0:00:03 > 0:00:06MUSIC: Lady Of The Sea by Seth Lakeman
0:00:09 > 0:00:10Today we're in Nottinghamshire
0:00:10 > 0:00:14and it's forests like these that are famous for the myth of Robin Hood,
0:00:14 > 0:00:16but they're also associated with another,
0:00:16 > 0:00:21much more mysterious man that dates back even further, to pagan times,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23and he's known as the Green Man.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26And later on in the programme, we'll be finding out more about him.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30But right now, we need to find some antiques. Welcome to "Flog It!"
0:00:53 > 0:00:56While some cathedrals are the flagship for a city,
0:00:56 > 0:00:57Southwell Minster is different.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Soaring up over the small market town of Southwell,
0:01:00 > 0:01:05it's surrounded by fields and forests - a real rural idyll.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08As we'll be finding out later in the show,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11the peace and the tranquillity of its natural surroundings
0:01:11 > 0:01:15have been brought seamlessly into the heart of the Minster.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19The Poet Laureate John Betjeman once said of the Minster,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22"Everywhere around is an atmosphere of peace."
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Well, I tell you what, there's no peace here in this
0:01:24 > 0:01:27magnificent queue because they're here to see our experts.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29They're laden with antiques and collectables.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32And if they get a favourable evaluation from our experts,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35what are you going to do? ALL: Flog it!
0:01:35 > 0:01:38So, as our "Flog It!" sellers wind around the cathedral,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42our experts are on hand to survey the antique booty.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45I honestly thought I was working with a professional today
0:01:45 > 0:01:47and somebody who would share the goodies out.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51You've been deeply misinformed. I have, haven't I? I can see that.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Mark Stacey's warming up his acute skills of deduction.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57I think they're ducks. I think they are.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01You see, that's how knowledgeable I am. I can spot them straight away.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Well done, Mark. While Michael's looking for richer pickings...
0:02:04 > 0:02:08Bag inspector. Anything of interest, anything silver?
0:02:08 > 0:02:11So let's get our crowd out of the cold and into the warm
0:02:11 > 0:02:13and the calm of the cathedral.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Coming up on today's show, we've got our highest ever turnout
0:02:19 > 0:02:23here at Southwell, with over 1,000 people showing up.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26In their bags and boxes, our experts have spotted
0:02:26 > 0:02:28some very unusual curiosities...
0:02:29 > 0:02:31And it was by the side of the bed, so that
0:02:31 > 0:02:33if anybody broke in... That's it.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37..as well as exotic treasures.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Everybody wants it. Oh, right.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Everybody wants it.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45But can you guess which one sells for over ?1,000?
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Is the room bid? Third warning...
0:02:49 > 0:02:51So let's hope our experts'
0:02:51 > 0:02:53valuations will be up to scratch today.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58We've taken over all of the nave, here at Southwell Minster.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02It is the most beautiful, inspiring place, as you can see.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Full of carvings, stained-glass window and stone,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06all inspired by nature.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07Later on in the programme,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11we'll be taking a closer look at as much of it as possible.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13But right now, as the room's filling up,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15let's get on with our first valuation.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18And it's over to Michael Baggott's table. He's just there.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24Margret, Jane, thank you both for coming in and thank you both for,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26I think, making my day.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29This has all the looks of something absolutely wonderful.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32You know what's inside, don't you? Yes. I had a peek earlier.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Shall we reveal to the...?
0:03:34 > 0:03:36I think people are screaming, "What's inside?!"
0:03:36 > 0:03:38I think they may have seen one of these before.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Wonderful. Wonderful.
0:03:43 > 0:03:49A pocket terrestrial globe in its original shagreen case.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Where did it come from? I suspect it was
0:03:53 > 0:03:56my late husband's grandfather.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58He used to collect a whole load of things.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02So, is it something you both like? Is it something you've...?
0:04:02 > 0:04:03Yes. Yeah? Over the years?
0:04:03 > 0:04:05It's different. It's different?
0:04:05 > 0:04:08That's normally what people say when they don't like it.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13So where do you keep it? In the shed. The shed? In the shed.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Is this a really special, climate-controlled,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18museum-quality shed? Yeah, yeah.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21That's the sort of... Or is it just a shed?
0:04:21 > 0:04:23It's a shed, but it's got a lot of things in it.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Well, there's one less.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29I mean, the remarkable thing about this to me is the condition.
0:04:29 > 0:04:35All of this black, which is actually ray skin, we call it shagreen.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37It can be shark's skin or ray's skin.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40It's taken off, it's prepared and it's as hard as iron.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44So you put it on and it basically dries, protects it.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47And when we talk about things like this,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50people like to buy them untouched,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54as they were made, and have come down without damage or restoration.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56And that's what we have.
0:04:56 > 0:05:02Now, obviously we look at the globe and we've got all of Australia.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06We've got the various travel routes,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09so this is going to be a fairly late globe.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11When you see these, you think of coffee houses in
0:05:11 > 0:05:15the late 18th century and gentlemen pulling them out of their pockets
0:05:15 > 0:05:19and having learned discussions about one thing or another.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22This is actually... It surprised me,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26this partnership, Williams and Hayden, who were working in London,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30and we've got their label there. They were working in the 1830s,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32so we've actually got a William IV globe...
0:05:33 > 0:05:37..which is later than we'd expect. But it's in lovely condition.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Have you got any idea what it might be worth?
0:05:40 > 0:05:45No. No, not at all. I mean, they're incredibly sought-after.
0:05:45 > 0:05:50What I'd like to do is I'd like to put a reserve on it
0:05:50 > 0:05:53of ?2,500. Good grief!
0:05:53 > 0:05:57And I'd like to put an estimate... In the shed. It was in the shed.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02..of ?3,000 to ?5,000, and that's a proper sum for it.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Are you happy with that?
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Certainly. Certainly. Is that a good surprise?
0:06:07 > 0:06:10It's a very good sur... I mean, I guessed it was valuable,
0:06:10 > 0:06:15but I didn't think... It's valuable and it's sought-after.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Thank you both for bringing this in.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Made my day and I look forward to seeing you both at the auction.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26I totally agree with Michael - it's a really special piece,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29which should stay out of the shed and be
0:06:29 > 0:06:31placed into the hands of the collectors.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36While the valuations continue, I've decided to do some globetrotting
0:06:36 > 0:06:39and have found an object often discovered
0:06:39 > 0:06:42bobbing in the seas as naked as nature intended.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Mike, that looks heavy. It is quite heavy. Can I hold it?
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Of course you can, yeah. Absolutely.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51I know what it is, it's a sea coconut, isn't it? It is.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Coco de mer.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55I've seen many in my time, polished,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59with a patina like the finest furniture you will ever see.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02And sometimes hollowed out, hinged here
0:07:02 > 0:07:05and turned into little boxes. Oh, I see.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08They make wonderful curios and great caddies,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11but they're particular to the Seychelles. They are indeed.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13I brought it back from the Seychelles. You've been?
0:07:13 > 0:07:17I went to the Seychelles coaching squash in 1976
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and I was given that as a gift, and I brought it home with me. Really?
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Yeah. Have you any idea of its age?
0:07:23 > 0:07:26It's... Well, it's 40 years since I was there
0:07:26 > 0:07:29and I suspect it's probably around about 40 years old.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Yeah, I think it may be considerably older.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34I think this could be around 100 years old. Really?
0:07:34 > 0:07:35There's something about it.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39At one stage, you could only find these on the Seychelles.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43In its state like this, 100 to 200.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Polished up...300 to 400.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51Good. OK. Enjoy. Enjoy polishing that. I will. Thank you very much.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53I've enjoyed touching it.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57That's a keeper for Mike, but it's great when you treat us
0:07:57 > 0:07:59to such interesting curios
0:07:59 > 0:08:02and one that's put a smile on all of our faces.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05And now, from the Indian Ocean to the South Pacific
0:08:05 > 0:08:06for Mark's first find.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Teri, thank you for braving the weather to come to see us.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14It's quite, quite nasty out there, isn't it?
