Grimsby 5 Flog It!

Today, we're in Grimsby,

the famous fishing port in north-east Lincolnshire.

Our valuation venue is the beautiful Grimsby Minster.

This church is like a sturdy old ship

that's chartered a steady course for centuries, and today

we're lucky enough to be part of it. Welcome to "Flog It!".

Grimsby Minster was founded on the ancient parish church of St James.

It has a strong congregation and, in 2010, it was made an urban minster,

which means it acts as a mother church,

serving a bigger area than its parish.

Projects are set up to meet local needs.

As a vital hub, it's well used.

So we're lucky it's opening its doors to "Flog It!"

and it looks like we're in for a busy day.

What a fantastic crowd we have here today.

This enthusiastic queue have travelled from all corners

of Lincolnshire today to be at this magnificent historic setting.

Anyone from Grimsby? CHEERING

Yeah, there's a few of you Grimbarians, they're called,

but most of you are from the area, which is a great thing.

Laden with antiques and collectables,

the lucky few will be going home with big smiles on their faces.

But they're here to see our experts to ask that all-important question,

-which is...? ALL:

-What's it worth?

Stay tuned and you'll find out.

Competing for the best treasures today is

seasoned skipper, Anita Manning.

What have we got in there?

-A 1950s Easter egg.

-ANITA LAUGHS

-He's so cute.

-Mmmmwah!

LAUGHTER

She's ably assisted by deckhand Michael Baggott,

and he looks like he's found something to keep us all in check.

-It's seen some service, hasn't it?

-It has, yeah.

-Which is good and bad.

Because we know it's original,

-but there isn't a great deal left of it.

-No.

And Michael's certainly on a charm offensive.

Are you seeing lovely things?

-All the time, but only when I look at you, Anita.

-Aw!

-Michael, you're a sweetie.

-Smarm, smarm!

Well, I know you're desperate to get inside.

These guys have been here since about 8am!

This is the beginning of the queue. It goes all around the building.

We've got our work cut out.

Seven o'clock, he said.

Right. Let's wait no longer.

Let's get everybody inside.

We can find out what's hidden in all of these bags and boxes.

And while they're filing in,

let's take a look at what's coming up later on in the show.

Anita meets Grimsby's very own mermaid.

So I really am in the presence of Grimsby royalty.

And there must be something in the water,

Michael has a real drama on his table.

Someone had mentioned to the BBC that she was 105.

-105?!

-Yeah, in 1966.

And I'll be seeing what role this local landmark

played in Grimsby's history.

We set up our valuation tables in the heart of the minster

and what a glorious setting!

The light is flooding through the stained-glass windows,

casting a warm glow on our experts.

It's now time to find out what they're up to.

And Anita's wasted no time finding a local lass with a historic album.

Marion, you come from Grimsby.

-I do.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

And you've brought along a piece of your family history.

-Yes.

-So, Grimsby family history to "Flog It!" today.

-Yeah.

-Now, this was a Christmas gift.

Can you read to us what this says?

Yes, it says, "A Christmas gift."

I presume that's Mrs...

"..F Boyers from her esteemed friend, JEC."

-and, sadly, I don't know who that person was.

-Who was Mrs Boyers?

Mrs Boyers was the mother of my aunt,

who I never met, because she died long before then.

And I've had it about 40 years now.

-SHE LAUGHS

-So, er...

Well, I mean, it's not in very good condition, Marion.

-No, it's not. You can say that again.

-But it comes from the 1880s.

-Yeah.

-And it's showing your family at that time.

-Quite a good-looking family.

-Yeah, they are, aren't they?

-Some very pretty ladies.

-Looks a wee bit like you.

-Oh, gosh!

-Thank you.

-And, er, we have a kind of sombre-looking guy.

-Yeah, I think he's a minister, by the look of him.

-A minister.

But one of the pictures which I find most interesting, really,

-is this one here.

-That one? Yeah, yeah.

Where we're seeing a boy with a penny-farthing...

-Yeah.

-..which is the same size as he is.

-Yes, it is, yeah!

-Now, a bicycle was a new thing.

-Indeed.

-And people that had a bicycle

were really at the cutting edge...

-MARION LAUGHS

-..of modern fashion.

What did the family do? What was the background of the family?

-Were they involved in trade or commerce or what?

-Yeah, trade.

I mean, initially, they lived in Cleckheaton in Yorkshire

and they had a hardware shop. They moved from Cleckheaton

to Cleethorpes and had this small bed-and-breakfast.

Oh, right. A seaside landlady.

