Bletchley 55 Flog It!

Well, today is a very special day and I am singing in the rain

because today is the culmination of 15 years of hard work,

touring the length and the breadth of the British Isles

selling your antiques. It's our 1,000th episode!

Welcome to "Flog It!"

CHEERING

To celebrate this landmark episode,

we've come to Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire.

During World War II,

this grand house and these buildings were home to Britain's codebreakers,

cracking the secret messages of the enemy.

And this is where we will be celebrating our 1,000th episode

of "Flog It!" - here, at Bletchley Park,

looking back fondly over the last 15 years at some of the most exciting

antiques we've seen, the most beautiful locations and the most

thrilling auction rooms. Hundreds of people have turned up,

laden with antiques and collectables, all here to see

our experts to ask that all-important question, which is...

-ALL:

-What's it worth?

And to help tell that answer, I don't have one, I don't have two,

I have five of the finest experts

that have been with me for all of these years.

My darling Philip Serrell, king of the scarf,

Thomas Plant, the secret of eternal youth,

the glorious Catherine Southon,

the regal Charlie Ross, and the king of innuendo, Mark Stacey.

Not only will we be sorting out the best items to take off to auction,

but also they'll be sharing their stories as we look back fondly over

the last 15 years of "Flog It!". Come and join us.

Today, we're going on a journey through the "Flog It!" archives.

Along the way, we'll see some of the 300 locations we've visited,

from all four corners of the British Isles.

As far north as Inverness...

to Penzance in the south.

In that time, over 165,000 people have come through the doors...

..with a staggering 7,000 items of every conceivable description...

I would not like to meet the guy who's wearing these

in a dark alley at night.

-You have made my day today.

-Oh, good.

..and some truly memorable sales.

Yeah, £660.

I'm shivering, you guys must be shivering.

Wow!

There will be plenty more of that to come.

But first, let's take a look at where it all started.

Back in the summer of 2002, our very first "Flog It!",

from Cardiff City Hall in Wales, hit the screens.

Hello, welcome to "Flog It!",

the show that can make you money out of the antiques and collectables

you don't want any more.

And there, right at the start, was Philip Serrell.

It was really great, because on my first "Flog It!" valuation,

it was in Cardiff, and I saw a whole group of designer items.

You know, it's really exciting when you see something like that

for the first time on a valuation day.

Well, when you've got names like Christian Dior, Jaeger-LeCoultre,

and you look on the back of here and you've got "Hermes, Paris",

they really are the sort of style leaders, aren't they?

-Oh, yes.

-With the right audience, I'm sure that will sell.

I was working in my antique shop in Marlborough in Wiltshire

when I was asked to present "Flog It!".

'It became such a shock and a big surprise to me.

'I said yes straightaway but then panicked.'

I'd never done any TV before and I found it absolutely frightening.

This is a beaut, this is a winner.

It's oak. It's English, it's a very small proportion.

It's what's known as a geometric fronted chest.

Meanwhile, Philip came up with a canny way

to stand out from the crowd.

Through the years, the scarf has sort of become my trademark.

'Now, that Paul Martin, he thinks the scarf was his idea.'

I was wearing one before he was born!

'He wore a scarf, and I thought,

'"That's quite cool, I might copy that for a little while."'

Philip's still wearing his scarf, I gave up on mine about, I don't know,

eight years ago.

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'We all look so young and fresh-faced.'

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Including a dashing young Charlie Ross,

who joined the team a mere 12 years ago.

My very first experience on "Flog It!" was in my saleroom in Woburn,

when "Flog It!" came to do a programme there.

And I was asked to pass judgment on a few things,

and I rather cheekily asked the director,

"How do I get on this programme? I'd rather like to do this."

He said, "Turn up to Cambridge on such and such a date,

"and we'll give you a screen test."

So I went off to Cambridge, and I got there and was told,

"We're not doing a screen test today. You're on-screen.

"You are today's valuer."

I thought, "Oh, crumbs."

Anyway, I muddled through, and I've been doing it ever since.

And today at Bletchley,

Charlie has dug out a typically over-the-top item.

Sue and Lauren, lovely to see you. And I have to say, Sue,

I think you are the only person I've ever seen on "Flog It!" who has

gone to the trouble of dyeing her hair

to match the object she brings in.

I think that is so laudable.

How long did it take?

-Not that long.

-Not that long.

