Norfolk 19 Flog It!

Today, our crowds are out in force at Norwich Cathedral,

a wonderful valuation day venue near the River Wensum

and later on in the show,

we'll be finding out what these magnificent stone pillars

have to do with the rivers of Norfolk.

That's all to come, but right now welcome to "Flog It!".

As you arrive in Norfolk,

you can't miss one overwhelming feature, water -

125 miles of waterways, connecting more than 60 lakes,

the only wetland national park in the UK, known as the Norfolk Broads.

It might look timeless, but for 2,000 years,

this has been a changing landscape

and the fortunes of Norfolk people have been closely wrapped up in it,

including Norwich Cathedral, just a stone's throw from the river.

We'll be finding out about the ebb and the flow

of Norfolk's waterways later on in the programme,

but right now, crowds of people are flooding into the cloisters

of Norwich Cathedral, our magnificent valuation day venue.

Fingers crossed, there should be one or two great stories to find out

amongst all of these bags and boxes.

They're here to see our experts

and if you're happy with your valuation, what are you going to do?

CROWD: "Flog It!". And helping us today are experts Thomas Plant...

-What's your name?

-Terry.

-Terry, what have you brought?

-..who's very excited by what's in the bags.

-Yeah!

And David Fletcher is also getting carried away.

-I will have to found out what they're worth first.

-Of course.

We can't be experts in everything. Antiquarian books...

-Not even you.

-No, not even me.

-THOMAS LAUGHS

Really, Thomas? Well, let's get on with the show and find out.

Today, David's enjoying some bygone maritime pieces.

What I love about this

-is it represents the old technology, doesn't it?

-Yes.

-It's low-tech.

While Thomas is thinking more about a local tipple.

A good beer, Scotch egg, nipping in and out of the pub for more beer.

-Sounds a good day.

-It does, doesn't it?

And I get digging to find out about the history

of this incredible landscape.

As our crowds surge into the nave,

there's just time to look around this grand cathedral.

Completed in the 12th century

when it was part of a monastery for the Benedictine monks,

it has an extraordinary remnant from an even earlier time.

Now, this piece is quite exceptional.

It dates back to the 7th century and it depicts St Felix of Burgundy

who brought Christianity to this part of Britain.

Back then, the people here in this area were known as the East Angles.

This is the earliest figurative sculpture in Britain

after the Romans. Now, that is quite incredible.

Right now, it's time to meet our very own East Angles and here they are.

Hello, thank you for coming in. Enjoying yourselves?

-CROWD:

-Yeah.

-Yes. Good old East Angles.

Let's find out who the lucky owner is with our first valuation.

It's over to Thomas who's delightfully colour-coordinated

with our first owner Annette.

-Annette, how are you?

-Very well, thank you.

-Are you a Norwich person?

-Born and bred, yeah.

-Born and bred.

-Are you wearing that canary yellow in homage...

-Certainly am, yes.

-..to your football team? How are they doing at the moment?

-Very well.

-Are they? What does that mean, "very well"?

-Near the top 6.

-Of...

-The Championship.

-The Championship.

Anyway, tell me about your White's plane spherical globe.

-I absolutely love it.

-I don't know much about it, actually.

I think it must have been my granddad's

because I recently moved and it was up in the loft,

so I think I must have taken it from my granddad's

-when his place was cleared.

-What an interesting thing to find.

Yes, well, I just didn't know what it was.

And have you done your own research on it?

Yeah, I've been in touch with the Norwich Museum

and also the Sheffield museum

who told me that was printed in Sheffield.

It's got it down here that it's printed in Sheffield in 1839.

I think it's a teaching aid. I don't think it's a globe for travellers.

It's a teaching aid. It's an aid to show you...

You can see the passage of the Earth around the sun

and here we've got the signs of the zodiac etc,

and then you've got the eclipse moments.

-It's a fascinating thing actually.

-Yeah.

When you went back to the museum, what information did they give you?

They couldn't give me any

but there's a bookshop across from the cathedral

that I emailed pictures and he told me

that he'd found one that had been in auction that was priced at £500

but that wasn't worth as much as that

because that was water-damaged on the back.

-Yours is slightly water-damaged, is it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-But he thought around £200.

-I think £200...

Cos there's a little bit of damage, not too much.

The silks to turn the southern hemisphere around

are still quite good.

Obviously the one to turn the northern hemisphere,

they've been used a bit more as you can imagine.

It's a funny thing you sort of lose touch of, isn't it?

-This is the planet we live on...

-Yeah.

..and we sort of go about our merry existence,

-not really understanding it fully.

-It's not how we know a globe, is it?

No. Anyway, it comes to value. You've got a figure of £200.

I believe that's a fair valuation.