Yeah, yeah. My aunt, who was in here,

when they had the visitors in the summer,

she had to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs,

because the visitors took over her bedroom. She was only quite tiny

-and that's where she slept for the summer.

-Just as well!

BOTH LAUGH

-So, yeah.

-I think that's a lovely story.

And I believe that is my Aunt Renee when she was a baby.

So this is her mother.

And this is Mrs Boyers and Mr Boyers.

-So that's...

-She looks like a tiny wee lady.

-Yeah, she was. And so was Renee, yeah.

-Just cupboard-sized?

Yes!

Definitely. On the small shelf.

Now, tell me, these are your family members.

Why are you selling it?

Well, it's been in a cupboard under the roof, um, just put away.

-I just think somebody may be interested and, um...

-I think so.

Now, if it's going to auction,

-I'd like to keep the estimate very, very low.

-Yeah, I understand.

I'm sure there will be interest,

-but I think if we put it in maybe 20 or 30...

-That's fine, yeah.

-Let's just pass it on to someone who may restore it...

-Yeah.

-..and who will enjoy looking at this little item...

-Looking, yeah.

-..which is a piece of Victorian history.

-History, yes, indeed.

-Yeah, you don't see them every day, do you?

-No.

-No. Thank you very much.

From 19th-century photos, Michael's bringing us bang up to date

with works by a Turner Prize winner.

This is a first for "Flog It!" in many respects.

We've got a name here, haven't we?

-We have, yes.

-What's that name?

Damien Hirst.

-The great...

-Damien Hirst.

-..Young British Artist, Damien Hirst.

And we've got one, two, three, four Damien Hirsts on one table.

Where did you get them from?

A local auction that I go to.

We do it for raising money for animals.

-Right. A little local charity shop?

-Yeah, just a little charity auction.

-Were these the star lot, then? Damien Hirst.

-No, no, no!

Nobody wanted them.

-Pardon?

-Nobody wanted them.

-I

-didn't want them.

-But you've got them!

-Yeah, but because the lady

that was doing the auctioning was taking so long to sell them,

I said, "Well, I'll have them for 30p,"

so that she could get on with the next lot.

-So you just bought them to move the auction along?

-Exactly.

-Right.

-Did you know you were buying...?

-No.

-No, no.

-I didn't know until three years later.

We use them. But we didn't look at the name underneath.

Well, what we've got is we've got a company that, in 2002,

-commissioned various artists...

-Oh, it's 2002, were they?

-2002.

-..to put artwork onto their glasses.

-Yeah.

-Now, Hirst was one of many.

-But of course, Hirst is the big name.

-Yeah.

-He did 340 of these.

-340?

-340, so not thousands.

-Oh, I thought it'd be thousands.

-No, I thought there might be thousands.

-Yeah!

-But there were certainly thousands done by different artists...

-Yeah.

..but just 340 done by Hirst.

Now, really and truly, they shouldn't be worth anything at all,

-because they're 2002 commercial glasses.

-Yeah.

-But we live in a world where names are magical.

-Yes.

-And none more so than Mr Hirst's.

-Mm-hm.

If you wanted to buy the canvas, as it was before they took the picture

-and stuck it on the glass...

-Yeah.

-..it might be £1 million - £2 million.

-So if you can't afford that, these are your next best bet.

-Yeah.

I personally haven't got the foggiest what they're going to make.

-No, I don't.

-You'll make a profit on 30p.

-Yes.

-That's guaranteed.

I would say, let's put £20-£50 on them.

And let's put a reserve of £20,

because you can't go to the shops and buy a nice glass for a fiver.

-No. No, that's true.

-And let's see what happens.

-Yeah.

-I could be stood there, I hope, with egg all over my face...

-So do I!

-..as international phone bidders come on.

Yeah. But they're just... they're very odd.

-They were never meant to be valuable.

-No.

They're just commercial advertising things.

They're not even made in the 20th century.

-No.

-They're made in the 21st!

-Yes, yeah.

-But they're quirky. They're interesting.

Jenny, thank you so much for bringing

I think the oddest thing I've ever seen on a "Flog It!" valuation.

I'm pleased you've enjoyed them.

You can tell Michael can't wait to see what happens at the auction.

But for now, we've got more to discover about the minster.

Fronting the clergy for us here at the minster today is Nick Nawrockyi.

-It's good to meet you, Nick.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for joining us.

-Now, you were made an urban minister in 2010.

-Yes.

-What does it mean to be an urban minister?

-An urban minster means

-that we relate more widely to the local community.

-OK.

So we're still a parish church and we look after the people

in our parish, but we also relate to the whole of county as well,

the whole of north-east Lincolnshire, and we act

as a forum between the civic and the spiritual life of our county.

