0:00:06 > 0:00:08Today we have a show that's not only jam-packed
0:00:08 > 0:00:12with interesting collectables, we've got high valuations
0:00:12 > 0:00:15and auction tension, not to mention some great British icons.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19We'll be finding out more about one rather generous Royal,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22four of the country's most fabulous songwriters
0:00:22 > 0:00:24and one of our greatest novelists.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26It's got all the ingredients of a classic,
0:00:26 > 0:00:30so sit back and enjoy this special edition of "Flog It!"
0:00:52 > 0:00:53We've travelled the length
0:00:53 > 0:00:57and the breadth of the British Isles in search of exceptional stories
0:00:57 > 0:00:59and objects to take to auction
0:00:59 > 0:01:03and we met some rather special people along the way.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10Today, we visit Birmingham, Southwell, Edinburgh...
0:01:10 > 0:01:13and Wallasea.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17But can you guess which one of our items makes over £1,000
0:01:17 > 0:01:19and which one doesn't sell at all?
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Will it be Caroline's find -
0:01:24 > 0:01:27four rather fabulous autographs?
0:01:27 > 0:01:31- I've got The Beatles' autograph, all four of them.- Oh!
0:01:33 > 0:01:34Or the gold ornate mirror
0:01:34 > 0:01:37that Thomas thinks might have a royal connection?
0:01:37 > 0:01:40"Dear Sir, I am commanded by the Queen
0:01:40 > 0:01:43"to acknowledge your letter of the 25th."
0:01:43 > 0:01:44Isn't that lovely?
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Or will it be the boys' toys in pole position
0:01:47 > 0:01:50when Adam spots a Matchbox collection in Edinburgh?
0:01:52 > 0:01:58Well, this display takes me straight back about 35 years.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03We start today's show here at Dunster Castle,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05just outside of Minehead, in Somerset,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08which seems a fitting place to begin really,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10as like any Flog It! auction,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13this place has had its fair share of jeopardy and tension.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17Twice the castle's future has hung in the balance.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21More recently in 1949, when it was sold to a property developer,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24but the biggest threat came during the English Civil War.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28For 12 days in 1650,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32the castle was under attack by Oliver Cromwell's troops
0:02:32 > 0:02:36as punishment for the family's support for King Charles I.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Eventually, Cromwell revoked the order and the castle was spared.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41So, having been fought over
0:02:41 > 0:02:43by two of the most famous names in history,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46it seems like the perfect place to start
0:02:46 > 0:02:48our day here at Dunster Castle.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50And an object with a famous name attached to it
0:02:50 > 0:02:54is the perfect valuation to start with.
0:02:54 > 0:02:55'Over to Thomas Plant
0:02:55 > 0:02:58'who's in Birmingham's Museum and Art Gallery.'
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Catherine, you've come in with a mirror.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Tell me, how has it come into your possession?
0:03:03 > 0:03:08It was given to the church in Bridgend, Nolton Church,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11for the church bazaar, to get funds for the war memorial,
0:03:11 > 0:03:16- and my aunt bid in an auction and she won it.- Wonderful.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Now, the important thing is, it was given by somebody to the church.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- Yes, it was given by the Queen. - The Queen?- Yeah, Queen Mary.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26- Queen Mary?- Mm-hm.- God... So what's the story behind this?
0:03:26 > 0:03:28- Do you know much about it? - No, not really.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30It was passed down to my mother by my grandmother
0:03:30 > 0:03:33and I don't really know much about it other than the letters.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- Can I have a look at the letters? - Yep, you can.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38- From HM the Queen.- Yep.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Obviously to go with the mirror on display, I would think.
0:03:40 > 0:03:41- For the bazaar.- Yeah.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44- There's nothing better than a church bazaar...- I know, yeah.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47..with a classy quiche... Stewed tea...
0:03:47 > 0:03:50And this is the letter. "Dear Sir, I am commanded by the Queen
0:03:50 > 0:03:53"to acknowledge your letter of the 25th.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57"Her Majesty will be glad to send you a small gift towards your sale,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- "and Christmas..." - Christmas tree, it says.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Christmas tree. Interesting.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05- "The Queen well remembers her visit to..."- Nolton Church.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Nolton... So she actually went there?
0:04:08 > 0:04:11- "I hope that you will succeed in..." - Raising.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13"Raising the money you require
0:04:13 > 0:04:16"to pay off the debt on your war memorial."
0:04:16 > 0:04:20- So, the First World War memorial. - Yeah.- This is really interesting.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23"The Queen hardly ever gives to any individual memorial
0:04:23 > 0:04:27"as it makes a difficult precedent where so many are concerned.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30"So, perhaps the fact of Her Majesty's gift
0:04:30 > 0:04:32"is only known locally."
0:04:32 > 0:04:35- Isn't that lovely? - Except we're telling the world now!
0:04:35 > 0:04:37- Yeah, but it's a long time ago, come on!- OK, sorry.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39It would have been quite a highly sought-after thing,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42I would have thought. Why have you brought it today?
0:04:42 > 0:04:45- For the fun of the programme, really. - Fun of the programme.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47So, have you had it valued before?
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Yes, we had it valued about ten years ago
0:04:49 > 0:04:53and they valued it for about £500. They didn't actually see the item.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55We sent off photographs and documentation.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58- And of the letters, interesting. - Yep.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00I had a similar figure in mind, maybe a bit more,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03because you've got the letters, the memorial...
0:05:03 > 0:05:05You've actually got the object itself,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07which we've not really spoken about.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10- A gilt, ormolu mirror...- Yes.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13So, such nice quality and on the back here,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16West 1, St James's Street, that would be London.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19- Yep.- So it's super quality.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24- A mirror on its own like this at auction is only worth £60-£100.- OK.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26You put the letters with it, the story,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30- and I think that's got to be worth £600-£800.- Yep.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34- And I would fix the reserve at 600.- OK.- Don't give it away.- No.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38- So, I'll see you at the auction, Catherine?- Yeah.- Brilliant.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43It may not have been royal etiquette to give gifts to charities,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46but Queen Mary, grandmother to our own Queen,
0:05:46 > 0:05:51was clearly eager to play her part during World War I.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55She threw herself into various charitable activities.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Most notable was her involvement with many of the organisations
0:05:59 > 0:06:03which supported wounded servicemen and their families,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06some of which continue to this day.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Before we find out how the mirror does at auction,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Adam Partridge is in Hopetoun House near Edinburgh,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19parked up beside a rather nice collection of toy cars.