How long have you had the vases?

-Less than a year.

-How long have you had the hair?

-I don't mean your hair, I mean the colour.

-Four days.

Now, tell me the story behind these vases,

why are you both here together?

Sue and I both work for a charity shop, for the elderly,

and somebody donated these two vases to one of our nine shops.

They came in with these?

Aren't people generous?

Your eyes must have come out on stalks when you saw these.

These, at a first glance,

I thought, were 19th-century or possibly late-18th-century.

Sevres porcelain.

And I thought, "Ho!"

I ran across the room looking at them.

They are in fact 20th-century. They're modern.

Held together by modern nuts, which you can see at the bottom.

If we have a look at the bottom of one of them...

There we are - Porcelaine de Paris...

to say in Parisian.

Which means they're from the Parisian area.

A bit like our Staffordshire pottery.

But they're pretty chunky and stylish.

But they have these saving graces,

these wonderful pineapple knobs

on the top, and these bases, which are ormolu,

which is gilded brass.

So these would have been retailed in the last...probably 30 years,

in a very, very smart shop.

For a LOT of money.

I've had a look at them and there is a bit of a chip on one of them,

which is a shame. But they do look hugely impressive

and I can say that the painting is hand-painted.

-Do you like them?

-I do, I like them.

-I do.

-I can tell YOU like them - you've styled yourself on them,

it's not surprising, really.

-What about value?

-I was going to say £60

but I don't know if to say for the pair or each, I'm not sure.

-No.

-I'd go more than that.

-Yeah.

If I was buying them meself I'd go more than that.

I think we're going to put a very safe estimate on them

of £100 to £200.

-OK.

-Now, I think at that level

they really will have some competition, and a reserve of £100,

with a little bit of discretion,

so if the auctioneer's just squeezed in there...

he can have our permission to bring the gavel down.

-I think that's fair.

-Yeah.

Sorry that they aren't worth thousands, but I like them,

-and I think we'll get a bit of action on them.

-Yep.

As "Flog It!" travelled around the country,

other experts joined the team.

In 2003, along came the sparkling Catherine Southon.

My very first "Flog It!" experience,

my first valuation day, was a bit of a weird one.

'Cos I came along under the impression

'that I was going to shadow somebody.'

I didn't realise I was actually going to be in front of a camera.

There I was, straightaway, camera in front of me,

object on the table, "Speak."

Sarah, I love Moorcroft.

I want to take this from you and slip it into my bag.

'I was a bit sort of tongue-tied but I got through it.'

We were at Leicester football ground and it was a fantastic episode.

I remember weird things like seeing Adam Partridge, who was the other

expert, filming a big suite of cloud Art Deco furniture in the car park

and just thinking, "This is really quite strange.

"Am I going to get through this?"

But I did. And here I am, I'm still here to tell the tale.

Then Admiral Mark Stacey joined the fleet.

I remember the first day as if it was yesterday.

'It was Ipswich Corn Exchange.

'And my other on-screen expert was the lovely David Barby.'

And I was very nervous and I'd never done television before so I didn't

know what to expect, really.

But David was very reassuring, he helped me out.

'And it was great fun. Except people kept thinking I was his son.'

Thomas Plant was barely out of school when he signed up -

almost 15 years ago.

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It was the first series, probably one of the very first shows.

So everything was new. I look...so young.

What has happened to this? You know...

I can't believe it.

And also, I repeat myself so many times about this bowl,

and I'm looking at it and I'm turning it over and...

'I must have been so nervous.'

Tell me, when you bought it for 75p - I'm always tempted to do this -

did you haggle?

I did not haggle, no.

I wanted it as soon as possible.

-You snatched it away?

-I did, yes.

And in what seems like the blink of an eye,

Thomas is still finding treasures at Bletchley.

Angela, I have on the table two items.

One of them belongs to me and one of them belongs to you.

But my item is a clue to what your item is.

Tell me about your tortoiseshell Georgian eyeglass.

I remember it when my grandmother was around.

And then, obviously, my mum inherited it.

And she died about 12, 13 years ago.

So it came into my hands.

So, I saw this, and I use my eyeglass every single day.

It is part of my life. And I've said a number of times,

apart from saving my wife and children,

maybe the cat, this would be the only other thing I would save.

-Everything else can go, cos this is my life.

-You need that?

-I need it.

