0:00:08 > 0:00:10The medieval red stone castle
0:00:10 > 0:00:13high up on the escarpment behind me is Powis.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16It's situated near Welshpool in mid Wales,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18close to the English border.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Powis's interiors are crammed full of fine art and antiques.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25The walls are adorned with prestigious paintings.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28But what tops all of that are some of the interesting stories
0:00:28 > 0:00:31belonging to some of the people who have lived there,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33and I can't wait to find out more.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Welcome to "Flog It!"
0:00:58 > 0:01:00We've got a very special show for you today,
0:01:00 > 0:01:02as we're going on tour around the country
0:01:02 > 0:01:05and taking a look back at some of our fabulous
0:01:05 > 0:01:07valuation days from this series
0:01:07 > 0:01:10where our experts heard your fascinating stories
0:01:10 > 0:01:13and we took your collectibles to auction houses far and wide.
0:01:15 > 0:01:16150.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19We journeyed to the picturesque Lake District in Cumbria,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22where we held our valuation day at the impressive
0:01:22 > 0:01:2413th-century Muncaster Castle.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29We travelled to the magnificent Norwich Cathedral in Norfolk,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32where in the nave, Kate Bateman was shocked at the treatment
0:01:32 > 0:01:35of one poor antique.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Tricia used to use it to plant bulbs in.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39No, you didn't.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42We also had fun at the seaside in our valuation day
0:01:42 > 0:01:45on the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Amongst the bright lights,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Thomas Plant came across an item that shone.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53These would've been the most modern,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56the most luxurious, the most wonderful things to own.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01And finally we headed north to our valuation day
0:02:01 > 0:02:05at the jaw-droppingly beautiful Bowes Museum in County Durham,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08which was built in the style of a French chateau.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14But before all that, I'm heading back to Wales.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Powis Castle was built in the mid-13th century by a Welsh ruler,
0:02:20 > 0:02:21and some 300 years later,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25the Herbert family first leased the castle and then went on
0:02:25 > 0:02:27to eventually own it outright.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Subsequent generations of the family
0:02:29 > 0:02:31have turned the castle from a fortress
0:02:31 > 0:02:34into a rather magnificent stately home,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36complete with lavish interiors.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40And the family continued to live here right up until 1952
0:02:40 > 0:02:42when the Fourth Earl died,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45leaving Powis in the safe hands of the National Trust.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Many members of the Herbert family led colourful lives.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50One male heir was convicted of treason,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54while another accompanied James II into exile.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58But it wasn't just the men who had interesting stories to tell.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Many female members of the family also led remarkable lives.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06And I'll be returning to Powis later in the programme
0:03:06 > 0:03:09to find out about the extraordinary adventures
0:03:09 > 0:03:12undertaken by one of the female members of the Herbert family.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16But first it's time to head eastwards
0:03:16 > 0:03:19over the border into England to our valuation day
0:03:19 > 0:03:21at Norwich Cathedral, where Kate Bateman
0:03:21 > 0:03:24came across a "Flog It!" classic with a twist.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Jim and Trish, what can you tell me about this thing you've brought in?
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Well, it belonged to my grandmother,
0:03:33 > 0:03:39who gave it to my mother, who about 30 years ago gave it to us,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42and it's been in our house just sort of sitting around,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45but Tricia used to use it to plant bulbs in.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47- No, you didn't.- I did.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49It looks lovely with...
0:03:49 > 0:03:51at this time of year with a bowl of hyacinths in it.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- I can see where you're coming from. - It does look nice. Daffodils.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56And I suppose it is a plant...
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Well, planter... I think it's just a decorative bowl.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00Do you know who it's by?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Yes, well, we've always known it was Moorcroft Pomegranate
0:04:03 > 0:04:05cos it says Moorcroft on the bottom.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06Excellent.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08What I haven't found is a Moorcroft bowl
0:04:08 > 0:04:09on a pewter stand other than...
0:04:09 > 0:04:13I thought it was Liberty, but I don't know.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17So, Liberty Tudric is the one you would expect it to be.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18- Right.- But it's not.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20It's actually something called Hutton on the bottom,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22and I've never seen one with a stand like this.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25And it's kind of interesting how they fit so well together.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Considering it's porcelain and metal -
0:04:27 > 0:04:30they're not natural bedfellows - they look so good together.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32It's like it's their sort of natural form.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35And I haven't have taken it off the stand or even thought about it
0:04:35 > 0:04:38because it was made for it, wasn't it?
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Certainly, it's got that bit to fit it.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41It certainly looks like it.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Let's just have a look and check it is Moorcroft.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Yep. Here we go.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47We've got the Moorcroft here. Made in Britain.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49171 is the shape,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51so that's like the shape of this particular design.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54And then we've got this lovely matching base.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57And you're right, it's got this funny little ribbed lip
0:04:57 > 0:04:59which means it does fit straight in,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02so I can only assume it was retailed exactly as it is.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03The Pomegranate design
0:05:03 > 0:05:05has really kind of mushy, soft colours.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Later on, the piping,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09which is the bits that separate the different colours -
0:05:09 > 0:05:10the edges, if you like -
0:05:10 > 0:05:13that gets really more tube-lined harsher,
0:05:13 > 0:05:14a bit more raised.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16And the colours get a bit more garish,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19so as soon as I saw that kind of slightly sloshy
0:05:19 > 0:05:22kind of muddy colours, I knew it was an early one.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25This was very Art Nouveau, which is 1920s.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Think of people like Alphonse Mucha and people like that.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31It was all sinuous lines and natural forms
0:05:31 > 0:05:33but stretched into kind of wonderful patterns,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35and that's what you've got here in this base.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37I mean, why are you thinking of selling?
0:05:37 > 0:05:40My daughter is getting married in May,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42and it's just a tad of expensive year for us,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44so we thought we would just see.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48- Yeah. As parents of the bride, it's going to be expensive.- Yes.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Well, have you ever thought about price?