-Gosh, that's a large area! It's a big responsibility.

-It is indeed.

You're a local lad and you grew up around here.

-I did.

-What is it about the spirit of the people?

Because they're so charming and they're so cheerful.

Yes, there's something about Grimsby,

-it has this wonderful sense of community spirit.

-Yeah.

It's a really close-knit feeling of community.

I think we find increasingly that once people come here,

-they never really want to go.

-No.

-It's such a wonderful place to be.

There's so much it has to offer, isn't there? There is.

-It's not just fish and chips.

-Absolutely not!

'Now Anita's in her element, captivated by gold.'

Doreen, I love jewellery!

I love it!

And I love this little group here.

-Thank you.

-Tell me, where did you get it?

Well, they were both birthday presents some 30 years ago.

-Aw.

-Yes.

-Was it somebody beloved who bought them for you?

-Oh, yes.

-A boyfriend?

-Oh, more than that, yeah.

Oh, my goodness, tell us no more.

LAUGHTER

-Yeah.

-Did you choose these things or was the choice made for you?

Oh, no. I chose.

And then the earrings came along about a year later.

So let's look at the little object here.

The pendant is very, very pretty.

-Mm-hm.

-It's from the early part of the 20th century, Edwardian times.

1900-1910, 1912.

And it's very typical of the jewellery

that was worn at that time.

The pendant is made of 9ct gold.

We have a little amethyst drop and an amethyst in the centre here.

And we've these little tiny seed pearls,

which form part of the decoration.

Now, the earrings are...

-They're quite different.

-Yes.

-Um, we do have the amethyst there,

um, but the design is, er... probably more Victorian.

And although these are unmarked, I think that they're gold.

-They feel gold.

-Oh, yes.

-They feel right.

You're perhaps wanting to sell because you're no longer wearing it?

I'm not. They're just sat in the drawer.

You know, and it's sad. Someone would really love them, I know.

So, price on them...

..I would say...

140-180

might be a come-and-buy-me estimate.

-Would you be happy to pass them on at that price?

-With a reserve at...?

-We would put the reserve at the bottom estimate.

-Yes, that's fine.

-And we'll make it a fixed, fixed reserve.

-Yes, oh, yeah.

And let's see how it goes.

Well, all our experts have given the decks a thorough search

and they've found their first batch of items to take off to auction.

But before that, I cannot pass this hard-working team here, look.

They're known as the cake ladies and just look at their wares.

I'm going to be sampling some cake later on the show.

I'm looking forward to that. But right now, you sit back

and enjoy the dramas as they unfold in the saleroom.

Here's a quick recap of all the items we're putting under the hammer.

There's the intriguing family photo album dating back to the 1880s.

The beer glasses with the famous name attached.

And the pretty gold jewellery that caught Anita's eye.

We've travelled about an hour by car south-west

to the historic city of Lincoln

and, over the years, the Romans, the Vikings,

the Saxons and the Normans have made this wonderful city their home.

And today, for one day only, it's our town.

Because this is where we're putting our items under the hammer.

We have two auctioneers on the rostrum for us today -

John Leatt and Colin Young. The commission rate here is...

It's busy, so we could be in luck.

And first to go under the hammer are Marion's family photos.

-A lovely photograph album. It's a family, though, isn't it?

-Yes.

So unless we really have a connection to the family,

it's not going to the big money,

it's not like topographic scenes of a town, that some of the roads

-and buildings have disappeared, which we like to see.

-Mm-hm.

-But it's always interesting to look at people...

-Of course!

-..to look at...

-What they're wearing, what they're doing.

-Yes!

-The penny-farthing was wonderful.

-Yes!

-The forerunner to Bradley Wiggins.

-It was, when you think about it.

Well, hopefully, this will be great fun for a collector.

So let's get this underway now.

It's going under the hammer now. Good luck.

Here we go, lot number 591, the Victorian leather photograph album.

Lots of interest in this.

And I'll start at £30.

£30 on commission, at 30.

£30, straight to me. 32, 35.

35 with me. 38, and 40. At 42, 45.

At 45. 48. And 50 now.

52, with me, 55 and 60.

65. 65 and 68 with me.

-£68.

-Oh, it's creeping up slowly.

-At 75 here with me.

-75.

-80 now, the internet.

-80!

-They're fighting it out on cyberspace!

£80, no? You out? I'm selling at £80, all done?

Well, it's gone, the hammer went down. It was £80!

-So there you go.

-Someone will love the album...

-Yes.

-..and it'll give them so much fun and interest.

