Nottingham 8 Flog It!

Today, we're in Nottingham and the temperature is set to rise as we

find out about a famous poet with a reputation for being one of the most

colourful playboys of the 19th century.

I am, of course, talking about Lord Byron.

And this is his family home, Newstead Abbey.

Later on in the program, we'll be finding out that you cannot judge

a book, or a poet, by its cover.

Welcome to Flog it!

In the early 19th century, the young Lord Byron

and poet-in-waiting lived here in Southwell for a short while,

a stone's throw from Southwell Minster.

At a tender age he had already developed an eye for the local

girls, but also it was in and around this small town that he was inspired

to write his first poetry,

the thing that would make him

internationally famous right up to the present day.

And we'll be finding out more about his reputation

for being the great charmer later on in the program

and his connection with Southwell Minster.

But right now, let's hope we can charm this magnificent

crowd into selling their antiques and collectables.

Is all they need is a great valuation from our experts,

-and what are you going to do?

-ALL:

-Flog it!

The crowds are in good fettle today, braving the cold to bring us

hordes of objects.

And our experts, Caroline Hawley

and Michael Baggott, are looking out for the best of the best.

-There you are.

-Thank you.

But some are doing rather better than others.

There we go. Almost running out of stickers.

I've still got my stickers left. Not that there's any competition.

There is no competition. See you later.

Well, a bit of healthy competition never hurt anyone.

On today's show,

will a vesta case with a twist meet Michael's expectations at auction?

There are dealers in London that will fight for that on the day.

-I find a charming piece.

-BIRD CHIRPS

But will my offer be sweet music to Carole's ears?

-Would you sell it for 600?

-No.

-Would you sell it for £3,000?

-His dad might, yeah.

-THEY LAUGH

BIRD CHIRPS MELODICALLY

Byron liked to coin a phrase or two and we've got many to thank him for.

It was Byron who said,

"Truth is always strange, stranger than fiction."

Now, he could have been talking about Flog It! there

with some of our items and our experts' valuations.

Well, as this beautiful nave is now full to the rafters with wonderful

treasures, let's find out what our experts can send off to auction.

So let's hand the proceedings over to them.

And Michael's already got a twinkle in his eye with his first object.

Joan, you've brought my favourite thing in, which is a bit of silver.

-Your favourite?

-Favourite thing.

-That's good.

-Now, we've got this lovely little box.

-Mm-hm.

-And we won't reveal what it is yet.

-But we've got an inscription and a set of hallmarks.

-Yes.

So, is this something that was given to a member of your family in 1897?

I have no idea because it's something that came to me

when my father died.

My grandfather used to collect certain things,

so it may be something he's collected over the years.

And the question is, what is it?

But it's got another surprise first, hasn't it? If we...

-Cos I put it the wrong way up.

-You have indeed.

Look at that.

There's nothing really so effective as silver and enamel together.

We've got this beautiful horse.

And it's champleve enamel,

which means that they've dug into the surface of the silver...

-Oh, wow.

-..and flooded the enamel in.

-And if we open it just by pushing here...

-Yes.

..we've got the vesta compartment. It's for matches.

So, match safes in America, we call them vesta cases over here.

Now, the big name you look for with enamelled vesta cases

-is Sampson Mordan.

-Sampson Mordan.

-And he would do hunting scenes.

He would do very famously sentry box vesta cases with different

-guards in them. This one is by Frederick Elkington...

-Right.

..who was a Birmingham goldsmith but assayed

and retailed a lot of their silver in London.

-Oh, right.

-So, this is hallmark for London, 1897.

Being Elkington, makes it just slightly less desirable

and slightly less commercial.

But you've then got the horse racing interest, which brings it back up.

Yes, OK.

I mean, it's really astounding how these very little,

insignificant boxes have gone up in value.

-Let's say £700 to £1,000.

-SHE GASPS

-And let's put a reserve of £700 on it.

-Wow!

-That good news?

-That...that... You've just stunned me.

-Oh, good.

-Absolutely stunned me.

-Oh, I love stunning people...in a good way.

In a good way, of course.

I think Grandad will be very pleased.

-I imagine he's smiling from ear to ear wherever he is.

-I bet he is.

Yes.

And so is Michael, who couldn't be happier with silver

and enamel in one object.

And I agree, it should do well.

Now, they say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,

but lucky Caroline has four of them.

What a lovely flight of ducks, ladies. Now, who do these belong to?

-They belong to me.

-Right. So, Sue, how have you come by them?

They were left to me by my uncle.

