Bedfordshire 34 Flog It!

So here's a question for you.

What has this paper mill here in Hemel Hampstead

and the French Revolution got in common?

Well, a lot more than you may think.

All will be revealed later on in the programme. Welcome to "Flog It!".

Today's show comes to you from the east of England,

and later on we'll be finding out how this mill became

the birthplace of paper's Industrial Revolution.

A few miles due north, and also no stranger to innovation,

it was only a few years later that our valuation day venue,

Wrest Park, was built.

The vision of one man, Thomas Earl de Grey -

he created Wrest Park in the 1830s.

Unusually, he picked an 18th-century French style,

which today makes it an exceptional rarity.

Apparently when constructing this house,

Thomas de Grey carried around with him

three books on French architecture for inspiration.

And just look what an amateur architect

has managed to achieve. It's absolutely outstanding.

Well, our experts' job here today is to find out what

the good folk of Bedfordshire are clutching in their hands.

The best items will go off to auction,

where hopefully they will make a small fortune. Isn't that right?

ALL: Yeah!

Of course, we've got to find them first.

So it'll be no surprise to learn that every bag and box

in the queue is being positively plundered

by expert Christina Trevanion.

Hello, hello, everybody. Ooh, this looks good.

Ooh, fab. Oh, wow!

Sweet. Oh, my goodness.

But Christina's got competition from the ever-friendly David Harper.

Hello, everybody. Hello. What have we got?

I'm looking for wild and wacky and funky.

And he's just as inquisitive.

What on earth is that?

Royal Doulton, my gosh, look at that.

The kind of things that you come across in this business,

it's absolutely bonkers, isn't it? Eh?

But such enthusiasm can lead to territorial behaviour

over potential booty.

There's nothing in this box, David.

I'm very intrigued, because I can see the look in your eyes.

-LAUGHTER

-Get my stickers out.

-Hang on a minute.

You're mine, you're mine, you're mine!

I think we'd better break these two up before it leads to fisticuffs.

Let's get everybody down to the formal lawns

where we'll be holding our valuations today.

And while our off-screen experts start gearing up

and our crew do their final checks,

let's give you a sneak preview of what's coming up in the show.

Today, our experts seem to have the wrong end of the stick.

Christina's encouraging Kevin to keep it, not flog it.

-I don't use it or anything, and it's been up in the loft for quite a few years.

-What do you mean?

You could put your barometer in your top pocket.

-HE LAUGHS

-How can you not use that?

And David Harper forgets he's supposed to be the expert.

What on earth, Binnie, is that?

Don't ask me! THEY LAUGH

But will their predictions come good at the auction?

Come on.

-Ready... Ready, ready. Sold!

-Yes, sold!

I can't wait to see.

-Having a good time, everybody?

-ALL: Yes!

Yes, what a turnout we've got.

This really is sort of the great British summer time.

We just need strawberries and cream.

We've got the antiques, we've got the experts. Right now,

we need to find out what's hiding in all of these bags and boxes.

So let's hand the proceedings over to Christina with her first item.

Kevin, other than David Harper's trousers,

you certainly win the prize for being the brightest here today.

-You're like a little ray of sunshine.

-Thank you very much.

-What on earth are you wearing?

-It's a shirt that a friend did for me

made out of all tickets from some early punk rock gigs.

-Have you still got the tickets?

-A lot of the tickets, yeah.

-Cos those'll be worth quite a bit of money now, won't they?

-I'm sure they will, yeah.

-Anyway, you've not come to me with tickets.

-No, I haven't.

-You've come to me with a barometer.

-I have.

Tell me about this. Where's it come from?

Well, it was a present from my gran.

I believe originally it was part of a pair, there was a clock as well.

-Right.

-It's a silver case, and apart from that

-I don't really know anything about it at all.

-OK.

Let's have a little closer look at it.

So we've got a lovely hallmark on the bottom here, which tells us...

We've got the lion passant there, which is the standard for sterling silver.

We've got the date letter Y and the town assay office for Birmingham.

Cos the anchor was Birmingham. Now, Y tells us...

1899 was Z, so 1898 must be Y.

And LE, which is the maker's mark for Lawrence Emanuel.

OK? So we know that that is a sterling silver covered case.

Let's open it up and see what happens inside.

So we've got this lovely, what we call a Goliath travelling...

Basically a pocket watch. This is actually a barometer, in this case,

-but you do get Goliath watches as well.

-That's right, yeah.

And at the moment, it's between rain and change, so I'm a little bit concerned. We'd better be quick.

-I think it might be raining tonight, yeah.

-Do you think?

Oh, my goodness, Kevin. OK, we'd better be very quick.

So really, your main value is not so much in the barometer,

but it's in the case. They do appear on the market quite regularly,

it's not a particularly rare thing.

But having said that, they are quite sought after

-when they do appear on the market.

-Good.

