0:00:02 > 0:00:05Picture the scene - Hever Castle at the height of the Tudor period.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09In ride a dozen courtiers, dressed in their finest,
0:00:09 > 0:00:13flanking the most notorious man in England...
0:00:13 > 0:00:16King Henry VIII.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Up at that window, a young woman smiles, as if to say,
0:00:20 > 0:00:22"Let the games begin."
0:00:22 > 0:00:25'It's one of the most famous relationships in history.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27'Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30'and the story started here at Hever Castle.'
0:00:30 > 0:00:33We'll find out more about that intriguing couple later on
0:00:33 > 0:00:34in the programme but, first,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37we have some antiques and collectables to value.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Welcome to "Flog It!"!
0:01:01 > 0:01:04The Kent countryside is peppered with Tudor relics,
0:01:04 > 0:01:06and just a stone's throw from Hever Castle
0:01:06 > 0:01:09is our very own valuation day location.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Here at Chiddingstone Castle,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17there's been a house on this land since the 15th century.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20It's the perfect location for a "Flog It!" valuation day,
0:01:20 > 0:01:22so let's get started.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28'They say the British love to queue, and the Kent folk are no exception.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30'Hundreds of people have arrived already,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33'but what have they got in their bags and boxes?'
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Show us what you've got, come on!
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Look at that - a wonderful array of antiques and collectables.
0:01:39 > 0:01:40Now, somebody here in this queue
0:01:40 > 0:01:43has something that's worth a small fortune.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45It's our experts' job to find it and value it,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48and if you're happy with the valuation, what are you going to do?
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Flog it!
0:01:51 > 0:01:54'Putting the prices on today are Lord and Lady
0:01:54 > 0:01:59'of the valuation tables, Claire Rawle and Adam Partridge.'
0:01:59 > 0:02:00- Oh!- Oh, that's... Excuse me!
0:02:00 > 0:02:04'They work as a team to seek out the most valuable objects...'
0:02:04 > 0:02:07- Would you be interested in selling it?- Um...
0:02:07 > 0:02:10'They're dedicated in their search for historic items
0:02:10 > 0:02:13that tell a story about the past.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16'And if they come on a trolley, that's even better.'
0:02:16 > 0:02:19I think it's time we got this queue moving to the valuation tables.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Let's get the show on the road and get valuing.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24It's time to set sail. Come on, everybody.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32'On today's show...
0:02:32 > 0:02:35'an eye-catching piece from the recent past...'
0:02:35 > 0:02:37And you've got the magnificent plumes.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40It's really quite a glorious thing.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43'And, at the auction, items are selling for a king's ransom.'
0:02:43 > 0:02:47- I'm gobsmacked! - I'm quite shocked as well.- Sold.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Well, there you are, the last in the queue.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Everybody is now safely seated.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53I've just been told Adam Partridge has spotted a real gem.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Let's take a closer look.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59It's always interesting to see something a little different on the show.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03John, thanks for bringing along this, quite an unusual typewriter.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Let's have a look.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08There we go. The Blickensderfer, number 7.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11- And look at that keyboard! Some engineering, isn't it?- It is.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- I bought it because I like the mechanism. It's very unusual.- Yes.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19It seemed to be a precursor of a later golf-ball type of typewriter.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Right. Precursor - very good.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Yes, I know what you mean, and so, you know,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26we see lots of old typewriters
0:03:26 > 0:03:29and, of course, they were mass-produced later, after this.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33- Yes.- Many, many hundreds of thousands of typewriters made.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Most of which don't have any kind of interest or commercial value
0:03:36 > 0:03:38- these days, because they've become redundant...- Yes.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40..with the age of the computer,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42but this obviously falls into the collector's category.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Where did you get it from?
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I got it from a local antiques shop,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49in Sevenoaks about 30 years ago.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51- OK. About 30 years ago.- Yes.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- Do you remember what you paid for it?- £19.- £19!
0:03:54 > 0:03:57- You've got a good memory, John.- Yes! - What line of work are you in?
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- I'm, personally, I'm a model maker. - Oh, right.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04I'm particularly interested in mechanisms and that sort of thing.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Have we got some patent marks on there as well?
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- Yes, there's patent marks over this side.- This side.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12- They're from...between 1890 and 1892.- Interesting.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Because I believe in, around 1892, 1893,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18the QWERTY keyboard was standardised.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19Oh, that's when it happened.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22So perhaps these Blickensderfer number 7s
0:04:22 > 0:04:25were produced less frequently after that.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Possibly, although they would have been able to change the drum
0:04:28 > 0:04:31- and the keys to suit the new layout. - I suppose, they would have been
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- able to modify it, wouldn't they? - Yes.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35- With their technical abilities.- Yes.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37What made you decide to sell it now?
0:04:37 > 0:04:41It's just been in, on top of a wardrobe for a long while.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44I had trouble using it because it doesn't have a ribbon.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47- It has an ink roller and I couldn't get the ink for it.- Ah.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Even then, with a non-standard keyboard, it's - you know,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54if you're used to a QWERTY keyboard, it'd take a while to relearn it.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57- There are lots of people interested in this sort of thing.- Yeah.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59So, any idea on the current value?
0:04:59 > 0:05:01No idea at all. No.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Well, I mean, typically, you'd put something like £60 or £80, estimate.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07- Yeah.- You'd hopefully make 100 of it.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09- That's all right with you, then? - That's very good, yes.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11We'll pop a reserve of £50 on it, stop it going for less.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14- Yes, thank you.- And, hopefully, it might make a little bit more
0:05:14 > 0:05:17and it'll certainly go to someone who's passionate
0:05:17 > 0:05:20about mechanical and typewriters and all that sort of thing.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Let's hope it maybe hits the three-figures mark.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Thank you very much.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31You never know what or who is going to turn up at a valuation day.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Vintage typewriters are fairly common,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36but I can't say I ever expected pop stars
0:05:36 > 0:05:39The Cheeky Girls to turn up for a valuation.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43For those of you who don't remember their big hit,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47here they are on Top Of The Pops in 2003.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50# We are The Cheeky Girls We are The Cheeky Girls
0:05:50 > 0:05:55# You are The Cheeky Boys You are The Cheeky Boys
0:05:55 > 0:05:56# Cheeky cheeky. #
0:05:56 > 0:05:59They've brought along a bag full of inherited trinkets,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01and the painting really looks promising.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05I've asked expert Aubrey Dawson to take a closer look.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- Hi there, I'm Aubrey.- Hi, I'm Monica. Very pleased to meet you.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10- Hello, Gabriela.- Hi, Gabriela. How are you?
0:06:10 > 0:06:13- Very well, thank you. - You've got a nice picture here.- Yes.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15It's a little bit far from home, isn't it?
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Yes, it is a picture from Rome. That's what we know.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22- And it's the castle of Sant'Angelo. - Yes, that is the one.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26And, basically, the story of it is a very long story,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- so I'm going to try and cut it short.- OK.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31My, our step-grandmother,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35she had a neighbour when she was living in East Dulwich,
0:06:35 > 0:06:36here in London.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41They were really good friends and their family name was Roberts.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Now then, her husband passed away,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45so our stepgrandmother,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49she took care of her and she was all the time doing her shopping,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52and then cleaning and helping with the house and everything.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56So, as a gift, as a thank-you gift, she gave her this picture
0:06:56 > 0:07:00and she said it has been inherited from generation to generation,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02in her family.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04What a fantastic story.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06- I notice it's dated 1853.- Yes.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Which gives us obviously a nice indication of age.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Not signed, though. We don't have any artist.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Normally, we'd expect to have a nice artist's signature at the bottom.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Yes, we did a bit of research.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- We have heard of a painter called David Roberts.- Mm-hm.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Who was around that period, painting,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25and, apparently, he did a grand tour of Europe and Egypt,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28and he did loads of paintings in Egypt,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32and they became very famous and they were sold at big auctions.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Now, it's a bit of a, you know,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37coincidence that Roberts, Roberts, you know, the family name.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- Yeah, same name.- So, you know, it would be nice for us to find out more
0:07:40 > 0:07:44about this painting, whether actually it is David Roberts or it's not.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48Well, I think it's definitely painted by an English artist,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51because he's detailed "The Castle Of Sant'Angelo",
0:07:51 > 0:07:54which is obviously in English, instead of writing in Italian,
0:07:54 > 0:07:55if it was an Italian painter.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58So what we'll do is we'll take it away, do some research and come back
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- to you with what I can find. - Thank you.- Thank you so much.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04'Aubrey will cross-reference the painting with known works
0:08:04 > 0:08:07'by David Roberts and see if he can find a match.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11'No pressure, Aubrey, but I think the girls are quite excited.
