Wolverhampton Flog It!

Today we're in the Black County, a part of the

West Midlands that used to be known as the workshop of the world because of its huge industrial output.

Today, we're gonna add a splash of colour on "Flog It!"

ALL CHEER

The Black Country is made up of a group of towns

that were known as red by night and black by day.

That's because of all the foundries, collieries and lime kilns that were based here in the area.

This region is particularly famous for its enamel work, its metalworks and its lock making.

Well, I don't know if anything from the city's industrial past

is gonna turn up here today at Wolverhampton Civic Hall.

We've certainly got hundreds of people and plenty of objects.

What have you all brought in?

Everybody has been scouring their lofts and cupboards.

Luckily, I'm not alone.

I've got David Barby and Catherine Southern helping me to hunt out all the treasures.

Let's get this huge crowd inside.

While everybody is filing into their places, let us see what David's discovered.

Trev, or is it Trevor?

-Trev.

-Trev's very friendly. I'd expect that from Wolverhampton.

Do you live in Wolverhampton?

-No, just down the road.

-Right.

I'm fascinated by this. In the nicest way, I want to strip this young lady, because it's been gilded.

Where did you get it from?

About three months ago, we've a friend who owns a local pub.

I went down to this auction to buy some kitchen furniture and other furniture for his pub.

In the catalogue, it said Doulton figurine.

I thought, I'll put a bid on that.

I've never been to an auction before in my life. She came up

and I won the piece.

Since then, I've been doing all sorts of research on her.

It's absolutely fascinating.

It is, so what have you found out?

Well, she's Reflections of Childhood. Doulton-Lambeth.

Around 1932.

-That's right.

-I've only ever seen

a picture in one book.

-She's just fascinating.

-She wasn't gilded in that book, was she?

-No, certainly not.

-Somewhere in its history, somebody thought,

oh, it's rather dull stoneware, let's give it a coat of gilt paint.

It needs to be taken back to its stoneware body.

Where would it be in the house?

This would be even in the garden, or more likely in a conservatory with lots of flowering shrubs.

It's a delightful figure.

I love it. How astute of you to recognise its quality.

-How much did you get it for?

-£10.

-£10, gosh.

That is remarkably good value.

If people saw it with that finish, they didn't realise its possibilities.

It's a delightful figure.

In fact, it's been somewhat protected with the gilt paint.

Now, about price.

If it had been stripped down and in its natural state, I could see 80 to 120.

These conservatory and garden figures are sought after.

You only paid £10 for it.

I think what we've got to do is to allow it to run in the auction.

-Fine.

-In other words, it'll go for more than you paid for it, I guarantee that.

-It'll be interesting to see what it goes up to.

-Yes.

In its state, covered in gold paint, you've got to find the right buyer.

You have to find that purchaser that can see its potential

and who's also got a nice conservatory as well.

Absolutely.

Nick, thank you for coming along today bringing a piece of Moorcroft.

I always love to see Moorcroft. Where did you get this from?

I've only had it 18 months and I bought it off a friend who's a collector.

-Right.

-He had a few pieces that he was selling and I thought what a nice colour.

I bought it for the wife. I mean, we have lots of children around us.

So I'm frightened that it will break, so

Children and Moorcroft don't go together well, do they, I find.

The time has come to sell it on.

While it's still perfect.

It's an unusual colour, isn't it? This nice sort of green.

Often we see very vivid blues and other quite striking colours.

To see this green is really quite unusual. It's probably 1950s in date.

It's actually by Walter Moorcroft, rather than William Moorcroft.

We can see there, that's the signature of Walter, rather than William.

That's how we can date it to being slightly later, around 1950s.

Do have any idea how much this is worth at auction?

I think it's worth at least £200.

Can I ask how much you paid for it from your friend?

230-240.

That sort of price. You'll probably looking at £300-£400 at auction.

-I would probably put a reserve on of £200. Is that OK?

-That's fine.

You might find if it does sell for £200, you're losing out slightly.

-Is that OK?

-You'll make sure I don't.

I'll certainly do my best. I hope we have some Moorcroft collectors.

Thank you very much.