I saw this and I thought, gosh, this is a Georgian one,

so what you've got is this gorgeous tortoiseshell eyepiece.

But they need a bit of strength and the one issue you have here is

just this little bit of damage.

You can see what's happened there. Somebody's got really excited.

And you can imagine somebody there, desperately, in an antique shop,

opening it up,

looking into something, holding it and probably squeezing it a bit.

-Yeah.

-This is a really rare thing, you know, and it breaks.

And, of course, having it closed keeps its integrity, doesn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-And you've got a solid-silver plaque and,

what's really special about that, it's dated.

It's dated, and it says on here, the inscription is,

"John Oliver, the gift of Ann Hester, 1807."

1807! Over 200 years old!

-Yes.

-That's amazing, isn't it?

-Yeah, it is.

-So, your grandmother had this.

-Was she an antiques dealer?

-She had a lot of antiques.

-Did she?

-Yeah.

-Why was that?

I'm not sure. I think she must have had a liking.

This is tortoiseshell.

And we have to say that we can not sell tortoiseshell

-which is later than 1946.

-Right.

But of course, with the date, we know that this is 1807.

-So, have you ever thought about value?

-No, I haven't got a clue.

-You haven't got a clue?

-No.

-If it wasn't damaged it would be £200-£300.

-Wow.

But I'm going to put 120-180 on it.

-Right, yeah.

-With a £100 reserve. It's just because of that damage.

But I think it's worth every single penny. Is that all right?

Yes, yes, that'll be fine.

I think it's lovely, actually. I'd like to own it myself, but I can't!

Thomas has always been drawn to the more stylish antiques,

whereas Philip goes for the rather quirky objects.

I love things that are bit barmy, a bit bonkers,

and when someone brought that horn desk tidy in, to this day,

I am still completely baffled as to who would want a desk tidy that had

got a bell, a clock, made out of ram's horn,

with dolphin mounts on the bottom.

That is a troubled thing, it really is.

If it makes, I don't know, £450, what would you do with that?

-Holiday.

-Holiday.

-Or...

Let's think about this for a moment.

Holiday here, or an "or" here.

I've got a 1969 Mustang that I'm...

-Are you a car man?

-Big petrolhead.

I just wonder who got their way in the end.

Was it a holiday or the car fixed?

I'll bet it's the holiday.

Since when have us men got their way?

Meanwhile, at Bletchley, Philip's living his dream

with a "Flog It!" favourite - a collection of Dinky toys.

The thing is, Wendy, you come to "Flog It!"

and it's not about selling chairs and tables and pots and whatever.

This is memory time, isn't it?

-Yes, it is.

-And I tell you, for me, I have huge memories here.

What about you? They must mean a lot to you.

They meant a lot to my partner, Tim.

He had these as a boy.

And he was ready to sell them just before he died.

And he was from a farming family so he didn't get to play with them as

much as he'd like to.

He often said that he played with them, polished them, put them back

in the boxes and then he would go and help out on the farm.

One of the key things about toys is to have them mint and boxed.

That's the expression, mint and boxed.

These are mint, and they're boxed.

See, I can sort of remember these, because my dad was a farmer.

I can remember we had a truck like that on the farm

and my dad always aspired, instead of having a little truck like that,

he wanted a big Foden eight-wheeler,

so all of these have memories for me, you know?

They are absolutely lovely. And the time's right for you to sell?

It is. I need the space.

They're in storage, actually, at the moment, so by the end of this year

I'm going to a smaller property and I won't have room to store them.

Well, the thing that's key about these is the fact that they are

in such lovely, lovely condition,

that they've got the boxes with them.

Have you any thoughts as to value?

I wouldn't like to even hazard a guess.

I think that you're going to get between £150 and £250 for them.

-Really?

-As a job lot, yes, I do. I think they'll do very, very well.

We'll put a fixed reserve of £120 on them.

-So, are you happy with that?

-Yeah.

-Good show. Let's go and see what they make.

-OK.

Right now we're straight off to the auction room.

We've found our first three items to put under the hammer.

I think there could be one or two big surprises.

Here's a quick recap of all the items we're taking with us.

This pair of eye-popping Sevres-style vases are big in size

but not so big on age. Will this affect their value?

Angela's magnifying glass appealed to Thomas,

but will it attract the bidders?

Wendy's Dinky toys, complete with their boxes,

are a collector's dream.

