn't know anything.

He was a big fan of majolica. And of strawberries and cream, actually.

THEY LAUGH

-Good luck with these, OK?

-Thank you.

And hopefully Adam's spot-on this time. Here we go. This is it.

A pair of Victorian Wedgwood majolica pottery three division

strawberry plates. Can we see £500?

£500? £300?

Will you start me at £200?

-150 then?

-It's frightening, isn't it?

-Nobody wants them!

-It's fine.

160, 170, 180, 190, 200.

-Here we go. We're going upwards and onwards...

-220, 230, 240, 240.

£240. Any advance on 240?

Any advance on 240?

No! I can't believe this.

Not sold.

-It's all right.

-They are going home, it doesn't matter.

We didn't undersell, that's the main thing.

-They were protected with a reserve.

-They were.

And they are worth that, so if you ever sell them again...

I'll take them to my new house.

-OK.

-..don't sell them for less than £300.

They've had a nice outing on "Flog It!".

Adam hasn't had much luck with his majolica valuations.

First underestimating, and now overestimating, it seems.

But it just goes to show how much the ceramic market can fluctuate,

and the importance of selling at the right time.

Will Douglas be able to put on a nice bash

for his parent's 65th wedding anniversary?

Expert and auctioneer Anita Manning

is putting his postcard collection under the hammer

at her Great Western auction rooms.

Well, they say every picture tells a story.

And I'm sure there's quite a few in this Art Nouveau album

belonging to Douglas.

We always have a lot of surprises with postcard albums.

And it's really hard thing to value, isn't it? I mean, it really is.

Yeah, because they're always generally quite mixed.

As with many albums, there are a lot of the usual suspects,

in a way, lots of Scarborough if I remember...

That's right, Scarborough and Brighton.

-But there are enough...

-But these are views of social history,

-and some of these places have changed so much.

-They have.

People buy into that window of the past

and that's what this is all about.

Let's put it to the test, here we go.

Lot 255 is the Art Nouveau album of postcards.

Can we say £300, 200?

Start me at £100 on the postcards, 100 bid.

Any advance on £100, any advance on 100?

110. 120, 130, 130, 140, 150.

160, 170, 180, 190, 200.

-210. 220, 230.

-Getting there.

235.

-Yeah.

-I'm surprised.

I've 240 on the books. 250, I'm out.

And we're in the corner, at £250. Any advance on 250?

-I thought they might have made a touch more.

-250, 250...

-£250, the hammer's gone down, that's a sold sound.

-Thanks very much.

-Happy?

-Yeah.

-I'm happy as well. Thank you for bringing them in.

Yeah, it's a good result, really, top of the estimate,

can't ask for more than that.

I'm sure Douglas's great grandmother would be more than happy

to know her postcard collection

went on to fund such an important family occasion.

What a lovely idea.

And now let's see how that gold pocket watch does

at Mellors And Kirk auction house in Nottinghamshire.

-Rachel, I bet this is a sad moment, isn't it?

-It is.

We are flogging Grandma's watch, and she was a real Victorian lady,

-wasn't she?

-Very.

-A great spirit.

-You brought some photographs.

-Yes.

-There she is, wearing...

That's Grandma, that's Great-grandma.

And Great-grandma's got the watch on. Oh, dear.

-This is your social history, do you know that?

-It is.

-Well, I have increased the reserve.

-You've done what?

-I'm sorry, Mark.

-OK, so what was the reserve?

-150.

-OK. And you've put it up to...?

To 200, because I feel, because of the history...

-I don't think that will affect it.

-..and all the detail on it.

You don't appreciate it until somebody points it out,

what quality you've got.

It IS quality, isn't it? Well, I think we'll find a home for this.

-A loving home, OK?

-Yeah.

-That's the important thing.

We're putting it to the test now. Here we go.

And £150 for this lot, I'm bid.

And 60, 170, 180, 190, 200, 220,

250, 280, 280, anywhere?

At £250, all done.

280, I'm bid online. 300. 320.

-There's a bidder online.

-£300 a room bid.

You're out online. 320, you're back in.

320, 350, 380, 380 for it.

At 380 I'm bid. 400? £380, selling online at £380.

-Well, that was a good result.

-£380. Yeah.

-That makes the difference, doesn't it?

