Compilation 35 Flog It!


Compilation 35

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Today's show comes from this very impressive Scottish mansion.

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It's Pollok House and it's situated

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in 360 acres of Pollok Country Park.

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It's hard to believe this calm, tranquil oasis,

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which also houses the famous Burrell Collection, is only three

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miles from the city centre of Glasgow.

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Welcome to "Flog It!"

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Pollok House was the ancestral home of the Maxwells.

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It was built in the 1740s when

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Glasgow was prosperous.

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The city became a trading hub

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for sugar, tobacco and cotton, and

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a few decades later Glasgow would

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become a major industrial city.

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And here, in Pollock Country Park, the Maxwells enjoyed

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a privileged life of luxury, in a house full of treasures.

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Later in the show,

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I'll be sharing with you many gems from this Scottish Georgian

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home, such as its impressive collection

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of Spanish art.

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The real interest lies in that pearl in her headpiece.

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It's known as the Peregrina, and believe me,

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that pearl has had an amazing life.

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But before that, we'll be heading into England to take a look

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

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Our travels took us to Falmouth, to the

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National Maritime Museum Cornwall, where against a backdrop

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of great boats, Philip Serrell found something of interest.

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You know you're really famous

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if people just refer to you by your initials.

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We also visited the Milestones Museum at Basingstoke,

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in Hampshire, where you had your items valued amongst

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the recreated historic streets.

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And at the RAF Museum at Hendon, in London, it wasn't just

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the historic aircraft that captured Anita Manning's imagination.

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-What we see here is a romantic scene...

-Yes.

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..where a young chap is serenading

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two young women.

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It's an idyll,

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-especially for the young guy.

-Yes.

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And finally, we start today's show at another stately home,

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the exquisite 18th-century Ragley Hall, in Warwickshire, where

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Charlie Ross found a quiet corner under an awe-inspiring mural

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called The Temptation.

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The mural tells the story of the devil trying to seduce Christ

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to fall down and worship him by offering him the world

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and all its riches.

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But was Charlie enticed too?

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Sue, the things you brought here really do match up with

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the settings, don't they?

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-Posh.

-Yes.

-Do you know what they are?

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-You must have opened them up.

-Well, yes, they're necessaires.

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-Necessaires, French word, as in, necessary.

-Yes.

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What a lady must have

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all day to keep herself looking trim

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-and proper.

-That's right.

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And we've got two quite different examples here.

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One 19th century,

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-one 18th century.

-Right.

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Quite extraordinary. How did you get it?

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-Well, I got it from my mother. She died nine years ago.

-Yeah.

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Where she got it from, I don't know.

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We emigrated to Australia in 1955.

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-Right.

-So she hasn't come back, but I have.

-Yeah, yeah.

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And then when she died, nine years ago,

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I went over and I brought these back with me.

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Had you any recollection of them being there before?

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No, no, none at all.

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The first one we have here

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is an ivory case, 19th century, French.

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We open this one up, press the button,

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and hey presto.

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And what strikes me immediately

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is the fact that everything

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-that should be in there is in there.

-Yeah.

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And it's extremely rare.

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Nearly always someone's used the thimble and not put it back in,

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or the scissors, there's a penknife in there.

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These are silver-gilt

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and I get the impression that

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something like this has never been used.

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A great example of French workmanship of the late

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19th century. This, I'm sure

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is Georgian, so it's earlier than that.

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If we press the button and open it up, we are

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-into the 18th century, George III, late 18th century.

-Right.

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Now, the wonderful thing about this, I think,

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is if we lift out this little scent bottle...

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-..look at the colour of the lining.

-Yes, beautiful.

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-Look at that turquoise.

-Yes, yes.

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That shows you this

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would have been that colour...

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-That's right, yes.

-..originally.

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But that shows you what a vibrant object it

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must have been to begin with.

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Now, the downside with this is

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-that a lot of these bits aren't original.

-Oh, right.

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I can see immediately, I'm just going to slide that in there,

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and you can feel the way that fits that,

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-that is certainly original.

-Snug, yes, yes.

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But here we have got

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a little needle case,

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-chromium plated.

-Oh, right.

-That's 20th century,

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-without a shadow of a doubt.

-Somebody's put that in, yeah.

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So, somebody's just slipped that in there, and actually,

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if you look carefully, it's not a perfect fit, is it?

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It's not a fit, no.

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-So, earlier...

-Yeah.

-..potentially more valuable had it

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got its original lots,

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and later, but perfect.

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-Yes.

-So we've got two examples of the same thing.

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I'm going to watch your eyebrows here.

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I'm not going to tell you they're worth thousands cos they aren't.

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I'm going to come back to 250 to 350

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-as a saleroom estimate...

-OK, right.

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-..with a fixed reserve of £200.

-Yeah.

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And I think that will get the interest going,

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and we'll get a sale.

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-Yes.

-OK?

-Yes, that's lovely, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

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We'll find out how Sue's necessaires fared at auction later.

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Even though one was made from ivory,

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we were able to sell it, as it was made before 1947.

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Unlike many stately homes of the 18th century,

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Pollok House has a particular feature which makes it stand

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out from the others, and believe it or not, it's this.

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Paint! Paint on the walls.

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It probably doesn't mean much to you and I - that's what we've got -

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but back in the day, it was fashionable for a house

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of this importance to have silk wall coverings,

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so why wasn't it here?

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Well, the house was so close to industrial Glasgow

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they thought it would be impossible

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to clean. So there you are.

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But it didn't put them off buying this magnificent clock.

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It is a very special longcase clock.

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Just one look at the dial tells you

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there's something very different about it.

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It was built to special requirements given by

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Sir John Maxwell, the third baronet, and it's made by Craig of Glasgow,

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in 1764. It bears the Maxwell family crest, of course,

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but it is an astronomical longcase clock.

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It gives us the date

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and the signs of the zodiac,

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and believe it or not, it also

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gives you the time of the tides.

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We're quite close to Glasgow Bridge here, so I guess the Maxwells would

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keep an eye on the shipping movements coming in and out

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if they were importing special pieces from far-flung places.

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And right in the centre, you can see the constellations

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that are only visible to Pollok House. So, at night-time, if you

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go outside in the grounds and look up,

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that's what you're going to see.

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It really is beautiful.

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I bet if somebody winds that up, it would

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strike on the most beautiful chime.

