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Today, we're at Margam Country Park, near Port Talbot. | 0:00:05 | 0:00:08 | |
It is a magnificent location that's a product of centuries of | 0:00:08 | 0:00:12 | |
style and design | 0:00:12 | 0:00:13 | |
and today, we're going to be finding out the answer to | 0:00:13 | 0:00:16 | |
a mystery we first uncovered ten years ago, | 0:00:16 | 0:00:19 | |
regarding one of Britain's most noted architects. | 0:00:19 | 0:00:22 | |
More of that later. Welcome to Flog It! | 0:00:22 | 0:00:25 | |
Margam Country Park in South Wales is a unique location that brings | 0:00:47 | 0:00:52 | |
together architectural styles, spanning more than 800 years. | 0:00:52 | 0:00:57 | |
Its Victorian Gothic revival castle looks straight out of | 0:00:57 | 0:01:00 | |
the imagination of Bram Stoker. | 0:01:00 | 0:01:02 | |
It was home to CRM Talbot, who gave his name to nearby Port Talbot. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:07 | |
His father created this stunning orangery, | 0:01:07 | 0:01:10 | |
regarded as a masterpiece of 18th century architecture. | 0:01:10 | 0:01:14 | |
Next to it are the remains of a Cistercian abbey, founded in 1147. | 0:01:14 | 0:01:19 | |
They all sit happily alongside each other and will be | 0:01:19 | 0:01:22 | |
the backdrop to today's valuations. | 0:01:22 | 0:01:24 | |
Well, judging by the size of this fantastic crowd, | 0:01:27 | 0:01:29 | |
we're going to be in for a busy day. | 0:01:29 | 0:01:31 | |
Who knows what intriguing items are hidden in all of these bags | 0:01:31 | 0:01:35 | |
and boxes? It's our experts' job to find them. | 0:01:35 | 0:01:38 | |
This lot are eager to get started, but before we do, | 0:01:38 | 0:01:40 | |
there's just two important questions - where are you all from? | 0:01:40 | 0:01:43 | |
-ALL: -Wales! | 0:01:43 | 0:01:45 | |
-Of course! What do you want to do? ALL: -Flog it! | 0:01:45 | 0:01:47 | |
We've got a couple of very talented experts today. | 0:01:51 | 0:01:54 | |
They know good design when they see it. | 0:01:54 | 0:01:56 | |
Mark Stacey is as keen as mustard. | 0:01:56 | 0:01:59 | |
-I don't know what it is. -I think it's a vase. -LAUGHTER | 0:01:59 | 0:02:03 | |
But Charles Hanson seems to have missed the point of the show. | 0:02:03 | 0:02:07 | |
Oh, it's some money. I could do with some cash. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:10 | |
Thanks a lot. Yeah, cheers. | 0:02:10 | 0:02:13 | |
But not to be outdone, I've found a few gems myself. | 0:02:13 | 0:02:16 | |
I was thinking it's time for tea. A lovely tea caddy. | 0:02:17 | 0:02:20 | |
Well, I tell you what, I'll talk to you later on in the programme. | 0:02:20 | 0:02:24 | |
-Thank you, Paul. -Right now, get the kettle on. | 0:02:24 | 0:02:26 | |
Time to get everyone organised and seated. | 0:02:26 | 0:02:29 | |
The queue is making its way around this beautiful location. | 0:02:29 | 0:02:32 | |
Our behind-the-scenes experts will be giving valuations all day | 0:02:32 | 0:02:36 | |
and our production team are busy managing the crowds. | 0:02:36 | 0:02:40 | |
They're making sure everyone is seen and we capture everything. | 0:02:40 | 0:02:44 | |
And action! | 0:02:44 | 0:02:45 | |
And here's just a tease of what's coming up. | 0:02:47 | 0:02:50 | |
Mark is completely in the dark. | 0:02:50 | 0:02:52 | |
I'm afraid we can't tell you anything. | 0:02:52 | 0:02:55 | |
A car boot buy is a once-in-a-lifetime find. | 0:02:55 | 0:02:59 | |
This is signed by David Livingstone himself. | 0:02:59 | 0:03:01 | |
Gosh! | 0:03:01 | 0:03:03 | |
And at Cardiff Castle, I'm in for a shock. | 0:03:03 | 0:03:06 | |
-This was £30,000. -HE GASPS | 0:03:06 | 0:03:08 | |
Well, who knows what we're going to uncover today? | 0:03:10 | 0:03:12 | |
But there's only one way to find out, as we go straight over | 0:03:12 | 0:03:15 | |
to Mark Stacey's table to take a closer look at what he's spotted. | 0:03:15 | 0:03:21 | |
-And it looks pretty good, doesn't it? -It does indeed. | 0:03:21 | 0:03:24 | |
He's found a plate with intriguing decoration. | 0:03:24 | 0:03:27 | |
Marjory, you've brought | 0:03:27 | 0:03:28 | |
a rather interesting plate, | 0:03:28 | 0:03:30 | |
-which I spotted in the queue. -You did. -What do you know about it? | 0:03:30 | 0:03:33 | |
Very little. | 0:03:33 | 0:03:34 | |
Nothing at all really, except that it's quite a wacky plate. | 0:03:34 | 0:03:37 | |
And I like it. | 0:03:37 | 0:03:38 | |
-Have you had it a long time? -We've had it about 20 years. | 0:03:38 | 0:03:41 | |
-Really? -Mm-hm. -Where did you acquire it from? | 0:03:41 | 0:03:44 | |
Somewhere in Wales, in an antiques shop or an antiques centre. | 0:03:44 | 0:03:47 | |
It was at a time when I was travelling around Wales | 0:03:47 | 0:03:50 | |
a lot and I can never resist a good junk shop or an antiques | 0:03:50 | 0:03:54 | |
centre and I will have bought it somewhere. | 0:03:54 | 0:03:56 | |
So you love collecting things. | 0:03:56 | 0:03:57 | |
-Oh, yes. We have a house full of... -Goodies. | 0:03:57 | 0:04:00 | |
..junk, that some people would call. Or goodies, yes, | 0:04:00 | 0:04:03 | |
I like to think. | 0:04:03 | 0:04:04 | |
Well, I was attracted by it because I know this pattern. | 0:04:04 | 0:04:07 | |
Well, that's wonderful. | 0:04:07 | 0:04:08 | |
Now, the pattern is known as the Swan Service and it was | 0:04:08 | 0:04:11 | |
-created by Meissen in the 1730s and 1740s. -Really? | 0:04:11 | 0:04:16 | |
It was made for the director of the company, Count Heinrich von Bruhl, | 0:04:16 | 0:04:21 | |
and he amassed a service of over 1,000 pieces. | 0:04:21 | 0:04:25 | |
-Right. -And after the Second World War, it was split up. | 0:04:25 | 0:04:27 | |
-And you can find examples in museums. -Mm-hm. | 0:04:27 | 0:04:31 | |
-Now, this is not from that original service. -Right. | 0:04:31 | 0:04:33 | |
The original service is mainly white, | 0:04:33 | 0:04:36 | |
-sometimes with a little bit of gilding. -Mm-hm. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:39 | |
-But it is embossed with courting swans. -They're courting, are they? | 0:04:39 | 0:04:43 | |
-Well, I like to think so. -They look quite angry! | 0:04:43 | 0:04:45 | |
Well, I think they do look a bit... Maybe they've had a row! | 0:04:45 | 0:04:48 | |
Maybe. | 0:04:48 | 0:04:49 | |
And you've got a heron and little insects as well, | 0:04:49 | 0:04:52 | |
-which are rather charming. -Yes, that's sweet. | 0:04:52 | 0:04:54 | |
Sometimes, they used little insects to cover blemishes because | 0:04:54 | 0:04:58 | |
the manufacturing of porcelain in the 18th century was extremely | 0:04:58 | 0:05:02 | |
difficult and extremely expensive. | 0:05:02 | 0:05:04 | |
So if there was a little bit of a blemish, | 0:05:04 | 0:05:07 | |
rather than destroy the whole plate, they would cover it with | 0:05:07 | 0:05:10 | |
a little moth or a beetle or a bug of some sort. | 0:05:10 | 0:05:13 | |
This is probably French, rather than German. | 0:05:13 | 0:05:16 | |
It's got a funny little mark on the back here, | 0:05:16 | 0:05:19 | |
which I don't think means a huge amount. | 0:05:19 | 0:05:21 | |
Oh, right. I've tried to find it, but failed. | 0:05:21 | 0:05:24 | |
It was probably made by a company called Samson in Paris, | 0:05:24 | 0:05:29 | |
in about the 1880s. | 0:05:29 | 0:05:31 | |
Possibly as a replacement piece for a service. | 0:05:31 | 0:05:34 | |
-Not as a forgery then? -No, no. | 0:05:34 | 0:05:37 | |
Samson produced a lot of copies of early porcelains - | 0:05:37 | 0:05:41 | |
Worcester, French porcelain, Sevre - | 0:05:41 | 0:05:44 | |
and it's become collectible in its own right, funnily enough. | 0:05:44 | 0:05:48 | |
-Now, there are collectors for this sort of thing. -Mm-hm. | 0:05:48 | 0:05:51 | |
-But I think we've got to put it in with a sensible estimate. -Mm-hm. | 0:05:51 | 0:05:53 | |
I would probably put it in with an estimate of something | 0:05:53 | 0:05:56 | |
-like £60 to £100. -Mm-hm. | 0:05:56 | 0:05:58 | |
And I would hope with the internet that we might get over £100. | 0:05:58 | 0:06:02 | |
-Are you happy to put it in and give it a try? -Yes, absolutely. Why not? | 0:06:02 | 0:06:05 | |
-See if we can find any swan lovers out there. -Yes! | 0:06:05 | 0:06:08 | |
-Well done, you, for finding it. -Thank you. | 0:06:08 | 0:06:10 | |
I'm sure that those courting swans are going to attract | 0:06:10 | 0:06:13 | |
attention at the auction. | 0:06:13 | 0:06:15 | |
But Charles has found something that might be impossible to ignore. | 0:06:15 | 0:06:20 | |
So, Stephen, we find things in lofts all the time, | 0:06:20 | 0:06:23 | |
but rarely this size object. This really is something else. | 0:06:23 | 0:06:27 | |
Yes, found in the attic of my grandparents years ago and it's been | 0:06:27 | 0:06:30 | |
in my mother's loft now for a long time and I'm clearing that out now. | 0:06:30 | 0:06:35 | |
Yeah, just amazing. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:36 | |
And it's something which I suppose has such history from that | 0:06:36 | 0:06:40 | |
Great War, 1914-18, and my question is, Stephen, | 0:06:40 | 0:06:45 | |
is how it came to languish in the attic? | 0:06:45 | 0:06:48 | |
I suspect because my grandfather used to work on the tugs, | 0:06:48 | 0:06:51 | |
it might have come from a plane that had come down. I'm not sure. | 0:06:51 | 0:06:54 | |
That's what I think it has come from. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:56 | |
I think in context, I mean, I'm quite tall, 6ft 1, | 0:06:56 | 0:06:59 | |
and you see actually how large these propellers are and this must be... | 0:06:59 | 0:07:05 | |
how tall? | 0:07:05 | 0:07:06 | |
-9ft? -9ft, at least. -Frightening, isn't it? | 0:07:06 | 0:07:09 | |
And it's just actually quite light, | 0:07:09 | 0:07:12 | |
but what we've got here is a laminated mahogany propeller, | 0:07:12 | 0:07:16 | |