-I mean, what are your expectations?

-I thought perhaps about £100.

-OK.

-Something along those lines.

That sounds sort of slightly top end, as far as I'm concerned.

-I think probably £60 to £100, with a firm reserve at 60.

-Yes.

-What are your thoughts?

-Yes. Yeah.

-Yeah? Are you happy at that?

-Cos I don't use it or anything, and it's been up in the loft for quite a few years.

-What do you mean?

You could put your barometer in your top pocket.

-How could you not use that?

-Be ideal, wouldn't it?

It will tell you your personal weather forecast. Like having Carol Kirkwood in your pocket.

-I mean, it's been in the loft for probably 20 years now.

-Oh, has it?

-It has, yeah.

-Fair enough. Well, I'll tell you what,

-let's find somebody who will appreciate it and love it.

-That's right, yeah. That's it.

And hopefully it will be fair and very dry on the day of the auction.

-Let's hope so.

-Let's hope so. Thanks so much for bringing it in.

Thank you very much.

Well, there's clearly something in the air today,

because Kevin's not the only one dressed to impress.

The beautiful grounds here at Wrest seem a fitting backdrop

for Judy and Mary's sartorial elegance.

I've got to tell you, you two, I absolutely adore Clarice Cliff.

But I adore the way you two look even more.

You look fantastic. What's it all about?

I started to collect clothes about ten years ago,

and with a group of friends who are scattered about the countryside,

my friend Mary lives close, we do events

like 1940s country houses events, or the railways,

and we just dress up in the era and enjoy ourselves.

OK. And do you also like the 1920s and the '30s?

-I love the 1930s.

-Really? So that Art Deco period?

It's not long after the First World War - you know,

Deco started 1925 as kind of a kneejerk reaction

to all the devastation that's gone on before,

and then we get this colour and the geometric shapes.

That, to me, is stunningly modern even now, isn't it?

And made by one of the most respected and revered

potters, painters of the 20th century, Clarice Cliff.

Born in 1899, the final days of the Victorian period, in poverty.

At the age of about 13, she went into the potteries,

as all girls did, living in and around Stoke, and started painting.

But Clarice would go to one department

and would master a particular type of painting,

and then she'd beg to be put into another department.

She wanted to learn. And the result is, everybody seems to love it.

And suddenly, Clarice Cliff is elevated to her own studio

and out comes that range in 1927.

Now, I know it's not yours, Mary, but would you like to own it?

I think it's lovely.

-And yes, I would like to own it, but it's not mine to say.

-No.

-It's Judy's.

-And Judy, where did it come from?

It came from my mother,

and I know that she bought it for six pence

from the local jumble sale, and I think it was in the mid-1960s.

-OK.

-And it stood on what we called the top landing

-with a plant in it on top of a chest of drawers for decades.

-Oh, my gosh.

Well, I can see that it's had a plant in there,

because it's lost all of its colour and decoration, really, hasn't it?

If we were to send that to auction in its state,

you've got to be very sensible.

£40 to £60, £50 to £70, that kind of range.

-How would you feel about that?

-That's fine.

Cos I'm not going to put this one out on display,

and I'd like to sell it and buy a rose tree,

or a couple of rose trees, cos my parents both love gardening,

-I love gardening.

-OK.

And I would see that more often than I see this at the moment,

-which is in the cupboard.

-OK. Shall we go 40 to 60?

-Yes, that's fine.

And shall we let it go for whatever it'll make, its market price,

-or do you want to protect it with a reserve?

-£40.

-£40.

-With a bit of discretion?

-Yes, absolutely.

-Well done. Marvellous.

-And I hope you're both coming to the auction?

-We are.

And I hope you're both going to be looking as gorgeous

-and elegant as you are now.

-We'll do our best.

-And I'll do the same.

-Lovely. Thank you.

-Thank you very much indeed.

Well, I look forward to seeing that.

In the meantime, the main dress code here today is sunhats and shades,

as it's turning out to be a scorcher.

Hm, I know what's missing.

Well, the temperature's rising,

so I've decided to lay on a few refreshments.

HE LAUGHS

How about that?

-Ice creams, everybody?

-THEY CHEER

Your favourite lolly is here!

What a treat - just the ticket for keeping everybody cool today.

And talking of cool, Christina's next item

has been on a journey to a very cold climate.

Ian, I have to be honest,

normally a pair of silver-plated asparagus servers

would not make it onto my table. Tell me about them.

Basically, they went on the Australian Antarctic expedition.

-So there's the penguin and the AAE.

-Look at that!

-Now that was between 1911 and 1914, wasn't it?

-That's right.

Which at that point was really just seen as a bit of a no man's land,

-wasn't it?

-That's right.

-It was just so hard to get to,

and such a sort of hostile environment,

that it was really quite a risk going out there, wasn't it?