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Pollok House is certainly crammed with amazing objects

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and fascinating collections

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and, talking of collections,

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at the Milestones Museum in Basingstoke, Elizabeth Talbot

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met a father and son with a great set of toys

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that have barely seen the light of day.

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Anthony, Phil? Yes.

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Thank you for coming in with what is

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a very exciting collection here.

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Now, I know a little

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bit about Corgi, which

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we can talk about in a little while, but you tell me what

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you know and whose the collection is and who does it belong to?

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Well, the collection belongs to myself, it sat up in the loft

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for many, many years because unfortunately, I wouldn't let...

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I was never allowed to play with them. He never let me,

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he never let me touch them.

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-What is that saying about what he thinks of you?

-Overprotective.

-Yes.

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-It was saying...

-Of the toys, not of you.

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It was saying to save them for a later date

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when they were worth some money and we could enjoy them together.

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That's sound advice, fair enough.

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-So they've not seen the light of day for some while?

-Not for some while,

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no, they were probably last sort of out of their boxes, I would say

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when I was about sort of 13 or 14 years old,

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in my bedroom, so that's going

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back a good 30-ish plus years.

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So at that stage, when you were a younger boy, did you collect

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Corgi toys quite avidly?

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Yeah, the first one I got was

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-a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.

-Uh-huh.

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That was in 1973. My uncle bought that for me.

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And then I started the collection from there.

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So, do you still collect?

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Are you adding to your collection all the time?

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-I'm not adding any longer. No, I stopped in about the '90s.

-OK.

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And the collection's currently about 100 vehicles.

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I mean, Corgi was a

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trade name which was established by

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the firm Mettoy, who were a very

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well-known toy manufacturer,

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earlier in the 20th century, and in

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1956 they launched the Corgi range.

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It was really, actually, one of the

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ones that you have at the front,

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the James Bond vehicle, which became

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so popular at the time that it

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launched their reputation

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for being fantastic manufacturers of the diecast vehicle.

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I mean, that really kind of catapulted them from being an

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average manufacturer that was OK, to something which

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really was grabbing people's attention, the here and now.

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Do you have a favourite amongst these?

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I do, I like the one at the front there where he fires

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-out of the seat...

-He ejects out of the seat.

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-He ejects out of the seat, yeah.

-Have you now any idea

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of the current value?

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On a good day or a bad day, probably around about £300, I think,

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for the whole collection. Maybe a little bit more on a good day.

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Yeah, 3 to 4, 3 to 500 is about the right sort of mark, I would think.

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If you're happy to offer them for sale at that sort of value

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-with a £300 reserve...

-Yes.

-..and then let's see...

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See what happens, yeah.

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-Then, you will presumably share the results of the sale?

-Exactly, yeah.

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-Do you have aspirations for what you're going to do?

-We both follow our local football club, don't we?

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I follow Worthing, our local football club. They play Guernsey every year

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-so we'd want to...

-Guernsey's a bit of an expensive trip.

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-..go away for the weekend.

-What a great idea.

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Well, touch wood, we can get you to fly over there

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and have some expenses as well and have a lovely, memorable trip.

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-Fingers crossed. That would be super. Thank you.

-Thank you.

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What a great little lot.

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It certainly took me back to my childhood.

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Next, Philip Serrell came across an item related to

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one of his favourite sports,

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at our valuation day at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

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Mike, are you a cricket fan?

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I'm not as such. I'm aware of cricket and sometimes follow it.

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My grandfather was the passionate cricket aficionado.

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I love my cricket.

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And what I love, is that

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you know you're really famous

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-if people just refer to you by your initials.

-Yeah.

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So, WG, William Gilbert Grace,

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a lot of people reckon he's the greatest cricketer that's ever been.

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He's certainly the most, probably one of the most famous

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cricketers that's ever been.

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And this is a handkerchief.

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Don't think you're meant to blow your nose on it,

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but it's a handkerchief

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that charts WG's career.

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And it would have been sold after the event, with

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a portrait of the great man here,

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champion cricketer of the world.

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They must have made thousands of these,

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but thus is a real collector's item now,

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and there's a lovely story about WG Grace

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towards the end of his career.

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He went out to bat and there was a bowler the other end, who

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no-one had ever heard of, and he bowled WG Grace first ball.

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-Really?

-Yeah.

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WG Grace turned round, he picked the bails up,

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put them back on the stumps and said,

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"Young man, they've come to see me bat, not you bowl," and carried on.

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-Which is, I like the style of a man who'd do this.

-Yeah, great story.

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How long have you had it?

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Probably about 20 years.

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My grandfather gave it to me,

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and it was given to him by his father,

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and they used to go and watch WG Grace together.

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And what do you think it may or may not be worth?

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I've really no idea.

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-I've really no idea.

-Well,

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clearly the only person who's going to buy this is

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-a cricket nut.

-Yeah.

-But there are huge, huge, you know,

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number of cricket fans out there who, I think, would love this.

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I think I can see it in a private collection.

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I can see it in a club house.

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In terms of value, I think you need to put £80 to £120 on it,

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and I would put a reserve on it of £60.

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-You never know, you might get Mr Kevin Pietersen after it.

-Yeah.

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Well, that's it for our first set of valuations,

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as it's time to find out how they fared at auction.

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The Corgi car collection was rescued by Anthony from his attic,

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and a trip to Guernsey to watch the footie depended on its selling.

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Sue's two necessaires charmed Charlie, and it was

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wonderful that one of them came with all its original contents.

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And finally, there was Mike's WG Grace handkerchief,

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which Philip hoped would make

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an easy catch.

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Remember, with every auction there's varying rates of commission

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and VAT to pay, whether you're buying or selling items.

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We put Elizabeth's valuation of the Corgi car collection to the

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test first, when it went

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up for sale at Andrew Smith and Son,

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near Winchester.

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On the rostrum was Andrew Smith.

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£50.

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I had the Batmobile,

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and as soon as my mum gave it to me,

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do you know what I did?

0:14:200:14:21

Ripped the box open, threw it away

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and played with the car.

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I can understand you

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-not playing with these, keeping the boxes, sensible guy.

-Exactly.

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They were played with a little bit, but then back in the boxes.

0:14:300:14:33

-Yeah. What about you, Phil?

-He never let me play with them.

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I always tried to but he never let me play with them.

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-Now we have a value of...

-3 to £500.