-It was about 15 years ago.

-And do you like them?

Well, I do and I don't.

I think they're quite attractive but my husband absolutely hates them

and he decided to display them in our cellar,

in the games room on the wall where we play darts and table tennis.

-Ah, right.

-So I was afraid that they may get damaged.

They are a set of Beswick ducks, designed and produced between 1938

and 1973. The designer of them was a Mr Watkin.

And if we turn this one over and look at the back, we can see here,

-Beswick, England. And the original hanger to hang it up.

-Yes.

And they were very, very popular and very evocative of a certain period.

Now, do either of you follow Coronation Street?

-Well, I do, yes.

-Do you?

-Yes.

-And do you remember seeing something like this in Coronation Street?

-Yes.

-Do you know whose house these were in?

-Hilda Ogden.

Hilda Ogden, exactly.

And they were just so iconic, really,

and almost a bit of a laugh.

But they're actually quite fashionable now.

And it's unusual to get a set of four in perfect condition.

I've examined them all, there's no breaks.

And over the years I've handled loads of these.

And a lot of them are broken at the wings, the necks,

cos they're quite fragile and you can imagine they fall off the wall

and various things.

Now, they do have a value. Do you have any idea of what sort of value?

-I was thinking about £100.

-You're dead on.

I would give them an estimation for sale between £80

and £120 with a reserve possibly of £80.

-Do you want a reserve on them?

-No.

-No, I'm happy to let them just find their own value.

-That is great.

A confident lady - and you have every right to be confident -

because they WILL get that.

Well, Caroline has all her ducks in a row to sell at the auction.

Now, I've found two more fine feathered friends with a magical

inventive twist.

Well, a little birdie told me there's something I should see here.

And I get what they mean now. Look at this.

-HE CHUCKLES

-Hi, Sue.

-Hello.

-Now, tell me all about this. What do you know about it?

-It belongs to my father-in-law.

-Yeah.

And that's all I know. He had it gave to him.

-Have you done any research on it?

-No. Nothing.

-Can we...?

-Would you like to hear these birds sing, everybody?

-ALL:

-Yes.

Yeah, come on. Wind it up, Sue.

BIRD TWITTERS MELODICALLY

Look at that. Both of them are still working and chirping away.

That's what's important with these type of toys.

My gut feeling is it's French, definitely Continental.

Any idea of its value?

-None whatsoever.

-If I said £200-£300 would you be impressed?

-Yeah.

-Would you sell it?

-No.

-Would you sell it for £600?

-No. No.

-Would you sell it for £3,000?

-His dad might, yeah.

-THEY LAUGH

-It's not worth £3,000.

But I can tell you, I do know for a fact it is worth -

and I can guarantee you - £600.

That's what they sell for in auction with two singing

nightingales like that.

Oh, look, thank you for coming along.

-Go on, wind it up one more time.

-All right, then.

BIRD TWITTERS

I think that deserves a round of applause, don't you?

We get lots of people coming on to the show just to get a valuation,

not to sell. But that doesn't matter.

Just seeing that gilded cage has made my day.

Now, Michael's got the real thing - a table laden with gold.

-David, or shall I call you Midas?

-Midas?

Because look what's on the table today. This is fantastic.

Where on earth did all of this come from?

My great-grandfather, once he died it was passed to my grandfather,

then in turn passed to my mother and then she's passed it to me.

And you don't have a waistcoat or need to tell time?

I had it on my wedding day and then it's been locked away.

Yeah. You know, that's so often the story. If we look at them...

We'll look at the watches first because these are the fun

objects for me. We've got the Elgin watch company.

And we should open it up.

-And we've got a full set of hallmarks there for Chester.

-Right.

-Really nice that it's an 18-carat gold case.

-Oh.

It makes a big difference.

-And we've got the date letter, which is for 1920.

-Oh.

If we look at the movement... There we go.

Beautifully machined,

but a pretty standard watch movement from the 1920s.

It's not a repeater, it's not a chronometer.

-It doesn't do anything bells and whistles.

-It tells the time.

A timepiece, that's all you want.

We've got the little lady's fob watch there.

And of course that's beautifully engraved.

And then of course we've got the watch chain to go with it.

We've got the sovereigns here.

Basically got four full sovereigns and one half sovereign.

That one was nice because it's got a little

-'S' on the bottom for the Sydney mints.

-Oh, right.

So it's a little Australian-struck sovereign.

But they all have a set value, week-on-week,

month-on-month in the sale room.

And then we've got this wonderful watch chain here, which is 18 carat.