What a superb watercolour.

I focused on this when you walked across the room.

I thought, I've got to grab hold of you and talk about it. What's your name?

-Berbel.

-Berbel. Where are you from?

-From Germany.

-What part of Germany?

-Berlin.

-How long have you been in Wolverhampton?

I've been living around Wolverhampton for about 30 years.

-30 odd years?

-Yes.

-Where did you come across this?

I bought that at a very small auction in Cannock.

-About 35 years ago.

-So you've had it quite a long time?

I have. I've liked it.

It appealed to me. It's a relaxing picture.

-You can look at it.

-You can escape, can't you?

It's beautiful. All of this medium is painted in watercolour.

It's on paper and I like the fact that the technique is slightly washed.

-Right.

-It's been washed out with a lot of water.

It's slightly impressionistic.

I love the Windsor, stickback chair, that hooped chair, and the red brick cottage.

-It's a lovely summer scene.

-Yes.

The only thing that lets this down slightly is her face.

I would like to see a little bit more detail on the face.

-It's not there.

-It is the style of painting.

It's the washed-out style. Exactly.

Can I ask you how much you paid for it in auction?

Well, at that time £15.

-£15, 30 odd years ago?

-Yes.

-It was still a lot of money, wasn't it?

-It was.

-One week's wages.

-Yes.

Let's take a look, shall we?

The first thing to do is establish the artist.

It's right there in the corner.

You can just see it. Woodlock. I have

to be perfectly honest with you, I haven't heard of this artist before.

Let's look him up in the book. Here we've got an Art Sales Index.

If I can show you this...

If we look down, David Woodlock.

Here we can see, British-born.

He was born in 1842.

He died in 1929. This is towards the end of his career.

He had quite a long life, didn't he?

He did, yes. Look at this, this is very interesting.

He obviously liked to paint lots of cottages.

Woman At Dawn, Tingleton village, Dorset, another cottage.

Lady At Cottage Door, here's another one. It also gives the sizes, look.

7 by 10 inches. Now that's approximately 7 by 10 inches.

They're all selling for around about £300 to £380.

We can now build up a value of what his works have been sold for.

-Right.

-£300 to £400.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, I'm happy with that.

-It's been a good investment.

-It has.

-And you've enjoyed looking at it?

I have, yes. You're quite right, I have.

I've just outgrown a bit, because I've seen it for such a long time.

Shall we flog it, then? Shall we put it in the sale?

-A fixed reserve of £300.

-Yes.

-And a value of three to four?

-Yes.

Done, job done.

Edna, I'm so delighted that you've brought

this delightful object along today.

I was hoping that something from Wolverhampton,

Smethwick, Stourbridge area would come in.

This is all part and parcel of this rich seam of industrial activity of the 18th and 19th century.

It's all represented in this delightful little box.

I want to know where it came from.

I got it from Bromsgrove in the middle '50s when a great aunt,

who had been in service, the old lady who she lived with died.

I think my aunt must have inherited all of what was in the house.

Oh, gosh.

Was there anything else like this?

Not like that. A lot of Clarice Cliff and other china.

Some strange pottery, mostly of the china sort of thing.

So, in fact, you'll be coming to "Flog It!" for ever and a day?

Well, you weren't interested in the rest.

Not after I saw this. This is a delightful little box.

What do you use it for and where do you keep it in your house?

-On the shelf.

-On the shelf.

-Yes.

-You didn't use it?

-No, No.

-Do you know what it's for?

-No.

-It's hinged.

That little compartment inside, you would have put your needles.

Needles, pins which would have been kept quite secure because they were valuable items.

Did you never find the need for anything like this to retain pins?

I certainly would have done.

-Why's that?

-I make costumes for schools.

This little object, made in the 18th century, and probably

in constant use right through the 19th century, into the 20th century for its original purpose.

-18th century?

-18th century.

South Staffordshire was famed for its enamels.

They were beautifully decorated. This is very much in the

French and Swiss style of enamel decoration where you have this dark blue background with these

lovely decoration.

If you look carefully, it's almost like a cameo carving.

It's raised to the touch. You can feel it, can't you?

-Yes.