-It does.

Sell it for that amount of money, you can be forgiven.

Sell it for 200 quid, it's kind of like, well, actually,

should I have sold it?

There's a chance there might be a private collector out there.

Well, I'd like to think it's going to a collector. That was my concern.

-It was more than the scrap value.

-Yeah. Thank you very much indeed.

And thank you for bringing

those little wonderful documents of your own social history,

-because that really is a window back in time, isn't it?

-It is.

Now, at a time when many local libraries are closing down,

one city decided to buck the trend by building a new library.

This is Birmingham's spectacular new library.

Love it or hate it, you can't ignore it. It's huge.

It's almost monumental.

As you approach this building, you can't take your eyes off it.

It's totally audacious. The design is unique.

And now I'm up close,

those interlocking circles remind me of that fine filigree work

that the silversmiths achieved on their items of virtue

back in the 18th century, which we see turn up in our valuation days.

But it's also like shiny, glittering...wrapping paper.

And these are presents stacked on top of each other,

all waiting to be unwrapped.

This is the perfect gift to Birmingham.

The interlocking metal hoops decorating the outside

reflect the city's heritage,

the black rings represent its industrial gasometers,

and the silver and gold, its famous jewellery trade.

The circle motif continues inside, with the cavernous central space

designed around a series of interlocking rotundas.

Ooh, and look at this. Even the lights are circular.

I like that, because it softens the severe edge of the architecture.

And radiating out from that central rotunda are the book shelves,

just fanning out so they catch the daylight from these big windows.

There's ten floors here with over a million books,

so there's plenty to read.

Moving around the library is like a voyage of discovery.

This futuristic concept has everything,

from the latest e-book to the oldest book printed in this country,

which is on display in the library's exhibition space.

Thank you very much.

Gosh, look at this. Come on in.

Obviously I'm not allowed to touch, but what a privilege.

That book there, that's William Caxton's Cordiale,

first printed in 1479.

I believe only 200 were printed. Only three survived.

This is one of them. It is exceptionally rare.

It's all in old English,

and it's still so clear, considering it's well over 500 years old.

By printing this, what Caxton has done is, he's standardised

the English language in print for the very first time.

That's why this book is so important.

Another book I must show you,

printed a few years later in 1482, is this, Cosmographia.

That is beautiful pen and ink work, but coloured in.

And the colour is still there, all these years later.

It's by Ptolemy. He was a Greek philosopher.

What he's done here, he's challenged those early

medieval maps, and it's a bit of a mathematical equation.

But what I find interesting are all the images of the angels,

sort of blowing the wind across this globe.

But it is to scale. You can make out Europe,

you can make out the continent.

I just don't know how he worked that out all those years ago.

What a clever chap.

But what do the locals think?

Well, I asked award-winning jazz musician Soweto Kinch,

who grew up in the city and gave us an impromptu performance,

what he thinks this library has to offer local people.

You kind of grew up in Birmingham,

so you must have gone to that old library, the sort of concrete,

brutalist structure, with no windows, in the '60s and '70s.

-Did you?

-I certainly did, yeah.

And I remember its huge, imposing concrete frame very, very well.

I think this new library has reacted

to some of the criticisms of the old.

It does feel like a more integrated place, a less foreboding place,

less of an ode to concrete.

If you just look at the way the circles

kind of represent a new attitude towards integrating

multimedia and different arts into the learning process.

I remember queues of people lining up to get into the library

on its first opening day.

I remember a comedian, John Simmit, saying to me in the queue,

"There's so many people here queueing up

"to get into the library in Birmingham."

It kind of pooh-poohs the myth that we're not a city

full of intellectuals, you know?

SAXOPHONE ECHOES AROUND BUILDING

This is one of the most incredible buildings I have ever been in.

It's world-class architecture. Please come and see it for yourself.

It's got a feel-good factor about it.

It inspires you, and you want to stay. Clever, clever Birmingham.

Woo! All right.

From one hive of activity and learning to another

of Birmingham's greatest buildings.

Thomas Plant is in the city's museum and art gallery,

where he discovered Pip, Squeak and Wilfred.

-Roger.

-Hi.

-Hi.

Are you a medal collector, or is this part of your family history?

No, I'm a medal collector.

-I've been interested in medals since about 1970.

