RAF Museum, London 15 Flog It!

The Halifax bomber was a powerful force in the night raids over

Germany during the Second World War.

This one was struck on a mission

and caught fire with six crew members on board.

Incredibly, they all survived.

This is just one of the amazing stories

here at the RAF Museum in London.

Welcome to "Flog It!".

This RAF Museum is in Hendon in north-west London,

and it boasts an amazing aero history.

When the RAF took over the site, it showcased its talented pilots

and clever flying machines by putting on spectacular shows.

Now those planes are displayed here in the hangars

which are flinging open the doors to "Flog It!".

So, can we hit the ground running?

We'll be uncovering some incredible stories about these

extraordinary survivors later on in the programme.

But right now it's chocks away, let's head for the runway.

Hundreds of people have turned up laden with bags and boxes

full of antiques and collectables here to see our experts,

to find out what's it worth.

If they are happy with the evaluation,

what are you going to do?

-ALL:

-Flog it!

The crowd is keen and they need someone with authority to keep

an eye on them, and who better than Anita Manning?

Oh!

And already digging deep, it's Michael Baggott.

-You're going to be stickered now.

-Oh! That's excitement.

It's a painless process.

And Anita's flouting the uniform rules.

Do you think it suits me?

Oh, it's lovely but if it's gold it's better.

Yeah!

Our eager crowd is hoping their onward journey takes them

through the hangar to our valuation tables.

Here's a quick look of what's coming up later in the programme.

Our experts are seduced by a variety of beads.

Michael's are all brightly coloured.

You look at these and the colours are...alarmingly vibrant.

But Anita's causes a real reaction.

I am amazed. I'm mesmerised.

And I'm taken in by the luxury of a rare Palladian architectural gem.

Do you know, I could definitely live in this house.

Having a good time, everyone? Yes! That's what it's all about.

Thank you for coming in and good luck.

Because anyone of you could go through to the auction rooms and go home with a small fortune.

We need to find these people and we need to find their items.

Anita has just made a start. Here is her first item.

Karen, I'm so excited to be in this wonderful museum today.

I believe you work here and you want to welcome me.

I do. Welcome to the Royal Air Force Museum.

Would do you do in the museum?

I'm a museum warden. I make sure people are enjoying their days.

-Do you love these aeroplanes?

-I do.

I've been coming here since I was a child, so 40 plus years.

-Thank you for bringing this lovely teddy bear in.

-You're welcome.

-First of all, can you tell me where you got him?

-Yes.

I used to work at Stanmore Orthopaedic Hospital, many moons ago.

He used to just sit on the shelf.

They were making more room and they put him in the bin.

Along with another little...

-They put this lovely teddy in the bin?

-Yes.

They put him in the bin along with another knitted one

that was sitting next to him.

He just caught my eye so I rescued him

and took him home to be with all my others.

Are you fond of teddy bears? What made you pick him out the bin?

I've got a small collection of my own anyway

but I couldn't see him being thrown away.

There was nothing wrong with him.

I just felt he could do with a loving home.

-And he became good pals with your other teddy bears?

-Of course!

Now, teddies were first, I suppose,

invented or made at the end of the 19th century.

They became very popular at the beginning of the 20th century.

There's a marvellous story about Teddy Roosevelt,

who was president of the United States at that time,

who was out shooting.

A bear appeared and they wanted him to shoot this bear

and he just couldn't do it.

So, bears from that time became teddy bears.

Really, teddy bears caught on from there

and have been popular ever since.

Now this teddy bear is an English teddy bear.

I would say that he's probably from the 1940s, round about that time.

-He's quite a large bear.

-Yeah.

I like that.

I think his eyes have been replaced at one point.

But the plush, or the fur, there is still lots of it there.

If you look at his paws, the pads have been replaced.

These are quite long pads and the teddy bear collectors look at all

these small details when they are determining the price of them.

OK.

And what happened to teddy bears is that they were held...

..and they were loved.

And very often we will have one side of the face

slightly flattened where it has been cuddled.

This is what has happened at this side.

This teddy bear has been well loved. Isn't that so sweet?

Yes, it's lovely, yeah.

