Grimsby 6 Flog It!

The scenes in the stained-glass window say it all.

The town has been shaped by its port.

Trading began here before the 12th century,

and here at Grimsby Minster, you cannot ignore

the significant role fishermen have played in its history.

Welcome to Flog It!

Not far from the renowned port of Grimsby,

the Minster started life as Saint James's parish church

and was once known as the sea captain's church

after those who worshipped here.

In 2010, it became an urban minster,

which means it plays the role of cathedral

and has more than 30,000 people in its flock.

Today, it's welcomed Flog It!

so it's time now to meet the crowd gathering for our valuation day.

Just look at this fantastic queue.

Everybody is smiling, the sun is out.

I think we're going to have a great day.

Look at all these bags and boxes full of treasures.

I think, because we are close to the port,

we might find some maritime memorabilia.

After all, we cannot ignore Grimsby's famous heritage.

What is it famous for?

-ALL:

-Fishing!

Look, hopefully one or two of you

are going to go home very rich today, if we find that big treasure.

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

which is "What's it worth?"

If you are happy with our valuation,

what are you going to do?

Flog it!

Let's do it.

And it's all hands on deck for Christina Trevanion.

Oh. Oh, my goodness!

I've run out of hands.

And she is joined by salty sea dog Michael Baggott,

who can't believe his luck.

You bought four works of art by Damien Hirst for 30p?

That's not bad going, is it?

Hang on a second!

We have to share the queue, Michael.

This is my section of the queue. I love these people.

There is no time to waste.

The queue's moved inside to settle down and unpack.

The Minster dates back 900 years,

so there is plenty for our enthusiastic crowd to take in.

Before we explore,

let's have a look at what's coming up later on in the programme.

Christina finds maritime memorabilia,

but it's missing a vital element.

It doesn't have a ding-a-ling.

-Where has the ding-a-long-dong gone?

-Oh, dear.

-Oh, Charles.

I've got a spare donger in the other bell.

Michael's erupting with enthusiasm.

It really is one of the best things I have ever seen on a Flog It!

-That is brilliant.

-It's up there. You have made my day.

You have made mine!

Are you ready for this? Here we go.

HORN SOUNDS

And I'll be on board this,

one of the oldest surviving diesel side trawlers,

to find out more about the men who put their lives at risk

so we could have fish and chips on our plates.

Up here on the balcony where the organ sits,

it's a bit like being in the crow's nest on a ship,

because you get a great view from this height.

You can oversee what's happening down there,

you can watch our experts cast their nets

over the antiques and collectables.

That's exactly what they are doing right now,

so let's get on with the valuations.

First on deck is Christina,

and she's wasted no time making new friends.

Peter, I've hijacked you in the queue.

That's right. You can hijack me any time you like!

-Really?

-SHE LAUGHS

Do you mind if I hijack Peter? Is that all right?

-Not at all.

-Do you know Peter?

-No!

-Peter, Anne. Anne, Peter.

I feel like Cilla Black!

Surprise, surprise!

Peter, you have brought this little thing,

which is absolutely picture perfect. Where did you get it from?

I was clearing my father's house out

after he passed away unfortunately.

And it was one of the last pieces of furniture

and we heard something sliding around in the drawer.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

-Oh, my goodness.

-We opened the drawer and there it was.

-There it was.

So, let's have a little look at the picture.

We've got this little watercolour here.

It says AV Copley Fielding.

Now, that is Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding.

-Van Dyck?

-It is a bit of a mouthful. Pretty exciting.

Sadly, not the van Dyck that perhaps you're thinking of,

but nonetheless a very interesting thing.

This chap down here, Copley Fielding,

was a very popular and prolific watercolour artist

in the early 19th century.

1788 to 1855, I think was when he flourished and was around.

It's a great view. You've got this wonderful scene

of this castle behind, and these hunters,

who are almost in 16th century dress,

quite a historical thing, not, sadly, 16th century,

obviously done much later.

It is harking back to a Romantic period,

quite a picturesque movement, typical of the time.

It's of quite a small size and it probably would have come

from a sketchbook or something, originally.

He was quite a well-thought-of artist.

In 1824,

he exhibited at the Paris salons alongside Constable,

so very much up there with the greats of the painting world

at the time. If we look at the back,

here, we have some nice labels and a great stamp,

bought at Sotheby and Co, sale date, 14th April '65.

Lot number 36 and it was £6.

Wow!

-Not bad for a van Dyck!

-Not bad at all. It is not a van Dyck.

