Sandon Hall 3 Flog It!

This beautiful stately home, surrounded by wooded parkland

just a few miles north of Stafford, is Sandon Hall,

the ancestral home of the Harrowbys.

It's been in the same family for nine generations -

that's 250 years of British history.

It's the perfect location for Flog It! Welcome to the show.

The almost Gothic appearance of Sandon Hall doesn't quite

prepare you for the riot of light and colour inside.

This rare Chinese wallpaper is all hand-painted

and every single bird is different.

Sandon Hall is a stern-looking building

built in the neo-Jacobean style, very popular with the Victorians.

And in keeping with its style,

this stately crowd have turned up, laden with antiques

and collectables, here to see our experts to find out what it's worth.

And if you're happy with the valuations,

-what are you going to do? CROWD:

-Flog It!

Helping them to do just that are experts, Charles Hanson...

I'm going over here. It's often the back of the queue where the treasures are really lurking.

Oh, Charles, someone's beaten you to it.

-Quickly, before Charlie Hanson comes over.

-It's Christina Trevanion.

Let's sticker everyone back here, you're all mine!

And now they can't give it away.

-Is it a "Flog it" for you today or...?

-Oh, yes, yeah, yeah, definitely.

-I think it's one for you.

-I think it's one for you.

-I think it's your type.

-I think it's definitely...

Chill out, guys, there's plenty for everyone.

First, let's see what's coming up on today's show.

Christina's transported back to the swinging '60s.

-This book does read a bit like a Who's Who of the 1960s music scene.

-Exactly.

For once, we're speechless at the auction room.

Huh.

And I find out about some fabulous females at Sandon Hall.

-I'll let you into a secret, too.

-What are you going to tell me?

And now it's time to get this massive crowd inside.

We've literally taken over all of the ground floor.

Hundreds of people have turned up.

We need to find some treasures of our very own to take off to auction.

And we're going to make a start, right now, with Charles Hanson.

Margaret, what an amazing object.

-Thank you.

-It frivolous.

It's floral.

-It's almost outrageous.

-Yeah!

Where did it come from?

-A boot sale. I paid a pound for it.

-Recently?

About a year ago.

May I come with you next time to the car boot?

Because it would have been one of a pair.

-Maybe the pair has long since been demolished...

-Yeah.

-..and broken...

-Yeah.

-..and lost in time.

-Any ideas how old this is?

-'30s.

-You're right.

-But 1830s.

-18?!

-Absolutely.

-God.

So we're going back to a time when William IV was King of England

and to a time when we saw the early Victorians reviving

the fashion for rococo.

-And in this room, here, look at the wallpaper behind us.

-Yeah.

-It's frivolous.

It's chinoiserie.

And this is the Victorians almost reviving the vigour of the rococo.

On the bottom, there's no markings at all...

No, that's what I couldn't understand. There's no marking on there.

No, it's what we generically call Coalbrookdale.

And, of course, Coalbrookdale was a Staffordshire, or even Shropshire,

factory founded near Ironbridge in the late 18th century.

And by 1813 the factory was obviously wanting to

be at the forefront of design.

And it really is that. Because look at the flowers.

All these mouldings have been hand-applied

onto the actual body of the porcelain.

It really is, to me, a work of art.

We have got some issues.

-The tip of the handle...

-Yeah.

-..here, has been lost.

-There's a hairline crack on the rim...

-Yeah.

-..there. You got losses here.

-Yeah.

You've got chips to the flowers,

but it's just a real glint of joy, in my eyes.

Yeah, and I think by the time

we're that age, we'll have a few chips and dents.

Well, I have already, trust me.

-Does this go in your decor? Is it your style at home?

-Not really, no.

But I love anything that, I think, took a long time to make.

Why would those holes be in there?

-To show the extreme quality of what these potters could achieve.

-Yeah.

It was almost a dare, this vase.

-It was daring...

-Yeah.

-..and they achieved it

-and you want to flog it?

-Yeah.

These were making far more in the 1970s, '80s,

-when we thought a bit more about the traditional.

-Yeah.

I think if I can guide it perhaps between 30 and £40.

-That's OK.

-And perhaps put a fixed reserve at 25,

but I love it for what it represents.

-OK, then.

-Let's go for it.

-Yeah.

-All set?

-Yeah.

-Hold tight. Can't wait.

A car boot fan to start the show.

Now, let's see what Christina's unearthed.

Helen, this is a very eclectic little mix of coins

-you've brought to me here.

-Yes.

-They've come through the family and that's how we've got them.

-OK, all right.

-So, you, sort of, inherited all these?

-Yes.

-OK.

So, this one here is the earliest

-and, I think, the most fascinating.

-Right.

It's what we call a long cross penny.

But the thing, for me, that I find quite fascinating...

We've got this wonderful little portrait

of what looks to be a little boy with curly hair and a crown on.

Well, THAT is Edward II.

-He doesn't look particularly regal there, does he?

-No.

But he dates to about 1307 to 1327.

That's when he reigned.

And that, I mean, most normal people at that date

wouldn't often see a portrait of their monarch.

So, it was fascinating to them to have this portrait on a coin.

It was really the only way that it could be reinforced that this was your monarch.

Where did that come from?

Well, it was from our land which has a path through to the church,

so we presumed that it must have been, you know,

when people were walking to church.

-Ah. OK, so it was found?

-Yes.

-You'd be gutted when you looked for your collection money and then...

-And that was it.

But I do find this quite fascinating.

There is 700 years worth of history here, in the form of this coin

and, often, from this period there was a bit of a practice

going on called coin clipping.

-Right. Yes.

-And that's because this coin is made of solid silver.

People would clip just the sides off the coin.

So, they'd be taking a little bit of silver

-and it was still worth the same amount of money even if it was clipped.

-Right.

But, obviously,

these rather skullduggerous people, if they were, would be

collecting all these little bits of silver which, individually,

wouldn't be worth a huge amount,

-but imagine if you did that to a few hundred coins?

-Yes.

-I mean, that would be worth doing, wouldn't it?

-Yes.

-Especially during those times.

There was huge poverty in places.

It was a very tumultuous period.

If we move on to the gold coin,

here, if we turn it over,

we've got a picture of George III and it says round the edge, here,

"Georgius III" and, then,

if we turn him back that way,

we've got a nice little date on the bottom here,

which I think says 1797.

