Highcliffe 49 Flog It!

I'm standing on the roof of our majestic

valuation day venue - Highcliffe Castle in Dorset.

48 years ago, this roof wasn't here.

This whole place was a fire-ravaged wreck.

To find out how the castle was rebuilt, stone by stone,

stay watching.

All will be revealed. Welcome to Flog It!

Our valuation day venue, Highcliffe Castle,

sits overlooking the Dorset coast,

an area famous for its geologically rich soils and prehistoric remains.

The clays around here have been used for some of our most famous

collectibles, like Poole Pottery,

and the local marble has been used in some of the finest buildings

in Britain, including our valuation day venue, Highcliffe Castle,

which has been built from the stones and materials around here.

We'll be finding out more about the bricks and mortar used to build

this magnificent architectural gem later

on in the programme, but right now, let's meet the crowds of people.

Hundreds of them have turned up today and they've brought along

some wonderful antiques and collectibles for our experts to see.

Of course, they're here to ask that all-important question, which is...

-ALL:

-What's it worth?!

Stay tuned and you'll find out.

Our experts are getting a head start

and Christina Trevanion has already found something she likes...

GASPS

That is beautiful. Right, bye.

LAUGHTER

..while Adam Partridge has also found something in the crowd.

Goodness me, I've only been just five places down the queue.

-You've got lots, have you?

-There's some really lovely things.

-I bid...

-Back of the queue.

-Right, OK.

-Go, go, go!

-But Christina is playing games.

-I've already done it.

I'm joking, I'm joking!

Well, all is fair in love and Flog It!

So, on with the show and, today, Adam's reliving his childhood.

I mean, imagine getting that as a little boy in the 1950s,

for Christmas Day, unwrapping it, gleaming in British Rail livery.

-And Christina is enjoying some name-dropping.

-Really?

-Yes.

-THE Joan Collins?

-Yes, and Jackie.

-Oh, goodness.

And there's still more surprises to come at auction.

-Last chance.

-Last cheeky bid there.

And I'm going to be helping putting the castle back together,

piece by piece.

The venue for today's valuation is

the Gothic-inspired Highcliffe Castle.

Dating to the early 19th century,

it was constructed by Lord Stuart de Rothesay,

but in the 20th century, two fires entirely destroyed the roof.

For two decades, it stood empty, but finally it was reconstructed,

and you can see the results here today.

And later on in the programme,

we'll be taking a closer look at some of the remarkable ways

they are continuing the restoration here, but right now,

as you can see, hundreds of people are safely seated on the lawns.

Let's get valuing, yes, you up for this?

-ALL:

-Yes!

Who's going to be the first lucky person to go off to auction?

We're just about to find out right now,

and they're with Christina Trevanion.

-So, Margaret and Ken, this is interesting, isn't it?

-Certainly is.

Where has this come from?

It was my mother's brother, who was working at Wembley Stadium,

building it.

-So your uncle...

-Yes.

-..was building the Wembley Stadium. My goodness.

So, how did he get this?

Well, each of the workers were given the souvenir.

I would say this is a little twin-handled sugar bowl,

and it probably would have come as a set,

with a teapot and possibly a cream jug or milk jug originally.

Goodness.

And if we have a good look at it, we've got this wonderful,

"Souvenir from Wembley, 1924."

And the British Empire Exhibition was on at Wembley,

and Wembley was the showcase of the British Empire Exhibition.

And I love this symbol, this wonderful lion.

I mean, he was really symbolic of the power

and the pride that we had in our nation at that time.

Yes.

And it's littered with these wonderful Union Jacks

and Union Flags.

So, we've got Paragon China, England,

made expressly for Bradbury Pratt.

Now, I can only assume that Bradbury Pratt was a retailer,

and often when we see Paragon China, it's typical 1920s, 1930s,

very Art Deco, florally decorated.

We see a lot of tea services made by Paragon.

-But there are collectors for this commemorative ware.

-Yes.

And commemorative ware really has been popular

since the mid-19th century, when people started going on the package

holiday, if you like, and they would come home with a souvenir.

I would imagine this would have been made for somebody who'd

gone to the stadium, gone to the exhibition, potentially, and

taken it away with them as a memento of a lovely day that they've had.

This is a really difficult one for me,

because it hasn't got a huge amount of value.

No, we appreciate that.

I love the fact that your uncle was building this amazing building

that was just such a showcase for our country, really, and still is.

But I think the key to this piece is cataloguing it with that provenance.

I'm going to say, at auction, we're going to be looking at £20-£30.

I personally would like to see it go without reserve.

-What's your feelings about that?

-Yeah, that's fine.

It's an unusual shape, so I'm hoping that it will fetch more for you,

but I think we need to be conservative.

