Corby Flog It!

Here's an amazing fact about the famous steel town of Corby.

In 1979, a crater on Mars was named after this place.

That is 35 million miles away in that direction.

Corby's history is tied up with its industrial heritage.

The town once boasted a massive steel works, employing many thousands.

But today, all the talk is of regeneration.

Our two captains of industry are David Barby and Jethro Marles,

and our location here on Planet Earth today, is the Willows Arts Complex.

It's evaluation day, but not as we know it.

First up, David's having a close encounter

with a tile portrait of Whig Prime Minister - William Gladstone.

-Mary, are you a Liberal supporter?

-No, definitely not, I'm a true blue.

Oh good, so am I. Why have you got this in your house then?

About 1960, an aunt died, she was a great aunt.

We had to clear her house out.

I found him under the stairs.

I decided I would take him home, but I didn't like the look of him.

I thought he was such a grumpy looking old man.

So he hung in the wood shed for years and years.

With his face to the wall. >

Oh, dear. He wasn't such a bad old stick was he, really?

He was very philanthropic, certainly towards the ladies of the night.

Oh, really. He tried to encourage them to go onto a straight road. Oh.

This is quite an interesting piece because it is a tile, a ceramic picture.

The technique of it is quite clever.

Think in terms of black and white in reverse.

-Yes.

-So those areas which are slightly dark, have a deeper

groove or moulding in the actual ceramic mould.

When they poured glaze over it, it would receive more glaze, so appear darker.

-So it's done in reverse.

-Something like a negative.

Yes, absolutely. But the likeness is exceptionally good and it was taken from a photograph.

All the details are here.

By a person calling themselves Mr Mendelssohn.

We've got it dated here, 1898.

At auction, the value of this is probably somewhere in the region of £40-60.

You're joking!

-Did you expect more, Mary?

-No.

-How much would you have paid for it?

Nothing, I'd have given it away.

Well, the gentleman's got a very good history.

From a potting point of view, it's an excellent, experimental piece of work, so this is quite good.

-There are so many of these produced towards the end of the 19th century. People do collect them.

-Oh, right.

So let's hope we've got someone who collects these photographic tiles.

-Oh, you dear old man, you're not so bad after all.

-You can give him a pat on the head.

-Abbie.

-Hi.

-You've brought in another present for me.

-That box is a bracelet box.

-Oh, is it?

I didn't think it was the original.

-So it's not a bracelet that's inside?

-No.

What have we got here?

We have a moonstone necklace,

and a pair...

of earrings.

-Do you like moonstones?

-I love moonstones.

These are part of your large extensive collection, no doubt!

-I have a few.

-Do you. What is it you like about moonstones so much?

-I love the way the light reflects through them, and the colours.

-They come in all sorts of colours.

People think moonstone is just a milky whitish stone.

-But they have milky white going right the way through to almost rainbow blues.

-Yeah.

-Have you got any of those?

-Unfortunately not.

-These are quite blue.

A lot of these are quite blue. How long have you had this, how did you come by it?

I've had them for a year and a half.

I bought them from a charity shop

-because I loved the moonstones.

-How much did you pay for them?

£20 I paid for them.

£20!

You'd get £20 for one earring.

-Really.

-You would.

A lot of these necklaces were brought back from India.

In the early...last part of the 19th century, from workers in the Army,

coming back from the wars over there.

It was quite a popular gift to bring back over.

I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't go back that far in age.

You're Looking at a necklace that might be 100 years old.

So, condition-wise, we've unfortunately got a chip

-on the top end of the large pear shape.

-Yeah.

But the two larger moonstone drops of the earrings are in good order.

So I think, bearing in mind the settings are quite thin,

I would say your £20 is going to be turned into...

-something between 100 and £150.

-Really?

-How does that sound?

-That sounds fab.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Shall we put them in the auction?

-Yes, definitely.

-Lovely. Let's hope they bring success for you.

Hopefully.

So are you the cricket fan?

No, it was my dad's, it belonged to him.

-He won it in 1987 at our local cricket club.

-Right.