Now, it is quite worn. You can still get these where you see, literally,

-every wisp and every strand of hair.

-Right.

You can still get them in perfect condition.

And if they're like that, they are wonderfully collectable

-and incredibly valuable.

-Yes.

If they're in this condition, unfortunately, it is going to be

-just the gold value...

-Yes.

-..because these are made of 22-carat gold.

-Yes.

So they do have an intrinsic value to them as well.

Again, if they've been mounted or they've been turned into a pendant like this,

-coin collectors are really quite purist about it...

-Yes.

..and they don't like things that have been turned into pendants.

And then we've got this shilling here, dated 1896,

which I THINK is an African one. Is that right?

Yes, South African, yes.

My maternal grandfather was in the Boer War.

Er, so, I presume it's come from there.

Again, cos it's been turned into a pendant,

-coin collectors won't be interested...

-No.

-..in it, sadly, any more.

-So, unfortunately, we don't have a huge amount of value.

-No.

I have sold quite a few little long cross pennies

and although they are incredibly old,

-I mean, the last one I sold, I think, made about £30.

-Yes.

-So your main value is the gold value...

-Yes.

..in this wonderful gold George III coin here.

And I think, as a group, we're probably looking

-somewhere in the region of maybe 150 to £200.

-Yes.

-How do you feel about that?

-That sounds very good to me. Yes.

-Would that be all right?

-Yes, that would be fine.

-And we'll hope that gold price zooms up between now and the auction.

-Yes.

-Keep everything crossed.

-Thank you very much.

While the valuations are going on,

I've met up with Caroline Sandon, the current lady of the house,

to hear about the achievements of some of her predecessors,

starting with the 2nd Countess who lived here in the early 1800s.

She is the daughter of the 1st Marquess of Bute,

Frances Coutts Stuart. And she's absolutely lovely.

She's holding the future 3rd Earl,

and I think it's the most serene portrait.

However, the 2nd Countess was, actually, quite imperious.

They lived a lot of the time in Italy and when they came

back from Italy, they were going to rebuild Sandon Hall

and they commissioned the architect William Burn to build this

marvellous, huge, neo-Jacobean house.

Now, Countess decided that having lived in Italy,

-she wanted large, Italian windows in her neo-Jacobean house.

-Sure.

And William Burn's pride was extremely hurt

and for the next two years,

apparently, they sacked each other,

about 20 times, before finally

coming to resolution and guess who won?

-She did.

-LAUGHTER

-And, in fact, we have huge, Italianate windows...

-Yeah.

..and that is why and it's all her legacy so I am very grateful to her.

I think women are so underrated in the 18th and 19th century

and these women were quite powerful women and, actually, the next

woman I've chosen was equally powerful and did some great things.

Well, let's have a look.

This is the 5th Countess who was the daughter of a rather

famous bookseller, WH Smith.

Oh, yes, I've heard of them.

Absolutely. I think most people have.

-What was her name?

-Mabel.

And she did two things which she should take huge credit for.

The first was that she opened a club in London

for overseas officers from all over the Empire

so that when they were on leave, the trenches or wherever,

they had somewhere to come back to,

and then Sandon itself became a Red Cross hospital,

-auxiliary hospital, during the First World War...

-OK.

-..and she was an enormous part of that,

so she was absolutely a tremendous woman.

I like the photograph

and I've just noticed it's taken a month before the Great War.

-You've got Mabel there.

-That's her. In the centre, there.

-She is. Lord Harrowby, my husband's great-grandmother.

-Gosh.

-This is how life was in the great houses before the Great War.

-Mm-hm.

And then, of course, everything changed and by the end

of the Great War, half of these beautiful young men were dead.

They say a picture tells a thousand stories

and it's certainly true here at Sandon Hall.

Now, back at the valuation tables, Charles is a happy boy.

-George, good to see you today.

-Good to see you.

And you've brought in a really interesting collection of wheels. Tell me about them.

It's just what I've picked up at the car boot for the last five years.

And had you gone there looking for these early, tin-plate,

-clockwork toys?

-No.

-Or have you just been an enthusiast of all sorts?

-All sorts.

-Have you had some good finds over the years?

-I have, yeah.

-What's been your best find?

-Mainly little gadgets.

-Really?

-I'm very much a gadget man, myself, so...

-Are you?

-I'm a phone engineer by trade, so...

-Are you, phone?

-Mm-hm.

Wow, and that, obviously, I suppose

goes quite well with the technical nature of what were

fairly mass-produced toys.

-Yes.

-Have you a favourite?

-I'd say that one.

-This gorgeous Express Transport vehicle here.

-Have you done much detective work into them at all?

-A little.

And what does this one tell you here?

-I think it's from the '30s. Maybe mid-'30s.

-Yeah.

-I mean, they are so simply made, aren't they?

-Yeah.

Here's your clockwork, wind-up.

-This one, I think, is still working.

-They all work, yeah.

-On the wire.

Then, of course, off it goes like that

and it's still expressing its speed in that regard.

They're really...

It's a really nice collection.

Obviously, we've got the later Betal toys for girls

and boys and they're just wonderful, aren't they?

General transport, tin-plate with the wind-up key as well.

Aren't they neat? And this one,

I think...I think my father had one of these.

So, it just brings back, I suppose,

that childhood memory, doesn't it? They're good.

Clearly, from the advertising slogans of what they're selling

on the exterior, they are all British,

they are all in that second quarter of the 20th century.

Competitors with Germany and France in making similar

vehicles of this clockwork type in that period.

Now, they are what we call play worn.

We can see, perhaps, some of them have been left outside,

they've, perhaps, had some weathering.

They've suffered wear and tear and, to me,

condition, often, is part of its journey.

It's had a life.

They've been enjoyed, but to collectors who are pernickety

when it comes to condition, they want the very best in this field.

So, my advice would be, because of their condition,

I would sell them as one lot. What have you spent on these tin-plate...?

-About £75.

-Have you? Well done.

I think we would put them in a sale

with a guide price between 80 and £120.

-Let's flog it!.

-Exactly. Can't wait. Can't wait.

It just proves there's still treasure at car-boot sales.