I wish it was a van Dyck!

This is great because, really, when it comes to pictures like this,

it's all about the provenance.

Sotheby's, as you know, are one of the best auction houses.

They deal with some of the very best pictures.

It's great to have these with it

-although this frame is very much 20th-century.

-Very modern.

-Exactly.

-And this was with it.

This could be interesting.

Attributed to Copley Fielding,

so is this an auction catalogue or...?

I believe so.

I do think 100 to 150 was quite an optimistic estimate for it

because sadly these things are not flavour of the month at the moment.

Fairly generic, early 19th century watercolours,

not fetching those sorts of figures, sadly.

Especially when of this diminutive size, shall we say.

I think probably a more appropriate auction estimate would be 30 to £50

with a reserve of 30. How would you feel about that?

That's fine, yeah. I'm happy with that.

-And maybe let's use the money to buy something brighter.

-Yes.

I am restoring a classic Honda motorcycle.

-I will get some parts for that.

-Fantastic.

And when it's done, I'll take you for a ride on the back.

-Is that a promise?

-That's a promise.

It's a deal. My goodness. I look forward to it, hugely.

There's an invitation, Christina.

Let's see what Michael is up to,

and it looks like he has uncovered a useful maritime tool.

Sue, you've bought me in a lethal weapon today.

-Yes.

-What have I done?

Before I tell you anything about it,

it's not something you carry around with you on a daily basis, is it?

-No, it's far too heavy.

-Yeah, where did it come from?

When I bought my first house, about 22 years ago,

it was in the Anderson shelter at the bottom of the garden,

in a box of general bits and pieces.

Rubbish, mainly and bits of old newspaper.

What an odd thing to find in a very odd place.

When you found it - obviously it's a knife -

did you know any more about it than that?

I assumed it was a diver's knife because of the weight of it.

The whole thing about this is the scabbard,

which on a knife normally you would see as a light piece of leather,

this is all cast bronze.

-Bronze, is it?

-Bronze won't react in sea water.

We have got, very lightly struck there, the maker's name,

which is Heinke.

CF Heinke of London.

And they were making marine-related items from the 1840s onwards.

But of course the diving period we are talking about with this,

we are talking about a dumbbell, faceplate,

the oxygen being pumped down,

Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.

I think one problem we've got slightly is this handle.

Normally, they are hardwood like lignum, do you know what it is?

-No.

-A bicycle handle!

-Really?

-It is a rubber bicycle handle someone has cut down.

If we have a look...

There we go. If you were in any sort of trouble underwater,

fouled cables, it is not like a scuba-diver today.

You have ropes, you have oxygen tubes,

if you got tangled up with anything, you had to have a very good knife

to cut yourself free. It was your life that was at stake.

So, obviously they have had this.

It's made to be heavy so it will hang in the right direction.

You do not want a knife that does that and then falls out.

That's the other reason why it has got that clip.

That holds it in.

In terms of value, I think, sensibly,

we would put £100-£200 on it.

-That sounds good.

-A reserve of £90.

-Great.

-For a find from an Anderson shelter, it is still wonderful.

-Brilliant.

-You get kudos for that.

Why now have you decided to let it go?

I have a lot of things and some of them need to go

because we do eventually want to get a smaller house.

-Ah, so this is the tip of a very large iceberg.

-That's right.

Fingers crossed, Sue's discovery in the old air raid shelter

finds a buyer.

Well, I have wandered away from the excitement of the valuation day,

but within eyeshot of the Minster

because there is something I want to show you.

It's a wonderful, evocative memorial

which symbolises the losses Grimsby has suffered

when the men who left here sailed out of the port

never to return.

This is a town where everyone has relatives

who have worked on the trawlers or at the docks,

and this figure was funded by the public.

The sculptor, Trevor Harries, studied at the local art college

and his uncle was a skipper, so he was privileged

to receive the commission.

When this was revealed in 2005,

the whole town turned out en masse to see it.

There is something I want to read from the memorial, just two lines.

There's a lot more to it but it says here...

The men who never returned.

I think that is so poignant,

and it's right here in front of the Minster.

We were hoping to spot some maritime memorabilia,

and look what's turned up on Christina's table.

Charles, this is a rather lovely bit of local history

you have brought in for me here. It's wonderful.

Obviously an old ship's bell.

Yes, the Roxano was built in 1907 locally

by Doughty and Sons in Grimsby for GF Sleight trawlers.

They were a big company many years ago.

Right, OK.