I guess, local, meaning Northants, because it's signed by the Northants squad here, as opposed to Yorkshire.

-You've got to support the locals.

-Exactly.

-It is signed by the whole squad in '87.

It's in fantastic condition. Is this something you're prepared to sell?

Not really. We're keeping it in our family definitely.

The value of something like this in auction is going to realise

around £150, hopefully £200, if you get it in the right sporting sale.

-So hang on to it, OK?

-Brilliant. Thank you.

-So where does it come from?

-From my grandmother.

-Your grandmother?

-Yeah. On my mother's side.

-On your mother's side, OK.

Is there any history behind this?

As far as we know,

-the rumour goes it was the only toy my grandmother ever had.

-Really?

Did she come from a wealthy family?

-No.

-Because this sort of toy, in the middle of the 19th century,

we are talking about 1860-70, would have been quite an expensive object.

Right.

So either it was given to her as a second-hand toy.

But it's still valuable today, as much as it was valuable in the 19th century.

What is interesting, this is a boy doll.

This pleated skirt here, and this wonderful

sailor's outfit at the back, is completely original.

And this adds so much value to an object like this.

These are glass eyes, they are called milliflore - small flowers. Beautifully produced.

The actual head is a composition, it's not porcelain.

If you look carefully, you can see on the nose and mouth,

there's a certain amount of wear.

I would say this doll is possibly German origin.

What I find intriguing is the little lad's haircut.

It's quite knobbly and blond, isn't it?

I think this is...

lamb's fur.

If you can see here, you can see the pelt at the very back.

It gives it such an odd appearance.

-It's weird, yeah.

-Have you got permission to sell it?

-We have, yes.

-You have.

It's been wrapped up in a cloth for the last 20 years.

Because every time we put it out, my children think the eyes follow them around the room.

They're rather like a portrait. When you go to a stately home,

you say, "I don't like that," because the eyes follow you.

-Exactly the same with this doll.

-Exactly the same feeling. Weird.

There are collectors of these. At auction...how much do you think it's worth?

-40-50 quid.

-£40-50?

I think you could probably double it, if not treble it.

-Sounds nice.

-I'm looking at roundabout £90-120, that sort of price range.

-I think the auctioneer will put a reserve of about £80 on it.

-Fine, yep.

-I hope it's going to achieve more than that.

-That's lovely.

Natalie and Matthew, what a lot of toy soldiers you've brought along.

-They're all lead soldiers, aren't they?

-Yes.

You've got pretty much something of everything here. You got knights in armour,

artillery...

So, where have these come from?

My mother was left them approximately 20 years ago,

with an assortment of numerous things which were at this property.

Right. So a friend of your mother's.

He died, left her lots of things, amongst which were these soldiers.

I think these were probably one of his pride and joy, don't you?

-The time it took to paint them, I should believe so.

-Exactly.

I don't think they're very old. Maybe 30 years is probably how old some of them are.

-That would sound about right.

-Some of them are older.

You have different sizes. The Napoleonic ones are quite small.

And they're the ones you would use in gaming with dice.

That's what we were told.

I've pulled out a couple here which are quite nice.

You've got some Roman charioteers. He has mounted them up quite well.

You've got a grassy base on each of them.

I wouldn't say they're finely painted, but there's a lot here.

Then you've got these crossbow men.

From possibly the Middle Ages.

Then you've got these jousting knights on horseback.

I think, with the Napoleonic ones,

the detail on this is actually quite good.

It seems a little bit better than on the larger models.

So you've got quite an assortment here. But what else have you got?

We've got some gaming mats and greenery.

The gaming books that go with them. There's some dice and things in there.

Basically, it's everything so that you can go to war.

Well, fortunately, no one's actually going to get killed in any wars you have with it.

I'm guessing a little bit as to the amount they're going to bring.

When they sell, what are you going to do with the money?

Well, we're actually quite overdue for our wedding.

-Your overdue for your wedding?

-Yeah.

It was meant to be a couple of years ago.

But I've been told it's basically next year or not at all.