Well, here in Staffordshire, anyway.

And now Christina's stepped outside for her next item.

Alison, the thing I love about this mug is how much fun

these guys look like they're having.

-They do, don't they?

-It's just fab, isn't it?

I mean, they are having a proper party on here.

You've got some chap falling off a log.

I mean, he's obviously had a few too many, hasn't he?

Some chappie riding a horse over here,

who looks like he's telling everyone what they should be doing.

-I mean, it's a wonderful village scene, isn't it?

-Yes.

-From 1903.

-Mm-hm.

-Where did it come from?

-Well, that's a very good question.

My grandfather picked it up at some random auction or other,

and it's been in the family as far back as I can remember...

-OK.

-..and, you know, it's eventually come down to me.

-Mm-hm. And you've inherited it, and now it's here today.

-It is, indeed.

Well, when I first saw this, I have to confess I thought,

"Hmm, that looks continental."

Because this sort of quite high emboss work here,

with the sort of background... is often continental,

and we do see it, sort of early 20th century...

-A lot was imported from Holland...

-Yes.

..and the Low Countries, and we do see it in this country,

and it was reassayed.

-It was imported into this country and reassayed...

-OK.

..and I've had a really good look, because often,

when it was reassayed, when it was an import,

they would stamp it F for foreign, which isn't very inventive,

-really, F for foreign, but...

-No, but it's obvious.

..that's what they did. Exactly. Yes, and we like that.

So if we look at the mark I would expect to see

that magic foreign F,

and if we have a really good look, we've got GNRH, those initials

in that shield shape there, which is for George Nathan and Ridley Hayes.

We've got the lion passant for Sterling silver,

three little wheat sheaves, which is the town mark for Chester,

and that, funnily enough, was also my school badge,

those wheat sheaves for Chester.

-ALISON LAUGHS

-And then we've got the date letter,

which is a curly, curly C, which is for 1903.

-Right.

-So no F.

-No F.

So it must have been a British piece of silver,

which really surprises me. It's a little mug,

and probably would have been used as a christening mug,

or a presentation mug.

The only thing that concerns me is we've got a little bit of a dent,

here, which is slightly worrying,

and you can also, on the high points,

it has been cleaned quite vigorously, and the silver

has actually worn away, so we've got a couple of little...

That'll have been my gran.

-Oh, really? Was she a good silver cleaner?

-Yes.

-She gave it plenty of welly?

-Yes.

But, I mean,

I wouldn't hesitate to put about £50 to £100 on that at auction.

-I think it's a great thing. Would you be happy with that?

-Yes.

-Happy to flog it for that?

-Yes.

-And would you like a reserve on it?

-I would.

-What would you like your reserve to be, my love?

-Um...

-Would 50 be realistic?

-I think £50 reserve is realistic.

I think if we put an estimate of 50 to 100,

maybe a discretionary reserve of 50 just in case we should need it...

-Mm-hm.

-..but I think it's a lovely thing, and I wish I went

to a few more parties that looked like they were as much fun as that.

-Absolutely.

-THEY LAUGH

Staffordshire is such a beautiful county.

Shugborough Hall, the ancestral home of the Anson family,

is set in a vast estate of beautifully landscaped grounds,

and it's a fitting backdrop to the incredible career

of one of its 18th-century sons.

Mucking about with boats rates pretty highly

on my list of things to do.

I just love it, something I've probably got in common

with a young boy who grew up here,

and probably played at this very spot.

He grew up to sail real ships across real oceans.

In fact, he became only the second Englishman

to circumnavigate the world.

His name is George Anson, and he grew up here at Shugborough.

He was born in 1697.

It was his elder brother Thomas who would inherit the family title

and estates, so, like all second sons,

George had to seek other employment.

So he joined the Royal Navy at the age of 14,

quickly working his way up the ranks to his first command

at the young age of 22, on a ship called the Weasel.

Fortunately, this dreadful name for a vessel didn't affect

the rest of his career.

Eventually, he became First Lord of the Admiralty,

but it was his epic voyage around the world in 1740

for which he's most remembered.

At the time of Anson's voyage around the world in 1740,

Britain was engaged in a brutal and bloodthirsty war at sea with Spain.

The aim was to weaken Spain's dominance over the trading markets

of South America, and in doing so, give us greater access

to its natural resources, its precious metals -

particularly, silver.

The fleet that set sail from England under Anson's command

consisted of six warships, led by his flagship HMS Centurion,

a formidable fighting ship capable of heavy-duty firepower.

But this was no ordinary military campaign.

Anson's orders, delivered to him on behalf of King George II,

included instructions for a secret mission -

to attack a Spanish treasure ship laden with Peruvian silver,

as it made its way across the Pacific from Acapulco.

But between them

and those spoils of war lay the tempestuous seas of Cape Horn...

..notorious for foul weather, violent gales, and thunderous waves.

Battered by relentless storms,

two of Anson's ships turned back to England.

Their captains were later to face charges for desertion.

A third ship was washed up onto the rocks off an island

off the coast of Chile.

When Anson finally reached China, he was left with one vessel,

the Centurion, and a handful of men - some of whom, it was noted,

had turned mad.

Returning to England under these disastrous circumstances

would have certainly marked the end of his naval career.

Now, whether Anson's next decision was one of pure genius

or sheer desperation, it's impossible to tell,

but he decides to have one last attempt at catching up

with the Spanish treasure ship as it was crossing

the Pacific from Acapulco to Manila.

Now, despite being in a patched-up ship with a crew

of just over 200 men, half the size of a normal crew,

Anson had the self-belief

and the determination to command his crew to capture the Spanish vessel.

As shown in this painting, Anson advanced on the enemy,

and, at extremely close quarters,

engaged the Spanish ship in fierce combat.

Someone with first-hand experience of battle at sea

is Rear Admiral Christopher Layman.

With 35 years in the Royal Navy, he is also an expert on Anson's voyage.

So talk me through what happened when these ships finally engaged.

The chief difference between the two was that

he was tremendously undermanned. He only had 200 men on board,

and he should have had double that number, really,

so he couldn't man all the guns.

But he made the most of it, and his tactics were brilliant.

There was no question of firing a proper broadside,

which is firing all the guns off together, so instead of a guns crew

-allocated to each gun, they had roving gangs...

