0:00:04 > 0:00:07Today, we've come to the historic town of Reading, in Berkshire,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09and I'll tell you what it looks like -
0:00:09 > 0:00:10the whole town has turned up.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Look at this. Hundreds of people.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15We haven't even opened the doors yet and I've already lost my voice,
0:00:15 > 0:00:16I'm so excited.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Our magnificent venue today is this grade II listed building,
0:00:19 > 0:00:23the town hall, which is situated right in the heart of the town.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25And I'll tell you what, hopefully one or two of you are going to go
0:00:25 > 0:00:27home very rich. They're here to see our experts,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30to find out the answer to that all-important question, which is,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32what's it worth?
0:00:32 > 0:00:34And if you're happy with the evaluations,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36- what are you going to do? ALL:- Flog it!
0:00:36 > 0:00:37Welcome to the show.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Reading's town hall was built in several phases
0:01:00 > 0:01:04between the late 1700s and the late 1800s,
0:01:04 > 0:01:08and was constructed from locally made red and grey bricks
0:01:08 > 0:01:10and terracotta panels.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12The front facade, designed in 1875,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16is a fine example of Victorian Gothic architecture.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Today, the town hall is a busy hub and has spaces
0:01:20 > 0:01:21for exhibitions and lectures,
0:01:21 > 0:01:26a cafe and it houses 11 galleries which make up Reading Museum.
0:01:26 > 0:01:32The town hall also has a Victorian concert hall which opened in 1882.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38And it's the concert hall where we're setting up our valuation
0:01:38 > 0:01:41tables today and I'm sure this lot are keen to get inside
0:01:41 > 0:01:44to test the acoustics and open up all those bags and boxes
0:01:44 > 0:01:46and get on with those valuations.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Let's hope our experts are all singing from the same hymn sheet.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Helping to put a value on the antiques and collectables
0:01:53 > 0:01:55of Reading, we have Anita Manning...
0:01:55 > 0:01:57I mean, I think that's terrific.
0:01:57 > 0:01:58..and David Harper.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01I say, look at that. And the box matches the gloves.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04And the banter has already started.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Don't believe a word she says.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10- By my watch, it's 9.30, isn't it?- Yes!
0:02:10 > 0:02:13It's time to get the doors open and get this magnificent crowd
0:02:13 > 0:02:16comfortably seated inside the Victorian concert hall.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18- So are you ready to go inside? ALL:- Yes!
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Follow me. Come on.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Whilst everybody finds their seat and starts to unpack their bags and
0:02:26 > 0:02:31boxes, let's take a look at what's coming up later on today's show.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Anita comes across a fashion accessory from a bygone era.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40- This quality of fan would have been used at the balls...- Wow!
0:02:40 > 0:02:45..of rich, wealthy, sophisticated people.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49And David also finds an item of exceptional quality.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53That sends shivers up the back of my spine.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57And I take a trip to an unusual type of museum called a herbarium,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01where I unearth some intriguing artefacts and tales of adventure.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Plant collecting was a risky business.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09Many plant collectors ended their life in the field.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11But first, Anita gets our valuations under way
0:03:11 > 0:03:15with an item of a very local connection.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17- Rosemary, welcome to "Flog It!" - Thank you.
0:03:17 > 0:03:24Now, I spotted this little presentation trowel in the queue
0:03:24 > 0:03:29outside the town hall, across from Somerset House
0:03:29 > 0:03:33and here is a little trowel
0:03:33 > 0:03:38which was presented to Lady Somerset
0:03:38 > 0:03:42on the laying of the foundation stone for that building.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47- Yeah.- How much luckier can you get?!
0:03:47 > 0:03:48It's wonderful.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52It says, "Presented by Frederick Sainsbury,
0:03:52 > 0:03:56"architect to Lady Edward Somerset
0:03:56 > 0:04:00"on the occasion of her ladyship
0:04:00 > 0:04:05"laying the foundation stone, Somerset House, Reading,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09"20th of August 1929."
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Now, Rosemary, what is your association with this?
0:04:13 > 0:04:14Where did you get it?
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Well, my father worked for Herbert Blagrave, who owned Somerset House,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20from when he left school to when he retired.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22He was a sort of secretary accountant for him.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25He used to do his books for him and when the building was sold and they
0:04:25 > 0:04:28were clearing out the basement and everything, my father found that.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Let's look at the object.
0:04:30 > 0:04:36The body of the trowel is made of silver and it was made in 1929
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- in Sheffield. - Oh, right, yeah.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41The handle is made of ivory.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Again, that would have come from the 1920s,
0:04:44 > 0:04:49so well before the 1947 mark.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Now, these things would have, perhaps,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55been able to have been bought off the shelf and then engraved.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56And they were...
0:04:56 > 0:04:59It was a little memento of the occasion,
0:04:59 > 0:05:04but what I liked about this one, when I looked at the back,
0:05:04 > 0:05:09I could see that this edge was scraped.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11It was the first brick!
0:05:11 > 0:05:15So, Lady Somerset obviously went through that process
0:05:15 > 0:05:19of scooping the cement and laying the brick.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23And I think that's a quite charming thought.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27My valuation on it would be, sort of, 80 to 120.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29- Would you be happy to...- Yes, yes.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31..let it go?
0:05:31 > 0:05:34What it is, is a little bit of Reading's history,
0:05:34 > 0:05:38so we'll put a reserve of, say, £80,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40give the auctioneer a little discretion
0:05:40 > 0:05:45and hope that there might be a little land battle over this trowel.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- That would be nice, yeah. - Thank you very much, Rosemary.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49Thank you.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Although Rosemary's trowel has an ivory handle,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55we are able to send it to auction as it complies with the regulations
0:05:55 > 0:06:01around the sale of ivory, as it was worked before 1947.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Next, something amusing has caught David's eye.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Vicky, this is a very cheeky, funny picture.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09It makes me smile.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12- Does it really?- Yeah, doesn't it make you smile?