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Well, I thought, since it's Moorcroft Pomegranate,
0:05:53 > 0:05:55it might be a couple of hundred pounds.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Couple of hundred. We did see the damage.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00It's not the end of the world. It's not a huge crack.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03It's always been chipped in all the years I've known it.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06OK. I mean, that's going to affect it a little bit.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08How about a reserve of, say, 150
0:06:08 > 0:06:10and an estimate for £200 to £300?
0:06:10 > 0:06:12- OK.- Yes.- And we'll see.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15I think with the base, it's a really interesting thing.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18They don't come up that often, so who knows?
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Powis seems to be overrun by fine paintings.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Every surface area has been adorned.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35These wonderful murals running up the side
0:06:35 > 0:06:37of this grand staircase were completed
0:06:37 > 0:06:40in the early part of the 1700s.
0:06:40 > 0:06:41Now, at a valuation day
0:06:41 > 0:06:45in another impressive stately home, Muncaster Castle,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47James Lewis came across an item
0:06:47 > 0:06:50from a little later on in the same century.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59Ian, there is one thing you cannot beat with antiques,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02- and that is a good bit of patination.- Right.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Years of polish and dirt and colour
0:07:05 > 0:07:11- that you can't ever fake, and that is fantastic.- Good.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- A car-boot find, I've heard. - Yes, absolutely. Yes.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17I saw this. It was half in the mud on the floor under the table.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18I thought, "That's nice."
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Opened it up. The inside is missing out of it.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24I said, "Oh, it's a shame the interior is gone."
0:07:24 > 0:07:25I said, "How much is it?"
0:07:25 > 0:07:27And the guy who was behind the stall shouted to his wife,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30"Marge, how much is that old writing slope?"
0:07:30 > 0:07:32And I was like, "That's not a writing slope,"
0:07:32 > 0:07:33but he didn't know.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35And she said, "Tenner."
0:07:35 > 0:07:37So, I said, "Would you take a fiver?" being cheeky,
0:07:37 > 0:07:39and he put his hand out and shook my hand.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Gave him a £5 note, walked away with it.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Was that recent?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46- Within the last year.- No!
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Well, that teaches them for not watching "Flog It!"
0:07:48 > 0:07:51- Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.- Tell me, how much do you know about it?
0:07:51 > 0:07:54It's Georgian, I think, unless it's an Edwardian copy,
0:07:54 > 0:07:55but I presume it's Georgian.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00It's George III. It's 1780 to 1800.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04- Wow.- And as you say, it's a knife box,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- not a writing slope.- No.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11The interior, you can see the colours in that lid.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16See the greens and the pale colours and the contrast with the mahogany?
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Well, those colours would be the same on the front
0:08:20 > 0:08:25and on the outside as they are now today in the cover,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27and that is what we talk about
0:08:27 > 0:08:29when we're talking about patination
0:08:29 > 0:08:30and something you can't fake.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33It's that ageing. It's the dirt.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37It's the polish. But look at that. That's super.
0:08:37 > 0:08:43The slope base to it would have had a series of little slots
0:08:43 > 0:08:46for knives, spoons, possibly even forks to go in.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51Down the front here we've got stop-fluted columns,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54and they are typical of what you would've found
0:08:54 > 0:08:55on the grand tour.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58So, somebody's gone to Greece, gone to Rome
0:08:58 > 0:09:00and they've seen those neoclassical columns
0:09:00 > 0:09:02and they've come back to their furniture maker
0:09:02 > 0:09:03and they've said, "Look.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06"How wonderful to have those on the front of a knife box."
0:09:06 > 0:09:09The panel in the centre is satinwood.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10Wonderful colour.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12And it's cross-banded in rosewood,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16and it's got herringbone cross-banding at the side as well
0:09:16 > 0:09:20and outlined with boxwood stringing, so there's a lot of work in there.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Before we decide on an auction estimate,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27we must mention the fact that it's slightly tired.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30- That's a very polite way of saying...- It's had a hard life.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32It's had a very hard life.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37Hinges are broken and there's lots of beading and things wrong with it.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40But what do you think in terms of value?
0:09:40 > 0:09:42I do have to admit, I saw one sell this week in an auction.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44I was watching it and it sold for £70,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47but it's looked like it was in better condition than this,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49so £40, £50, I'd be happy with that.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52I think we should put an auction estimate of 40 to 60 on it.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54- Brilliant.- And I'd like to see it...
0:09:54 > 0:09:58- It'd be horrible to see it sell at £15 or £20, wouldn't it?- Yeah.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00- So, let's put a reserve of 40 on it. - Yeah.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- A great eye. Well spotted. - Brilliant.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06- And, no, brilliant. Well done, you.- Thank you.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13Next we headed to the coast to our valuation day
0:10:13 > 0:10:16on the Grand Pier at Weston-super-Mare in Somerset,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18where Jonathan Pratt came across an item
0:10:18 > 0:10:20from a far more exotic location.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25So, Dick, you brought this lovely little fob watch.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28This is from an Indian or Pakistani port,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30but how come it's with you?
0:10:30 > 0:10:31How is it in your hands?
0:10:31 > 0:10:35My mother left it to me, but it belonged to her great aunt.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40She died in 1945 and my mother died 20 years ago,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43so it came down to my mother and then to me.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46I mean, immediately, this sort of style of pocket watch,
0:10:46 > 0:10:50- it's what we call a hunter because it's got a solid front.- Yes.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53You know, if you're riding on your horse on your hunt
0:10:53 > 0:10:56- and you fell off...- Yes.- ..you don't want to break the glass.- Yeah.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57So, it's got that solid front on it.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Engine turning, and a little cartouche in the middle there.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Immediately I'd say, just from looking at that,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04- it's going to be late 19th century. - Yes.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06It would date from the latter part of the 19th century.
0:11:06 > 0:11:12The key with this is to give it a squeeze and pop the front open,
0:11:12 > 0:11:17and you've got a name on there for Max Minck.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20- Yeah, Karachi.- Max Minck of Karachi.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Spelt K-U-R-A.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25- Yes.- It's now spelt K-A-R.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26And a double E on the end.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Lends itself to sort of the Raj, you know,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31when we were living out in India, and presumably at the time...