made by the Sopwith company in around 1917, 1918. | 0:07:16 | 0:07:22 | |
The actual propeller itself is a 200hp example. | 0:07:22 | 0:07:27 | |
We see ones slightly smaller, 100, 150, made by Sopwith, and | 0:07:27 | 0:07:33 | |
almost 5,000 of these were put together and assembled in Bristol. | 0:07:33 | 0:07:38 | |
We can see we've got a variety of different numbers on here. Here, | 0:07:38 | 0:07:43 | |
you've got the 200hp Hispano and then another number and | 0:07:43 | 0:07:48 | |
lettering down below. | 0:07:48 | 0:07:50 | |
Remarkably, it's in such good condition. | 0:07:50 | 0:07:53 | |
And clearly, it's been and it's seen action by the condition and | 0:07:53 | 0:07:58 | |
the markings upon here. | 0:07:58 | 0:08:00 | |
Just from this I suppose sort of focal point here, you can | 0:08:00 | 0:08:03 | |
almost imagine hearing this fly over this amazing landscape, can't you? | 0:08:03 | 0:08:08 | |
And put into context what it did back in those formative years | 0:08:08 | 0:08:13 | |
of the Great War. | 0:08:13 | 0:08:15 | |
What's it worth, Stephen? Any ideas? | 0:08:15 | 0:08:17 | |
Well, my father was offered something in the region | 0:08:17 | 0:08:21 | |
of £500 without it even being seen and that could be ten years ago. | 0:08:21 | 0:08:26 | |
They have made up to £1,000. Some have made 450. | 0:08:26 | 0:08:31 | |
I feel this one in its condition, it's so good, it's so clean, | 0:08:31 | 0:08:35 | |
I would go in between £400 and £600. | 0:08:35 | 0:08:38 | |
And I would protect it with a reserve at £400. | 0:08:38 | 0:08:42 | |
-Yeah. -And cross our fingers. -Yes, that would be OK. | 0:08:42 | 0:08:45 | |
Hopefully, hold tight, it could take off. | 0:08:45 | 0:08:48 | |
That is a boy's toy, if ever I saw one. I love it! | 0:08:49 | 0:08:52 | |
There are crowds of people still eager to get their items | 0:08:52 | 0:08:56 | |
valued and Mark has found a very baffling object. | 0:08:56 | 0:09:00 | |
Desmond, you've brought this item in to find out where it was made, | 0:09:00 | 0:09:03 | |
what sort of object it is and a value, haven't you? | 0:09:03 | 0:09:06 | |
I'm afraid we can't tell you any of it. | 0:09:06 | 0:09:08 | |
-Well, we can tell you some of it. -Right. | 0:09:08 | 0:09:10 | |
It's a really odd thing, isn't it? | 0:09:10 | 0:09:12 | |
It's almost certainly, I think, Japanese, made in the Meiji period, | 0:09:12 | 0:09:16 | |
so somewhere between sort of 1870 and about 1920. | 0:09:16 | 0:09:21 | |
Where did you get it from? | 0:09:21 | 0:09:23 | |
Well, I'm carrying this for a friend who is ill and I said, | 0:09:23 | 0:09:26 | |
"I'll take it down there and they'll be able to find out what it is." | 0:09:26 | 0:09:29 | |
-And we've failed. -Mm. -And how long has your friend had it? | 0:09:29 | 0:09:34 | |
-About ten years, I think. -So he hasn't had it long? -No. | 0:09:34 | 0:09:37 | |
-He picked it up somewhere. -London, I think. -London? -Mm. | 0:09:37 | 0:09:40 | |
And when he bought it, did he not ask what it was | 0:09:40 | 0:09:42 | |
or did he just find it curious? | 0:09:42 | 0:09:43 | |
-He just liked the look of it. -Well, I'm with him. | 0:09:43 | 0:09:46 | |
-I think it's a really quirky item. -Yes. -It's odd. We have all looked | 0:09:46 | 0:09:50 | |
at it and we have tried to do some research and we can't answer | 0:09:50 | 0:09:53 | |
the question, what on Earth it is. This little section comes out | 0:09:53 | 0:09:57 | |
of that base, and that base feels as if it might be | 0:09:57 | 0:10:00 | |
Japanese silver. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:02 | |
In terms of the... the little device itself, | 0:10:02 | 0:10:06 | |
it doesn't really open. Someone has tried to force it open, | 0:10:06 | 0:10:08 | |
but I don't want to do any more than that, cos it doesn't look | 0:10:08 | 0:10:11 | |
as if it's hinged anywhere. | 0:10:11 | 0:10:12 | |
You have this three-sail type effect | 0:10:12 | 0:10:15 | |
on it, with these little circular Japanese mons, | 0:10:15 | 0:10:18 | |
which are done in gilding. | 0:10:18 | 0:10:21 | |
In terms of the auction, | 0:10:21 | 0:10:23 | |
I'm going to keep the estimate low, I'm afraid. | 0:10:23 | 0:10:25 | |
I would say sort of £50-£80, with a £50 reserve. | 0:10:25 | 0:10:30 | |
-And let's just see what happens. -OK. -Do you think he'd be happy | 0:10:30 | 0:10:33 | |
-with that? -Yes. -You've spoken to him. If we illustrate that online | 0:10:33 | 0:10:37 | |
and do a description as I've described, | 0:10:37 | 0:10:39 | |
Japanese Meiji period etc, | 0:10:39 | 0:10:41 | |
who knows? We might be looking at a real hidden gem. | 0:10:41 | 0:10:44 | |
Looking forward to that. | 0:10:44 | 0:10:46 | |
-But for now, it is sayonara from here, isn't it? -Mm. | 0:10:46 | 0:10:49 | |
Oh, I didn't know Mark could speak Japanese(!) | 0:10:49 | 0:10:51 | |
It's always fascinating when an object like that | 0:10:51 | 0:10:54 | |
comes through our doors. | 0:10:54 | 0:10:56 | |
We need one more item to take to auction | 0:10:56 | 0:10:59 | |
and Charles has found a wee pig that is far from home. | 0:10:59 | 0:11:03 | |
Sharon, I often wonder, what is a Scottish pig doing here in Wales? | 0:11:03 | 0:11:08 | |
Ah, mystery. | 0:11:08 | 0:11:10 | |
-I wouldn't know. -How did you acquire him? | 0:11:10 | 0:11:13 | |
I bought him in a church fair for £4 about two years ago. | 0:11:13 | 0:11:17 | |
-Really? -Bargain! | 0:11:17 | 0:11:18 | |
-You saw him and you thought, ah, I know. -Wemyss. | 0:11:18 | 0:11:22 | |
-Hopefully. -That magical word. | 0:11:22 | 0:11:25 | |
The factory began in 1882, | 0:11:25 | 0:11:28 | |
when Karel Nekola and Robert Heron got together | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
and they put this factory together. | 0:11:31 | 0:11:34 | |
The name was based on the local big family, | 0:11:34 | 0:11:37 | |
the Wemyss family at the castle. | 0:11:37 | 0:11:39 | |
By 1930, they had stopped | 0:11:39 | 0:11:41 | |
and the rights to these pigs had been sold | 0:11:41 | 0:11:44 | |
to a factory on the south coast. | 0:11:44 | 0:11:47 | |
So, hello, pig. | 0:11:47 | 0:11:50 | |
Let's have a look at you. | 0:11:50 | 0:11:51 | |
What I love about him first of all is, the ears are in good condition. | 0:11:51 | 0:11:55 | |
There are a few minor little signs of wear on the tips. | 0:11:55 | 0:12:01 | |
I love what appear to be almost clovers. | 0:12:01 | 0:12:05 | |
And I look in the crevices to make sure there's a level of wear | 0:12:05 | 0:12:09 | |
to suggest this pig's been around 125, 130 years. | 0:12:09 | 0:12:14 | |
And the body is good, but there's no tail! | 0:12:14 | 0:12:18 | |
-No. -There's no tail. | 0:12:18 | 0:12:20 | |
-Sorry about that. -What happened? | 0:12:20 | 0:12:21 | |
It was like that when I bought it. | 0:12:21 | 0:12:24 | |
And just in the crevice down here, you can barely see, | 0:12:24 | 0:12:27 | |
-have you found it yet? -My husband found it but I find it hard to see. | 0:12:27 | 0:12:31 | |
But there is a number as well and it looks like a double-S on the end. | 0:12:31 | 0:12:35 | |
-Yeah, that is your Wemyss mark. -Yeah. | 0:12:35 | 0:12:36 | |
So, in that regard, I'm quite happy it does come from the Fife factory. | 0:12:36 | 0:12:41 | |
And if I was to date him, | 0:12:41 | 0:12:43 | |
I would say that your Wemyss pig would date to around 1900-1910 | 0:12:43 | 0:12:48 | |
at the very latest. | 0:12:48 | 0:12:50 | |
I like him. How much do you like him? | 0:12:50 | 0:12:52 | |
Well, I like him, but, you know... I'd like to sell him! | 0:12:52 | 0:12:55 | |
Is it time he goes to a Welsh market? | 0:12:55 | 0:12:58 | |
Yes, I think so. | 0:12:58 | 0:13:00 | |
We can ask that question, how much is that pig in the window? | 0:13:00 | 0:13:03 | |
With our problem, he's without the... | 0:13:03 | 0:13:05 | |
-Waggly tail! ALL: -Waggly tail! | 0:13:05 | 0:13:06 | |
Exactly, I like that a lot, yeah, yeah. | 0:13:06 | 0:13:08 | |
I think the tail will affect value. | 0:13:08 | 0:13:11 | |
But even so, he is commercial. | 0:13:11 | 0:13:13 | |
And my instinct would be between 150 and 250. | 0:13:13 | 0:13:19 | |
-Right. -Put the reserve at about £120. | 0:13:19 | 0:13:23 | |
-Yes. -Does that figure meet your approval? | 0:13:23 | 0:13:26 | |
Yes, it's more than £4, so it's fine! | 0:13:26 | 0:13:29 | |
It just... It just shows, doesn't it, what you can still find? | 0:13:29 | 0:13:33 | |
But he isn't the one with the... | 0:13:33 | 0:13:35 | |
-ALL: -Waggly tail. -Thank you very much. | 0:13:35 | 0:13:37 | |
Lovely. | 0:13:37 | 0:13:39 | |
If anyone spots that missing tail, do let us know. | 0:13:39 | 0:13:42 | |
Before we head off to auction, | 0:13:42 | 0:13:44 | |
there's something I would like to show you. | 0:13:44 | 0:13:46 | |
Since 1948, | 0:13:51 | 0:13:53 | |
buildings of special interest from all over Wales have been carefully | 0:13:53 | 0:13:56 | |
taken apart and reassembled on this site near Cardiff. | 0:13:56 | 0:14:00 | |
Every brick, slate and piece of timber is numbered so it can be | 0:14:00 | 0:14:04 | |
reconstructed exactly as it was. | 0:14:04 | 0:14:06 | |
The oldest domestic buildings here date back to the 15th century, | 0:14:06 | 0:14:10 | |
like this traditional Welsh farmhouse from mid-Wales, | 0:14:10 | 0:14:13 | |
which gives us a glimpse of how people lived in rural communities | 0:14:13 | 0:14:17 | |
some 500 years ago. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:19 | |
But the buildings that I've come to see today give us an insight | 0:14:19 | 0:14:22 | |
into our industrial past. | 0:14:22 | 0:14:25 | |
Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales | 0:14:25 | 0:14:27 | |
was a boom town of the Industrial Revolution. | 0:14:27 | 0:14:30 | |
In 1800, a new terrace of houses was built at Rhyd-y-Car | 0:14:30 | 0:14:33 | |
for the town's ironworkers. | 0:14:33 | 0:14:35 | |
But by the early 1980s, the terrace was derelict and facing demolition. | 0:14:35 | 0:14:41 | |