-Really?

And what got you interested in medals?

It was my late father-in-law who bought medals back

from Germany after the Second World War.

That's what started the interest.

Obviously, 2014,

so it's 100 years since,

the start... The commencing of action in Europe.

And there will be a huge interest within the First World War.

Normally you'd just see those three.

Sometimes they're called Pip, Squeak and Wilfred.

That is correct, yes.

But the real names are the Victory, British War Medal and 1415 Star.

And do you know the story and the history about the Military Cross?

I do know that when it was instituted,

it was obviously instituted for the First World War.

You had the Military Cross which was given to the officers

under the rank of major, I believe,

and then you've got the military medal

which was given to the ordinary ranks.

What's lovely about this is that you have all the details of the action.

The reason why

Captain Thomas Henry Batty was awarded the Military Cross.

Yes, that is correct. He was awarded as a second lieutenant.

-As a second lieutenant?

-Yes.

The thing that's interesting about the group is that he obviously

went in as a private ordinary soldier,

and he must have received a battlefield commission,

and then obviously he won the MC...

..supporting a company that's lost all its officers.

He would have been massively respected by his men.

I would imagine so, yes.

-Because he's gone through the ranks, been through the ranks.

-Exactly.

You've got a number of things going for you here.

It's a regiment. Not a corps. Which is great.

Because you get people who collect regiments. Lovely group.

It's cork mounting, it's called, isn't it?

-Yes, that is correct.

-Cork mounted. It's well displayed.

-Quite a lot of people just polish them, don't they?

-That's right.

-Or put them in silver dip, it's best not to do that.

-It is best.

You bought these how long ago?

1976.

I can't remember whether it was £250 or £300. I can't remember.

-It's quite a lot of money then, isn't it?

-Well, it was, yes.

-So...

You made an investment 38 years ago,

and today they are still worth a lot of money.

-And I would have thought an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000.

-Oh, yes.

Definitely. What do you want to do about a reserve?

You could put a reserve, say £1,800?

-Fixed at 1,800.

-Minimum, yes.

-I think that's very sensible.

A little bit of discretion, £1,800. I think these could do quite well.

-Let's hope so. We'll see. Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Pleasure to meet you.

-OK, thank you very much.

-What a fabulous item.

Let's hope it does well at auction.

The next item is quintessentially British and it's our very own

English gent, Mark Stacey, who spotted it back in Southwell.

Sue, we've had a fantastic turnout and you've brought in

a really exciting and quite rare piece of Beswick pottery.

-Did you know that?

-No!

Well, I'm not a Beswick aficionado, as they say,

but I do know this example was made in two forms.

The more common form is a black duchess holding a pie.

-And the rare form is holding a bunch of flowers.

-Right.

Where did it come from?

It came through my mother,

who inherited it from one of her relatives.

So, the original person who bought it might have bought it new

-in the sort of 1950s?

-I would think so, yes.

-Which is when it was made.

-Yes.

When the first one of these came on the market, about, I suppose,

15 years ago or something,

it was such a rarity that it made really quite a lot of money.

But of course, like a lot of these collectable ceramics,

once one is discovered, other people say, "I've got one, I've got one."

So they've become a little more common,

but they're still quite rare, actually.

-Oh.

-I mean, they're quite simply made, really.

They are all hand-painted.

And underneath you've got a little mark here,

Beatrix Potter, Duchess, and then F Warne And Company Ltd.

And then Beswick, England.

Now, interestingly, for those people who are fanatics about Beswick,

all this is in gold.

-Can you see it?

-Yes.

-It's a sort of goldy colour writing.

The later ones are in brown.

And they were later taken over by Royal Albert,

and you see some figures made by the Royal Albert factory.

But this is a nice early mark, which dates it to the 1950s, 60s.

Which, again, is a nice confirmation of the period of it.

Everything seems in good condition.

It might surprise you to know that...

..if my memory serves me right,

and I've got it right on this occasion,

I think this little figure is worth around £500-£700.

Oh, gosh!

-It's quite a lot, isn't it?

-It is, for something as small as that.

-For a little Beswick figure.

-Yes.

They used to make a lot more than that, they used to make over 1,000.

But the market has dropped a little bit,

but I'm sure there's collectors out there that would like that.