0:06:12 > 0:06:14No, not so much.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16When my mum left it to me, she said,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18"You'll have to sort it out now, won't you?"
0:06:18 > 0:06:20What does she mean, "Sort it out"? Get rid of it?
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Well, she loved it... Well, probably.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26She loved it, my granny loved it, but I don't love it the same.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28You don't love it? How could you not fall in love
0:06:28 > 0:06:30with those gorgeous little creatures?
0:06:30 > 0:06:35That's the reason, I think. It is a bit too sweet, isn't it?
0:06:35 > 0:06:36Aw! No, it's lovely.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40People love cats and dogs, but I love the fact that you
0:06:40 > 0:06:43can trace it to your mum and to your grandmother.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45So, how far back in time can it go?
0:06:45 > 0:06:47I think that's about it,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51because my grandfather was a Dutch Jew
0:06:51 > 0:06:53and I think he came to this country
0:06:53 > 0:06:56just before the First World War and then,
0:06:56 > 0:06:57at the beginning of the Second World War,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00they had a big house in Victoria, in London,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04and this was one of the pieces in it, so I understand.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Does it go any further back than that in your mind?
0:07:06 > 0:07:07Not as far as I know.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10I have tried to have a look online, but I couldn't really find very much
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- about the artist.- You've got a great big signature here -
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Adrienne Lester.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17You'd think that you plug that into a search engine,
0:07:17 > 0:07:18everything will come out.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Well, the thing is, when this was painted,
0:07:21 > 0:07:25about 1890, 1900, photography, for example,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- was in the very early days...- Yes.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30..and incredibly expensive, so there were stacks
0:07:30 > 0:07:34of jobbing artists making a career out of painting
0:07:34 > 0:07:38pretty wall fillers on commission and on a commercial basis.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42And Adrienne Lester falls into that category -
0:07:42 > 0:07:47a British artist making a living out of painting, specifically cats.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52- Right, yes.- And there's no great record of her exhibiting at any
0:07:52 > 0:07:54highfalutin museum or gallery.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58She was a jobbing artist, but I think a really good one.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- That fits, doesn't it?- It does fit, but I think it does make me smile
0:08:02 > 0:08:04- and the two kittens here... - Oh, good.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06..are hilarious, because, to me, there's no fear in those eyes.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09They're thinking, "Who do you think you are?
0:08:09 > 0:08:11"What are you doing? Go away!"
0:08:11 > 0:08:14- Yeah, that's typical cat, isn't it?- They're brilliant.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16- Typical cat. - "Go away, you silly dog."
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Silly dog. And this character thinks he's some kind of ferocious lion.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23So it's a lovely thing.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28The frame itself - nice, in period.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30- Bit of a missing bit there. - It's in my pocket...
0:08:30 > 0:08:32- No way!- ..the missing bit.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34When did you damage that, then?
0:08:34 > 0:08:37This morning, moving it between the chairs.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Well, you know what? Just a little bit of glue might come in handy.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Yeah, that's what I thought.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Value today - if I said to you 200-300 in auction,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48- would that be horrible to you? - No, that would be wonderful.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52- Would it?- Absolutely. - You really don't like it, do you?
0:08:52 > 0:08:54No, there's nowhere for it to go.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56- Well, if you've got some glue... - Yes!- ..let's do it.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Not with me, not with me! Thank you very much.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00- We'll find some.- Thank you.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11All our experts are off to a cracking start with two solid
0:09:11 > 0:09:14valuations under their belt, so I thought I'd sneak off
0:09:14 > 0:09:17to the Reading Museum to have a look around at some of their treasures
0:09:17 > 0:09:20and as I mentioned earlier, the museum, along with a concert hall,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23is situated inside the town hall.
0:09:23 > 0:09:29Reading Museum opened its doors in 1883 and its first bequest was
0:09:29 > 0:09:31a collection of objects from around the world.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36Today, the museum has around 400,000 objects in its collection and the
0:09:36 > 0:09:40focus is on acquiring items with a local connection
0:09:40 > 0:09:44that tell the history of the town and its people.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48This is Aldermaston Pottery, which is based around eight miles from Reading.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51The pottery was set up in 1955 by a Berkshire man,
0:09:51 > 0:09:56Alan Caiger-Smith, arguably one of Britain's greatest potters.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59He originally trained as an artist and he believed that the decoration
0:09:59 > 0:10:03was integral to the piece, and you can see why, can't you?
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Just look at this. Not only perfect shape and form,
0:10:05 > 0:10:11but exquisite colourways and detail. I mean, that really is art.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14What a skilful potter.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Just look at the scale of this piece!
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Again, Aldermaston Pottery.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Now, that must have taken some firing
0:10:21 > 0:10:25and the thickness of the clay! That's incredible.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27If you catch the light right when you look at the glaze on this,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29you can see it's iridescent.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31That type of pottery is called lusterware.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33We see a lot of it on the show.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Aldermaston Pottery experimented heavily with the types of clay
0:10:36 > 0:10:39they used, the types of pigment, the types of glaze
0:10:39 > 0:10:43and firing techniques and they have actually mastered the art
0:10:43 > 0:10:47of tin glaze and lusterware and that is a fantastic example.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49It's nearly as big as me!
0:10:52 > 0:10:57Back over in the concert hall, Anita is admiring a piece of pottery, too.
0:10:57 > 0:11:05Veronica, I am delighted to see this item, because it is linking Reading,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08where we are, and Scotland, where I come from.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Now, Reading is famous for biscuit making
0:11:11 > 0:11:15- and biscuit tins and barrels.- Yes.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19And Scotland is famous for curling.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24And this biscuit barrel is in the shape of a curling stone.
