Belfast 41 Flog It!

HORN

Thank you so much.

What a perfect way to arrive to our Valuation Day venue.

The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum,

just east of Belfast, in Northern Ireland.

The museum is packed full of wonderful exhibits,

just like that replica 1903 bus.

I'm going inside to see a lot more and hopefully hundreds of people

who've turned up laden with antiques and collectables.

So, let's go inside and join up with them.

Northern Ireland is rich in folk history.

The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum celebrates traditional ways of life.

Historic homes and workplaces from all over Ulster have been lovingly

rebuilt here, so we can take a step back in time.

Now, apart from all the magnificent exhibits on display

here in the museum, it looks like, with this magnificent crowd,

we're going to find some real treasures of our own,

that tell a fascinating tale of Ulster's folk history.

Our experts are going to find the best items to take off to auction.

And, of course, you lot want to know the answer to one question,

-which is... ALL:

-What's it worth?

Stay tuned, and you'll find out.

The museum is packed to the brim with wonderful artefacts.

Today, and dressed in traditional tweed, our expert, Caroline Hawley,

is wasting no time searching for her items.

Morning. Good morning.

So, what time did you get here with these fine things?

-Half past seven.

-Half past seven.

These are lovely.

I can't wait to look into them more when we get inside.

Not far behind is Mark Stacey,

looking for those classic pieces with his own inimitable style.

Anybody got any Lalique?

-No.

-Oh!

Like a couple of magpies, there's no stopping them.

-They've got that sort of Renaissance feel about them.

-Yeah.

-Renaissance revival.

-Yes. You know all about your jewellery, Mark.

-I know a lot about everything, Caroline, don't you know?

-I know you do.

Which is just as well as today's "Flog It!" fans are

descending in their droves.

While everyone's settling in, I just had to show you this tram - the Fintona.

Throughout its working life, it was always pulled by a single horse.

In 1883,

the Great Northern Railway opened a line between Enniskillen and Omagh.

Now their most economical route was to cut out the town of Fintona.

So, at that junction, they laid on this tram, pulled by a horse.

No-one knows much about the horses, except they were always called Dick.

Thankfully for the horses, the branch shut in 1957.

So, there you have it, the Fintona.

A wonderful example of early public transport here in Northern Ireland.

Before we make a start on those valuations,

here's a quick look at what's coming up in today's show.

Caroline Hawley finds herself haggling

with one optimistic owner...

Do you have any idea what sort of value?

-A thousand.

-A thousand!

-Right.

-Thousands.

-Right.

Thousands. No, no, no.

Mark Stacey sees his seller make a fantastic mark-up

from a car-boot sale purchase...

Did you buy this recently, John?

No, about ten years ago at a car-boot sale.

-Go on, shock me. How much?

-Er...

And I discover that a spade's not just a spade

when I visit Europe's last water-powered spade mill.

It really is labour intensive. That's hard work. That really is hard work.

But right now let's make a start on those valuations with Caroline.

Alison, it's lovely that you've brought this jardiniere

and stand along. It's fantastic. Is this your boy?

-Yes, this is Philip.

-Hello, Philip.

-Hi.

-I was drafted in to carry this lovely vase for my mum.

His lecture was cancelled, so he was available to bring some muscle.

That's very, very lucky, because it's heavy.

-Yeah.

-And also we don't want to break it.

Now, tell me what you know about it.

-I know from the bottom that it's Royal Doulton.

-Yeah.

-That's about all I know.

-Have you had it a long time?

I've had it about four, five years.

It came from my father's cousin's property. We cleared it out.

That's what I was allowed to take.

Do you have it on display somewhere?

Yes, I have a plant in it at home, a big fern.

Well, I think it's gorgeous.

Very often they've come separated and you'll see the pot by itself

and no stand. This is great to have both.

And it's beautifully decorated

with this tube line decoration of flowers,

which harks back to the Art Nouveau period to me, which is 1895, 1905.

Beautiful, Art Nouveau design.

So, shall we have a look at the pot and see what we can see?

Turn it over.

And we've got the Royal Doulton mark here.

This particular mark, without a crown under the lion,

dates from between 1923 and 1927.

So, we can be quite precise at dating this.

So, it's beyond the Art Nouveau period,

so I would think about 1925, 1924.

What narrows it down even more, this is "MB" for Maud Bowden.

And she was a long-standing ceramic decorator.

