Reading 31 Flog It!

Well, I'm certainly in a party mood today and I bet this lot are keen

-to have a good time, aren't you? Yes!

-Yes!

Well, we've come to the right place,

because we're in Reading in Berkshire,

which is renowned globally for its music, mud and mayhem.

Yes, I'm talking about the Reading Festival.

Our venue today is The Concert Hall,

which is housed inside this magnificent building, the town hall.

We haven't even opened the doors yet and I've already lost my voice, I'm so excited.

Today, we are taking centre stage.

Welcome to "Flog It!"!

CHEERING AND PAUL LAUGHS

Let's rock!

Reading Festival is the world's oldest popular music festival

that's still in existence today.

It started life in 1961 at Richmond Athletic Ground in Surrey

as an annual jazz and blues festival.

And then, in 1971, it moved to Reading.

By this time, it was almost exclusively playing rock music.

Today, Reading Festival is known worldwide for featuring

the biggest and the best acts of the contemporary music scene.

Almost 90,000 music fans invade Reading every August bank holiday

for the festival.

Now, I know we can't rival that, but just look at this queue,

because it goes all around the centre of the town.

I tell you what, today, we are going to rock

and I can't wait to get inside there and find out

what all of these antiques and collectables are worth.

I know this lot are excited,

so let's get the doors open and get on with the show!

Already working the crowd like the rock stars they are,

we have our experts...

Anita Manning.

-I think it's lovely.

-Do you really? I like you.

And Nick Davies.

-If she was an original...

-Aye-aye.

You and I would probably elope!

LAUGHTER

And it looks as if Anita is the headliner

and Nick's the supporting act.

-I'm going to have it, off you go.

-Oh, all right!

It's time for the first act, so let's get this crowd inside.

Our valuation tables are set up inside the Victorian concert hall

and are ready to go.

So, whilst everybody takes their seats and makes themselves

comfortable, let's take a look at what's coming up later on.

An exotic walking cane turns up on Anita's table.

There is a whole zoo of embossed animals on here.

This makes it even more interesting.

And we have a fantastic surprise at auction.

1,400, 1,500.

-Wow!

-1,600...

-Whoo!

-I'm going hot.

And I'll be paying a visit here to Cliveden House

to tell you about two events that changed the face of British politics

in the 20th century.

But first, we are immersing ourselves back in the world of pop,

as Nick has come across a piece of music history.

Now, Sandra,

you've brought us something I wish I had at the time,

and it won't make sense till I turn it round, will it?

A ticket to go and see The Beatles.

-Were you there?

-I was there, yes.

I was a student at Newcastle University at the time.

-Right, what were you studying up there?

-Classics.

-Classics, OK.

And The Beatles came to Newcastle.

We had to apply for tickets by post.

-Oh, yes.

-And so lucky we got some.

Very lucky dip. And what was it like? Come on, the atmosphere,

-it must have been electric.

-It was very noisy outside.

-Yeah.

-Everybody was screaming and yelling.

-Yeah.

-And I had a seat in the balcony.

-Right.

-Which was excellent.

-Just like here?

-Just like here.

-Just like here, fantastic.

Paul McCartney's piano was exactly underneath us.

-Really?

-I can remember him playing Yesterday.

-Oh, like it was yesterday?

-Like it was yesterday.

Fantastic, that's brilliant.

But this is 1965, so for Beatles collectors,

it's just a wonderful thing.

-Yes, it is.

-You know, with all the festivals and things that go on nowadays,

this is where it really started and really kicked off, didn't it?

All the music that's come from there was these type of shows

-in the mid and early '60s.

-Yeah.

-And it's so simple.

And how much was the ticket? Ten and six?

-Sixpence.

-Ten and sixpence, what's that? That's about 52p.

Yes, not much nowadays.

Could you imagine going to see the Beatles for 52p?

That would be unbelievable. I'm very envious, I'm very envious,

cos I'd have loved to see The Beatles,

one of my favourites, without a doubt.

I mean, as a bit of memorabilia, it doesn't have an awful lot of value,

it's just the heritage almost and the story behind it,

which is so interesting.

I would probably say at auction, it's going to fetch

somewhere around about £40 to £60.

-Oh, as much is that?

-Yeah, which is not bad for a 52p ticket, is it?

-No.

-We'll put a reserve on of 40, with maybe a bit of discretion,

but I think it's just such a good entry-level thing for a Beatles

collector who's going to start off collecting this type of memorabilia.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

And thank you for telling me the story. Loved it.