0:14:370:14:40

Hopefully there will be a bit of interest on the net for this one.

0:14:400:14:42

-They're good search words, aren't they?

-Exactly, yes. That's

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-something they can search for.

-See the Dynamic Duo's got it all sorted.

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Anyway, let's put it to the test, shall we, guys?

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Yes, let's have a look.

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£300. 300 we have on the net.

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Is there 20? At £300, we are selling.

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Is there 20?

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-All done?

-Come on, internet.

-At £300.

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We are selling, make no mistake, at £300, then,

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for the very last time.

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-They're gone.

-You're right, the net did work. Cos otherwise it

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-wouldn't have been bought in the room.

-No.

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-So, it did its job.

-But sadly they've gone at the lower end.

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-Lower end, but they're gone. That's the thing.

-Yeah.

-Exactly.

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And that £300 should have gone a good way to getting Anthony

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and Phil to Guernsey to watch their team, Worthing, play football.

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Next, Mike's WG Grace handkerchief went under the hammer

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at Jefferys Auctioneers,

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when we travelled west to Lostwithiel, in Cornwall.

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Wielding the gavel was Ian Morris.

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Mike, you brought the cricket memorabilia to the right expert.

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-So I hear.

-Yes.

-There's only one doctor.

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THEY CHUCKLE Oh, right.

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Let's find out what the Cornish market think of this, shall we?

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-Yeah.

-Here we go, it's going under the hammer.

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WG Grace, £50 a bid.

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At £50. At £50.

0:16:000:16:01

Take part to get on. 55. 60.

0:16:010:16:03

5. 70.

0:16:030:16:05

5. 80. 5. 90.

0:16:050:16:09

£90 the bid's with me.

0:16:090:16:11

95.

0:16:110:16:12

100.

0:16:120:16:14

105. 110.

0:16:140:16:16

110, the bid's with me.

0:16:160:16:17

At £110. 120 up?

0:16:170:16:20

120. 130.

0:16:200:16:22

140? 140. Your bid, I'm out.

0:16:220:16:24

At £140. Seated. 150 up?

0:16:240:16:26

Done, at £140.

0:16:260:16:28

-How's that?

-I think that's hit it for six, that has.

-Good.

0:16:300:16:33

But it was a very straight bat.

0:16:330:16:35

Bowled the maiden over.

0:16:350:16:37

No googlers there.

0:16:370:16:39

Well, it was all out for the WG Grace handkerchief

0:16:400:16:43

with a great result.

0:16:430:16:45

Finally, we headed north, to Warwickshire,

0:16:460:16:49

and Stratford-upon-Avon where Bigwood Fine Art Auctioneers

0:16:490:16:52

were selling Sue's pair of necessaires.

0:16:520:16:55

Auctioneer, Stephen Kaye, decided to split the items into two

0:16:550:16:59

separate lots, with a reserve

0:16:590:17:01

of £100 on each.

0:17:010:17:02

Susan, quality, quality, quality

0:17:040:17:06

-and it always sells, doesn't it?

-Yes, I hope so, hopefully.

0:17:060:17:09

And not "necessairely", though, but it does.

0:17:090:17:12

In this case, it will.

0:17:120:17:14

-So are you ready for this?

-Fingers crossed.

-Oh!

-Yes.

0:17:140:17:16

I think these are going to go for, hopefully, a little bit more.

0:17:160:17:19

-Good.

-We're going to find out right now.

0:17:190:17:21

Let's hand the proceedings over to our auctioneer.

0:17:210:17:24

Lot number 50

0:17:240:17:25

is the little necessaire.

0:17:250:17:28

I've got £100 bid on the computer.

0:17:280:17:31

110, at the back.

0:17:310:17:32

Anybody give me 120? 120. 130. 140.

0:17:320:17:35

-We've got it. We've got it.

-150. 160. 170.

0:17:350:17:39

-180. 190.

-Chap on the stairs.

0:17:390:17:41

200. And 10.

0:17:410:17:43

200 with Christian and 10.

0:17:430:17:44

220. 230, sir.

0:17:440:17:46

240. 250.

0:17:460:17:48

260. 270.

0:17:480:17:50

260 with Christian.

0:17:500:17:51

Anybody else? 270. 280.

0:17:510:17:53

290.

0:17:530:17:54

300. And 20. 340. 360.

0:17:540:17:58

Oh, this is exciting, isn't it?

0:17:580:17:59

-400.

-(400!)

-I can't believe it.

0:17:590:18:01

380 with Christian.

0:18:010:18:02

Anybody give me 400?

0:18:020:18:04

For £380, are we all done?

0:18:040:18:06

-Yes, hammer's gone down.

-That's fantastic.

0:18:070:18:09

-£380.

-Yes.

-One down, one more to go.

0:18:090:18:12

Here we are.

0:18:120:18:14

Another little necessaire,

0:18:140:18:15

this is also extremely pretty.

0:18:150:18:17

Let me give you 110, thank you.

0:18:170:18:19

I've got 110 from Christian. 120. 130?

0:18:190:18:21

140. 150. 160.

0:18:210:18:24

I've got 150 in the room.

0:18:240:18:26

150 in the room, anybody else?

0:18:260:18:29

160. 170. 180. 190.

0:18:290:18:32

200. And 10.

0:18:320:18:34

220. 230.

0:18:340:18:35

-240.

-Good, up and up.

0:18:350:18:37

250. 250.

0:18:370:18:39

260. 270.

0:18:390:18:41

280. 290.

0:18:410:18:43

300.

0:18:430:18:44

290, I've got. Anyone else?

0:18:440:18:47

At 290, it's a little treasure.

0:18:470:18:49

That is fantastic. That's a grand total of £670.

0:18:510:18:55

-Fantastic. Fantastic.

-Hey.

0:18:550:18:56

But, look, all credit to you for

0:18:560:18:58

-looking after it, you know?

-Yes, yes.

0:18:580:19:00

That's lovely. That's

0:19:000:19:01

really, really nice.

0:19:010:19:02

If you've got anything like that, we would love to sell it for you.

0:19:020:19:05

Bring it along to one of our valuation days.

0:19:050:19:07

You can find details on our website,

0:19:070:19:08

or check the details in your local press. But, what a result!

0:19:080:19:11

Well, some happy owners there, and we'll be going back to the

0:19:220:19:25

auction room a little later on in the programme.