And then we've got the sovereign at the end,

a little Edwardian sovereign. It is, sadly, by weight and by value.

And we've weighed all of these

and we've worked out exactly where they are.

We leave a little bit of margin in with an estimate because between our

valuation day and the auction house, we don't know if it's going to...

You could do well, you could do 5% better, you could do 2% worse.

And that's how gold goes. But it's pretty even at the moment.

-Um, that little group, £500-£800.

-Oh.

-And I think a reserve of £450.

We've got the sovereigns here.

We're in the region of £600-£800, £600-£900 for those as a group.

-You're joking.

-No. No. No. And this, this is lovely.

I mean, I would hate to think that anyone would melt that down.

But again, we're looking at £1,000-£1,500 for that.

And again, £950 as a reserve.

-Let's hope the gold price stays up.

-Goes up.

THEY LAUGH

-And hopefully they'll all go. But won't you miss them now?

-No. No. No.

Basically I've got seven grandchildren.

So whatever the total is on the day, we've got to divide it by seven.

-That's right.

-I'll bring my calculator. It won't be a problem.

-Thanks so much for coming in.

-Brilliant. Lovely. Thank you.

Seven's a lucky number,

so let's hope that horde tempts the gold lovers.

Well, there you are, our experts have been working flat-out.

The day is half gone

and we've found three items to take off to the sale room.

And here's a quick recap just to jog your memory, in case

you've forgotten, of all the items that are going under the hammer.

Starting with Joan's bijou enamel and silver vesta case.

Carole's counting on those Beswick ducks to create a soap opera

drama at auction.

And will David sell enough of his treasures to divvy up the winnings

seven ways for his grandchildren?

Our auction today is in the city of Nottingham,

about 15 miles from Southwell, home to the Medieval castle

and now a museum and art gallery.

And today, we've come to the sale rooms of Mellors & Kirk,

which is a stone's throw from the castle.

Now, hopefully, our experts will be able to defend their valuations

here at auction.

And don't forget, there's commission to pay when you sell here.

It's 15% plus VAT.

And the man on the rostrum today is Nigel Kirk,

who's about to get going with our first lot, those very kitsch ducks.

We've got the ducks. Unfortunately we don't have the owners. We don't have Sue and Carole.

But we do have with us right now Sue's daughter, Heather.

-And it's great to see you, it really is.

-And you.

-So, do you like these ducks? No?

-Not particularly.

-Been on the wall?

They've been on the wall for a very, very long time, yes.

-I'm not a big fan of Beswick, I must admit. But these things do go.

-Yes.

A lot of people out there collect it

-and they're really serious about Beswick.

-Yeah.

They're very iconic. They're sort of...

-It's Hilda Ogden that immortalised them, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Drives you quackers.

-Absolutely.

-SHE QUACKS

-So you don't mind selling these, do you?

-No. Absolutely not.

No. Right. Let's put them to the test, shall we?

Let's find out what they're worth. Here we go.

NIGEL KIRK: Four Beswick graduated flying mallard wall plaques.

-£50 for them? Is bid. At 50, 60.

-That chap wants them there.

-Yes, he does.

-Wow.

-This guy there, he's serious.

-People do want them.

120. 130. 140.

150. 160. 170.

170 I'm bid. 180 for them? At £170 in the room.

< Selling at £170.

-Ducks are on the bill. £170. Well done.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much.

-Tell your mum, won't you?

-Give her the good news.

-I certainly will.

And her and Caroline will be off spending the money on more days out.

Hilda Ogden would be pleased.

Going under the hammer right now,

possibly one of my favourite lots of the whole day.

I absolutely love horses. This one's a real thoroughbred.

It's on a little silver vesta case. It belongs to Joan.

It's great to see you again as well.

Made by the silversmith Elkington, Birmingham-based.

Well, it's a novelty, London marked. He worked in London and Birmingham.

The only thing that might hold it back today is because these

things are so valuable they're heavily faked. This isn't.

But if there's an internet bidder who can't handle it,

-he probably isn't keen enough to buy it.

-I'm sure this will find a home.

-If people handle this, they won't want to put it down.

-Exactly.

-That's the key to it. They have to view it.

-Really?

You cannot look at an image on a computer.

-We'll find out what it's worth. Ready?

-Wow.

-Here we go.

Let's put it to the test.

Lot 145 is the Victorian silver and enamel matchbox. £400 for it.

I'm bid. 400. 420 I'll take.

420. 450. 480. 500.

And 50. 550.

£550.

-Just stumbling, aren't we? Yeah.