I really enjoyed it. My heart was going...

'A great start! Now for the beer glasses with

'the link to one of our most famous contemporary artists, Damien Hirst.'

Jenny, are you ready for this?

-I am.

-We certainly are. We've been waiting for this.

Limited edition, 340.

-Not many.

-You've got 1% of the entire production in one lot today.

-You paid how much?

-30p for four.

-There's got to be profit.

-There's got to be profit.

We're going to put them under the hammer right now, here we go.

Lot number 151, this rather unusual set

of Damien Hirst-designed lager glasses. There we go.

And who'll start with those at £20?

Nice quirky lot for you. £20.

At £20 for them. Add 10, £10.

At £10, right at the back, thank you, sir.

At £10, and 12?

15. 18.

And 20. 22. Rising. In the front row at 26.

25, sir, thank you. 28? £28. £28.

-£28!

-Well, his major work has been slumping.

-32, thank you.

35. 35, the gentleman standing at £35. On my right, at £35.

All done and selling at 35.

£35. Oh, don't you just love this programme?!

You learn something everyday

and that's the most important thing, so keep watching!

We'll be very happy to look at

any Damien Hirst items you may have lurking.

Now, Doreen's feeling like part of the "Flog It!" family.

And she's hoping some of that love will rub off on her gold jewellery.

Doreen said she only came along to meet me, didn't you?

-I did.

-Oh, bless! But what about Anita and all of our other experts?

-All very special!

-I feel as if I know everyone!

-I watch you every day.

-THEY LAUGH

-Like them?

-They are lovely.

-I love this type of pendant, and I love amethysts.

-Yes, you do.

-Art Nouveau is the period I suppose is my favourite.

-You love it!

-Exactly!

-So, for me, it's all there.

-For a Glasgow girl,

I'm sure they'll find a home today.

We're going to sell this right now, right here, here we go.

Lot number 71 is the Art Nouveau pendant and earring set.

What shall we say? Who's going to start me at a couple of hundred?

A couple of hundred. 100, surely.

£100. 100. Look at what we're selling.

£100. 100. 80 to go. £80.

-80 with you, 80 bid.

-We need a bit more.

-5, surely.

90. 5, 100.

And 10 now. At 100. 110. 120, 130. 140.

150, 160.

It's climbing nicely.

At 180. Do I see 90? Thank you. 190 with you. 200 with me.

-Oh, brilliant.

-At £200, you're out in the room this time.

Any more bids now? At £200, any more now?

No, at £200, we all done?

I'll sell this time, make no mistake, done and finished at £200.

-Brilliant!

-Aw!

-Absolutely!

You see, we always say on the show, quality always sells.

-And that had real style.

-Yes.

-It did, didn't it?

-It was wonderful.

-Yes, brilliant.

-Good "Flog It!" moment that. Thank you.

-Thank you.

MUSIC: Golden Years by David Bowie

..at £180!

Thank you very much!

Well, there you are, some great results so far

from our first visit to the auction room.

We're coming back here later on, so don't go away,

there could be a big surprise.

But before we return to Grimsby Minster

to join up with our experts to find some gems to put under the hammer,

I've been taking a closer look at the history of the town

and finding out how it developed.

Now, legend has it Grimsby was founded by a Danish fishermen

called Grim, and the B-Y at the end of Grimsby is

the old Norse word for village, so it was Grim's Village.

During the 1950s and '60s, Grimsby became known as a fishing town,

but prior to that, right up to the mid-1900s

it was better known as a commercial port,

importing iron and timber from Scandinavia,

and exporting wool to the ports in the East.

The fortunes of the town and the Minster depended

on the success of the harbour.

When the waterway to the Humber silted up,

there was a period of decline, until a new dock was opened in 1800.

The celebrations were marked by a peal of bells at the Minster,

then known as St James's Church.

But when a railway line connected Grimsby to the rest of the country

in 1848, the town really took off,

to become a thriving commercial and fishing port.

This painting by JW Carmichael shows the Royal Dock,

which was opened in 1852.

And more than 160 years on,

you can still see working docks and an iconic Grimsby feature -

the Dock Tower.

Dominating the skyline, it soars almost 95 metres above the docks,

and it once housed the hydraulic mechanism used to operate

the 15 quayside cranes that the port has, the lock gates and the sluices.

And because of its architectural magnitude,

it also acted as a warning beacon for fishing and commercial crews.

The expansion of the port inevitably had an impact on the town.

'I'm meeting local historian Garry Crossland,

'who worked at the dock officers from more than 35 years, to find out

'how significant the expansion of the port was for Grimsby.'

