Compilation 33 Flog It!

Today, I am in Ayrshire, in Scotland,

and this is the gorgeous 18th-century Dumfries House.

It was one of the first commissions for 26-year-old Robert Adam,

who later became one of Britain's most renowned architects.

Today, however, it is its interior content which is considered

even more important than its architecture.

Later on the programme, we will be finding out why.

Welcome to Flog It!

What is remarkable about the 250-year-old Dumfries House

is all of its original furnishings have survived

and they are in incredibly good condition,

which is extremely rare for a stately home of this age

to have its contents intact.

Throughout the centuries, the house has been passed down

through a family who are as illustrious as its interiors.

But in 2007, its last owner, Johnny Dumfries,

could not longer afford the astronomical upkeep.

This forced the family to make some tough decisions.

They called in a top firm of auctioneers,

as the future of Dumfries House hung in the balance.

This small, unassuming lot card -

look at that, Christie's, number 118 -

is a very powerful reminder of how close

this house and its contents were to being sold off.

At the eleventh hour,

the Prince of Wales, with a powerful consortium, challenged that.

They bought it and they saved this house and all of its treasures

for the nation, for all of us, to enjoy.

And the Prince of Wales went one step further,

establishing a trust which undertook a multi-million pound conservation

and regeneration project in the house and on the surrounding estate.

Later, I will be finding out more about the history of

this amazing stately home.

But first, we head south to take a look back

at some of the valuation days we visited across the country.

We journey to the 18th-century Palladian-style Ragley Hall

in Warwickshire, where, in the Great Hall,

Christina Trevanion found an item worthy of the sumptuous setting.

Look at this. All that glitters is gold on my table.

It is wonderful!

You turned up in your droves to the Milestones Museum

in Basingstoke, Hampshire,

to have your items valued on the recreated historic cobbled streets.

And we flew high at the RAF Museum at Hendon, in London,

where our experts looked at your items amongst the historic

and ground-breaking aircraft

and Michael Baggott booked a flight to the Orient.

You have got the obligatory depiction of Mount Fuji

in the distance.

And finally, we voyage to Falmouth, where we held our valuation day

at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

And below the display of hanging flotilla,

Caroline Hawley stumbled across a story with a royal connection.

-My father's brother was a Harley Street eye specialist...

-Right.

..and he treated some members of the Belgian royal family.

And back here at Dumfries House, I will be finding out why

this bookcase is one of the most valuable pieces in the world.

And I will give you a clue - it is all about who made it.

But first, let's look at some of your valuables.

When we visited the historic streets of the Milestones Museum

in Basingstoke, James Lewis found a pair of items that

took us back to the age of steam.

I always thought it was Florence who was the Lady with the Lamp.

But today we have got Carol, the Lady with TWO Lamps!

The lady with... Yeah, right!

So, railway, obviously.

BR - British Rail - with an E in brackets for Eastern.

-Oh, right.

-And Melton on this one.

-Yes.

I thought it was Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire,

but I think it is more likely to be Melton in Suffolk.

I thought it was the name of the engine that it came off.

-Oh, it could be. Good thinking.

-Yes.

So, tell me, what do you know about them

and how did you come to have them in the family?

-I went to the Watercress Line at Alresford about 20 years ago.

-OK.

They were restoring engines, steam trains.

And they had a shed at the back

-and they were selling off items to raise money for their funds.

-OK.

So, I bought them. I think they were about £20 or £30 each.

But I just liked them.

I had a thatched cottage and I thought they'd go well in there.

Yeah. Absolutely.

-This is the more recent one.

-Oh, is it? Right, OK.

-This is dating to about 1950, 1955, something like that.

-Really?

And if we turn the lamp round, just have a look here,

I think it is great the way that you just swing the handle

and the cover automatically opens up.

-Yeah, it is brilliant.

-A super design.

On the plaque here it says,

"Lamp Manufacturing & Railway Supplies Ltd, London, Welch Patent."

This one, slightly earlier. I think this is a stationmaster's lamp.

-Oh, right.

-And Melton station in Suffolk closed in 1955.

-Right.

Then the burner inside - look - is Sherwoods of Birmingham.

That Sherwoods patent lamp was used from 1948

all the way through to the late '50s.

But we've got a station name that closed in '55,

-so it is going to be about 1950 or so, the date for the lamp.

-Right.

-Looks a lot earlier than that.

-It certainly does.

I thought it must be Victorian or something.

So, in terms of value, this one is worth £30-£50,

this one is worth £40-£60.

-Right.

-If we said £60-£100 for the two.

-Yes, yes.

-And a firm reserve of £60.

-That's fine.

-If we didn't make that, you'd have them back.

-That's fine.

-They've got to be worth that, haven't they?

