Wallasey 12 Flog It!

Welcome to Dunham Massey,

the ancestral home of the Earls of Stanford and Warrington.

I think it's pretty safe to say the family that lived here

were complete hoarders.

During their time in residence,

they amassed a staggering 25,000 different objects,

objects which tell a story of love and political intrigue.

And later on in the show,

I'll be sharing some of my favourites with you.

But right now, it's those all-important valuations.

Welcome to "Flog It!"

One of Merseyside's most impressive buildings is today's

valuation venue, Wallasey Town Hall.

In 1940, during the Second World War,

it took a direct hit by German bombers.

George VI and Queen Elizabeth came to see the effects

of the early raids.

But worse was to follow.

Liverpool and Merseyside soon became the most heavily bombed area

in the country outside of London.

Having the largest west coast port, Merseyside was targeted because the

docks brought in food and materials vital to Britain's survival.

But despite the death toll and destruction,

the port stayed open, and visiting the area, Churchill said,

"I see damage done by enemy attacks,

"but I also see the spirit of unconquered people."

Merseyside is an area of the powerful sense of pride

in its history, and quite rightly so.

And that strong connection with the past, combined with

the unflagging determination

of this massive crowd here,

is sure to provide us with a lively valuation day.

-Isn't that right?

-CROWD:

-Yeah!

And who better to match that resolve and do us proud

with their expert knowledge than the spirited Anita Manning...

SHE LAUGHS LOUDLY

OK. Actually, you're mine forever.

And working alongside Anita is tiptop chap, Nick Davies.

-Hi, Nick, how are you doing?

-I'm fine. How are you getting on?

It's great. The people in the queue are absolutely fabulous.

And I found a couple of marvellous items that you had bagged before me.

Ah, got to be quick. Got to be quick.

Don't worry, Anita.

There's plenty to go around on this breezy day.

So as the flags flutter outside,

it's time for a flurry of steps inside.

Whilst everybody finds a spot in the main hall,

and our off-screen experts start unwrapping all manner of goods,

how about we have a quick reveal of what's coming up in today's show?

-In 1912...

-Anita imagines the thrill of being an Edwardian woman.

Women threw away their corsets,

they would pin these hats onto their extravagant hairdos,

and it was that extra bit of flash.

Whereas Nick is butching it up as a Victorian man.

Cos if your hands got a bit hot and sweaty,

you could have a really good grip on the sword.

But who will win the battle of the sexes over at the auction?

Ooh! Ooh!

We did stick it to them.

-Everyone having a good time?

-ALL:

-Yeah!

That's what it's all about. This is where it's going to happen,

right here, right now. It's lights, camera, action.

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

Or you, or you. And you're all on TV right now.

I'm being filmed, there's a camera up there. Give it away, look!

There we are.

Well, as you can see, everybody is so excited.

They're all safely seated inside now in the warm,

so let's get on with the valuations

and hand the proceedings over to expert, Nick Davies.

Well, Phil, we were having a bit of a chat before we sat down here,

-haven't we?

-Yes.

-You were telling me something about this building

-in your family, and a connection?

-Tell me about it.

My family were Roland Owen and Son, haulage contractors.

-They actually hauled a lot of the stone on this building.

-OK.

-And my uncle Bob had a team of horses and a wagon...

-Right.

..and he was sitting on a great big crate, and when he got off it,

a guy said to him, "Do you know what you've been sitting on?

"You'll be able to tell your family you've been sitting on

the top of Wallasey Town Hall.

Because the box he had had the urn in it

-that goes right on the very top.

-Right somewhere above our heads.

-Absolutely.

-So the urn was in the box.

Fantastic, what a lovely little story.

-And is that any relation to this?

-His brother was quite a...

-quite a showman, really.

-Right.

He had a lot of things that made sound, made pictures,

made any sort of noise whatsoever. And this was Uncle Steve's.

He loved his equipment, and he loved tinkering with things.

So he's probably taken this apart at some point,

and oiled it and put it back together again.

It looks in great condition, and we know what it is.

It's a cylinder phonograph by Edison.

Obviously Edison was very famous for his telephone work

and his telegraphy, and this has come from that.

Now, it's the standard issue. They did various versions,

another one was the Edison Gem which was a little bit smaller.

And this is probably circa... about turn-of-the-century, 1898,

somewhere around about that sort of period.

Have you used it at all?

Well, we kept it because we've got a great big box full of recordings,

-and we thought we'd have a party and play it.