0:08:14 > 0:08:17I was amazed when it started to snow - I hadn't anticipated that bit.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20You were the first in the queue, as well. I was, yes.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Which I think is very brave of you.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24But well worth it from my point of view
0:08:24 > 0:08:28because you brought this fabulous item. Oh, I'm pleased.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31How on earth did it come into your family?
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Well, we are a military family, we have been for generations,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37and travelled around. And, I mean, I was born in India.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Yeah, and my mother always travelled,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43always managed to acquire unusual things.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46I can remember this being in the family for
0:08:46 > 0:08:48at least 60 years, probably more.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50It was always there. So this was your mother's?
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Yes, it was my mother's, yes. And where did she keep it?
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Was it proudly displayed? Oh, no, no, no.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58She had it as a protection for herself.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01It amused me because she was only 4'11",
0:09:01 > 0:09:03though she insisted she was five foot.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06It's very heavy and it was by the side of the bed,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08so that if anybody broke in... That's it.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11And I think she was hoping the sight of it would terrify anybody.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13But it was her protection.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16She sounds a wonderful character, your mother. Absolutely.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19She was just... She did her first parachute jump at 80.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Parachute jump at 80?! For Great Ormond Street.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23And then she did about four more after that.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27I mean, she just was a most incredible woman,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29who lived life to the absolute full.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Well, going back to the wonderful object...
0:09:32 > 0:09:36It is a sort of protection, in a way. I think it is Fijian.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41Oh, right, yes. It's an item called an ula
0:09:41 > 0:09:43and it's a sort of throwing club.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46So you would throw this at, you know,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49whatever you were chasing at the time. Yes.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54It's made of this very hard, dense wood, with this gnarled edge.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57A lot of tribal stuff is made now.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02Soon as I saw this in the queue, it had such a wonderful, warm colour.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07This is hundreds of years of people stroking it and holding it,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10and it's got this lovely little geometric carving here,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13which is very decorative. Wow, yes.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16But if you think about it logically, if you're holding something,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19to have that bit of decoration gives you a little bit more grip as well.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Course it does. Yes, yes, I hadn't realised that.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25And because of that pattern, I think this is a nice
0:10:25 > 0:10:28genuine 19th-century example. Yes.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31And very, very collectable. Oh, good.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34I think, putting it into auction, we'd need to put the estimate
0:10:34 > 0:10:36at the right pitch because we want to attract the right bidders in.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40Right. So I think if we put it in at, say, ?300 to ?500...
0:10:40 > 0:10:41Oh, wow!
0:10:41 > 0:10:43..with a fixed reserve of 300. Yeah, fantastic.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46As I don't want it to go less than that. No.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50And I think, on a good day, if the internet bidders are there,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53and if the right collector's there, which I'm sure they will be,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56I'm hoping it would go even over the 500. Yes.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58And it deserves to make that sort of money. Oh, thank you.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02Oh, that would be fantastic. Well. Mum will be thrilled to bits.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04And if they don't bid, we can throw it at them.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Let's hope it won't come to that.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10If you've got something fascinating, bring it along
0:11:10 > 0:11:12to one of our valuation days,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15details of which you can find on the BBC website.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Just log on to bbc.co.uk/flogit.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21All the information will be there.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Or check for details in your local press. We'd love to see you.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Next, Michael's doing well with another piece that would have been
0:11:31 > 0:11:35essential on board ship for navigating the high seas.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Pauline, you've brought me a clock in a box, haven't you?
0:11:39 > 0:11:41A clock in a box, yes. Beats a jack-in-the-box.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Well, let's open it up first and let's get a proper look at it.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Isn't that lovely?
0:11:47 > 0:11:52I particularly like the fact that all of this is uncleaned.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54Well, I was going to ask you about that.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59I really was tempted to get the cleaner out.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02The polish out and go over it? Just to make it sparkle a bit.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Do you know? So many people do and it raises an extremely good point.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09When you're looking at instruments,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12you're looking for originality of finish
0:12:12 > 0:12:16and, every time you polish it, little bits of lacquer come off,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18little bits of gilding come off,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21so collectors always prefer them to be very dull.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24And that shows that you've kept it and not touched it.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28Well, it hasn't been touched. Now, where did it come from?
0:12:28 > 0:12:33My husband was a clock man. Right.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36He appreciated the workmanship,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38the engineering, the measurements...
0:12:38 > 0:12:42The precision that went into making it. ..that went into making something like this. Yeah.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45There are various grades of chronometer
0:12:45 > 0:12:47and I am not a chronometer expert.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52I can admire the amount of skill and precision that went into it,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54but I wouldn't flip that out of its gimbal mounts
0:12:54 > 0:12:58and start mucking about with the insides or the workings of it. Yes.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03What we can say about it is it's basically made
0:13:03 > 0:13:06to the highest standard that you can make a timepiece
0:13:06 > 0:13:10because you need it to be so accurate.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15I mean, we can see here, we've got the date - 1928.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20You can tell from the style of the case it's early 20th century.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Yes. We've got the makers there,
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Thomas Mercer, London and St Albans.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30And St Albans, of course, has a wonderful tradition of clock-making.
0:13:30 > 0:13:31We'll close him up.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35I think we'd be very sensible to put an auction estimate
0:13:35 > 0:13:39of ?400 to ?600 on it. Yes. And a fixed reserve of ?400.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42And if there are two clock men,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44which I'm sure there will be at the sale, at least two -
0:13:44 > 0:13:47we want more than that, don't we? We want about ten.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49It will find its level. Yes.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52And that's the most important thing, and we'll get it away.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54But you recommend a reserve of ?400?
0:13:54 > 0:13:57I think ?400 protects you,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00it stops it going for a silly amount of money. Yes, yes.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04And if we can get towards that ?600 or ?700 mark,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07I think that would be a very good result. It would.
0:14:07 > 0:14:08Thank you so much for bringing this in.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10It's been a pleasure talking to you.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Such a perfect speciality clock
0:14:14 > 0:14:16should do very well in the auction room.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Hello, James. Hello, Mark.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Now you've brought this Rolling Stones album.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27I understand it's quite an early album, is that right?
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Yes. It looks to be the first album that they did.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Very young faces there.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Absolutely. All look very innocent there, don't they?
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Well, yes, yeah. Not for long.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39It's an interesting story, isn't it?
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Because you got it through a family member.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Yes, my stepfather,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47I believe, shared a flat with a gentleman who was a jobbing artist.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50He did covers of albums and books and he happened to be
0:14:50 > 0:14:54speaking to somebody in the studio somewhere, and the Stones came
0:14:54 > 0:14:57in with this album and all signed it and gave it to him.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Obviously, it wasn't of any great interest to him because
0:15:00 > 0:15:03he went back to their flat and threw it in the bin,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06and my stepfather pulled it back out of the bin and kept it.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10Well, I'm guessing, in the mid-'60s, there were
0:15:10 > 0:15:14a lot of budding pop groups and I suppose nobody realised
0:15:14 > 0:15:19who were going to become the huge hitters, if you like -
0:15:19 > 0:15:22the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, other bands.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25It is interesting because this is their first album.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29It says there 1964. Yeah.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Incidentally, that was the year I was born -
0:15:32 > 0:15:341964... Right. ..so that's a tie-in.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37And you can see these songs are not written by them at all.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Route 66. I Just Want To Make Love To You.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43So these are all sort of cover versions, aren't they?
0:15:43 > 0:15:44Yeah, I believe so.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46They've obviously got a bit of self-publicity.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50Maybe you could read some of that, James. OK. Thanks.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52"The Rolling Stones are more than just
0:15:52 > 0:15:54"a group - they are a way of life.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56"A way of life that has captured
0:15:56 > 0:15:59"the imagination of the nation's teenagers."