For the auction, were travelling across the border to Oxfordshire

to Jones & Jacobs saleroom in Watlington.

And sharing the rostrum today

are auctioneers Simon Jones and Francis Ogley.

First up, it's the Dinky toys.

Well, good luck, Wendy. The atmosphere's building in here.

-Philip, I'm feeling a little bit tense. Are you?

-Yes, I am.

Anyway, we're just about to sell the boxed Dinky toys,

and it's not very often you can say Dinky toys, boxed and mint.

Is it? We've seen them on the show before, and they have done

exceptionally well, especially the lorries, so let's find out

what yours do, OK? This is it. Good luck, everyone.

The collection of Dinky toys, Lot 192.

150 for those?

170 we've got.

-Straight in at 170.

-At 170. 180, anyone?

-On commission at 170.

-Come on.

-All done... 180. 190, 200.

-210.

-This is good, Wendy.

-220, 230.

240.

At 230, still on commission.

At 230. All done at £230? Finished?

-We'll take that. We'll take that. Well done.

-Top job.

Yeah, you're right. Somebody there bought their childhood again.

Next it's Angela's eyeglass, which caught Thomas' eye.

£120-£180 is what Thomas put on it.

And Thomas, right now, is enjoying a holiday,

so he's not here to face the music in case it doesn't sell.

But I think it should do 120. Good luck with this. It's going

under the hammer right now. Let's enjoy this. Here we go.

Lot 233, the Georgian eyeglass.

-£80, start me?

-Go on, it's worth that. Yes, we're in.

85.

90. 95, 100.

110, 120, 130,

140, 150. 160?

At 150. Behind me at 150. All done?

-Finished at 150. 150.

-£150.

Thomas was right. Mid-estimate, brilliant.

-Lovely.

-He knew his stuff, didn't he?

-Yeah.

Well, that's two great sales so far, and you never know what an item's

worth until that hammer goes down.

That's the thrill of the auction.

You don't know what's going to happen.

And with 1,000 shows under our belt we've had some pretty big surprises.

He might take me out for a nice, romantic meal.

This is the moment I say it was really a "come and get me" estimate.

I never tire of auctions,

because you just don't know what's going to happen,

and that is, I think,

the hook for the bait - what's going to happen at the auction?

And I remember visiting my homeland of Wales and Margam Park

and a gentleman brought in a piece of Welsh pottery.

The sad thing about it is its condition.

-Yes.

-It really is quite bad condition.

So I would probably say £50-£70, something like that.

But auctions can be very surprising places.

And what did you put on this one?

-Can you remind us?

-£50-£70.

-50 to 70.

300? I'll take...

700.

-Can you remind us what you...?

-I think they left a nought out of my estimate. That's the problem.

Those buyers knew something I didn't.

2,400.

Here it goes at 2,400.

-2,400!

-Thank you so much!

I'm often asked, "But how could you get the estimate so wrong?"

It's called life. These things happen.

When James Lewis spotted this little tiny Dalton figure...

It was a spook. Little tiny ghost, he saw it in Blackpool.

I'd not seen one before.

He said, "Paul, believe me, it's quite rare."

-It's worth 200-300.

-Oh, crikey.

Well done! Your £2 has turned into 200-300.

That is a car-boot dream.

-I like him now!

-Do you?! You'll take him home!

I thought, crikey, £200-£300 is a great return on a £2 find,

until the auction came along.

At 4,250...

Fair warning.

Bang! £4,250!

Bought at a car-boot for just £2.

The biggest surprise had to be when Michael Baggott put a valuation on

some African tribal art.

Michael didn't know one of the items, a shield,

was from another continent.

I think, to me, this shield and the calabash are the nicest things.

I think, as a group, let's put them in at...

£200-£400.

-Really?

-Yep, yep.

-Gosh.

Well, it turned out to be an aboriginal shield and it was spotted

online by a museum in Sydney.

At £30,000, going once,

going twice, your last chance on the internet, for £30,000,

third and final time. Mrs Squire's client.

Sold. £30,000.

£30,000! Lewis, high-five!

That is absolutely incredible!

-I'm shaking.

-Wow.

We were in a state of shock as well. They didn't know what to say.

We spotted it, and we sold it.

Well, we can't promise these French vases will fetch a five-figure sum

but, as we've seen, you never know.

Sue and Lorna, it's great to see you again.