-Yep.

-But the opportunity's never come up.

-You haven't had a phonograph party?

-No, we haven't.

-Bring your phonograph, bring your wax seal.

Let's take this one off and have a quick look, shall we?

That's where all the music is, he says...

Recorded onto these wax cylinders.

-Have you got any more of these?

-I think 57.

57? SHE LAUGHS

-So you've got the top 40 and a few bonus ones as well?

-Yes.

-And you've got the cover as well, I know.

-Oh, yes.

-Yes, we've got the cover.

-And obviously the horn.

So it's all there. Let's talk about value.

I'd have thought it should fetch,

with all those cylinders, somewhere around about £200 to £300,

-reasonably conservatively, I would say.

-Lovely.

-Is that suitable for you?

-That would be superb!

-Fantastic.

The million-dollar question, does it work?

That'll probably be enough. If I'm right, I think we just move that?

Yes.

MUSIC PLAYS It's coming.

-You've got a hornpipe.

-A very nice hornpipe.

It's always great to see these phonographs, which are

the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound.

Their production came to an end in the 1920s

when the competing gramophone triumphed in the marketplace.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Peter, welcome to "Flog It!", and thank you very, very much

for bringing this little item along. I'm very excited.

This is the first time that I've been in the Wirral peninsula.

And this is the first time "Flog it!" has been in the Wirral peninsula

-as well.

-Now, do you come from this area?

-Yes.

-What sort of work did you do here?

-I don't work. I'm a pensioner.

-You're a pensioner now?

-I'm 80 in 12 weeks' time.

Ah, well congratulations.

I have fallen in love with this little item here.

-The little British Bulldog.

-Yep.

-Can you tell me, where did you get it?

Handed down from my mother-in-law.

Has it been with you for a long time?

-It's been with me for over 50 years.

-For over 50 years?

-Yes.

Let me tell you a little bit about it,

because it's a very interesting little item.

It was made by Royal Doulton, designed by Charles Noke,

a very prestigious designer.

And he was famous for designing and making character jugs,

-depicting various different characters of the day.

-Yes.

This little bulldog was made in 1941.

Now, 1941, the middle war years, it would have been produced

to cheer people up,

as a piece of perhaps propaganda.

And here we have the good old British Bulldog,

and he's draped by this Union Jack.

Let's take a wee look at the underneath of it.

We see the mark here for Royal Doulton.

And we see this number here, which is the registration mark,

which tells us when it was registered.

And this was in 1941.

But if we look at the item itself, and think about the time that it

was made, these middle war years,

it was a time where people needed to...

-They needed to... I don't know, feel good about things.

-Yes.

I think that it's an evocative thing.

-And I know that you've enjoyed it.

-Oh, I have enjoyed it.

One wee thing that maybe I should point out,

and I don't know if you've noticed, our Union Jack here, we have a

little discolouration in the blue, so it's faded a wee bit on there.

So the collector will take that into consideration.

Price-wise, what do you think?

-I have no idea.

-Take a guess, Peter.

-£50?

-£50?

Well, a wee bitty more than that.

But I would say that we could estimate it

perhaps £80 to £120.

-Now, would you be happy to put it forward?

-I'm more than happy.

I think that might even be a wee bit of a conservative estimate.

-Right, OK.

-But let's put it in, and let's let the market decide.

-Thank you very, very much for bringing it along.

-My pleasure.

Used to portray the courage and spirit of Britain during

the Second World War,

it was of course Winston Churchill who became known as the British

Bulldog, because of his famously stoic and tenacious manner.

Qualities also shown by the people of Merseyside.

Earlier on in the programme, we mentioned

some of the effects of the Liverpool Blitz during World War II.

Well, I've got a couple of photographs that I'd like to show you.

One is of the most magnificent Willis organ, installed

here in this concert hall, in the 1920s.

It would have been right down there where the stage is now.

It was absolutely huge.

Sadly, 20 years later, during the war, in 1940,

this building took a direct hit, and the state of the organ there,

well, it's reduced to matchsticks.

The hall was rebuilt but it took a long time.

In fact, right up until 1951, and by then times had changed.

Things had moved on. There was no need for a big organ down the end of the room.

It was all about a big stage with a live band on it

and wonderful dances.

Yes, this hall has been the scene of many a formal do.

You can almost hear the swish of the ball gowns.

Not normally one to stand on ceremony himself,

Nick Davies is, however, lording it over us on the balcony.

