Wrexham Flog It!

The dramatic scenery of North Wales.

It brings to mind thoughts of romance and chivalry.

It's a country full of myths and legends, drama and adventure.

And, of course, Flog It!

This is border territory in North Wales.

England's only a stone's throw away across the valley, so when they weren't fighting, they were trading.

And that's exactly what the people of Wrexham will be hoping to do here today,

swapping their unwanted family heirlooms and treasures for a tidy sum at auction.

And we've been joined by our experts, Kate Bliss and Philip Serrell.

There's a record crowd here today and lots to get through.

So, without further ado, let's see what Philip's found for his first valuation.

Now, this is a nice little mug, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Have you had it long?

-Well, yes, come down through the family.

-Down through the family? And you wanna sell it?

-Yeah.

-That's a great local accent. Where are you from?

-Scotland.

-Scotland?

-Yes.

-What you doing down here?

-Oh, I've been living here longer than I lived in Scotland.

-Really?

-Yes.

-So when did this appear in your family?

-Well, I don't know...

-A long time?

-Yeah.

I just brought it to see what it was, you know, how old it was and whatever.

-Let's talk about a few things first. What's it made of?

-Silver.

-How do you know that?

-Because it's stamped underneath.

-Shall we have a look?

-Yes.

-There we are.

-We've got the hallmarks. What else does it tell us?

-How old it is.

How did we know that?

-I don't know, the lion or something...

-That letter G...

-Yeah.

-Tells us that this was made in 1722.

-Oh, gosh.

-In London.

-Gosh.

All right? So it's 1722.

But something's happened to it since.

It's been a engraved.

Well, yeah. If we just turn this over here, we can see that there's a panel there

and it's inscribed in Welsh.

Now, I've got to admit I cheated here, right,

cos a lot of people would argue my English isn't very good, it's a lot better than my Welsh is, right?

I got somebody to, sort of, give me a bit of a translation.

-Right.

-It says, "With presentation from the community of Penrhos

"to Edward Jones, July 1865."

-It was for him holding office, or something like that, for about 50 years.

-Oh, right.

-OK, the other thing, if we pick it up, can you see all these marks around here?

-Yes.

Well, all of that is later Victorian engraving.

-So you've got a silver mug, made 1722, right?

-Yes.

Then about 140 years later, the Victorians, all they ever did was

breed or mess about with silver or carve furniture.

-They had no television.

-Right.

-And they've improved this, in their eyes.

They've put all this decoration on there and they've devalued it.

-They have devalued it.

-Oh, right.

-We'll come to that in a little bit.

The last thing to know is this hallmark here,

that is the maker's mark of a man called Simon Pantin,

-who was a really good Huguenot goldsmith and silversmith.

-Right.

So we now know what it is, who made it, we know a bit of its history.

-What's it worth?

-Oh, I've got no idea.

-£50.

-£50.

-Done?

-All right, OK.

-You have been.

I don't know, I haven't any idea.

It is worth, in my eyes, £200 to £400.

Oh, right.

-I think we'll put a fixed reserve on it for you of about £160.

-OK.

-OK?

-Fine.

-I think it's nice.

-Yes. Thank you very much.

-Is that done and dusted?

-Yes, thank you very much. Let's go and flog it, then. Thank you.

You're clutching a little box there which looks intriguing.

-What have we got inside?

-A nice ring.

Isn't that pretty? Let's have a little look.

Well, tell me about this.

Um...

I had it left to me by a friend and it was a brooch

and I kept it for a while and I thought, I'm not going to wear this.

-You're not into brooches?

-I'm not into brooches, no. So I took it and had it made into a ring.

-And have you worn it quite a bit as a ring?

-Not a lot, no.

It's something you don't wear every day, isn't it, really?

In fact, I was frightened of ruining the middle stone.

I was told that the middle stone was quite rare, really.

-What do you think it is?

-I believe it's a zircon.

Right. Zircon, actually, is a very interesting stone.

It's a bit of a giveaway, actually, if I look at it with my glass...

