0:00:06 > 0:00:09Today, we're in Northamptonshire, in the East Midlands,
0:00:09 > 0:00:11and we're in for a real treat.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13This impressive house is Althorp.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18It was built five centuries ago and it's been home to 19 generations
0:00:18 > 0:00:21of the Spencer family.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23It's much more than just a historic house.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25It is a home and, luckily enough for us,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27its doors are open for our valuation day.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Welcome to Flog It!
0:00:29 > 0:00:31THEY CHEER
0:00:51 > 0:00:54The life of the Spencer family has been played out here at Althorp.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Each generation has left its mark on the fabric of the house,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01and the collections within its rooms.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Now it's in the hands of the ninth Earl Spencer,
0:01:03 > 0:01:08who grew up visiting the ancestral home with his sisters, Lady Jane,
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Lady Sarah and Diana, who went on to become Princess of Wales.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16They moved here in 1975 and later on,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19we'll be looking at what life is like at Althorp.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24But for now, it's time to check our queue,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27and it looks like we're in for a busy day.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Our enthusiastic crowd have travelled from all corners of
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Northamptonshire today to this fabulous historic setting,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35and they're all laden with bags and boxes full of treasures,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38all eager to see our experts, to ask that all-important question -
0:01:38 > 0:01:42- which is...? ALL:- What's it worth?
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Competing for the best treasures today is our top rummager
0:01:45 > 0:01:49- Christina Trevanion.- It's like the Holy Grail, isn't it?
0:01:49 > 0:01:52And hot on her heels - in fact, he's down on his knees -
0:01:52 > 0:01:55is Charles Hanson.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Oh, I've done it. I've done it. Oh, there we are.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00- There's romance in the air... - Oh, Christina, isn't that wonderful!
0:02:00 > 0:02:03- It's for you!- I almost want it to say, "Be my Valentine."
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that lovely?
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Christina's having none of it!
0:02:07 > 0:02:10With such a huge crowd, we're filling the passages,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13the saloon and anywhere with a seat,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15so people can settle down and unpack.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17And while they get comfortable,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20let's take a look at what's coming up later on in the show.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Charles gets a lesson in how to wear jewellery.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25It's the earrings I wouldn't wear.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27- Are you more of a stud sort of lady? - Yeah, I think so, yeah.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30- Not the dangly sort.- Not the dangly sort, no.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32And Christina meets a kindred spirit.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34I was either in an antiques centre or the library.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37There we are. We would have been geeks together.
0:02:37 > 0:02:38- Yes, absolutely.- Yeah.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40And we cause a stir at the auction.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Gosh. Have you got any more?
0:02:44 > 0:02:47And I'll be finding out how times have changed for the people who keep
0:02:47 > 0:02:50an estate like Althorp running.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52She used to wave, you know, like that.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55My mum used to say, "Who does she think she is, the Queen?"
0:02:57 > 0:02:59All that's coming up.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01We've set up some valuation tables in the state dining room,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04which has been modelled on the ballroom at Buckingham Palace,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07and hopefully, later on, our experts will get their dancing shoes on,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10but right now, they have some serious work to do.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12So it's over to Charles Hanson's table
0:03:12 > 0:03:15to take a closer look at what he's spotted.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Rosemary, I just love this bracelet and earring suite.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- Yeah.- Tell me, it's yours? - It's my mother's.- Really?
0:03:21 > 0:03:24- Yeah.- And Mum still wears it? - She used to wear it a lot.
0:03:24 > 0:03:25It's the same colour as her eyes.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28- It's electric blue.- That's right. Yes.- It's so alive.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30Yeah, it is alive.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34And your mum, she inherited the suite or she bought...?
0:03:34 > 0:03:36No, no. She's Norwegian, my mother.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- OK.- And my father gave it to her when he met her.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43At the end of the war, he went to Norway in the Territorial Army,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46- and he met her there.- Yeah.- And he bought it for her.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49It's a wonderful keepsake. A wonderful romance there.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51- Romantic, yeah.- Yeah.- Very romantic.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55The market for this, interest in Norwegian silver,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58particularly jewellery and this emphasis of enamel
0:03:58 > 0:04:02set within the silver jewel itself, and if we turn it upside down,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06we will see this lovely hint of gilding on the reverse,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08and there we've got Stirling Norway,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11which typically came in after World War II.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16So it would date, I would have thought, to maybe the late 1940s.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19- But these little pearls... - Yeah.- ..aren't pearls.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21- No.- They're enamel droplets.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Almost a white enamel droplet, again set in.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27This type of enamel is called guiloche enamel,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31- where you've got this design... - It's like a shell, isn't it?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- It is like a shell.- Yeah.- But Mum feels it's time to sell it?
0:04:34 > 0:04:38- Yes.- Why?- Because she's got other things as well and I think she...
0:04:38 > 0:04:42It can go to somebody who is going to wear it more than she would.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Yes. It's amazing because, I mean,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48we see some of the great names in Norwegian silver,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51like Georg Jensen, very much in the frame now when it comes to
0:04:51 > 0:04:56- Scandinavian silver and design.- Mmm. - We see David Andersen.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59This one is marked... On the back of the bracelet, it's marked "AW."
0:04:59 > 0:05:02- We can't find out who that designer is.- No.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- And we've had a good look.- Mmm. - But it's very much in that
0:05:05 > 0:05:09David Andersen tradition. What's really nice is the condition.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13You've got no chip to the enamel. It's clean.
0:05:13 > 0:05:14There's no losses.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Often if it's dropped like glass, the enamel can fracture,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21- and fall out.- Mmm.- But you don't feel you'd wear it?
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Well, it's the earrings I wouldn't wear.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- No. Are you more of a stud sort of lady?- Yeah, I think so, yeah.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28- Not the dangly sort.- Not the dangly sort, no.
0:05:28 > 0:05:29I don't blame you. Well,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32I know there'll be some dangly ladies out there...
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- There will, yeah.- ..who will happily acquire this.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36- Yes.- And I would like to put it into a sale.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40- Yeah.- With a guide price of between 40 and £60.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44- OK.- To be secure, we will put a reserve on at 40 with 10% discretion.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46- OK. Yeah.- So if we get bid £36 or above,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48we have your blessing to sell it.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50- Yeah, that's fine.- We'll give it lots of Norwegian love.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Yeah. Oh, thank you.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54- Yeah.- Pleasure.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Hopefully the romance captured by Rosemary's mother and father will be
0:05:57 > 0:05:59passed on in the jewellery.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Now, time to find out what Christina's up to.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04She's made herself at home in the grand saloon.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08- Tony, what have you got there? - A couple of Omega Gold watches.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- Omega Gold watches?- Yes.- Have you had them on the inside of your coat?