Hello, Jean, you've brought a rather nice ink stand for us here.

Can you tell me a little bit about it?

I can't tell you much about it except that it's been in my loft for quite

-a long time.

-Right. It's beautiful.

It just reeks elegance of its day, doesn't it?

It's by a gentleman called William Atkins.

He was a silversmith in Birmingham at that period

and made this type of desk furniture. And it's been presented to someone.

It's got a presentation engraving to the front.

-So you've no idea who Mrs Ward is?

-No.

-No?

-None.

Well, neither do I, but it's come from Llandudno, apparently,

because it was gifted to her by the church over there.

But it's hallmarked in Birmingham, in 1907.

-So it actually predates this building by about, eh, seven years.

-Oh, right.

And as it says on the presentation, it was presented in 1910.

It's got a lovely pen rest but no pen. Often they go missing.

In the days of tablets and laptops and computers,

-this seems a little bit obsolete, doesn't it, really?

-Probably.

And it's a shame, because it's so elegant. It's beautifully made

with all the intricate work, the reeded borders,

the twin ink wells that all match. It's raised on four bun feet.

-Yes.

-It's hardly been used.

-It seems like it's been in your loft for donkey's years.

-Yes, probably has.

What kind of a house would this have been in, in that era?

Well, I think if you can imagine a typical Edwardian

gentleman at his partner's desk, with his stationary box on top

and his big ink blotter by his side, and his desk set right in front of him.

So let's talk about the money side of thing, the valuation.

I'd see this at about £100-150.

We'll put a reserve on it at around about 90,

-just to make sure that everything's covered.

-OK.

And I'm sure we'll be fine with that. So are you happy with that?

-I'm happy with that.

-Confident?

-Yes, yes.

-Going to go to the auction and see it fly?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Excellent. I'll look forward to seeing you there.

-OK.

There you are, our first three items picked out by our experts,

and how exciting is that? The day really is flying past.

Let's get over to the auction room, put those valuations to the test.

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

There's Phil's phonograph that she inherited from her uncle Steve.

With all those extra cylinders, it should attract interest.

And Peter rose early to be one of the first in the queue.

Let's hope his enthusiasm pays off with a good

result in the sale room.

And finally, Nick was impressed by this silver ink stand.

Rescued from the loft,

I'm sure its auction will give Jean something to write home about.

We're heading across the Mersey into the busy

city of Liverpool for today's auction.

And regular viewers will no doubt recognise "Flog It!"

favourite Adam Partridge on the rostrum.

Remember, if you are buying or selling in an auction room

there's also commission to pay.

It does vary from sale room to sell room.

Here, at Adam Partridge's in Liverpool, it's

20% inclusive of VAT.

Our first item up for grabs is Jean's Edwardian silver ink stand.

It's got everything going for it. I love the rectangular form.

I think it's good. This silver won't go to mount. I think it's quality.

-And it's been liberated from the...

-Loft.

-What's it doing up there?!

Well, I don't know.

I just went up to have a look, when I saw you were coming to Wallasey.

-Is all the family silver up in the loft?

-Well, it might be.

It might be. This will look great on a writing table.

The only thing going against it, it's got a presentation

-engraving on it. That's the only thing.

-Can that be polished out?

I think it could be, yeah. It's just a nice, pretty example.

It's just that engraving, so we'll see whether that makes a difference.

OK. Let's find out what it's worth, shall we?

It's going under the hammer now.

210 is an Edwardian silver ink stand. We've got 80 already.

-We've got one hand going up.

-90.

Five. 110. 110, over my right.

At 110, worth a bit more, is it? At 110 on my right-hand side. £110.

Any further at 110? We'll sell now at £110.

-It's gone, Jean. £110.

-Yes, that was good.

-Good result.

-Fantastic.

-Well done, Nick.

And right now we're flying the Union Jack for Britain with this wonderful little bulldog,

and it belongs to Peter, and Anita is our expert.

We've seen these on the show before.

I think since that James Bond movie came out, they're all coming

out of the woodwork. Why are you selling this?

-It's just sitting there...

-Doing nothing.

-..and I don't even look at it.

Ah, you've fallen out of love with the little bulldog. Confident, Anita?

-Top end?

-The blue colour in the Union Jack is slightly faded.

But hopefully... He's all there.

Apart from that, he's in good condition.

-Oh, those collectors are a fussy bunch.

-No cracks or...

No, he's in very good nick, actually. I think we'll get this away.