It has a property that

refracts the light in a way that we call double refraction, whereas other

-gemstones such as aquamarine just has a single refractive property.

-It's brighter.

Well, not necessarily brighter, but the upshot is that the facet edges here, in my glass, appear doubled.

-I see.

-The only way I can describe it is if you have a glass of water

and you were to stick a pencil into the water,

you will sometimes get a doubling effect, if you look at it in a certain way.

It's the way the light is refracted.

Zircon has that property.

-And then we've got diamonds around the outside, and it's set in white gold and platinum.

-Yes.

Now, zircon is a relatively soft stone.

-Yes.

-On a scale of 1-10, where a diamond is very, very hard, zircon comes quite a way down.

It is relatively soft and brittle, in fact.

That's why I was frightened of wearing it.

Well, as a ring, it comes into a lot more contact with things and is much more prone to wear,

whereas in a brooch, of course, it doesn't rub against things as much when you're wearing it,

and I think that is why it's in such nice condition.

Now, there are lots of legends and myths surrounding zircon.

It's supposed to give the wearer wisdom and riches, but in fact,

as soon as it starts looking worn, it's meant to warn you of danger.

So I think you brought it to us just in time, cos it's still

-in peak condition and obviously you are out of danger at the moment.

-Yes, good. Good.

I would think at auction we ought to say, probably, £150 to £200.

That's very good.

-And I would suggest we put a reserve on it for you, so it doesn't go less than, say, £150.

-Fair enough.

-I think that's a realistic reserve.

-Yes.

-Are you happy with that?

I'm quite happy with that, yes. Absolutely.

Oh, Thelma, what have you brought in?

-It is a workbox, isn't it?

-Yes.

-It's a lovely needlework box and it's in rosewood.

Now, tell me its history and why have you brought it here today?

Well, it's always been at home, I always knew it was my grandmother's,

then it went to my father and then to me.

My sons aren't interested in it, so...

-I must admit, if you were a young guy of 20 or 25, you probably wouldn't want to inherit that, would do?

-No.

I would now, though, but then I'm twice that age.

It's absolutely divine.

I love this sort of sarcophagus-shaped top.

It reminds me of the sort of, William IV tea caddies. It is William IV, sort of 1830, 1835, 1837.

It's hinged, lift it up

and there's a compartment up there.

And does that still open? Yes, look at that.

Isn't that lovely?

A paper compartment with original fabric.

Let's have a look inside.

Nice mother-of-pearl inlay, lovely shell inlay there.

And that's nice, it's echoed on the little handles as well.

-Now, that's a faux drawer, that's a faux drawer.

-No, that one does open.

Ooh, that's nice.

There's a little writing slope in there. Let's have a look.

Original felt.

Oh, that's really sweet. Look at that.

It's absolutely gorgeous.

Look at the detail.

Isn't it stunning? There's a lot of work that's gone into that.

We've got some mother-of-pearl escutcheons as well, for the keyhole cupboard.

One thing I did notice when I was turning it round and looking at the back...

..it's taken a horrendous knock here

and you've re-glued this on at some stage.

It's always been like that, as long as I've known.

It needs to be done again, it needs to be re-veneered.

In great condition, something like this, all-singing, all-dancing,

with everything there, in beautiful condition, £700 to £800, that sort of money, because it is quite unique.

But unfortunately it's a little bit tatty.

-What we could do is we could put it in with a valuation of £300 to £400.

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

OK. Lots of memories, though?

Not really. I've never used it, it's always stood in the corner of the dining room.

-But it's been in the family a long time.

-Yes, but...

-Feel guilty?

-No.

-No.

Let's flog it.

Pam, this is absolutely wonderful.

Thank you so much for bringing him in. Does he have a name?

-Well, I call him Henry.

-Henry? That'll do.

He is sweet, isn't he?

-Gorgeous, very cute.

-So, how did he come into your possession?

He was my nan's, who gave it my mum...

-Gave it your mum.

-Who gave it me.

-That's three generations, isn't it?

-Mm-hm...

I said my daughter can have it and she said, "Well, I'm gonna flog it, Mum."