-Yet, this is all glass.

The reason that they were made in this area because there were huge seams of coal

that would generate the heat, enough to melt the sand to give you glass.

-Oh, yes.

-Stourbridge was well famed for its glass.

-Yes.

-It going up for auction, back to Stourbridge. I think there's gonna be collectors out there.

-Oh, right.

-Think in terms of price.

All that history wrapped up in an object like this.

I would like see it go for about £120 to £180. That sort of price range.

-That's good.

-The auctioneers might want to tuck it in around about 100 for a reserve.

-Would you be happy?

-Oh, yes.

I had no idea it was that much.

Edna, I wish I could put this in my pocket.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Right now, it's time to up the tempo and up the pace.

It's time for some hammer action.

It's our first visit to the auction rooms.

While we make our way over there, here's a quick recap

to jog your memory of all the items that we're gonna be flogging.

We're about to find out if Trevor's Doulton figure will prove all that glitters is not gold.

Whether Mike's Moorcroft vase has got enough pizzazz to live up to its name.

I valued the watercolour by David Woodlock and I hope the bidders love it as much as I do.

Finally, the enamel boxes like Edna's were produced in this area.

Does that mean local collectors will pay more to own one?

For our sale today we've come to Fieldings Fine Art Auctioneers in Stourbridge.

It really is good to be back in this magnificent saleroom.

We've also got the benefit of two auctioneers on the rostrum.

Nick Davies will sell most of our lots but Will Farmer is the man in charge of ceramics.

Quality name, right now, Moorcroft.

Brilliant condition. It belongs to Mike.

We've got a valuation of £300 to £400 on this by Catherine.

Maybe she wasn't sure, because there's a reserve of £200.

We see a great deal of it on the show.

We see lots of Flambe and a lot of Blue. I've never seen a Green.

I don't really like the green one, that much.

This is a later piece.

This is a Walter Moorcroft, Coral Hibiscus On Green.

Moorcroft is just one of the best names at the moment.

-He's flying.

-William Moorcroft?

Well, some Walter, Flambe Walter.

The market is probably one of the most educated markets out there. They know exactly what they want.

-What are they looking for now?

-It's the rarer patterns.

It's the earlier William Moorcroft.

When it comes to Walter, they want Flambe.

-They want it to favour on a blue ground.

-Not a green ground?

Not so much the Hibiscus On Green. But it's a big piece.

-It's a nice shape and a nice size.

-Absolutely. It is whistle clean.

It's got everything that it needs to be.

It's a good entry-level for a Moorcroft collector.

Somebody who can't afford a piece on Blue at 500, would

put their hand in their pocket to buy this and start a collection.

The entry level you're talking about for a novice collector, is that the three to four or the two to three?

Probably a little bit nearer the two to three mark.

I think the four is a little bit ambitious, to be honest.

Is it less desirable, or is it more unusual?

The bidders are about to pass their verdict on Mike's Green Moorcroft.

It's got the name and it's got the condition. It's Moorcroft.

Has it got the price? Mike, it's a 1950s piece and it is Green.

Here's our expert Catherine that put the value on it.

£300 to £400. I know you paid quite a bit for this.

We had a chat to the auctioneer a little earlier.

He agreed with you, as well. Green, not the most popular colour.

If it's Blues and Flambe and an early period, easy money.

Easy £600. This just might struggle.

It is a late one, 1950s.

-It's a difficult one to sell.

-Hopefully, we can get this away.

What would you put the money towards if we sell it?

I will share it out between all of the grandchildren.

We've got to do our best, haven't we?

Do it for the grandchildren.

Moving on to Lot 90. We have the Walter Moorcroft, Hibiscus.

This is the Coral Hibiscus On Green. Nice lot. Good size.

Start me at 250 to open.

250 to open.

200, then, to get me out of the door. 200 as a start.

200, I have. 210, 220, 230, 240.

250, 260, 270, 280.

One more from me 290, 300 and I'm out.

Nod at 300, thank you sir. 310, anywhere else in the room?

Otherwise, it's the gentleman's bid at the back left at £300.

All sure and done? At 300.

