Powderham 6 Flog It!


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Powderham Castle in Devon,

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a fantastic location for our valuation day.

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This room was once part of the Great Hall,

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but it now features this very grand staircase.

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All the rooms here in this stately home aren't what they seem.

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Over the last 600 years, the house has been altered considerably,

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but one thing is for sure - we're staying firmly on the spot.

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Welcome to Flog It!

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Powderham Castle dates back to the 14th century and it's the

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much-loved long-standing home of the Courtenay family.

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Set in 3,500 acres, with a deer park,

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it's seen significant changes over the years.

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The castle has adapted to each generation living within its

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historic walls.

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Today, we're making this stronghold our base,

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as the family has opened the gates to "Flog It!",

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and the crowd is already making itself at home on the terraces.

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If you want to take part in "Flog It!",

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this is where your journey starts - a valuation day,

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just like this one here at Powderham Castle in Devon.

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Hundreds of people have turned up, laden with antiques and collectibles,

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hoping they're one of the lucky ones to go through to the auction

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later on in the show and go home with a small fortune,

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but first they have to see our experts because they want to

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know the answer to that all-important question, which is...

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-ALL:

-What's it worth?

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Brilliant! Stay tuned and you'll find out!

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And we've brought in the best experts.

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-Keen and eager is West Country lass Claire Rawle.

-Oh, a teddy bear!

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Hello, boy. I'm glad to see you haven't smothered him in the bag.

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I like to see his head hanging out of the top!

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He's got a real snub nose, hasn't he?

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And hot on her heels is someone who always has something to say,

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Will Axon.

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Oh. Well, you've still got the price on it.

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An outrage! How much was it? What were you asking?

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With such a huge crowd, it's time to get the people inside.

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We're filling the rooms, so they can settle down and unpack.

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And while they all meander their way through the castle,

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let's take a look at what's coming up later on in the programme.

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Claire finds a real token of love

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that's travelled all the way from Spain.

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-Obviously, your father had a very good eye.

-He did.

-Yeah.

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Will can't keep his hands to himself.

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-It just sits nicely. You're safe.

-Don't go for it!

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And one of our contributors is moved at the auction.

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-That is fantastic, isn't it?

-Absolutely astonishing. Thank you.

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Wow!

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And I'll be taking a closer look at this amazing architectural

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structure, now firmly planted on Plymouth Hoe - but, amazingly,

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it started life 14 miles out at sea, on perilous Eddystone Rocks.

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But before all that...

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The deeper you dig at Powderham Castle,

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the more you discover. Appearances can be deceptive.

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Now, here, in the First Library, this is where the family would entertain guests throughout

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the 18th century, but if I do this to the bookcase, watch this...

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Follow me - you'll love it.

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Here we go. Look at that. Another room.

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The China Room, set within the medieval walls of the castle.

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Are there any more surprises?

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We're just about to find out, as we go over to Claire Rawle's table.

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Let's take a look at what she's discovered.

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-Maureen, it's good to meet you.

-Thank you.

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And good to meet you in the library of this beautiful castle.

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And you've brought along a really, really pretty silver trinket box.

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-Yes.

-So, is this a family piece?

-Yes.

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I can always remember it being on my grandmother's dressing table

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for as long as I remember and when she died, it came to me.

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For years, it was so black I actually thought it was

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-pewter or something. I never realised it was silver.

-Oh, right.

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-Until I found the hallmarks fairly recently.

-Yeah.

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And I thought, "Wow! Got to do something with this."

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Well, it certainly isn't pewter, although I know what you mean.

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-Sometimes, it goes so, so black. So you cleaned it up, did you?

-A bit.

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-Haven't done it recently.

-No, no. That's a good idea.

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Never over-clean silver.

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It is indeed German, but it has got import marks Chester,

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so it was deliberately imported into this country to be sold,

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-and the date is 1906. So it's a little Edwardian box.

-That's nice.

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It was made by Berthold Muller in Germany.

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And Muller actually made a lot of items that were imported into

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this country to be sold as decorative items and when an

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item of silver is imported into this country, it has to come up to

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our standards and so that is why it has the Chester hallmark on it.

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Right, the M is the Muller, presumably.

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Yes, that's the actual maker. And it's sometimes known as Hanau silver.

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I don't know if I pronounced that right. But it's a region of Germany.

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They imported a lot of decorative items into this country

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and that's exactly what it is. It's a little trinket box,

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so you put on a dressing table or a Bijouterie table or whatever.

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It's beautifully embossed with figures on the front here,

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ladies in 18th-century costume. And interesting, I think -

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it's got nice decoration round it of musical trophies, so it's quite pretty.

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Funnily enough, when I saw it first, I thought it might have been

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slightly earlier because the decoration is very 19th century,

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-but then it didn't alter an awful lot.

-Follow a pattern, I suppose.

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-Yes.

-But it's pretty.

-It weighs

-4oz. All right.

-But that

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doesn't actually affect its value because a lot of silver is sold for scrap, so you base it on the weight.

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This is more than scrap. It's a collector's piece. Now, one thing I noticed when I looked at it.

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Where you've got pieces that are embossed and decorated like this,

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the silver's slightly thinner and if people over-clean it,

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they make holes in it, so it's good that it stayed black for so long.

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-Fair enough.

-If you hold it up to the light, you can see there's a couple of very small holes

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-in the lid, but that's acceptable.

-I'm not surprised. An item of that age,

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there's bound to be something wrong somewhere, I suppose.

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Oh, indeed, yes. The great thing is it hasn't been squashed or bent.

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The hinges work well and I can see it going on someone's

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dressing table or in a little display cabinet.

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-But you've obviously decided now's the time to get rid of it?

-Yes. I'm beginning to declutter.

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You get to that stage in your life where something's got to go

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and whether it was sentimental or not at some stage, I've got other

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-pieces that have more sentimental value, so some of it has to go.

-Yes. Well, I think this will sell well.

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I'd like to put an estimate of about 80 to 120 on it.

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That's an auctioneer's favourite, I'm afraid. It goes over the hundred.

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Chances are it might make a little more than that,

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but it has got two small holes, so you have to bear that in mind.

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And I'd suggest a reserve just under the lower estimate of about £70.

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-That's fine.

-Is that good?

-That's fine. Excellent.

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-Thank you very much.

-Good, good.

-I shall look forward to that.

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So, when you've got this money burning a hole in your pocket, what are you going to do with it?

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Well, the one problem when you start decluttering is

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-you find you've got to redecorate.

-Oh, OK. Yes.

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-So that's going in the pot for that.

-Oh. Well, that's good.

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-I look forward to seeing you at the auction.

-Thank you.

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-And I hope we at least buy a few pots of paint for you out of it.

-Hope so, yes.

-Yeah.

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One thing about "Flog It!" - we see all sorts.

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What on earth has Will found?

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Frank, have you just picked this up out in the car park?

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An old bit of stone?

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No, I dug it up in the garden about 23 or 24 years ago.

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-So it is just a lump of rock?

-Well, it is a stone, isn't it? Yes.

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So, I saw it and I immediately thought - it's an adze.

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Now, an adze is a hand-held axe.

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-It could be held by hand, or you could fix a handle to it.

-I see.

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Strap it onto a piece of wood.

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-Yeah.

-Use it as an axe.

-That's right. So it's an axe head.

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Axe head, I think.

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-And it's made from greenstone.

-It's from Cornwall.

-Ah, so not far.

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-Well, yes, not very far.

-Devon and Cornwall.

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-Cornwall, yeah, that's right.

-Devon and Cornwall.

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-That's about the best thing I've ever found.

-Is it?

-Yes.

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Well, do you mind if I hold it? Cos it's a tactile piece, isn't it?

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And what's this, I see? Some inscriptions.

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Well, that went to Exeter Museum to verify it

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-and then it went to London.

-Oh. This stone's been around.

-Oh, yes.

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-More than I have!

-It's travelled further than you!

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-That's right.

-So, it's been authenticated.

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-Show me the authenticity.

-That's what they done, what they sent back.

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I see.

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"I took your items to the curator of the museum at Exeter and

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"he was very interested, especially in the axe.

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"This is made of greenstone..." We got that right.

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"Found in West Devon and Cornwall.

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-"They date from 4000 to 2000 BC," so Neolithic.

-BC.

-Yes.

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"There are least four other axes of this type in the museum..."

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-In Exeter, but this one here is better than what they've got.

-Is it?

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-So they say.

-"Yours is much nicer..."

-There we are, you see.

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-You're quite right, so yours is the one... Did they make you an offer for it?

-No.

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-No, I wasn't interested in selling it.

-Weren't you?

-No.

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-But you are now.

-Well, I've had it long enough. I thought, "Shift it on."

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Well, I think it's an interesting piece and I think other

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-people will find it interesting.

-I think so.

-Certainly local people.

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Local history. The connection, the letter from the museum. Great story.

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-Estimate. Now, I'm notoriously mean, Frank.

-I can see that.

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I'm going to say to you, let's put it in at £100 to £200

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and let the market decide what it's worth.