So I thought, no, I'll do that, then.

-Really?

-She didn't want it, yeah.

-What's it made of?

-It's cast iron.

Spot on.

You know obviously what it is?

Well, it's an umbrella stand.

Umbrella or a stick stand. Where do you think it comes from?

-I think it comes from the Iron Gorge in Shropshire.

-Ironbridge.

-Yeah.

Do you know the name or the major exponent of this type of work?

-No.

-Coalbrookdale...

They specialised in stick stands similar to this.

Let's just take this well tray out.

There we can just see the registration mark and if we look that up, that will tell us

the specification, date and whatever. This is, as you said, cast iron.

You drop this on the floor and it breaks.

-Really?

-You can't repair it.

So, a lot of these you'll see them in auction with just that, cos this bit's been dropped

and it's got damaged in a way.

We can look that...

registration mark up. I'm not gonna do it now,

I'll ask the auctioneers to do that before it goes into the sale.

My guess is this'll date somewhere from about...

..1850-1875.

Somewhere in that 25-year period.

That's when I think it'll date to.

A lot of them are much grander.

This is just so sweet. He's got a little dog.

He's holding a hunting whip. It's just gorgeous.

So...what about its value?

I wouldn't have a clue.

Say it could make £200-£300 and you'd be happy to sell it at that?

-Yeah.

-About that?

-Yeah.

Well, what we'll do is estimate it at £800-£1,200...

Gosh! Really?!

That's what I think it'll make. We'll put a reserve on it of £600 and I think we'll have, hopefully,

if it's illustrated properly on the Internet, a couple of telephone bidders and up the price will go.

Thank you for bringing him.

-Thank you!

-Good luck, Henry.

That's our first batch of items.

There's 18th-century silver...

Some 19th-century ironwork...

An unusual zircon ring...

and, finally, my choice, Thelma's exquisite rosewood workbox.

For the auction, we've come down the road Dodds' saleroom in Mold

where Pam's Coalbrookdale stick stand has attracted auctioneer Anthony Parry's eye.

-This is super. Cast to perfection at the Coalbrookdale foundry.

-Yes.

It belongs to Pam, it's a lovely cast-iron stick stand

and the estimate that Philip's put on it is £800-£1,200, with a fixed reserve of £600.

We've had the vendor onto us and she's now upped the reserve to 800, fixed.

That's OK. I know we've sold them before for round about £900.

It's one of the prettiest stick stands you could ever come across.

It's a little Patterdale terrier.

-Is it?

-Well, I think so.

-They've always got large, sticking-out ears.

-Their ears are bigger than their head?

Yes, and, of course, it's in good company.

-The Prime Minister and his wife have got one.

-Well, there you go.

-Identical!

-Because when they were moving into No. 10, they were filmed carrying it in.

-All the more reason to own one.

That's right and Cherie Blair thinks it's the best piece they've got.

Ah! It is absolutely gorgeous.

It's going to do mid-estimate.

-It's nice to have the drip tray and it's not broken.

-There are no cracks?

-No.

Come on, stick your neck out.

I think we'll do it.

-We'll do it.

-Top end?

You're pushing now. We'll try.

I can't wait for this one to go under the hammer. I just think this will do the top end.

It's George II, that's early 18th century, it's a piece of silver

and it belongs to Nancy who's come from Scotland, haven't you?

-Originally.

-Originally, yeah.

Where are you living now?

In Bagillt, Flintshire.

That's not far away, is it?

No. It's on the doorstep.

Philip put a value of £200-400 on this, but the Victorians have got a hold of it

and, in my opinion, they've slightly ruined it, I think.

-A prime example of what the Victorians did.

-Exactly!

They carved things.

They just got at things and cannibalised them, really.

It has devalued it, hasn't it?

Yeah, it would have made £300-500, £400-600, otherwise.

-It's still a nice thing.

-It is a lovely thing.

Let's do the business right now.

-So, good luck, it's going under the hammer.

-Thank you.

58, a silver mug. What shall we say for it, a nice early mug, 1722.

50, I'm bid. £60. 60. 70. 80.