And would pay quite a bit of money for it.

You look as if you're quite pleased to hear that.

I am, I'm very pleased, thank you very much.

-So you're going to be happy to flog it?

-Yes.

I think we should talk about a reserve.

Because I don't think we should put it in without a reserve.

-I would say, if you're happy with this, a reserve of £400 on it.

-OK.

To protect it. If we can't get that, I think it's worth hanging on to.

-Right.

-But if we can get £400 or more,

-I think we're in the ballpark of the collectors' market.

-OK. That's fine.

-You happy to do that?

-I'm very happy to do that.

If it does very well, I'll expect a bouquet of flowers from you.

SHE LAUGHS

-Thank you very much for bringing it in, Sue.

-Thank you, thank you.

And now, off to another stunning location,

Hopetoun House, where James Lewis has been rather greedy

and has two items on his table.

Hazel, I can honestly say I have never seen two more

inappropriate objects to be paired together.

-Well, they are connected, in that they both had the same owner.

-OK.

And who was the owner?

Well, the owner was a distant relative of mine,

and that was his christening mug.

And he later in life became a chauffeur, and I've only realised

today that that is actually a clock from a vehicle.

-I always thought it was a ship's clock.

-Ah, OK!

So today, when somebody told me it was a car clock, that made

perfect sense because he became a chauffeur in the early 1900s.

A chauffeur in the early... What sort of period are we talking?

We're probably talking about 1910, 1915.

-So, this was his christening mug.

-1880.

-So he was christened in 1880.

-So he would have been working in his 30s in 1910.

-Yes, probably 30s.

-Around that sort of area.

-Yes.

OK. Which shall we start with? Let's start with the christening mug.

-Let's start with that.

-That comes first chronologically.

-Yeah.

I mean, that is a lovely, lovely mug. Look at the marks underneath.

We've got a mark for William IV,

a thistle.

The Edinburgh mark.

-And the Gothic capital B for 1833.

-Right.

So this is considerably earlier than you thought.

We've got these scrolling foliate designs,

with a stylised flower head at the end.

And then these stiff acanthus leaves at the bottom,

which is exactly what you'd expect to see on a pedestal

-of a piece of furniture of the same date.

-OK.

So that really ties in nicely. Good example.

So let's go on to this.

So this would have been made and then attached to the dashboard,

and...

..it's a pocket watch.

Yes, I only found that out recently as well.

Of course, a normal pocket watch, when it's hung that way,

-has the 12 at the top.

-Of course.

So of course, it couldn't possibly have been anything other than

something that was made for this type of thing.

It's got a winder. Now pre-1900,

-all pocket watches were key wound.

-Right.

So the fact that it's got a winder pretty much tells you of its period.

Do you have any idea what sort of vehicle it would have been in?

No idea.

But anybody who had a chauffeur and actually owned a motor car

-in that period would have been incredibly wealthy.

-Yeah.

For the christening mug, that's going to be worth £70 to £100.

Right.

-£40 to £60 for that. And I think it's a bit of fun.

-Yes.

-Is that all right for you? Are you happy?

-I think that's probably

-all right, yes.

-Good.

-Let's just see what happens.

-Thank you very much.

Very different items, but similar values.

And I wonder which will do best under the hammer.

And now for something quite unusual,

which I spotted at our valuation day in Wallasey.

John, that looks pretty grim. Are you the bearer of bad news?

-I hope not!

-No, I don't think you are, actually. But I love that.

I really do. It's macabre, but it's so interesting because it's so old.

What we're looking at is an invitation to a funeral in 1688.

-Now that's 320-odd years old.

-Yes.

-How did you come by it?

It was left to me by my father,

who found it in a house he was clearing in Bridlington in Yorkshire,

-about 25 years ago.

-Right. Did you grow up in Yorkshire then?

-I did, yes.

-So you're not a local chap?

-No.

-Who mounted it on a piece of card?

-My father did.

-Dad.

-I think to preserve it as much as anything.

-Yeah.

-It's fragile.

Yeah, you could see.

In a way that's devalued it,

-but at least it's kept it together in one piece.

-That's right, yes.

I'm going to read this out. This is quite interesting.

"You are Defired to Accompany the corps

"of Mr Samuel Reddington, late Deceased, from the Dwelling House

"of Mr Charles Beardoe, by Fishmongers Hall on Sunday next,

"being the Fifth of April 1688.

