0:00:07 > 0:00:11This beautiful stately home, surrounded by wooded parkland
0:00:11 > 0:00:13just a few miles north of Stafford, is Sandon Hall,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16the ancestral home of the Harrowbys.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18It's been in the same family for nine generations -
0:00:18 > 0:00:21that's 250 years of British history.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25It's the perfect location for Flog It! Welcome to the show.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51The almost Gothic appearance of Sandon Hall doesn't quite
0:00:51 > 0:00:54prepare you for the riot of light and colour inside.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00This rare Chinese wallpaper is all hand-painted
0:01:00 > 0:01:03and every single bird is different.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Sandon Hall is a stern-looking building
0:01:11 > 0:01:15built in the neo-Jacobean style, very popular with the Victorians.
0:01:15 > 0:01:16And in keeping with its style,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19this stately crowd have turned up, laden with antiques
0:01:19 > 0:01:23and collectables, here to see our experts to find out what it's worth.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25And if you're happy with the valuations,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28- what are you going to do? CROWD:- Flog It!
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Helping them to do just that are experts, Charles Hanson...
0:01:35 > 0:01:39I'm going over here. It's often the back of the queue where the treasures are really lurking.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Oh, Charles, someone's beaten you to it.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45- Quickly, before Charlie Hanson comes over. - It's Christina Trevanion.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Let's sticker everyone back here, you're all mine!
0:01:48 > 0:01:50And now they can't give it away.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54- Is it a "Flog it" for you today or...?- Oh, yes, yeah, yeah, definitely.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56- I think it's one for you. - I think it's one for you.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59- I think it's your type. - I think it's definitely...
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Chill out, guys, there's plenty for everyone.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05First, let's see what's coming up on today's show.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Christina's transported back to the swinging '60s.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13- This book does read a bit like a Who's Who of the 1960s music scene. - Exactly.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15For once, we're speechless at the auction room.
0:02:15 > 0:02:16Huh.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22And I find out about some fabulous females at Sandon Hall.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24- I'll let you into a secret, too. - What are you going to tell me?
0:02:28 > 0:02:31And now it's time to get this massive crowd inside.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36We've literally taken over all of the ground floor.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Hundreds of people have turned up.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41We need to find some treasures of our very own to take off to auction.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44And we're going to make a start, right now, with Charles Hanson.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Margaret, what an amazing object.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50- Thank you.- It frivolous.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52It's floral.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54- It's almost outrageous.- Yeah!
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Where did it come from?
0:02:56 > 0:02:59- A boot sale. I paid a pound for it. - Recently?
0:02:59 > 0:03:00About a year ago.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03May I come with you next time to the car boot?
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Because it would have been one of a pair.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09- Maybe the pair has long since been demolished...- Yeah.- ..and broken...- Yeah.- ..and lost in time.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13- Any ideas how old this is?- '30s. - You're right.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16- But 1830s.- 18?!- Absolutely.- God.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20So we're going back to a time when William IV was King of England
0:03:20 > 0:03:24and to a time when we saw the early Victorians reviving
0:03:24 > 0:03:26the fashion for rococo.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30- And in this room, here, look at the wallpaper behind us.- Yeah. - It's frivolous.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32It's chinoiserie.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37And this is the Victorians almost reviving the vigour of the rococo.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39On the bottom, there's no markings at all...
0:03:39 > 0:03:42No, that's what I couldn't understand. There's no marking on there.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45No, it's what we generically call Coalbrookdale.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48And, of course, Coalbrookdale was a Staffordshire, or even Shropshire,
0:03:48 > 0:03:55factory founded near Ironbridge in the late 18th century.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00And by 1813 the factory was obviously wanting to
0:04:00 > 0:04:03be at the forefront of design.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06And it really is that. Because look at the flowers.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09All these mouldings have been hand-applied
0:04:09 > 0:04:11onto the actual body of the porcelain.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15It really is, to me, a work of art.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17We have got some issues.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19- The tip of the handle...- Yeah. - ..here, has been lost.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21- There's a hairline crack on the rim...- Yeah.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23- ..there. You got losses here.- Yeah.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25You've got chips to the flowers,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28but it's just a real glint of joy, in my eyes.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Yeah, and I think by the time
0:04:30 > 0:04:33we're that age, we'll have a few chips and dents.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Well, I have already, trust me.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40- Does this go in your decor? Is it your style at home?- Not really, no.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44But I love anything that, I think, took a long time to make.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Why would those holes be in there?
0:04:46 > 0:04:50- To show the extreme quality of what these potters could achieve.- Yeah.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52It was almost a dare, this vase.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54- It was daring...- Yeah.- ..and they achieved it
0:04:54 > 0:04:56- and you want to flog it?- Yeah.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00These were making far more in the 1970s, '80s,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04- when we thought a bit more about the traditional.- Yeah.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08I think if I can guide it perhaps between 30 and £40.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11- That's OK.- And perhaps put a fixed reserve at 25,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14but I love it for what it represents.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18- OK, then.- Let's go for it.- Yeah.- All set?- Yeah.- Hold tight. Can't wait.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21A car boot fan to start the show.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Now, let's see what Christina's unearthed.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Helen, this is a very eclectic little mix of coins
0:05:28 > 0:05:30- you've brought to me here.- Yes.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- They've come through the family and that's how we've got them. - OK, all right.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- So, you, sort of, inherited all these?- Yes.- OK.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38So, this one here is the earliest
0:05:38 > 0:05:40- and, I think, the most fascinating. - Right.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42It's what we call a long cross penny.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45But the thing, for me, that I find quite fascinating...
0:05:45 > 0:05:47We've got this wonderful little portrait
0:05:47 > 0:05:49of what looks to be a little boy with curly hair and a crown on.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Well, THAT is Edward II.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56- He doesn't look particularly regal there, does he?- No.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59But he dates to about 1307 to 1327.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00That's when he reigned.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03And that, I mean, most normal people at that date
0:06:03 > 0:06:06wouldn't often see a portrait of their monarch.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09So, it was fascinating to them to have this portrait on a coin.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13It was really the only way that it could be reinforced that this was your monarch.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14Where did that come from?
0:06:14 > 0:06:19Well, it was from our land which has a path through to the church,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22so we presumed that it must have been, you know,
0:06:22 > 0:06:24when people were walking to church.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- Ah. OK, so it was found?- Yes.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31- You'd be gutted when you looked for your collection money and then... - And that was it.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33But I do find this quite fascinating.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37There is 700 years worth of history here, in the form of this coin
0:06:37 > 0:06:40and, often, from this period there was a bit of a practice
0:06:40 > 0:06:42going on called coin clipping.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- Right. Yes.- And that's because this coin is made of solid silver.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49People would clip just the sides off the coin.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51So, they'd be taking a little bit of silver
0:06:51 > 0:06:54- and it was still worth the same amount of money even if it was clipped.- Right.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55But, obviously,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58these rather skullduggerous people, if they were, would be
0:06:58 > 0:07:01collecting all these little bits of silver which, individually,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03wouldn't be worth a huge amount,
0:07:03 > 0:07:05- but imagine if you did that to a few hundred coins?- Yes.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09- I mean, that would be worth doing, wouldn't it?- Yes.- Especially during those times.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11There was huge poverty in places.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13It was a very tumultuous period.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15If we move on to the gold coin,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17here, if we turn it over,
0:07:17 > 0:07:21we've got a picture of George III and it says round the edge, here,
0:07:21 > 0:07:23"Georgius III" and, then,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25if we turn him back that way,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28we've got a nice little date on the bottom here,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30which I think says 1797.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Now, it is quite worn. You can still get these where you see, literally,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36- every wisp and every strand of hair.- Right.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38You can still get them in perfect condition.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41And if they're like that, they are wonderfully collectable
0:07:41 > 0:07:43- and incredibly valuable.- Yes.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46If they're in this condition, unfortunately, it is going to be
0:07:46 > 0:07:48- just the gold value...- Yes.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50- ..because these are made of 22-carat gold.- Yes.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53So they do have an intrinsic value to them as well.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Again, if they've been mounted or they've been turned into a pendant like this,
0:07:57 > 0:08:01- coin collectors are really quite purist about it...- Yes.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03..and they don't like things that have been turned into pendants.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06And then we've got this shilling here, dated 1896,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09which I THINK is an African one. Is that right?