0:11:31 > 0:11:33I mean, it's Pakistan now, but at the time
0:11:33 > 0:11:36it might have been India at the end of the 19th century.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39He will have been someone who was retailing watches and clocks...
0:11:39 > 0:11:44- Yes.- ..to the rich gentry who were living out there, you know,
0:11:44 > 0:11:46- taking their summers in India.- Yes.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48We need to see in the back. There we are.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51And so on the back, it tells us it's got a ten-jewel movement,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and that's what I need to see.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55And you see you've got an 18k case.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59So, it's 18 karat gold, or stamped 18k.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Lady's watch, obviously, for the size. It's a nice thing.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05So, why do you want to sell it?
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Well, I've never used it, and quite frankly, I've kept it -
0:12:09 > 0:12:10what everybody says -
0:12:10 > 0:12:13- I've kept it in a drawer cos I don't use a pocket watch.- Yes.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16- Well, you've kept it, by doing so, in nice condition.- Oh, yes. Yes.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18I mean, it hasn't been wound.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21But, you know, gold doesn't oxidise, so it just sits there.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23- Looks like it was the day it was made.- Yes.
0:12:23 > 0:12:24- I rather like it.- Yes.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27I think if you should want to sell it,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30I think happily between £200 and £300.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31- Yes.- How does that sound?
0:12:31 > 0:12:35- Yes, I hope to get 200.- Yes.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37But, yeah, I would be content with that.
0:12:37 > 0:12:38OK, well, you know,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40let's do a reserve of £200, protect you,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43and if it doesn't make that, then you can put it back in the drawer.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45- Yes.- How does that sound? - Very good.- Fantastic.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47- Thank you very much.- You're welcome.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Well, there's our first three items,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and we'll see how they fare at auction
0:13:01 > 0:13:02a little later on in the programme.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05But first, I want to show you a painting with a secret,
0:13:05 > 0:13:09and it's here, hanging on the walls in the dining room of Powis.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11As you can see, there are many family portraits,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13but it's this one taking centre stage
0:13:13 > 0:13:15that's caught my eye.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19It's a three-quarter length portrait of Lady Henrietta Herbert.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22This was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Britain's greatest portrait painter in the 18th century.
0:13:25 > 0:13:31He did this in 1777, so it's noteworthy for that reason.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33But there's something odd about it.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35When Sir Joshua Reynolds finished this,
0:13:35 > 0:13:37a black and white engraving was done of this,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40an exact copy, and it's on the wall just there,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43and it shows Lady Henrietta not wearing the hat.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46So, shortly after this was finished, some artist,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49an unknown artist, added a big blue hat.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Why? Well, nobody seems to know.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Maybe fashions changed
0:13:53 > 0:13:57and she wanted to be seen portrayed wearing the latest fashion.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00I wonder if Sir Joshua Reynolds found out.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Well, it's not just the portrait that's extraordinary.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06The sitter is too, and later on in the programme,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09we'll be returning here to Powis to find out more about the life
0:14:09 > 0:14:12of Lady Henrietta and how it was filled with adventure.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16But right now let's see how our owners' items fared
0:14:16 > 0:14:18when they went under the hammer.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22At our valuation day at Norwich Cathedral,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Jim and Tricia brought along their Moorcroft bowl,
0:14:24 > 0:14:29which unusually came with its own custom-made pewter stand.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Dick's 18 karat gold pocket watch with empty cartouche
0:14:34 > 0:14:37had crossed the seas to make it to our valuation day
0:14:37 > 0:14:41at Weston-super-Mare, as it originally hailed from India.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48And finally, at our valuation day at Muncaster Castle in Cumbria,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Ian turned up with his Georgian knife box
0:14:51 > 0:14:54which he bought for a fiver at a car-boot sale.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57But did it make him a profit when it went under the hammer?
0:14:57 > 0:14:58It's time to find out.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01We sold Ian's knife box
0:15:01 > 0:15:04at Thomson Roddick & Medcalf saleroom in Carlisle.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Auctioneer Steven Parkinson was on the rostrum.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Remember, whether you're buying or selling at every auction room,
0:15:10 > 0:15:15there's always commission to pay and VAT on top.
0:15:15 > 0:15:16380.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Going under the hammer right now, my favourite lot in the show.
0:15:19 > 0:15:20It's not a lot of money.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22We're asking for £40 to £60,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25but it's a cracking Georgian knife box.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28It's beautiful. It belongs to Ian. You got this in a car-boot for £5.
0:15:28 > 0:15:29I did, yes. That's right.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31I know it's had the interior removed,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34but nevertheless, as a stand-alone box with the inlay
0:15:34 > 0:15:39and all that detail and that serpentine front for £5.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41You just look at it and it feels fabulous.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43- It's got a wonderful colour. - It's history.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46It's going under the hammer right now. Let's put it to the test, Ian.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47This is it.
0:15:48 > 0:15:5345. 45 is in the room. At 45. At 45.
0:15:53 > 0:15:5648. 48. At 48. You want 50?
0:15:56 > 0:15:57Good. That man wants it.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59At £50. It's in the room at £50.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01It's a little money, but we'll sell it.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06At 50. Anybody else? At 50. At 50. At 50.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07- Good price.- Very good, yeah.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Still cheap for what it is, you know.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11It should be £100, but look,
0:16:11 > 0:16:1350 quid, you're very, very happy with that.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- Yeah, absolutely.- And for £5, you know, that's nice, isn't it?