I think if you went £150-£250, is what I'd be prepared,

-I think it would make at auction.

-Yeah.

-It might make a little bit more.

-Mmm.

Regarding reserve, I'd put it at £150 with a bit of discretion.

-I'd be quite happy with that.

-You'd be quite happy?

-Yeah.

-And can you come to the auction?

-Yeah.

-Brilliant.

Will you be wearing that wonderful canary yellow?

-No, I've got a lovely bright pink one.

-Have you? Oh, please do.

-Yeah.

-I'll make sure I wear something pink to match.

-Right, OK.

-It's a deal.

-Yeah.

I look forward to seeing you both pretty in pink at the auction.

Beyond the main nave are the largest monastic cloisters in England.

It's here that, for 500 years,

the community of Benedictine monks spent their time studying.

David Fletcher's doing the same with an object given to Jill.

-Hello, Jill.

-Hello.

Thank you for coming out into these very picturesque

but rather cold surroundings. They were hardy people, these monks.

Anyway, what you have brought in with you has really warmed me up.

-Good.

-I love this necklace.

Graduated pearls,

fastened by this sapphire link with a diamond surround.

The sapphire is pointy. In other words, it's a cabochon sapphire.

But the crucial thing we need to think about

is whether or not these are natural or cultured pearls.

Do you have a view on that?

-No, only that I'd like them to be the most valuable.

-OK.

I'm not surprised.

It would be nice if they were natural but they're not.

They are cultured, which does dramatically affect their value.

-Now, are you ready for a little jewellery lesson?

-Yes.

What we do if we want to create a cultured pearl

is just put any sort of foreign body really into a mollusc

and allow the pearl to build up round it.

In nature, that happens naturally, hence natural pearls.

If we're talking about cultured pearls,

it's something which is achieved

with a little bit of help from mankind.

I always think the great thing about pearls is you can dress them up

or dress them down. You could wear them with a pullover

-or they look stunning with a nice black cocktail dress.

-Yes.

So, they are adaptable but, at the moment,

not as fashionable as they were.

So, I've sounded all the alarm bells

and I'm now going to give you a valuation

and I hope that you don't walk out on us here and now.

A natural pearl necklace like this might be worth £2,000-3,000.

A cultured pearl necklace like this is worth nearer £200-£300.

-That's fine.

-OK. You're very philosophical.

-Yes.

-Thank you.

OK, let's turn to the second item

which I think the auctioneers will want to sell as a separate lot.

I would have thought, probably, yes.

These are seed pearls in a 22-carat gold setting.

I think, from the commercial point of view,

the problem with jewellery of this nature,

is it's a little bit too fussy.

It speaks a bit of that high Victorian style

-which is not terribly commercial today.

-No.

But there is another aspect of this brooch

which we should briefly mention

and that is the fact that it can be worn as a pendant.

There is a suspension loop.

I rather like this sort of thing

but there is some market resistance to it really.

-I would expect this will make between £50 and £80.

-Right.

If we estimate it at that sort of money,

-we'll do well with it, I think.

-Fine.

But I would urge people looking to get

into buying and collecting jewellery

to be mindful of the fact that these things

can be picked up really quite cheaply.

So often people say something's affordable

and they're talking about lots of money

but I think an object like that really IS affordable.

So, if you're happy with that, we'll go ahead at that estimate

-and I'll see you at the sale.

-Thank you.

So, let's see if the ever-cultured David is right

about those lovely cultured pearls.

While the valuations continue in the main nave,

there's time to find out more about the life of this building.

30 years after the Normans conquered Britain in 1066,

the monks, led by a French bishop,

started construction on a vast cathedral here.

So, in a grand gesture,

they sourced all the stones from Caen in France,

but how did they get all this stone here to Norwich,

especially when the rivers stopped short by quarter of a mile?

The monks built a dyke leading from the River Wensum

to the building site of the cathedral,

allowing ships to sail right up to its doors.

That dyke has long since disappeared underneath the city's streets,

but these flint and granite monoliths,

these huge great big lumps of stone, are proof

that the water brought wealth to Norwich and wealth means power.

The spectacular cathedral never fails to impress visitors,

even locals like Terry, who's got a confession for Thomas.

I've never been in Norwich Cathedral in my life.

-I don't understand that.

-Never.

So, you've not been in here for a wedding, a christening...

-Nothing, no.

-Carol service?

-Nothing.

-Are you amazed?

-I am amazed, yeah.

-Do you think you'll come back?

-Probably, yes. One day.

That's brilliant. So, today, you've brought along an interesting object.

-It's a piece of silver.

-Yes.

What really drew me into this was this "Ellen Terry".

Ellen terry, yeah.