All right. So how much has this got to make for you to pop the question?

I've popped the question, I just need to get moving and get it done.

As it were. There's been various things holding us up.

-We need to do it and we're looking forward to it.

-That's a celebration to look forward to.

Let's hope we can get a good price for this.

I think we've got to be realistic.

-Absolutely, yeah.

-If you want to sell them, we'd protect them with a reserve that

I hope we're going to achieve easily, a reserve of £100.

Marvellous. That's more than what I thought.

Brilliant. And an estimate of, it could be anything, £100-£200.

-Great.

-If we give that as a very wide estimate.

-Lovely.

-Let's see what we can get...

-It's a good night out.

-It's a good wedding reception.

-I keep forgetting that.

There's something for everybody at today's auction.

A tile portrait of a rather grumpy looking Lord Gladstone.

A lovely set of semi-precious moonstone jewellery for the ladies.

Tony's spooky German sailor doll

with the eyes that follow you around the room.

And a large and varied collection of lead soldiers for the chaps.

The bells are ringing out for us

in Market Harborough in Leicestershire.

Today's sale comes from Gilding's Auctioneers, which is a father and son operation.

I think the bells are now tolling for auctioneer John Gilding.

Lovely necklace, a moonstone necklace.

She got this for 20 quid a year ago at a charity shop.

That's incredible, isn't it?

-Jethro's put £100-£150 on it.

-Has he?

Yeah. I don't know anything about jewellery, but it is his department.

That makes two of us then.

I saw it and thought, "It's OK."

-I like the way she bought it.

-I like the way she bought it actually.

Jethro's idea is far beyond what I would have thought personally.

What would you put on that? You must have seen things like this.

-Yeah, it's a £40-60 piece.

-Is it? It looks £40-60.

-It does, doesn't it?

-Yes, it does.

You'll really want a good neckline to make that look anything at all, don't you?

I like the school of thought there.

I think Jethro has put his neck on the line here.

I hope we get it away, for Abbie's sake.

I shall try very hard of course.

If you vote Liberal, you will love this lot.

I think it's a bit ugly, and you've had it turned around, haven't you?

-It's been facing the wall in the shed.

-Absolutely, in the wood shed.

So you didn't want to give it house space?

-No, I'd rather have you or David looking at me, I think.

-Oh!

That's a nice compliment, isn't it? This is quite an interesting tile.

When it was made, they couldn't decide whether it

was done by photographic process, or whether it was hand modelled.

To this day, we don't know correctly how it was produced.

It was probably modelled by a Tory and he said, "I'm going to make him look like this."

-Let's hit him with the ugly stick.

-Yes, absolutely.

-You're getting a bit too political, Paul.

Anyway, it's going under the hammer right now, so good luck.

The Gladstone tile. He's almost breaking into a smile there.

Lot 110. £40 bid and you're all out.

£40 I'm bid? £40 bid. Five.

£50 on commission. At 55. 60.

Five. 70.

You're both out. £70 with the lady. Five.

£75.

All sold and away at £75, we're done.

Yes!

Fantastic, £75.

I can't believe that. I cannot believe that.

-OK, well somebody loved it.

-They did.

What will you put that towards?

Well, a fortnight ago, I bought a four-legged friend.

Did you? A dog?

-No.

-A cat?

-No.

A badger? A fox?

-No. No.

-What then?

-A horse?

-A heifer.

-Did you!

-And she needs a new halter.

Oh, that's the heifer you bought. Have you given her a name?

Look at that.

How much did she cost?

I daren't tell you, I don't think.

She looks like a prize winner.

Unfortunately, our next owners, Matthew and Natalie, can't be with us.

They brought in a collection of lead soldiers which really caught my eye. Valued at £100-200.

Matthew sadly is in hospital. He fell over and broke both ankles.

He'll be really upset because he plays the drums in a band.

So, a fellow band member has stepped into the breach.

-Brian.

-How do you do.

-You've known Matthew a long time. What do you play in the band?

-I play guitar.

-So you're not the rhythm section.

-So you'd be all right if you broke your ankles.

