0:00:09 > 0:00:11The medieval red stone castle
0:00:11 > 0:00:14high up on the escarpment behind me is Powis.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17It's situated near Welshpool in mid Wales,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19close to the English border.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23Powis's interiors are crammed full of fine art and antiques.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26The walls are adorned with prestigious paintings.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29But what tops all of that are some of the interesting stories
0:00:29 > 0:00:32belonging to some of the people who have lived there,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34and I can't wait to find out more.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Welcome to "Flog It!"
0:00:59 > 0:01:01We've got a very special show for you today,
0:01:01 > 0:01:03as we're going on tour around the country
0:01:03 > 0:01:06and taking a look back at some of our fabulous
0:01:06 > 0:01:08valuation days from this series
0:01:08 > 0:01:11where our experts heard your fascinating stories
0:01:11 > 0:01:15and we took your collectibles to auction houses far and wide.
0:01:16 > 0:01:17150.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20We journeyed to the picturesque Lake District in Cumbria,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23where we held our valuation day at the impressive
0:01:23 > 0:01:2513th-century Muncaster Castle.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30We travelled to the magnificent Norwich Cathedral in Norfolk,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33where in the nave, Kate Bateman was shocked at the treatment
0:01:33 > 0:01:36of one poor antique.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Tricia used to use it to plant bulbs in.
0:01:39 > 0:01:40No, you didn't.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43We also had fun at the seaside in our valuation day
0:01:43 > 0:01:47on the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset.
0:01:47 > 0:01:48Amongst the bright lights,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Thomas Plant came across an item that shone.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54These would've been the most modern,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57the most luxurious, the most wonderful things to own.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03And finally we headed north to our valuation day
0:02:03 > 0:02:06at the jaw-droppingly beautiful Bowes Museum in County Durham,
0:02:06 > 0:02:09which was built in the style of a French chateau.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15But before all that, I'm heading back to Wales.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Powis Castle was built in the mid-13th century by a Welsh ruler,
0:02:21 > 0:02:22and some 300 years later,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26the Herbert family first leased the castle and then went on
0:02:26 > 0:02:28to eventually own it outright.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30Subsequent generations of the family
0:02:30 > 0:02:33have turned the castle from a fortress
0:02:33 > 0:02:35into a rather magnificent stately home,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37complete with lavish interiors.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41And the family continued to live here right up until 1952
0:02:41 > 0:02:43when the Fourth Earl died,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46leaving Powis in the safe hands of the National Trust.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Many members of the Herbert family led colourful lives.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51One male heir was convicted of treason,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55while another accompanied James II into exile.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59But it wasn't just the men who had interesting stories to tell.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Many female members of the family also led remarkable lives.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07And I'll be returning to Powis later in the programme
0:03:07 > 0:03:10to find out about the extraordinary adventures
0:03:10 > 0:03:13undertaken by one of the female members of the Herbert family.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18But first it's time to head eastwards
0:03:18 > 0:03:20over the border into England to our valuation day
0:03:20 > 0:03:22at Norwich Cathedral, where Kate Bateman
0:03:22 > 0:03:25came across a "Flog It!" classic with a twist.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Jim and Trish, what can you tell me about this thing you've brought in?
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Well, it belonged to my grandmother,
0:03:33 > 0:03:39who gave it to my mother, who about 30 years ago gave it to us,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42and it's been in our house just sort of sitting around,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45but Tricia used to use it to plant bulbs in.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47No, you didn't. I did.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49It looks lovely with...
0:03:49 > 0:03:51at this time of year with a bowl of hyacinths in it.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54I can see where you're coming from. It does look nice. Daffodils.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56And I suppose it is a plant...
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Well, planter... I think it's just a decorative bowl.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00Do you know who it's by?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Yes, well, we've always known it was Moorcroft Pomegranate
0:04:03 > 0:04:05cos it says Moorcroft on the bottom.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06Excellent.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08What I haven't found is a Moorcroft bowl
0:04:08 > 0:04:09on a pewter stand other than...
0:04:09 > 0:04:13I thought it was Liberty, but I don't know.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17So, Liberty Tudric is the one you would expect it to be.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18Right. But it's not.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20It's actually something called Hutton on the bottom,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22and I've never seen one with a stand like this.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25And it's kind of interesting how they fit so well together.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Considering it's porcelain and metal -
0:04:27 > 0:04:30they're not natural bedfellows - they look so good together.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32It's like it's their sort of natural form.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35And I haven't have taken it off the stand or even thought about it
0:04:35 > 0:04:38because it was made for it, wasn't it?
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Certainly, it's got that bit to fit it.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41It certainly looks like it.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Let's just have a look and check it is Moorcroft.
0:04:44 > 0:04:45Yep. Here we go.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47We've got the Moorcroft here. Made in Britain.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49171 is the shape,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51so that's like the shape of this particular design.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54And then we've got this lovely matching base.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57And you're right, it's got this funny little ribbed lip
0:04:57 > 0:04:59which means it does fit straight in,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02so I can only assume it was retailed exactly as it is.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03The Pomegranate design
0:05:03 > 0:05:05has really kind of mushy, soft colours.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Later on, the piping,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09which is the bits that separate the different colours -
0:05:09 > 0:05:11the edges, if you like -
0:05:11 > 0:05:13that gets really more tube-lined harsher,
0:05:13 > 0:05:14a bit more raised.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16And the colours get a bit more garish,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19so as soon as I saw that kind of slightly sloshy
0:05:19 > 0:05:22kind of muddy colours, I knew it was an early one.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25This was very Art Nouveau, which is 1920s.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Think of people like Alphonse Mucha and people like that.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31It was all sinuous lines and natural forms
0:05:31 > 0:05:33but stretched into kind of wonderful patterns,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35and that's what you've got here in this base.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37I mean, why are you thinking of selling?
0:05:37 > 0:05:40My daughter is getting married in May,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42and it's just a tad of expensive year for us,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44so we thought we would just see.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Yeah. As parents of the bride, it's going to be expensive. Yes.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Well, have you ever thought about price?
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Well, I thought, since it's Moorcroft Pomegranate,
0:05:53 > 0:05:55it might be a couple of hundred pounds.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Couple of hundred. We did see the damage.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00It's not the end of the world. It's not a huge crack.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03It's always been chipped in all the years I've known it.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06OK. I mean, that's going to affect it a little bit.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08How about a reserve of, say, 150
0:06:08 > 0:06:11and an estimate for ?200 to ?300?
0:06:11 > 0:06:12OK. Yes. And we'll see.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15I think with the base, it's a really interesting thing.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18They don't come up that often, so who knows?
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Powis seems to be overrun by fine paintings.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Every surface area has been adorned.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35These wonderful murals running up the side
0:06:35 > 0:06:37of this grand staircase were completed
0:06:37 > 0:06:40in the early part of the 1700s.
0:06:40 > 0:06:41Now, at a valuation day
0:06:41 > 0:06:45in another impressive stately home, Muncaster Castle,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47James Lewis came across an item
0:06:47 > 0:06:50from a little later on in the same century.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59Ian, there is one thing you cannot beat with antiques,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02and that is a good bit of patination. Right.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Years of polish and dirt and colour
0:07:05 > 0:07:11that you can't ever fake, and that is fantastic. Good.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14A car-boot find, I've heard. Yes, absolutely. Yes.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17I saw this. It was half in the mud on the floor under the table.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18I thought, "That's nice."
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Opened it up. The inside is missing out of it.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24I said, "Oh, it's a shame the interior is gone."
0:07:24 > 0:07:25I said, "How much is it?"
0:07:25 > 0:07:27And the guy who was behind the stall shouted to his wife,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30"Marge, how much is that old writing slope?"
0:07:30 > 0:07:32And I was like, "That's not a writing slope,"
0:07:32 > 0:07:33but he didn't know.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35And she said, "Tenner."
0:07:35 > 0:07:38So, I said, "Would you take a fiver?" being cheeky,
0:07:38 > 0:07:39and he put his hand out and shook my hand.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Gave him a ?5 note, walked away with it.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Was that recent?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Within the last year. No!