The National History Museum stepped in to rescue part of the original | 0:14:42 | 0:14:46 | |
terrace for a unique project. | 0:14:46 | 0:14:48 | |
The idea was to use the fabric and interiors of these buildings | 0:14:48 | 0:14:52 | |
to shed a light on the lives of the people who had lived in them. | 0:14:52 | 0:14:55 | |
What made this so special was the history spanned almost 200 years, | 0:14:55 | 0:15:00 | |
from the early 1800s when they were first built, right up to 1985. | 0:15:00 | 0:15:05 | |
Six houses, numbers 17 to 22, were carefully reconstructed here. | 0:15:07 | 0:15:12 | |
The interior of each house | 0:15:12 | 0:15:14 | |
represents a specific year in its history, | 0:15:14 | 0:15:17 | |
and the first one dates to 1805. | 0:15:17 | 0:15:20 | |
It has one multipurpose room, a small rear bedroom and one upstairs. | 0:15:20 | 0:15:25 | |
I like this. I like this place a lot, actually. | 0:15:27 | 0:15:30 | |
It's got a good feel about it. | 0:15:30 | 0:15:33 | |
What strikes me about it is, it's very rustic, yet it's in an urban setting. | 0:15:33 | 0:15:36 | |
So the couple that originally lived here came from the countryside. | 0:15:36 | 0:15:40 | |
They moved to the area to find employment in the ironworks, | 0:15:40 | 0:15:44 | |
like many other people. | 0:15:44 | 0:15:46 | |
So the furniture they brought with them | 0:15:46 | 0:15:48 | |
was traditional Welsh furniture. | 0:15:48 | 0:15:50 | |
It's all handcrafted. It's beautiful. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:52 | |
Now, the fireplace, not only a focal point in this little room, | 0:15:52 | 0:15:56 | |
but it keeps you warm. | 0:15:56 | 0:15:57 | |
That's your source of central heating for the whole house. | 0:15:57 | 0:16:00 | |
You did your cooking on there | 0:16:00 | 0:16:01 | |
and you boiled up the water to make a cup of tea | 0:16:01 | 0:16:04 | |
in that massive, great big old iron kettle. | 0:16:04 | 0:16:06 | |
And if you wanted a bath, well, you had a tin bath. | 0:16:06 | 0:16:09 | |
That would be hanging up on the outside wall, out back. | 0:16:09 | 0:16:12 | |
You plonked it down there, filled it up with water, | 0:16:12 | 0:16:15 | |
heated it up and jumped in it. | 0:16:15 | 0:16:18 | |
At this time, the windows of the houses didn't open. | 0:16:19 | 0:16:22 | |
The lack of ventilation meant that disease quickly spread. | 0:16:22 | 0:16:26 | |
Now, a local newspaper article at the time said | 0:16:29 | 0:16:32 | |
that the streets were in a state of disgusting filth, | 0:16:32 | 0:16:35 | |
abounding in fermenting and putrefying substances, | 0:16:35 | 0:16:38 | |
equally offensive to decency and injurious to public health. | 0:16:38 | 0:16:43 | |
Now, due to the lack of sanitation, and overcrowding, | 0:16:43 | 0:16:46 | |
cholera struck in Merthyr Tydfil in 1849. | 0:16:46 | 0:16:51 | |
Now, sadly, in Rhyd-y-Car Terrace alone, five people died. | 0:16:51 | 0:16:56 | |
It says here, in the surrounding area, | 0:16:56 | 0:16:59 | |
884 people also lost their lives. | 0:16:59 | 0:17:02 | |
The third house in Rhyd-y-Car Terrace | 0:17:04 | 0:17:06 | |
shows the impact of the Industrial Revolution on people's lives. | 0:17:06 | 0:17:11 | |
Now, this house dates to 1895 and, as you can see instantly, | 0:17:12 | 0:17:17 | |
it's completely different. | 0:17:17 | 0:17:19 | |
It's absolutely full of things. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:21 | |
This is the Victorian age. | 0:17:21 | 0:17:23 | |
The era of mass production. | 0:17:23 | 0:17:24 | |
Industry moving at full tilt. | 0:17:24 | 0:17:27 | |
And it's the first time | 0:17:27 | 0:17:28 | |
that working-class people could afford things. | 0:17:28 | 0:17:30 | |
Not just practical, functional things, but decorative things, | 0:17:30 | 0:17:35 | |
as you can see here, look. | 0:17:35 | 0:17:36 | |
Loads of jugs hanging up, polished brasses, | 0:17:36 | 0:17:39 | |
Staffordshire flatback figures. It's all very, very homely. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:43 | |
But I'd like to hear about | 0:17:44 | 0:17:45 | |
the actual people who lived in these houses, | 0:17:45 | 0:17:48 | |
with the person responsible for the project, | 0:17:48 | 0:17:50 | |
former director of the museum, Dr Eurwyn William. | 0:17:50 | 0:17:53 | |
What sort of people lived here? | 0:17:55 | 0:17:57 | |
Well, the houses were originally built for ironworkers, | 0:17:57 | 0:18:00 | |
and they were the creme de la creme of the working class, if you like. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:04 | |
Dangerous occupation but very well paid. | 0:18:04 | 0:18:06 | |
But from about 1850 to 1860, | 0:18:06 | 0:18:09 | |
the majority of the men worked in the coal mines. | 0:18:09 | 0:18:12 | |
So, you know, lower paid, | 0:18:12 | 0:18:14 | |
so it was a quite difficult lifestyle, I think. | 0:18:14 | 0:18:17 | |
Now, you've got some photographs | 0:18:17 | 0:18:18 | |
of people that lived in the original terrace. | 0:18:18 | 0:18:20 | |
Can you talk me through some of them? | 0:18:20 | 0:18:22 | |
Yes, surely. These are two sisters, Bessie and Letitia Thomas. | 0:18:22 | 0:18:27 | |
These are studio photographs from about 1900. | 0:18:27 | 0:18:29 | |
-So this is 1900? -This is 1900. | 0:18:29 | 0:18:32 | |
And they lived next door but one to each other, in the terrace, | 0:18:32 | 0:18:35 | |
for the whole of their lives. | 0:18:35 | 0:18:37 | |
Oh, that's lovely! So they looked after each other? | 0:18:37 | 0:18:39 | |
Yes, Bessie, number 18, Letitia, number 20. | 0:18:39 | 0:18:42 | |
And here they are again in 1945. | 0:18:42 | 0:18:45 | |
Oh, look at that! | 0:18:45 | 0:18:47 | |
This is Bessie, and this is Letitia, | 0:18:47 | 0:18:49 | |
celebrating the end of the Second World War. | 0:18:49 | 0:18:52 | |
Bessie, in fact, | 0:18:52 | 0:18:53 | |
she was one of the last inhabitants of the terrace and she was still | 0:18:53 | 0:18:57 | |
living here in her 90s, in the 1970s. | 0:18:57 | 0:19:00 | |
-Oh, how sweet. -Yes. | 0:19:00 | 0:19:02 | |
This chap, Tom Davies, from number 17, 9st in weight, | 0:19:02 | 0:19:07 | |
and he was a professional wrestler and a strongman. | 0:19:07 | 0:19:11 | |
-Oh, I see! -Yes, he was professionally known as Saldo. | 0:19:11 | 0:19:15 | |
My favourite of all the many dozens, perhaps hundreds, | 0:19:15 | 0:19:19 | |
of photographs we have gathered is this one. | 0:19:19 | 0:19:21 | |
These are the children of Rhyd-y-Car | 0:19:21 | 0:19:23 | |
in front of one of the tips which surrounded the terrace. | 0:19:23 | 0:19:25 | |
That's a lovely group shot. | 0:19:25 | 0:19:27 | |
This is late Victorian. | 0:19:27 | 0:19:29 | |
And the donkey is significant, | 0:19:29 | 0:19:31 | |
because there were so many donkeys used for transport and so on | 0:19:31 | 0:19:35 | |
in the terrace that, to the rest of the inhabitants of Merthyr, | 0:19:35 | 0:19:38 | |
Rhyd-y-Car was known as Donkey Town! | 0:19:38 | 0:19:40 | |
Oh, was it? How sweet! | 0:19:40 | 0:19:44 | |
Look at all those people together. | 0:19:44 | 0:19:45 | |
One community, looking after each other. | 0:19:45 | 0:19:48 | |
Yes. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:50 | |
By 1955, Britain was rebuilding itself as a modern post-war nation. | 0:19:50 | 0:19:55 | |
In Merthyr Tydfil, heavy industry was replaced by manufacturing, | 0:19:55 | 0:19:59 | |
and the terrace reflects this modern era. | 0:19:59 | 0:20:02 | |
The outdoor shed is now a kitchen with practical, modern furniture, | 0:20:02 | 0:20:06 | |
which means the sitting room can be used for relaxing and socialising. | 0:20:06 | 0:20:10 | |
Long gone are the traditional pieces of Welsh furniture, all handcrafted. | 0:20:13 | 0:20:18 | |
What we have here, mass-produced pieces of furniture. | 0:20:18 | 0:20:21 | |
Still in oak, but lightened up and softened in style. | 0:20:21 | 0:20:24 | |
Not so heavy. Here is the fireplace, look. | 0:20:24 | 0:20:27 | |
Not that pretty. | 0:20:27 | 0:20:28 | |
No longer the focal point of the sitting room. | 0:20:28 | 0:20:31 | |
That space now belongs to this, ta-da! | 0:20:31 | 0:20:35 | |
The TV set. That is the future. | 0:20:35 | 0:20:39 | |
The final house in the terrace dates to 1985, which isn't that long ago, | 0:20:39 | 0:20:45 | |
but it really shows how much this community had changed. | 0:20:45 | 0:20:48 | |
It doesn't look remotely Welsh. | 0:20:50 | 0:20:52 | |
We're not in Merthyr Tydfil any more. | 0:20:52 | 0:20:54 | |
This could be anywhere in the UK. | 0:20:54 | 0:20:57 | |
Look at this. It's full of things you could buy | 0:20:57 | 0:20:59 | |
on any high street in Britain. We could be in Basildon in Essex. | 0:20:59 | 0:21:03 | |
Look. Fish and chips on the G Plan furniture. | 0:21:03 | 0:21:05 | |
My mum and dad had an electric fireplace just like that | 0:21:05 | 0:21:08 | |
with a couple of bars, and if it was really cold, you put both bars on. | 0:21:08 | 0:21:12 | |
But there's something rather special in the kitchen I want to show you, | 0:21:12 | 0:21:16 | |
so come through here. | 0:21:16 | 0:21:18 | |
Right, here we are. | 0:21:18 | 0:21:19 | |
The fully fitted kitchen. | 0:21:19 | 0:21:21 | |
Something we're all familiar with. | 0:21:21 | 0:21:24 | |
But this is the piece de resistance. This is what I wanted to show you. | 0:21:24 | 0:21:26 | |
Are you ready for this? Here we go. | 0:21:26 | 0:21:29 | |
Ta-da! Look at that. | 0:21:30 | 0:21:32 | |
No longer do you have a bath in the front room in an old tub. | 0:21:32 | 0:21:35 | |
You can now have a bath in the kitchen! | 0:21:35 | 0:21:38 | |
So you can sit in there, saying, "Mum? | 0:21:38 | 0:21:40 | |
"Make us a cup of tea!" | 0:21:40 | 0:21:42 | |
She hasn't got far to bring it. | 0:21:42 | 0:21:44 | |
This terrace could've been knocked down and lost for ever. | 0:21:49 | 0:21:52 | |
I'm so glad it was saved. | 0:21:52 | 0:21:54 | |