So, Karen,

why are you wanting to sell him now?

-I'm running out of room.

-Are you?

-Yes.

-And he takes... He's quite a big one.

He does take up a lot of room, yes.

We'll put to auction with an estimate of say £30-£40.

-Are you happy with that?

-That's fine, yes.

-Do you want a reserve price on it?

-Say, 30.

-30?

-With a little bit of discretion.

-I think so, yes.

He will go to the auction and he will be loved again.

Good, he needs a loving home.

He certainly does and we'll do our best to find him one.

On the other table, Michael's lost something.

Jill, what's happened? Where's the item we're filming?

Where's it gone?

Oh, my word!

Well, where did these come from?

They were given to the drama group that I belong to.

And I don't know anything about the background for them at all.

We've got obviously a pair of hide gloves

with this beadwork which is typical of Native American workmanship.

But the problem we have with these is, how old are they?

-You've got no provenance with them at all?

-No.

You can often date these primarily by the beads that they used.

You look at these and the colours are...alarmingly vibrant.

They are.

A lot of the very early Native American beadwork

is a much simpler palette of colours.

Now, flip them over and look at the linings.

Those flowers could be...

..'30, '40s, '50s or they could be '60s.

But this fabric here is very 1930s.

I think these date probably to the beginning of the 1940s,

maybe as far on in to '45 or '50.

Because you're using a redundant fabric rather than

a brand-new fabric for the lining.

-But they're impressive, aren't they?

-I think they're wonderful.

They're much too nice to use on the stage, get make-up on them

and all that kind of thing. You wouldn't want...

You wouldn't want to ruin them or soil them.

At least all of this is hand-threaded, hand-stitched.

Were they 19th-century and we had cast-iron provenance for them,

as being original native-worn gloves,

that's a different kettle of fish.

That's two, three, five thousand pounds.

-These very much have a capital T for Tourist...

-Yes.

..and they're commercially made

so they're not part of the Native American tradition.

They're something that's produced purely for us.

So if we look at them and consider the value,

if we say an estimate of £80-£120...

-Yes, that seems right.

-That's the old chestnut.

I think, just to be sensible and just to protect them

so they don't make a £10 note, a fixed reserve of £60?

I think so, yes.

Splendid. If you're happy with that we'll proceed,

we'll take them to auction and we'll keep our fingers crossed

but keep them out of our gloves.

-Thank you so much for bringing them in.

-OK. Thanks.

-It's a pleasure.

So, Michael's off to a flying start and so am I.

There are some marvellous aircraft here in the museum along with

the Spitfire, every schoolboy's favourite, and a favourite of mine.

But there's something I've fallen in love with

and I've not come across it before - it's this aircraft.

It's known as the Supermarine Southampton.

'This wooden-hulled flying boat is the only surviving example

'of its type built after the First World War.'

It flew long-range routes including the Far East to Singapore,

and on to Australia.

Sadly, this particular aircraft fell into disrepair over the years

until the museum stepped in, rescued it and restored it

to its former glory so everybody can appreciate it.

What I particularly love about this so-called flying boat,

is its construction is made of wood.

A typical boat builder's technique here, look.

The boats' hulls were made of carvel planking, exactly like this.

Now, only the first 24 Southamptons that came off the production line

were built of wood. The rest were built of metal.

So, if you do come along to the museum, you're going

to be guaranteed of seeing something really special.

And back at the valuation tables, Michael faces a challenge.

Jeanette, before we discuss your watch

I have to take you to task because my thumbnails have endured damage

and punishment because that little beast didn't want to be opened.

But I persevered for ten minutes, lost a little bit of nail

and we've got it open at last.

Which begs the question, have you ever had it open?

To be honest, I've never known how to open it.

My husband, it used to belong to his mother,

he's never been interested so we've just left it in the box.

Well, I'm glad I can show you that it is indeed a watch

and you can see the lovely dial there,

and we've got the movement on the back

with the retailer's name on it.

-I'm pleased to day, having opened it, it's 18-carat.

-Really?

A lot of these fob watches are nine-carat.

It's marked for London 1875.

So a good 130 years old.

It's got the most wonderful engraving on the back and front

which is in untouched condition.