-Right, OK.

-..that went from gun to gun.

-Relay, like a tag team?

-In a relay.

-It was desperate. They had to do it that way.

-It was desperate.

Fighting for their lives, but they were also fighting for a fortune,

because they all knew this was the Spanish treasure galleon.

He'd been training for this for a month, you know?

He'd been tacking up and down at the point, here,

where he was expecting the galleon to arrive.

Around the Philippines.

That's right.

And he got 30 of his best marksmen and put them in the tops,

trained them every day, firing at targets,

-rewarding the ones who were most accurate...

-Yeah.

..and, of course, they did tremendous damage.

-In the rigging, firing down...

-Picking off people.

Picking off people, and first of all, I imagine,

-accounting for the marksmen in the other ship...

-Yes.

..in the other rigging.

At least, that's the order I would do things.

Get them out first, then get the officers...

-That's right.

-..and then get the guys firing the cannons.

-Exactly.

And, of course, while the musketeers

were doing their work from the tops,

the heavy guns were hammering the ship.

-Right along the bow.

-That's right.

-Very effective tactics.

-Mm.

-And...

-With one of those?

With one of these, and to be at the business end of that

when it arrives is not a good place to be.

You wouldn't know about it, would you?

That would go through the port side and out the starboard, would it?

It might well do that, and if you knew nothing about it,

you were one of the lucky ones.

The others, who are wounded, mostly by splinters, probably...

Yes, cos that would ricochet.

Huge splinters come from shipside,

and give a nasty wound to anybody in the way.

Very effective tactics. Worked very well.

She surrendered with all the treasure intact.

And each crewman, I gather, gets a part of that reward?

-He certainly does. A huge prize...

-Is it?

..which would set him up for life.

Capturing the Spanish ship sealed Anson's reputation

as a great military commander when he returned to England.

It took a staggering 32 wagons to transport the chests of treasure,

containing mostly gold and silver coins, to the Tower of London,

with an estimated worth, in today's money, of £15 million.

The Spanish treasure ship was the greatest prize ever captured at sea.

Not only had Anson delivered the gold the King of England

asked him to fight for, but in doing so, he circumnavigated

the globe, ensuring his fame as well as his wealth.

Now, and here's a quick reminder of what we're taking to auction.

Nearly 200 years old,

this floral extravaganza in porcelain may have a few chips,

but it's still a spectacular example of local pottery.

Helen's coin collection travels even further back in history.

Just imagine losing the cross penny all those hundreds of years ago.

And George should reap the rewards

of building up his terrific collection

of early 20th century tin-plate toys from car-boot sales.

The scene on this pretty silver christening mug

put Christina in the mood to party.

Well, the sun is shining and I've got a good feeling about today,

because it is auction time

and this is where we're putting those valuations to the test -

Halls Auctioneers' brand-new,

purpose-built saleroom just on the outskirts of Shrewsbury.

We're going inside now to catch up with the auction action. Sit tight.

Anything can happen.

Jeremy Lamond is our auctioneer today

and the commission here is 19% plus VAT.

First up, it's Helen's coin collection.

Heads or tails - it's your choice.

I've just been joined by Helen and Christina.

Going under the hammer, we have some money. Those coins.

The long cross penny, George III gold coin and the shilling.

-We want top dollar for this money, don't we?

-We do, yes.

-Top shilling.

Why are you selling, anyway?

Well, I really went to find out about the valuation,

-and then it all goes on!

-Oh, you got your arm twisted, did you?

-I pounced.

-Hey, good choice, though, good choice.

-I love this lot, yeah.

Yeah, very good lot. Fingers crossed

there's 200 bidders here who feel likewise.

Lot 45.

-I can start this one at £150.

-Ooh.

At 150. At £150. At 150. 160, where?

At £150, are we all done, then? At 150.

-Maiden bid.

-Selling at 150.

Straight out.

-It's not always that easy, is it?

-No, it isn't, is it?

-Fantastic. Well done.

-You're very happy with that, aren't you?

-That's fine. Thank you very much.

-Oh, brilliant, brilliant.

Short, but sweet.

Now, it's Margaret's Coalbrookdale vase.

Margaret got this at a car-boot sale a year ago for £1.

Yeah, and we're going to turn that £1 into 40 right now. Aren't we?

-Hopefully.

-We are. We are. You love your car boots, don't you?

-Yeah, I do.

-And, hopefully, we can send you back there with 30 or 40 quid in your pocket. Ready, Charles?

-I'm ready. Absolutely right.

-Let's do it. Here we go.

Who's going to start me at £30 for it? 30. 30 on the internet.

-Great.

-£30 I've got.

At £35 now. 40.

At £40, it's an internet bid.

At £40. Selling, then, at £40.

-Well done, you.

-Yeah.

-Where is this car-boot sale?

-Are we all allowed to know?

-Erm...

Is it a secret?

Yeah!

Wherever it is, I'm sure Margaret will be heading back for more bargains.

Next, it's Alison's silver christening mug.

-It was your grandfather's, wasn't it?

-Yes.

Was he ever christened with it? Was it a present...?

No, it was something he picked up at an auction.

Oh, he loved the auction scene, did he?

-Do you like auctions?

-This is the first one I've ever been to.

Is it really?

Oh, my goodness.

Have you got your eye on anything at all?

Uh, no. No, I daren't.

Keep your hands down, or else you might buy something.

Silver christening mug, Chester, 1903. There it is.

I'll start the bidding here at £50...

Oh, brilliant. There we go, straightaway.

..at £50. To a commission at £50. At £50 to a commission bid.

-Come on, a bit more.

-At £50. At 50.

All finished, then, at £50.

Selling... 5. Just in time. At £55. At 55.

GAVEL BANGS

-Done. 55.

-55. Little bit over bottom estimate.

-Yes. Well, somebody will enjoy it.

-Yes, let's hope so.

Well, it wasn't doing anything in your cabinet, was it?

It certainly wasn't.

Now for George's tin-plate toys.

George, I've got to keep my fingers crossed for you,

cos I think this one's going to be tight.

The tin-plate toys. I loved them to bits,

but they're a little bit play-worn for the collectors,

-aren't they? And how much did you pay?

-£75.

-75 quid at a car boot.