0:06:21 > 0:06:27Well, this display takes me straight back about 35 years.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- Well, it takes me back longer. - Does it?- Yeah.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33- Cos obviously I'm a lot younger than you, aren't I, Chris?- Yeah.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34Just a couple of years!
0:06:34 > 0:06:38- They made them right through to the '70s, didn't they?- Yeah.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Cos I really remember these in their characteristic Matchbox boxes...
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- Yeah.- Really clever marketing idea, wasn't it?- Mm-hm.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47So, these were yours as a kid?
0:06:47 > 0:06:49- Yeah.- You must have played with them really carefully
0:06:49 > 0:06:52- because there's hardly a mark on 'em.- Ah, well...
0:06:52 > 0:06:55- I mean, the digger...- Yeah.- ..has got a couple of little chips
0:06:55 > 0:06:58- on the paint, hasn't it?- Yeah. - That's about the only thing
0:06:58 > 0:07:01I can see that's not absolutely perfect.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Now, I've got young boys and they love their toy cars
0:07:04 > 0:07:06and they're crashing them into each other and into the wall,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10and they're all chipped and...
0:07:10 > 0:07:14I think...when your parents scrimped and scraped to get these things...
0:07:14 > 0:07:17- Yeah.- ..you learned to respect them more.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Yeah, I shall have a word with them when I get home!
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Did you have a favourite out of these, Chris?
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Not really, but what you see here is, like,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28- how vehicles have changed over the years as well.- That's right, yeah.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32I mean, some of these are classic examples, aren't they?
0:07:32 > 0:07:34And then you see something like that
0:07:34 > 0:07:38- and that is really a thing of the past now, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40- Why are you selling 'em? - Well, I've got grandsons...
0:07:40 > 0:07:44- Yeah.- ..and to be honest, nothing against them,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46I don't think they appreciate them.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- Everything's more technological these days.- All this...
0:07:49 > 0:07:52- Yeah.- Oh...- You know, and... - They're not out and about,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- you think you might as well move them on?- Yeah, that's true.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- Any idea the values?- No, I don't.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00OK, well, they're going to vary a little bit.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04I mean, as a general rule, they're only...maybe a few pounds each.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08- Yeah.- But you've got a lot of them and there's the odd one amongst them
0:08:08 > 0:08:10that's going to be a bit more than that.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13- I would suggest that we put them as one lot.- Yeah.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17A good collection of Matchbox cars, I think we guide them at £100-£150.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19I think they'll probably make a bit more than that,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22but I think you need to pitch the estimate at a sensible level.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26- Is that all right with you? - A chance to get the buyers in, yeah.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Yeah, absolutely. A reserve price?
0:08:28 > 0:08:32- 80?- 80 quid, I think that's very sensible, Chris. Yeah, very good.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34You know, you don't want to frighten them off.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37- That's right! You've been watching the show, haven't you?- Oh, aye!
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Thanks, Chris, for coming along. The collectors are going to love it.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42Good.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Those motors are certainly in good condition.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52And now over to the awe-inspiring Southwell Minster, where Mark Stacey
0:08:52 > 0:08:56has found a rather exotic item, but can you guess where it derives from?
0:08:58 > 0:09:02Graham, you've brought a wonderful little novelty item in to show us.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05- Yes.- What can you tell me about it?
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Well, all I can tell you is that I was working for the council...
0:09:08 > 0:09:13- I actually found it on a rubbish tip. - No!- It was in a little tin
0:09:13 > 0:09:17with two or three other things and I just kicked it and I thought,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20"Something's in it," opened it up and that was in it
0:09:20 > 0:09:21with a couple of other things.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24- This was quite a long time ago. - Well, it's 25 years ago.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28Gosh! Well, I want to transport you back to 1922
0:09:28 > 0:09:31and think of the Egyptian desert
0:09:31 > 0:09:35when they just discovered Tutankhamun's tomb
0:09:35 > 0:09:42- and all those fabulous riches, it caused a worldwide sensation...- Yes.
0:09:42 > 0:09:49And after that, firms started making little Egyptian-type items.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- Ah, right.- Cartier made wonderful brooches and necklaces
0:09:53 > 0:09:57and panther bracelets, all resembling ancient Egypt
0:09:57 > 0:10:01- and the treasures that had just been discovered.- Yeah.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04It's a wonderful object and this is a delicate little thing,
0:10:04 > 0:10:09which when you open it, you can see the little enamelled mummy inside...
0:10:09 > 0:10:12- Yes.- ..all made of silver.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- It's probably French.- Right.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18It's marked 800, so it's a Continental mark,
0:10:18 > 0:10:23and it's just such a wonderful little object of virtue.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25- Yeah.- I love it, it's very well-made.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28It's all enamelled in those typical Egyptian colours
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- of the turquoise blue and the dark blue.- Yeah.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33It's a complete nonsense really,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35I don't know what on earth you do with it.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37I'll tell you what I thought about doing, I thought about
0:10:37 > 0:10:40- putting it on a necklace. - Yes, I mean, you could do that,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43- but then it might get lost or damaged and...- That's right, yeah.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45- At the moment, it's in lovely condition.- Yeah.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46Well, after all this romanticizing,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48you'd think it's going to be worth...
0:10:48 > 0:10:50a Tutankhamun price, wouldn't you?
0:10:50 > 0:10:53- I'd love it to be!- I'm... I've got to disappoint you, Graham.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57- Have you?- I think it's a great novelty and I think we should put it
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- in as a gamble.- Yep.- Put it in at 40 to 60 quid...- Yes.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03- ..with a reserve of 40, all right? - Yeah, that's fine.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05- And let's just see what happens. - Yep, that's marvellous.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08- And you never know, the mummy might return.- Yeah!