0:06:11 > 0:06:13- Are you selling them?- Erm...
0:06:13 > 0:06:16No, no. Not "looky, looky" men.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Tell me, where did they come from?
0:06:18 > 0:06:23My uncle... One of them was handed down to me probably about 40 years ago.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- Right.- The other one my sister had when my other uncle died,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30and she gave the other one to me about ten years ago.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32- OK.- I look after them, basically.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35- Yeah, yeah.- This is the one that is of interest to me,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- because you've got two different stages in Omega here.- Mmm.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Now, this one here is a normal Omega, a manual wind,
0:06:41 > 0:06:45so you would have to wind it up, and this one here is what we call an
0:06:45 > 0:06:46- Omega Seamaster.- Right.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49And if we look at the back here, we've got this wonderful logo.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51- Can you see that sea horse on the back there?- Yeah.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53So, obviously, it says on the dial,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56and we've got that mark on the back to indicate that it's an Omega Seamaster.
0:06:56 > 0:07:02- Right.- Now, Omega as a brand, as a name, as a watch manufacturer,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04- is really up there with the best of the best.- Yeah.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08So much so that in World War II, fighter pilots were issued with
0:07:08 > 0:07:12Omegas, because they were known to be so reliable,
0:07:12 > 0:07:13and also so able to withstand
0:07:13 > 0:07:16atmospheric and temperature pressures.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- Now the Seamaster brand was introduced in 1946.- Right.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23OK? Now, the Seamaster was known as the Seamaster, because it was a
0:07:23 > 0:07:26favourite... Apparently, it was a favourite with sailors.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- Right.- And also it had very good ability to withstand water.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33Also a favourite not only with sailors, but secret agents.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36- Oh, right, OK.- Have you heard of a man called James Bond?
0:07:36 > 0:07:39JAMES BOND THEME PLAYS
0:07:39 > 0:07:41- Ever heard of a man called James Bond?- Yes, yes.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44I think in one of his very first films, he had an Omega.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- Oh. Perhaps my uncle was a secret agent.- Hey, you never know.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50But they are always popular. Very, very popular.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53And especially the Seamaster, very good quality make.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57And in this one, particularly, this is a nine carat gold example.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59You've got this one, which has got a silver dial, with batons there,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02- and you've obviously got a calendar aperture there.- Mmm.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04I think it's had a replaced strap on it.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- Yes, yes.- Because it's obviously an expanding strap on it.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10- At some time, yes.- It may have had a leather strap or a gold strap.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13- Possibly, yeah.- And I think that one at auction, it's a nice example,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17they regularly fetch in the region of maybe £150-250.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Something like that. OK?
0:08:19 > 0:08:22- Right.- This one, now, we're going up a level here.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26This is an automatic rather than being a manual wind. And, again,
0:08:26 > 0:08:30I think we've got a replaced strap on here, but nonetheless,
0:08:30 > 0:08:31whoever buys it... And they are very,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33very popular at auction, at the moment,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36watches, they are being seen as a very good investment.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40- Right.- Because they are little works of art in their own right, really,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42- aren't they?- Yeah.- I would say, at auction,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44we are going to be looking at £300-500.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46- Right. Sounds good.- I think it's a lovely watch.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- What's your thoughts?- Yeah, yeah. - Yeah?- Shall we go for it?
0:08:49 > 0:08:51- Go for it.- And then, hopefully, we'll be on time for the auction.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Lovely.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Yes, no excuses, Christina.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59As the experts get on with their hunt,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02I'm discovering more about the family that own Althorp.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07Now, this is the Spencer Gallery and the portraits here sum up the most
0:09:07 > 0:09:09recent family history.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13There's the current earl, Charles Spencer, who inherited the estate,
0:09:13 > 0:09:18and the house from his father when he died in 1992.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21And to the right, that's Diana, the Princess of Wales.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25After her tragic death in 1997, her body was returned to the estate
0:09:25 > 0:09:29where she now rests in a peaceful and beautiful spot.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32So there you have it - the recent Spencer family history.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38And Charles has found a man who knows all about the Spencers,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41and our glorious setting. He was once a guide here.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43- David, good to see you.- Hello, sir.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46It's a really interesting image.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47I'm intrigued.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51- Who is it?- The image is of John Charles Spencer,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53who became the third Earl Spencer.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58John Charles would have grown up here and in the London home.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02He was Leader of the Commons, as well as Chancellor of the Exchequer,
0:10:02 > 0:10:04in the early 1830s.
0:10:04 > 0:10:10And with his colleagues, saw through the great reform act of 1832,
0:10:10 > 0:10:16where more of the adult male population had the vote.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21I studied that in my GCSE history, all about the 1820s, 1830s,
0:10:21 > 0:10:27and of course 1832 was pivotal towards more of society having the
0:10:27 > 0:10:30vote and becoming obviously more democratic.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- Indeed.- Do you know what its technical make-up is called?
0:10:33 > 0:10:35What the medium is to create this?
0:10:35 > 0:10:40I believe it's called an anaglyptograph.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Yes. I was hoping you would say that.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47- Well done.- Which is suggesting it looks like an embossed image.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49- Yes.- It's a three-dimensional image,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52- but, in fact, it isn't. It's a flat print.- Correct.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55But, again, that brings us back to the designer of this image,
0:10:55 > 0:11:01- who was designing for the back of coins.- Correct. Who was...?
0:11:01 > 0:11:03- William Wyon, I believe.- Correct.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06And, of course, the man who created this image
0:11:06 > 0:11:08was Alfred Robert Fairbrother.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12He was the one who then turned the original by Wyon
0:11:12 > 0:11:14- into the engraving...- Correct.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19- ..that we now see.- Correct. You can obviously note on the margin,
0:11:19 > 0:11:24"William Wyon, chief engraver..." of course of the Royal Mint.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26- The Royal Mint. Yes, yes.- I like it a lot.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28It's very original.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32The frame is in period and is contemporary.
0:11:32 > 0:11:33I've got one concern, have you?