We've got to get your money back. We're looking for 80 plus.

We are, yes, and they are play-worn.

-Yeah.

-But it's the man's heritage.

-OK.

-Over the years, you've bought them. They're great.

OK. We're going to put them to the test. Here we go.

240. Various mid-20th-century,

tin-plate, clockwork toys.

I can start this lot at £75.

75. Great.

It's on the net, now, at £100.

110. 120. 130. 130 now.

140 in the room. 150 on the net.

160 in the room. 170.

170. It's an internet bid, now.

180, internet, still. 190, now.

At 190. 200. 210. 220.

220. £220. Are we all finished? 230.

-240. 240.

-Amazing.

-£240.

-I'm speechless.

-I am, as well.

-Just shows what you find in car boots.

-£240.

Selling to an internet bidder.

All finished, then. At £240. 240.

KNOCKS HAMMER

£240. Hammer's gone down. Well done, you.

-You took me by surprise - and you.

-Very much so.

That's just incredible.

The collectors overlooked the condition. There was something they really wanted in that lot,

and they just got it. And so did you!

You got 240 quid. You made a big profit.

-Is it back to the car boot?

-On Sunday.

-On Sunday. Well done.

Look out for Margaret! That's our first visit to the auction.

Now, before we return to our valuation day venue to find

some more treasures to put under the hammer here,

I'm going to be the curious house guest and find out

something about some of the women in Sandon's history.

Looking back through British history,

you could be forgiven for thinking it's a man's world.

Well, it's certainly a male-dominated one, judging by the portraits

you come across at most stately homes, like here,

in the Great Hall at Sandon.

But we know that's only half the story and only half the history.

Here at Sandon Hall,

it's the women of the family who are first to greet you.

Dominating the Great Hall is this painting of the Three Graces -

in this case, the three daughters

of Thomas Coutts, the famous London banker.

Now, not only is this is painting of women,

but it's also a painting BY a woman -

Angelika Kauffmann,

one of the rising stars of the 18th-century art world,

and the fact that this is the first thing you see

when entering this great house

says a lot about the importance of women to this family.

It was commissioned by Thomas Coutts

during a visit to Angelika Kauffmann's studio

in Rome, in 1791.

To find out more about the artist,

I'm joined by art historian Dr Clare Barlow.

For a woman to succeed in the 18th century

as a professional artist was a very unusual thing.

How did Angelika discover her talent for painting?

Well, she's very fortunate in that

she has an extremely enlightened father,

and her father is also a painter,

and she grows up in Switzerland

and Italy and has an amazing exposure to the arts.

Crucially, the major problem for women in the arts is that they

can't attend life-drawing classes,

because it would be indecorous

-for them to see naked bodies.

-Sure.

But, because he takes her to Rome,

she's able to learn from the classical sculptures,

and learn anatomy, and that proves absolutely crucial to her career.

She benefits from the fact that in the 18th century,

there's a real desire to celebrate female talent.

And although it's harder for a woman to get launched,

once she is launched, there's a huge audience

-who are desperate...

-Everybody's interested.

..to appreciate her work.

Yes! And she has this unique selling point, which is

really helpful for her.

I mean, just looking at that, you can see

she is an exceptional talent, can't you?

Oh, she absolutely is, and one of the lovely things about it, too,

is it's a portrait of WOMEN, by Angelika Kauffmann.

Kauffmann is really famous for her depictions of women, and that

makes her the perfect artist to be promoting these girls.

And some of the young sitters would be more comfortable with

a female artist as well.

And some of the families too, because, of course,

painting is seen as a slightly erotic art,

that, you know, you have to really pay attention to the sitter,

and really think about what they look like,

and obviously, taking your eligible

young ladies to a female artist

is, perhaps, more decorous.

And it's fascinating!

The fact that they're in front of a bust of Minerva,

that's very significant, because they don't only have beauty,

And they clearly have wealth because they're being depicted by such

a fashionable artist, but they also, in Minerva, have wisdom.

She's the Goddess of Chastity and the Goddess of Wisdom,

and I think that suggests their father is really promoting them

-as having the whole package.

-Do we know what happened to the girls?

Well, we know that they made extremely good marriages,

so clearly it worked!

But it's Frances, the middle daughter, who's the connection

to the Harrowby family.

She marries First Marquess of Bute

-and it's her daughter who marries the second Earl of Harrowby.

-Right.

-So that's why it's here.

-Absolutely.

Sandon Hall has another great painting that puts women

centre stage -

this striking portrait of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu,

the pioneering 18th-century traveller,

famous for her writings about the Middle East.

Unfortunately, the original is behind the scenes at the moment,

we can't see it, so this is a photographic copy.

Is Lady Mary well known?

She is one of the absolute celebrities

of the early 18th century.

Certainly in her day, she was remarkably famous.

Who's the little black boy?

There is a sort of convention in some Western portraits,

of having elegant ladies with a black page boy in attendance.

Actually, in the Ottoman Empire,

child slaves tended to be white, rather than black.

I mean, I think this could possibly be a reference

to the exoticism of the environment that she's coming from.

Her husband is the Ambassador to Turkey.

And she goes with him.

Because she's a woman, she can go into spaces which men

can't go, like the harem, and that becomes this whole sensation.

And when she comes back to London,

Turkish fashion becomes THE most popular masquerade dress.

-But I'll let you into a secret, too.

-OK, go on, what's that?

If you met Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, her face wouldn't have

looked like the face in the portrait,

because, as a young woman, she'd had smallpox, and that had left her with

terrible scarring, and it had also meant that she had no eyelashes.

-Oh, dear.

-Which was terribly sad.

But it didn't hold her back in the slightest.

Through what I can only imagine is force of character,

she still managed to launch this amazing career,

and possibly partly because of her own experience, she helped

to bring smallpox inoculations back from Turkey with her

and she helped to encourage British aristocrats back in England

to have their children inoculated.

-So she saved a lot of lives.

-Wise lady!

-She was definitely the "It girl" of the day, wasn't she?

-Absolutely.

Well, I certainly enjoyed looking at these items here at Sandon Hall

and hearing about the Harrowby women connection to them.

They certainly show that history is as full of interesting women,

as it is men.

Welcome back to our magnificent

valuation day venue location, Sandon Hall.