0:19:250:19:28

Now, I want to share with you a very special collection.

0:19:280:19:32

Most walls in British stately homes are adorned with wonderful

0:19:320:19:36

works of art that date back centuries, executed by artists,

0:19:360:19:39

prominent artists, British, French, Italian and Dutch.

0:19:390:19:43

But back in the 1800s, a rather different,

0:19:430:19:46

and at the time, ground-breaking group of paintings

0:19:460:19:49

found its way here to Pollok House in Glasgow.

0:19:490:19:52

And as a result, the house boasted the largest

0:19:520:19:56

collection of Spanish art in Britain at the time.

0:19:560:20:00

The man responsible for the collection was

0:20:010:20:04

Sir William Stirling Maxwell.

0:20:040:20:06

He was a public-spirited gent,

0:20:060:20:07

who served twice as a Conservative MP for Perthshire.

0:20:070:20:11

Pollok House was passed to Sir William

0:20:110:20:14

from his uncle in the 1860s.

0:20:140:20:16

Sir William had also inherited a substantial fortune from his

0:20:160:20:20

father, which allowed him to

0:20:200:20:22

indulge his passion for Spanish art.

0:20:220:20:25

Portraits of the Hapsburgs,

0:20:270:20:29

the most important royal family in Europe,

0:20:290:20:32

rulers of Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries,

0:20:320:20:35

are a constant feature in Sir William's collection.

0:20:350:20:39

And here is a portrait of Charles II.

0:20:390:20:41

Now, he was the last in the line of the Hapsburgs in Spain,

0:20:430:20:46

but he had a rather unfortunate feature,

0:20:460:20:48

a protruding chin.

0:20:480:20:49

And that's thought to

0:20:490:20:51

be down to inbreeding,

0:20:510:20:52

the Hapsburgs were so desperate to keep their European dynasty running.

0:20:520:20:56

He did get a bad deal because his teeth were so badly misaligned,

0:20:560:21:00

he couldn't chew his food.

0:21:000:21:02

But for Sir William, it wasn't about the aesthetic.

0:21:020:21:05

He was more interested in the stories behind the painting -

0:21:050:21:09

who this chap was, why he looked like that,

0:21:090:21:12

who was the artist.

0:21:120:21:14

So, how did he start to collect?

0:21:140:21:16

I'm meeting Pippa Stephenson,

0:21:190:21:21

Curator of European Art from

0:21:210:21:22

Glasgow Museums, to find out more.

0:21:220:21:25

So how did Sir William first get interested in Spanish art?

0:21:260:21:30

It started in 1841, when he took a trip to Spain, this is

0:21:300:21:34

when he really developed his love and his passion for Spanish art.

0:21:340:21:37

He decided to stay there for two

0:21:370:21:39

years and, in that time, he got

0:21:390:21:42

to know Spanish art,

0:21:420:21:43

he got to know different collections

0:21:430:21:45

and he decided to write

0:21:450:21:46

this three-volume

0:21:460:21:48

Annals Of The Artist, which he published in 1848,

0:21:480:21:51

the first scholarly catalogue, or book of Spanish art,

0:21:510:21:55

to be written in the English language.

0:21:550:21:56

Well, that's quite incredible. So, he had a real passion?

0:21:560:21:59

He wasn't just advised by an art advisor,

0:21:590:22:01

"This is what you've got to do."

0:22:010:22:02

He wanted to be a real, genuine educator,

0:22:020:22:05

and, you know, come across as the lover of art that he was.

0:22:050:22:09

And I would imagine this is quite unusual at the time.

0:22:090:22:12

Absolutely. Other people were generally travelling around

0:22:120:22:16

other parts of Europe.

0:22:160:22:17

Spain was seen as quite an exciting and a new place,

0:22:170:22:20

but, nevertheless, in the mid-1800s, art collections in Britain were

0:22:200:22:24

still dominated by Dutch and Flemish art, and Italian.

0:22:240:22:27

So for an art collector like William Stirling Maxwell,

0:22:270:22:31

to begin collecting these unknown names was quite a thing.

0:22:310:22:34

And over the years,

0:22:370:22:38

Sir William amassed an eclectic group of paintings.

0:22:380:22:41

And believe me, there are some real treasures here.

0:22:430:22:46

Take this painting, for instance.

0:22:460:22:47

It was acquired in 1851,

0:22:470:22:50

and that's Anne of Austria.

0:22:500:22:52

Now, she was the fourth

0:22:520:22:53

wife of Philip II of Spain.

0:22:530:22:56

The real interest lies in that pearl in her headpiece.

0:22:560:23:00

It's known as the Peregrina, and it means the wanderer,

0:23:000:23:04

or the pilgrim, and believe me, that pearl has had an amazing life.

0:23:040:23:10

It was found in the Gulf of Panama in the 16th century,

0:23:110:23:14

and somehow it ended up in the coffers of the Spanish royal family.

0:23:140:23:18

It's been worn by several different European monarchs,

0:23:180:23:21

including Mary Tudor.

0:23:210:23:23

In fact, there's another painting here at Pollok House with

0:23:230:23:25

that same pearl in a lady's stomacher.

0:23:250:23:29

Also, that pearl was owned once

0:23:290:23:31

by Napoleon Bonaparte.

0:23:310:23:33

In the 1960s, Richard Burton bought that pearl for his wife,

0:23:340:23:38

Elizabeth Taylor,

0:23:380:23:39

and she had it set into a necklace.

0:23:390:23:42

In 2011, her collection was sold off

0:23:420:23:46

and that necklace went under

0:23:460:23:47

the hammer. It made more

0:23:470:23:49

than seven million pounds.

0:23:490:23:52

What a life that pearl's had!

0:23:520:23:54

Now, over here is Anne's husband,

0:23:580:24:01

Philip II of Spain,

0:24:010:24:03

a very powerful and important man

0:24:030:24:05

and boy, doesn't he just look it?

0:24:050:24:07

The painting accentuates

0:24:070:24:08

his stature, with that wonderful,

0:24:080:24:10

sort of handmade armour

0:24:100:24:12

at no expense spared.

0:24:120:24:14

That fits beautifully.

0:24:140:24:15

That's a lightened blue steel

0:24:150:24:17

inlaid with gold.

0:24:170:24:18

But this painting actually makes him look larger than life

0:24:180:24:22

because, in the flesh,

0:24:220:24:24

he was only five feet tall.