0:16:16 > 0:16:18- Who says antiques are expensive, eh? - They're not.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21That box will come in very useful for somebody,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24even if you stick the post in it or give it to your kids
0:16:24 > 0:16:27to put all their felt-tip pens in it as a tidy keep.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30- It's a great thing.- Oh, we all need boxes, and that was a cracker.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Next we travel to Norfolk to TW Gaze in Diss
0:16:36 > 0:16:40to sell Tricia and Jim's Moorcroft bowl with stand.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43The auctioneer we had our hopes pinned on was Ed Smith.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Going under the hammer right now, a great name in ceramics - Moorcroft.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51It doesn't get any better than this, and it's Pomegranate as well.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54It belongs to Patricia and Jim, and not for much longer.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57You're not going to be taking this home.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00This is definitely here to go, and I think it's priced just right
0:17:00 > 0:17:02- and it's going to tempt everybody in to bid on it.- I think it'll go.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05- I love this thing. - Let's find out what happens.
0:17:05 > 0:17:06Here we go.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10And again, straight in here. £200. 200.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12- 150 and start.- Come on.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Lovely piece of Moorcroft there for £150. 100 bid.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17100 I have. 110. 120.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20130. 140. 150. 150 it is. Is there 60?
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Oh, come on.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24It's 150 now bid. Where is the 60?
0:17:24 > 0:17:29It's at £150 there. Is there 60? We will be selling for 150.
0:17:29 > 0:17:30Are we all done?
0:17:32 > 0:17:36The hammer's gone down on £150, right on its reserve.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- On its reserve. - They were sitting on their hands.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41- There was only one person here that really wanted it.- Yeah.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43- I would live with the damage. - Turn it around.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Well, we have for about 30 years.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Look, I'm really sorry it didn't make any more.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50- I'm so sorry, OK?- That's alright. - That's auctions for you.
0:17:50 > 0:17:51£30.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Finally, we travel west back to the Somerset seaside
0:17:56 > 0:18:00to sell Dick's gold pocket watch at Clevedon Salerooms.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Marc Burridge was wielding the gavel.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Selling at 85.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Well, time is definitely up. No, it's not the end of the show.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09It's time to sell Dick's pocket watch.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11It's going under the hammer right now.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15- This is a good item, a really nice item.- Oh, good. Thank you.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17- Bit of quality. Why are you selling it?- Yes. Yes.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19You just don't use it any more? Don't need it?
0:18:19 > 0:18:21I haven't used it at all.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23- I haven't worn a waistcoat for years, you see.- No.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26- It's going under the hammer right now. Good luck, Dick.- Yeah.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31On the book we have bids here at 180, 190, 200,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34210, 220, 230,
0:18:34 > 0:18:35240, 250.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38- It's on its way.- 250. - And it's still going.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41£250 here. 260, anyone?
0:18:41 > 0:18:44260 now. Thanks to all in the room.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48It's all on the book then and selling at 250.
0:18:48 > 0:18:49Well done. Spot-on.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53£250 mid estimate. That was a short fight for that.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55You see, quality - and quality always sells.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59- Yeah.- Well done, you. - Thank you.- A man of quality.- Yeah.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02What a good, solid price for Dick's gold pocket watch,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06and his watch also had something in common with Powis Castle -
0:19:06 > 0:19:07a connection to India -
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and I'm heading back to Wales to find out more.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24For centuries, the Herberts acquired riches
0:19:24 > 0:19:25to fill their castle,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28but they also had treasures coming in from another source -
0:19:28 > 0:19:31prestigious families marrying into the Herberts.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33And there's a lovely example of this
0:19:33 > 0:19:38when Sir Edward Clive married Lady Henrietta Herbert in 1784.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39Because of that union,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43the castle acquired a collection of over 300 artefacts from India
0:19:43 > 0:19:44and the Far East.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48The collection was started by Edward's father, Robert.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Edward and Henrietta carried on the collection, so today it houses
0:19:52 > 0:19:57the largest private collection of its kind in the UK.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00The Clive collection has been brought together
0:20:00 > 0:20:02and placed in the Clive Museum,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06which is situated in what used to be part of Powis's ballroom.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10The collection is varied and include items such as weaponry,
0:20:10 > 0:20:15games, textiles, jewels and even a sultan's tent.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18The display cases and the design of the museum
0:20:18 > 0:20:20are in a style known as Hindu Gothic,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23which evokes a feeling of the British Raj.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28However, many of the items here in the collection
0:20:28 > 0:20:31predate the period of the actual British Raj
0:20:31 > 0:20:35when the British Crown assumed total control of India
0:20:35 > 0:20:38between 1858 and 1947.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42Robert Clive was in India earlier in the 1700s.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45He worked for the British-owned East India Company
0:20:45 > 0:20:48promoting trade between India and other countries..
0:20:48 > 0:20:52He also played a major part in forging the way
0:20:52 > 0:20:55for eventual British rule.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57During his time working on the subcontinent,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Robert Clive became known as Clive of India
0:21:00 > 0:21:04and he amassed a personal fortune and brought back many of the pieces
0:21:04 > 0:21:07that are on display in the Clive Museum today.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09Edward Clive followed
0:21:09 > 0:21:11in his father Robert Clive's footsteps
0:21:11 > 0:21:14and became governor of Madras in 1798.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18He spent time in India with his wife, Henrietta Herbert,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20and he carried on collecting Indian artefacts.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23And I want to show you two or three of my favourites.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Let's start with this magnificent ivory chess set,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28thought to belong to Robert Clive.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32The soldiers with swords and shields are pawns.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35An Indian elephant is usually the equivalent of a bishop,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37but sometimes this could be a camel,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40in which case the elephant becomes a rook.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Alternatively, the camel may act as a knight.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46It all gets very complicated, but how about this?