Now, there's a dilemma with these things now because gold is so high,

sometimes the watches are worth less as objects

than they are with the movements popped out and the gold melted down.

I've got to think, because this is literally untouched,

the value is more as a watch than as bullion.

Did you have any preconceptions of what it might be worth?

You know what? I didn't even think it was gold.

-Isn't that terrible?

-It's got a butteriness and a glow...

-I thought it was too shiny.

-Too shiny. Let that be a lesson.

If you think it's too shiny,

bring it along to "Flog It!" and we'll see.

No, gold actually, if you keep it well, it doesn't really tarnish.

It's only if you put it near something slightly acid,

slightly toxic it will start to discolour.

Why now have you...? Why has your husband decided to sell it?

Actually, because we're sort of downsizing

and we're not using these things, and let someone else enjoy them.

-Well, it hasn't been opened for 40 years, has it?

-That's right.

So, Jeanette, it's a lovely watch, it's got the gold value

and its value to a collector as just an immaculate timepiece,

and a great example of its type.

Let's put it at 250-350.

That covers the gold value of it

and hopefully it will make a little bit more towards that top end.

Put a fixed reserve of £250 and if you're happy to do that...?

-I'm more than happy.

-Marvellous.

Thanks very much for bringing it in.

-It is an absolute joy to see it.

-Lovely.

I'm really thrilled I brought it today.

I think Michael's pretty chuffed too.

Our experts have been working flat out

but will their valuations pass muster in the saleroom?

Well, we're just about to find out. This is where it gets exciting.

We're now going to put them to the test.

Here's a quick recap of all the items that are

going under the hammer.

There's the teddy bear that was rescued from the bin.

The colourful beaded American gloves.

And the almost untouched pocket watch.

Our saleroom today is ten miles south of Hendon in west London.

Fingers crossed we get lucky at Chiswick Auctions,

where we have a host of auctioneers at our disposal.

Mark Longson,

Matt Caddick,

and William Rouse are all wielding the gavel.

180.

Remember, if you're buying or selling at auction there's commission to pay.

Here at the Chiswick Auction Rooms it's 15% plus VAT

on the hammer price.

But it varies from saleroom to saleroom

so check the details, they're printed in the catalogue.

If you're unsure, ask a member of staff. Don't get caught out.

And it looks busy so here's hoping our first lot, the gloves,

attracts the bidders.

Jill, good luck, I envy you because I think you have a lot of fun

being in charge of the wardrobe of the drama group,

-you've got a big dressing-up box.

-Yes, huge.

-About 3,000 costumes, yes.

-Oh, wonderful!

You'll be in dreadful trouble if next year

you do Annie Get Your Gun and you've sold the gloves!

You might need something like that.

-They're too nice to get make-up on them.

-They are really nice.

The beads on them are beautiful.

I'm hoping, because we're on the internet,

that all the bidders in America are sort of poised as they come up.

-Let's hope so.

-Fingers crossed. Ready for this?

-Yes.

They're going under the hammer right now.

£80 for these. Where's Roy Rogers when you need him?

£80? 50.

Go 50. £50 only. £50.

Five. 60. Five. 70.

80 on my left-hand side.

£80. 90, through the archway.

100, left-hand side.

Ten. A five. 110.

Lady's bid at the moment at £110. The boys are out.

At £110. I give fair warning.

In the archway I go then at 110.

-£110, great valuation! Brilliant. Happy with that?

-Yes. Oh, yes!

I can afford fabrics and things to make new costumes we've got to make.

-And that's what you're putting the money towards?

-Yes.

What a great start. Let's hope Lady Luck continues to smile on our next lot -

the bear that nearly didn't see the light of day.

Sadly, our next owner, Karen, cannot be with us today.

She's on holiday in America, and we wish her all the best.

But we do have her teddy bear and we also have her work colleague,

her wingman, I should say. Keith, did you ever meet Ted?

-Did you see him?

-Yes, I did, yes.

I had one very similar to that, only smaller, in my dim and distant past.

Karen's a big collector and I think this is the first of 40 to go,

so fingers crossed Teddy finds a new home.

He's going under the hammer right now.