-Oh, I think so!

-Where would you get another one?

-Exactly.

-Put them online, they'll sell.

-OK. Thank you.

-"Online", get it?

-Online, yes, I did.

-GROANS:

-Oh! Well done.

Lamps were used on the railways and at stations

when it started to get dark.

They had a variety of functions,

like providing signals on locomotives and rolling stock.

A white lamp would be used at the front of the train

and a red one at the rear.

But most commonly, they were used as hand lamps by staff

to light the way for passengers and signal to other workers.

But we must now leave the world of the railway behind us

and take to the skies.

At the RAF Museum at Hendon in London, Michael Baggott did just that

when he prepared for takeoff in possession of fragile cargo.

Gerry, thank you so much.

I spotted you in the queue with one of these lovely pair of vases.

What do you know about them?

They belonged to my late mother-in-law.

We believe that she inherited them from her mother-in-law

and we think they've been in the family since around

the turn of the 20th century.

That would be absolutely right for the date of them.

What we're looking at are a pair of Japanese earthenware vases

and they are generically called Satsuma ware.

It starts to be produced in around 1850, 1860

and it is typified by this very light, cream-coloured body

that crazes amazingly,

so you've got this sort of paving network of fine cracks.

But then it continues to be produced into the Edwardian period,

when a lot of couples were going to Japan for their honeymoon.

And they would bring back souvenirs.

The large makers would have factories

producing wares for export.

And then they would have home studios

and that is very much where the artisan work took place.

Now, you look at these and they're actually...

..very detailed and quite breathtaking.

You have got the birds and the flowers.

You have got the obligatory depiction of Mount Fuji

in the distance.

And you have got lots of naturalistic scenes.

But amazingly, these are the pieces made in the factory!

-These are the lower class wares.

-Yeah.

If we had a studio piece to compare it with,

you would find that you would have the same sort of design and detail

but it would be on a far more condensed scale.

Any idea of what the value might be?

We had a valuation a number of years ago,

-which came out at about £150.

-Right.

-They should be around £150 on a good day.

-Yep.

I would be more comfortable if we went for, I'm afraid,

our auctioneer's chestnuts, which is £80-£120.

-Fine.

-I hate to do it, but I think we will do that,

put a fixed reserve of £80 on them.

But why have you decided to part with them now?

Well, we inherited them from my mother-in-law

and the house that we were living in at that time,

they suited very well

and then we moved and they don't suit where we are living so well.

And of course, the other thing is that as you get older,

you need far more care, looking after these sorts of things.

So, we thought probably best to sell them

whilst they are still in relatively good condition.

Don't want to drop or chip one and then have to sell it.

Absolutely not, no.

-Well, thank you so much for bringing them in.

-Thank you very much.

I think they will do very well on the day.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you.

Unlike Gerry's factory-produced vases,

back at Dumfries House in Scotland, I have found an extraordinary item

which is handcrafted instead.

And it is right above my head.

It is this incredible chandelier!

It is an eight-arm branch which sits into this central receiver.

But look closely - you can see this double air twist inside in blue.

That is incredible. But when you look up,

it really sets off this deep plaster relief ceiling.

It casts shadows all over it.

I love that. It is so right for this room.

Now, this chandelier dates to 1760.

It was made in Murano, a small glass-making island off of Venice.

But it wasn't installed until 1907, when it was wired for electricity.

So, here we have the earls keeping up with the times

and installing the mod cons.

They made other changes to the utilities as well.

In 1817, right up to 1826, the house was replumbed

and it had flushing loos - closets were installed.

In 1867, they even built a Turkish bath.

Sadly, that didn't survive

but it was one of the first to be built in the country.

But thankfully, the furnishings, the fixtures have survived

and that is down to the generations of families that have lived here

and have embraced what they've got and they've hung on to it

so we can enjoy it.

And over about at our valuation day at the equally gorgeous

18th-century Ragley Hall in Warwickshire,

Christina Trevanion found a striking bracelet

that had also been in a family for generations.

Michael, I love this. Look at this.

All that glitters is gold on my table. It is wonderful!

-It really is, yes. Thank you.

-Where has this come from?

It is actually my mother's, my late mothers.

-She died, unfortunately, at the end of August.

-I'm sorry.

And so, I inherited it.

It is something that has been in the family for, I guess,

approximately 50 years.

It was bought as a chain on its own

-and then, gradually over the years, we've just added onto it.

-Yeah.

Which is the one that is most poignant for you?

Which is the one that you like?

-I think this one here, which is the steering wheel.

-Ah, yes.

My mum didn't pass her driving test till she was in her late 30s.

-Oh, wow.

-And how she passed first time, we never knew.

-Oh, really?