-Yes, of course.

-All right.

And it's been an absolute honour to meet you two,

so thank you so much for bringing it in.

Thank you for looking at it.

While most of us associate Wembley with football,

the original buildings had nothing to do with "the beautiful game".

The complex was purpose built for the British Empire Exhibition.

The pavilions, including the iconic towers of Wembley, reflected

the 58 British colonies, and housed the best of British industry.

To be sure no-one had any doubt about the might of the empire,

the British lion was emblazoned on statues and memorabilia,

just like Ken and Margaret's sugar bowl.

Adam Partridge has come across something that

derives from another imperial power, in its heyday, when this was made.

Well, Kay, what a beautiful day it is here in Dorset.

-It's been wonderful, yes.

-Hasn't it? A lovely location here.

-It is, excellent.

-Highcliffe Castle. Do you live nearby?

-Yes, four miles away from here, so not far.

-Oh, very good.

Well, far be it from local things, these are Japanese items.

How did you come to own these?

They were left to me by my father, who passed away recently, but

as a child I do remember seeing them in my grandparents' display cabinet.

Oh, do you?

I assume, rightly or wrongly,

that my father may have brought them back from India.

He was in the RAF

and stationed out there at the end of the Second World War.

Yeah, I doubt that he brought them from India,

because they are definitely Japanese carvings,

and obviously, with them being ivory, the first

thing that we need to mention is that they're perfectly legal.

-These fit in perfectly to current legislation, which is pre-1947.

-Yes.

These are turn of the century, what they call the Magi period,

which spans the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.

-Right.

-And these were made in quite large numbers

and carved often for the western market.

So, let's have a look at this first one.

He's got lovely features, hasn't he?

He's had some damage, but he's quite nicely carved.

I think also, often on the base, there's a signature.

We have a signature there, some cracks as well,

commensurate with the age.

But he's a good, large, Japanese ivory carving, known as an okimono,

-these big carvings.

-Oh, right, yeah.

On the wooden stand, I'm not sure whether they started life together.

-I think probably not.

-I don't think so, as well.

-It just doesn't quite fit, really.

-No.

Then, you've got your second one here and, again, we've got

a couple of condition issues again.

-See, the head's been off.

-Right.

-See that line of glistening glue?

-Yes.

-But they're not bad, are they?

They've been around 100 years or more,

so you expect a little element of damage,

and then the final one, we'll just slip him off the base there.

And that one doesn't look too bad, does it?

No, I can't see that there's any damage or anything on that one.

These sorts of okimono always depict occupation scenes.

Fishermen, traders, so they're a nice snapshot, really,

of everyday life in Japan 100 and something years ago.

I was thinking maybe £200 or £300, as a guide price,

and they might make that four or five. Is that all right with you?

That's fine. Yes.

So, if we go with an estimate of £200-£300, a reserve of £200,

with just a little bit of leeway, I think they'll make a bit more,

hopefully £300 or £400. And thank you so much for coming along

-and a really interesting item to talk about.

-Thank you.

I agree, they are very unusual.

So, let's hope they sell well when it comes to the auction later.

It's a hot day and people are making the most of the sun,

in all kinds of ways.

It's good to see that most people are wearing sun hats,

because the sun has come out.

There's plenty of water, OK? Don't dehydrate. There's free water.

Free refreshments.

-Not free Pimm's, then?

-Not free Pimm's, no!

Often, it's the people who come to our valuation days who hold

the memories of the place.

At Highcliffe Castle, the story of who lived here and how this

place looked has all been carefully documented by Ian Stevenson, a local

resident with a passion for the castle and a collection to match.

Let's make a start, then, shall we?

Because I know there's a lot to look at. Where does it start for you?

I think postcards.

I mean, I've got a whole album here, with probably over 200.

I think it's quite interesting to look at the interiors.

It's brilliant.

This is the drawing room

and you get an idea of how elaborate it was, with the candelabra,

wonderful French furniture and a bedroom there.

Oh, look at that. So, who lived here in the 20th century?

The Stuart-Wortley family.

They weren't particularly wealthy people

and he was in the army, so he was spending time away.

The needed money to keep up the castle,

so it would be rented out for periods.

Sort of a holiday let!

Hey, I fancy that as a holiday let, don't you? Wow.

Gosh, and it attracted all of these important people.

Yes, indeed. Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India.

Here's the king of Spain, Alfonso XIII,

planting a tree in the garden here.

-And then, the Kaiser, of course.

-"Kaiser's visit, 1907.

"The Emperor of Germany". Gosh.

And who's this?

That's the future King Edward VII, who was then Prince of Wales,

in a Daimler, in 1900, outside the castle entrance there.

I've got the original glass negative. It's invaluable, really.

