0:00:03 > 0:00:06Today, I'm at Packwood House in Warwickshire.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09It's a magnificent country residence,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12which isn't all that it first appears.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15It's filled with intriguing stories and treasures,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19just like those we discovered on our travels all around Britain for
0:00:19 > 0:00:21today's programme.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Welcome to "Flog It!"
0:00:44 > 0:00:48On today's show, we're taking a tour around the country to revisit some
0:00:48 > 0:00:51of our wonderful valuation day locations from this series.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56It's another chance to see those stunning venues and discover some
0:00:56 > 0:00:59extra treasures, which were brought in for our experts to see.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03There was a real warmth when we visited Grimsby Minster,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06which dates back some 900 years.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08This is exactly what they would
0:01:08 > 0:01:10have been drinking their tea out of in 1807.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14So it's terribly Jane Austen, darling.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17And the faithful "Flog It!" crowds also flocked to the impressive
0:01:17 > 0:01:18Wolverhampton Art Gallery,
0:01:18 > 0:01:22where Caroline Hawley discovered how a young teacher invested his first
0:01:22 > 0:01:28- pay packet.- Goodness me, so his first wage as a teacher.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31- They were ten shillings.- That was a lot of money in the early '30s.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33- It was, yes, it was. - An awful lot of money.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37We were thrilled by the turnout at our valuation day in the magnificent
0:01:37 > 0:01:39St Albans Cathedral.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42I do remember Princess Diana coming into the hotel.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44That's pretty good, isn't it?
0:01:45 > 0:01:48And we also went to the seaside.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51In Morecambe, Lancashire, we spent the day at the wonderful Platform
0:01:51 > 0:01:56Building, once the terminus of the town's old Promenade station.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00And Charles Hanson found an item to get his teeth into.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03We have two small dogs at home and this very much reminds me of our
0:02:03 > 0:02:05terrier called Oscar.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07DOG CREAKS
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Yes, quite right, I heard that.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13And I'll be spending some time here at Packwood,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16really getting to know the house and its fascinating story.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24Packwood House started out life as a rather modest Tudor farmhouse but
0:02:24 > 0:02:26eventually it was added to over the years,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28turning it into a typical Warwickshire manor house.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30Georgian Gothic windows,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34a Victorian hall gallery did their bit in changing its appearance.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37But when one of the richest men in the country bought it,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41primarily because his teenage son fell in love with it,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45no-one could ever have imagined the transformation that it was about to
0:02:45 > 0:02:50undergo. Graham Baron Ash had real plans and vision for this place
0:02:50 > 0:02:52and later on in the programme,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56we'll be finding out more about him and his home improvements.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00But first, we're off to the magnificent St Albans Cathedral,
0:03:00 > 0:03:05where James Lewis is chatting to Patrick about something with a bit of a story behind it.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Well, Patrick, we always have time for a good wristwatch on "Flog It!"
0:03:09 > 0:03:13and that is about as good as they come, isn't it?
0:03:13 > 0:03:15- It certainly is.- The leading maker,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19the name that everybody talks about when they talk about wristwatches.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21But the interesting thing and something that I didn't realise
0:03:21 > 0:03:26- until recently, where do you think Rolex are?- Switzerland.- Yeah.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Yeah. You would think they were a Swiss company, wouldn't you?
0:03:28 > 0:03:30It was started in London.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34- Oh, really?- It's a British firm, Rolex was originally British.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39But they were founded in 1905, moved to Switzerland in 1919.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Right from the start they always made the very best.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Let's have a... Just turn it over.
0:03:45 > 0:03:51It's what we call a Dennison case, which has a nice, flat back
0:03:51 > 0:03:53and original Rolex strap.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56We've got the crown there of Rolex at the end
0:03:56 > 0:04:00and it's marked for nine-carat gold, 375.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02But tell me, yours, father's, grandfather's?
0:04:02 > 0:04:06No, no, I used to work in the hotel business and I was the sales
0:04:06 > 0:04:09director of the Park Lane Hotel, which was an independent hotel.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Yes, lovely hotel.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14And if I had had a good year, or the hotel had had a good year,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17I would buy myself a present at Christmas.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21And we had an antique fair there and I saw Ronnie, and Ronnie said,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23- "Why don't you have that?" - Who's Ronnie?
0:04:23 > 0:04:26He's a society second-hand jeweller.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30So, in terms of a society jeweller, he buys off
0:04:30 > 0:04:32the wealthy of London, I would guess.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35- Yes, yes.- And sells back to them and probably gives loans against it
0:04:35 > 0:04:37- as well, occasionally.- Yes, yes.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Yeah, wonderful. So, tell me, when you were at the Park Lane,
0:04:40 > 0:04:41did you have any wonderful guests?
0:04:41 > 0:04:46Well, I do remember Princess Diana coming into the hotel to do an event.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Well, that's pretty good, isn't it?
0:04:48 > 0:04:52And probably we had the gig of the year, which was
0:04:52 > 0:04:56the Kasparov and Karpov World Chess Championship in the ballroom.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Did you?
0:04:58 > 0:05:02And Maggie Thatcher came down to do the opening and she had the
0:05:02 > 0:05:05communists, of course, as they were at that time,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07absolutely eating out of her hand.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09- JAMES LAUGHS - That was a real high spot.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12OK. Do you remember what you paid?
0:05:12 > 0:05:15From Ronnie, probably, certainly 500.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17- OK.- I don't think it was less than 500 from Ronnie.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Yeah. You were very wise to go to Ronnie and not to buy a new
0:05:20 > 0:05:24because £500 was reasonable value.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28- Yeah.- Of course then it was retail, today we're selling at auction,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30so there is a slight difference.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33I would think that 500 is still about right for it.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36I think we should put an estimate of £400 to £600.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39- Oh, right, OK.- And probably a reserve of 400.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43- That would be brilliant.- Is that all right?- Yeah, fantastic.- Great.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Well, I think there'll be certainly more antiques than Prime Ministers
0:05:46 > 0:05:49and princesses at the auction but fingers crossed there'll be somebody
0:05:49 > 0:05:53- worthy of a gold Rolex watch. - Thank you.- Thank you.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57What a great watch and a great tale.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Next, we're travelling north to Grimsby Minister where
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Christina Trevanion spotted something shiny.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09Julie, please tell me that somewhere languishing in your handbag are two
0:06:09 > 0:06:13- more pieces with this teapot. - I wish there was.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Well, nonetheless, you've bought me a very lovely teapot,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18- so thank you for that. - You're very welcome.- Do you use it?
