Chesterfield Flog It!

Flog It visits many places which are described as market towns -

Chesterfield certainly fits that bill.

There are around 250 stalls here,

which makes it one of the largest open-air markets in the country.

And market day is every Monday, Friday and Saturday.

On Thursdays, there's an antique and farmers market combined.

So there's not much you can tell the good people of Chesterfield about value for money.

We're certainly going to have a work cut out today convincing them that our estimates are right.

And this is where it all starts, and quite literally so, because it is the beginning of the queue.

All the people of Chesterfield are here to get their antiques and

collectables valued by the best in the business, our Flog It experts Nigel Smith and Charlie Ross.

And if they hear favourable news, well, they might just decide to flog it, and that is what it's all about.

So let's get straight down to business. What's Charlie found?

This has taken my eye. I haven't got a clue what it is, but you can tell me.

-No, I've no idea.

-You have no idea what it is?

-It's got a little cutter inside, that's why I brought it, to see what it was.

-I know it's a poodle.

I know it's a poodle!

-But its tail is unusually long.

-Yes.

I'm hoping it's silver.

Aha, I can see what it is.

It's a cutter. It is a cheroot cutter, it's not big enough to be a cigar cutter.

-Quite obviously this is not for a masculine...not for cutting a Havana cigar.

-No.

Besides, you would think the chap was a bit strange if he took this out of his pocket.

You would say hello, hello, hello! So it's a very female object.

I think we'll find a collector. I think the auctioneers will find a collector for this.

I'm not finding a hallmark, so it's silver plate.

-Right.

-So we're not going to be selling it to silver collectors,

-but we are going to sell it to cheroot cutter collectors.

-Ah, good.

It's splendidly modelled. I think the wackiest thing is the tail. SHE LAUGHS

But I think this is one of those golden Flog It moments

where I've fallen in love with something that isn't worth much!

But I don't think that matters.

I think it's splendid. I think it's worth about £50.

-Oh, nice.

-I think with your permission we'll get the auctioneers

to sell it without reserve, if you're happy with that?

-No, that's fine.

-I think we will get plenty of interest, and if people think it's there

-to be sold, which it is, I think we might get a pleasant surprise.

-Nice.

It won't provide you with a huge amount of money,

but it'll provide a collector with something that they've got to have, they've got to have.

-Thank you for bringing it along.

-You're welcome.

-I love it.

-Geoff.

-Yes.

-Thank you for struggling in with this marvellous array of trains.

-It's OK.

-It's mainly Hornby, isn't it? Nearly all Hornby.

-Hornby and Triang, yes.

-Are you a train enthusiast?

-No, it's a dream I've always had, of course.

-Really?

-Yes, but we belong to the Staveley Methodist Church and one of our members...

while we were fund-raising for refurbishment work...

..donated all this equipment that used to belong to her husband

to sell on behalf of the church.

-How wonderful! It was very generous.

-Yes.

Some of these aren't terribly old. I think they date from the 1970s most of it, really.

-Yes.

-But some of them are quite good quality die-cast engines, and others are plastic-cased ones.

An awful lot are in the original boxes, which is what the collectors like.

Nice little set there.

It has the original price on there.

In addition to this, we have an extensive collection of track

and all sorts of paraphernalia. We've got a bridge here.

And some very smart Pullman coaches. I've had a look through the collection.

I think if we put a broad estimate of 100 to 200 on the lot,

-that's where we're going to be, and we'll sell them for you.

-Good.

But the railways stuff is still very commercial, very saleable, a lot of enthusiasts and collectors out there.

-I don't think we'll struggle to get you a reasonable price for this.

-Good.

-Let's hope we make a lot of money for the Staveley Methodist Church.

-Yes.

Diana, this is something for the purists.

-It's possibly the oldest thing we've had on the show for a long time.

-Oh, right.

-It's from the 18th century.

-Really?

-Do you know what it's called?

No. It's a leather blackjack, or sometimes they're costrels.

They would be for carrying beer or wine.

You've got two holes here, which would take a rope. You can hang it on the side of a cart.

You can put it over your shoulder, or just take the rope off and use them in the house.

-And you could use it as a pitcher.

-Mm-hm.

And the leather is absolutely rock hard.

They get the leather this hard by tanning it in water.

It's steeped in a hot mixture

of water and bark.

It's taken out, and they then tan the leather

by putting it into fresh running water and getting a couple of really flat stones and literally beating

-the hell out of the leather.