The hammer's going down, yes.

Catherine, you were right. At the bottom end.

Will was a little bit pessimistic.

He knows the market here.

He said, "Paul, I don't think it's gonna sell". I'm ever so pleased.

I'm ever so pleased. What a happy ending.

-Well done.

-A good result.

It's a roller-coaster of emotions at an auction room.

If you've not been to one, get down to your local and experience it. It's great fun.

-This is my first time.

-So green was the colour?

-Green was the colour.

-We were wrong!

Now, it's my turn to be the expert. I'm a little worried about this one.

I've just been joined by Berbel here. That lovely watercolour.

That beautiful cottage scene by David Woodlock.

I can see it over there and she does look lovely.

Her face is a little bit washed out.

Now, will it sell?

I hope so because it's been a friend of mine for quite a long time.

Lot 730, I have some interest in this one at 250, 260.

I look for 270 in the room.

260 on commission. 270 in the room, anywhere? £260, 270, anywhere else?

260 with me, it'll sell at 260. Are we all done and finished?

260, finished?

-It's going home, isn't it?

-Yes, going home.

-We're £40 too expensive.

I'm sorry, Berbel. I'm sorry, very sorry.

-It doesn't matter, because I still like it.

-Yes.

-If you like something, it doesn't really matter.

-Yeah.

There should be lots of local interest in this next item about to go under the hammer.

It belongs to Edna. It is that little enamel box.

It is gorgeous. I love the blue colour.

That's so stunning.

Why do you want to sell this?

Nobody seems have noticed it over the last few years.

It might as well go. They might appreciate the money instead.

We're looking at £120 to £180.

-David, I know you fell in love with this.

-Yes, it's so nice.

-I've got one or two pieces of Bilston enamel.

-I gather.

Sort of mid-18th century. It's so evocative of that particular period.

It's got so much elegance with it.

Although it slightly later in date, it's a lovely piece.

There's gonna be collectors that will bid, don't you?

Definitely, this is the area for the enamelling, isn't it?

If we can't sell it here, we can't sell it anywhere!

Let's hope we get that top end plus.

Lot 649, decorated with blue and white floral sprays.

-We've been bid £100 on a commission.

-We're straight in.

£100 on commission. Can I see 110 in the room anywhere? £100 maiden bid.

Oh, not just the maiden bid at £100.

At £100, maiden bid, first and last. Are we all done and dusted at 100?

The hammer's gone down, £100.

Straight in and straight out.

-That's not bad.

-It's not bad.

We had a chat to the auctioneer. He agreed with the valuation.

-He did think it was continental and maybe that's why the price was held back.

-Yes.

Nevertheless, the Bilston collectors would have loved that in their collection.

Trevor's turn now. It's Reflections Of Childhood, but it's not your childhood, is it?

-No.

-You only purchased this stoneware figure three years ago.

You bought this for £10. Our expert David has put a value of £80 to £120 on this.

-That was a jolly good buy, I think.

-Paul, I've left it completely open.

The main reason being that somebody painted it gilt.

So I think we've got to let it ride and see what happens to it.

It's here to sell. And guess where the money's going. Tell us.

-It's going for an engagement ring to someone I've known for quite some time.

-What's her name?

Elizabeth Anne. We met in 1978 and then we sort of drifted apart.

-We're back together again.

-What a lovely sweet story.

-That's so romantic.

-It's a happy ending. Good luck.

-It's going under the hammer.

-Lot 30.

-Good luck.

We have the Doulton stoneware figure, Reflections of Childhood.

A nice lot. With a bronze lustre finish, we think maybe later.

The hand to my right tells me I'm being offered £80 straightaway.

Yes. Straight in.

£80 it will be. A maiden bid on commission will take this away.

Right at the back, 82. 85.

88. And 90. And two. 95. 100.

And five. 110. 115. 120.

And five. 130. It's now at 130.

125 still at my right.

130, anyone care to pick it up?

Otherwise £125 all sure and done.

Yes, the hammer's gone down. £125, congratulations.

-Thank you very much.

-That's going towards the ring, is it?

It is, yes.