Next, over to Anita,

who has come across something of interest.

Well, Barbara, we're going to have a great time today

playing with these marvellous wee dolls.

Tell me, where did you get them?

They were my mother's. She's American.

-Oh, right?

-So I'm not sure whether they're American dolls or German.

Yeah. Let's have a wee look at them.

You know that usually on dolls we look at the back of them.

-Yeah.

-To see if we can see...

-I've never found anything.

-Have you not?

-No.

-ANITA LAUGHS

-Well, if we look on the bigger one...

-Mm.

Now, there is a very big hint here.

It was Madame Alexander, New York, USA.

-Madame Alexander was a doll maker, a New York toymaker.

-OK.

The label on the dress is giving us another hint.

It's McGuffey Ana.

And McGuffey Ana was the name of this doll,

this particular doll. That was her name, McGuffey Ana.

If we look at the wee doll...

Again, looking at the back, this is Judy Ann.

And again, this is an American doll.

-Different maker.

-Mm-hm.

But still round about the same period.

-OK.

-What I want to now, I want to know about your mum.

Why did she come across here?

What did she do in America?

What brought the family here?

She was born out there.

Er, I believe that she was working in a toy shop.

A toy shop?!

Erm... And I also believe that that's where she met my father.

So what happened? Did they come over to...?

They came over together and my mother was over here,

-actually, for 27 years.

-Did she worked in a toy shop over here?

No, no, no, no. She ended up as a book-keeper.

Ah, right.

Both of these dolls, they are made of composition.

-Mm.

-They have painted eyes.

-Mm-hm.

-They have limbs that move.

-Yes.

But they're fairly sort of basic little dolls.

But they are of that wonderful 1940s period,

just post-war there in America.

-And we have with them...

-I know.

-..this selection of clothes.

-I love these wee shoes.

-I know.

ANITA LAUGHS

Tell me, Barbara, did you play with these dolls?

-I did, yeah.

-You did? Well, you were obviously a very careful child,

because the dolls are still in good condition.

Price on these,

I'd like to put them in, conservatively, at £60 to £80.

Would you be happy to put them in at that price?

-I would, yeah.

-Yeah? And I think that they're absolutely charming.

-Thank you.

-So thank you very much for bringing them along.

Thank you very much.

Earlier on, I mentioned the Reading Rock Festival,

where tens of thousands of visitors invade the town each year.

What's it like living here?

I found a local resident who's going to tell me a bit more about that.

So, what is it like? What is it like?

I don't mind the change to the town at all.

There's lot of people, I'm ashamed we call them swampies,

because everywhere gets so muddy.

My earliest memory of the festival is sitting on my grandad's

outside toilet, because the music sounded fabulous from there.

-Did it? You could hear it?

-I heard, you know,

Rod Stewart in his heyday there.

But now I've got an allotment,

which is in the next field to the main stage.

-Oh, really?

-And the acoustics are fabulous.

And does it help the vegetables grow?

Well, there've been some clues. So, yeah, I guess it does.

-Thank you for talking to me today.

-Thank you.

Well, we need one more item before we go off to auction

for the first time. Who is that lucky owner going to be?

Let's find out.

-Well, Diane, now you've brought a load of hat pins in.

-Mm-hm.

When these were in their heyday, 1890-1920,

everybody would have had a hat on

and all the ladies would have had a hat pin to secure it in place.

-True.

-And the reason why it changed about 1920, do you know why?

-No.

-Haircuts changed.

As your hair is, the bob came into fashion,

didn't need hat pins any more.

They could secure them without going through the hair.

Where did all these come from?

A great aunt who had lived as a companion with two sisters.

-Right.

-And when they died, she inherited...

So she collected them?

They did, I presume, because there are two of some of them.

-OK.

-Which means they must have liked the same things.

Yeah, sometimes you have pairs of hat pins.

Oh, possibly.

I've sold all sorts of hat pins.

But there's a couple in here that are made by a very famous hat pin maker.

A chap called Charles Horner.

-Oh.

-He was based in Halifax

and he produced that hat pin.

Shape of the treble clef.

And that little heart one.

And he manufactured them, used to hallmark them in Chester,

and these are bang on his period.

I think from, that's 1908, and that is 1906,

so right at his peak of manufacturing hat pins.