-Quite a process, then.

-Literally.

And once the leather has dried out, it absolutely goes rock hard.

Where did you come by this?

It was in the house. We bought an old property 20 years ago, and the lady who was selling

the house had quite a few pieces, and this was one of them.

-And you just acquired it?

-Yeah. I didn't know what it was.

Where has it been in the house?

It's been in...

-the toilet.

-Has it?

In the children's toilet.

And they put their marbles down there or something.

Yeah, marbles, sweeties, pennies, and I don't know what else is in there.

These are real decorator's item.

Country furniture and oak dealers absolutely love them, and they look

at their best when you get them three or four in a group together

of varying different sizes, and they look great on an old Welsh dresser or court cupboard.

And it definitely is 18th century.

-Gosh.

-It's that early.

Look at the wonderful stitching. The stitching has survived the passage of time.

Look how thick it is.

I just love

-that's rusty, crusty look.

-Mmm.

It's grotty, that is.

Well, yes, that's its charm. It's got its own little personality.

I could see that on the side of a hay wagon, something like that.

It's gorgeous. Any idea of value?

I haven't got a clue, actually. A few hundred pounds?

Yes, it is actually. You're spot-on. A couple of hundred pounds.

On a good day in the right sale, maybe £250 to £300. I love it.

-I absolutely adore it. Shall we flog it?

-Yeah.

Let's put it into auction with a value of £200 to £250.

-OK.

-OK?

-Mm-hm. You think that's a fair price?

-I think that's a fair price.

And if it gets £300, then we're laughing.

Cos it would have done £300 a few years ago.

Karen and Jane, hunting in a pack today, I see. Not just one of you. Why have you both come along?

Not that you shouldn't, of course.

Because we've both got an interest in these chairs and where they're going to go.

-Right.

-And we couldn't carry them...

And we couldn't carry them...one of us couldn't carry them ourselves.

-How many have you brought along?

-Two.

-Two. And how many have you got?

-Six.

-And are they all in the same condition?

-They are, yes.

And you inherited them?

Yes, our other sister in Newcastle passed them on to me.

-Right. Does your sister know you're selling them?

-Yes, she does.

-She does, you're sure?

-The first thing she won't see is you on telly raking the money in?

-No, she knows.

I presume you know how old they are?

-Yes, we think they date back to about 1860.

-Yeah, I would think that's pretty well spot-on.

You've been told that, or have you worked it out yourself?

We were told that they will balloon backs dating back to 1860 and made from walnut.

Well, you're absolutely right in every regard there.

They are walnut, they are balloon back and nicely carved front cabriole leg.

A delicate cabriole leg.

They are...WERE...

a very, very popular design of chair.

Quite often, they were made as part of a salon suite.

You might have six chairs -

a lady's chair, gent's chair and a chaise longue of the same sort of format.

The problem with walnut is it's a very soft wood and invariably gets the dreaded worm.

I'm going to turn them upside down now.

And see the worm, which...

-Not a single hole.

-No.

-Good.

-Have you ever looked underneath?

-Yes.

-And it's amazing.

And the brackets, the strengthening brackets at each corner are, I'm sure, the original ones?

-Yes.

-With the original screws.

This is about to the original as you can get from a Victorian chair.

It's astonishing. And it's got a stamp on it here.

It says "R Robson, Newcastle".

I have to say, sadly, I don't know who R Robson was, but he made a damn good bit of furniture.

Had you come along years ago, I would have been giving you

a much different figure to the figure I give you today.

And I'm going to ask you what you think they're worth.

-We don't really know.

-No, we don't.

-You must have a...

You can't have brought them along thinking they're worth a fiver or 5,000 or...

-I think they're sort of like, erm...

-Have a go.

-About £350 for the six of them.

-Yeah.

-£350.

-That's right.

-You're agreed with that?

-Roughly.

-I think that's pretty good.

I think I would estimate them at 300 to 500.

If we could put a reserve of...let's say £300, give the auctioneer a bit of discretion in case he gets close.

-Right.

-Would you be happy with that?

-Yes.

So if we can turn them into a few hundred pounds, who's having the money? Your sister?

-Yes... No, no, definitely not.

-You're having it to go and see another sister.

You're having it. What are you going to do with it?

Me and my family are going on holiday to Australia at Christmas.

Fantastic!

Great. Well that will get one of you halfway there!

It certainly will.