As you can see, there are still hundreds of people here.

We need to find some more antiques to take off to auction, so we're

going to make a start right now

as we catch up with Christina Trevanion.

Christina stepped outside for her next item, where the

dress code today is...purple.

Isn't it lovely to be outside in the fresh air? It's got

so busy in there that it's actually really rather nice

-just to be in these wonderful gardens.

-Yes, lovely.

Isn't it beautiful?

Very like your stunning necklace

that you've brought in to me

today, which is probably the most

understated, most elegant,

beautiful piece of jewellery that I've seen for a long, long time.

-That's very nice, thank you.

-Do you wear it?

-No.

-You should, why...?

-Don't think I ever have worn it.

-You've NEVER worn it?

-Don't wear jewellery.

Well, I certainly wouldn't wear

anything as delicate as that, to be honest.

It's not my sort of thing.

So tell me, where's it come from, how did it come to you?

My father's mother gave it to me probably 40-odd years ago.

I think it's stunning, I really do.

We've got this very delicate little 18-carat gold chain here.

Now, we know it's 18-carat, because on this bolt ring

clasp at the back, there's a little pad to the right that says "18 CT".

-Yes.

-So 750 parts of gold per thousand so it makes it

quite a substantial gold content to it.

And it's quite a long chain, and then it's terminated

by these really very beautiful three graduated pearls.

I personally would say stylistically,

it dates from the sort of 1920s,

1930s, would that make sense with it being... Was it your granny's?

It was my granny's.

She had a department store, effectively, at the time, in Devizes.

She'd done very well for herself.

SHE had a department store?

-She OWNED a department store?

-Yes, it was hers.

-Wow.

-She was an entrepreneur.

-In the 1920s?

-Yes.

She started off life as a milliner in the streets of London

-and worked her way up to ending up with her own store.

-Wow!

-Pretty special, isn't it?

-I think so, yeah.

Certainly, my father was always very impressed with her.

-I bet!

-She frightened the life out of me, but...!

That's what happens, isn't it?

Frightening.

And this was a gift TO her?

It was a gift to her from the wife of a jeweller

and I understand that he made that for her.

Specifically for her? Really, in the 1920s, using this white gold,

was quite a new thing. Traditionally, up until that point,

jewellery was very much in yellow gold and it's representing

that era of freedom that we're coming into, post-First World War.

-Yes.

-For me, as a jewellery expert,

it seems really sad that it's not going to see the light of day,

and I'm sad that you're not going to wear it,

because these pearls here need the natural oils from your skin.

-Ah!

-They need to be lubricated in that sense to keep them

-from cracking.

-So it needs to be worn.

-It NEEDS to be worn, yes.

-I mean, I'll volunteer, frankly.

-It'd suit you very well.

-I think it's beautiful.

-Try it on.

So, commercially, it does have a value.

A lot of young people do like white gold, I'm personally...

Well, I don't really cast myself as young any more, I prefer

-yellow gold, but white gold is what the market wants.

-Good.

So, I think a sensible auction estimate for it would be somewhere

in the region maybe of £150 to £200. What's your thoughts about that?

-That would be fine, no problem at all.

-Would that be all right?

I mean, it's a beautiful thing, I'm fairly sure it will sail away

-and find a new home. In fact, I wish

-I

-could buy it.

-It's beautiful.

-Thank you very much.

Back indoors, let's see what Charles has turned up.

Now, I saw you in the queue outside that imposing facade

which is Sandon Hall, and what excited me is this clock still ticking now,

this pocket watch, and, of course, it was ticking many years ago

-when this really was a home for a family.

-That's correct, yes.

The watch belongs to my mother-in-law, Dorothy, and Dorothy

and her husband George were working here for the Earl and Countess.

Dorothy was a maid to the Countess,

and George was the chauffeur.

-Really?

-And so while they were living here,

then the watch would be here on the premises.

And tell me, we're talking about the Earl and Countess,

take me back, how far are we going in Sandon's history?

To when they were living and working here.

They were living here in the 1950s,

through to the early '60s,

so most of the '50s.

My husband was brought up here, at the hall.

I love Sandon Hall, because it's quite a sleepy hall, still.

-It's beautiful. It's never lost its charm of when it was a family home.

-Yeah.

And of course, if this pocket watch

could talk about the conversations it would have enjoyed

in this dining room...

-That's right...

-With its gorgeous Chinese wallpaper and of course,

even conversations and discussions between the maid who was your...

-Mum-in-law, Dorothy.

-Dorothy, and the Countess.

-That's right.

-And that's one of those moments.

-That's right, yes, yes.

-It wasn't a gift from the Earl, was it, at all?

-No, not at all.

Dorothy's great-grandmother gave it to Dorothy's grand-mother

for her 21st birthday.

This actually is a very pretty Swiss pocket watch.

-OK, it has a German outer case.

-Right.

And the actual pocket watch movement is really...

Well, it was made in that centre of excellence

which was Switzerland in the late 19th century.

We've got the key, first and foremost,

-which is lovely.

-It's pretty, isn't it?

The actual back and dust cover is all in good condition,

and of course if we just lift that back-plate off, we can see

the movement, it's a typical 15-jewel pocket watch movement

of around 1890.

-Right.

-And, is it now time, here at Sandon Hall to say,

let's flog it?

Well, what Dorothy's said is,

she can't leave it to one person in the family,

she's got so many grand-children

and great-grandchildren,

so she feels that it's the time to let it go.

-And Dorothy is alive and firing, well?

-Absolutely. Yes.

I love it a lot.

I think it's an endearing little pocket watch. Intrinsically,

not worth a great deal, but we would love to give it

a send-off with a guide price of between, let's say,

-£40 and £60.

-Oh, really? Yes, yeah, OK.

It's very nice, perhaps put a reserve on with discretion,

maybe if we bid 35, we can say au revoir.

It's important to let somebody else enjoy its wonderful history.

Is that OK?

-That's fine.

-Can we say we're going to start going... Going...

-Going...

-Gone.

-Gone.

That brings us to our final valuation.

Christina's in the conservatory, and about to bring the house down.

Now, Catherine, normally when autograph books come to my table,

I sort of start flicking through, and I'm flicking through yours,

and I thought, "This one looks really exciting!".