-Oh, here we are.

-Oh, look at him, isn't that cute?

-Straight in at £80 online.

-There you go.

-80 bid. At £80. Internet at 80.

That's good. My commission bids were 40. At £80 only.

At £80, is online at 80.

At 80. Are you all done at 80? We'll sell at 80, then.

Anyone else on this at £80? All finished at £80.

Short and sweet at £80.

Well, there you go. It's gone for £80.

The collectors loved it. You're happy, Peter, aren't you?

I'm happy.

As they say, the cheque will be in the post in about three weeks' time, less their commission.

-OK?

-Thank you very much.

-No, thank you.

I'm glad we're sending Peter home happy.

Going under the hammer right now,

we have an item which pioneered the home sound system.

Yes, it's the Edison phonograph

and it belongs to Phil, who's right next to me in lovely bright red.

Look at that. Is that Liverpool or what?

Well, yes, you couldn't come to Liverpool without wearing red.

-Oh! Or blue.

-Or blue.

-Or blue, or blue!

We had a laugh at the valuation day, didn't we?

-It's all about good working condition.

-It's super.

Lots of spare cylinders. And the horn is there.

Here we go, we're putting it under the hammer right now.

270 is the Edison standard model phonograph there. £200 start.

120, 130. Bid already. At 130.

Any advance on 134 for the phonograph? 140.

150. 160. 170. Bid 180.

-Come on.

-180 is this side. At 180.

At 180, 190 online. 200, the room.

-Oh! Oh!

-210 online.

-Yeah.

-230.

-250 online.

-And there's interest.

-260.

-Oh, it's a great party machine!

280, the phonograph now. 290.

300. In the room still.

Wow! £300!

-Got it!

-Yes!

-£300.

I have to say, Phil said, just before Adam started

auctioneering this off, "I can't wait to see the back of these damn things."

-You did, didn't you? Look, they've gone.

-Brilliant.

-They've gone to a good home.

-And they are a great collectable.

-They are.

-Pleased?

-Yeah. Wonderful.

-Good.

-It's a great party machine.

Well, let's hope somebody really enjoys playing that phonograph

and showing it off to the family and friends.

Well, there you are. That's our first set of results done

and dusted here in the sale room.

We are coming back later on in the programme.

Now, the grand stately home of Dunham Massey is just a few

miles east from here, and it houses one of the largest

collections in the care of the National Trust.

And while we're in the area filming,

I had the opportunity to go off and explore.

As we know with our own homes, if you have a cupboard underneath

the stairs, or a small spare bedroom, you just stuff things in it.

You let it pile up rather than sort it out

and sell it or throw it away. It just gets sky-high.

But if your home is Dunham Massey, then space really isn't an issue.

In fact, it turned the family that lived here into unwitting hoarders.

Thank goodness it did, because each of those objects tells

a fascinating story of 300 years of family history and drama.

Dunham Massey was actually home to two great families.

The Booths, otherwise known as the Earls of Warrington.

And then the Greys, the Earls of Stamford.

Marriage brought them together, and the money they made from

coal and farming was carefully managed.

They bought quality items made to last and looked after what they owned,

never throwing anything away.

Now, the first treasure I want to show you is also Dunham's largest,

the exquisite state bed,

and here it is, filling this magnificent Queen Anne room.

It was inherited by the Second Earl in 1680,

and then passed down through the family, treated as a precious family

heirloom, right up until the Ninth Earl sent it off for restoration.

But sadly and suddenly, the Ninth Earl passed away

and the bed was sent back to the house. Work hadn't even begun.

The bed was still left in its packing cases

and that's where it remained for the next 100 years,

until the National Trust took over the house,

looked inside these packing cases and discovered this bed.

Can you imagine that when they opened it up?

They took the brave decision back then to conserve and restore

the bed, a project which took eight years, with a price tag of £200,000.

I like the playful use of design here with the four supporting posts

because they're modelled on palm trees,

which would have been all the rage, something exotic.

Look at the foliage at the top.

That's created with ostrich and egret feathers,

sort of hanging down rather dandily.

But if you look closely at the feet where it terminates to the floor... Gilt.

But that's copying the roots of a palm tree.

It's quite whimsical, isn't it?

But I have to stress the word conservation

and not restoration here, because not a great deal has been done.

It's kept as honest as possible, and for me, my favourite

thing of the whole bed has to be...

You're not going to believe it. The wear marks.

I love that bruised fabric.