"At Four of the Clock in the afternoon

"precisely, to the Parish Church of St Michael, Crooked Lane.

"And bring this Ticket with You."

Now, I think this is London.

-Fishmonger Hall is in London.

-Yes, yes.

I don't know where St Michael's Church is, Crooked Lane.

I've had a look on maps,

-and I think the church was probably lost in the Blitz.

-Do you?

-So you've done a bit of research?

-Just a little bit, yes.

But not a lot.

I like the fact you've got the sands of time within the cherub

wings above the skull. Look at this guy here, look. The skeleton.

He's got a shovel, so he's the grave-digger.

Again,

with another timepiece holding it up saying,

"Your time is nearly up."

This was block printed, wooden block printed.

I mean, the condition does let it down.

In perfect condition, I've seen these things sell

for around about £400 to £600, because they are very, very rare.

I'd like to put an estimate of...

I know it's going to sound mean, £80 to £120.

-But it's going to get people interested.

-It's fine.

And I think a couple of bidders might fight this out.

-Happy to put it into auction with a value of £80 to £120?

-Definitely.

OK, well, I can't wait.

I can't wait for the auction day, I really can't. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

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

Roger's World War I medals should attract collectors,

so let's hope we hear more than just a pip and a squeak at auction.

And Beswick pottery is a good staple of the auction room.

And this is a rare breed of Duchess cat.

The market has dropped off recently,

but the buyers are still out there.

John's funeral invite is a hard item to value, but I'm hoping

it will have a fitting sendoff and go over the estimate.

And let's hope Hazel can have a celebratory drink after she sells

her William IV christening mug

and that rather unusual car clock.

First up, back to our Midlands auction house

where Nick Davies is on the rostrum again,

hoping to sell Roger's medals,

who's planning to use the money for a trip to the German dams

to see some history first-hand.

Going under the hammer right now, we've got a fabulous group

of medals, and one is the Military Cross that belongs to Roger.

And we are just about to sell them,

with a valuation of £2,000 to £3,000.

The sale room's done their homework, we've all done our research.

-Let's hope we get that top hit.

-Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I'm quite excited.

Well, I'm...quite apprehensive.

This is a roller-coaster ride for our experts and for you at home,

but we can enjoy this. Here we go.

The medal group, on top of the cabinet there. All framed.

Where do we start on this one? Bid's with me at 1,600. 1,700.

-I'll look for 1,800 in the room.

-Wow!

1,700 with me, 1,800 anywhere in the room?

-At £1,700 it will be. 1,800. Anyone coming in?

-We need 1,800, don't we?

-£1,700, I'll stay here with me.

-No.

Are we all sure and done? At £1,700. All done and finished.

-Hasn't got it.

-Never mind.

-What are you going to do, Roger?

Take them home.

-Take them home.

-I'll take them home and put them back on the wall.

The space is still there.

What a shame. Thomas was right to be worried there.

Sometimes you can just feel

when something isn't going to sell in the room.

But the medals definitely deserve their £2,000 estimate, so I hope

Roger puts them to auction again soon and books his trip to Germany.

Next up, over to Anita Manning's auction room,

as we sell Hazel's christening mug.

Good luck, Hazel. Fingers crossed for this. You're up next.

We've got two lots, which James split up on the day, didn't you?

We've got the silver christening mug and that little car clock,

which I really like, actually.

And I love the story about clocks, you know, in the dashboards,

weren't really around then,

so this one you could actually mount on your dashboard.

So, how did you come across these? Remind us.

-They belonged to my mother's second cousin's father.

-Gosh!

Good job you said that! I'd have mucked that up!

It was his christening mug and his clock

when he was a chauffeur in the early days of car driving in Edinburgh.

Right. That makes sense.

A chauffeur's clock. Well, well. See?

You learn something every day on "Flog It!"

And that's what it's all about. Fingers crossed we get the top end.

-Happy with that?

-Absolutely, yes.

-Let's go for it. Ready?

Here we go, this is it.

Lot 190 is the William IV christening mug

and I can start the bidding at £60.

60 with me for the Edinburgh christening mug.

60, 70, 80,

90, 100... 100 on the book.