-550.

Fell at the first fence.

-I had an inkling.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-I had an inkling.

Just because you could go online tomorrow

and you could see 20 of those, all fake.

Yours is absolutely genuine.

What a shame.

But that beautiful vesta case is bound to make it past the winning

post on another day. Will Michael have better luck with our third lot?

It's time for David's collection of golden goodies going in as three

separate lots, starting with the coins.

I believe, three sovereigns and one half sovereign.

You came to the right man.

And I bet Michael explained the whole thing about the bullion market

-and the scrap value, did he?

-He did. He was very good. Very good.

We are going to test that scrap value market today.

-I try to stay away from the word 'scrap'.

-OK.

-'Bullion' is better, isn't it?

-Melt. How about 'melt'?

I mean, the other thing to remember is one of them is Australian.

-Sometimes these coins do have a value as coins.

-An intrinsic value.

So you have to check that out first.

But I'm afraid here we're dealing with a lump of gold.

Let's find out, shall we, how the bullion market is today?

We're looking at a fixed reserve of £550. I believe that hasn't shifted.

Let's put it to the test.

NIGEL KIRK: Three sovereigns and a half sovereign.

And £400 for this lot I am bid.

And 20. 450, 480. 480 is the bid.

500 now. 500. 550 for them. 550, 600.

650 for you? £600, a commission bid.

-650 on line. £650.

-650?

-An investor.

-An investor.

-700 anywhere else? At £650 I shall sell online.

£650 on line. You might be right. Could have gone to Australia.

-That wasn't going to scrap.

-No. No. That was interesting.

-You'd be happy with that.

-Brilliant, yeah.

Going under the hammer now, a little bit of a mixed lot - watches

and chains.

Let's put this to the test. Here we go.

£300 for this lot is bid.

And 20, 350 for them. 350 I am bid. 380.

400. 420, madam. 450, sir?

450 is bid. 480 for it?

At £450. 480 for them? Selling. At £450.

£450, the hammer's gone down. Good work.

-We worked the scrap out on the day and that's what it came to.

-Yeah.

The running total so far is £1,100.

Can David better that and treat all seven of his grandchildren?

NIGEL KIRK: 18-carat gold Albert mounted with a sovereign,

together with a gold key fob.

-And £1,000.

-There we go. Straight in.

-That's brilliant.

-Brilliant.

-1,300. £1,200.

The bid is with me. 1,300 in the room. 1,300. 1,400 for it?

-At £1,300, a room bid. And I sell at £1,300.

-Brilliant.

That was short and sweet. Blink and you'll miss that one. £1,300.

-Absolutely brilliant.

-You're a very happy man, aren't you?

-I'm very happy, yes.

-Well, enjoy it and don't forget,

-treat all those grandchildren.

-Will do.

-That's fantastic.

A total of £2,400. What a great result.

David's grandkids will be very, very happy.

Well, so far so good.

That concludes our first visit to the sale room today.

And that was exciting but it could get even better later on,

so don't go away.

Now, the stately home Newstead Abbey is not far from here.

And it was once home to the Lord Byron family for nearly 300 years.

Byron famous for his poetry and his philandering.

Some say he racked up hundreds of lovers.

But there was more to the man than meets the eye as I discovered

when I explored Newstead Abbey while we were filming here.

George Gordon Byron, born in 1788, became the sixth Lord Byron

and the owner of Newstead Abbey at the age of just 10.

Now, imagine inheriting this as a 10-year-old boy.

But it wasn't until 1808,

when Byron was 21 years old, that he finally took up residence here.

Now, the problem was there was no money to go with these fine surroundings.

So Byron did what any attractive 21-year-old would do,

he made it his bachelor's pad.

As well as being a poet, Byron was a good-time guy

and a magnet for both men and women who would come and stay here.

Byron would throw lavish parties.

His pals would dress as monks while Byron himself dressed as the abbot.

Curator Heidi Jackson has been looking after the Newstead Abbey

collection here, owned by Nottingham City Council, for nearly 30 years.

What did this place mean to Byron?

It must have appeared to him like an enormous gothic Wendy house.

-He certainly had fun here.

-Yeah. It was a playhouse really, wasn't it?

-A playhouse.

-Let's face it.

And he also venerated it as the home of his ancestors.

He knew everything about the history of this place and his family.

-Did it inspire him to write here?

-Oh, yes, he loved the place.

He enjoyed playing here. But he also came here to write.

He was not to be disturbed when he was in his study.

If the door opened, he would put his hand up

-and whoever was in the doorway would know not to bother him.