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-I want a reserve on it.

-Yes. I'll reserve it at 100?

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Yes, that'll be all right, I think.

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And at the end of the day, it's going to make what it makes.

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-That's right.

-Well, good work. Keep digging.

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And next time you find something, come and find us.

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Right, thank you very much.

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Back to the library and Claire's making the most of

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the beautiful surroundings.

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Maria, you've brought along the most charming, beautiful brooch here.

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I think it's absolutely exquisite, but I gather it's been in

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the family a while. Tell me a little bit of its history.

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Well, as far as I know, it belonged to my mother.

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She had it for 40, 50 years and my father gave it to her as a present.

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That's all I know, really. She liked to wear it. She wore it quite a lot.

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And we all like it in the family, but we are not jewellery wearers.

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Oh, right. Yes. And so is your mother no longer with us?

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No, she's not. She passed on in March.

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-Right, and so the brooch has come to you.

-That's right.

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Yes, to me and my two sisters,

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but my two sisters have given me permission to sell it in England.

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Yeah, cos your mother and father, they were still living in Spain.

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They were still living in Spain, yes.

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I think it's absolutely beautiful. I mean, the detail in it.

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So we've got an 18-carat gold dove, beautifully worked,

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sitting on a crescent, set with old-cut and mine-cut diamonds.

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And then a sweet little pearl pendant at the base there.

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And he's also got little diamonds just in his wings and

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a tiny little ruby eye, but if you look closely, I mean,

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the work on the feathers of that little bird, absolutely exquisite.

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-And what a token of love.

-That's what we always thought.

-Yes.

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-I mean, a beautiful thing to buy for anybody.

-Yes.

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-And I'm so glad she wore it.

-Yes.

-And she loved it in her time.

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-She appreciated it. She liked to wear jewellery, so yes.

-Yes.

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But as you say, you'd almost worry about wearing it because you'd worry

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about it getting caught in things, or the little pearl off and a lot

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of collectors of jewellery from this just Edwardian period,

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they actually collect them more as decorative items and put them

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in little cabinets and they look absolutely charming.

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I mean, it shows off the diamonds beautifully in the little pearl.

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So people, yes, they do still wear old jewellery, but also there's

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the collectors' market for people that just love beautiful objects.

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-Beauty.

-Obviously, it has value

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because it's made of a valuable metal,

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it's got diamonds in it, sweet little pearl.

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Brooches aren't that popular, mainly because people don't wear

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brooches these days. They have become unfashionable.

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-Have you ever had it valued in the past at all?

-No.

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-No, I haven't.

-Well, OK.

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Its sale value, I think, is going to be in the region of £200 to £300.

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-Does that sound OK?

-That's OK. Yes, that's OK with me.

-Oh, good.

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I didn't think it was going to get that much because it's so tiny.

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Well, yes, but then, it's so beautiful.

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I mean, it doesn't have to be huge to be worth lots of money.

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-No, absolutely.

-I think it's the quality of the workmanship.

-Mm.

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-And obviously, your father had a very good eye.

-He did.

-Yeah.

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Yeah, you know, it's quite unusual. Thank you so much for coming in.

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-It's been a pleasure and I'll see you at the auction.

-Yeah, lovely.

-Excellent.

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Back to Will now, and he's making me jealous.

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Well, Belinda, I'm just having a look round, in case Paul's watching.

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To be honest, if he sees me valuing these, he's only going to get upset,

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isn't he? Because we all know he loves a bit of Troika,

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which is exactly what you've brought in.

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These are fantastic pieces.

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-Where have you got them from?

-We bought them at auction.

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You say "we", who's that?

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-My husband and I.

-I mean,

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did you always like this sort of Modernist decoration?

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Were you always quite forward-thinking in your tastes,

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-you and your husband?

-I like them.

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My husband preferred them, to be honest.

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-You like them, he loved them.

-Yeah.

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So, what drew you to them?

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-Because they're not everyone's cup of tea, are they?

-Abstract design.

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That's what you like. See, that's what I was...

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-Anything abstract.

-Really?

-Like your good self.

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Oh, thank you very much.

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I've been called many things but never abstract.

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Well, Troika, as we know on this programme,

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set up 1963 by Benny Sirota,

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amongst others.

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Why I mention Benny Sirota is because this one is by him - was designed by him,

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wasn't it? They call them what, the Thames Fish Plaque, is it?

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The Thames Fish Plaque With Outer Buildings.

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Interesting, isn't it? Real sort of of the time, very cutting-edge,

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forward-thinking.

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Then, this one, I think, is called the...

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-Calculator.

-Well, for obvious reasons.

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That would be one calculator, wouldn't it,

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to pull that out of your pocket?

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-Would you carry it?

-No, I wouldn't.

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-No, neither would I.

-I'd only end up breaking it.

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You say you bought them from auction.

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How long ago? Was it fairly recently?

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-15 years ago.

-15 years ago.

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-Do you remember what you paid for them?

-Yes.

-Oh, dear.

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-Go on, then.

-£1,778.

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£1,700?!

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HE GROANS

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Well, listen, I think, you know, at the end of the day,

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it's down to what the collectors are prepared to pay nowadays,

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aren't they? I'm afraid I'm going to be a bit more realistic in my

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estimate. I think probably on the calculator plaque,

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around the £400-£600 mark.

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Fix a reserve at 400.

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On the Sirota piece, because of the connection with him,

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one of the founder members,

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I would say 600-800 on that.

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I think offer them as two separate lots.

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But if you add the two estimates together,

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you're looking at around maybe 1,000, 1,500.

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On a good day, we might go some way towards getting your money back,

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which would be a bonus, wouldn't it?

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-It certainly would.

-Belinda, it's been a pleasure.

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Thank you very much for calling me abstract, I think.

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Yeah, but you are, so...

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You know?

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-That's a nice end to your day.

-I'm not having this...

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No, no, no.

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While everyone's busy here,

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I'm off to do something completely different.

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Why is it that it can be pouring with rain in North Devon

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while Dartmoor is cloaked in mist

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and it's ice cream time at Paignton on the south coast?

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Three different types of weather in a space of 100 miles.

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It feels the weather is nothing but unpredictable, but in fact,

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it can be scientifically predicted to within four days of accuracy.

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And this is where it all happens,

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the Met Office headquarters just outside of Exeter, which houses

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the latest hi-tech equipment and highly trained experts.

0:15:280:15:32

The meteorologists don't just tell us

0:15:320:15:34

if we need an umbrella one day or a bikini on another,

0:15:340:15:38

they give us small warnings on perilous conditions

0:15:380:15:41

such as UV levels, floods, drought and storms -

0:15:410:15:44

information which could be life-saving.

0:15:440:15:47

Now, if you are a weather fanatic, I'm going to whet your appetite.

0:15:560:15:59

This is the operation centre, and it's buzzing with information

0:15:590:16:02

and output.

0:16:020:16:03

All of these screens are providing weather-related data, which is

0:16:030:16:07

fed into TV and radio feeds

0:16:070:16:10

and also acts on your mobile phones, so you can get the very latest,

0:16:100:16:14

up-to-the-last-minute information on the weather.

0:16:140:16:17

But you cannot appreciate the vast significance of all this

0:16:210:16:24

modern technology unless you turn back the clock

0:16:240:16:27

and go back to the primitive origins of weather forecasting.

0:16:270:16:30

Catherine Ross

0:16:390:16:40

from the National Meteorological Library and Archive

0:16:400:16:43

is here to give me a potted history.

0:16:430:16:45

How did weather forecasting start and when?

0:16:450:16:48

Well, in 1854,

0:16:480:16:50

that's the first...that is the origin of the Met Office, and

0:16:500:16:53

it was founded with the intention of protecting life and property at sea.

0:16:530:16:56

At the time, there was no intention to forecast the weather.

0:16:560:16:59

-They actually didn't believe it was possible.

-Right.

0:16:590:17:01

So the plan was simply to collect observations, particularly wind.

0:17:010:17:05

And there's not much point in knowing the prevailing wind

0:17:050:17:08

if you don't know the direction and current,

0:17:080:17:11

so they were collecting both of those sets of data at sea.

0:17:110:17:13

And we actually used the scientific version of a message

0:17:130:17:17

in a bottle in order to do that.

0:17:170:17:19

We do have some examples here.

0:17:190:17:21

They were placed in a small glass bottle, which was corked,

0:17:210:17:24

thrown overboard.

0:17:240:17:25

And you had notes on which the captain would write his latitude,

0:17:250:17:30

his longitude and the direction in which he was travelling.

0:17:300:17:33

So it provides in sort of six languages essentially,

0:17:330:17:36

"If found, please return to the Admiralty in London."

0:17:360:17:39

And from those, they were able to track the currents and understand

0:17:390:17:42

the speed and, you know, the direction of the world currents.

0:17:420:17:45

The science of forecasting was founded

0:17:450:17:48

by Admiral Robert FitzRoy, who was the founder of the Met Office.