-Not really.

-I like to jump around a bit.

-Poor Matthew. Wish him luck for us.

-I will do, yes.

There's a lot of collectors of militaria and war gaming and I think, Jethro, you're bang on there.

I hope so. They're not very old, these models.

But there's a lot of detail, a lot of intricate work,

so let's hope somebody here appreciates the labour that's been spent on it.

215. A collection of lead and other soldiers.

There are six boxes here. Lot 215.

Bidding starts with me at £45.

45 I'm bid. 45. 50. Five.

60. Five. 70. Five. 80.

Five. 90. 100. 10.

20. 30. 140. 50.

160. Outside at £160. All done?

Selling at 160.

Yes, the hammer's gone down at 160.

Da-da!

-Fantastic.

-Excellent.

That looks painful.

-£160.

-Thank you very much. I'm sure he'll be pleased.

Give Matthew our regards, won't you?

-And tell him what the soldiers made for him.

-£160, that's excellent.

This lot is going to be very interesting.

It's a German sailor doll. That is very rare. In original costume.

Value, Tony, £90-120.

Normally, £80-120. What's going on here, David, a change of tack?

-Absolutely. We got rather bored.

-Yes, started to get bored.

80-120, auctioneer's favourite! Can you remember it as a young lad?

No. It was in my mother's cabinet and then my three girls would never look at it.

I am absolutely spooked by dolls.

I don't like them, I really don't.

They don't do anything for me.

But there's a huge collecting market out there. This is an unusual one.

I wouldn't say it's very rare. But I think it's unusual.

155. Lovely little doll here.

Here we go then, please, what are you going to say for that, £45?

45 I'm bid. 45. 50. Five. 60.

Five. 70. Five.

At £75. 80.

£80 I'm bid. I thought this was going to be more.

At £80, are you all done? Finished and sold then, at £80.

All done.

£80. That's not bad, is it?

-Not bad at all.

-It should have been the 80-120.

He used his discretion, it's gone.

-Got to stick to that old one in future.

-£80. 80-120, yes.

We've been joined by the gorgeous Abbie, and we have that moonstone necklace

and earrings to flog - going under the hammer in two lots' time.

We had a chat to the auctioneer.

Jethro doesn't know this. Jethro, what did you put on it?

-£100-150.

-When we had a chat to the auctioneer,

he actually said to us, Paul, I think these are going to struggle, I'd value them at about £60-80.

So, a bit of pressure really. But I did say, you know your stuff. You are our jewellery expert.

Well, I've only been doing it for 30 years now.

I could get it wrong sometimes,

but I'm fairly confident it will make the £100-150.

-We could see a dance coming along later.

-I hope so.

-Abbie, good luck.

-Thank you.

335. Moonstone necklace, 14 stones.

-And bids start with me on commission at £100.

-Brilliant.

-100 I'm bid.

At 100, have you all done? And 10. 120.

130. 140. 150. 160. 170. 180.

190. 200?

Commissions are winning then at £200. You're all out in the room.

All done and sold at £200.

200 quid. Here we go, look at that.

Yes.

Fantastic. £200 I'm so pleased for you.

-Yes, brilliant.

-That was a great buy.

£20 in a charity shop. It just goes to show the stuff still is out there.

What will you do with the £200?

I have an embroidered silk picture I would like to have reframed, so that's what it's going on.

And I've just moved so there's lots of other things I can spend it on.

Abbie, thank you for coming in and brightening up the place, looking so gorgeous.

-Jethro, what a great result.

-And I look gorgeous too.

-You do, you always looks superb.

I've been told there's an extraordinary building

near Market Harborough that's not all what it seems.

It sounds like a puzzle. So while I'm in the area, I'm going to take a look.

This is Rushden Hall.

Built round 1438, it was the source of some famous artistic inspiration.

In Victorian times, Charles Dickens visited here, and conceived

the idea of Havisham Hall for his novel, Great Expectations.

It's not the house I have come to see, but something more intriguing.

It's the grounds that house an extraordinary architectural puzzle.