£80. 80.

80. 90, is it? 90. 100 and ten.

120. 130. 140. 150. 160. 170.

180. 190. 200. 210. 220. 230.

240. 240. 250.

260. 270. 275. 280.

280. Any more? All done at 280, then?

You're quite sure?

-Yes!

-Super.

-That's not bad, is it?

Mid-estimate, really.

-You were a little bit worried to start with.

-Yes.

-I know Philip was.

-I'm always worried!

-What are you going to do with that?

Well, I don't know. My grandchildren, I suppose.

-Buy them something.

-I'd get back up in that attic of yours.

-And see if I can get one with no inscriptions on.

-Yeah.

Or just look for something else!

Will Gwyneth's diamond be the jewel in our crown?

It's a lovely little stone, isn't it?

-Yes, it is, it's beautiful.

-We're looking at £150-£200.

-Hopefully.

I'm well out of my depth.

I know you're qualified with your gems so inform me.

It's interesting that it's been in a brooch

because the zircon is a relatively soft stone and very brittle.

As a brooch, it doesn't suffer so much wear and tear.

It's been preserved in very good condition

but now Gwyneth has had it put in a ring,

if she wears it quite a lot, it will start to show abrasion quite quickly.

So it's a good time to sell it while it's still nice.

It's a lovely blue colour zircon.

405, a dress ring set with a blue zircon stone

surrounded by four diamonds, linked by 12 smaller diamonds.

What shall we say for that nice dress ring?

50, I'm bid. £50. £60. £70.

£80, £90. £100.

And ten, 120.

130. 140. Have another.

-150.

-Getting there, Gwyneth?

-Yes.

-160. Are you sure?

160's over there, then. 160.

170, is it? 160. All done at £160?

Are we finished at 160?

It's going down. He's done it, £160.

-What are you going to do with that?

-Pamper.

-Pamper.

Pamper, tell me more?

Swimming, all that sort of thing.

-Are you going away for a weekend?

-Just a few days, yes.

-To a spa?

-Yeah, it is a spa.

Pamper yourself, won't you? Who are you going with?

With my cousin.

-Do enjoy it.

-A girlies' time.

Girlies' weekend away, eh?

-Girls on the road.

-That's right.

-Sounds great.

-I'm looking forward to it.

-You get pampered.

-I will.

Right, this is my turn to be the expert.

It's something I love and it's a little bit of tabletry.

It's a gorgeous William IV, rosewood cabinet for needlework and it's got that lovely little writing slope.

It belongs to Thelma here who's going to say goodbye to it.

-It's been in your family a long, long time, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

-Feel sad?

Not really, no. Sons don't want it, so, get rid of it.

Good. OK, let's watch it and let's watch it go. This is it.

285, another nice lot.

It's the rosewood and mother-of-pearl

inlaid sewing cabinet.

Right, what shall we say for it?

100, I'm bid. £100. A low start.

125. 150. 175. 175.

175. 200. £200. 225.

250. 275. 275 right by it.

She's stood by it all day.

£300. 325?

-No? 325's there.

-I'm going to faint.

330. All right, 330.

340. 350.

360.

370. 375. 380.

Another five? 385.

The lady's winning, 385.

All done at 385?

That hammer's gone down.

I'll settle for that. I think I'm more relieved that you are, Thelma.

-That was good, wasn't it?

-Very good.

-To the top of my estimate, really.

Fantastic. Thoughts about what you're going to put the money towards?

Well. We're going on a Nile cruise in March and New York in September so it'll go towards that.

Jet-setting. New York and a Nile cruise. Well, that's good.

-That's good for a start, isn't it?

-A bit of spending money.

-Yeah. Thank you for coming in.

-You've been looking forward to this moment?

-I have.

We've seen these on the show before a few times.

It's the Coalbrookdale cast-iron stick stand.

The little dog holding the whip. A creation by Abraham Darby. £800-£1,200, you're happy with that?

-Yes.

-Philip, our expert, put a £600 reserve on that but you weren't happy with that, were you?

-No.