He made all sorts of other things as well,

but hat pins he is quite known for.

-Interesting.

-People still collect hat pins,

even though they don't wear them. They still collect them.

And I know this is just a sample of what you have,

there are very many more that you brought along.

So we've just pulled out the better ones, if you like.

-Yeah, OK.

-The two little thistle ones topped with amethyst there.

-Yeah.

-Little Amethyst stones.

They are quite nice. A little bit of detail to them.

And they are standing in, what you must have if you have hat pins,

because I have already been pricked by a couple of these,

-and I have the scars to show for it...

-Me, too.

..is a hat pin stander.

That is a silver-plated one.

And that is a little silver one.

So they are just quite nice to go with the collection.

-Have you ever worn them?

-I have, yes.

-Ascot?

-No, Henley.

-Henley.

-Yes.

And you've no use for them any more?

-I haven't.

-I've got lazy about cleaning.

Got lazy about cleaning.

We get that quite a lot, I must admit.

Should we talk about a value?

-Yes.

-Yes. I think...

in total, as a group, we'd sell them as a lot.

It's not really worth splitting.

They're not that rare.

I would put the group lot in at around about £100 to £150.

-What do you think?

-Yeah.

We'll put a reserve on them, say £90,

so we're not giving them away for nothing.

Can we say 100 as the reserve?

Oh, go on, then, I'm not going to argue for a tenner. £100 reserve.

-Brilliant.

-What are you going to do with it?

Well, that'll get my grandson a trip to Amsterdam.

Your grandson a trip to Amsterdam?

Fantastic. Well, that should work out really well.

You never know, we might get him a flight back as well.

Well, that would be even better.

Having a good time, everyone?

Yes. That is what it is all about.

Reading is rocking.

Our experts have now found their first three items

to take off to auction. This is where it gets exciting.

Anything could happen. Do not go away.

Stay with us on this

because I think there could be one big surprise.

And here's a quick reminder of what is going under the hammer.

Will the Fab Four's fans go wild for Sandra's 1965 Beatles ticket?

Barbara's two dolls have come all the way from America,

and we are selling them with a selection of dolls' clothes too.

And finally heading under the hammer are Diane's two stands

and collection of hat pins.

Including the treble clef and the heart-shaped pins by Charles Horner.

Today, it's auction time.

This is where it gets exciting.

Now you heard what our experts said about the items at

the valuation day. You've probably got your own opinion.

But right now we're going to find out what the bidders think inside

Martin and Pole auction rooms in Wokingham.

Come on, let's put them under the hammer,

and fingers crossed they hit the roof.

Remember, whether you are buying or selling at auction,

there is always commission and VAT to pay.

Here the rate if you are selling is 15% plus the VAT.

Already hard at work on the rostrum is our auctioneer for today Matt Coles,

so let's hope the Beatles ticket belonging to Sandra

doesn't go for a song.

Talk me through that concert. I want to know what it was like.

Was it loud, to start with?

It was, yes. Yes. All the girls were screaming.

Well, good luck. Let's hope we get top dollar.

It's going under the hammer right now.

Start this for me at £28.

30 anywhere?

With me at £28.

Any further offers at £28?

I've got 30. 32, 35, 38.

40, 42, 45. 48, 50.

I'm running out of breath. 65, 70, 75.

80, 85. 90, 95. 100.

So £100 on the internet.

Any more in the room at £100?

I don't know why I'm here, it's all on the internet.

At £100, any more?

At £100 and selling.

Are we all done now? Fair warning.

£100.

£100!

Great. I can't believe it.

No, it was a good result, wasn't it?

Good provenance as well.

-Yes. I was there.

-I wish I could say that.

The Beatles' fans are definitely online today.

Next, hold on to your hats, it is Diane's collection of hat pins

with two stands.

And I know you want to sell these to raise money for some flights

-to Amsterdam.

-That's right, yeah.

-Send your grandson to Amsterdam?

-That's right. He's going to work for Mattel for a year.

-OK.

So either for him or him and his brother.

-Who knows?

-Little trip out there?

-Yeah.

-Oh, good on you.

-Good on you.

-Should do it.

-We should do this.

There is a lot here.

Yeah. Let's stick it to them, let's find out.

It's going under the hammer now.

A collection of Victorian hat pins.

Start this off for me at £75.

80 anywhere?

With me at £75.

Any further offers? At £75...

At £75, are we all done then?

At £75?

At 75, then, all done.