What a great man. This guy has been on national TV and in a few

hours' time he's going to go down on one knee and propose

-to his beloved.

-Absolutely.

Ah, I just hope she says yes.

So do I!

We're all keeping our fingers crossed for Trev.

Meanwhile, it's Edna's enamel box that has inspired me

to investigate the history behind these little keepsakes.

And first I'm off to the Bilston and Battersea enamels factory

just down the road which is still producing them today.

This is where all the new Bilston boxes are now being produced.

They arrive at the factory in a clean copper state.

They are made off-site. And this is the business end of the production.

These are the enamelling rooms. You can hear all the extractor fans blowing away.

All the boxes are now enamelled, they are sprayed,

with a white background finish, ready for the artists to decorate.

The factory produces designs to commemorate all kinds of special occasions and anniversaries.

You can even order bespoke boxes with your own picture or message painted on it.

Collectors snap up these modern keepsakes, and I am told

they are ordered as gifts by members of the Royal Family.

But how did it all begin?

250 years ago the Midlands was the largest and most famous centre of production of vitreous enamel,

a thin layer of glass which is fused on to a metal base.

And the Bilston name became synonymous with enamel boxes.

In the 1700s, these little boxes were all the rage.

Just about anybody who was anybody in fashionable Georgian Society would carry one around.

Women kept their beauty patches in them to cover up smallpox scars.

Fashionable gentlemen of the day would take snuff.

And I have come here to the Bilston Craft Gallery to meet collector Ken Yeomens.

Ken, these little boxes appealed to such a huge market. Why was that?

I think it was probably the attraction of a combination

of practicality and beauty, which is what attracted me to them in the first place.

Generally speaking,

they made very little that wasn't beautiful.

And everything they made in the 18th century as far as enamels were concerned was put to practical uses.

But they weren't around for a long period of time, about 100 years. What was their demise?

The reason for that was that the patch box which you would know as the mirror really went out

of fashion simply because towards the end of the 18th century, 1795, they found a cure for smallpox.

As a result they didn't need the patches for the patch box.

Society was being cleaned up.

As far as the snuff boxes were concerned, they lasted for a while

because King George III's wife Charlotte, who was actually called Snuffy Charlotte affectionately by

the general population because she took snuff, and awful lot of the population took snuff.

But then, round about 1800 she decided not to take snuff any longer.

-So everyone else stopped.

-It was a dirty habit and that really put the end to that.

You've got a wonderful collection. You've brought a selection.

-How long have you been collecting and dealing?

-35 years now.

These are very good. I've got to say your collection is absolutely wonderful.

The top end of the market. What would you look for in antique ones?

Condition obviously is paramount.

Yes. I think uniqueness, if that is the right word, something that is very unusual in the first place.

But condition is of prime importance. Each one of these things has got a different use.

And it's very rare that you find any two doing the same thing.

OK, so let's talk through their virtues.

-You've got some quite large ones here. Let's look at the casket with the domed lid.

-Yes.

This is really quite exceptional.

What was that, that's not a snuffbox.

No, this is a miniature travelling writing casket.

With a few little bottles. There is a nib, one of two other pieces of equipment in there.

The two ink bottles.

The shape itself is just really superb.

More importantly, the condition of that box is

just so superb, nigh perfect for something that is 200 years old.

That is probably my favourite of all that I have had.

That's your favourite? That was going to be one of my questions, which is your favourite piece?

What sort of value would you sell that at, or would you keep that?

You wouldn't get a lot of change out of £3,000.

-But where could you find another?

-Indeed, indeed.

That's an odd shape. I was going to ask you about that.

Yes. This little bird bonbonnier would have been used...

-For a gentleman?

-Yes, it would be for a gentleman.

If a man like your good-looking self if I may say so wanted to attract a lady and invite her for dinner,

you would have made sure before you went out that your breath smelt so sweet and beautiful.

There were no such things as toothpaste and deodorants.

And you would have put in here some fine herbs or spices.

-Or little sweet cachettes.

-Mint or something.

-Yes. You would put them in there.

And made sure at the party you were about enlighten your appearance with,

you would have got it out of your pocket with great aplomb

and made sure everybody saw you putting this in your mouth.