0:08:11 > 0:08:12THEY GIGGLE
0:08:15 > 0:08:20'Back in the real world, Claire and Cheryl are clutching classics.'
0:08:20 > 0:08:22- Hi, Cheryl. It's good to meet you. - Hi. Lovely to meet you.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24I feel that no "Flog It!" should go through without
0:08:24 > 0:08:27- a bit of Clarice Cliff. - Oh, absolutely.- Don't you think?
0:08:27 > 0:08:29- Are you a collector?- No, no, I don't really like Clarice Cliff
0:08:29 > 0:08:33- at all, actually. These belonged to my husband's grandmother.- Oh, OK.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Yeah, I think with Clarice, it's a bit like Marmite.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38- You either like it or you hate it. - Absolutely.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41What's the history behind them? Are they sort of something
0:08:41 > 0:08:44- you've just had in your cupboard for years and years?- Well, no, actually.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47After my husband's grandmother died, everyone else, you know,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49had the first go and we got the leftovers,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51so we got a box of hers,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54and, actually, I was about to drop them off at the charity shop,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57and a little bell rang in my head going, "Oh, hand-painted plates.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59"Maybe I should hang onto those."
0:08:59 > 0:09:02And, lo and behold, two or three years later, suddenly, Clarice Cliff
0:09:02 > 0:09:05was the flavour of the month, but that was 23 years ago.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08I've been meaning to get rid of them ever since!
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Yeah, well, fortunately, she's still pretty popular,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13though, in some ways, some of her prices have dropped a bit...
0:09:13 > 0:09:15- Right.- ..but she's still popular.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18But the one thing she did do is actually bring a lot of colour
0:09:18 > 0:09:20into her designs. Do you know the history of Clarice
0:09:20 > 0:09:22- and how she started? - Not really, no. No.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25- Well, she actually started work at 13.- Oh, really? Gosh.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27And she started playing around with the designs,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29sort of, between the interwar years,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- where everything was a bit drab, and a bit grey, and a bit sad.- Right.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34And she had these wonderfully vibrant designs, so you had
0:09:34 > 0:09:38these very bold colours, bold panels of red and green and yellow.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41- Something that people were, sort of, crying out for.- Right.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43But it was also supposed to be cheaply made
0:09:43 > 0:09:45- so that people could afford it. - Right, right.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46- And buy it, and put it in their homes.- Yeah.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50And it was immensely popular and, of course, this is a classic.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- This is one of the patterns you see quite a bit of.- Right.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55It's Rhodanthe, which is very, very classic,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59with these, sort of, long, sinewy brown stems, orangey flowers.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03- And you'll find it on plates and jugs, and cups and saucers.- Right.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05And then, if you look on the back, of course,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07- you have the classic mark. - Oh, right.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- They did an over-stamp with "Bizarre by Clarice Cliff."- Right.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13- It was the Bizarre range.- Right. - If you look back at the pattern,
0:10:13 > 0:10:14at the moment, they're in good order.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17There's a little bit of flaking round the edge.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20That's acceptable for her work but there's no cracks, no chips,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23cos anything like that and the value just absolutely plummets.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25- Right, right. - So, before they get damaged,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27a good idea to put them in the sale.
0:10:27 > 0:10:28And I think, at auction,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31you're looking between £60 and £100 for the two. Oh, right.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- Does that sound OK? - Fabulous, yeah, that sounds great.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37- Yeah, no, absolutely.- I look forward to seeing you at the auction.- Super.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Cheryl didn't hold back with her opinion on Clarice Cliff,
0:10:40 > 0:10:44and now I have to deliver my thoughts on that cheeky painting.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Well, I have to say, it looks good, doesn't it?
0:10:46 > 0:10:49- Fingers crossed. - It looks, it looks desirable.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52It's something that I would want to own, so that's a good start.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54But Aubrey has done a lot of research on this,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56we've asked all the other experts here.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57It's not David Roberts.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- It's not?- Oh... - It's in the style of, OK?
0:11:00 > 0:11:02But look, I think, if it was a David Roberts,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05you'd be looking at around about £5-£8000
0:11:05 > 0:11:08- for a watercolour like this. - I know, I know!
0:11:08 > 0:11:11But if somebody, you know, it sums up that whole Grand Tour thing,
0:11:11 > 0:11:13but if you can't afford David Roberts, you can afford this.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- And you get the look, you buy the look, don't you?- Yes, you do.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18It's beautifully presented, it's wonderfully mounted.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20I like the fact the frame's a bit lived-in.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22- It's not over the top. - It's very old, yes.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26But it draws your attention to the image, so it does have a value.
0:11:26 > 0:11:27- Right, OK.- Right.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30OK, look, £100-£150 is very, very safe.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34- Hopefully it'll do a bit more.- OK. - We need to start somewhere...- OK.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37- So, if we put a reserve at £100 on. - £100.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39- I think we should go for it. - OK? Happy to put it into auction?
0:11:39 > 0:11:41- Yes.- Yes, yes. - Fixed reserve at £100?
0:11:41 > 0:11:44- Yes.- I think she would be happy with that.- OK, let's do it.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Next, another family story.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Sue, Jim, it's lovely to see you here today,
0:11:55 > 0:11:59and your little friend with you. Such a pretty doll.
0:11:59 > 0:12:05- And this little girl here...- Daisy is holding this doll.- Yeah.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09I'm not sure where she was given it,
0:12:09 > 0:12:15- but I think it was one of the aristocrat ladies.- Right.
0:12:15 > 0:12:21- Who my grandfather worked for. - Oh, right, so it was given down to his daughter?
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Yes, because obviously they couldn't afford
0:12:23 > 0:12:27- anything like that in those days.- No.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28No, cos of course she's got a bisque head,
0:12:28 > 0:12:33so she would have been a more expensive doll in her day, really.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Yes, yes, and they used to live at Brasted Chart, which is quite near here.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42- Right.- And my grandfather was a gardener.- Oh, right, yes.
0:12:42 > 0:12:47And he lived in the laundry cottage, which is shown there.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51This is the cottage in the background? So they are all standing there. Isn't it a lovely thing?
0:12:51 > 0:12:54And the nice thing is you actually know who they all are.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Yes, it's my grandfather, and grandmother,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02and my Aunt Daisy,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06my Aunt Gladys, Aunt Nell,
0:13:06 > 0:13:12Uncle Jack, Auntie Emily, and my father, William.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17Oh, lovely. So often in families people lose track and they can't remember.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20They can remember a few names, so it's lovely.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23And also it really dates that little doll, doesn't it?
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Yes, it's over 100 years old.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30- Yes.- And I thought it was about time we had her out and...- Yeah.
0:13:30 > 0:13:31My daughter doesn't want it,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35so we'll let somebody who would like it.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39- OK.- And none of us seem to have particularly liked the look of it.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45- Aww! Anyway, shall I have a quick look at her?- Yes.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47I'd love to see her a little bit more closely.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Now then, has she got a name?
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Because families very often named their dolls.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54- No, I don't know her name at all. - So she's never had a name?
0:13:54 > 0:13:58- Never had a name.- Normally on these dolls, they are marked.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02And this one is beautifully marked on the back of the head,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Handwerck, and then a number which denotes a size.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10Now, she's very, very pretty. She's got real hair, or mohair.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13She's got sleeping eyes cos there is a weight in there
0:14:13 > 0:14:17which makes them open and close, realistic. Open mouth with teeth.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21Funnily enough, the open mouth ones are not quite as popular as the closed mouth ones.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26And then she's on a mixed painted wood and composition body with
0:14:26 > 0:14:30these ball sockets to try and make her look as realistic as possible.
0:14:30 > 0:14:31But not terribly.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35But she will date from the very beginning of the 20th century,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38say between 1900, maybe up to 1910,
0:14:38 > 0:14:42- which I guess would fit in with the family grouping there.- Yes.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Now, the sad thing at the moment is that the doll market is not
0:14:45 > 0:14:48exactly buoyant. It hasn't been for a while.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52One never knows the true reason why these markets go up and down.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55At the moment dolls are not selling for huge amounts,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58unless they are very scarce, very early good French dolls or something.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01I think she would sell, and I think she'd find a very good home, because
0:15:01 > 0:15:06people get very emotive over dolls and teddy bears, unlike Jim there.