So the fact that these little chaps have got AAE and the penguin there

is absolutely fascinating. And it's really quite bizarre to think

that they would have taken a pair of asparagus servers on an expedition.

I know! Don't forget the asparagus. THEY LAUGH

-Just in case.

-That's right.

-Just in case.

So how on earth have they come into your possession?

-These are as rare as hen's teeth.

-My father was given them.

He went to Pangbourne, British nautical college,

-and the chief executive officer was a chap called John Blair.

-Right, OK.

-He gave them to my father.

-So how did he get them?

-Was he on the expedition?

-He was on the Australian expedition,

-and I believe he was on the British expedition as well.

-Oh, my goodness.

Well, I mean, I'm quite sort of blown away by these.

To think that they've been so far

in such an important part of maritime history -

not just maritime history, but geology, glaciology,

really important discoveries,

scientific discoveries that they made - is really quite special.

It's incredibly difficult to value. I mean,

if they were to come in to me, and knowing that, I would probably put

somewhere in the region of £800 to £1,200 on them.

But I know that you would like more than that for them.

If we put them in at £1,500 to £2,000 with a reserve of £1,500,

-how would you feel about that?

-I don't know. I think,

because it's the centenary for them as well,

I'd like to just try that bit more if they can go.

-Or maybe with discretion.

-OK.

Shall we say, sort of, £1,600 to £2,000?

-Yeah.

-How would you feel about that? Yeah?

-So if we said £1,600 to £2,000 with a firm reserve at £1,600.

-OK.

If they don't sell, there won't be a charge.

To some extent, if they don't sell, I'm not too worried.

-Yeah, if they go, they go. If they don't, they don't.

-Exactly.

But I think it's an absolutely fascinating story to cover

and I'm very grateful that you brought them in.

Because this really, I mean, really as rare as hen's teeth,

as rare as asparagus servers on an Antarctic expedition!

-I think we need to change the phrase now.

-THEY LAUGH

-No, they've been fascinating. Thanks so much for bringing them in.

-You're very welcome.

-Thank you.

Christina's right - these servers come with an enthralling history.

Led by geologist Douglas Mawson,

the Australasian Antarctic Expedition was intended

to be a scientific study of the continent.

Travelling by steamship, it took three months

just to reach base camp.

Tragedy soon struck when, during a three-man expedition

to survey the coastline, one of the team fell into a crevasse,

never to be seen again.

Six of their dogs and most of their supplies were lost in the accident,

and only Mawson survived to make it back to camp several weeks later.

So these small servers come with a big story.

So let's hope that's reflected in the saleroom.

Well, the sun is shining,

and everybody is enjoying these glorious surroundings.

And we've found some wonderful treasures so far.

And we're going to put those valuations to the test

in the auction room right now.

So while we make our way over there, here's a quick recap

of all the items that are going under the hammer.

We've got Kevin's late Victorian travelling barometer.

It's a good-looking piece, so it should do well.

Freed from its duties as a plant holder,

will Judy's Clarice Cliff bowl

realise its full potential in the saleroom?

And our third item is the asparagus servers -

amazing provenance, but appealing to a niche market can be tricky.

Who knows what'll happen?

We're heading into Tring for today's auction,

located midway between Hemel Hempstead and Aylesbury.

It's been a market town since the 17th century.

Our saleroom hasn't been going for quite that long,

but Tring market auctions is clearly

an established feature of the town.

Today, we're in the capable hands of resident auctioneer, Stephen Hearn.

Before the auction got underway, on preview day,

we caught up with Stephen to get his opinion on the asparagus servers.

It is something for a particular collector,

who collects things associated with Antarctic expeditions,

but as a general sale item,

it's going to be difficult to find that person out there

who's going to pay that sort of figure for it.

But there again, we'll give it a go.

Who knows, there may be some ambitious Antarctic explorer

out there who would like to take his asparagus tongs with him.

Well, we don't have to wait long to find out,

as Ian's servers are going under the hammer right now.

Ian, it's great to see you again. I think these are wonderful.

-I really do.

-They are unusual.

-Absolutely.

If I don't sell them today, I won't be upset.

OK, so we've got a win-win situation going on.

Cos I know it's top, top money, isn't it?

Yeah, I have to be honest, I don't think they're going to sell.

But it's such a great story behind them. But I'm not sure that maybe this is the right market for them.

I don't know. But it's so great to have seen them.

But it's good to test the water with this kind of thing, isn't it?

-Yeah, quite.

-It's all about good timing and when to sell.

-You never know.

-So let's hope we hit it right.

-It's going under the hammer now.

-Miracles do happen.

Now, we have a particularly interesting item here.

Where do we start? Anybody got £1,000 for a collectable item?

1,000? 500 to start me?

-400 to start me.

-Oh!

300. 200.

At 200 we're bid, then, at 200.

At 220.

250. Are you 80?

300.

-At £300...

-Interesting that he's found the level, though.