0:11:08 > 0:11:10- GRAHAM CHUCKLES - And we'll get a good price. Might get £100 for it.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13- Well, that'd be nice. - Happy with that?- I am happy, yeah.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Well done for finding it.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17- Thank you very much. - Nice to see you.- Thank you.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22It may not be a high value, but Graham still looks like
0:11:22 > 0:11:25he's going to make a tidy profit from his find.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Before we go off to auction for the first time today,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31there's just enough time for me to show you
0:11:31 > 0:11:34the collection of family portraits here at Dunster Castle.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Now, that one-eyed gent up there caught my eye, no pun intended.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42That is the family's military hero, Colonel Francis Luttrell.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Now, he fought at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815
0:11:45 > 0:11:48and it's said that he played a key role in helping
0:11:48 > 0:11:51the Duke of Wellington defeat Napoleon Bonaparte.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54So, there you go, a real family hero.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57And right now it's time for us to do some battle, in the auction rooms!
0:11:57 > 0:11:59As we head off, here's a quick recap
0:11:59 > 0:12:01of all the items going under the hammer.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Catherine's oval mirror may or may not have reflected
0:12:07 > 0:12:09the image of Queen Mary at one time,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13but will the popularity of the Royals today help attract
0:12:13 > 0:12:14the bidders?
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Chris's childhood collection of Matchbox cars should light up
0:12:20 > 0:12:25the saleroom, considering their Formula One condition.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30And Graham's curious silver mummy...
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Let's hope there's a bidder out there who knows what to do with it
0:12:34 > 0:12:38and that its sale price doesn't reflect its miniature stature.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45'First up, Fieldings Auctioneers in Stourbridge,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48'where we're hoping to sell our royal mirror.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52'Before the auction, I had a quick chat to auctioneer Nick Davies
0:12:52 > 0:12:56'about the importance of provenance with an object like this.'
0:12:58 > 0:13:01There's one thing I want to talk about before the sale
0:13:01 > 0:13:03and that's the oval mirror. It belongs to Catherine.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Now, we've got some letters that accompany it
0:13:06 > 0:13:08- and it's all about provenance... - Absolutely.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09..as you know in this game -
0:13:09 > 0:13:12that's why we have a valuation of £600-£800
0:13:12 > 0:13:15on what I think is an £80 mirror.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18I'd agree with you, and provenance, provenance, provenance is the word.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21The trouble is with the letters, the one from Buckingham Palace,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24she doesn't actually mention the word "mirror".
0:13:24 > 0:13:26- Right, OK. - She's given a small gift,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28but it doesn't say the word "mirror"...
0:13:28 > 0:13:31So, does that automatically send alarm bells ringing
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- to an auctioneer?- It does, but also to anybody who's going to buy it.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36I mean, if it said "mirror",
0:13:36 > 0:13:39I wouldn't have a problem with the estimate whatsoever.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42It's the right period, it's the right look,
0:13:42 > 0:13:43but it's not in the letter!
0:13:43 > 0:13:47- That one word.- So, basically, YOU cannot prove anything?
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- I can't categorically sell that as a gift from the Queen Mary.- No.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55No. No, no. Instantly, that devalues it for me.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58And for a lot of collectors, but on the other hand,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01there may be people out there who are quite happy with that scenario
0:14:01 > 0:14:04and the documentation that's with it.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07We can't get to the bones of it, you know, in the time we've had,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10maybe someone will take it on and do a little bit more.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Look, fingers crossed, good luck.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15280. 290 with me. 300, sir?
0:14:15 > 0:14:17'Remember that with every auction house,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21'there's varying rates of commission and VAT to pay,
0:14:21 > 0:14:23'whether you're buying or selling.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26'So, make sure you find out how much that is in advance.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30'And now, let's see how that mirror does.'
0:14:30 > 0:14:31I've been joined by Catherine
0:14:31 > 0:14:34who's holding the most wonderful photograph album,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37which shows the lady who gave the mirror to the family.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40- Yeah, my great-aunt. - Lizzie.- Yep, Auntie Lizzie.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42And there she is, look at that.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45You see, all this is part of the provenance,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47but it's getting that story told to the general public
0:14:47 > 0:14:49to convince them that they can buy that,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52but the letter from Buckingham Palace didn't mention any mirror.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55- It's one of these stories which you're not going to make up.- No.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- Exactly, no, I totally agree. - You've got to go with it.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59I totally agree, it's family history,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01- and you know it better than anybody. - Yeah, I do.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04But it's convincing the general public through a third party.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08- This is it.- The oval wall mirror with handwritten letters reputedly
0:15:08 > 0:15:12relating the gift of a mirror from Her Majesty Queen Mary,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15towards the fundraising of a war memorial.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18And I've got to open the mirror here at £550
0:15:18 > 0:15:21and I look for 580 in the room.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23550 with me, 580 anywhere?
0:15:23 > 0:15:26At 550 it is. 580 anywhere else in the room for the mirror?
0:15:26 > 0:15:31£550, it will stay with me then at 550. 80 anywhere else?
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Are you all sure at 550? All done?
0:15:35 > 0:15:38- A couple of bids away.- Didn't sell, we had a reserve, didn't we?
0:15:38 > 0:15:39- Yes, 600.- 600.- 600.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42I think another day you will have a better chance.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44- I think the story is correct.- Yes.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Well, I'll give it another go.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- Take it off the market for a little while...- Yes.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51..and put it back into another saleroom
0:15:51 > 0:15:53- and try that again with that same story.- OK.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55- Yeah, good luck.- Thank you.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59'A disappointing result there, which just underlines the importance
0:15:59 > 0:16:03'of provenance, as well as how unpredictable auction rooms can be.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05'Will Mark's valuation be nearer the mark
0:16:05 > 0:16:07'at our Nottingham auction room?'