Ellen Terry is the famous Victorian actress

-who we should now call actor. They're all actors.

-Yeah.

-Do you know much about her?

-No, we didn't know nothing about her at all

until I took it to the first valuation

and they said, "Do you realise who it is?"

-And you've done your own research?

-We've done our research from there.

-What did you find out?

-Oh, amazing, yeah.

She's really travelled the world.

-Travelled the world and enjoyed her men.

-That's right. Plenty of men.

-This is all right, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Do you know what she was really famous for?

-Shakespeare.

Shakespeare was her work, wasn't it?

-Have you been to a Shakespeare before?

-I haven't, no.

-They are fabulous. They're great fun. Go and see a funny one.

-I will.

-Don't go and see one which goes on forever.

-No, no.

Now, Terry, tell me what you know about this object

and where it's come from.

It was given to my wife from an old aunt

and we done a bit of work on it and we found out that Barney was...

Hilda Barnes was her housekeeper for seven years.

And do you know what the object actually is itself?

-We were told that was an inkwell stand but I don't know.

-OK.

-I don't think it is an inkwell stand.

-No?

No, cos inkwell stands have little recesses in

-where you put the inkwells.

-Yeah.

There's a scissor which looks like a scissor but it's a candlesnuffer.

-I see.

-And you'd do it to take out the candles, rather than licking it

-and doing that.

-Yeah.

-So, your candlesnuffer scissors would be on the stand.

-I see, yeah.

It's a really good bit of silver.

It's made by Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company.

You've got the hallmarks and the stamp there.

-The hallmarks for London, sterling silver and 1919.

-Oh, right.

So, a proper bit of silver, just after the First World War.

-And this shape is a Chippendale cut rim.

-I see, yeah.

Quality piece of silver. So, you've got that going for it.

But really and honestly,

the most important thing is this bit by Ellen Terry.

-So, you said you've had it valued before.

-Yeah.

-What did that figure come in at?

-That was around £200.

-Mmm.

-I think that's a very fair valuation.

-Yeah.

Immensely fair, and I believe

-that you could certainly achieve that £200.

-Yeah.

But if I was being completely honest and candid with you,

-you estimate it in between that value.

-That's right, yeah.

-I'd say £150 to £250.

-Yeah.

-And hopefully, it makes more than that.

-And reserve, I'd fix it at £150.

-OK, that's fine.

-Definitely.

But I don't think we have to worry about that.

-No, I shouldn't think so.

-See you there.

-Yeah.

-And you WILL go to Shakespeare.

-All right. If you say so.

I'll drag you there!

Will it be much ado about nothing or a triumph when it goes at auction?

In a moment, we're going to be putting our first items to the test

in the saleroom, but before that,

here's a quick recap of everything that's going under the hammer.

There's an ex-educational globe -

an old world take on the Old World.

Jill's separate cultured pearl jewellery pieces

which should make a good buy for someone.

And we'll see if Terry's Victorian tray,

given by a famous doyenne of the London stage, Ellen Terry,

to her housekeeper,

will create a drama in the saleroom.

For our auction today, we're heading to Diss

on the southern end of the Broads

with the River Waveney running through it.

The waterways and Broads of Norfolk provide a fine haven

for the many unique and rare species of wildlife

that have made this their home.

Today, we're putting our valuations to the test here at TW Gaze in Diss.

Now, we may not see any rare species, but fingers crossed,

we're going to have one or two big surprises,

so follow me inside and let's find out as our items go under the hammer.

Today, our auctioneers are Ed Smith and Robert Kinsella

and don't forget, when you're buying or selling at auction,

you'll be paying commission on each item.

Here, that's set at 15%, including VAT.

Our first lot is the unusual 19th-century White's globe.

Let's see if Annette will be in the pink after the sale.

I think this is quite unique. I've not seen one before.

No, I can't find anyone who has.

It's a real niche market, but there's a few collectors out there...

There's a lot of collectors for globes.

..that love their globes that would love this as an addition.

-I think so, 100%.

-Well, hopefully,

we can find a collector for you that's willing to pay top dollar.

That's what it's all about in the saleroom. Hopefully we'll get that.

It's going under the hammer now.

And on this little book, I'm going to start straight in here at 120.

120 I have. Is there 30?

It's there at 120. 130. 140. 150. 160. 170.

-That's more like it, isn't it?

-180's on commissions.

Is there 90? It's 180 at the moment. 190.

Is there 200? It's 190 online.

Where's 200? We're selling away for £190.

Are we all done?

-HE BANGS GAVEL Yes, sold! £190!

-Lovely.

-Hey!

-That was worth hanging onto, wasn't it?

-It was, yes.

-I'm pleased, Thomas. That was a good result.