At £300, then, we're going to have to stop.

He's going, then, at £300.

-Sorry.

-No, that's fair enough.

But interesting that there was interest in that £300 region,

so that does tell us that there is a market for it,

-just not at the level that we expected. Yeah.

-OK, thanks.

-Interesting learning curve.

-Yes.

-THEY LAUGH

Yes, better luck next time, Ian.

A specialised sale might be the best bet

for a piece with such an amazing history attached.

Now it's time to up the glamour stakes.

Going under the hammer right now, a good old "Flog It!" favourite.

Yes, it wouldn't be the show without, wait for it...

Ta-da. ..not Judy and Mary, but Clarice Cliff.

-No, never!

-Yes, we've got a Bizarre range fruit bowl, haven't we?

-THEY LAUGH

And it's not a lot of money, £40 to £60.

But look, girls, you have style. You really do.

We should get you on the show with your whole collection one day,

-do you know that?

-You should do. I'd love that.

-We should.

-It's massive.

Anyway, we're going to put this to the test. It's going under the hammer right now.

The Bizarre fruit bowl. There we are, what about that one?

A piece of Bizarre, ought to be £80 for it.

40 I am bid, then.

Five, 50. Five, 60.

-Five, 70.

-Great.

Yes, 70 I'm bid for it, and five now.

-At £70 and five? No?

-Marvellous.

I'm selling, then, it's going down for the £70.

-Thank you.

-£70 and it sold top end of the estimate.

Well done, David. I can see that £70,

less that commission, 15% here, plus the VAT,

going towards some more vintage clothes. Am I right?

-They can cost a bit more than that.

-Accessorise?

Yeah, accessorise as well. Nice handbags, some gloves, jewellery.

-But I actually want to buy two rose bushes with it.

-Oh, is that what you're going to do?

-Cos my parents love gardening.

-Aw, think of Mum and Dad.

-And so that's what I'm going to buy.

-Good for you.

-Watch them grow, nurture them and enjoy the blossoming and the flowering.

-We will.

Because that's what it's all about, isn't it?

A great way to spend the money, Judy.

And now it's time for a change of style.

From the charm of the 1940s to a homage to the late '70s.

Well, the pressure's certainly rising in here,

and right now we're going under the hammer, we've got

a Victorian travelling barometer belonging to Kevin,

who's with me right now, again, in the most magnificent shirt.

-I like that. Public Image Ltd.

-Thank you.

-There were a great band,

-weren't they?

-They still are.

-Are they still together?

-They're still going, yeah.

-Fronted by John Lyndon?

-John Lydon, yeah.

-Lydon. It's Lydon, isn't it?

-Crikey. Johnny Rotten, wasn't it, of the Sex Pistols?

-That's the one.

Anyway, why are you selling the barometer?

It was a present that my gran gave me.

She gave me a load of bits and pieces, but to be honest with you,

it's been in the loft for years and years and years.

-So I thought I might get something for it.

-In the loft!

Well, it's going under the hammer right now.

Let's find out how it does.

What about that one, £100 for it.

80, I am bid 90, 100 we have.

Here we go. £100 straight away.

120. 130. 140.

140. 150, is it, yes or no, sir?

Think about it. 140.

150, you're in now.

150, then.

I sell at £150, thank you, sir.

-Yes, sold!

-Fantastic!

-I do miss the gavel sells.

-I know, me too!

-It's a lot more than I thought it would get.

-£150.

-Brilliant.

-Yeah, very good.

-That's fantastic. Congratulations.

-Thank you.

-Wow.

-I can see another shirt coming along, can't you?

-I can as well. THEY LAUGH

And why not? I think you've got a good thing going there, Kevin.

Well, there you are. Three lots done and dusted under the hammer.

And I have to say, it's absolutely electrifying in there.

And we're coming back here later on in the programme.

Now, here's a question for you:

what is hydrogen bonded cellulose mat?

Well, here's a clue -

we're surrounded by it, we take it for granted,

and we cannot live without it. Have you guessed?

Well, I can tell you - it's paper.

Now, not far from this auction room

is a place called Frogmore Paper Mill,

which staked its claim in history by bringing paper to the masses.

I went to investigate to find out more.

It was nearly 2,000 years ago that paper first appeared, in China.

Slowly, the secret art of papermaking crept westward,

through Asia on to India, until the Moors brought it to Europe,

eventually arriving in England in the 15th century.

So, what's Hemel Hempstead got to do with all of that?

Well, there's been a mill here on this site

since before the Domesday Book.

And over the centuries, this place has been used for fulling,

creating cloth and for milling flour.

But in 1774, the corn mills were replaced with papermaking machinery.

Back then, all paper was handmade in individual sheets

using white cotton rags,

which were cut up into fine fibres to create a pulp.

Here at Frogmore Mill, they still hand-make paper today -

one of the very few remaining in the UK.