Well, it's now time for our first visit to the auction room,

and an owner's quirky poodle-shaped cheroot cutter is certainly unusual.

But will it catch somebody's eye?

Are the Hornby trains on track to make a decent donation to the church restoration project?

The girls' balloon back walnut chairs are in great condition

and could fund a trip Down Under.

And finally, it's my favourite. The leather blackjack pitcher.

For our auction today, we've come to Bamfords auction house in Matlock.

It's one of my favourite auction rooms. On the rostrum is our good friend, James Lewis.

I wonder what he thinks of some of our valuations.

I absolutely love this. I've fallen in love with it.

Belongs to Diana. Not for much longer.

This is going to sell, definitely. I put £200 to £250.

I've seen them do a lot more. It's a shame it's not dated.

-It'd be up there in the £1,000 sort of value.

-Yeah.

It's a lovely blackjack, leather, English, 17th century -

-says it all, doesn't it?

-Yes, it does. Do you know, I unwrapped that and I knew exactly who'd had that.

I knew you'd valued it, I knew you'd picked it. And I love it.

-It's fantastic.

-It's so rare! Not many of these things come in, I've got to stress that.

We don't get a lot of purist things. This is folk art at its very, very best.

And whoever buys this, I'm sure they'll have a collection, cos they'll understand it.

A lot of people don't understand this. It's like the leather fire bucket.

It's, "No, I wouldn't give you £300 for one of those," but they're worth every single penny.

It's a purist. If you have a 17th- century interior,

or an early 18th-century Derbyshire farmhouse, this will look fantastic amongst the oak...

and the copper and...oh, fantastic!

Love it. If I was allowed to bid, I would.

Well, let's get straight on with the auction and first up it's Anona.

What's the history of that name?

-Believe it was North American Indian.

-Yeah.

-In the name books now, it's classed as Latin.

-Classed as Latin.

Beautiful, isn't it? First time I've ever come across that

and it's the first time I've seen a little poodle dog modelled as a cheroot cutter.

We've got £50 on this.

It is absolutely charming. It is razor sharp, isn't it, as well.

-But you're flogging it. You don't want to keep it.

-No, it's just been in a drawer, so it might as well go.

Well, I know it caught the eye of our expert, Charlie Ross here. ..It's very nice.

It's a nice little thing and we're selling it without reserve, so...

It's bound to go. There's no pressure, is there?

Good luck, Anona. It's going under the hammer, right now.

Lot 120

is this very pretty little cheroot cutter -

there it is in the form of a poodle.

I've got a single bid on commission

and I'll start it at £40 on commission. 40 and two. 42. 45.

48 and 50. At £50 with me. And 2? Are we all done, 52 anywhere?

At 50, and selling.

-Bang, yes, well done.

-About right.

What a great valuation! You said £50. That was a spot-on valuation.

That was a proper value, for once.

For my poodle.

It's not a great deal of money. I guess, have a meal, a few bottles of wine.

That's for the children - donkey rides, ice creams on holiday.

Exactly. Thank you very much for coming in.

Thank you very much.

I've just been joined by Geoffrey and Barbara.

We've got some Hornby trains with a lot of rail in original boxes, up for grabs.

£1 to £200 we've put on this.

-Now, the money is going towards the church, isn't it?

-Yes.

Tell me all about it. What church, where and what are you doing?

It's Staveley Methodist Church.

The train set has been donated by an elderly lady.

In the last few years, we've had to have some new windows.

-What church is this?

-Staveley Methodist Church.

-Whereabouts is this?

-Near Chesterfield.

This is it. Good luck, you two.

For 490, the Hornby railways.

There we are. Quite a lot of this.

Again, interest. We've got one internet bid.

We've got one absentee bid, and I can start it at £85. 90.

95 anywhere? 95 front row.

95. 100. 110. 120. 130.

140. 150 has it.

160 new place. 170.

180. 190. 200. Shakes his head at 200.

190 still at the front. At 190.

Yes, hammer's gone down.

£190, Barbara. Got to be pleased with that.

Yes, yes.

A little more would have been welcome.

-At least we almost made it to the 200.

-Exactly.

They're a great group of people, mostly elderly members now, but they're very supportive

and generous, and we were hoping we'd have good news to tell them when we went on Sunday.

You'll have to organise some more church fetes.

-You can flog your things down there.

-Yes.

-The money's going to a great cause anyway.

-Yes.