0:08:09 > 0:08:10Yes, South African, yes.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14My maternal grandfather was in the Boer War.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Er, so, I presume it's come from there.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Again, cos it's been turned into a pendant,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21- coin collectors won't be interested...- No.- ..in it, sadly, any more.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25- So, unfortunately, we don't have a huge amount of value.- No.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28I have sold quite a few little long cross pennies
0:08:28 > 0:08:30and although they are incredibly old,
0:08:30 > 0:08:34- I mean, the last one I sold, I think, made about £30.- Yes.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37- So your main value is the gold value...- Yes.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40..in this wonderful gold George III coin here.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43And I think, as a group, we're probably looking
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- somewhere in the region of maybe 150 to £200.- Yes.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48- How do you feel about that? - That sounds very good to me. Yes.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50- Would that be all right? - Yes, that would be fine.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55- And we'll hope that gold price zooms up between now and the auction.- Yes.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57- Keep everything crossed. - Thank you very much.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01While the valuations are going on,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05I've met up with Caroline Sandon, the current lady of the house,
0:09:05 > 0:09:09to hear about the achievements of some of her predecessors,
0:09:09 > 0:09:15starting with the 2nd Countess who lived here in the early 1800s.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18She is the daughter of the 1st Marquess of Bute,
0:09:18 > 0:09:22Frances Coutts Stuart. And she's absolutely lovely.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25She's holding the future 3rd Earl,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27and I think it's the most serene portrait.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32However, the 2nd Countess was, actually, quite imperious.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35They lived a lot of the time in Italy and when they came
0:09:35 > 0:09:39back from Italy, they were going to rebuild Sandon Hall
0:09:39 > 0:09:42and they commissioned the architect William Burn to build this
0:09:42 > 0:09:44marvellous, huge, neo-Jacobean house.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Now, Countess decided that having lived in Italy,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51- she wanted large, Italian windows in her neo-Jacobean house.- Sure.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55And William Burn's pride was extremely hurt
0:09:55 > 0:09:57and for the next two years,
0:09:57 > 0:09:59apparently, they sacked each other,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01about 20 times, before finally
0:10:01 > 0:10:04coming to resolution and guess who won?
0:10:04 > 0:10:06- She did. - LAUGHTER
0:10:06 > 0:10:08- And, in fact, we have huge, Italianate windows...- Yeah.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12..and that is why and it's all her legacy so I am very grateful to her.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17I think women are so underrated in the 18th and 19th century
0:10:17 > 0:10:21and these women were quite powerful women and, actually, the next
0:10:21 > 0:10:25woman I've chosen was equally powerful and did some great things.
0:10:25 > 0:10:26Well, let's have a look.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34This is the 5th Countess who was the daughter of a rather
0:10:34 > 0:10:37famous bookseller, WH Smith.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Oh, yes, I've heard of them.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Absolutely. I think most people have.
0:10:41 > 0:10:42- What was her name?- Mabel.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45And she did two things which she should take huge credit for.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49The first was that she opened a club in London
0:10:49 > 0:10:52for overseas officers from all over the Empire
0:10:52 > 0:10:56so that when they were on leave, the trenches or wherever,
0:10:56 > 0:10:57they had somewhere to come back to,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01and then Sandon itself became a Red Cross hospital,
0:11:01 > 0:11:06- auxiliary hospital, during the First World War...- OK.- ..and she was an enormous part of that,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08so she was absolutely a tremendous woman.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09I like the photograph
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and I've just noticed it's taken a month before the Great War.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14- You've got Mabel there. - That's her. In the centre, there.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18- She is. Lord Harrowby, my husband's great-grandmother.- Gosh.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22- This is how life was in the great houses before the Great War.- Mm-hm.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24And then, of course, everything changed and by the end
0:11:24 > 0:11:27of the Great War, half of these beautiful young men were dead.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32They say a picture tells a thousand stories
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and it's certainly true here at Sandon Hall.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Now, back at the valuation tables, Charles is a happy boy.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- George, good to see you today. - Good to see you.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52And you've brought in a really interesting collection of wheels. Tell me about them.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54It's just what I've picked up at the car boot for the last five years.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58And had you gone there looking for these early, tin-plate,
0:11:58 > 0:12:03- clockwork toys?- No.- Or have you just been an enthusiast of all sorts?
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- All sorts.- Have you had some good finds over the years?- I have, yeah.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10- What's been your best find? - Mainly little gadgets.- Really?
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- I'm very much a gadget man, myself, so...- Are you?
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- I'm a phone engineer by trade, so... - Are you, phone?- Mm-hm.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Wow, and that, obviously, I suppose
0:12:17 > 0:12:20goes quite well with the technical nature of what were
0:12:20 > 0:12:24fairly mass-produced toys.
0:12:24 > 0:12:25- Yes.- Have you a favourite?
0:12:25 > 0:12:30- I'd say that one.- This gorgeous Express Transport vehicle here.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34- Have you done much detective work into them at all?- A little.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36And what does this one tell you here?
0:12:36 > 0:12:40- I think it's from the '30s. Maybe mid-'30s.- Yeah.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- I mean, they are so simply made, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Here's your clockwork, wind-up.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- This one, I think, is still working. - They all work, yeah.- On the wire.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Then, of course, off it goes like that
0:12:52 > 0:12:56and it's still expressing its speed in that regard.
0:12:56 > 0:12:57They're really...
0:12:57 > 0:12:59It's a really nice collection.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Obviously, we've got the later Betal toys for girls
0:13:03 > 0:13:05and boys and they're just wonderful, aren't they?
0:13:05 > 0:13:10General transport, tin-plate with the wind-up key as well.
0:13:10 > 0:13:11Aren't they neat? And this one,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14I think...I think my father had one of these.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16So, it just brings back, I suppose,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19that childhood memory, doesn't it? They're good.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Clearly, from the advertising slogans of what they're selling
0:13:22 > 0:13:24on the exterior, they are all British,
0:13:24 > 0:13:29they are all in that second quarter of the 20th century.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Competitors with Germany and France in making similar
0:13:33 > 0:13:36vehicles of this clockwork type in that period.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Now, they are what we call play worn.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42We can see, perhaps, some of them have been left outside,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45they've, perhaps, had some weathering.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48They've suffered wear and tear and, to me,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51condition, often, is part of its journey.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52It's had a life.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55They've been enjoyed, but to collectors who are pernickety
0:13:55 > 0:13:59when it comes to condition, they want the very best in this field.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03So, my advice would be, because of their condition,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06I would sell them as one lot. What have you spent on these tin-plate...?
0:14:06 > 0:14:09- About £75.- Have you? Well done.
0:14:09 > 0:14:10I think we would put them in a sale
0:14:10 > 0:14:15with a guide price between 80 and £120.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18- Let's flog it!. - Exactly. Can't wait. Can't wait.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22It just proves there's still treasure at car-boot sales.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Well, here in Staffordshire, anyway.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29And now Christina's stepped outside for her next item.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Alison, the thing I love about this mug is how much fun
0:14:33 > 0:14:35these guys look like they're having.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37- They do, don't they? - It's just fab, isn't it?
0:14:37 > 0:14:39I mean, they are having a proper party on here.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41You've got some chap falling off a log.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43I mean, he's obviously had a few too many, hasn't he?
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Some chappie riding a horse over here,
0:14:45 > 0:14:49who looks like he's telling everyone what they should be doing.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52- I mean, it's a wonderful village scene, isn't it?- Yes.- From 1903.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56- Mm-hm.- Where did it come from? - Well, that's a very good question.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59My grandfather picked it up at some random auction or other,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03and it's been in the family as far back as I can remember...
0:15:03 > 0:15:07- OK.- ..and, you know, it's eventually come down to me.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10- Mm-hm. And you've inherited it, and now it's here today.- It is, indeed.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Well, when I first saw this, I have to confess I thought,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16"Hmm, that looks continental."
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Because this sort of quite high emboss work here,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23with the sort of background... is often continental,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25and we do see it, sort of early 20th century...