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Well, that teaches them for not watching "Flog It!"
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Tell me, how much do you know about it?
0:07:51 > 0:07:54It's Georgian, I think, unless it's an Edwardian copy,
0:07:54 > 0:07:55but I presume it's Georgian.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00It's George III. It's 1780 to 1800.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Wow. And as you say, it's a knife box,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07not a writing slope. No.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11The interior, you can see the colours in that lid.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16See the greens and the pale colours and the contrast with the mahogany?
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Well, those colours would be the same on the front
0:08:20 > 0:08:25and on the outside as they are now today in the cover,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27and that is what we talk about
0:08:27 > 0:08:29when we're talking about patination
0:08:29 > 0:08:30and something you can't fake.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33It's that ageing. It's the dirt.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37It's the polish. But look at that. That's super.
0:08:37 > 0:08:43The slope base to it would have had a series of little slots
0:08:43 > 0:08:47for knives, spoons, possibly even forks to go in.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Down the front here we've got stop-fluted columns,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54and they are typical of what you would've found
0:08:54 > 0:08:55on the grand tour.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58So, somebody's gone to Greece, gone to Rome
0:08:58 > 0:09:00and they've seen those neoclassical columns
0:09:00 > 0:09:02and they've come back to their furniture maker
0:09:02 > 0:09:03and they've said, "Look.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06"How wonderful to have those on the front of a knife box."
0:09:06 > 0:09:09The panel in the centre is satinwood.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10Wonderful colour.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12And it's cross-banded in rosewood,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16and it's got herringbone cross-banding at the side as well
0:09:16 > 0:09:20and outlined with boxwood stringing, so there's a lot of work in there.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Before we decide on an auction estimate,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27we must mention the fact that it's slightly tired.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30That's a very polite way of saying... It's had a hard life.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32It's had a very hard life.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37Hinges are broken and there's lots of beading and things wrong with it.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40But what do you think in terms of value?
0:09:40 > 0:09:42I do have to admit, I saw one sell this week in an auction.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45I was watching it and it sold for ?70,
0:09:45 > 0:09:47but it's looked like it was in better condition than this,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49so ?40, ?50, I'd be happy with that.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52I think we should put an auction estimate of 40 to 60 on it.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Brilliant. And I'd like to see it...
0:09:54 > 0:09:58It'd be horrible to see it sell at ?15 or ?20, wouldn't it? Yeah.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00So, let's put a reserve of 40 on it. Yeah.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03A great eye. Well spotted. Brilliant.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06And, no, brilliant. Well done, you. Thank you.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Next we headed to the coast to our valuation day
0:10:13 > 0:10:16on the Grand Pier at Weston-super-Mare in Somerset,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18where Jonathan Pratt came across an item
0:10:18 > 0:10:20from a far more exotic location.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25So, Dick, you brought this lovely little fob watch.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28This is from an Indian or Pakistani port,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30but how come it's with you?
0:10:30 > 0:10:31How is it in your hands?
0:10:31 > 0:10:35My mother left it to me, but it belonged to her great aunt.
0:10:35 > 0:10:41She died in 1945 and my mother died 20 years ago,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43so it came down to my mother and then to me.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46I mean, immediately, this sort of style of pocket watch,
0:10:46 > 0:10:50it's what we call a hunter because it's got a solid front. Yes.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53You know, if you're riding on your horse on your hunt
0:10:53 > 0:10:56and you fell off... Yes. ..you don't want to break the glass. Yeah.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58So, it's got that solid front on it.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Engine turning, and a little cartouche in the middle there.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Immediately I'd say, just from looking at that,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04it's going to be late 19th century. Yes.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06It would date from the latter part of the 19th century.
0:11:06 > 0:11:12The key with this is to give it a squeeze and pop the front open,
0:11:12 > 0:11:17and you've got a name on there for Max Minck.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Yeah, Karachi. Max Minck of Karachi.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Spelt K-U-R-A.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Yes. It's now spelt K-A-R.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26And a double E on the end.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Lends itself to sort of the Raj, you know,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31when we were living out in India, and presumably at the time...
0:11:31 > 0:11:33I mean, it's Pakistan now, but at the time
0:11:33 > 0:11:36it might have been India at the end of the 19th century.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39He will have been someone who was retailing watches and clocks...
0:11:39 > 0:11:44Yes. ..to the rich gentry who were living out there, you know,
0:11:44 > 0:11:46taking their summers in India. Yes.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48We need to see in the back. There we are.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51And so on the back, it tells us it's got a ten-jewel movement,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and that's what I need to see.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56And you see you've got an 18k case.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59So, it's 18 karat gold, or stamped 18k.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Lady's watch, obviously, for the size. It's a nice thing.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05So, why do you want to sell it?
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Well, I've never used it, and quite frankly, I've kept it -
0:12:09 > 0:12:10what everybody says -
0:12:10 > 0:12:13I've kept it in a drawer cos I don't use a pocket watch. Yes.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Well, you've kept it, by doing so, in nice condition. Oh, yes. Yes.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18I mean, it hasn't been wound.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21But, you know, gold doesn't oxidise, so it just sits there.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Looks like it was the day it was made. Yes.
0:12:23 > 0:12:24I rather like it. Yes.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27I think if you should want to sell it,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30I think happily between ?200 and ?300.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31Yes. How does that sound?
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Yes, I hope to get 200. Yes.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37But, yeah, I would be content with that.
0:12:37 > 0:12:38OK, well, you know,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40let's do a reserve of ?200, protect you,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43and if it doesn't make that, then you can put it back in the drawer.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Yes. How does that sound? Very good. Fantastic.
0:12:46 > 0:12:47Thank you very much. You're welcome.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Now, at the valuation day at Bowes Museum,
0:12:53 > 0:12:58expert David Harper found a little item that was highly decorative too.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Well, Jenna, I've got to say that is an absolutely
0:13:01 > 0:13:02delectable picture,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05but it's a bit dwarfed, let's be honest,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08surrounded by this artwork at Bowes Museum.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11It's beautiful. I mean, this is astonishing.
0:13:11 > 0:13:12Are you big into art? I am.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16I watercolour paint. Do you? I don't do anything like these!
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Oh, I'm sure you could. No, I couldn't!
0:13:18 > 0:13:21I wouldn't know where to start. Do you do it professionally?
0:13:21 > 0:13:23No, just...amateur.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Tell me the story, when did you get it, how did you come about it?
0:13:25 > 0:13:30My father liked to go to the tip to throw things away initially,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34but then he liked to rummage around to see what other people
0:13:34 > 0:13:39have thrown away and he found it in a skip. So, it was thrown out. Yes.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41And not broken. Not broken.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44I don't think he ever thought it was anything in particular,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48just somebody was good at painting cats. That's interesting.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53I think this is by someone who's particularly good at painting cats.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57You see, I took a photograph and put it into the internet
0:13:57 > 0:13:59and couldn't find anything.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Two weeks ago in the local paper... It is full of houses
0:14:03 > 0:14:05and I look to see what house I'm going to buy
0:14:05 > 0:14:07when I win the lottery! We all do that.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10In the back of the paper, there on the antiques page
0:14:10 > 0:14:15were two little pictures of kittens painted with books or something
0:14:15 > 0:14:17and I thought, "That's just like mine,"
0:14:17 > 0:14:21and it had the signature on the corner just like mine.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25And do you now know the artist? Yes. Bessie...
0:14:25 > 0:14:26Bamber. Bamber.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Bessie Bamber. What a fantastic name.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33Do you know when she was painting? The late 1800s to 1910. Absolutely.
0:14:33 > 0:14:381890 to 1910 she was prolific, so it's not dated,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40but we know it is circa 1900.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45Normally she paints on porcelain or canvas or paper. This is on glass.
0:14:45 > 0:14:46Yes. It is very delicate.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51Bear in mind it was chucked out and your dad found it,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55it's amazing that it's in this state. It was very dirty.
0:14:55 > 0:14:56The white was very dirty.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58What do you think it is worth?