That's one of my treasures.

-Are you still collecting?

-Oh, yes, yes. I think it's a lifetime's work.

And thank goodness, because the history of that castle is in safe

hands because of people like you.

-Thank you.

-Yeah, well, thank you.

Back to the valuations,

and Christina's found an item that would have been right at home

decorating the arms of some of the female residents

of Highcliffe Castle.

-Right, so you've brought this lovely watch in to us today.

-Mm-hm.

-Where's it come from?

-Well, I inherited it from a distant cousin.

BABY CRIES

That's William. Don't mind William. He's agreeing.

No, he's not my cousin.

-Yes, it was hers, and I think it might have been her mother's.

-OK.

I believe there was a slightly unorthodox... Where it was found.

Is that right?

Yes, she was in hospital, and she said,

"You'd better go into the spin drier in the kitchen."

So I opened up the spin drier and underneath the dishcloths,

was this and all her jewellery.

-No! Really? She kept it in the spin drier?

-Yes.

Forgive me, but how often did she do any washing?

Well, um... They probably came out, occasionally.

Well, that's fair enough.

Yeah, I mean it's better than the freezer, I suppose.

-Yeah, it's a bit different.

-Keeps them clean.

-I would think.

Do you mind if I take it?

Just because I can't stand here for much longer and not touch it,

frankly. It's just stunning.

Little diamond-set, Art Deco cocktail watch.

I mean, for me, it's just so decadent, so elegant.

Can you imagine waltzing around London in the 1920s,

going for cocktails at the Ritz with this on?

I mean, you would feel like the bee's knees, wouldn't you?

It's beautiful.

It's got this wonderful diamond-set face and it's in white gold,

which is stamped 375, so that tells us that's in nine-carat white gold.

It's the lower-grade gold, but nonetheless, a beautiful thing.

It would have been fairly commonplace, really,

in the 1920s and 1930s, when this was made,

to have a cocktail watch, to bling up your outfit, if you like.

Do you know if your cousin, was it hers?

Yes, and I think it was her mother's, because her mother used to

-be in that circle, in London.

-Oh, did she?

What did she do? Was she quite racy?

-I think she might have been.

-Really? Ooh, I like it.

We like that, don't we, girls? We do, yeah.

She used to babysit and it turns out that it was probably

-Joan Collins that she used to babysit.

-What?! Really?

-Yes.

-Really?

-Yes.

-THE Joan Collins?

-Yes, and Jackie.

-Oh, goodness.

That's pretty exciting. How do you know that?

-Cos my cousin told me.

-Oh, wow. I love family stories like that.

Going back to the watch,

it's got a nice little stamp on the strap as well.

Now, I think that it may have had a replaced strap.

She's probably done some wild dancing at some point,

and the strap may have broken slightly.

-I've got the receipt for the strap.

-Oh, have you?

Because I've tracked this hallmark down,

and it's actually dating to Birmingham in about 1957.

Ah.

But that is much later than the actual watch face itself,

which I would say is absolutely either late 1920s or early 1930s.

And I would say at auction, we're probably

looking at an estimate somewhere in the region of £200-£300.

OK.

-How do you feel about that, Sue?

-Well, yes.

-So, shall we put it forward to the auction?

-OK.

So, we set an estimate of £200-£300

and perhaps, a reserve of maybe £180, should we need it.

Mm-hm.

I don't think we will. I think it's a lovely thing, I really do.

Oh, thank you very much.

You'll have to stick an elastic band round me,

so I can't bid on it. What do you think about that, William?

Do you agree with that?

WILLIAM CRIES

-He's not looking convinced, is he?

-No.

Well, I agree.

This gorgeous watch will surely have the bidders excited

when it goes under the hammer.

Well, there you are.

Our experts have been working flat out,

and we have now found our first three items to take off to auction.

Fingers crossed, we have one or two surprises with those valuations,

but before we do that, I want to show you something really quickly.

Look on the outside of the building

and you'll see this wonderful ornate doorway.

It's being framed by two cheeky court jesters,

which are just tucked underneath that bay window up there.

But if you look closely, all is not what it seems there.

That is actually an oversized fire surround, which has been

re-used, and that's a clue to the provenance of this building.

But right now, it's straight over to the auction room,

and here's a quick recap of what we're taking with us.

Ken and Margaret's collectible sugar bowl, which could be

a wonderful reminder for someone of the original Wembley stadium.

Kay wants to sell her Japanese figurines that reflect

everyday working life in a bygone era.

And there's Sue's diamond watch, a touch of Art Deco elegance,

that put a sparkle in Christina's eye.

But will it dazzle the bidders, too?

We're heading to Wareham for our auction today.

At one time, this was the centre of the clay-mining industry.