Guess what's going under the hammer. Yes, Charlie pointed out

the colour of the vases and the hair back at the valuation day.

I mean, it's a match made in heaven, isn't it?

-It really is.

-It's perfect.

-We've got £100-£200,

-and they look like they're worth an awful lot more.

-From here.

£1,500. Don't they?

Surely it's 100 or 200, they must sell.

As a showy piece, they've got to.

All the money's being put back into the charity.

Yeah, every penny improves the lives of our elderly people, so...

Great, great. Good luck. And good luck, Charlie.

-It's going under the hammer right now.

-This is it.

Lot 43, then, we have the pair of Paris porcelain vases there.

£100, start me for them?

£100 I'm bid. 110 anywhere in the room?

Going away here online at 130, 140,

150, 160, 170, 180...

We're going to get the top end!

200, 210. 210, 220.

-Even with a chip!

-Look, the telephone hasn't even come in yet.

260, 270...

Did we miss a mark on these?

Coming to you now at 270.

270, 280 online.

280, 290.

Which Emperor were they made for?

THEY LAUGH

310, 320?

310 in the room on the phone.

At £310. All done at £310?

All finished at £310?

-All done?

-Yes, that hammer's gone down.

Now we know exactly what they're worth.

Wow! That is the thrill of the saleroom. Wow!

Back here at Bletchley Park,

it's still buzzing inside the house with visitors arriving to see our

experts, and with the grand house, the history connected to it,

the lawns and the lake, it's the perfect setting for a "Flog It!"

valuation day. Over the years we've been fortunate enough to have seen

some wonderful locations all over the British Isles.

From castles...

to ships.

Museums...

to stately homes.

When we first started we were in sports halls, we were in town halls.

But then "Flog It!" sort of went grander.

We went to fabulous venues.

I can remember going to Warwick Castle.

I mean, the day was just beautiful.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

You just come alive in these venues.

Ely Cathedral.

Could you think of a better venue for looking at beautiful antiques?

One minute we can be going to a wonderful cathedral,

we've been to Guildford Cathedral, and we've been to castles.

Sometimes we go to somewhere not quite as traditional,

like Weston-super-Mare pier among the arcade machines.

One of my favourites was Powderham Castle in Devon.

I filmed in the music room

surrounded by all these wonderful objects.

And I got to meet some of the family. It was wonderful.

I love places like Bolton and Paisley, where you have these

fantastic municipal buildings that were probably

built by some great entrepreneur in the 18th and 19th centuries.

You walk in there, and they really

are a sign of wealth that's gone before.

For me, I guess it's the stately homes, you know?

I love the family connection,

the fact that there's been a dynasty

there for maybe five or six different generations.

And Muncaster Castle rings a bell for me, up in the Lake District,

because that was just such a beautiful day.

It really was.

But look, all our "Flog It!" valuation days are just wonderful.

Today's location is no exception.

Bletchley's role in the Second World War is unique.

And what better than to find an item with a link to our location?

Michael, welcome to "Flog It!"

and welcome to Bletchley Park, or, should I say, welcome back home,

cos you were here once upon a time.

-Yes.

-Now, can I have a little look at what you've brought?

Yes, I've brought my father's watch.

Right. So, tell me about this. Where does it come from?

My father had this all his life that I knew him, and

first of all, how we became... to live on Bletchley Park,

my father bred racehorses down Oxford way and he knew a

Sir Armine who gave him the watch.

And he asked my father to come up here to be stud groom.

This was in 1938.

And I lived in a farmhouse down there until I was 22 years old.

So you were always on part of the Bletchley estate

but you never really knew, I'm sure, what was going on.

Nobody would ever talk about what was going on.

-Right.

-We knew Churchill came quite regular.

-Really?

-And it was always around...

He was coming up here for "a rest".

Well, let's have a little look at this watch.

It's actually been manufactured by Pierce,

which is a Swiss manufacturer.

Not one of the major names that we associate with Switzerland,

but still a good maker.

They were making watches from the late 19th century and right through.

This would date from the 1930s,

which certainly ties in with your story.

They also were commissioned by the RAF to produce pilot watches,

so they are a good maker.

But what's nice about this one is

you've got the calendar around the outside, you've got the date, just,

as well, and also the moon phase.

So, talking about estimates on this, I mean, it's stainless steel,

so it's obviously not a precious metal, but estimate-wise

I'd probably be looking at around £100-£200 and I would protect it

with a reserve of £90. Would you be happy with that?