0:17:480:17:51

And he developed this as a science based on those observations.

0:17:510:17:55

And then in 1859, there was

0:17:550:17:57

a very major storm, which is called the Royal Charter Storm,

0:17:570:18:00

and that resulted in the loss of 133 ships around the British Isles,

0:18:000:18:05

and in particular, the Royal Charter herself

0:18:050:18:07

went down off of Anglesey, with the loss of 450 lives.

0:18:070:18:11

And there was a great outcry resulting from that, that surely,

0:18:110:18:14

you know, at this point,

0:18:140:18:15

we should have been able to predict that storm.

0:18:150:18:17

Something should have been done.

0:18:170:18:18

So Robert FitzRoy said, "Yes, we could have done that."

0:18:180:18:21

And he wrote a report which he presented to the Board of Trade.

0:18:210:18:25

And this is one of the original charts from that.

0:18:250:18:27

-OK.

-And he used it to prove that they could have predicted the

0:18:270:18:31

course of that storm and understood the weather going on around it.

0:18:310:18:35

And from that, he persuaded the government to allow him

0:18:350:18:38

to start the first warning service, a gale warning service,

0:18:380:18:40

which still continues. It is now known as the shipping forecast.

0:18:400:18:44

The Met Office was originally funded by the Board of Trade.

0:18:440:18:47

But by the Second World War, it was part of the Air Ministry.

0:18:470:18:50

And it played a vital role in the war effort.

0:18:500:18:52

This D-Day chart shows the importance of weather forecasts

0:19:050:19:08

when planning one of the most significant Allied operations

0:19:080:19:12

against the German forces.

0:19:120:19:13

Meteorologists consulted about the best time to carry out this

0:19:130:19:17

massive seaborne invasion of Normandy.

0:19:170:19:20

It needed fair weather and calm seas

0:19:200:19:23

so the landing craft wouldn't capsize.

0:19:230:19:25

On the advice of the Met Office, the planned operation was delayed

0:19:250:19:29

by one day because conditions wouldn't have been suitable.

0:19:290:19:33

It was a very small window of opportunity.

0:19:330:19:35

But with that accurate information,

0:19:350:19:38

it helped change the course of our history.

0:19:380:19:40

During the 20th century, developments in technology

0:19:420:19:45

have been key in gathering weather information and passing it on.

0:19:450:19:49

The invention of the telegraph made observing and forecasting

0:19:490:19:52

more immediate.

0:19:520:19:54

In 1959, the first computer capable of doing 30,000 calculations

0:19:540:19:59

a second was introduced. This was a major step forward,

0:19:590:20:04

making numerical-based predictions possible for the first time.

0:20:040:20:08

In the 1970s, the satellite revolution proved a quantum

0:20:080:20:11

leap in the accuracy of weather data by providing a birds'-eye

0:20:110:20:15

view of how the atmosphere moves.

0:20:150:20:19

But that was nothing compared to what the Met Office have today.

0:20:190:20:23

This supercomputer, one of the fastest in the world,

0:20:230:20:25

can do more than 23,000 trillion calculations per second.

0:20:250:20:31

And all of that information,

0:20:330:20:34

from observations around the world, is sent into here,

0:20:340:20:37

the operations centre.

0:20:370:20:39

Meteorologist Helen Roberts is going to explain how this busy room works.

0:20:420:20:47

We have lots of different types of forecasting.

0:20:470:20:49

So everybody is aware that we do media forecasting,

0:20:490:20:52

but there's lots of other things going on.

0:20:520:20:54

We have our aviation section.

0:20:540:20:56

That is probably the biggest section we have, actually.

0:20:560:20:58

And we have one of only two world area forecast centres

0:20:580:21:02

in the world.

0:21:020:21:03

And they're forecasting upper air charts,

0:21:030:21:06

so high-level aviation charts.

0:21:060:21:07

Then we've got our marine forecaster who, among other things,

0:21:070:21:11

is producing the shipping forecast,

0:21:110:21:13

which still goes out regularly on Radio Four.

0:21:130:21:16

And them behind me here, we've got

0:21:160:21:19

one of our newest sections, which is space weather,

0:21:190:21:22

as well as our hazard centre, which is looking at

0:21:220:21:25

things like land slips, which can be as a result of the weather.

0:21:250:21:29

Yes, yes.

0:21:290:21:30

And also, volcanic ash, if something like that should occur.

0:21:300:21:34

And with all the new computers, has it become more accurate,

0:21:340:21:38

let's say, in the last 30 years, weather forecasting?

0:21:380:21:41

Yes. So just as an example, our four-day forecast now

0:21:410:21:45

is as accurate as our one-day forecast was 30 years ago.

0:21:450:21:48

So a huge improvement over the last few decades.

0:21:480:21:50

-That's massive, isn't it?

-It's massive.

-Yeah.

0:21:500:21:53

And our three hourly forecasts are over 90% accurate,

0:21:530:21:56

so, yeah, we're doing pretty well.

0:21:560:21:58

Does anything still surprise you with the weather?

0:21:580:22:00

Do you get it wrong now and then?

0:22:000:22:02

It's rare that we get a big surprise.

0:22:020:22:04

We've got so much observational information - satellite,

0:22:040:22:07

radar observations - it's unusual.

0:22:070:22:11

It's incredible to think we've come this far

0:22:140:22:16

in just over 150 years, from a message in a bottle to

0:22:160:22:20

a handful of people given sporadic information which was

0:22:200:22:24

often off the mark to this operation.

0:22:240:22:26

It runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

0:22:260:22:30

And it has an impact on all of our lives.

0:22:300:22:32

The Met Office HQ here at Exeter never sleeps, nor does the weather.

0:22:320:22:37

Here's a quick recap of the four items we're taking to auction.

0:22:460:22:49

There's the intricate silver trinket box.

0:22:510:22:54

Dug up in a garden, the axe head.

0:22:570:22:59

And not one but two Troika plaques - the calculator design...

0:23:020:23:06

..and the River Thames scene.

0:23:080:23:11

And that beautifully made brooch.

0:23:130:23:15

We've travelled an hour south-west to the Devon coast.

0:23:190:23:22

Well, the moment I've been waiting for, and you.

0:23:240:23:26

We're going to up the tempo right now because it's auction time.

0:23:260:23:29

We're putting those valuations to the test on the outskirts of

0:23:290:23:32

Plymouth here at Eldreds saleroom.

0:23:320:23:34

On the rostrum is auctioneer Anthony Eldred.

0:23:340:23:36

Right now, our owners are feeling really nervous.

0:23:360:23:38

I'm going inside to catch up with them.

0:23:380:23:40

The hammer's just about to go down on our first lot, so let's go in and enjoy the fun.

0:23:400:23:44

Commission here is 15% plus VAT.

0:23:450:23:48

Going under the hammer right now, some continental silver.

0:23:480:23:51

It's a German trinket box belonging to Maureen.

0:23:510:23:54

You're in good company here, because silver has been selling well.

0:23:540:23:58

-That's what I like to hear.

-Yes. So, fingers crossed it happens for you as well.

-Yes.

0:23:580:24:02

-This is superb quality.

-Well, it is nice quality and it's pretty and it would make

0:24:020:24:05

-a good gift for somebody.

-It's unusual.

0:24:050:24:07

-The music bits on there are unusual.

-Do you know what?

0:24:070:24:09

You're right, actually. It's ready to go as a gift, isn't it?

0:24:090:24:12

-Yes, that's right. Yeah, it is.

-For a musician somewhere.

0:24:120:24:15

It's going under the hammer now.

0:24:150:24:16

The continental rectangular trinket box. And I'm bid £72 for it.

0:24:160:24:22

At 72. Five. Eight. 80. Two. Five. At £85.

0:24:220:24:27

88. 90.

0:24:270:24:30

-Five. 100. And five.

-This is good.

-It is good.

-110.

0:24:300:24:33

At £110, here.

0:24:330:24:35

Are you all finished? At £110.

0:24:350:24:38

GAVEL BANGS

0:24:390:24:41

Very good. You got it right, didn't you?

0:24:410:24:44

-Well done. It's not easy being an expert.

-Brilliant. Well done.

0:24:440:24:47

Very good.

0:24:470:24:48

-And thank you for bringing it in.

-Thank you very much. I'm very happy.

0:24:480:24:51

What a great start!

0:24:510:24:53

I'm a fan of our next lot, but is my passion going to be shared?

0:24:530:24:57

Belinda, thank you for bringing in some Troika.

0:24:590:25:01

-You know, it's one of my favourites, it really is.

-You're welcome.

0:25:010:25:03

It sums up that rugged Cornish coastline.

0:25:030:25:06

I'm a big fan of Benny Sirota and the team that put Troika together,

0:25:060:25:08

as we know. We've got two plaques, we've split them into two lots.

0:25:080:25:11

We've got the River Thames fish plaque.

0:25:110:25:13

-Interesting.

-Interesting.

0:25:130:25:15

I've not seen one of these come up for sale for a long, long time.