Started work there in 1903.

And it's wonderful.

It's great to have that mark, so we know lots about it.

And we also know it's in perfect condition.

Says me, putting it back.

And all is well. It's still in perfect condition.

Now, value. Do either of you have any idea of value?

No. I don't really know.

Well, I would think that should achieve

somewhere between £200 to £400 at auction.

-OK.

-How do you feel about that?

-Great.

-With a reserve? Would you like a reserve?

-Yes, please.

-Fixed reserve.

-Fixed reserve of 200.

-Yes, please.

-It could well do more than that, because it's perfect.

And what are you going to do with the cash for this?

My little brother has just turned 17, so he's probably

-going to get his first driving lessons.

-Driving lessons.

They're so expensive, aren't they? Well, with a fair wind,

hopefully that will get him through his driving lessons.

-Well, get some of them anyway.

-Get some of them.

A fantastic find there from Caroline.

While our experts are busy at it, I've made a discovery of my own.

Whose is this? Isn't that lovely?

With a bit of original paint as well.

Is this yours? And that's your husband over there.

-That's right.

-Ah!

I like that. I like that a lot.

It was in a junk shop in Fermanagh that I found it many years ago.

-What's your name?

-Joyce.

Joyce. Where do you live?

We live in Bangor now.

Oh, I know. Bangor, lovely.

Do you know what? You've made my day.

I was hoping to find a stick back chair here today and I have.

This is a wonderful example of Irish regional furniture.

It's vernacular furniture at its very best.

Traditionally, it would have always been painted.

You know, because sometimes, all of these sticks, the spindle backs,

and the cresting, the top rail, would've been mixed woods,

hedgerow material. Whatever you could get your hands on.

I think this is fabulous.

It's oak.

And I'd say that's sort of circa 1810, 1815.

And it's really, really nice. And if you put that into auction,

I think you'll get around £200-£300.

There's a bit of damage on the side here.

Someone's used it, look, as a saw stop, as a saw bench.

They put some wood on there.

But, do you know what, for me,

that says it's had a useful and a loved life.

And that's what you buy into

with this kind of regional sculptural furniture

because it wasn't made by a craftsman.

-Not at all.

-Someone who works with their hands, who works the land,

that's what it's all about.

For me, that's a great example of the Irish famine chair

which you would find in a small cottage.

It could tell many stories, and I hope somebody enjoys it.

Oh, I'm sure they will.

The Great Famine occurred between 1845 and 1852,

when a potato disease hit the nation.

It had spread across Europe, but with so many

dependent on the crop in Ireland, 1 million people died.

Mass starvation and disease ravaged the countryside

and 1 million more people emigrated to flee the widespread devastation.

The impact of the Great Famine was so horrendous,

it has become part of Ireland's folklore.

And when life was hard,

music and dance was a great way to lift the spirits.

Irish dancing has been an important part of Irish life

from the mid-18th century and continues to be so today.

We invited along one of Northern Ireland's very best dancers

and she's teaching Caroline a few steps.

Hop, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Arms in. Two, three. Hop back. Two, three.

She's with Donna Revie, four times Northern Ireland dancing champion.

So, she's in safe hands.

It's difficult, isn't it?

Donna, you are brilliant, and you come from a family of dancers.

Yes, yes. We've all danced.

My mother and my uncle were both Northern Ireland champions.

My sister was a Northern Ireland champion, as I was,

and my brother also danced before he went off to ballet school.

So, all of us very much involved in dancing.

How difficult is it to be champion of Northern Ireland?

It takes a lot of practice.

I started dancing when I was three years of age.

We were at classes two or three times a week.

Practised every day.

It takes a lot of dedication, a lot of very hard work,

to build up the technique,

and get to the standard where you're winning.

And you're still dancing?

-Only after a few G and Ts!

-LAUGHTER

Are you passing on these skills?

-Are you teaching them to anyone?

-Yes, I have been teaching.

-Great.

-Teaching to the young ones. Yeah.

-Oh, brilliant!

-So...

-Can I watch? Go on. Do a little bit. Do a little bit.

-Me, just on my own?

-Gosh, I don't know...

-Do something, do something that you'd have to do

to qualify in an exam or something.

Well, it's been a long time since I performed competitively,

-you've got to understand.

-Well, stand back, we'll watch this...

Let me see, oh, gosh, I don't know what to...