-SHE LAUGHS

-Was she not a good driver?

-I don't think so, anyway.

You wouldn't get into the car with Mum?

Oh, splendid.

Not only have we got the nine-carat gold chain,

but we have also got, which is quite important,

a 22-carat gold wedding band there.

-That is my grandmother's.

-That is Granny's wedding ring?

-My grandmother's wedding ring, yes.

-That was Mum's mum?

-Yep, that's correct.

-Wonderful.

And then we have also got a full sovereign here.

Sovereigns have the portrait of the monarch on the back of them.

And we've got a Queen Victoria, a Jubilee head, which is dated...

What is it dated there? 1888.

-Right.

-So, a nice Victorian one there.

And also a half sovereign over here, which is dated 1908,

-so that will be an Edward VII one.

-Right, OK.

-OK.

-Obviously, that helps really boost the gold content in there.

-Right.

We have got a little bit of damage going on here, haven't we?

Did Mum wear it a lot?

Really only for special occasions.

A lot of people say to me they're quite a pain to wear

cos they are really quite dangly, aren't they?

-They get caught in jumpers and things.

-They are indeed.

I mean, she used to wear it over her clothing, as you rightly said,

-because if you put it underneath...

-It would catch on everything.

All the time. Yes, absolutely.

That doesn't surprise me, bless her. She wasn't alone, don't worry.

-THEY LAUGH

-Nonetheless, it is still

really quite a valuable thing.

-We would want to sell it as one.

-Yes.

And we would want to offer it with an estimate of sort of £600-£800.

Blimey!

-Is that all right?

-Crikey. It is, yeah.

-HE LAUGHS

-Are you OK?

-Yes, yes!

-It is a bonus, isn't it?

-Fantastic.

-Absolutely, yeah.

Gold price obviously does fluctuate daily.

The valuation is very much dependent on that.

But I think at the moment, if we say £600-£800

with a firm reserve of £600, would you be happy with that?

Yes, yes. It is something that if I didn't, it would sit in a cupboard.

-Yeah.

-And I want the family to get enjoyment.

-Right.

And that is what I want to happen.

So, how will the family get enjoyment of this money?

-Got a property in Spain.

-Oh, lovely.

-It was my mum's old house.

-Oh, fantastic.

It is a villa and so, we would invest back into the villa

and then all the family can benefit from it.

-That's what my mother would want.

-Fantastic.

Well, we will transfer it into a holiday fund for the villa.

Thank you so much for bringing it in.

-It's been a real pleasure to see.

-OK.

-Best of luck.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

And that is it for our first batch of items as now it's time to find out

if they made our owners very happy when they went under the hammer.

-230...

-Remember, whenever you are buying or selling at auction,

there is always commission and VAT to pay.

Gerry's Satsuma vases were lower-class factory-produced wares,

but their decoration was

incredibly detailed

and I thought they were

rather exquisite.

This gold charm bracelet

had wonderful memories

from Michael's mother

and grandmother.

And Carol's lamps bore

the names of bygone stations

and harked back to another era.

They were the first items to leave our auction luggage,

as we took the pair to Andrew Smith & Son near Winchester.

And Andrew Smith was on the rostrum.

£50.

Well, this next lot is bound to light up the saleroom.

We have two railway lamps - I love these - from the 1950s.

-Carol, it is great to see you. Who's this?

-My husband, Michael.

-Michael.

-Hello, nice to meet you.

-Were these yours?

-I used to use them before we got electric at home.

-THEY LAUGH

-So, you don't mind selling them?

-No, no.

There's a lot of people that collect this kind of stuff.

-Specialist auctions as well, isn't there?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And there's internet sites, there's all sorts of groups

that meet together, railway enthusiasts.

-They love this kind of thing.

-Yeah.

Let's find out what the bidders think. Good luck, both of you.

The Welch Patent railway lamp. Start with £60. £60.

Do I have 50 here? £50 to start.

£50, surely.

£50 we have, thank you. And 5.

At £50, 55, 60.

And 5. It is 60 on the net.

Is there a 5? At £60, then.

We are selling at £60 and selling on the net, if you're all done.

-Well done. James was spot-on.

-Thanks, James.

And hopefully to a good collector.

-Yes, somebody who will love them.

-They will. They will.

-Because they have the look. It is nostalgia, isn't it?

-It is.

Next, we headed to Chiswick Auctions in London,

where Gerry's pair of Satsuma vases went under the hammer.

On the rostrum was auctioneer William Rouse.

Sadly, Gerry cannot be with us, he's away skiing,

but we have his daughter Sophie.

-Great to see you. Thanks for standing in.

-My pleasure.

It is the Satsuma vases your family inherited.

-Yes, it is.

-So, he's flogging off your inheritance before you get it.