-I'd be quite happy with that.

-And all the memories that go with it.

-Yes, yes.

-Michael, it's been lovely to meet you.

-And you.

-I enjoyed talking to you and hearing about Bletchley Park.

Thank you very much, thank you.

For me, it's a huge privilege to be part of "Flog It!".

Not only do I get to come along to the valuation day to meet all the

wonderful people, but I get to soak up the local history and have some

pretty hair-raising experiences.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.

# You're unbelievable, oh!

# You're unbelievable... #

Apprentice Paul Martin reporting for duty.

OK, so, now you've got a feeling of how hard you need to blow.

-Is that too much?

-A little bit too much, I think!

# You're unbelievable... #

Today, we're flying over the base in a Lynx helicopter.

Get up, through!

Up! Get up!

Drumroll...

Oh, yeah.

# You're unbelievable, oh! #

What opportunities "Flog It!" has given me! I've enjoyed every moment

and I hope you have, too.

Now for another one of my favourite things - valuing antiques.

Jean, I've brought you outside, far away from the madding crowd,

and look what you've brought along.

A squeeze-box, as they call them. Do you say a squeeze-box?

-I always call it a squeeze-box.

-It's a concertina, really,

but we call it a squeeze-box. How long have you had this, then?

-It belonged to my dad.

-Could your dad play it?

No, he never tried.

He just had it given to him by one of the firemen.

He was in the Fire Service before the war.

This is classic home entertainment of the early 1900s, isn't it,

right up to about the 1940s?

So, let's get this out.

MUSICAL NOTE

There's one note!

It's a reed-free wind instrument,

because it works by the virtue of bellows.

Look, you see, there's no reed in this, no mouthpiece,

no reed to wobble about.

It's all bellows.

And I can't play one, obviously!

Played well, they're beautiful.

That's who made this, look.

W Davis, Bloomsbury, London.

Generally, the bellows are in very good condition.

The fretwork on this side and all the buttons, they all work.

They're very, very good.

This is rosewood. So it's a sign of quality.

But it's the other side. We've got some damage to the fretwork.

Oh, dear, yeah.

That just might hold its value back and put the collectors off.

If this was in very, very good condition...

..you would realise around £200-£300 in auction.

-You're joking!

-Yeah! They're worth a lot of money.

Because of the condition, I think we could safely say

£120-£160.

-My God!

-Yes? Do you want to sell it?

-Are you happy with that?

-I definitely want to sell it!

Well, you're not going to play it, are you?

-It just sits in the wardrobe.

-Let's put a reserve of £100 on that.

-Is that OK?

-OK.

-I think we'll call that a sale, don't you?

Hopefully, it will do the top end and we'll hit the high notes!

HE PLAYS BADLY, THEY LAUGH

What could be better than an antique you can play?

Over the years we've seen literally thousands of objects, but some

we'll never forget.

I remember a lovely lady who came into the "Flog It!" at Herne Bay.

And she had this charming little French vase that she bought at

a charity shop for 50p.

And I fell in love with it.

I so wanted to take that vase home.

I just think it's a charming little object.

If we put this in at £50-£80...

Hopefully, if two people like it,

-it could well go for 100.

-Lovely.

I valued it quite modestly cos it did have a few chips,

and collectors of these pieces do sometimes mark prices down,

but when we got to the auction it was quite an emotional ride.

-Can you hold my hand, please?

-Yeah, I'll prop you up, don't worry!

Anybody at 460?

460, 480.

-Oh, my God!

-620.

Any interest at 680 in the room or anywhere else?

If not, I'll sell at £660.

A bid is on the phone at 660.

If we're all done at 660?

Yes! £660!

Oh, Olive!

-It's only this big!

-I know, I know. But small is beautiful!

One of my favourite items and one of my standout valuations has got to be

the samurai sword, what we call a katana.

We were in Yeovil and it was only a few years ago.

But I've never seen the like of one on "Flog It!" before or since.

It was gorgeous.

For me, the best thing I've seen all day,

the best thing I've seen in a long time.

And it went on to make thousands of pounds.

But that's besides the point.

At £3,000.

We did it, we did it, how about that? What a great result.

The point is, it is a beautiful object.

It is totally marvellous and magic.

There is one object that springs to mind.

It's an Omar Ramsden silver plate.