The docks have played an extremely important part on the development of

the town. In 1861, there was about 12,000 people in the town,

but by the turn of the century, 1901, that had risen to 63,000,

which was about 430% increase, a substantial amount.

So, where did all the new workers end up?

Well, they went mainly down Freeman Street,

which was the main arterial route from the docks southward,

and they were basically in two up, two down accommodation.

It was a very, very close community.

And it was quite a lively place as well,

there was nine pubs down there,

there was pawnbroker shops, tailors and, of course,

ladies who could show them a good time.

-LAUGHING: Yes!

-And they always had plenty of money.

They were actually known

as three-day millionaires when they came ashore,

because they would spend the money in the pubs and in the tailors,

buying new suits and that sort of thing.

In actual fact, the wives, it was said,

pawned the suits when they went away,

so they could get some of the money

to sustain them while they were fishing.

What about the ship owners themselves

and the people in higher positions?

-Where did they live?

-Well, as they became more prosperous,

the trawler owners and the fish merchants

moved to the leafy suburbs.

There was this hierarchy,

with the engineers living in one area,

the skippers, the fish merchants and the trawler men

living in the affluent area around People's Park

and, therefore, they tended to go to St James's Church,

which, of course, is now known as the Minster.

'At one point, the Minster was known as the "sea captain's church",

'but because of its town centre location,

'it soon united all communities across Grimsby.

'Its unifying role was never more important

'than during the Second World War,

'when Grimsby was a target for the German air force.'

So what impact did the Second World War have on the community?

Well, it restricted fishing, of course,

because the trawlers were targeted.

But there was about 600 fishermen that actually lost their lives

whilst on naval service during that particular time

and, of course, it also affected the dock itself,

because the fish market was bombed, other buildings were destroyed,

but of course, it wasn't all just restricted to the dock area.

The town was bombed in various places,

including the Minster itself.

Part of the structure was actually demolished.

My parents were due to get married on the 17th of July, 1943.

The bombing of the Minster took place on the 13th of July.

So, of course, that disrupted everything.

Fortunately, the church authorities did turn round

and said yes, they could marry here.

But they'd have to marry in the Memorial Chapel,

rather than in the main church,

because that was the only part of the church that was safe.

But nevertheless, it was a wonderful wedding, was it?

It was. It was a wonderful wedding. In actual fact,

-I've got the photograph here of my parents.

-Oh, how lovely.

Oh, gosh! The bridesmaids, they all look beautiful!

At least it proves that the Minster, or St James's Church as it was then,

was still functioning in the midst of all the chaos.

-In such troubled times...

-Yes.

..this wedding still went ahead and everybody looks beautiful.

Look at your dad, a proud man!

-What a wonderful thing to have.

-Thank you.

Luckily for Gary's parents,

the Minster defied the bombs of the German air force

and, since the 12th century,

it's been providing a sanctuary for people from all walks of life.

These days, it hosts around 50 baptisms

and 25 weddings each year.

It's still charting its steady course

and will continue to do so for centuries to come.

What a great turnout!

Everyone's enjoying the historic setting of Grimsby Minster.

Michael spotted something from the world's longest-running soap opera.

MUSIC: Theme from The Archers

Pam, sometimes, occasionally on "Flog It!", I'm lost for words.

I think you'd better tell me the story behind this copy,

-the Borchester Echo.

-Mm-hm.

-Now, what's the story with all this?

-Yeah, it's The Archers,

that my grandma used to listen to every day, every day.

And, on her 105th birthday, she got the Borchester Echo,

because someone, through the newspaper,

had mentioned to the BBC that she was 105.

105?!

Yeah, in 1960... 1966.

-And this is the letter from the BBC. Wonderful organisation!

-Yes.

"I have pleasure in sending you a copy of the Borchester Echo,

"autographed by nearly all of the cast of The Archers.

"All of them send you their very best wishes.

"I am only sorry that Hull is so far from Birmingham

"that I couldn't come over and present it to you personally.

"May you go on listening to The Archers for many more years."

-Wonderful! What a lovely sentiment!

-Yeah.

People often live now to 100, 105.

-That's right.

-You read about it.

-In the '60s, I don't think there were that many people that...

-No.

She was the oldest person in Hull.

She used to tootle off to the Guildhall since her 100th birthday

and have afternoon tea with the Lord Mayor.

-A mayoral car used to come and pick her up.

-Good grief!

But she was really, oh, so pleased about this,

because the cast signed every page.

-So this is the fictional...

-Yes.

-We must stress that.

-Yes.

-The fictional Borchester Echo.

-That's right.