0:15:25 > 0:15:27- A lot was imported from Holland... - Yes.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30..and the Low Countries, and we do see it in this country,
0:15:30 > 0:15:31and it was reassayed.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34- It was imported into this country and reassayed...- OK.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36..and I've had a really good look, because often,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39when it was reassayed, when it was an import,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41they would stamp it F for foreign, which isn't very inventive,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- really, F for foreign, but... - No, but it's obvious.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47..that's what they did. Exactly. Yes, and we like that.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49So if we look at the mark I would expect to see
0:15:49 > 0:15:50that magic foreign F,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53and if we have a really good look, we've got GNRH, those initials
0:15:53 > 0:15:56in that shield shape there, which is for George Nathan and Ridley Hayes.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59We've got the lion passant for Sterling silver,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02three little wheat sheaves, which is the town mark for Chester,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and that, funnily enough, was also my school badge,
0:16:05 > 0:16:06those wheat sheaves for Chester.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09- ALISON LAUGHS - And then we've got the date letter,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12which is a curly, curly C, which is for 1903.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14- Right.- So no F.- No F.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17So it must have been a British piece of silver,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19which really surprises me. It's a little mug,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22and probably would have been used as a christening mug,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24or a presentation mug.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27The only thing that concerns me is we've got a little bit of a dent,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29here, which is slightly worrying,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31and you can also, on the high points,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34it has been cleaned quite vigorously, and the silver
0:16:34 > 0:16:37has actually worn away, so we've got a couple of little...
0:16:37 > 0:16:38That'll have been my gran.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40- Oh, really? Was she a good silver cleaner?- Yes.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42- She gave it plenty of welly?- Yes.
0:16:42 > 0:16:43But, I mean,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46I wouldn't hesitate to put about £50 to £100 on that at auction.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49- I think it's a great thing. Would you be happy with that?- Yes.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51- Happy to flog it for that?- Yes.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53- And would you like a reserve on it? - I would.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- What would you like your reserve to be, my love?- Um...
0:16:56 > 0:17:00- Would 50 be realistic?- I think £50 reserve is realistic.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02I think if we put an estimate of 50 to 100,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05maybe a discretionary reserve of 50 just in case we should need it...
0:17:05 > 0:17:08- Mm-hm.- ..but I think it's a lovely thing, and I wish I went
0:17:08 > 0:17:11to a few more parties that looked like they were as much fun as that.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- Absolutely. - THEY LAUGH
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Staffordshire is such a beautiful county.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Shugborough Hall, the ancestral home of the Anson family,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26is set in a vast estate of beautifully landscaped grounds,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29and it's a fitting backdrop to the incredible career
0:17:29 > 0:17:32of one of its 18th-century sons.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Mucking about with boats rates pretty highly
0:17:41 > 0:17:42on my list of things to do.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45I just love it, something I've probably got in common
0:17:45 > 0:17:47with a young boy who grew up here,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50and probably played at this very spot.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54He grew up to sail real ships across real oceans.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57In fact, he became only the second Englishman
0:17:57 > 0:17:59to circumnavigate the world.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07His name is George Anson, and he grew up here at Shugborough.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09He was born in 1697.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13It was his elder brother Thomas who would inherit the family title
0:18:13 > 0:18:15and estates, so, like all second sons,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18George had to seek other employment.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22So he joined the Royal Navy at the age of 14,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26quickly working his way up the ranks to his first command
0:18:26 > 0:18:30at the young age of 22, on a ship called the Weasel.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Fortunately, this dreadful name for a vessel didn't affect
0:18:33 > 0:18:35the rest of his career.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Eventually, he became First Lord of the Admiralty,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41but it was his epic voyage around the world in 1740
0:18:41 > 0:18:43for which he's most remembered.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52At the time of Anson's voyage around the world in 1740,
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Britain was engaged in a brutal and bloodthirsty war at sea with Spain.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00The aim was to weaken Spain's dominance over the trading markets
0:19:00 > 0:19:04of South America, and in doing so, give us greater access
0:19:04 > 0:19:06to its natural resources, its precious metals -
0:19:06 > 0:19:08particularly, silver.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18The fleet that set sail from England under Anson's command
0:19:18 > 0:19:23consisted of six warships, led by his flagship HMS Centurion,
0:19:23 > 0:19:28a formidable fighting ship capable of heavy-duty firepower.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33But this was no ordinary military campaign.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Anson's orders, delivered to him on behalf of King George II,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39included instructions for a secret mission -
0:19:39 > 0:19:43to attack a Spanish treasure ship laden with Peruvian silver,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46as it made its way across the Pacific from Acapulco.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50But between them
0:19:50 > 0:19:54and those spoils of war lay the tempestuous seas of Cape Horn...
0:19:56 > 0:20:01..notorious for foul weather, violent gales, and thunderous waves.
0:20:06 > 0:20:07Battered by relentless storms,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10two of Anson's ships turned back to England.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Their captains were later to face charges for desertion.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16A third ship was washed up onto the rocks off an island
0:20:16 > 0:20:18off the coast of Chile.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21When Anson finally reached China, he was left with one vessel,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25the Centurion, and a handful of men - some of whom, it was noted,
0:20:25 > 0:20:26had turned mad.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Returning to England under these disastrous circumstances
0:20:29 > 0:20:33would have certainly marked the end of his naval career.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Now, whether Anson's next decision was one of pure genius
0:20:40 > 0:20:43or sheer desperation, it's impossible to tell,
0:20:43 > 0:20:47but he decides to have one last attempt at catching up
0:20:47 > 0:20:49with the Spanish treasure ship as it was crossing
0:20:49 > 0:20:52the Pacific from Acapulco to Manila.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Now, despite being in a patched-up ship with a crew
0:20:55 > 0:20:59of just over 200 men, half the size of a normal crew,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Anson had the self-belief
0:21:01 > 0:21:06and the determination to command his crew to capture the Spanish vessel.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13As shown in this painting, Anson advanced on the enemy,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15and, at extremely close quarters,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18engaged the Spanish ship in fierce combat.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Someone with first-hand experience of battle at sea
0:21:23 > 0:21:26is Rear Admiral Christopher Layman.
0:21:26 > 0:21:31With 35 years in the Royal Navy, he is also an expert on Anson's voyage.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36So talk me through what happened when these ships finally engaged.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39The chief difference between the two was that
0:21:39 > 0:21:43he was tremendously undermanned. He only had 200 men on board,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46and he should have had double that number, really,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48so he couldn't man all the guns.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53But he made the most of it, and his tactics were brilliant.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56There was no question of firing a proper broadside,
0:21:56 > 0:22:01which is firing all the guns off together, so instead of a guns crew
0:22:01 > 0:22:06- allocated to each gun, they had roving gangs...- Right, OK.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10- ..that went from gun to gun. - Relay, like a tag team?- In a relay.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14- It was desperate. They had to do it that way.- It was desperate.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18Fighting for their lives, but they were also fighting for a fortune,
0:22:18 > 0:22:23because they all knew this was the Spanish treasure galleon.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26He'd been training for this for a month, you know?
0:22:26 > 0:22:29He'd been tacking up and down at the point, here,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33where he was expecting the galleon to arrive.
0:22:33 > 0:22:34Around the Philippines.
0:22:34 > 0:22:35That's right.
0:22:35 > 0:22:40And he got 30 of his best marksmen and put them in the tops,
0:22:40 > 0:22:44trained them every day, firing at targets,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47- rewarding the ones who were most accurate...- Yeah.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51..and, of course, they did tremendous damage.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- In the rigging, firing down... - Picking off people.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Picking off people, and first of all, I imagine,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- accounting for the marksmen in the other ship...- Yes.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03..in the other rigging.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06At least, that's the order I would do things.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Get them out first, then get the officers...
0:23:08 > 0:23:11- That's right.- ..and then get the guys firing the cannons.- Exactly.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14And, of course, while the musketeers
0:23:14 > 0:23:17were doing their work from the tops,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20the heavy guns were hammering the ship.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22- Right along the bow.- That's right.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25- Very effective tactics.- Mm.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27- And...- With one of those?
0:23:27 > 0:23:31With one of these, and to be at the business end of that
0:23:31 > 0:23:33when it arrives is not a good place to be.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35You wouldn't know about it, would you?
0:23:35 > 0:23:38That would go through the port side and out the starboard, would it?
0:23:38 > 0:23:41It might well do that, and if you knew nothing about it,
0:23:41 > 0:23:42you were one of the lucky ones.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47The others, who are wounded, mostly by splinters, probably...
0:23:47 > 0:23:48Yes, cos that would ricochet.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52Huge splinters come from shipside,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56and give a nasty wound to anybody in the way.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08Very effective tactics. Worked very well.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11She surrendered with all the treasure intact.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15And each crewman, I gather, gets a part of that reward?