That's centuries of wear, where the hands have grabbed it.

They've drawn those curtains closed, and they've drawn them back open.

That is a massive visual link to our past.

An incredible bit of our heritage.

But of course it's not all about big statement pieces.

Some of the most intriguing stories come in small packages.

Now here in the Oak Room, there's some fascinating objects that have

been collected by the family over the years.

This portrait here, that's Lady Henrietta,

who got married in 1763 to George, who later

became the Fifth Earl.

What you have to bear in mind, at this particular

time in our history, marriage

in aristocratic circles was more of a business arrangement, really.

Let's face it. It was a way of acquiring land or a title.

But this was a marriage that had something else.

Now here is a handwritten letter by George's father to his mother, who

was away sorting out the marriage plans with Henrietta's parents.

It quite clearly shows that their son was desperately in love,

and I'll read you the last three lines.

"If proper, you may tell the Duchess", that's Henrietta's mother,

"she has made me the happiest man in the world by making G,"

that's George, "happy."

And it certainly was a match made in heaven. They really did

love each other, producing no less than ten children.

And here are some little miniatures painted on ivory,

showing the couple. The detail is absolutely exquisite.

This little, tiny locket was designed to be carried around on your person.

And here they're still exchanging love tokens,

some 20 years after their marriage. I think they're exquisite.

They are the best I have ever, ever seen.

While this couple were playing happy families,

other valued items in the house show a family in turmoil.

This ribbon is thought to have been a garter ribbon of Charles I.

The oldest and most prestigious order of chivalry in the UK.

Charles I placed great importance on the Order of the Garter,

and portraits like this one show him proudly wearing his blue ribbon.

A few years later, however, thanks to the English Civil War, Charles I

was imprisoned on the Isle of Wight by Parliamentary forces.

A member of the family tried to rescue him.

Although he failed, he was rewarded with this ribbon for his chivalry.

But when Charles I was finely executed in 1649,

it put this family at loggerheads.

At Dunham, young Sir George Booth opposed the King's execution.

Even leading a failed uprising.

But his brother-in-law, the Puritan Lord Thomas Grey, did not.

In fact, here we have a copy of Charles I's death warrant.

Now, on it you can quite clearly see the signature of Thomas Grey,

and it's just above Oliver Cromwell.

As the only peer to sign, as befitting his status,

he was allowed to go first.

So what you have here is the same family that fought with

Charles I also helped him lose his head.

A fascinating insight into turbulent times in England.

But let me take you now from a king's death to restoration...

..as our next piece concerns Charles's son, the restored King Charles II.

And in my opinion, I've saved the best till last.

The library is almost the same as it was when it was first

created by the Second Earl in the early 1700s.

What dominates the room, though, is that fabulous carving.

It really is astonishing.

It's by Grinling Gibbons, my favourite woodcarver.

He is the Michelangelo of woodcarving.

Now this execution of the crucifixion is his earliest known work.

He did this in 1671, and I know that Charles II wanted to buy

this but somehow it managed to end up here as a purchase

by the Second Earl, and what a purchase for Dunham Massey.

To really appreciate this you have to get up close to take

a better look. I've been given permission to climb these library steps to do just that.

So, here we go.

And the higher you get, well, the more it takes your breath away.

This is phenomenal. He is a virtuoso woodworker.

Look at all these undercuts.

He's got in there with chisels and gouges.

It must have taken hours and hours and hours by candlelight

and by natural daylight. I couldn't even draw that, let alone carve it.

The inner frame itself,

that really is still life at life-size proportions.

When you look at the wonderful, wonderful wheat sheaves.

and the little flowers and the buds and the petals, it's exquisite.

Then, you look at the narrative of the work itself

and you see the horses and the horsemen.

There's a chap here with his hand on his hip.

And a wonderful beard and facial expression.

Can you imagine how long that would have taken him? Months and months and months.

Possibly years.

Well, I really am tingling, and you'll have to forgive me

because I want to stay up here for, well, for a long time,

to take it all in, so you go one, and I'll catch you up.

Welcome back to Wallasey Town Hall, on the Wirral peninsular.

Our off-screen experts are being kept very busy with the queue still

snaking its way out of the main door, through the grand staircase.

It's also where Nick Davies has made a surprising discovery.

Well, Amy. What's a nice girl like you doing with two swords like this?

-My grandad gave them to me.

-OK.

They've been passed down, like throughout the family.

Been passed down through the family. Fantastic. Good family provenance.

That's what we like.