-But in this case, this is a dead cert.

This has got to be £800-1,200, so I'm pleased you've raised your reserve.

-To?

-£800.

-Yeah. Philip!

-I was a bit mean, wasn't I?

-You were.

You were a naughty boy. I don't blame you.

I think these stick stands, they aren't quite the zenith they were two years ago.

That's why I was being cautious. That's my excuse.

A cast-iron stick stand in the form of a dog.

What is he? A Patterdale terrier?

What shall we say for that?

300, thank you. £300.

-That's a cunning plan. A really low in.

-£350.

-He's working it up. Don't panic.

-350's your bid. £400.

450 at the back.

500.

550. 600. 650. 700.

750.

800.

850. 875. 900 at the back?

-They like it.

-Yes, 900.

Come on, let's see it do the four figures.

925. 925. 925, it's going for 925.

Anybody else? Not coming back? Unlock that purse.

925's over here, then.

950, I thought we were going to persuade you.

975. 975.

-975, anybody else?

-Please.

Are we persuading you or not?

-No.

-975's here, then.

-All done at 975?

-No.

Hammer's gone down.

-That's great.

-£975.

That's fantastic, isn't it?

No problem with the reserve there.

You see, Philip, you didn't have to worry about that £600 low reserve.

You're not a bad valuer, are you?

-No, why?

-You said £900.

-I did.

-You ought to do this for a living.

-I should.

You're getting good at this. You are.

The 18th century was the age of romance, and elopements weren't all that unusual.

For two women to elope, that's an entirely different matter.

That's exactly what two genteel Irish ladies did back in 1778.

Faced with their families' growing disapproval of their friendship,

Lady Eleanor Butler and Miss Sarah Ponsonby eloped.

Escaping Ireland on horseback dressed up as men.

It was here, in this very romantic spot,

just outside Llangollen that they made their home, living happily together for the next 50 years.

Plas Newydd was a much simpler cottage with Sarah and Eleanor settled here in 1780.

The mock Elizabethan timberwork was a Victorian addition.

As word of their unconventional lifestyle got out, their fame spread.

They became known as the Ladies Of Llangollen.

They were described as the Most Celebrated Virgins In Europe,

becoming a tourist attraction, drawing many a crowd.

Making the journey to take tea with the ladies were some of the most famous people of the age,

including the Duke of Wellington, William Wordsworth, Sir Walter Scott and Josiah Wedgwood.

-And to tell me more about the unusual couple is the curator Rose McMahon. ..Hi, Rose.

-Hi there.

What an enchanting house, it really embraces you as soon as you walk in.

-It hugs you, doesn't it?

-Yes.

Tell me more about Eleanor and Sarah, what were they like?

Eleanor and Sarah were two aristocratic Irish women

who'd met while Eleanor was teaching at the school that Sarah was attending.

They both had unhappy home situations.

They were inspired by the ideals of Rousseau very strongly

and resolved to run away and make a home for themselves together

where they could pursue ideals of self-improvement, really.

You mentioned Rousseau - what sort of philosophies were they working towards?

They were seen as embodying various ideals of the time.

They were supposedly living in retreat from the world,

living close to nature with all the sort of moral improvement that that implied.

They kept livestock.

They had cows and chickens which contributed to maintaining them

and grew a lot of vegetables and unusual fruits of the time.

They were growing peaches.

They sound very industrious. Their day must have been packed. What routine would it have been?

They spent a lot of their time tending their gardens.

They would read,

receive visitors, of course.

They would visit people, as well.

They had quite a busy social life considering they were living in retreat.

They were known very widely, yes.

MUSIC PLAYS "The Ash Grove" by Llwyn Onn

The ladies certainly weren't immune to the Gothic revival craze

which swept the country at the time.

There's carved oak panels everywhere in this house.

-Where did they get them from?

-They came from a variety of sources.

At the time, a lot of the churches in Wales were being remodelled

as a response to the Methodist revival.

They were inclined towards a plainer, simpler look, so a lot of old oak was being literally thrown out.