0:11:33 > 0:11:36One or two slight pinpricks or foxing.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40Foxing, exactly. You can just see maybe a bit of humidity,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44- more denser spots there... - Yes.- And also on his forehead there.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49- What's his history?- You obviously got very enthralled in Althorp on
0:11:49 > 0:11:52- retirement when you worked here. - You bought it recently?
0:11:52 > 0:11:55- About six years ago.- Really?- On online auction.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57I've got nowhere to hang it.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00No. What's it worth? You can whisper if you want to.
0:12:00 > 0:12:01I've no idea.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05Other than I paid about £120 for it about six years ago.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Well, I would like to, David, with your blessing,
0:12:08 > 0:12:14put it into the sale with a guide price of between 60 and £80.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16- OK?- Yeah.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Now, you might say to me, "Charles,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20"I'd like more than that, because I paid more for it."
0:12:20 > 0:12:23I don't really mind. I would hate to give it away.
0:12:23 > 0:12:24- Yes.- But, having said that,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28I'm not desperate necessarily to get my £120 back.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32If you are happy to put it into the sale between 60 and 80...
0:12:32 > 0:12:34- I'm quite happy with that. - You're a good man.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36- Thank you.- Thank you very much, sir.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38We'll have a go and hopefully we'll sell it.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41- Thank you very much. Thank you. - Thank you.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45During the Elizabethan times, this whole area would have been a
0:12:45 > 0:12:47courtyard and where the carpets are now,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49that would once be cobbled stones.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Visitors would arrive at the house here,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54and get off their horses or if they are
0:12:54 > 0:12:56from the upper echelons, get out of their carriages.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59John Spencer, who was the founder of Althorp,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02insisted this whole area had to be for entertaining.
0:13:02 > 0:13:03So he had it roofed over,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06and later on he also had this rather imposing,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08and very impressive staircase put in.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11We'll be making more of this later on in the show, but right now,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13our experts have been working flat out.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16They've found their first three items to take off to auction.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20So here's a quick recap of what's going under the hammer.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23A stunning jewellery set from Scandinavia.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Two watches, one more prestigious than the other.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36And the engraving with links to Althorp.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43We're heading half an hour north to Leicestershire and Market Harborough,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47which was famous in the Victorian era for its corset making.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Foundation garments made here were sent all over the world.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52There are no restraints on us, though,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55as we head inside the auction house.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58On the rostrum for us today, we have Will Gilding.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02It's busy, so fingers crossed for our first lot.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Going under the hammer right now we have an analyptograph
0:14:05 > 0:14:06of John Charles Spencer.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08It's a lovely connection to Althorp House,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11and another great connection is David, who's right next to me.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Because you were a guide there, weren't you?
0:14:13 > 0:14:17- Indeed, yes.- You probably know more about the house than most people.
0:14:17 > 0:14:18- Than many, yes.- Yeah.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Right, let's put it to the test and find out what it's worth right now.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23It's going under the hammer.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Profile bust portrait of the third Earl Spencer.
0:14:26 > 0:14:27And starting here at £40 now.
0:14:27 > 0:14:2940. 40, I have a bid.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31- 42.- Great connection to the house.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33At £42, 45.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35- Yes! In the room.- At 45.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37At 48?
0:14:37 > 0:14:38£48 online.
0:14:38 > 0:14:4048. 50. Five.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Back with the online bidder and you're out for the room.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45- £60, it's the internet. £60.- Sold it.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49You're all out, seated. Selling online at 60...
0:14:50 > 0:14:52- Yes! It's gone.- Great. Nice thing to have.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55- £60. Thank you for being a part of our day as well.- That's wonderful.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58- Introducing us to Althorp. - Yeah.- It was just brilliant.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02Now, let's see if we can pick up the pace with the next item.
0:15:02 > 0:15:03Going under the hammer right now,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06a enamel bracelet and earring set belonging to Rosemary.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08And not much longer, I doubt.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10- No, no.- This is so blue, it's so vivid.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13- A beautiful colour, isn't it? - Yeah.- It's so alive.- That's right.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16- Mid-20th century. It's gorgeous. - It's got everything going for it,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18- hasn't it?- Yeah, yeah.- And the condition's very good.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20- The enamel's not scratched or damaged, so that's good.- It is.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22- No, no.- Let's put it to the test. Here we go.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25A striking piece of Norwegian design here.
0:15:25 > 0:15:26Start the bidding at £35.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28A modest start, I think.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31- Look.- Three or four hands.- It's like a Mexican wave going up.
0:15:31 > 0:15:3350. Five, 60.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34Five, 70.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37- Five, 80.- Oh, good. This is £100, surely.
0:15:37 > 0:15:3880, five.
0:15:38 > 0:15:4090, five.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41100. 100.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- Always good to be cautious.- 110.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48- Seated here at 100.- Hold tight. - At £100...
0:15:48 > 0:15:50- All done?- That's the threshold, isn't it?
0:15:50 > 0:15:53- We've got the tonne.- That's good. - 110, just in time online at 110.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55120. £120.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59- Come on.- Room bid.- Brilliant.- £120.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01- Excellent!- Good.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03- That's more like it.- You just don't know, do you?
0:16:03 > 0:16:06- No.- Really good.- And I'm sure that's gone to a good home.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09- Yeah, I'm sure.- Thank you so much for bringing it in.- Thank you.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11We're on a roll, but will it last?
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Tony's had a bit of a change of heart.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17- Tony, it's great to see you again. - Nice to be here.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20I was just about to say, "two watches about to go under the hammer,"
0:16:20 > 0:16:22but it's one because at the valuation day,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25- we did two valuations. - We did.- Two separate watches.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29- You've decided to withdraw one of the watches.- Yeah.- Tell us why.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31I just felt a bit sentimental at the end of the day,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34and I did actually promise my eldest son the older watch.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37- Yeah, that's... - And he's got a son,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39- so keep it in the family, basically. - Do you know what?