And is this a boat that you knew, is the boat still in existence?

No, I think it was scrapped in '56.

My grandfather used to have trawlers,

in fact, he had the first steam trawler out of Grimsby.

Really?

Why we've got this, I don't know.

Whether he bought the boat off GF Sleight,

he also had a ship repairing business.

We pulled the house down,

the big house that Grandfather used to live in, in the '70s.

This got moved with some other heirlooms

to a shed on the farm, and son-in-law found it

a couple of months ago.

Oh, really? Your son-in-law should be standing here rather than you?

He doesn't really want me to sell it!

But we are decluttering and there comes a point

where, you know, it's been in the shed,

we didn't know we had got it, it's time to let someone enjoy it.

It is lovely to see an original one of these

because they are so reproduced now.

To have this, name of the boat,

the date and the fact it is a lovely local piece as well,

I think, is absolutely magic. I love it.

It actually saddens me that,

as a Grimsby man connected to the fishing industry,

you are selling this bell.

-We've got another one at home.

-You have?

-Yes.

-But it's got no writing on it. It's not quite as smart.

-Right.

Probably I ought to be getting rid of that one,

but, to be honest, this is the more interesting bell.

I think you are right, and I think the market would like it.

There is certainly an interest in local history, obviously.

I think at auction, does it have a ding-a-ling-ling?

No, just a ding-ding.

-You can't lift it, can you?

-I can!

I am quite muscly, I promise.

-It doesn't have a ding-a-ling.

-Oh!

-Where's its ding-a-long-dong gone?

-Oh, dear.

-Oh, Charles.

I've got a spare donger in the other bell.

You've lost your ding-a-ling-ling.

I know. The story of my life!

LAUGHTER

I think at auction we are looking somewhere in the region

of £100 to £200.

I think it's a fascinating piece.

I don't think it's ever going to be big bucks,

but I think somebody will see it and will fall in love with it.

How do you feel about that?

-I'm happy.

-So, an estimate of 100 to 200,

perhaps a discretionary reserve at 100.

-Would that be all right?

-Yep.

-Super.

And we'll hope that we've got someone out there

that's got a ding-a-ling-ling for it!

We hope so, too, Christina.

There you are, three wonderful valuations,

we're just about to set off to the sale room,

but before we do that, I want to take a closer look

at some of the maritime references in this,

the magnificent east window.

If you look in the centre,

you can see a fishing vessel setting sail with gulls flying

in the sky anticipating a big catch,

and on the left you've got Saint Nicholas,

the patron saint of mariners,

keeping a watchful eye as the catch is being unloaded on the dockside.

And over here, you've got Saint Peter,

the patron saint of fishermen,

standing by a famous Grimsby landmark, the Dock Tower,

with a trawler in the foreground,

and the whole thing, the whole design,

is brought together in the shape of a fishing net.

That is a poignant reminder of the town's seafaring heritage.

I absolutely think that is what Grimsby is all about.

But right now, we've to cast our nets to the auction room.

We want a big catch over there,

and here's a quick reminder of the first three items

that are going under the hammer.

Christina is on a promise -

a motorbike ride, but only if this watercolour sells.

Cutting edge in its day, the diver's knife.

And straight from a Grimsby trawler, the bell, without a dinger.

We are heading an hour south-west to the historic city of Lincoln,

home to one of only four surviving copies of the Magna Carta,

a powerful symbol of liberty around the world.

The most famous clause gave all free men the right to justice

and a fair trial.

Well, fingers crossed justice will be done here at the auction house.

Wielding the gavel, we have two auctioneers.

Colin Young...

and John Leatt, and the commission rate here today is 15% plus VAT.

Will any of the bidders fall in love with Peter's watercolour?

Going under the hammer right now, something for all fine art lovers,

a 19th-century watercolour, wonderful image.

Peter promised me a ride on his motorbike.

-Oh, has he?

-Yeah.

Have you got a spare helmet?

-I have. I bought it with me.

-There you go.

-Looking forward to it!

Oh, I can see the hair flowing back,

like Marianne Faithfull going through Paris, but in Lincoln.

-That'll be nice.

-Yeah.

I guess all the money is going towards another bike?

Yes, some parts, or if we make big money

there's a motorcycle shop next door - I'm going to put a deposit

-down on another one.

-Let's find out what your watercolour will do.

It is going under the hammer right now.

Who will start me at 50?

50? 30 will do.

Put me be straight in, £30. 20. £20, anybody?

£20 I'm bid. 2, do I see?

22. 25.