0:15:59 > 0:16:01And how right they were.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Yeah, they... Yeah, I'm sure they did at the time, yeah.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09There is, as we say, the signature of Mick Jagger is done in pencil,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12so it's slightly faded. It has done, yes.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16It's not too keen on being in bright lights. No. Neither am I.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20And there's other signatures on here.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23And, of course, the interesting thing is had it not been signed at
0:16:23 > 0:16:27all by the Rolling Stones, even with the faded signature, I can't imagine
0:16:27 > 0:16:30the album would be worth half as much as it would
0:16:30 > 0:16:31with the signatures.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33It's all-important, isn't it? Yeah.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36The other key thing of course is that it's framed,
0:16:36 > 0:16:37so we can't take it out of the frame at the moment.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40But there is a record inside isn't there?
0:16:40 > 0:16:42It's the original record in the sleeve, yeah.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44So I think that's important for the auctioneer to put in the
0:16:44 > 0:16:47catalogue description. So it's not just the album cover,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50it's the record that goes with it, which is quite important.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54I have to be honest, James, I'm not a great expert in rock memorabilia.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57But I think it will have interest.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02My gut feeling is around 200 to 300 with a fixed reserve of 200.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Would you be happy to give it a go for that? Yeah. Yeah.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Are you sure? Wonderful. Well, let's give it a try. Brilliant.
0:17:10 > 0:17:11Before we head off to auction,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14there is something I would like to show you.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28Newstead Abbey, today one of the great stately homes of England.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Rooms over-spilling with splendid furnishings,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35intricately decorated with oak carvings,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38family portraits peering down at you -
0:17:38 > 0:17:40everything you'd want in a stately home -
0:17:40 > 0:17:45but there was a time when this place fell far short of the term stately.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50It was down to two visionary families to rescue this place,
0:17:50 > 0:17:54but first I want to find out why it fell into such a parlous state.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Like any good soap opera, the Byron family had their ups and
0:17:58 > 0:18:01downs over the 300 years here,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03counting bad debt,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07insanity and even manslaughter amongst the family sagas.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11So, by the time the poet Lord Byron inherited the house,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Newstead was what one friend described as "an extensive ruin".
0:18:15 > 0:18:19By the age of 21, Byron had moved in with small means but
0:18:19 > 0:18:21a whole host of his buddies.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25He treated Newstead as his bachelor pad, maintaining
0:18:25 > 0:18:26a few rooms for himself
0:18:26 > 0:18:28while leaving other rooms for his caprices.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31In fact, this room, the great hall, he used as...
0:18:31 > 0:18:32GUNSHOT
0:18:32 > 0:18:34..pistol practice.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38And this room was empty but he still put it to good use for
0:18:38 > 0:18:41fencing and boxing practice,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44like any red-blooded 18th-century lord would do.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49But it was an expensive place to run.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53While he may have been adept with words, he was not good with money.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56In 1818, Byron was forced to sell the house
0:18:56 > 0:19:00to his great long-time friend Thomas Wildman.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Wildman immediately realised that the massive purchase cost
0:19:05 > 0:19:08of ?94,500 wasn't just buying him a house,
0:19:08 > 0:19:12it was buying him something far greater -
0:19:12 > 0:19:15a duty to preserve and protect the Byron legacy.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Now, there's something I want to show you in this cabinet,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21it's a letter from Byron to Wildman,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24written in 1818, and in it Byron gives him his blessing.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27It really is quite touching. And it reads something like this.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29The extract from the bottom.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33"I trust that Newstead will, being yours, remain so and that
0:19:33 > 0:19:34"it may see you as happy,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38"as I am fairly sure that you will make your dependants."
0:19:38 > 0:19:41So you can see he really is letting go.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44He is saying, "Come on, love this house like I have".
0:19:44 > 0:19:46That really is quite sweet.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52With a big thumbs up from Byron, Wildman spent
0:19:52 > 0:19:55a small fortune on a makeover that transformed the house.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Now, I love little documents of social history, which gives a window
0:20:01 > 0:20:05into the past, and we normally see it on bits of paper and photographs,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07but surprisingly here you've got it
0:20:07 > 0:20:09on beautifully decorated serve plates.
0:20:09 > 0:20:10This is gorgeous.
0:20:10 > 0:20:11Look at this.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14These are images of Newstead Abbey just prior,
0:20:14 > 0:20:18two, three years before Wildman got his hands on the property.
0:20:18 > 0:20:19And of course, once he did,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23look, Wildman demolished this staircase that you can see there.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25But the Wildmans did an awful lot to this house to turn it into
0:20:25 > 0:20:30what we see today - a proper family, a comfortable family home.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34But these plates were painted by Wildman's sister Maria,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38who was a talented amateur porcelain painter in her day,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41and it's because of her we've got this document of the past.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49Wildman had put his stamp on this place, while being faithful to
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Byron's wishes, and the Byron fans flocked here to see where the
0:20:52 > 0:20:55great poet had lived and loved.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01When Wildman died, it could so easily have fallen into the hands of
0:21:01 > 0:21:04someone who had no interest in the Byron legacy.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Now, by luck or by good fortune, the next family to arrive
0:21:08 > 0:21:12in 1861 were keen to celebrate Byron here at Newstead.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16Now, that is a portrait of William Webb, a wealthy landowner.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20His wife Emilia was keen to keep the Byron tours going here at the house,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24so keen that she even took tours of visitors around herself,
0:21:24 > 0:21:28leading her children to tease her that she was Byron's caretaker.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31She methodically carried on Wildman's buying spree,
0:21:31 > 0:21:35collecting back Byron's personal effects, furniture and pictures.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40The cabinets here in the library are filled with Byron's things,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43most of them Byron left here, but the Wildmans and the Webbs have
0:21:43 > 0:21:46added to it, returning things to their rightful place,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48which is absolutely marvellous.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Now, we've been given special permission to open these
0:21:51 > 0:21:54cabinet doors, just so you can get a better look.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56CREAKING
0:21:56 > 0:21:58You can tell they haven't been opened for a long time.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01That's an old door creaking. But, look, Byron's boxing gloves.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04He was a keen fighter. He followed the sport.
0:22:04 > 0:22:05He was a good fighter as well.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08There's a dog collar belonging to one of Byron's dogs.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Beautifully inscribed. Look - "Lord Byron".
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Best thing I like though is this section of tree,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16which has been cut down. Look, it's got "Byron",
0:22:16 > 0:22:18he carved that in with quite a crude knife.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21"Byron" and "Augusta", his half-sister,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23on 20 September, 1814.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Isn't that lovely?
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Here it is, look, in the cabinet, which I'm just about to shut.
0:22:29 > 0:22:30CREAKING
0:22:30 > 0:22:31Isn't that nice?
0:22:33 > 0:22:37By the 1870s, Byron's Newstead was really on the map and was said to
0:22:37 > 0:22:42be on the top ten list of Victorian favourite country houses to visit.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43But like the Wildmans,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47the family put their own personal stamp on the house, too.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51One of the many treasures that the Webb family introduced to this
0:22:51 > 0:22:55house was this incredible Florentine centre table.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58It dates back to the 18th century.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Now, you may be forgiven for thinking that this top
0:23:01 > 0:23:04is just decoration that's painted on, but it's not.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I've not seen work like this in my life before.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11This is known as pietra dura, which means painting and drawing in stone.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15It is literally set in stone. This image is there forever.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Each individual piece, each individual colour,
0:23:18 > 0:23:22is a different piece of marble or semiprecious stone mined
0:23:22 > 0:23:26from the quarries in Italy. This is a specimen top table
0:23:26 > 0:23:30and it is incredibly rare and incredibly expensive.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32This is done by a master of the genre,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35a chap called Zocchi, in his studios in Florence.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38It's dizzying and it's really, really incredible.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48And this is one of their greatest legacies, the Japanese room,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52created by daughter Geraldine, sort of circa late 1890s.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55She brought these wooden panels back with her and on them they
0:23:55 > 0:23:59depict scenes of pine trees, oak trees and cranes -
0:23:59 > 0:24:02all very symbolic to Japanese culture.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05I think it's absolutely incredible.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08And I love these painted images above as well.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12This is gold leaf on paper. Look at the cranes. Isn't that fabulous?