-I've listened to The Archers now and again.

I know enough to know that Brian is a scoundrel

and that's about as far as it goes.

-But this was such a big show.

-Mm-hm.

And each page is signed.

We won't go all through it, cos it's a little fragile.

But if we go in there, "Forrest's Guide to Ambridge".

And we've got all the imagined views and, er...even the odd advert.

-What a wonderful thing!

-Yeah.

-It's a bit of social history.

-Mm-hm.

-There's a picture of...?

-My grandma.

-Your grandma. With the newspaper.

-Absolutely. And the letter.

-The full letter.

Why are you deciding to put it up for auction now?

I mean, it's obviously of huge sentimental value.

Well, the thing is that my children,

they don't know anything about The Archers, really.

No-one's interested. I just think it's a shame

if it would just get pushed away somewhere or lost.

-It's about finding someone who's a huge fan of The Archers...

-Yes.

..and is going to take your grandmother's story and her copy

-and preserve it and look after it.

-Absolutely. This is for my grandma.

-This is for my grandma.

-That's a wonderful sentiment.

-Yeah.

-I suspect you will want to keep this photograph?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Quite right and proper.

-I almost don't like talking about money with something like this.

-No.

-Cos it's beyond money.

-Absolutely.

-But it's a reality of life and we have to face it.

-I understand.

-Let's just put £20 to £50 on it.

-Yes, that's quite all right.

A £20 reserve, but that's not the point.

-No, no.

-The point is, you've come in,

-you've shared with us your grandmother's story.

-Mm-hm.

And we're going to move that on

and make sure that that's preserved for the future.

-Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

-Thank you.

The ladies are made of stern stuff around here,

as Anita's discovering over on her table.

At this moment, I am in the presence of Grimsby royalty.

But more of that in a wee moment.

What you've brought to us today is a wonderful piece of pottery.

Do you know who this was made by?

-Clarice Cliff.

-Clarice Cliff.

This is pot was in the Inspiration range

from 1931.

And isn't it absolutely wonderful

that this pot is owned by an inspirational woman

from Grimsby, from the 1950s?

Brenda, tell me what you were doing in the 1950s.

In the 1950s, I did a little swimming.

-You did a wee bit of swimming?

-Yes.

-Tell me a bit more about it.

1951, I swam the Channel.

-You swam the Channel?! That huge...22 miles!

-Yes.

-And what age were you at that time?

-24.

-24?

-That's giving my age away, you know!

-THEY LAUGH

So, at 24, you swam the English Channel?

-Yeah.

-Over 22 miles.

-Uh-huh.

Were you lauded throughout the country?

-I was, yes.

-Were you?

-Yes.

So, I really am in the presence of Grimsby royalty.

It seems Brenda's being a bit modest.

Her swim in 1951 was as a competitor

in an international cross-Channel race.

She was the fastest woman and came fourth overall.

60,000 proud Grimbarians thronged the streets to welcome her home.

A few years later, she again competed in the Channel race,

securing the women's title once more.

She went on to be the fastest woman in the 29-mile Nile Race

and later, she completed a gruelling 32 miles crossing Lake Ontario,

smashing the previous record,

despite finishing the swim in the midst of a huge thunderstorm

that nearly capsized the support boats.

And it really is an inspiration to all young swimmers.

-Do you still go swimming?

-Occasionally.

ANITA LAUGHS

OK, let's look at this. I mean, it's a lovely pot.

Now, we still love her work today.

The price that I would put on that, an auction estimate,

would be £300 to £400.

-Would you be happy for that to go into auction?

-Yes, I would.

-Would you?

-Yes.

-Yeah?

You're not worried about passing it on to another, uh...?

No, I only have a niece and a nephew.

And you can't split it down the middle.

-No, you can't.

-So I thought...

-It would have no value.

-I thought the money would be better for them.

-OK.

We'll put it to auction, Brenda,

and we'll put a reserve on it of perhaps 300,

but with auctioneer's discretion.

-Yes.

-That's great.

OK, I'm delighted to have an INSPIRATIONAL woman

coming to "Flog It!" with a vase called Inspiration.

'I don't rate my chances against Brenda in the pool,

'but I may need to do some exercise after my next stop.'

One of the things the Minster's good at

is listening to the needs of the community

and, when the people said, "We want a coffee shop!",

they got one.

And I'm delighted to introduce to you the cake ladies.

-What's your name?

-Erin.

-Erin.

-Sybil.

-Sybil.

-And I'm Jan.

-And you're Jan. And look at what you make!

But it's more than just about baking cakes, isn't it?