0:24:240:24:26

Apart from the fascinating

0:24:280:24:29

stories behind Sir William's Spanish

0:24:290:24:32

art collection, there is also

0:24:320:24:33

the pedigree of the extraordinary

0:24:330:24:35

artists who painted them,

0:24:350:24:37

like El Greco

0:24:370:24:39

and Goya.

0:24:390:24:40

Famous artists now,

0:24:400:24:42

but in the mid-19th century,

0:24:420:24:44

they were less well-known.

0:24:440:24:46

Well, we've all heard of Goya, but how popular was he

0:24:460:24:48

back in the day when Sir William was touring Spain?

0:24:480:24:51

Well, he wasn't very well-known at all and, in fact,

0:24:510:24:54

when Sir William was thinking about Spanish art

0:24:540:24:57

and buying Spanish art, these two Goya paintings are two

0:24:570:25:00

-of the first to ever enter the UK, when he bought them in 1842.

-Really?

0:25:000:25:04

-Yeah.

-Tell me a little bit about the painting. What's it called?

0:25:040:25:07

It's called Boys On The Seesaw, so you have these children,

0:25:070:25:11

these boys that are squabbling and playing

0:25:110:25:13

and pretending to be soldiers and religious figures.

0:25:130:25:16

So, just like these young boys that are playing and messing around,

0:25:160:25:18

and kind of fighting with each other,

0:25:180:25:20

he believed that real members of religion are also fighting.

0:25:200:25:25

He criticised society, he had quite

0:25:250:25:26

a bleak view, he experienced

0:25:260:25:28

war first-hand and, consequently,

0:25:280:25:30

-his paintings do show a slight darkness.

-A slight darkness, yeah.

0:25:300:25:34

Yeah, darkness, yeah.

0:25:340:25:35

And here we are his, the other part of the pair.

0:25:350:25:38

It's so nice that they are still here on display.

0:25:380:25:41

-It's wonderful.

-Same kind of subject matter as well, isn't it?

0:25:410:25:44

That's right, we have the boys playing soldiers

0:25:440:25:46

-in this particular scene.

-So, obviously, never designed to be

0:25:460:25:49

split up and I'm so pleased they haven't been.

0:25:490:25:52

-Right, you've saved the best till last, haven't you?

-I do,

0:25:520:25:54

-I have a very special painting for you.

-Come on, then.

0:25:540:25:56

Painted in the late 16th century, our final stop is this.

0:25:590:26:03

The gem of Pollok House's art collection.

0:26:030:26:06

And here she is. Our Lady In A Fur Wrap by El Greco.

0:26:060:26:09

She's beautiful. She follows you around the room.

0:26:100:26:13

Absolutely, isn't she wonderful?

0:26:130:26:15

Yeah, and she looks like she was painted,

0:26:150:26:16

let's say, in the 1920s, not back then.

0:26:160:26:19

She has a real modernity to her, and a timeless beauty.

0:26:190:26:22

There's something about the way she's looking at you,

0:26:220:26:24

this kind of intimacy and directness,

0:26:240:26:26

that really sticks with people, I think.

0:26:260:26:29

-And she has done for centuries. And we don't know who she is.

-No.

0:26:290:26:32

She's a complete mystery to us.

0:26:320:26:34

When Sir William bought her,

0:26:340:26:35

he thought it was a portrait of El Greco's daughter.

0:26:350:26:39

She's been thought of as different members of royalty, empresses,

0:26:390:26:42

duchesses, but the truth is, we'll never know.

0:26:420:26:45

I think he was in love with her. THEY LAUGH

0:26:450:26:48

I think that is the mother of his only child.

0:26:480:26:51

Some people do say there's no other person it could be

0:26:510:26:53

than someone who was in love with the artist, as you say, because

0:26:530:26:56

there is this kind of seduction and sensual nature to the painting.

0:26:560:27:01

Well, thank you for showing me this and thank you

0:27:010:27:03

for showing me around the house.

0:27:030:27:04

-It's been brilliant. Thank you.

-It's a real pleasure.

0:27:040:27:07

My foray into art didn't end at Pollok House in Glasgow.

0:27:190:27:23

Back across the border, around 400 miles away,

0:27:230:27:26

a painting caught my interest at our valuation day

0:27:260:27:29

at the Milestones Museum, in Basingstoke.

0:27:290:27:32

Ian, what can you tell me about the oil painting?

0:27:340:27:37

Very much family links.

0:27:370:27:38

Basically, my dad got it from his dad's sister, given to him

0:27:380:27:42

in his will, so other than that, I know very little, other than

0:27:420:27:45

they thought it was called The Letter.

0:27:450:27:47

So, it's just been in our dining room,

0:27:470:27:48

-and it was above our dining room table.

-The first thing I noticed,

0:27:480:27:51

I love the setting.

0:27:510:27:52

It's definitely English School.

0:27:520:27:55

It's a good oil on canvas,

0:27:550:27:56

just from looking at the image

0:27:560:27:58

and looking at it stylistically,

0:27:580:27:59

that it's mid-Victorian.

0:27:590:28:01

It's sort of circa 1860,

0:28:010:28:03

-somewhere around there.

-OK.

0:28:030:28:05

I'm just going to ask you if we can just lift this off

0:28:050:28:07

and have a look, because what

0:28:070:28:08

attracted me, if we look here,

0:28:080:28:11

what attracted me to this was here, look.

0:28:110:28:15

"The Zennor Poet, St Ives, Cornwall."

0:28:150:28:19

Now, I'm just wondering, is there a Cornish connection in your family?

0:28:190:28:23

-Not that I'm aware of. We're Irish.

-Right, OK.

0:28:230:28:26

THEY LAUGH

0:28:260:28:28

There's a lot of paper labels. Now, the first thing you can tell is

0:28:280:28:30

if you feel this canvas, can you feel that?

0:28:300:28:33

It's very tight. It's been restretched.

0:28:330:28:35

I would imagine there's been some damage on this

0:28:350:28:37

during its life.

0:28:370:28:38

If we can lift this up.

0:28:380:28:40

So it's been relined,

0:28:400:28:42

which means another canvas has been

0:28:420:28:44

stuck onto the back of it.

0:28:440:28:46

There might be a few patches, that's been touched in.

0:28:460:28:49

But the narrative is very strong.