Oh, I'm not good.

-That's very good.

-Excellent, brilliant.

-Brilliant.

While Caroline catches her breath,

let's take a look at what Mark Stacey has found.

Janet, you've brought a charming portrait in to us.

Now, where did you get this from?

I got it from my aunt. She gave it to me.

-When was that?

-That was about 30 years ago.

30 years ago. Do you know where she got it from?

She got it from her sister.

So it's been... It's come down through the family.

-Yes, yes.

-And have you enjoyed it all those years?

I love it. I think it's a beautiful picture.

It is a lovely picture.

It's very much in that sort of Newlyn School, in Cornwall.

Now, the Newlyn School were fascinating.

They were formed in the 1880s

and tapered out at the beginning of the 20th century.

And they moved to Newlyn for two reasons.

Firstly, it was relatively inexpensive to live there.

And secondly, they were obsessed with light.

And they liked the light nature of that Cornish coast.

And they liked painting local workers, fishermen, you know,

wives of fishermen, all the local activities.

But on the ground floor level, if you like.

She's full of contemplation, isn't she?

She's looking into the distance.

-Yes, she's beautiful.

-And we've got a clear signature up here.

Which is, I can't read it, can you read it from there?

-Ralph Todd.

-Ralph Todd.

Ralph Todd is considered a sort of middle ranking.

-Right.

-Now you know his dates, don't you?

Yes, 1856 to 1932.

So he was born in 1856, died 1932,

he carried on painting right through that, into the '30s.

And what I particularly like about this is, if we turn it over,

we've got...

..his title, I Think, and then again, Ralph Todd.

So we've got the title, and that really does sum up

-the picture, doesn't it?

-It does.

-Because the lady is thinking.

Now, you've had it for a long time.

-30 years.

-30 years.

Why are you thinking of selling it?

Because I'm getting on now, and I've got two girls,

and they're not interested in it.

They don't see the beauty of it like I do.

In terms of value, 30 years ago,

it would have been worth more than it is today.

-That's understandable.

-I think,

if we were putting it into auction today,

I think we should put an estimate of £200-£300.

-That's fine.

-With the reserve of £200.

-Yeah, I'm OK with that.

-And we'll fix the reserve.

Because if you can't get that, you can enjoy it back on your wall.

-I think so, yeah.

-But I love it, and I'd love it on my wall.

Well, there you are, we've been working flat out,

our experts have found three fabulous items to put under the hammer.

I've got my favourites, you've probably got yours, but right now,

let's find out what the bidders think.

We're off to auction. This is where it gets exciting.

Don't leave us, and here's a quick recap

of all the items that are going under the hammer.

So far, it's all about the interiors with Alison and Philip's delightful

Victorian jardiniere,

a perfect centrepiece.

Will someone love the rustic charm and simplicity of Joyce's

famine chair like I do?

And finally, what will the bidders make of Ralph Todd's pensive woman?

We are heading into Belfast, which was the linen capital of the world

by the end of the 19th century.

Let's hope today's auctioneer Daniel Clark can talk a good yarn

and make some great sales for our sellers.

-At £440, I'm selling.

-HE BANGS HAMMER

Remember, if you're buying or selling at auction,

there is commission to pay.

It varies from saleroom to saleroom,

so check the details in the catalogue.

Here today, it's 18.5% plus VAT,

so factor that into the hammer price, won't you?

Because it all adds up.

Right, let's get on with the sale.

And here's our first item,

and let's hope they don't have to carry this huge piece home.

Alison and Philip, it's great to see you. Fingers crossed.

A bit of Royal Doulton going under the hammer of gigantic proportions,

this really is showy, showy, showy, isn't it?

-Let's face it.

-Perfect condition. Really lovely.

-Yeah.

Honestly, if you wanted a jardiniere, that's the one.

Yeah, this is the one. Yeah.

But who does? I mean, you know, it's a hard thing to sell right now,

but hopefully we'll find somebody.

It needs to be in a guesthouse or B&B or something like that,

-doesn't it?

-Yes.

-Really, so it's got that look.

Anyway, it's going under the hammer now,

this is a tricky one. This is it.

280.

We have an early 20th-century Doulton Lambeth stoneware jardiniere

on a matching stand.

Say £100, to open, please, for the jardiniere.

100, and bid. It's a rather nice.. 120, 140.

160. 180. 200.

-Brilliant.