I'm so sorry, I don't know what to say, I'm actually lost for words,

thinking that was obviously going to sell because of the quantity.

It just goes to show, there wasn't a market for them today, not here,

not even online.

-C'est la vie!

-I'm ever so sorry.

-Don't worry.

-They'll get to Amsterdam, won't they?

-They will.

-They'll have to row!

Next, it's those two American dolls and a selection of clothes.

These were your mum's dolls, weren't they, Barbara?

-Yes.

-Nice thing, though, nice thing.

We know there are lots of doll collectors out there,

so hopefully we're going to find them right now,

as they go under the hammer.

This is it, good luck.

I have an absentee bid here of £45.

48 anywhere?

Oh.

Selling at £45...

48 on the internet.

50 now on the internet.

-50.

-55.

-55.

-60. 65. 70. 75.

-Good, good.

-80. 85. 90. 95... At 95.

Look, it's two internet bids bidding against each other.

-At £100 now. And ten.

-Yes, yes!

At £110.

Are we all done on the internet? I've got people in the room here,

they might want to bid as well. £110.

That was a good little flurry.

-£110. 120 on the internet.

-Oh, brilliant.

£120.

Any more? At £120.

On the internet, then, at £120.

-Are we all done?

-Fantastic.

Absolutely brilliant.

Yes! You know, wasn't that great?

You know,

and hopefully bought online, the internet,

hopefully they're going to go back to America.

-It would be lovely, wouldn't it?

-It would be good.

What a great result for Barbara,

and we'll be back at the auction for more surprises later on in the show.

While we are filming in Berkshire,

I had the opportunity of visiting the magnificent,

the majestic Cliveden House, to find out more about the role

the house has played in British politics.

Cliveden was purchased at the end of the 19th century by William Waldorf Astor,

one of the wealthiest men in America.

He and the Astor family settled quickly in England

and soon became part of the British aristocracy.

In 1906, William gave Cliveden House to his son Waldorf

and his American wife Nancy Langhorne as a wedding gift.

Nancy and her husband gave Cliveden a new lease of life -

they entertained on a lavish scale.

The house quickly became a destination for film stars

and politicians such as Charlie Chaplin,

Ghandi and Winston Churchill.

Nancy Astor, the First Lady Astor,

came from the American South and shortly after her arrival here

she came a figure of great interest, everybody wanted to know her.

She was only five feet high,

yet on all accounts she was both beautiful and very intelligent.

Both the young Astors were actively involved in politics

and they saw themselves as being a lot more liberal than the former,

more conservative Lord Astor.

And it would be Nancy who went on to become the more famous of the two.

In 1919, just one year after women were given the right to vote

and become a member of Parliament,

Nancy Astor, to a fanfare of worldwide publicity, made history.

She became the first woman to take a seat as an MP for

the Conservative Party.

Women had died for the vote.

Mrs Pankhurst and that woman who threw herself...

and I realised

that I was there because of what they'd done.

I've come to the Lady Astor bedroom to meet Sue Williams,

general manager here at Cliveden,

to hear more about Nancy's political life.

So what was she like outside of politics, as a person?

She's written up as a tale of two halves.

She had a big heart, but with her own family I think she was very,

-very tough.

-And in politics, what was she like?

Her real aim was to improve the welfare for families,

so that would cover everything from education, health,

living accommodations and actually it is Nancy

who brought in our drinking laws of today, which are...

I didn't know that, really?

Yeah, being able to drink over the age of 18.

So how was Nancy treated in the House of Commons upon her election?

Her attributes really offended all the male politicians

that she kind of was working alongside.

Her whole style was just, just tenacious.

I mean, my best friends didn't speak to me hardly, they couldn't.

It was like going into a members club.

-MAN:

-An all-male club, as it were?

An all-male club.

And I was very conscious of that.

She was controversial.

They really shunned her and wouldn't speak to her barely at all.

They wouldn't sort of open doors and stand up for her to move along

the benches and things like that.

They didn't disagree, many of them,

and certainly this was the position of Winston Churchill.

They didn't disagree with the vote for women and women in politics,

but he didn't care for some of the more aggressive tactics

that they would use. Nancy and Churchill were...

-They didn't get on?

-They did not get on at all.

There was this one wonderful occasion that is well recorded.

Nancy was so wound up by him, she said,

"Sir, if you were my husband I'd poison your coffee".