0:28:490:28:51

I like this.

0:28:510:28:52

I like what it represents.

0:28:520:28:54

The artist is very, very skilful.

0:28:540:28:56

I like the expressions,

0:28:560:28:58

I like the skin tones.

0:28:580:29:00

There's some very strong

0:29:000:29:01

qualities about this painting,

0:29:010:29:03

but there are also some weak qualities.

0:29:030:29:05

If you look at the cat here,

0:29:050:29:06

-that's rather poor.

-OK.

-Can you see that?

0:29:060:29:09

Now, because it's been relined,

0:29:090:29:11

-I would suggest it's been slightly cut down.

-OK.

0:29:110:29:14

Because we've lost the artist's signature.

0:29:140:29:16

Yeah, we couldn't find a signature on this one.

0:29:160:29:18

No, I've looked everywhere, and sometimes,

0:29:180:29:20

it might be hidden somewhere in a basket

0:29:200:29:22

or on the paperwork he's reading, but

0:29:220:29:24

I think it was signed,

0:29:240:29:26

it's been cut down because it's been relined.

0:29:260:29:28

I think the market for this

0:29:280:29:29

sort of genre has slightly dropped.

0:29:290:29:31

Without provenance, without any kind of

0:29:310:29:34

firm identification

0:29:340:29:35

it's really, really hard to get those top figures for this.

0:29:350:29:38

I think it would be sensible to put a guide of 6 to £800 on this,

0:29:380:29:43

-with a reserve at £600.

-OK. Wow.

0:29:430:29:45

-I don't think you should let it go for anything less than that.

-OK.

0:29:450:29:47

I think there is some quality there.

0:29:470:29:50

-And I rather like it.

-Great.

0:29:510:29:54

Later in the programme, we put my valuation to the test,

0:29:550:29:58

along with our second lot of items.

0:29:580:30:00

But first, we headed over to the RAF Museum at Hendon,

0:30:020:30:05

in London,

0:30:050:30:06

where against a dramatic backdrop of historic aircraft,

0:30:060:30:10

something more domestic caught Anita's eye.

0:30:100:30:14

Avril, these are two beautifully looked-after pieces of silver.

0:30:140:30:19

-Yes.

-And I love silver. Tell me, where did you get them?

0:30:190:30:23

Well, I got them from my mother, but she inherited it from her

0:30:230:30:27

-own mother, so it's really from my grandmother.

-Right.

0:30:270:30:30

And I don't believe my mother used them. And I have never used them.

0:30:300:30:34

Now, the round tray first of all.

0:30:340:30:37

It has this wonderful empty cartouche in the middle.

0:30:370:30:41

And in this space here, we could put our initial or a monogram.

0:30:410:30:48

It is empty so something could be added to that.

0:30:480:30:51

That is a good aspect of it.

0:30:510:30:53

If we look at the rim, we have these wonderful embossed flower

0:30:530:30:58

and leaf motifs. Again, a good aspect of it.

0:30:580:31:04

And these embossed flowers are joined by this lovely wavy rim.

0:31:040:31:11

I like that.

0:31:110:31:13

It's also what we call a footed tray,

0:31:130:31:16

which means that it stands on feet.

0:31:160:31:20

And again, we have decorative, or fancy, feet there.

0:31:200:31:26

People who collect silver like to see nice, clear hallmarks.

0:31:260:31:31

And if you rub these hallmarks, it makes it more difficult.

0:31:310:31:36

But I know this little emblem here tells me that it's Walker & Hall.

0:31:360:31:42

And although it is well rubbed, I recognise this.

0:31:420:31:46

Walker & Hall were good makers -

0:31:460:31:49

good makers of silver and good retailers.

0:31:490:31:54

Now, I've had a very careful look at this hallmark,

0:31:540:31:57

and I can see that it is Chester.

0:31:570:32:01

And I would date this to probably, from its design,

0:32:010:32:07

-the 1920s.

-Right.

0:32:070:32:09

So before I give you a price on this, I'd like to go onto

0:32:090:32:12

-this tray here, which is a different style altogether.

-Yes.

0:32:120:32:17

-It has probably been part of a dressing table set.

-Yes.

0:32:170:32:21

And the brush and mirror would have backs that would be embossed

0:32:210:32:25

-with the same motif as this.

-Yes.

0:32:250:32:28

Now, the marks are a bit clearer on this one.

0:32:280:32:31

It's Birmingham. It's 1900. So it was just at the turn of the century.

0:32:310:32:35

Yes.

0:32:350:32:36

And it was made by Henry Matthews, one of the good Birmingham makers.

0:32:360:32:40

-And what we see here is a romantic scene...

-Yes.

0:32:400:32:44

..where a young chap

0:32:440:32:47

-is serenading two young women.

-AVRIL LAUGHS

0:32:470:32:52

It's an idle,

0:32:520:32:54

-especially for the young guy.

-Yes.

0:32:540:32:57

-I would like to split them up.

-Right.

0:32:570:33:00

I would put an estimate of £200 to £300 on this tray,

0:33:000:33:04

with a reserve of 200.

0:33:040:33:06

-Yes.

-On this one, I'd like to put 150 to 200.

0:33:060:33:13

And if we can, maybe a little discretion on this one

0:33:130:33:16

-because it's only part of something.

-Yes.

-Would you be happy with that?

0:33:160:33:19

-Yes, that would be OK.

-Two lovely items.

0:33:190:33:22

I'm sure they'll do very well and I hope that my estimates will be

0:33:220:33:26

-conservative and that they'll go much higher.

-Thank you.

0:33:260:33:29

-Thank you for bringing them along.

-Thanks a lot.

0:33:290:33:31

Two very different but equally immaculate silver trays,

0:33:310:33:34

and Anita was clearly delighted by both.

0:33:340:33:38

Back at the sumptuous Ragley Hall in Warwickshire,

0:33:380:33:41

Will Axon's spied an item that was far from perfect.

0:33:410:33:45

Sylvia, Jane, these are in a right state. You haven't

0:33:450:33:47

looked after your collection of postcards very well, have you?

0:33:470:33:50

-No, I haven't, have I?

-What's going on with these?

0:33:500:33:53

Well, they were found years ago and, you know, looked through...

0:33:530:33:58

-FOUND years ago?

-Yes.

-Where did you find...?

0:33:580:34:00

Where did you find three postcard albums, under a bush?