So, let me show you why.

It has one...

It has two...

And here's the third, which brings me back to the beginning where I started from.

So the building is an equilateral triangle.

If you look closely, you can see it's got three floors,

and on each floor, there's three windows.

Above that, there's three gable ends.

Right at the very top, there's even a chimney piece which is triangular.

And here to help me decipher it all

is Beryl Spearman, an expert with English Heritage.

Hello. Wow, what an amazing and ornate building.

It's a pretty piece of architecture. What was it used for?

It has been described as the warrener's lodge.

The warrener was the chap who looks after the rabbits.

-So this was built purely for a gamekeeper?

-It's possibly got other meaning to it.

-It was commissioned by Thomas Tresham, in 1593.

-And who was he?

-He was a Catholic, in Protestant Elizabethan England.

-Yes.

He was in a great deal of trouble for his faith.

He spent a long time in prison, and whilst he was in prison, he planned this building.

He wanted it to be a statement of his faith.

It's a shrine, isn't it, really.

Why the threes?

Everything is in three.

The threes referred to the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

If we were Elizabethan, I'm sure we'd be able to read this building

much more easily than we can today, because we've been used to being told things in pictures.

Yes, and also cryptic messages and symbolism.

-The Elizabethans loved a puzzle and a pun.

-Shall we go and decipher it?

Come and have a look.

Right, let's start at the very top on those three gable ends.

-OK.

-Now, the bird?

That is the pelican in her piety.

And she is shown feeding her young, with her own blood.

So it was a common image in the 16th century to represent Jesus -

caring for his people.

And there's writing all around, on the three sides.

Yes, there's a Latin inscription and a Bible quotation on each side.

On this side, it says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"

And the inscription happens to be 33 letters long.

-Which, some people say, was the age of Christ when he was crucified.

-That's right.

My word. It really is Dan Brown sort of Da Vinci Code stuff going on.

Wouldn't he love it.

And a lot of the puzzles have not been interpreted yet.

So perhaps somebody coming along will be able to find some answers.

Exactly. Before we go inside, let's just have a quick look at what's written above the door there.

-Because this is going to get complicated.

-It is, yes.

Above the door, it says, "Tres testimonium dant," which means, "there are three that bear witness."

OK, and the four fives?

Those four fives could be a cryptogram leading us to the words,

"Jesus Maria sanctus mundi," which means in Latin, "Christ the saviour of the world."

But they've all got five letters in each word.

Yes. It could also be a number puzzle

that leads us to the year 3962 BC.

-Which is a year a lot of people think the world was created.

-Yes.

5,555 years later, we come to 1593.

-Bang. This building.

-Yes.

Gosh. Let's get inside and have a look.

Here we are, Beryl, in the warm and the dry.

Wow! It's like a little mini castle.

-Yes, it is.

-Compared to the outside, it is so simple in here.

It looks very austere. Was this used for religious purposes?

Did they have secret masses here?

There are no records,

but at the time, it was very dodgy to hold a Catholic mass.

It was a great risk.

So those masses were held in secret.

Well, I think this is the ideal place.

It looks very ecclesiastical, especially if you look at some of the symbolism around on the walls.

And it's nicely tucked away.

Yes, it's hidden, isn't it. What happened to the Treshams?

Thomas Tresham spent a long time in prison.

He was fined a total of nearly £8,000.

Back then. So what does that correlate to in today's money?

Today, that would be £4 million.

Gosh, he was a wealthy man.

It is like a rich man's folly, isn't it?

It's nicely eccentric.

-Typically British.

-Yes.

-Beryl, thank you for showing me around.

Thomas Tresham was no rebel,

but he was persecuted for his religious beliefs.

But it was his son, Francis, who sought revenge and gained notoriety.

He was one of the 13 conspirators who took part in the Gunpowder Plot on 5th November 1605.

Protestant King James had him arrested and put in the Tower.

After his death, his head was put on a spike

and put over the town gate of Northamptonshire.

The room is still filling up and there's an exciting atmosphere bouncing around the room.