I've arranged to meet up with Sue Woolnough,

who's going to let me try my hand at it.

Let me introduce you to Gary, who's our papermaker.

-Nice to meet you.

-Hi, nice to meet you.

Now, Sue's promised me you're going to let me have a go

-at making some paper by hand. Is that right?

-Absolutely.

-Let's go for it.

-I need an apron, then.

-Apron hanging on the press.

-There we go.

-Thank you.

The pulp's all premade, we've added that into the vat,

and we form the sheet on what is called a mould.

-So basically it's a sieve, so that...

-All the water just drains through?

All the water will drain through and leave the fibres on the surface.

-First things first, you have to give it a good old stir up.

-OK.

Using your arms.

-That's quite refreshing, actually.

-SHE LAUGHS

-It is, it's enjoyable.

-And you kind of scoop the mould and deckle in,

-and bring it out, kind of in a quick motion.

-OK.

-So it's down... That's it.

-And then give it some small shakes.

-Put it onto this vacuum table.

-Over to your left.

-That speeds the process up a little bit.

-So the water drains through there?

-We're taking some of the water out.

-Then carefully remove the deckle.

-Try not to splash.

-Was that a bit rough?

-That's fine.

-So I pick this up.

-Yeah.

-So you want to...

-And tip this over.

That's it. Sort of roll and lift your left.

-Lovely.

-Lovely. And you've got your first sheet of paper.

Well, that looks really good. I'm quite impressed with that.

And then that obviously goes in the press, does it?

This is the bit where the paper is stacked up,

weighted down,

and the water is squeezed out using a lot of elbow grease.

It really does pay to get as much pressure on there

as you possibly can.

The more pressure we get on there, the better.

I reckon I've got one more left in me.

HE LAUGHS

Just mind, the floor can get slippery with the water.

Time to see the result. Pressure's on.

Right, this is going to be quite exciting.

We've crushed it a little bit, but it'll peel off OK.

-Turning that press around certainly made me hot.

-THEY LAUGH

And that's your sheet of paper.

-So you can see now that you could actually hang that.

-Wow.

-Look at that.

-That'll get you down to around about 50% moisture.

It would still take a day or two to take the remaining moisture

-out of the sheet.

-It is a lengthy process,

just to actually make one sheet of paper.

-It certainly is.

-It is, yeah.

-Absolutely.

Throughout the 1700s,

the process for papermaking wasn't much different to this.

But that was about to change - cue the French Revolution.

SOUNDS OF GUNFIRE

In 1799, Nicolas Louis Robert invented a papermaking machine.

But Napoleon's France wasn't the place

for securing finance for inventions.

The patent was brought to England and financially backed

by London-based stationers Henry and Sealy Fourdrinier.

The first machine was installed at Frogmore Mill,

and after various improvements, Frogmore became

the world's first mechanised paper mill.

So this mill was the birthplace of paper's Industrial Revolution?

Absolutely, it was. The Fourdrinier machine

became the basis of machines used worldwide still today.

-And how old is this machine?

-It's 112 years old.

And it's still working today. What a great invention!

It is, certainly, fantastic.

Gary soon gets the machine up and running for us,

starting with the pulp mixture in the pulper chest,

which then goes into a refiner before bubbling up

into the head of the machine and feeding directly onto the trays.

-And as you can see now, that's just starting to come down there.

-Yeah.

Instantly you can see it's turning from pulpy water

-into a roll of paper.

-Very, very quickly.

-And then the next section

after that, once all the water's drained out...

There's a granite roller there, so what that does is it actually...

-That's like the press that we had?

-Exactly.

-It's tightening it down.

-Exactly.

-OK. Evenly.

-So that, again, is pressing lots of the water

-out of that paper.

-Wonderful, isn't it?

-Yes.

And you have a miracle at the end, paper.

It is like magic. It is like magic.

Prior to mechanisation,

gentlemen ordering paper wouldn't receive it for days, but after,

a completely finished piece of paper could be produced in a few minutes.

Instant paper. But that's mass production, and you can't knock it,

cos I know that brought down the price of paper,

more books could get printed, more people could read,

-we all got educated.

-Yes, the Education Act of 1870

committed to universal education,

and mechanisation of the papermaking process was able to meet that demand.

However, the need for more paper led to shortages

of the rags needed to produce it.

The race was on to find an alternative material.

An inspiration came from an unlikely source -

wasps. It has been noticed that wasps were nature's papermakers,

pulverising wood to make their paper-thin nests.

When did wood pulp replace the use of rags?

It was the latter part of the 19th century,

and it was actually here that they developed the use of caustic soda

to soften those wood fibres for use.

-And is wood pulp universally used today, still?

-It is used.

And wood pulp is in most of the papers that are produced.

Of course, most of the paper we use today is made from...

