Falmouth 10 Flog It!

Today is the day I come home.

I'm back in Falmouth. This is Falmouth harbour,

the world's third largest, deepest natural harbour.

I grew up here and our valuation day venue is this magnificent

building, the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall, which houses

the county's large collection of nautical heritage.

I can't wait to get inside, because we've taken it over.

It's going to be home for our valuations.

It's going to be full of art and antiques and collectables.

Our crew are inside. I'm going to join them.

We're going to get valuing. Welcome to "Flog It!"

Falmouth is steeped in maritime history,

which is reflected in this extraordinary collection of boats

exhibited here in the museum.

From this wrought-iron-hulled Waterlily,

to the flotilla of boats suspended from the ceiling.

Around them, the crowds are gathering and the tension is rising.

It looks like all of Falmouth has turned up

laden with bags and boxes, full of antiques and collectables ready

for a valuation from our experts,

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

ALL: Flog It!

And we have two shipshape experts manning the queue today.

Philip Serrell is certainly in good spirits.

What have you got there?

Well, we think it's a rum pot.

-Rum?

-Yeah.

-Rum?

-Rum.

-Rum.

And Caroline Hawley is staying sober but stylish.

Well, it's a bit too smart for down the pub, isn't it?

But this is lovely embroidery.

-But there's so much work in it.

-An awful lot of work.

-Incredible!

Right, let's get everyone inside and rummage through those bags.

Who knows what other treasures we might find?

Cos, without members of the general public,

we would not have a show, and fingers crossed we're going to find

something fantastic here today.

While the crowd is settling down,

let's take a quick look at what's coming up.

It's no surprise that many of the items have a maritime feel.

I feel a bit seasick while you're doing all this.

I'm just feeling it's starting to rock a bit here.

And I'll be finding my sea legs to explore life aboard

packet ships in the 18th century.

-And it's a very rare account of an ordinary seaman.

-Really?

-Yes.

He didn't have a hammock, he slept in corners,

and, on watch, he would commit the cardinal sin of falling asleep,

and so he had water thrown over him.

And we hear a heroic story of survival.

Now, this small dinghy you can see behind me

saved the lives of a family of five,

plus a hitchhiker they picked up

when their yacht was attacked by a pod of killer whales,

and, later on in the programme,

I'll be meeting one of those brave survivors.

With the valuation day already in full swing, I wonder if Philip can

steer us in the right direction

with this seafarers' navigation instrument.

Do you know what, Peter? I think you look like an old sea dog, I do.

So, are you an old sea dog?

Well, I was professionally at sea for the first job I had,

-till I was in my 30s...

-Yeah.

..and, er, I've been pleasure-sailing ever since.

-Now, this is a sextant, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I'm sort of ashamed to say this, but I can look at the box like that

and go, that's a sextant, but how do they work?

-Well, you pick it up carefully...

-Yeah?

-..out like this,

-then get the handle.

-Yeah.

Get the shades out the way,

cos there's not a bright sun today, you turn it zero on the scale,

look at your object in the sky,

bring it down to the horizon.

Just fine-tune it with a micrometre.

I feel a bit seasick while you're doing all this.

-I feel it's starting to rock a bit here.

-Yeah!

Then you shout "stop" to the bloke on the chronometer.

STOP! Yeah, I've done that.

And then you put your sextant away and then do the calculations.

This would work with a chart, wouldn't it?

-It would need a chart, yeah.

-Yeah.

So, by basically using this, a chart and a good watch,

-that would tell you where you were?

-Yeah.

I could do with one of these for life, really.

-So, I've seen here this is by Kelvin & Hughes Ltd...

-Yeah.

..and this is dated 1953. What did you pay for it?

Well, I haven't a clue, but I know that I bought it

just before I went to sea as a third mate.

So, what did a third mate do? What was a third mate?

The 8 to 12 watch.

-You were the navigator?

-You'd be a navigator.

-Presumably, these things are now redundant, are they?

-Yeah.

-Because of satellites...

-GPS stuff?

-GPS, yeah.

After all this, I've got to try and put a value on it, haven't I?

-You have indeed, sir.

-I think that one is going to make

£60-£90 at auction,

and you'd sort of reserve it at £50?

-That would be my guess-timate for it.

-OK.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes. Sure, because it's got to go.

Well, let's see if we can steer this

into the calm waters of an auction room

and hope that we can turn £60-£90 into a half-decent profit, shall we?

Well, I'd be very pleased if you could, Philip.

-Peter, it's been a pleasure to meet you.

-Best of bells, sir.

Now, Caroline has managed to find

something with no connection to the sea!

-Hello, Anne.

-Hello, Caroline.

Thank you for coming and bringing your lovely bowl!

-You've had it forever, haven't you?

-Yes.

-So tell me...

-My christening.

-Who gave it to?

-Godmother.