He came back with his razor-sharp wit and said,

"Ma'am, if you were my wife, I would drink it".

Wonderful sort of put you down with just wit and intelligence.

Lady Astor died at the age of 84.

Her life at Cliveden and her involvement in British politics

meant she left a lasting impression and legacy.

Thanks to the next generation of Astors,

the parties at Cliveden continued throughout the '50s and '60s,

and it was in 1961 that a meeting took place here that rocked

the British establishment.

It was the height of the Cold War

and the building of the Berlin Wall

had created a divide between East and West.

This was the backdrop to a meeting that put Cliveden at the centre of

political life for the second time in a century.

Now a frequent visitor of the Astors here at Clivedon the early 1960s

was a successful Harley Street osteopath called Stephen Ward.

He'd massaged the backs of the rich and the famous,

people like Winston Churchill, the Royal family, Elizabeth Taylor,

but he also specialised in introducing beautiful women

to powerful and influential men, who attended parties here at Cliveden.

Stephen Ward had friends in high places,

including the British secret services - MI5.

And Ward would frequently stay here in Spring Cottage on the estate

and he'd arrived with handfuls of gorgeous young women by his side.

One of these women was a model, 19-year-old Christine Keeler,

and on one summer's evening at the Cliveden swimming pool in July 1961,

she caught the eye of the Conservative Member of Parliament

and Secretary of War John Profumo.

The minister became smitten with the model

and they began a three-month affair.

Profumo's affair would have probably remained unknown if it hadn't been

for the arrival here, at the swimming pool,

of a handsome Russian spy called Yevgeny Ivanov.

Now, the very same weekend that Ward introduced Ivanov to Christine Keeler here,

later on that evening John Profumo turned up on the scene

and the inevitable happened.

The Russian spy met up with the British Secretary of State for War, John Profumo.

Shortly after that, the circle was complete.

Ivanov also had an affair with Christine Keeler.

Now I know this is beginning to sound like a John le Carre novel,

but the plot is about to thicken.

Due to the growing influence of the tabloid press in 1960s Britain,

the story soon came out.

The love triangle between the British cabinet minister,

the Russian spy and their girlfriend became headline news,

and a political scandal for the Government of the day.

Rumours of the affair between Keeler and Profumo were raised in

the House of Commons. John Profumo, the British Minister of War,

was hauled before his party to answer questions about the affair.

Harold Macmillan, the Prime Minister of the day,

was furious that the reputation of the Government was at stake -

both at home and abroad.

John Profumo denied having an affair with Christine Keeler.

He lied. And later on in a statement of the House of Commons

when he addressed them he read out the same lies.

The press and the Opposition were determined to get to the truth.

The Minister John Profumo eventually confessed

and made a public admission of guilt and resigned from the Government.

The Russians spy Yevgeny Ivanov fled back home.

The publicity around the case alarmed the secret services, MI5,

who felt that Stephen Ward's intelligence activities

and links to the Russian spy might be revealed,

so they decided the best course of action was to hand him over to

the police.

Stephen Ward was charged with living off immoral earnings

and his trial began in July 1963.

It was characterised as an act of political revenge,

for the embarrassment it caused the Government.

After a damning speech by the trial judge,

Ward committed suicide before the verdict was read out.

Ward felt he'd been made a scapegoat of the Establishment

and many of Ward's so-called well-connected friends

didn't turn up to speak on his behalf.

And MI5 didn't reveal the uses they made of Ward

as a channel of communication to the Russian spy.

In a separate trial later that year,

Christine Keeler was found guilty of perjury

and served six months in prison.

She always insisted Stephen Ward was not guilty of the charge

of living off immoral earnings that he had faced.

The Profumo affair had aroused such national interest

that seven months after the death of Stephen Ward,

the Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan resigned.

In the following year, the party lost the 1964 election to

the Labour Party,

who went on to hold power for the rest of the decade.

So there you have it, two dramatic events that put Cliveden House at

the centre of British politics during the 20th-century.

Now that's quite some story for one house.

Back at The Concert Hall in Reading, it's still a packed house,

with hundreds of people waiting for a valuation.

Let's now join up with our experts

and see what else we can find to take off to auction.

Hillary, welcome to "Flog It!".

Now there is nothing more elegant than a silver-topped walking stick,

but tell me, where did you get them?

They belonged to my husband's grandfather

and were passed down to his daughter,

my husband's mother, and then they were passed to my husband.