0:16:39 > 0:16:41That's a good thing. That's a good thing, cos once it's gone,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44- you can't buy it back and you don't know who bought this.- No, no.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Exactly. And I always say to my customers and my clients,
0:16:46 > 0:16:49- I always say, "If in doubt, don't." - No.- Because you can only sell these
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- things once and they're gone forever.- Oh, yeah.- However,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54we do have the nine carat gold Omega watch that is about to go under the
0:16:54 > 0:16:56hammer. We're looking for around £300, £400, 500.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- Well, I sincerely hope so. It's a beautiful thing.- Fingers crossed.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02- Indeed.- Let's put it to the test, shall we? Let's find out exactly
0:17:02 > 0:17:04what the bidders think as we hand the proceedings over
0:17:04 > 0:17:07to Will on the rostrum.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10And it's the gents' Omega Seamaster at £220.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13At 220. 230. 240. 250.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15- Bidding in the room.- 260. 270.- Yeah.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17280. 280 here, at 280.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19- 290.- Yes.- Come on.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23300. 320. 340.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25360. 380. 400.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30420. 440. 460 now.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33- Let's get the top end.- Yeah.- That would be good, wouldn't it?
0:17:33 > 0:17:34Are you all right, darling?
0:17:34 > 0:17:37500, standing here. Dead centre of the room at £500.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39You're saying goodbye, aren't you, really?
0:17:39 > 0:17:43- You can see it disappearing.- At £500. Online. 500.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- Top end. £500.- Splendid. - Wonderful. Wonderful.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48- Fantastic. Well done.- That's good, isn't it?- Brilliant.
0:17:48 > 0:17:49That's a great day out in the auction room.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- Well, thank you very much.- Thank you very much. And well done, Christina.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55- Well spotted.- Can I get a kiss? - Yeah! Certainly can.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58- Thank you very much.- Well done. Thanks for that.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Well, that's it. That includes our first visit to the auction room today.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07We are coming back here later on in the programme. Do not go away.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09There could be that big surprise we keep wishing for.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12We are now going back to our valuation day venue, Althorp House,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15to join up with our experts to find some more treasures,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18but before that, I want to find out how life has changed for those
0:18:18 > 0:18:20working in the house.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29Northamptonshire styled itself as the county of spires and squires.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33In the past, its rural landscape and abundance of country estates were
0:18:33 > 0:18:36key sources of work for local people.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39They offered accommodation and the chance for a son or daughter
0:18:39 > 0:18:43to follow their father or mother into service.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46And Althorp was no exception.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49This has been home to the Spencer family for more than five centuries.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51And looking after them,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54the house and the vast estate during that period was no mean feat.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57It required quite an army of staff.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03A century ago, there were 65 domestic staff,
0:19:03 > 0:19:0645 gardeners, and 40 grooms,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09looking after 100 horses and carriages.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Inside, there are 90 rooms and 31 open fireplaces.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Back in the day, they would have all been working.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20It's a lot of hard work to keep those going,
0:19:20 > 0:19:22and a lot of house to clean.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Today there are just 20 people working full-time,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28and some have followed in their ancestors' footsteps,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31but the jobs they do these days are very different.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Bridget Barford is the fifth generation of the family to work
0:19:34 > 0:19:37at Althorp. She has juggled other jobs at the same time,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41but Althorp has been her second home for 50 years.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49Well, I started off in the tearooms, as they were then, you know.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53And I think I've done a bit of everything over the years.
0:19:53 > 0:19:59From washing up, toilets, ironing, turning the beds down, you name it -
0:19:59 > 0:20:03I think I've done it. I honestly don't know what I'd do if I didn't
0:20:03 > 0:20:06have Althorp to come to, you know.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08And I always used to think when I came down here,
0:20:08 > 0:20:13cos I first came down on my cycle, cos I hadn't got a car then,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16I used to think it was like coming into another world.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21It was so peaceful and I really have enjoyed it.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25We need to wind back to the 19th century to find out what life was
0:20:25 > 0:20:29like for the first member of Bridget's family to work here.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Well, it was my great grandma, Elizabeth Gould.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37She was a cook. Everybody from the older generation didn't talk about
0:20:37 > 0:20:41her, cos she was a bit of a naughty girl.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44She had a son before she married,
0:20:44 > 0:20:48but, luckily, Lady Spencer kept her on.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50She did live in for a time,
0:20:50 > 0:20:54and I think a lot of the maids and laundry maids did,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58and I often think when I've been doing the turn down,
0:20:58 > 0:21:02when we climb the top stairs to the attics, about ten o'clock at night,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05and those poor little girls going up there,
0:21:05 > 0:21:06and they'd be up again the next
0:21:06 > 0:21:09morning at six o'clock to do all the fires.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12So I think they had a very hard life, you know.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15And just the odd day off a month.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Dearie me.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Bridget's great-grandmother worked for this chap, the fifth Earl,
0:21:23 > 0:21:27also known as the Red Earl because of his dramatic auburn beard.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31And, look at this, isn't that a wonderful painting?
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Now, he's a great example of a typical Spencer,
0:21:34 > 0:21:39because he loved field activities and sport and also politics.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Now, back in his day, if you can imagine it, Victorian England,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45there would have been an army of staff at his beck and call.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47It would have been a hive of activity,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50and the nature of his business - politics - he was widely travelled.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Lavish dinner parties would have been held here
0:21:52 > 0:21:55with important guests and dignitaries staying over.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58And no doubt after supper the gentlemen would have retired to this
0:21:58 > 0:22:01room for a game of billiards or snooker,
0:22:01 > 0:22:05where politics and business would have been hotly debated.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Bridget's family link continued with her mum,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16who was a house maid, and her aunt Phyllis, who was a cook.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Not surprisingly, Bridget followed suit,
0:22:19 > 0:22:23helping cover Auntie's duties, working for the seventh Earl.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25One night, I had to cook a sole for him.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Auntie Phyllis said, "If you don't get it out whole," she said,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32"he won't eat it." So I can tell you,
0:22:32 > 0:22:36my nerves were in a bit of a state, but I did manage it.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41My auntie Phyllis, she was a spinster, so she was quite strict.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46And her and Lord Spencer always used to have a row on Christmas morning,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49and she was always going to walk out, but she never did.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51She always came back again.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55And, of course, when they had a dinner party,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59Mr Farns, the chauffeur, used to come and fetch her.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03And of course she used to pass Mrs Clark and Mrs Savage and my mum on
0:23:03 > 0:23:05their bikes and wave.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08You know, like that. Mum used to say, who does she think she is?
0:23:08 > 0:23:09The Queen?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Auntie Phyllis sounds quite a character.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13And despite their ups and downs,
0:23:13 > 0:23:18she had a good working relationship with the seventh Earl for 20 years.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21He was known for his passion to preserve Althorp and someone who has
0:23:21 > 0:23:24learnt a lot about him is Diane Springett,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28who has been a tour guide here for 27 years.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30So, what was his role here, Diane?