-Aw, and did you use it, then, as a child?

-Oh, yes!

I'm afraid it has been used.

How it never got broken, I have no idea.

Well, you were a good girl, that's why!

THEY LAUGH

Well, it's lovely. Do you know anything about it?

-Haven't got a clue.

-Now, I think it dates from the 1930s.

-Does that tie in?

-Yes.

-I don't want to be indelicate.

I was born in 1937.

-Were you?

-Yes!

-Well, that's spot-on, isn't it? So far, so good.

-And it's beautifully illustrated by Mabel Lucie Attwell...

-Yeah.

..and this is so iconic of the thirties,

and she based these designs on her daughter Peggy.

-Oh, really?

-Can you see Peggy poking out of a house there?

-Yeah.

But I think you've scraped your spoon a bit, haven't you?

-Yeah.

-You've been scraping up that porridge.

-That's it!

-Did you use it every day?

-Yes.

It's great and it's got a great maker. It's made by Shelley.

-Oh, is it?

-Which is lovely.

So if we have a look at the back, here.

-Shelley...

-Right.

-..and it's not damaged at all.

As I say, the only wear is

-where you've rubbed your spoon.

-It's a bit worn.

But I like it, and other people like things like this.

-Do they collect them, then?

-Yes, they do,

but the collectors, they really like them in mint condition,

which I think's sad. I think it's nicer to have one has been used.

-Well, you can see it's been loved.

-You can see it's been loved.

It brings me to put a value on it.

It was a very generous present when it was given.

-Was it?

-Yes, they weren't cheap,

and I think now, it would get £20-£40.

-Right.

-I think, to be certain of it selling...

-Yeah.

-..if we put a reserve of £15, a fixed reserve.

-Right?

-And see where it goes from there.

-Fine.

-Would you be happy with that?

-Yeah.

-It's only in the cupboard doing nothing.

-Aw!

And then you'll come to the auction and see it? It'll be very exciting.

-Yeah, I'd love to.

-Aw, well, thank you very much.

-It's a pleasure to meet you, Anne.

-Thank you very much for choosing it!

Thank you!

Now, while the valuations are going on downstairs, I've popped up here

to show you one of the museum's most important exhibits -

the history of the packet ships.

In 1688, Falmouth was made the Royal Mail packet station

and ships brought letters, bullion, private goods and passengers back

and forth from the colonies, turning Falmouth into a global news hub.

They were boom times for the town. But it came at a price.

It was risky business, sailing the high seas for the captains.

Not only were there the dangers of storms, of the high seas,

but also of mutiny and attack by pirates.

Packet vessels weren't fighting ships,

but they were armed with small deck cannon and guns,

which frequently saved them from being captured.

And hand pistols like these, standard issue ones,

often helped protect the letters and the bullion,

which was frequently entrusted on those voyages,

so that's a wonderful example of what was around,

but what I love is this mailbag.

This is the only surviving example of a mailbag from a packet ship.

And it was donated to the museum, kindly,

by a Falmouth resident who found it in his attic.

That really is a wonderful document of the packet's social history.

A hardy survivor.

Back at the valuation tables,

Philip has his hands on another piece of maritime history.

-John, how you?

-Very well, thanks.

Are you a Falmouthian or whatever the term is?

-No, I'm a Camelfordian.

-A Camelfordian?

-Yeah.

-Now, we're surrounded by boats, aren't we?

-This is true.

-We're surrounded by water

-This is true.

-I'm kind of hoping

-this has got some sort of marine...

-Just a little.

-Has it?

-Yes.

-Would this have fitted on a boat?

-No. It would be more shore-sides.

-Why?

-Stone frigates.

-How'd you know?

-It would be a bit difficult...

What did you just say? A stone frigate?

-Stone frigate.

-What does that mean?

-It's a shore base.

So, if you're a naval officer based in the shore,

-you'd call it a stone frigate?

-Stone frigate.

-I thought you were swearing at me.

-No, no. Would I do that?

-I hope not!

-No.

-So, it's obviously been dispensing something,

cos you've got taps here.

Well, this used to contain the daily ration of rum

-for senior ratings in the Royal Navy.

-Really?

The junior ratings got grog, which was rum and water mixed.

So, if you were below deck or you were lesser ranks,

-grog was a mixture of water and rum.

-Water and rum.

-And if you were a ranking officer...

-No! If you were a senior rating.

-Senior rating?

-Petty officer or chief petty officer,

then you used to get neat rum.

-Were you a naval man? Is that why you bought this?

-Yes.

-I did a few years in the Navy. 22.

-22?

-Mm-hm.

-So, were you a grog man or a rum man?

-I started off as a grog man.

-And you became a rum...?

-And became a neat rum man, yes.

-And, presumably, that doesn't happen now.

-No, it doesn't.

-And here we've got...

-"Mechanician Candidates."

-And that says "Mess" in there.