0:24:12 > 0:24:16This is a touch of the Orient coming to Nottinghamshire.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Much of the house today is as both families left it
0:24:22 > 0:24:25and it's now in the safe hands of Nottingham City Council.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32What is so amazing about the Wildmans and the Webbs is they felt
0:24:32 > 0:24:36a real sense of duty to preserve this place,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Newstead, not just for their generation to pay homage to Byron,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41but for future generations,
0:24:41 > 0:24:42so people like us could
0:24:42 > 0:24:44come here and enjoy it, too.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00We're off to auction for the very first time.
0:25:00 > 0:25:01You've seen what our experts have found -
0:25:01 > 0:25:03let's now put them under the hammer -
0:25:03 > 0:25:06and here's a quick recap of what we're selling.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10There's that tribal Fijian club, owned by Terry
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and once kept by her mother for protection,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16just shrieking age with its well-worn patina.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Can we find a new home for Margaret's gorgeous globe,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23kept in the potting shed?
0:25:26 > 0:25:28And will the Rolling Stones classic
0:25:28 > 0:25:31rescued from a bin attract the bidders at auction?
0:25:34 > 0:25:37And Pauline's pristine ship's chronometer
0:25:37 > 0:25:40should clock up a good sum from the buyers.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Nottingham, where we're holding our auction today,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49has a marvellous secret lurking beneath its pavements.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53There are more than 500 caves dating back 700 years,
0:25:53 > 0:25:57that have been used by tanners, butchers and monks.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00The one use they haven't had, though, is selling antiques,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03and for that we're heading to Mellors Kirk,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07where Nigel Kirk is conducting the proceedings above ground.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10And the first lot is Terry's club,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14brought back from travels by her intrepid mum.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19Oceanic art, it's superb. Nice crosshatching, as well, in places.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21It was great. It's got everything going for it.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Hopefully we'll get a little more than 500, hopefully that top end.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Well, we've been lucky with tribal things, haven't we, on "Flog It!"?
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Yes, we have. Yes, we have. SHE LAUGHS
0:26:29 > 0:26:34Let's keep our fingers crossed. Let's do that, shall we? Absolutely. Look, good luck, both of you.
0:26:34 > 0:26:35Thank you very much. Here we go. This is it.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40305, the Fiji dense hardwood throwing club
0:26:40 > 0:26:43of late 19th or early 20th century date.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45?300 for this lot.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47I am bid 320,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49350 for it. 350.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51380. 400.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54420. 420, I'm bid.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57?420. 450 for it?
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Come on, come on. ?420, sell.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02He's selling at 420.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Hammer's gone down. ?420. Well, it's not bad.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07That's not bad. Not bad. Middle of the estimate.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09I'm thrilled to bits, quite honestly.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Cos you didn't know what to do with it, did you? No, I didn't know. No.
0:27:12 > 0:27:13I had no concept of the value.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Well, I think it's a great buy. Yeah, that's great. Super.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19And don't forget, Terry will be paying 15% seller's commission
0:27:19 > 0:27:22plus VAT to the auction house.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25For our second lot, we're hoping to find a globe lover
0:27:25 > 0:27:29for this 19th-century shagreen pocket globe.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32I love this. This is my favourite thing of the whole sale.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35The entire sale, not just of our "Flog It!" lots. It's beautiful.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36And the condition...
0:27:36 > 0:27:39My eyes lit up on the day. To find something like that...
0:27:39 > 0:27:42I was jealous. I was jealous. I mean, it is a gem. It is.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45And they are sought-after gems. Three-inch terrestrial globe
0:27:45 > 0:27:49for the globe itself, and on the case it was celestial in the lining.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Yes. Nice shagreen case and untouched.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Were you surprised at the value, when Michael said three to five?
0:27:56 > 0:27:58I was. I thought maybe about 1,000.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02I didn't expect that at all. It was totally amazing.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Hopefully we can make your day, both of you.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Hopefully we can sell it and get that top end.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Well, I'm excited. Don't go away
0:28:09 > 0:28:11because this is going under the hammer right now. Enjoy.
0:28:11 > 0:28:17Lot 320 is the English three-inch terrestrial pocket globe
0:28:17 > 0:28:19by Williams Hayden.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22And ?1,600 I am bid.
0:28:22 > 0:28:241,700, 1,800.
0:28:24 > 0:28:271,900. At ?1,900.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29?2,000, I'm bid.
0:28:29 > 0:28:332,100. 2,200.
0:28:33 > 0:28:352,300.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38At ?2,300. Any advance?
0:28:38 > 0:28:41At ?2,300...
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Unsold. Didn't sell it.
0:28:43 > 0:28:44That's fine.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48You get a feeling on the day with an auction, sometimes, and...
0:28:48 > 0:28:50No trouble at all. You live to fight another day.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54That globe won't be going back into the shed
0:28:54 > 0:28:56and we're sure it will find its well-deserved
0:28:56 > 0:28:59level at auction in the future.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01And for our third lot,
0:29:01 > 0:29:03will the Rolling Stones attract the auction crowds?
0:29:03 > 0:29:06I've just been joined by James, our next owner, and our expert
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Mark Stacey. We're talking about the Rolling Stones album,
0:29:08 > 0:29:12all signed by the boys themselves, my favourite band.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16I'd be keeping this if I was you. I'd have that on the wall. I did.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18You did.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21Yeah, I did for a while, but Mick Jagger signed it in pencil,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24it started fading and I panicked, so I took it off the wall.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26OK, so it's a good time to part with it really, isn't it?
0:29:26 > 0:29:29We're going to put that value to the test, Mark.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32We know pop and rock memorabilia is very popular. We do, we do.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Here we go.
0:29:34 > 0:29:39And ?150 I am bid. At 150. At ?150.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42160. 170. 180. 190.
0:29:42 > 0:29:48200. At ?200 bid. 220. 250? 250.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51250 I am bid. 280? 280.
0:29:51 > 0:29:57300. 320. 350. 380. 400. 420.
0:29:59 > 0:30:05?400 against you online. ?400. Fair warning.
0:30:05 > 0:30:06HAMMER THUDS
0:30:06 > 0:30:09That's a good result. ?400. I'm happy. Are you happy with that?
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Yeah, I think that's fair enough. That's not bad, is it?
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Considering the condition there.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15Yeah, yeah, it was a bit tatty. And you got it for nothing.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17Well, that helps, yeah.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19THEY LAUGH
0:30:19 > 0:30:23Auctioneer Nigel Kirk has got high hopes indeed.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26The auctioneer said yesterday this could fly.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29He said it could fly away. He liked it. That's marvellous.
0:30:29 > 0:30:30It's meant for a ship.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33I suppose we can put it on a plane as well, that's not a problem.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37I mean, on the day, I said, "I'm not a great expert on these.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41"Let's put it in with a low figure and let's see what the experts,
0:30:41 > 0:30:43"the dealers in that saleroom, make of it." Yeah.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46Only time will tell how much it's going to go for.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49In fact, time is up right now. This is it. It's going under the hammer.
0:30:49 > 0:30:50Good luck, both of you.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53?250 for this lot is bid.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56At 250, 280, 300...
0:30:56 > 0:30:58There's a chap down there who wants to buy it.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02..380, 400, 420, 420? 420.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04450, 480... Competition in the room. 500?