93, large English Chiltern golden mohair teddy bear.

For this I'm bid £25. 28 is the next bid.

-30, beats me.

-Come on.

Five. 40. 45.

50, 60.

-70.

-Well! It's good.

-It's the Paddington Bear effect.

-Aw!

100. Up and up we go. £120.

We'll check the room. At £120.

-120.

-140 on the internet.

-Good.

Your last chance on the web and in the room. 140.

£140. You're going to have to tell Karen as soon as she gets home.

-I will.

-Give her the good news.

-I'm under instructions.

-OK!

I'm so glad our little bear has found a new home

but what about our next lot?

Going under the hammer right now we have a 19th-century pocket watch.

Will time fly for Jeanette? We're just about to find out.

-Good to see you again. Who is this?

-This is Alan, my husband.

Alan, pleased to meet you. Why have you decided to sell?

We saw "Flog It!" was around and we thought,

-I'd like to bring something down.

-It's in lovely condition.

It's Continental, but the thing is as well, it's solid gold.

So I think we've got it around scrap price.

It's whether two people really rate it as a watch,

and if it goes on from there.

Fingers crossed. This is the moment. We're going to find out.

It's going under the hammer now.

361. This gold watch.

I've got some interest in it. I'm straight in at 230.

240. 250.

Jeanette, it's gone. It has gone.

At £250 is bid in the room.

In the room is bid. 250. 260 from the lady behind you.

270. 280. 290.

300. 320. 340.

360. 380.

400. 420.

-Wow.

-Condition.

-It's worth turning up.

460 with the lady at the back. At 460.

-470.

-470.

-480, madam?

-Yes, please.

480.

£480. Thank you, anyway. 480 we go.

Yes, time definitely flew.

-Hey, that is a great result.

-Lucky we managed to open it,

-we didn't know it was real gold.

-I didn't think it was worth anything.

Well, let that be a lesson.

Leave your watches shut, and let us open them on "Flog It!".

3,700 on the telephone.

Well, three lots under the hammer,

three more to go later on in the programme, so don't go away.

So far, so good.

Now, we are not far from the River Thames here in west London.

Back in the late 17th century,

rich Londoners would build second homes here as a bit of

a holiday retreat, and the fashion of the day was the Italian style.

Now, I've been to visit a real gem that was born out of this

cultural revolution.

Chiswick House in west London, completed in 1729.

It was a bold architectural experiment,

echoing the villas of ancient Rome.

It was never designed to be a practical home,

but as a showcase for its influential owner.

Built in the Palladian style,

it reflects the influence of the Italian Renaissance architect

Andrea Palladio.

To have the money and the know-how to create all of this,

you had to be somebody, and the man behind Chiswick House certainly was.

Born in 1694, Richard Boyle was the third Earl of Burlington, inheriting

his father's titles and estates, including a house here in Chiswick.

As a young man, he embarked on a grand tour of Europe,

but one tour wasn't enough.

He made a second trip to Italy, visiting Venice

and Vicenza, specially to see Palladio's villas.

Like Palladio, Burlington was fascinated with classical Roman architecture -

its proportion, its simplicity and its symmetry.

To help him build Chiswick House, Burlington acquired Palladio's drawings

and those of English architect Inigo Jones,

who also adopted Palladio's style.

He built up an impressive collection of line drawings, which he

used for inspiration, gaining the nickname "the Architect Earl".

I'm going inside to meet the curator, Esme Whittaker, to find

out more about this enthusiast.

Do you know, I know the building is rather small,

but it is the architectural detail, it is so over the top.

Yes, Burlington was very much trying to create an imposing

architectural space, and it is this room that would have

greeted his guests on more formal occasions.

You feel it when you walk in. All of the sudden you think,

"Gosh, yes, this is grown-up, this is powerful."

And the interesting thing was that Burlington actually

already had a house here at Chiswick,

so he had a Jacobean mansion, but that clearly wasn't enough.

He used that for the more practical, kind of day-to-day functions,

-such as the kitchen...

-The clutter.

-..and bedrooms.

And then this was very much an architectural

test-bed for his new ideas.