-Brilliant result, absolutely.

Next, it's the silver tray

engraved with the name of the famous Shakespearean actress Ellen Terry,

brought in by Terry - no relation!

He's come to the auction with his wife, Christine.

It's nice to think that a candlesnuffer had its own little tray

to sit on to make it architecturally quite interesting and important

cos it was an important tool to put candles out, wasn't it?

It was important, otherwise you'd burn your house down!

Well, or you'd go like that.

-What are you hoping for, Thomas?

-Well, I'm hoping for it to get £150.

-What did we put it at?

-Well, we said £150 reserve

but I'm just a bit worried that the interest for it isn't...

There might not be enough interest for it.

We're going to find out right now

-because it's going under the hammer.

-Oh, right.

And as you see it, bids are at 100.

I'll take 10. 100 is bid. 110 I'll take.

At 100 bid. 110. 120.

-130, 140.

-Ooh.

-Yeah, we're climbing.

-150 and I'm out then at 150.

-Just.

At 150 bid online. Still going. We're up to 170 online.

-170 online.

-Bids at 180? We're 170 bid online.

Any more anywhere then? £170 bid online. It will sell.

-Fair warning at 170.

-It's a good price. £170.

-HE BANGS GAVEL But a rare thing. Brilliant.

-Yeah.

-Thank you for bringing that in. £170.

-Thank you.

Our third lot is Jill's charming pearl necklace and brooch,

made from cultured pearls.

And Jill has big plans for the proceeds of the sale.

-I'm going out to Australia in the autumn.

-Are you?

-To see my son.

-Oh, brilliant.

-I've never been before.

Fingers crossed, you're going to love that.

-I've been twice, it's really nice.

-To Perth.

-Good luck.

Right, we need some money to get Jill out to Australia.

-Pearls come in and out of fashion, don't they?

-Yes, they do.

-But I think this particular necklace will sell.

-OK.

-We're selling in two lots.

-Necklace first and then we've got the brooch.

Necklace first, then the brooch. Are you ready for this?

-Fine.

-Here we go. This is it.

And on this one, bids are in here at 160. Taking 170.

-At 160 the bid as you see it.

-Come on.

-160 the bid now. I'll take 170.

-At 170. 180.

-He's got a bid on the book.

-He keeps looking down and picking it up from the book.

-260.

280. 280 the bid. It's on commission at 280.

-Is there 300 now anywhere?

-We need £300.

-£280 on commission.

-Any advance? We'll sell at 280.

-Selling at 280, that's OK.

HE BANGS GAVEL That's good news.

We can get in the swing of things now and say, "Beauty, mate."

Beauty! And here's the next lot.

And I'm going to have to start in at £80.

I'll take 5. £80 the bid. Is there 5 now?

On the pendant there, 80 I am bid. Is there 5 now?

-85.

-Yes!

-90.

It's always good when your first bid comes in above your bottom estimate.

We're £100, the bid. Is there 10 anywhere? At 110. 120.

120 then. Still with me on commission at £120.

Are you all done at the back? At 120.

-HE BANGS GAVEL £120, sold!

-That's lovely.

-That's good, isn't it?

-Excellent.

-That rounds it up to £400!

Your maths is better than mine!

I think the trade is perhaps stronger for pearls

than I feared, so I'm delighted.

Well, Jill seems pleased with the nice little nest egg

for her big trip down under.

And we'll be coming back here for some more great sales later on.

That's our first three lots under the hammer

and our first visit to the auction room over with.

Now, as they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do,

so while we've been here filming in the area,

I decided to explore the Broads National Park to find out why

there's a lot more to this watery landscape than meets the eye.

Take a look at the Norfolk Broads and you'll be forgiven for thinking

these surroundings haven't changed in thousands of years.

But you'd be wrong.

This has been a dramatically shifting landscape for at least 3,000 years

and it's owed much of its change to two things -

water and this stuff, peat.

I'm off to find out how this boggy substance

has not only changed the landscape, but the fortunes of the Broads.

The Norfolk Broads are an incredible phenomenon.

Six rivers and dykes wend their way for 125 miles through the county,

the area making up just over 300 square kilometres

of Britain's largest protected wetland.

I've come to meet education officer Nick Sanderson

from the Broads Authority,

who can explain how this dramatic terrain was formed.

-All is not what it seems.

-No, this is really a manmade landscape.

-Yeah.

So, if we go back 4,000 years, it was an area of swampy woodland

with reeds and sedge and things like that.

And that laid down massive, deep peat deposits.

But if you came forward 2,000 years from then to the Roman times,

about 2,000 years ago, the place was a great big estuary.

It was underneath the sea

and the sea was laying down layers of clay on top of that.