-That would be in their mess.

-This has come from the mess.

-Yes.

-Dated 1924, so even I can date this.

-That's true.

-And what have we got underneath?

-"One and One Only."

-So that's your measure.

-Right.

-You're allowed one measure and one measure only?

-That's it.

That's a cool thing. How did you come by it?

-I found it in Weybridge in an auction.

-Can I ask a rude question?

-Go on.

-How much did you pay for it?

-I think about £20.

-How long ago was that?

-It could've been 35-40 years ago.

Well, I think we're just selling it in the right part of the world.

-Mm-hm.

-And I've got strong hopes for that,

-so fingers crossed.

-Yes, I'll cross my fingers.

Just one last question - how many bottles would you get in there?

Well, we didn't fill it from the bottle,

-we used to carry it..

-In casks?

-..in casks. That's right.

Ah, right. I think, if I wanted to sell this, I'd put an estimate on it

-of £80-£120...

-Yeah.

-..I'd put a fixed reserve on it of 60 quid

and it wouldn't surprise me if it made £60

and it wouldn't surprise me if it made £200.

I think it's a real fun thing.

-Are you happy to put it in the auction?

-I am indeed.

Do you know one thing that's going to make it a bit more saleable?

I don't know if you're able to do this.

-Fill it up.

-Fill it up?

-Fill it up!

Well, I don't know about you,

but I think there's some real gems there.

Our experts have worked tremendously hard.

And now, they're going to put those valuations to the test.

We're making our way over to the salerooms

and here's a quick recap of all the items we're taking with us.

Pointing us in the right direction is Peter's sextant.

Will Anne's beautifully illustrated christening plate be

scooped up by the bidders?

And let's hope we can raise a toast

when this rum drum goes under the hammer.

We're heading 40 miles up the road to Lostwithiel,

which is a small town with lots of lovely antique shops.

And, of course, Jefferys auction house, our destination today.

Remember, every saleroom charges varying rates of commission.

Here, sellers pay 15%, plus VAT,

so make sure you've done your sums in advance.

Taking charge of the gavel today is auctioneer Ian Morris.

We're just about to sell Peter's sextant.

Now, this is the standard kit for a ship's captain, isn't it, really?

-Well, I hope so!

-Yeah, I know you were in two minds.

-Some of the family members wanted you to keep it.

-I'm not, I'm not!

-But you want to sell it?

-Well, it's at auction now!

-It's at auction now.

-Anyone can bid on it, except for us.

-Absolutely.

-Well, good luck with that.

-Thank you.

-We're in the right place to sell it.

We're surrounded by water down here in Cornwall,

so fingers crossed. Here we are.

RK sextant by Kelvin Hughes, dated 1953.

Not that old, but got some interest at £140.

Bids on the book at 140.

At 140. 150 down?

At 140. 150. 160. 170.

180. 190. 200.

220. 240. 260.

280. 280. The bid's with me at £280.

The hammer's gone down.

It's gone. £280.

-Wow!

-Wow!

-That's a good result.

-I hope it wasn't my son that bought it!

Well, look, if it was, then that's brilliant.

-Thank you so much for bringing that in, and entertaining us.

-Absolutely.

Actually, Peter's son, Ben, did buy the sextant,

and they're thrilled to have it back in the family,

because they remember their dad using it on sailing trips.

Does Mabel Lucie Atwell ring a bell with you? Yes, of course it does.

It's Anne's baby bowl!

And we're joined by Anne and our wonderful expert Caroline.

-Now, you scooped your porridge out with this, didn't you?

-I sure did.

-How did that survive?

-I have no idea.

Well, look, I want it to go for 20 to 40 quid. That's what we hope.

-Wouldn't it be nice?

-Yes. Then you can treat yourself to a lunch out.

-No, it's going to my great granddaughter.

-Oh, is it?

Into her savings bank.

-Oh, that's lovely.

-Aw.

-That's lovely.

Well, let's find out what the bidders think, shall we?

It's going under the hammer right now.

Mabel Lucie Atwell. A nice little baby's plate there.

Bid's on the books. That means I've got to start at £20.

-At £20. 22. 25.

-20...28?

£30 with me. 32? 32.

I'm out on the book. £32 beats the high bid.

-£32.

-35, no? Are we all done at 32?

-Yes!

-£32, so that was worth selling, better than 15 quid.

-Lovely!

-Yeah, brilliant.

-Thank you very much.

Memories, eh? Memories. THEY LAUGH

That's what these shows are all about.

And they turn into treasures, and talking of treasure...

Every sailor needs one of these.

His own personal rum drum

Exactly what John had. Well done, you!

-And you were in the Navy for 22 years, weren't you?

-I was, yes.

Do they have something like that equivalent today, a rum drum?

No, not really. No, a museum piece now.

-Dry ship. It's a dry ship now.

-Yes.