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Well, he was named the curator Earl because in fact,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36he sort of loved sort of everything about the house.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38He knew every stick of furniture, every piece of porcelain.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Really? He was a proper academic.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43- Oh, very much so, yes.- Did he give tours then?
0:23:43 > 0:23:44He did indeed, yes.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49He started roughly in the 1950s, and he used to take academics around,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52and students, and he also got very cross if at the end of the day,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55he would throw questions at them and they didn't get it right.
0:23:55 > 0:23:56- Really?- Yes, he did.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58He wanted it to stay like this, I guess?
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Oh, he did, very much so.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03And of course at one time they were worried whether they would be able
0:24:03 > 0:24:06to carry on because the house was falling into disrepair,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10so they got a heritage body to come and take a look at it with the concept
0:24:10 > 0:24:12of them maybe taking it over.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16However they said it was in too much of a bad state, that they didn't
0:24:16 > 0:24:19want to take it on, so then in actual fact the seventh Earl went to
0:24:19 > 0:24:23the government to see if he could get a grant to help them do the repair,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26which he did. And that was one of the reasons why he had to open in
0:24:26 > 0:24:27- the '50s.- Right.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28Because of that condition.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30What about the current Earl?
0:24:30 > 0:24:31Has he got a big interest?
0:24:31 > 0:24:32Very much so. Oh, yes.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36That tradition is there of carrying on looking after the house for the
0:24:36 > 0:24:38next generation, basically.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39Did he ever do tours?
0:24:39 > 0:24:40- Oh, he did, yes.- Did he?- Yes.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45Apparently he started when he was about 12 years old for some pocket money.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46HE LAUGHS
0:24:46 > 0:24:48That's a good way of earning pocket money, isn't it?
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Very much so, yeah. And he's very, very well informed.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53I love it when people come with their children, you know?
0:24:53 > 0:24:56And the children are enthusiastic because you feel, here we are,
0:24:56 > 0:25:00another generation are going to carry on wanting to see places like this.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02- Yeah. Yeah.- I love going around with him,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04listening to what he has to say.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09The staff like Diane and Bridget are part of Althorp's history.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Bridget's family go back to a time when there were lots more servants.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16None of them were serving the public, the priority was the family.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19She has some fond memories.
0:25:19 > 0:25:24I knew Lord Spencer's sisters, Lady Jane, Lady Sarah and Lady Diana.
0:25:24 > 0:25:30They were sort of teenagers when I first knew them over the years and I
0:25:30 > 0:25:32have watched them all have their families.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34The christening parties and that.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39And watched them all grow up from toddlers to grown-ups.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42You walk in and you know it's a family home.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Well, the times have certainly changed but you can't argue with sentiments
0:25:46 > 0:25:51like that. For two months of the year, Althorp opens its gates to the public.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55There are also special events like a literary and food festival.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58And with people like Bridget and Diane and the rest of the Althorp staff,
0:25:58 > 0:26:03I think it's fair to say, when the crowds arrive, they're in safe hands.
0:26:10 > 0:26:11Back to the valuations,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15and Christina has found a man she's got lots in common with.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20Tony, tell me about this incredibly magnificent, beautiful piece
0:26:20 > 0:26:24- in front of us?- In my youth I used to go round to antique shops and have a look
0:26:24 > 0:26:27around and look for quality and I found this.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31I think I was about 18 years old in Finedon Antiques Centre.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36And I decided to purchase it along with other things I used to purchase.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39It would have perhaps been a couple pounds or something like that.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42But a pound then, I don't know what it is worth today but a lot more money,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44- isn't it?- So you are 18 years old.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48- Yeah.- And most 18-year-old teenagers are hanging around in pubs and
0:26:48 > 0:26:51nightclubs and you are in an antiques centre?
0:26:51 > 0:26:53- Yeah.- You would have been the perfect man for me.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55That's exactly what I was doing at the age of 18.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Really?
0:26:57 > 0:26:58- What a pity.- Yeah.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59THEY LAUGH
0:26:59 > 0:27:01I was either in an antiques centre or in the library.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Oh, well. There we are. I was never in the library.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06- We would have been geeks together. - Yes, absolutely.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Maybe this is a silly question but what was it as an 18-year-old boy
0:27:09 > 0:27:11that attracted you to it?
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Just the whole picture...
0:27:13 > 0:27:15The naked ladies?
0:27:17 > 0:27:19I mean, it is beautiful.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20- It is. Isn't it?- It's stunning.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23It's titled A Pompeian Lady In Her Toilet.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Oh, right, didn't know that.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27As in her toilet, as in her preparatory area,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29her dressing room if you like.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32But for me it feels like we are at Althorp in here, doesn't it?
0:27:32 > 0:27:33These wonderful pillars here.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37The detail as well inside it, of all the scrolls down the bottom,
0:27:37 > 0:27:39it's quite incredible actually.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43And that is the thing that is incredibly important about this
0:27:43 > 0:27:44because if we look down here,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47there's a little signature here which says,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Morel Ladeuil, 1876.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52He was a sculptor, OK?
0:27:52 > 0:27:54- Oh, right.- He wasn't just a silversmith,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56he was a sculptor and I think that is really evident in this piece
0:27:56 > 0:27:59because it's almost three-dimensional, isn't it?
0:27:59 > 0:28:01- Yes.- It really, really stands proud.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03You can see the detail in all these figures
0:28:03 > 0:28:06and it's almost jumping out of the plate at you, isn't it?
0:28:06 > 0:28:10It's fabulous. We've got a signature down here which is Elkington.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13So Elkington & Co were a company who specialised in silver
0:28:13 > 0:28:16and silversmithing and silver plating.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20They were established by a pair of brothers in about 1830.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Now, in the Paris exhibition they exhibited at,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27they noted this sculptor, Morel Ladeuil here,
0:28:27 > 0:28:31and he was given a contract for three years by Elkington to design
0:28:31 > 0:28:35pieces for them. He produced some incredibly beautiful pieces.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Some vases and platters like this.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43The original one in silver has the most beautiful wide rim on it, OK?
0:28:43 > 0:28:45So this is a silver-plated example.
0:28:45 > 0:28:46- Right.- This isn't a silver example.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49- So was he French, then, or...? - He was.- He was French, all right.
0:28:49 > 0:28:50Yes, he was a Parisian sculptor.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52- Oh, OK. Yeah.- Exactly.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55So let's have a little look at the back.