We've seen all sorts of things, from furniture to porcelain

and even football memorabilia.

This is a World Cup football signed by the England squad in 1978, and it belongs to Dave.

Right now, it's time to get straight back to the tables to see what our experts have found.

Diana, you're bringing in another shaggy dog story for me to consider.

-It's an old English sheepdog isn't it?

-It is.

-Instantly recognisable, of course.

Tell me what you know about it.

Not a lot really.

It was given to me as a gift, because I had an old English sheepdog.

The lady who owned it had a hardware store,

and she had this as a promotional item and thought I might like it.

So, you've done a very good synopsis of what this is all about.

It's a promotional item.

It's the Dulux dog which was used as a window display to advertise their paint.

-He's not doing a very good job.

-No, he's not.

No. He's not advertising anything at all, just black paint.

Yes. Unfortunately, it was like that when I got it.

It's been over-painted. So, what was probably a lovely white emulsion tin or something like that,

has been painted over black, so all of the insignia of Dulux has been covered over.

-Yes.

-Now, this particular model is not a rare model.

As you can imagine, this particular paint company commissioned Beswick

to produce numbers of these and they sent them all over the country to promote their paints.

Let's turn him up and have a look to make sure that's correct.

There we have the beautiful Beswick mark underneath.

And here is this large hole,

which is all part of the moulding of when this piece was made.

-It's called slip moulding.

-Right.

Apart from the paint job, he is in pretty good order.

I can't see any chips or damages. His nose is the other thing to look for, that's in good order.

And I have a feeling, looking at this black paint on this tin, I think somebody could risk

taking that off very carefully, with the right chemical. Someone's going to have to take that risk.

Yes.

In really good condition, it would be worth perhaps three times

the sort of figure that I'm going to say today.

But I think if we give a come and get me estimate,

it might encourage people to bid on it.

I think, with this paint job,

I would say this particular fellow is going to make £200-250.

-That's fine.

-You'd be happy with that?

-Very happy.

-Let's put a reserve at £200, so if it doesn't make that, we won't sell it.

-That's lovely.

-All right. Let's put him in the sale.

-That's wonderful, thank you.

-Rachel.

-Yes.

-You're not very keen on housework, are you?

-Not at all.

This is so dirty, where's it been?

-For the last 15 years it has been in the barn.

-Where did it come from originally?

Originally, it belonged to my grandfather

and when we moved into the farm, it was always there, on the wall.

And we knew it when we were kids, and that's all I know about it.

He must have come from some interesting background,

because this is a quality print

which would have cost a lot of money, first of all as a print.

And then to have it in this expensive oak frame.

-Farming community?

-Yes.

Middle-class. Business. Prosperous merchant family.

That's the sort of family that would have housed this.

-Does that fit into the sort of...

-We were just farmers.

Well, they were wealthy farmers, 19th century.

-Like they are today, yes!

-Oh, I didn't say that.

What I find interesting about this, it's by Queen Victoria's favourite artist, William Frith.

And there we have his name right at the very bottom.

This is an engraving. It was done by a gentleman called Simmons,

and his name is at the far end, just by you.

I find this remarkable because it's almost like a photographic plate,

commemorating the marriage of the Prince of Wales,

later Edward VII, and Princess Alexandra of Denmark.

If you look carefully, and Frith was so good at this,

all the features are drawn individually.

There's no single feature which is replicated.

My only bone of contention is they all look so miserable,

and this was supposed to have been a happy day.

Probably they were emulating Queen Victoria who is there.

I can understand if it's been in store, that you want to sell it.

-Does it not interest you to keep this because of its historical significance?

-No, not really.

It's one of those things that's been in the family for so long and nobody took any notice of it.

So it's one of these, out of sight, out of mind...

-Absolutely.

-OK.

Now, condition is important.

The frame unfortunately is in a very poor state.

We've got warping at the top here and this section which is hanging away.

Looking at the print itself,

-you've got stains all the way round which are damp stains.

-Yes.

But, it does not encroach onto the main subject.

There's no tears, no other damage to it apart from the staining.