It is, yeah. We pride ourselves in welcoming anybody into this church.

Occasionally, we get the homeless come in.

We occasionally get people that come in very stressed.

So, we listen to them. We're a listening person as well.

-I know you're volunteers.

-Yes.

And thank you so much putting in time, effort, energy and passion.

-Thank you.

-And, right now, I'm going to put your work to the test.

-What do you think I should have?

-Proper Lincolnshire plum bread.

-It's fruitcake!

-Yeah, fruitcake, but up here,

it's Lincolnshire plum bread.

I've never had cheese on cake before.

-Is this a good thing?

-Yeah, very good.

Here we go. Ready?

-I make about 500 a year.

-You should be on Bake Off!

'Ha! Enough munching. There are valuations to be done

'and Michael has uncovered a real treasure trove.'

Robert, um, I thought James Bond had killed you

when you tried to rob Fort Knox.

What is going on here?

-We've got ten gold sovereigns...

-Yeah.

-..and a half sovereign here,

which is pretty much quite a lot of gold for anybody.

Are these things you've bought and collected?

No, my father was a bit of a coin collector

and he left me his inheritance.

-So was it just sovereigns he collected or was it all coins?

-No.

-He had a fair few, um, Krugerrands as well.

-Yeah.

So I got a bit of the bug myself.

I've started collecting coins as well.

But these are surplus to requirements?

Yeah, well, we're getting on a bit, me and the wife,

and I was hoping to get a cruise or something out of it.

Well, really, for years,

-these were always worth £50-£70, £50-£70, £50-£70.

-Yeah.

About five or six years ago, metal prices shot through the roof,

gold hit an all-time high.

-It's settled down a bit now.

-Unfortunately.

But it settled a lot higher than it was when it started.

We've looked through them, we have got some early ones,

we've got two young Victoria heads.

We've got the Jubilee head and the veiled head there and we have got

some later ones. None of them are really in the condition...

-No.

-..to be valuable. There are, of course,

rare Australian Mint sovereigns that can be worth £20,000...

-Shame I haven't got one of them.

-..as a coin.

-No.

We checked. Believe me, we checked.

Pretty much, it's a calculation by weight.

-Correct, yes.

-Today, what I will do is I will value the ten sovereigns.

-OK.

-We'll include the half sovereign,

but I won't add that into my equation and I'll tell you why.

The price of gold fluctuates on a daily basis.

-That's to account for any dip...

-Yeah.

-..and it might very well be

-that, actually, it goes a little bit higher.

-Yeah.

Um, in terms of value,

-we're looking about £150 a sovereign.

-OK.

There's ten of them. My arithmetic and yours can do that in an instant.

It's about £3,000, isn't it?

Your arithmetic is terribly off, young man. I know why.

-£1,500.

-Yeah.

-So we'll put £1,500-£2,000 on them.

-Yeah.

-Including the half sovereign.

-Yeah.

-We'll put a fixed reserve of £1,500 on them.

-Yeah.

-Happy for them to go?

-Yeah, certainly, thank you.

Better to get out, enjoy yourself,

than have coins you're not going to look at stuck in a drawer.

-No, I agree totally.

-Well, thank you, Robert,

for bringing the most gold I've seen on my table today.

Well, what a great time we've had here today.

You can feel this place has stood the test of time over the centuries.

It's a living church at the very heart of the community

and it's certainly given us a warm welcome.

And thank you so much to everybody who's come in today.

-Have you enjoyed yourselves? ALL:

-Yes!

Yes! Well, sadly, it's time for us to say goodbye

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

And here's a quick recap just to jog your memory

of all the items that are going under the hammer.

A rare newspaper from the fictional farming community of Ambridge.

The Clarice Cliff vase brought in by a Grimsby celebrity!

The treasure trove - ten-and-a-half gold sovereigns.

So it's back to the auction house to test the market.

And will any Archers fans have spotted Pamela's lot?

-PAUL HUMS THE ARCHERS THEME

-Don't you start! Don't you...!

-Please!

-LAUGHTER

The Archers newspaper - hard to put a value on.

Well, I was going to say how do you value a fictional newspaper?

-You can't.

-You can't.

-All I hope is that one or two really die-hard...

Actually, we only want one die-hard fan.

-Absolutely, yes.

-Just to buy it

-and say they'll look after it and preserve it.

-Yeah.

-OK.

So fingers crossed the internet does its magic.

-We're going to find them, good luck.

-Thank you.

-Here we go.

It's a 1966 edition of the Borchester Echo.

There we go, this is one of these very rare papers.

And what shall we say for it? Who's going to start me at £40?