I know. As long as I get some money, I don't mind.

-Do you like these things?

-I do.

-I remember them in my grandma's house.

-Could you live with them?

They don't really go with my house style, but they are nice vases.

-Good things, aren't they?

-Yes.

19th-century, they should sell, shouldn't they?

They are big for their money. I mean, you get a lot of vase.

-Quite showy.

-Yeah. We'll see.

-OK, good luck.

-OK, thank you.

-Ready for this?

-Yes.

-Here we go.

577 is a pair of late 19th-century Satsuma pottery vases.

What are they worth? £50?

50 is bid, 55, 60, 5,

70, 5, 80, 5, 90, 5,

100.

No? £100. 110 on the internet now.

120, 130 here.

At 130 on the internet.

135 I am bid.

-An extra fiver.

-140.

You're out. At 140 we go, 140.

That is actually a really good result for those.

-Very pleased. Maybe that market is on the turn now.

-Yeah.

-But they were a good decorator's lot anyway.

-Yes.

Good decorator's lot. You get a lot for your money.

-OK.

-Thank you for bringing them in.

-OK, it was a pleasure.

And I hope Gerry was happy with that result too.

Finally, we headed north to Stratford-upon-Avon to sell

Michael's gold charm bracelet at Bigwood Fine Art Auctioneers.

Stephen Kaye was on the rostrum.

Good luck, Michael. It is the moment of truth.

What is the price of gold today? We will find out. It does change a lot.

But this won't be sold for melt, will it? Definitely not.

No, you've got some sovereigns on there, some half sovereigns.

-Lovely little charms.

-Yes, indeed.

-Yes, exactly.

-OK, good luck. Here we go, it is going under the hammer.

-Best of luck.

Lot number 120 is the hollow curb link bracelet

with all those interesting charms on it.

I have got some bids here on the book

and I can start here at £600.

Anybody else interested?

-Gosh.

-I have got £600, I'm going to sell it.

-Come on.

So, anybody give me 610?

-Sold.

-Very pleased.

-Thank you for bringing it in.

Thank you for helping me. Thank you very much indeed.

-It was a close one!

-Yeah!

Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!

What a fantastic result for Michael.

And what a great result for all of our owners so far.

We will be returning to the auctions later on.

Back at Dumfries House,

I'm indulging in one of my greatest passions -

the finest antique furniture created by Thomas Chippendale,

the Shakespeare of furniture makers.

Now, I know I have mentioned Thomas Chippendale on the show before,

but he is incredibly important in the history of British furniture making.

In no small part because he is the first cabinet-maker to publish a book

on his designs - The Gentleman And Cabinet-Maker's Director.

The first edition of the book had 161 engravings

of fashionable furniture designs which patrons could choose from,

and it acted as a patent book for those designs.

And it is impossible to visit Dumfries House without

immersing yourself in their vast Chippendale collection.

When furnishing the newly-built Dumfries House,

the 5th Earl of Dumfries gave the relatively unknown

Thomas Chippendale his first major order.

Consequently, this stately home boasts the largest collection

of early Chippendale you will find anywhere in the world.

Chippendale's work is also known for its graceful design.

His furniture is characterised by solidity without heaviness.

His early pieces, like these here at Dumfries House,

were in the rococo style, which was symbolised by curves,

ornate carving and featured the use of gold.

What may surprise you about Chippendale -

he wasn't just responsible for the so-called brown furniture.

He also designed and supplied the fire screen there,

the wonderful rococo pelmets up there - the matching three pelmets -

the pair of chinoiserie pier glasses,

not to mention attention to detail - these curtain tiebacks.

So, you can see what I am getting at here.

He had control of all of the interior design.

He made sure things sat in harmony and they worked really well together.

'To find out more about Chippendale's relationship with Dumfries House,

'I'm meeting curator Charlotte Rostek.'

How did the 5th Earl come across Chippendale in the first place?

-Was it through the book?

-Well, he didn't have a book himself,

but the book was possibly talk of the day in Scotland in particular.

One interesting fact is that the subscribers list

to the original edition - the 1754 book - 25% were linked

-to The Royal and Ancient Golf Course in St Andrews.

-Ah.

-And that's a very interesting thing, I think.

-Yes.

Just imagine those gentlemen playing golf at the weekend

and referring to this wonderful new pattern book

which had just come out and they were discussing it.

But also Chippendale had a Scottish business partner, James Rannie.

Perhaps a lesser-known fact -

Rannie came from Leith and he invested into the book.

He made the publication of this pattern book possible

and he also made it possible for Chippendale to set up his workshop.

This has to be my favourite piece in the collection

because I think it's understated,

it's a proper gentleman's piece, it's a work piece.