The products that came from the unique minerals in the clay

ranged from clay pipes to fine ceramics, such as Flog It!

favourite, Wedgwood.

And this is where we're putting our valuations to the test.

Cottees in Wareham.

Let's go inside and meet with some very nervous owners.

The sale is just about to start

and, fingers crossed, we can dig up a few great results.

Don't forget, you'll be paying commission, which is

20%, plus VAT, at this sale room.

So, with auctioneer John Condie on the rostrum,

let's get on with our first lot - the commemorative bowl

created for the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley.

For me, it looks like a sugar bowl with cover.

It's about the right size, rather than a tureen.

-And the story just made me think it was so brilliant.

-Yeah.

So, Jack was a builder? And all the builders got one of these.

-Yeah.

-Real piece of history, there.

-Well, we're bigging this up and there's no reserve on it.

-I know!

-I know.

-Hopefully it won't be an own goal. This is going to sell.

-This makes me very nervous.

-The question is, how much?

Right, we're going to find out right now.

Paragon China Wembley souvenir, from 1924.

Who can give me £20 for it?

-Ooh, straight away, bidder in the room.

-Yeah, that's good.

-£35. £40.

-Ooh!

£45... £50, I've got.

-£55, sir? £55 now, in the room.

-That's fantastic, guys.

£60, anybody else?

-At £55, then, I'm selling it.

-£55.

-Well done, that's fantastic.

That's good. That's a very good result.

-I'm delighted.

-Yes, so am I!

I don't like no reserves, I get really worried.

-And that was your first auction?

-It certainly was, yes.

Well, what an experience.

At least we're sending you home happy,

and that's what it's all about.

Thank you very much, indeed.

And may there be many more for Margaret and Ken.

£440.

The next lot is Kay's early 20th century Japanese ivory figures,

depicting everyday life, and with just a little damage.

You're selling them because they're not your cup of tea?

-That's right, yes.

-Do you know what? I'm not really drawn to these.

Some ivory figures, I am, but these, I don't know.

What is it with ivory figures that you have to look for?

I think you've got a good eye for quality, and these are the

-fairly ordinary ones that you'd have bought as an export piece.

-Sure.

They're not the finest ones.

When you see a fine one, they're absolutely staggering.

Every single detail of fingers, and then there'll be signs with

red lacquer tablets, all different sizes.

And the other thing with these, there are some damages to them,

which you can't really repair.

Hopefully, we'll do Adam's top end of the estimate.

-You'd be happy with that, wouldn't you?

-Oh, I would.

Because you don't like them, you want to get rid of them.

No, I don't have anywhere to put them, either.

No. Let's put them under the hammer. Here we go.

Three Japanese ivory okimono figures. £150, I'll start. £150.

£160. £170. £180. £190. 200.

£200 I've got. £220 now. £220, on the internet. £240, anybody else?

Last chance, then. I'm going to sell at £220.

Anyone else? It's going...

Hey, doesn't matter. You're happy, look at the big smile.

-Didn't like them, didn't want them, they had to go.

-That's right.

-Yeah, you'd rather have the money.

-Yeah, I'm very happy.

And that's what counts.

Now, Christina was very happy when she found our third lot -

the super-chic 1950s diamond-set watch.

I really do like this, girls.

It's not something I'd want to buy or own,

but I think it's got the look.

It's elegant, it's stylish, it sort of says Art Deco,

-the cocktail party.

-Mm-hm.

£200-£300, I don't think it's a lot of money.

I know it's not precious stones or anything, but it's beautifully made.

-It's diamonds.

-Yes.

-You can't get much more precious than that.

OK, but...

-Martin!

-..we're not talking about the big carat here, are we?

No, we're not talking about huge great big stones, but you're right,

-it's got that look, and that's what people like about it.

-Yep.

But also, it looks like it's a one-off,

and no-one else is going to have something like this.

Anyway, let's find out what the bidders think.

The Art Deco platinum and diamond set cocktail watch.

I've got a start at £150.

£150 bid. £160. £170. £180. £190.

-£200.

-There we are, £200.

£220 bid. £240 now?

-Yes.

-£240. £260, make it.

At £240 on the little watch.

Last chance, anyone else?

-£240.

-Sold. Well done, Christina. Spot on.

-Fantastic.

-Yeah.

-She's good.

-Thank you.

-Well done, anyway.

-Thank you.

-That was good.

-Brilliant.

Well, there you are.

That's our first three lots done and dusted, under the hammer,

and some good results, so far.

Now, for centuries, Dorset clays and stones have been

used in construction and for architectural detail.

Our valuation-day venue, Highcliffe Castle, is no exception.

It used around 14 different varieties of stone

in its construction.