How deep do you have to dig down in this area to find peat?

Um, here, probably one or one and half metres.

Now, you've got an auger. It's a rod that goes right down.

-Now, that is about eight feet under the ground now.

-Yeah, it is.

That's filling up with what? Clay and peat?

So, hopefully, if's going to show us the change of level.

Give it a few more twists then.

-A few more twists and we'll see what we've got. There we go.

-Here we go.

There we go.

Because cutting through clay, if that clay is quite solid,

-that's hard work.

-That's right.

The clay layer is really difficult to cut through.

But beneath the clay, if I scrape it, hopefully...

-Oh, that's peat, isn't it?

-That's right, we're into peat.

And these bits of trees that we can see here,

these were probably buried - I don't know - 1,000, 1,500 years ago?

And peat has an incredible property.

It doesn't really allow decomposition.

So when you dig it out of the ground...

-It's as it was.

-Pretty much, yeah.

It's like compressed wood and plant matter

-which is why it burns so well.

-Gosh.

And fire was exactly what people needed.

By the 10th century, firewood had become scarce.

Peat was a great new fuel

which burnt hotter and longer than ordinary wood

and would have been vital to cook and heat their homes with.

So, what time in history did people realise underneath that clay,

-that peat was a valuable product?

-By, sort of, the tenth century,

we do know that peat was being extracted and by medieval times,

vast quantities were being extracted because people had realised

that it could be sold and traded and so on.

So, in medieval times, it was being excavated on an industrial scale.

But rich landowners and the church controlled the area

and local tenant farmers had to get permission first to dig for peat.

They would have had a right of turbary,

which is the right to cut turves and this is a turf.

-And that's dried out.

-That's dried out, yeah.

It's been dried out for a couple of years, really.

But 400,000 turves like this a year were burnt

-in the cathedral refectory in Norwich.

-400,000?!

400,000 blocks like that would have been burnt.

I'm just thinking of the intensity of people digging away

but also horse and cart taking it

to and fro the cathedral and other great buildings.

-Yeah.

-A hive of activity in this area, because of peat.

East Anglia - Norfolk, in particular -

supported a really high population for a rural area

during medieval times, largely because of the peat.

Look, I know it sounds like hard work, getting through the clay,

-and I'm sure it is. Can I have a go?

-Certainly.

-One quick go.

-Sure.

You've got the right tools here?

Well, that's a peat cutter, which is what they would have used.

It's called a becket

and it would have been used to actually cut the turves out.

-But this is a bit of an antique.

-Oh, OK.

So, I think we'll use a conventional spade and if you'd like to...

-Just here?

-Just have a go at digging.

There's going to be a lot of tree roots here anyway, naturally.

-Absolutely.

-Gosh, that's softer than I thought.

-That's what I thought it would be like on the first one.

-Yeah.

Broke it.

Well, clearly, with one spadeful, just that depth,

I'm not going to find peat,

but it gives me an idea of what you've got to do.

-And it is hard work, isn't it?

-That's a big block.

-Cor!

Yeah, I wouldn't like to stand there and do that all day long.

Mind you, you'd have great stomach muscles, wouldn't you?

That's hard work.

Hard grind and excavation went on for 200 years, by which time,

it's estimated locals had dug up 250,000 cubic metres of peat,

which is equivalent to 100 Olympic-size swimming pools today.

The result was vast, shallow quarries, cut into the land,

on occasion stretching for miles.

By the 14th century, the landscape was transformed again.

Once more, water levels rose, this time pouring in,

flooding into the quarries, creating great lakes -

what we now call the Norfolk Broads.

Next to the new manmade lakes were marshy pastures,

perfect for raising sheep, and by the Middle Ages,

the wool trade in Norfolk was booming.

But there was something else, besides the nutrient-rich fields,

that helped transform the area from a backwater to a major player.

Landowners and wool traders realised that with access to the continent,

they could be sitting on a gold mine.

But how could they get their product to sea?

Well, the answer was to hire Dutch engineers

with skills in building dykes. Problem solved.

They created a network of channels linking the rivers to the Broads,

with access to ports like Norwich.

Now the wool could reach ships

and now the ships could find fresh markets overseas.

Norwich became the second wealthiest city to London.

Wool and farming products were carried up and down the waterways

and by the 17th century, all manner of goods were transported

on distinctive flat-bottomed boats called wherries.

But there was one more change for the Broads.

By the turn of the 20th century, industry was replaced with tourism,

as holidaymakers flocked to the area.

-TV:

-'The Norfolk Broads is the largest area in Britain

'for those seeking a holiday afloat.

'You can hire a boat here any time between Easter and October.'

The old wherries had almost gone and in their place,

pleasure boats were specially designed for these shallow waterways.