Are you sitting comfortably? You would be if you were on one

of Karen and Jane's balloon back chairs, stamped in Newcastle, "Robson".

We've got a value of £300-£500 on these.

-Let's hope we get that top end, shall we?

-Definitely.

They're just about to go under the hammer. ..Charlie?

I hear you've revised the estimate slightly.

I haven't revised the estimate. I think the estimate 3-5 should be right.

But the ladies do not want to take them home, so they said, "What about no reserve?"

I said, "I can't!" But 200 we've settled on.

If they don't make 200, I'll shoot the auctioneer.

Right, we've got 200 fixed reserve.

Let's see what they do. It's going under the hammer now. This is it.

Lot 430. This very pretty set of walnut balloon back salon chairs.

There we are. 200 I can start them at on commission.

At £220. 220 do I see?

At 200. Letting them go at £200, it's a single bid.

Gosh, they'd have made so much more two years ago.

At £200. 220 do I see? 220 anywhere?

No. At 200. Going to go, though.

No mistake, they are selling. At 200.

Blink and you'll miss it. That was quick.

Straight in at £200. That was our fixed reserve, and he sold on £200.

Someone got a good deal, but you're happy with that, aren't you?

-Yeah.

-I know you didn't want to take them home? It's a lot of chairs.

-Mmm. Absolutely.

-Cracking chairs. They're going to last another 50 or 60 years, easily.

Robson. Good maker. They're made right the way through the 18th and 19th century.

It was Robert Robson who made these chairs.

It's a silly price in my opinion, but thank goodness we put some reserve on.

If we hadn't had any reserve, they might have made 40 quid!

Next up, my favourite item. This was my valuation.

Diana's late 17th-century, early 18th-century leather bombard.

It is a wonderful, wonderful vessel. It's survived the passage of time, and I absolutely adore it.

It's my favourite item I've seen possibly all year. Unfortunately, I can't find Diana.

We've got a packed sale room. I don't know where she is.

It's just about to go under the hammer and in fact, it's going under the hammer now.

This is it. I don't know where she is.

Hopefully, she'll join me in a minute.

What a fantastic lot.

Look at that. It's brilliant. It really is a good thing.

Early 18th-century English leather jack.

Wonderful, so rare to find them.

190 starts it. 200. 220.

240 on the steps. 260. 280.

300. 320. 340. 360.

360 on the steps. At 360. 380 now.

380 on the phone. 400. 420. No?

At £400. On the steps at 400.

I don't believe it. I don't believe it.

Hang on, this is your lot.

-GAVEL GOES DOWN

-Did it! £400!

-Fantastic!

-Where were you?

-Moving the car. I'm really sorry.

-It's a nightmare out there, isn't it?

-I know that.

-That's brilliant, though. I'm really pleased.

-Are you happy with that? 400 quid?

-Yes. Really pleased.

I thought you were going to miss that for a moment.

What will you put £400 towards?

My youngest son wants a guitar.

Does he? There's a Gibson for sale in this very auction!

It's about lot number 500, and I know our expert Nigel Smith fancies it.

-Thank you so much for coming in. That was just so beautiful.

-Really pleased.

Well, how about that? Some great results.

And there's plenty more auction action later in the show.

We've just seen the leather blackjack sell, and what a great result.

It's a survivor from the 17th century, due to the tanning process.

I've just been told there's a tannery using traditional methods in Chesterfield,

so let's go and find out what it's all about.

About 1 in 10 people in this country don't eat meat for various reasons. I'm one of them.

I'm a veggie, but I do wear leather shoes and I've got leather belts. I love leather.

Almost all of us rely on the casing that the meat comes in, the pelt of the animal, if you like.

So I've come to one of Britain's last remaining working tanneries

to find out exactly how good quality leather is made.

I know I've come to the right place, because I can smell it.

Let's go inside and find out.

Joseph Clayton set up his tanning business here in Chesterfield in 1840.

There was a growing demand for leather products in rapidly industrialising Victorian England.

And the arrival of the railways swelled the demand for leather for upholstery, and the factories

and mills needed miles and miles of leather drive belts for their new machinery.

Tanning itself was becoming an industrial process.

And Clayton's was at the forefront.

OK, so how is it done? I'm going to give it a go.

Hope you're not feeling squeamish, but you have to get your pelt.

This would arrive from the slaughterhouse,

either fresh, like this lot here - look, there's a whole herd here - or it dried and salted.