0:06:18 > 0:06:21- No, I've never used it. - And where's it come from?
0:06:21 > 0:06:25It was my mother's mother's and so...
0:06:25 > 0:06:28- So it was your granny's? - Yes.- OK, right.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30- Yeah.- And where do you have it now?
0:06:30 > 0:06:32I just had it in a china cabinet, that's all, at home.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Oh, my goodness.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Well, originally, obviously, it would have been part of a
0:06:37 > 0:06:39three-piece service, originally, so you would have had your teapot,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42you would have had your sugar bowl and you would have had
0:06:42 > 0:06:44your milk jug. OK, so one of three pieces.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- Right.- And this is what we call an oval boat form.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- Right.- Now, what I always do,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53look at its bottom. And look, there we go,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56it's got everything we need to know on the bottom there.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59- Right.- So, it's got JE here, which is the maker's mark, which is
0:06:59 > 0:07:03John Eames, OK. We've got the lion passant,
0:07:03 > 0:07:05which is the standard sterling silver mark.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- Right.- We've got the duty mark there, which is the head
0:07:08 > 0:07:11of George III, 1760 to 1820.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14We've got the crowned leopard there,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18which tells us that it's pre-1819 and that's the town mark for London.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- Right.- And then we've got this date letter here,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24which is the date letter for 1807,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28which is a capital M and it's got this wonderful anthemion decoration,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32this honeysuckle decoration, around the bands here,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34which is very typical of that era.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37If you think of material, you think of the Jane Austin era,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40all those wonderful empire-line dresses that they were wearing,
0:07:40 > 0:07:42this is exactly what they would have
0:07:42 > 0:07:45been drinking their tea out of in 1807.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48All right. So it's terribly Jane Austen, darling.
0:07:48 > 0:07:49THEY LAUGH
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Lovely thing.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56Without the rest of its service, it is unfortunately just a teapot.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59But nonetheless by a great maker.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04But I think at auction for a standard teapot,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06I think we might be looking at a couple of hundred pounds.
0:08:06 > 0:08:12- Right.- So if we said an estimate of 150 to 250 and a firm reserve at 150.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16- Yes.- And we'll keep everything crossed that somebody else has got the
0:08:16 > 0:08:18- sugar bowl...- Oh, that would be lovely, and they really want it.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20..and they want to reunite it.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Yes, that would be lovely, wouldn't it?
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Brilliant. Cup of tea?
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Yes, please!
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Milk, no sugar for me, please, ladies.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Now, let's take a quick break from our valuation days as I want to show
0:08:33 > 0:08:36you around the Packwood House gardens.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41One of the first things that attracted the Ash family to Packwood was the
0:08:41 > 0:08:44famous and mystical gardens, especially the yew gardens,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47which date back more than 350 years.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53It was originally laid out in the mid-17th century by the house's
0:08:53 > 0:08:55then owner, John Fetherston,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59a wealthy lawyer who was responsible for extending Packwood to include
0:08:59 > 0:09:02stables and outhouses.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05The clipped trees are said to represent the Sermon on the Mount.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09The group of 12 trees are called the apostles and the four taller ones in
0:09:09 > 0:09:11the middle are known as the evangelists.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19And if you follow up this tight, spiral pathway lined with box hedges,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21you climb a hummock called "The Mount".
0:09:26 > 0:09:31And then once you've found the top you'll find a single yew tree crowning
0:09:31 > 0:09:34the summit and this is called "The Master".
0:09:38 > 0:09:41And it's from here you can look down at the rest of the collection of
0:09:41 > 0:09:44smaller trees known as "The Multitude",
0:09:44 > 0:09:47and many of these were planted up in the 19th century.
0:09:47 > 0:09:48I say small but look,
0:09:48 > 0:09:53a lot of them are around 30 feet high and they take a lot of maintenance.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56It takes two full-time gardeners plus a team of volunteers
0:09:56 > 0:10:01two-and-a-half months every year to keep these clipped.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06Well, from something really large and tall to something quite small.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Caroline's found two wonderful items in Wolverhampton.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Liz, tell me about these lovely dishes.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18They came from my father-in-law, we've had them about 15 years.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23He bought them in Worcester with his first wage packet as a teacher.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27In the early part of the 1930s, I guess.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29And he paid ten shillings for them.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Goodness me. So his first wage as a teacher,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- that was a lot of money in the early '30s.- It was.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38- Yes, it was.- An awful lot of money.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Amazing, and he kept them all those years.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43He was very proud of them, very proud of them.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48They hung on the wall in my in-laws' home all the time.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52How lovely. And to have something to remember your first wage.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- Exactly.- That puts them into such a context.- Yes.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58They're not just any old pots.
0:10:58 > 0:10:59Well, shall we have a look at them?
0:10:59 > 0:11:03- Yes, fine.- Now, they are Royal Worcester, and he bought them,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05I would think, straight from the factory.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07More than likely, yes.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09They are signed, can you see here?
0:11:09 > 0:11:11- James Stinton.- Right.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15They are hand-painted, they're absolutely fabulous quality.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20- Stinton is a big, big name in Royal Worcester painters.- Yeah.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23There was Harry, there was John, there was James -
0:11:23 > 0:11:27and if we look at the back of them, let's turn it over,
0:11:27 > 0:11:33we can see Royal Worcester here, made in England.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37With "made in England", that puts them into the 20th century.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41- OK.- But we can be even more precise as to the date
0:11:41 > 0:11:43because Royal Worcester
0:11:43 > 0:11:47used a specific set of dots, circles, different sizes.