0:15:06 > 0:15:07Yes.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Which, in a way, I can sympathise.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11I've never been a great doll person myself.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13I think at the moment you are looking at an auction
0:15:13 > 0:15:16estimate of £90-130.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19I'd tip the lower estimate just under the 100,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22because as I say it's not that buoyant.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26If you'd be happy with a reserve of £80 that would give her
0:15:26 > 0:15:28a very strong chance of selling well,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31and if she doesn't make that, I really think that she ought to
0:15:31 > 0:15:34stay at home, because I'd hate to see her sell for less than that.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37- I don't know how you feel about that?- Yes, that sounds...
0:15:37 > 0:15:42- Whatever Sue's happy with, I am. - Yes.- That's a very good arrangement, well done.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Yes. Excellent, we'll do that, then. We'll put in with an £80 reserve,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49£90-130, and see how she does.
0:15:49 > 0:15:50Wonderful.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51Before we head off to auction,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54there's something I would like to show you.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Beer and England go together like cheese and pickle, don't they?
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Well, certainly since Anglo-Saxon times,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10beer has been a staple amongst folk rich and poor.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15But beer was generally a tasteless concoction of water and malt.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17Flavourings like honey and mugwort
0:16:17 > 0:16:20were added but they didn't really cut the mustard.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25A strong, powerful ingredient was needed to quench the thirst
0:16:25 > 0:16:26of the British people.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Hooray for hops!
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Hops were introduced to Kent by the Flemish brewers in the
0:16:33 > 0:16:3616th century and they transformed
0:16:36 > 0:16:40musty old ale into fresh, tasty beer.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42The hops were added to preserve the beer
0:16:42 > 0:16:44but they also added a bitterness.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Now, initially, people were slightly sceptical of the bitterness.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50But by the 18th century, hop gardens, like this,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52were cropping up all over the county.
0:16:54 > 0:17:00At its peak in the 19th century, 72,000 acres in Kent were dedicated
0:17:00 > 0:17:04to producing hops and extra help was always needed to pick them.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09One man who knows everything there is to know about hops is
0:17:09 > 0:17:10John Reeves Vein.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14He's a man of Kent and has worked in the hop gardens all his life.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17He now volunteers at the Kent Life Museum,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21keeping traditional farming methods alive in their hop garden.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26I was born in 1914, Joe.
0:17:26 > 0:17:31I was in the hop garden in a pram in the September of 1914.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33That's when you start.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36You're there with your mother, she's picking the hops,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39looking after you and this is how I got involved.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43It's through family, from grandfather to my father to me, my son is in
0:17:43 > 0:17:48it and my grandson's now joining us, so we've got five generations.
0:17:48 > 0:17:49What a lot!
0:17:51 > 0:17:54The hop flower became one of the country's most important crops
0:17:54 > 0:17:57and when the short harvest season came along in the late summer,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00they all had to be picked by hand.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08An army of 200,000 people were needed and there was a city nearby
0:18:08 > 0:18:13with a willing workforce ready to descend on the Kent countryside.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16# London calling to the faraway towns. #
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Entire families left the East End
0:18:18 > 0:18:21and made the 30-mile journey by special hop pickers' train
0:18:21 > 0:18:24or even by foot to the Garden of England.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28John witnessed this mass migration first-hand.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Yeah, the East Enders used to come down to help pick the hops which
0:18:32 > 0:18:35gave them extra money to be able to buy the clothes for the kiddies
0:18:35 > 0:18:39when they got back home and it was also a holiday to them
0:18:39 > 0:18:44because if you lived in the East End in them days, it wasn't very nice.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49Crammed, you know? Smelly, dusty.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52They'd come out here and it was a real holiday to them.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54The city folk valued the fresh air
0:18:54 > 0:18:57but hop picking was no walk in the park.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01The hop plant has tiny hairs which can irritate the skin
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and the pesticides cause some children to go home with
0:19:04 > 0:19:07a painful infection known as "hop eye".
0:19:07 > 0:19:10The days were long and the living conditions basic,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12but the East Enders created a home from home,
0:19:12 > 0:19:16in the rudimentary huts they were given by the farm owners.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21This is a reconstruction of a hop picker's hut,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23dating back to the mid-1930s.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26If you come with me and come inside, we'll take a trip back in time.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Are you ready for this? OK.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Small and cosy, first impressions, looks like fun
0:19:31 > 0:19:34but what you have to remember is a family of five would have
0:19:34 > 0:19:38slept in here and used this space for a month at the end
0:19:38 > 0:19:41of the summer season, living in here together.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45Kids would sleep under here, look... On a mattress of straw.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47Mum and Dad up there.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50A few basic utensils to use.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Small kettle to brew tea up on and a small loo.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55There's no running water.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57The hop pickers would have constructed their own huts
0:19:57 > 0:19:59in rows just like this,
0:19:59 > 0:20:03emulating the small terraced houses they lived in in London
0:20:03 > 0:20:06and at the end of the row, there would be a communal cooking hut
0:20:06 > 0:20:09and a proper loo for everybody to use.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Pretty basic but for the end of the summer,
0:20:12 > 0:20:14and for a month, could be fun.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17If you work hard and play hard, I think you'd sleep well.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24The influx of tens of thousands of Londoners didn't go
0:20:24 > 0:20:26unnoticed by the locals.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Some people in Kent didn't mind
0:20:30 > 0:20:32and some other people in Kent did
0:20:32 > 0:20:34because with a lot of the shops,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38they used to put up screens
0:20:38 > 0:20:42because people were a little bit light-fingered, you know?
0:20:42 > 0:20:46And also, at the weekends, they used to pack the pubs out.
0:20:46 > 0:20:52And someone used to get upset over that, others didn't mind, you know?
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Generations of the same family came back year after year, right up to
0:20:56 > 0:21:03the 1950s but as with so many ways of life, mechanisation took over.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05You would be hand-picking one year
0:21:05 > 0:21:07then there would be a machine next year.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Then another farmer down the road, he might follow a year later.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14One, the other way, might have been a year before you, you know?
0:21:14 > 0:21:16This is how it went on.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19The annual trip to Kent for a hop picking holiday came to an end.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24So, do you miss the hop pickers
0:21:24 > 0:21:26coming down from the East End of London, John?
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Yes, very much so. Because you had...
0:21:29 > 0:21:30It was great fun.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34It was hard work but it was great fun, you had people talking.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37You had arguments, you had upsets,
0:21:37 > 0:21:39as usual, like you do in everything.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40Which is good banter.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41Good banter, yeah.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44And, it's like, you know...
0:21:44 > 0:21:46- Everybody knew everybody.- Sure.
0:21:46 > 0:21:47Because you had the same hop pickers
0:21:47 > 0:21:50coming down to the same farm every year.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53What do you make of the hops this year?
0:21:53 > 0:21:56This year, they're very good. I'm very pleased with them.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57Last year was a bad year
0:21:57 > 0:21:59but this year, I'm very pleased with what we've got.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04And these will be picked the old-fashioned way,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07at the Kent Life hop picking festival.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09For generations of East Enders and for John,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11the traditional will live on in their memory.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21We've got our first four items,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23now we're taking them off to the sale.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26There's a growing market for vintage devices like this,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28but will the bidders have their
0:22:28 > 0:22:30fingers on the pulse and snap it up?
0:22:30 > 0:22:34Sadly, it's not the artist Gabriela and Monica were hoping for,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36but the painting still has a value,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39and now, a cheeky provenance.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43There's plenty of provenance with this lot, but dolls are not to everyone's taste.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46will it make the £80 reserve?
0:22:46 > 0:22:49And Clarice Cliff plates that brightened up the postwar era -
0:22:49 > 0:22:51will they set the saleroom alight?
0:22:52 > 0:22:55To find out, we're leaving Chiddingstone Castle
0:22:55 > 0:22:58for the saleroom, which is also packed with beautiful items
0:22:58 > 0:23:02that keep the past alive.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04It's time to find out if our experts' valuations
0:23:04 > 0:23:06are on the money.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10First up, Adam, John and the Blickensderfer.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14It's an old number 7. Have you sold anything like this before?