28. 30.

-We have sold it.

-30, bid.

32. 35. 32, bid.

35, surely? At 32.

It is no money for such a pretty little watercolour.

At 32. Look at what you're selling.

Last call for everybody, then.

Done and finished in the third row, £32.

£32.

-You pay that for a print.

-Will that get you a new speedo?

-No, it won't.

-Not 32 quid.

That'll get him a tank of petrol.

About two tanks of petrol for that.

So we won't see Christina on the back of Peter's motorbike just yet.

But will Sue get lucky with her lot?

I like this. And I also like...

I'm pretty sure and I agree with Michael,

-it is a rubber bike handle stuffed on the end.

-Yes!

Like a kid's bicycle handle stuffed on the end.

I know originally we had a reserve of £90.

You've had a chat to the auctioneer and put that up to £120.

Let's put it to the test. This is where it gets exciting.

It is going under the hammer right now.

I must start it straight with me at £120.

Sold straightaway.

120. 130, 140.

At 140.

140. 150. 160.

170, 180.

At 180 with me. 190.

200. Anyone else at £200?

-£200. 220. 240. £240.

-£240.

Commission bid. £240.

All done at 240. I'm selling it at 240.

Yes, £240.

I think what that was is somebody

with a bicycle with only one handle who

goes diving at the weekends!

Vintage bicycle.

That was a great result.

Fingers crossed that our next item will appeal to maritime collectors.

I am starting this next lot off with a ding-dong!

Yes, it's the ship's bell.

Unfortunately, our owner, Charles, cannot be with us.

We would like him here witnessing the moment this bell goes under

-the hammer.

-Exactly.

-With a ring-a-ding- ding.

-It is a nice thing. Good size bell.

He was a great character.

-I will remind you what you put on it.

-I can't remember.

-What did I put on it?

-£100 to £200 with discretion.

Great. It should sell at that, shouldn't it?

Of course it should. It's a nice thing.

We'll find out right now. Here we go.

There is a lot of interest in it.

We start the bidding straight in at the bottom estimate of £100.

-Splendid.

-Well done, it's gone.

110. 120. 130.

140. 150. 160. 70 now.

170 anywhere else? 170, surely?

180, at 180?

190. 200. 200, I am bid.

220 on the net - a bit of activity a moment ago.

It's disappeared now. At £200.

£200, do you have 20 for me now?

220 on the internet.

That's brilliant.

260 now.

At 240.

Last call.

Commission bid has it. 260 in the room.

-Fresh blood.

-Now it is selling to the room.

280 now. at 260. Going then at 260...

Henry, we sold it. We'd better get on the phone and tell him.

He will be so happy. That was top money.

Charles will be delighted.

Fish and chips are a great British staple

but rarely do we stop and think

about how did they get from the deep waters on to our dinner plate.

Grimsby was big fishing business back in the early part of the

20th century.

10% of all the fish we ate came from the port of Grimsby,

so I went to talk to a Grimsby fisherman

who sailed those deep waters and beyond

to bring the fish back in a Grimsby trawler.

In its heyday, there were 600 vessels fishing

out of the town and two-thirds of the population

were dependent on the fish trade.

Alongside the three docks,

there was a fish market and a raft of services to support

the fishing industry.

By the 1950s, Grimsby was described as the world's premier fishing port.

And this is a rare survival from those days.

She's called the Ross Tiger and she was built in 1957.

She was one of 12 vessels

commissioned by the Ross Group, who controlled

one of the largest fishing fleets in Europe.

In their day, these boats were state-of-the-art.

This one no longer takes to the North Sea. She is a floating museum.

I'm meeting Dennis Avery,

who was skipper on the Ross Tiger from 1975 to 1983.

How far did the Ross Tiger sail?

She would either go north of Scotland or around the Orkney Islands,

the Shetlands, the Faroe Islands and up to Iceland two or three trips in

-the summer.

-Did you know where you are going to catch the fish?

Not when you left the dock, no.

But what we used to do, the other ships would be at sea, so you would be in touch

with them by radio, see where they were fishing and then you'd

-start near them.

-If they were catching anything.

-If they were catching anything.

Was there a lot of competition

between the vessels in your own fleet to get the biggest hauls?

Yes. You all wanted to be the top ship.

The skipper and the mate were paid solely on what they caught.

And the rest of the crew got a wage plus a bit of what they called poundage,

which was a percentage of the catch.

So if you were in charge of this vessel, and you had a bad week,

and caught nothing, you're going home with no money.