Now, compared to a castle or a magnificent stately home, | 0:21:54 | 0:21:57 | |
it may seem insignificant and uninteresting, | 0:21:57 | 0:22:00 | |
but the fabric of these buildings, | 0:22:00 | 0:22:02 | |
the items inside them and the people who lived here | 0:22:02 | 0:22:05 | |
all have a fascinating story to tell. | 0:22:05 | 0:22:09 | |
It goes way beyond this terrace. | 0:22:09 | 0:22:11 | |
These homes are about the story of all of us. | 0:22:11 | 0:22:13 | |
What a fantastic place. | 0:22:22 | 0:22:23 | |
It's exactly the kind of history that fascinates me. | 0:22:23 | 0:22:26 | |
Here's a quick recap of the four items we're taking to auction. | 0:22:26 | 0:22:30 | |
The romantic swans service plate is bound to turn heads. | 0:22:32 | 0:22:36 | |
It's chocks away, with the First World War propeller. | 0:22:38 | 0:22:42 | |
And the mysterious Japanese box has us all puzzled, | 0:22:43 | 0:22:47 | |
but will it intrigue those bidders? | 0:22:47 | 0:22:48 | |
And this decorative Wemyss piggy is heading to market. | 0:22:51 | 0:22:54 | |
Today's auction is in Cardiff. | 0:22:55 | 0:22:58 | |
In the past, this was a busy and prosperous port, | 0:22:58 | 0:23:00 | |
but today, it has become important as a cultural centre. | 0:23:00 | 0:23:05 | |
Crowds flock to the impressive Millennium Stadium, | 0:23:05 | 0:23:08 | |
in the heart of the city, to watch Wales play rugby. | 0:23:08 | 0:23:11 | |
And in the Bay is the striking new Wales Millennium Centre - | 0:23:11 | 0:23:14 | |
a venue for everything from opera to The X Factor. | 0:23:14 | 0:23:18 | |
This is where we're putting our valuations to the test, | 0:23:20 | 0:23:23 | |
Rogers Jones & Co in Wales. It is a family-run business | 0:23:23 | 0:23:27 | |
and I am pretty sure we are going to get some good results today. | 0:23:27 | 0:23:29 | |
The auctioneer is just about to start. Everybody is just browsing | 0:23:29 | 0:23:32 | |
and, hopefully, they are looking at our lots. I am going to catch up | 0:23:32 | 0:23:35 | |
with our first owner. Let's get on with the action. | 0:23:35 | 0:23:38 | |
And don't forget, our sellers have to pay commission. | 0:23:38 | 0:23:41 | |
Today, it is 15% plus VAT | 0:23:41 | 0:23:43 | |
on items under £2,000. | 0:23:43 | 0:23:46 | |
But it is less for items over £2,000. | 0:23:46 | 0:23:49 | |
Ben Rogers Jones is on the rostrum, | 0:23:49 | 0:23:52 | |
so it's time to get started, with our first lot, | 0:23:52 | 0:23:54 | |
the decorated swan plate. | 0:23:54 | 0:23:56 | |
Serving up for you now, we have some porcelain, | 0:23:57 | 0:23:59 | |
in the form of a dessert plate, belonging to Marjorie. | 0:23:59 | 0:24:02 | |
-This is a swan plate. Is it a copy of...? -It is. | 0:24:02 | 0:24:06 | |
I think it's a copy of the famous Meissen swan service. | 0:24:06 | 0:24:09 | |
It is a copy of the Meissen swan service. | 0:24:09 | 0:24:11 | |
That is early 18th century. This is... | 0:24:11 | 0:24:13 | |
I thought, originally, it was a Samson copy, but the auctioneers | 0:24:13 | 0:24:16 | |
looked up the mark and it is more like Nymphenburg, which is right. | 0:24:16 | 0:24:19 | |
-A lot of these copies were made, but it is cracking. -Beautiful. | 0:24:19 | 0:24:23 | |
Why are you selling this, Marjorie? | 0:24:23 | 0:24:25 | |
-Partly because we wanted to come to "Flog It!"... -Oh, really! | 0:24:25 | 0:24:28 | |
-..and see you all. -And you got your arm twisted by Mark! | 0:24:28 | 0:24:31 | |
And also because it has just sat in a cupboard for many years | 0:24:31 | 0:24:35 | |
-doing nothing. -I think, as a starting point, | 0:24:35 | 0:24:37 | |
-this represents good value for money. -It is. | 0:24:37 | 0:24:39 | |
Single plate, single dishes - anything like that, great value | 0:24:39 | 0:24:42 | |
for money. Good luck. Let's watch this and enjoy it. Here we go. | 0:24:42 | 0:24:46 | |
Lot 184, probably German. | 0:24:46 | 0:24:49 | |
I am straight in at £70. | 0:24:49 | 0:24:51 | |
At £70. Is there 5? | 0:24:51 | 0:24:53 | |
At 70. Where's 5? | 0:24:53 | 0:24:55 | |
At 75. 80, now. | 0:24:55 | 0:24:57 | |
Is there 5? 85. 90 bid. | 0:24:57 | 0:24:59 | |
At £90. Is there 5? At £90. | 0:24:59 | 0:25:02 | |
All done now, at 90? | 0:25:02 | 0:25:04 | |
-This is good. -Here it goes at 90. | 0:25:04 | 0:25:06 | |
-£90. We have sold. -Good. -Above the estimate. | 0:25:06 | 0:25:08 | |
Above the estimate. Straight in and straight out. | 0:25:08 | 0:25:11 | |
-That was really quick! -No swanning around! | 0:25:11 | 0:25:14 | |
What a great start. Those loved-up swans have melted someone's heart. | 0:25:14 | 0:25:19 | |
Next up is a piece of aviation history, | 0:25:19 | 0:25:22 | |
that First World War propeller, | 0:25:22 | 0:25:24 | |
which is taking up nine feet on the saleroom wall! | 0:25:24 | 0:25:27 | |
Well, so far so good. You could say things are flying out of here | 0:25:27 | 0:25:31 | |
and that is a little clue to what is coming up next. | 0:25:31 | 0:25:33 | |
Yes, it is chocks away. We have got Stephen's propeller | 0:25:33 | 0:25:36 | |
going under the hammer. Why are you selling this? | 0:25:36 | 0:25:39 | |
It is a proper boy's toy! | 0:25:39 | 0:25:40 | |
-Well, it has been in the loft for so long. -Oh, Charles! | 0:25:40 | 0:25:43 | |
-It's amazing. -It's been in the loft. | 0:25:43 | 0:25:45 | |
They are very hard to display at home. I have had one. | 0:25:45 | 0:25:49 | |
Had it dropping vertically down the stairwell | 0:25:49 | 0:25:51 | |
and it looked really nice as you walked up the stairs, to see it. | 0:25:51 | 0:25:54 | |
Did you never fancy putting it on a wall or were you not allowed? | 0:25:54 | 0:25:57 | |
It was just too big. | 0:25:57 | 0:25:58 | |
-Did the wife like it? -Erm...no. -My wife didn't like mine, either! | 0:25:58 | 0:26:02 | |
ALL LAUGH | 0:26:02 | 0:26:04 | |
It needs that brave person to walk home and say, | 0:26:04 | 0:26:07 | |
"Look what I've bought and this is where it's going"! | 0:26:07 | 0:26:10 | |
That's the difficult bit. This is the easy bit. Let's flog it. | 0:26:10 | 0:26:13 | |
A Hispano-Suiza aviation propeller. And I have got | 0:26:15 | 0:26:19 | |
200 and... 280, to start. | 0:26:19 | 0:26:22 | |
-We need £400. -Is there 300? At 280. Is there 300 now? | 0:26:22 | 0:26:26 | |
Are you coming in online? | 0:26:26 | 0:26:28 | |
300. 320. | 0:26:28 | 0:26:29 | |
Is there 40? At 320. | 0:26:29 | 0:26:32 | |
Is there 40 now? At 320. | 0:26:32 | 0:26:35 | |
Is everybody done? At 320. | 0:26:35 | 0:26:36 | |
We are grounded. | 0:26:36 | 0:26:37 | |
At 320. All done now? | 0:26:39 | 0:26:41 | |
Everybody done? | 0:26:41 | 0:26:43 | |
-At 320. -There is so much history. -No-go, I'm afraid, for that one. | 0:26:43 | 0:26:46 | |
-I don't believe it. -It didn't sell. -I'm sorry. -It's because, | 0:26:46 | 0:26:49 | |
do you know why? They are so hard | 0:26:49 | 0:26:52 | |
-to display at home. -Presentation. -It's presentation, yeah. | 0:26:52 | 0:26:56 | |
In a modern house, it doesn't really work, | 0:26:56 | 0:26:58 | |
unless you treat it as a piece of sculpture | 0:26:58 | 0:27:00 | |
on one white wall. It's there. That is the focal point. | 0:27:00 | 0:27:04 | |
-Oh, well. -Look, there is another day, OK? | 0:27:04 | 0:27:06 | |
-There is another day. -Back in the attic. | 0:27:06 | 0:27:08 | |
No. Definitely not back in the attic! | 0:27:08 | 0:27:10 | |
That is very disappointing. These are hard items to sell, | 0:27:10 | 0:27:14 | |
but it certainly deserves to be on a wall somewhere. | 0:27:14 | 0:27:18 | |
Next up is the unusual Japanese box. | 0:27:18 | 0:27:21 | |
Our auctioneer does not know what it is, either, so we are still | 0:27:21 | 0:27:24 | |
in the dark. | 0:27:24 | 0:27:25 | |
Des, good luck. Your Japanese box is just about to go under the hammer | 0:27:27 | 0:27:30 | |
and, do you know what? Nobody can work out what it is, | 0:27:30 | 0:27:33 | |
what you put in it, what you do with it! | 0:27:33 | 0:27:35 | |
For years, they have been trying to find out | 0:27:35 | 0:27:38 | |
-and I don't know what it is. -No, I don't know. | 0:27:38 | 0:27:40 | |
-Definitely Meiji period, isn't it? -It is interesting. -Very interesting. | 0:27:40 | 0:27:43 | |
Somebody will know and, hopefully, they have picked up on this | 0:27:43 | 0:27:48 | |
and they are here to buy it or, at least, online. OK. Good luck. | 0:27:48 | 0:27:51 | |
It's going under the hammer right now. This is where it gets exciting. | 0:27:51 | 0:27:55 | |
I'm going to start right at the bottom. It starts with me at 30. | 0:27:55 | 0:27:59 | |
At 35, 40. | 0:27:59 | 0:28:01 | |
5. 50. 5, your bid. 55. | 0:28:01 | 0:28:03 | |
Who's coming in on this now? 60. | 0:28:03 | 0:28:06 | |
5. 70. 5. 80. | 0:28:06 | 0:28:10 | |
5. 90. | 0:28:10 | 0:28:11 | |
5. 100. 10. | 0:28:11 | 0:28:14 | |
20. 30. | 0:28:14 | 0:28:16 | |
140. 150. | 0:28:16 | 0:28:17 | |
-It's like a tennis match. -It is. Ping-pong, ping-pong. | 0:28:17 | 0:28:20 | |
160. 170. | 0:28:20 | 0:28:21 | |
180. 190. | 0:28:23 | 0:28:25 | |
Have you done, sir? | 0:28:25 | 0:28:26 | |
190. 200. | 0:28:26 | 0:28:27 | |
-Is there 10? £200. -Oh, it is on the internet. -210. -210. | 0:28:27 | 0:28:31 | |
210. All done now. | 0:28:33 | 0:28:35 | |
210. Here we go... | 0:28:35 | 0:28:37 | |
210. That's all right, Des, isn't it? | 0:28:38 | 0:28:40 | |
-Fine. -Anthony will be pleased with that. | 0:28:40 | 0:28:43 | |
-He will be pleased with that. -He's got a big smile on his face. | 0:28:43 | 0:28:45 | |
That is what it is all about! | 0:28:45 | 0:28:47 | |
Either someone knows what it is or they simply just like it! | 0:28:47 | 0:28:51 | |
Now it's the turn of the Wemyss pig. | 0:28:51 | 0:28:53 | |
No-one has turned up with his tail yet, | 0:28:53 | 0:28:56 | |
so will that put the bidders off? | 0:28:56 | 0:28:57 | |
Why are you selling your Wemyss pig? | 0:28:58 | 0:29:00 | |
It's not that I've gone off it, it's just sort of, you know... | 0:29:00 | 0:29:04 | |