0:11:24 > 0:11:25Where did you get it?
0:11:25 > 0:11:29I was helping a friend clear out an old lady's house
0:11:29 > 0:11:34and there were a couple of things I liked and she let me have both.
0:11:34 > 0:11:35Tell me why you liked that.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39The shape, and I like ceramics.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41When I looked at it in the beginning,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45I couldn't tell what it was made of, but on closer examination,
0:11:45 > 0:11:49if we look at it, it is a ceramic.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53- The ceramic looks like granite... - Yes.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57..and we have this silver mount on the top.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01It is hallmarked and it's 1895,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04so a nice early mark there.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07We have the ebony handle. Have you used it for biscuits?
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Oh, no. Display only.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12The hinge is damaged.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16- It just needs clipping back over. - Not serious damage. No, no.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19The appeal of this biscuit barrel
0:12:19 > 0:12:24is going to be its novelty value and its shape.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26It's a big lump of a thing.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30- I feel to put it in at £100-200...- OK.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33..is probably our best policy.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37- We'll put a fixed reserve of £100 on it.- OK, yeah.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40I mean, I'm dying to see what it gets.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- It's such a gorgeous, gorgeous sight.- Yeah.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45- Thank you very much. - Thank you for bringing it along.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Thank you.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54We've had a fantastic day so far here in Reading's town hall.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Our experts have now found their first three items
0:12:56 > 0:12:57to take off to auction.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00You've just seen them, you've heard what they've had to say,
0:13:00 > 0:13:02you've probably got your own opinions,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04but right now, let's find out what the bidders think.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Here's a quick recap just to jog your memory
0:13:07 > 0:13:08of everything we're taking with us.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Dated 1929, Rosemary's silver presentation trowel
0:13:14 > 0:13:15is heading under the hammer
0:13:15 > 0:13:20and, fingers crossed, both cat and dog lovers will be fighting it out
0:13:20 > 0:13:23for Vicky's painting by Adrienne Lester.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27And, finally, let's find a new home for Veronica's biscuit barrel,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30shaped like a curling stone.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34We're staying in Berkshire for our sale today, but we are relocating
0:13:34 > 0:13:39to the market town of Wokingham to Martin & Pole.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Remember, whether you're buying or selling at auction,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44there's always commission and VAT to pay.
0:13:44 > 0:13:49Here, the rate if you're selling is 15% plus VAT.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Well, this is what I love to see, a packed auction room,
0:13:51 > 0:13:53hundreds of bidders and some great items
0:13:53 > 0:13:55just about to go under the hammer.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Auctioneer Matt Coles is already on the rostrum
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and the first of our lots is going under his gavel -
0:14:01 > 0:14:05the painting by Adrienne Lester.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07- Vicky, you find this a bit sweet, don't you?- Yes.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10It's a bit chocolate-boxy, but you love your cats and dogs.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12- I do love cats and dogs.- You do? - I know you love dogs.- I do, I do.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15We just need to find cats and dog lovers in the room right now.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19- It's going under the hammer. This is it.- Hope so.- Good luck.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23£150 anywhere for this lot? 100, then? 100, I have.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27- Thank you.- We're in at 100. - It's in the room at 110.
0:14:27 > 0:14:33120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37- And ten.- Wow!- At 210 in the room.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- Any more? Are we all done? 220 on the internet.- Come on!
0:14:39 > 0:14:41One more?
0:14:41 > 0:14:43At 220 on the internet now.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46- Any more? 230 now.- Good. - In the room.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49At 230, then, in the room. Are we all done at 230?
0:14:50 > 0:14:52- OK!- Brilliant!
0:14:52 > 0:14:54- Kind of mid-estimate. That's OK. - Thank you so much.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Well, you didn't like it, did you, anyway?
0:14:56 > 0:14:58I didn't want it on my wall, no.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- Somebody else obviously does, so that's great.- Marvellous.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03- Thank you for coming in. - My custody's ended now.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04It has, hasn't it?
0:15:04 > 0:15:07But there's a chance for you to go out to an antiques
0:15:07 > 0:15:09fair, another auction room, an antique shop
0:15:09 > 0:15:11and buy something else and invest in it.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14I think my husband's just bought one of the granddaughter clocks, so...
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Oh, really?!
0:15:16 > 0:15:19You see, you can't keep your hands to yourself in an auction room.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Let's hope the bidders put their hands up in the air now
0:15:22 > 0:15:26for Rosemary's presentation trowel. It's heading under the hammer.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28- It's got great provenance, this has. - I know.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30A bit scratched underneath, but obviously that's from where
0:15:30 > 0:15:32the cement was from touching the bricks.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35I wonder how many courses she actually laid!
0:15:35 > 0:15:37- Not just the odd one. - Not many!
0:15:38 > 0:15:40It's a wee piece of Reading's history.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Oh, it's great. Let's find out what the bidders think. Here we go.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Lot 360A. Start this with me at £60.
0:15:49 > 0:15:5165, anywhere? At £60.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54We all done at £60? 65, 70.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57With me at £70 now.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Any more? With me at £70. At £70, then.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06£70. We had a reserve of 80 with discretion. 10% discretion,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09so I don't... I think we're a couple of pounds away.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11- Yeah.- Never mind.- I think...
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Never mind. Maybe you were meant to hang onto it.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16That's it, or I'll give it to the museum, I think.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Give it to the museum, give it to the museum.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21- Yeah.- Yeah.- Good idea. - Yeah.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27Finally, Veronica's biscuit barrel is going under the hammer.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Our next lot takes me right back to the valuation day because I saw this
0:16:31 > 0:16:33and I thought, "Oh, I love that!"