0:25:150:25:18

And we have possibly your favourite plaque.

0:25:180:25:21

The calculator one. I'd prefer that, myself.

0:25:210:25:24

The abstract-ness of it.

0:25:240:25:26

But right now we're going to try with the Thames plaque.

0:25:260:25:29

-OK.

-Originally,

0:25:290:25:31

Will put a value of £600 to £800 on the Troika with the River Thames design.

0:25:310:25:34

But Anthony and Belinda had a discussion.

0:25:340:25:38

It's now been reduced to 400 to 600.

0:25:380:25:41

This is it. Here we go. Let's see if we can get that £600 mark.

0:25:410:25:45

Next lot is the Troika pottery River Thames fish plaque.

0:25:450:25:49

There it is. £350 for that.

0:25:490:25:52

-At 350.

-350.

-£350.

0:25:520:25:54

At 370. 380. 390. 400.

0:25:560:26:00

And ten. At £410.

0:26:000:26:02

420.

0:26:020:26:05

At 420 now.

0:26:050:26:06

-Bidder in the room.

-430, then.

0:26:060:26:08

In the room. At 430.

0:26:080:26:11

Last chance, then, at 430.

0:26:110:26:12

That's 430 for the first lot.

0:26:140:26:16

We just got that away, didn't we?

0:26:160:26:18

Fingers crossed we get a bit more for the second.

0:26:180:26:20

-Fingers crossed.

-This is it.

0:26:200:26:22

Here we go. Let's see if we can get that £600 mark.

0:26:220:26:26

Here's another Troika pottery plaque.

0:26:260:26:29

A calculator pattern this time.

0:26:290:26:31

£350 for it.

0:26:310:26:34

At 350. At £350 against you all.

0:26:340:26:38

At 350.

0:26:380:26:40

Against you all. Including the internet.

0:26:400:26:43

-At 360. 370. 380. 390.

-The internet's coming now.

0:26:430:26:46

-One more.

-400.

0:26:460:26:47

At £400 here.

0:26:470:26:49

Online. At £400.

0:26:490:26:52

Are you all done, then, at £400?

0:26:520:26:54

-Last chance.

-That's surprising, isn't it?

0:26:540:26:56

£400, I'll sell it.

0:26:560:26:58

£400. We just got that away.

0:27:000:27:03

-Oh, never mind!

-Wow!

-Never mind.

0:27:030:27:05

-Not to worry.

-You'd think we'd get top money for it down here,

0:27:050:27:07

wouldn't you? You really would.

0:27:070:27:09

There was bidding online. Obviously, it had been spotted.

0:27:090:27:12

Sometimes you've just got to accept that maybe they've found their market value.

0:27:120:27:15

Of course. They're gone now.

0:27:150:27:18

Hopefully gone to a good home.

0:27:180:27:20

I do hope it has.

0:27:200:27:21

Now, how will Frank's garden find fare?

0:27:210:27:24

This stone has been fashioned, as you know, into an axe head 4,000 years ago.

0:27:240:27:29

It really is quite fascinating to hold it as well, isn't it?

0:27:290:27:32

-I mean, that's real history.

-It is. You've got to hold it.

0:27:320:27:34

-It's got some energy about it.

-That's right.

0:27:340:27:36

It does, yes. Right, it's going under the hammer right now. This is it.

0:27:360:27:40

Stone axe head.

0:27:400:27:42

There it is and it was dug up in Dawlish and dated

0:27:420:27:44

between 4,000 and 2,000 BC.

0:27:440:27:47

-And £80. At 85.

-Nothing, is it?

0:27:470:27:51

At £80, then. Are you all finished at 80?

0:27:510:27:54

-That one can't quite be sold.

-Didn't sell it. It didn't sell.

0:27:540:27:58

No, I'm not surprised.

0:27:580:28:00

Oh, it's so hard to put a value on an artefact like that.

0:28:000:28:03

I would have paid you £100 for it. But I can't. So, go to the museum.

0:28:030:28:07

-Depends if you've got two people that want it here in the sale.

-Yes, exactly.

-There you go.

0:28:070:28:11

What a shame.

0:28:110:28:12

Now, let's hope there are bidders out in force for the pretty

0:28:120:28:15

dove brooch.

0:28:150:28:17

Maria, I love this. It's real quality.

0:28:170:28:19

I hope this little dove flies away, I really do.

0:28:190:28:22

It's not a lot of money for the amount of detail that's in

0:28:220:28:24

there, is there, when you think about it?

0:28:240:28:26

It's so pretty and as you look at it under a glass, I mean,

0:28:260:28:29

-all the sort of work on the feathers and things, it's a lovely thing.

-Mm.

0:28:290:28:32

I can understand why you don't want to wear it any more.

0:28:320:28:34

-It belongs to the whole of the family, in a way, it was Mum's.

-Yes.

0:28:340:28:37

-So, your sisters don't mind you selling it.

-Not at all.

0:28:370:28:39

-So, we're going to put it to the test right now.

-Yes, yes.

0:28:390:28:43

-I'm confident this will sell.

-Yeah, I think so, yeah.

0:28:430:28:46

18-carat yellow and white gold brooch. 150 starts it. At 150.

0:28:460:28:51

-Come on.

-At £150. 160, if you want it.

0:28:510:28:54

Looking for phone lines, internet bids, anything like that.

0:28:540:28:57

At 180 now.

0:28:570:29:00

At 180. Five. 190.

0:29:000:29:03

Five. At 195.

0:29:030:29:05

200 now online. And ten.

0:29:050:29:07

-At £210.

-Still going.

-Online at 210. 220 now. 230.

0:29:070:29:12

Still going. 240.

0:29:120:29:14

250. At £250.

0:29:140:29:16

260 now.

0:29:160:29:18

270. At 270, then.

0:29:180:29:22

Last chance online.

0:29:220:29:23

At £270.

0:29:230:29:25

-Maria, the hammer's gone down.

-Yes, yes.

-£270.

0:29:260:29:29

-Yeah.

-Quality, quality, quality.

0:29:290:29:31

-Thank you for bringing that in.

-Thank you.

0:29:310:29:33

-It's a good story as well.

-Yes.

-Lovely story with it.

0:29:330:29:36

-So, thank you very much.

-OK.

0:29:360:29:38

£290.

0:29:380:29:39

Well, that's our first three lots under the hammer. So far, so good.

0:29:400:29:43

Before we return to the valuation day to find some more treasures

0:29:430:29:47

to sell, I've been exploring Plymouth's maritime history -

0:29:470:29:50

in particular, one extraordinary story that involves an

0:29:500:29:53

incredible feat of engineering.

0:29:530:29:55

14 miles south-west of Plymouth lie Eddystone Rocks.

0:29:560:30:00

Sitting on a busy shipping route,

0:30:000:30:02

they were known as Dread Eddystone because up to 50 ships

0:30:020:30:06

a year and their crews were being lost on this treacherous reef.

0:30:060:30:10

A solution was a lighthouse to mark the deadly spot,

0:30:100:30:14

and Henry Winstanley's ornate wooden creation was the very first

0:30:140:30:18

offshore light to be built in the world.

0:30:180:30:21

It survived just five years before being swept away

0:30:210:30:24

in the great storm of 1703.

0:30:240:30:26

The next lighthouse lasted 50 years before being destroyed by fire.

0:30:270:30:32

Trinity House, which is responsible for the safe navigation of shipping

0:30:320:30:36

and seafarers, permitted a private consortium to build a new light.

0:30:360:30:41

And this is the result, Smeaton's Tower, named after John Smeaton,

0:30:410:30:46

who was one of the first people to call himself a civil engineer.

0:30:460:30:50

But this wasn't built here on Plymouth Hoe.

0:30:500:30:52

Like the first two lighthouses, it started life out at sea,

0:30:520:30:56

on Eddystone Rocks, which posed a real design challenge.

0:30:560:31:00

What was needed was something more robust and fireproof.

0:31:010:31:05

Something like this, designed by engineer John Smeaton.

0:31:050:31:10

Now, he based his concept on an English oak tree,

0:31:100:31:14

something with core strength, something with stability and

0:31:140:31:17

foundations and roots, like an oak tree.

0:31:170:31:20

And of course, he chose his design to be created out of stone.

0:31:200:31:24

And not wood.

0:31:240:31:26

Smeaton's light did its job on perilous Eddystone Rocks for

0:31:270:31:31

more than a century,

0:31:310:31:32

before being dismantled and re-erected here at Plymouth Hoe.

0:31:320:31:36

Curator Nigel Overton is going to explain why the stone

0:31:380:31:42

construction was so radical.

0:31:420:31:44

The challenge of building a rock lighthouse 14 miles out at

0:31:450:31:49

sea was a pretty brave endeavour and, obviously, it took people

0:31:490:31:54

like Smeaton to deliver a lighthouse on a sea-swept rock.

0:31:540:31:57

The key to building in stone,

0:31:570:31:58

apart from persuading people that it was practical, was to come up with

0:31:580:32:02

a hydraulic mortar or a waterproof cement cos you're out on

0:32:020:32:05

a sea-swept rock, you need a cement that's going to be able to go hard in those conditions.