I'm waiting to build a wall, and the funds will go towards it. | 0:29:04 | 0:29:08 | |
Right, OK, and that's a really good starting point. | 0:29:08 | 0:29:10 | |
I tell you what, picking that up for four quid is a bargain, | 0:29:10 | 0:29:13 | |
-even with a bit of damage. You don't care. -It's a great find. | 0:29:13 | 0:29:17 | |
Well, OK, let's try it, shall we, Charles? | 0:29:17 | 0:29:19 | |
Here we go. This is it. | 0:29:19 | 0:29:21 | |
This charming Wemyss pig. | 0:29:21 | 0:29:24 | |
-Bids all over the place, from all over the country. -Hold tight! | 0:29:24 | 0:29:27 | |
I'm straight in at £700. | 0:29:27 | 0:29:30 | |
-Unbelievable! -Is there 50? | 0:29:30 | 0:29:33 | |
At 750, at 780, 800 or 9? | 0:29:33 | 0:29:37 | |
At £800. | 0:29:37 | 0:29:39 | |
Would you like 50? | 0:29:39 | 0:29:41 | |
50 on the phone. | 0:29:41 | 0:29:43 | |
850. 900. | 0:29:43 | 0:29:44 | |
£900. 950, new phone now. | 0:29:44 | 0:29:47 | |
-At 950. -950. -I can't believe it. | 0:29:47 | 0:29:50 | |
I can't, actually. Considering the tail is damaged. | 0:29:50 | 0:29:52 | |
-Would you like 11? -Very good spot for £4. | 0:29:52 | 0:29:56 | |
-At £1,100? -I can't believe that. | 0:29:56 | 0:29:58 | |
Is there 12 now? At £1,200. | 0:29:58 | 0:30:00 | |
Why not? What's £100? | 0:30:00 | 0:30:01 | |
-Yeah, why not? -£1,300, at £1,300 for the little pig. | 0:30:01 | 0:30:05 | |
What did you put on this, Charles? | 0:30:05 | 0:30:07 | |
-It's a lot of money. -What did you put on it? -100 to 200. | 0:30:07 | 0:30:11 | |
Because the condition is wonderful. | 0:30:11 | 0:30:13 | |
At £1,400, have we all done? | 0:30:13 | 0:30:15 | |
At £1,400, here it goes. | 0:30:15 | 0:30:17 | |
I can't believe it. | 0:30:17 | 0:30:19 | |
I really can't believe it. | 0:30:19 | 0:30:21 | |
-What did you put on it? -100 to 200, and it had legs. | 0:30:21 | 0:30:25 | |
-Literally. -Amazing. | 0:30:25 | 0:30:28 | |
What do you think about that? | 0:30:28 | 0:30:29 | |
-I'm shaking. -That is fantastic! -Well done. | 0:30:29 | 0:30:32 | |
Thank you so much. | 0:30:32 | 0:30:34 | |
What a fantastic result. | 0:30:34 | 0:30:38 | |
And a great end to our first visit to the auction. | 0:30:38 | 0:30:41 | |
It's time for me to take the opportunity | 0:30:41 | 0:30:43 | |
for a look around the area. | 0:30:43 | 0:30:44 | |
Cardiff Castle can be found right in the heart of the city. | 0:30:52 | 0:30:55 | |
Its distinctive Gothic revival architecture | 0:30:55 | 0:30:58 | |
has made it world-famous. | 0:30:58 | 0:31:00 | |
But this austere facade conceals one of the most glamorous | 0:31:00 | 0:31:03 | |
and dramatic interiors in Britain. | 0:31:03 | 0:31:06 | |
Its exuberant decor blew me away when I first clapped eyes on it | 0:31:06 | 0:31:09 | |
ten years ago. | 0:31:09 | 0:31:12 | |
This certainly does have the wow factor. | 0:31:12 | 0:31:15 | |
It looked straight out of the Middle Ages, | 0:31:15 | 0:31:18 | |
but was actually created during the mid-1800s. | 0:31:18 | 0:31:22 | |
It was the product of an important creative partnership - | 0:31:22 | 0:31:25 | |
Gothic revival architect and designer William Burges | 0:31:25 | 0:31:29 | |
and the owner of the castle, the third Marquis of Bute. | 0:31:29 | 0:31:32 | |
Born in 1827, William Burges was a unique creative force | 0:31:32 | 0:31:36 | |
in the Victorian era. | 0:31:36 | 0:31:38 | |
Burges was an eccentric character. | 0:31:39 | 0:31:42 | |
He was just five feet tall, short-sighted, plump, | 0:31:42 | 0:31:44 | |
very energetic and he remained a bachelor all his life. | 0:31:44 | 0:31:48 | |
His obsession with the Middle Ages resulted in rooms like this one - | 0:31:48 | 0:31:52 | |
the Chaucer Room. The space was not designed to be practical. | 0:31:52 | 0:31:56 | |
It was all about having fun. | 0:31:56 | 0:31:58 | |
Burges only worked for a handful of affluent clients | 0:31:59 | 0:32:02 | |
who loved his ornate and extravagant interpretation | 0:32:02 | 0:32:07 | |
of medieval design. Lord Bute, a wildly rich industrialist, | 0:32:07 | 0:32:11 | |
had the money and the imagination | 0:32:11 | 0:32:13 | |
to commission his work for Cardiff Castle. | 0:32:13 | 0:32:15 | |
But as I discovered, there was more to this story | 0:32:17 | 0:32:20 | |
than just lavish decoration. William Burges was also commissioned | 0:32:20 | 0:32:24 | |
to create around 40 pieces of furniture for the castle. | 0:32:24 | 0:32:28 | |
Now, unfortunately, half those pieces were sold off | 0:32:28 | 0:32:31 | |
in an auction in 1949 by the Bute family, | 0:32:31 | 0:32:34 | |
when they handed the castle over to the council. | 0:32:34 | 0:32:37 | |
So, the hunt was on to find those missing pieces of furniture | 0:32:37 | 0:32:40 | |
and bring them back home. | 0:32:40 | 0:32:41 | |
These were unique, handcrafted pieces, | 0:32:43 | 0:32:45 | |
designed exclusively for Lord Bute. Without them, Burges' vision | 0:32:45 | 0:32:50 | |
of the castle would not be complete. | 0:32:50 | 0:32:52 | |
But in 15 years, they had only managed to retrieve four pieces, | 0:32:52 | 0:32:55 | |
including Lord Bute's elaborate bed. | 0:32:55 | 0:32:59 | |
When I first visited the castle ten years ago, I met curator | 0:33:01 | 0:33:04 | |
Matthew Williams, a leading authority on Burges, | 0:33:04 | 0:33:07 | |
who showed me another piece - a beautiful inlaid table. | 0:33:07 | 0:33:11 | |
I understand this was sold for a fiver in 1949. | 0:33:12 | 0:33:16 | |
Isn't it unbelievable? It is one of a pair, actually. | 0:33:16 | 0:33:19 | |
This one, we think, was sold for a fiver. | 0:33:19 | 0:33:22 | |
-The other one was sold for £5.10. -Oh, dear! | 0:33:22 | 0:33:24 | |
How did you get this one back? | 0:33:24 | 0:33:26 | |
Well, this was offered to us by a London dealer. | 0:33:26 | 0:33:29 | |
-So how much did you have to pay for it to get it back? -£70,000. | 0:33:29 | 0:33:33 | |
Ouch. | 0:33:33 | 0:33:34 | |
This wasn't just a difficult task, it was also an expensive one. | 0:33:34 | 0:33:38 | |
Matthew had photographs of many of the original items of furniture, | 0:33:38 | 0:33:42 | |
but where were they? | 0:33:42 | 0:33:44 | |
So, I'm back to meet Matthew to find out if | 0:33:45 | 0:33:48 | |
he's found any more missing pieces to the jigsaw, and I can't wait. | 0:33:48 | 0:33:52 | |
-Do we know where the other one is? -No, we don't... | 0:33:54 | 0:33:56 | |
There we are ten years ago. | 0:33:56 | 0:33:57 | |
Aged like a good antique since then, I think, don't you? | 0:33:57 | 0:34:00 | |
You haven't changed at all. I'll tell you what, it's nice to be back. | 0:34:00 | 0:34:04 | |
Now, let me pause that for a second. Let's just recap, OK? | 0:34:04 | 0:34:07 | |
The last time I saw you, you had found four of the missing pieces. | 0:34:07 | 0:34:11 | |
-That's right, isn't it? -It is. | 0:34:11 | 0:34:12 | |
And you were looking out for some occasional tables. | 0:34:12 | 0:34:15 | |
Well, there were a set of six occasional tables | 0:34:15 | 0:34:17 | |
that were made for the clock tower, | 0:34:17 | 0:34:19 | |
in fact we've got a picture of one of them here, | 0:34:19 | 0:34:22 | |
actually an original picture from 1874 when it was brand-new, | 0:34:22 | 0:34:25 | |
just finished, but we do have | 0:34:25 | 0:34:27 | |
a whole trail of where the history of the piece comes from. | 0:34:27 | 0:34:32 | |
Apart from the original photograph, | 0:34:32 | 0:34:34 | |
you've got the inventory of the castle from 1931... | 0:34:34 | 0:34:37 | |
-This is really good. -..and they're mentioned here, | 0:34:37 | 0:34:40 | |
"A set of six ebonised tables with ivory inlays to match," | 0:34:40 | 0:34:42 | |
£200 as a value. | 0:34:42 | 0:34:44 | |
And we have a record of actually how much they fetched, | 0:34:44 | 0:34:48 | |
and it wasn't £200. | 0:34:48 | 0:34:50 | |
The set of tables, they were all selling to different buyers here - | 0:34:50 | 0:34:53 | |
two pounds two shillings each. | 0:34:53 | 0:34:55 | |
Gosh, that's nothing! | 0:34:55 | 0:34:56 | |
Absolute buttons. | 0:34:56 | 0:34:58 | |
By the time of the 1949 auction, | 0:35:00 | 0:35:02 | |
Britain's taste in furniture had radically changed. | 0:35:02 | 0:35:06 | |
Mass manufacturing meant lighter, more affordable pieces | 0:35:06 | 0:35:09 | |
for the modern post-war home, | 0:35:09 | 0:35:11 | |
which is why Burges' furniture sold for next to nothing. | 0:35:11 | 0:35:15 | |
But today, he's one of the most sought-after names in the world. | 0:35:15 | 0:35:19 | |
There was another piece of furniture you talked to me about, | 0:35:19 | 0:35:22 | |
that fire screen. | 0:35:22 | 0:35:23 | |
-That was a unique piece. -Yeah. -That was a real one-off. | 0:35:23 | 0:35:26 | |
Tables are a set of six, but the fire screen, | 0:35:26 | 0:35:28 | |
which you can see in this photograph here of the room, | 0:35:28 | 0:35:31 | |
perhaps in about 1900, that again was sold off. | 0:35:31 | 0:35:36 | |
We've got a reference to it in the inventories. | 0:35:36 | 0:35:39 | |
There's a valuation there of it. | 0:35:39 | 0:35:41 | |
"Threefold ebonised fire screen with stained glass panels, £40." | 0:35:41 | 0:35:45 | |
But in 1949, same story, | 0:35:45 | 0:35:47 | |
here it is - "Lot 28, £5." | 0:35:47 | 0:35:50 | |
-Isn't that depressing? -Yeah. | 0:35:51 | 0:35:53 | |
So put me out of my misery, OK? | 0:35:53 | 0:35:55 | |
What have you found in the last ten years? | 0:35:55 | 0:35:57 | |
We've found one of the tables. | 0:35:57 | 0:35:59 | |
-Yeah. -And a big thrill, we actually found the fire screen as well. | 0:35:59 | 0:36:02 | |
-Really? -Yeah. -So you were teasing me all along, weren't you? -Yeah, I was. | 0:36:02 | 0:36:06 | |
Can I see them, please? | 0:36:06 | 0:36:07 | |
-They are up in the original setting. -Where they belong. | 0:36:07 | 0:36:10 | |
Matthew and I are heading to the clock tower, | 0:36:11 | 0:36:14 | |
which houses the summer smoking room. | 0:36:14 | 0:36:16 | |