-Did that happen?

-Yes, often.

You could do a full trip and finish up owing the firm money.

Gosh, that is depressing.

Was it ever! We used to call it moons and parrots.

You'd look out of the bridge window as you were hauling and if a haul come

to the surface, you'd be over the moon and if nothing came to the surface,

you would be as sick as a parrot. That's what we used to call it.

How significant was the fishing industry in Grimsby?

Without the fishing industry, there would have been no Grimsby.

There were 15 men on the ship. For every man on this ship,

there would have been 30 associated industries.

What is it like on this deck when it is rolling around in the North Sea?

Can you imagine the biggest roller-coaster you've ever seen in your life

and then trying to work on it?

Not sat down strapped in but trying to stand up, mend nets, cook fish...

-It's not for me!

-You would not get me down a mine.

It is a notoriously dangerous job.

Between 1950 and 1963, 32 trawlers from Grimsby were lost at sea.

And the death rate of Grimsby trawlermen

was twice that of fisherman from other ports.

And four times that of miners.

The crew had to look out for each other. They were a tight-knit bunch.

There is not much room for manoeuvre on board a trawler.

Dennis, as skipper, had his own cabin.

Right, this is the chart room-cum-radio room.

A very important part of the ship, this.

Yes, with the communications.

And this is the skipper's cabin.

Right, this is your own personal space.

-My domain.

-This is luxury.

Look at this. Did you have to have meetings in here?

If some of the crew had a problem at home

or something, you would call them in here and try and sort it out.

You were a jack of all trades.

-You were the a doctor, a psychiatrist, marriage guidance counsellor!

-Gosh!

And I imagine working the hours you had to put in, keeping those energy

levels up is quite important.

You need food, liquids, you know.

Yes, we lived well.

-Ate fried fish every day for breakfast except Sunday.

-Right.

We had bacon and egg on a Sunday and Sunday tea was always ham and chips,

tinned fruit and evaporated milk.

This was dirty work.

Salt water everywhere, working all day long knee-deep gutting fish.

There are showers on board, aren't there?

There are showers on board, but you have to realise when this ship was

built, bathrooms on trawlers were unheard of.

You did what you did with a bucket and over the side it went.

You have to realise, even though the bathroom was put on board,

you were limited to what fresh water you could carry.

I know this would have had ship-to-shore radio and ship-to-ship as well.

Yeah, if it was a private call, someone talking to his wife,

we used to call it a "lovey-dovey" and switch it off.

Unless they were having a blazing row or something and then you would

think, a bit of excitement, we'll have a listen in!

We did know how to have fun!

-So, this is the bridge.

-Wow, this is very much your domain.

-It certainly is.

-The wheelhouse.

Or the bridge. Don't matter.

-Your office.

-My office, yeah!

At that time, because Grimsby was so dependent on the fishing industry,

there were virtually no other industry

apart from apprenticeships or working on the docks. And I thought,

it looks like a good idea so I'll give it a go.

When I first started going to sea, my grandfather said to me,

"If you're going to sea, don't be on the deck getting shouted at,

"be on the bridge doing the shouting."

So what did you get out of it?

It was very satisfying to be steaming home with a good catch.

I bet it was. Ready to unload, feeling proud.

What ended it for you?

What ended it was the demise of the fishing industry.

The Cod War got rid of what they call the distant water ships

that used to fish Iceland, Norway coast and gradually

dwindled down to these ships and these were scrapped in 1984.

Big change all around the UK.

-Yeah.

-Do you miss it?

-Yes.

-I bet you do.

-I'd go back tomorrow.

-You would, wouldn't you?

When I win the 106 million on the Euromillions,

she is going back to sea!

HE LAUGHS

Dennis's experience of the Cod Wars

still leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

The UK and Iceland battled over fishing rights

in the North Atlantic.

The outcome left British fleets

without access to the plentiful fisheries around Iceland

and devastated fishing communities like Grimsby.

Resulting in a huge decline,

leaving the port with just over a dozen vessels.

The Ross Tiger finished her fishing days in 1984,

then she became an oil-rig standby boat right up until 1991.

Now, as part of the Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre,

she is a proud reminder of a unique way of life

and a fabulous tribute to the thousands of local men

who lost their lives at sea for our fish.

Our valuation day at Grimsby Minster is in full swing.

And Michael's discovered a real beauty.

Ann, I couldn't fail to spot you in the queue

because you are immaculately dressed

and then you produce this absolutely wonderful vase.

-That's very kind of you.