-Go find another one.

Well, that's what I was just about to say, Phil.

It's in beautiful condition. You'd like to own it. I'd like to own that.

Yeah, just because it's a really good talking point.

These are the kind of decorator's items

that get slightly converted into lamp bases.

Someone'll cleverly put a copper tube coming up with a big shade on it,

and then you can use it as a lamp base.

Anyway, it's just an idea. It's going under the hammer right now.

Bid's on the books. It means I've got to start at £90.

At £90 I'm bid.

At £100. 110. 120. 130.

140. 150. 160. 170.

180. 190. 200. 210.

220? 220. 230...

-It'd be fair to say that's a spirited bid.

-260.

Your bid amount. At £260, I'm bid.

£260. That's more like it, isn't it?

We're done at £260.

Yes, hammer's gone down. £260.

-We're happy. Are you happy?

-Proper job.

That's what they say down here, don't they?

Proper job. We've certainly done that today.

Condition was fantastic on there. It was really, really good.

Well done, you. Thank you for bringing that in.

-Thank you very much and thank you, Phil.

-My pleasure, thank you.

Well, there you are - the end of our first visit to the auction today.

We are coming back here a little later, so don't go away,

but first, how do you think you and your family would cope

if you were stranded in the middle of an ocean in a small dinghy

after killer whales had capsized your big yacht?

Well, this is an amazing story of survival.

In 1972, a family from Falmouth hit the news headlines

when they were rescued from near death at sea.

Film crews captured the moment they were safely brought to shore.

Their father, Dougal Robertson,

described just how desperate they had been.

We heard you were hit by a whale?

Just as our schooner was sunk by an attack of killer whales...

..we sank in a very short time.

We were unable to collect any stores or water,

and had to survive from the sea for as long as we were able.

The Robertson family story all began on the 27th of January 1971.

Mum, Dad, two teenage children and 12-year-old twins

set sail from this harbour in Falmouth

on a 43-foot schooner called Lucette.

The plan was to sail around the world.

Although the trip had taken a couple of years to organise,

the family was equipped for the voyage.

Dad, Dougal Robertson, was an accomplished sailor

with some 15 years' experience at sea.

His wife, Lynn, was a practising midwife and qualified nurse,

and their children, 18-year-old Anne, 16-year-old Douglas

and young twins, Sandy and Neil, were all physically fit

from helping out on a large cattle farm for several years.

So, how did a family, prepared and trained to take on the high seas,

end up struggling for survival in a three-man dinghy

that was only nine foot long?

The epic but near fatal adventure has been documented

here at the valuation day venue, the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

They also have the small dinghy

the family remarkably managed to survive in.

I've come to meet one of the children, Douglas Robertson,

who was a teenager at the time.

Douglas, it's really great to meet you. Welcome back to Falmouth.

-Thank you.

-PAUL LAUGHS

-Where it all started for your family!

-It is.

Why did your dad decide to set off on such an epic adventure?

-Had he done anything like it before?

-Well, he was a former sea captain

-from the Merchant Navy days.

-Right, OK.

And he wanted to educate his children in the university of life.

The plan was to sail via Portugal to the Canary Islands.

They would then travel across the Atlantic to the Caribbean

and then on to Miami, Jamaica,

and through the Panama Canal to the Galapagos Islands.

The return journey back to Britain would be via the Suez Canal.

Douglas's sister Anne decided to stay in Miami

and a new person came aboard in Panama.

We picked up a hitchhiker, Robin Williams,

who was looking for a trip to New Zealand.

He was a graduate and my dad thought that he would help with

the tutoring of the boys especially and myself, indeed,

because we'd been taken out of school to do this trip.

However, 16 months into their journey, tragedy struck.

The family were sailing to the remote island of Marquesas

when the boat was suddenly attacked by some 20 killer whales.

Talk me through the exact moment that pod of whales hit.

What were you doing?

Well, I was standing in the cockpit on deck,

my brother was at the wheel, and I saw a little

sort of darkness in the sea and next thing, bang, bang, bang, like that.

Ear-splitting, cracking sound of splintering wood.

-It was just so deep and powerful...

-Yeah.

-..that I knew that was trouble.

-Trouble.

My dad was up to his waist in water, saying "Abandon ship.

"We've got to get out." About two minutes later, the yacht had gone.

-Did you manage to grab some supplies and some charts?

-Not really.

We got the dinghy over the side, we got the life raft over the side

and we all managed to get on the raft, thank God.

-Cos it was drifting quickly.

-It was drifting away quickly.

The killer whales were in the water,

we knew the killer whales were there. I thought,

-"This is how I'm going to die. I'm going to be eaten."

-You are lucky.

At any moment, I'm going to feel those teeth come in, you know?

But I didn't.

They probably had attacked us, thinking we were a whale.

Unfortunately, the raft only lasted 17 days and all six of them

had to pile into this small 9ft dinghy.