0:28:55 > 0:28:56Now, what's really interesting,
0:28:56 > 0:28:59obviously Elkington were a British firm,
0:28:59 > 0:29:01but we've got on here in German,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04which was when it was registered in Germany,
0:29:04 > 0:29:08we've got French and then we've got, designed, copyrighted
0:29:08 > 0:29:10in the United States, November 1876.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12So it's been all over the world.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15I mean, it's an incredibly well travelled piece.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18- Oh, is it?- And I think this is a copy of a piece
0:29:18 > 0:29:23that was exhibited in the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25OK? Now, you have to imagine, in the 19th century,
0:29:25 > 0:29:28obviously the Industrial Revolution was happening.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30All these artisans and craftsmen were desperate
0:29:30 > 0:29:32to exhibit their wares.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34So they would have world exhibitions.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36They had them in Paris, they had them in London.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39And it was an opportunity for craftsmen to really get together
0:29:39 > 0:29:42and show off their wares, their craftsmanship.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44Let's turn it back round to the front.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48Because I think that probably is visually the more impressive side,
0:29:48 > 0:29:51isn't it? Now, silver plate isn't possibly the best of sellers
0:29:51 > 0:29:54and you can see that it is a silver plate example
0:29:54 > 0:29:55rather than a silver example.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58You can see that obviously the plate is wearing off
0:29:58 > 0:30:01and you've got the base metal showing through.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03It's a great visually looking piece.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05- But a tricky seller.- Right.
0:30:05 > 0:30:06A tricky seller.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09I mean, I personally at auction I would be conservative.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13Maybe a slightly modest estimate of £200-300.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15- Right.- I would hope that it would go for more than that,
0:30:15 > 0:30:18but like I say, it's a difficult market to sell to.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20How do you feel about that, Tony?
0:30:20 > 0:30:22Little bit lower than what I thought
0:30:22 > 0:30:23but that's why I've come to Flog It!
0:30:23 > 0:30:27Because you're the experts and if you don't know, well, who does?
0:30:27 > 0:30:28Oh, lordy!
0:30:30 > 0:30:33I think it's a beautiful thing and a real joy to see,
0:30:33 > 0:30:34so thank you for bringing it in.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37No naked ladies for Charles.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39He spotted Marian's naval prints.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41Marian, it's great to meet you.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44- And you.- And it's not quite life on the ocean waves here is it?
0:30:44 > 0:30:46In Althorp, it's landlocked territory.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48But I love these pictures.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50- Yes.- Tell me how you acquired them.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54They were my father's and I believe they might have been given to him
0:30:54 > 0:30:57by his father, who was a seafaring man.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00- Was he?- Yes, he was in the Merchant Navy.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02And this was your father's father?
0:31:02 > 0:31:05- Yeah, my grandfather. - So he was in the Merchant Navy,
0:31:05 > 0:31:07so we're going back to the Great War?
0:31:07 > 0:31:08- Yes.- Wow.- Yes.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14I suppose very much of what we don't know about the Great War
0:31:14 > 0:31:18was very much caught up in the poems we can see before us.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21- Yes.- On these two wonderful plates.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25And there should be four, in fact, this is only half a set.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28- Yes, I did realise that.- This is plate one and plate two,
0:31:28 > 0:31:32and what's lovely is it's a real marriage of two great individuals.
0:31:32 > 0:31:37First of all, to the memory of the nameless killed and wounded
0:31:37 > 0:31:39by Captain Ronald Hopwood.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43He was a British naval officer born 1868.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45He died in around 1949
0:31:45 > 0:31:50and he clearly had a great skill for poetry.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52- Yes.- And I love these scenes.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54These vignettes.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57Which, of course, represent going back to the mid-16th century,
0:31:57 > 0:32:01here's the Armada, and then we've got scenes from World War I,
0:32:01 > 0:32:05Napoleon, battles on this side,
0:32:05 > 0:32:10and it really captures the memories of those killed and wounded.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14- Yeah.- It's been put together as a pair of etchings
0:32:14 > 0:32:16we see now by a great London artist.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18Do you know who it is?
0:32:18 > 0:32:21- William Lionel Wyllie.- Yeah. William Lionel Wyllie, you're quite right,
0:32:21 > 0:32:24renowned for his maritime works.
0:32:24 > 0:32:29These vignettes of how he's brought the images
0:32:29 > 0:32:34to Captain Hopwood's script, don't they blend well together?
0:32:34 > 0:32:38- Yes.- And when you read the verses,
0:32:38 > 0:32:41you really feel the mood of the scenes
0:32:41 > 0:32:45and the words of the poetry as well. Don't you think so?
0:32:45 > 0:32:46They're not my taste.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Not to your taste? Why not?
0:32:48 > 0:32:50I think they're a bit sad.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53They are sad. I suppose we never forget,
0:32:53 > 0:32:57we always remember, and I think these reflect that.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59They would date to around 1910.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02That was his height.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05He was just a wonderful marine artist and that, of course,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08the great man William Lionel Wyllie.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10But of course, these are etchings,
0:33:10 > 0:33:16the detail in that inked plate is so good, the details so fine.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18- Do you now like them?- No.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21No? I haven't been able to sort of give you a charm?
0:33:21 > 0:33:22No.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24They've been in my loft.
0:33:24 > 0:33:25What a shame.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Where are the other two?
0:33:27 > 0:33:29- We don't know. - They're in good condition.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33I'd have thought these ebonised frames are original as well.
0:33:33 > 0:33:34And they are unusual.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37I haven't seen this set before.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39- Right.- But of course they are incomplete.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42- Yes.- But even so, they've got that militaria interest.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46Marian, I'd probably like to go in with a guide price
0:33:46 > 0:33:49- of between 50 and £70.- Right.
0:33:49 > 0:33:50- With your blessing.- Yes.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54And I would propose we on the day put a reserve fixed at 40
0:33:54 > 0:33:58and, although we're going to landlocked Leicestershire,
0:33:58 > 0:34:01the market I feel is more for the militaria
0:34:01 > 0:34:03and the fact they are by a great artist in Wyllie.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06- Right.- So, with your blessing, we shall set sail.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08- OK.- To auction. Thanks, Marian.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10- Thank you.- Thanks for coming in today.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14Hopefully the prints will be snapped up by someone with a real interest.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17In the saloon, Christina's uncovered a spectacular vase.