0:14:58 > 0:15:01It cost you nothing, that is the best way to get anything.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Well, in the paper it said ?700 to ?1,000... Did it really?
0:15:04 > 0:15:07..which kind of made me jump for joy.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09I bet. But I really don't know.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12?700-?1,000 is a bit optimistic, I've got to say.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17I think it is 300 or 400, 350, 450. It's that kind of price. Right.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Could we go 350, 450 and reserve it at 350? Yes.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23What are you going to do with the money?
0:15:23 > 0:15:28I'm going to take my dog on a holiday to the coast! Lucky dog.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31I might take my husband, I might not. No, just take the dog.
0:15:31 > 0:15:32But the irony is marvellous.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34A bunch of cats funding to take a dog on holiday.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36That's brilliant. I love that.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Before we head off to auction, there is something I would like to show you.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Now, back here at Powis, it wasn't just the castle
0:15:54 > 0:15:56that was lavishly refurbished and redesigned.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Love and attention was also shown outside to create a garden,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02which is now famous worldwide.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06Just look at this, it is so spectacular.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Powis now boasts a multilayered garden,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12with a series of Italianate terraces,
0:16:12 > 0:16:13and to achieve this
0:16:13 > 0:16:15they had to blast into the side of the rock
0:16:15 > 0:16:17that the castle is built on.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Now, that's some early feat of engineering.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29The major overhaul of the gardens was started
0:16:29 > 0:16:33in the 1680s by William Herbert, the 3rd Lord Powis, who was also
0:16:33 > 0:16:37responsible for the character of the state rooms inside the castle.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Some type of terraces were here before,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42though Lord Powis had additional terraces built.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45This was probably done under the direction
0:16:45 > 0:16:47of the English gentleman architect William Wynne,
0:16:47 > 0:16:51who was also responsible for the magnificent grand staircase,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54as Wynne was known to take an interest in the gardens
0:16:54 > 0:16:56of the houses he designed.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01Unfortunately, work on the gardens came to an abrupt end in 1688
0:17:01 > 0:17:03when the family fled to France,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05accompanying King James II into exile.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10They returned to Powis in 1703 and work resumed on the gardens
0:17:10 > 0:17:14with the help of a French gardener who'd been working in Holland.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17The result was a mixture of styles when it was completed.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21Of course, there was still the fantastic Italianate terraces
0:17:21 > 0:17:23but there was also a Dutch water garden,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25which, sadly, isn't here today.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Later, in 1771, the direction of the gardens changed once again
0:17:30 > 0:17:33with a more naturalistic-looking landscape
0:17:33 > 0:17:38made popular in the 18th century by garden designer Capability Brown.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42And over there, planted up in the wilderness, you can see oaks,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44some of those oaks survive today from that period,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46so that really is nice.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48That is the connection back to the past
0:17:48 > 0:17:52and thankfully these Italianate terraces remained unscathed
0:17:52 > 0:17:55and they really are a joy to behold.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01The following century saw little change to Powis's gardens
0:18:01 > 0:18:05until a new enthusiast came along in the shape of Violet,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08the wife of the 4th Earl, who persuaded her husband to let
0:18:08 > 0:18:13her manage and improve the gardens in the early 1900s.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Violet came from the Lane-Fox family,
0:18:15 > 0:18:20a great gardening dynasty from Yorkshire who still continue today.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Violet relocated the kitchen garden,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26made a new formal garden, which was typical of the Edwardian era,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28and enriched the planting on the terraces
0:18:28 > 0:18:32in her attempt to make Powis one of the most beautiful gardens
0:18:32 > 0:18:34in Wales and England.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37The gardens here at Powis today are a legacy
0:18:37 > 0:18:41to Violet, as they are managed largely how she left them.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45To find out more, I'm meeting head gardener Dave Swanton.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50So, how loyal are you today for Violet's visions of the gardens?
0:18:50 > 0:18:53I would say we are fairly loyal, in the fact we want it to be one
0:18:53 > 0:18:55of the best in Britain, and obviously gardens evolve
0:18:55 > 0:18:59and we bring new plant introductions that weren't available at that time,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02so we're not stuck in history. No, it is ongoing. Exactly.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04But obviously, the perfection,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07the high standards of maintenance, we're certainly achieving.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10We get a great view from up here. You can see almost everything.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Can you talk me through the different sections?
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Yeah, we've got four terraces,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16so the top one's tropical effect plantings,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18then we have Mediterranean on the terrace.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22The orangery terrace with double herbaceous borders is fantastic.
0:19:22 > 0:19:23It's starting to look really nice.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25It is the right time of the year, isn't it?
0:19:25 > 0:19:28It'll get better and better. You can't go wrong, to be honest.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32The big lawn was the site of a Dutch water garden in the 1800s,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35so we'll do patterns on there for the kids to play on, mazes,
0:19:35 > 0:19:40and then further down the hill we have Lady Violet's formal garden -
0:19:40 > 0:19:43apple trees, vine arch and planting on poles.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46It looks so pretty from up here. Oh, it's beautiful!
0:19:50 > 0:19:54There's more to Powis Castle Gardens than just the eclectic mix
0:19:54 > 0:19:58of exotic and domestic plants and shrubs.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02As you wander around, you stumble across wonderful works of art.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05The sculpture of Hercules slaying a many-headed Hydra
0:20:05 > 0:20:09with his club now stands at the far end of the top terrace.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12It used to be placed in the lost water garden below,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15alongside the sculpture of Fame and Pegasus,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18which is now situated in the castle courtyard.
0:20:18 > 0:20:23Here on the aviary terrace there is a delightful line of lead statues
0:20:23 > 0:20:27depicting shepherds and shepherdesses over the years.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32The lead has mellowed down to a lovely, warm tone.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35But back in the 18th century, these figures would have been
0:20:35 > 0:20:39picked out in bright, chromatic colours as in keeping with the day,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43but it looks like they're enjoying the view.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47During the 1950s, even works of art from inside the house
0:20:47 > 0:20:50were brought outside and displayed in the gardens.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55Powis's Caesar busts were placed in handy nooks along the top terrace.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Today, they reside safely back inside the castle.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02The garden art doesn't end with the man-made sculptures
0:21:02 > 0:21:04and statues, though.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Powis's majestic yew hedge is viewed by some
0:21:07 > 0:21:09as a work of art in its own right.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11It towers over the garden
0:21:11 > 0:21:15and its organic shape evokes thoughts of clouds.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17You know, the gardens are famed for their yew trees
0:21:17 > 0:21:21and their box hedges - what's the story behind them?
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Well, the yew trees were planted over 300 years ago,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27designed by William Wynne, planted as topiaries.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28So, quite small. Yes.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Kept small and then when the landscape movement came,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33they were left to grow into huge trees
0:21:33 > 0:21:35and the Victorians clipped over them
0:21:35 > 0:21:39so these lovely lumps in the hedge here are actually branches
0:21:39 > 0:21:42that have been pruned, rather than a hedge that's got bigger and fatter.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Yes, I see. It almost looks like clouds floating everywhere.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47It's so magical. Yeah.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49This must be very difficult to manage, to cut properly.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51How do you do it?
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Well, you have to have a head for heights is the first thing! Yeah.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56But currently, we use a cherry picker. OK.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59A small cherry picker set-up can reach about 40 metres.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Prior to that, they would have been on ladders,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04so using sickles and scythes.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07We have an old photograph with a gentleman stood on top
0:22:07 > 0:22:10using a scythe. It seems there's a lot to do here.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13How big is your team, how many gardeners do you have?
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Well, we have five that are full-time in the garden
0:22:16 > 0:22:18and two in the nursery, growing plants
0:22:18 > 0:22:19for the gardens and plants for sale.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22That's not many, compared to how it would have been in Violet's day.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26No, but they didn't have the machines we use today.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29We have power trimmers, the cherry picker instead of ladders
0:22:29 > 0:22:32and mowers that handle the situation better.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34What is the future for the gardens -
0:22:34 > 0:22:38are you staying loyal to the past or are you planting up for the future?