0:16:33 > 0:16:34I thought it was a genuine curling ball,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37then I realised it was a biscuit tin and I thought, "Yes!"
0:16:37 > 0:16:39It's not a tin, it's a biscuit barrel.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42- It's a biscuit barrel. - It's made of porcelain and silver.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45- Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes. - Very important.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47I knew that! I didn't really.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50I just sort of said a biscuit tin,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54but what I'm saying is I think this is really, really, really nice.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57I could do with a biscuit barrel like that.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00I wouldn't put biscuits in it. I'd just look at it.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02I think it's really nice. Anyway, we're going to find out
0:17:02 > 0:17:05what the bidders think. Here we go.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Start this with me at £85. 90, anywhere?
0:17:08 > 0:17:1090, 95 on the internet.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13110, 120, 130,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17140, 150, 160, 170.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20At 170 on the internet. 180, 190. 210.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24At £210 now on the internet. 220, 230.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27- Any more at 230? 240, 250.- Come on!
0:17:27 > 0:17:29260, 270. 280, 290.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Those bids come in really quick, don't they?
0:17:31 > 0:17:33At 290. Anyone in the room want to join in?
0:17:33 > 0:17:36At £290. At £290...
0:17:37 > 0:17:40- Great result, great result. - That's good.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- I'm happy with that.- Yeah. - Me too.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46And someone's going to be happy with that when they get
0:17:46 > 0:17:48their hands on it, that's for sure.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Well, there we are, our first three lots under the hammer
0:17:57 > 0:17:59done and dusted. Some happy owners and some good results
0:17:59 > 0:18:03and we're coming back here later on in the programme, so do not go away.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Fingers crossed we get a big surprise.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Now, earlier on in the show, I was admiring the Aldermaston lusterware
0:18:08 > 0:18:09at Reading Museum.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12While we were in the area, I had the opportunity
0:18:12 > 0:18:15to check out another museum with an altogether
0:18:15 > 0:18:16different type of collection.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37This beautiful botanical garden is called the Harris Garden and
0:18:37 > 0:18:40it's situated on the University of Reading's Whiteknights campus,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44which is about two miles outside the centre of the town,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46and is named after Professor Tom Harris,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49who was a distinguished paleobotanist
0:18:49 > 0:18:52and keen amateur gardener who taught here.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Reading is only one of a handful of universities
0:18:54 > 0:18:57fortunate enough to have its own botanical garden
0:18:57 > 0:18:59and, as you can imagine, it's a great teaching aid
0:18:59 > 0:19:03for those students who want to study biological sciences.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11The university also has another valuable resource,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13a museum called a herbarium,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16which helps with the study of plants.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19To find out more, I'm meeting Dr Alistair Culham,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21who is an associate professor of botany
0:19:21 > 0:19:24and is the curator of the herbarium.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Alistair, I've heard of a herbarium, I've never been in one before.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30- OK.- So what will I expect to see? What's it all about?
0:19:30 > 0:19:33So a herbarium is basically a place where the world's
0:19:33 > 0:19:35plants are brought together.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38People gather plants over many years, they preserve them
0:19:38 > 0:19:40by pressing them and drying them, and the technique used
0:19:40 > 0:19:42hasn't changed for centuries.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46And we have about 300,000 specimens that are used very actively.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50About half of our collection is used every year in teaching and research.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Well, I'm keen to get inside. Can we go and have a look?
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Of course we can, Paul. Let's go.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59The University of Reading's herbarium
0:19:59 > 0:20:01was established in the year 1900,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04though it contains many specimens which date back much further.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08Its hundreds of thousands of plants come from all over the world,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12with large collections from Europe, the Mediterranean and South America.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16The specimens were gathered through the centuries by plant collectors.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21What drove them? Did they want fame and fortune from it?
0:20:21 > 0:20:23A lot of what was driving the botany
0:20:23 > 0:20:25of the 16th, 17th, 18th century
0:20:25 > 0:20:30was the colonisation of the world by Europeans,
0:20:30 > 0:20:36so one of the perhaps biggest historic botanical exchanges
0:20:36 > 0:20:40was the discovery of the Americas by Europe.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Europeans took wheat, barley and other cereals to South America
0:20:44 > 0:20:49and we got back cocoa, coffee, rubber, maize,
0:20:49 > 0:20:53but also tobacco and cocaine, of course.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56So there was big money involved in botanical discovery and many
0:20:56 > 0:21:01expeditions were funded specifically to find new plants that would help
0:21:01 > 0:21:04the expansion of European empires.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09We have quinine to control malaria from South America.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11The British couldn't have expanded in India
0:21:11 > 0:21:14without treatment for malaria - their soldiers were dying.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19So a plant from South America allowed the British dominance
0:21:19 > 0:21:22and management of India for a long period, because
0:21:22 > 0:21:25- they could treat their soldiers against malaria.- Incredible.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- Incredible, isn't it?- So botany... - It's vital.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31..fundamental to the entire history of the world.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Today, aside from academic study,
0:21:36 > 0:21:41the herbarium's collection of pressed plants has many other uses.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45For example, DNA can be extracted from its modern specimens
0:21:45 > 0:21:48and forensic analysis of the collection
0:21:48 > 0:21:51has been used to assist in a murder investigation.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55The fact that the herbarium has such a wealth of specimens
0:21:55 > 0:22:00to draw from is thanks to those intrepid plant collectors.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Plant collecting was a risky business in terms of health, but also
0:22:04 > 0:22:07sometimes the natives being head-hunters, if it was Borneo.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12So collectors were travelling in difficult conditions.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Many plant collectors ended their life in the field.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Sometimes they fell out of trees.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20One plant collector very famously -
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Odoardo Beccari -
0:22:22 > 0:22:26used to save climbing up trees by shooting plants out of them.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30Other times people were picking plants that turned out to be highly