-Before I say anything about it,

what do you know about it?

All I know is it belonged to my grandmother

and I always saw it in her home when I visited.

She was about 90 when she died.

Was she a great collector of objets d'arts?

she was an astute woman.

She was a businesswoman and very astute.

Oh, fantastic.

So, was it one of a...?

The thing I have to ask when I see this immediately,

you think, is it one of a pair?

That I don't know.

I've never seen the other one. Never.

-Sometimes you do get art vases produced as one-offs.

-Yes.

If we look at this, really before we turn it up,

we look at the decorative scheme here

which is this blush ivory gilding

and we immediately think of Royal Worcester.

So let's try and confirm our suspicions.

Yes, I think you'll find that is correct.

Yes, there we go. Unmistakable puce mark.

Royal Worcester. Normally we count the dots with Worcester to tell the

date of it, but that came in in 1891.

This is earlier, so we have a little letter code here, T.

Which is for 1882.

Oh, really? I didn't know that.

But even if we didn't have that, when we look at it,

we are looking at a vase that is

enveloped by the taste for the Japanese.

Prior to about 1860,

Japanese art and pottery

and porcelain hadn't really been seen in the West.

Japan had been closed off,

so when it was opened up in the late 1850s, 1860s,

and exhibitions started to come over

of their ceramics and their art,

it took London, particularly, by storm.

so all of our ceramic manufacturers

were clamouring to reproduce that style.

Indeed, Worcester were one of the great factories

-to actually acquire a lot of Japanese originals...

-Oh!

..as a study collection,

and we have this wonderful pheasant here,

an Oriental pheasant, one might say.

-I don't think that existed in real life.

-No!

I think someone has gone crazy with the colour palette...

-It's beautiful.

-..but that lifts it. A lovely thing.

-Yes.

Any idea what it might be worth?

No, I haven't. Not at all.

I'm only selling it because my daughter is all modern

-and it doesn't fit in her house.

-Doesn't fit in the interior...? Ooh.

And I am at the age now where I don't want these things.

-They are in cupboards!

-I think, sensibly,

because we have got a little nibble on the tail...

-I hadn't noticed that.

-A tiny little bit of enamel off...

-Oh, I didn't notice.

-..and we have a little bit of rubbing

to the gilding - not much, but it is there.

I think we would be safe if we put £200-£400 on it.

-Right.

-And a fixed reserve of £200.

-You happy to put it in for that?

-Yes!

-Splendid.

Let's keep our fingers crossed

-that this little chap flies away on the day.

-Yes.

What a great find - and there's no getting away from Grimsby's past,

as Christina's discovering.

So, Hilda, it seems appropriate we are in this wonderful surroundings

here at the Minster.

As a tourist, you might come, buy a postcard

and send it to a friend to tell them where you have been.

Did it belonged to you?

Well, it was originally my mother's.

-Right.

-She collected postcards,

and bought them at auction.

Oh, did she? Have you gone through and counted them?

Not one by one, no...

THEY LAUGH

-I think there's about 270-something cards.

-Gosh, 270 cards.

-Yes.

Wow. I've had a flick through,

and I've picked out what I think are potentially the more interesting

and therefore valuable examples.

-Yes.

-So, can you tell me anything about these examples here?

This is obviously how Grimsby used to be.

-Yeah, exactly.

-My grandfather did go to sea,

and these would have been particularly interesting

-for my father.

-Yes, exactly. I think these are the fascinating ones.

The first of which is this one here, which is the "railway smash Grantham".

If we look at the back of this one,

here, it has got a contemporary postmark, 1906.

And it has been sent to somebody in Grimsby,

as well - a Miss Wakefield who lived in Grimsby,

and I love the first line of this.

"Dear Fanny, you will see I have finally got to Denton at last."

SHE LAUGHS

So, poor thing - I don't know why she's sending a picture

of the rail disaster, but at the time you get the Titanic,

all the similar disasters of the early 20th century.

It is history, isn't it?

It is, absolutely.

It is absolutely history, and it is great to be able to see it here.

This one, as you picked out before, I think is fascinating.

It says here - what does it say?

"Steam trawlers laid up during the strike, 1901, Grimsby."

-Yes.

-And it's a hand-coloured example,

so it's been printed and then hand coloured, given a wash.

-This I can remember - the ships coming in...

-Yeah.

..and seeing...when you go on the docks,

you couldn't get a cigarette paper between the ships.

-Really?

-Yes.