0:32:050:32:10

Fortunately, in the mid-1750s, Smeaton met and lodged with

0:32:120:32:15

William Cookworthy, who later went on to develop English porcelain.

0:32:150:32:19

Smeaton experimented with him and they came up with an ideal

0:32:190:32:23

mixture that proved integral to the construction.

0:32:230:32:26

But that was only part of the jigsaw.

0:32:260:32:29

-There is hidden cleverness in the way the stonework is joined together.

-You've got an example.

0:32:290:32:33

And that's what we're going to show you with this, if we may, yeah.

0:32:330:32:36

-Each of these blocks represents...

-One of these. Yes, basically.

-A block of Cornish limestone.

0:32:360:32:40

-That's basically that, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Cornish limestone.

-Yeah.

-OK.

0:32:400:32:43

But between every block, there's a diamond-shaped piece of

0:32:430:32:46

Purbeck marble that drops in there and that's a joint stone.

0:32:460:32:50

Smeaton was worried when the building moves, as it's going to,

0:32:500:32:54

out on a sea-swept rock, he didn't want those vertical joints to open up and let the water in.

0:32:540:32:58

-Right.

-So the joint stone prevents that problem.

-Oh, I see, yes. Stops it filtering through.

0:32:580:33:03

Then, to clamp each stone together, over the top of the join and inset

0:33:030:33:07

inside the masonry is a staple or a cramp,

0:33:070:33:11

-so those two blocks now can't easily part from each other.

-OK.

0:33:110:33:14

And then in the middle of each block of masonry is a joggle stone, this

0:33:140:33:18

was called, of Plymouth limestone, and then is you put the joggle stone in each of the neighbouring blocks,

0:33:180:33:23

-then the next block above links to those.

-Ah.

0:33:230:33:27

So, the joggle stone has the effect of linking each block

0:33:270:33:31

on the course above to two of the stones on the course below.

0:33:310:33:34

So, it keeps that accurate in a course.

0:33:340:33:36

It's a simple but remarkably clever device.

0:33:360:33:38

It's interesting, Smeaton himself was quoted to say that,

0:33:380:33:41

"I don't want this lighthouse to last one age, or two ages.

0:33:410:33:44

"I want it to be there in perpetuity."

0:33:440:33:46

So, he was thinking long-term.

0:33:460:33:48

And indeed, it stood on the Eddystone for 123 years,

0:33:480:33:51

so it did its job on the Eddystone.

0:33:510:33:53

It was replaced in May of 1882 by the present lighthouse and

0:33:530:33:57

this lighthouse was re-erected on the Hoe and

0:33:570:33:59

-has been here itself now for over 130 years.

-Even longer.

0:33:590:34:02

One of the reasons it was replaced was that they were concerned

0:34:020:34:05

that there's a cavern in the reef which was getting slowly

0:34:050:34:07

enlarged by the action of the waves and they felt that eventually,

0:34:070:34:11

Smeaton's Tower would crumble and fall.

0:34:110:34:13

It must have been one hell of a project to dismantle it out there and bring it back here.

0:34:130:34:17

Well, I think that's important to get across.

0:34:170:34:19

I mean, Trinity House were pondering a controlled explosion,

0:34:190:34:22

or possibly dismantling,

0:34:220:34:24

but various people stepped in offering to buy the building,

0:34:240:34:27

but Plymouth Corporation had a meeting, they decided they wanted to bring it back.

0:34:270:34:31

They were just developing Plymouth Hoe here as

0:34:310:34:33

a public park and they had a place for it.

0:34:330:34:35

There was a navigational obelisk where this building now stands.

0:34:350:34:39

So they were going to build it, re-erect it here.

0:34:390:34:41

It was going to be a memorial to Smeaton.

0:34:410:34:43

And it was also going to be a day mark, a navigational mark, so it

0:34:430:34:47

would still carry on fulfilling some sort of navigational function. It's obviously become a landmark.

0:34:470:34:51

Most people don't even realise that it spent the first half of

0:34:510:34:55

its life out at sea.

0:34:550:34:57

More than a century ago,

0:35:000:35:02

three lighthouse keepers worked in this building,

0:35:020:35:04

obviously in alternating shifts,

0:35:040:35:06

keeping an eye on the light in the lantern, which is just up there.

0:35:060:35:10

You can see through the scoop of light.

0:35:100:35:13

Now, there's mention in one of their logbooks of this building

0:35:130:35:17

moving like an old oak tree,

0:35:170:35:19

swaying as it was being battered by the high winds.

0:35:190:35:23

And in one particular storm, in 1824,

0:35:230:35:26

there's mention of the waves being so high and powerful that they

0:35:260:35:29

reached the top of the lighthouse, shattering the glass in the lantern.

0:35:290:35:34

Must have been a strange existence.

0:35:340:35:36

There's something really special about lighthouses like these.

0:35:380:35:41

This particular one has stood the test of time,

0:35:410:35:44

both out at sea and here on dry land,

0:35:440:35:46

and it's highly unlikely that any more of this design will ever be

0:35:460:35:51

built again, so it makes it really, really special to be up here.

0:35:510:35:54

And it's brilliant that this one's open to the general public

0:35:540:35:57

because future generations get to appreciate the endeavour,

0:35:570:36:01

the achievement that went in to building this.

0:36:010:36:04

And you get to experience this and of course, when you're at the top, look at that view!

0:36:040:36:09

Back at Powderham Castle now,

0:36:180:36:20

which has seen its own fair share of moves and changes.

0:36:200:36:24

At the valuation tables, our experts are doing their best to keep

0:36:240:36:27

up the pace and Will's joining Jill's club.

0:36:270:36:30

Jill, you look like a well travelled lady.

0:36:310:36:34

Tell me, is this something you've picked up abroad on one of

0:36:340:36:37

your excursions?

0:36:370:36:39

-No, that was a gift from a friend.

-Was it?

-Yes.

0:36:390:36:41

-I did a bit of research on it and it's Fijian.

-You're dead right.

0:36:410:36:45

And from your research,

0:36:450:36:46

-you've probably found out what this was used for.

-It's a killing club.

0:36:460:36:49

It was a killing club, exactly what it was used for.

0:36:490:36:52

They're called ulas, U-L-A, so a Fijian ula.

0:36:520:36:55

And of its type, a very nice one.

0:36:550:36:57

I mean, I'm finding it difficult to keep my hands off it.

0:36:570:37:00

-I know, it's very tactile.

-It's just screaming out to be held.

0:37:000:37:04

You feel the weight of it and it just sits nicely. You're safe.

0:37:040:37:08

Don't go for it!

0:37:080:37:10

It just sits nicely in your hand, doesn't it? It's well weighted.

0:37:100:37:13

-It's beautiful.

-It's beautifully made. And actually, quite commercial.

0:37:130:37:17

The market for tribal or ethnographic antiques is

0:37:170:37:20

actually very strong on the Continent.

0:37:200:37:22

-Really?

-Big market for this type of piece.

0:37:220:37:26

Now, as far as value goes, there's quite a wide range of values,

0:37:260:37:30

depending on the size, the quality, the condition.

0:37:300:37:33

-But would this detract from the value?

-I don't think so.

0:37:330:37:37

-I think that's part of the natural make-up of the club, isn't it?

-OK.

0:37:370:37:40

Because my understanding is that these were made in

0:37:400:37:43

a similar way to the Zulu Knobkerries,

0:37:430:37:45

in that they were made from a protruding branch and the actual

0:37:450:37:50

-head of the club is the sort of base of the branch within the main trunk.

-Right.

0:37:500:37:55

So that's where the wood is very hard and very dense and I've seen

0:37:550:37:58

some like this that have got various bits of decoration on the heads.

0:37:580:38:01

-You've got mother-of-pearl inlay, bone inlay, and you were telling me earlier...

-Teeth.

0:38:010:38:06

Human teeth. I mean, that's quite something, isn't it?

0:38:060:38:09

-Is that natural patina?

-Yeah. Exactly right.

0:38:090:38:12

Exactly, that is just the build-up of colour from being handled,

0:38:120:38:15

held, the natural oils from our hands just react as well, the air

0:38:150:38:20

reacts with the wood, and just gives it this lovely rich, deep colour.

0:38:200:38:24

-It's beautiful, isn't it?

-You can get very large ones, which were more used as weapons,

0:38:240:38:29

hand-to-hand combat, against, you know, rival tribes.

0:38:290:38:33

-This one, I think, generally used for animal hunting.

-Really?

-Yeah.

0:38:330:38:36

I think so. Easy to carry, easy to take with you, easy to throw.

0:38:360:38:41

I mean, you get that on the back of the head, you're going to know about it, aren't you?

0:38:410:38:44

-You're not going to wake up, no.

-You're going to end up some Fijian tribe's dinner.

0:38:440:38:48

Now, I think the market for this is strong at the moment.