So in a way, it was more of a show house -

it was an advert for contemporaries and friends to come along

-and see this and buy into this classical Roman style.

-Yes, it was.

I'm going to leave you just to enjoy the atmosphere and absorb it all,

-and I will see you in the gallery.

-OK, thank you very much.

Do you know, I could definitely live in this house.

And I know there's something quite severe about perfect symmetry,

but for me it is really calming,

and I like that, and I love architectural detail.

Just look at it, it is striking.

For the decor, Burlington turned to a chap called William Kent,

who he met on one of his trips to Italy.

And at the time, Kent was training to be a painter.

But under Burlington's guidance, patronage and good friendship,

he turned William Kent into a great architect, a brilliant furniture

designer, landscape gardener as well, a Jack of many trades.

And this room is the result of their combined efforts.

-Two men from two completely different backgrounds.

-Yes.

William Kent came from quite humble origins.

He was born in Bridlington in Yorkshire,

and he was apprenticed as a coach painter and house painter.

But they actually got on very well,

considering they did have quite a different social status.

William Kent was funny and witty, and that really seemed to appeal

to Lord Burlington, who was a much more reserved and formal aristocrat.

Yes. And here you can see Kent's influence, can't you?

Yes, you can see key motifs that we see throughout the villa.

-So for instance, the scallop shells.

-Legs terminating in sea scrolls.

-That is so typical of Kent as well.

-Yes.

And also in some of the chairs we see here in the gallery, there's the

fish scale motif, which, again, you see repeated time and again, both in

this room and also in the interiors elsewhere here at Chiswick.

And nowhere is the vision of these two men clearer than in the

Red Velvet Room.

-Did he use this room as a picture gallery?

-He did.

And it is actually the ceiling painting that is most

-significant here.

-Talk me through that.

Well, it is called Mercury And The Arts,

and it shows the figure of Mercury, which represents commerce,

directing, kind of, plenty and abundance towards

the three visual arts.

So we have the figure of Architecture,

who is holding this plan, and it is actually

a plan of a classical temple that was featured in

one of Palladio's books.

And then there is the figure of Sculpture.

And you can see, just on the ground, there's this bust,

and that is actually a bust of Inigo Jones.

And then finally, there's the figure of Painting,

and you can see she is holding this oval portrait,

and that is actually a portrait of William Kent.

Now, this is a painting by William Kent, so clearly he was one for

self-promotion, to include himself as the figure of Painting.

-Oh, it is lovely.

-So the message was actually quite clear as to what

they were intending to do here at Chiswick.

It is Burlington saying that abundance should be directed

towards the arts.

And with Palladio's help, and Inigo Jones's example, and aided by

William Kent, they would revive this classical style here in Britain.

-And did Lord Burlington use his influence?

-He did.

He used his wealth and influence to support culture and the arts,

so basically he would sponsor musicians and poets

and painters, and he very much gathered these cultural,

creative people around him here at Chiswick.

It is really leading the way, and it has really inspired me.

How significant was their combination?

Because we don't see a great deal of Palladian architecture any more.

Well, Chiswick House was one of the earliest

and most important neo-Palladian villas.

And in the 18th century, the style did become extremely popular,

although sadly quite a few of those villas have now been demolished.

And as the 18th century progressed, the classical style changed.

So the sources that they were inspired by were more varied,

so classical Greece as well as Rome, and also new discoveries,

like Pompeii and Herculaneum,

so it took on a slightly different appearance and style.

This was Lord Burlington's inner sanctum.

It perfectly sums up what he was all about.

No prizes for guessing what this room is called.

Yes, the Blue Velvet Room.

It's here he would show his friends his treasured possessions.

Line drawings from Inigo Jones and Andrea Palladio,

his sources of inspiration.

Wonderful, isn't it? Again, the room, perfectly scaled down.

You've got this perfect cube,

it almost marries the ceiling height up to the cornice.

The chairs, look, shell motifs copying that repetitive motif

we saw out on there on the consul tables,

sitting neatly below the dado rail.

Architecture very much at the forefront of this room

because look up there.

You can see the mural, you can see the lady holding a compass

and a set of line drawings.

It's a nice touch.

He really was a man on a mission.