Have they been used throughout the family?

They would have been used by the grandfather.

I myself have used this one,

I used it to help me along sometimes because it was more elegant

-than an ordinary walking stick.

-Exactly, exactly!

What you have here is fashion and style.

Let's have a wee look at them.

Now I like this one here, with this...

It's mythical or exotic-looking bird, with a bit of a hooked bill.

I thought it was a swan,

but my husband said he thought it was an eagle.

-Right, OK.

-Because it's got the hook, as well.

That's right, that's right.

What I like about this one are the details of the eyes.

We have these glass eyes, which give it an almost human, animated look.

So I do like that.

Now I've had a wee look over this top and I can't see a hallmark,

but it feels like silver.

But I think this may have been a continental one.

The walking sticks that are making money in the salerooms today

are ones which have an added element,

or a little bit of novelty value or a little bit different.

This one certainly fits into that bill.

LAUGHTER

So it's a good-looking item.

The base of the stick,

we usually have a little metal sleeve that fits in there.

That's missing,

but we're not bothered too much about that, easily replaced.

And the shaft is made of some sort of hardwood.

This one is a very interesting stick.

Oriental. This silver is Chinese silver.

The motifs are beautifully embossed,

so I want to have a wee closer look at the decoration on this one here.

And you know, as I look at it,

there is a whole zoo of embossed animals on here.

-I've never noticed that.

-There are tigers,

some sort of antelope-type creature, there's an elephant...

This makes it even more interesting, and it's, again,

in perfect condition.

You have this ebonised shaft here.

We do have the base on that one,

so we've got two really quite nice sticks here.

Price...

-I think that they should be sold together...

-Yeah.

-..in one lot.

And probably, maybe 80-120 on the pair.

They might go further than that, in fact, I hope they do.

-That's fine.

-Would you be happy with that, Hillary?

Yes, yeah, I would be. And the reserve, would you put a reserve?

-We'll put a reserve of £80 on them.

-10% is discretionary normally?

-10% is discretionary.

-That's fine, yes, yeah.

Thank you so much for bringing them along.

-Thank you so much, thank you.

-Terrific.

Next I'm meeting Mick,

who's worked as stage security at Reading Festival since the 1970s.

And he has amassed a huge collection of memorabilia.

So all of this is basically band detritus.

Plectrums that have been lost or flicked about.

Drumsticks that were dropped from the kit

and set lists that were Sellotaped to all the monitors and PAs.

-That's right, yeah.

-You just picked it up and took it home?

I certainly did, but I gave a lot of it away to fans down at

-the front of the stage.

-Aw, that's a really good thing to do.

You must have met a lot of these guys as well,

showing them backwards and forwards?

That was the big thing about it, it was who you were going to meet,

who you were going to have a drink with

and who were you going to talk to and what would they give you?

Look at all the plectrums you've got.

What's the most famous plectrum there?

Guitarists would personalise their own plectrums.

So you'd see someone like that,

Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick with his autograph on one side

and his picture on the other.

It became things like that that you would pick up.

That's the bass guitarist from the Ramones.

And he gave me a handful.

It was people like Phil Collins, gentleman that he is,

"Phil, can I have a set of sticks?"

-He would say...

-"Of course you can."

It's all here, rock and roll history.

Thank you so much for talking to me.

You know what? You brought back memories for me.

-Lovely, thank you.

-What a fantastic contemporary collection.

Next it's over to Nick who's found some much older items.

Well, Susan, here we are in the choir stalls

with our ace choir behind us.

Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to sing,

and even more importantly, I'm not going to sing!

-So you've brought in these lovely paperweights.

-Mm-hm.

Where on earth did you get them from?

In the '70s my husband found them in an old sack by a skip

and he said he liked them and they were quite pretty

and he didn't want to leave them

and he thought perhaps I would like them.

There was a lot in there and they were all damaged,

but these were among them, these were about the best

-and I kept these in my cabinet.

-Do you know anything about them?

I don't know anything about them at all.

Except I found some dates.

There's a date on that one and a date on this one.

-That's right.

-I didn't know what they were.

If you look really carefully, that's got 1847,

that's the date that was made.

Gosh!

That's pretty impressive.

We got some "oohs" and "ahs" from behind!

Wow! These are all by the same company.

Are they?

It's a French company called Baccarat,

who are very famous for making glass.

They started in 1745 under Louis XV from France

and they made all sorts of things -

chandeliers and drinking glasses and decorative pieces.