Well, paper. That's because the majority of products

in this country are recycled. And it's a good job too -

surprisingly, in this digital age,

the demand for paper is growing. In this country alone,

we produce over four million tonnes of paper each year,

a lot for newsprint, where the paper

whizzes through the machines at 60mph.

And it all started right here at Frogmore.

And here at the back of the mill

is what was the beating heart of the place.

This huge monster is known as paper machine number two,

and it was an operation for nearly 100 years.

And it's driven and heated by steam power.

It stopped operating in 2009 because the economic downturn

reduced prices of paper to such a level that this was costing

twice as much to produce as they could sell it for.

Now, Frogmore are hoping to get this up and running

one day in the near future, and I really, really hope they do.

Because this, along with the mill,

well, it's an incredible part of our industrial heritage.

And it's such a majestic old thing, isn't it?

It's such a shame to see it mothballed.

Welcome back to Wrest Park.

We're thoroughly enjoying our elegant surroundings here,

and it feels like the whole of Bedfordshire has turned out.

There are crowds both outside and inside this beautiful house,

and amongst the items brought in there are some very bizarre objects.

What on earth, Binnie, is that?

Don't ask me! HE LAUGHS

My great uncle, I believe he was,

was in the Merchant Navy.

-And he was on a cable laying ship.

-Right.

And this was from his ship.

So we've got the ship - "Cable Ship Silvertown, London."

So that's a cable laying ship, and there is his ship.

-And what was his name?

-John Youngman.

-John Youngman, OK.

-So when was he living?

-Well, we were trying to find that out, weren't we?

Well, here we go, this is where the detective agency comes in.

So I know that the first cable laid was in 1858,

transatlantic cable, and the first telegram

ever sent transatlantically was from Queen Victoria

to the President of the United States of America in 1858.

-So this chap was not laying cables pre-1858.

-Right.

-No.

So there's no doubt about it. This ship,

the cable ship Silvertown, would have been built

as a cable-laying ship.

So that would be 1870,

1890, 1900. That sort of period of time,

when they were laying cables all over the old,

you know, the old Empire. So that's down to Cape Town.

-You know, South Africa was part of the British Empire.

-Of course.

That's something he brought back as well, and that's...

Oh, OK, so he obviously joined the Masons somewhere on his travels.

It's got his initials on it, and we weren't sure if it was

something Masonic or if that was simply

to do with the navigation of the ship.

-Yeah. I think it's more Masonic.

-We thought so, yes.

That's a standard Masonic thing. And I've seen them before in museums.

-Oh, really?

-It's a museum piece.

-Yes.

Which doesn't necessarily make it worth any money.

-Do you think is worth any money?

-Well, I wouldn't have thought so.

Adele thought that it was interesting, and here we are.

What it's worth, I've got to tell you, I don't know.

I would guess, as a novelty item, put it in at £20 to £30.

Ring the South African government and say,

"Look, do you want to make an investment

"and improve your communications with the rest of the world

"and buy the final piece in your cable jigsaw?"

-THEY LAUGH

-"And get connected?"

-Shall we do it?

-Yeah, you do it.

-Brilliant.

-And then I can blame you for everything, can't I?

-Oh, listen,

-people blame me for an awful lot of things, so I'm used to it. Shall we do it?

-Do it, yes.

-Great.

-Do it.

-Well, we'll see you at the auction. Marvellous.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done. Fascinating object, thank you.

-Thank you.

# Oh, oh, telephone line

# Give me some time

# I'm living in twilight... #

I love dipping in and out of all of these bags and boxes,

cos you never know what you're going to find.

That's the beauty of being on the great antiques hunt, isn't it, here at a "Flog It!" valuation day.

-Hi, what's your name?

-Dave.

-Dave, do you mind if I take a seat next to you?

-No, not a problem.

-Now, that looks like it's from the Orient. Am I...

-Yes.

-Can I see through that?

-Yes.

-Oh, it is, look at that, see.

-An Imari pattern. Well, the Imari colourways, anyway.

-Yes.

-So how long have you had this?

-I bought it recently

-on an internet site.

-Right.

I just wondered if it was worth getting restored.

-How much did you pay for this?

-It was just under £20.

Just under £20? Actually, do you know something,

you got a real bargain. I'd say that's around about 1760, 1780.

-Wow.

-Made specifically in China for the English market.

-Yes.

You could get that restored, but it would cost you

-in the region of £300.

-Right.

If this was in fantastic condition, in museum quality condition,

-original condition, this would be worth £500.

-Mm.

But that's nice. So look, hang onto it.

-I think you've got something that's worth £100.

-Lovely.

-And it's got a lot of history attached to it.

-Yes.

-You know, that's a little document of social history, isn't it?

-Yeah. Yeah, it's lovely.

So, Carol, you've brought me in a good lot of goodies here,

haven't you? Look at this. All that glistens is not gold,

-sometimes, but in this case it is.

-It is, yeah. Yeah, very much so. THEY LAUGH

-What's all this?