0:34:000:34:03

Dad found them. He worked at the council tip

0:34:030:34:06

-and people were throwing them away.

-Aah!

0:34:060:34:09

-No!

-Yes. So he just gathered.

-So he thought, "Well, I'll have that."

0:34:090:34:12

Yes! Too interesting.

0:34:120:34:14

Was he proud of them? Did he...?

0:34:140:34:15

-Well, yes, he thought, you know, "That's interesting."

-Hm.

0:34:150:34:19

It covered a lot of subjects.

0:34:190:34:21

Well, you say "covered a lot of subjects",

0:34:210:34:23

there's something in these albums for everyone, isn't there?

0:34:230:34:26

-That's it.

-I mean, this one that we've got open here...

0:34:260:34:28

We've got landscape.

0:34:280:34:29

-We've got a religious scene down there at the bottom.

-Yes.

0:34:290:34:33

We've got a memorial card for Lord Kitchener.

0:34:330:34:35

We've got The Crooked House.

0:34:350:34:37

-That's it, yes.

-The famous pub.

-Yes.

0:34:370:34:40

And I've had a look through this album here...

0:34:400:34:42

I'll be careful cos, as I've said, they are slightly fragile.

0:34:420:34:45

-I love this one here, look. Napoleon's tomb.

-Yes.

-There it is.

0:34:450:34:50

-Yeah.

-And we've got the Eiffel Tower, of course.

0:34:500:34:53

So it almost gives you a sort of snapshot into someone's life,

0:34:530:34:56

-perhaps where they've been travelling.

-That's it.

0:34:560:34:58

And I love these ones here. Look at these.

0:34:580:35:00

-This is probably a family portrait...

-Looks like it.

0:35:000:35:03

..where you've brought the photographer in

0:35:030:35:05

and he sets up the studio.

0:35:050:35:06

And he's done them like a little Mad Hatter's tea party.

0:35:060:35:10

-It's rather sweet, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

0:35:100:35:12

There is a market for postcards.

0:35:120:35:15

And the really sought-after postcards are the very unusual ones.

0:35:150:35:20

That's it, yes.

0:35:200:35:21

You've got things like early aviation, early travel,

0:35:210:35:24

early topography...

0:35:240:35:26

Without going through every single page here and singling them out

0:35:260:35:30

and adding them up and seeing which ones are more desirable than others,

0:35:300:35:34

I think we're just going to have to go with giving a blanket

0:35:340:35:38

valuation for the whole lot.

0:35:380:35:40

And whoever buys them, or bids on them, is going to know

0:35:400:35:42

-exactly what they're looking for.

-Of course they will.

0:35:420:35:45

They're going to have a flip through, they'll say,

0:35:450:35:48

"I want that one, that one, that one."

0:35:480:35:50

So you've got one album here, you've got another album here,

0:35:500:35:53

-and they're all pretty much full, aren't they?

-That's it, yes.

0:35:530:35:56

I've seen albums like this, certainly in this quantity,

0:35:560:35:58

-make £100, £200, that sort of level.

-Yes.

0:35:580:36:02

So I think if we were able to put them in at that sort of level,

0:36:020:36:06

-how would you feel? I mean, if we said 100 to 200?

-Yes.

-Yes.

0:36:060:36:09

-Are you happy with that, Jane?

-Yes.

-What about a reserve?

0:36:090:36:12

Shall we let them go?

0:36:120:36:13

-Let them go.

-Let them go.

-Oh, I like you, living dangerously.

0:36:130:36:17

-I like no reserves.

-Yeah, I like no reserve.

-They need a good home.

0:36:170:36:21

And without reserve, we are on for a definite sale.

0:36:210:36:24

-Yes.

-See you at the auction.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

0:36:240:36:27

Trust Will, he always lives dangerously.

0:36:270:36:30

Before we return to the auctions to find out how well our final

0:36:300:36:34

items sold, I'm heading back to Scotland to show you some more

0:36:340:36:38

intriguing treasures.

0:36:380:36:40

Well, they say every picture tells a story, and that's

0:36:400:36:42

definitely true here at Pollok House.

0:36:420:36:45

Take these wonderful paintings, for instance, in this room.

0:36:450:36:49

They dominate the walls. I love the scale of them.

0:36:490:36:51

They are hunting scenes. They are royals.

0:36:510:36:54

They are by a little-known Dutch artist called Gerrit Malleyn.

0:36:540:36:57

But they were never intended to be hung on the walls.

0:36:570:37:00

Now, you're probably thinking, "Why is that?"

0:37:000:37:02

Look at them, they're magnificent.

0:37:020:37:04

Well, they're called tapestry paintings or cartoons.

0:37:040:37:07

I've never come across this before in my life,

0:37:120:37:14

but they were intended to be slipped between the weave of a tapestry

0:37:140:37:18

so whoever was making the tapestry

0:37:180:37:21

could follow the outline with a stitch.

0:37:210:37:23

So they had to be painted full-size, the size of the tapestry.

0:37:230:37:27

That's why they're so big.

0:37:270:37:29

There was also another way of turning

0:37:290:37:31

a painting into a tapestry, and that was by tracing the pattern

0:37:310:37:35

onto the bare warps and then hanging the painting behind the weaver.

0:37:350:37:39

Tapestries dates from the Middle Ages

0:37:390:37:42

and their calibre is judged on four main factors -

0:37:420:37:45

the fineness of the weave, the quality of the materials,

0:37:450:37:48

the skill of the weavers at translating the design and, of

0:37:480:37:52

course, the quality of the painting from which the tapestry was copied.

0:37:520:37:57

Over the centuries,

0:37:570:37:58

many famous artists have produced tapestry paintings,

0:37:580:38:02

including the Spanish painter Goya, whose work I was admiring earlier.

0:38:020:38:06

Goya worked for the Royal Tapestry Factory

0:38:060:38:08

at Santa Barbara

0:38:080:38:10

and had painted 63 tapestry paintings for two Royal palaces.

0:38:100:38:14

Now it is time to see how well our final batch of items

0:38:160:38:19

sold at auction.

0:38:190:38:21

Avril's two silver trays were passed down from her

0:38:210:38:24

grandmother in pristine condition.

0:38:240:38:26

If only the same could be said for Sylvia's postcard albums,

0:38:290:38:33

which were found on the council tip by her father.