And the best thing is, I think, that, actually,

it relates directly to the design.

And, of course, you had options.

-You could have the drawers on both sides...

-Sure.

..and then this on the other two sides.

It's not to be taken completely literally.

-It's brilliant.

-Absolutely amazing.

I can understand how this piece was picked out for this room.

-It sits beautifully.

-Yeah.

How did he choose other pieces for the other rooms?

So, the Chippendale furniture,

which he must have seen in the workshop in London,

it was bought from stock that was all there.

Dumfries House was built in the 1750s

at a time when the rococo style was very much in vogue in Britain.

The house is Palladian,

-but there are these wonderful plaster ceilings.

-Sure.

The rococo plaster ceilings. Beautiful.

So, the Chippendale furniture

must have immediately struck a chord stylistically

because it's playful, it's naturalistic,

-it has that rococo exuberance.

-Yeah, it does.

And I literally think he could not resist

and he bought over 50 pieces straight off.

This type of furniture also has a showy note.

-There's a bit of showmanship here.

-Sure.

The house, when you think about the public rooms in particular,

it's all about parading.

You're parading your wealth, your choice pieces, your taste

-and everybody is incredibly impressed...

-Yeah.

-..with who you are and what you have.

-Yeah.

I think we should promenade, don't you?

-Let's go on a tour.

-What a good idea. Let's go.

The pink dining room is the one room which is furnished today

almost exactly how the 5th Earl of Dumfries

originally decorated it.

And it contains some stunning examples of Chippendale's work,

such as the ornate girandoles,

which were wall-mounted candlestick holders.

They're probably the most flamboyant pieces.

I love them. They're my favourites.

Yeah, it's not about the mercury plate glass there, is it?

-It's about the rococo frame.

-It is.

It's just sheer exuberance and playfulness.

The wine cooler?

Yeah, the wine cooler is actually part of the second order

that Lord Dumfries got from Chippendale.

And if you look at it with its fluted and tapering leg,

-we've already moved away from the rococo style.

-Mm-hm.

-This is the beginning of the neoclassic style.

-Yeah.

-And that just throws into relief the rococo collection...

-Sure.

..and just how short-lived that style was

and how precious the body of furniture is

that we have here from Chippendale.

Chippendale's furniture was made in the centre of London

in St Martin's Lane. That's close to the dock,

so I'd imagine it would be shipped up here.

-Shipped up, yes.

-Yes.

-Chippendale took great care

and we've got a wonderful letter surviving.

I can show you that here.

-These are copies of the letter?

-This is a copy of the letter, yes.

So, it's directly addressed to Lord Dumfries.

"The contents of each case, with proper directions,

"are given to a person who goes to put up the furniture."

So, he's going to be a very helpful bloke

and he's going to help you set it all up in situ here.

Sure. And unpack very, very carefully.

Unpack very carefully.

But it's a wonderful service

and perhaps rather better service than we are accustomed to today.

-Than you get today.

-Yeah.

What's so wonderful about the furniture you have here -

it's got great provenance. It has the letters,

it has the receipts and the bills, you know.

-We have indeed.

-That's incredible.

-The archives are incredible.

And literally, the six-part Chippendale and Rannie bill

lists every single piece

of the 50 pieces of furniture that we have here.

So, you can identify every single one of the elbow chairs,

-the bed, the bookcase - you name it.

-Yeah.

And here, we've got the girandoles

and they are listed on the bill - 24 pounds and ten shillings.

-Bargain.

-They're an absolute steal.

Finally, I've left the best until last -

the piece de resistance of Chippendale's collection...

..this breathtaking bookcase.

Well, it's a bookcase in name, but I tell you what,

it is multifunctional because it's a display case.

This would have housed the finest porcelain, books and wigs.

And believe it or not, there's a clothes-press in here.

Now, this had a presale offer back in 2007

of £12 million.

That was offered to Christie's.

It's believed, if it did go under the hammer,

it would have realised somewhere in the region of £20 million.

It has to be one of the world's most expensive pieces of furniture.

No expense has been spared here.

There's wonderful, wonderful variegated hues

when you look at the marquetry.

Now, that is an incredible job within itself.

There's half a dozen different trades here

all working to create one dynamic piece.

It's the most beautiful carving carved out of solid pieces of wood.

Look at that. Hand-blown glass.

All hand-flattened as well. Beautifully glazed.

And even the casting details of the handles.

There's not one fault with this.

And I tell you what, it's as good today as it was

when it was first delivered to Dumfries House.

Watch this. Listen to the drawers. Look at that.

DRAWER OPENS QUIETLY

How about that for a drawer that runs so truly?

No squeaking or wobbling there.

That's why that's one of the world's most expensive pieces of furniture.