0:31:04 > 0:31:08500, 550, 600, 650,
0:31:08 > 0:31:10700, 750, 800... Wow.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14Wow. 750 I am bid in the room. 750.
0:31:14 > 0:31:19Any advance? At ?750, I sell.
0:31:19 > 0:31:20HAMMER THUDS
0:31:20 > 0:31:23?750. Brilliant. You're shaking, aren't you? Yes, I am.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24That's great news.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27That was fantastic. That really is good news.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30That was a fine example of scientific excellence
0:31:30 > 0:31:33and, as we say, quality will out.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38Our stunning valuation day venue, Southwell Minster, is famous
0:31:38 > 0:31:42worldwide for its architecture, but there's a building
0:31:42 > 0:31:45attached to the minster that's also renowned throughout the world,
0:31:45 > 0:31:48not so much for its architecture but for what's in it.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51I was intrigued, so I went off to investigate.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59CHORAL MUSIC PLAYS
0:32:02 > 0:32:04As you leave the nave,
0:32:04 > 0:32:06you enter through this wonderful Gothic archway,
0:32:06 > 0:32:09down this corridor, and the first thing you notice are the backlit
0:32:09 > 0:32:13stained-glass windows, each with their own narrative, but above them,
0:32:13 > 0:32:15and around them, you can see these wonderful
0:32:15 > 0:32:20gargoyles and grotesque masks and clusters of foliate work,
0:32:20 > 0:32:25all hand-carved by the stonemasons, punctuating the architecture.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27But there's a bigger surprise waiting for us
0:32:27 > 0:32:29just around the corner.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36And this is it - the octagon,
0:32:36 > 0:32:39known because it has eight sides to this room.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43It was built in 1288 and, as you can see, the ceiling soars
0:32:43 > 0:32:46high to the heavens and the light comes flooding in.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49It's known as the Chapter House and it's a meeting room,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52but if you get over that and you look at the detail on the wall,
0:32:52 > 0:32:56in the stone itself, you can see the work of a master stone-maker.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58He's made stone come alive.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01# My face in the foliage
0:33:01 > 0:33:05# You've seen that face before... #
0:33:05 > 0:33:07If you look closely, you can see faces peering down
0:33:07 > 0:33:09at you from between the foliage.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14This image, of a mysterious, at times frightening
0:33:14 > 0:33:18man in the trees, is what came to be known as...
0:33:18 > 0:33:20the Green Man.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23# I'm the Green Man... #
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Well, I've counted 15 of them.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Now, the question is, who was the Green Man and what's he doing here,
0:33:28 > 0:33:31and why are there so many of them?
0:33:32 > 0:33:34# If you cut me down... #
0:33:34 > 0:33:38This ancient image is thought to have its roots in pagan beliefs
0:33:38 > 0:33:40dating as far back as 3000 BC.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45But it's Dr Colin Harris, who has had a lifelong obsession with
0:33:45 > 0:33:48the Green Man, who can shed more light on him.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51So, who was the Green Man?
0:33:51 > 0:33:56Simply a concept which was absorbed by the early Church
0:33:56 > 0:34:01about the spirit of nature, about the spirit of birth,
0:34:01 > 0:34:03life, death and rebirth,
0:34:03 > 0:34:07which people felt a great oneness with, particularly when you consider
0:34:07 > 0:34:12that England was covered largely in forest. From Bath to Nottingham,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15a squirrel would never have to jump on the ground.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18In most religions, and in most continents,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22for many thousands of years, the Green Man, as we now call him,
0:34:22 > 0:34:27has been an integral part of our oneness with the Mother Earth.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31So the Green Man is venerated all over the world? Absolutely.
0:34:31 > 0:34:32The Green Man was a revered spirit,
0:34:32 > 0:34:37worshipped as a symbol of renewal, rebirth and regeneration,
0:34:37 > 0:34:38but he also found his way
0:34:38 > 0:34:40into more common beliefs.
0:34:42 > 0:34:48There are also this link, this secular link, with our folklore,
0:34:48 > 0:34:51our customs, our traditions,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54that the Green Man popped up as parts of festivals.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58Through Anglo-Saxon times and to the present day,
0:34:58 > 0:35:00the Green Man appeared in old stories,
0:35:00 > 0:35:05customs and characters, like Jack in the Green and Jack the Lad.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Even the myth of Robin Hood may have emerged out of
0:35:08 > 0:35:10beliefs in a gift-giving Green Man.
0:35:13 > 0:35:18It's quite an interesting story that the Green Man, this kind,
0:35:18 > 0:35:23benevolent, overarching concept in our lives, became a very
0:35:23 > 0:35:25important person like Robin Hood.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31It was only in the 1930s that the phrase of "Green Man"
0:35:31 > 0:35:34came into use, when someone recognised the similarity
0:35:34 > 0:35:39between folkloric traditions and the carvings found in churches.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42But I wanted to know how had this pagan image
0:35:42 > 0:35:45made its way into churches like Southwell in the forms of these
0:35:45 > 0:35:47medieval Green Man carvings?
0:35:49 > 0:35:53And the Church brought the Green Man in with its own symbolism
0:35:53 > 0:35:57and its sort of little effigies and carvings, really, in order to
0:35:57 > 0:36:00get more worshippers in, to get the pagans into church, do you think?
0:36:00 > 0:36:02Well, not so much bums on seats,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05but much more about not offending previous faiths.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09In other words, Church leaders in places like Southwell saw
0:36:09 > 0:36:12the need to incorporate the Green Man into the Church as a way
0:36:12 > 0:36:17of embracing the long-held beliefs of their community.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19With that in mind, it's time to get back into the Chapter House
0:36:19 > 0:36:23to get a better look at this man for all seasons.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32As well as the Green Man, there is a Green Woman.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36This is extremely rare and valuable, and she's over there.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38There are other faces, as well, that you can spot.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41One above the door, now that's the Jewish usurer.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45He was the moneylender, who probably financed the Chapter House.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49These images are out of kilter with the taste of the time,
0:36:49 > 0:36:50which was for rigid form.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52Here there is a freedom and a fluidity,
0:36:52 > 0:36:56surely the reason why people flock here from all over the world.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03The detail in the carving is not only exquisite,
0:37:03 > 0:37:07but it's absolutely astonishing. Just look at this plant life.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Look at the leaves here. No two leaves are the same.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12They are all horticulturally correct
0:37:12 > 0:37:15and there's 14 different varieties of plant life.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18There's field maple there and there's oak leaf there.
0:37:18 > 0:37:23Not only was he a great draughtsman, but he must have studied plant life.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26It's the freedom of his hand I find so astonishing.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34Now, this one is my favourite one.
0:37:34 > 0:37:39Not for subject matter, I hasten to add, but for technical merit.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42What you have to remember here is the mason has carved this,
0:37:42 > 0:37:46all of these things, out of one solid lump of stone.
0:37:46 > 0:37:47Look at the undercuts,
0:37:47 > 0:37:51look how he's got inside that to sort of work back outwards.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55You can see the light and shade created by these voids.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58First of all, you notice the leaf work. You can see that's ivy there,
0:37:58 > 0:38:00with berries sort of clinging on.
0:38:00 > 0:38:05If you look underneath that, you can see an observation on real life -
0:38:05 > 0:38:08two hounds ripping a hare apart.
0:38:08 > 0:38:13It is a masterpiece. A technical masterpiece.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18The man behind this extraordinary stonework is right here
0:38:18 > 0:38:20in the Chapter House itself.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27Now, that is a self-portrait of the master mason who did all of this
0:38:27 > 0:38:30wonderful work, bringing this building alive.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32I am in awe of this chap.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36We don't know his name. He probably was an itinerant worker
0:38:36 > 0:38:37who came over from France.
0:38:37 > 0:38:42His work is absolutely dynamic and, as far as I am concerned,
0:38:42 > 0:38:45completely unparalleled.