Sadly though, the Palladian style is something of a rarity now in Britain.

So this building is a real architectural delight.

The so-called Architect Earl died in 1753, leaving this building

as a lasting legacy to his beloved ancient Rome.

Some 250 years later, look, it's still here for us to enjoy,

appreciate and get inspired by.

Welcome back to our valuation day venue,

the magnificent RAF Museum in London.

It's now time to join our experts to see what other treasures we can find

to take off to auction.

Anita, who's known for her love of jewellery, has a real gem.

Bernadette, you have brought me some lovely, lovely beads.

-Do you like jewellery?

-Honestly, I do love jewellery.

Is there a certain period that you like?

I like the older type.

Things that are as old as myself.

BOTH LAUGH

From the '60s downwards.

Do you like gold or silver?

Yeah, I like gold, I like silver, I like amber.

And amber is what we've got here.

I love amber, especially this type

because they are not always like this. Some are different.

One colour. This one, the colour is sort of mixed.

That's what I like to see with amber.

Now, amber is formed from the resin of trees

52 million years old.

Oh, my God.

It's greatly sought-after

and gram by gram

it's more valuable than gold.

Really?

Because of this it has been copied throughout the years.

In Victorian times we had Bakelite and later plastic.

-Ancient peoples thought of amber as giving light and sunshine.

-Yes.

-Do you wear it?

-I have worn this quite a lot.

Each time I wore it people are so fascinated by it.

They keep asking, "Where did you get it? Where did you get it?"

I say, "I just bought it from a charity shop."

-I didn't hide where I got it from.

-Did you buy it a long time ago?

-Yeah, in 1988 I bought it.

-Did you pay a lot of money?

Well, at that time it was a lot of money. I paid only ten quid for it.

-You fell in love with it?

-Yes.

-You had to have it.

I had to have it because it's so attractive.

Well, amber is wonderful in today's market.

When I see a set of beads like this,

I see a spectrum of colours,

which makes it even more attractive.

We have the colours going from, what we call, this butterscotch

up to the darker browns.

That is making it more authentic and more desirable for me.

Price-wise, you paid £10 for it,

have you an idea of what the value is on it?

I haven't got a clue.

I would like to put it into auction at £500-£700.

-Are you serious?

-I think we'll try it at that.

And, erm, see how we go.

I am amazed. I am mesmerised.

Yes.

They are beautiful beads and I think if we, perhaps, put a reserve

of £500, giving the auctioneer discretion,

then we will have a good chance of getting them away at that.

I wasn't expecting anything like this!

Bernadette, thank you very much for bringing it along.

Thank you very much.

You never know with amber. It can be very desirable.

If we get two bidders locking horns at the auction,

this necklace could go sky-high.

Fans of Jurassic Park know only too well how amber was used to tell

a fictional story based on an insect stuck inside it.

Now, this rare necklace with a collection of mosquitoes,

ants and spiders encased inside each bead

sold at auction in 2013 for £11,500.

Now Michael, our lover of all things shiny, has spotted a target.

Maria, thank you for coming in today

with this beautiful little piece here.

Before I tell you anything about it,

can you tell me, where did it come from?

I inherited it from my father...

..about 25 or 30 years ago.

-Where were you originally from?

-I'm Italian by birth.

I come from Trieste, which is north of Italy, border with Austria

-and former Yugoslavia.

-Oh.

There is a little hint of other places as well.

Exactly, it is very much east, closer to the Balkan countries.

-Very exotic. It's an exotic little thing as well, isn't it?

-It is.

I think actually it really needs to be shown under glass, maybe,

or to have many other little things to make an impact.

Well, funny you say that

because this model, which is this beautiful Rococo-style sleigh

with a little cherub on top cracking the whip,

is actually a well-known form and you get it in very many sizes.

-I'm sure they were displayed probably at Christmas.

-Maybe, yes.

It's got that wonderful Christmas, winter feel about it.

-It might look a little bit brassy but it's actually silver-gilt.

-Yes.

The majority of these came into our country between

1900 and about 1910.

They are probably made by one of the Dutch or German factories.

It is cute with the swan as well.

It seems like a fairy tale.