Now we continue our tour of the country

as we return to Basingstoke, to the Milestones Museum,

which was full of vintage vehicles from around Hampshire,

including a bus which Nick Davies commandeered.

Well, Anne, here we are on this open top bus

with a lovely piece of silver in front of us.

I feel like we've won the FA Cup.

We should have crowds of people down there screaming at us.

It's a beautiful piece.

Tell me, where did you get it from and how long have you had it?

Well, I've had it about 30 years

-and it was originally my grandparents'...

-Right.

..who handed it down to my parents - my father -

and my father handed it down to me.

-Lovely. A solid history.

-Yes.

Now, it looks very clean. Have you been busy?

I've been very busy, yes. I thought it might take quite a while to do,

so I thought I'd start on Monday and work through the week on it.

-It looks immaculate.

-Yes.

-You've worked very hard.

-Yes.

It's an epergne, which is French for the word saving.

So, generally, they held baskets of sweetmeats round the table

to save someone getting up and going to fetch them.

They adapted them for candles and flowers

and this is obviously flowers with four trumpet vases in it.

And it's by a company called Josiah Williams of London.

You've got the London hallmark there, which is 1901.

You've got the leopard's head and the date letter there

and the maker's mark as well, so full hallmarks.

Where was it before you cleaned it?

-It was on my sideboard for many years...

-Right.

..and then it went up in the loft and it's been up in the loft

for about the past, ooh, four, five years.

-Something like that.

-Four, five years?

-Yes.

-Up there feeling sorry for itself?

-Feeling sorry for itself.

So, how come you want to sell it now?

Well, I'm selling it because I have two children.

It's not the sort of piece

that I think fits in with their lifestyle

-and it is quite a commitment to keep it clean.

-Yes.

-So, it seems the right thing to do.

-I mean, you're right.

The filigree work is just beautiful.

It's all cut out and pierced work and it is difficult to clean.

But it's also in great condition because often,

while people clean these, they get the cloths caught.

I tend to use a little old toothbrush

just with soft bristles to get in between rather than the cloth

where you might pull some of the silverwork out.

But beautiful. Beautiful. Great condition.

Value, then, I suppose, are we?

Well, I would be interested to know how much it is.

-I would put it in auction at £400-£600.

-Oh, right.

-OK?

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, I am.

-Excellent. Excellent.

They're not as popular as they were.

The way people dine and eat is a little bit less formal now

and I think these have taken a little bit of a hit, to be fair.

But it's such a nice example.

I'm sure it'll be fine on the day in the saleroom.

-Will there be a reserve on it?

-I think so.

I think we'll put a reserve of £400.

A little bit of discretion, but let's be fairly tight on it.

-Is that OK with you?

-That sounds good, yes. Lovely.

Fingers crossed we'll have a good day.

-Oh, thank you.

-That's a pleasure.

Later in the show, we'll find out if Nick's valuation was on the money.

But first, we're revisiting the RAF Museum in Hendon,

where Michael Baggott found a marvellous chair

which belonged to Smruti.

Paul must be green with envy that I've got my hands on this first.

How did you come by it?

I purchased it in 2004 from an elderly lady of age 90.

-She was downsizing.

-Oh, marvellous.

So, had she had it for years and years?

She used to own an antiques shop in Northampton.

Oh, how wonderful.

So, what appealed to you about the chair?

Well, my mother wasn't keeping good health

and she always complained.

She sat next to the radiator and she was always asking,

"Do you have anything?" so she can warm her back.

And then I saw this and I thought, "This is ideal."

-There's nothing more comfortable...

-Exactly.

-..than an antique chair.

-Exactly.

-Let's look at the style of it first.

We've got this wonderful scroll arm to it.

If we turn it to the side, got that lovely sweptback sabre leg

and that very much comes in in about 1805

and continues throughout the 19th century on chairs.

And if we turn it back round,

the thing you're immediately struck by

on this wonderful mahogany carcass is all this superb marquetry inlay.

It's very much in the Dutch taste.

At the beginning of the 19th century,

there's a revival of all this marquetry

and this is just a wonderful example of a purely early-19th-century shape

with purely late-17th-century decoration on it.

If we look closely, there are a couple of faults.

We've had little breaks to the arms, which have been pegged at the back

and we've had a little break there.

But I think the problem with pieces of furniture like this

if they're a little damaged is that people over-restore them

and in doing that, they try and make it all look original,

but they strip away all this delicious surface patination.

That's only occurred by 180, 200 years of people handling it.

Very good 19th-century furniture is very affordable at the moment.

And there's something wrong with people

because they go to shops and buy it new

and they don't go to auctions where they should go.

Can I ask you, back in 2004, what did you pay for it?

£150.

Well, back then, that was extremely good

'cause it was more popular then.