0:11:47 > 0:11:53If we see here, we've got three circles, two dots, this puce mark,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55which later became a black mark.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58That dates it exactly to 1934.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01So they were possibly new when he bought them.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04- That's what I'm thinking - they tie in exactly...- Yes.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05..when he would have got his first wage...
0:12:05 > 0:12:07- That's right. - ..gone out and bought these.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Now, another good thing to look at,
0:12:09 > 0:12:15- this gilding here is in absolutely tiptop perfect condition.- Yes, yes.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17And that is often the first thing to go.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21Two reasons. One, with lots of handling, use, it would wear.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25- Yes.- Another thing is, if they've got wire hangers,
0:12:25 > 0:12:26it's the worst thing you can do.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29They grip them and they nibble away at this gilding.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Yes, they've never had wires over the gilding,
0:12:32 > 0:12:36they've just had a home-made wire circle hanging from there,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40which was always quite loose, and a little loop to hang on the wall.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42- And do you like them? - I don't like them particularly,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44but my husband always liked them
0:12:44 > 0:12:46because they belong to his dad, I suppose.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Right, so have you decided now is the time to sell?
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Yes, he's happy, he's happy for them to go.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56- So these were bought in 1934 for ten shillings.- Yes.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58- Which equates to £50.- That's right.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02Now they are worth considerably more than that.
0:13:02 > 0:13:08I would put a presale estimate of 120 to £180 on the pair.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- That's brilliant. - What an amazing investment.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Yes, yes, he would be really pleased to know that.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20So we will put them into auction with a discretionary reserve of 120.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22- That's fine.- Brilliant.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Look forward to seeing you and your lovely dishes at the auction.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Thank you very much.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Those lovely Royal Worcester dishes
0:13:28 > 0:13:30are the last of our first batch of items -
0:13:30 > 0:13:33and now it's time to find out if they make our owners any money
0:13:33 > 0:13:35when they go under the hammer.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Patrick's gold Rolex watch was a gift to himself,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42but now he no longer wears it.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Julie's terribly Jane Austen teapot is a lovely thing.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Let's hope the owners of the sugar bowl and the milk jug
0:13:48 > 0:13:51are watching at the auction.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54And finally, Liz hopes the little Royal Worcester dishes
0:13:54 > 0:13:56will prove to be a fantastic investment
0:13:56 > 0:13:59on the ten shillings they cost.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Our first auction is at Tring Market Auctions in Hertfordshire...
0:14:05 > 0:14:07..where Patrick's watch is up for sale,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10and auctioneer Steven Hayne is on the rostrum.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Remember, whether you are buying or selling at every auction,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16there is always commission and VAT to pay.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Right, time is up for the Rolex.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Patrick's is just about to go under the hammer,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25- and we are looking at £400 to £600, aren't we?- Yeah.
0:14:25 > 0:14:26James, I read your notes -
0:14:26 > 0:14:29you pointed out something that I didn't know.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32You said Rolex were English, I always thought they were Swiss.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34- They started in England.- Yes, there you go. I didn't know that.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37See, you learn something new every day on "Flog It!", don't you?
0:14:37 > 0:14:40And that's what this show is all about, information, information.
0:14:40 > 0:14:41Get out there, get buying and collecting.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43- Good luck with this. - Thank you very much.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44It's going under the hammer now.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49There you are, the gold wrist watch, movement and the strap with it.
0:14:49 > 0:14:50Rather nice watch.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Are we going to get to 500 for a good Rolex?
0:14:52 > 0:14:55500, 400, 300. 300 bid.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58300 I have. 320 I'm bid for it.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00350. 380.
0:15:00 > 0:15:01Yes. One more.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03400 I'm bid for it.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05At 400, you are out.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07At £400, then, I'm selling.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11Make no mistake, it's going for £400, then.
0:15:13 > 0:15:14- Just.- Close!
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Just. Why did you want to sell it, anyway?
0:15:18 > 0:15:21I used to use it for work, when I went out for dinner.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25- It is quite dressy, though. - Yes, it is a bit dressy.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Well, that watch was a great thing, that's for sure.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Next we're heading to Golding Young & Mawer's in Lincoln,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34where auctioneer John Leatt's in charge
0:15:34 > 0:15:36of selling Julie's lonely silver teapot -
0:15:36 > 0:15:39but it is not the only thing lacking company.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Going under the hammer right now, we have a George III silver teapot.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47We do have the item - sadly we don't have our owner, Julie.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49We do have our gorgeous expert, Christina,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51and I'm pretty sure this is going to sell, don't you?
0:15:51 > 0:15:54You would hope so, George III silver teapot, what's not to love?
0:15:54 > 0:15:57- We've got a reserve on this, haven't we?- Yes, we've got £150,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00- so it is protected.- It's protected. Do you have a silver teapot?
0:16:00 > 0:16:03- Well, I don't, that I use. - Too young.- Do you?- No.- I bet you do.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06- No, I'd love one, actually. - Does the butler bring it for you?
0:16:08 > 0:16:11My son Dylan actually makes a cup of tea for me -
0:16:11 > 0:16:14but I wouldn't trust him with a silver teapot.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16- Anyway, we are going to put this to the test right now.- OK.- Here we go.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19This George III silver teapot,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22John Eames, London 1807,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26and who will start me on this one at £150?
0:16:26 > 0:16:28£150 start. 150 start.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29£150.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- It's gone quiet.- It is very quiet.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36120. I've got £100.
0:16:36 > 0:16:37110. 120.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40130. 140. 150.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Yours at 150. Anybody else?
0:16:42 > 0:16:43In the room at 150. Anybody else?
0:16:43 > 0:16:45At 150. £150 in the room.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49No? All done at £150, selling at £150.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51150.
0:16:51 > 0:16:52It's gone.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- And that's what it's worth.- Yeah.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56It's part of a set.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Obviously without the other items, it is difficult, isn't it?
0:16:59 > 0:17:01- It's good news, it's good news it's gone.- Good news for Julie.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03- Should I give her a call? - I think so.- Yeah?