It's such a beautiful and a romantic thing.

-And yet, it doesn't necessarily look that way when you see it.

-No.

It's a very unusual and rare thing to find.

-Value?

-Value. Between £1,000-2000 generally speaking depending

on condition and size because you can get these in a smaller version.

Where do you find all of your...

Over the years people have got to know me for enamels generally. They do tend to ring me quite often.

I do buy one or two at auction obviously.

I think when people sadly want to sell collections because of the fear

of theft and burglary, some things come through that way too.

I don't know where that has been. I have no idea. I've had it five years.

-If it could speak!

-Yes.

-That's the beauty of antiques though.

They've all got their own separate personalities and characteristics, and they tell a story.

-Ken, thank you so much for bringing part of your collection in.

-My pleasure.

From such delicate treasures, it's straight back to Wolverhampton

and the bags at the Civic Hall, to see if there is any more to unearth.

Edith, I absolutely love samplers and you've brought along one of the most beautiful examples.

Where on Earth did you get it from?

Well, it was in an old piece of furniture that we had.

And we didn't know this was in it until we moved the furniture into our house when we were married.

So it isn't a family piece at all.

And it's just been left lying like that,

we must have had it 40 years.

So you actually bought the piece of furniture, second-hand?

-Yes.

-What an amazing story.

What an amazing find.

I never find things like this.

Well, you have an exquisite sampler.

And these were obviously made by little girls.

They were at home during the evenings sewing wonderful pieces,

embroidering them in such beautiful condition.

-It must have taken them absolutely hours, days, months.

-Yes.

You can't imagine a child doing that today.

But they do make the most beautiful decorative items.

Up here we've got a little legend which is written.

Let's see if we can work out what it says.

Is it, "See that thou thy loins art girding...

"..with celestial truth and love,

"trim thy lamp and keep it burning with the unction from above."

Wonderful. And here we actually have the name of the little girl who would have been the sampler.

Ann Jane Hughes.

It actually says there, aged 11 years.

It's actually unusual that it is aged 11 because it would have been

usually a girl of about seven or eight.

But what I love about this is the amazing detail.

I mean, every single piece of it is covered with this beautiful detail.

We have got these fabulous peacocks here with their little tails resting on the top of the trees.

We've got wonderful churches, a lady and gentleman here next to the church. We've got swans and sheep.

It really is fabulous.

And then this wonderful border right round the outside.

Is it something that you're wanting to sell, Edith?

Well, we haven't been able to do anything with it.

-It really ought to be with someone who would have it framed and glazed.

-Absolutely.

We wouldn't know what to do with it. It deserves to be done properly I think.

It doesn't look in bad condition.

It looks like you've preserved it very well. There are some slight areas of wear round it.

And here, on the date, which is 1828, I can see that it looks like it's been embroidered again.

Someone has patched it up which is a real shame.

I think that might make a difference to the price.

Have you any idea how much it is worth at auction?

-Absolutely not.

-I would probably put an estimate on of £100-150

but I would hope that it makes a lot more than that because it really deserves to.

-It's a beautiful work.

-It is beautiful.

I'm going to put it in low in order to attract people.

I want to protect this with a reserve of £100 as I don't think

-it should be sold for any less than that.

-That's fine.

Estimate £100-150. Reserve £100.

I hope it really takes off.

-Thank you for bringing it in, Edith, you've really made my day.

-Thank you. My pleasure.

-What bling bling!

-Exactly.

-Are you into that?

-Not really, no.

I think it's absolutely wonderful. It is pretty.

Obviously it belongs to you.

-Yes.

-Is there any great family history behind it?

My mother bought it about 35-37 years ago because she liked it.

-And she was into diamonds.

-Yes, very much so.

This is beautiful.

What we have here is a fob watch that attached to the lady's lapel

-with this small bow.

-That's it, yes.

And the watch swivelled around, so we've got that on the back.

This was a wonderful way of wearing a watch other than a wristwatch

-or one of those with a long fob chain.

-That's right.

So this gorgeously extravagant piece of jewellery

was I suppose worn at the time of the Edwardian period.