These paperweights, there is a classic period about 1845 to 1860,

these are all from that period.

Now there's some odd things about them.

This one is my personal favourite.

It's called a scramble because it just looks like a mess.

All these multicoloured canes in here start in a length of glass

and then they cut them and insert them in there

and lay them on this base and then encase them.

It's quite a complex process. It's so beautiful when it's in your hand.

All these canes have got little motifs on them

and there's one round the side here, just there,

it's called the Diablo cane, which is the devil came.

And Baccarat used to put them in,

just a little tweak of what he used to do.

The one you're holding in that hand...

-That's the one I think is prettiest.

-You like that one?

Butterfly garland, but there's a problem with it.

You can see the difference between all three of them.

What's the difference with that one? It's all been faceted, hasn't it?

-Yes, yes.

-I believe they didn't do faceted paperweights.

I think that's had a bruise in it at some time

and they've cut the bruise out and made the facets.

So you're getting different styles,

but by accident really with that one.

Then we move again now to the third one.

Not as crisp, not as clear and really with the millefiori canes,

all these canes round here, the whites and the blues and greens,

you really have to have a little bit more definition to them.

It just looks, if you compare them, a little bit blurry, I think.

-Yeah.

-Collectors like crisp and clean.

Shall we talk about value?

The one I like the most, I think at auction would fetch £300 to £500.

OK? That one, even with the facets, same sort of value.

-£300 to £500.

-Gosh.

Not so exciting, not so well made,

I would say that one is probably near £150 to £250.

-Yes.

-Reserve?

£300, a bit of discretion?

Same for that one and 150 on that one.

-How does that sound?

-That's lovely, yes.

We could skip off together.

Lovely.

Now for our final valuation of the day, over on Anita's table.

Veronica, welcome to "Flog It!"!

You've brought along a "Flog It!" favourite.

Two terrific pieces of Troika.

Tell me, where did you get them?

The small piece came from a car boot

and it was actually filled with dried flowers.

The larger piece, I think I got from a charity shop,

-but many, many years ago.

-Can you remember what you paid for them?

I think I paid £1 for this.

£1? Wow!

I have no idea, I wouldn't have paid a lot for it.

Tell me what drew you to them.

Oh, the designs. The abstract and the colour.

I collect studio ware, so I do like it.

Was that before the time when Troika was, I suppose,

known to us all or became popular?

-Yes.

-So you'd a good eye?

-Hopefully, yes.

-Troika, of course, was the wonderful Cornish studio

which made these wonderful abstract or modernist designs set up by

the three potters and, really,

it went from '62 to maybe '83, but we had many designs.

This particular design is called the wheel design.

If we look underneath,

the monogram will tell us who made this particular wheel vase.

We see LJ, that's Louise Jenks.

-OK.

-OK. So it's good that we can identify the potter.

This one here, this possibly could be...

I'm not recognising that monogram,

but your auctioneer will do his research

and identify it before the sale.

-OK.

-I have to say to you that the bigger the vase is, very often,

the more expensive it is.

-OK.

-These are, I suppose, more traditional shapes.

I'd put them together and I would put an estimate of say

£200 to £300 on the pair.

If you're happy, we can go forward and sell them at that.

-Yes.

-So you bought well, you bought well.

Do you want to put a reserve on these vases?

-I would like a reserve.

-Perhaps £180.

-OK.

-And give the auctioneer a little discretion?

-Yes.

-Thank you for bringing them along.

-Thank you.

Well, there you are. You've just seen them,

our experts have now found their final items

to take off to auction. So, sadly,

it's time to say goodbye to our magnificent venue,

The Concert Hall here in the heart of Reading.

Have you had a good time, everyone?

-ALL:

-Yes!

-Well, thank you so much for turning up.

We thoroughly enjoyed it today, but right now

we have some unfinished business to do in the auction room,

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

Let's hope Hillary's two walking sticks appeal to the animal lovers.

Nick split Susan's collection of 19th century glass paperweights

into three separate lots.

And finally, heading under the hammer are the two pieces of Troika

belonging to Veronica.

Back at Martin and Pole in Wokingham,

auctioneer Matt Coles is still hard at work on the rostrum and first up,

it's Hillary's two walking sticks.

I think these will go to a collector.

I think these will be highly sought after.

Yeah, I think they are more collectable as a say for a collector

rather than someone using them.