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Well, we're finding an increasing interest in vintage typewriters.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21And, please, don't mean that... bring along your 1960s Remington,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24but early 20th-century, late 19th-, early 20th-century typewriters.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26People are beginning to collect these things
0:23:26 > 0:23:27much more than they used to.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Are you a steam train fanatic, John?
0:23:29 > 0:23:31I see you've got Stephenson's Rocket on your tie.
0:23:31 > 0:23:32I'm a model-maker.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Ah, that explains it. I've made that model.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37I have made an Airfix Stephenson's Rocket.
0:23:37 > 0:23:38Have you? Oh, the Airfix one, yes.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Yes, anyway, let's put this valuation to the test.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Here we go, here's the typewriter going under the hammer.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Like this one. This is the vintage typewriter, there.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51The Blickensderfer there. And, we've got interest,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54I'll go straight in at £50 on the commission.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56At £50, now. 55 in the room, now.
0:23:56 > 0:23:5965. 75, 85, now.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Told you there was a rising interest in this.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04I'm pleased about that.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06100 we got online, now. Looking for 110.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08110 online, now. Looking for 120, now.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11The battle's online, now. Looking for 120, 120.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13- Looking for 130. - That's quite good.
0:24:13 > 0:24:14At 130, online, now.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Looking for 140, 140 bid, looking for 150 now.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19At 140 online. Are we all done, then?
0:24:19 > 0:24:24Selling, then, online, at £140.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26- £140, the hammer's gone down. Well done, Adam.- Thank you very much.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28- Pleasure.- You know what?
0:24:28 > 0:24:30- I'm glad I chose you. - I'd have liked to own that.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32There's a little tip there for the viewer.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35You know, if it's a vintage thing like that, that really appears
0:24:35 > 0:24:38to be unusual, then it probably is going to be quite desirable.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39Yeah.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Bought with love and sold for a profit, a classic antique tale.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Next, it may not be a Michelangelo,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51but this painting of Rome is well worth the £100 reserve.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54We thought it may be a David Roberts but sadly it wasn't.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57But it was by an Englishman, an unknown artist.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59It's an image of Rome and it was stunning.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02And it belongs to the Cheeky Girls.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04And not for much longer.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05Gabriela and Monica. Which one is it?
0:25:05 > 0:25:08- Gabriela.- Monica.- Monica, Gabriela.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12I'm not the only one to get you confused, surely.
0:25:12 > 0:25:13Oh, no. Surely, no, no.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Everyone, especially when we have the hair done exactly the same.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- Everyone is confusing us.- Well, look, let's just talk about the art.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22So, just remind us, it's been in the family a bit of time, hasn't it?
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Yes. Yes, we've had it for a very, very, very long time.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28- And it did belong to our grandmother.- Yes.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32And her last wish was to have her ashes scattered in Belgium
0:25:32 > 0:25:36near her husband. So, we are going to, we're going to use the money...
0:25:36 > 0:25:38To put towards that.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41To travel there and to, you know, make her last wish come true.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- Oh, that's a really nice thing to do.- Yes.- Yeah.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Fingers crossed we get top end of the estimate.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48- I know, I'm so excited.- Let's find out what your artwork does,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51shall we? This lovely painting is going under the hammer. Here it is.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54342, look who we've got in the room, the Cheeky Girls!
0:25:54 > 0:25:57- WHOOPING - That's why you're all here.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02The Cheeky Girls. Lot 342.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06We've got the watercolour dating from 1853, £100 for it.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08- It's next to nothing, is it?- I know.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12Come on, you've gone very quiet. Come on. Anybody interested at 50?
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Come on, £50 for it. Get the bidding going.
0:26:15 > 0:26:1850 I've got, sir. Thank you, £50 bid. 55, now. 60.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20- Come on.- It's ready to go,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22- it's got a lovely frame on it. - Everyone is embarrassed.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Got 60. 65?
0:26:24 > 0:26:27At £60, now. I've got 55, now. 70.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28At 65 with me, on the book, now.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30At £65 now, looking for 70.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33At 65, then. All done, then, at £65.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37- Really, really? Oh... - It didn't sell.- Oh...
0:26:37 > 0:26:39- It's OK, it doesn't matter. - Matter...
0:26:39 > 0:26:42We are still going to, you know, we are still going to...
0:26:42 > 0:26:45- Make that trip.- Of course, of course.- Of course.- Of course.
0:26:45 > 0:26:46Has it been a good day out?
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Of course, we've loved the whole experience.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50It completes the "Flog It!" journey.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52You came to the valuation day, you came to the auction.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54- The thing is, we had to do this as well.- OK.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57- Because we are watching the show all the time.- Oh, good for you.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00And I said, we need to be on "Flog It!", no matter what.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03'See, even if your item doesn't sell,
0:27:03 > 0:27:07'you go away with great memories of the "Flog It!" experience.'
0:27:07 > 0:27:09# Cheeky, cheeky. #
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Going under the hammer right now we have a German bisque-headed
0:27:12 > 0:27:16doll belonging to Sue and Jim. We've seen them on the show before.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20I particularly don't like these. I think they are scary.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22You're doing the right thing, you're selling it.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25I know there's lots of collectors out there that will love this,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28but it's not for me. Not for you, either, is it, Jim?
0:27:28 > 0:27:29- Not at all.- What about you, Claire?
0:27:29 > 0:27:30I have to say, I'm not a great doll fan.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33I never was even as a child, I preferred trains and things.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Like you, I always found them a bit spooky. Like they were watching you.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Anyway, there are a lot of collectors out there
0:27:38 > 0:27:41and they have their virtue. They are quality. They are quality.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43And you've looked after it, that's the main thing.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Well, it's been in the wardrobe for 60 years.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Well, it's been looked after, hasn't it?
0:27:48 > 0:27:50It's not been thrown around in the attic or something.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Cos condition is key to these things.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55That makes all the difference.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- Hopefully we get the top end of the estimate.- Hope so.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00- Ready for this?- Yes. - Let's wave goodbye.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Let's wave goodbye to the doll, it's going under the hammer now.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04With no regrets.
0:28:04 > 0:28:10It's the German bisque-headed doll there. With the open mouth there.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12And composition body.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14£100 for it. 50, if you like.
0:28:14 > 0:28:1650 bid. 55. 60 on commission.
0:28:16 > 0:28:1965. 70 bid. 75. 80.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22The lady is keen, she's not putting her bidding card down.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25100 bid. 100 bid. At £100 it's with you, madam.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27£100, looking for 110 anywhere.
0:28:27 > 0:28:28We've sold it, haven't we? We've sold it.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31- Yes, wonderful.- At £100... - GAVEL FALLS
0:28:31 > 0:28:35Well, that lady was so keen, it sold at £100, Sue and Jim.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39The lady was just up and down, up and down with the bidding card.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43And someone else I know who's got a bidding card is Sue here.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45So, you've registered.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47You've got to register your name and address
0:28:47 > 0:28:48if you want to bid in the saleroom,
0:28:48 > 0:28:50and they issue you with one of these,
0:28:50 > 0:28:52and you can wave to the auctioneer.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54So what are you going to buy?
0:28:54 > 0:28:57- Well, hopefully some paintings. - Right, good luck.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59Well, you've got £100 towards it.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05Going under the hammer right now, we have Clarice Cliff.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08It's a pair, and they belong to Cheryl. Why are you selling these?
0:29:08 > 0:29:11- Everybody wants it. - Oh, they're ghastly.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14Do you know something? I don't like it either.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17I was so frightened to say, they're ghastly. It's just not my taste.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20- I would sell them as well. - Great.- Look, good luck.- Thank you.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22Hopefully we get the top end. Claire, do you like these?
0:29:22 > 0:29:25- I have to be honest...I don't like it either.- Oh, bless you. No, no.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28But there is a big market out there. We're not putting this down
0:29:28 > 0:29:30cos lots of people collect Clarice Cliff.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32You've seen, it's gone under the hammer many times.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35Here we go. Big smile on your face. There'll be an even bigger smile
0:29:35 > 0:29:37if you don't have to take these home. Yes.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39They're going under the hammer right now.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44The Clarice Cliff plates, there.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46How do you see these, £50 for them?