The time of Russian Revolution.

-So the whole thing evokes that sort of glorious end of the epoch.

-Yes.

Late 19th-20th century.

It's a nice movement.

It was probably made in Switzerland.

White gold, French case, set with diamonds.

And they are all old cut.

They are rose cut diamonds.

So this is what gives it this wonderful prismatic light.

-I know, it's beautiful.

-It is exquisite. Lovely.

-And you don't want it.

-No.

-You'd never wear it on any special occasion?

-No.

Right.

Getting a price on it.

-This is going to an auction house that sells a lot of jewellery.

-Yes.

-And they are well-versed in selling this type of quality item.

-Fine.

-I would put a price somewhere between £800-1000.

-Right.

And I think the auction house will want the reserve in the region of about £700-750.

-And that would be agreeable?

-Yes.

-Right, excellent.

I should like that put up for sale.

David, thank you very much for coming along today and bringing this barograph.

Tell me, where did you get it from?

Well, I got it from my wife in the first instance as a birthday present about six or seven years ago.

She'd asked me, "What do you want your birthday?"

And I said, "I'd like a barometer."

-We've got a place in our hall where a barometer would be ideal.

-Right.

So I asked her if she would buy a barometer.

And a bit of confusion really. We ended up with a barograph.

Right, OK. We've got a similar sort of connection in that they are both weather forecasting instruments.

-But not quite the thing you were looking for.

-No.

Barometers can be more attractive than a barograph.

So, what we've got here, we've got the drum here which actually records the weather forecast.

And on the chart we've got the A right through to the K, so depending on where the needle goes,

up and down, that would correspond to the list which is printed here and that would tell you

what it's going to be. A is very hot, right down to K which is very cool.

Do you have any ideas on date of this?

I thought it was probably 1950s or something like that.

Yeah, it's actually quite a late sort of barograph.

It's not one of the early 19th-century ones which are a lot more desirable.

They also had a nice little drawer at the front where

you would have kept the chart paper. It is in a fairly good condition.

We've got the ink bottle down here which still looks like it's full of ink.

-Have you ever had it up and running?

-We haven't, no. I haven't.

-Is that because it was not an instrument that you were interested in?

-Possibly, yes.

I'm a little bit concerned about how much your wife paid for it.

-Can I possibly ask you, do you know what she paid for it?

-Well, it was £400.

£400, and that was presumably from a dealer or something like that?

-It was, yes.

-So she would have paid retail price.

For this, I think, you'll probably be looking at about £300, something like that.

Between £300 and £400. Would you be happy to sell it at that?

-Oh, yeah, I'll sell it at that.

-I'd probably put a reserve on of about 250.

-OK, that's fine.

-You're happy to get rid of it, aren't you?

-Well, yes.

I'll be able to buy my barometer now.

If it sells and it sells well, then you could buy what you've always wanted and buy your barometer.

It's straight back to the auction with our next batch of antiques.

Is the writing on the wall for Edith's sampler found in the back of a drawer?

And if diamonds are a girl's best friend,

will there be enough of them bidding today for Doreen's fob watch?

And finally, what's the forecast for David's barograph?

I hope it's old enough to weather a storm in the sale room.

Right now, we've got a classic bit of recycling on Flog It.

We have a needlework sampler belonging to Edith.

You found this in an old second-hand piece of furniture.

-True.

-And you've hung on to it for a long time?

Yes. We didn't find it straightaway.

We just found that the drawer didn't go back and there was something behind it.

That's a good tip when buying furniture.

Pull the drawers out, look behind them, see if any £5 or £10 notes have dropped.

In your case, a sampler, which is worth, hopefully, £100, maybe £150 at the top end of the estimate.

-What d'you think, Catherine?

-I think it's a beautiful piece.

-There is a bit of wear to it.

-It does put people off.

It would make a lot more than that, I think.

Needs to be displayed properly, out of the sun, out of damp conditions.

Let's hope our auctioneer can weave his magic on this one.

19th-century sampler.

This is the one with the figures and the animals.

A bit of damage to it. Bids all the same.

Start me at 100 and...? ..20.

-120.