-Well,

-three of those were my mother's.

-OK.

These are just things I've either bought myself

-or I've had bought for me over the years.

-OK. And this one?

I've got a funny feeling that was my sister's, who passed away.

Oh, really? Oh, gosh. OK.

So, we've got a really good job lot here,

-and I've had a look at everything, and it's all nine carat gold.

-Mm-hm.

And then you've got sort of three semiprecious stone-set rings.

Which, if you squint and look very carefully,

-there's a diamond in there.

-Oh, is it?

-Yeah.

-I didn't know. THEY LAUGH

But you do have to play a bit of spot the diamond.

-Oh, right. OK, get the magnifying glass out.

-Yeah.

-Right.

But again, they're all in nine carat gold,

and even though they're tiny, weeny stones,

-they would be something that you would put a value on.

-Right.

-But probably quite a minimal value.

-Yeah, OK.

But I would suggest, because we've got sort of little bits of value

here, there and everywhere, that we probably would be best

-to sell them as... Offer them as one lot.

-Mm-hm.

I have to be honest with you, I think these are probably

-going to be a good dealer's lot.

-Right.

-So I think they will probably sell to the trade.

-As in melted down?

Potentially. I think these are very saleable.

I think these are quite dated now,

and I can quite see why you're selling them, cos maybe it's time

to use the money to buy something that you'll wear

-that's maybe a bit fresher.

-Oh, yes.

-Yeah.

-So, did you used to wear these?

-I did, actually, yeah.

-So it's time to upcycle.

-Yes, definitely.

-I like it.

OK. Well, I've weighed them all, and altogether we've got about...

-I think it's about 37 grams altogether.

-Right.

So that would give us a scrap value of between £200 to £300,

-which is what we would be basing it on.

-OK.

If they go to a private person who loves these bracelets and things

-then brilliant. But we need to cater for everybody.

-Yeah.

I don't think we'd want to let them go for any less than that,

so I think a firm reserve of £200.

And I think it will all depend on the gold price on the day.

-I'll watch the market, then.

-Yeah, quite.

-Yeah, hopefully it'll go sky-high.

-Yeah.

THEY LAUGH

Right, well, Janet and Jen, aren't we just in

the most perfect location to look at something

so beautiful and so elegant as a Moorcroft vase.

-I love it. Is it yours, Janet?

-It is mine, yes.

-Right, OK.

What do you know about the wonderful William Moorcroft?

Only that my husband gave me this about 15 years ago,

and I collect more modern pieces. So it's an older piece,

and it actually doesn't really fit in with my modern pieces.

-Really?

-I know.

-Aw. So you collect modern Moorcroft?

-I do, yeah. From the sort of '80s, more.

-Ah, that's interesting.

And it's nice to know, isn't it, that a factory that was formed

in 1912 by William Moorcroft

is still functioning perfectly well today,

making really good quality, high-end things

and selling them all over the world. It's a rare being,

-a company like that. And Jen, you're Janet's friend?

-Yes, I am.

And she wanted a bit of moral support,

so I've come along today to help her.

-Has she been a help?

-More of a hindrance, to be honest.

THEY LAUGH

Well, I don't like to cause an argument or anything!

-Now, Jen, do you like this?

-Yes, I do. I like the shapes of it.

I think it's very beautiful. And the colours.

And of course, very influenced by one particular movement -

-what is it?

-Oh, Art Nouveau.

-Oh, yes.

-The sinuous lines.

-Oh, I say, Jen, you did that so well.

-Thank you very much.

-THEY LAUGH

But you're right, it's got all the shape, hasn't it, Jen?

-Yes, it's beautiful.

-Very flowing, very organic. So, so, gorgeous.

-Signed, no doubt.

-Yes, on the bottom.

-There we have him.

William Moorcroft. Perfect signature.

He founded the company in 1912.

I can tell you that in 1929,

he gets a Royal warrant from Queen Mary, who collects his wares,

and from 1929 onwards you find a sticker

on the base of a Moorcroft piece.

-And it would be rare for someone to remove that sticker.

-OK.

So I'm going to take a guess that it's 1912 to 29.

-So let's pitch it circa 1920.

-OK.

-That'll be safe.

-Now, you're a collector of Moorcroft.

-Mm.

So what valuation would you put on that?

Well, I thought somewhere around the £200 to £300.

-OK. Jen, what do you think?

-I'd go higher on that, really.

You know what? You know, yeah, I think I would as well.

Between 300 and 500, or more.

-I think even more, but if we went three to five...

-Yeah, OK.

we're going to give it

a real come-and-get-me estimate, here, boys.

The internet's going to be crazy, the room's going to be going wild

because it will look bargain territory.

I think we could push it to five to seven.

-But it's up to you.

-I might even buy it myself.

-I know!

-THEY LAUGH

-That would be wonderful.

-But it's up to you.