But also, as well as using local materials,

it's also built up of elements from quite an unexpected source.

Highcliffe Castle might look as solid today as the stones

it's made from, but over 240 years, it's had several incarnations,

and has been partly reduced to rubble on more than one occasion.

I'm going to find out how the stone and the bricks have been reused

and, to do that, I need to climb this temporary staircase made

out of scaffolding, which is high above the ground floor.

And just look at this!

Pile upon pile of doorframes, window shutters, dado rail, architrave.

You name it, it is all here.

This is an architectural salvage hunters' dream.

When the castle burnt in the 1960s, all of this was saved,

catalogued, and put up here, high up in the store room.

But it's where all of this originally came from

that makes Highcliffe Castle so interesting.

The story goes back to 1775, when a grand house was built here,

perched above the cliffs.

The trouble was, it was poorly constructed and, add to that, it was

a little too close to the cliff face, which was ever-eroding.

The house was sold off, abandoned, and eventually demolished,

but that wasn't the end for Highcliffe.

In 1808, Charles, Lord Stuart de Rothesay,

bought the land back, determined to build a new house

for his family, near the site of the original house.

Charles, an ambassador to France,

took the opportunity to do two things.

He stockpiled local bricks, but more importantly,

he gathered vast quantities of stone and medieval stained glass from

buildings that had been destroyed during the French Revolution.

This print from 1824 shows the great French house,

La Grand Maison a les Andely, as it was being demolished.

And here, you can see exactly that oriel window, now in pride

of place, and I must say, standing from here, it just looks superb.

But you can imagine all of this stonework being

shipped across from France and then strewn across the cliff top,

as work began on the castle.

We can take a peek into the past at Lord Stuart's grand-scale scheme

with these 20th century postcards and photos.

They reveal a Gothic English castle, with medieval windows,

a baronial staircase, gilt embellishments and Gothic turrets.

There was one person, however,

who was less impressed with his efforts - Lord Stuart's wife.

She was the one with the money behind her.

During the building work, she left for two years,

to nurse her sick father and, upon her return, she discovered how

much of her money he'd lavished on this building - and she was furious.

She wrote in a letter,

"I wish the whole thing would just fall off the cliff."

Despite Lady Stuart's hope this castle would crumble into the sea,

it was as robust as the heavy stone it was made from,

standing secure as a home over several generations.

But the building that had emerged from the rubble returned to rubble.

It suffered two devastating fires, in 1967 and 1968.

The fire completely destroyed this roof,

rendering it uninhabitable again.

For almost 20 years, the castle languished,

its stonework deteriorating and suffering vandalism.

But from the early 1990s,

it received funding, to install structural support,

recreate the crumbling masonry and rebuild the roof.

But this was just the start.

Today, the store room, full of medieval wooden ornamentation,

is being sifted and examined by volunteers, like Maurice Ballard,

who devote their time to bring the place back to life.

What did you have to do, Maurice, when you first saw

all of these architectural elements in a great big pile?

Obviously, sort them out, but how?

Well, we tried to put matching items together, so that we could

then start trying to define which rooms they came from.

So, we've tried to put things together for the octagon

and the great hall and the drawing room.

And how do you know what goes where?

Are you looking at archive photographs?

-That's what we're having to do now.

-I love these.

Where has this come from?

Now that, we definitely know.

This was the original drawing room,

-and you can see the detailing of the boards.

-Oh, yes.

-It went round the picture.

-OK, that's the picture frames.

And all of these, of course, were gilded, but in the heat

of the two fires we had here, it stripped all the paint off of them.

-This is oak as well, isn't it?

-It's all oak. It was all oak panelling.

Wow.

-That's why it survived.

-Yeah.

-Oak is such a solid hardwood, isn't it?

It's got a very tight grain structure.

You're not going to put it all back together

-and make sort of a pastiche?

-No.

You're just going to use certain elements,

stand it against the wall in the right place, fix it there,

so it gives you an idea of what it would be like.

That's what we would hope to do, to put it back

-in the rooms that they came from.

-There's some lovely bits of detail,

isn't there? I love the carved pieces.

That is part of a mirror frame, I'm almost certain.

That's nice, isn't it?

-It's fantastic.

-Yeah, look at that.

It really gives you a clue, doesn't it?

The sort of ornamentation, the detail, the frilliness,

it's so typically French.

When you look at these pictures and think how he built it in 1836,

the main thing that we can see here is the fact that,

because of the two fires,

we've gone back to all the brickwork in most places, and I'm almost

certain that the building itself was built as a brick structure,

and then they hung the stonework on the outside,

and put all the panelling on the inside afterwards.

Yeah.

Because we're back to the brick structure, you can

-also see how areas were built.

-Sure.

Which if you go to a house that's still got all its original

-panelling and other things...