-Who was right, Paul?

-You are.

It's the name, Royal Doulton.

240, at £240 in front here at 240.

At £240, the bid for the jardiniere, at £240.

I'm selling at 240.

Gone down, sold to the person who's got no kids and no pets.

Yes, exactly.

And next up is that lovely painting from the Newlyn School in Cornwall.

Great watercolour, great artist as well.

Always underrated.

Really didn't make any money out of his work at the time.

But he was always accepted by his peers, and contemporaries, you know,

great artist, but never made it.

I've decided that the money for it can go to the children's hospice.

-Oh, well, that's nice.

-It should appeal to the online bidders, this,

I think, but I think it's beautiful.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I hope somebody likes it.

-Great name, great artist.

Let's find out what the bidders think.

It's going under the hammer right now.

Newlyn School painter Ralph Todd, it's a watercolour.

Open the bidding at £100. 100, 20, 40, 160,

160, 180. £180.

At £190, I'm bid now for the Ralph Todd.

At 180, you're all finished.

Oh, here we are, 200 online.

-Oh, brilliant.

-200 online.

-At the last minute.

-Brilliant.

-Last call, at 200.

Yes! Well, that's the excitement of the auction room, isn't it?

-That's right.

-Online bidding does slow it up a bit.

-But somebody loved it like we did.

-Somebody loved it.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for bringing it in.

Right, it's my turn to be the expert,

and I love this little Irish famine chair.

It's gorgeous. Joyce, it's great to see you again.

-Are you here by yourself today?

-No, with my husband, John.

And he's just over there. There he is. Hi, John. Hello.

Good luck. Good luck. Proper Irish provincial furniture.

It's going under the hammer right now, and it's all gone quiet,

so I'm really worried. Here we go. Fingers crossed.

Lot number 270 is a 19th-century Irish famine chair.

Say £100 to open.

100 and bid.

120. 140. 140, now. Any more?

£140 for the Irish famine chair.

At £140.

Come on, a bit more, surely.

He's going to sell, isn't he?

At £140, you're all finished in the room.

140.

-Well, we just about got it away, didn't we? Happy?

-Very happy.

I'm happy as well.

I'm happy, I'm so happy to meet you and talk about a lovely chair.

Enjoy. Enjoy, won't you?

-Thank you.

-Bidder at 280 online.

At £300.

Well, that's our first three items done and dusted under the hammer.

So far, so good. We are coming back here later on in the show.

So don't go away. Now, while I'm here in Northern Ireland,

I thought I'd dig into the country's past,

and I found a place that takes you back in time

to the Industrial Revolution.

Patterson's Spade Mill, here in Templepatrick,

just six miles north-east of Belfast,

is part of a long tradition of spade-making here in the country.

At its peak in the mid-19th century, there were 37 mills like this,

working away throughout Ireland,

making 36,000 spades per year.

That's a lot of digging.

"Under my window, a clean rasping sound

"When the spade sinks into gravelly ground.

"My father, digging.

"My God, the old man could handle a spade

"Just like his old man."

Wrote the poet Seamus Heaney.

And for generations of Irish men and women,

the humble spade has been a means of survival.

Everybody had one, whether it was to build a home, grow food,

cut peat to fuel the fires,

or to shape the land to pave the way for roads and railways.

The demand may be less today,

but this working mill is still producing spades

thanks to the National Trust,

who took over the premises when the last Patterson spade maker,

Robert Patterson, died, in 1990.

The Pattersons had been making spades here at Templepatrick

since 1919.

But none of Robert's family wanted to carry on with

what was increasingly becoming a non-profit-making business.

There was one man, though,

who was determined not to see the craft disappear.

26 years after Robert Patterson died,

Colin Dawson is still making spades and passing on his knowledge.

I'm hoping that Colin and his apprentice, James McCulloch,

will be able to share some of their expertise with me.

Colin. Hello. This is just brilliant.

I love it. I really do.

It's like stepping back in time,

and I love the fact that everything is operational.

All water parts, they are water turbines made in America in 1875.

Who taught you the trade?

Well, it would have been Robert Patterson.

I came here about the '80s,

and I used to come and help him and watch him,

but he wouldn't teach me and he said, no, he said, when I die,

this dies with me.

He didn't foresee the National Trust buying it and restoring it.

Fortunately for us, Colin persisted and became an expert spade-maker.