0:21:46 > 0:21:49It's small but it's very precious.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53It's a gold tiger head finial from the throne of Tipu Sultan.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57He was the sultan of Mysore, the richest city in Southern India,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59which fell into the hands of the British.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01In fact, the treasures and the spoils
0:22:01 > 0:22:04were divided up amongst the soldiers of that victory.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06They pulled the throne apart, sadly.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11This is incredibly rare. It's only one of two surviving finials.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13It's not solid gold.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15It's gold on a core of wood,
0:22:15 > 0:22:20but it's been inlaid with emeralds, diamonds and rubies.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23I particularly love the collar of the tiger,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25and the ruby as a tongue.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28This was added to the collection by Henrietta Herbert.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31It was given to her by Lord Wellesley,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33the Duke of Wellington's brother.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Lady Henrietta Herbert was fascinated by all things Eastern,
0:22:37 > 0:22:41and whilst in India, she undertook an incredible journey
0:22:41 > 0:22:45without her husband in the year 1800 across the subcontinent,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48which was a very brave and daring thing to do at the time.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53However, the story of Henrietta's colourful life
0:22:53 > 0:22:56and Indian adventures weren't well-known until recently
0:22:56 > 0:22:59when a writer and fellow woman traveller,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03Nancy K Shields from Texas, stumbled across her story
0:23:03 > 0:23:06and was inspired to write a book about it called Birds Of Passage.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11So, how unusual was it for a lady like Henrietta
0:23:11 > 0:23:13to be travelling India in the late 1700s
0:23:13 > 0:23:15unaccompanied by her husband?
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Henrietta was the first one to travel,
0:23:18 > 0:23:23make such a travel in India, to my knowledge, and the only one.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26I don't know of anyone else who duplicated that trip.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28And it wasn't just one lady travelling.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32I mean, here's a mother with her two daughters and their governess,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35who was an Italian artist.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38And the four women set off into the wilderness,
0:23:38 > 0:23:43what was really wilderness then, we have to remember, of South India,
0:23:43 > 0:23:47full of tigers and wild elephants and snakes
0:23:47 > 0:23:49and rivers that they had to ford.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51There were no bridges.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52And how long did she go for?
0:23:52 > 0:23:54- It was... She went for seven months. - That's a long time.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Yes, that's a long time to be camping.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59The only maps were those of the military,
0:23:59 > 0:24:00which were pretty inadequate.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03They knew the territory best there
0:24:03 > 0:24:06because the war with Tipu Sultan had just finished,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10so the military situation in India was really heavy at that time.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14And a big entourage like that, it simply hadn't been done.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17I mean, with three camels to carry messages,
0:24:17 > 0:24:2214 elephants to ride on and to carry some of their goods
0:24:22 > 0:24:25- and, you know, belongings and tents. - Yeah.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27- They camped all the time. - It's a big set-up, though.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31- Yes.- It's colossal. - Yes, right. 750 people...- Wow.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33..and all their hangers-on.
0:24:33 > 0:24:34So, what drove her?
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Well, Henrietta, you might say,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39was a really rebellious person.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- She...- Spirited.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43- Spirited, right. - THEY LAUGH
0:24:43 > 0:24:46She didn't want just to go to balls
0:24:46 > 0:24:50and have the usual kind of women's social society there,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53and they considered her quite standoffish.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Henrietta was, I think, really a scholar.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59The first thing she did when she got to Madras
0:24:59 > 0:25:04was to build a little house, a room, a big room in her garden
0:25:04 > 0:25:08where she was planning to put the collections she wanted to make
0:25:08 > 0:25:11while she was in India of rocks and plants
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and butterflies and shells.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18- She was a naturalist.- Wow. - She was never known as this.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23Women who tried to become scientists during this period of time
0:25:23 > 0:25:25- really weren't acknowledged.- No.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27It sounds like she preferred her rock collection to dancing.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29She preferred gathering the rocks. Yes, she did.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32And educating the daughters and seeing to that,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35and that turned out to be a really full-time job.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Lady Charlotte was 12 and Lady Henrietta was 13
0:25:40 > 0:25:42when they accompanied their mother, Henrietta,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44on her trek across Southern India.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Nicknamed Charlie, Lady Charlotte kept a journal
0:25:47 > 0:25:50from 1800 about her adventures.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54"Accidents continually happen in this nullah.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57"Captain Brown heard a tiger growl.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00"The village people told us that a few days ago
0:26:00 > 0:26:02"a man was carried off by a tiger
0:26:02 > 0:26:04"and they found his body almost entirely eaten up."
0:26:04 > 0:26:05Oh!
0:26:05 > 0:26:09"We passed many piles of stones where a man had been killed,
0:26:09 > 0:26:13"and each person who passes in safety adds one to the heap."
0:26:13 > 0:26:15- Gosh.- Yes.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Charlie's account really brings the incredible trip to life,
0:26:19 > 0:26:20and as well as this written account,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24there also survives watercolours depicting the journey
0:26:24 > 0:26:25painted by an Anna Tonelli,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28the governess who accompanied Lady Henrietta
0:26:28 > 0:26:30and her two daughters across India.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36She was the first woman, certainly,
0:26:36 > 0:26:41to have paintings out of the wilderness area of India.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Yes, she must've been, I guess, yeah.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46So, this is really a scene,
0:26:46 > 0:26:47an everyday scene for them,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49when they're getting ready to go on the road.
0:26:49 > 0:26:54These bearers with their turbans and the palanquin and the camel.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57- She's a very good artist. Quite accomplished.- Yes.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- It's kind of sums up the time and the moment.- It does. It does.
0:26:59 > 0:27:00Exactly.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04So, do you feel a connection with Lady Henrietta?
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Yes, I do like Henrietta very much.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08I like her for wanting to roam about.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13I mean, she had really a dream of going to the east.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16- Henrietta loved to learn.- Yeah.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18She really did.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Well, look, it sounds like you've had your adventures too,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24and thank you so much, Nancy, for coming all the way over
0:27:24 > 0:27:25from Texas and talking to me today.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Oh, it's been a pleasure. It really has.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Now we continue our tour of the country
0:27:36 > 0:27:38as we revisit our valuation day
0:27:38 > 0:27:40on the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare
0:27:40 > 0:27:44where Thomas Plant found a pair of vases that got his pulse racing.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51Sue, thank you very much for coming in and bringing possibly
0:27:51 > 0:27:54the most exciting thing I've seen in a long time.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57How did you come by these Lalique vases?