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Well, the past has a big effect on Powis.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44All the structure, but with plantings,
0:22:44 > 0:22:46we've got more of a free hand.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Keeping with the spirit of the place, so how it should be,
0:22:49 > 0:22:54but we can introduce new varieties and more disease-resistant, perhaps.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Fantastic. Thank you very much.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58I think you and your team have done a brilliant job.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Everywhere you look, there's something different to see,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04there's vibrant colour and a surprise around every corner.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Thank you so much. Thanks, Paul.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20Later on in the programme,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23we'll be returning here to Powis to find out more about the life
0:23:23 > 0:23:27of Lady Henrietta and how it was filled with adventure.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31But right now let's see how our owners' items fared
0:23:31 > 0:23:32when they went under the hammer.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36At our valuation day at Norwich Cathedral,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Jim and Tricia brought along their Moorcroft bowl,
0:23:39 > 0:23:43which unusually came with its own custom-made pewter stand.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Dick's 18 karat gold pocket watch with empty cartouche
0:23:49 > 0:23:52had crossed the seas to make it to our valuation day
0:23:52 > 0:23:55at Weston-super-Mare, as it originally hailed from India.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01At our valuation day at Bowes Museum,
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Janet turned up with a cat painting on a glass panel by Bessie Bamber,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07which had been rescued from a skip.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14And finally, at our valuation day at Muncaster Castle in Cumbria,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Ian turned up with his Georgian knife box
0:24:17 > 0:24:20which he bought for a fiver at a car-boot sale.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23But did it make him a profit when it went under the hammer?
0:24:23 > 0:24:24It's time to find out.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27We sold Ian's knife box
0:24:27 > 0:24:30at Thomson Roddick Medcalf saleroom in Carlisle.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Auctioneer Steven Parkinson was on the rostrum.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Remember, whether you're buying or selling at every auction room,
0:24:37 > 0:24:41there's always commission to pay and VAT on top.
0:24:41 > 0:24:42380.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Going under the hammer right now, my favourite lot in the show.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46It's not a lot of money.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48We're asking for ?40 to ?60,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51but it's a cracking Georgian knife box.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54It's beautiful. It belongs to Ian. You got this in a car-boot for ?5.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55I did, yes. That's right.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57I know it's had the interior removed,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00but nevertheless, as a stand-alone box with the inlay
0:25:00 > 0:25:05and all that detail and that serpentine front for ?5.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07You just look at it and it feels fabulous.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09It's got a wonderful colour. It's history.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12It's going under the hammer right now. Let's put it to the test, Ian.
0:25:12 > 0:25:13This is it.
0:25:15 > 0:25:1945. 45 is in the room. At 45. At 45.
0:25:19 > 0:25:2248. 48. At 48. You want 50?
0:25:22 > 0:25:23Good. That man wants it.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26At ?50. It's in the room at ?50.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27It's a little money, but we'll sell it.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32At 50. Anybody else? At 50. At 50. At 50.
0:25:32 > 0:25:33Good price. Very good, yeah.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Still cheap for what it is, you know.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37It should be ?100, but look,
0:25:37 > 0:25:3950 quid, you're very, very happy with that.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Yeah, absolutely. And for ?5, you know, that's nice, isn't it?
0:25:42 > 0:25:44Who says antiques are expensive, eh? They're not.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47That box will come in very useful for somebody,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50even if you stick the post in it or give it to your kids
0:25:50 > 0:25:53to put all their felt-tip pens in it as a tidy keep.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56It's a great thing. Oh, we all need boxes, and that was a cracker.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Next we travel to Norfolk to TW Gaze in Diss
0:26:02 > 0:26:06to sell Tricia and Jim's Moorcroft bowl with stand.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09The auctioneer we had our hopes pinned on was Ed Smith.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Going under the hammer right now, a great name in ceramics - Moorcroft.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17It doesn't get any better than this, and it's Pomegranate as well.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20It belongs to Patricia and Jim, and not for much longer.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23You're not going to be taking this home.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26This is definitely here to go, and I think it's priced just right
0:26:26 > 0:26:29and it's going to tempt everybody in to bid on it. I think it'll go.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31I love this thing. Let's find out what happens.
0:26:31 > 0:26:32Here we go.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36And again, straight in here. ?200. 200.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38150 and start. Come on.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Lovely piece of Moorcroft there for ?150. 100 bid.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43100 I have. 110. 120.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47130. 140. 150. 150 it is. Is there 60?
0:26:47 > 0:26:48Oh, come on.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50It's 150 now bid. Where is the 60?
0:26:50 > 0:26:55It's at ?150 there. Is there 60? We will be selling for 150.
0:26:55 > 0:26:56Are we all done?
0:26:58 > 0:27:02The hammer's gone down on ?150, right on its reserve.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05On its reserve. They were sitting on their hands.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07There was only one person here that really wanted it. Yeah.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09I would live with the damage. Turn it around.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Well, we have for about 30 years.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Look, I'm really sorry it didn't make any more.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16I'm so sorry, OK? That's all right. That's auctions for you.
0:27:16 > 0:27:17?30.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Next we headed to South Lakeland in Cumbria,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24where Janet's Bessie Bamber cat painting
0:27:24 > 0:27:27went up for sale at 1818 Auctioneers.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29On the rostrum was Kevin Kendall.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31I will take 50 on the phone now.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Something for all you fine art lovers right now.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38An oil on glass and it's a group of kittens and it is exquisite,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41belonging to Janet who's right next to me. Good luck with this.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43And I love the idea of selling this
0:27:43 > 0:27:48because Janet wants to take your dog on holiday, is that right? Yes.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50I just wonder how the kittens will feel about funding
0:27:50 > 0:27:54a holiday for a dog, come on! The irony there is ridiculous.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57I do like cats just as much as dogs. Good luck with this anyway.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Fingers crossed. It's going under the hammer right now.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05300, surely all at once. 300. 300.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Start me at 200, if you will.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10200, somewhere. Somebody start me at 200.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12?200 we'll go. 200. 200.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17I will take 20s. It is a long drag but we will get there. 200. 200.
0:28:17 > 0:28:22220. 220. 220. 220. 220. 220.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25Losing it. 220? Not today.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Oh! Oh, dear. Oh, it's going home.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31But the dog's still going on holiday, isn't he?
0:28:31 > 0:28:36Is that OK, then? We haven't ruined the dog's holiday? No.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Janet should try her luck again as her glass panel was very collectable
0:28:40 > 0:28:44and I know somebody out there would just love those kittens.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Finally, we travel west back to the Somerset seaside
0:28:47 > 0:28:51to sell Dick's gold pocket watch at Clevedon Salerooms.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53Marc Burridge was wielding the gavel.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Selling at 85.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Well, time is definitely up. No, it's not the end of the show.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00It's time to sell Dick's pocket watch.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02It's going under the hammer right now.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06This is a good item, a really nice item. Oh, good. Thank you.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Bit of quality. Why are you selling it? Yes. Yes.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10You just don't use it any more? Don't need it?
0:29:10 > 0:29:11I haven't used it at all.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14I haven't worn a waistcoat for years, you see. No.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16It's going under the hammer right now. Good luck, Dick. Yeah.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22On the book we have bids here at 180, 190, 200,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25210, 220, 230,
0:29:25 > 0:29:26240, 250.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29It's on its way. 250. And it's still going.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32?250 here. 260, anyone?
0:29:32 > 0:29:35260 now. Thanks to all in the room.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39It's all on the book then and selling at 250.
0:29:39 > 0:29:40Well done. Spot-on.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43?250 mid estimate. That was a short fight for that.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46You see, quality - and quality always sells.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50Yeah. Well done, you. Thank you. A man of quality. Yeah.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53What a good, solid price for Dick's gold pocket watch,
0:29:53 > 0:29:57and his watch also had something in common with Powis Castle -
0:29:57 > 0:29:58a connection to India -
0:29:58 > 0:30:01and I'm heading back to Wales to find out more.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14For centuries, the Herberts acquired riches
0:30:14 > 0:30:15to fill their castle,
0:30:15 > 0:30:19but they also had treasures coming in from another source -
0:30:19 > 0:30:22prestigious families marrying into the Herberts.