I know you make different varieties of spades

for different varieties of job.

In Ireland alone, there are 171 different types of spade.

-It's a lot, isn't it?

-Now, I only know about 15,

because the spade-maker kept all the designs

in his computer or under his floppy disc.

PAUL LAUGHS

So nothing's really on paper, is it?

-No.

-So what type of spade do you predominantly make here?

-I can see...

-County Antrim spade, best county in Ireland.

So there's regional spades?

Oh, there is, yeah. For every county in Ireland.

-Right, would you like to have a go?

-Oh, I'd love to, yeah.

-I really would.

-Let's get you suited up for health and safety,

and let's go.

Up to 12 pieces of steel, which form the basis of the spade,

can be heated in the furnace at any one time.

All start out the same size.

During its heyday in the 1930s, 12 people would have worked here,

making approximately 144 spades a day.

That's about one each an hour.

There, you grab hold of that tight.

Bring it over here.

Keep your hand nice and straight.

Now, keep pushing it in, right in. You can see that it's curving.

-Yeah, nice.

-Now watch what happens now, you let me have it.

-OK.

The incredible strength of this water-powered hammer

is fast and furious and, once it sets off,

feels as if it has a will all of its own.

Yeah? You widen it out now.

This is certainly hammer action.

So this is going back in there now.

-Back into the furnace.

-Heat it up a bit, right in, let go?

-That's it.

-This piece has already been heated and hit four times.

So how many times do we have to do that to get it really flat?

Probably in and out of the furnace about 15 times.

-15 times on one, just on one spade?

-Yeah.

Draw that back. I said carefully. Rolling out.

Do you want me to flip it over?

If you can, yeah.

Just as I felt I was getting into my stride...

Oh, dear. It really is labour-intensive.

You've got workers like me mucking up probably three hours' work.

It's a humble reminder of just what a skilled job this is.

James is, after all, only one year into his five-year apprenticeship.

Right, I'm going to do that flip.

I can't believe what hot, heavy work this is.

I had no idea how spade-makers would have made one of these an hour.

I guess practice makes perfect.

Give me another five years and maybe Colin will give me a job.

It really is labour-intensive.

That's hard work, it really is hard work. I mucked one up.

Redeem myself on the second.

-You don't need to go to the gym at the end of the night.

-No.

Time for some expert help.

Once the spade has cooled down,

it is cut into the correct shape for that particular spade design.

Today, we are making the County Antrim spade -

that's Colin's favourite.

So now I'm going to put the socket down into it, using the mandrel.

OK, let her out.

And then hold it up to show the socket.

-That's all one piece of steel.

-Yeah, that is brilliant.

-That's fantastic.

-Simple, if you know how.

You just need to put the shafts in, I guess.

-Yeah.

-And you use ash, don't you?

-We do.

-And that's got a good, strong grain to it,

and it grows quite straight, ash, doesn't it?

Yes, you can see with this one here

it has the long, straight grain.

Yeah. That's fantastic.

So that's how it arrives. This is grown locally, yeah?

Yeah, that came from Shanes Castle, just about ten miles up the road.

Traditionally, the Pattersons polished their spades

using one big round stone,

but, today, this was polished using a sander-belt machine,

making it much easier.

So now we're going to roll it on the strap rolling press.

Everything in here was hand operated

because there was no electricity in here,

and they were jobs done by young boys.

Yeah, they would have been, wouldn't they?

They certainly knew how to make spades.

Thank you so much, and I thoroughly enjoyed making that.

Right up until the late 1940s, people worked long hours

and life was based very much here, at the mill,

where the workers lived on site with their families.

From the age of ten, children also worked in the mill.

Now, here, you can see the remains of five stone cottages,

where whole families lived right up until the 1960s.

They had very little space, just two rooms,

a single door and a single window.

In one way, it seemed quite generous of the mill owner

to provide a home for their workers,

but it wasn't quite as benevolent as it might first appear.

Having the house so close to the mill tied the workers to the job,

and it was a way of controlling them.

You didn't want to lose your job or the family home would go, too.

Well, it's been really fascinating meeting Colin and James,

who are keeping this time-old tradition alive

for future generations and, thankfully,

under less gruelling conditions than their predecessors.

Back here at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum,

people are still gathering to get their items valued,

keeping our experts very busy.

Right now, it's over to Mark Stacey.

John, what a wonderful object you've brought in.