0:27:57 > 0:27:59They were inherited from my grandmother,
0:27:59 > 0:28:04and I've got a feeling that these were a gift from her husband.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07- Where was her husband from? - He was from London.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11- And is that where your grandmother lived?- Yes. Yes.- Right.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14So, they were Londonites. They must have been wealthy.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17- Yes, I think they were. - THEY LAUGH
0:28:17 > 0:28:21- The reason why I ask is cos you've got to get context.- Right.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24You know, you don't just turn up
0:28:24 > 0:28:29a pair of Art Deco opalescent Lalique Beliers vases.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31- That's the title of them.- Yes.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36These are Beliers, vases like that.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38In 1925, when these were new...
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Yes.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44..these would have been the most modern, the most luxurious,
0:28:44 > 0:28:46the most wonderful things to own.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50- Lalique was a fabulous jeweller. - Yes.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52He was known for his jewellery.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55But in the 1920s,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58he moved to a larger factory in Alsace-Lorraine
0:28:58 > 0:29:01and really started to produce glass, but moulded glass.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03And this is moulded.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06You can see the mould line on these goats here.
0:29:06 > 0:29:11- Possibly why you couldn't see it sort of on the bowls so much.- No.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13No, probably the bowls were made separately,
0:29:13 > 0:29:15cos you can get them with different...
0:29:15 > 0:29:20You get birds on them coming down, so they were applied on.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22It's sort of like a mountain chamois.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24- I thought they were onyx. - Yeah, I thought they were onyx,
0:29:24 > 0:29:26but onyx don't have these beards, do they?
0:29:26 > 0:29:29When you look at onyx, they're quite clean here.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33And the use of opalescents and colours and frosting
0:29:33 > 0:29:36was something he was really well known for doing.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41It's signed here - Rene Lalique - and it's an etched signature.
0:29:41 > 0:29:42It's done by hand.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46- Later on, they were acid-etched. - Oh, you're right.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49- Or moulded.- Oh.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53These are actually etched. It dates them to 1925.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55What have you brought them here today?
0:29:55 > 0:29:57There was no-one to inherit them.
0:29:57 > 0:30:02My children like them to look at, but they don't want to inherit them.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04Value. We've established that they're Art Deco.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06We've established they're Lalique.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09They're signed, they're etched, they're engraved signatures.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12- So, they've got a lot going for them.- Yes.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16- Individually, we normally see them.- Right.
0:30:16 > 0:30:21And they're normally estimated £500, £700 on their own.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23You hardly ever see a pair.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25So, I will go strong and say
0:30:25 > 0:30:29that they're worth between £1,500 and £2,500.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31Oh, my word.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33- Hmm.- Happy?
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Yes.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37- Taken by surprise a bit, I think.- Good.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40They are immensely collectible.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44Now, a reserve, I would suggest we fix them.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48- Yes, please.- Yes? Fix them at £1,500.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51- Yes, that would be... - If you don't mind.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53No, I don't mind. I'm quite happy to take them home again.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57- Don't want you to give them away. - No.- It's a conservative estimate.
0:30:57 > 0:31:03- Oh.- I would've thought that they could go a little bit higher.
0:31:03 > 0:31:04Wow.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07I'm ever so glad I brought them.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Well, I'm ever so grateful you brought them in. You've made my day.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Thank you very much indeed.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Next, we travel north to our valuation day
0:31:18 > 0:31:21at the beautiful Bowes Museum in County Durham,
0:31:21 > 0:31:23where Paul Laidlaw came across an item
0:31:23 > 0:31:25that held childhood memories for its owner.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Bob, I love your little projector.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33- Is it yours?- Yes, it is.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Yours from your youth or something you picked up?
0:31:36 > 0:31:38From youth. No, from my youth.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42My parents bought me it when I was ten years old in 1950.
0:31:42 > 0:31:48I've used it four or five times and it's been stuck in that box,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51original box, upstairs in the attic.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54- Very, very rare it comes out. - HE LAUGHS
0:31:54 > 0:31:55Very rare it comes out.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57The few times that you did use it,
0:31:57 > 0:31:59did you get your friends around, switch all the lights off,
0:31:59 > 0:32:02pull the curtains and blow their minds or what?
0:32:02 > 0:32:04- Yeah, because you could run it on a wall.- Yeah.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08You can actually show it on a wall or on a tablecloth.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10My mam used to put a white tablecloth up.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14Stick it on the wall and we used to play the films on it.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17- Very good. So, it's hand-cranked. - It's hand-cranked.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19Mains powered,
0:32:19 > 0:32:22although I wouldn't advise anyone try that in this day and age.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26- But the condition is... And a lamp socket.- That's it, yeah.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30- My word.- It's all original. Everything is original in it.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33- A little Bakelite socket.- Yeah.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36- But it's only a 9.5mm.- It is, yeah.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41- You know, and the films are bit flimsy.- Indeed.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43- Yeah.- But I am taken aback by
0:32:43 > 0:32:45the fact that you preserved it so well.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47It tells us who made it.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51It's a little Astor, and they were a Nottingham-based manufacturer
0:32:51 > 0:32:54of these little projectors for domestic use.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56Made them between the '30s and the '50s,
0:32:56 > 0:32:57so I daresay when you got yours
0:32:57 > 0:33:01it was towards the end of the lifespan of these things.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04I think it offers a great prospect for a collector
0:33:04 > 0:33:07because you're going to buy this, it's not a usually valuable object.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10You pick this up, but for me the fun would be
0:33:10 > 0:33:13- hunting down as many little reels as I could...- Yeah.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16..in flea markets and online auctions and the likes
0:33:16 > 0:33:18to see what we could find.
0:33:18 > 0:33:19That's right.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22Vintage toys sell, vintage technology sells,
0:33:22 > 0:33:24but they're relatively modest in value.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27I would suggest an auction presale estimate
0:33:27 > 0:33:31of 20 to 40 would turn out to be spot-on on the day.
0:33:31 > 0:33:32Would that be enough to tempt you
0:33:32 > 0:33:34to part with it after all these years?