Tell me how you've managed to accumulate ALL these autographs in this book.

The autograph album belonged to my aunt,

and she gave it to me when I was about nine years old.

-Wonderful.

-I didn't bother to collect any after that

until I started as a teenager going to the clubs in Manchester,

so we used to go to concerts and see Billy Fury

and people like that.

And then it was 1963, I'd gone over

to my aunt's to stay in Jersey

with a friend, and she told us that

-the Beatles were staying in a hotel just down the road.

-No!

We were so disinterested in The Beatles,

because we were from Manchester and they were Liverpool

but we were in the flat one day, and Paul McCartney was literally walking

down the road to the hotel on his own, coming back from shopping.

So we went out with a writing pad and he autographed that.

So, that was then stuck in my album, and then the year after,

when I went with a local girl to see The Rolling Stones

who were over, they'd performed at a concert.

The day after, my aunt ran us up to the airport

so that we could wave them off.

We were the only two fans who went up to the airport.

We were tipped off by the airport staff that they wouldn't be

coming through the terminal, they'd be going to a side entrance,

and straight onto the tarmac,

-so they showed us which gate to wait at.

-Wow!

Insider information, I love it, Catherine! My goodness!

We waited at the gate, we were there most of the day,

but then the taxi came, they got out,

they were a few yards away from us,

but they waved and said, "Hi"

and the manager came over

and took our albums over and we watched them sign them,

and then they waved to us and they got in the plane and flew off.

-Oh, brilliant!

-So... And it was really good,

because of course it was Brian Jones, you know...

-Brian Jones passed away, didn't he?

-Yes, exactly, yes.

-So you got Brian Jones.

-So I got Brian Jones.

-Oh, my goodness.

And one of them, we didn't know which one,

but one of them wrote, "The Rolling Stones"

and put a circle around it in the middle of the page, so...

So this really brings back some fantastic memories for you,

-doesn't it?

-Oh, yeah. Mm.

And the fact that you've collected these yourself...

This book does read a bit like

-a who's-who of the 1960s music scene.

-Exactly.

You know, you've got Cliff Richard, you've got the Stones,

you've got Paul McCartney... You've got some great names in here.

I mean, it is a very impressive autograph book.

So how much do you think waiting at an airport for a day is worth?

I know, it's incredible, really.

What's Catherine's time worth, for a day waiting at an airport?

Well, I mean, in those days, it didn't matter,

I mean, I've waited for a day here at "Flog It!"

-so there's not much difference.

-This is very true.

I mean, it was just so exciting, we couldn't believe that we were

the only two fans who'd bothered to go up to the airport

-and wait all day.

-They do all obviously have a value,

and we can put a value on each and every one of them.

Having totted them all up, I think

an appropriate auction estimate for them would be

-somewhere in the region of £200 to £300.

-That's amazing, really.

Yeah. Brilliant, yeah.

-I just think it's wonderful. Thank you so much for bringing it in.

-Oh,

-well, thank you.

-It's been lovely to see and hear all about it, as well.

Cos so often, as valuers, we see these books,

but we never know the story, the human side behind it.

It's just a faceless book, if you like.

So hearing your stories, and hearing that you've collected these

yourself is brilliant, so thank you so much for sharing that with us.

And, I mean, for me, I've got the memories,

which I can think of any time,

whereas the book's just in a drawer, so...

Catherine's stories of the swinging '60s alongside

those autographs are priceless.

It just goes to show, it's worth looking after things.

One of my great loves, Elaine, as a young man,

which really he got me into the whole psyche of antiques,

and asking that question, "If it could talk, what could it tell us?",

was using my metal detector, digging up metal,

-which I had no idea what it was.

-Yeah, very exciting.

If I'd found these in the soil, I may have thought,

"Well, it could be part of a tractor.

"Maybe it could be part of a horse shoe."

But of course, these objects have a pedigree and provenance,

which is so important.

If I put on a bit of a twang and became a pirate,

what might romanticise people is, of course, they are pieces of eight.

Yes.

-Real treasure. Real booty.

-Yeah, it's very exciting.

But in 1707, that great 96-gun vessel HMS Association

sunk off Sicily, and lost at sea were all of these pieces of eight,

and of course, last century, unearthed

in that great London saleroom...

My boyfriend bought them as a gift, one for my father

and one for myself, and from the original sale in 1969.

Wonderful. And, of course, we can go back to 1707,

when piracy was prolific on the high seas,

and at that time,

pieces of eight were really the world's first currency,

which could be exchanged between continents, and also countries.

And these are very well-worn, very far removed from looking

like coins, but when it comes to treasure, this really is treasure,

-and I love them. Yeah, I really do. So you've got the two.

-Yes.

I can see one casing is in good condition, which is yours,

I presume.

-What happened?

-I can't lie.

My father was more experienced than myself, and he kept his very well,

and I was foolish and didn't keep mine in such good condition.

Yeah, it's had some damp-proofing.

You've taped it all up, but really,

although when it comes to toys, the boxes are so important,

but with these sleeves, they're not so important,

because they are still evident as to what they represent,

but, of course,

what is the most important is these two wonderful pieces of eight.

I think they're worth today, at auction...

Got to be careful, because if they were in really great condition,

they'd have been £1,000, if they were really clean and legible.

So I would hope we could perhaps put them

into the sale, perhaps with a guide price

of between £200 and £300,

-for the two together...

-OK.

..and perhaps put a fixed reserve on of £150.

Yes, I think I'd like a reserve, just because it's been so exciting.

Yeah.

Swashbuckling tales of shipwreck and sunken treasure,

conjured up by those tiny nuggets of ocean plunder.

What a day we've had here at Sandon Hall.

Everyone has thoroughly enjoyed themselves

and our experts have found some real treasures, so sadly, it's time

to say goodbye to this magnificent host location. Right now,

we're dropping in on the auction room for the very last time.

And here's a list of the treasures we're taking with us.

This elegant necklace made for Derry's grandmother

is a true one-off.

A return visit to Sandon Hall for this elegant lady's pocket watch.

A bargain for a lot of craftsmanship and history.

And Catherine's autograph book includes what some collectors

might consider a Holy Grail -

all five of the original Rolling Stones, including Brian Jones.