-You can't see it.

-You can't see it.

I mean, we can even see some of the original panelling that's

still on the wall, there. And this was a bedroom.

That's actually survived, it's still hanging there.

That survived in that position, yes.

Wow. And you would know all about this.

You're a building surveyor and you do this as a volunteer.

That's right.

-This must be like a busman's holiday for you.

-Oh, it is, it is.

Must be the biggest project of your life.

Well, when I retired, I wanted a building or somewhere to come

-and build up my...

-To play with.

-To play with!

I've picked rather a large one, though!

But there's one more part of the story of the building's

reincarnation.

Over the years, people have returned architectural embellishments

back to the castle that they had kept for safekeeping.

These tiles, a lady had these. The clean ones that you can see.

She sent them back to the castle by post,

and they are an identical match to these tiles here,

which have been salvaged, later to be cleaned up.

The paint will be removed.

This is the last piece of the jigsaw. That goes there, like that.

Hopefully, one day this will be reinstated on the castle walls,

on the inside, as a panel, for people to appreciate.

Now, that's a good ending.

Back to our valuations,

where our experts are also piecing together

the stories of the objects our crowds bring us.

Adam's found something I always love to see on the show.

Christine, thank you very much for coming along.

You brought an item that I really like,

and something that appeals to my own personal collecting taste.

As soon as I saw this come down on the table,

I knew instantly it was a piece of Newlyn Copperware.

Very distinctive, arts and crafts, so it's handmade,

hand-beaten, rivets, hand-decorated with these birds,

and of course, the fish is a tell-tale sign, isn't it,

of the fact it was made in Newlyn in Cornwall, early 20th century.

Of course, the most famous name there is John Pearson,

of the metalworkers, but there were a number of metalworkers,

and I think that's a lovely example of a piece of Newlyn Copper.

How did you come to own this?

Well, we used to live in Penzance

and we bought it while we were there.

We've had it about 20 years now and we're quite fond of it,

but I don't really want to polish it any more.

Oh, is that the reason for selling it?

Well, it doesn't need that much polishing, does it?

No. We are supposed to be downsizing, as well.

-Oh, are you moving, are you?

-Yes.

-It's a pleasing shape, isn't it?

Angular, geometric, with a decoration,

and the Newlyn mark there on the front, clearly stamped.

Yes.

And these sorts of things are very popular these days,

in the market, so you've chosen a great time to sell, really.

Do you remember what you paid for it, all those years ago in Newlyn?

-No, I don't.

-No. What about an idea of its current value?

-Eh...

-£100? £150?

-Very good, you don't need me, do you?

No, that's absolutely right. I think £100 to £150 is its value,

really, and I think it'll make a little bit more towards £200 or so.

Well, that's good. It would be nice to be £200.

-Shall we do £120 reserve?

-That would be fine.

I think it'll make more anyway,

-you have to trust in the system a little bit.

-Yes.

-And we can put the estimate £120 to £180?

-Yes.

-Nice big range.

-OK.

-And hopefully, I still think it'll make the best part of £200.

-Good.

Who knows, on the day?

Two people competing, it might make a little bit more.

-Oh, well, that would be nice.

-It would be lovely, wouldn't it?

It certainly would. I have high hopes for that Newlyn Copper.

Christina's found her last object today, but before she reveals

what's hidden in the bag,

she's getting nosy about the ladies who've brought it in!

You look very similar. What's the relationship?

We are. This is my lovely niece, Juliet.

And this is my lovely auntie.

-Ah. But you look so similar.

-And my mum was her twin sister.

-Oh, your mum's twin sister. That makes sense.

-That's the thing.

-So, whose is this?

-This belonged to my husband's granny.

To be perfectly honest, when I saw this, I thought,

"Oh, it's a nice little bag," and then I looked at what was inside.

And it's just stunning, isn't it? Look at that.

We've got the most beautiful gold cigarette case.

Tell me where it's come from.

I've got no idea whereabouts in the world it came from,

to be honest, cos my husband's grandfather was in the RAF,

-so it could have come from anywhere.

-Really?

To me, even just looking at it from the outset,

it just screams good quality, beautiful thing.

-It's just so tactile, isn't it?

-It's beautifully made.

Yeah, it's beautifully made.

Even just looking at the cover of it, the hinge is totally flush.

-I mean, can you imagine engineering that?

-No.

It would be really quite a feat of engineering, to make that

so perfectly flush like that.

We've got this wonderful, what we call, cabochon sapphire

to the clasp here.

Now, when I say cabochon, it means it's cut into that dome,

so it's beautifully soft and smooth,

rather than being a faceted stone, like you'd see...

Generally a diamond is faceted, isn't it?