Honestly, we can discount this one more or less straight away.

Doesn't have any great value. Poorly made, not great quality.

This chap, however, is really nice - is in really good condition.

On here, on the hilt here, you've got VR.

-Do you know what would stand for?

-No.

Queen?

-Victoria.

-Queen Victoria. VR.

So we can date this quite easily to her reign.

-Do you know what this is made of?

-No.

This is sharkskin, with this wire binding in it as well.

And the reason why they use this, cos if your hands got

a bit hot and sweaty, you could have a really good grip on the sword.

The leather scabbard's in great condition.

Often these are bent or twisted, or bits missing.

And also the tip here.

So a nice brass tip to protect the tip of the sword.

And talking about the sword itself, let's have a look inside.

We'll be very careful. A lot of people around!

We don't want any accidents. There's the blade.

And it's marked on the bottom - "Henry Wilkinson, Pall Mall, London."

Henry Wilkinson. Ring any bells with you?

If you were a lad and you were shaving, it probably will.

Wilkinson Sword.

You've seen the adverts with the slashed swords just like this.

It's what's known as an 1854 pattern officer's sword.

And it's engraved down the hilt. you've got the Prince of Wales'

plumes engraved there as well.

And it's in really good condition.

There is a little bit of pitting, a little bit of greying to the blade.

Can you see that grey colour coming through?

It's a really good example and dates-wise, it's Victorian.

It's going to be about 1850-1860, somewhere round about there.

If you're happy for us to put for sale,

we can put it through the auction,

and I think we'd probably estimate it around £100-£120.

We'll put this one with it, shall we? You don't want to keep that, do you?

-No.

-No. Very wise. What would you do with the money?

-It's not long since my grandad passed away.

-Right.

I'm putting the money away so I can take his ashes

-to Spain where he liked to go and so I can spread them.

-Lovely.

-And you used to go there with him?

-Yeah.

-Excellent.

Well, hopefully, we'll do a little bit better and good old

Henry Wilkinson will give a bit of support to your grandad.

Thanks ever so much for bringing them along

and I look forward to seeing you at the auction.

Thanks, Amy.

Back in the main hall,

Anita's found two lovely examples of Art Nouveau decadence.

Barbara, welcome to "Flog It!"

and thank you for bringing along these wonderful, wonderful hatpins.

It's my pleasure.

Can you tell me first of all, a wee bit about where you got them?

Well, we used to live in New Zealand and I used to work in a

second-hand shop and one day,

in amongst all everything,

the hatpins came in and I just took a fancy to them

and asked my boss how much he wanted for them.

And he said, "Oh, have them." He used to call me Barbie.

"Have them, Barbie, for 20 cents."

20 cents! Well, I think that was a bargain.

-I think so, yes.

-I love this type of thing.

These are hat pins that would have been made

in the beginning of the 20th century.

They were made by a very prestigious silversmith, Charles Horner.

He was based in Halifax and made this type of item.

Now these were made in 1912.

Now let's think of the fashion at that time.

Just a wee bit after the Edwardian time,

when women threw away their corsets.

They had dresses that were looser and more flowing

and they had these enormous, wonderful hats.

Now, they would pin these hats onto their extravagant hairdos with

something like that and it was that extra bit of flash that were the

Art Nouveau styles of that time,

where we had these lovely carved motif here.

And we have a little amethyst-coloured glass

thistle shape.

-So it appeals to the Scottish in me.

-Yeah.

And it appeals to me as a lover of Art Nouveau items.

So I think they are absolutely gorgeous.

Now, tell me, have you ever worn a fabulous big hat at a wedding

and worn one of them?

No! No, definitely not.

Well, they were certainly a good buy for 20 cents.

They're not rare but they're in very good condition.

I would estimate them probably £45-£60.

Would you be happy for me to put them into sale at that price?

-Yes, yes.

-Yeah?

I'm sure they'll do much better than that, but I think that is

an estimate which will attract the bidding.

Will you be sorry to see them go?

In one way, I will, because I do think they're pretty,

but...they're not...of no use.

Maybe the next time you go for a wedding,

-you're wearing a big hat, you'll think...

-I should have kept them.

Should have kept them. Anyway, thank you for bringing them along.

-Thank you very much.

-They are lovely.

-Thank you.

# Get my hat, I'm checking out... #

Now it might seem a bit incongruous that there is an American

flag flying here inside Wallasey Town Hall in Merseyside.

Well, there's a good reason for that.