Hunters Yard, which built some of the first yachts,

is still going strong today,

hiring them out to amateur sailors, like Ian Cartwright.

I love these old classic sailboats. They're right up my street.

-They are a delight to sail.

-Are they?

-Yes, they really are.

They do exactly what you want them to do

and you get a lot of feedback from them.

-They're not hard work, like so many of the other hire boats were.

-Sure.

-It looks like it's got a deep keel, but it hasn't, has it?

-No, it hasn't.

They draw about 2', 3". The Boards are very shallow.

Rivers aren't deep and some of the Broads are two feet deep.

You fall overboard and you can walk ashore most of the time.

A friend of mine who sails on Auckland Harbour

says when he comes into the Broads, he's scared stiff

because he's only 20 seconds from disaster.

Disaster just means running into the reeds, which isn't a real disaster.

Not really, is it, no.

Do you get a chance to take these boats out much?

Not as much as I'd like.

I have a whole month all to myself every year

and what I like about them is it's you against the wind and the tide

and by the time you come to the end of the day, you think,

"That was a good day. I've got here without starting a diesel engine,

"just under my own fair wit."

I've sneaked up on herons catching frogs and gulping them down

and you couldn't do that in a motorboat.

You just glide gently up and there they are.

They haven't even noticed me.

Strange to think that Norfolk's unique landscape

was built on the blood, sweat and industry

of those early peat diggers and that, in turn,

their quarrying came about as a result of thousands of years

of the natural ebb and flow

of one of the most valuable resources - water.

Welcome back to our valuation day in the nave of Norwich Cathedral...

..where Robin has brought something to show David

that would have been very useful in this seafaring region.

-Hello, Robin.

-Hello, David.

You look like a bit of an old sea dog to me. Would I be right?

-You would. I've 30 years, man and boy.

-30 years? Gosh.

I love your sweater. You're well-dressed for the weather.

Yeah, that's a Sheringham sweater that my wife knitted,

-following the fishing traditions.

-OK.

And it was made to...so they could identify the man

if he was drowned.

It was tight on the neck so it wouldn't come off in the water

and they could know what village he came from,

although I'm, technically coming from Norwich,

not entitled to wear it.

I won't let on!

Anyway, look, I could talk to you for ages about that.

Tell me about what you've got here because it means nothing to me,

-so I'm in your hands.

-It's a Walker's patent Cherub log

and this part fixed on the very sternmost part of the ship,

the very aftermost part. And the fish, which is this part,

was attached to a left-handed lay rope and spun.

When it was thrown into the water, it spun, which also spins the gauge

which tells you the miles per hour or knots you would be doing.

-So, it's a speedometer, really.

-It is a speedometer.

-OK.

What I love about this is it represents the old technology,

-doesn't it?

-Yes.

-It's low-tech engineering.

Well, it's the secondary thing.

When you let the line with the knots on it pass through your hand

and count the knots to see how fast you're going,

-this was the next development.

-OK, right. That's interesting.

-So it's one on from that.

-Yeah.

-Tell me when you think this was made.

-I don't think it's an early one.

-No.

-I think this is probably 1960s, 1970s.

-As recent as that, OK.

-And have you ever used it?

-I've never used it myself.

-Right.

But you've used this sort of thing?

I've used this sort of thing in the past, yes, on other ships,

but not this particular one.

Now, we have to think about what this might be worth.

-I mean, clearly you no longer have a use for it.

-No.

-No, OK.

I have done a bit of homework on this and, surprisingly,

quite a few of these have been sold in the past two or three years.

None of them have made a huge amount of money, I hasten to add,

but they made sums between £80 and £150 which, I must say,

is a bit more than I thought they might have done.

-Does that sound about all right to you?

-That sounds... Yeah.

-OK, so if we go for £60 to £100...

-Yeah.

-Reserve of £60?

-£50?

£50 would be fine by me, yeah. I'm more than happy with that.

Reserve of £50. And I'll see you at the sale.

And ask your wife to knit me one of those sweaters.

I can see you in one of those, David.

Thomas has something in front of him that also beautifully reflects

the boating traditions of the area.

-So, Colin.

-Yes.

-Tell me about this delightful watercolour

-you have brought along.

-I actually found it

-when my father passed away in a cupboard in his house.

-Stacked away.

-I didn't even know it existed.

-You sound quite Norfolky.

-I am.

-Born and bred.

-Indeed.

-So, do you know the actual place?

-This is the Broads?

-Yes, the Broads.

I know the place, I know the pub, I know the village.

-This is the pub here?

-Yes.

-What's the pub called?

-Horning Ferry.

-Horning Ferry. And the village is...?

-Horning.

-In Horning.