-120! That's good.

I see 125 in the room. 125. 130.

5. 140. 5. 150. 5. 160.

Oh, my word!

At £160, going out for the sampler, all done.

-Yes!

-Top end of the estimate.

The textile dealers were here today.

OK, what will you put the money towards?

-I've just had twin grandchildren.

-Ahh, christening presents?

-Yes.

-That's lovely. Congratulations. That's wonderful news.

-A boy and a girl.

-What are their names?

-Ethan and Ava.

-Good luck.

Right now, the pressure is definitely on because

we've got David's barograph about to go under the hammer.

We've got a valuation £300 to £400.

We had a chat to the auctioneer a little bit earlier on.

He thinks it's going to struggle.

-Does he?

-It might struggle at the lower end.

-That's the sort of value he'd put on a 19th-century one. This is quite late.

-Yes.

He's got his work cut out and he said the pressure is on.

I think I was a bit ambitious with the estimate.

The thing is, your wife paid £400 for it.

You were swayed by that and we're trying to get your money back. That's the most important thing.

But we'd all settle on £300 before the hammer went down.

But hopefully we might get that 400.

-You never know.

-I should be very happy with that.

-So will we, and I think Catherine were, too.

-I'll be thrilled.

Mahogany case Barograph by Lee and Son is lot 830.

We've had a late bid and we come in at £300 on a commission.

-Oh, that's a surprise.

-Wow!

310, 320, 330, 340, 350,

360, 370, 380, 390.

Says no. 380 on a commission.

390 anywhere else? £380.

£380, all done and finished?

The hammer's gone down. What can I say? Made estimate, Catherine.

-That is very good.

-Unbelievable.

We all feared the worst because we had a chat with the auctioneer.

-Too pessimistic.

-Yeah, he was. I was as well!

-That's brilliant. That's absolutely brilliant.

-It is.

That's got your money back.

-Are you going to go out and buy a barometer?

-Yes.

-Brilliant.

110, 120...

OK, time is up. No, we are not flogging my watch, we are flogging Doreen's little lapel watch.

It's beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

We've got a valuation of £800 to £1,000.

-This is a lapel brooch, but with a timepiece that has been slightly altered.

-That's perfectly correct.

The main problem being that the type of jewellery is not fashionable.

The idea of having a lapel brooch and then a little watch hanging down concealed in diamonds.

-Lovely in the sort of thirties,

-But you feel a bit vulnerable with it as well today.

-That's right.

-And as David said, it isn't fashionable. It is exactly what our auctioneer said earlier on.

-Oh, right.

-Right, you don't know this, but I'm going to tell you.

He said the valuation of £800 to £1,000 might just struggle.

We want people out there that love bling bling.

That is stunning, isn't it?

Absolutely stunning. I'm keeping my fingers crossed as well.

-All the talking's over.

-Yes, yes.

We've heard what our expert says and what the auctioneer said,

now it's time to find out what the bidders think.

-Here it is, Doreen, this is your lot.

-I'm dreading this.

Lot 650 is the 19th century ladies' diamond-encrusted

crown-wind fob watch.

I'm looking in the room for £700.

Anyone coming in at £700?

-Rather high start.

-Very high start.

£700, a nod. Do I see 710 anywhere?

710 on the phone.

We have got a phone bid.

We have a phone bid.

£710 on the phone. 720 anywhere else?

There's two phone bids.

740, Chris?

750, 760,

770, 780, 800...

-Yes!

-Yes! It's good, it's good.

860, 880,

900, 920,

940, 960, 980...

Oh, this is good! Oh, this is good!

1,020.

1,050?

£1020. At £1,020, are we all done for the watch at £1,020?

All done and finished at £1,020?

-Yes!

-Oh, Doreen, I'm ever so pleased, I really am. We were a little bit pessimistic.

-I was about the watch, yes.

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

Yes, very nice.

-What a lovely surprise. That was the jewel in our crown, wasn't it?

-Yes.

It's all over for our owners.

The auction is still going on, but all credit to our experts.

I think they were spot on with money today. I hope you enjoyed the show.

Until the next time, it's cheerio.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd - 2007

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