Really, at auction...

..even though it's a single, sort of not part of a set,

we should be looking at about £200-£300

-with a fixed reserve of 200.

-Good.

But why now, after more than ten years,

have you decided to part with it?

Well, it is sitting in my sitting room doing nothing...

-Yes.

-..and I don't want it to go to waste.

Somebody else can use it wisely.

Well, it's a marvellous thing to boot.

We'll put it into the auction

and let's hope we get towards the top end of that

-because it deserves to make that sort of money.

-I hope so.

-Thank you so much for bringing it in.

-Thank you.

A gorgeous piece of furniture with a wonderful patina.

The interiors here at Dumfries House scream opulence.

Just look at this richly decorated room

with its wonderful touches of gold gilt.

At our valuation day in Falmouth,

something equally sumptuous caught Caroline Hawley's eye.

Jenny, this is lovely.

Now, tell me what you know about it

and how you have come to be the lucky lady that owns this

-and not me.

-JENNY LAUGHS

Well, this belonged to my aunt who was also my godmother

and she was very close to me and she gave this to me before she died.

-How long have you had it?

-Since the 1980s.

-How lovely.

And is there any connection with France, Belgium?

Well, her husband, who was my father's brother,

-was a Harley Street eye specialist...

-Right.

..and he treated some members of the Belgian royal family,

so they spent a lot of time in Brussels.

And what date would that be?

Probably before or after the Second World War.

-Right.

-Around that time, yes.

What interests me about this, apart from everything,

-is I think it hails from probably France.

-Yes.

It's Art Nouveau in style. 1890, 1905.

-Ah, yes, could be.

-That sort of period.

-Yes.

Now, this enamelling here is known as plique-a-jour -

letting the light through.

And if I pick it up, it's like stained glass.

-Can you see how the light would shine through?

-Yes.

And that is really unusual. Very pretty.

If you can imagine how beautiful this would look

with some sunlight behind it when you're wearing it,

-when you're getting into the sort of almost flapper era.

-Yes.

-Absolutely gorgeous.

-Yes.

It's got a little bit of damage, which we can see here perfectly,

-but nothing to write home about.

-Only the chain.

And then finishing with this lovely piece of carved jade at the bottom.

-And it's so evocative of a bygone age.

-Yes.

-Have you worn it ever, Jenny?

-No, I really haven't, no.

But I look at it quite often

and I just think that the detail is so lovely. Yeah.

-And on a plain dress or blouse such as you're wearing...

-Yes.

-..that'd look stunning, wouldn't it?

-Yes.

Which brings me to value.

Now, I would think an estimate of £200-£300.

-That much?

-Yes, I would.

-Ooh, that's excellent.

-And that's allowing for that tiny bit of damage...

-Yes.

..which isn't going to cost a fortune to put right.

No, I wouldn't think so.

Would you like a reserve on it to protect it?

-I think that's a good idea, don't you? Yes.

-Yes, I do.

I mean, what if we put a fixed reserve of 180?

-That would be good, yes.

-Would you be happy with that?

-Very happy.

I think somebody would be more than happy to buy that.

-Thank you very much.

-Oh, well, thank you for bringing it.

-It's made my day.

-Good. I'm pleased.

-Wonderful.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Jenny.

And it made my day too. A gorgeous piece.

Before we see how our second lots fare at auction,

there's something very special here at Dumfries House

that I want to show you and it's this.

It's called the grand orrery

and it's thought there's less than 100 of these still in existence.

It's a form of a planetarium -

a mechanical model of the solar system.

And if I turn this handle, look at that.

You can see the sun moving rather slowly.

You can see the earth revolving.

And you can see the moon revolving around the earth as well.

Now, this model dates to 1759,

so if you look over here, Saturn -

that's the farthest known planet at the time.

Uranus and Neptune hadn't been discovered back then.

What's interesting as well - if you look at the globe,

you can see there's no Antarctica.

That's not been charted.

And nor South Australia.

So, this is pre-Captain Cook as well.

This would have been the height of entertainment

for an incredibly rich person back in the 18th century.

They would have all mused over this with great delight -

mathematicians, scholars, astronomers.

And it works beautifully, but it didn't always.

The trust were keen to get this working again and you can see why.

The man who undertook the work

was the early technology restorer Michael Bennett-Levy.

It took him five weeks to clean every single part

to make it work beautifully.

And in order not to get every piece muddled up,

he separated them and put them in different Tupperware boxes

so he knew exactly where they'd come from.

He has done a brilliant job and I'm going to have one more go.

Let's hope the bidders were as taken with our owners' objects

as I was with that grand orrery.

So, the items we took to auction were...

..Smruti's 19th-century chair,

which was beautifully designed

with a wonderful patina

and it was built for comfort.