0:33:34 > 0:33:36- Certainly, yes. - Would you like a reserve on it.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38- Yes, you can put a reserve on it. - Put £20 on it.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41If you don't get your money, then you can let the kids
0:33:41 > 0:33:44- and the grandkids decide what they're going to do with it.- Yeah.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46That sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48Yeah, they can do what they want with it.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51We'll see how Bob's projector fared at auction shortly,
0:33:51 > 0:33:55but before that, we revisited Norwich Cathedral in Norfolk
0:33:55 > 0:33:58where another item had caught Kate Bateman's attention.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02- Well, hello, Val. Welcome to "Flog It!"- Hello.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04What have you brought me today?
0:34:04 > 0:34:08I've brought you a sovereign. I believe it's got Victoria on it.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11So, is this something you've inherited or worn or bought?
0:34:11 > 0:34:13My husband inherited it.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16I didn't even know it existed until yesterday.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19- Until yesterday?- Yes, yesterday. - Oh, my goodness.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22I was coming along with a friend just to keep her company,
0:34:22 > 0:34:24and said, "Have we got anything?"
0:34:24 > 0:34:28And he said, "Well, I have got a sovereign upstairs in the drawer
0:34:28 > 0:34:30"that I've had for many years," and here we are.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33What else has he been keeping from you all these years?
0:34:33 > 0:34:34The suspicions mount.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37- It's a lovely thing to have a surprise with. Great, isn't it?- Yes.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39It is a full sovereign instead of a half sovereign.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42There's only a couple of millimetres difference, so worth checking.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44And so what we've got here
0:34:44 > 0:34:46is a fabulous scene of George and the dragon here.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48George slaying the dragon. And then the date, 1901.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51So, the last year of Victoria's reign.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54And the centre is 22 karat gold and then a nine karat gold
0:34:54 > 0:34:56quite a delicate filigree mount
0:34:56 > 0:34:58- to make it into a pendant for a chain.- Yes.
0:34:58 > 0:34:59And that's very Victorian.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01It looks contemporary with the actual coin.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03On the back we've got the old head,
0:35:03 > 0:35:05so there's two types of heads for Victoria.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08She's got the young head and then they kind of did another one
0:35:08 > 0:35:10a few years later with an older head.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12She looks slightly grumpier, slightly fatter.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15- Tempted to wear it at all? - No, I don't think so.- Bit bling?
0:35:15 > 0:35:17Yes, I don't think so.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21- Now, do you have any idea of price. - No. I've no idea at all.- No idea?
0:35:21 > 0:35:22No idea at all.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25Well, gold has been on an upward hill for some years now,
0:35:25 > 0:35:27and it's a pretty good time to be selling.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31I think your price-wise is probably, with the mount, maybe £200 to £250.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34- Right.- Something like that. - Right.- Pleasantly surprised?
0:35:34 > 0:35:35Very surprised, yes.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38- Is that the kind of thing you'd be happy to sell it for?- Yes.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40- Would your husband be happy for you to sell it?- Yes.
0:35:40 > 0:35:41- Yeah, you think.- Yes, yes.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43Well, I would put a reserve on that,
0:35:43 > 0:35:45- maybe a 180 reserve just to protect it.- Yes.
0:35:45 > 0:35:46And then 200 to 250 estimate,
0:35:46 > 0:35:49and that'll take into account the weight of the nine carat gold
0:35:49 > 0:35:50and the sovereign itself.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53So, well, thank you for bringing it in. It was a fortuitous find.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56- You're very welcome. It certainly was.- Great.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08Before we see our last items head off to auction,
0:36:08 > 0:36:10there's something I want to show you,
0:36:10 > 0:36:12and it's painted whimsically on the ceiling here
0:36:12 > 0:36:14in the library at Powis.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16William Herbert, the Second Marquess,
0:36:16 > 0:36:17had four daughters.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Now, they're all featured in this painting on the ceiling.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23The two youngest daughters are leaning over the balustrade.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26The two eldest daughters, Lady Mary and Lady Teresa,
0:36:26 > 0:36:29are seated on clouds.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31Lady Mary has been depicted as Minerva,
0:36:31 > 0:36:33the Roman goddess of wisdom.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35Now, that's woeful miscasting really,
0:36:35 > 0:36:39because later on, she lost a great deal of the family's fortunes
0:36:39 > 0:36:42on gambling on the French stock exchange,
0:36:42 > 0:36:44and it nearly ruined the family.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Let's hope our owners have much better luck
0:36:47 > 0:36:50as we go over to the auction rooms to see how their items sold.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54Thomas Plant was over the moon
0:36:54 > 0:36:58when he spotted Sue's matching pair of Art Deco Lalique vases
0:36:58 > 0:37:01at our valuation day on the Grand Pier at Weston-super-Mare.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08Bob's projector had been languishing in the loft
0:37:08 > 0:37:11until he rescued it and brought it to our valuation day
0:37:11 > 0:37:12at the Bowes Museum.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19And finally, at Norwich Cathedral
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Val brought along her mounted gold sovereign
0:37:21 > 0:37:24from the last year of Queen Victoria's reign.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27It delighted Kate Bateman, but were the bidders as impressed?
0:37:27 > 0:37:29It's time to find out...
0:37:29 > 0:37:34as we returned to TW Gaze in Diss to sell Val's sovereign.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Auctioneer Robert Kinsella was on the stand.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41Our next lot is a full sovereign, it's a whole sovereign.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43It's beautiful, actually.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46- It belongs to Valerie and it was a lucky find, wasn't it?- Yes.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48It was tucked away in a drawer and...
0:37:48 > 0:37:49For years, and you open up the drawer...
0:37:49 > 0:37:51Yeah, so, there we are.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53It's like finding a fiver in your old coat pocket, isn't it?
0:37:53 > 0:37:56- It's brilliant.- Mind you, it's worth a lot more than a fiver, isn't it?
0:37:56 > 0:37:57- Hope so.- It really is.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59It's a little bit more than a sovereign
0:37:59 > 0:38:01- cos there's a bit of decoration, it's mounted.- Yeah.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04- It's got a little filigree bit on the outside.- Yes.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06- And a bit for a chain...- Yeah. - ..so that's good.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08- So, fingers crossed we get the top end of Kate's estimate.- Yes.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10- That would be nice. - It would be nice, yes.- Yeah.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12We're going to find out, OK?