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- He certainly does. A huge prize...- Is it?
0:24:18 > 0:24:21..which would set him up for life.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Capturing the Spanish ship sealed Anson's reputation
0:24:26 > 0:24:30as a great military commander when he returned to England.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39It took a staggering 32 wagons to transport the chests of treasure,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43containing mostly gold and silver coins, to the Tower of London,
0:24:43 > 0:24:48with an estimated worth, in today's money, of £15 million.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52The Spanish treasure ship was the greatest prize ever captured at sea.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Not only had Anson delivered the gold the King of England
0:24:58 > 0:25:01asked him to fight for, but in doing so, he circumnavigated
0:25:01 > 0:25:05the globe, ensuring his fame as well as his wealth.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18Now, and here's a quick reminder of what we're taking to auction.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19Nearly 200 years old,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23this floral extravaganza in porcelain may have a few chips,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27but it's still a spectacular example of local pottery.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Helen's coin collection travels even further back in history.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35Just imagine losing the cross penny all those hundreds of years ago.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39And George should reap the rewards
0:25:39 > 0:25:41of building up his terrific collection
0:25:41 > 0:25:45of early 20th century tin-plate toys from car-boot sales.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49The scene on this pretty silver christening mug
0:25:49 > 0:25:52put Christina in the mood to party.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Well, the sun is shining and I've got a good feeling about today,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02because it is auction time
0:26:02 > 0:26:06and this is where we're putting those valuations to the test -
0:26:06 > 0:26:07Halls Auctioneers' brand-new,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10purpose-built saleroom just on the outskirts of Shrewsbury.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14We're going inside now to catch up with the auction action. Sit tight.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15Anything can happen.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Jeremy Lamond is our auctioneer today
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and the commission here is 19% plus VAT.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28First up, it's Helen's coin collection.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29Heads or tails - it's your choice.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31I've just been joined by Helen and Christina.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Going under the hammer, we have some money. Those coins.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37The long cross penny, George III gold coin and the shilling.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41- We want top dollar for this money, don't we?- We do, yes.- Top shilling.
0:26:41 > 0:26:42Why are you selling, anyway?
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Well, I really went to find out about the valuation,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48- and then it all goes on!- Oh, you got your arm twisted, did you?
0:26:48 > 0:26:51- I pounced.- Hey, good choice, though, good choice.- I love this lot, yeah.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Yeah, very good lot. Fingers crossed
0:26:53 > 0:26:56there's 200 bidders here who feel likewise.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Lot 45.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02- I can start this one at £150.- Ooh.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05At 150. At £150. At 150. 160, where?
0:27:05 > 0:27:08At £150, are we all done, then? At 150.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11- Maiden bid.- Selling at 150.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Straight out.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17- It's not always that easy, is it? - No, it isn't, is it?
0:27:17 > 0:27:20- Fantastic. Well done.- You're very happy with that, aren't you?
0:27:20 > 0:27:24- That's fine. Thank you very much. - Oh, brilliant, brilliant.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25Short, but sweet.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Now, it's Margaret's Coalbrookdale vase.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32Margaret got this at a car-boot sale a year ago for £1.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Yeah, and we're going to turn that £1 into 40 right now. Aren't we?
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- Hopefully.- We are. We are. You love your car boots, don't you?
0:27:38 > 0:27:43- Yeah, I do.- And, hopefully, we can send you back there with 30 or 40 quid in your pocket. Ready, Charles?
0:27:43 > 0:27:45- I'm ready. Absolutely right. - Let's do it. Here we go.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Who's going to start me at £30 for it? 30. 30 on the internet.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50- Great.- £30 I've got.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52At £35 now. 40.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54At £40, it's an internet bid.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57At £40. Selling, then, at £40.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01- Well done, you.- Yeah. - Where is this car-boot sale?
0:28:01 > 0:28:04- Are we all allowed to know?- Erm...
0:28:04 > 0:28:05Is it a secret?
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Yeah!
0:28:10 > 0:28:14Wherever it is, I'm sure Margaret will be heading back for more bargains.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Next, it's Alison's silver christening mug.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20- It was your grandfather's, wasn't it?- Yes.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Was he ever christened with it? Was it a present...?
0:28:22 > 0:28:24No, it was something he picked up at an auction.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Oh, he loved the auction scene, did he?
0:28:26 > 0:28:29- Do you like auctions?- This is the first one I've ever been to.
0:28:29 > 0:28:30Is it really?
0:28:30 > 0:28:32Oh, my goodness.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Have you got your eye on anything at all?
0:28:34 > 0:28:36Uh, no. No, I daren't.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Keep your hands down, or else you might buy something.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Silver christening mug, Chester, 1903. There it is.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44I'll start the bidding here at £50...
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Oh, brilliant. There we go, straightaway.
0:28:47 > 0:28:52..at £50. To a commission at £50. At £50 to a commission bid.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55- Come on, a bit more.- At £50. At 50.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57All finished, then, at £50.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00Selling... 5. Just in time. At £55. At 55.
0:29:01 > 0:29:02GAVEL BANGS
0:29:02 > 0:29:04- Done. 55.- 55. Little bit over bottom estimate.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07- Yes. Well, somebody will enjoy it. - Yes, let's hope so.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10Well, it wasn't doing anything in your cabinet, was it?
0:29:10 > 0:29:11It certainly wasn't.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13Now for George's tin-plate toys.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16George, I've got to keep my fingers crossed for you,
0:29:16 > 0:29:18cos I think this one's going to be tight.
0:29:18 > 0:29:19The tin-plate toys. I loved them to bits,
0:29:19 > 0:29:22but they're a little bit play-worn for the collectors,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25- aren't they? And how much did you pay?- £75.- 75 quid at a car boot.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28We've got to get your money back. We're looking for 80 plus.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30We are, yes, and they are play-worn.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32- Yeah.- But it's the man's heritage.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34- OK.- Over the years, you've bought them. They're great.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37OK. We're going to put them to the test. Here we go.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41240. Various mid-20th-century,
0:29:41 > 0:29:43tin-plate, clockwork toys.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46I can start this lot at £75.
0:29:46 > 0:29:4775. Great.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50It's on the net, now, at £100.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53110. 120. 130. 130 now.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55140 in the room. 150 on the net.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58160 in the room. 170.
0:29:58 > 0:29:59170. It's an internet bid, now.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02180, internet, still. 190, now.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05At 190. 200. 210. 220.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08220. £220. Are we all finished? 230.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10- 240. 240.- Amazing.- £240.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12- I'm speechless.- I am, as well.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14- Just shows what you find in car boots.- £240.
0:30:14 > 0:30:15Selling to an internet bidder.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19All finished, then. At £240. 240.
0:30:19 > 0:30:20KNOCKS HAMMER
0:30:20 > 0:30:22£240. Hammer's gone down. Well done, you.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24- You took me by surprise - and you. - Very much so.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26That's just incredible.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30The collectors overlooked the condition. There was something they really wanted in that lot,
0:30:30 > 0:30:32and they just got it. And so did you!
0:30:32 > 0:30:34You got 240 quid. You made a big profit.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38- Is it back to the car boot? - On Sunday.- On Sunday. Well done.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41Look out for Margaret! That's our first visit to the auction.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46Now, before we return to our valuation day venue to find
0:30:46 > 0:30:48some more treasures to put under the hammer here,
0:30:48 > 0:30:50I'm going to be the curious house guest and find out
0:30:50 > 0:30:54something about some of the women in Sandon's history.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Looking back through British history,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12you could be forgiven for thinking it's a man's world.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15Well, it's certainly a male-dominated one, judging by the portraits
0:31:15 > 0:31:18you come across at most stately homes, like here,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21in the Great Hall at Sandon.
0:31:21 > 0:31:26But we know that's only half the story and only half the history.
0:31:29 > 0:31:30Here at Sandon Hall,
0:31:30 > 0:31:34it's the women of the family who are first to greet you.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37Dominating the Great Hall is this painting of the Three Graces -
0:31:37 > 0:31:39in this case, the three daughters
0:31:39 > 0:31:43of Thomas Coutts, the famous London banker.