-130. The book is out.

-Never lets us down, does she?

-No!

-130. With you, sir, at 130.

-That's top money for that.

-Yeah.

Any advance...? 140, fresh bidder. 140.

150. 160.

160.

With you, madam, at 160. All done at 160?

All done at 160. 160.

-Hammer's gone down. £160. That's the first.

-Excellent.

I'm quite excited about the clock. I think it's quite unusual.

Here we go.

Lot 241 is the vintage white metal eight day automobile clock.

Can we say £80?

80? 60? Start me at £40.

£40? 40?

-40 with me.

-OK, we're in.

40. 50.

60. With you, sir, at £60.

Any advance on £60? All done at £60.

-£60?

-Short and sweet, isn't it? Yes. Hammer's gone down. £220.

That's brilliant!

-That's not bad, is it?

-No, I'm quite happy with that.

Going to put it towards a set of bagpipes.

I'm learning to play the pipes!

-So, how about that?

-Oh, I pity the neighbours!

BAGPIPES PLAY

A respectable result there.

Now, how will our Beswick pottery do?

Our next item belonging to Sue is that Duchess figure,

a Beatrix Potter figure.

I have to say, in the 13 years of "Flog It!",

-I think we've sold about four or five of these...

-Wow.

..throughout our history, and they've all made good money. Yeah.

So they are about, but they're the ones to collect, aren't they?

Duchess with the flowers. We're putting it to the test right now,

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

£400 for this lot, I am bid. At 400, 42o for it?

420, 450, 480, 500,

550, 600, 600 I'm bid. 650 for you.

At £600 against you online.

At £600, commission bid, and selling, fair warning...

At £600. I sell...

-50, in the nick of time, £650 online.

-Online!

That was good, the internet was coming in, it's a bit slow.

£650...

-£650. That's good.

-That's not bad.

That's not bad is it, mid-estimate.

-A little above.

-Yes.

-Happy?

-Very happy.

-Good.

-I think, I'm pleased with that, actually.

-Because you didn't have a clue, did you, on the day?

-No.

That makes it even more fun for you, doesn't it?

-And you still got other things, haven't you, other figures?

-Yes.

What a good result.

But now, it's finally my turn.

Will John's historic funeral invite get the auction

crowd in Liverpool interested?

I know it's a little bit grim, belongs to John, not for much

longer because this should fly away, like I said at the valuation day.

I had a chat to Adam at the auction preview day yesterday

and he said he's never seen anything like it, so it's pretty rare.

It's pretty rare.

And thanks to you, it's been cherished and looked after.

-Yes, it's 326 years old.

-Incredible. Absolutely incredible.

I'd like to see £200 plus. We've given it a cheeky £80-120.

-Let's see what happens. Ready for this?

-I'm ready.

-Let's do it! Here we go!

-Thank you.

It's a 17th century funeral invitation, dated 1688.

And I'm already up to £200, already.

At £200. I'll take 10 now.

At 210 online. At 220 bid. 220. 230.

-At 240 bid. At 250.

-It's amazing!

-250.

Online at 250. 260.

At 280. 280. Open-mouthed all round! Look at you all!

300. At £300.

At £300. At 300. A rare thing.

Brilliant!

You won't find another.

At 340. 360. 380. 380 bid.

At 420. At 420. The funeral invite.

At 440. 440 now.

-At 440. 440. Any advance?

-Brilliant!

-Are we all done?

-It's fantastic!

Anyone in the room? We're selling online, then. At 460, a new place.

At 480.

Still going. 480. 500.

-£500.

-Wow!

At 500. Where will you find another? 520 bid.

520, we're still going on the funeral invite.

At £520, are you all done? Last chances. At £520 we sell.

HE BANGS GAVEL

-Yes! £520!

-Wow!

-Wow! Well done!

Thank you so much for bringing that in.

-You're a happy bunny, aren't you?

-Oh, yes!

-He's hopping!

-Ooh, this is exciting!

-A new fishing rod.

-A new fishing rod for you!

I was just about to say - what are you going to spend the money on?

Well done, you. And what a way to end today's show, here in Liverpool.

We had that wonderful little invite to a funeral.

I told you we'd have a big surprise and I hope you've enjoyed the show.

So, until the next time, it's cheerio from all of us.