This is arguably the most exquisite room | 0:36:16 | 0:36:19 | |
created by Burges for Lord Bute. | 0:36:19 | 0:36:21 | |
It features lavish decoration including the signs of the zodiac | 0:36:21 | 0:36:25 | |
and a breathtaking dome painted with stars and constellations. | 0:36:25 | 0:36:30 | |
Wow. The assault on the senses. | 0:36:33 | 0:36:35 | |
This is exactly how I remembered it. | 0:36:35 | 0:36:37 | |
You will never forget this room, will you, as long as you live? | 0:36:37 | 0:36:39 | |
I think it's one of the best 19th-century interiors in Britain. | 0:36:39 | 0:36:42 | |
And this was his smoking room, so only... | 0:36:42 | 0:36:44 | |
This was his summer smoking room. | 0:36:44 | 0:36:47 | |
-Right. -There's another one downstairs for use in the winter. | 0:36:47 | 0:36:49 | |
OK, so only his best friends would come up here. | 0:36:49 | 0:36:52 | |
Just for the privileged few, during those six weeks of the year | 0:36:52 | 0:36:55 | |
that Lord Bute was here, and they would be smoking exotic cigarettes | 0:36:55 | 0:37:00 | |
and generally drinking and enjoying themselves, telling dirty stories. | 0:37:00 | 0:37:05 | |
-And there's the table. -Yep. | 0:37:05 | 0:37:07 | |
It's in a bit of a sorry state, isn't it? Where did you find it? | 0:37:07 | 0:37:10 | |
Well, this is the interesting thing about it - | 0:37:10 | 0:37:12 | |
it's in its unrestored state still, | 0:37:12 | 0:37:15 | |
but what's happened to it in those years since 1949 | 0:37:15 | 0:37:19 | |
until it was rediscovered? | 0:37:19 | 0:37:22 | |
-How much did you pay for that? -This was £30,000. | 0:37:22 | 0:37:24 | |
PAUL GASPS | 0:37:24 | 0:37:25 | |
-In that state? -Yeah. | 0:37:25 | 0:37:26 | |
It was discovered in an auction somewhere in Wales | 0:37:26 | 0:37:29 | |
and recognised by somebody who offered it to us. | 0:37:29 | 0:37:31 | |
-And you had to have it. -Well, we did, didn't we? | 0:37:31 | 0:37:34 | |
£30,000! | 0:37:34 | 0:37:36 | |
I like it a lot. I like it a lot. | 0:37:36 | 0:37:38 | |
And the fire screen, that catches the light there. | 0:37:38 | 0:37:40 | |
The condition is very good. | 0:37:40 | 0:37:42 | |
This was very much better. | 0:37:42 | 0:37:43 | |
We were very pleased to find this in this state because again, | 0:37:43 | 0:37:46 | |
it could have got severely damaged over the years. | 0:37:46 | 0:37:49 | |
You can see this yellow glass that we've got here - | 0:37:49 | 0:37:52 | |
Burges has actually included in the design a salamander | 0:37:52 | 0:37:55 | |
on each circular panel, which is symbolic of renewal through fire, | 0:37:55 | 0:37:59 | |
-so he's carefully thought it all out. -Where did you find it? | 0:37:59 | 0:38:02 | |
This was offered to us by a London dealer. | 0:38:02 | 0:38:04 | |
He knew it had come from Cardiff Castle | 0:38:04 | 0:38:07 | |
and so we had to pay 17,000 for it. | 0:38:07 | 0:38:10 | |
That's not a lot of money compared to that. | 0:38:11 | 0:38:13 | |
-It was wonderful to have the two pieces back. -It must be. | 0:38:13 | 0:38:16 | |
-I can see... -I get very enthusiastic about this sort of | 0:38:16 | 0:38:19 | |
thing, but it's getting harder and harder to find it, so I hope | 0:38:19 | 0:38:22 | |
that with those few missing pieces you're going to help me with. | 0:38:22 | 0:38:25 | |
I will do, especially at 30 grand a pop. | 0:38:25 | 0:38:27 | |
The two pieces have finally been returned to their rightful place, | 0:38:31 | 0:38:34 | |
just as Burges and Lord Bute envisaged. | 0:38:34 | 0:38:36 | |
So in the last ten years, the castle has managed to find another two | 0:38:39 | 0:38:43 | |
of the missing pieces of furniture, that makes a grand total of six. | 0:38:43 | 0:38:47 | |
There are still a lot more pieces out there. Who owns them? | 0:38:47 | 0:38:49 | |
Where are they? | 0:38:49 | 0:38:51 | |
But judging by the condition of that small side table, | 0:38:51 | 0:38:54 | |
I would guess in a damp garage or cellar somewhere. | 0:38:54 | 0:38:57 | |
One thing is for sure, | 0:38:57 | 0:38:58 | |
I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for them and I hope you are too. | 0:38:58 | 0:39:02 | |
Back at Margam Country Park, I wonder if our experts have | 0:39:05 | 0:39:08 | |
turned up anything as remarkable or rare as a piece by Burges. | 0:39:08 | 0:39:12 | |
You never quite know what's wrapped up in these bags and packages, | 0:39:12 | 0:39:16 | |
but it looks like Charles | 0:39:16 | 0:39:18 | |
has come across a blast from the past at the BBC. | 0:39:18 | 0:39:21 | |
What an interesting item, Clive and Carol. | 0:39:22 | 0:39:24 | |
-It's quite scientific, isn't it? -Well, we don't know what it is. | 0:39:24 | 0:39:27 | |
That was the fascination, | 0:39:27 | 0:39:29 | |
to find out really what it is or what it was. | 0:39:29 | 0:39:32 | |
Yes, I feel as though I should put on a voice, | 0:39:32 | 0:39:35 | |
-because the BBC... -Yes. -This is the BBC. | 0:39:35 | 0:39:37 | |
-Yes. -Are you receiving me yet? -Not yet. -Over. | 0:39:37 | 0:39:42 | |
It's a receiver. | 0:39:42 | 0:39:43 | |
It's a radio receiver. | 0:39:43 | 0:39:45 | |
If you look on this top section here, Clive, | 0:39:45 | 0:39:48 | |
you'll see you've got...what it is. | 0:39:48 | 0:39:52 | |
It's called the Lissenophone Midget. | 0:39:52 | 0:39:56 | |
-Yes. -Here's your tuning capacitor, which is in Bakelite. | 0:39:56 | 0:40:01 | |
You can see on this section here, it says "phones". | 0:40:01 | 0:40:06 | |
So you would have had an earpiece attached to both of these lacquered | 0:40:06 | 0:40:12 | |
brass finishes here to pick up and | 0:40:12 | 0:40:15 | |
-then tune in to BBC Home Service. -OK. | 0:40:15 | 0:40:20 | |
OK? | 0:40:20 | 0:40:21 | |
Here you can see your aerial for A would have been fastened here. | 0:40:21 | 0:40:26 | |
Your earth wire would have linked into here, to actually allow | 0:40:26 | 0:40:33 | |
the object to work. | 0:40:33 | 0:40:36 | |
It's in remarkably nice condition. | 0:40:36 | 0:40:39 | |
My instinct is, without being too precise on date, | 0:40:39 | 0:40:43 | |
would be to say it's interwar years. So it could be 1920s, 1930s. | 0:40:43 | 0:40:49 | |
The finish of it's very, very good. | 0:40:49 | 0:40:51 | |
You've got this lacquered metal section here, | 0:40:51 | 0:40:55 | |
on this beautiful mahogany body, | 0:40:55 | 0:40:58 | |
with a very clean yet slightly worn logo. | 0:40:58 | 0:41:01 | |
-How did you acquire it? -Cleaning out the house when my father died. | 0:41:01 | 0:41:06 | |
It was in the drawer. | 0:41:06 | 0:41:07 | |
We don't know where he got it from, | 0:41:07 | 0:41:09 | |
but he and my mother did quite a lot of house sales so he might've | 0:41:09 | 0:41:13 | |
had a miscellaneous box and this just might have been part of it. | 0:41:13 | 0:41:17 | |
OK, what's it worth, any idea? | 0:41:17 | 0:41:19 | |
As it is, give me a fiver for it and you can have it. | 0:41:19 | 0:41:22 | |
Well, I say, take your fiver, | 0:41:22 | 0:41:24 | |
-I'm going to guide it between 40 and £60. -Wow. | 0:41:24 | 0:41:27 | |
-Lovely. -I propose a reserve of 20. | 0:41:27 | 0:41:30 | |
-Lovely. -40 to 60, let's dial in. -OK. We're there. | 0:41:30 | 0:41:34 | |
I'm sure a collector will snap that up. | 0:41:34 | 0:41:37 | |
Maybe they can get it working again and who knows what they might | 0:41:37 | 0:41:40 | |
be able to hear out there on the airwaves. | 0:41:40 | 0:41:44 | |
-RADIO PIP -'This is the BBC Home and Forces Programme.' | 0:41:44 | 0:41:47 | |
But now it's my turn as I catch up | 0:41:47 | 0:41:49 | |
with Chris, who I met in the queue earlier. | 0:41:49 | 0:41:52 | |
Who owns one of these, then? | 0:41:52 | 0:41:54 | |
-No-one? -No. | 0:41:54 | 0:41:55 | |
Tea caddies are a thing of the past but I tell you what, | 0:41:55 | 0:41:58 | |
they're a good thing to collect now, they really are. | 0:41:58 | 0:42:01 | |
-So how did you come across this one? -A boot sale. -No?! -Yes. -Really? | 0:42:01 | 0:42:06 | |
-In Port Talbot. -How long ago? | 0:42:06 | 0:42:08 | |
-Four weeks. -I don't believe you. Really? -Yeah. | 0:42:08 | 0:42:11 | |
How much did you pay for that? | 0:42:11 | 0:42:13 | |
-Hopefully lots of money. -Well, hubby paid £10 for it. | 0:42:13 | 0:42:17 | |
Ooh, that was a bargain, wasn't it? Wasn't that a bargain? | 0:42:17 | 0:42:20 | |
This is George III, you know. | 0:42:20 | 0:42:23 | |
-This is circa 1790. -Well, I knew it was pretty old. | 0:42:23 | 0:42:26 | |
This is really nice. It's a tortoiseshell tea caddy. | 0:42:28 | 0:42:31 | |
Technically, it's not tortoiseshell, it's turtle shell. | 0:42:31 | 0:42:34 | |
Blonde turtle shell, it's been cleaned up. | 0:42:34 | 0:42:36 | |
But it's absolutely lovely, | 0:42:36 | 0:42:38 | |
I like the fact it's got a little domed lid to it. | 0:42:38 | 0:42:41 | |
If I open this up, two compartments, | 0:42:41 | 0:42:45 | |
who knows why there's two compartments? | 0:42:45 | 0:42:47 | |
-Black tea and green tea. -Yes, good girl. | 0:42:47 | 0:42:51 | |
Black tea and green tea. Look at that. It's even got its lining. | 0:42:51 | 0:42:54 | |
That's tinfoil. That's there to keep the tea fresh. | 0:42:54 | 0:42:58 | |
Incidentally, the word "caddy" comes from the Malay word "kati", | 0:42:58 | 0:43:02 | |
which is the weight of measure a tea was originally sold in. | 0:43:02 | 0:43:05 | |
Little cubes, "katis". This is where we get the term "caddy" from. | 0:43:05 | 0:43:09 | |
I like that. I really do like that. | 0:43:09 | 0:43:12 | |
It looks like there's been evidence of no feet, which is quite | 0:43:12 | 0:43:15 | |
interesting because most little caddies have little turned feet. | 0:43:15 | 0:43:19 | |
Architecturally, it makes them stand better. | 0:43:19 | 0:43:21 | |
This one looks to me like it's never had any feet. | 0:43:21 | 0:43:24 | |
-If this was in much better condition and the market was stronger... -Yes. | 0:43:24 | 0:43:27 | |