As people came to realise they had this taste for carved oak,

they would bring pieces with them and this was a passport

by which they would gain access to meeting Eleanor and Sarah in person.

Ah, lots of lovely donor pieces.

When you approach the house and you see the porch,

-it sets you up for something fantastic on the inside.

-That's right, yes.

It's that sort of initial impact that a lot of people take away with them.

It features two 17th-century bedposts holding the little ceiling up

and also features the gift of the Duke of Wellington,

which are the two Chinese lions on either side of the door.

That was the piece the ladies were particularly proud of.

-They had a porch-warming party and invited their friends.

-Did they?

-Yes.

I've never heard of that before.

You've worked here for quite a long time. You must have a favourite piece of carving.

-I like the handrail...

-I thought you might say that.

Yes, the mermaid at the top with the lion and finishing off with this little squirrel.

-It's a phenomenal piece.

-Yes.

If anybody wants to learn the history of English carving,

I think you've got every sort of symbol and every piece of Celtic folklore going on here, haven't you?

-Yes.

-Everything. All at once. You've got the tree of life carved up there,

you've got caryatids.

Here's the green man, the symbol of the green man,

-the pagan god.

-Yes.

What I do like is the Welsh dragon up there.

-Look at that one.

-What else?

Apart from the wood carvings, the ladies collected many other curiosities,

and on Sarah's death in 1832, the entire contents of the house were sold.

The sale catalogue reads a little bit like this.

Listen to this.

"Lots include three copper battle-axe heads, and lava from Mount Vesuvius,

"teeth from the cachalot, walrus and elephantine seal,

"a large fossil foot and an Etruscan vase."

Well, it just goes to show that their collection was as eccentric as they were.

Angela, I think this is really fun.

In fact, I think it's one of the most fun things I've seen today.

It hasn't got huge value, but it's a lovely little collectors' piece.

Tell me where it came from.

It belonged to my grandmother

and it always lived in a corner cupboard.

The corner cupboard's full of bits and pieces.

It's just sitting there,

been there ever since.

It came with the cupboard?

-Yes, it did.

-What do you think of it?

I quite like it, but nobody's looking at it. It's not doing anything.

So you want to get rid of it?

My family aren't interested in it.

-It is, of course, a snuffbox.

-Oh, right.

If we open up the lid, we see where the snuff would have gone in here,

and we can also see that it's made of papier-mache,

like a lot of snuffboxes in the 19th century

and I would say this is certainly Victorian,

probably around 1860-1870 in date.

Right.

The lid here is printed

and then over-painted in the colours

-to give the colour decoration.

-Oh, right.

It's typical of sort of mottoware

that was made in the Victorian period.

I like it because it's got a little bit of humour about it.

-Yes.

-And the motto reads,

"Does your mother know you're out?"

But the way that the "out" is spelled, "aut",

to me suggests a little bit of dialect almost.

-It suggests to me Yorkshire.

-Right.

-YORKSHIRE ACCENT Does your mother know you're out?

-Yes, yes.

Of course, it's referring in a very humorous way

to a strict Victorian household,

something a matron would say,

making sure that a mother knew where her offspring were.

-Right, yes.

-But the funny thing about it is

to put it in the sphere of hens and chickens and cockerels

-really just gives it that humorous twist, doesn't it?

-Yes.

It took quite a bit of explaining, but it is a fun little piece.

And also in super condition.

Well, what about value?

I think as a little collector's piece in such nice condition,

we're certainly looking at £50-£80.

Really? Goodness.

-Some people may a little bit more because it's not the sort of motto you see every day.

-No.

My word!

-Little thing like that.

-Is that more than you thought?

-It is. Yes.

Definitely.

-Well, I think it's really fun. Thanks for bringing it along.

-Thank you.

I think this is a really lovely watercolour.

How long have you owned it?

I've had it about 15 years.

I inherited it from my mother-in-law and I've now moved into quite a small, modern house

and it isn't in the right setting.

You know who the artist is?

Um, it is named as Malcolm Crosse, but I don't know anything about him.

We've got a little script on the slip here.

-Yes.