-Yeah.

-Let's talk about him as the great lover.

-Oh, gosh.

-That reputation as a philanderer.

-Yes. Yes. Yes.

-It's a well-known reputation.

-Yeah.

-I don't know.

The more tender side of Byron isn't so often referred to.

He was always falling in love, right from boyhood,

right from the age of eight.

I think he said his heart always needed to alight on the nearest perch.

-Aww.

-And he was very tender.

-And very charismatic.

-Very charismatic, but also very caring.

-And an intelligent guy.

-Oh, yes.

-I think that's obviously the attraction, isn't it?

-Yes.

He attracted people like a magnet.

Well, he had extraordinary personal beauty. He had a beautiful face.

He had an athletic body because he was quite a sportsman

and a brilliant mind, also a wicked sense of humour.

Also he was affectionate and caring.

-He sounds like the chap that we all want to know.

-Oh, yes.

Yes, quite a catch really.

But, as I say, he was always, always falling in love,

and usually with the wrong person, often with a married woman.

And then running away from it.

Well, yes, having to extricate himself from a...mmm, difficult situation.

Byron would escape from his amorous adventures in London to the freedom

and the solitude of Newstead.

And when he wanted to be alone he would climb these stairs.

And up into this secluded bedroom.

And this is in fact Byron's bed that he brought from Cambridge.

And by the side of the bed he kept a loaded pistol.

And you can see it there.

It's said he always kept a pistol nearby

whenever he stayed at Newstead in case he upset anybody.

In fact, one of his lovers, Lady Caroline Lamb, is quoted as saying,

"Byron was mad, bad and dangerous to know."

And I think that proves her point.

Clearly men and women came and went in Byron's life.

But there was one relationship which seemed to try his patience more than most.

Let's talk about his mother

-because that was also a difficult relationship.

-Yes. Yes, it was.

They loved each other to bits but they fought like cats and dogs.

And he referred to his mother's diabolical disposition.

She did have a fiery temper and they did spend a great

deal of his adolescence fighting with each other.

No wonder, though, he was always playing truant from school.

He was running up enormous debts,

borrowing lots of money from money lenders and plotting the seduction

of all the local ladies, young ladies in Southwell, and dedicating

-to them some of the raciest poems produced by a young man.

-Gosh.

-No wonder. No wonder she was...

-No wonder the mother was livid.

-Yes.

She was just...

On one occasion, she is said to have thrown a poker at him.

But the poor woman, she really was worried to distraction by his

'scrapes', as he called them.

You know, I have sympathy for Mrs Byron. Very much so.

Like any young lord at the time, Byron loved to travel

and took a trip to the Near East.

He was away for two years,

but when he returned home he received bad news.

His mother was desperately ill

and sadly passed away before Byron could get back to see her.

At the age of 23 he felt the loss deeply.

He couldn't even face up to going to her funeral.

Instead, whilst that was taking place,

he took part in a boxing match right here in this very room.

Despite their differences he thought of his mother as his great friend.

And he continued to miss her right up until his dying day.

In 1812, just a few months after her death, Byron published the poem

Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and he became an overnight success.

Or, as he put it, "I awoke one morning and found myself famous."

But in his personal life he was to exchange one troubled

relationship for another.

In 1815, it seemed Byron had put his wild past behind him.

He married Annabella Milbanke.

But as they say, you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

His dalliances continued.

And disgusted, Annabella left him for good,

taking with her their five-week-old daughter Ada.

The deed of separation was signed on the 21st April in 1816.

And four days later, with spiralling debts and creditors chasing him,

Byron left England for good.

The scandal drove him out of London's high society

and into self-imposed exile abroad.

It's a depressing chapter in Byron's life,

his daughter taken away from him forever by an embittered mother.

Lady Byron denied Ada all knowledge of her father.

She wasn't even allowed access to look at the family portraits of him.

But there is an astonishing outcome to this story.

Byron's adult daughter, Ada Lovelace, now married,

became an incredibly successful computer scientist,

credited as being the first computer programmer,

which was a big achievement for a woman back in the day.

Ironically she puts that success down to her ability to combine

science with poetry,

which is a brilliant tribute to her father, Byron.

Ada never met her father.

But after he died in 1824, she did visit Newstead Abbey.

She fell in love with the place and the father she had never known

so she made an extraordinary decision to be buried beside him

in the family tomb at the little church of Hucknall,

just up the road from Newstead.

So, was Byron capable of finding true love

and feeling love with a big heart?