They headed north towards the Doldrums,

in the hope of reaching the shipping routes,

but with just ten days of supplies left,

they were in imminent danger of dying.

At the same time, we talked about...

Cos we've all heard stories of getting shipwrecked and castaways

-eating each other and things like that...

-Did that cross your mind?

Yeah, it crossed our minds and we agreed with each other

and promised that we would never resort to that.

We would die together, quietly, when the time came.

And, er, luckily, it never did, you know? So...

And we wrote letters home as well and in the raft itself,

in the dinghy itself, my father carved a message

and it was really important to us at the time that,

if that dinghy was found empty, my sister would know what had happened.

And...

Because we didn't want people to think that the Lucette had

just sank because she was an old boat or something like that.

What had happened to us, nobody could have foreseen it, you know?

With just three days of supplies left,

they experienced yet another setback. A passing ship failed to spot them.

With hopes fading,

their rescue plan now turned into one of sheer survival.

But with the South American coast some 50 days' sailing away,

the family were determined not to lie down and die.

We gathered food, we gathered water.

We were thinking now about not waiting to get picked up,

but about making this voyage back home, you know,

which was a much bigger undertaking.

'Their survival now depended on finding ingenious methods

'to get water and nutrients.'

-Talk me through some of these things.

-OK.

-Well, this was the water bag, water being the critical thing.

-Yeah.

We only had some tins inside the raft of water,

ten days' supply, when we set off.

And when it rained, later when we got to the Doldrums

and it rained, we managed to fill the tins

and then we had this bag that we kept filled with water as well.

And what else? What's that? It's a bottle of oil.

This is a bottle of oil.

One of the luck elements of the trip was that

-the turtles kept coming to see what we were.

-So you could eat the...

You could catch them and eat a turtle every other day or so.

Yeah, every other day. We caught 13 turtles on our trip.

So is that turtle oil?

Yeah, this is turtle oil here that we rendered from the fat.

And the sun rendered it down into oil.

And we then put the oil in a bottle

and we were able to rub on our sores.

Pressure sores from sitting in the dinghy.

It was amazing how our behaviour sort of centred around survival.

At one point, we ran out of water

and we only had the water that was in the bottom of the dinghy

and so we took a rung off the ladder of the raft

and made an enema tube out of it and we actually drank the water,

the dirty water that was in the bottom of the dinghy, rectally.

We took it as enemas.

-And that enabled us to last until it rained later on.

-God!

-So we were quite innovative in...

-Mother skills coming in.

Mother skills, yeah.

You're probably amazed that you're still alive, I suppose.

I am.

I can only say how grateful we are

to these Japanese people who picked us up.

They probably didn't realise what you have been through.

They didn't think there was anyone in the boat and I think this

was the next to our last flare, so we were very fortunate indeed.

What a remarkable story of survival through sheer determination

and against the odds and, thankfully, a happy ending.

Back at the museum, hundreds of people have already

had their antiques valued, so let's catch up with Caroline

and see what else she's uncovered.

So, Jackie, thank you

so much for bringing this gorgeous jewellery along.

-Now, these haven't come from Cornwall, have they?

-No.

-They came from America.

-How did they come by...?

My brother went to America a lot of years ago,

when I was about four years old, and he travelled around the States

quite a bit and he met this lovely lady and married her.

-An American lady?

-Well, she was born in England, Birmingham,

-and then, all her family emigrated to America.

-Right.

But my sister-in-law died, bless her. She was a lovely lady.

And my brother didn't know what to do with them,

so he shared them out between the sisters.

-And you chose these?

-Yes.

Well, I think you've chosen very, very wisely.

Now, if we start with my favourite, which is this diamond solitaire.

Perfect engagement ring. The only thing is to find the perfect chap.

-Easier to find the ring, I would say.

-Yes.

Now, this is wonderful clarity.

It is 1/8 carat, in 18-carat white gold.

-Have you any idea of the sort of value of this?

-Not really.

It was valued in the '70s. I think it was valued then 1,500.

-Well, I would think now that this could well be £2,000 to £3,000.

-Oh.

-Which is quite a nice lot of money, isn't it?

-Absolutely.

But I think we ought to put a reserve on it

and what would you say if we put an 1,800 fixed reserve?

-Make it 2,000.

-Make it 2,000.

-Yeah.

OK, 2,000 reserve, with a little bit of discretion, can we?

-Yeah, discretion is fine.

-OK.

-So we'll put a 2,000 reserve on that one.

-OK, thank you.

And then, we'll go to this one,

which is four stones, so you would think the four

is better than the one, but they're much, much smaller.

They have a combined weight of 0.5 carat.

Again, it's a very pretty ring,

but not worth anywhere near as much as this.

Oh, no. No.

-I would think 150 to 250.

-OK.

And then, we have this, which couldn't be more perfect,

-here in Falmouth.