0:38:12 > 0:38:14It's going under the hammer right now.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17Bids are in here. We start 110.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20Take 120 on the sovereign. At 110 is bid.
0:38:20 > 0:38:21Is there 120 now?
0:38:21 > 0:38:23At a 110 bid.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27130 bid then on the net. 130 bid. 140.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30150. 60.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32170. 180.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37180. Back of the room has it at 180 bid. Is there 190 now?
0:38:37 > 0:38:39That's the reserve, so it'll sell at 180.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43Is the 190 now? We're all done? It's 180 bid. Any advance?
0:38:43 > 0:38:46Oh, that was short and sweet, wasn't it?
0:38:46 > 0:38:49- Yeah.- We just got it away. - We did, yes.- £180.- Yeah.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51It's a lot better than the old fiver in the pocket.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54- It is.- Isn't it?- Yes, it is.- Well, good luck to you.- Thank you.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01Next we headed north to Eighteen Eighteen Auctioneers
0:39:01 > 0:39:03in South Lakeland, in Cumbria,
0:39:03 > 0:39:06where auctioneer David Brookes wielded the gavel
0:39:06 > 0:39:07over Bob's projector.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Sadly, Robert can't be with us today,
0:39:12 > 0:39:16but we do have his 9.5mm projector and our expert, Paul.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18- It's got condition on its side... - Yeah.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22..but they're not the most - as you know - sellable of things.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25From Magic Lantern down to toy cine projectors,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28- it's not the most aggressive of markets.- No. No, it's not.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31Anyway, we're going to find out right now. Good luck. Here we go.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35£30, please. 30.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37Start me as 20 then. It's a bit of fun.
0:39:37 > 0:39:38Put it on your desk at home.
0:39:40 > 0:39:4320? There's no point starting any lower. Come on.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47Surely somebody must want this delightful thing for £20.
0:39:47 > 0:39:48No interest.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51No. You're right.
0:39:51 > 0:39:52No interest at £20.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54A tough thing to get away,
0:39:54 > 0:39:55even for £20.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58- Yeah, no money.- No money at all. - I think he had a premonition.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00That's why he stayed at home.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Could well be. Could well be.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07Finally, we headed back to Clevedon Salerooms in Somerset
0:40:07 > 0:40:10to test the market for Sue's fabulous pair
0:40:10 > 0:40:11of Lalique vases.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14Marc Burridge was still on the rostrum.
0:40:14 > 0:40:162,700 in the room. Thank you.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Going under the hammer right now, we have a great name -
0:40:19 > 0:40:21one of the most desirable in glass - Lalique.
0:40:21 > 0:40:22You've heard it before.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24It's quality and it's going under the hammer,
0:40:24 > 0:40:26a pair of vases belonging to Sue.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29Why are you selling such a treasured possession?
0:40:29 > 0:40:31- Well, my children aren't interested. - They don't like it.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34They like it, but they don't want it.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36It's just, like, wow -
0:40:36 > 0:40:39- Lalique, opalescent and Art Deco and period.- Yeah.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42And that's his thing, you see. He loves anything Art Deco.
0:40:42 > 0:40:43But it's that opalescent.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46For me, that's the best in Lalique, that sort of iridescence,
0:40:46 > 0:40:49and you look up and you go, "Oh, you see the blues."
0:40:49 > 0:40:51- Yeah.- Yeah, it's quality.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53Right now we're going to do our very best right here
0:40:53 > 0:40:54in the Clevedon Salerooms.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57- This is it. Ready, Sue?- Yeah. - Go to business.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03I'll start the bidding here on the book at £1,200.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05Right. We're straight in.
0:41:05 > 0:41:081,400. 1,500 in the room.
0:41:08 > 0:41:101,600 now.
0:41:10 > 0:41:121,600 here.
0:41:12 > 0:41:151,700. 1,700.
0:41:15 > 0:41:201,800. 1,800. 1,900. 2,000.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25I'll go easy stages. 2,100.
0:41:25 > 0:41:282,200.
0:41:28 > 0:41:302,300.
0:41:30 > 0:41:342,400.
0:41:34 > 0:41:352,500.
0:41:37 > 0:41:402,500 bid. 2,600.
0:41:41 > 0:41:442,600 on Craig's phone.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46At £2,600.
0:41:46 > 0:41:472,700?
0:41:48 > 0:41:512,700? Anyone in the room?
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Selling then on the phone at 2...
0:41:53 > 0:41:55- 2,700, thank you. - Yes. Late legs. Look.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58Chap just put his hand up. Did you see that?
0:41:58 > 0:42:00- I did.- 2,900.- 2,900.
0:42:00 > 0:42:022,900.
0:42:02 > 0:42:052,900 bid. 3,000.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08- Go on.- 3,000 on the phone.
0:42:08 > 0:42:093,100?
0:42:10 > 0:42:123,200?
0:42:12 > 0:42:14No. £3,100.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16And selling at 3,100.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18All done at 3,100.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Clocked up £3,100.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23- Sue, that's a lot of money.- It is.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25And spot-on. Spot-on, Thomas. Well done.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27- Thank you ever so much to both of you.- Oh, no.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30Thank you for bringing them in. It's all about you and your items.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32Enjoy that money, won't you?
0:42:32 > 0:42:35Thomas, you were spot-on. Well done.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38What a fantastic result. I was so happy for Sue.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40A top "Flog It!" moment.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Well, that's it for today's show.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48I've had a great time exploring the magnificent Powis Castle
0:42:48 > 0:42:51looking at some of the fine art and treasures
0:42:51 > 0:42:53in the castle's lavish interior.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56You've shown us your treasures from around the country
0:42:56 > 0:42:58and we've had some fun times in the auction rooms,
0:42:58 > 0:43:00so join us again soon.
0:43:00 > 0:43:01But until then, it's goodbye.