0:17:06 > 0:17:07Don't hang about, Christina,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09because we need you back in your auctioneer's hat
0:17:09 > 0:17:13at Trevanion and Dean's saleroom in Whitchurch, Shropshire.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Going under the hammer right now, we're not only selling porcelain,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21we are selling art - the images are beautiful.
0:17:21 > 0:17:22You get a lot for your money with this lot.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Liz, it's good to see you again.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26- Thank you.- Two bowls, 1930s.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29- Yes, '34, I think.- Yeah.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31I think these are great value for money.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33These will go well, they are such good quality.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36They're great quality. Stinton is a great name.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Why are they so low in value?
0:17:38 > 0:17:40I don't really understand.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Well, they're not highly fashionable at the moment,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45but I think they will top the top estimate.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50- OK.- If I stick my neck out, 180, 180, 200.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52OK, OK.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54- It sounds good value to me.- Yeah.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57- It is.- We are going to find out what the bidders think,
0:17:57 > 0:17:59and let's hope it just goes through the roof. Here we go.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03A pair of Royal Worcester dishes by James Stinton.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07Much admired, very pretty little example, dated 1934.
0:18:07 > 0:18:08A pair of them altogether,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11and I have got 100, 110,
0:18:11 > 0:18:12120 here with me.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15At 120. At £120.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18130. 140. 140, sir.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19- The chap in the room.- 150.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22160. At 160 here.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24170. Clears my book.
0:18:24 > 0:18:25At the very back at 170.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28You still in, sir? 180.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Thank you, anyway. 180. Well held, sir.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32At the middle here, I've got £180.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Looking for 190 now.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35At £180,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37I can see you hovering online.
0:18:37 > 0:18:38190, he's in.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40200, sir.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Round it up for me. £200 is bid.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45- At £200, standing at £200. - That's more like it, isn't it?
0:18:45 > 0:18:46220 now.
0:18:46 > 0:18:47I'll take 210 if it helps,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49but I've got £200 in the room,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51and £200 I'll take if we're all done.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54At £200, fair warning now at 200.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56- Yes!- Excellent.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01- That's really good.- I love that term, "fair warning"! 200.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Well done, you, and well done.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09- £200. That seems a nicer figure to say, doesn't it?- Yes.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13A fantastic result - but they were great dishes.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Don't go away, because we'll be returning to our salerooms
0:19:16 > 0:19:18across the country later on in the show -
0:19:18 > 0:19:21but before that, I want to take you back to a grand house
0:19:21 > 0:19:23in Warwickshire,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25which has quite a story to tell.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39Graham Baron Ash was the son
0:19:39 > 0:19:41of one of the wealthiest men in the country...
0:19:43 > 0:19:45..Alfred Ash, an industrialist
0:19:45 > 0:19:49who made his money supplying metal parts to, among others,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52the London and North Western Railway.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56When Alfred bought Packwood House in 1904, he was asked why.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59His response was, "I bought it because the boy wanted it."
0:20:00 > 0:20:03"The boy" was just 16 years old at the time,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05but for the next 40 years of his life,
0:20:05 > 0:20:09it was devoted to transforming Packwood into a grand Tudor mansion
0:20:09 > 0:20:11fit for a country gentleman.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Graham Baron Ash had high aspirations -
0:20:13 > 0:20:16he wanted to cast his factory funded roots
0:20:16 > 0:20:19and be seen as a man of class and breeding.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27He began by insisting upon being known by his middle name, Baron,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30and then living up to the self-appointed title.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Each morning, fresh flowers would be delivered to the house
0:20:36 > 0:20:39and Baron would personally oversee the arrangements,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43and each evening he and his butler Stanley would dress for dinner -
0:20:43 > 0:20:45even if Baron was dining alone.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Bachelor Baron was a fastidious man
0:20:50 > 0:20:53who liked everything ordered and in place.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Guests were welcome, but untidiness wasn't tolerated.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59House guests recalled
0:20:59 > 0:21:02that if they left as much as a hairbrush out on display,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06it would be tidied away in a drawer the minute they had left their room.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Baron had grand ideas for Packwood.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12The original house dated back to around 1570,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14but it had been altered over the years,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17and Baron didn't approve of the changes that had been made.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Georgian Gothic windows had been added
0:21:24 > 0:21:26along with a Victorian galleried hall,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28and other Victorian touches -
0:21:28 > 0:21:31but Baron wanted it to look Elizabethan -
0:21:31 > 0:21:33the sort of place that might have been
0:21:33 > 0:21:35in a titled family for centuries.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41In 1932, he created this stunning long gallery
0:21:41 > 0:21:44and he finished it with salvaged rich wood panelling,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47tapestries and treasures and antique artefacts.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50The plans were drawn up by the architect Edwin Reynolds,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53who restored Shakespeare's birthplace
0:21:53 > 0:21:55in nearby Stratford-upon-Avon -
0:21:55 > 0:21:57but it makes the most wonderful walkway
0:21:57 > 0:22:00between the old part of the house into this.