-Absolutely.

By Danish silversmith Anton Michelsen. Have you heard of him?

-No, I've heard of Jensen.

-Right, which brings me

-to Georg Jensen...

-Yeah.

-..actually was apprenticed to Anton Michelsen.

-Wow.

-So this is quite a nice little boat.

Silver, not of huge value, but really interesting and quite modern.

I would say '60s, '70s.

-A value of £40 to 60.

-Yep.

Which brings me to this little thing

and look at this, with this lovely comedy and tragedy mask. How lovely.

And it's set with the most gorgeous sapphires and rubies.

It's 14-carat gold. What more would you want? I think it's gorgeous.

And it's just so evocative of the 1970s, I would say,

and I would have no hesitation but to value this between 200

and £300 and it will go all day long. Are you happy with that?

I'm fine, thank you.

Lovely to see you and your beautiful things. Thank you so much.

Thank you for having me.

Pleasure.

Let's hope that collection shines at auction.

Philip has also found something decorative,

although this piece might be more suited to the great outdoors.

-Julie, how are you?

-I'm fine, thank you.

-I love this.

-It's lovely.

It's really, really sweet. How long have you had it?

About two years.

-And where does it come from?

-It was my mother-in-law's.

It was passed on to my husband when she died.

-And time's come, you don't like it, or...?

-We like it,

but it...it sits in the cabinet and we just thought we'd move it along.

I don't know, it's just sitting there, doing nothing.

I think it's lovely. It would be so easy to make this

-with a straight stick thermometer, wouldn't it?

-Yes.

And it's just the way it's put together, I think, is really,

really lovely. It's by Parkinson and Frodsham of Liverpool

and they occupied really the bulk of the 19th century,

from about 1880, 1805, through to the 1890s.

So you can say with some confidence it's mounted on ivory,

but 19th century, certainly pre-1947,

so it's OK for you to have this and sell it and it's lovely,

because you've got this thermometer here with the mercury in the bowl

and this sea scroll here and what I love about this is

-you've got blood heat, summer heat, temperate and freezing.

-Yes.

And then we've got the compass here.

I'm just checking to see which way north is...

-North is that-a-way. Is that right or wrong?

-I actually don't know.

-You don't know.

-I've got no bearings in here.

-Let's swiftly put it down.

-So, we come to value. Any idea what it might be worth?

-No.

-Nothing at all.

-Not a clue?

-No.

-So, it could be worth 30 quid.

-It could be.

-It could be worth 40 quid.

-Again, it could be.

-It could be worth 50 quid.

-It would be nice.

-Well, I think...

I'm going to take the Serrell approach, that, if I own that,

-I would hope and expect it to make between 60 and £90.

-OK.

-Put a fixed reserve on it of £50.

-Mm-hm.

I think, if you have a really, really good day at the office,

-it might just tickle in to the three figures.

-Oh.

And let's hope that the temperature in the saleroom

-whizzes round to blood heat, shall we?

-Yeah!

We'll see what we can do and what a great navigational tool.

Now, being a sailor back in the 18th century was a harsh, gruelling job.

Indeed, those who worked on the packet ships out of Falmouth

could spend much of their life at sea.

To give you an idea of what the conditions were like on board,

take a look at this.

Now, this is a replica of a cabin on a packet ship

that paying passengers would've slept in.

For the crew, conditions would be far more cramped,

with hammocks slung between decks.

Now, already, and I've only been in here a few seconds,

it's feeling quite cramped. I don't think I'd survive a long voyage.

Now, with me today is the author Philip Marsden,

who has been researching the history of the packet ships,

and I know you've discovered something rather interesting.

Yes, a manuscript that was discovered in a drawer

in St Ives about 100 years ago

and it ended up in the Cornwall Records Office

and I came across it there during my research

and it's a very rare account of life on board a packet ship

and, interestingly, it's not the account of an officer or

someone who was used to sleeping in a cabin like that, but of a seaman.

And a seaman who could write.

He'd been to school for about three years, at Helston.

He was 14 when he joined ship.

And he says in his account that, for seven years,

he was seasick and, because he had no strength, he didn't have

the ability to sort of assert himself, he didn't have a hammock.

He slept in corners.

And, on watch, he would commit the cardinal sin of falling asleep,

so he had water thrown over him to wake him up.

Where do the accounts end in his journal? Are they happy ones?

Does he had a life at sea?

He spent 17 years at sea

and he said he made a calculation that he'd sailed more

than 100,000 miles on the Atlantic Ocean during those years at sea.

-Gosh!

-What saved him was a preacher

and he felt, after all these years of being a sort of

superstitious but not devout seaman, he found God,

and lived the rest of his days in happy devotion in St Ives.

What a wonderful record!

That is a lovely piece of social history, isn't it?

It really is. And it's all there, well documented.