0:38:480:38:51

Price-wise, I'm going to say to you - estimate £400 to £600.

0:38:510:38:56

-That's going to be an attractive estimate to potential buyers.

-Right.

0:38:560:39:00

And the reserve, I think, we're going to fix at £400.

0:39:000:39:03

-That's fine.

-Is that OK?

-Yeah.

-Well, I think, in that case,

0:39:030:39:07

I'm almost certain that this is going to find a new home and

0:39:070:39:10

I wouldn't be surprised, like I said, if it's somewhere abroad.

0:39:100:39:13

-Might go home.

-Might do. Let's flog it and find out.

-OK.

0:39:130:39:17

-I'll see you at the auction.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

0:39:170:39:19

Time for some fresh air now and Claire's found

0:39:190:39:21

a nice spot on the terrace.

0:39:210:39:24

Joan, you've brought in

0:39:240:39:25

two completely different types of watches. Both ladies' watches.

0:39:250:39:28

One a fob, which predated the wristwatches,

0:39:280:39:31

which, of course, are more 20th century.

0:39:310:39:33

So they're both quite different.

0:39:330:39:35

They're both divided by quite a few years.

0:39:350:39:37

But tell me a bit about them before I give you an idea.

0:39:370:39:40

They were both given to me for my 21st birthday.

0:39:400:39:43

The modern Omega watch was given to me by my mother.

0:39:430:39:46

And the fob watch was given to me by my aunt, who was also my godmother.

0:39:460:39:51

And it actually was her 21st birthday present from her mother

0:39:510:39:55

and father, so it's been in the family since the early 1900s.

0:39:550:40:00

The only thing is, I don't wear them.

0:40:000:40:02

There's nothing much you can do with the fob watch.

0:40:020:40:04

What I'd like is to put the money towards

0:40:040:40:07

a ring that I can remember the family with.

0:40:070:40:09

Yeah, that's very sensible, really, because as you say, I mean,

0:40:090:40:12

wristwatches, OK, you either like them or you don't and wear them.

0:40:120:40:14

As you say, a fob watch or a pocket watch, they're not very practical in this day and age, are they?

0:40:140:40:19

And they don't always keep very good time. They are terribly pretty.

0:40:190:40:22

It's an 18-carat cased watch. Very, very decorative.

0:40:220:40:26

You've got the gold dial with the blued numerals and the blued hand.

0:40:260:40:29

It's a nice quality watch.

0:40:290:40:31

It will have a very attractive decoration on the back of it.

0:40:310:40:34

And a sort of vacant, as they call it, cartouche,

0:40:340:40:36

which might have had initials in it once upon a time.

0:40:360:40:40

But really pretty. And very much the sort of thing a lady would wear on

0:40:400:40:43

a chain that would either sort of fit... Cos they didn't really have pockets in those days.

0:40:430:40:46

It would sort of be pinned on you, sometimes as a brooch or

0:40:460:40:49

a chain that would go into a sort of chatelaine, that type of thing.

0:40:490:40:53

But it is a nice quality one.

0:40:530:40:55

Moving onto the 20th century,

0:40:550:40:56

we have the nine-carat lady's Omega wristwatch.

0:40:560:41:00

Now, ladies' watches never seem as popular as gents' watches.

0:41:000:41:05

It's a very good make, very, very expensive.

0:41:050:41:07

A gents' Omega will still be worn

0:41:070:41:10

and is fashionable and very expensive.

0:41:100:41:13

The ladies' watches, however, unfortunately tend to come

0:41:130:41:16

down to their gold weight because ladies these days seem to

0:41:160:41:19

prefer silver jewellery and I think ladies just wear bigger watches.

0:41:190:41:23

They have bigger dials on them.

0:41:230:41:25

-I know I do.

-Yeah, I'm the same as well.

0:41:250:41:27

And so the delicate watches are going rather out of favour.

0:41:270:41:30

Now, we have weighed this.

0:41:300:41:31

We're looking at about 20g of nine-carat gold.

0:41:310:41:34

So I'm afraid, to a certain extent, it's based on the gold price.

0:41:340:41:37

This one is a different kettle of fish.

0:41:370:41:40

-It is higher-carat gold, but it is a collector's piece.

-Right.

0:41:400:41:43

So, I think out of the two of them, that would be more a sort of

0:41:430:41:46

collector's item, whereas that is more of a sort of jewellery item.

0:41:460:41:49

But having said that, this is the one that carries more value

0:41:490:41:53

because it has more gold in it. And it is a good make.

0:41:530:41:56

When you come to sell them, I think they should be offered as two

0:41:560:41:59

separate lots, because they will appeal to different buyers.

0:41:590:42:02

I've put this watch in at about... Around about the £200.

0:42:020:42:06

I think it's going to work out at about 180 to 220 -

0:42:060:42:09

it will very much depend on the gold value.

0:42:090:42:12

But the name does also add some value as well.

0:42:120:42:15

OK, that sounds fine.

0:42:150:42:16

Now, this one, I'd say about 140, 150,

0:42:160:42:21

so I'd suggest putting a reserve at 130, just under the low estimate.

0:42:210:42:26

-Can we have it at 140, please? As a reserve.

-Yes.

0:42:260:42:30

I think we can probably just about agree that.

0:42:300:42:32

-Oh, you drive a hard bargain! That's fine.

-Thank you.

0:42:320:42:36

Well, I think they'll go well because, at the end of the day,

0:42:360:42:38

they've both got good gold value in them and the market is good for that at the moment.

0:42:380:42:42

So I shall look forward to seeing them at the auction and seeing how they do.

0:42:420:42:45

-Lovely, thank you very much.

-Oh, thank you for coming in today.

0:42:450:42:48

Next up, Will's got his eye on something with an oriental flavour.

0:42:480:42:52

Pamela, tell me you haven't had to travel as far as this little

0:42:520:42:56

chap to get here today. Are you local to Powderham?

0:42:560:42:58

-No, not quite. Live on Dartmoor.

-Oh, lovely.

0:42:580:43:01

-I bet it's nice up there, isn't it?

-Yes, it's wonderful.

-I can imagine.

0:43:010:43:05

Tell me, why have you brought a little bit of China with you

0:43:050:43:07

here today? I say China as in the country, rather than porcelain.

0:43:070:43:11

-Well, I've had him for 60 years.

-Right.

0:43:110:43:13

-And I love him dearly, but my children don't.

-Oh, you're joking?

0:43:130:43:17

So I want to see him go to a good home.

0:43:170:43:20

And then let them enjoy the money.

0:43:200:43:22

Well, you've come to the right place.

0:43:220:43:24

We shall do our very best for you.

0:43:240:43:26

But first of all, you say you've had him 60 years.

0:43:260:43:28

Tell me, something you've inherited or purchased yourself?

0:43:280:43:30

-No, bought at auction as one of four.

-Interesting.

0:43:300:43:34

-So you're a keen auction goer, are you?

-Used to be.

-Yes?

-Not recently.

0:43:340:43:39

Were you interested in oriental pieces before you bought this chap?

0:43:390:43:43

Yes, I was, because I lived in Singapore for three years

0:43:430:43:47

when I was young. And we brought back quite a lot of oriental things.

0:43:470:43:51

-This wasn't one of them.

-This wasn't.

0:43:510:43:52

This was a new addition, as you say, from the auction.

0:43:520:43:55

Have you done any research into him? Can you tell me anything about him?

0:43:550:43:58

-Well, somebody told me that he was Chinese.

-Yes, I would agree.

0:43:580:44:02

-And that he was an incense burner.

-Yes.

0:44:020:44:05

-But I was intrigued by how he was made.

-OK.

-And when.

0:44:050:44:10

Well, when can be a little bit tricky because the Chinese tradition

0:44:100:44:14

for bronze pieces started thousands of years ago

0:44:140:44:18

and they were generally ceremonial pieces, or religious pieces,

0:44:180:44:23

rather than pieces for decoration.

0:44:230:44:25

So I think this has been made to be used.

0:44:250:44:28

So date-wise,

0:44:280:44:30

I think it's definitely earlier than 20th century because a lot

0:44:300:44:33

of these pieces came out of China in the 1920s, that sort of period.

0:44:330:44:37

So I'm going to err on early 19th century.

0:44:370:44:40

Do you know where it came from when you bought it?

0:44:400:44:42

-Well, no, I think it came from a retired Army man...

-OK.

0:44:420:44:47

..who put a whole lot of these into this one sale.

0:44:470:44:50

That's quite interesting. So, he was retired, so he's obviously of a certain age.

0:44:500:44:53

-Which would then take that back perhaps...

-Back a little bit further.

-Exactly.

0:44:530:44:56

Which again adds an element of confidence to the buyer.

0:44:560:45:00

Because make no mistake,

0:45:000:45:01

-the Chinese are very good at producing these last week...

-Oh, absolutely.

0:45:010:45:05

..to make them look like they've been around hundreds of years.

0:45:050:45:08

-I think he's a bit more age to him than that.

-Exactly.