During the Second World War, American soldiers were billeted

all over Wallasey and the surrounding area of New Brighton

and those American troops proved rather popular with the young ladies

with their gifts of chocolates and nylons.

And in 1944, this whole area celebrated an all-American week.

This culminated in a formal presentation where the Mayor of

Wallasey received the American flag

from Lt Colonel Earl Swingle of the US Army and a plaque of dedication.

And here we are today. Now, there's something I want to show you

because until recently, staff that worked here thought this was

just a picture until someone opened the cabinet up.

Take it out.

Now, somebody opened this and had a wonderful surprise

because inside, there are the names and addresses of all

the American soldiers that served here during the Second World War.

Every single one of them. Look at this!

This is absolutely fabulous.

These guys came from all over the US.

They came from Vermont, the came from New York,

they came from Ohio, Oregon, Montana, Ohio, California.

This is quite incredible.

I think I'm going to put that back and hopefully, somebody else, let's

say in another 50 years' time, might have another pleasant surprise.

While evaluations continue apace in the main hall, making

the most of the afternoon sun, Nick Davies has headed outside with John.

-Magnificent big building.

-Beautiful.

-And some miniatures.

Tell me how you came about them.

Well, my father, a Yorkshireman - his job was to clear houses

when they were left vacant. These are a couple of things he came across.

So houses locally did he clear, or...?

Over in Bridlington in Yorkshire.

I've had them about nearly 20 years now.

-Do you know who these chaps are?

-I don't.

-Neither do I.

-No, I don't.

They are typical miniatures of the period. They'll be painted on ivory.

They're circa around 1850-1860, somewhere in that region.

Very elegant gentleman.

The artist's obviously a very good portrait painter.

The faces are particularly good.

The lower one is better painted and the one above.

The hair is absolutely fantastic.

And you look closely, the detail in those is quite remarkable.

Single-hair brushes to paint them. I mean, patience of a saint.

It'll be no good with me. I can't paint a door.

-Which one of these two is your favourite?

-I like the first one.

-The one at the bottom.

-This one here?

-Yes, yes.

I suspect it's a gold mount, although I haven't tested it

and it isn't marked, but a gut feeling it's probably gold.

We'll just turn it over there

and on the back, a fantastic plaited-hair panel

with some gilt initials in the bottom corner.

I think it's SM.

The hair...memorial locket, so it's obviously when someone's died

and this period, memorial hair lockets were very,

very fashionable so it's been plaited in with quite some skill,

really, hasn't it, and it's in great condition.

We'll jump up to the chap on the top and flip it over and we have hair

again but it looks a little bit hastily put together, shall

we say, or maybe over the years, it's just come apart, so to speak.

I'm just flipping them back over again.

I still think the bottom one is painted best

and I'd agree with you, I think that's the better example.

Do you like them?

Yes, I think there are collectors who'd probably appreciate them.

-More than yourself?

-More than myself.

-Excellent.

-So you're happy for us to sell them?

-Oh, yes, yes.

-OK.

So we'll put them through to the sale.

This chap at the bottom, he's probably worth around £80-100.

Depending on the mount of this one,

I'd probably put him in at around £60-£80,

-so that's where I'll leave it. Is that happy with you?

-I'm happy, yes.

-Thank you.

-What would you like to do with the money?

-I'm going to buy a new fishing rod.

-A new fishing rod?

-Yes.

I broke one the other day so the money from these will go

-towards that.

-And you can step over what, how many feet into the...?

Over there! And do a bit of fishing. Fantastic!

-Excellent. Well, let's hope you catch a big one.

-Thank you.

-See you at the sale.

-Thank you.

Well, that's it. As you've just seen,

we found our last three items to

take off to auction and what a fabulous time we've had.

-Do you agree it's been good?

-ALL: Yes!

-Yes!

We've met some wonderful characters and seen some superb antiques

and right now, we're going to put that last batch to the test.

So we have to say goodbye to our magnificent venue today,

the town hall and hello to the auction room

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

It's all about doubling up for our last visit to the saleroom today.

First, we've got the two Victorian swords.

Let's hope we can help Amy Lee raise some funds for the memorial

trip to her late grandfather's favourite holiday spot.

There's those gorgeous little hatpins,

sure to attract bids with the name Charles Horner attached.

And finally,

it's the two miniatures of those mysterious elegant gentlemen.

Will a lady bidder take a shine to them?

I think John might be pleasantly surprised.