0:22:30 > 0:22:33poisonous, so it's a risky thing.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37But this specimen here is collected by a very famous biologist.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40This specimen was collected in Borneo by Alfred Russel Wallace.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45He, along with Darwin, came up with the idea of the evolution
0:22:45 > 0:22:48of speciation through selection.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50- Natural selection. - Natural selection. Exactly.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Darwin and Wallace together revolutionised the idea
0:22:53 > 0:22:56of how we understood species.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Wallace, at the time of his life, was probably much more famous
0:22:59 > 0:23:04than Darwin, but the Darwin legacy has grown
0:23:04 > 0:23:06and grown and grown.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Independently of Darwin, Wallace had come up with the theory
0:23:10 > 0:23:14of natural selection and had written to Darwin to share his thoughts.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Darwin, who had also been working on the theory,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20was encouraged by his friends to quickly get his book on
0:23:20 > 0:23:23The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
0:23:23 > 0:23:27into print and it was published in 1859.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Today, it is Darwin who is remembered
0:23:29 > 0:23:32as the father of the theory of evolution.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Wallace was the big traveller.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39He travelled in South America, in Borneo,
0:23:39 > 0:23:40in other bits of the world.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Darwin, of course, famously had the voyage of the Beagle,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45but that was really his only major expedition.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Wallace spent most of his life in the field
0:23:47 > 0:23:50and in the end, his health suffered for that.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51His discoveries were fundamental.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56Not only did he co-discover or invent the idea of evolution through
0:23:56 > 0:23:59natural selection, he was the one that proposed the ideas
0:23:59 > 0:24:04of biogeography, the understanding of why plants and animals
0:24:04 > 0:24:05occurred where they did,
0:24:05 > 0:24:09and his name is commemorated in something called the Wallace Line,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12which marks the difference between the fauna of Asia
0:24:12 > 0:24:14and the fauna of Australia.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21The work of the courageous plant collectors of the past,
0:24:21 > 0:24:25such as Wallace, is still continued at the University of Reading today
0:24:25 > 0:24:29as new specimens are continually being added to the herbarium.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32The university also cares for living collections,
0:24:32 > 0:24:37live plants, which they look after on campus in three huge greenhouses
0:24:37 > 0:24:41which contain around 250 different species from around the world.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45And, before I go, I just want to show you one of my favourites.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49We've all been fascinated by carnivorous plants and there's
0:24:49 > 0:24:51several different varieties here.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53That's a great example of a Venus flytrap.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55This also is a carnivorous plant
0:24:55 > 0:24:57and it's known as a sarracenia.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00In fact, if you look closely, a fly's just gone at the top.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Now, the fly will work its way down that tube.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06There's lots of little hairs that let it go in one direction down,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09but they won't let it go back up, and around this section here,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13there's a load of liquid which will gradually digest the fly.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15There he is. Look, there's the bluebottle.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18He's just had a lucky escape, but I think that fly's days are numbered.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20He's not going to get out of here.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22But that's brought back some boyhood memories for me
0:25:22 > 0:25:25of playing around with those lovely Venus flytraps.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Welcome back to our valuation day and the concert hall in the heart
0:25:38 > 0:25:40of Reading. Let's now join with our owners
0:25:40 > 0:25:43to see what other treasures we can find to take off to auction.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Who's that lucky owner going to be? Let's find out.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Right, well, Geraldine and Richard, you are now showing me something
0:25:50 > 0:25:53I absolutely adore.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Classic cars are one of my big passions.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Please, also tell me that you've played with these cars...
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- No.- What?! Never?
0:26:02 > 0:26:06- No.- That is the first time they've been out the box.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10When we were sorting out the house to move...
0:26:10 > 0:26:12- Right.- ..he found them up in the loft.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16It's come from my father. I didn't even know my father had them.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18When did you find them?
0:26:18 > 0:26:21- We only moved...- November. - ..November.- OK.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24And we've been in the house since I was four years old.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Hang on a moment! So these have been in the loft for,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30- I'm guessing, 40 years, then? - Well, I don't know.
0:26:30 > 0:26:35- I don't know how old they are. - How many have you got?- 16, there is.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39So what we have here, then, are 16 boxed cars
0:26:39 > 0:26:43from the 1960s made by Victory Industries.
0:26:43 > 0:26:44- Do you know anything about them? - BOTH:- No.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46We don't know anything.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Well, this was a company formed during the Second World War
0:26:49 > 0:26:53called Victory. You know, apt name. They were making electrical parts
0:26:53 > 0:26:58for the Ministry of Supply - that's how they started their business.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01But then in the '40s, about 1948, three years after the war,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04they start producing toys.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Now they move into cars and this VIP Raceway system,
0:27:08 > 0:27:12- which is very much like the Scalextric.- Yep.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17But they're producing racing cars of the day, which are just delicious.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Generally they were sold in twos, so you'd buy the track,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23you'd get a Cooper and you'd get a Lotus.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26But you've got 16 cars. Have you got loads of track as well?
0:27:26 > 0:27:30- No.- That's the only track? - That's it, yeah.- I don't get it!
0:27:30 > 0:27:33I'd love to know more about this story here, Geraldine.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Well, I didn't even know Dad had it.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Well, I mean, they're in remarkable condition, but if you just have...
0:27:39 > 0:27:43I know it sounds very strange, but just have a sniff of that.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47- A sniff?!- Yes. - Oh, it smells smoky.
0:27:47 > 0:27:48- It smells burny.- Yes.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53That's what this track will smell like when it's going crazy.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56You've got a big race on, you've been playing for hours,
0:27:56 > 0:28:00your finger's aching by pulling that trigger continually,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03you smell that burn. It's wonderful.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05It's taking me back, but you don't like them.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Well, I like them, but it just seems a shame
0:28:07 > 0:28:11that they're going to sit in boxes and no-one ever play with them.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14All right. I don't know whether they'll be played with now.