0:29:46 > 0:29:4950 bid, 55. 60, 5, 70, 5.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51- They're gone.- 80, 5, 90, 5.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53100, 110, 120.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55I've got 110, 120 with you, madam.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57120, now looking for 130, anywhere.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59At £120, we're all done, then.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01Selling, then, at £120.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05Whoosh! Hammer's going down. Clarice Cliff does the business.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08- Fantastic. - Someone out there liked it.- Great.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10- Super, thank you very much. - Well done, you. Well done, you,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13and if you've got anything like that, we'd like to flog it.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15Bring it along to one of our valuation days and you could be
0:30:15 > 0:30:18at an auction room just like this, going home with some money.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21- Well done.- Fantastic, thank you.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24That's the first visit to the saleroom complete.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28Now, we're heading back to that most royal of counties - Kent.
0:30:28 > 0:30:34For time immemorial, we've been fascinated by our kings and queens.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38And one relationship in particular that's intrigued us for centuries
0:30:38 > 0:30:42has to be the one of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Well, earlier in the week, I went along to Hever Castle,
0:30:45 > 0:30:47where Anne Boleyn spent many years of her life,
0:30:47 > 0:30:50to find out how it all began.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01This impressive building has all the classic qualities
0:31:01 > 0:31:02of a Tudor castle.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07But this castle is much more than its thick stone walls,
0:31:07 > 0:31:09and its Tudor works of art.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12It's the place where Anne Boleyn spent many years of her life.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16It's also the setting for her courtship with Henry VIII,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19where he sent her many letters declaring his love.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21And it's here that Anne's parents
0:31:21 > 0:31:24made the decisions about her upbringing
0:31:24 > 0:31:28that would ultimately shape the rise and the fall of the whole family.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Because how did this girl, who was not considered a beauty
0:31:34 > 0:31:39by any means, capture the heart of the married King of England?
0:31:48 > 0:31:51Anne lived here with her mother and father, Elizabeth and Thomas,
0:31:51 > 0:31:54her older sister Mary and her brother George.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57The family moved to this incredible castle in 1505,
0:31:57 > 0:32:00when her father inherited the house.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03The Boleyn family had always been ambitious
0:32:03 > 0:32:06and had risen from the ranks of yeoman landowners
0:32:06 > 0:32:09to noblemen in just a few generations.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16Their move to Hever helped secure the Boleyn status
0:32:16 > 0:32:20but head of the family Thomas wanted more for his children.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23He wanted them to rise to the very top.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28Historian Elizabeth Norton has written several books
0:32:28 > 0:32:29on the Boleyn family,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32and knows all about Anne's journey to becoming Queen.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36What would it have been like for Anne, growing up here?
0:32:36 > 0:32:38She would have spent a lot of time with her siblings,
0:32:38 > 0:32:41her elder sister Mary and her younger brother George.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44They would been taught their letters by the parish priest
0:32:44 > 0:32:47before having tutors employed when they were a bit older.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50- Education was a big thing here, obviously.- Absolutely.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53Education was particularly important to the Boleyns.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Anne was renowned for being well-educated.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59Particularly, she could speak French, she could read and write.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02And it's really that that shapes her.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10Anne showed great promise during these formative years,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13and was chosen over her older sister Mary
0:33:13 > 0:33:16to attend the court of Archduchess Margaret of Austria.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Anne made a very good impression on the court,
0:33:18 > 0:33:23and was described as presentable and pleasant by the princess.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30It seems even as a youngster, probably no more than 12 years old,
0:33:30 > 0:33:32Anne was accomplished in court etiquette -
0:33:32 > 0:33:36a skill she would later use to her advantage.
0:33:36 > 0:33:41By 1513, she was asked by her father to attend another Royal,
0:33:41 > 0:33:45this time Henry VIII's sister, Mary Tudor, in France.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50French style, French fashion, French culture, mon Dieu!
0:33:50 > 0:33:54The French were trendsetting as much in the 16th century
0:33:54 > 0:33:55as they do today.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58And Anne Boleyn was immersed in all of it
0:33:58 > 0:34:02at the court of Queen Mary, from the age of 13 to 21.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04But what did she learn en France?
0:34:05 > 0:34:09Anne's time in France was crucial to the woman that she later became.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11She learnt style and grace at the French court,
0:34:11 > 0:34:13it was the most sophisticated in Europe.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15She also learnt courtly love.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17Anne would have learnt how to interact with men
0:34:17 > 0:34:21while she was in France, so when she came back to England wearing her
0:34:21 > 0:34:24French hoods, which showed a daring amount of hair, she stood out.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33Anne wasn't the only sister to serve in French court.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37The other Boleyn girl, Mary, also spent her formative years there.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40But Mary took quite a different approach to her sister,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43giving herself fully to several courtiers,
0:34:43 > 0:34:47and eventually King Francis of France, himself.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Mary was later referred to by Francis of France as
0:34:50 > 0:34:53a very great whore, and infamous above others.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56It looks as though she was sent home in disgrace,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59before emerging at the English court as a mistress of Henry VIII.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08Anne and her sister Mary were close,
0:35:08 > 0:35:14and Anne saw how Mary was treated when she gave into Henry's advances.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17Henry was far from generous with his mistresses.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21Mary gained little more than two illegitimate children.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Anne saw that her sister was simply discarded by the King,
0:35:24 > 0:35:26with very little to show for it,
0:35:26 > 0:35:28and she decided that she wanted something else.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31She wanted a good husband and was not going to yield to the King.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38Just a few months after Henry's affair with Mary,
0:35:38 > 0:35:40he was chasing Anne.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Now, wise to Henry's tendencies
0:35:42 > 0:35:46to cast aside his mistresses once he got them into bed,
0:35:46 > 0:35:50Anne told Henry she wouldn't be his lover until she was his wife.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Henry wanted Anne to be his mistress, something that Anne,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05who was looking to make a good marriage, could never allow.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08We know that Anne retreated back to Hever Castle.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Henry VIII's love letters survive, and show him pursuing her,
0:36:11 > 0:36:14so, speaking of being struck with the dart of love.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17Eventually he realised he had to divorce his wife, and that
0:36:17 > 0:36:21led onto the long period of divorce before they could marry in 1533.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26Anne Boleyn achieved her father's goal and became Queen of England
0:36:26 > 0:36:30but, unable to produce a male heir, her marriage was short-lived.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33She was Queen for just 1,000 days
0:36:33 > 0:36:36before Henry viciously turned against her.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42In a shocking sequence of events, Anne was beheaded for treason,
0:36:42 > 0:36:46at the Tower of London, in 1536.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50An extraordinary outcome for a girl who showed such promise.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56The Boleyn family were ambitious and educated,
0:36:56 > 0:36:58and they knew the importance of a good marriage.
0:36:58 > 0:37:03Anne's strength and spirit helped her rise to the very highest rank
0:37:03 > 0:37:06but it also, in part, led to her execution.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09Tudor England was a tumultuous period in our history,
0:37:09 > 0:37:13and the pursuit of power was quite literally a cut-throat business.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27Back at our valuation day at Chiddingstone Castle,
0:37:27 > 0:37:29we've found a very special royal item
0:37:29 > 0:37:32that celebrates a historic moment from our own time.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37This chair was specially designed
0:37:37 > 0:37:40for Prince Charles' Investiture in 1969.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43MUSIC: God Save The Queen
0:37:43 > 0:37:46The ceremony gave heir to the throne Charles
0:37:46 > 0:37:48the official title of Prince of Wales
0:37:48 > 0:37:50and the Earl of Chester.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53It's a tradition that predates even the Tudors,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56starting in 1301, by King Edward I,
0:37:56 > 0:38:00having completed his conquest of Wales.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03Many centuries later, the practice continues
0:38:03 > 0:38:07and was watched by 500 million people worldwide.
0:38:09 > 0:38:114,000 chairs were made for the occasion,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14and seated royals and dignitaries.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17I wonder who sat on the chair Claire's discovered.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19How did this chair come to be in your possession?
0:38:19 > 0:38:24It came to my husband, who was in the Metropolitan Police,
0:38:24 > 0:38:28and he was on protection the day of the Investiture.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30And afterwards, he was allowed to keep one of the chairs.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32So, we've had it in the house ever since.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Did you both like the chair?
0:38:34 > 0:38:36We weren't mad about it, let's put it that way.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39It was one of those things that you got
0:38:39 > 0:38:42and you thought you'd better keep for a while, and that was it.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44It wasn't really used,
0:38:44 > 0:38:47it was just sat there and hidden away most of the time.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50- The design is good, actually, it's nice.- It's nice, yeah.