-Still a pub today?

-Yeah, without the thatched roof.

I can see it's got a thatched roof.

-I wonder if they serve good beer in that pub.

-They do.

We've done a little bit of research with this artist, W Leslie Rackham,

-and this dates from the early part of the 20th century.

-Mmm-hmm.

-He had a yacht called Old Genesta.

-Really?

-Yeah, and this could be his yacht.

-Could be.

He did lots of watercolours of his yacht within the Broads,

-so to speak. I'm just picturing a good beer...

-Mmm.

-..Scotch egg, maybe...

-Yes.

-..on your boat...

-Yeah.

..nipping in and out of the pub for more beer

-with the sun on your back.

-Sounds a good day.

-It does sound a very good day.

-Yeah.

The thing about the watercolours is they do lose a bit of colour

if they've been in the sun.

But your father, by keeping it in the cupboard,

has saved a lot of the colour.

Cos you can still see the blue quite well here.

And I love the way he's done it, with the reflection of the pub.

Real skill on the water with the ripple and the light.

-I think this is going to be worth £100 to £150.

-Mmm.

-Would you be happy to sell it at that?

-Mmm-hmm.

-Yes?

-Mmm-hmm.

Shall we fix a reserve

or have a reserve with a bit of discretion at £100?

-I think the reserve of £100.

-You want to reserve at £100?

-Mmm.

-I think it's worth doing, really.

-Good.

-If I were staying longer, I'd go for a pint, but I'm not.

-No.

And we're staying with the subject of booze for our next lot.

-John, hello and welcome.

-Hello.

And a subject very close to my heart - beer.

-You were in the trade, were you?

-Er, no my parents were.

-They ran a pub for about 12 years in the '50s and '60s.

-Right.

Hard work running a pub, isn't it? Yeah.

This is a fabulous collection you've brought in with you.

I love this sort of stuff.

Advertising ware, it does well today.

And I imagine that these would have been given to the landlord,

your dad, so he didn't actually have to pay anything for them.

-Now, let's start with the toucans.

-Yes.

Always reminds me a bit of Hilda Ogden in Coronation Street.

-I think she had three ducks flying across her wall.

-Yes.

-But what colourful, wonderful things they are.

-Yes.

Manufactured by a factory called Carlton,

established in the 19th century,

but a factory which really came into its own in the 1920s and '30s,

associated with the art deco movement.

And I think you can tell that by looking at the bright colours.

The combination of orange and yellow is particularly typical

of the art deco style.

Let's just talk about the signs. "Guinness For Strength".

Today you'd be in trouble under the Trades Descriptions Act,

if you suggested that something that you were drinking

might enable you to lift a tractor off the ground like that

or bring your carthorse home in his own cart.

So they speak of their period which, again, I think is fantastic.

This one I don't think is quite so interesting.

-No, it's the local brewery. They owned the pub.

-Right.

Anyway, how saleable are they? They have no sentimental value to you?

Not really, no. They were always on display, even after the pub closed.

They were still on the wall but since we've had them,

-they've only been in a wardrobe.

-Yeah, good. OK, value.

-Now, I'm happy that these aren't fakes.

-Mmm-hmm.

There are a lot of forgeries about, as you probably know.

I think one look at the back tells us that they're OK.

The marks are good and there's telltale signs of wear.

-I would be thinking in terms of £50 to £80 for the three birds.

-Mmm-hmm.

In addition to that, obviously, we've got the signs -

-somewhere around £10, £15 each.

-OK.

So, that's another £30 or £40.

So, I would have thought, if we said £80 to £120 for the lot?

-For the lot, yeah, OK.

-We'll ask the auctioneers to sell it in one group.

-Yeah.

-Reserve of £80?

-Yes, I would like a reserve, yeah.

OK, so to make sure that nothing too untoward happens,

we'll just cover them with that reserve.

-And off we go.

-OK.

David could be onto something with these.

Advertising ware, as it's called, is a strong area of collectibles.

Enthusiasts have over 100 years of objects to sift through.

Branding really kicked off in the late 19th century,

when the manufacturers of Pears' Soap pioneered the idea of slogans

and idealised images to sell their products.

The field developed through the 20th century,

but the ad men really went to town after World War II.

As mass manufacturing developed,

they created branding that appealed to consumers on an emotional level.

-ADVERT:

-'On Sunbeam energy, they sure do enjoy life.'

Guinness is known for being one of the most prolific producers

of branded merchandise since the 1930s and the rare pieces,

and those pieces made by famous designers are valuable,

so these could do very well indeed.

That's it. We've now found our final item to take off to auction.

And what a fabulous day we've had here at Norwich Cathedral,

where you can almost feel the ghosts of monks past.