0:28:14 > 0:28:19I think you can get them working, but the market now today for classic
0:28:19 > 0:28:23cars, particularly from the '60s and iconic brands,
0:28:23 > 0:28:25is absolutely enormous.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27- So have you done any research into the value?- BOTH:- No.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32I would pitch it at 400-500 for the collection
0:28:32 > 0:28:36with discretion on the 400. So they might make 350.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39- I'll go with that. - Would you be happy with that?
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Yes. It's no good us keeping it.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43What would you do with all that money?
0:28:43 > 0:28:46- I think I'll put it towards a new knee.- A new knee?!
0:28:47 > 0:28:49That's a great investment.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Those racing cars got David hot under the collar
0:28:52 > 0:28:55and Anita has found just the thing to help.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59Heather, it's fabulous. Where did you get it?
0:28:59 > 0:29:03Well, it's actually not mine. It belongs to a friend of mine.
0:29:03 > 0:29:08I met her dog-walking and she's actually looking after my dog today
0:29:08 > 0:29:11- so that I could come here. - All right.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14When I left the dog this morning, she said,
0:29:14 > 0:29:17"Oh, if I'd have known, I might have come along."
0:29:17 > 0:29:20And I said, "Well, I can take an item for you,"
0:29:20 > 0:29:24and the next thing I know, she had her head under the stair cupboard
0:29:24 > 0:29:26and out came this box.
0:29:26 > 0:29:31She briefly told me that it was given to her mother by a doctor
0:29:31 > 0:29:35and that she used to work for the doctor as a domestic.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37Her mother died about 22 years ago.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40And it's been in a cupboard under the stairs...?
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Pretty much. Yes, she says it's never been out the box.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46It's absolutely beautiful.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50Now, fans have really been around since the beginning of time.
0:29:50 > 0:29:57This is a folding fan which came from China to Europe in the 1700s
0:29:57 > 0:30:01and these became very, very fashionable.
0:30:01 > 0:30:06- Yes.- They were not just to keep you cool.
0:30:06 > 0:30:11- A bit of a fashion accessory. - They were a fashion statement. - Right.
0:30:12 > 0:30:17And this type of fan, or this quality of fan,
0:30:17 > 0:30:22- would have been used at the balls or big fairs...- Wow.
0:30:22 > 0:30:27..of rich, wealthy and sophisticated people.
0:30:27 > 0:30:32- Wow.- There was a language of flirtation
0:30:32 > 0:30:35that grew up around the fan.
0:30:35 > 0:30:40So you could chat a bird up, and men used them as well...
0:30:40 > 0:30:44You could chat a bird up using movements of the fan
0:30:44 > 0:30:47and the bird could answer you back.
0:30:47 > 0:30:52"Yeah, OK." Or, "No," or whatever, using the fan.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55- Just the fan.- So as well as being beautiful objects, some of them,
0:30:55 > 0:31:00they were parts of our social history.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04This particular example is exquisite.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08This has been made by a craftsman for a wealthy client.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10Right.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15It has been contained in a beautifully made lacquered box.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19It is an oriental box and it's an oriental fan
0:31:19 > 0:31:22and these were exported to Europe.
0:31:22 > 0:31:27Now, it's in good condition and it dates from 1830,
0:31:27 > 0:31:29that type of period.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33Let's look at this beautiful work of art.
0:31:33 > 0:31:38The sticks, which is the word we use for the end of it,
0:31:38 > 0:31:42has been delicately carved in ivory.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45- Oh, it is ivory.- It is ivory. - We did wonder if it was.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49This is 19th century ivory, not 20th century.
0:31:49 > 0:31:54The fan itself is made of silk
0:31:54 > 0:31:57and it has been beautifully embroidered.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59It's got some gorgeous colours, hasn't it?
0:31:59 > 0:32:02Everything about this fan is beautiful.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06- It is.- A couple of tassels hang from the base,
0:32:06 > 0:32:09which I would say is probably silver.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15So what we have is quality and condition.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17Everything about it is just marvellous.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19It's fantastic.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23For it to go to auction, probably an estimate of £300-500
0:32:23 > 0:32:27would be the correct estimate to put on it.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30- Yes.- Heather, thank you. - Thank you.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32This has... It's been a pleasure looking at that.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37That's another interesting item found by Anita.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39And back over in Reading Museum,
0:32:39 > 0:32:42I've come across a whopper of an object.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44And it's this, the Bayeux Tapestry.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47This work of art shows the events leading up to the Norman conquest
0:32:47 > 0:32:52of England and it culminates in the 1066 Battle of Hastings.
0:32:55 > 0:33:00At over 70 metres long, it depicts 626 human figures,
0:33:00 > 0:33:02190 horses,
0:33:02 > 0:33:0635 dogs, 506 other birds and animals
0:33:06 > 0:33:09and 33 buildings and 37 ships. Phew!
0:33:09 > 0:33:12But, of course, this isn't the original.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16That's safely housed away in Bayeux, in Northern France.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20This is a full-sized Victorian copy made by 35 ladies
0:33:20 > 0:33:25from the Leek Embroidery Society in Staffordshire in 1885.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27I think they've done a superb job!
0:33:27 > 0:33:30The idea of a replica came from Elisabeth Wardle.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32She was an accomplished embroideress.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Now, her husband was a silk dyer, so he supplied all the yarns
0:33:35 > 0:33:38to make this look absolutely authentic
0:33:38 > 0:33:42and, believe me, every stitch, every bit of detail is.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44But there's one little difference, however.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47If you look at this crouching man here in the corner.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49In the original, he's naked.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53Now in true Victorian style, his modesty has been protected.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55It looks like he's wearing some long johns!