0:22:06 > 0:22:12A great hall, grand enough to embrace any baronial mansion.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21The great hall was created from what had previously been a cow barn,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and Baron linked the 100 foot gap with his fabulous long gallery.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Baron added a full-height bay window,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31a minstrels' gallery and a sprung dance floor.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34The new wing of Packwood wasn't universally admired.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36One architectural critic of the day
0:22:36 > 0:22:40sniffily said the results looked like a modern grammar school -
0:22:40 > 0:22:43a comment which wounded the sensitive Mr Ash.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50But he loved the scale of the great hall
0:22:50 > 0:22:53and he took great delight in finding pieces to finish it.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56In fact, he bought several items of furniture
0:22:56 > 0:22:59from local stately homes and grand manor houses
0:22:59 > 0:23:02that were falling into a dilapidated state of repair,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06or lack of finances following the First World War.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Baron claimed that by buying up their fixtures and fittings,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13he was saving them from being lost and destroyed forever.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Now, perhaps he was right -
0:23:15 > 0:23:17but then perhaps he was also thinking,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19by buying them for Packwood,
0:23:19 > 0:23:23he was providing the house with a history and a class that he craved.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Among the items of the great hall
0:23:27 > 0:23:30that came from a wonderful house just two miles up the road,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Baddesley Clinton, is this magnificent banqueting table,
0:23:34 > 0:23:36also known as a refectory table.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41It's one of the nicest pieces of furniture I have ever seen.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45Now, the top dates to around the 15th century -
0:23:45 > 0:23:47the base is slightly later.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50That's 17th century - it is a marriage, but nevertheless,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52look at the length of this table.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57Two single planks of oak, 21 feet long.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Bear in mind, the oak tree that this came from
0:23:59 > 0:24:03was fully matured when this was felled, maybe 200 to 300 years old,
0:24:03 > 0:24:08was hand-cut by two men in a pit saw, one above, one below,
0:24:08 > 0:24:12guiding that saw, making sure the width of that plank
0:24:12 > 0:24:15stayed uniform all of that length.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Now, that is a great skill.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19If only this could talk.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Gosh, it would tell us some tales.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23The partying that went on.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25For me, this is so contemporary -
0:24:25 > 0:24:28this is the sort of thing we'd like to live with today.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32It's so fashionable - but not many of us have got a room this size.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40This great hall was also used for extravagant parties
0:24:40 > 0:24:42and lavish entertainments.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Concerts and plays were regularly put on here,
0:24:45 > 0:24:46or in the gardens,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49and they were known collectively as follies.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53And with Packwood being only about 20 miles from Stratford-upon-Avon,
0:24:53 > 0:24:55productions of the works by Shakespeare
0:24:55 > 0:24:57featured heavily in the annual programme.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01But Baron Ash's proudest moment
0:25:01 > 0:25:03was possibly the day the Queen came to tea.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05It sounds nice, doesn't it? "The day the Queen came to tea."
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Well, apparently Queen Mary was staying with some friends
0:25:07 > 0:25:10in Warwickshire and it was suggested that she visited Packwood,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and she did. She spent a couple of hours looking around the house
0:25:13 > 0:25:16and taking in the gardens, looking at the changes
0:25:16 > 0:25:18that Baron was in the process of making,
0:25:18 > 0:25:22and, by all accounts, when she left, Baron was beside himself,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25he jumped in the car and hurtled off to Birmingham
0:25:25 > 0:25:27to have this glass case and plaque made
0:25:27 > 0:25:30to put the royal cup and saucer in,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33the very piece of Minton that Her Royal Highness drank from -
0:25:33 > 0:25:35and the pen that she used to sign the two autographs.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37So I think that's really, really lovely.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41And the bedroom that was put aside for her,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44in case she did want to stay the night, from that day onwards,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46was always known as Queen Mary's bedroom.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Baron never received a title,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56but in 1938 he was appointed High Sheriff of Warwickshire.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01He attended the county assize courts
0:26:01 > 0:26:04with his butler Stanley acting as a footman.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Trumpeters heralded the visiting church with the Ash flag,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11bearing the family crest of two chevrons and a Maltese cross
0:26:11 > 0:26:13fluttering from their instruments.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Baron had achieved a high degree of social standing.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23He'd also transformed Packwood
0:26:23 > 0:26:27into the grand Tudor mansion he always dreamt of.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28His work was complete.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33He handed over the house to The National Trust in 1941.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36He stayed on for another six years but he left instructions
0:26:36 > 0:26:38that the key rooms should remain exactly as they were,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41how he created them - they were his legacy.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44He left nothing personal of himself except his wish
0:26:44 > 0:26:48that there should always be fresh flowers in the house.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51And apparently when the house was handed over to The National Trust,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53it looked exactly like a museum -
0:26:53 > 0:26:56but by all accounts, according to people who knew him,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58that's exactly how it was when he lived here.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Well, from Packwood House,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02it's straight over to St Albans to look at an item
0:27:02 > 0:27:05that would look perfect at one of Baron Ash's soirees.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11Claire Rawle is our export.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Jill, you've brought these lovely items in.
0:27:14 > 0:27:15Now, I've noticed today
0:27:15 > 0:27:18there's a lot of people wandering around the cathedral
0:27:18 > 0:27:19in ecclesiastical vestments -
0:27:19 > 0:27:22but actually what you've brought in is much more commercial, isn't it?
0:27:22 > 0:27:24And wearable, really.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26So tell me, are they family pieces?
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Yes, they are. It belonged to my father's mother,
0:27:30 > 0:27:34and the story goes that she wore it on the Queen Mary
0:27:34 > 0:27:38on her maiden voyage, which would have been in 1936.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40- That must have been magnificent. - Yes.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Can you imagine what that must have looked like?
0:27:42 > 0:27:43That wonderful ballroom,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46all the ladies in their sparkly, beautiful costumes.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48- It must have been fantastic.- Yeah.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Do you have any record, does she remember, did she tell anyone?
0:27:51 > 0:27:52It's a family story.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Unfortunately we don't have any photos...
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- Oh...!- ..although you hope there would have been photos at the time.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59- I'm sure.- Yeah.- Oh, what a shame -
0:27:59 > 0:28:01but it must have been a wonderful, wonderful scene,
0:28:01 > 0:28:03and a wonderful occasion for her as well.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06How lovely. Did she wear them again, do you know?
0:28:06 > 0:28:08I don't know, unfortunately, no.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09Oh, right. And have you worn them?
0:28:09 > 0:28:13I wore them to try them on, and we have got photographic proof.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15- But you haven't been out anywhere, to a lovely party?- No.