Yeah. Happy, everyone?

Shall we find out what the bidders think?

This is the moment of truth, isn't it?

You've probably got your own idea,

but let's find out exactly what they're worth.

They're going under the hammer right now.

We'll hand the proceedings over to the auctioneer.

Absentee bids on this.

I'll start it with me at £90.

95 anywhere?

With me at £90.

Any further offers at £90?

95, 100.

110, 120, 130 with you now. £130.

Any more at 130?

Selling then at £130.

All done?

-That's a good result, £130.

-That's good.

-We're happy.

-They deserved that.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Did well.

-Pleased?

Very pleased, thank you.

-Good.

-Next let's see if we can make a good profit for Veronica.

We're talking about Troika.

Yes, and you know I love my Troika.

And two, twice as good as one.

Antiques travel well, that's what it's all about.

Troika in vogue right now and hopefully we'll get the top prices.

We're putting them under the hammer now.

We'll have to start it with me at 170. 180.

It's on the internet for £180.

Any further offers at £180?

I'm selling at 180. 190, 200 now on the internet. At £200.

Right, we're in. We have 200.

We all done, £200?

Selling at £200.

Any more? Are we all done on the internet?

I see you're hovering. Are you all done?

-Come on, come on!

-£200, all done?

The gavel's gone down.

We had 2-3, they gone for £200.

-That's fine.

-Happy with that?

-I am, yes.

-Well done, thank you.

And finally, it's Susan's three paperweights.

Since the valuation day,

the auction house have had more time to study them

and they've now catalogued the last one that's going under the hammer

as being by a different maker called Saint-Louis.

I love your little collection, I really do.

We've got three to sell.

We're splitting them up into individual lots.

They are quality, aren't they?

The clarity when you look deep inside them, it's exquisite.

Right, this is my favourite going under the hammer.

This is the first one. Hopefully it does £300 plus.

Let's find out. We'll add it all up at the end, OK?

-Yes, yes.

-With a big grand total. Here's the first one.

Lot 345 is the Baccarat paperweight.

With me at £280. 290, 300, 320,

350, 400.

I have £400.

450. 500. 550.

600. 650. 700.

Anyone want to come in at £700? 750 on the internet.

-800.

-Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

Any more at £800?

850 on the telephone.

850 on the telephone.

900 on the internet.

950 on the telephone.

At £950 on the telephone.

All done?

Yes! £950.

Two more to go. Your favourite's going under the hammer right now.

Let's find out what it's worth. Here we go.

Start this with me at £240.

250 anywhere? We've got 250 on the internet.

300, 350 now.

380 now.

It's creeping.

420, 450, 480, 500, 550, 600.

650, 700, 750, 800.

850 now on the internet.

At 900 now.

Are we all done at 900?

900, another great result for that one.

-Gosh!

-What's going through your mind right now?

My heart's racing.

I bet it is.

Mine would be if I owned them!

One more to go yet.

-Oh, dear!

-Oh!

I'm going hot.

OK, fingers crossed, this is the last. Here we go.

The Saint-Louis millefiori paperweight.

Start this with me at £100.

200, 300, 400, 500, 600,

700, 800. 900. 1,000.

At 1,000. 1,100, 1,200, 1,300, 1,400, 1,500.

Wow! I'm speechless.

1,800. At £1,800.

1,900. 2,000.

At £2,000 on the internet.

2,100.

Any more? At 2,100.

2,200 on the internet.

2,200 on the internet now.

2,300 on the internet.

2,300.

2,400 on the telephone.

At 2,400 on the telephone now.

-Susan!

-My goodness!

2,600 on the telephone.

2,700.

2,800 on the telephone.

At 2,800.

I don't know what to say!

Lost for words!

-Susan's spellbound.

-I'm spellbound.

Are we all done at £2,800?

Give us a hug! £2,800.

Susan, my darling, that's such a lot of money.

-I can't believe it.

-Those three paperweights add up to £4,650,

if I'm right.

-Some serious collectors out there.

-Some serious collectors.

-I didn't think there would be.

-Wow, what a day!

-You've got tears in your eyes.

-Thank you for bringing them in.

Please, please, please, please enjoy the money, won't you?

Thank you very much.

If you've got anything like that, we would love to sell it,

but until then, join us again for many more surprises,

but it's goodbye from all of us here in Wokingham,

especially Susan here with such a lovely star lot.

-Well done, you.

-Thank you very much.