0:45:080:45:11

I mean, some of this patination of the bronze makes

0:45:110:45:14

me think that he's not new, he has got age to him.

0:45:140:45:17

Occasionally they are marked underneath.

0:45:170:45:19

This one isn't, I've had a look.

0:45:190:45:21

But again you have to be careful with Chinese marks, certainly

0:45:210:45:25

on bronzes, because they almost revere back to an earlier time.

0:45:250:45:30

What they're doing there is, they're almost offering reverence to past dynasties to give good luck

0:45:300:45:35

to this piece they're making in the same sort of style.

0:45:350:45:39

Now, the market has gone off the boil a little bit.

0:45:390:45:42

But even so, I think this is a nice piece, good, compact size,

0:45:420:45:46

nicely detailed, well cast.

0:45:460:45:49

If I open him up, obviously that's where the incense would go.

0:45:490:45:52

And then you can imagine the plumes of smoke coming out of the mouth.

0:45:520:45:56

-Absolutely.

-I'm looking at an estimate of...

0:45:560:46:00

I'm thinking of around the sort of £300 mark.

0:46:000:46:03

I mean, how does that sound? You want it gone, don't you?

0:46:030:46:05

Well, yes, I do because the value in him for me

0:46:050:46:08

-has been 60 years of love.

-Interesting, that's lovely.

0:46:080:46:11

So I can hold on to that.

0:46:110:46:13

Well, listen, why don't we put my sort of estimate as the top

0:46:130:46:17

-figure and say 200 to 300?

-I think that would be nice.

0:46:170:46:20

Yeah. Let's protect him with a £200 reserve and maybe just

0:46:200:46:24

a little bit of discretion for the auctioneer.

0:46:240:46:26

If he gets to 180, 190, rather than not sell it for the sake of £10.

0:46:260:46:32

I think if he doesn't make his...

0:46:320:46:34

-Reserve.

-..reserve, I'll take him home.

0:46:340:46:37

Well, listen, it's been fascinating talking to you.

0:46:370:46:39

Thank you for sharing your story concerning our friend here.

0:46:390:46:43

Well, I'm pretty confident we'll see him away for you, so wave bye-bye.

0:46:430:46:47

And here's another interesting item.

0:46:490:46:51

-Hello, Ros, it's good to meet you.

-Hello, Claire.

0:46:520:46:54

And you brought some very pretty items in here.

0:46:540:46:56

Now, tell me, were they things that you bought for yourself

0:46:560:46:59

or you've collected, or...?

0:46:590:47:00

Well, they are something I bought for myself, and a long time ago now.

0:47:000:47:04

I think probably in the late '70s, early '80s,

0:47:040:47:06

when I used to live near Portobello Road.

0:47:060:47:09

And I bought them with the intention of making a jacket.

0:47:090:47:12

-OK.

-And they've sat in a drawer ever since.

0:47:120:47:14

Right, so the jacket never got made.

0:47:140:47:16

-The jacket never got made, no.

-Oh, that's a shame!

0:47:160:47:18

It seems a shame to keep them in a drawer.

0:47:180:47:20

-Yes.

-So hopefully, somebody else may wear them.

-Yes, indeed.

0:47:200:47:24

Or even just put them out in a cabinet to look at.

0:47:240:47:26

-Yes.

-So, do you know what they are?

0:47:260:47:28

-Well, I believe they're micromosaic.

-Yes, indeed.

0:47:280:47:31

-But I don't know where they're from.

-Right.

0:47:310:47:33

-Well, they're Italian.

-Right.

0:47:330:47:35

And indeed they are known as micromosaic.

0:47:350:47:38

So very, very tiny little pieces of glass

0:47:380:47:41

and coloured stones in this wonderful design.

0:47:410:47:44

If you actually look closely at the medallions,

0:47:440:47:46

they are like little tiny flower heads, aren't they?

0:47:460:47:48

They are so pretty.

0:47:480:47:49

And then mounted on just a gilt metal.

0:47:490:47:51

They are not on a precious metal.

0:47:510:47:52

I'd have guessed there'd have been six buttons originally.

0:47:520:47:55

-I'm just thinking...

-I think there would have been a set of six,

0:47:550:47:58

but there's only ever been five.

0:47:580:48:00

Yes, which is fine.

0:48:000:48:01

It doesn't really make a lot of difference to the value.

0:48:010:48:04

So these were made in Italy through the sort of 19th century,

0:48:040:48:07

into the early 20th century.

0:48:070:48:08

I'm not sure they are not actually still being made today,

0:48:080:48:11

but they are much cruder.

0:48:110:48:12

-The later ones are much cruder.

-OK.

0:48:120:48:14

-The thing with this, it's a lovely, tight decoration.

-Yes.

0:48:140:48:17

So I think they probably date from the latter part of the 19th century.

0:48:170:48:21

And also, in very good order.

0:48:210:48:23

They appear to be, yes.

0:48:230:48:24

I can imagine that style of belt buckle worn in that period as well.

0:48:240:48:29

Yes. Yes, very much so.

0:48:290:48:31

So there is this lovely shaped buckle, beautiful decoration in it.

0:48:310:48:35

Again, clusters of flower heads. Look like forget-me-nots, actually.

0:48:350:48:38

And then lovely palmettes radiating away. Beautiful panels of colour.

0:48:380:48:43

Lovely, lovely item.

0:48:430:48:45

It does appeal to today's market.

0:48:460:48:47

So obviously, you've made up your mind that, you know,

0:48:470:48:50

you're not going to make the jacket any longer.

0:48:500:48:52

-No.

-So it's time to sell them.

-Yes.

0:48:520:48:53

It is time to sell them, yes.

0:48:530:48:55

-Have you had them valued at all in the past?

-No.

0:48:550:48:57

Can you remember what you paid for them?

0:48:570:49:00

-Well, I probably paid under £10.

-OK. Yes, yeah.

0:49:000:49:03

-So a sensible price.

-A little while ago.

0:49:030:49:05

Yeah, well, I think they'll make a bit more than that now.

0:49:050:49:08

My feeling is... Again, it is the auctioneer's favourite.

0:49:080:49:11

-It's 80 to 120.

-OK.

0:49:110:49:13

I think we are looking at a sensible estimate. I'd put the reserve at 70.

0:49:130:49:19

-OK, that sounds very good.

-Is that all right?

-Yeah.

0:49:190:49:22

-Mainly for this.

-Yes.

0:49:220:49:23

I think the buckle will carry most of the value and the buttons will...

0:49:230:49:26

They just add to it.

0:49:260:49:27

They're lovely, cos they are very much made as a set.

0:49:270:49:30

-So we shall head off to the auction.

-Good.

-High hopes...

-Yes.

0:49:300:49:33

-..in buying you something else.

-Yes.

-Not to put in a drawer.

-No.

0:49:330:49:36

-Great, Ros. We'll see you there.

-OK, thank you very much.

0:49:360:49:39

Well, our experts have now found their final items to take off to auction,

0:49:420:49:45

which means we have to say farewell to this magnificent host location.

0:49:450:49:51

While we test the market for the last time in the saleroom,

0:49:510:49:53

here's a quick recap of all the items that are going...

0:49:530:49:56

under the hammer.

0:49:560:49:58

There's the mysterious Fijian ula.

0:49:590:50:01

Two timepieces - an Omega watch...

0:50:040:50:06

..and an older fob.

0:50:090:50:11

The colourful buttons and buckle may attract the fashionistas.

0:50:150:50:19

And the bronze dog, all the way from China.

0:50:220:50:24

We're back at the auction rooms with high expectations,

0:50:280:50:31

and Anthony Eldred is in charge.

0:50:310:50:33

Going under the hammer right now, we have some ethnographica.

0:50:350:50:37

Yes, that's right, some tribal art.

0:50:370:50:40

And we have a new ethnographica expert, Will "The Axe" Axon.

0:50:400:50:44

I see the auctioneer has tickled my estimate.

0:50:440:50:46

You had four to six on this club, the auctioneer has now said...

0:50:460:50:50

-Three to four or three to five.

-Three to four.

0:50:500:50:52

-Three to four.

-Yes.

-Why did he say that?

0:50:520:50:54

Did he get on the phone to you and talk to you about it?

0:50:540:50:57

Yes, he did, but I couldn't understand why he dropped it.

0:50:570:51:00

Maybe he doesn't feel confident that it's going to do Will's estimate.

0:51:000:51:04

Enjoy this moment - it's going to sell.

0:51:040:51:06

Here we go, it's going under the hammer, this is it.

0:51:060:51:09

The Fijian ula, or throwing club, and £260 for that.

0:51:090:51:13

At 260. 70. 270.

0:51:130:51:15

80. 290, 300. And ten.

0:51:150:51:18

At £310. 20 if you want it. At £310, then.

0:51:180:51:22

Bidding's in the room. At £310.

0:51:220:51:25

Last chance at 310.

0:51:250:51:27

-Well, it's gone down, £310.

-I would have hoped for a little bit more.

0:51:280:51:33

I don't think there was any internet or phone-line bidding on that.