And I think it is a remarkable record.

Now, what do you think as regards price? Any ideas?

20 quid?

Hopefully a little more, but I can't see it making a great deal, to be honest, because of the damage.

I think you might be lucky and buy it at a car-boot sale for that.

At auction, I would expect a more discerning clientele,

and we should get round about £60-80 for it.

In better condition, it would have been well over £100.

Let's go for it.

Let's go for it!

Jane, thank you so much for making my day,

-for making "Flog It!" history.

-Oh, gosh.

This is one of the most exquisite things I have ever seen

on "Flog It!" and had the pleasure of touching.

-I'm so pleased you picked on me to talk about it.

-Well, I've thought about you.

Whenever I've watched "Flog It!", I knew you would love this.

This is the point in me bringing it to you. I knew you'd love it.

Why do you want to sell it?

Well, the thing is, obviously it's getting towards the end of my life.

Don't be so pessimistic.

And my children, it's not their scene really.

And I want it to be appreciated. And that's why I thought you'd handle it for me. And enjoy seeing it.

When I touch this... It touches your soul.

Everything about this is right.

It's a beautiful period piece. How did you come by this?

It was my father and mother's, in their house. And of course,

it gradually got handed down to me.

I was the very youngest.

And I've looked after it ever since.

-Do you know much about it, or its history?

-No, I'm afraid I don't.

Well you know, this is a piece from the high Regency period

and it really dates round about the 1820s-30s.

It is a tea caddy on a little table as such. There was a name for this.

-It's called a tea poy.

-A tea poy?

Yeah. Large caddies which would be kept in the drawing rooms,

under lock and key, because tea was very valuable, quite expensive.

But it does stand alone as a caddy.

You almost feel like you can actually lift this tea caddy away from the little table, don't you?

-You do really.

-This would have cost a lot of money in its day. Let's open it up.

Let's see what the interior is like. Look at that. It's just to die for.

It really is.

As I suspected, on the larger ones, you have two sections.

One section here, which is beautifully finished.

Lined to keep the tea fresh.

Condition is super!

I don't think this was ever used in its day.

Look at that, that's lovely -

that George III bright petrol blue paper lining, which was very fashionable then.

-Was it?

-Yes. This is a mixing bowl.

-Yes.

-It's cut glass. That's to mix the two blends together.

-Put the tea in and mix it.

-Yeah. It's all beautifully string inlaid.

It's got ebony and satinwood.

It's amboyna, which is a tropical hardwood.

I haven't heard of that. Amboyna.

But it's got this, what we call in the trade, a plum pudding look.

It's like fossilised marble, because it's been cut through the grain, where the burr was on the wood.

It's very ambiguous and decorative and they call that plum pudding.

All that really adds to the value.

Because the condition is superb.

-OK. Value.

-Value?

No idea. I have no idea.

What do you think it's worth.

-£1,000, is that being too...

-No.

I think £1,000 is spot on for this.

If I walked past an antique shop and saw it in the window for £1,800, I would make an offer of £1,600.

-Would you?

-Yes. So for auction purposes, I think we're going to put it in...

at £800-1200. OK?

-Yes.

-We'll put a fixed reserve of £800.

-Yes.

-If that's all right with you. But I think this will fly away.

-Shall we flog it?

-We'll flog it, Paul, we'll flog it, Paul, and I'm glad you love it so much.

I could almost take it home.

So back to the auction where we've got a Beswick figure of the famous

Dulux dog, in good nick, but with his pot painted over.

The neglected print which has spent 20 years in the barn.

And last, but certainly not least,

is Jane's gorgeous late Regency amboyna tea poy. I love it.

How Much Is That Little Doggie In The window?

We're just about to find out. I've just been joined by its owners.

It's up for grabs now. £200-250.

It would have been a lot more. We've seen these on "Flog It!", but the condition lets it down.

-Yes.

-Which is quite fitting really.

It's had a make-over, considering it's a Dulux paint dog.

Hopefully, it will make that money.

We've seen them do £300-500 in good condition.

So the pressure is on. Jethro?