0:38:50 > 0:38:55So, a Pagan belief, a folkloric tradition, and a symbol of renewal,
0:38:55 > 0:38:57and giving back to the people,
0:38:57 > 0:39:01but can we ever really know exactly who the Green Man was?
0:39:05 > 0:39:08He's a conundrum, he's a puzzle which has no answer,
0:39:08 > 0:39:13and I've never come up with a true black and white single answer
0:39:13 > 0:39:15as to what he is.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17# I'm the Green Man... #
0:39:17 > 0:39:21We may never know who he is, but we are left with these wonderful
0:39:21 > 0:39:24carvings which conjure up another time and place,
0:39:24 > 0:39:28and for that we have the mason of Southwell Minster to thank.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32# If you cut me down I'll spring back green again. #
0:39:39 > 0:39:43Time to get back to the valuations in the nave.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46As you can see, we have still got a full house,
0:39:46 > 0:39:49packed to the rafters. Plenty more antiques to find to take off
0:39:49 > 0:39:53to auction, which brings us to our next item and Michael Baggott.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Now, he's found something that you'll now be quite familiar with.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58Let's take a closer look.
0:39:59 > 0:40:00Anne. Hello there.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Thank you for bringing this delightful bit of silver.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07Before I tell you anything about it, what do you know about it?
0:40:07 > 0:40:10Not a lot. Only that it's got the Green Man on it just there.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13He's smiling away, isn't he? And it's on both sides, as well.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15It's the same pattern, both sides. Both sides, yes.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18But where did it come from? Was it family? No.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22I was stood on a market stall about 12 years ago
0:40:22 > 0:40:25and it was on the next stall, and I took a fancy to it and I bought it.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29A market stall? Yes. Was it big money?
0:40:29 > 0:40:30I wouldn't have paid more than ?10
0:40:30 > 0:40:32cos I did not have a lot of money in those days.
0:40:32 > 0:40:3412 years ago? Yes.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38It's clearly Victorian to my eye, but we need to have a look
0:40:38 > 0:40:42for the hallmarks and they are always hidden in the decoration.
0:40:42 > 0:40:47So there we have got a very tiny little maker's mark, "HM" -
0:40:47 > 0:40:52that is for Henry Matthews - and he made little purses, and he also
0:40:52 > 0:40:55specialised in making dressing table sets. Oh, right.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57All the silver top bottles and the trays.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00And, there we go, we have got a Birmingham town mark
0:41:00 > 0:41:02and we've got the date letter -
0:41:02 > 0:41:04we're just into the Edwardian period.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07We're 1904. Quite old, then.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11This is in mint condition and, just to reinforce that,
0:41:11 > 0:41:15if we press down, look at the lining. It is perfect, isn't it?
0:41:15 > 0:41:20Untouched, unstained. We have even got the little clip there
0:41:20 > 0:41:23for your stamps or your little sovereign. Yeah.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27So it doesn't fall out. I mean, it is just wonderful
0:41:27 > 0:41:30and, for a tenner, that's amazing. Yes.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32And, of course, you have got the little suspension ring.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34And people wonder what these are for,
0:41:34 > 0:41:36but it is, of course, for when you're dancing.
0:41:36 > 0:41:41Yes. You can hold hands and that goes along like that. Yes.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44What do you think it's worth now?
0:41:44 > 0:41:49I've no idea. No idea. They're always collectable, but they are not
0:41:49 > 0:41:53worth a fortune. No, no. That's how we have to look at it.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55I think, if we put reserve of ?100 on it... Right.
0:41:55 > 0:42:00..that's ten times your money back, and we'll put an estimate
0:42:00 > 0:42:06of 100 to 120 and I think, at that, we'll sell it all day long
0:42:06 > 0:42:09and hopefully we'll get the top end of that. Right.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11Thank you so much for bringing it in. Yes, thank you.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16Let's see if the Green Man weaves his magic
0:42:16 > 0:42:18when he goes under the hammer.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Now, you may not think Southwell has horticulture
0:42:22 > 0:42:24running through its veins, but it does.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28Take a look at that stained glass window up there above me.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32See that? That's not your usual biblical scene, but it does have
0:42:32 > 0:42:36a narrative. It's got apples in it, Bramley apples, to be precise,
0:42:36 > 0:42:41and someone who can tell me all about that is Maria Marriot
0:42:41 > 0:42:42from the WI.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44From the WI. From the WI.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48With pie in hand. A little gift for you. Is that for me?
0:42:48 > 0:42:50For you...only. Thank you so much.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53Tell me the story of the Bramley apple.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Mary Ann Brailsford, a little girl, in 1809,
0:42:56 > 0:42:58planted some pips in the garden,
0:42:58 > 0:43:01and a Mr Bramley was walking past, a butcher, an old butcher,
0:43:01 > 0:43:06and he decided to buy this house and cottage, did so
0:43:06 > 0:43:10and, later, along comes Mr Henry Merriweather,
0:43:10 > 0:43:13likes the look of the apple and decides HE wants it.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17Mr Bramley sells it as long as it keeps the Bramley name.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20Right, and that's the story of... And that's the story.
0:43:20 > 0:43:21..that variety, then.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25And how fitting that the Minister commemorated the bicentenary
0:43:25 > 0:43:29of their famous local apple with this beautiful stained-glass window.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32But now, let's see if that's whetted Mark's appetite
0:43:32 > 0:43:35for his next item, inspired by nature.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39Shirley, what can I say? I don't know.
0:43:39 > 0:43:43You've brought in a "Flog It!" favourite. I know.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45We don't need to say much about this, do we?
0:43:45 > 0:43:48Not really, no, but I would like to know the age of it.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52Well, first of all, I would like to know how you acquired it.
0:43:52 > 0:43:57Well, from a cousin several times removed. So you inherited it.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01I inherited it. Do you have other pieces like it at home?
0:44:01 > 0:44:05No, unfortunately. It's a one-off. It is a one-off, yes.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07You know, of course, it's Moorcroft.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11Yes, I do. Just looking at this, we all know, as soon as we see this
0:44:11 > 0:44:15tube line decoration, which is this sort of outline pattern
0:44:15 > 0:44:18that they tube line on and then decorate it.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22The slightly interesting bit about this is that it has got this
0:44:22 > 0:44:28very high flambe glaze and it's got these lovely rich autumnal colours
0:44:28 > 0:44:30in there with the leaves and berries.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34That's why I liked it. I love this sort of baluster shape
0:44:34 > 0:44:39and, if we look underneath, we can see, there it is, the Moorcroft
0:44:39 > 0:44:41signature, impressed, as well,
0:44:41 > 0:44:42and "Made In England".
0:44:42 > 0:44:46And I think it is just a lovely little piece.
0:44:46 > 0:44:51This is probably going to be 1930s, 1950s, because it is a
0:44:51 > 0:44:56slightly later pattern and the flambe design, but it is absolutely
0:44:56 > 0:44:59beautiful. And when you revolve it in your hands,
0:44:59 > 0:45:01it needs a bit of a wash.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05Yes. I'll just point that out.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07Like me! I forgot it.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11Well, I believe in the format of Quentin Crisp -
0:45:11 > 0:45:15the dust doesn't get any more after 30 years.
0:45:15 > 0:45:17You don't notice it. HE LAUGHS
0:45:17 > 0:45:22Have you ever thought of the value? I know what I would like,
0:45:22 > 0:45:27but the prices have gone down. They do fluctuate quite a lot.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31I mean, the early rare pieces still make quite a lot of money.
0:45:31 > 0:45:36The majority of Moorcroft is realistic at the moment, shall we say?
0:45:36 > 0:45:39In terms of an auction estimate,
0:45:39 > 0:45:42we've got to try and entice people in to bid. Yes.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45I mean, I would have thought somewhere around ?200 to ?300
0:45:45 > 0:45:48with a fixed reserve of 200...