The skin of the cow would have been cut in such a way

to produce the most desirable piece possible,

so this meant you had to cut the sides, the back and the rear end

to produce one whole piece.

Then it's got to be heavily soaked.

Afterwards, it's scraped with a very sharp blade, on one side to remove

the remnants of flesh, and on the other to get rid of all the hair.

It's the bit we don't like thinking about.

It doesn't smell, it absolutely stinks!

We've soaked the skin, we've cleaned it on the back and the front.

It then goes through a lengthy process of being dipped in a series of tanks

which you can see here - look at them all - and they're very deep.

Once the skin is immersed in that, it will then stabilise it, give it its strength.

-I've just been joined by Barry Knight, who's been working on this shop floor for 25 years, yes?

-Yes.

Now you're flogging leather all over the world, so you've worked your way up.

What is in these tanks, and is it dangerous?

It's only dangerous if you fall in it. It's a mixture of tree bark, that's extracted, and we produce

a liquor out of it which we use as the basis for the tanning.

That is a good example of what it looks like when we get it.

This one is called quebracho.

-So that's the ground-down bark?

-Yes.

This is a South American hardwood, its translation is axe breaker.

-Because it was so hard?

-Yes.

So that also gives it a bit of its colour.

Absolutely. The colour of natural leather is determined by the tannage.

-This is the most popular colour.

-Absolutely.

As you can see here, this is a piece of pelt that has been in tanning liquor for just one day

and, over a series of pits and a short length of time,

the leather is tanned through.

It's full of fibre. Those fibres toughen and augment,

-do they?

-That's right, it's cross linking,

from a technical point of view, it is referred to as cross linking.

How long will that process take?

You start in one tank, and keep moving it from tank to tank?

Yes. You start off two or three days in the first pit, and the tans become

increasingly stronger. They'll spend approximately a week in the second pit, and so on.

-And after about eight or nine weeks, the leather is struck through.

-Right.

Have you ever fallen in there?

Yes. When I was working on the tan pits, yes, many times.

What happened? Straight into the shower?

In recent years, yes, but back in the old days

-we'd fill up a process drum with cold water, you get in, quick scrub, back on the job.

-You're joking!

-Seriously.

-Eugh!

By the end of the 19th century,

Clayton's had more than 400 tanning pits in daily use,

and the site had expanded to cover three acres.

With the demand for leather so great, America was driving the search

to discover a faster tanning process.

Traditionally, it's believed that it would take exactly one year and one day

to successfully tan leather in those big vats of soup full of oak bark.

As you would expect, the Americans wanted things done a lot faster. And they got their way.

They did lots of experimenting and they finally came up with chromic chloride,

and this reduced the whole process down to exactly one month.

But the problem was the quality control.

It wasn't as good as the traditional methods using that oak bark.

Only in the 20th century did Clayton's embrace chrome tanning,

and they maintained their vegetable tan yard alongside the new chemical process, and this paid dividends.

Clayton's are now exporting to more than 50 countries worldwide.

Barry, what is Clayton's leather famous for?

What are you making or supplying?

OK, that's a good question.

-We're bespoke leather makers, so...

-You can make anything?

We'll make anything, for example, saddlery.

We're making the leather for the saddle flap as well as the saddle straps.

So what percentage of the business goes to the equestrian field?

Around about 30% of our business goes to equestrian.

-That's big, isn't it?

-Yeah, very much so.

We then come onto the fashion leathers.

-OK.

-We're supplying the world with great fashion leathers, very much en vogue at the moment.

Will it make handbags as well, boots and purses?

This is chiefly for waist belts.

Industrial use - what's that?

Well, this is used for polishing razor-blades and stainless steel.

I'm told that a bank of discs made of this leather would polish and sharpen

approximately 22 million razor blades without being changed.

-Wow.

-Great piece of leather.

-That's tough.

-Very, very tough.

And also, contemporary floor tiles, I see.

This has been a great success over the last three or four years.

Very much en vogue and, again, we're winning design awards worldwide with it. Designers love this stuff.

What would flooring cost per metre of, let's say, that sort of thick,

aged leather like that...

OK, you're talking around about £150 a square metre.

-That's a lot of money, isn't it?

-It sure is.

-I bet your house is full of it, isn't it?

-Certainly not leather floor tiles!

They also do a fantastic range of red leather, and you're probably thinking,

"What do they use that for?" Well, I can tell you.