Well, this monument has the answer

because on it there's an inscription which reads,

"Near this Spot are deposited the Remains of one who possessed Beauty

"without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity

"and all the virtues of Man without his Vices."

That inscription and monument is a testament to his dog, Boatswain -

man's best friend, his beautiful Newfoundland,

a companion for five years - who was sadly bitten by a rabid dog.

Now, rather than have Boatswain put down, Byron nursed him right up

until the day he died, without any fear of being bitten himself.

So that tells me one thing - it tells me Byron did find true love.

We know about the fact that he was an unreliable lover.

We know the fact that he was an awkward son and a disloyal husband.

But, boy, did that man have one big whopping heart.

And there it is, look. He loved his dogs.

Welcome back to our valuation day, just a few

miles from Newstead Abbey to the equally dramatic Southwell Minster.

This place is absolutely magnificent.

And we're having a brilliant time here.

It's still jam-packed full of people.

And the area I'm standing in right now, here,

is known as our holding bay.

This is where our off-screen experts are working hard away,

researching items that might hit those Flog It! valuation tables.

And also working hard today are our experts onscreen.

So let's now catch up with them

and see what else we can find to take off to auction.

Roman, Mark, thank you so much for bringing in this little brooch.

It's quite a feminine thing. So where did it come from?

-Where did you get it from?

-MARK:

-Well, I used to buy gold and silver.

-And this was something that I got in the lot.

-So it just came with?

-With, yes.

-And what was it sold as at the time?

It was sold as silver because it wasn't hallmarked.

But the lady, I offered £50 to... £60 I paid for it.

-I'm pretty sure it was £60 I paid for it.

-Right.

-Well, for a silver brooch, that's quite a strong price.

-Yes. Yeah.

-Do you think your dad did well at £50-£60?

-Uh, yeah. It's quite good.

I think he did as well.

I've had a look at it under an eye glass.

And the thing that only marginally concerns me

-is the 'silver' is wearing away at the edges.

-OK.

And this can mean one of two things.

It can mean it's a piece of costume jewellery that's been silvered.

But also if you're using white gold, white gold in and of itself with

-the gold content is actually quite a muddy grey colour.

-Yeah.

And when you make a piece of jewellery you rhodium plate it.

And I think what's happened in this case is we've got something

-that's 18-carat white gold.

-Right. OK. Yeah.

And the rhodium plating has started to wear.

But then we look at the stones that are set in and the style.

I mean, it's screaming Art Deco. I mean, at the top of its lungs.

You've got all of this angular millegrain setting,

very finely done.

And you've got that beautiful central stone that's set

basically at 90 degrees as a square. It's such a beautiful thing.

And I'm reasonably sure, again,

without a diamond tester, that it's diamonds.

-They're diamonds. OK. Yeah.

-That transforms its value.

-Oh, right.

-Um, any idea what it might be worth, Roman?

-Uh, 100.

-100?

I'll give you the £100 in a moment. That's a deal.

MARK CHUCKLES

-Dad, any idea?

-Well, I valued it at around 250.

-250.

-Yeah.

As a good-looking piece of jewellery I think you were very sensible.

And I think what we'll do is we'll put £400-£600 at the auction.

-And we'll put a fixed reserve of £350.

-Yeah, that's...

It's a lovely thing. Thank you both so much for bringing it in.

-Nicest bit of jewellery I've seen all day.

-Oh, fantastic.

-It's our pleasure. Thank you.

-Thank you. All right, Roman?

# Wearing baubles, bangles and beads. #

Diamonds and gold should bring out the romantic in someone

when this goes to auction.

Now, what's Caroline found?

-What a beautiful mirror, Lorna.

-Yes.

-How did you come by this?

Well, my husband used to go out at lunchtime

and sort of going around antique shops and that sort of thing.

He just loved that sort of thing.

And it was one of the things that he bought and brought home.

How nice. I wish I had a husband that went out shopping for beautiful

-things at lunchtime.

-Yes, he did all sorts of things like that.

-He loved it.

-Well, it's silver, as you know.

If we pick this up and look at the back of it,

it has in fact been an easel mirror,

so it will have had a wooden strut attached here.

So, it would have stood on a dressing table on this wooden strut.

And then this strut has been replaced by these brackets,

which now enable it to be hung on the wall.

-It was like that when I got it.

-Was it?

And have you had it on the wall, then?

Yes, I've had it always on the wall.

So it's been changed to that.

But if we look at the mirror again,

we can see the bits of damage here where it's been polished.

-I hadn't noticed that.