Now, let's get back to the valuation tables as there is no time to waste.

-Hi, Carol.

-Hello.

-Hello. Now, thank you very much

-for bringing this lovely watch along.

-That's OK.

-Has it come far?

-It's come from Spain.

-From Spain?!

-Not today it hasn't.

-No, no. Some years ago.

-Right.

So, how have you come by this lovely watch?

It was left to my husband from an American friend who

lived in Spain for many years and he died and my husband inherited it.

-And does your husband not want to wear it?

-No, he's never worn it.

-It's been tucked away in a cupboard for many years.

-Right.

Well, it doesn't want to be forgotten about any more.

-Shall we have a look at it?

-OK.

-You obviously know the make.

-Yes.

-Yeah. It's got that magic R, Rolex.

Oyster Perpetual and it's the Submariner.

It's got the crown here, you can see.

-OK.

-And I think the strap is contemporary to it.

-I would say it's 1960s.

-OK.

And I think that that would sell very well,

but it's missing a really important part. The bezel all around here.

-Now, that would have been movable.

-Right.

-And it's gone.

We've got these bits here which are part of it

-and that would enable the bezel to rotate.

-Yes.

-But it's gone.

-You haven't got it anywhere in a drawer?

-We haven't got it.

I'll have another look when I go home,

-but I'm pretty sure we haven't got it.

-Do look.

-Yeah.

It's seen some action, this poor watch, hasn't it?

-Yes, it's a bit battered, isn't it?

-Yes.

But because it's such a popular model,

if it was in a good condition, I think it would be £3,000-£4,000.

-Wow, that's a lot.

-It is. But it's not in good condition, Carol.

-No.

-But as such I still think it would get between £300 and £500.

-OK.

-That's good.

-What do you feel about that sort of figure?

Yes, that sounds good.

-And would you like a reserve on it, Carol?

-Yes, please.

-What about a 250 reserve?

-A bit higher?

-Do you want a 300 reserve?

My husband was thinking of 400. Might he be too greedy?

-Yeah.

-Oh, right, OK.

-I think, at 400,

-you're knocking its chance of sale, to be honest.

-OK, OK.

So, if it was 3 to 5,

I think we could safely put a 300 reserve fixed.

-OK, that's fine.

-Do you think you could square that with your husband?

-Yes. I'll just say yes.

-Yes. Just say yes.

I think that's great and I'm sure that will easily go to a great home.

-And it's a lovely thing.

-Yes.

-Thank you very much for bringing it.

That's OK.

The original Bond movie featured the first ever Rolex Submariner.

With provenance like that,

let's hope there's a Dr No fan in the saleroom.

Well, that's it. Our work is done here.

Our experts have found their final items to take off to auction,

so sadly it's time to say goodbye to our magnificent host location,

the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall,

as we head over to the auction room for the last time today.

And here's a quick recap of all the items we are taking with us.

Jackie's got four gems going under the hammer.

A four stone diamond ring.

A 14-carat gold bracelet.

A Viking brooch.

And the icing on the cake - this diamond solitaire ring.

Julie is hoping the auction heats up with her compass

and a built-in thermometer.

And will this Rolex Submariner do well? Only time will tell.

We're now heading back to Lostwithiel to sell our final items.

And up first is Jackie's jewellery collection,

which is being sold individually,

starting with this four stone diamond ring.

These do sparkle, but there's not a lot of money, Jackie and Caroline.

There's not a lot of money. Is it because these stones are so small?

-Yes.

-What are we hoping for? Come on, be punchy now.

-You've told us at the valuation day.

-Couple of hundred?

-Couple of hundred.

-I think so.

-That would be lovely.

-Yeah?

-Hopefully, we'll find a home for £200.

-Yeah.

-It does sparkle.

Here we go. It's going under the hammer.

White gold diamond four stone ring. Can I say £200 away?

150 to start? £100 I'm bid. £100. £100.

110 to get on.

110, 120, 130, 140, 150. 150, the bid's with you.

At 150. 160 now.

At £150, I'm bid. 160? Are we done? I'm selling at £150.

You were spot on with your valuation there.

-£150. We've done it.

-That's all right.

Next up, the gold bracelet.

Why are you selling this?

-I don't wear it.

-You don't wear it?

-No.

-Right. OK, £200-£300 we've got on this. It's 14-carat gold.

-Yeah.

-It should do that, shouldn't it?

-I'm sure.

-It's got to.

-I'm sure.

Fingers crossed.

A quality 14-carat gold bracelet with a face, comedy and tragedy.

-About 33g in total. I now have five bids on there.

-Wow.

We're going to start at £410.

-He's very theatrical, isn't he?

-Yes!

-At 410, at 410, the bracelet.

At 410, 420 now.

At 410, we've got the smiley face on the mask. At 410. Are all done?

-At £410.

-Gosh. 410. That was straight in at 410 and straight out.