0:45:48 > 0:45:51so we wouldn't sell it below that. Would you be happy with that?
0:45:51 > 0:45:55Yes, I'll accept that. Well, hopefully we will get a bit more,
0:45:55 > 0:45:58I would like to see it making 300 or 400 if we can.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02And if we've got a good price, what would you put the money towards?
0:46:02 > 0:46:06It would go towards my granddaughter's driving lessons.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09Fantastic. Thank you so much. Thank you.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13And Shirley's not the only one looking to clean up at auction.
0:46:13 > 0:46:14Look at that. There you go.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18I had to do a bit of cleaning up. The place is a mess.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20# Does he wash up? Never wash up... #
0:46:20 > 0:46:24Now, Michael has found something that could do with some TLC, too.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27Ursula.
0:46:28 > 0:46:33These look a little unloved. Are they not in pride of place at home?
0:46:33 > 0:46:38No, they're stuffed in a box in the loft. Stuffed? Not placed!
0:46:38 > 0:46:40Stuffed in a box. Stuffed in a box in the loft.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43I've always thought they were hideous.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46My mum liked them. Your mother liked them? Yes.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48Did she buy them? No, they were from her mother,
0:46:48 > 0:46:51so they're my grandmother's, and I think that would
0:46:51 > 0:46:52have been in the early '40s.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55So it is around World War II, just post-War.
0:46:55 > 0:47:00Yes. Was it always the leaning tower of candlestick? No?
0:47:00 > 0:47:05As far as I remember, they've always looked like that. Right.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08We've got these Chinese figures
0:47:08 > 0:47:12and we've got the lappet border, which is stylised lotus,
0:47:12 > 0:47:18and we have got these floral stems, and we've got these cage works
0:47:18 > 0:47:20around here for a single candle.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24I used to work for a famous sale room about 10 or 12 years ago,
0:47:24 > 0:47:26and the one thing we couldn't sell,
0:47:26 > 0:47:31no matter how cheaply we had it in, was Chinese silver. Right.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35Advance to the present-day, everybody wants it.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Oh, right. Everybody wants it.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40We look over...and we have got the marks there,
0:47:40 > 0:47:45we have got a 90 mark, which just means it is 900 standard silver,
0:47:45 > 0:47:47and we have got two initials.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51We've got... It is not "HM", it is "WH".
0:47:51 > 0:47:55This is a Cantonese maker called Wang Hing.
0:47:55 > 0:48:00Right. And Mr Wang Hing was one of the most prolific and most
0:48:00 > 0:48:03sought-after silversmiths.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06These will date to about 1870, 1880.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08Right, older than I thought.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12So they were nearly 70, 80 years old when your grandmother had them.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15Right, yes. Apart from a little bit of work that has to be done to them,
0:48:15 > 0:48:19how much are they worth? What's a good cash offer today?
0:48:19 > 0:48:21Where's my wallet?
0:48:21 > 0:48:25I don't know because I didn't even realise, really, that they were
0:48:25 > 0:48:29silver and we thought we'd chuck them away. You wouldn't know from...
0:48:29 > 0:48:32Were you going to chuck them away?! When's your bin day?
0:48:32 > 0:48:35Shall I give them you back? Tell me. Um...
0:48:35 > 0:48:37Let's put ?800 to ?1,200 on them.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40Let's put a reserve of ?800 on them.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43Right, fantastic. Let's see where they go. Right.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46They're very sought after. I am constantly surprised when I go
0:48:46 > 0:48:50to auctions because it is not my taste either,
0:48:50 > 0:48:53but how much this stuff makes. Right, fantastic.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56Thank you so much for bringing them in.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07Brenda, I couldn't think of a more appropriate thing to come into a
0:49:07 > 0:49:08valuation day this year
0:49:08 > 0:49:11than a piece of trench art from the Great War. Mm hm.
0:49:11 > 0:49:14What is the history of it?
0:49:14 > 0:49:19My grandfather's colleague made it in the trenches and unfortunately
0:49:19 > 0:49:24he got injured and, as he lay dying, he gave it to my grandfather.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26Oh, gosh. It's a bit sad. How wonderful. It's a bit sad.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28Very sad, isn't it? Yes.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31And your grandfather's obviously passed it down to your father...
0:49:31 > 0:49:34Father, yes. ..who has passed it down to you. And he passed it to me.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36That's amazing, isn't it?
0:49:36 > 0:49:38Yes. Absolutely amazing because,
0:49:38 > 0:49:40when you think, it was a horrible war.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44Yes. All wars are horrible but that one particularly,
0:49:44 > 0:49:47with those poor young men trapped in the trenches
0:49:47 > 0:49:50for month after month after month.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53And, of course, in amongst the intermittent firing and
0:49:53 > 0:49:56fighting, there were long periods of time, I suppose, where...
0:49:56 > 0:49:58They had to find something to do.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00Inactivity, they had to find something to do.
0:50:00 > 0:50:01When you pick it up,
0:50:01 > 0:50:04you can see it it's a bit of a shell case, isn't it? Yes.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08And then these little strips here are probably another shell case,
0:50:08 > 0:50:11which has been flattened out. That's right, yes.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15And I noticed that the wheels are made out of buttons. Tunic buttons.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18Tunic buttons from his regiment.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20It was, at one time, there was a little propeller on the front
0:50:20 > 0:50:22as well, but that's gone as well.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25They just used very basic tools and equipment to make these. Oh, yes.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27It's amazing really that...
0:50:27 > 0:50:30They could manage to do it in the trenches. Exactly. Exactly.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33And that it survived. Why have you brought it in today?
0:50:33 > 0:50:36Well, it's just in the loft, wrapped up,
0:50:36 > 0:50:39and I'd like somebody who could appreciate it to have it more.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43Somebody who would restore it and add it to their collection. Yes, and look after it.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45Well, there's a great interest in this type of thing.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49But it's so interesting to see a biplane because, of course,
0:50:49 > 0:50:51planes were quite a new thing then. That's right.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53We take every granted these days, don't we? Yes.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55Flying across the Atlantic.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57But, at the time, they were quite rarities.
0:50:57 > 0:51:01It's got a real sentimental look to me.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04Crudely done but very emotional, really, isn't it?
0:51:04 > 0:51:06Yes. I love it, actually.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09I think there'd be a lot of collectors who love it.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12In terms of value, I think we've got to be realistic
0:51:12 > 0:51:15and I would have probably put an estimate
0:51:15 > 0:51:19of something like ?150 to ?250 on it, with ?150 reserve.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23Would you be happy with that? Yes, that's fine. Yes.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26Well, I look forward to seeing you at the auction and thank you
0:51:26 > 0:51:28so much for bringing it in.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38Well, that's it. Our experts have made their final choice of items to
0:51:38 > 0:51:42take off to auction and I think there is some real treasure there.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44I can't wait to put them under the hammer which means, sadly,
0:51:44 > 0:51:46it is time to say goodbye to this.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49Hundreds of people, in fact, over a thousand people have turned up
0:51:49 > 0:51:51from the surrounding areas and here's a quick recap
0:51:51 > 0:51:54of all the items that are going under the hammer.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57We've Anne's mint condition Edwardian purse
0:51:57 > 0:52:00embellished with the mysterious Green Man.
0:52:03 > 0:52:07A plant-inspired Moorcroft vase, the proceeds of which should pay for
0:52:07 > 0:52:11driving Shirley once she funds her granddaughter's driving lessons.
0:52:14 > 0:52:18And there are Ursula's rare foliage-carved candlesticks,
0:52:18 > 0:52:24which Michael is sure will light up the sale room.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27We have Brenda's astonishing piece of WWI art
0:52:27 > 0:52:29that survived the trenches.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33So, we're back at the auction house
0:52:33 > 0:52:35to put our experts' valuations to the test
0:52:35 > 0:52:38and our first item is just about to go under the hammer.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43I'm talking to Anne and we are looking at that wonderful little
0:52:43 > 0:52:44Green Man silver purse.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48The thing that singles it out is the condition. Yes.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50It is exceptional, isn't it? Perfect, isn't it? Perfect.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54Gut feeling right now, here on the day, Michael, what is going to do?