If you're ever watching a game of Test cricket anywhere in the world,

you can be sure that the ball is made of Clayton's leather.

How's that?

So it's back to the Winding Wheel for more valuations.

We've already taken some great items to auction, so let's see what other treasures we can find.

-Angela?

-Yes.

-What a great teddy bear.

-Yeah, he is.

-He's probably the best condition teddy bear I've seen in a long time.

-He's been well preserved.

-He's been well looked after.

-Yeah.

He's got his original felt pads...

-Yeah.

-All his fur's there, all his stuffing's there.

-He's got his lovely snout, and he's got his eyes.

-Beautiful eyes.

He's not been very well loved up till now.

-He has, but he's been kept in the cupboard.

-That's not fair.

-Away from the children with his moveable bits.

-You don't want to be in a cupboard, do you?

-Not really.

Tell me how you got him, anyway.

About 20 years ago, I was working with an old lady who had him stuffed in a box in the cellar.

I collected teddy bears at the time, I decided to take him home and I've had him ever since.

-Oh.

-I think he's probably about 50 years of age or something more.

-I would say probably something, probably, a bit more.

-Yeah.

-I think he's English, probably Chad Valley.

-Yes.

-And he's still got his growler?

-Yes, he has.

It's a very short one and very faint, but you can try it.

-How...?

-Take him forward and then bring him back.

-FAINT GROWL

-You can hardly hear it.

-It's very faint, but it's there.

He's got a little burpy growler.

-I think it's fantastic.

-You love him, don't you?

-I love him.

-Yeah.

Price - I think cos he's such good condition, I think he's gonna make at least £200 to £300.

Probably been a bit conservative.

I think I would recommend, certainly, a fixed reserve of 200.

-Yes, I think so.

-I think somebody's gonna fall in love with him

-and pay nearer 300, probably a touch more.

-Probably, yes.

-Are you going give the money away to your two bruising sons?

-No, on the contrary.

I need to spend my own inheritance to do what I want to do.

I like travelling and I might just buy a holiday home and put it towards the fund for that.

Right. I often think these are better if they've got names.

Yeah, we just called him Mr Growler, because he growls.

We'll put that in the catalogue - Mr Growler.

I think he'll sell extremely well for you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for bringing him in.

-Yes, thank you. Pleasure.

Hi, Joe. Hi, Chris. What have you got there?

-It's a Chesterfield Transport ticket machine...

-Oh, local interest!

This is what we always want.

I remember those!

That reminds me of, sort of, Reg Varney in On The Buses.

-"I'll have you, Butler."

-Yeah, that's it.

This was a Chesterfield Transport one belonging to Richard Leslie Bramley.

He was the actual driver, yeah.

They carried these round. When they got on a bus, clicked it into place.

-They used it to issue the tickets.

-So we're talking about 1960s,

-1950s, '60s?

-It's possibly as early as '50s, but it's largely '60s and '70s, yeah.

So what is the interest with ticket machines? Are you a bus driver?

-Yes, I am, yes.

-There you are!

So you know the streets like the back of your hand?

Oh, yes. I've been driving round them for 18 years.

18 years? Crikey. I think that's a nice piece of history you're keeping.

-Thank you for bringing it in.

-Thank you.

Marjorie and Bob, lovely to see you here, with quite a collection.

I hope you wrapped it up well.

-Oh, yes.

-No damage?

-Not that we know of.

We'll have a look. Not that you've done! Oh dear, that sounds ominous.

Where did you get them from?

-It was my grandma's.

-Your grandma's?

Which was passed down to my dad.

-Yeah.

-And then my dad died, then my mother died.

This was the one thing I wanted out of the whole house.

You know what it is, I suppose? Yeah?

Cranberry glass. Have you had it displayed at home?

It's been in a glass cabinet.

In a glass cabinet? It looks good.

I think any cranberry looks good in quantity.

It looks nicer, the more you've got of it, really.

Each shade is slightly, slightly different.

And it's Victorian. If you pick up a piece,

and we'll pick up this very, very pretty little jug,

-and you run your finger over the bottom... Have you done that?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-And that's the pontil mark on the bottom where they blew it and then they broke it off.

So you know it's not modern because if you go to a modern piece, reproduction, A, they haven't

really been able to replicate the cranberry colour. It's a bit reddish, it's a bit garish.

B, one quick flick of the finger along the bottom

and you'll find out that it hasn't got that pontil mark.

I don't think I've seen a pair of jugs of that size before.