-I doubt you're going to find another one.

-Yes, you're not!

40? £30 to go, then, surely? £30? I'll take 20 to go, then.

Surely £20, anybody going to bid me £20 for it?

£10.

10! 12 now, do I see it? 10, I am bid, 12. 12 bid.

15. 15.

18, 18. Bid 20. It has got to be 20. £20, I am bid.

At 20, two and up now, selling at £20.

-Done. £20.

-That's OK.

-That's OK, isn't it?

-That's OK.

-It's moved on now.

-Yeah, that's the intention.

-Yes.

'Hopefully, an Archers fan will enjoy that lot.

'Now for Robert's treasure trove.'

MUSIC: Money by The Flying Lizards

We've got ten gold sovereigns going under the hammer

and one half sovereign. We've seen them on the show before and

-they have a book price, don't make?

-Well, they have a bullion value.

They have a bullion... We've split this lot up - separate lots now.

We're starting with the half sovereign

and then moving on to the full sovereigns,

one after the other, lot after lot.

What we'll do is tot the whole thing up at the end. Here we go.

Lot number 691, which is the half sovereign dated from 1887.

And we start the bidding already at 50 bid. 55, 55 bid.

60. Who's at 65? 70 now. 70 bid.

75. Bid 80. 85 with me.

-90 anywhere else now?

-That's about it now, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Are there any more bids now?

At 85, 88 anywhere else. Then going at £85.

£85 - that's about right.

Lot number 692 is the next sovereign,

multiple bids already, we'll start at 150, we've got to start there

with all of them, really. 150. Who's first at 150?

150, 160 on the net. At 160, 170 anybody now?

160, I will take 165. 165. 170 - 5, now.

170, 170. Last call, then. Selling at £170.

That's the first full sovereign sold,

but hopefully, they'll all be around £170.

And we start 150 again, 150. Who's first? 150. 150 in the room.

160. 165. 170. 175. 175. 175. 180 anywhere?

Selling at £175.

Next one... £180.

Selling at £190.

Last call for everybody, then, selling on the net at 180.

-Thank you very much.

-'So far, so good.

'Michael's valuation could be spot-on.'

Bid's down here, then. All done and finished. Going at £178.

And here's the last one. So far - £1,663.

150. Go on, have another one. 155. 155. 160, 165. 170 now.

170. 175 now? No? 170, front row, at 170.

Done and finished, then. Selling in the front here at £170.

-£1,833.

-£1,833, if my arithmetic is holding up.

-£1,833.

Less 15% commission, plus the VAT on that, don't forget.

-Yeah.

-Everyone has to pay that.

-Yeah, yeah.

-But that's not bad, is it?

-No, I'm very pleased. Very happy.

-Job done, well done, guys.

-I can take the wife on a cruise now.

-Oh, yeah!

'That was fast and furious, but we're calming things down now.

'We've saved the best until last.

'Grimsby heroine Brenda is next with her Clarice Cliff vase.

'Will it be a case of sink or swim?'

-Just remind us, you've swam the Channel?

-Twice.

-Twice.

-Lake Ontario in Canada.

-Lake Ontario in Canada!

-The River Nile.

-And the River Nile?

-Yes.

-The Nile is a two-day swim, isn't it?

-It is.

-Gosh!

-Yes.

-This...

-That's giving me tingles.

This woman is an inspiration

-and our Clarice Cliff vase is called Inspiration.

-Aw!

Oh, it was all meant to be, wasn't it? Well, good luck.

Let's find out what this Clarice Cliff gets.

Next lot, number 531.

The Clarice Cliff Inspiration rose pattern vase.

Who'll start that one at £300?

£300. £300. 250?

Looking for 250. I've got £200.

220. 240. 260. 280.

280 with me. £300 on the internet.

-The internet takes it at £300.

-THEY LAUGH

Anyone else at 300? At £300. With me at 300. Anyone else?

Got to hurry you. At £300. It's selling at £300.

All done? At £300, then...

-Well done.

-Aw!

-Just on the lower end at £300.

-Well done, well done.

-Yeah.

-Aw, bless.

-Aw, bless!

Oh, bless you. Thank you for bringing that in and do you know?

-It's been a real honour to meet you, it really has.

-Aw!

Well, there you are - it's all over for our owners,

another day in another auction room here in Lincoln.

Now, if you'd like to take part in the show,

you've got to come along to one of our valuation days.

Details of up-and-coming dates and venues, you can find

on our BBC website, on our Facebook page,

all the details in your local press.

We would love to see you, so dust those antiques down

and bring them in and we'll FLOG 'EM!

See you next time.