So we've got a wonderful mark, which is stamped 585.

Now, that is indicative of gold, 14-carat gold, OK?

And then, more interestingly, we've got

what we call an import mark, because if I looked at this piece,

I would have from the outset said, "It doesn't look like

-"a British piece."

-No.

The quality of it, the stylishness of it, I would say it was French.

Right, OK.

And we've got a little import mark here, which shows

it was imported into this country in, I think, about the 1950s.

-Would that tie in with granny owning it?

-Oh, definitely.

-Beautiful, OK.

So, at auction,

it's such a beautiful thing, with such exquisite quality to it,

I really think that we're going to be looking

somewhere in the region of about £1,000 to £1,500.

Wow!

-Oh, look...

-We did actually...

-"Oh, look, you can come again!"

-We did think about that, didn't we?

-Well, yes.

-Did you?

-I think, firm reserve at £1,000.

-Mm-hm.

I don't think we need to let it go for any less than that.

Why are you selling it?

Well, it was left in a drawer at home, doing nothing,

so my husband's decided to redo our roof on our shed,

which is quite a big project, and it's

cost £800 already and, hopefully, selling this will go towards it.

Go towards the new shed roof. Gosh, how romantic(!)

Every time we sit in that shed, we'll go, "Thanks, Granny."

-Do you often sit in the shed?

-Yes, we do.

-Really?

-To get rid of the children.

-Don't tell her why you go to the shed!

Well, it's just a place where we go and sit.

Maybe I need to get myself a shed.

-They have very posh sheds now, don't they, Jules?

-Oh, yes.

You have the knack of bringing us some of the most unexpected things,

like these Aboriginal shoes, apparently used for ritual purposes.

So I was told, if you want to do something bad to somebody,

if you just went with your ordinary feet, then they could track you.

-But if you wear these...

-They couldn't follow your footprints.

And also, they'd see that it was this

and get very frightened, you know?

Gosh, I'd never heard of that before.

That's fascinating, isn't it?

Just amazing that those have ended up here, on a Flog It!

valuation day, 10,000 miles away from Australia,

on the other side of the world.

Over to Adam now, who's on more well-trodden ground, with an iconic

collection brought in by father and daughter, David and Shannon.

Well, a very famous name in model railway, Dave,

-and your daughter, Shannon?

-That's correct, yes.

Thank you very much for coming. Where did you get it from?

It's my father's. It's been up in the attic ever since I've known it.

-I was allowed to look at it once.

-Look at it, but not touch it.

Not allowed to play with it, but then it was put back

up in the attic, and that's where it stayed for the next 40 years.

Really?

We've just converted the house into two, and so everything had

to come out of the attic, and that's when he decided to get rid of it.

-OK, so you're really here on behalf of your father?

-Yeah.

It's pretty clear that it was made in the 1950s,

but actually there's a date code on the corner of here,

and if you see that, 17/254, the 254 means February, 1954.

Oh, right.

So, very exact.

And it's a fairly standard set - type 51, O gauge -

but you've got it in lovely condition.

You've got the O gauge key there, clockwork, of course.

They started producing electric trains in, I think,

1964 or thereabouts, and electric trains are still being made,

but you can't beat the magic of the clockwork, I don't think.

Testament to British engineering that these things still work,

and they work beautifully.

Really nice set, but not a particularly rare set.

One thing I think that's really to its advantage is that it's

still in really good condition.

I mean, imagine getting that, as a little boy in the 1950s,

for Christmas Day, unwrapping it, gleaming in British Rail livery.

Would have been such an exciting moment.

This was a really special thing

and I think the fact that it's still in such good condition,

with the box, all the instructions, everything's there,

that should be commanding a premium price when it comes to auction.

-That's what's going to get the collectors excited.

-Lovely.

So, what do you think it's worth?

-I don't know, £40? £50?

-I think it's a bit more than that.

-I reckon it's going to be £100.

-As much as that?

-Should make £100.

What I'd like to put is the old £80-£120.

Stick an £80 reserve on it, and I reckon it'll make £120, £130,

-something like that, I hope.

-Very good.

All right. Well, we're on the right tracks. No, no more railway puns.

So, if it makes £100+, would you do anything specific with the money?

No, I daresay my father will take us out for a meal or something.

-Yeah, of course, got to give it back to your father, haven't you?

-Yeah.

Well, thanks for bringing it along. It's nice to see one in such

good condition and rarely played with, so thanks for coming.

-We'll see you at the auction. You both going to come?

-Yes.

Very good, see you there.

Yes, Adam, I hope that steams away at the auction.

Well, there you are.

Our experts' final items have now been found,

so sadly it's time to say goodbye to our host venue, Highcliffe Castle.