-No.

-They're lovely. Have you ever used them as jugs?

-No.

-No. They look as though they ought to pour all right.

Before we come on to value, why do you want to sell them?

Well, they're just stuck in the cabinet for 21 years.

-You're fed up looking at them?

-Yes. I've two sons

-and I wouldn't split them.

-Oh, right. Value.

-I think if we're going to sell them, the best way is to sell it as a collection.

-Yeah.

I think you've got a total value of about a couple of hundred pounds here.

We could pitch the reserve at 150. Would you be happy with that?

-Yeah.

-We'll bump the old estimate at 200 to 300 and put the reserve at £150.

-Yeah.

-Who has the money, Marjorie?

-You or Bob?

-We share.

-You share it?

-Yes.

-Right. So we've got to get 200 readies

-so you can have 100 each.

-Yes.

-So what will you do with your hundred, Bob?

-Well...

-Perhaps you'll give it to Marjorie!

-Holiday.

-Holiday.

-We're going next week.

-You're going next week?

-Yeah, to Devon.

-Well, don't spend the money in anticipation!

-No.

-We might not sell them!

-OK.

-Then you'd be in a pickle.

Thank you very much indeed

-for bringing them along.

-OK. Thank you very much.

-Gerald?

-Yes, sir?

-Now, you know I'm a porcelain man, don't you?

That's a cracking thing, isn't it?

It's very, very nice, yeah. It's one of the...

We do have quite a bit of it and that's one of the stars.

-You've got quite a bit of it?

-Yes.

-You collect it?

We did do for quite a number of years.

It's held its value, I think.

Well, I hope it's held its value but I haven't told you

what I think it's worth yet, have I?

It's a lovely ewer, it's very much in the classical style

and it's very typical of Royal Vienna.

Think of the work that's gone into producing that,

the different ground colours, the gilding, it's a fantastic thing.

-Date wise, I would think around 1880, something like that.

-Yeah.

That's my guess. It might be a touch earlier.

I'd have thought, originally, probably one of a pair or one of a garniture.

-We didn't see the pair.

-You've only ever seen the one?

-We've only ever seen the one.

-Right.

Now, what are we gonna say about it in terms of price?

I would think, 400 to 600.

-Brilliant.

-Would that disappoint?

-No, that'd be fine.

-Good, cos I'm gonna try and squeeze you down on the reserve now.

350? We'd be happy with 350 as reserve?

Yeah, cos we didn't pay 350 for it.

I wish you'd told me that before.

-No!

-How long ago did you buy it?

1986.

Right, OK. Well, that's quite a while, that's 20 years ago.

Well, we've had 20 years of pleasure.

What are you going to do with the money?

Well, I'm just going to try and recoup my losses.

-Right.

-And if there's any spare, the granddaughter's twisted my arm

slightly and she would like a new phone.

A new phone?

Depending how well you do is depending how well she does with the phone.

A bit of pressure on it for a new phone.

Piece of lovely 19th-century Royal Vienna

is converted into a mobile phone.

-Yes.

-Sad really, isn't it?

It is. It is sad, isn't it?

Well, our first lots did well at auction so let's try and do it again. Here's what's coming up next.

Dorothy's got her eye on a holiday home, so let's hope

this cute and cuddly chap raises more than an "ah" with the bidders.

Bob's grandmother's Victorian cranberry glassware

has been stuck in a cabinet for 20 years, so they're keen to flog it.

And finally, it's old for new.

If we can get the right price for this 19th-century Royal Vienna ewer,

one lucky granddaughter will get her new mobile phone.

It's now time to up the tempo.

It's auction time.

Angela's Chad Valley teddy bear is about to go under the hammer.

We are looking at £200 to £300.

Great make. A good English make.

Was he yours as a little girl?

No, he wasn't. I acquired him about 20 years ago from a cellar,

-an old lady's cellar in a box.

-You gave him love, though.

-Absolutely.

-Does he have a name?

-Yeah, Mr Growler.

-Mr Growler.

-He was a growler.

-He does growl.

Yeah, he caught Nigel's eye.

I think that's a spot-on valuation. You have a Chad Valley yourself.

I've got a 1958 Chad Valley. That's given the game away.

-Not as nice as this one, but it's my favourite. I'd never part with mine.

-Well, no, but...

But as it wasn't yours as a little girl, that doesn't count. You can flog him.

Lot 330, there he is.

What a wonderful, cuddly bear.