0:52:54 > 0:52:57?100, I'll be happy. ?100. OK, ready?
0:52:57 > 0:52:59We'll put him to the test again. This is it.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02Lot 155, the Edwardian silver purse.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05?30 for this, please.
0:53:05 > 0:53:0830 bid. 5, 40, 45, 5, and 50,
0:53:08 > 0:53:1150... 60, 70, 80...
0:53:11 > 0:53:1280? 80, thank you.
0:53:12 > 0:53:1490? 90 I've got.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16100? 100 I am bid online.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18110 for it?
0:53:18 > 0:53:21At ?100 online and selling...
0:53:21 > 0:53:24Yes, nice big round figure, spot-on. GAVEL STRIKES
0:53:24 > 0:53:27Spot-on! Sorry about that. That's all right! ?100.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30Smashing. That's good, isn't it? It's very good.
0:53:30 > 0:53:31We turned that tenner into ?100. Yes.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34And that is what it's all about. It is all out there,
0:53:34 > 0:53:37you have just got to get up early in the morning, get out there
0:53:37 > 0:53:40and start foraging, haven't you? Yes, that is true.
0:53:40 > 0:53:45Now, time for Shirley's vibrantly decorated floral Moorcroft vase.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47It's a lovely thing and it's a sign of quality, isn't it?
0:53:47 > 0:53:50It is a great name in ceramics, it really is.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52But I look at you and I see you with Moorcroft,
0:53:52 > 0:53:54I just see that lovely pattern.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58Well, you should have seen it when I originally saw it. Oh, OK.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01It had the most ghastly plastic daffodils in it. Did it?
0:54:01 > 0:54:03That was 20-odd years ago. Gosh.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06It's had some service, then, hasn't it?
0:54:06 > 0:54:08Oh, yes. I've only had it five years.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12Well, look, good luck with it anyway. Thank you.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15?200 for this lot I am bid.
0:54:15 > 0:54:16At ?200. 220 for it?
0:54:16 > 0:54:20220 online. 250? 250 in the room.
0:54:20 > 0:54:21280? 280.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23300? 300 I am bid.
0:54:23 > 0:54:24This is good.
0:54:24 > 0:54:25320. 320!
0:54:25 > 0:54:27320 for it.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29320. 340. 360.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31400 I am bid in the room.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33On my right. ?400. It's a good price, it's a good price.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36Fair warning and selling.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39?400. That's not a bad price. It's fantastic. No.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42That is a good price. That's near what I'd had hoped for.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45You should have done the valuations! They always want more.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47They're like you!
0:54:48 > 0:54:51That's a good start for her granddaughter's driving lessons.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55So, let's get under way with our biplane.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58It's a bit of trench art and it's incredibly hard to value
0:54:58 > 0:55:01because you can't do comparables. It belongs to Brenda - hi there!
0:55:01 > 0:55:04I love what you're wearing, it's lovely and bright. And who's with you?
0:55:04 > 0:55:07It's my husband Dave. Dave, pleased to meet you.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10Well, I'll tell you what, this little plane does actually put
0:55:10 > 0:55:11a smile on your face, doesn't it?
0:55:11 > 0:55:14It's a very rare item, Paul, and I love the way they've used
0:55:14 > 0:55:17little regimental buttons as the wheels.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19It is a one-off, as you say, Paul,
0:55:19 > 0:55:22and any collector of militaria and First World War memorabilia
0:55:22 > 0:55:25would love to add this, I'm sure, to their collection.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28Fingers crossed we get this away. Here we go.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32A brass, iron and copper model of a biplane.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35?50 I am bid for this. 50, 60 anywhere? 60, 70.
0:55:35 > 0:55:3880...?80! 90 for it?
0:55:38 > 0:55:4190...100...and 10.
0:55:41 > 0:55:45120? 110 and 120.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47130. 140?
0:55:47 > 0:55:51At ?130... 140. 150.
0:55:51 > 0:55:57160... At 150... At ?150 in the room and selling...
0:55:57 > 0:56:00160. 170, madam?
0:56:00 > 0:56:03No. At ?160, I shall sell.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06Sold at ?160. That was OK.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09That was all right, wasn't it? Yes.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11And it looks like it's gone to a collector, which is a nice thing.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13Somebody who will enjoy it, yes.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15Thanks for bringing that in because,
0:56:15 > 0:56:16really, at the end of the day
0:56:16 > 0:56:19it's all about the story and that's what we're reminded of.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23What a pleasure to see such a poignant memento to World War I.
0:56:23 > 0:56:27And, for our final lot, we are aiming high with Ursula's very rare
0:56:27 > 0:56:29Chinese candlesticks.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32Well, I tell you what, you brought these to the right man
0:56:32 > 0:56:35at the valuation. I saw Michael gravitate towards you.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37He was like, "Get out of the way, everyone!" I did leap.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39Leaping was involved. You did.
0:56:39 > 0:56:43Now, the auctioneer said yesterday that he could not find
0:56:43 > 0:56:47an illustration in the maker's catalogue for this particular pair,
0:56:47 > 0:56:48so he thinks they're quite rare.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52Candlesticks are incredibly unusual for Chinese export -
0:56:52 > 0:56:55I've only seen two or three pairs in my life.
0:56:55 > 0:56:59These could get away at 8 to 12. Michael, spot on, or they could fly.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02We're going to find out right now. Are you ready for this? Yes.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05Here we go, we are putting it to the test under the hammer.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08And ?300 I am bid. Oh, it's a bit low.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10300 only bid. 320 for them?
0:57:10 > 0:57:15320. 350. 380. 400. 420.
0:57:15 > 0:57:20450, 480, 500, 550.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22650 here.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24750 here.
0:57:24 > 0:57:26800? 800 I am bid.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29Right, we've got to the reserve.
0:57:29 > 0:57:31?800. Where is the internet?
0:57:31 > 0:57:35850 I am bid from Hong Kong. There we go. There's the internet.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38900. 950 for you.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42950. 950 online from Hong Kong.
0:57:42 > 0:57:451,000 is bid in the room. 1,100 for them.
0:57:45 > 0:57:47It's going to be a slug-out out now. Yes.
0:57:47 > 0:57:52A very rare lot indeed. I'm selling to Hong Kong at ?1,100 online.
0:57:52 > 0:57:53GAVEL STRIKES
0:57:53 > 0:57:57That's fantastic. Amazing. That is what we want to hear, sold to
0:57:57 > 0:57:59a buyer in Hong Kong. Happy with that? Yes, very, thank you.
0:57:59 > 0:58:02Enjoy that money, won't you? Thank you very much.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Because we certainly enjoyed looking at those.
0:58:04 > 0:58:08Spot-on, Michael, with something we may be lucky enough to see only once
0:58:08 > 0:58:09in a lifetime.
0:58:11 > 0:58:15Well, that's it, another day in another sale room for our owners.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17As you can see, the sale is still going on but what
0:58:17 > 0:58:20a fabulous time we have had here in Nottingham.
0:58:20 > 0:58:22Our experts have been on the money today
0:58:22 > 0:58:24and everybody has gone home happy,
0:58:24 > 0:58:26and that's what it is all about. I say, job done.
0:58:26 > 0:58:29Join us again soon for many more surprises, but, until then,
0:58:29 > 0:58:31it's goodbye from Nottingham.
0:58:59 > 0:59:01We glance at blurred patio doors
0:59:01 > 0:59:04Horses nibbling the edges of fields
0:59:04 > 0:59:06And we know each other for a while