0:34:19 > 0:34:20Liz, you're looking a bit nervous.
0:34:20 > 0:34:21Sorry!
0:34:23 > 0:34:25Why are you nervous about holding this?
0:34:25 > 0:34:26I just don't want to drop it.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30Is it something that you've had in the family for a while?
0:34:30 > 0:34:32As long as I can remember.
0:34:32 > 0:34:33All my childhood.
0:34:33 > 0:34:34- All your childhood?- Yeah.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37And who did it belong to before you had it?
0:34:37 > 0:34:38My dad. Well, my parents.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40And do you know why? Did he buy it himself?
0:34:40 > 0:34:43I think he was given it by an aunt.
0:34:43 > 0:34:44OK. And do you like it?
0:34:44 > 0:34:46I do like it, I like the colours of it.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50I can't say I particularly like the vase or would want it,
0:34:50 > 0:34:53- but I like the colours of it. - Do you mind if I have a quick look?
0:34:53 > 0:34:58- No.- Because I saw this in the queue and it just shone to me.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00I just think it's absolutely stunning.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02- Do you know who it's made by? - I know it's a Moorcroft.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04- Exactly.- Yes, so if we look at its bottom...
0:35:04 > 0:35:06This is terrible, my mum always tells me off,
0:35:06 > 0:35:08because as soon as I walk into somebody's house,
0:35:08 > 0:35:10I don't look at something, I just look at its bottom.
0:35:10 > 0:35:11- Yeah!- It's very naughty, isn't it?
0:35:11 > 0:35:14But if we look at its bottom here, it has got this wonderful signature,
0:35:14 > 0:35:17it's W Moorcroft, for William Moorcroft,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20and also we've got this wonderful stamped mark here, W Moorcroft,
0:35:20 > 0:35:23Potter to the Queen, made in England.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25Absolutely stunning.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29And if I were to own a piece of Moorcroft, it would be this pattern.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31Which is what we call the moonlit blue pattern.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Absolutely stunning. From about 1925,
0:35:34 > 0:35:36so really quite an early Moorcroft peace.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40And I think specifically on this shape it works incredibly well,
0:35:40 > 0:35:43it really, really does. And for any Moorcroft collector this would be
0:35:43 > 0:35:45a bit of a dream. It really would.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49Nice, early piece, great marks and just fabulous colours.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53With Moorcroft, you think of this typical tube lined design.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56It really has those sort of echoes of the early 1920s
0:35:56 > 0:35:59when Moorcroft was supported, if you like,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01by his friend George Lasenby Liberty,
0:36:01 > 0:36:02- have you heard of him?- No.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04You know the shop Liberty's in London?
0:36:04 > 0:36:07- Oh, yes. Yes.- So George Lasenby Liberty set up Liberty's
0:36:07 > 0:36:12and he was a great sponsor of artisans and craftsmen at the time,
0:36:12 > 0:36:16so when Moorcroft left MacIntyre in about 1914, I think,
0:36:16 > 0:36:20to set up his own factory, Liberty supported him financially,
0:36:20 > 0:36:22to enable him to start production.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25So it has echoes of that Liberty feel about it.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28It really is a stunning...
0:36:28 > 0:36:31That glaze there is just beautiful.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34I mean, early Moorcroft, it did create what we call craze,
0:36:34 > 0:36:38which is very, very, very fine cracks in the glaze,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40and that's what you always have to look out for.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Can you see that sort of very fine spider's web effect
0:36:42 > 0:36:45- that we've got going on here?- Yeah. - That's what we call crazing.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48- Yeah.- And sometimes, which I think has happened in this case,
0:36:48 > 0:36:52sometimes the body of the pottery comes through that crazing,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55so it creates this... Can you see this bubbling effect down here?
0:36:55 > 0:36:57- Yeah.- Which can also indicate
0:36:57 > 0:36:59that there might have been some restoration.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02So I love the pattern, it's got everything going for it,
0:37:02 > 0:37:04I love the pattern, I love that it's early,
0:37:04 > 0:37:06I love that it's such great colours,
0:37:06 > 0:37:08this colour is particularly beautiful,
0:37:08 > 0:37:10but I do have some concerns about the condition.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13- Oh, OK.- And that will knock the value slightly.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16- OK?- It's a shame.- It is a shame but that's not anything
0:37:16 > 0:37:20- that you could have helped at all. - OK.- It just happens.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23So I would say maybe £3-500 at auction.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25- Oh, right.- What do you think about that?- Yeah.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27- Yeah, that's...- Would that be all right?
0:37:27 > 0:37:29- Yeah.- So shall we put it forward to the auction?
0:37:29 > 0:37:32- Yes.- Oh, it's so nerve-racking!
0:37:35 > 0:37:38Well, there you are, our experts have now found their final items
0:37:38 > 0:37:41to take off at auction, which means sadly it's time to say goodbye
0:37:41 > 0:37:43to Althorp House. Had a good time, everyone?
0:37:43 > 0:37:45- ALL:- Yeah.- Yes, we certainly have.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47It's been fascinating finding out about the house
0:37:47 > 0:37:49and how the roles of the people working here
0:37:49 > 0:37:51over the centuries have changed.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54But right now, we need to make some history for ourselves
0:37:54 > 0:37:56as we're going over to the auction room for the last time
0:37:56 > 0:37:59and here's a quick recap of all the items we're taking with us.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04The silver plated plaque with impeccable provenance.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10One of my favourites, the naval prints by William Wyllie.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15And a glorious moonlit patterned Moorcroft vase.
0:38:17 > 0:38:18Back at the auction room,
0:38:18 > 0:38:22we have Mark and Will Gilding sharing the rostrum duty.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25Time for the silver plaque to test the market.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28Fingers crossed, Tony, and good luck.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30Hopefully we can turn that £1 or £2 find
0:38:30 > 0:38:34from the antiques shop a long, long time ago into £2-300,
0:38:34 > 0:38:36we're talking about that lovely Elkington plaque.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Where has it been - on the wall, in a cupboard, in a drawer?
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Various places around the house until a point you get fed up
0:38:42 > 0:38:44of, like, trying to keep it clean.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46And I thought, right, I'll bring it to Flog It!
0:38:46 > 0:38:49Because I'm getting so old-fashioned now, I don't want to clean it.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Hey, look, this is your lot. Good luck.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55Elkington & Co silver-plated electro type plaquette
0:38:55 > 0:38:58and bidding opens here at £110.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01Oh, 110, so we've got a £200 reserve on it, haven't we?