-Thank you.

-It's a claret jug, of course.

Did you buy this recently, John?

No, about ten years ago at a car-boot sale.

Are you a great car booty fan?

Well, certainly I like going to them, yeah.

It's interesting and it's nice when you come across

-something as nice as that.

-Go on, shock me. How much?

-£3.

-£3! Did you know what it was?

No.

Why did you like it, for £3?

It's just a nice object.

I can't believe it. Have you found any other bargains?

Well, now and again, you find a few bargains.

You're being very discreet, John.

Oh, aye. Then everybody would be following me!

I need to follow you! That's a real bargain.

When you looked at the design...

When you first saw it, did you think it was Art Deco?

-Yeah.

-It looks 1920s, '30s, doesn't it?

Very angular, very straight lines.

In fact, it was probably made about 1880, 1885.

-Right.

-And it was designed by a very well-known designer called

Dr Christopher Dresser, who was a modernist before his time,

and he produced a range of wares for various firms.

Although this is not marked,

this was probably made for Hukin & Heath,

or "Hackin" & Heath, whichever way you want to pronounce it.

And he made toast racks, teapots, all in this very modernist shape.

Very fashionable now. People like his work.

He did design lots of things -

furniture, metalware, lighting, ceramics, even.

He worked for Minton and produced

a range of modernist designs for them. £3?

Yeah.

Where was this car-boot sale?

It was just a local car-boot sale.

I think I need to go there, if you find things like this.

I think, because it's not signed and we haven't got any maker's marks

on that, we've got to be cautious with the estimate.

I mean, if it had been marked, it would be in the mid-hundreds.

I think, if we were putting it into auction unsigned,

we should be looking at an estimate of about £200-£400.

-Oh.

-Would you be happy with that?

-Yeah, yeah.

I think, if we put a fixed reserve of £200...

-OK.

-..and it might just surprise us on the day.

You can buy a decent bottle of claret for that.

-I don't drink, so...

-You don't drink! Wonderful.

I love that we have such a wonderful array of items here today,

and I can't help myself from homing in on this relic from rural Ireland.

How old do you think it is?

I'd say that's the golden era of hunting, shooting and fishing.

That's Edwardian, that's sort of 1920s - 1910, 1920s.

Yeah. You walk along with your partridge or your pheasant,

-your brace in there.

-My brace!

-There you go, there you go.

-Thank you.

In another part of the museum, Caroline has found a real treasure.

So, John, hello.

-Hello, how are you?

-I'm well, all the better for seeing this.

When I see a box of this quality,

I absolutely know there is going to be something superb inside it.

-Yeah.

-And if we open it...

Oh, my goodness!

This is the most gorgeous easel clock.

Howell James & Company, Regent Street, London.

How did you come by this fantastic clock?

My aunt, she's dead now, but she brought this over from Scotland.

She was holidaying with us.

-Yeah.

-And she brought this over,

and she gave it to me on the understanding I wouldn't sell it.

-You wouldn't sell it.

-She said, I'll not be selling.

-Right.

-"Don't you sell that. You hang onto it."

-Hmm.

-So it's come to the time...

I mean, I'm retired now and my family are not interested in it.

-They are not interested in the clock.

-They don't like it?

-No.

So we've just decided to sell it.

Right, and this has come from a very fine house, I would imagine.

-Oh, yes.

-Do you know how your aunt came by it?

Her husband worked in this estate.

And he worked in it, and he was a chauffeur.

-Right.

-He chauffeured the old lady about.

Right. Shall we have a look at it?

It's in its original box, obviously, and we'll open it up.

It's an easel clock, as you can see.

It would stand like this, and the maker on the back...

I'll put my glasses on.

It's Howell James & Company in London.

-Yes, that's right.

-Regent Street, London.

And this company is a fabulous company, set up in 1819.

I think this, however, dates from the late 19th century - 1870, 1880,

that sort of period. It really is fantastic quality -

and then, if you look at the box, silk, silk velvet,

but look at this little compartment here.

-That's where the key is.

-That's where the key is, the original key.

Now, have you had it going, John?

I've had it going - not recently, you know, but we've had it going.

This is absolutely gorgeous.

Having said all these wonderful things

about this gorgeous, gorgeous clock brings us to value.

Do you have any idea what sort of value?

-Thousands.

-Thousands!

-Right!

-Thousands, thousands!

-Right, thousands!