One day, hopefully this rebuilt roof will become a viewing platform,

so you can stand up here and take in these glorious surroundings.

I think you'll agree we found some treasures worthy of our venue,

but right now, we've got to put those valuations to the test in the

sale room. Here's a quick recap of what's going under the hammer.

The Newlyn Copper teapot.

It might be cluttering up Christine's house,

but there are plenty of arts and crafts collectors who would love

to take it off her hands.

There's the elegant cigarette case,

that's going to pay for a roof for Juliet's garden retreat.

And the Hornby train set,

that's got to appeal to any toy train enthusiast.

Back at the sale room, our lots are underway,

with one of my favourite pieces today - the Newlyn Copper teapot,

brought along by Christine and husband David.

-I'm a big fan of Newlyn Copper.

-Yes?

-I really am.

-You lived in Cornwall for a little while, I gather?

-Yes, St Just.

-Very nice.

-Just outside. It's a special place.

Did you start to collect more or just this one piece?

-No, it was just something from the area we thought we'd like.

-OK.

£120 to £180 - I think that's sensible,

-I'd like to see the top end.

-It's really pleasing, isn't it?

Yeah, it's well-made, it's tactile. That's the key to it.

Those edges are folded and rolled, and hand-beaten and hammered,

and all that repousse work is beautiful.

And it's got the fish motifs, as well, which you expect.

Anyway, this is the fun part of it, going under the hammer right now.

This is impressed Newlyn, rather nice example.

Start me at £100 for it.

£100 bid, £100. £110. £120. £130.

£140, £150, £160.

£160, £170, £180.

£180 bid. £190, £200.

At £220 now, on the internet. £220. £230. £230 I've got, £240.

£240 here. £240, £260 now. £280, anyone in the room?

At £260, I'm going to sell it then, your last chance.

It's on the internet.

£260.

-Yes! Proper job...

-I was just going to say, proper job.

Adam and I knew we were on to a winner with that lovely piece,

so what about our next lot?

The Hornby train set that's been stashed away in the attic,

for 60 years.

-Shannon and David, good luck.

-Thank you.

Fingers crossed you go home happy, or "chuffed," I should say.

Oh, very good.

-Hornby train set, I had this exact one.

-Did you?

-Do you know what?

I never really looked after my toys, which is so sad.

-Toys are to be played with.

-Yeah.

-I have to say, the box is in fabulous condition.

-Yeah.

It's been kept in a dry place, as well.

-I mean, there's a lot of the value in that packaging.

-Yes.

Let's see how much difference it's made, because it's on right now.

Hornby tin plate O-gauge model railway set. Nice thing.

We'll start at £50.

£50 bid. £55, £60.

Five, £70.

£70. Five, anyway. £80, five, £90, on commission.

£95, anyone else coming in? Commission bid at £90, then.

Anyone else? Your last chance, I'm selling at £90.

-Look, we did our best, OK?

-Yep, lovely.

-OK, great.

-And thanks for coming.

-Thank you.

Still, I'm quite sure that's going to take

pride of place in somebody's collection.

Time for our final lot today, the gorgeous gold French cigarette case.

Right, good luck, both of you, Jan and Juliet.

-This is yours, isn't it, Juliet?

-Yes, it is.

Did you realise this cigarette case was worth that sort of money?

-Not that sort of money.

-What were you thinking, at the valuation?

-Maybe £500.

-OK.

-There's a lot of gold there, isn't there?

-Oh, it's just too beautiful.

They're becoming more popular again, aren't they?

Yes, and you just hold it, and it's just so tactile,

and it's the epitome of lux. It's just gorgeous.

-Beautifully worked.

-It really is very, very beautiful.

-So...

-Best of luck, guys.

-Good luck, OK?

-Thank you so much.

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

Lots and lots of interest in this. I'll start you at £700.

£750, £800, £850, let me go, £900.

-Yes.

-£1,000, £1,100.

£1,200, £1,300.

£1,400. £1,500, I've got here.

-£1,500.

-And 50.

-And 50. £1,600...

-Oh!

-Brilliant.

At £1,600.

50, anyone else?

I'll sell, then. £1,600, it's going to go.

Last chance.

-50.

-50. £1,650.

-Ooh!

-£1,650, at the last minute.

-A last cheeky bid there!

£1,700, anyone else? At £1,650, then.

It's going. Going.

-Fabulous, £1,650!

-How exciting.

Well done, and this is your first auction, as well.

That's such a lot of money, isn't it?

-That's fantastic.

-That's going in somebody's cabinet somewhere.

It really is, isn't it?

What a way to end today's show, on a lovely highlight there.

I hope you enjoyed today's rollercoaster ride.

Join us again soon for many more surprises,

but until then, from all of us here, it's goodbye.