0:16:07 > 0:16:10£400. Fair warning and selling...
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Next up, a little silver Egyptian mummy found at a tip by Graham...
0:16:14 > 0:16:16- Yes.- ..who's standing next to me right now.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18So, were you sort of foraging around the tip or chucking things
0:16:18 > 0:16:21from the house and you thought, "Ooh, look at that!"?
0:16:21 > 0:16:22- Well... It was, yes.- Were you?
0:16:22 > 0:16:24I just kicked this, like, old cigarette tin...
0:16:24 > 0:16:27- Did you realise how much it was worth and...- I had no idea...
0:16:27 > 0:16:29- And then you found out from Mark at the valuation?- I did, yes.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33- I think it's charming.- You do?- It's only tiny.- Sort of 1920s, isn't it?
0:16:33 > 0:16:34Yeah, well, it's after Tutankhamun, I think,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36that huge Egyptian revival,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39and there's a little mummy inside as well, when you open it,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41and we've only put £40-£60 on it. It's silver, French, an enamel.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Which is really a "come and buy me", isn't it?
0:16:44 > 0:16:46I hope so, I mean, it should. It's a charming little object.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Well, we're going to find out what the bidders think right now.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52It's going under the hammer, here we go.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53£20 for it? 20 I am bid.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Thank you, sir. At 20, five I'll take.
0:16:56 > 0:16:5825, £30.
0:16:58 > 0:17:0030, 35, five, 40.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03- 40, 45? £40, buying online. - MARK:- 'Come on.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05'Oh, that's the online.'
0:17:05 > 0:17:08- PAUL:- 'This is good, come on.' - At 50, a room bid. 60? 60's bid.
0:17:08 > 0:17:09Chap in the room there, look. That chap.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11£60, standing over there at 60.
0:17:11 > 0:17:1470 for it anywhere? Selling at £60.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18- £60, doof!- Well, top of the estimate.- It's a good estimate.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21That's not bad for foraging around with all the flies on a tip, is it?
0:17:21 > 0:17:23- Not bad at all!- Let's face it!
0:17:23 > 0:17:24It's a yummy mummy.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28It's a yummy mummy, it certainly proved a yummy mummy, didn't it?
0:17:29 > 0:17:33'Can Chris's collection of toy cars race home too when they're sold
0:17:33 > 0:17:37'by expert and auctioneer Anita Manning back up in Scotland?'
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Well, we can't have an auction without boys and their toys, can we?
0:17:41 > 0:17:43There's a collection of Matchbox cars going under the hammer.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45I like them. Adam loves them.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Chris, you're selling them, you've had enough of them,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50- you've had them since you were five years old.- Yeah.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54- Foot on the pedal, let's do it. £150 plus, let's go.- Yeah.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59Matchbox series cars, trucks et cetera, all in original boxes,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01ladies and gentlemen.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Looks like a shop window display up there on the screen.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06..And I have...
0:18:06 > 0:18:09one, two, three...
0:18:09 > 0:18:11four bids on the books.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12Four bids on the books,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15which means we're going to have a bit of a bun fight.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19- I will start the bidding at £150. - It'll be more than that!
0:18:19 > 0:18:23- Any advance on 150?- Phone line, look, man very keen, down there.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25160, 170...
0:18:26 > 0:18:30180, 190, 200.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32220.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34240, 260.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36280.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37300.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41- 300 on the books. - £300!- Oh, you called it.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44- It's on the books... - Bid there, look.
0:18:44 > 0:18:45..at 300.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47320, fresh bidder.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51- 330 on the books. - PAUL:- 'Yeah, he's got it.'
0:18:51 > 0:18:53- 340, the book is out. - OK, it's 340...
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Commission is out. It's on the floor at 340.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57- All right with that?- More!
0:18:57 > 0:18:58- We're going to take that.- Yeah.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01- There's a phone line coming in, look.- 350.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04- It's not over yet.- 360.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08- 370. On the phone at £370. - Oh, I love it when she stands up.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Any advance on 370?
0:19:12 > 0:19:18Any advance on 370? All done at 370? 370...
0:19:18 > 0:19:19That's a great result, £370.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22- Excellent. - Lesson learnt there -
0:19:22 > 0:19:24condition, condition, condition.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26It's all about that.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28- Absolutely right, yep.- Yes.
0:19:28 > 0:19:29- So, you're a happy man?- Oh, aye!