0:30:22 > 0:30:23And there's a lovely example of this
0:30:23 > 0:30:28when Sir Edward Clive married Lady Henrietta Herbert in 1784.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30Because of that union,
0:30:30 > 0:30:34the castle acquired a collection of over 300 artefacts from India
0:30:34 > 0:30:35and the Far East.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39The collection was started by Edward's father, Robert.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43Edward and Henrietta carried on the collection, so today it houses
0:30:43 > 0:30:47the largest private collection of its kind in the UK.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51The Clive collection has been brought together
0:30:51 > 0:30:53and placed in the Clive Museum,
0:30:53 > 0:30:57which is situated in what used to be part of Powis's ballroom.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01The collection is varied and include items such as weaponry,
0:31:01 > 0:31:06games, textiles, jewels and even a sultan's tent.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09The display cases and the design of the museum
0:31:09 > 0:31:11are in a style known as Hindu Gothic,
0:31:11 > 0:31:14which evokes a feeling of the British Raj.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19However, many of the items here in the collection
0:31:19 > 0:31:22predate the period of the actual British Raj
0:31:22 > 0:31:26when the British Crown assumed total control of India
0:31:26 > 0:31:29between 1858 and 1947.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33Robert Clive was in India earlier in the 1700s.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36He worked for the British-owned East India Company
0:31:36 > 0:31:39promoting trade between India and other countries..
0:31:39 > 0:31:42He also played a major part in forging the way
0:31:42 > 0:31:46for eventual British rule.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48During his time working on the subcontinent,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51Robert Clive became known as Clive of India
0:31:51 > 0:31:55and he amassed a personal fortune and brought back many of the pieces
0:31:55 > 0:31:58that are on display in the Clive Museum today.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00Edward Clive followed
0:32:00 > 0:32:02in his father Robert Clive's footsteps
0:32:02 > 0:32:05and became governor of Madras in 1798.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08He spent time in India with his wife, Henrietta Herbert,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11and he carried on collecting Indian artefacts.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14And I want to show you two or three of my favourites.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17Let's start with this magnificent ivory chess set,
0:32:17 > 0:32:19thought to belong to Robert Clive.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23The soldiers with swords and shields are pawns.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26An Indian elephant is usually the equivalent of a bishop,
0:32:26 > 0:32:28but sometimes this could be a camel,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31in which case the elephant becomes a rook.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Alternatively, the camel may act as a knight.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37It all gets very complicated, but how about this?
0:32:37 > 0:32:40It's small but it's very precious.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44It's a gold tiger head finial from the throne of Tipu Sultan.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47He was the sultan of Mysore, the richest city in Southern India,
0:32:47 > 0:32:50which fell into the hands of the British.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52In fact, the treasures and the spoils
0:32:52 > 0:32:55were divided up amongst the soldiers of that victory.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57They pulled the throne apart, sadly.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02This is incredibly rare. It's only one of two surviving finials.
0:33:02 > 0:33:03It's not solid gold.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05It's gold on a core of wood,
0:33:05 > 0:33:10but it's been inlaid with emeralds, diamonds and rubies.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14I particularly love the collar of the tiger,
0:33:14 > 0:33:16and the ruby as a tongue.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19This was added to the collection by Henrietta Herbert.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22It was given to her by Lord Wellesley,
0:33:22 > 0:33:24the Duke of Wellington's brother.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28Lady Henrietta Herbert was fascinated by all things Eastern,
0:33:28 > 0:33:32and whilst in India, she undertook an incredible journey
0:33:32 > 0:33:36without her husband in the year 1800 across the subcontinent,
0:33:36 > 0:33:39which was a very brave and daring thing to do at the time.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43However, the story of Henrietta's colourful life
0:33:43 > 0:33:47and Indian adventures weren't well-known until recently
0:33:47 > 0:33:49when a writer and fellow woman traveller,
0:33:49 > 0:33:54Nancy K Shields from Texas, stumbled across her story
0:33:54 > 0:33:57and was inspired to write a book about it called Birds Of Passage.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02So, how unusual was it for a lady like Henrietta
0:34:02 > 0:34:04to be travelling India in the late 1700s
0:34:04 > 0:34:06unaccompanied by her husband?
0:34:06 > 0:34:09Henrietta was the first one to travel,
0:34:09 > 0:34:14make such a travel in India, to my knowledge, and the only one.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16I don't know of anyone else who duplicated that trip.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19And it wasn't just one lady travelling.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23I mean, here's a mother with her two daughters and their governess,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26who was an Italian artist.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29And the four women set off into the wilderness,
0:34:29 > 0:34:34what was really wilderness then, we have to remember, of South India,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37full of tigers and wild elephants and snakes
0:34:37 > 0:34:40and rivers that they had to ford.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42There were no bridges.
0:34:42 > 0:34:43So, what drove her?
0:34:43 > 0:34:45Well, Henrietta, you might say,
0:34:45 > 0:34:48was a really rebellious person.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50She... Spirited.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52Spirited, right. THEY LAUGH
0:34:52 > 0:34:55She didn't want just to go to balls
0:34:55 > 0:34:59and have the usual kind of women's social society there,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02and they considered her quite standoffish.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05Henrietta was, I think, really a scholar.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08The first thing she did when she got to Madras
0:35:08 > 0:35:13was to build a little house, a room, a big room in her garden
0:35:13 > 0:35:17where she was planning to put the collections she wanted to make
0:35:17 > 0:35:20while she was in India of rocks and plants
0:35:20 > 0:35:22and butterflies and shells.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25And educating the daughters and seeing to that,
0:35:25 > 0:35:28and that turned out to be a really full-time job.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33Lady Charlotte was 12 and Lady Henrietta was 13
0:35:33 > 0:35:35when they accompanied their mother, Henrietta,
0:35:35 > 0:35:37on her trek across Southern India.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40Nicknamed Charlie, Lady Charlotte kept a journal
0:35:40 > 0:35:43from 1800 about her adventures.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47"Accidents continually happen in this nullah.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50"Captain Brown heard a tiger growl.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53"The village people told us that a few days ago
0:35:53 > 0:35:55"a man was carried off by a tiger
0:35:55 > 0:35:57"and they found his body almost entirely eaten up."
0:35:57 > 0:35:58Oh!
0:35:58 > 0:36:02"We passed many piles of stones where a man had been killed,
0:36:02 > 0:36:06"and each person who passes in safety adds one to the heap."
0:36:06 > 0:36:08Gosh. Yes.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10So, do you feel a connection with Lady Henrietta?
0:36:10 > 0:36:12I like her for wanting to roam about.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16I mean, she had really a dream of going to the east.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20Henrietta loved to learn. Yeah.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22She really did.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Well, look, it sounds like you've had your adventures too,
0:36:24 > 0:36:27and thank you so much, Nancy, for coming all the way over
0:36:27 > 0:36:29from Texas and talking to me today.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31Oh, it's been a pleasure. It really has.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Now we continue our tour of the country
0:36:40 > 0:36:42as we revisit our valuation day
0:36:42 > 0:36:44on the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare
0:36:44 > 0:36:48where Thomas Plant found a pair of vases that got his pulse racing.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54Sue, thank you very much for coming in and bringing possibly
0:36:54 > 0:36:58the most exciting thing I've seen in a long time.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01How did you come by these Lalique vases?
0:37:01 > 0:37:03They were inherited from my grandmother,
0:37:03 > 0:37:07and I've got a feeling that these were a gift from her husband.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11Where was her husband from? He was from London.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14And is that where your grandmother lived? Yes. Yes. Right.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18So, they were Londonites. They must have been wealthy.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20Yes, I think they were. THEY LAUGH
0:37:20 > 0:37:24The reason why I ask is cos you've got to get context. Right.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28You know, you don't just turn up
0:37:28 > 0:37:33a pair of Art Deco opalescent Lalique Beliers vases.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35That's the title of them. Yes.