You know, that's the best way to describe it - a fairy-tale object.

-Yes.

-I mean, it would have been nominally for salt.

It's a salt cellar.

It would have had a little liner,

although it is gilded as well to protect it.

There would probably have been a set of four.

They'd effectively be racing around your table

-as you dined.

-How lovely.

It's a pretty thing. Why have you now decided to sell it?

I feel it is totally wasted in my place,

and also I need the money because I need a new pair of spectacles.

Perhaps if we put it into the auction

and I think we'll be cautious and say £150-£200.

That sounds good.

If you're happy for us to do that, let's put a fixed reserve

of £150 and let's hope it finds a home with some more.

But it's a lovely thing.

-Thank you so much for bringing it in.

-Thank you to you.

From fairy-tale to the silver screen now

with our own leading lady, Anita.

Jan, welcome to "Flog It!".

I'm a great movie fan and you've brought along some

-movie and theatrical memorabilia.

-I have indeed.

Are you interested in the theatre and film?

Yes, I love the theatre and film but I love collecting.

I am a collector.

-We have a signed photograph of Edward Fox...

-Correct.

..a letter from the Artists' Benevolent Fund

and a tie that was worn by Edward Fox

in The Day Of The Jackal.

-Which was one of the iconic...

-Unbelievable film.

-..movies of the 1970s.

A most interesting item.

The Actors' Benevolent Fund set up to help actors who were ill,

or too old, or had retired, or whatever.

These would have been items that would have been sold

-and the money would have gone to the fund.

-Yes, yes.

This is a most interesting group as well.

Here we have Dorothy Tutin, Dame Dorothy Tutin,

who was a classical actress.

She acted with Sir Laurence Olivier in King Lear.

And Laurence Olivier was, interestingly enough at this time,

president of the Actors Benevolent Fund.

That's interesting.

So it's all pulling together here.

This is a little vest that she wore.

-Tell me, where did you get them?

-Well, it's very strange.

I was with my daughter in Covent Garden and we were

looking around the stalls and one of the stalls had this.

I thought, I love the film and I couldn't resist buying it.

Then I saw Dorothy Tutin, fantastic actress,

and I bought them.

OK. Now, I have to estimate these for auction.

My temptation is to put a fairly low estimate on them

and to let them find their own place.

Maybe to put both of them together but put £50-£80 on them.

-That's fine.

-Let's give it a whirl, let's put it in.

-Do you want a reserve on them?

-I don't know. What do you think?

I think maybe 50, but give the auctioneer discretion.

-50, I think, is fair.

-Shall we have a go at it?

-I'd love to.

-And see what happens.

-See what happens, yes. Brilliant.

Hopefully, there will be some fans keen to snap these up.

Before we leave the museum there is something I really must show you

and it's this exhibit here.

This is a Halifax bomber or the remains of one anyway.

It played a hugely important role during the night raids

over Germany in the Second World War.

This one was struck on a mission and it caught fire.

The pilot crash-landed it on a frozen lake in Norway.

Incredibly, the six crewmen all survived.

They jumped out on the ice and made their way to safety,

and the burning plane sank through the ice.

Luckily enough, some 30 years later

the wreckage was salvaged from the lake bed.

OK, a little bit battered and worn but here it is. Look at that!

A lucky survivor and a happy ending.

I hope we have a happy ending too in the auction room.

And here's a reminder of what we're taking with us.

There's Anita's favourite, the amber necklace.

The fairy-tale salt cellar.

And the props and photos from the silver screen.

So, time to test the market back at Chiswick Auction Rooms.

90 in the far end.

Our first lot is the movie and theatrical memorabilia.

-You've been tinkering, haven't you?

-I have done a little tinkering.

-Yes.

Let me just remind our audience, OK.

We've got Edward Fox's tie

and we've got a crocheted top from Dorothy Tutin

with provenance as well, which is so important with this sort of thing, provenance.

We have the letters there and that's important.

-OK, original estimate, Anita, what did you put on that?

-50-80.

50-80 with a reserve of 50.

Now, you've had a chat to the auctioneer...

-Yes.

-..and you thought, actually, I want a bit more.

-Yes.