I think that is absolutely a fascinating shot

-of, unfortunately, a time gone by now.

-Absolutely.

The other two that I've picked out, which I think are just fantastic -

I mean, look at these two here.

Aren't they wonderful?

We've got here an old salt - I mean, look at him, that sea dog.

Doesn't he look fantastic?

-Yes.

-Really fantastic -

all in his sou'wester, there, looking very smart.

This one here, mending the nets,

here is a chappie going about his daily business.

I mean, that is just such a character, isn't it?

-Yes, it is.

-Such a character!

-He's wonderful.

-How great it is to Grimsby.

A really lovely collection.

I think if you were to offer them at auction, which we would like to do,

I think we would be thinking an estimate of 100 to 200

-with a firm reserve at £100 to protect them.

-£100.

How would you feel about that?

-Fine. Yes.

-I think it would be best to sell them as one lot,

-as one collection...

-Right.

-..as Mum's collection.

-Yes, we'll go with that.

-Let's do it,

-and let's hope...

-Let's keep our fingers crossed.

-Let's hope it's not a disaster!

-No!

What a fascinating slice of local history -

and although fishing is not on the scale it once was,

today's trawlermen are not forgotten.

Once a week, a fishing vessel is picked out here -

we have Jubilee Pride - for prayer of the week,

so, although the Jubilee Pride and her crew

are somewhere in the North Sea right now,

they know they are in the thoughts of the congregation here,

and that's what it's all about -

and this has been going on for as long as anybody can remember.

I think that's a good thing.

Back to the valuations, and Michael has found an intriguing album.

-I rather pounced on you in the queue when I saw it.

-You did.

I mean, the first thing is, we've got the lord's name there -

-"Ld", Lord, "Am"...

-Amelius.

-Amelius?

-"Ams" for Amelius.

-Amelius, right. Beauclerk.

-Beauclerk, yes.

Ooh, we're erupting!

Are you Lady Beauclerk?

-Is that how it's got down...?

-I wish!

How did it come into your possession?

My dad, he went to an auction and saw these books,

and it was actually a book on how to grow chrysanthemums he wanted.

-So, he bought the lot...

-Right.

-..I think for half a crown.

-Right.

-And then he brought it home, and when he looked through,

this was amongst them.

-Did he grow wonderful chrysanthemums after that?

-He did. Absolutely.

So, this was the afterthought, this was the bit in the box lot?

Yeah, that was a bonus.

-What a bonus it was.

-Yeah.

The book is the property of Lord Beauclerk,

-and he's bought this and he's pasted this in, in 1794.

-Right.

-Yeah.

-Now, he was a naval man, wasn't he?

-Yes, he was an admiral.

-The date of this, 1794, he was a captain...

-Right.

-So that means he was probably in this area, with his ship,

and took a moment to go and see the eruption and get a drawing.

If you were going on a grand tour of Italy,

this would be something you would want to see -

but you'd also want to show it to your friends when you got back home.

Cameras not being invented, and postcards being thin on the ground,

there was a tremendous industry for Italian artists

to produce these tourist images -

but they are evocative, aren't they, of being there,

being across the bay,

the light of the volcano lighting up the ships -

and if we look through a couple more, a full-blown lava flow,

that's 1804. These are all at different times,

so I imagine that Beauclerk went back on different years,

saw different eruptions

and got different images and pasted them into his own little album.

I love that one. Most of them are night views -

-that's a daytime view, of course.

-Mm.

-You've got the smoke coming out.

But at the back, we have two in particular of interest.

We have Etna...

and Stromboli,

and both of those are signed Giorgio Glass.

Now, Giorgio Glass, working at the beginning of the 19th century,

was one of the best artists for these views.

-If you look at the detail, there...

-Oh, yes!

-..you know you've got the whole city before there.

-Yeah.

We have 12 in all.

In terms of value, this is the sort of thing that dealers in London,

dealers in very expensive shops in London, want to buy all day long.

-Yeah?

-Not because you've just got the views -

you have the name of the man who collected them,

and you have all of that history associated with it.

That's what it is. It's a moment in history.

-Yeah.

-Would you be happy if we put a reserve of £1,500 on it?

Yes, I would. Very much so.

And what we will do is put an estimate of £2,000-£3,000...

-Wow, yes.

-..and we'll see what happens.

It's a super thing, and it really is one of the best things

-I've ever seen...

-Oh!

-..on a Flog It!

-Oh, that's brilliant.

-It's up there.

-Is it? Right!

-So you've made my day.

You've made mine!