0:37:35 > 0:37:39These are Beliers, vases like that.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42In 1925, when these were new...
0:37:42 > 0:37:43Yes.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47..these would have been the most modern, the most luxurious,
0:37:47 > 0:37:49the most wonderful things to own.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54Lalique was a fabulous jeweller. Yes.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56He was known for his jewellery.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58But in the 1920s,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01he moved to a larger factory in Alsace-Lorraine
0:38:01 > 0:38:05and really started to produce glass, but moulded glass.
0:38:05 > 0:38:06And this is moulded.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09You can see the mould line on these goats here.
0:38:09 > 0:38:14Possibly why you couldn't see it sort of on the bowls so much. No.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17No, probably the bowls were made separately,
0:38:17 > 0:38:19cos you can get them with different...
0:38:19 > 0:38:23You get birds on them coming down, so they were applied on.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25It's sort of like a mountain chamois.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28I thought they were onyx. Yeah, I thought they were onyx,
0:38:28 > 0:38:30but onyx don't have these beards, do they?
0:38:30 > 0:38:33When you look at onyx, they're quite clean here.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37And the use of opalescents and colours and frosting
0:38:37 > 0:38:39was something he was really well known for doing.
0:38:39 > 0:38:44It's signed here - Rene Lalique - and it's an etched signature.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46It's done by hand.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50Later on, they were acid-etched. Oh, you're right.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53Or moulded. Oh.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56These are actually etched. It dates them to 1925.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59What have you brought them here today?
0:38:59 > 0:39:00There was no-one to inherit them.
0:39:00 > 0:39:05My children like them to look at, but they don't want to inherit them.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08Value. We've established that they're Art Deco.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10We've established they're Lalique.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13They're signed, they're etched, they're engraved signatures.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15So, they've got a lot going for them. Yes.
0:39:15 > 0:39:20Individually, we normally see them. Right.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24And they're normally estimated ?500, ?700 on their own.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26You hardly ever see a pair.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29So, I will go strong and say
0:39:29 > 0:39:33that they're worth between ?1,500 and ?2,500.
0:39:33 > 0:39:34Oh, my word.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37Hmm. Happy?
0:39:37 > 0:39:38Yes.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41Taken by surprise a bit, I think. Good.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43They are immensely collectible.
0:39:43 > 0:39:48Now, a reserve, I would suggest we fix them.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52Yes, please. Yes? Fix them at ?1,500.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54Yes, that would be... If you don't mind.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57No, I don't mind. I'm quite happy to take them home again.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01Don't want you to give them away. No. It's a conservative estimate.
0:40:01 > 0:40:06Oh. I would've thought that they could go a little bit higher.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08Wow.
0:40:09 > 0:40:10I'm ever so glad I brought them.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13Well, I'm ever so grateful you brought them in. You've made my day.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Thank you very much indeed.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21Next, we travel north to our valuation day
0:40:21 > 0:40:24at the beautiful Bowes Museum in County Durham,
0:40:24 > 0:40:26where Paul Laidlaw came across an item
0:40:26 > 0:40:29that held childhood memories for its owner.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35Bob, I love your little projector.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37Is it yours? Yes, it is.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39Yours from your youth or something you picked up?
0:40:39 > 0:40:41From youth. No, from my youth.
0:40:41 > 0:40:46My parents bought me it when I was ten years old in 1950.
0:40:46 > 0:40:51I've used it four or five times and it's been stuck in that box,
0:40:51 > 0:40:55original box, upstairs in the attic.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57Very, very rare it comes out. HE LAUGHS
0:40:57 > 0:40:58Very rare it comes out.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00The few times that you did use it,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03did you get your friends around, switch all the lights off,
0:41:03 > 0:41:05pull the curtains and blow their minds or what?
0:41:05 > 0:41:08Yeah, because you could run it on a wall. Yeah.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11You can actually show it on a wall or on a tablecloth.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14My mam used to put a white tablecloth up.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18Stick it on the wall and we used to play the films on it.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Very good. So, it's hand-cranked. It's hand-cranked.
0:41:21 > 0:41:22Mains powered,
0:41:22 > 0:41:26although I wouldn't advise anyone try that in this day and age.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30But the condition is... And a lamp socket. That's it, yeah.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34My word. It's all original. Everything is original in it.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36A little Bakelite socket. Yeah.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39But it's only a 9.5mm. It is, yeah.
0:41:39 > 0:41:44You know, and the films are bit flimsy. Indeed.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47Yeah. But I am taken aback by
0:41:47 > 0:41:49the fact that you preserved it so well.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51It tells us who made it.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54It's a little Astor, and they were a Nottingham-based manufacturer
0:41:54 > 0:41:57of these little projectors for domestic use.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59Made them between the '30s and the '50s,
0:41:59 > 0:42:01so I dare say when you got yours
0:42:01 > 0:42:04it was towards the end of the lifespan of these things.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08I think it offers a great prospect for a collector
0:42:08 > 0:42:11because you're going to buy this, it's not a usually valuable object.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14You pick this up, but for me the fun would be
0:42:14 > 0:42:17hunting down as many little reels as I could... Yeah.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20..in flea markets and online auctions and the likes
0:42:20 > 0:42:22to see what we could find.
0:42:22 > 0:42:23That's right.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25Vintage toys sell, vintage technology sells,
0:42:25 > 0:42:28but they're relatively modest in value.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31I would suggest an auction presale estimate
0:42:31 > 0:42:34of 20 to 40 would turn out to be spot-on on the day.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36Would that be enough to tempt you
0:42:36 > 0:42:37to part with it after all these years?
0:42:37 > 0:42:40Certainly, yes. Would you like a reserve on it.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42Yes, you can put a reserve on it. Put ?20 on it.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44If you don't get your money, then you can let the kids
0:42:44 > 0:42:47and the grandkids decide what they're going to do with it. Yeah.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49That sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51Yeah, they can do what they want with it.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55We'll see how Bob's projector fared at auction shortly,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58but before that, we revisited Norwich Cathedral in Norfolk
0:42:58 > 0:43:01where another item had caught Kate Bateman's attention.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Well, hello, Val. Welcome to "Flog It!" Hello.
0:43:06 > 0:43:07What have you brought me today?
0:43:07 > 0:43:12I've brought you a sovereign. I believe it's got Victoria on it.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15So, is this something you've inherited or worn or bought?
0:43:15 > 0:43:17My husband inherited it.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20I didn't even know it existed until yesterday.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23Until yesterday? Yes, yesterday. Oh, my goodness.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26I was coming along with a friend just to keep her company,
0:43:26 > 0:43:28and said, "Have we got anything?"
0:43:28 > 0:43:31And he said, "Well, I have got a sovereign upstairs in the drawer
0:43:31 > 0:43:34"that I've had for many years," and here we are.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37What else has he been keeping from you all these years?
0:43:37 > 0:43:38The suspicions mount.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41It's a lovely thing to have a surprise with. Great, isn't it? Yes.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43It is a full sovereign instead of a half sovereign.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46There's only a couple of millimetres difference, so worth checking.
0:43:46 > 0:43:47And so what we've got here
0:43:47 > 0:43:50is a fabulous scene of George and the dragon here.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52George slaying the dragon. And then the date, 1901.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54So, the last year of Victoria's reign.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57And the centre is 22 karat gold and then a nine karat gold
0:43:57 > 0:43:59quite a delicate filigree mount
0:43:59 > 0:44:01to make it into a pendant for a chain. Yes.
0:44:01 > 0:44:03And that's very Victorian.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05It looks contemporary with the actual coin.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07On the back we've got the old head,
0:44:07 > 0:44:09so there's two types of heads for Victoria.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11She's got the young head and then they kind of did another one
0:44:11 > 0:44:13a few years later with an older head.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16She looks slightly grumpier, slightly fatter.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19Tempted to wear it at all? No, I don't think so. Bit bling?
0:44:19 > 0:44:21Yes, I don't think so.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24Now, do you have any idea of price. No. I've no idea at all. No idea?