..£400 to £600 any day of the week. | 0:43:27 | 0:43:30 | |
But the fact that it's turtle shell, there's this Cites issue. | 0:43:30 | 0:43:35 | |
Anything pre-1947 we can sell from an endangered species, | 0:43:35 | 0:43:38 | |
but after that you can't. That's the cut-off period. | 0:43:38 | 0:43:42 | |
People are against ivory and turtle shell nowadays but | 0:43:42 | 0:43:45 | |
there are collectors out there that will buy this still. | 0:43:45 | 0:43:48 | |
I like it a lot, it's not the best tortoiseshell caddy I've come | 0:43:48 | 0:43:52 | |
across, it's got a bit of wire work missing here. | 0:43:52 | 0:43:54 | |
-There's a bit of damage. -Yes. | 0:43:54 | 0:43:56 | |
-But otherwise that silver can be done. -Yes. | 0:43:56 | 0:43:58 | |
I think we could put this into auction with a valuation | 0:43:58 | 0:44:01 | |
of £150 to 250. | 0:44:01 | 0:44:04 | |
-Not bad for ten quid, is it? -Brilliant. | 0:44:04 | 0:44:07 | |
Now she's feeling guilty, aren't you? | 0:44:07 | 0:44:09 | |
-That you bought it for a tenner. -Yes, I am. | 0:44:09 | 0:44:12 | |
A tenner! Wow, Chris really got a good deal there. | 0:44:12 | 0:44:15 | |
Fingers crossed we can improve on that. | 0:44:15 | 0:44:18 | |
Charles has spotted a very impressive clock. | 0:44:18 | 0:44:21 | |
Margaret and Sue, I feel like saying ding-dong. | 0:44:22 | 0:44:25 | |
-Bell. -Ding-dong, and what a belle you are, Margaret, and what a handsome clock. | 0:44:25 | 0:44:31 | |
-Absolutely. -Whose is it? | 0:44:31 | 0:44:33 | |
-Mine. -And you're Mother? | 0:44:33 | 0:44:35 | |
-Yes. -Margaret, how many years have you had this clock? | 0:44:35 | 0:44:38 | |
Oh, gosh, 60, probably 70? | 0:44:38 | 0:44:41 | |
Yeah. Long time. | 0:44:41 | 0:44:43 | |
I like it a lot, because we don't often see what we call tavern clocks. | 0:44:43 | 0:44:47 | |
And if there's ever a clock which is the more commercial today, | 0:44:47 | 0:44:51 | |
it's the tavern clock. | 0:44:51 | 0:44:53 | |
-Oh, good. -I also like this mahogany veneer, | 0:44:53 | 0:44:57 | |
which is rich and quite deep and well patinated, | 0:44:57 | 0:45:00 | |
within this really nice cushion moulding. | 0:45:00 | 0:45:04 | |
And you can see the level of age by the dirt within the crevices. | 0:45:04 | 0:45:08 | |
It's clearly late 18th or early 19th century. | 0:45:08 | 0:45:13 | |
OK? What concerned me were these square veneer pegs here. | 0:45:13 | 0:45:18 | |
To me, it's a country-made tavern clock. | 0:45:19 | 0:45:21 | |
Because these square pegs here | 0:45:21 | 0:45:24 | |
actually support the pillar movement within. | 0:45:24 | 0:45:28 | |
It may have been played with a bit, because, to me, | 0:45:28 | 0:45:33 | |
these ought not be too obvious on the actual face of the clock. | 0:45:33 | 0:45:38 | |
Right. Mind you, I think it does give the clock character. | 0:45:38 | 0:45:41 | |
It gives it a life, yeah. | 0:45:41 | 0:45:43 | |
What I like is this minute finger, which is weighted - | 0:45:43 | 0:45:47 | |
that's original, | 0:45:47 | 0:45:49 | |
and I believe this finger, too, is probably original. | 0:45:49 | 0:45:52 | |
And of course it's something, Margaret, which, in its heyday, | 0:45:52 | 0:45:56 | |
with your husband, you had to wind up every day? | 0:45:56 | 0:45:59 | |
-Every day. -Yeah. So it's a fairly simple 30-hour single train movement | 0:45:59 | 0:46:05 | |
and, looking at the movement back here, | 0:46:05 | 0:46:08 | |
what excites me is these little bobbins to support the train | 0:46:08 | 0:46:12 | |
are a treen, or a turned wood, rather than being metal, so, to me, | 0:46:12 | 0:46:17 | |
if I was to date this, | 0:46:17 | 0:46:19 | |
I would suggest it's circa 1790, as late as 1815. | 0:46:19 | 0:46:25 | |
And the giveaway to date is this ivory escutcheon. | 0:46:27 | 0:46:29 | |
That would be about 1810. | 0:46:29 | 0:46:32 | |
So, I like it. It needs some TLC. | 0:46:32 | 0:46:35 | |
So I feel, realistically, we ought to put a fixed reserve on at £400, | 0:46:35 | 0:46:40 | |
and put a guide price on of between £500 and £700. | 0:46:40 | 0:46:45 | |
And I hope that meets your approval. | 0:46:45 | 0:46:48 | |
Yes. It needs to go to a good home. | 0:46:48 | 0:46:51 | |
Yeah. Shall we shake on it? | 0:46:51 | 0:46:53 | |
And say, five to seven, reserve at four, | 0:46:53 | 0:46:56 | |
we'll be going, going, gone. | 0:46:56 | 0:46:58 | |
That's a great item. | 0:46:59 | 0:47:01 | |
It makes me think about how many people have looked at this clock | 0:47:01 | 0:47:04 | |
over 200 years, and kept time by it. | 0:47:04 | 0:47:08 | |
We've still got one more item to find and I think someone | 0:47:08 | 0:47:11 | |
has uncovered a historic gem. | 0:47:11 | 0:47:14 | |
Mark Stacey, I presume. | 0:47:14 | 0:47:16 | |
Edward, now, you've brought a fascinating book in to us. | 0:47:16 | 0:47:19 | |
Tell us all about it. | 0:47:19 | 0:47:20 | |
-I acquired it seven years ago in a car-boot sale. -No! | 0:47:20 | 0:47:24 | |
I looked down at the floor in a box and there was all these old | 0:47:24 | 0:47:28 | |
books and this caught my eye. | 0:47:28 | 0:47:30 | |
And I picked it up, turned a page or two, and I thought, "Ahh! | 0:47:30 | 0:47:36 | |
-"This is signed by David Livingstone himself." -Gosh. -Signed by him! | 0:47:36 | 0:47:40 | |
-Of "Mr Livingstone, I presume?" -Yeah, the famous explorer. -Exactly. | 0:47:40 | 0:47:44 | |
And if we open it, actually, we can see that we've got - | 0:47:44 | 0:47:48 | |
who had the book - Captain... | 0:47:48 | 0:47:50 | |
-Yeah, several people have had the book, yeah. -..Forbes. | 0:47:50 | 0:47:52 | |
But then you've got this wonderful handwritten inscription, | 0:47:52 | 0:47:57 | |
"Major General Charles Murray, May," and then there's a little note | 0:47:57 | 0:48:02 | |
from him, signed David Livingstone, London, 29th of October 1857. | 0:48:02 | 0:48:07 | |
-Quite old. -It is quite old. | 0:48:07 | 0:48:10 | |
It's amazing, and then as you go through the book there are | 0:48:10 | 0:48:12 | |
-various lithographic plates. -Yes. | 0:48:12 | 0:48:16 | |
And you have the title page as well there. | 0:48:16 | 0:48:19 | |
And you've done some further research, haven't you? | 0:48:19 | 0:48:22 | |
Yeah, I found out who the person was, Major General Charles Murray, | 0:48:22 | 0:48:27 | |
and he was a famous general, went back as far as Waterloo. | 0:48:27 | 0:48:31 | |
-Gosh, really? -And then it passed on to another two people since. -Gosh. | 0:48:31 | 0:48:36 | |
And these people were just clearing out and hadn't looked at the book, | 0:48:36 | 0:48:40 | |
-just... -Didn't look inside, yeah. | 0:48:40 | 0:48:41 | |
Well, the book was in such a bad state, | 0:48:41 | 0:48:43 | |
I suppose they didn't think it was worth anything. | 0:48:43 | 0:48:46 | |
-Do you want to know how much I paid? -I'd love to know how much you paid. | 0:48:46 | 0:48:49 | |
Don't tell anybody else. | 0:48:49 | 0:48:50 | |
-Well, nobody watches the show, so it's fine. -I paid a pound for it. | 0:48:50 | 0:48:53 | |
-A pound? -Yes, a pound. -A whole Welsh pound. | 0:48:53 | 0:48:56 | |
What I find fascinating is that I'm handling | 0:48:56 | 0:48:59 | |
a book that was written by this famous person, | 0:48:59 | 0:49:03 | |
-who signed it and presented it to another famous person. -Yes. | 0:49:03 | 0:49:08 | |
It is good that, as you say, it's not signed to AN Other. | 0:49:08 | 0:49:12 | |
-Yeah. -It's signed to a person of note, as well. | 0:49:12 | 0:49:15 | |
And signed, obviously, by Livingstone. | 0:49:15 | 0:49:18 | |
It is a difficult thing to value, though. | 0:49:18 | 0:49:21 | |
Myself, I think we've got to protect it, so I would suggest an | 0:49:21 | 0:49:24 | |
-estimate of £1,000 at £1,500, to be honest with you. -Yes, that's OK. | 0:49:24 | 0:49:28 | |
And we can protect it, of course, with a reserve of £1,000, | 0:49:28 | 0:49:31 | |
because if it doesn't sell for that you can keep it as an investment. | 0:49:31 | 0:49:34 | |
Quite happy to keep it, yes. | 0:49:34 | 0:49:36 | |
So you're ready for our own expedition into the jungle world of the auction. | 0:49:36 | 0:49:40 | |
Yes, certainly, all the way to Cardiff. | 0:49:40 | 0:49:43 | |
That's an incredible find, and I've a feeling that's going to | 0:49:43 | 0:49:47 | |
stir up serious excitement. | 0:49:47 | 0:49:49 | |
Here's a quick recap of the four items we're taking to auction. | 0:49:49 | 0:49:53 | |
Clive and Carol's BBC receiver, which they found in a drawer. | 0:49:54 | 0:49:58 | |
The lovely turtle-shell tea caddy spotted at a car-boot sale. | 0:50:00 | 0:50:04 | |
It's time, gentlemen, please, for Margaret's tavern clock. | 0:50:06 | 0:50:09 | |
But the biggest discovery of all, David Livingstone's signed book. | 0:50:11 | 0:50:16 | |
Back at Rogers Jones & Co, | 0:50:17 | 0:50:19 | |
Ben is still hard at work on the rostrum, | 0:50:19 | 0:50:21 | |
but before we start our first lot | 0:50:21 | 0:50:23 | |
I want to take a look at the David Livingstone book. | 0:50:23 | 0:50:27 | |
Published in 1857, the book tells of Livingstone's adventures in | 0:50:27 | 0:50:31 | |
South Africa over a 16-year period. | 0:50:31 | 0:50:34 | |
Born in Scotland, he was a Christian missionary, | 0:50:36 | 0:50:38 | |
explorer and anti-slavery campaigner. | 0:50:38 | 0:50:42 | |
As one of the first Europeans to penetrate the interior of Africa, | 0:50:42 | 0:50:47 | |
he famously named Victoria Falls and became a hero of the Victorian age. | 0:50:47 | 0:50:51 | |
I didn't see this at the valuation day, Mark. | 0:50:54 | 0:50:57 | |
-I know, it's amazing, Paul, isn't it? -It's fantastic. | 0:50:57 | 0:50:59 | |
-Some people have all the luck. -Have you got high hopes for this, Mark? | 0:50:59 | 0:51:02 | |
Well, we've put £1,000-£1,500, | 0:51:02 | 0:51:04 | |
but how can you value something like that? | 0:51:04 | 0:51:06 | |
PAUL INHALES DEEPLY | 0:51:06 | 0:51:08 | |