0:28:15 > 0:28:21So what we have here is a black velvet evening coat, very sumptuous,
0:28:21 > 0:28:25very long, rather attractive buttons there, glass buttons,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28and very typical, they did like these quilted collars,
0:28:28 > 0:28:30and you can see on the shoulders,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33slightly puffed out and long narrow sleeves.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35The line in the 1930s into the '40s
0:28:35 > 0:28:38- was very long and slinky and very elegant.- Mm-hm.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42In a certain extent, it has come back into fashion today.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45And then the ballgown, which of course it was - it was a ballgown.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48People went and you sort of danced like you do on Strictly.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53So here you have - it's machine-made lace, which in actual fact,
0:28:53 > 0:28:56they had been making machine-made lace since the 19th century,
0:28:56 > 0:28:59it wasn't a 20th-century invention, they had amazing looms,
0:28:59 > 0:29:01they could make wonderful things.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05Beautiful, sparkly, spangled bodice with these wonderful flowers.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07Fitted to the waist, very much so.
0:29:07 > 0:29:08And then lovely flaring away,
0:29:08 > 0:29:11and then you have the stiffened petticoats underneath,
0:29:11 > 0:29:13looked very elegant, very beautiful.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18Now, there is a real resurgence in vintage clothing.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20A lot of people are buying it to wear.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22Condition's all-important -
0:29:22 > 0:29:24both of these actually don't look as if they've had an awful lot of wear.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27The telltale sign is usually in the hem of a dress,
0:29:27 > 0:29:29where someone has put their foot through,
0:29:29 > 0:29:31but this all seems to be in pretty good order.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34- So, you've decided to part with them?- Yes, indeed, yes.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37You're not going to rush out to another ball or anything?
0:29:37 > 0:29:38No, I don't think so.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40No, no. Now, we need to talk value.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Because obviously they're going to go to auction.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45I would suggest, for the two of them,
0:29:45 > 0:29:46we would do an estimate of £90-150.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48- If you're happy with that.- Yes.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51I'd pitch the reserve just under the low estimate at £80.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53- OK.- So you're happy with that?
0:29:53 > 0:29:55- Yes, that's fine. - Shall we fix the reserve at £80,
0:29:55 > 0:29:57so they don't make any less than that?
0:29:57 > 0:30:01- Yes, I think so.- Excellent. Fixed reserve at 80, 90-150.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03- Hopefully they'll do very well for you.- Thank you.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05- Thank you very much. - That's lovely, thank you.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08What a fabulous outfit - and what a great story.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12That maiden voyage on the Queen Mary must have been quite something.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18Now we're heading over to Grimsby Minster
0:30:18 > 0:30:21where something quite showy has caught Michael Baggott's eye.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Gordon, thank you for bringing in
0:30:26 > 0:30:29this wonderful bit of English porcelain today.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31Before I tell you anything about it -
0:30:31 > 0:30:35I suspect you know rather a lot already - where did it come from?
0:30:35 > 0:30:37Well, I bought it in Doncaster,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40- which is not very far from where the actual pottery...- Pottery was.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43- Where it was made, yeah. That's right.- Oh, that's marvellous.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47Are you a collector of English porcelain or was there something particular
0:30:47 > 0:30:49about this vase that you liked?
0:30:49 > 0:30:53Well, my mother was called Brameld, and she was a descendant,
0:30:53 > 0:30:58- so we're told, of the Brameld family who made this china.- Oh!
0:30:58 > 0:31:01So, your - if you go back far enough -
0:31:01 > 0:31:04your ancestors were making these pots?
0:31:04 > 0:31:07- That's correct, yeah.- Owners of the factory. Well, we'll turn it over.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Cos we should always turn a pot over.
0:31:10 > 0:31:16Well, you can't really get much better than that - Rockingham Works,
0:31:16 > 0:31:21Brameld, and the wonderful family crest there, the griffin on top -
0:31:21 > 0:31:23and we've got a piece of Rockingham porcelain.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27Now, porcelain and pottery had been made at Rockingham
0:31:27 > 0:31:30- from the mid-18th century...- Yeah.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33..but it had all fallen into disrepair.
0:31:33 > 0:31:39It was really in 1826 when the Brameld family revived it,
0:31:39 > 0:31:41as the Rockingham Porcelain Works
0:31:41 > 0:31:46that you get this lovely fine quality china being produced.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48- Very much in Regency taste...- Yeah.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51..but this one, if we see,
0:31:51 > 0:31:55decorated with this beautiful spray of flowers.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58I mean, that's like a miniature oil painting.
0:31:58 > 0:32:03- It is, yeah.- And done by one of Rockingham's best flower painters,
0:32:03 > 0:32:05- John Cresswell.- That's right, yeah.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09On the downside - wear, to gilding.
0:32:09 > 0:32:15Other than that, I think in terms of condition, we're absolutely fine.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17How long ago was that, that you bought it?
0:32:17 > 0:32:191979.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21- For?- £200.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25Crumbs. That was at the height of the market,
0:32:25 > 0:32:26that was desperate for these pots.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29Yeah, and I never asked for a discount, either.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32That was a mistake! Always ask for a discount.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34Might not get it, but you should always ask for one.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36So why have you decided to sell it now?
0:32:36 > 0:32:42- Over the years, I've collected quite a lot of Rockingham china.- Ah.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45So, this now is surplus to requirements?
0:32:45 > 0:32:47That's right, yeah.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50So in terms of value, I think we'd be cautious.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52It's not much of a return for you, I know,
0:32:52 > 0:32:55but if we put an estimate of £200-300,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58and we put a fixed reserve of £180 on it,
0:32:58 > 0:33:01and I think that's going to find it a new home -
0:33:01 > 0:33:04and hopefully we'll see towards the top end of that.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07And I've had the pleasure of it all these years as well.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09This is the joy of antiques, people don't get it.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13You can go and buy something, have it half your lifetime,
0:33:13 > 0:33:16- and it's still worth something at the end of it.- Yeah.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19We'll pop it into the auction and keep our fingers crossed
0:33:19 > 0:33:22for a whole horde of Rockingham collectors, Gordon.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25- Thank you so much for bringing it in.- Thank you.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Now, that's what you call a vase -
0:33:27 > 0:33:30and it's great to have the personal connection.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32Let's hope it does well at auction.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Before that, we're heading off to the seaside town of Morecambe
0:33:35 > 0:33:38where Charles Hanson has found a new four-legged friend.