0:39:01 > 0:39:02120, 130.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04At 130.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Well below estimate here, ladies and gentlemen, it's £130.
0:39:07 > 0:39:08He's going to pass on that.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10- Yeah. Yes.- There we go, at 130...
0:39:10 > 0:39:12- What a shame.- 130.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15- It's such a beautiful thing. - Sorry about that.
0:39:15 > 0:39:16- I know.- Sorry about that.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18With all that provenance as well.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20Exactly. With all the provenance on the back, it's such a shame,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23but it's a very difficult, as I explained to you on the valuation,
0:39:23 > 0:39:25it's a very difficult market to sell at the moment,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28so maybe you want to keep cleaning, but not too much...
0:39:28 > 0:39:31- No, put it back the cupboard. - For the next couple of years.
0:39:31 > 0:39:32See you in a couple of years' time.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36- Yeah.- Bring it back to us when the market for electro plate
0:39:36 > 0:39:37is going through the roof.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40What a shame the market wasn't there for Tony's plaque.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42But we had fun.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44Fingers crossed for our next lot.
0:39:44 > 0:39:45Right now going under the hammer,
0:39:45 > 0:39:48we've got two signed William Wyllie prints belonging to Marian,
0:39:48 > 0:39:50and it's good to see you again.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52Now, right, not a lot of money, but I tell you what,
0:39:52 > 0:39:54as an entry point for William Wyllie this is very, very good,
0:39:54 > 0:39:58because they're only prints but they are signed by the man himself.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00What's nice, Paul, about these is they've got a sentimental
0:40:00 > 0:40:03- military link as well...- Yes. They have a good back story.
0:40:03 > 0:40:04Yeah. Absolutely right. Here we go.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06Ready? We're going under the hammer now.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08- These are good, Paul.- This is it.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11Wyllie's Our Fathers to the memory of the nameless killed and wounded.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13A modest start here, surely, at £30.
0:40:13 > 0:40:14At 30? At £30, bid.
0:40:14 > 0:40:15Thank you, £30 I have.
0:40:15 > 0:40:16At 32? At 32.
0:40:16 > 0:40:2035. 38. 40. 40 bid.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22At £40 in the room...
0:40:22 > 0:40:24- And over there.- £40.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26Here at 40. At 42.
0:40:26 > 0:40:27Give me five. 48.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29- 50.- That's mid estimate. We're moving.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32Five. Lady's bid, then, at £55.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34At £55.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37Are we all gone? Selling at 55.
0:40:37 > 0:40:38£55, they've gone.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40Just above...mid estimate.
0:40:40 > 0:40:41- That's OK.- That's OK, isn't it?
0:40:41 > 0:40:43That's OK. They've gone. Happy with that?
0:40:43 > 0:40:45Yes. You feel a bit sad, I can see, there's a tear in your eye.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48No, no. They were only in the loft.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51My father loved them but they didn't appeal to me.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56Luckily, the prints did attract interest
0:40:56 > 0:40:59and now for a big name in the pottery world.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01It's Liz's Moorcroft.
0:41:01 > 0:41:02And she's excited.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Let's find out what the bidders think, shall we, Liz,
0:41:05 > 0:41:06I think they're going to love this.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09This wonderful William Moorcroft moonlit blue vase
0:41:09 > 0:41:11and telephone bids we'll come to.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14- Oh, brilliant, so that means they've got telephone bids.- Yeah.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16£400 my opening bid.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18Oh, we're straight in, OK, straight in.
0:41:18 > 0:41:1950, 600.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22And 50. 700. And 50, 800.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24- Liz!- And 50, 900...
0:41:24 > 0:41:26950. 1000.
0:41:26 > 0:41:311,100. 1,200, 1,300.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34- What were you worried about?- £1,300.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36- At 1,300.- I'm just a little bit anxious.
0:41:36 > 0:41:381,300 with me. Telephones, how about you?
0:41:38 > 0:41:411,400 with Will, 1,500 with me.
0:41:41 > 0:41:421,600 with Will.
0:41:42 > 0:41:43We could do two grand.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45- We could do two grand.- £1,600.
0:41:45 > 0:41:471,700 with Denise.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49- 1,700.- Come on, let's do 2,000.
0:41:49 > 0:41:501,800 with Will.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52£1,800 I'm bid...
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Well, obviously a typing error in the catalogue.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57I may have missed the one or two!
0:41:57 > 0:41:582,100.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01- 2,1.- Thank you, Denise. At 2,100.
0:42:01 > 0:42:032,200, thank you.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05Brilliant. That's brilliant.
0:42:05 > 0:42:062,300, Denise.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08Thank you, at 2,400 I'm bid now.
0:42:08 > 0:42:112,500.
0:42:11 > 0:42:132,500, Liz, count the money!
0:42:13 > 0:42:15- Count that money!- 2,600 with Will.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17- 2,600.- 2,6.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19Look at it. It was just packed away.
0:42:19 > 0:42:202,800.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22Still on the phones, all these. And at 2,800.
0:42:22 > 0:42:242,900 with Denise.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27And even I've undervalued it now, I was hoping for two.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29Are you sure? You've come a long way.
0:42:29 > 0:42:30Oh, come on! 2,900 with Denise.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32We're with Denise then. The telephone...
0:42:32 > 0:42:35- That's it.- £3,000, new bidder.
0:42:35 > 0:42:36- Yes!- Oh!
0:42:36 > 0:42:38New bidder at £3,000 in the room.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41Oh, you've got to be feeling on top of the world right now.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43At £3,000.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Yes! That's a sold sum.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48£3,000, Liz.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52- Fantastic.- It flew, didn't it? Well done. Well done.
0:42:52 > 0:42:53Well done!
0:42:53 > 0:42:55Gosh. Gosh.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59- Have you got any more?- No, I wish.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01Your mum and dad had great taste.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03- Yeah.- Look, enjoy the money, won't you?
0:43:03 > 0:43:05- Yeah.- And what a fabulous way to end today's show,
0:43:05 > 0:43:07on such a big surprise.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09I knew there would be one and quality always sells,
0:43:09 > 0:43:11- that's what we say, don't we? - Absolutely.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13Join us again for many more surprises in salerooms
0:43:13 > 0:43:16in the future, but until then, it's goodbye from all of us
0:43:16 > 0:43:18here in Market Harborough.