I almost ran across the room to see this item, cos it was so exciting.

And they didn't really know what they'd got.

-Did you inherit it?

-I can't remember whether it came through my mum's

family or whether we dug it up in the garden when I was a child.

-You dug it up?

-I'd have to check with my sister,

-but I think that might be where it came from.

-That's extraordinary!

I said, how much do you think it's worth? She said,

"I've Googled it a bit, I think it could be worth £200."

Of course, I was able to tell her it was worth £1,000-£1,500.

At £2,600, are you sure you're done?

Yes, the hammer's gone down. £2,600.

And it made £2,600, so we were all thrilled, particularly Jack.

OK, Jack, do you know where all the money's going?

-Has Mum and Dad decided?

-To my bank!

The Jack bank!

Now for our final item, something that's got Mark's mouth watering.

-Gloria.

-Yes?

What a delicious jewel you brought in today.

-Thank you.

-Is it yours?

-It's my husband's.

-Is it?

-Yes.

-Where's it been lying all these years?

-In its box.

-Hidden away?

-Yes.

-He's never worn it?

-No.

You've never worn it?

-Don't know what it is.

-I think you could use it in a hat, in a bonnet.

You could have it as your hat decoration or even on a collar

with the tie going through the middle bit.

Somebody did say they thought it was a cravat pin.

It could be a cravat pin, and when you open it,

there could only be one period this would have been made.

And that's in the height of the Art Deco period.

-Really?

-1920s.

And, actually, what you've got is... on the ends here,

these green bits are carved jade.

-Right.

-Which were probably carved in China at the time.

-Yeah.

-And then around it is either black enamel or black onyx.

-Right.

-And they're set with little diamonds.

-They are actual diamonds?

-They're diamonds.

-Right.

-And, actually, if we take it out of the fitted box,

we've got a little mark that says 15 carat.

When you look at something like this,

you think immediately of names like Cartier.

-Right.

-Is this painting a picture for you?

-Yes.

-Are you liking it more?

-Yes.

-Well, don't like it too much!

I think it's delicious. Do you know where your husband got it from?

It was given to his mother by a lady that lived in the village.

My mother-in-law used to do sewing for her.

And she gave this to her as a thank-you.

What a wonderful thank-you present.

It must've been old when she gave it to her,

because I think it was about the 1980s.

Yes, it would have been 60 years old by then.

It's in this box, the Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Company.

Now, they do make jewellery. I don't think they made this.

But they also retail pieces.

This is something I think they retailed.

This sort of jewellery now is a collector's item.

Because of the quality of it. It's beautifully made.

I would suggest an estimate of sort of £600-£800.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Gosh.

-So you're happy to flog it?

-Yes. So it's appreciated.

Well, it'll be the jewel in the auction, I hope. Thank you very much

-for bringing it in.

-Thank you.

Well, that's it, our work is now done here at Bletchley Park.

It's time to say goodbye to our magnificent host location as we go

to auction for the very last time.

So wish us luck, and here's a quick recap of all the items we're taking with us.

You can't put a price on memories,

but will Michael's watch alone reach Catherine's valuation?

Jean's squeeze-box conjures up

a lost world of travelling troubadours,

but will it appeal to our technologically savvy bidders?

Gloria's Art Deco stick pin made Mark's day and he's confident

it will shine in the auction.

Back at the saleroom, first up, it's Michael's watch.

Good luck. Time is definitely up.

It's time that wristwatch went under the hammer.

That Swiss one. I tell you what, it's lovely.

It was a wonderful story behind it, as well, wasn't it?

Michael used to live at Bletchley Park.

I hope you've got lots of things to remember that by,

because that is a stunning watch.

-It is.

-Let's find out what the bidders think, OK?

This is it, it's going under the hammer.

The vintage Pierce triple calendar, moon phase wristwatch, there.

£100, start me?

110 we've got on there,

120, 130, 140, 140?

-150. 160.

-This is shooting up.

170. 180? 180. 190.

Oh, good! This is shooting up on the internet.

190. 200 got. 210. 220?

-Yeah, this is a good watch.

-220, 230.

240?

At 230.

Bidding seems to have stopped at 230. 240, anywhere?

-At £230, selling to the net at £230.

-I'm so pleased.

-So am I.

Done?

That's a brilliant result. Yes!

That's a satisfying smack of the hammer, isn't it?

-Well done.