As we return to the noise and the commotion of the sale room,

it's all eyes on Adam Partridge as the auction continues relentlessly forward.

-Amy Lee, good luck with Grandad's swords.

-Thank you.

I've got to say, this is the cutting edge in the sale room right now.

-So tell me all about Grandad.

-Every year, we used to go away on holiday.

-To...?

-To Spain.

-Yeah?

So we used to go every year and at December, he passed away.

-So you've inherited the swords?

-Yeah.

And what you plan to do, we're going to sell the swords to get enough

money together for you to go out to Spain...

..and spread my grandad's ashes.

Do you know what, he would love that, wouldn't he?

It's put a smile on your face. It means a lot to you. Did you ever go there with him?

-Yeah.

-Aw! Well, it's going to mean an awful lot to you.

-Yeah.

-And your mum and dad, so what a trip.

-Yeah.

-What a trip.

We have to hope the swords work for them, then.

-Yes. You've got me nervous now.

-We'll have to wait and see.

-Right, fingers crossed. Ready for this?

-Yeah.

-Here we go.

It's going under the hammer.

Sword two in the lot there. Lot 180 is the number and I'm bid 110.

At 110, the bid at 110.

Any advance on 110? 20. 130. 140.

There you go.

Sold already. Straight in.

150. A bidder at £150. At 150.

At 150, all done now.

£150.

-Short and sweet.

-£150. Well done.

-Really pleased for you.

Really pleased.

And we wish you all the best, Amy Lee, on your trip to Spain.

Barbara, Anita, good luck. Let's stick it to them.

Going under the hammer right now, two silver hat pins. I love these.

They're kind of Art Nouveau and they're very, very fashionable.

Ready for this? Let's put the value to the test. Here we go.

-I've got 40 and five bid.

-We've sold! Yes. We've sold straightaway.

We did stick it to them!

70 at the back of the room. 75 online and 75. 80 bid. 80's at the back.

£80 on the hatpins at 80. Any more now at £80? Five. 85. 90.

No, 85, Internet. £85 on these and we sell, then.

£90. Hasn't finished yet.

All done, then. At £90.

Bang, that's finished. £90.

I thought we might get one more bid then, didn't you?

Well, it doubled the lower estimate. A great result for Barbara.

Now, can we do twice as well with our last lot?

Right now, we really do need to reel in the bidders,

because all the proceeds of the next sale are going towards a new

fly fishing rod for John, who's right next to me. A keen fisherman.

-Definitely.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Trout, salmon?

-Trout, trout.

And sea fishing.

Right now, we're talking about antiques.

We've got two wonderful miniatures painted on ivory going under the hammer.

-We've got a valuation by Nick of £140-180, somewhere around there?

-Yeah, somewhere around there.

We'll be happy with £150.

-They are quality. Good decorator's pieces.

-Absolutely.

-And Adam hasn't split them up.

-No.

-So selling as a pair.

-Yes.

-I think one is a lot stronger than the other.

-Absolutely.

-That's the one to get.

-Yeah!

But look, let's put it to the test, shall we?

Let's find out what the bidders think.

At 135 is this 19th-century English school oval portrait miniature there.

It's gone quiet. It's that tumbleweed movement.

-The tension's building.

-Interest ticking over online.

-Great.

-And we're up to £200.

-Yes, straight in.

-At £210. They are still going.

Yes. As long as we've got that.

240. 240 bid. At 250. At 260.

-Nice lot, this.

-At £260. John is shaking his head.

280 bid. 280 bid.

At £280, at 280.

Any more? 290. At 290. 300. £300 now.

At £300. Any more now at 300? And it's up online at 300.

Any more at 300?

20.

-20! Yes! Late legs.

-Someone's coming in.

-Yeah.

At 340. Any advance again? At £340. Are you all done, 340?

Last chance to bid in the room or online.

Yes! That's what auctions are all about.

That roller coaster ride of highs and lows. £340.

That's a lot more than what we originally said.

Well done, and thank you for bringing them in.

And I'm sure John will be out shopping for his fishing rod

in no time.

Well, there you are. That's it. It's all over and I hope you've enjoyed today's show.

If you've got anything you want to sell,

we would love to do it for you.

Bring your items along to one of our valuation days.

Details of up and coming dates and venues you can find on our website.

Log on to bbc.co.uk/flogit. Follow the links.

All the information will be there and we would love to see you.

Dust them down and bring them in.

But right now, it's goodbye from Liverpool.