0:38:50 > 0:38:51But the colour takes a little bit more.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55- I often think if they had a really modern kitchen, it would go in.- Yes.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58It'd certainly be a talking point, wouldn't it, in somebody's home?
0:38:58 > 0:39:01Of course, you see the Coronation stools and Coronation chairs,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04- through the 20th century, the couple we've had.- Yes, yeah.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06Don't see quite so many of these, although a few have
0:39:06 > 0:39:09- come up for sale.- There were quite a few made, yes.- Yes, yes.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11But you don't see many, you know?
0:39:11 > 0:39:14You suddenly look sometimes and think, "Oh, that's like mine."
0:39:14 > 0:39:17- Yes, there are other people with orange chairs.- Yeah, yeah.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19Yes, and you've got the magnificent plumes,
0:39:19 > 0:39:21the Prince of Wales plumes on the back of the chair.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24- And then "Ich dien" - "I serve". Erm...- Yeah.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26- This is really quite a glorious thing.- Thing, yeah.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Obviously, you've decided now to part with it.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30Yes, the children aren't interested, really,
0:39:30 > 0:39:33- so I thought I might as well part with it.- Yeah, yeah.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36- Spend the money on something I would like.- Very sensible.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38And I see there, you're actually, you've got a souvenir...
0:39:38 > 0:39:42- I've got the brochure that goes with it.- That's nice, actually, isn't it?
0:39:42 > 0:39:44That's a souvenir that tells you all about the Investiture.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47- Yes, and has all the photographs... - Photographs in it of the day.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50- ..of an incredibly youthful Prince of Wales.- Prince Charles.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53Oh, yes, it's such a long time ago but I remember it.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55- I remember watching it at school. - Really?
0:39:55 > 0:39:57Which dates me a bit, now. I was very young at the time,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00- didn't really understand what it was about.- Yeah.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03- They do sell. They don't make a huge amount of money.- No.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05I don't know what you're hoping for, for it.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09- My feeling is, just under the 200. - Yes, that's what I...
0:40:09 > 0:40:13- That's what I imagined. - About one, sort of, 180, 190?- Yes.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15So, if we put a reserve of 190,
0:40:15 > 0:40:19- and estimate it at 192 to 230 or something like that.- Yeah.- Yes.
0:40:19 > 0:40:20- And you don't know... - Well, that's right,
0:40:20 > 0:40:23because I'm sure there are lots of people out there
0:40:23 > 0:40:24that would love to have this.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27Well, yes, I often think someone in Wales might be quite interested.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30- Well, yeah, that's probably where the other 3,999 are!- Yes.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32- This is the one that escaped to England.- Yeah.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35But, yeah, we'll give it a good go and see what we can do for you.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37All right, thank you very much.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47- Susan.- Hello.- Time for pie.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50Yes, hopefully. HE LAUGHS
0:40:50 > 0:40:53- Yes, it's a nice example of a game pie dish.- Oh, thank you.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57It's an absolute classic in antiques terms, isn't it?
0:40:57 > 0:40:59You open an antiques reference book, you're going to find
0:40:59 > 0:41:03a piece of majolica, a game pie dish just like this.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06What do you know about it, Susan, and where did you get it from?
0:41:06 > 0:41:08- My nan owned it...- Yeah.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11- ..and gave it to my mother.- OK.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14And my mother, sadly, has had to go into a home
0:41:14 > 0:41:16- and so she's given it to me.- Yeah.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18And how has it ended up on the table here,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21in this beautiful setting at Chiddingstone Castle?
0:41:21 > 0:41:24I just have nowhere to stand it safely
0:41:24 > 0:41:26and it would go in the loft and...
0:41:26 > 0:41:29- What a shame. - It's a big old thing, isn't it?- Yes.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32And they're very, very brittle, vulnerable things.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35It's lead-glazed earthenware and...just need to tap it
0:41:35 > 0:41:39- and it will break and chip. And it's survived incredibly well.- Yeah.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41I've given it a good once-over
0:41:41 > 0:41:43- and I can't see anything wrong with it, really.- No, no.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46A beautiful lid there, and the blue interior.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48It kind of reveals the contents of your pie, doesn't it?
0:41:48 > 0:41:50- On the lid, there.- Yes, yeah.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53And they've always got this blue interior,
0:41:53 > 0:41:57and this is particularly fresh and clean, like it's never been used.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00It's got a lovely, sort of, basket-shaped design,
0:42:00 > 0:42:04applied with these oak leaves and acorns.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08Really quite an effective technique, but not your taste?
0:42:08 > 0:42:11- No, I love it, actually. - Oh, right.- It's just...
0:42:11 > 0:42:13- where to put it. - Just the practicality of it all.
0:42:13 > 0:42:14So, let's have a look at the mark.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17There's no Minton mark on there, which is,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20to some collectors that will be a concern, but those
0:42:20 > 0:42:23that are knowledgeable enough will know that this is the Minton model.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26I mean, it's still popular stuff and there's still a demand for it.
0:42:26 > 0:42:31So, I would suggest an estimate of £300-£500 in the current market
0:42:31 > 0:42:35on that, and hopefully it will make a bit more. Oops...
0:42:35 > 0:42:38- Very nice.- So, we'll see what happens and fingers crossed,
0:42:38 > 0:42:40- it will make a good price at the auction.- Thank you.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48- Jenny, what a beautiful day here in Kent.- It's gorgeous, isn't it?
0:42:48 > 0:42:51- Don't get much better than that, does it?- No, a lovely setting.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53- Locations and everything else. - Beautiful.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56And I was attracted to your postcard albums for a number of reasons.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Firstly, also, because there are going to be some local ones in here.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02- Yes, there's lots of local ones. - Very good.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04But before we open up the albums,
0:43:04 > 0:43:06because there's a lot of flicking through to do there,
0:43:06 > 0:43:10can you tell me a bit about them and how you came to own them yourself?
0:43:10 > 0:43:14Yeah, they belong to my great aunt, who started collecting them,
0:43:14 > 0:43:17I think the earliest postcard is about 1906.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20- And what was your great-aunt's name? - Aunt Fanny.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22Aunt Fanny! There we are.
0:43:22 > 0:43:26- That's a good traditional name.- Yes. - So, please tell me more.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28Aunt Fanny collected these.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31Yes, and her sisters used to travel a bit
0:43:31 > 0:43:35and send her postcards wherever they went. And her friends.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38So she collected them all, and then she passed it on to her
0:43:38 > 0:43:42daughter, and her daughter started collecting them.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44- But unfortunately most of the family died of TB.- Oh, gosh.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47Her daughter died of TB as well.
0:43:47 > 0:43:52- So, I think the last one is about 1925.- Oh, dear, that's a sad...
0:43:52 > 0:43:56Sad ending, isn't it? And what happened to Aunt Fanny in the end?
0:43:56 > 0:43:59- Aunt Fanny lived until she was in her '90s.- Well, there's a positive, isn't it?
0:43:59 > 0:44:02- It is.- Very good. Anyway, we'll have a look through them.
0:44:02 > 0:44:07There we go, straight into Kent. Ramsgate.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10Chatham, Ramsgate, Margate, Dover.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13So we've got loads and loads of local views,
0:44:13 > 0:44:15which were quite common to see.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18And I've marked out one which is a little more interesting,
0:44:18 > 0:44:24actually, which is here, this submarine A5 going full speed.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26- That's a more rare one.- Right.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28And that's something that will appeal to the collector.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32- That'll be worth a few pounds, whereas these will be worth pence, really.- Yeah.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34Then we've got another album here.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37So, we got a mixture on this album, including greetings
0:44:37 > 0:44:39and more topographical.
0:44:39 > 0:44:44An area of collecting particularly, that appeals to me as well,
0:44:44 > 0:44:45are the humorous ones.
0:44:45 > 0:44:50I like this one, it's rather cute, isn't it? Little kiddie in the tub.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56- It's fun, isn't it?- Yes, it is fun.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59Just a bit of gentle humour. And right next to it you've got
0:44:59 > 0:45:01another area of collection - cats.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05People like cats, and here's a cat on the telephone.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07Again, rather amusing.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09And let's have a quick look at this final one.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12Isn't that lovely, just the inside cover?