I think the estimate is about right.

You did the wise thing leaving it as it was, I think.

You could have damaged it if you'd had a go at it.

You know, see how it goes.

I would have had a go at removing it.

But then again, I'm barking mad!

This is it, it's going under the hammer.

Lot 80 then, please, the bidding starts at £200.

£200 I'm bid. At £200, I'm bid.

210. 220. 230. 240. 250. 260.

You're out, outside. £260, I'm bid. At £260, are we all done?

Bid's on commission and it's sold at £260.

Yes, the hammer's gone down. Woof woof, I say.

-That is a sold sound.

-Brilliant.

What are you putting the money towards?

I've got a new granddaughter, a son getting married and a daughter at university.

So I think, between them all, it could go a long way.

Busy mum. It's all happening.

Good luck with that.

Rachel's print is just about to go under the hammer and is on the wall. It looks stunning.

A little bit of water damage, hence the £60-80.

But it's been in your barn, and that's where the damage has come from. So it's a good time to sell.

You don't like it, you want to get rid of it. Let's hope we get the £80 for it.

-Fingers crossed.

-You're nervous, aren't you?

I am a bit as well. This one's going to be a tricky one.

Just think in terms of the artist, Frith.

He is the one that did Derby Day, Paddington Station, Ramsgate Sands.

Loads and loads of characters. We've got a cast of thousands in this print.

It's very good, it's evocative of the Victorian period.

For anyone who loves black-and-white prints,

steel engravings, this is the best.

Well, fingers crossed.

Let's hope the bidders aren't sitting on their hands and are here to bid.

Lot 420. Who's in now at £50?

£10 then, for the frame and everything else that goes with it?

-You're thinking, I wish they'd put a reserve on it.

-Absolutely.

£10 I'm bid. At £10. 12.

£12 I'm bid. 12. 14?

-£14 I'm bid.

-This is a struggle.

-It is.

-18. 20.

£20 I'm bid. 20.

£20, at £20. Have we all done?

Sold then at £20.

Yes. Just.

It saves taking that one home, doesn't it?

-Thank goodness.

-We don't like them that close, do we?

-That was brilliant.

-At least it's gone, that's the main thing.

-It's off your hands.

-And it'll pay for the petrol to and fro.

-Just.

-Just.

Jane, you look absolutely stunning. I've been looking forward to seeing you again.

-Thank you, Paul.

-The tea poy is the best thing I've seen on "Flog It"!

for a long time. We talked about it with the auctioneer and he fell in love with it as well.

He's agreed with the valuation.

So let's just hope there's a few phone bids and a few bids

on the book, on this one, because the room is thinning out now. It's coming towards the end of our day.

-We want a good result.

-I think we're saving the best till last.

-I think so.

It's got quality and it's got style. Just like its owner.

A fantastic little piece here. The tea poy.

Look at that.

The prettiest piece in the room today.

And the bidding starts with me at £550.

550 I'm bid. 600. And 50.

700. And 50.

800. The commissions are lost.

It's 800 in the room. And 50.

900. And 50.

1,000. And 50.

1,100. And 50.

1,200.

And 50.

1,300.

On the left at £1,300. Have you all done, and I shan't dwell.

You're losing it at £1,300. 50.

1,350.

1,400? £1,400, sold.

-Yes. £1,400.

-APPLAUSE

Well done, Jane.

-Thank you very, very much.

-Is that a sad moment?

-Pardon?

-Is it a sad moment?

-Very, yes.

I do feel quite sad because it is a treasure gone.

But I didn't want it to go to somewhere where they wouldn't appreciate it.

-This will find a new home where someone will love it.

-Good.

As you can see, the auction's still going on but it's all over

for our owners and we did save the best till last.

Jane's tea poy, a lovely bit of craftsmanship.

Quality furniture, and it got a quality price.

£1,400.

And she is so happy. I hope you've enjoyed the show.

Until the next time, from Market Harborough, goodbye.

For more information about "Flog It!"

including how the programme was made, visit the website at

bbc.co.uk/lifestyle

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