0:33:40 > 0:33:41Neil, it's great to see you -
0:33:41 > 0:33:43but this actually isn't a real dog, is it?
0:33:43 > 0:33:45- No, no.- You've had it a long time?
0:33:45 > 0:33:47I've had it about 30 years, probably.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49How did you acquire it?
0:33:49 > 0:33:50It was my auntie's...
0:33:50 > 0:33:55Auntie and uncle, they bought it in from West Africa in the late '50s.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57That's amazing. Are you a dog lover now?
0:33:57 > 0:33:59- Not really, no.- A cat lover?
0:33:59 > 0:34:01Definitely not!
0:34:01 > 0:34:04Well, we have two small dogs at home
0:34:04 > 0:34:08and this very much reminds me of our terrier called Oscar.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11He is a Boston terrier, in essence,
0:34:11 > 0:34:18and, of course, what he's got is hopefully still lurking inside him
0:34:18 > 0:34:20after 130 years or so -
0:34:20 > 0:34:21an infamous growl.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23- May I do the honours?- Please do.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27On this chain here, which is the original - I believe it is...
0:34:28 > 0:34:30HE CREAKS
0:34:30 > 0:34:33- He's lost a bit of growl, hasn't he? - He has.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36But he's still very much in working order.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39And I love how that head bounces
0:34:39 > 0:34:44and just has that wonderful nod in appreciation. Really nice.
0:34:44 > 0:34:50So - French, automaton, made by a company called Roullet & Decamps,
0:34:50 > 0:34:55who were a French company who formed as early as 1865,
0:34:55 > 0:34:59and they only closed as late as 1995.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03- Right.- But they were a renowned company
0:35:03 > 0:35:09for making upmarket automaton toys for a fairly noble class market -
0:35:09 > 0:35:13and he really is that.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15What we look for, first of all, Neil, is condition.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17You've kept him very, very well.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20Where has he been kept, a kennel, or...?
0:35:20 > 0:35:22- Just in a cupboard.- In a cupboard. - Yeah.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25I mean, he was more or less in this state when we got him.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29He probably got most of his wear and tear when my auntie had him.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31He's very light. You might think, at first,
0:35:31 > 0:35:34is he a base metal that's been coated?
0:35:34 > 0:35:36He's not, he's papier-mache.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38- Yeah.- He would have had a red russet collar,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41and also what we call flocking -
0:35:41 > 0:35:44the actual body is slightly bare,
0:35:44 > 0:35:49and that fur, you can find, in places, has a suedey feel,
0:35:49 > 0:35:54but otherwise, elsewhere, it's slightly bald.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56Happens to us all, eh?
0:35:56 > 0:35:59- Yes.- He's great - the ears are in good condition.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02I don't think his mouth has been repainted, has it?
0:36:02 > 0:36:04- Not in our time.- No, that's OK.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07His teeth are all there, aren't they, still? No fillings.
0:36:09 > 0:36:14- He's charming. I'm going to go in between 150-250...- Right.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16..and I really hope, Neil,
0:36:16 > 0:36:20with the wind blowing, at the auction,
0:36:20 > 0:36:22he might just give a bigger...
0:36:22 > 0:36:23- HE CREAKS - ..bark...
0:36:24 > 0:36:29..and could just take off and leave you and him feeling very happy.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31- Oh, right.- OK?- Yes, fantastic.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Thanks, Neil - thanks so much for sharing your doggy story.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36- You're very welcome. - Thanks a lot, thank you.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48Well, that's it for our last lot of items -
0:36:48 > 0:36:50we'll find out exactly what they're worth
0:36:50 > 0:36:53when they go under the hammer in the auction room shortly -
0:36:53 > 0:36:55but first I want to tell you about the night
0:36:55 > 0:36:57Packwood was the place to be.
0:36:57 > 0:36:58We've already discovered
0:36:58 > 0:37:03that Baron Ash loved entertaining and his parties were legendary.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Well, in 1931, the celebrity socialite and pianist
0:37:06 > 0:37:11Prince George Chavchavadze was invited to play here at Packwood.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14George was a White Russian,
0:37:14 > 0:37:16a supporter of the deposed Russian monarchy,
0:37:16 > 0:37:20whose family had lost most of their aristocratic riches
0:37:20 > 0:37:21during the Revolution,
0:37:21 > 0:37:26and had fled their wealthy estates in Georgia for sanctuary in London.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32The recital was performed in the Great Hall on this very spinet,
0:37:32 > 0:37:36and this was made by the acclaimed musical instrument maker
0:37:36 > 0:37:39Thomas Hitchcock in the early part of the 18th century.
0:37:39 > 0:37:45So this is sort of circa 1710, 1715, and it's absolutely beautiful,
0:37:45 > 0:37:48and these keys are real ebony and ivory.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52It's a stunning, stunning piece of craftsmanship,
0:37:52 > 0:37:55and apparently, to mark the occasion, the Prince did sign it -
0:37:55 > 0:37:58it's signed somewhere on here but it's so faded I can't find it.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03I'd play a few notes if no-one was looking,
0:38:03 > 0:38:05but we've got work to do and antiques to sell,
0:38:05 > 0:38:08so let's take a look at the items going under the hammer next.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12Jill brought in a wonderful ballgown
0:38:12 > 0:38:15worn on the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18Michael was really taken with Gordon's Rockingham vase,
0:38:18 > 0:38:19with the family link.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23And finally, Neil brought in the wonderful dog.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25He may have lost a bit of his growl,
0:38:25 > 0:38:28but hopefully the bidders will bite when he goes up for sale.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35First, we've headed back to Tring
0:38:35 > 0:38:37where Jill's evening gown's up for sale
0:38:37 > 0:38:39and auctioneer Stephen Hearn is still in charge.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44Jill, we're just about to sell your grandmother's dress and coat.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46- Yes.- Fingers crossed we get it away at the top end,
0:38:46 > 0:38:47we're looking at around £150.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50I've got to say, we work well together.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53- We do.- The colours are working now, we're not clashing!
0:38:53 > 0:38:56- A good omen.- It's great to see you, though.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59So, why have you decided to sell Grandma's clothes?