I thought if it doesn't sell I could put into a movie

-and memorabilia sale.

-Sure, OK.

-Now we've got 80-120 on it?

-Yes.

-With a reserve now at 80.

-That's fine.

Fingers crossed we get the top end of your estimate.

It's big business, movie memorabilia,

and there's a lot of collectors.

It's going under the hammer now.

456 is the film and entertainment interest lot.

Start me £50 for it to go.

For The Day Of The Jackal lot for £50, somebody.

50 is bid. 55 with me.

60. 65 with me.

-He has bids on the book.

-£70 on the internet.

At £70 we are.

Anybody else want to come in? For 70 it goes.

Yes, £70.

He's used discretion on that because you had given him

a reserve of 80 with discretion.

He's kind of used a little bit to play with

-and I think a sale is better than losing it for two quid.

-Yes.

-Yes, yes.

-I'm pleased with that, very pleased.

-Thank you for bringing them in.

-Thank you very much.

That was close, wasn't it? All we can say now is, job done.

480, 500.

Smiling faces all round

and it's Michael's turn now with the pretty reindeer salt cellar.

-Are you ready for this, Maria?

-Absolutely.

We've been waiting for this since valuation day, haven't we?

It's a shame you haven't got a real sleigh to ride in on

-but then the winter's nearly over now.

-We have a little one.

Yes, we have, a Rococo one. I like this.

The thing about these is, I've seen them in sizes from this big to this big.

I think they're standard Christmas table decorations.

The wealthier you are, the more sizes and shapes you have.

Well, look, good luck both of you.

It's going under the hammer right now.

Lot 372 is this nice gilt metal salt.

100 I'm bid.

110. 120.

130. 140. 150.

160. 160 in front of me.

190.

210 on the internet. 220 in the room. 230.

-You love the internet when you're selling.

-250.

250 here.

-£250.

-My God, I'm amazed.

It goes for 250. Nice thing.

£250. Well done! That's really lovely. I'm pleased as punch.

-It was a super result.

-Well judged, Michael.

-Beautifully said!

Another happy customer. We are going great guns.

Time for our final lot.

Sadly, our next owner, Bernadette, cannot be with us today

but we do have her best friend, Gladys, and we're about to sell

those gorgeous amber beads,

the wonderful necklace which I know you could wear.

-Of course.

-I know this one could wear...

-I love amber.

We couldn't get them out of your hands on the valuation day.

They were absolutely beautiful.

In this necklace we have a variety of different colours...

-Yes.

-..and different hues and I like that.

Right, let's see if there are any ladies amongst the bidders that might fancy to go home with this.

-It's going under the hammer. Good luck.

-Thank you.

And 483. Phone bids - one, two, three.

I'm bid £700.

Yes! It's amber.

850.

950.

£1,000. 1,100.

1,200. 1,300.

1,400.1,500.

1,700.

-£2,000.

-£2,000! Yes!

-2,200.

2,400. 2,600. 2,800.

-On the internet...

-Listen!

-..3,000.

-3,200.

-3,200! Yes!

3,500.

3,700 on the telephone.

-Wow!

-Yes.

-3,800.

-3,900.

-3,900.

-Wow!

-4,000 with June.

-Don't you just love auctions?

-My instinct was right.

Do you know, I'm tingling, I'm absolutely tingling.

4,400. 4,600.

-4,800.

-4,800!

-4,800.

£4,800.

£4,800!

Are we all done?

-5,000 on the internet.

-5,000!

For 5,000 on the internet.

I'm going to sell the lot. It goes for 5,000.

The hammer's gone down! Yes! What a surprise!

I knew there was going to be one. I knew it.

-I'm tingling. You've got to be so happy for your friend.

-I am.

Bernadette paid £10.

-I know!

-Now that was a lot of money at the time.

I'm telling you, she loves doing these things.

She's going to be doing it a lot more in the future,

and please enjoy watching this moment.

I know you're missing it, you're in Nigeria but we are ecstatic.

What a fantastic price - £5,000. What a way to end today's show.

We've had great fun here, I hope you've enjoyed it.

Join us again soon for many more surprises in the auction room

with "Flog It!".