0:33:55 > 0:33:57Now, believe me, this tapestry has travelled.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59It's been exhibited all over Britain.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01It went to America and then to Germany
0:34:01 > 0:34:06and then it was bought for the town by a former mayor, Arthur Hill.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08What a piece of art! I mean, it really is.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11And the way it's been displayed here is fantastic.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15Everybody can actually see the whole story of the Norman Conquest.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22Back in the concert hall, we need one more item
0:34:22 > 0:34:26to take to auction and it looks as if David has spotted something.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28- Right, well, Jenny, hello...- Hello.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31- ..and welcome to "Flog it!" - Thank you.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33That is a very small but quite a neat, little box.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36- Yes.- What do you know about it? - Nothing at all.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40It's been in my mother's cupboard for a few years and
0:34:40 > 0:34:43when she died, I had it and it's been in my cupboard ever since.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46So, basically, what you're saying is it's all down to me to tell you
0:34:46 > 0:34:49- everything that I might know. - That you might know, yes, please.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51- So you're not helping at all, are you?- I'm sorry!- No, all right.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53OK, well, if you look on the inside there,
0:34:53 > 0:34:56there are some nice silver hallmarks.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59- So it is solid silver...- Yeah. - ..which is good.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03It's gilded on the interior, so effectively it's gold-plated.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07- Yeah.- That's just purely for anaesthetics, just to look pretty.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11The way it's constructed is rather neat.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13You've got that engine-turned decoration.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15Can you see on the base?
0:35:15 > 0:35:19And then a little blank cartouche, which would have been there to put
0:35:19 > 0:35:21someone's initials.
0:35:21 > 0:35:26It's never been initialled. And then very floral in its decoration
0:35:26 > 0:35:32around the outside edge and then we have a Jasper stone top.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35- Jasper?- Jasper stone, that speckled stone.- Oh, right.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37So it's a precious stone,
0:35:37 > 0:35:42something that humans have coveted for literally thousands of years
0:35:42 > 0:35:46and no doubt when that was made, it would've been quite important
0:35:46 > 0:35:49to the person that had it made as a gift.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53It's a box for what use, would you suggest?
0:35:53 > 0:35:56- Pills?- Yeah, pills. I think it could be a pillbox.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58- It could even be a small little snuffbox.- Yeah, it could be.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00It's just an interesting box.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03So, go back to the hallmarks.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06I can tell you that that hallmark is a Birmingham mark.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09That's the anchor, that's the most common mark,
0:36:09 > 0:36:13but it's made by a company called Nathanial Mills.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15- Yeah.- A fantastic company, Jenny.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19These are silversmiths that were founded during the George II period
0:36:19 > 0:36:21in the 1740s.
0:36:21 > 0:36:27- One of the best silversmiths Birmingham has ever seen.- Really?
0:36:27 > 0:36:30Bearing in mind Birmingham has produced
0:36:30 > 0:36:35probably the most silversmiths the world has ever seen
0:36:35 > 0:36:39from any one town and this is by one of the very, very best.
0:36:39 > 0:36:44- Oh, right.- Nathanial Mills. It sends shivers up the back of my spine.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46- Oh, right.- Lovely thing.
0:36:46 > 0:36:51I can tell you, looking at that date, that was made in 1832,
0:36:51 > 0:36:53two years after the Georgian period.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55This is William IV is on the throne.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57A completely different era.
0:36:57 > 0:37:02Anyone from that time would not recognise the world as it is today,
0:37:02 > 0:37:06yet that thing hasn't changed one iota.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10- It's incredible.- It is. - So that should not be in a cupboard.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14That needs to be in the hands of a really appreciative collector.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17- Yeah.- A value for a little silver pot like that -
0:37:17 > 0:37:20you can buy them for 50 quid.
0:37:20 > 0:37:26Because of the name, the condition and its size and beauty,
0:37:26 > 0:37:30- 300-500.- Good grief! - Nice.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33- Nice, yeah. - It's nice, isn't it?- It is nice.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35- It will go towards my holiday.- Would it?
0:37:35 > 0:37:38- Where would you go?- Australia. - Well, you'll get there, won't you?
0:37:38 > 0:37:41- Definitely.- You might not get back, but maybe you don't want to.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44Maybe the weather's too good. Do you want to reserve it at 300?
0:37:44 > 0:37:47- Yeah, reserve it at 300. - We'll reserve it at 300.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49- All right. Excited? - Yes.- Brilliant.
0:37:49 > 0:37:50I'll see you in auction.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56Well, our work is nearly done here.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59We've had a fabulous time here in the town hall in Reading and the
0:37:59 > 0:38:03concert hall has provided a glorious backdrop for our valuations,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06but our journey isn't over just yet.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08We've got our final visit to the auction room
0:38:08 > 0:38:11and here's a recap of all the items we're taken with us.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15Geraldine and Richard's
0:38:15 > 0:38:1716 boxed classic cars from the 1960s
0:38:17 > 0:38:20are motoring off to the auction.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24Heather brought in a 19th-century silk Chinese fan on behalf
0:38:24 > 0:38:28of her friend and it also comes with its own lacquered box.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32And finally, David was delighted with Jenny's solid silver box
0:38:32 > 0:38:34with a Jasper stone top.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37So let's hope the bidders will be, too.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41Back at Martin & Pole, auctioneer Matt Coles is still hard at work.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44First under the hammer, it's Geraldine and Richard's collection
0:38:44 > 0:38:48of boxed classic 1960s cars.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51- Now, these were your dad's, weren't they?- They were, yes.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53It doesn't look like they've had a lot of use, does it?