0:19:29 > 0:19:34- Congratulations on being such a careful and diligent child.- Yes.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38They've more than doubled their estimate,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42it just goes to show even investors can be big kids at heart.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Well, we're only halfway through our day
0:19:47 > 0:19:50and we still have lots more auction action to come,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53including what a set of Beatle autographs might fetch.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56The Fab Four were wonderful artists in their day,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58but before we get to them,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01I had the opportunity to find out a little bit more about another
0:20:01 > 0:20:03fine and respected artist,
0:20:03 > 0:20:07this time an author who grew up amongst the dirt and the soot
0:20:07 > 0:20:10of the Nottingham coal mining industry,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12and he used this as his inspiration.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17I am, of course, talking about DH Lawrence.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33When you mention the name DH Lawrence,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35images immediately spring to mind
0:20:35 > 0:20:38of the love scene in Lady Chatterley's Lover
0:20:38 > 0:20:42or the erotic wrestling fight in Ken Russell's film, Women In Love.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46But as well as the exploration of relationships and love,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Lawrence's work is steeped in place and class,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52and much of it he took from the place where he grew up,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55right here in the mining town of Eastwood in Nottinghamshire.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Eastwood was a typical industrial town,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01part of the boom and bust coal mining industry
0:21:01 > 0:21:04at the turn of the 20th century.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07# Let the gauge go down
0:21:07 > 0:21:09# Come on and join the local crew
0:21:09 > 0:21:12# Join with us and have a few Sit down... #
0:21:12 > 0:21:15This place was built to house the workers and in its heyday,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19most of the inhabitants were employed in the pits.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Now imagine this street over 100 years ago.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26All these buildings covered in a black dust
0:21:26 > 0:21:30and hoards of people heading off down the street to work in the pits.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33And then this place, number 8A Victoria Street,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36into which David Herbert Lawrence, better known as DH Lawrence,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39was born on 11th September in 1885.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45And this is the typical miner's cottage of the day.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47It's a two-up-two-down.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51And in this lived Lawrence, his four siblings, his mother Lydia
0:21:51 > 0:21:53and his father Arthur.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Seven of them in this tiny, little house.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59This is as modest as a house would get.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Class was everything and felt keenly in the Lawrence household.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07His mother had come from a middle-class family
0:22:07 > 0:22:09who had fallen on hard times
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and she valued education as a way to better herself.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Her husband, Lawrence's father Arthur, worked at the pits
0:22:16 > 0:22:19and was working class through and through.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27There were ten mines within a stone's throw of Lawrence's home
0:22:27 > 0:22:30and people flooded into the area for the lucrative work.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41The children would be expected to follow in their fathers' footsteps.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44But this was most definitely not the destiny his mother saw
0:22:44 > 0:22:46for Lawrence and his siblings.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Lawrence grew up wanting to please his mother and his sister
0:22:50 > 0:22:53and he helped out in all of the household chores.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55He'd have cleaned out that fire most mornings
0:22:55 > 0:22:59and got down on his hands and knees and scrubbed that tiled floor.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02His sympathy with women and understanding their needs
0:23:02 > 0:23:05would prove central in his writing in years to come.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10His mother was determined to better herself and the family,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13moving them from Victoria Street to The Breach
0:23:13 > 0:23:15and then to Walker Street.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19And finally here, to Lincroft.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Now back in the day, this was the street to aspire to,
0:23:22 > 0:23:26with its wonderful views and houses with bay windows,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28they said were a cut above the rest.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30But it wasn't just about bricks and mortar.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34All credit to the mother, because she got all of those kids educated.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37None of them ended up working down the mines.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41She literally lifted the whole family up by their boot strings.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Lawrence won a scholarship to Nottingham High School,
0:23:47 > 0:23:49but it was when he moved to London
0:23:49 > 0:23:53as a young man in 1908 that he started to write in earnest.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00He soon caught the eye of a publisher who encouraged him
0:24:00 > 0:24:03to turn his attention to the area and the experiences
0:24:03 > 0:24:05he'd been so eager to leave behind,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11as Dr Andrew Harrison, director of the DH Lawrence Research Centre
0:24:11 > 0:24:14at Nottingham University explained.
0:24:14 > 0:24:15Mining community all around him,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19I mean, a big part of his childhood obviously reflected in his novels.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Most definitely. Lawrence understood the rituals of this community,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25the way of life, the speech of these people.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29And he reproduced it, not only in his great novel Sons And Lovers,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31but also in sketches and in plays as well.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35In the classic novel Sons And Lovers,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38he creates the characters of Mrs Morel,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40a woman disappointed in marriage,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42and Walter, her drunken miner husband.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59But did this bear any relationship to his own parents?
0:25:00 > 0:25:03I think certainly, there was a good deal of conflict
0:25:03 > 0:25:04within the marriage
0:25:04 > 0:25:08and Lawrence was very, very good at reproducing their arguments
0:25:08 > 0:25:10in his writing. He did that particularly well.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13But of course, Lawrence is an artist, so there's an element
0:25:13 > 0:25:17of exaggeration in everything that he does. I think he wants to
0:25:17 > 0:25:19present something that's sensational
0:25:19 > 0:25:22and in later life, when he revisited that relationship,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25he came to see that his father was not quite the drunken monster
0:25:25 > 0:25:28that he's presented as in Sons And Lovers.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Are there also some similarities with his own mother
0:25:31 > 0:25:33and the mother in Sons And Lovers? You know, unhappy women?
0:25:33 > 0:25:37Oh, absolutely. I think Lawrence was very close to his mother.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41His closest sibling was his youngest sister, Ada.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44He's aware of women's push for the vote
0:25:44 > 0:25:48and he was aware of them needing to move away from their roles
0:25:48 > 0:25:50as mothers, as wives, as daughters,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53in order to fully realise themselves.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Lawrence never went with the flow,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02at times labelled a feminist, a socialist and even a fascist.
0:26:02 > 0:26:07And in 1912, he shocked society by going abroad with a married woman
0:26:07 > 0:26:10who would later become his wife.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13For most of his remaining 20 years, he travelled the world,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16and never returned to this area to live.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Although Eastwood was out of sight, it wasn't out of mind.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24In one of his later letters,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28he described the rolling landscape as, "The country of my heart."
0:26:28 > 0:26:32And he returned to the theme of mining again and again
0:26:32 > 0:26:35in his letters, writings and in his most famous novel,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Lady Chatterley's Lover.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44He certainly mined the vein of his own past deeply, documenting a world
0:26:44 > 0:26:48that would eventually disappear, but which remains vivid and alive
0:26:48 > 0:26:52in the books of Lawrence that we can still read to this day.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02Well, there's no doubt
0:27:02 > 0:27:05we're visiting some marvellous locations on today's show.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07From the birthplace of one of our greatest novelists,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09to here, at Dunster Castle.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Now there's something I must show you
0:27:11 > 0:27:14and it's possibly one of my favourite pieces here. It's this.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17This magnificent staircase. Just look at it!