There was Jenny's enamelled Art Nouveau necklace,

which was crying out to be worn.

And finally, we hoped Anne's hours of polishing would pay off

when we headed back to Andrew Smith & Son near Winchester

to sell her silver epergne.

On the rostrum was Nick Jarrett.

Well, I think our next lot deserves to be in a stately home.

It is of that quality.

-It's that wonderful silver epergne and it belongs to Anne...

-It does.

-..who's looking rather stately as well.

-Oh, thank you.

Hey, maybe you've got that stately home, have you?

Well, no, not really.

I mean, it's got the look. I like it.

-I think this is a trade lot.

-Probably.

-I think a dealer will buy this because he knows his market.

-Yes.

He knows the person he's going to sell that to

and that will look fantastic in their house.

-I hope they enjoy it.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

He said, "That's where it's going." We don't know. It's an auction.

Anything can happen. You know the game.

Let's put it to the test.

Lot 130 is this silver epergne here.

Good one to start. Williams & Co.

Now, I'm going to start you here to clear all bids at 280.

300 now.

And 20. 350. 380. 400 now.

At £400. And on the steps at 420, is it?

At £400. Nobody else in? Any more? At 400, that'll be done.

-It's gone.

-It's gone.

-Hammer's gone down.

-It found its value very quickly and you were spot-on.

-Spot-on.

-Yeah, good.

-It was quality.

-Yes.

-Quality.

-You've said goodbye to it now.

-I have now, yes.

What will you replace that with?

-Will you buy something for the house?

-No idea.

You're going to treat yourself, aren't you?

Staying in the south of England,

we revisited Chiswick Auctions in London,

where we hoped William Rouse could work his magic

on Smruti's 19th-century chair.

Do you know what? We need a sit-down,

but sadly, we can't sit on this chair.

This is just about to go under the hammer. I like this.

-It's beautiful, but...

-Stunning.

..it's on the cusp, isn't it, of taste at the moment?

-Yes.

-So, we'll see.

-Good luck with this.

We're going to find out what the bidders think right now.

672 is a Dutch marquetry chair. Start me at 150 for it.

For the chair, 150. 160. 170.

With me at 170 for the Dutch chair.

180, I'll take elsewhere.

-At £170.

-Come on. A bit more.

-170 it is with me, then.

At 170. Is that the best?

-170.

-GAVEL BANGS

-It didn't sell, Smruti.

-That's fine.

-I'm ever so sorry.

Look, it gets to go home with you and it's a lovely thing.

It's great quality.

And if you wanted someone to make you that chair today,

-you'd be talking thousands.

-It'd be £2,000.

-So, to let it go for £150...

-Is senseless.

-..is maybe the wrong thing to do.

-Yeah.

Hang onto it. It's a nice chair.

Ah. Hopefully, Smruti wasn't too disappointed.

There is always a different saleroom on another day.

Right, time for our last stop on today's show.

We headed back to my home county of Cornwall

to Jefferys Auctions in Lostwithiel.

Jenny's stunning silver jade and enamel necklace was up for sale

and auctioneer Ian Morris was wielding the gavel.

-Jenny, everybody loved your necklace at the valuation day.

-Oh, good.

That Art Nouveau look.

-Did you ever wear it?

-I didn't actually wear it.

I think if I'd had it when I was younger, I would have done.

-Mm.

-But I absolutely love it. It's so different.

-It epitomises that sort of Art Nouveau period.

-Yes. Yes.

Lovely quality.

I'm surprised that it's only £200, sort of at the lower end.

Well, I'm hoping it's going to exceed.

-We're going to find out right now.

-Yes.

-Good luck, everyone.

Fingers crossed. This is where it gets exciting.

Lot 513. It's a jade pendant. I have three bids on the books.

I've got to start at £200.

£200, I'm bid. At £200. At 220. 230. 240.

260. 280. 280, the bid is with you.

I'm out of the book. 300. 320. 340.

-360.

-This is more like it.

-400. 420.

420, lady's bid. 440. 460.

-480. 500.

-This is really good.

-540 there.

At 540. 560 now?

At £540.

-Quality, that's what we like to see.

-Oh, thank you so much.

-And you know what we say, don't you? Quality always sells.

-Yes.

Jenny, thank you for bringing that in.

-Thank you for helping me sell it.

-A gem.

-Yeah.

Well, sadly, that's it for today, but I tell you what,

I've had a great time exploring some of the riches of Dumfries House.

And you've shown us some of your treasures from across the country

and we've had some great results too

and that's what it's all about, especially Jenny's necklace.

I'm so pleased for her.

I hope you've enjoyed the show. Join us again soon for many more.

But until then, it's goodbye.