This we could have a big surprise with. | 0:51:08 | 0:51:10 | |
Whatever you do, do not go away. | 0:51:10 | 0:51:13 | |
I reckon a lot more than what Mark thinks. | 0:51:13 | 0:51:16 | |
All will be revealed, but first up, it's the BBC receiver. | 0:51:16 | 0:51:20 | |
I love this next item. It's not a lot of money. | 0:51:21 | 0:51:24 | |
It's a real curio, it's a little, tiny radio receiver, | 0:51:24 | 0:51:27 | |
-but it looks like a piece of sculpture. -Yes. | 0:51:27 | 0:51:29 | |
-It's got the BBC on it. -It has, yes. -Hasn't it? -Yes. | 0:51:29 | 0:51:32 | |
I think you're spot-on with the value. | 0:51:32 | 0:51:34 | |
-Yeah, I hope so. It's a real curio. -Yeah. -A real boy's toy. | 0:51:34 | 0:51:36 | |
-Of course it is. -Love it. -Something for the desktop, to play with. | 0:51:36 | 0:51:39 | |
We're putting this under the hammer right now. Good luck. | 0:51:39 | 0:51:42 | |
-Thank you. -This is it. | 0:51:42 | 0:51:44 | |
The wooden, brass and celluloid radio receiver, bearing BBC crest. | 0:51:44 | 0:51:49 | |
I'm straight in at £80. Is there 5? | 0:51:49 | 0:51:53 | |
85. 90 with me. Is there 5? | 0:51:53 | 0:51:55 | |
-95. 100 bid. -Clive, this is good. This is very good. | 0:51:55 | 0:51:58 | |
-Fantastic! -We never thought. | 0:51:58 | 0:52:00 | |
-110 in the room. -One more. It's picking up. | 0:52:00 | 0:52:02 | |
Out online, OK. 110, it's in the room. Is everybody done? | 0:52:02 | 0:52:05 | |
-At 110, here we go, at 110. -Brilliant thing. | 0:52:05 | 0:52:07 | |
-Hammer's up now. -It's a brilliant thing. -Fantastic! | 0:52:07 | 0:52:10 | |
-Sold! -110, that sold. I'd love to have owned that as well. | 0:52:10 | 0:52:13 | |
-It's just... -Why didn't you say? | 0:52:13 | 0:52:15 | |
Well, cos we're not allowed to buy things, | 0:52:15 | 0:52:17 | |
-but I could see that on my desk at home, because it's fun. -It's lovely. | 0:52:17 | 0:52:20 | |
Yeah, and it's all about the BBC as well, which is brilliant. | 0:52:20 | 0:52:23 | |
That was a real gem, and a great result. | 0:52:23 | 0:52:26 | |
Next it's tea-time, with the stylish Georgian caddy. | 0:52:27 | 0:52:30 | |
Right, it's my turn to be the expert. | 0:52:32 | 0:52:33 | |
I fell in love with this, and it belongs to Chris, who's looking very colourful. | 0:52:33 | 0:52:37 | |
-Fingers crossed for this. -Oh, yes. -I think I've pitched this to sell. | 0:52:37 | 0:52:41 | |
I think this will go, and it's in good company, | 0:52:41 | 0:52:43 | |
there's two or three other caddies today, | 0:52:43 | 0:52:45 | |
so hopefully the caddy collectors would have picked this up. | 0:52:45 | 0:52:47 | |
-Jolly good. -It's a quality item. | 0:52:47 | 0:52:49 | |
OK, ready? This is it, it's going under the hammer. | 0:52:49 | 0:52:52 | |
A wonderful tortoiseshell tea caddy, lot 336. | 0:52:52 | 0:52:57 | |
-Off I go, 340. At 340, is there 60? -Hey-hey! High-five. -Whoa! | 0:52:57 | 0:53:04 | |
At 360, 380. At £380, is there 400? | 0:53:04 | 0:53:08 | |
-At 380. -Yeah, I was a bit cautious about the damage. -Yes. -400. 420. | 0:53:08 | 0:53:12 | |
-Well, it looks as if they've fancied it, yeah. -Is everybody done? | 0:53:12 | 0:53:15 | |
At 420, last call, then, at 420, here we go. | 0:53:15 | 0:53:20 | |
420, that was literally straight in and straight out. | 0:53:20 | 0:53:23 | |
I think he had two or three commission bids left | 0:53:23 | 0:53:25 | |
-on the high point there. -Maybe, yes. -Up in the high 300s. | 0:53:25 | 0:53:28 | |
Chris, that's a brilliant result. It was fantastic, wasn't it? | 0:53:28 | 0:53:32 | |
-Give us a hug. -Big hug! | 0:53:32 | 0:53:33 | |
-You're right. -Well done. | 0:53:33 | 0:53:36 | |
That's not bad for a £10 investment. What a brilliant result. | 0:53:36 | 0:53:40 | |
Now it's the tavern clock. | 0:53:40 | 0:53:42 | |
These were also known as Act of Parliament clocks, | 0:53:42 | 0:53:44 | |
after a tax levied on clocks by William Pitt, | 0:53:44 | 0:53:47 | |
the Prime Minister in 1797. | 0:53:47 | 0:53:49 | |
I've just been joined by Margaret and Susan, mum and daughter, | 0:53:49 | 0:53:52 | |
and our expert, Charles. | 0:53:52 | 0:53:54 | |
We're putting that lovely Act of Parliament clock, | 0:53:54 | 0:53:56 | |
the tavern clock, under the hammer. | 0:53:56 | 0:53:58 | |
And the value was 500 to 700. | 0:53:58 | 0:54:00 | |
-Indeed. -The auctioneer has reduced that value. | 0:54:00 | 0:54:03 | |
He thinks it was a little bit too high. | 0:54:03 | 0:54:05 | |
-He's put 400 to 600. -Indeed. | 0:54:05 | 0:54:07 | |
With a reserve at 400, still, but you've upped the reserve to 450. | 0:54:07 | 0:54:11 | |
So it's gone backwards and forwards and backwards and forwards, | 0:54:11 | 0:54:13 | |
all for the sake of £50, and I'm pretty sure this will sell. | 0:54:13 | 0:54:17 | |
-I hope so. -I reckon we'll all be right at the end of the day, don't you? | 0:54:17 | 0:54:19 | |
-I hope you're right. -OK, here we go, ding-dong, this is it. | 0:54:19 | 0:54:23 | |
I've got to start, it starts with me at £300. | 0:54:23 | 0:54:26 | |
At 320 online, 40, with me, 60, 80, 400, and 20. | 0:54:26 | 0:54:31 | |
We're going to sell it. | 0:54:31 | 0:54:32 | |
-Ding-dong. -440. 460 on the phone. | 0:54:32 | 0:54:35 | |
-Yes, we've done it! -480 online. | 0:54:35 | 0:54:38 | |
-Right, here we go. -500 on the phone. | 0:54:38 | 0:54:41 | |
Anybody in the room now? | 0:54:41 | 0:54:42 | |
550? 600. | 0:54:42 | 0:54:44 | |
I'm taking two first. | 0:54:45 | 0:54:47 | |
OK, I won't forget you, sir. 650. | 0:54:47 | 0:54:49 | |
-700. -700! | 0:54:49 | 0:54:52 | |
It's all ticking. It's all ticking. | 0:54:52 | 0:54:55 | |
800. And 50. | 0:54:55 | 0:54:57 | |
-Brilliant! -900. | 0:54:57 | 0:54:59 | |
-And 50. -Make it the big one. | 0:54:59 | 0:55:01 | |
-Yes, £1,000! -£1,100. | 0:55:01 | 0:55:03 | |
The phone is out. £1,100. | 0:55:03 | 0:55:05 | |
Before it goes, then, all done? | 0:55:05 | 0:55:06 | |
-£1,100. -£1,100. | 0:55:06 | 0:55:09 | |
That gavel went down, and that was a sold sound. | 0:55:09 | 0:55:12 | |
And that's the beauty of an auction. | 0:55:12 | 0:55:14 | |
-That's why we love them! -Yes! | 0:55:14 | 0:55:17 | |
I don't think any of us were expecting that. | 0:55:17 | 0:55:20 | |
It made more than twice its estimate. | 0:55:20 | 0:55:22 | |
Next up, that historic book signed by one of the greatest names | 0:55:22 | 0:55:26 | |
'in Victorian history, David Livingstone. | 0:55:26 | 0:55:29 | |
'I've been looking forward to this.' | 0:55:29 | 0:55:32 | |
Well, our next item was bought for just £1 at | 0:55:32 | 0:55:35 | |
a car-boot sale several years ago, yes, just £1. | 0:55:35 | 0:55:38 | |
It belongs to Edward. Can you remember the day you bought this? | 0:55:38 | 0:55:41 | |
Were you excited? | 0:55:41 | 0:55:42 | |
I didn't get too excited at the time, | 0:55:42 | 0:55:44 | |
-I had to verify whether it was genuine. -Yeah. | 0:55:44 | 0:55:48 | |
-I thought 99% it was, yes. -And the book's in pretty good condition, | 0:55:48 | 0:55:51 | |
all the plates are there, there's no pages missing. | 0:55:51 | 0:55:53 | |
I think this is a... I would totally agree with you, you know, | 0:55:53 | 0:55:56 | |
we're looking for £1,500, maybe £2,000, | 0:55:56 | 0:55:59 | |
but this should be in a museum, and if somebody picks up on this | 0:55:59 | 0:56:02 | |
hopefully we're looking at two to three grand. | 0:56:02 | 0:56:04 | |
-I don't know, the sky's the limit. -I don't know, Paul. | 0:56:04 | 0:56:07 | |
Who doesn't know the expression "Mr Livingstone, I presume"? | 0:56:07 | 0:56:10 | |
-We all know it, we were brought up at school on these stories. -We were. | 0:56:10 | 0:56:14 | |
I mean, it really brought my childhood back, | 0:56:14 | 0:56:16 | |
that expression, and it really made me tingle when I saw it. | 0:56:16 | 0:56:18 | |
-Yeah, and it's something you'd love to own. -Oh, it's wonderful. | 0:56:18 | 0:56:21 | |
Hopefully we're going to have this roller-coaster ride, | 0:56:21 | 0:56:24 | |
and it's starting right now. | 0:56:24 | 0:56:26 | |
This is it. | 0:56:26 | 0:56:27 | |
Lot 391, what a wonderful item to have in a saleroom, | 0:56:28 | 0:56:32 | |
it's been a privilege to look after it for a few weeks. | 0:56:32 | 0:56:34 | |
The volume of Livingstone's Missionary Travels In South Africa, | 0:56:34 | 0:56:37 | |
with wonderful provenance. | 0:56:37 | 0:56:39 | |
-I'm straight in at £1,800. -Ooh! There you go. -Is there 19 now? | 0:56:39 | 0:56:43 | |
At 1,800, 1,900, | 0:56:43 | 0:56:45 | |
£2,000. | 0:56:45 | 0:56:47 | |
-Paul, you were right. -It's a lovely item here. At 2.2. | 0:56:47 | 0:56:49 | |
2.4. | 0:56:49 | 0:56:50 | |
2,600 online. | 0:56:50 | 0:56:52 | |
-Ooh, yes! -2,600. Is there 8 now? At 2,600. | 0:56:52 | 0:56:56 | |
2,600, 2,700. | 0:56:56 | 0:56:59 | |
-2,800. -2,800. -Are we going to do the 3,000? -2,900. | 0:56:59 | 0:57:02 | |
-We will do the 3,000. We will, we've got to. -£3,000. | 0:57:02 | 0:57:05 | |
-Yes! -3,000, and I'm out. At £3,000, it's online. | 0:57:05 | 0:57:09 | |
At £3,000, is everybody done? | 0:57:09 | 0:57:11 | |
-£3,000 and here it goes. Hammer's up now. -£3,000. -£3,000... | 0:57:11 | 0:57:15 | |
Oh, I'm tingling. | 0:57:15 | 0:57:17 | |
Edward, you must be tingling, that's brilliant. £3,000! | 0:57:17 | 0:57:21 | |
-Thank you, thank you. -Ahh! -For a pound investment. -£1. | 0:57:21 | 0:57:25 | |
Oh, I'm tingling all over. That is so exciting. | 0:57:25 | 0:57:27 | |
Thank you for making my day. I hope we've made your day as well. | 0:57:27 | 0:57:30 | |
Join us again for many more surprises, | 0:57:30 | 0:57:32 | |
but sadly that is the end of today's show. | 0:57:32 | 0:57:35 | |
Come and join me, you both deserve it. | 0:57:35 | 0:57:36 | |
Dr Livingstone, I presume, how about that? | 0:57:36 | 0:57:39 | |
-Hopefully it's gone to a museum. -I hope so, yes. -I hope so as well. | 0:57:39 | 0:57:42 | |
Join us again next time for many more surprises on "Flog It!" | 0:57:42 | 0:57:46 |