0:31:43 > 0:31:44Now, not only is this is painting of women,
0:31:44 > 0:31:46but it's also a painting BY a woman -
0:31:47 > 0:31:49Angelika Kauffmann,
0:31:49 > 0:31:51one of the rising stars of the 18th-century art world,
0:31:51 > 0:31:53and the fact that this is the first thing you see
0:31:53 > 0:31:55when entering this great house
0:31:55 > 0:31:58says a lot about the importance of women to this family.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03It was commissioned by Thomas Coutts
0:32:03 > 0:32:05during a visit to Angelika Kauffmann's studio
0:32:05 > 0:32:07in Rome, in 1791.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10To find out more about the artist,
0:32:10 > 0:32:13I'm joined by art historian Dr Clare Barlow.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17For a woman to succeed in the 18th century
0:32:17 > 0:32:20as a professional artist was a very unusual thing.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23How did Angelika discover her talent for painting?
0:32:23 > 0:32:25Well, she's very fortunate in that
0:32:25 > 0:32:27she has an extremely enlightened father,
0:32:27 > 0:32:29and her father is also a painter,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32and she grows up in Switzerland
0:32:32 > 0:32:36and Italy and has an amazing exposure to the arts.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41Crucially, the major problem for women in the arts is that they
0:32:41 > 0:32:43can't attend life-drawing classes,
0:32:43 > 0:32:45because it would be indecorous
0:32:45 > 0:32:47- for them to see naked bodies.- Sure.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49But, because he takes her to Rome,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52she's able to learn from the classical sculptures,
0:32:52 > 0:32:56and learn anatomy, and that proves absolutely crucial to her career.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59She benefits from the fact that in the 18th century,
0:32:59 > 0:33:04there's a real desire to celebrate female talent.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08And although it's harder for a woman to get launched,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11once she is launched, there's a huge audience
0:33:11 > 0:33:13- who are desperate... - Everybody's interested.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15..to appreciate her work.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18Yes! And she has this unique selling point, which is
0:33:18 > 0:33:19really helpful for her.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21I mean, just looking at that, you can see
0:33:21 > 0:33:23she is an exceptional talent, can't you?
0:33:23 > 0:33:26Oh, she absolutely is, and one of the lovely things about it, too,
0:33:26 > 0:33:29is it's a portrait of WOMEN, by Angelika Kauffmann.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33Kauffmann is really famous for her depictions of women, and that
0:33:33 > 0:33:37makes her the perfect artist to be promoting these girls.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40And some of the young sitters would be more comfortable with
0:33:40 > 0:33:41a female artist as well.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44And some of the families too, because, of course,
0:33:44 > 0:33:46painting is seen as a slightly erotic art,
0:33:46 > 0:33:49that, you know, you have to really pay attention to the sitter,
0:33:49 > 0:33:52and really think about what they look like,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54and obviously, taking your eligible
0:33:54 > 0:33:56young ladies to a female artist
0:33:56 > 0:33:57is, perhaps, more decorous.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59And it's fascinating!
0:33:59 > 0:34:01The fact that they're in front of a bust of Minerva,
0:34:01 > 0:34:05that's very significant, because they don't only have beauty,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08And they clearly have wealth because they're being depicted by such
0:34:08 > 0:34:12a fashionable artist, but they also, in Minerva, have wisdom.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16She's the Goddess of Chastity and the Goddess of Wisdom,
0:34:16 > 0:34:21and I think that suggests their father is really promoting them
0:34:21 > 0:34:25- as having the whole package.- Do we know what happened to the girls?
0:34:25 > 0:34:28Well, we know that they made extremely good marriages,
0:34:28 > 0:34:29so clearly it worked!
0:34:29 > 0:34:32But it's Frances, the middle daughter, who's the connection
0:34:32 > 0:34:33to the Harrowby family.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37She marries First Marquess of Bute
0:34:37 > 0:34:41- and it's her daughter who marries the second Earl of Harrowby.- Right.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43- So that's why it's here.- Absolutely.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51Sandon Hall has another great painting that puts women
0:34:51 > 0:34:52centre stage -
0:34:52 > 0:34:55this striking portrait of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu,
0:34:55 > 0:34:57the pioneering 18th-century traveller,
0:34:57 > 0:35:01famous for her writings about the Middle East.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04Unfortunately, the original is behind the scenes at the moment,
0:35:04 > 0:35:08we can't see it, so this is a photographic copy.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10Is Lady Mary well known?
0:35:10 > 0:35:12She is one of the absolute celebrities
0:35:12 > 0:35:14of the early 18th century.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17Certainly in her day, she was remarkably famous.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19Who's the little black boy?
0:35:19 > 0:35:23There is a sort of convention in some Western portraits,
0:35:23 > 0:35:28of having elegant ladies with a black page boy in attendance.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31Actually, in the Ottoman Empire,
0:35:31 > 0:35:34child slaves tended to be white, rather than black.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38I mean, I think this could possibly be a reference
0:35:38 > 0:35:42to the exoticism of the environment that she's coming from.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45Her husband is the Ambassador to Turkey.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47And she goes with him.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51Because she's a woman, she can go into spaces which men
0:35:51 > 0:35:56can't go, like the harem, and that becomes this whole sensation.
0:35:56 > 0:35:57And when she comes back to London,
0:35:57 > 0:36:01Turkish fashion becomes THE most popular masquerade dress.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04- But I'll let you into a secret, too. - OK, go on, what's that?
0:36:04 > 0:36:08If you met Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, her face wouldn't have
0:36:08 > 0:36:10looked like the face in the portrait,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13because, as a young woman, she'd had smallpox, and that had left her with
0:36:13 > 0:36:18terrible scarring, and it had also meant that she had no eyelashes.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21- Oh, dear.- Which was terribly sad.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24But it didn't hold her back in the slightest.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27Through what I can only imagine is force of character,
0:36:27 > 0:36:31she still managed to launch this amazing career,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35and possibly partly because of her own experience, she helped
0:36:35 > 0:36:39to bring smallpox inoculations back from Turkey with her
0:36:39 > 0:36:43and she helped to encourage British aristocrats back in England
0:36:43 > 0:36:45to have their children inoculated.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48- So she saved a lot of lives. - Wise lady!
0:36:48 > 0:36:51- She was definitely the "It girl" of the day, wasn't she?- Absolutely.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02Well, I certainly enjoyed looking at these items here at Sandon Hall
0:37:02 > 0:37:05and hearing about the Harrowby women connection to them.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09They certainly show that history is as full of interesting women,
0:37:09 > 0:37:11as it is men.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30Welcome back to our magnificent
0:37:30 > 0:37:33valuation day venue location, Sandon Hall.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36As you can see, there are still hundreds of people here.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39We need to find some more antiques to take off to auction, so we're
0:37:39 > 0:37:41going to make a start right now
0:37:41 > 0:37:43as we catch up with Christina Trevanion.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Christina stepped outside for her next item, where the
0:37:47 > 0:37:50dress code today is...purple.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53Isn't it lovely to be outside in the fresh air? It's got
0:37:53 > 0:37:56so busy in there that it's actually really rather nice
0:37:56 > 0:37:59- just to be in these wonderful gardens.- Yes, lovely.
0:37:59 > 0:38:00Isn't it beautiful?
0:38:00 > 0:38:01Very like your stunning necklace
0:38:01 > 0:38:03that you've brought in to me
0:38:03 > 0:38:04today, which is probably the most
0:38:04 > 0:38:06understated, most elegant,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09beautiful piece of jewellery that I've seen for a long, long time.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11- That's very nice, thank you. - Do you wear it?- No.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13- You should, why...?- Don't think I ever have worn it.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15- You've NEVER worn it? - Don't wear jewellery.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17Well, I certainly wouldn't wear
0:38:17 > 0:38:19anything as delicate as that, to be honest.
0:38:19 > 0:38:20It's not my sort of thing.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23So tell me, where's it come from, how did it come to you?
0:38:23 > 0:38:28My father's mother gave it to me probably 40-odd years ago.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30I think it's stunning, I really do.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33We've got this very delicate little 18-carat gold chain here.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36Now, we know it's 18-carat, because on this bolt ring
0:38:36 > 0:38:41clasp at the back, there's a little pad to the right that says "18 CT".
0:38:41 > 0:38:44- Yes.- So 750 parts of gold per thousand so it makes it
0:38:44 > 0:38:46quite a substantial gold content to it.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50And it's quite a long chain, and then it's terminated
0:38:50 > 0:38:55by these really very beautiful three graduated pearls.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57I personally would say stylistically,
0:38:57 > 0:38:59it dates from the sort of 1920s,
0:38:59 > 0:39:031930s, would that make sense with it being... Was it your granny's?