-Yeah, well done.

Lovely story, lovely memories, and thank you for sharing them with us.

You're very welcome.

Now it's my turn with Jean's squeeze-box.

Well, the time has come, we're going to put it under the hammer here.

-Oh!

-I'm feeling a bit nervous. I am. I know, I am.

Because, you know, I'm worried,

I'm really worried, because it's the only musical instrument in today's

-sale.

-Is it really?

I've had a look around. There's not a lot else for the collector.

So, hopefully, they'll find this online.

It's going under the hammer now. Let's watch this.

And just hope that someone wants it. Here we go, this is it.

Lot 162, the rosewood squeeze-box.

£100, start me for it?

£100 I'm bid online.

-110....

-It's going. Come on, come on.

130. 120 online. 130...

-I'm so nervous.

-150, 160?

160, 170.

180, 190,

200, 210, 220.

We've more than done it.

At 220, then.

220, 230, 240, 250.

At £240, they seem to have stopped.

240 online. Are you all happy at £240 online?

Against you all in the room, at £240, it's online, 240, online...

Yes! Hammer's going down. Crack!

Brilliant. Well done.

That was good, wasn't it? Did you enjoy your auction experience?

-Oh, yes.

-Are you going to come back for more?

-Oh, if I find something!

We'll see you at a valuation in a few years' time, then!

Yes, of course. Need to be quicker than that, I hope!

THEY LAUGH

I can't wait to see what Jean turns up with next.

And now for our final item, Gloria's stick pin.

A lot of money, £600-£800. But quality, quality, quality.

I just hope the right buyer's out there.

-I think they will be.

-And it's boxed, and the condition's superb.

Wonderful condition, yeah.

Let's stick it to 'em, shall we? Ready for this one? I am.

I hope it gets that top end. It's going under the hammer now.

Good luck. This is it.

15-carat gold and platinum cloak pin there.

600, start me?

650 we've got.

-Straight in at 650.

-700, 800, 900?

900, 1,000?

-1,000. 1,100.

-Don't believe this.

1,200. 1,250.

1,200 already!

1,300.

1,400.

1,500.

1,600. 1,700.

-Are you tingling yet?

-Yeah!

-I am. Yeah.

-This is brilliant.

-I think it's great.

-This is the beauty of an auction, isn't it?

-1,800. 1,850?

-At £1,800.

-1,800.

All done at 18...

-1,850.

-Ooh, a new bidder.

New bidder. 1,900.

2,000. 2,100. 2,200?

We've got 2,150.

2,200?

2,200. 2,250?

2,250. 2,300?

-Crikey!

-Wow!

-Do you need a seat?

-All done on the net at 2,250, all done?

Finishing at 2,250...

-Yay!

-Wow.

Wow. There's tears in your eyes.

-I know!

-That's a lot of money.

-It is.

-What do you think you'll do with that?

Well, the car's got to have a service for a start.

-And then what's left over will be a treat for the family.

-Great.

That's it for the auction, and back at Bletchley,

our day is drawing to a close.

Over 15 years of filming and 1,000 episodes of "Flog It!" we've had

a veritable army of experts that we've all learned something from.

It's just a shame they cannot all be here today.

Most of them are still regulars on the show, helping us find those

little treasures that could be worth a fortune.

Where's Paul? Where's James?

And joining us on that very first series with his encyclopaedic

knowledge of antiques was the fabulous David Barby.

Such a gentleman. A real one-off.

His charm, his charisma, that ability to chat to somebody,

make them feel so comfortable that they just...

They'd tell him the world!

-Are you involved in the Navy or what?

-I'm in the Navy, yes.

Yes, I thought you were, actually. You looked far too fit!

THEY LAUGH

He was always great fun.

He was very kind with his knowledge, very generous with his knowledge,

and somebody that on "Flog It!" we really miss.

# Borne on the crest of a wave... #

Ooh!

A star among many.

And that brings our roller-coaster ride through the archive

back to Bletchley.

Well, that's it. That's the end

of a brilliant day here at Bletchley Park,

and the end of our historic 1,000th episode of "Flog It!".

It's been an incredible journey getting to this milestone

and I have to say a big thank-you to our experts, to our production team

past and present, but, more importantly,

to you. Without you, your antiques and collectables,

this would not be possible.

Let's hope we can make another 1,000 episodes.

Goodbye.

CHEERING