0:38:59 > 0:39:03It's been in a wardrobe for a long, long, long, long time,
0:39:03 > 0:39:04and so I said to my mum and dad,
0:39:04 > 0:39:06let's just go and see, and here we are.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08Yeah. OK, OK, fingers crossed.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10They go, they get to a collector.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13- Yeah.- Right, let's find out what the bidders think, shall be?
0:39:13 > 0:39:14It's going under the hammer now.
0:39:14 > 0:39:19Rather lovely that one, the black velvet, lot number 2028,
0:39:19 > 0:39:21shall we say £100 for it, or £50 for it?
0:39:21 > 0:39:23£40 for it, 45, £50?
0:39:23 > 0:39:27Five, £60, five, £70?
0:39:27 > 0:39:29And five?
0:39:29 > 0:39:31At £70, then, five anywhere?
0:39:31 > 0:39:36No? At £70, we're going to have to leave it, I believe.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38Madam? You're going, no?
0:39:38 > 0:39:42At 70, then, we leave it, at £70, thank you.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45No. Well, you got £70, he was still two bids away,
0:39:45 > 0:39:47unfortunately, just under the reserve.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49- That's a shame. - Couple of bids would have done it.
0:39:49 > 0:39:50It's a shame, so close, wasn't it?
0:39:50 > 0:39:54Yeah, I think Grandma wants you to keep it, that's what it is,
0:39:54 > 0:39:56- I think so. - Yeah, I'll have to go to a ball.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58Yeah, try it!
0:39:59 > 0:40:01That's disappointing, but that's it, Jill,
0:40:01 > 0:40:05find a ball to go to and wear it with pride.
0:40:05 > 0:40:06Next, we're back in Lincoln
0:40:06 > 0:40:10and hoping to make a good price for Gordon's Rockingham vase.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12- Gordon, fingers crossed. - Yes, I know!
0:40:12 > 0:40:15We've got your Rockingham vase going under the hammer right now.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17Michael, I think we'll get top dollar for this.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19We're in the right area.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22The thing I'd like most of all is a time machine,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25- because the market for this was 15 years ago.- It was better.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27Architecturally, though, it stands well,
0:40:27 > 0:40:29I love that flared look about it.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32OK, look, good luck, here we go. Let's put it to the test.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36Right, lot number 171, this rather nice Rockingham vase.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39Hand-painted vase, here we go, and I'll start it straight with me,
0:40:39 > 0:40:40I've got various bids on this.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43- Oh, cool!- Straight with me at £150.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45That's not enough.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47At 150, 160, 170, 180, 190?
0:40:47 > 0:40:50At 190, with me at 190, at 190?
0:40:50 > 0:40:51£190, it's at 190.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55200, 220, 240, 260,
0:40:55 > 0:40:57here with me at 260.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Here with me at 260.
0:40:59 > 0:41:00Anyone else at 260, all done?
0:41:00 > 0:41:04It's selling at 260, all done at £260, then?
0:41:04 > 0:41:08- Good price.- Brilliant. We've seen English 19th-century ceramics
0:41:08 > 0:41:10turn the corner on "Flog It!"
0:41:10 > 0:41:11- Marvellous!- Quality.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14It's all about quality and craftsmanship.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17- A work of art.- And you get a lot of value for your money with that.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20A good price for a good thing.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Now for our last and rather quirky item.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25We've come to Clitheroe and Silverwoods saleroom
0:41:25 > 0:41:28where auctioneer Wilf Mould is on the rostrum.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31Well, things are definitely flying out today,
0:41:31 > 0:41:33and what a cracking atmosphere there is.
0:41:33 > 0:41:34Right now, we're going to find out
0:41:34 > 0:41:36how much that doggie is in the auction room.
0:41:36 > 0:41:37I've just been joined by Neil,
0:41:37 > 0:41:40we've got that wonderful papier-mache dog
0:41:40 > 0:41:41going under the hammer.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Good luck with this. We've seen these on the show before.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46Thank goodness it still growls.
0:41:46 > 0:41:47Indeed.
0:41:47 > 0:41:48HE GROWLS
0:41:48 > 0:41:50It is 900 years in doggie years!
0:41:50 > 0:41:51Yes!
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Right. Do you know what this dog would fetch
0:41:55 > 0:41:57- if it was in perfect condition? - How much?
0:41:57 > 0:41:59Sticks!
0:41:59 > 0:42:01It's going under the hammer right now.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04Lots and lots of interest in this lot,
0:42:04 > 0:42:08which is the papier-mache model of a Boston terrier,
0:42:08 > 0:42:13and we'll set it off immediately on the pad at 150, 160, £200.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16- Wow!- 200, 220, 220, 250,
0:42:16 > 0:42:19280, 280, 300,
0:42:19 > 0:42:21and 20, 320 online.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23350 with me.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25380, no, I have 350 on the book.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28At £350 for the Boston terrier.
0:42:28 > 0:42:33£350 is bid, have a little think online, quickly, now.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36All done at 350, I'll take 380 quickly.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38All done at 350.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41- 350.- Good. Well done. - Well done, well done, everyone.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44- Thank you for bringing that in. - You're very welcome.
0:42:44 > 0:42:45- Loved that.- Good, good.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47Now we know what it's worth, don't we?
0:42:47 > 0:42:49- Woof, woof, woof!- Very much!
0:42:49 > 0:42:51Good boy!
0:42:55 > 0:42:57Well, sadly, that's it for today's show.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59I've had a marvellous time exploring Packwood,
0:42:59 > 0:43:03finding out more about the house and Baron Ash, who worked so hard
0:43:03 > 0:43:07transforming this place into a country house fit for royalty -
0:43:07 > 0:43:10and we've enjoyed some of your fascinating stories,
0:43:10 > 0:43:13we've had some great results from auction rooms around the country.
0:43:13 > 0:43:14I was especially pleased for Neil -
0:43:14 > 0:43:18£350 for that little terrier was a great price.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21So, until the next time, it's goodbye.