No, no, no. Now, I'm going to value this for auction at 1,000 to 1,500,

with, I would suggest, a fixed reserve of 1,000.

-1,000, yeah.

-And I'm sure this will go, for all the reasons I've said -

one, the quality, two...

I mean, the case - to have the original case,

that has kept this in such good condition.

-Oh, yeah.

-It's pristine.

So I think, if we put it in at 1,000 to 1,500

with a fixed reserve at 1,000, are you happy with that, John?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Brilliant.

So shall we go and "Flog It!"?

Aye, go and "Flog It!".

-"Flog It!" now!

-Oh, well, thank you so much for bringing it.

It really is delightful.

We are seeing some real quality here today thanks to a fantastic crowd.

Let's take a look at what Mark's found.

Jennifer, lovely to meet you. Now, these don't belong to you, do they?

No, they belong to my best friend, Cushla.

-Oh, that's a very Irish name, isn't it?

-It is indeed.

And she owns them, but she asked you to bring them along.

-She did indeed.

-So do you know where she got them from originally?

She got them from her mother, but they are her great-grandmother's.

Oh, are they? Does she know anything about them?

She knows nothing about them.

-Really?

-That's why she asked me to bring them here,

to get a little bit more information on them.

Because we've got two contrasting bits of jewellery here,

even though we're putting them in as one lot.

We've got quite a glitzy piece of jewellery here, which, I must admit,

I don't like very much. It's quite in your face, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-And it's a brooch, and, of course,

not a lot of people wear brooches these days.

-No.

-And I think these are amethysts with a cultured pearl at the bottom,

and it is marked nine carat gold.

-Right.

-But, when we move on to this pair of earrings, these, I think,

are lovely. And I'll tell you why.

Because, when you look at antiques, often, just like fashion,

history repeats itself.

-Yeah.

-Because the original models of these were from the Etruscan period,

which is thousands of years ago.

-Right.

-Where they wore this type of jewellery.

-That's amazing.

-But these are what is generally referred to

as Etruscan revival jewellery, so these would be probably 1870s.

Although they are not marked,

the Victorians liked using 15 carat gold,

and this has the softness in colour of 15 carat gold -

and they are a very simple design.

You could overlook them.

And they've got tiny little turquoise beads

in the general design. Did she ever wear them, your friend?

I would assume that her great-grandmother did wear them,

but she never wore them.

She never wore them. They are just kept in a drawer

and she has no interest in them. It's just...

They're not the sort of things you'd wear today, are they?

-No.

-But there are collectors of this antique type jewellery.

-Lovely.

-So she has no idea about value?

None whatsoever.

-So I can say anything I wanted?

-You could.

Well, I will.

Sometimes to ascertain the value of jewellery we weigh the metal.

So we weigh it and says, you know,

X amount of grams of gold, so, therefore, it is worth £80.

In this case, these are quite light,

but I think the value of this historically

is worth more than just the gold value.

-Yes, ooh, lovely.

-We should put them in at say £120- £180.

-Oh, wow.

-With £120 fixed reserve.

-Lovely.

-How do you feel about that?

-Do you think she will be happy about that?

-Oh, yes, I think so.

-Do you think she can make it to the auction?

-I hope so.

-Will you come along with her?

-I will, yes.

-Good.

There you are. You've just seen it,

our experts have found their final items to take off to auction.

This really is the end of the line for us.

We had a magnificent time here at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum

and I know everybody out there has thoroughly enjoyed themselves -

and that's what it's all about -

but right now we're going to up the tempo,

we are going straight over to the auction room,

and here is a quick recap of all the items we are taking with us.

Will this Art Deco-style Christopher Dresser claret jug

appeal to a wine specialist?

An opulent-looking horseshoe easel clock

from London clockmakers Howell James & Co -

but will it chime for bidders?

And finally will these intricate Roman-style earrings and brooch

find their way into the hands of a modern-day Cleopatra?

With not a second to lose

let's see if our auctioneer Daniel Clark

can sell our final items.

Right now, hopefully, we're going to turn that £3 car-boot find of yours

into £200 or £300.

It's a cracking claret jug.

You've got to put a good expensive red into that, really.

Mine are all screw tops. Wouldn't work, would it?

Condition is mint, as well, so, well done you.

Whether or not we get the 200 or the 300, I don't know,

but you're going to make a lot of money -

and this is it, here we go, it's going under the hammer.