But before we leave, I just want to show you something.

It's another reminder of the importance of water

to the people of Norfolk and it's a little bit of graffiti.

Look at that - scratched onto one of the pillars here.

And here, look, you can see a ship. And it's really a peace offering.

It's a way of saying thank you for the safe passage.

Well, right now, we're going to be heading

straight back to the auction room, so we say goodbye to the cathedral.

And here's a quick recap of what's going under the hammer

and WE definitely won't be going by ship.

We have Robin's old ship speedometer -

a wonderful reminder of Britain's seafaring roots.

There's the watercolour, by W Leslie Rackham, of a yacht

outside the local pub at Horning, in good condition.

And the really lovely collection of advertising signs.

But let's see if the collectors are out in force at the auction.

We're heading back to the saleroom in Diss

and our first lot is a bit of British nautical history -

a speedometer, dating to the 1960s.

Robin, it's great to see you again and you, David.

We are about to sell your instrument for measuring a rate of knots.

I don't think this is a lot of money.

I think the estimate's cheap and I hope it will make more.

-We're optimistic, aren't we, Robin?

-We are, yeah.

Well, let's find out. We're putting it to the test right now.

I have got bids on. I have to start at bottom guide here, at £60.

-60 I have.

-Good interest here.

We're straight in here at the £60. 5. 70. 5. 80.

One more, sir? 80 still with me. Are you the 5?

5. 90. 95, right at the back.

95 I have. Is there 100? It's commissions out at 95.

-We sell.

-HE BANGS GAVEL

Yes, the hammer's gone down. £95, so we nearly did £100,

-but we're pretty happy with that, aren't we?

-Yeah.

-We're really happy with that. Well done, David.

-I was delighted.

A bit of nautical history.

We're still waterlogged for our next lot -

an early 20th-century painting by local artist W Leslie Rackham,

brought to us by Colin.

We're here, virtually on the Broads.

You've got this wonderful watercolour by Rackham, it's a boating scene,

-he loved boats, so it will suit somebody that's got a boat.

-Hmm.

Everyone's got a boat around here, surely. It's full of water.

Let's find out how this does. It's going under the hammer right now.

I'm starting it below guide, starting here at £75. 75 I have.

Is there 80? It's a Rackham here for £75. Where's 80?

80. 5. 90. 5. 100. 110.

-There we are. Sold easily.

-Still on commissions. 110 I have.

Is there 20? It's with commissions at £110 now.

Is there 20? We're selling it at £110.

HE BANGS GAVEL Sold. Yes! Well done, well done.

And I hope that's gone to a good home as well.

-I hope it's gone to a good home.

-It should do.

That's great value for money. It's a one-off piece of fine art.

People pay that for a print or a poster.

You've got a piece of fine art by a great artist on the wall

-that no-one else has.

-Exactly.

-Cos it IS fine art. It's one-off.

-Probably gone to the pub.

-I hope so.

Wouldn't that be nice? Now time for our final lot today,

John's very collectible advertising signs.

My goodness, my Guinness.

Yes, we've seen it on the show before.

-Guinness memorabilia is big business.

-Yeah, I think so.

It appeals to people who collect breweriana

and it appeals to people who collect advertising materials,

so I hope we've got two markets out there, anxious to buy this lot.

Right now, hopefully,

we're going to flog this next lot at the top end of the value.

It's going under the hammer right now.

I'm going to start just below guide. I'm going to start at £65.

65. 70. 5. 80.

-5. 90.

-Sold.

-Yes, sold.

-100. 110.

-120. 130. 140.

-This is good.

-This is more like it.

-170. 180.

190 I have. 190 is back on commission.

190 I have. 200. 220.

-Crikey.

-Yeah, this is very good. The Carlton Ware toucans are worth that.

240 I have. Is there 60? 260. Where's 80? 280.

But then that artwork by Gilroy's iconic. He was a great artist.

It's 300 now bid. Where's the 20? 320's online. 320 I have.

Is there 40? It's 320 online. Is there 40?

-We'll be selling at £320. Are we all done?

-£320!

And watch that hammer go down. Yes, crack!

-That's the sold sound. I'm happy with that.

-I'm very happy with that.

-We're pleased.

-We're chuffed.

-Not bad, considering they were free!

-You didn't even have to pay for them.

-I know.

Wow, that set obviously caught the eye of the ad ware collectors

and what a great final result.

There you are. That's it. It's all over for our "Flog It!" owners.

The sale is still going on, but what a day we've had here.

Everyone's gone home happy and that's what it's all about.

Our experts were definitely on the money and one or two surprises.

What more could you ask from an auction room?

Join us again for a lot more fun soon.

Until then, it's goodbye from Diss.