0:39:03 > 0:39:04It was my granny's.
0:39:04 > 0:39:09She had a department store, effectively, at the time, in Devizes.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11She'd done very well for herself.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14SHE had a department store?
0:39:14 > 0:39:17- She OWNED a department store? - Yes, it was hers.- Wow.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20- She was an entrepreneur. - In the 1920s?- Yes.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22She started off life as a milliner in the streets of London
0:39:22 > 0:39:26- and worked her way up to ending up with her own store.- Wow!
0:39:26 > 0:39:29- Pretty special, isn't it? - I think so, yeah.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31Certainly, my father was always very impressed with her.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34- I bet!- She frightened the life out of me, but...!
0:39:34 > 0:39:36That's what happens, isn't it?
0:39:36 > 0:39:37Frightening.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40And this was a gift TO her?
0:39:40 > 0:39:42It was a gift to her from the wife of a jeweller
0:39:42 > 0:39:44and I understand that he made that for her.
0:39:44 > 0:39:49Specifically for her? Really, in the 1920s, using this white gold,
0:39:49 > 0:39:51was quite a new thing. Traditionally, up until that point,
0:39:51 > 0:39:55jewellery was very much in yellow gold and it's representing
0:39:55 > 0:39:59that era of freedom that we're coming into, post-First World War.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01- Yes.- For me, as a jewellery expert,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04it seems really sad that it's not going to see the light of day,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06and I'm sad that you're not going to wear it,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10because these pearls here need the natural oils from your skin.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13- Ah!- They need to be lubricated in that sense to keep them
0:40:13 > 0:40:17- from cracking.- So it needs to be worn.- It NEEDS to be worn, yes.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20- I mean, I'll volunteer, frankly. - It'd suit you very well.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23- I think it's beautiful.- Try it on.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25So, commercially, it does have a value.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28A lot of young people do like white gold, I'm personally...
0:40:28 > 0:40:30Well, I don't really cast myself as young any more, I prefer
0:40:30 > 0:40:33- yellow gold, but white gold is what the market wants.- Good.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36So, I think a sensible auction estimate for it would be somewhere
0:40:36 > 0:40:40in the region maybe of £150 to £200. What's your thoughts about that?
0:40:40 > 0:40:43- That would be fine, no problem at all.- Would that be all right?
0:40:43 > 0:40:46I mean, it's a beautiful thing, I'm fairly sure it will sail away
0:40:46 > 0:40:48- and find a new home. In fact, I wish- I- could buy it.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50- It's beautiful.- Thank you very much.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55Back indoors, let's see what Charles has turned up.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02Now, I saw you in the queue outside that imposing facade
0:41:02 > 0:41:07which is Sandon Hall, and what excited me is this clock still ticking now,
0:41:07 > 0:41:12this pocket watch, and, of course, it was ticking many years ago
0:41:12 > 0:41:16- when this really was a home for a family.- That's correct, yes.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19The watch belongs to my mother-in-law, Dorothy, and Dorothy
0:41:19 > 0:41:25and her husband George were working here for the Earl and Countess.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Dorothy was a maid to the Countess,
0:41:27 > 0:41:29and George was the chauffeur.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32- Really?- And so while they were living here,
0:41:32 > 0:41:35then the watch would be here on the premises.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38And tell me, we're talking about the Earl and Countess,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41take me back, how far are we going in Sandon's history?
0:41:41 > 0:41:43To when they were living and working here.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45They were living here in the 1950s,
0:41:45 > 0:41:47through to the early '60s,
0:41:47 > 0:41:50so most of the '50s.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53My husband was brought up here, at the hall.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57I love Sandon Hall, because it's quite a sleepy hall, still.
0:41:57 > 0:42:02- It's beautiful. It's never lost its charm of when it was a family home. - Yeah.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05And of course, if this pocket watch
0:42:05 > 0:42:08could talk about the conversations it would have enjoyed
0:42:08 > 0:42:09in this dining room...
0:42:09 > 0:42:13- That's right...- With its gorgeous Chinese wallpaper and of course,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17even conversations and discussions between the maid who was your...
0:42:17 > 0:42:21- Mum-in-law, Dorothy.- Dorothy, and the Countess.- That's right.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23- And that's one of those moments. - That's right, yes, yes.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26- It wasn't a gift from the Earl, was it, at all?- No, not at all.
0:42:26 > 0:42:31Dorothy's great-grandmother gave it to Dorothy's grand-mother
0:42:31 > 0:42:34for her 21st birthday.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38This actually is a very pretty Swiss pocket watch.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41- OK, it has a German outer case. - Right.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44And the actual pocket watch movement is really...
0:42:44 > 0:42:47Well, it was made in that centre of excellence
0:42:47 > 0:42:50which was Switzerland in the late 19th century.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53We've got the key, first and foremost,
0:42:53 > 0:42:55- which is lovely. - It's pretty, isn't it?
0:42:55 > 0:42:59The actual back and dust cover is all in good condition,
0:42:59 > 0:43:03and of course if we just lift that back-plate off, we can see
0:43:03 > 0:43:08the movement, it's a typical 15-jewel pocket watch movement
0:43:08 > 0:43:11of around 1890.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15- Right.- And, is it now time, here at Sandon Hall to say,
0:43:15 > 0:43:17let's flog it?
0:43:17 > 0:43:18Well, what Dorothy's said is,
0:43:18 > 0:43:21she can't leave it to one person in the family,
0:43:21 > 0:43:23she's got so many grand-children
0:43:23 > 0:43:25and great-grandchildren,
0:43:25 > 0:43:27so she feels that it's the time to let it go.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31- And Dorothy is alive and firing, well?- Absolutely. Yes.
0:43:31 > 0:43:32I love it a lot.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36I think it's an endearing little pocket watch. Intrinsically,
0:43:36 > 0:43:38not worth a great deal, but we would love to give it
0:43:38 > 0:43:42a send-off with a guide price of between, let's say,
0:43:42 > 0:43:46- £40 and £60. - Oh, really? Yes, yeah, OK.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49It's very nice, perhaps put a reserve on with discretion,
0:43:49 > 0:43:53maybe if we bid 35, we can say au revoir.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57It's important to let somebody else enjoy its wonderful history.
0:43:57 > 0:43:58Is that OK?
0:43:58 > 0:44:02- That's fine.- Can we say we're going to start going... Going...- Going...
0:44:02 > 0:44:03- Gone.- Gone.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06That brings us to our final valuation.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09Christina's in the conservatory, and about to bring the house down.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14Now, Catherine, normally when autograph books come to my table,
0:44:14 > 0:44:18I sort of start flicking through, and I'm flicking through yours,
0:44:18 > 0:44:21and I thought, "This one looks really exciting!".
0:44:21 > 0:44:24Tell me how you've managed to accumulate ALL these autographs in this book.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26The autograph album belonged to my aunt,
0:44:26 > 0:44:29and she gave it to me when I was about nine years old.
0:44:29 > 0:44:33- Wonderful.- I didn't bother to collect any after that
0:44:33 > 0:44:36until I started as a teenager going to the clubs in Manchester,
0:44:36 > 0:44:38so we used to go to concerts and see Billy Fury
0:44:38 > 0:44:40and people like that.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43And then it was 1963, I'd gone over
0:44:43 > 0:44:45to my aunt's to stay in Jersey
0:44:45 > 0:44:48with a friend, and she told us that
0:44:48 > 0:44:51- the Beatles were staying in a hotel just down the road.- No!
0:44:51 > 0:44:53We were so disinterested in The Beatles,
0:44:53 > 0:44:56because we were from Manchester and they were Liverpool
0:44:56 > 0:44:59but we were in the flat one day, and Paul McCartney was literally walking
0:44:59 > 0:45:02down the road to the hotel on his own, coming back from shopping.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06So we went out with a writing pad and he autographed that.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10So, that was then stuck in my album, and then the year after,
0:45:10 > 0:45:13when I went with a local girl to see The Rolling Stones
0:45:13 > 0:45:16who were over, they'd performed at a concert.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18The day after, my aunt ran us up to the airport
0:45:18 > 0:45:20so that we could wave them off.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22We were the only two fans who went up to the airport.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25We were tipped off by the airport staff that they wouldn't be
0:45:25 > 0:45:28coming through the terminal, they'd be going to a side entrance,
0:45:28 > 0:45:29and straight onto the tarmac,
0:45:29 > 0:45:31- so they showed us which gate to wait at.- Wow!