A rather nice piece, this, I'll take 100 to open.

100 I'm bid, 20.

40. New bid at 160.

At 180.

£180.

At £180 I'm bid, now, for the claret jug, at 180.

I'm bid 200.

-Brilliant, we've got 200, we can sell.

-We've got the reserve.

£200 I'm bid, now, for the claret jug.

All done. At £200.

All done at £200.

Fantastic profit, fantastic.

It is, I wish I could do that.

A great return, there, for John and his car-boot sale find.

Fingers crossed for John's clock.

We have some real quality going under the hammer right now.

This next item is exquisite.

It's beautifully made,

it's a horseshoe easel clock, and it is stunning.

It belongs to John - and thank you for bringing it in,

because I know Caroline fell in love with it, didn't you?

It's amazing. When I saw it in the queue I just saw the box

-and knew there would be a delight inside it. There was.

-Craftsmanship,

and that is what we're looking after,

for the next generation to enjoy - and hopefully you'll enjoy this.

Here we go, it's going under the hammer.

Number 100.

We have the mid-19th century cased horseshoe travel clock.

A very unusual lot.

Lovely piece, £800 please to open.

800 I'm bid. £800 I'm bid, now, for the clock.

At £800.

It's with you, madam at £800.

Come on, come on, come on. A couple of more bids.

At £800, all done at £800?

You all out?

All finished at £800.

It's not selling. I'm sorry, John.

All done at £800.

Well, I'm afraid that's not quite enough for that lot.

Sorry about that, we tried our hardest -

but you don't want to let it go for too little.

The top bid was £800,

well below what it has been valued for in the past.

-John, thank you so much for coming in.

-Thank you.

-Sorry, John.

-That's auctions for you.

-Yeah.

-The unpredictability of the auction room.

I can't believe someone won't be keen to snap up our final items.

Right, now something for the ladies.

We've got a brooch and some earrings.

9-carat gold and 18-carat gold.

Belonging to Jennifer. Jennifer, it's great to see you again.

-Hello.

-And you've brought someone else in. Who is this?

This is my friend Cushla, who actually owns the jewellery.

So they are yours? You couldn't make the valuation day.

-I'm afraid not.

-So you sent your mate along.

-Have you known each other a long time?

-Yes.

I used to be an aerobics instructor and I met Jennifer

when she came to my classes. We've known each other for so long...

Do you think you could get old Mark into shape here?

-Oh, yes.

-That's too much of a tall ask, I think.

So why are you selling the jewellery?

My niece, she's going to Cambodia

and we are trying to fundraise for her to go.

-OK.

-So she goes away...

-Voluntarily overseas work?

-Voluntarily overseas work.

-Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

-Trip of a lifetime.

-So I thought it was a good opportunity.

-Right, we need as much as possible. Mark, good luck.

-Thank you, Paul.

Good luck, girls. It's going under the hammer right now. This is it.

Lot 110.

A 9-carat gold and amethyst three-stone dress brooch

and a pair of 18-carat gold and turquoise drop earrings.

Nice lot. We open the bidding, please, at £100.

100, I am bid. 110. 120. 130. 140.

150. 160.

They are loving this. Look.

180 online.

£200 at the back.

At £200 now.

220 online.

240 at the back.

At 260, new bidder.

280.

Gosh, this is going well.

300. 320. 340. 360.

380. 400.

400 with the lady at the back.

At 420.

-We haven't stopped yet.

-440. 440 now.

Back with you, madam, at 440.

-Oh, my God!

-£440 I am bid now.

At £440 and I am selling.

Last call at 440.

Hammer has gone down at £440.

-That's brilliant, isn't it?

-It's really good.

-So good. She will be delighted with that.

-She will, she will.

I bet you can't wait to tell her.

Thank you so much for coming in, both of you.

Put a smile on our faces.

150, 160, 170, 180.

Selling at £200.

As you can see, the auction is still going on,

but it is all over for our owners - and what a day it has been.

We've had a few ups and downs, but that's auctions for you.

It's not an exact science, and that is why it is so exciting.

Please come and join us in a "Flog It!" auction -

but to get to the auction you've got to come to the valuation day.

Details of upcoming dates and venues you can find on our website

or on our Facebook page. Come and join us.

Dust them down, bring them in and we will flog them.

Until the next time, from Belfast, it's goodbye.