0:51:330:51:36

The guy in the room got lucky there. No-one challenged his next bid.

0:51:360:51:39

-It'd be interesting to know what he would have gone up to, though, wouldn't it?

-Yes.

-Never mind.

0:51:390:51:44

That's called holding your cards close to your chest.

0:51:440:51:46

-It's gone.

-Next time.

-It's had a good life.

0:51:460:51:48

Next up, perhaps the colourful buckle

0:51:480:51:50

and buttons may finally get to see the light of day.

0:51:500:51:54

Ros, I like this next lot, I really do.

0:51:540:51:57

The Italian micromosaic work, sort of mid-19th century.

0:51:570:52:01

Why did you buy this? Come on, tell me why you bought it.

0:52:010:52:04

Well, I bought it on Portobello Road about 30-odd years ago.

0:52:040:52:07

-It's a long time.

-It is a long time.

0:52:070:52:09

And I was planning to make a nice blue velvet jacket.

0:52:090:52:11

-Did you know this story?

-Yeah.

0:52:110:52:13

-Yeah, it's good, isn't it?

-I had it in my mind, what I was going to do.

0:52:130:52:16

-I can see it. I can see it. You never got round to doing it?

-No.

0:52:160:52:18

You know, you don't have to put it on a belt or anything.

0:52:180:52:20

It would look lovely in a cabinet, wouldn't it? Set off.

0:52:200:52:23

-Yeah, really nice.

-Fingers crossed we get the top end for this.

0:52:230:52:26

-Yeah, I hope so.

-Or somebody else might be creative and re-use it

0:52:260:52:29

in a new way. You never know, do you?

0:52:290:52:31

It's going under the hammer now. Let's find out what it makes.

0:52:310:52:33

It's an Italian micromosaic buckle.

0:52:360:52:38

And some buttons to go with it. Several bids. I'm bid, £100 exactly.

0:52:380:52:44

Yeah, straight in, well above the top end.

0:52:440:52:46

-Excellent.

-Worth every penny.

0:52:460:52:47

And ten. 120.

0:52:470:52:49

At £120. On my book.

0:52:490:52:53

125. 130. I'm bid, 140.

0:52:530:52:56

At £140. Against the net. 150 now.

0:52:560:53:00

At £150. Online at £150.

0:53:000:53:05

At £150 then. All finished at 150...

0:53:050:53:09

-Sold, 150. Ros, that's a good result.

-I'm very pleased with that.

0:53:100:53:13

I think that's a cracking thing.

0:53:130:53:15

And it's been saved.

0:53:150:53:16

-And somebody is going to put it to use and show it off.

-Let's hope so.

0:53:160:53:20

Yeah.

0:53:200:53:21

And here's another interesting duo.

0:53:210:53:23

Going under the hammer right now, we have Joan's nine-carat gold

0:53:230:53:27

lady's Omega wristwatch. It's a great watch. And it was your watch.

0:53:270:53:31

-21st birthday present.

-21st birthday present from my mother.

0:53:310:53:34

-God, that was a posh present.

-It was a very posh present.

0:53:340:53:37

-Wow, Mummy spent a lot of money on you.

-She did.

0:53:370:53:40

A good dress watch, nevertheless, it's nine-carat gold.

0:53:400:53:42

Great Swiss movement. The name should sell it.

0:53:420:53:44

OK, there are watch collectors out there,

0:53:440:53:46

so it's going to go to a collector.

0:53:460:53:49

He said. THEY LAUGH

0:53:490:53:51

-Very positive there.

-Yes. Well, you've got to be, haven't you?

0:53:510:53:54

There's no turning back from this spot right now,

0:53:540:53:56

because it's just about to go under the hammer.

0:53:560:53:59

Omega wristwatch.

0:53:590:54:01

I'm bid 150 for it. At £150 on my book.

0:54:010:54:04

-160, 170.

-That's great.

-180.

-Brilliant.

0:54:040:54:07

At 180 now. At 180, then.

0:54:070:54:09

Take five. We're all done, then, at £180.

0:54:090:54:13

-That has gone down. Straight in and straight out.

-Very businesslike.

0:54:140:54:17

Yeah. £180.

0:54:170:54:20

Good result. So that's 180 for the first part of the lot.

0:54:200:54:23

And the second part of the lot is the 18-carat-gold pocket watch,

0:54:230:54:27

which is about to be put under the hammer. Here we go.

0:54:270:54:30

The continental, open-face, keyless pocket watch.

0:54:300:54:32

£100 for that, at 100. And ten.

0:54:320:54:35

120. 130. And five. 140.

0:54:350:54:38

-Come on.

-At £140.

-Come on, come on.

-Seated in front.

0:54:380:54:41

-Last chance, then, online.

-That's good, £140.

0:54:410:54:45

-That's very good.

-That's not bad, is it?

-No, no.

0:54:450:54:47

-Brilliant, brilliant. That's £320.

-That's all right, isn't it?

0:54:470:54:50

That's all right.

0:54:500:54:51

-We're happy, aren't we?

-Very happy, actually.

0:54:510:54:55

'The pressure's on now for the globetrotting bronze dog.'

0:54:550:54:58

I love this - it's either late 18th or early 19th, isn't it?

0:54:580:55:01

It's bronze, it's Chinese, it's flavour of the month.

0:55:010:55:04

I think this will fly, this censer. I really do.

0:55:040:55:07

Hopefully more than the two to three, Will. I know you've got to be cautious.

0:55:070:55:10

Got to be cautious. But it's got good provenance.

0:55:100:55:13

You can trace back the history,

0:55:130:55:14

certainly enough to give the buyers confidence, I would hope.

0:55:140:55:18

I think the internet will be a factor in this lot.

0:55:180:55:21

Right, we're going to find out what the bidders think.

0:55:210:55:23

Hopefully those phone lines are booked and we've got some

0:55:230:55:25

internet bidding all the way from the Far East.

0:55:250:55:27

It's going under the hammer right now. This is it, Pamela, over there.

0:55:270:55:30

The Chinese bronze censer, in the form of a standing kaolin.

0:55:300:55:33

I'm bid £310 for it. To start at 310.

0:55:330:55:37

-At £310 for it.

-Good.

0:55:370:55:39

Against you on the net. 310, 320. 330.

0:55:390:55:42

340. 350. 360. 370.

0:55:420:55:46

He's got a bit left on the book. He keeps looking down.

0:55:460:55:49

390 now. 400.

0:55:490:55:51

410. 420. 430. I'm bid 450.

0:55:510:55:54

-Well, you're not taking it home, I can tell you that much.

-460 online.

0:55:540:55:58

-At 480.

-It's a great looking thing, isn't it?

-It stands well.

0:55:580:56:02

-As censers go, yes.

-Good colour.

0:56:020:56:05

540. 560. 580.

0:56:050:56:08

600. 620 now.

0:56:080:56:11

What's nice about someone bidding in the room is you know they've

0:56:110:56:14

seen it, they've handled it, they have confidence in it.

0:56:140:56:16

680. 700.

0:56:160:56:19

-And 20. 740.

-Still going.

-760.

0:56:190:56:22

780. 800.

0:56:220:56:25

Anything oriental, as you know -

0:56:250:56:27

mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore...

0:56:270:56:30

Everybody is buying this back.

0:56:300:56:32

880.

0:56:320:56:33

-900. 20 if you want.

-It'd be nice to get 1,000.

0:56:330:56:36

Pamela, we might be getting £1,000.

0:56:360:56:39

At 940 now. 960.

0:56:390:56:42

Come on, don't stop there. Don't stop there!

0:56:420:56:46

-1,000.

-Oh!

0:56:460:56:48

At 1,050. 1,100.

0:56:480:56:51

1,200. And 50.

0:56:510:56:54

1,300. At 1,350.

0:56:540:56:58

At 1,350, it will be...

0:56:580:57:00

He's working well, the auctioneer, for us.

0:57:000:57:03

1,400. And 50. 1,500.

0:57:030:57:07

-1,500! We're so close, losing it for £50.

-Against the net.

0:57:080:57:12

-It is so hard when you're the underbidder.

-At 1,500.

0:57:120:57:15

-And 50.

-Still going.

0:57:150:57:17

-Shall I faint?

-No...

0:57:170:57:19

£1,550. Very last chance.

0:57:190:57:22

The hammer's going down. Yes!

0:57:220:57:24

Pamela, that is fantastic, isn't it?

0:57:240:57:28

-That is brilliant!

-Thank you.

-Wow!

0:57:280:57:31

It's so hard, it is so hard for an expert to put

0:57:310:57:34

a price on something like that. What a way to end today's show.

0:57:340:57:37

I hope you've enjoyed it.

0:57:370:57:38

We said there'd be a big surprise at the end,

0:57:380:57:40

and we delivered. And I hope you did enjoy it.

0:57:400:57:43

But do join us again for many more to come in the future,

0:57:430:57:46

but now, from Plymouth, it's goodbye.

0:57:460:57:48

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