0:27:17 > 0:27:21It was installed in the 1680s by Francis and Mary Luttrell
0:27:21 > 0:27:24and it's possibly by Edward Pearce, one of our greatest woodcarvers.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28And when you come and take a closer look at it and sit on the stairs,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31you can really appreciate what a wonderful work of art it is.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34I love the fact that each section of this staircase
0:27:34 > 0:27:37has been carved out of one solid lump of elm tree
0:27:37 > 0:27:40which would have been grown just locally,
0:27:40 > 0:27:42on the estate, possibly. But look at it.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44What he's managed to achieve here.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46He's got scrolling acanthus leaves
0:27:46 > 0:27:49which sort of scroll and wind all the way up the staircase
0:27:49 > 0:27:52which just takes your eye right to the very top,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55intermingled with carved hunting scenes,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58which reflects the family's love for country sports.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00This really is a wonderful,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03wonderful example of the county's heritage.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07And talking of heritage, back up at our valuation day at Wallasey,
0:28:07 > 0:28:11Anita Manning found something that's very dear to her Clydeside heritage.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22- John, welcome to "Flog It!" - Thank you.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25And you've brought these books along but I also know that
0:28:25 > 0:28:30you have a background of the Mersey and shipbuilding,
0:28:30 > 0:28:35and I feel that's very close to my heart. I'm a Glasgow girl.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37- Yes, absolutely. - And we had the Clyde
0:28:37 > 0:28:40and the wonderful shipbuilding industry there.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43First, give me a bit of your background.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47Well, I served my time in Cammell Laird's in shipbuilding
0:28:47 > 0:28:50as a plater, was the term used then,
0:28:50 > 0:28:54which deals with the ship's construction. I got qualifications
0:28:54 > 0:28:57and eventually became a college lecturer in Liverpool,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00one of the Liverpool technical colleges
0:29:00 > 0:29:04and so I was approached to start a shipbuilding course which I did
0:29:04 > 0:29:06and ran for quite a number of years.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09And tell me how you came by these books.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13Now I have to say that what we have here... We have the Cunard Lines.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17- Yes.- But we've got the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary,
0:29:17 > 0:29:22- both Clyde-built, just like me! - Absolutely.
0:29:22 > 0:29:27But we have the Mauretania. And that is Mersey-built.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30- Cammell Laird-built. - Just like you.- Yes, exactly.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34Erm, one of the older lecturers, he was in his 60s, came to me
0:29:34 > 0:29:37and said, "Would these be any use to you?"
0:29:37 > 0:29:39And he gave me these three books.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42If we look at this one here,
0:29:42 > 0:29:46we see a scene of shipbuilding
0:29:46 > 0:29:51on the Mersey in the early 1900s.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53Yeah, 1938 she was launched
0:29:53 > 0:29:56and this shows a picture of the actual launch of the ship.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00It shows the way in which the ships were built in those days.
0:30:00 > 0:30:05And here's the Queen Mary who was the Clyde-built liner
0:30:05 > 0:30:09and this is the old girl herself with these wonderful three funnels.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12Number of things in wonderful condition here.
0:30:12 > 0:30:13The Queen Elizabeth...
0:30:15 > 0:30:18- And there she is. Isn't that a wonderful image?- Gorgeous, isn't it?
0:30:18 > 0:30:22Isn't she just as sleek as a lovely babe?
0:30:22 > 0:30:27Absolutely fascinating. These are about shipbuilding.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31Shipbuilding, which is in your blood. It's in my blood as well.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36Cammell Laird's built some fantastic ships and yes,
0:30:36 > 0:30:37there's a lot of pride.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40A lot of skill went into them and we've lost that skill nowadays
0:30:40 > 0:30:43because they don't build those sorts of ship anymore.
0:30:43 > 0:30:48If they go to auction, they will be bought by enthusiasts
0:30:48 > 0:30:53who will treasure and be as excited by them as you were.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56Yep. I hope so anyway, yes.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58But really, I'm finished with them now
0:30:58 > 0:31:01so if an enthusiast can use them, that would be good.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03I think...
0:31:03 > 0:31:06Best maybe to estimate them conservatively.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10We could estimate them £30 to £50.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13Now, would you be happy to let them go at that?
0:31:13 > 0:31:16- Yes. Yeah, I would. Definitely.- We'll do that.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19But I think we'll put a fixed reserve on it.
0:31:19 > 0:31:24- If the lot doesn't make £30, you'll get them back.- That's right.
0:31:24 > 0:31:25And do you know something?
0:31:25 > 0:31:28I don't think you'd be too unhappy if you got them back.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30No, you're probably right. Absolutely.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32But you never know, they might sail away.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39The Mauretania was the largest ship built in England at the time.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42She was only in commercial operation for a short time
0:31:42 > 0:31:45before being called in to help the World War II effort,
0:31:45 > 0:31:49which she did, for six years, travelling around the globe
0:31:49 > 0:31:52and carrying 340,000 troops.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56Undoubtedly, she is a ship worth remembering.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01Back to Southwell Minster now,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03where Caroline Hawley has found an object
0:32:03 > 0:32:08that John, Paul, George and Ringo all got their hands on.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11- Hello, David, Teresa. - Hello, Caroline.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14- You're clutching this little book here.- Yes.
0:32:14 > 0:32:15And something tells me there is
0:32:15 > 0:32:17something very interesting inside it.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20Would you like to tell me all about it?
0:32:20 > 0:32:24- Yes. I've got The Beatles' autograph, all four of them.- Oh!
0:32:24 > 0:32:29- Which I got in 1963...- Yeah?
0:32:29 > 0:32:35..when they came to a local hotel about six or seven miles from here
0:32:35 > 0:32:39called The Old England Hotel at Sutton-on-Trent
0:32:39 > 0:32:44and my mum was working there then and she was in the kitchen
0:32:44 > 0:32:48and there was a knock at the door and a gentleman came and he said,
0:32:48 > 0:32:51- "Can you feed four hungry lads?"- No!
0:32:51 > 0:32:54She sort of looked and couldn't believe it was them,
0:32:54 > 0:32:59and ran to the proprietor, Mr William Pike - Billy Pike, he was known as -
0:32:59 > 0:33:02and the local paper came out,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05so they got in touch with the local paper and...
0:33:05 > 0:33:08- And then they went on their onward journey.- Gosh, that's fantastic.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12And to have such good provenance, because as you well know,
0:33:12 > 0:33:17there are loads of reproductions, fakes of The Beatles.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20But to know exactly where it's come from.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22And your mum got this for you, did she?
0:33:22 > 0:33:25She did, because I was at the local secondary school.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29- And how old were you at the time, if that's not rude?- 13. About 13, yeah.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34- So your mum came back from work with this?- And I was so mad with her...