Yes. Extraordinary.

And I was expecting a climb from 2 to 210, to 220. 410, boom, sold!

So let's move straight on to the Viking brooch.

-Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed we'll get the top end.

-Hopefully.

We're going to find out right now. Here we go.

The Anton Mickelson Danish silver Viking ship brooch.

£40 away, £30 away?

£20, a bid. Bid's on the book at £20. 25, £30. 35, £40.

45. Your bid. At 45, 50 now. £45 I'm bid. Is it 50 anywhere?

I'm selling at £45.

£45. Hammer's gone down. Short and sweet. It's collectable.

No problem.

This is the big one. £2,000-£3,000 on this diamond ring.

-I mean, it is a sparkler, isn't it?

-It is a beauty.

-Here we go.

Let's find out what it's worth, shall we?

Diamond solitaire. Fine 40-carat weight gold ring with a diamond.

Approximately one-and-three-quarter carats. Can I see £1,500 away?

£1,000 I have. At £1,000. £1,000, take 50 to get on. 1,050. 1,100.

And 50. 1,200. And 50. 1,300.

And 50. 1,400. And 50. 1,500.

-And 50. 1,600.

-We're getting there.

-And 50. 1,700. And 50.

-1,800.

-Come on.

Is there 50 anywhere? At £1,800 I'm bid. Is it 50 or not? 1,850.

At 1850 I'm bid. Done. At 1,850, selling.

£1,850.

You had 10% discretion on £2,000. It's gone.

-THEY LAUGH

-Yeah. Thank you very much.

Wow, that's a whopping total of £2,455.

Going under the hammer right now, we have a compass with

a built-in thermometer. I've not seen anything like this before.

Julie, it's great to see you again. I like this a lot.

Why are you selling this?

It was just found in my mother-in-law's effects,

so we have no connection to it, so we thought we'd move it along.

It's a nice curio and it's a great scientific instrument as well.

It's another Flog It! thing I'd love to own.

I've never seen anything like it. It will be interesting

-to see what it does make.

-We're going to find out. Ready?

-Yes.

Right now, it's going under the hammer.

It's the ivory compass by Parkinson and Frodsham of Liverpool.

Bids on the books mean I've got to start this lot at £40.

At £40, £40, take five. 45. £50. 55. I'm out already on the book.

£55, the bid's in the room. At £55. I'll take 60 to get on.

-At £55 I'm bid. 60 not. At £55.

-£55 he's sold it.

-OK.

Yeah. And, hopefully, it's gone to a good collector.

-I hope so.

-Yes. Thank you for bringing it in.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Now, from the unusual to a real design icon.

It is the Rolex Perpetual Submariner.

-I have one, look. There you go.

-Oh, yes.

-Complete with bezel.

Yours is a '60s one, Carol. Good luck with it.

-People are slightly dubious about buying watches in auction rooms.

-Mm.

Because, obviously, there's no guarantee with the movement.

That's the fundamental problem.

-But with a price set this low...

-Yeah.

-..somebody will invest in this

and be prepared to take that gamble.

Good luck with it. Who's was it anyway?

-It was my husband's.

-And he's here in the saleroom?

-Yes.

-There he is.

-He's hiding away.

-Here we go.

Let's find out what it's worth, shall we? This is it.

The Rolex Gents' stainless steel

Oyster Perpetual Submariner wristwatch. I have to start

-at £3,200.

-THEY GASP

At 3,200. At 3,400, I'll take.

-At 3,200, 3,400...

-He's only just starting.

..3,600. At 3,600, 3,800 to go on. 3,800...

That's what they cost new. Modern ones like this one.

-..4,000, 4,200. 4,400. 4,600...

-This is an antique collectable.

-..5,000. 5,200...

-Oh, Carol!

..5,400, 5,600.

At 5,600.

5,800, still on the phone, still going. New bidder. 6,000 with me...

-Someone's got the bezel.

-Yeah.

-6,200 on the phone.

I'm out on the book. At £6,200 on the phone, then.

Are we all done at £6,200?

-Boosh!

-Yes!

-Wow!

-At £6,200, time is definitely up for you, Carol.

And we thought it was fake.

-No.

-No!

-No, no, no, no. That was a great, great watch.

It just shows that people are prepared to pay

-the money for an original, even with work needed.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Cos it was badly scratched.

-Yeah.

-And take a risk with no guarantee.

-Can we take your bezel, Paul?

No. That is my wedding present. Look, that was a brilliant result.

-That was very good.

-An absolutely brilliant result.

And what a way to end today's show.

And your husband is over there and he's beaming like mad.

-We can go and treat ourselves now.

-I bet you are. I bet you are.

Thank you for bringing that in. Thank you very much as well.

We have run out of time here in Cornwall, but what a day we've had!

If you've got anything like that, we want to flog it,

but until then, see you next time.