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Insider information, I love it, Catherine! My goodness!
0:45:34 > 0:45:37We waited at the gate, we were there most of the day,
0:45:37 > 0:45:39but then the taxi came, they got out,
0:45:39 > 0:45:41they were a few yards away from us,
0:45:41 > 0:45:43but they waved and said, "Hi"
0:45:43 > 0:45:45and the manager came over
0:45:45 > 0:45:47and took our albums over and we watched them sign them,
0:45:47 > 0:45:50and then they waved to us and they got in the plane and flew off.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52- Oh, brilliant! - So... And it was really good,
0:45:52 > 0:45:56because of course it was Brian Jones, you know...
0:45:56 > 0:46:00- Brian Jones passed away, didn't he?- Yes, exactly, yes.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02- So you got Brian Jones.- So I got Brian Jones.- Oh, my goodness.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04And one of them, we didn't know which one,
0:46:04 > 0:46:06but one of them wrote, "The Rolling Stones"
0:46:06 > 0:46:08and put a circle around it in the middle of the page, so...
0:46:08 > 0:46:11So this really brings back some fantastic memories for you,
0:46:11 > 0:46:12- doesn't it?- Oh, yeah. Mm.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14And the fact that you've collected these yourself...
0:46:14 > 0:46:15This book does read a bit like
0:46:15 > 0:46:18- a who's-who of the 1960s music scene.- Exactly.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20You know, you've got Cliff Richard, you've got the Stones,
0:46:20 > 0:46:23you've got Paul McCartney... You've got some great names in here.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26I mean, it is a very impressive autograph book.
0:46:26 > 0:46:32So how much do you think waiting at an airport for a day is worth?
0:46:32 > 0:46:34I know, it's incredible, really.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37What's Catherine's time worth, for a day waiting at an airport?
0:46:37 > 0:46:39Well, I mean, in those days, it didn't matter,
0:46:39 > 0:46:42I mean, I've waited for a day here at "Flog It!"
0:46:42 > 0:46:46- so there's not much difference. - This is very true.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50I mean, it was just so exciting, we couldn't believe that we were
0:46:50 > 0:46:53the only two fans who'd bothered to go up to the airport
0:46:53 > 0:46:56- and wait all day. - They do all obviously have a value,
0:46:56 > 0:46:59and we can put a value on each and every one of them.
0:46:59 > 0:47:00Having totted them all up, I think
0:47:00 > 0:47:04an appropriate auction estimate for them would be
0:47:04 > 0:47:08- somewhere in the region of £200 to £300.- That's amazing, really.
0:47:08 > 0:47:09Yeah. Brilliant, yeah.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13- I just think it's wonderful. Thank you so much for bringing it in.- Oh,
0:47:13 > 0:47:16- well, thank you.- It's been lovely to see and hear all about it, as well.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18Cos so often, as valuers, we see these books,
0:47:18 > 0:47:21but we never know the story, the human side behind it.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24It's just a faceless book, if you like.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26So hearing your stories, and hearing that you've collected these
0:47:26 > 0:47:29yourself is brilliant, so thank you so much for sharing that with us.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32And, I mean, for me, I've got the memories,
0:47:32 > 0:47:34which I can think of any time,
0:47:34 > 0:47:36whereas the book's just in a drawer, so...
0:47:38 > 0:47:41Catherine's stories of the swinging '60s alongside
0:47:41 > 0:47:44those autographs are priceless.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46It just goes to show, it's worth looking after things.
0:47:46 > 0:47:48One of my great loves, Elaine, as a young man,
0:47:48 > 0:47:51which really he got me into the whole psyche of antiques,
0:47:51 > 0:47:56and asking that question, "If it could talk, what could it tell us?",
0:47:56 > 0:48:00was using my metal detector, digging up metal,
0:48:00 > 0:48:04- which I had no idea what it was. - Yeah, very exciting.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07If I'd found these in the soil, I may have thought,
0:48:07 > 0:48:10"Well, it could be part of a tractor.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13"Maybe it could be part of a horse shoe."
0:48:13 > 0:48:19But of course, these objects have a pedigree and provenance,
0:48:19 > 0:48:21which is so important.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24If I put on a bit of a twang and became a pirate,
0:48:24 > 0:48:30what might romanticise people is, of course, they are pieces of eight.
0:48:30 > 0:48:31Yes.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34- Real treasure. Real booty. - Yeah, it's very exciting.
0:48:34 > 0:48:40But in 1707, that great 96-gun vessel HMS Association
0:48:40 > 0:48:46sunk off Sicily, and lost at sea were all of these pieces of eight,
0:48:46 > 0:48:49and of course, last century, unearthed
0:48:49 > 0:48:51in that great London saleroom...
0:48:51 > 0:48:53My boyfriend bought them as a gift, one for my father
0:48:53 > 0:48:57and one for myself, and from the original sale in 1969.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01Wonderful. And, of course, we can go back to 1707,
0:49:01 > 0:49:05when piracy was prolific on the high seas,
0:49:05 > 0:49:06and at that time,
0:49:06 > 0:49:10pieces of eight were really the world's first currency,
0:49:10 > 0:49:14which could be exchanged between continents, and also countries.
0:49:14 > 0:49:19And these are very well-worn, very far removed from looking
0:49:19 > 0:49:24like coins, but when it comes to treasure, this really is treasure,
0:49:24 > 0:49:28- and I love them. Yeah, I really do. So you've got the two.- Yes.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31I can see one casing is in good condition, which is yours,
0:49:31 > 0:49:33I presume.
0:49:33 > 0:49:34- What happened?- I can't lie.
0:49:34 > 0:49:38My father was more experienced than myself, and he kept his very well,
0:49:38 > 0:49:42and I was foolish and didn't keep mine in such good condition.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44Yeah, it's had some damp-proofing.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46You've taped it all up, but really,
0:49:46 > 0:49:49although when it comes to toys, the boxes are so important,
0:49:49 > 0:49:52but with these sleeves, they're not so important,
0:49:52 > 0:49:55because they are still evident as to what they represent,
0:49:55 > 0:49:56but, of course,
0:49:56 > 0:50:00what is the most important is these two wonderful pieces of eight.
0:50:00 > 0:50:04I think they're worth today, at auction...
0:50:04 > 0:50:07Got to be careful, because if they were in really great condition,
0:50:07 > 0:50:12they'd have been £1,000, if they were really clean and legible.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15So I would hope we could perhaps put them
0:50:15 > 0:50:19into the sale, perhaps with a guide price
0:50:19 > 0:50:21of between £200 and £300,
0:50:21 > 0:50:23- for the two together...- OK.
0:50:23 > 0:50:27..and perhaps put a fixed reserve on of £150.
0:50:27 > 0:50:31Yes, I think I'd like a reserve, just because it's been so exciting.
0:50:31 > 0:50:32Yeah.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36Swashbuckling tales of shipwreck and sunken treasure,
0:50:36 > 0:50:40conjured up by those tiny nuggets of ocean plunder.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43What a day we've had here at Sandon Hall.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45Everyone has thoroughly enjoyed themselves
0:50:45 > 0:50:49and our experts have found some real treasures, so sadly, it's time
0:50:49 > 0:50:53to say goodbye to this magnificent host location. Right now,
0:50:53 > 0:50:56we're dropping in on the auction room for the very last time.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00And here's a list of the treasures we're taking with us.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03This elegant necklace made for Derry's grandmother
0:51:03 > 0:51:04is a true one-off.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09A return visit to Sandon Hall for this elegant lady's pocket watch.
0:51:09 > 0:51:13A bargain for a lot of craftsmanship and history.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17And Catherine's autograph book includes what some collectors
0:51:17 > 0:51:19might consider a Holy Grail -
0:51:19 > 0:51:24all five of the original Rolling Stones, including Brian Jones.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30Elaine's pieces of eight are survivors of an incredible true tale
0:51:30 > 0:51:32of shipwreck and treasure.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38Back at the sale-room, first,
0:51:38 > 0:51:40it's Elaine's sunken treasure.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42Why would you want to sell, though?