Needs a loving home and £200, he's gonna get one.

We've got a bid starting at two.

At £200 and 10, do I see?

At 210, sir? 220? 230? Are you sure?

One more?

-Come on.

-230?

-Come on, James.

-240. Keep going!

At £240, it's with me.

Near the pillar, it's against you. At 240 is with me. Are you sure?

At £240, absentee bid at 240.

We will take that. Mid-estimate.

-Yeah, between the posts.

-That's not bad.

-240 quid.

What is £240 going to go towards?

-Well, it'll have to go towards a holiday home in Turkey.

-Sounds good, doesn't it?

-Why Turkey?

-It's a lovely place. I've been there many times.

-Fallen in love with it?

-It's lovely, it's an underestimated country.

-OK.

Marge and Bob's family heirlooms -

they've been in your family a long time, the cranberry glass.

It's just about to go under the hammer.

We had a valuation of £150, £250, with a reserve at 150, but I think

-you've actually dropped that now.

-Yeah.

I didn't think you needed to, cos there's a lot of it.

Erring on the side of caution. You don't want to take it home.

We're gonna find out right now what they are worth.

-They're just about to go under the hammer. Good luck.

-There we are,

lot 475,

this huge lot of cranberry glass.

Mainly 19th century, it's a nice lot.

We've got one, two, three, four bids, and the lowest bid is £170.

-Oh!

-And the under bidder...

-See, no pressure.

Didn't have to reduce the reserve.

220? At 210.

220, Sir, by the stairs. 230? 240?

240? 245 with me and 250 has it.

In the room at 250.

-260, now?

-This is great, Marge.

To the left at 250.

Anywhere else at 250?

Yes! Sold. Top end.

-Can I uncross my fingers now?

-£250. Bob, brilliant news, wasn't it?

-Yes.

-Yes, it was.

We brought bags to take it home again!

Oh, fear not. They have gone.

-The cheque will be in the post in about three weeks' time.

-That's wonderful.

What will you put the money towards?

Well, we like coach holidays in this country. It will go towards one.

-Towards a holiday.

-Ah. Where do you fancy going?

-Well, we...

-Anywhere in this country. Anywhere in this country.

This is a lovely little item.

It belongs to Gerald here, a Vienna ewer. We've got £400 to £600 on it.

You've got quite a few of these.

Gerald's testing the market, because he wants to flog the lot.

-So this is just like a little sample going out, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's a good idea, not selling them all at once. If you flood the market, that's them cheap.

-Yeah.

And, of course, the more you collect, the more you push the price up as well.

-True.

-Cos you're buying them all up!

Why have you decided to flog the lot?

Well, we're retired now and we'd like to put the money to some other use.

We've got two grandchildren who are very demanding.

-You wanna treat them?

-Yes.

The expert that put the 400 to 600 on is our very own Nigel Smith.

-A great valuation, Nigel.

-Well, I hope so.

-I think you're spot-on.

It's a quality thing. Quality will always sell, I think. I think you'll do well.

Lot 290

is this very nice Vienna ewer and stand.

I've got 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 bids on it.

-11 bids!

-And we've got 350,

390, 420,

440, 460, 470,

490, 510,

525 and higher. So 530.

We're in at £530.

540 in the room? 540, yes, sir.

By the pillar. 550, 560?

570, 580? 590?

-600?

-I love it when this happens.

600, nodding. 610. 620?

620. 630, 640?

640 has it. At 640, this time.

At 640, are we all done? At 640 and selling.

-Cracked.

-Brilliant.

-Very good.

-£640.

I think that's tested the market absolutely perfectly.

-You'll be flooding the market next.

-How many have you got?

-One or two.

One or two? How many is one or two?

About 30 pieces.

-30!

-32 pieces.

-32.

What's 30 times 640?

-A very rich Gerald!

-Get the van!

Not all of that quality.

Very nice.

Thank you so much for putting a big smile on our face.

-It's brilliant.

-And a big one on mine.

Well, that's it. It's all over for our owners

and I think it's safe to say everybody has enjoyed themselves.

As you can see, it's been a mixed day.

Doing those valuations isn't an exact science, so all credit to our experts.

Join me next time when we put lots more theories to the test.

So, until then, it's cheerio from Bamfords auction rooms in Matlock.

For more information about Flog It, including how the programme was made,

visit the website at bbc.co.uk/lifestyle

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd 2006

E-mail [email protected]