0:38:330:38:37

And finally, there was Ian's painting - The Zennor Poet -

0:38:390:38:42

which came from my home county of Cornwall.

0:38:420:38:45

The painting was the first to go at auction back at

0:38:470:38:50

Andrew Smith & Son near Winchester,

0:38:500:38:52

where Andrew Smith took to the rostrum once more.

0:38:520:38:55

-Excited?

-Very. Nervous but excited.

-I'm nervous. I'm quite worried.

0:38:570:39:01

-Here we go.

-I've got my lucky pom-pom.

-Good.

0:39:010:39:03

I've got my fingers crossed. Here we go.

0:39:030:39:06

Start me at £600.

0:39:070:39:08

500 then.

0:39:080:39:10

Try 400 to get it going.

0:39:100:39:11

£400. Thank you. And 20.

0:39:110:39:13

At £400. And 20.

0:39:130:39:15

-Right, OK, it's a start.

-450.

0:39:150:39:17

450. 470. 500.

0:39:170:39:21

And 20. 550.

0:39:210:39:23

570. 600.

0:39:230:39:26

-And 20.

-They sold it.

-Excellent.

0:39:270:39:29

At £600 up at the top there.

0:39:290:39:31

We are selling. Is there 20?

0:39:310:39:33

-At £600 for the very last time...

-I'm pleased with that.

-At £600...

0:39:330:39:37

Yes! That was close, but I am ever so pleased.

0:39:390:39:43

And I hope it is going to a good home.

0:39:430:39:45

-Let's hope.

-Thank you for bringing it in.

-No problem. Thank you, Paul.

0:39:450:39:49

I'd like to think Ian's painting found its way back to Cornwall.

0:39:490:39:53

Next, we travel back to London to Chiswick Auctions,

0:39:540:39:56

and William Rouse was on the rostrum.

0:39:560:39:59

Avril's pair of silver trays was up for sale

0:39:590:40:02

and being sold as two separate lots.

0:40:020:40:05

Well, we've got a real treat for you right now.

0:40:070:40:09

We're serving up a Victorian silver tray in the Georgian style,

0:40:090:40:12

with pie crust edges.

0:40:120:40:13

-And I like this, Avril.

-Oh, good.

-I like it a lot.

0:40:130:40:16

£200 to £300. I think we could see the top end, plus a bit more,

0:40:160:40:20

because of its style. It's got something about it.

0:40:200:40:22

Let's find out what the dealers here think, shall we?

0:40:220:40:25

It's going under the hammer now.

0:40:250:40:26

396 is a Georgian style salver.

0:40:260:40:30

And there we go. Start me, £200 for it.

0:40:300:40:33

I thought so. £200 is bid. 210 is bid.

0:40:330:40:35

220. 220 here.

0:40:350:40:38

Anybody else then? At 220 in front of me. Is that it?

0:40:400:40:43

All finished and done? 220...

0:40:430:40:45

It's gone at 220. You were right.

0:40:460:40:49

It's gone at 220.

0:40:490:40:51

-That's fine.

-Did our best.

0:40:510:40:52

That's fine.

0:40:520:40:54

That was a good price to get us off the mark.

0:40:550:40:57

And although Avril's second silver tray had a lower estimate,

0:40:570:41:01

we all hoped it would sell just as well.

0:41:010:41:04

We are going to find out what the bidders think right now. Here we go.

0:41:040:41:07

£150 for it. 150.

0:41:070:41:12

170 on the internet. 180.

0:41:120:41:14

190.

0:41:140:41:15

200.

0:41:150:41:17

210. 220.

0:41:170:41:19

220 in the room.

0:41:190:41:21

230 on the internet.

0:41:210:41:23

230 on the internet is bid. Anybody else?

0:41:230:41:26

At 230, here at 230...

0:41:260:41:29

-Deserved. Well deserved.

-There you are.

-Thank you.

0:41:300:41:33

-Because it had that...

-£230.

0:41:330:41:34

..little bit of decoration,

0:41:340:41:36

-that little bit of extra something.

-It was unique as well.

-Well done.

0:41:360:41:41

Thank you for bringing that in, cos it was lovely.

0:41:410:41:43

A fantastic result that was.

0:41:430:41:45

The two silver trays sold

0:41:450:41:48

for a total of £450, and Avril went home happy.

0:41:480:41:52

Now for our last stop on today's show, and we returned to

0:41:520:41:57

Bigwood Fine Art Auctioneers,

0:41:570:41:59

where Stephen Kaye was on the rostrum.

0:41:590:42:01

We were here to sell Sylvia's battered postcard albums.

0:42:010:42:06

We always have lots of surprises with postcard albums.

0:42:070:42:11

And you know, something that might be valued at 200 to 300 sometimes

0:42:110:42:14

reaches £600. But it's really hard to say.

0:42:140:42:17

We'll put them to the test right now. They're going under the hammer.

0:42:170:42:20

I can start here on the book at £200.

0:42:210:42:24

Anybody give me another 10?

0:42:240:42:25

210. 220. 230.

0:42:270:42:29

240. 260.

0:42:290:42:31

280. 300.

0:42:310:42:32

Still going.

0:42:320:42:34

-300.

-Someone in the room now.

-320. 340.

0:42:340:42:36

360. 380.

0:42:360:42:37

-That bid on the book, look.

-Yeah.

0:42:370:42:40

-No? 400 on the book.

-THEY WHISPER

0:42:400:42:44

450. I'll go 500.

0:42:440:42:46

I've got 500 here.

0:42:460:42:48

You don't want to top it?

0:42:480:42:50

Selling at £500.

0:42:500:42:52

Going once.

0:42:520:42:54

Twice.

0:42:540:42:55

£500!

0:42:550:42:57

I knew something like that would happen. It always happens

0:42:580:43:01

on those postcard albums. It is such a tricky thing to value.

0:43:010:43:04

The collectors were here. Great job done on the rostrum.

0:43:040:43:06

So we're all very happy.

0:43:060:43:08

Well, that's it. Sadly, we are coming to the end of the show.

0:43:130:43:16

But we've had some great results in auction rooms across the country

0:43:160:43:19

and we've seen some wonderful treasures here,

0:43:190:43:21

at Pollok House in Glasgow.

0:43:210:43:23

It's been a real privilege. I hope you've enjoyed the show.

0:43:230:43:26

So until the next time, it's goodbye.

0:43:260:43:28

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