0:38:53 > 0:38:55- No.- No, it does not, which is a shame, but fantastic -
0:38:55 > 0:38:58- the fact that they're in their boxes.- Well, we didn't know they were there.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02- No, you didn't, did you? - No, we didn't know they were in the loft.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05Lots of fun, lots of fun and I'm sure these will be highly contested
0:39:05 > 0:39:07in the sale room. OK? We're going to find out right now.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11- Let's put these valuations to the test.- Yeah, go on, then.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15Lot number 360A.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19- Your first auction, isn't it? - Yes, I've never been to one before.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21She's really concentrating now. Have you noticed?
0:39:21 > 0:39:24Start this with me at £280. 300, anywhere?
0:39:24 > 0:39:27300. 320, 350 on the internet.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30- Come on!- £350. Any more at £350?
0:39:30 > 0:39:32380 on the internet now.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35At £380. I'll be selling at £380.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39- 400 on the internet now. - Yes!- At £400.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42- All done?- Just. - Going home happy.
0:39:42 > 0:39:43You got a result. Well done.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46- Thank you for bringing those into the valuation.- Thank you.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48- Now we need to spend it. - Yeah, now you can spend it.
0:39:48 > 0:39:49That's the fun bit.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52Next up, the silk fan brought in by Heather.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56Although the sticks are made from ivory, they were worked before 1947,
0:39:56 > 0:39:59so the item complies with regulations
0:39:59 > 0:40:01around the sale of ivory.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04Well, things are definitely warming up in here.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06What we need right now is a...?
0:40:06 > 0:40:09- Fan!- Thank you very much.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11- Do you like this fan? - It's beautiful.- Yeah.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14It's not yours, is it? It is Susan's, your friend.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16- Suzanne, yes.- Suzanne, and she's walking the dogs now?
0:40:16 > 0:40:19- Yes.- Because she's very camera shy. She didn't want to come on TV.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21- That's why you're doing it. - Yes.- OK.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24I've never seen one boxed like this before in great condition.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27This is exquisite. It's absolutely lovely.
0:40:27 > 0:40:32It's been in that box really since the mid-1800s.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36- It doesn't look as if it's been used...- No, I don't think it has.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38..and that's what the collectors want.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40Nice little lot, this one. Lot 420A.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42Start this with me at £250.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45- 260 anywhere? - Oh, come on!
0:40:45 > 0:40:49At 250, 260, 270, 280, 290.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52- 300 with you now.- Right, we've got it. We've got it at 300.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54Offers at £300. 320.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57- Yes! On the internet. - £320 now on the internet.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00We all done at £320?
0:41:02 > 0:41:03- Gone down.- That's it, that's it.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05I'm sure she'll be pleased with that.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07- Suzanne will be pleased?- She will. She's going on a safari.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10Dogs will be pleased... She's going on safari, is she?
0:41:10 > 0:41:12Yeah, so she'll be pleased with that.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Finally, we are selling Jenny's silver box with a Jasper stone top.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21- It's a lovely thing.- It is, yeah. - A really nice thing.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24- Quality.- Yes.- And you're raising money for, remind us?
0:41:24 > 0:41:27- Australia. Going to Australia. - A trip to Australia.- Yes.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30- OK. To see anyone?- Yes, my sister-in-law. My husband's sister.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32Right, OK. And what part of Australia is that?
0:41:32 > 0:41:35- Cairns.- I know Cairns. Yeah, just north of Brisbane.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38- That's right.- Yeah, lovely. Come on, bidders, fight it out.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40- Let's hand the proceedings over to the auctioneer.- OK.- Here we go.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45Start this with me at £250. £260, anywhere?
0:41:47 > 0:41:51260, 270, 280, 290, 300.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53- With you now at £300.- Come on.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56Any more at £300. 320 on the internet.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59- Any more? 350.- Good.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01In the room. 380, thank you.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03- 400.- 400, good.- In the room.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05£400.
0:42:05 > 0:42:06So at 420 on the internet.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10- Go on, telephone! - It's on the internet at £420.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13- 450 on the telephone. - Yes!
0:42:13 > 0:42:15At 450 on the telephone now.
0:42:15 > 0:42:16480 on the internet.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19500 on the telephone.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21One more? 550, thank you.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23- Oh, it's gone 550!- 550!
0:42:23 > 0:42:25£550. 600 is the next bid.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27- 600.- God!
0:42:27 > 0:42:28£600!
0:42:28 > 0:42:33Yes? £600 on the telephone, then. Are we all done? 600.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38- Yes! Well done. Really good result. - I'm pleased with that.- I bet, I bet.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41- Yeah.- That... That really is a return ticket.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44- £600, it's something like that.- I'm going to New Zealand as well, so...
0:42:44 > 0:42:46- Oh, right. Well, double that one, then.- Yeah!
0:42:46 > 0:42:48- You need two of those.- Yes!
0:42:49 > 0:42:52- You nearly got one flight sorted. - Yes.- That's OK, isn't it?
0:42:52 > 0:42:55- Look, enjoy that, won't you?- I will. - Enjoy it.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57- Well done, David.- Thank you. - A good spot, that.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01- Thank you very much. It was good. - It's just a lovely thing, isn't it?
0:43:04 > 0:43:07Well, there you are. That's it. It's all over for our owners.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09As you can see, the sale is still going on,
0:43:09 > 0:43:11but what a cracking day we have had here.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13If you'd like to take part in the show,
0:43:13 > 0:43:15details of up-and-coming dates and venues
0:43:15 > 0:43:17you can find on our BBC website,
0:43:17 > 0:43:19or check our "Flog It!" Facebook page for a change.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22If you can't do that, then check the details in your local press,
0:43:22 > 0:43:25because, fingers crossed, we're coming to an area very near you soon.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28So dust them down, bring them in and we'll flog 'em.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31It's goodbye from Wokingham.