0:45:12 > 0:45:15That's a real Art Nouveau derived design, isn't it?
0:45:15 > 0:45:21This one here, we're on to Titanic and shipping and memorial, aren't we?
0:45:21 > 0:45:24Cos these are the words for Nearer, My God, To Thee,
0:45:24 > 0:45:26which was famously played by Wallace Hartley,
0:45:26 > 0:45:30- the bandleader of the Titanic and his band as the ship was going down. - Yes, of course!
0:45:30 > 0:45:33- That's right.- So it is quite a poignant one there.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37When was this sent? You could spend hours... 1912, look.
0:45:37 > 0:45:381912, Yes.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42- It doesn't mention the ship. - No it doesn't.- But all the same,
0:45:42 > 0:45:46- quite a poignant reminder of the day.- Yes.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49So in these three albums, there's not a huge amount of value,
0:45:49 > 0:45:54but there's a great amount of interest in social history terms and things like that.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56Price-wise, have you got any idea what you think?
0:45:56 > 0:46:01- I really haven't got a clue. - Well, I think £200-300 would be...
0:46:01 > 0:46:06- Really?- Yeah. That was a good "really"!- Yes!- Yes.- Definitely.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08I was thinking of going lower, I didn't think you'd like it.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10£50-80 an album,
0:46:10 > 0:46:13- based on the fact they are mainly views, which are low value.- Yes.
0:46:13 > 0:46:17but I would say £200-300, and just tuck in a reserve a bit
0:46:17 > 0:46:20- lower, about 150 to stop them going for less.- That's fine.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22- All right?- Yes, that's absolutely...
0:46:22 > 0:46:25- I think they'll sell for that, they might make a bit more.- Good!
0:46:26 > 0:46:29And now, we have just time for one more valuation from Claire.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36- Hello.- And, well, you've brought along something a little more unusual.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38- Definitely different. - Indeed, indeed.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41It's lovely, actually, I mean, it's had a bit of a tough life.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44It's a flintlock pistol. So, what do you know about it, Anita?
0:46:44 > 0:46:45- Absolutely nothing.- OK.
0:46:45 > 0:46:50It was found in a house clearance that a family member done,
0:46:50 > 0:46:51and was given to my son.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54But it's just lived in the bottom of the cupboard.
0:46:54 > 0:46:55I've done nothing with it.
0:46:55 > 0:46:56So, here I am today.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59Brilliant, and here you are indeed, yes, with your pistol.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Now, I do rather like it. I mean, we have got some damage issues on it.
0:47:02 > 0:47:06- Yes.- Because, I say, it's a flintlock, so in this bit here,
0:47:06 > 0:47:09there would have actually been another, like, another claw,
0:47:09 > 0:47:13and it would literally have had a flint screwed into it,
0:47:13 > 0:47:17which then fired down when you actually got the mechanism primed.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19And there would be, sort of, powder in here,
0:47:19 > 0:47:22and then the flint would fall on that metal thing, make a spark,
0:47:22 > 0:47:24flies into the chamber, ignites the gunpowder...
0:47:24 > 0:47:26- Boom! Out comes a bullet.- OK.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29So, real old antique weapon, this.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31And the great thing is that it's not a weapon you need
0:47:31 > 0:47:34a licence for, because the worst thing you could actually do
0:47:34 > 0:47:37to somebody with this is hit them over the head with it.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39Its firing days are long, long gone.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41Going onto the...the pistol,
0:47:41 > 0:47:44we appear to have an English brass barrel,
0:47:44 > 0:47:47because it says, "Cornhill London," on the top, there.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50But, in actual fact, it's a continental gun.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54- OK.- It's got a different maker on the lock-plate, on the side, there.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57Looks to me like a, sort of, Dutch,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00or...sort of, Low-Countries-type design.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04Because, again, when you turn it upside down, all this is silver.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07It actually has got silver marks, and I'm fairly sure
0:48:07 > 0:48:09they're Dutch marks but I am prepared to be put right on that.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11You are going back to the early 19th century.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13It was quite a weapon in its day,
0:48:13 > 0:48:15and this was a statement, also, of wealth,
0:48:15 > 0:48:18because it was a reasonably expensive gun.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21And then, at the end of the butt, you've got this grotesque mask.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Yes, it is rather scary. THEY LAUGH
0:48:23 > 0:48:26Yeah, well, I mean, the whole thing is a weapon and, of course,
0:48:26 > 0:48:29one of the things that you could do with it is turn it round,
0:48:29 > 0:48:31if you weren't far, and hit someone over the head.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34It's not a nice thought but it's all part of its history
0:48:34 > 0:48:37and how it's arrived at the design it's in.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39Going back underneath, you would have had a ramrod,
0:48:39 > 0:48:42- cos you needed a rod to tamp everything down into the barrel.- OK.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45That's disappeared with the end of the stock.
0:48:45 > 0:48:46Still a good collector's piece, though.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49It's a nice item, it's got a good brass barrel on it.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51They're quite tough and durable.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55Yeah, OK, it's seen better days, it's lost bits,
0:48:55 > 0:48:58but there is still a market out there. It's a very decorative gun.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00Because of the damage, you're going to be looking at
0:49:00 > 0:49:02a low estimate of about, sort of, 150-ish.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05Had it been in much better condition, then it is a gun that
0:49:05 > 0:49:07would have been worth, sort of, 400-500.
0:49:07 > 0:49:08- OK.- Even a bit more than that.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11Put a reserve of 150 on it, if you're happy with that.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13- OK, no, I'm fine with that. - Where is the money going?
0:49:13 > 0:49:16Well, whilst I was sitting in the queue...
0:49:16 > 0:49:19to be seen today, my daughter told me that she's booked her wedding,
0:49:19 > 0:49:22so I guess it would be a good idea to give her the money towards her
0:49:22 > 0:49:25- wedding dress.- Oh, fantastic. That's really exciting
0:49:25 > 0:49:27and I think it's great that, at the end of the day,
0:49:27 > 0:49:30a weapon of war is going towards an act of love.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32- Thank you.- Dying fate.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35Weddings don't come cheap,
0:49:35 > 0:49:39so let's hope the gun fires on all cylinders at the auction room.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43Here's a quick recap of all the items going under the hammer.
0:49:44 > 0:49:48It certainly makes a statement, and with its royal provenance,
0:49:48 > 0:49:50it's sure to appeal to collectors.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55This type of classic ceramic was hugely popular ten years ago.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59But have the fashions changed?
0:49:59 > 0:50:02With over 900 postcards in this lot, it's a collector's dream.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05Will the auction be worth writing home about?
0:50:06 > 0:50:09And a 19th-century pistol found in a house clearance.
0:50:09 > 0:50:10How much will it raise
0:50:10 > 0:50:12for Anita's daughter's wedding?
0:50:15 > 0:50:16There's only one way to find out,
0:50:16 > 0:50:18and it's back over to the auction house.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21The antiques are packed from floor to ceiling
0:50:21 > 0:50:23but you couldn't miss our next lot.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26Going under the hammer right now,
0:50:26 > 0:50:29we have the 1969 Prince of Wales chair,
0:50:29 > 0:50:32complete with plumes, designed by Lord Snowdon.
0:50:32 > 0:50:34Unfortunately, we don't have Gillian,
0:50:34 > 0:50:36but we do have two members of her family. Who am I talking to?
0:50:36 > 0:50:38This is Theresa, I'm a family friend.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40I'm Daniel, her grandson.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42And Daniel the grandson. Have you sat in this chair?
0:50:42 > 0:50:46- No.- No, I haven't, no. - Not allowed.- Never allowed to.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48It's a nice thing, and I know it caught your eye, didn't it?
0:50:48 > 0:50:50- CLAIRE:- Yeah, well, it is quite eye-catching,
0:50:50 > 0:50:52it's quite a strong colour, isn't it?
0:50:52 > 0:50:54- It's just an unusual and quirky item, isn't it?- Yes, yeah.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57We're going to find out what the bidders think right now.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59It's going under the hammer. This is it.
0:50:59 > 0:51:03Lot 393, we've got the 1969 Prince of Wales, there.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05The red-stained beech elbow chair.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08And we've got bids and they're going at 150, now. 160. 170, now.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10180, now. 190, 200, now.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12Looking for 220, now.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14Looking for 220, on the phone?
0:51:14 > 0:51:15Yes, please.