Elaine's pieces of eight are survivors of an incredible true tale

of shipwreck and treasure.

Back at the sale-room, first,

it's Elaine's sunken treasure.

Why would you want to sell, though?

Um, well, they're just sort of sitting there, you know.

They're not really doing anything, and "Flog It!"

was coming to town. Could I resist you?

-Not really.

-Yeah. I think it's the first time ever

we've had pieces of eight on the show.

It's that romance. Pieces of eight, and here they are.

Is that how you say it?

IMITATES PARROT: "Pieces of eight. Pieces of eight."

-Aye-aye, Captain.

-Long John Silver.

-Two pieces of eight...

-Hold tight.

-Sotheby's. HMS Association.

Auctioned 1969. Ha-ha.

There they are at £120. Two pieces of eight at 120. 130. 140.

-At £140 now. At £140. All finished, then?

-Come on. One more.

-Oh, no. I'm walking the plank.

-You are walking the plank, Charles.

-I'm sinking fast.

-Not today for those, I'm afraid. Lot 56.

-We didn't sell... We were one bid away. One bid away.

-One bid away!

-I'm sorry. Sorry, Captain.

-Well, it was so close, Charles.

"Sorry, Captain"! Yes.

Well, my son's over there. He'll inherit them.

Well, that... Hey, that's even better, isn't it?

-A thumbs up, yeah.

-Keep them in the family.

Now Ann's pocket watch.

Ann, I like this watch. I love this little lady's fob watch.

It's not a lot of money, Charles.

I know it's not top-quality, but it's still working, isn't it?

-It is.

-And very good condition. It's very usable.

This is a steal for me at £40.

If I could buy it, I would, because I think it's worth every penny.

Hopefully it'll go for a lot more,

-and then I won't be disappointed, and nor will you.

-No.

-And you'll be very happy.

-Indeed.

It's going under the hammer right now.

OK, 135, the lady's sterling silver pocket watch at £30, now at 30.

Where's five? At £30, it is, at 35 now. £35. At 35, 40, where?

At £35... 35, we're going to sell it then, at £35.

GAVEL BANGS

Well it's gone, it's gone.

Hopefully to someone who loves it and is going to use it.

-Yeah, and it's been so lovely having the "Flog It!" experience.

-Aww...

So it's been wonderful.

Well, the programme wouldn't work without people like you, or you,

so if you've got anything like that, we would love to "Flog It!".

Bring it along to one of our valuation days. Details of

up-and-coming dates and venues you can find on our BBC website.

If you don't have a computer,

check the details in your local press, because fingers crossed,

we're coming to an area very near you soon.

So, dust 'em down, bring them in, we'll flog them.

And here's another interesting item.

GAVEL BANGS

Good luck, Derry! This necklace belonged to your grandmother.

Why are you selling this?

Well, I've had it in a cupboard for 40 years,

and what's the point, really?

-Well, if you don't wear it...

-Do you wear it?

-No.

May have worn it when I first had it, but wouldn't wear it now.

-OK, will we get that top end?

-Seriously hope so.

I mean, it's a beautiful necklace. Really beautiful.

And it's got its original box and it's just got everything

-going for it, it's absolutely stunning.

-And the condition's good.

Yeah, it's in white gold, so it's very commercial.

It's a lovely thing, a very lovely thing.

-It's what people will pay for it.

-This is true!

-Fingers crossed!

Let's find out what the bidders think,

it's going under the hammer now.

Lot 85, good lot, this.

The 18-carat white gold and pearl

pendant necklace at 100... 10...

120... £120 now. At 120,

at £120, 130 where?

-Come on, come on, come on.

-So are we all finished, then? At £120, at 120.

-Not today for this one.

-Didn't sell.

-OK.

-Do you know...

It's a fashion thing.

Well, thank goodness you protected it with a reserve.

-Yeah, exactly right.

-So we didn't let it go for nothing.

-OK, so I haven't made my fortune.

-Another day, another sale.

-Aw!

Well, that brings us to our final lot of the day.

Catherine's included some signed photographs

and fan letters to go alongside her autograph book.

Catherine, I love these autographs.

I'm a big Stones fan. I really am.

You're either Beatles or you're The Stones.

-The Stones.

-Oh, Rolling Stones!

-There is a Beatle in there, isn't there?

-Yes, Paul McCartney.

-Do you still listen to The Rolling Stones?

-Oh, definitely.

-Yeah, so do I.

-I've got all their albums.

Hopefully, hopefully we'll have some rock and roll fans here.

-Rock and roll memorabilia, here we go.

-Here we go.

-This is it.

Lot 200 is the collection of rock and pop autographs.

-to include the Rolling Stones of course, as well...

-Rolling who?

-I'm joking, I'm joking!

-..various other signatures...

So I can start here 170, 80, 190... £190 now, 190.

£190, 200, 210.

220... Internet now. At 230, 240, 250, at 260. Still going up, 270.

280, 290, 300.

-At 320.

-That's fantastic!

-At £320, 320, 340, 360, 380, £400.

-At £400, at 420, 440.

-This is more like it.

-Yeah, absolutely.

460, 480. £500, 550. 550?

Are you all right?!

600. At £600? At £600.

All finished, then. No? 650.

-At £650.

-Still going!

One more, internet? Yes. 700. £700.

At £700.

700. 50 again, yes or no?

At £700. Selling it, then, at £700.

Anybody else at £700? All done, 700...

GAVEL BANGS

-Well done!

-Oh, fantastic! Well done, you!

Thank you for bringing those in. Big, big Stones fan.

Thank you for inviting me to come along.

Aww, you go back and put the album on and put it on full volume.

I do that in the car -

it's the only chance I can listen to The Rolling Stones,

cos, you know, my kids don't like it, my wife doesn't like it -

I get in the car and I go, "Yeah!"

All of a sudden I feel like Mick Jagger.

But that was, I mean, you waited there for so long,

-didn't you, at the airport?

-Oh, yeah.

But that's what you do when you're a dedicated fan...

-When you're a fan, absolutely...

-There was no-one else there.

Anyway, thank you so much for bringing that in.

Great way to end today's show.

We really topped the charts, didn't we, with that one?

I hope enjoyed it. Join us again soon for many more surprises.

But until then, from Shrewsbury, it's goodbye.