-But can you see it's worn through?

-Oh, right.

And that's due to the softness of the metal, of the silver.

Had it not been pure silver,

-it would have looked yellow or something.

-Yeah, exactly.

If it was just plated,

A, it wouldn't have worn through like that into holes.

And it would have shown the base metal through.

But this is solid silver.

And that hallmark tells us the lion passant for British sterling silver,

the wheat sheafs for Chester and the capital A, which dates it to 1901.

That was clever of you to find that. I looked and looked.

We're used to looking for them.

And they tend to be tucked away in places like that.

Well, thank you very much for bringing it.

-And I think at auction it would get between £120 and £160.

-Good. Good.

Well, that would be softening the blow of losing it.

-Oh, yes. And if we put a reserve on it of, say, £100...

-Yes, good.

-..and I'm sure it'll fly away to a new home.

-Good.

-Thank you, Lorna.

While the experts are looking for the final piece de resistance,

I'm off to see how Byron left his mark at our valuation day venue.

When Byron was a young teenager living in Southwell,

he struck up a friendship with the girl next door.

And her name was Elizabeth Pigot.

As youngsters, they spent many hours together.

And in fact it was Elizabeth who was first to recognise his talents

as a writer. And she encouraged him to write poetry.

As youngsters, they sent letters to each other,

but eventually lost touch as Byron moved abroad.

Now, there's something I want to show you,

and it's a grave just down there.

Now, this is the grave of Elizabeth Pigot.

And in the last few years of her life,

she spent all that time putting together all the possessions

she had that were associated with her great friend, Byron.

And it's said that her dying wish was to be buried with his letters.

And I just hope that happened.

Now, we all know Byron had a wonderful

reputation as one of the greatest lovers on the planet.

But he also had a few very dear, close friends.

And I dare say Elizabeth was his closest.

So, back to our final valuation of the day from Michael,

who's found one of his favourite things.

Hugh, Marilyn, thank you

so much for bringing along what we love to see on Flog It!

which is a little bit of tribal art, a little bit of ethnographica.

This is a very impressive club or staff.

What provenance have you got with it? Where did it come from?

Well, I was given it by an aged aunt about 50 years ago.

And I must confess I don't know the history of where it came from.

I was just asked if I'd like it and I said yes.

You said yes. I think I'd say yes if somebody asked me if I liked it.

If we look at it, we've got a carved hardwood staff

-and this would have been carved in New Zealand.

-Yeah.

It's a Maori staff.

We've got shell used to inlay the eyes.

And we've got that decoration continued down the shaft on both sides.

I mean, we have lost pieces of mother-of-pearl,

but encouragingly that means they've been glued in and were there long

enough for the glue to dry and for the piece to fall out.

-So that again implies age.

-Right.

And if you're going back 50, 60 years, you're certainly at a period

when these things were not faked.

We now have to determine is it an authentic piece

used by indigenous people?

Or is it something carved for sale to Europeans?

I think it's amazingly decorative.

If it was a ceremonial piece, it would be incredibly high-status,

-something a chieftain would have used.

-Right.

It's certainly, I would think, no later than 1920.

There just seemed to be rather a lot of work gone into it for a tourist item.

But amazingly, the tourist items were the most decorative

-because that's what the Europeans would pay for.

-Right.

But having said that, it comes down to value.

-Have you any idea what the value might be on it?

-No idea.

I think, let's put it in at...

I can't say...I can't say less than £200. So, let's say £200 to £400.

A fixed reserve of £200. Thank you so much for bringing it in.

It's going to be an education for me when it sells at the auction.

-Thanks for your help.

-Thank you for your advice.

-Pleasure.

-Thank you.

We all know how notoriously difficult it is to value

ethnographica, like the spear,

so it's going to be a case of bidders determine the value.

Our experts have now found their final items,

so it's time to say goodbye to Southwell Minster, our magnificent

host venue for today as we head off to auction for the last time.

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

Mark's classy Art Deco brooch has all the hallmarks of a high seller.

Lorna's intricately carved silver mirror should bring her the fairest price.

And will the buyers recognise the quality of this early Maori club?

We're back at the auction house where the sale is well under way

and it's time for our first item to go under the hammer.

Right. Our next lot is a cut above the rest.

It's got quality and class stamped all over it.

It's an Art Deco brooch. I love it. In fact, we all love it.

Mark, why are you selling it?

It's just been sat around for four, five years. Just been looking at it.

And the wife, has she been looking at it, thinking, "Actually..."?

-Yeah, it's nice but she's never worn it.