-Where do you want to go with it?

-I think we'll go three to five.

-Ooh, I like it.

-I think we will.

-I like it. Shall we do that?

-We will, yeah.

-Go for it.

-Shall we inject a real bit of excitement?

-Absolutely.

-And let them go crazy. I'm on for it.

-Wow.

-OK, look forward to an exciting day.

-Thank you.

-Brilliant. Well done, you two. Lovely to meet you.

-You too.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-See you at the auction.

-Thank you.

Well, what a glorious day we've had here at Wrest Park.

And the people of Bedfordshire have certainly done us proud.

We've found some wonderful treasures. But right now,

it's time to say goodbye to this magnificent

historical setting, as we head over to the auction room

to put our final valuations to the test.

Here's a quick recap of what's going under the hammer.

One of the oddest lots I think I've seen on "Flog It!" -

it'll be fascinating to see

what Binnie's cable laying memorabilia makes.

We're on safer ground, though,

with Carol's collection of gold jewellery.

And finally, there's Janet's Moorcroft vase,

and as Jen pointed out, its sinuous Art Nouveau shapes

should excite the bidders.

As we return to the saleroom, it's all eyes on Stephen Hearn

as the auction continues at pace.

And the very next lot under his careful management

is that cable laying memorabilia,

brought in by mother and daughter, Binnie and Adele.

What history! I mean, it's been in your family a long time, hasn't it?

Yes. Yes, it was my great uncle

who was in the Merchant Navy,

-and that's about all I know about him.

-It's just... It's fantastic.

-It is great.

-I mean, isn't it great?

It's just an example of why this business is so fascinating.

-Yeah, and we are going to put it to the test right now. Here we go, this is it.

-Right, OK.

Now we have an interesting lot here. Cable laying memorabilia.

There it is, my word. There we are.

A little collection. £50 for it.

30?

Unique collection.

20.

Two, five, eight,

-30. No?

-Go on.

At £30, then, sir, you've got it.

-You were right.

-It's gone for £30. Thank you.

-It's £30, and it's gone.

-It's fine.

-I don't believe it.

I didn't think it would sell.

-And you can buy this quirky history for £30.

-I know!

-You were right when you said bonkers.

-It is bonkers!

We like a bonkers lot on "Flog It!", Binnie.

That's what makes it so much fun.

Going under the hammer right now, we have a collection of jewellery.

It's mainly gold. We're looking at £200 to £300.

Carol, there's a lot of gold there.

Yeah, well, that's just a small collection

-that I was left from Mum.

-Right.

And a sister who passed me one of her rings

when she got really ill, and sadly we lost her.

-So I'm hoping I'm going to sell that jewellery...

-OK.

-..and I want to buy something that I can wear.

-Oh, to remember her by?

-That's a great idea.

-That's a nice memory for me to wear.

OK, well, good luck, both of you.

It's going under the hammer right now.

Best of luck.

250 for it.

200. 150. 160,

180 for the box.

-200, I am bid at 200, we have it.

-Oh, straight away.

At 210, 220,

230, 230, 240, no.

Sure? At 230, then, for the box,

then we sell at £230.

-Thank you.

-Fantastic.

-Good result.

-Oh, lovely.

-£230.

-Great, yeah. Pleased with that.

-Are you happy with that?

-Oh, yes, very.

And I hope with that you can buy a lovely piece

to remember your sister by, Carol.

Finally, it's time for our last lot -

that superb piece of 1920s Moorcroft.

-Why are you selling it?

-Because I collect the more modern Moorcroft.

Oh, right. No, there's nothing wrong with it.

-They have some great designers and they're just as collectable.

-Yeah.

-But for me, it's that early stuff.

-Yeah.

The colourways and the tubelining's brilliant.

And signed by the man himself.

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

We have a Moorcroft vase now, and a rather splendid one.

What about that one? We ought to be looking about 400 or 500 even.

400. Yes?

Three? All right, 300 we're bid, then.

20.

50. 80.

390, 400.

Are you 20?

50. 80.

-At 480.

-Come on.

-500.

-Yes.

-Yes.

Yes? 500. 520.

Are you 50?

-580.

-Good.

600.

At £600, now, then. At 600.

20, perhaps?

Yes? 620.

And 50. 650.

680. No?

At £650, then.

At £650.

£650 and the hammer goes down.

-That's brilliant, thank you.

-Well done.

-Oh, that is fantastic!

-Well done.

-Brilliant, well done.

-Thank you.

A great name in ceramics always does the business.

And condition, that's what it's all about. And it's the early stuff.

You've got to be so pleased with that.

-I'm thrilled to bits.

-Brilliant.

Well, what a wonderful way to end today's show.

We've thoroughly enjoyed this auction, I hope you have as well.

And I did guarantee one or two surprises,

and we had one big one at the end. But until the next time,

it's goodbye from all of us here at Tring.