0:33:34 > 0:33:38- Mad, why?!- Because she hadn't fetched me from school to see then.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43Oh! So why are you now considering selling this lovely collection?
0:33:43 > 0:33:47I've a daughter in Australia that I like to keep going to see
0:33:47 > 0:33:50- because I've got grandchildren. - I see where this is leading, yes.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53And it's becoming ever so expensive to fly.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57Well, I think because of the provenance of this,
0:33:57 > 0:34:03which is so rock solid, I think that in auction,
0:34:03 > 0:34:07it could get anywhere from £1,000 to £1,500.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10So at that sort of estimate, the reserve would have to be 1,000.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13- Yeah, we'd be happy with that.- Yeah.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16Then if it doesn't sell, you take the boys home and enjoy them,
0:34:16 > 0:34:19but if it does sell, you get that flight booked
0:34:19 > 0:34:21and one of you will certainly be going.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23- Yeah.- First class.- Yeah.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29That has to be one of the best sets of autographs
0:34:29 > 0:34:31we've seen on the show.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34But now back to Birmingham's Museum and Art Gallery,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37where James Lewis has spotted a name in pottery
0:34:37 > 0:34:41which started life just 30 miles south of here.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46Hilary, it really should be Philip Serrell sitting here
0:34:46 > 0:34:47with a bit of Worcester,
0:34:47 > 0:34:52but a wonderful little blush-ivory potpourri vase and cover.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55Made at Worcester, one of the most recognisable pieces
0:34:55 > 0:34:58of any porcelain that was ever made in England.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01You look at that, and you know exactly what it is automatically.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03Where did you find it?
0:35:03 > 0:35:07Believe it or not, I bought it at a car boot sale about nine years ago.
0:35:07 > 0:35:13There was a box under a table with 50p on and I looked into this box.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16It was all odds and ends of glass and china,
0:35:16 > 0:35:21and that was all wrapped up in cotton wool, brown paper, Sellotape.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24I gave the man 50p and didn't unwrap it till I got home
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- and what a surprise I had. - Well, well done you.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Well, let's have a look. First of all, let's look at the cover.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34It's pierced as you can see. Totally pierced cover for potpourri
0:35:34 > 0:35:37so that the vase can be filled with aromatic leaves
0:35:37 > 0:35:40and flower heads and the scent can still escape through the cover.
0:35:40 > 0:35:44This one is marked, Royal Worcester underneath,
0:35:44 > 0:35:47and then we've got lots of little dots.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51First dot was put on in 1892, add up the number of dots
0:35:51 > 0:35:54and we come to a year code for 1907.
0:35:54 > 0:36:00And this 279 is the shape number, and H is in recognition of Hadley.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02So Hadley's Worcester was another factory
0:36:02 > 0:36:04that Royal Worcester took over.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09We've got a bit of wear to the gilding and Royal Worcester
0:36:09 > 0:36:12suffered considerably from wear to the gilding.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14It was a nice, soft gild,
0:36:14 > 0:36:16very different to the continental gilding.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18But this Royal Worcester
0:36:18 > 0:36:20was actually inspired by continental porcelain,
0:36:20 > 0:36:23by the Austrian porcelain of the 1870s-1880s.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25But for 50p? Blimey!
0:36:26 > 0:36:30If it had been in very good mint condition,
0:36:30 > 0:36:34it could have made 100 or maybe slightly more.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36But the wear to the gilding lowers it,
0:36:36 > 0:36:40so I would say £50 to £80 as an auction estimate.
0:36:40 > 0:36:45- Is that OK for you?- Yes, yes.- Do you want to put a reserve on it?- No.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48- You don't want it to make a tenner though, do you?- No.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51- Shall we put 50 on it? - Yes.- £50 with discretion.- Yes.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54It's a pretty little vase and I'm sure it will do well.
0:36:54 > 0:36:55Thank you very much.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02Well, that really was a lovely item and it's great to see
0:37:02 > 0:37:05the endurance of a quality brand through the centuries.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09Sadly, it's time to say goodbye to Dunster Castle as we head over
0:37:09 > 0:37:11to the auction rooms for the last time today,
0:37:11 > 0:37:14and here's a quick recap of what's in store for us.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Teresa and David won't need much HELP
0:37:19 > 0:37:23when their collection of Beatles autographs goes under the hammer.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26I'm hopeful they will get their flights to Australia
0:37:26 > 0:37:27covered outright.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34John's collection of ship brochures are being sold in the right place,
0:37:34 > 0:37:36at our Liverpool auction room,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39so fingers crossed we have a successful launch.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45And Hilary's Royal Worcester pot
0:37:45 > 0:37:48is in good condition rather than mint,
0:37:48 > 0:37:50but considering she bought it for just 50p,
0:37:50 > 0:37:53it's surely bound to make her a tidy profit.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02First up, we're at Fielding's Auctions,
0:38:02 > 0:38:04where the Royal Worcester is up for sale.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09A bit of Royal Worcester for 50p in a car boot sale?
0:38:09 > 0:38:11Hilary, why don't you want to keep it?
0:38:11 > 0:38:14- I wanted to come and see you in Birmingham.- Aw!
0:38:14 > 0:38:17That's sweet, isn't it? That really is. Hey, I like the story though.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20- 50p. How long ago was this? - Erm, it was nine years ago.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23It wasn't actually on the table, it was underneath.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27It was wrapped up and I could just see the Royal Worcester mark
0:38:27 > 0:38:30- peeping out.- And I bet you got excited at that very moment.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33You thought, "I won't knock it down, I'll just say, 50p? Yes.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35- "Here you are." - That's exactly what I did.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37I bet you walked off and went, "Oh, look! Ooh!"
0:38:37 > 0:38:39You see, it is out there. It is all out there.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41You've just got to be lucky on the day.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44- This is it.- The Royal Hadley shaped potpourri jar and cover.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47There we are, in the blush ivory.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50£65 takes all the other bidders out. At £65. Do I see 70 in the room?