0:51:15 > 0:51:17220.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19240. Hang on...
0:51:19 > 0:51:20With you online at 240,
0:51:20 > 0:51:22260 on the phone?
0:51:22 > 0:51:23The bids are all out, then.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27Selling, then, online at £240.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30It's £240. It sold. That was a good buy.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32That will make a lot of money in the future.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34- Because I bet there aren't many around.- Yeah.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37- No, it's great. That's great. - You'll tell Gillian, won't you?
0:51:37 > 0:51:39- She'll be very pleased with that. - Give her the good news.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42- We'll be on the phone straightaway.- Great.
0:51:42 > 0:51:43That's a great result for Gillian.
0:51:43 > 0:51:48Next, Susan's majolica dish has been in the family for two generations.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51Will she be bidding it farewell today?
0:51:51 > 0:51:52Going under the hammer right now,
0:51:52 > 0:51:55we have a majolica game dish, belonging to Susan.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58And I know, when I first started this show, 12 years ago,
0:51:58 > 0:52:01these were big business. But fashions do change,
0:52:01 > 0:52:04and I know Adam has put a sensible estimate on this...three to five.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07- Yeah, yeah.- The Americans are off the boil, aren't they?
0:52:07 > 0:52:10These days, yeah, I mean, I couldn't guarantee it selling,
0:52:10 > 0:52:12- to be honest, but... - No.- Fingers crossed it does.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14- And you don't really like it? - I do, actually.- You do?
0:52:14 > 0:52:16I do, and I am quite happy to take it home.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19OK, so if we don't sell it, you're inheriting it, basically,
0:52:19 > 0:52:23- aren't you? OK, so Mum's happy and you are happy.- It's coming home....
0:52:23 > 0:52:25Well, look, good luck and good luck, Adam.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Now, Lot 65, the Minton majolica game pie dish,
0:52:28 > 0:52:30with the stylised dead game.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32And I've got £150 bid on the commission, now.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35150, 160, 170, now. 180, now.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37Looking for 190 anywhere. At £180, now.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39Looking for 190 anywhere.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42- At £180, you've gone very, very quiet.- Yeah, it has gone quiet.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45At 180, waiting on the commission, now.. All done, then, at 180?
0:52:45 > 0:52:47Not sold.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50- You were right.- A dead game and a dead market, I'm afraid.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53- Yeah, wrong time.- It's going home.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56- Mum's happy and you're happy, so that's OK.- Yes, I am, actually.
0:52:56 > 0:52:57Well, that's probably fateful, isn't it?
0:52:57 > 0:52:59- It wasn't meant to happen, was it?- No.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01No, it's got to stay in the family.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Just don't drop it on the way out.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07Fashions come, go and then come back again.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10So, hang onto it, Margaret, until the tide turns once more.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15Here's a clue, guess what's coming up next?
0:53:15 > 0:53:18Yes, Anita's flintlock pistol. She's right here next to me.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21- It's a good thing, despite the damage.- I know.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24Just remind us, why are you selling this and how did you come by it?
0:53:24 > 0:53:28Erm...it was acquired by a member of the family cos they do
0:53:28 > 0:53:31house clearances, and to be honest with you, it was given to my son.
0:53:31 > 0:53:35He wasn't really interested in guns, he's more into samurai swords.
0:53:35 > 0:53:36- Erm...- OK...
0:53:36 > 0:53:38Unfortunately, you know, I can't quite see the difference.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40Same kind of bracket, isn't it? Really...
0:53:40 > 0:53:42- Let's face it, arms, you know?- Yes,
0:53:42 > 0:53:45but it's just, sort of, lived in the bottom of the cupboard out the way.
0:53:45 > 0:53:49And on the evaluation day, my daughter informed me that she's
0:53:49 > 0:53:52getting married, so the proceeds from this can go towards her wedding.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54Right, OK. Well, look, good luck, Anita.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56- This is your lot, going under the hammer now.- OK.
0:53:56 > 0:53:57Every penny helps.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03On we go, lot 328 is the flintlock walnut pistol, there.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06£100 is bit, now. 110, 120.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08130, 140, 150, 160.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11- SHE GASPS - 170, 180.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13180. Bids are all over the place, now.
0:54:13 > 0:54:14180, 190, 200,
0:54:14 > 0:54:17220, 240, 260, 280.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19- 300, 320, 350.- Wow.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21350, 380, 400, now.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23450, 500, now.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25- I can't believe this. - Wow.- 550, now.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27- I'm so excited. - Looking for 600, now. 550, now.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29With me on the commission. 600, anywhere? With me at 550.
0:54:29 > 0:54:34Are we all done, then? Selling, then, to the commission, at £550.
0:54:34 > 0:54:35- Yes!- Yes!- The hammer's gone down.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37- That hit the target, didn't it? - Oh, my God.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39- £550.- I'm shocked, I'm absolutely gobsmacked.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41- That's fantastic.- I'm gobsmacked.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43I'm quite shocked, as well, because in good condition,
0:54:43 > 0:54:46- that's what that's worth.- I know. - And that had some damage.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48- It had quite a bit of damage. - Yeah, and bits missing.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51I just think, perhaps, it was the silver. It was quite pretty.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54- That's going to help big-time.- My daughter's going to be very pleased.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58- Remind me how much that just went for.- £550.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01- Can I sit down now?- Yes.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03Anita is thrilled with that result
0:55:03 > 0:55:06and I bet her daughter will be pretty chuffed too.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10And our last lot of the day is brimming with local history.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13Going under the hammer right now we have three postcard albums
0:55:13 > 0:55:18containing a collection of around 900 postcard.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20Jennifer, someone was busy. Great aunt?
0:55:20 > 0:55:25- Great aunt, yes.- And we have a value of around 200-300, put on by Adam.
0:55:25 > 0:55:26Yeah.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28I think these things capture social history
0:55:28 > 0:55:31and they're hard to put a price on, we could have a surprise.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34- We could have, couldn't we? With 900 cards.- That's a lot.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36They're all be a few amongst there that'll be rarer
0:55:36 > 0:55:38and more valuable, the majority are rather common,
0:55:38 > 0:55:40but they were also rather nice
0:55:40 > 0:55:42because they were local, weren't they?
0:55:42 > 0:55:43- A lot of Kent.- Yes.- Yes.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46Lost items of social history, landmarks that don't exist any more,
0:55:46 > 0:55:48and buildings. We are putting it to the test right now,
0:55:48 > 0:55:50we could have a surprise, this is it.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54- A lot of interest in this lot. - Yes, good!
0:55:54 > 0:55:55A lot of interest.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58We go in at £100. 110. 120. 130.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01140. 150 now. 160.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04170 now. 180. 190. 200.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08I will go in 50s. 250. 300. 350. 400.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10450. 500 now.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13At £500. 550 on the phone?
0:56:13 > 0:56:16- 550, sir. - 550. 600 now. 650.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19Be quick. 650. 700. 750 I need, please.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21Ooh!
0:56:22 > 0:56:25800 I've got. 850 now. I need 900.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28- 900.- 900 on the phone, quickly. - 900, Jennifer.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31950 now I've got online. £1,000.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34- £1,000.- A bit more now. £1,000.
0:56:34 > 0:56:371050 I'll take. 1050. 1,100, please. On the phone.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39I feel sick.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41The bids are all out, then.
0:56:41 > 0:56:43Selling, then, to the phone at £1,100.
0:56:43 > 0:56:44GAVEL FALLS
0:56:44 > 0:56:47Yes! £1,100.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50- Goodness!- There we are. - I can't believe that.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52- Wow.- I really can't believe that. - Wow.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55- Something to write home about, eh? - Yes, how about that?!
0:56:55 > 0:56:59What a wonderful way to end today's show.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02I knew they had something about them, I really did.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05What are you going to put that money towards, do you know yet?
0:57:05 > 0:57:07- It was going towards my holiday. - Where are you going?
0:57:07 > 0:57:09- Tenerife. - Tenerife, good for you.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13- Any idea it was going to go for so much money?- No, no idea at all.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15You would have been happy with the 2-3.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18I would have been, yes. But that's nice.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20That's auctions for you, you never know what's going to
0:57:20 > 0:57:22happen in an auction room, and that's the way to end
0:57:22 > 0:57:26the show today, with one big surprise and a very happy Jennifer.
0:57:26 > 0:57:28But until next time, join us again. Bye-bye.