-OK.

-It's good to see you again, Roman. What's your name?

-Sahara.

-Right.

I tell you what, it's half-term, isn't it?

-So, what's it like having a bit of time off school? Good?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

And you've come to the auction with Dad today.

-Hey, is he going to treat you?

-Hopefully, yeah.

-Hopefully.

-Yeah.

I tell you what. I'll ask you when the hammer goes down, OK?

All right, here we go. We're putting it to the test.

NIGEL KIRK: Art Deco diamond brooch.

And £250 for it is asked, and bid. At 250.

280 for it? 280. 300.

And 20. 320.

350. 380. At 350, in the room.

At £350. Fair warning.

I thought that would fly. Hey, it's gone. Dad sold it. £350. OK?

Where's the money going, Dad?

It's Roman's birthday at the weekend,

-so we'll give him a little treat.

-Brilliant.

-And Sahara a little treat as well.

-How much?

THEY CHUCKLE

That's to be negotiated at home, I would imagine.

Now, there's one canny customer.

And we'll look out for her on the show in the future.

Next, it's Lorna's early 19th-century ornate silver mirror.

-Lorna, good luck. Good luck.

-Thank you.

120 to 160, somewhere around there.

Hopefully that's a true reflection of this next item.

-You've guessed it, yes, that wonderful mirror.

-Yeah, it's lovely.

-It's missing its strut at the back.

-Doesn't matter.

-It's been on the wall.

-That would be too heavy, I think.

-It would be heavy.

-It's better on the wall.

-Yeah, I think so.

-And I'm sure it'll do even more. Fingers crossed.

-I think so.

-That's what we'd like, wouldn't we?

-Yes, we would.

-Yeah? Ready for this?

-Yes.

-OK, here we go. This is it.

NIGEL KIRK: Dressing mirror.

-£50 for it? 50 I am bid. At £50.

-This is good.

-This is a really nice piece.

-70 anywhere?

-It's big.

60. £70. 80, 90, 100.

110, 120. 130, madam.

-There's a lady bidding for it in the back row.

-140, sir. 150.

Gentleman's bid at 140. 150 to you. 160.

Back with the lady with the glasses.

170. 180, 190.

-(She's just over there bidding.)

-200.

-(She's keen.)

-220.

< 220. 250. 280.

-280.

-My goodness.

250, the gentleman's bid. Selling at £250.

£250. Yes.

Brilliant result. Brilliant result. Worth every penny as well.

£100 over the estimate, not bad for a well-worn mirror.

Now for our final lot of the day, the Maori staff.

And it's one of those lots that could just get very exciting.

Right now going under the hammer we've got some ethnographica,

as they say - tribal art and artefacts.

This one belongs to Hugh and Marilyn.

It's that wonderful Maori spear.

They can fetch surprisingly good results, can't they?

MICHAEL: Really, you just have to put a low estimate on

and see what the dealers and the collectors make of it on the day.

-Well, look, good luck.

-HUGH:

-Thank you.

There's a few other lots here,

so hopefully the collectors will be here. This is it.

It's the Maori fighting spear, or staff. £200 for this lot I am bid.

-At 200.

-Straight in.

-Good.

At 250. 280. 280. 300. 300. 320. 350. 350?

-Bidding at the back of the room.

-380. 380. 400. 400.

-This is good.

-Yeah.

-450. 480.

480? 450 I am bid. 480, 500. 550?

550 from Australia. 550, 600.

From Australia.

650 for it. 650 I'll take. 650. 700. 700 for it?

-Wow, Hugh.

-At 650 online.

700 do I see now? At 650. 700. 750. 750, 800.

800 for it?

At 750 I am bid. 800 in three places in the room. 850. 850.

-800 from three places.

-This is what we like. This is a proper auction.

This really is. Everyone wants it.

950, a room bid. 950, you're out online. At £950, I sell.

-Yes! What a great result.

-Very good.

-You did the right thing, Michael.

-I knew it had something about it.

-You did, didn't you?

Yeah, it looked a little bit better

than a sort of touristy, 19th century, didn't it? There was something about it.

When you handle it - and this is it with tribal -

-when you handle it, it had a lot of good features about it.

-Mmm.

There was a lot of hard work that went into it.

-You've got to be happy with that, Marilyn.

-Very happy.

-Very happy.

What a lovely surprise. And what a wonderful way to end today's show

here in Nottinghamshire, a county steeped in history.

We thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope you have as well.

Join us for many more surprises in another auction room.

But until then, from Mellors & Kirk, it's goodbye.