0:44:24 > 0:44:26No idea at all.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29Well, gold has been on an upward hill for some years now,
0:44:29 > 0:44:30and it's a pretty good time to be selling.
0:44:30 > 0:44:35I think your price-wise is probably, with the mount, maybe ?200 to ?250.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38Right. Something like that. Right. Pleasantly surprised?
0:44:38 > 0:44:39Very surprised, yes.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41Is that the kind of thing you'd be happy to sell it for? Yes.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44Would your husband be happy for you to sell it? Yes.
0:44:44 > 0:44:45Yeah, you think. Yes, yes.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47Well, I would put a reserve on that,
0:44:47 > 0:44:48maybe a 180 reserve just to protect it. Yes.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50And then 200 to 250 estimate,
0:44:50 > 0:44:53and that'll take into account the weight of the nine carat gold
0:44:53 > 0:44:54and the sovereign itself.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57So, well, thank you for bringing it in. It was a fortuitous find.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59You're very welcome. It certainly was. Great.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04Next we travelled northwards to our valuation day
0:45:04 > 0:45:06at Muncaster Castle in Cumbria.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10Caroline Hawley found a quiet spot away from the crowds
0:45:10 > 0:45:13to immerse herself in stories of the Middle East.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17Hello, Sonia. Hello, Deborah. Hello. Hello, Caroline.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19Thanks for bringing these books along.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22Now, are you both avid readers?
0:45:22 > 0:45:28Well, I am an avid reader, and I do collect books,
0:45:28 > 0:45:33but I like... I've got to really like them
0:45:33 > 0:45:37and there's something sort of antiquey about them, or...
0:45:37 > 0:45:40Well, there's certainly that about these. Yes.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44Four volumes of picturesque Palestine, Sinai and Egypt,
0:45:44 > 0:45:48complete with a supplement to it, social life in Egypt,
0:45:48 > 0:45:51from about 1880. Yes.
0:45:51 > 0:45:52So, where did you come by them?
0:45:52 > 0:45:57I used to have a bric-a-brac... antique and bric-a-brac shop.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00This is years ago, in the Isle of Man.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03And they somehow turned up there, I must've got them
0:46:03 > 0:46:06from the local auction house or something like that.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08And did you try to sell them, or did you decide...?
0:46:08 > 0:46:11No, never tried to sell them, I loved them too much.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13They've had some restoration on them,
0:46:13 > 0:46:15we can see they've got a new spine,
0:46:15 > 0:46:17but it's been professionally done.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20Have you done this? Have you had this done? I had it done, yes.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24Which is great, you haven't put a bit of gaffer tape on or anything,
0:46:24 > 0:46:26have you? They've been properly done.
0:46:26 > 0:46:32If we open this one, published by Virtue Company in London,
0:46:32 > 0:46:34and they were edited by Colonel Wilson,
0:46:34 > 0:46:37who did an awful lot of work out in Jerusalem,
0:46:37 > 0:46:40Palestine... Wow! Oh, yes.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43So, they really are very, very good works on the subject.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47Yes, they are top-notch of their kind. Oh, they are. They are.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49And a lot of people, I think, would be interested in these.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52Wood and steel engravings, but they show everything.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55As it says, they show social life.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59There's furniture, there's food, there's dress.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Oh, now look at this one. This is beautiful -
0:47:02 > 0:47:06a daughter of the East. Now, the quality of that
0:47:06 > 0:47:10is amazing, with jewels, headdress. Look at the fan she's holding.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12It really is lovely. And although they're black and white,
0:47:12 > 0:47:15you feel you could touch the fabrics, don't you?
0:47:15 > 0:47:16Absolutely, yes.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19And the beauty is that this is still in the book,
0:47:19 > 0:47:21and not cut out, hanging on someone's wall.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23This was suggested to me,
0:47:23 > 0:47:28but I couldn't contemplate committing such a crime.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31Well, you are very wise, but a lot of people,
0:47:31 > 0:47:32Sonia, did that,
0:47:32 > 0:47:34because purely for monetary reasons,
0:47:34 > 0:47:39they're worth a lot more cut up than they are complete.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42Now, value, do you have any idea as to value, either of you?
0:47:42 > 0:47:45Well, it's difficult. No, no.
0:47:45 > 0:47:49I'd rather wait for the expert to suggest.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52Well, I would think for the lot of them,
0:47:52 > 0:47:56for the five, ?100-?150... Yes.
0:47:56 > 0:48:02..with a reserve on. And would you be happy with ?100 reserve?
0:48:02 > 0:48:05I would like that. They have got to go, cos I haven't the room now.
0:48:05 > 0:48:10Shall we take them to auction, then? I'm afraid they have to go.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13Oh, don't be afraid! Let's flog 'em. Let's flog 'em.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Before we see our last items head off to auction,
0:48:22 > 0:48:24there's something I want to show you,
0:48:24 > 0:48:26and it's painted whimsically on the ceiling here
0:48:26 > 0:48:28in the library at Powis.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30William Herbert, the Second Marquess,
0:48:30 > 0:48:31had four daughters.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Now, they're all featured in this painting on the ceiling.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37The two youngest daughters are leaning over the balustrade.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40The two eldest daughters, Lady Mary and Lady Teresa,
0:48:40 > 0:48:42are seated on clouds.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45Lady Mary has been depicted as Minerva,
0:48:45 > 0:48:47the Roman goddess of wisdom.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49Now, that's woeful miscasting really,
0:48:49 > 0:48:53because later on, she lost a great deal of the family's fortunes
0:48:53 > 0:48:55on gambling on the French stock exchange,
0:48:55 > 0:48:58and it nearly ruined the family.
0:48:58 > 0:49:01Let's hope our owners have much better luck
0:49:01 > 0:49:04as we go over to the auction rooms to see how their items sold.
0:49:06 > 0:49:07Thomas Plant was over the moon
0:49:07 > 0:49:12when he spotted Sue's matching pair of Art Deco Lalique vases
0:49:12 > 0:49:15at our valuation day on the Grand Pier at Weston-super-Mare.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22Bob's projector had been languishing in the loft
0:49:22 > 0:49:24until he rescued it and brought it to our valuation day
0:49:24 > 0:49:26at the Bowes Museum.
0:49:30 > 0:49:31At Norwich Cathedral
0:49:31 > 0:49:34Val brought along her mounted gold sovereign
0:49:34 > 0:49:36from the last year of Queen Victoria's reign.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40It delighted Kate Bateman, but were the bidders as impressed?
0:49:41 > 0:49:44And finally, at our valuation day at Muncaster Castle,
0:49:44 > 0:49:46in Cumbria, Sonia turned up with her
0:49:46 > 0:49:52late 19th-century Picturesque Palestine Sinai and Egypt books.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57We stayed in Cumbria to sell the books,
0:49:57 > 0:50:01but travelled to Carlisle to Thomson Roddick Medcalf saleroom,
0:50:01 > 0:50:04where auctioneer Stephen Parkinson was on the rostrum.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08Remember, whenever you're buying or selling, at every auction,
0:50:08 > 0:50:10there is always commission to pay and VAT on top.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13I've got my fingers crossed for you, Sonia and Deborah. Thank you.
0:50:13 > 0:50:14It's great to see you again
0:50:14 > 0:50:17and I know you're an avid reader and book collector. Yes.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20It's hard to let these go, but they're going under the hammer,
0:50:20 > 0:50:22the books on Palestine, we're looking for around
0:50:22 > 0:50:24?100-?150. Lovely.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28You've had a long time in the possession of these, haven't you?
0:50:28 > 0:50:30Yes, I have. What was the final straw?
0:50:30 > 0:50:34Was it Flog It! that made you sell them, do you think? Or you just...
0:50:34 > 0:50:37Well, it was because I was downsizing, I've moved
0:50:37 > 0:50:39and I had to get rid of some things
0:50:39 > 0:50:42so my daughter said, "Take these books."
0:50:42 > 0:50:45And they're big, aren't they? They are big. Yes, take them.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48OK, it's going under the hammer now. Good luck, everyone. This is it.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51Rather interesting books here.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55Palestine, Egypt, etc, where shall we start with these?