0:51:42 > 0:51:44Um, well, they're just sort of sitting there, you know.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46They're not really doing anything, and "Flog It!"
0:51:46 > 0:51:48was coming to town. Could I resist you?
0:51:48 > 0:51:51- Not really.- Yeah. I think it's the first time ever
0:51:51 > 0:51:52we've had pieces of eight on the show.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55It's that romance. Pieces of eight, and here they are.
0:51:55 > 0:51:56Is that how you say it?
0:51:56 > 0:51:58IMITATES PARROT: "Pieces of eight. Pieces of eight."
0:51:58 > 0:52:00- Aye-aye, Captain.- Long John Silver.
0:52:00 > 0:52:04- Two pieces of eight...- Hold tight. - Sotheby's. HMS Association.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07Auctioned 1969. Ha-ha.
0:52:08 > 0:52:14There they are at £120. Two pieces of eight at 120. 130. 140.
0:52:14 > 0:52:21- At £140 now. At £140. All finished, then?- Come on. One more.
0:52:21 > 0:52:25- Oh, no. I'm walking the plank. - You are walking the plank, Charles.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28- I'm sinking fast.- Not today for those, I'm afraid. Lot 56.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33- We didn't sell... We were one bid away. One bid away.- One bid away!
0:52:33 > 0:52:36- I'm sorry. Sorry, Captain. - Well, it was so close, Charles.
0:52:36 > 0:52:37"Sorry, Captain"! Yes.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39Well, my son's over there. He'll inherit them.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Well, that... Hey, that's even better, isn't it?
0:52:41 > 0:52:43- A thumbs up, yeah. - Keep them in the family.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45Now Ann's pocket watch.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48Ann, I like this watch. I love this little lady's fob watch.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50It's not a lot of money, Charles.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53I know it's not top-quality, but it's still working, isn't it?
0:52:53 > 0:52:56- It is.- And very good condition. It's very usable.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58This is a steal for me at £40.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01If I could buy it, I would, because I think it's worth every penny.
0:53:01 > 0:53:02Hopefully it'll go for a lot more,
0:53:02 > 0:53:05- and then I won't be disappointed, and nor will you.- No.
0:53:05 > 0:53:06- And you'll be very happy.- Indeed.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08It's going under the hammer right now.
0:53:09 > 0:53:14OK, 135, the lady's sterling silver pocket watch at £30, now at 30.
0:53:14 > 0:53:20Where's five? At £30, it is, at 35 now. £35. At 35, 40, where?
0:53:20 > 0:53:25At £35... 35, we're going to sell it then, at £35.
0:53:25 > 0:53:26GAVEL BANGS
0:53:26 > 0:53:28Well it's gone, it's gone.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30Hopefully to someone who loves it and is going to use it.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34- Yeah, and it's been so lovely having the "Flog It!" experience.- Aww...
0:53:34 > 0:53:36So it's been wonderful.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39Well, the programme wouldn't work without people like you, or you,
0:53:39 > 0:53:42so if you've got anything like that, we would love to "Flog It!".
0:53:42 > 0:53:44Bring it along to one of our valuation days. Details of
0:53:44 > 0:53:47up-and-coming dates and venues you can find on our BBC website.
0:53:47 > 0:53:48If you don't have a computer,
0:53:48 > 0:53:51check the details in your local press, because fingers crossed,
0:53:51 > 0:53:54we're coming to an area very near you soon.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56So, dust 'em down, bring them in, we'll flog them.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01And here's another interesting item.
0:54:01 > 0:54:03GAVEL BANGS
0:54:03 > 0:54:06Good luck, Derry! This necklace belonged to your grandmother.
0:54:06 > 0:54:07Why are you selling this?
0:54:07 > 0:54:09Well, I've had it in a cupboard for 40 years,
0:54:09 > 0:54:10and what's the point, really?
0:54:10 > 0:54:12- Well, if you don't wear it... - Do you wear it?- No.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15May have worn it when I first had it, but wouldn't wear it now.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18- OK, will we get that top end? - Seriously hope so.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21I mean, it's a beautiful necklace. Really beautiful.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23And it's got its original box and it's just got everything
0:54:23 > 0:54:26- going for it, it's absolutely stunning.- And the condition's good.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28Yeah, it's in white gold, so it's very commercial.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30It's a lovely thing, a very lovely thing.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34- It's what people will pay for it. - This is true!- Fingers crossed!
0:54:34 > 0:54:35Let's find out what the bidders think,
0:54:35 > 0:54:37it's going under the hammer now.
0:54:39 > 0:54:40Lot 85, good lot, this.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43The 18-carat white gold and pearl
0:54:43 > 0:54:45pendant necklace at 100... 10...
0:54:45 > 0:54:48120... £120 now. At 120,
0:54:48 > 0:54:52at £120, 130 where?
0:54:52 > 0:54:57- Come on, come on, come on.- So are we all finished, then? At £120, at 120.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02- Not today for this one. - Didn't sell.- OK.- Do you know...
0:55:02 > 0:55:04It's a fashion thing.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06Well, thank goodness you protected it with a reserve.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08- Yeah, exactly right. - So we didn't let it go for nothing.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11- OK, so I haven't made my fortune. - Another day, another sale.- Aw!
0:55:13 > 0:55:15Well, that brings us to our final lot of the day.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18Catherine's included some signed photographs
0:55:18 > 0:55:21and fan letters to go alongside her autograph book.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24Catherine, I love these autographs.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27I'm a big Stones fan. I really am.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29You're either Beatles or you're The Stones.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31- The Stones.- Oh, Rolling Stones!
0:55:31 > 0:55:35- There is a Beatle in there, isn't there?- Yes, Paul McCartney.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38- Do you still listen to The Rolling Stones?- Oh, definitely.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40- Yeah, so do I. - I've got all their albums.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44Hopefully, hopefully we'll have some rock and roll fans here.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46- Rock and roll memorabilia, here we go.- Here we go.- This is it.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53Lot 200 is the collection of rock and pop autographs.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56- to include the Rolling Stones of course, as well...- Rolling who?
0:55:56 > 0:55:59- I'm joking, I'm joking! - ..various other signatures...
0:55:59 > 0:56:03So I can start here 170, 80, 190... £190 now, 190.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06£190, 200, 210.
0:56:06 > 0:56:12220... Internet now. At 230, 240, 250, at 260. Still going up, 270.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15280, 290, 300.
0:56:15 > 0:56:22- At 320.- That's fantastic!- At £320, 320, 340, 360, 380, £400.
0:56:22 > 0:56:27- At £400, at 420, 440.- This is more like it.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31460, 480. £500, 550. 550?
0:56:31 > 0:56:33Are you all right?!
0:56:33 > 0:56:36600. At £600? At £600.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40All finished, then. No? 650.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42- At £650.- Still going!
0:56:42 > 0:56:46One more, internet? Yes. 700. £700.
0:56:46 > 0:56:47At £700.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50700. 50 again, yes or no?
0:56:50 > 0:56:54At £700. Selling it, then, at £700.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57Anybody else at £700? All done, 700...
0:56:59 > 0:57:01GAVEL BANGS
0:57:01 > 0:57:03- Well done!- Oh, fantastic! Well done, you!
0:57:03 > 0:57:05Thank you for bringing those in. Big, big Stones fan.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07Thank you for inviting me to come along.
0:57:07 > 0:57:10Aww, you go back and put the album on and put it on full volume.
0:57:10 > 0:57:11I do that in the car -
0:57:11 > 0:57:13it's the only chance I can listen to The Rolling Stones,
0:57:13 > 0:57:16cos, you know, my kids don't like it, my wife doesn't like it -
0:57:16 > 0:57:17I get in the car and I go, "Yeah!"
0:57:17 > 0:57:20All of a sudden I feel like Mick Jagger.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22But that was, I mean, you waited there for so long,
0:57:22 > 0:57:24- didn't you, at the airport? - Oh, yeah.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27But that's what you do when you're a dedicated fan...
0:57:27 > 0:57:29- When you're a fan, absolutely... - There was no-one else there.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32Anyway, thank you so much for bringing that in.
0:57:32 > 0:57:33Great way to end today's show.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36We really topped the charts, didn't we, with that one?
0:57:36 > 0:57:39I hope enjoyed it. Join us again soon for many more surprises.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42But until then, from Shrewsbury, it's goodbye.