Well, I hope I make it at the auction for you.

We'll both be there, and hopefully we will see it sail away

to a fantastic profit.

Well, what a fabulous day we've had here at Grimsby Minster -

and we've explored the town's proud fishing heritage,

and I think everybody can safely say

we have had a brilliant time, haven't we? Have you enjoyed it?

-ALL:

-Yes!

-That's the main thing.

Thank you so much, all of you,

for coming in today - but sadly it's time to bid farewell

to this magnificent historical setting,

because our experts have found their final items

to take off at auction.

This is where it gets exciting.

Don't go away - we are going straight to the saleroom,

and we're going to leave you with a quick recap to jog your memory

of all the items that are going under the hammer.

There's the beautifully decorated Royal Worcester vase...

..a snapshot of Grimsby's history...

..and it got Michael hot under the collar -

the tiny album with the amazing paintings of volcanoes.

Back to the auction house now, and John Leatt is on the rostrum.

Let's see how the vase fares.

-Why are you selling?

-Any money I get is going to my granddaughter

to help her in London, because she is in a flat.

Oh, right. OK. What's her name?

-Catherine.

-OK.

-Got to get as much as we can, then.

You're a good grandma, you're a great grandma.

OK, we're putting this to the test.

It's going under the hammer right now.

And I'll start it straight in with me at £200.

Straight in at bottom estimate, £200.

At £200? 220, 240, 240.

240 we begin with. Any advance on 240?

260. 260 on the internet.

260, 280, now, on the net. £300.

At £300.

In Ireland at £300. On the internet at £300.

320. 320 in the UK.

340 in Ireland. Any advance on £340?

It isn't enough to make the top end of things.

360 now. At £360.

On the internet at 360. Anybody else at 360?

£360.

Bidding is slowing up.

At £360, I'm selling.

Yes! I love it when that happens.

-Thank you!

-£360.

-Lovely.

-That is a good result.

-Thank you very much.

-Catherine is going to be really pleased.

-I hope so!

-You have to treat yourself, though, little bit.

Maybe. Maybe a meal on the way home.

-Yes.

-Yes!

I think she deserves more than that -

but she has a very lucky granddaughter.

On to the next lot now - Hilda's whopping collection of postcards.

It is really hard to put a price on these,

because there's a lot of them, and I think we might have a surprise.

-You never know.

-That would be great.

Join us for this one. Here we go.

Various bids on this, and I'll start it straight in with me at £80.

-It's a good start.

-90. 95. 100.

110. 120. 130.

150. 160. 170.

All done at 170? I'm out at 170.

It's in the room at 170.

180. 190.

190, still with you, sir. At 190.

Anybody else? All done, then.

-£190.

-190!

-That's good.

-There we go, top end.

-Yes.

-Well done.

-Fantastic.

-Well done.

-You've got to be happy with that.

-Oh, yes.

A happy customer - just what we like.

Now, Michael's hopes are set on what he has described

as the best thing he's seen on Flog It!

Well, this is the one I've been waiting for -

the big one, and hopefully there will be a big eruption later on

if this one sells well.

It belongs to Anne - and thank you for bringing it in.

We've got some late 18th, early 19th-century Neapolitan art -

-and what a find it was.

-Yes.

Michael was over the moon to see this, weren't you?

-I was over Vesuvius to see it!

-You were!

Let's hand proceedings over to Colin Young on the rostrum.

Who's going to start me at 1,500? 1,500, anybody?

12, if you like. 1,200 from France.

-France!

-Well, really.

1,300 now, surely.

At 1,200 bid. 13, do I see now?

1,200 bid - 13 now, surely? 1,300 with you.

At 1,300, bid. 14 now, surely.

14 I've got. 14. It came before the net.

So, the net's going to have to do 15 now.

At 1,400, bid.

1,500 now, surely.

1,500, bid.

At 1,500. 1,600 now.

At 1,500, bid. Any more now at 1,500?

I'll take 50, this time. At 1,500.

You all seem to have peaked and know where you want to be.

At 1,500. 50 from anybody else?

At £1,500, you have all seen it,

you've all viewed it and asked for condition reports.

You're all bidding for it.

It's worth and selling for...£1,500.

It is gone at the low end, but that's OK.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

It was exciting while it lasted.

-It was.

-It's a great way to end today's show, that's the main thing.

I hope you have enjoyed watching the show.

I'm sorry it didn't get that top end but that's auctions for you.

We live to fight another day - but we thoroughly enjoyed it.

See you next time!