0:50:55 > 0:51:01I can start straight in at 70 bid. At ?70, at 70, 75, at 75.
0:51:01 > 0:51:07At 75 and 80, anybody else? At 80, at ?80. 85 and 90.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Still, at 90 bid. At 90, 95, 100.
0:51:10 > 0:51:11At 100 bid. Yes!
0:51:11 > 0:51:16At 100. At 100, are we all sure? At 100.
0:51:16 > 0:51:17At 100. Is that it now?
0:51:17 > 0:51:20At 100, at 100. 110. I nearly missed you.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22That's it, make sure you wave.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26110. At 110 you are in, I'm out. At 110.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29He spotted a late bidder. At 110, at 110.
0:51:30 > 0:51:31Yes. Good.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35And that was a solid sold sound. Did you hear the desk go...? Well done.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you for bringing them in. Yes.
0:51:39 > 0:51:44Definitely a fair price for Sonia's books, which were just beautiful.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46Next up, Val's sovereign.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48Auctioneer Robert Kinsella was on the stand.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53Our next lot is a full sovereign, it's a whole sovereign.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55It's beautiful, actually.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57It belongs to Valerie and it was a lucky find, wasn't it? Yes.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59It was tucked away in a drawer and...
0:51:59 > 0:52:01For years, and you open up the drawer...
0:52:01 > 0:52:02Yeah, so, there we are.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05It's like finding a fiver in your old coat pocket, isn't it?
0:52:05 > 0:52:08It's brilliant. Mind you, it's worth a lot more than a fiver, isn't it?
0:52:08 > 0:52:09Hope so. It really is.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11It's a little bit more than a sovereign
0:52:11 > 0:52:13cos there's a bit of decoration, it's mounted. Yeah.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15It's got a little filigree bit on the outside. Yes.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17And a bit for a chain... Yeah. ..so that's good.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20So, fingers crossed we get the top end of Kate's estimate. Yes.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22That would be nice. It would be nice, yes. Yeah.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24We're going to find out, OK?
0:52:24 > 0:52:26It's going under the hammer right now.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28Bids are in here. We start 110.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31Take 120 on the sovereign. At 110 is bid.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33Is there 120 now?
0:52:33 > 0:52:35At a 110 bid.
0:52:35 > 0:52:38130 bid then on the net. 130 bid. 140.
0:52:40 > 0:52:41150. 60.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43170. 180.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49180. Back of the room has it at 180 bid. Is there 190 now?
0:52:49 > 0:52:51That's the reserve, so it'll sell at 180.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55Is the 190 now? We're all done? It's 180 bid. Any advance?
0:52:55 > 0:52:57Oh, that was short and sweet, wasn't it?
0:52:57 > 0:53:00Yeah. We just got it away. We did, yes. ?180. Yeah.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03It's a lot better than the old fiver in the pocket.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06It is. Isn't it? Yes, it is. Well, good luck to you. Thank you.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13Next we headed north to Eighteen Eighteen Auctioneers
0:53:13 > 0:53:15in South Lakeland, in Cumbria,
0:53:15 > 0:53:17where auctioneer David Brookes wielded the gavel
0:53:17 > 0:53:19over Bob's projector.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22Sadly, Robert can't be with us today,
0:53:22 > 0:53:26but we do have his 9.5mm projector and our expert, Paul.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28It's got condition on its side... Yeah.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32..but they're not the most - as you know - sellable of things.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35From Magic Lantern down to toy cine projectors,
0:53:35 > 0:53:38it's not the most aggressive of markets. No. No, it's not.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41Anyway, we're going to find out right now. Good luck. Here we go.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45?30, please. 30.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47Start me as 20 then. It's a bit of fun.
0:53:47 > 0:53:48Put it on your desk at home.
0:53:50 > 0:53:5320? There's no point starting any lower. Come on.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57Surely somebody must want this delightful thing for ?20.
0:53:57 > 0:53:58No interest.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01No. You're right.
0:54:01 > 0:54:02No interest at ?20.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04A tough thing to get away,
0:54:04 > 0:54:05even for ?20.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08Yeah, no money. No money at all. I think he had a premonition.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11That's why he stayed at home.
0:54:11 > 0:54:12Could well be. Could well be.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17Finally, we headed back to Clevedon Salerooms in Somerset
0:54:17 > 0:54:20to test the market for Sue's fabulous pair
0:54:20 > 0:54:21of Lalique vases.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Marc Burridge was still on the rostrum.
0:54:24 > 0:54:262,700 in the room. Thank you.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29Going under the hammer right now, we have a great name -
0:54:29 > 0:54:31one of the most desirable in glass - Lalique.
0:54:31 > 0:54:32You've heard it before.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34It's quality and it's going under the hammer,
0:54:34 > 0:54:36a pair of vases belonging to Sue.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39Why are you selling such a treasured possession?
0:54:39 > 0:54:41Well, my children aren't interested. They don't like it.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44They like it, but they don't want it.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46It's just, like, wow -
0:54:46 > 0:54:50Lalique, opalescent and Art Deco and period. Yeah.
0:54:50 > 0:54:52And that's his thing, you see. He loves anything Art Deco.
0:54:52 > 0:54:53But it's that opalescent.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56For me, that's the best in Lalique, that sort of iridescence,
0:54:56 > 0:54:59and you look up and you go, "Oh, you see the blues."
0:54:59 > 0:55:01Yeah. Yeah, it's quality.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03Right now we're going to do our very best right here
0:55:03 > 0:55:05in the Clevedon Salerooms.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07This is it. Ready, Sue? Yeah. Go to business.
0:55:09 > 0:55:14I'll start the bidding here on the book at ?1,200.
0:55:14 > 0:55:15Right. We're straight in.
0:55:15 > 0:55:181,400. 1,500 in the room.
0:55:18 > 0:55:201,600 now.
0:55:20 > 0:55:221,600 here.
0:55:22 > 0:55:251,700. 1,700.
0:55:25 > 0:55:301,800. 1,800. 1,900. 2,000.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35I'll go easy stages. 2,100.
0:55:35 > 0:55:382,200.
0:55:38 > 0:55:412,300.
0:55:41 > 0:55:442,400.
0:55:44 > 0:55:452,500.
0:55:47 > 0:55:502,500 bid. 2,600.
0:55:52 > 0:55:542,600 on Craig's phone.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56At ?2,600.
0:55:56 > 0:55:572,700?
0:55:58 > 0:56:012,700? Anyone in the room?
0:56:01 > 0:56:03Selling then on the phone at 2...
0:56:03 > 0:56:052,700, thank you. Yes. Late legs. Look.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08Chap just put his hand up. Did you see that?
0:56:08 > 0:56:10I did. 2,900. 2,900.
0:56:10 > 0:56:122,900.
0:56:12 > 0:56:162,900 bid. 3,000.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18Go on. 3,000 on the phone.
0:56:18 > 0:56:193,100?
0:56:20 > 0:56:223,200?
0:56:22 > 0:56:24No. ?3,100.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26And selling at 3,100.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28All done at 3,100.
0:56:30 > 0:56:31Clocked up ?3,100.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33Sue, that's a lot of money. It is.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35And spot-on. Spot-on, Thomas. Well done.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37Thank you ever so much to both of you. Oh, no.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40Thank you for bringing them in. It's all about you and your items.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42Enjoy that money, won't you?
0:56:42 > 0:56:45Thomas, you were spot-on. Well done.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48What a fantastic result. I was so happy for Sue.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50A top "Flog It!" moment.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55Well, that's it for today's show.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58I've had a great time exploring the magnificent Powis Castle
0:56:58 > 0:57:01looking at some of the fine art and treasures
0:57:01 > 0:57:03in the castle's lavish interior.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06You've shown us your treasures from around the country
0:57:06 > 0:57:09and we've had some fun times in the auction rooms,
0:57:09 > 0:57:10so join us again soon.
0:57:10 > 0:57:11But until then, it's goodbye.