0:38:50 > 0:38:52I've got you. 70 and five?
0:38:52 > 0:38:55You're out? £70, the lady's bid at the back. 75 anywhere else now?
0:38:55 > 0:38:59At £70, I'm selling then. Right in the distance, 75, fresh bid.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01Ooh, late legs.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04- 90 and five.- We might do it! We might do 100.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Says no. 95, it's the gentleman's bid now at £95. 100?
0:39:07 > 0:39:09Anyone else want to take it up?
0:39:09 > 0:39:12At £95 then. I'm selling at £95. All done.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16- Hilary, £95!- I didn't expect that!
0:39:16 > 0:39:17- That's a good price.- That's lovely.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20That's the wonderful thing about car boots,
0:39:20 > 0:39:22there is money to be made. There really is.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Yeah, just looking forward to the summer now
0:39:24 > 0:39:25when we can go to a few more.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28Good for you. Good for you. Thank you for bringing it in.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34Anchors aweigh now as we set sail for the Wirral
0:39:34 > 0:39:37and try to sell those ship brochures.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40Expert and auctioneer Adam Partridge is on the rostrum.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44Going under the hammer right now, we have some maritime memorabilia.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Three commemorative ship launching brochures
0:39:47 > 0:39:50and they belong to John, and possibly for not much longer.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52We are in the right part of the country
0:39:52 > 0:39:53to sell maritime memorabilia.
0:39:53 > 0:39:57And we have, in our brochures, we have the Mauretania which was built
0:39:57 > 0:40:01in Liverpool and we have the two Queens that were built on the Clyde.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04- Yeah.- We got on really well, didn't we?- We did. We did, yeah!
0:40:04 > 0:40:06- A lot in common.- A lot in common.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08Well, hopefully we'll get top money as well.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10And that's what it's all about right now.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12They're going under the hammer.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14We now have three commemorative launch brochures.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17Mauretania, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. All in the 1930s.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19Will you start me at £20 for the lot?
0:40:19 > 0:40:21It's not a lot of money, is it?
0:40:21 > 0:40:25£20 for the three. There we go. At £20, the bid. At £20.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28I'll take five now. At 25 online.
0:40:28 > 0:40:3130 bid. At £30 the room. At 35 online.
0:40:31 > 0:40:3440 bid. At £40 the bid. Five online. At 45.
0:40:34 > 0:40:3750 bid. At 50 the room. Five online.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42- At 55. Another one, sir?- Five? - 60 in the corner, five online. 70?
0:40:42 > 0:40:46- There you go. £70.- That's not bad. - That's not bad.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50At 75. At 75. Don't let them beat you, sir!
0:40:50 > 0:40:54It's 75 on the internet then, and we're selling. At 75...
0:40:54 > 0:40:5880, there you go. Good advice. At £80. 85 online.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01They're laughing at you now. It's 85 online.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Thank you though. We appreciate the underbid.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06We're selling at £85 online now. 85.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Job done, £85. Well done, well done.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12And it's lovely to think that these books will bring
0:41:12 > 0:41:15- as much pleasure to someone else. - To the next owner.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18- They could be on display somewhere and so on.- Yes.- Thank you.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21- It was lovely to look at them. - Thank you.- Well done.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26It just shows the importance of the online sale these days.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29And finally, those Beatles autographs
0:41:29 > 0:41:32are going under the hammer at Mellors And Kirk Auctions.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34Let's hope they don't go for a song.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37This business is all about provenance.
0:41:37 > 0:41:39It's got to be watertight.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42And we've got it right here, right now, with our Beatles autographs.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45Bit of a local connection to Nottingham, to the hotel as well.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Teresa and David, it's lovely to see you. I love The Beatles.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50- I know you love The Beatles.- I do. - I wanted to do this as a valuation.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52I would have gone straight in
0:41:52 > 0:41:55and said "Two grand, no problem, with that sort of provenance."
0:41:55 > 0:41:58Because that is watertight, it really is. Why are you selling it?
0:41:58 > 0:41:59Australia.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03We've got a daughter in Australia and grandchildren and every year,
0:42:03 > 0:42:06we like to go and it's getting more expensive, so I think it will do...
0:42:06 > 0:42:10Do nice to put forward to a flight and treat the grandchildren.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13- You'll miss the signatures, but it's a good thing to do.- Oh, yes.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16- It's a lovely thing to do with the money, isn't it?- Yes, I think so.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20- I think so.- Might as well spend it and enjoy it.- Yeah.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23And I know, rock and pop memorabilia is big, big business,
0:42:23 > 0:42:27so hopefully the whole world will know about this sale right now.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29- This is it.- Oh, really?- Yes.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33£1,200 for this lot. I am bid 1,200.
0:42:33 > 0:42:3513, 14, 1,500.
0:42:35 > 0:42:3916, 1,700, 1,800, 1,900.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42- £1,900, I am bid. - Come on, it's worth two grand.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44- Yes.- 2,000. 21, for them.
0:42:44 > 0:42:482,200 from, I think, it's Estonia at £2,200.
0:42:48 > 0:42:502,500, I am bid from the US.
0:42:50 > 0:42:532,500. 28 for them?
0:42:53 > 0:42:58At £2,500. The bid is online
0:42:58 > 0:43:01and I sell. Fair warning.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05- £2,500.- Oh, wow! Yes.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08- I can't believe it!- That'll buy two seats.- My heart's fluttering!
0:43:08 > 0:43:10How much? 28?
0:43:10 > 0:43:13- 25. That's a good price. It's a very good price.- We were expecting 15.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Well, look, enjoy the money. Enjoy that flight.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18Give our blessings to all the grandchildren
0:43:18 > 0:43:22and the kids out there. What a wonderful way to end the show.
0:43:22 > 0:43:23We've really hit the high note there
0:43:23 > 0:43:25and I hope you've enjoyed it as well.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28Join us for many more surprises in auction rooms to come in the future,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31but until then, it's goodbye from all of us here in Nottingham.