-But it is also signed just over here,

which is good.

People have different views of what they look for in a painting.

I think that if you're looking at a watercolour or an oil painting,

-I like to be able to look at it more than one time and see different things.

-Yes.

If you look here,

you've got... It looks like a church there.

Running along, we've got a river here.

We've got this chimney.

And it just stands looking at.

You can look at this more than once and I think it's really good.

How do you think we arrive at a value for these things?

-I don't know.

-I'm sure it must look like guesswork most of the time!

But there is a bit of a method... Valuation is all about comparison.

-Right.

-OK?

So what I've done

is I have looked up prices that Malcolm Crosse has realised in the last two years or so

in a reference book called The Art Sales Index.

I've found two prices.

One was £440

and the other for a much bigger picture that was £560.

-Gosh.

-They were both watercolours. One was a Devon scene.

-Yes.

-And the other, I think, was a Lake District scene.

This is obviously an Irish scene.

From what I've been able to find,

he produced pastoral scenes. He was a 20th-century artist.

Right.

And he's quite sought after.

-Oh. Good.

-But I think you've got to pitch this just right.

And I think we've got to estimate this at £250-£350.

Right.

And I think you need to put a reserve on it of £200. OK?

Yeah, that's super. Yes.

Um, it's nice to know that he was a sought-after artist, really.

Marion, this might be quite a small, little pot,

but I think there's more to it than meets the eye.

-Right...good.

-Where did it come from?

It was my grandparents' on my mother's side.

It's just been handed down and I actually know nothing about it,

other than I think it's very pretty.

It's got, I think, lizards or something on the side

and looks like peacock feathers,

-but...tell me more, please.

-Well, I think you're absolutely right.

Can you see this lovely blue glaze has a slight sheen to it?

In fact, it tells us it's part of the lusterware range

-made by the Pilkington's pottery factory.

-Right. I didn't know that.

Pilkington's really rose to acclaim when a chap called William Burton joined the factory.

He came from the Wedgwood factory

and joined Pilkington's about 1897.

But it really was put on the map

when the factory exhibited at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1900.

-Right.

-Now, the unusual thing about this one is that it's so small.

I've seen a lot of Pilkington vases

so...

or even a little bit bigger.

But this is perhaps the smallest piece I've seen.

So it's quite a diddy thing.

-Little posy vase, I would suggest.

-You wouldn't get many in there.

You couldn't get many in there, no.

But its shape also suggests a snuff bottle to me.

Oh, right.

You pointed out very cleverly

these lizard motifs on the shoulders here,

which are applied,

obviously raised decoration.

And they hark back to oriental influence.

The oriental, or the chinoiserie as it was known, influence

was very prominent at the end of the 19th century.

And this is the influence that we see here.

-And the shape of the snuff bottle is also oriental.

-It's a nice shape.

-Yes, it is, isn't it?

-Yes.

So, what about value? Well, the condition is lovely.

You've obviously looked after it well.

Well, it's been stuck in a cabinet, so it doesn't get handled.

It sits there year in, year out.

-But it's pretty.

-What do you think it's worth?

What would you pay for it?

I'd probably pay...

£50-£100.

-Mm-hm?

-Yes. I think.

Well, I'm gonna say a little bit more than that.

I'm gonna say £150-£200.

Really? Gosh.

It certainly ought to do £150. I would hope it would make £200 and perhaps a little bit more,

-if two collectors want it.

-Well, that's really exciting.

Pilkington's is very commercial at the moment, very sought after.

So you're selling it at the right time.

-Wonderful.

-Well, I'm very pleased you brought it along.

-Yes, so am I now, because it was last minute, spur of the moment, you know.

-Was it?

-"Perhaps I will put it in," so that's good.

-Great.

-Thank you.

So back to the auction where we've got a feast of decorative items up for sale.

Angela's sweet little papier-mache snuffbox,

Jo's pretty watercolour

of County Wicklow,

and the tiniest Pilkington vase you've ever seen.

Well, we have Angela here, just in the nick of time in this packed saleroom.

This gorgeous Victorian snuffbox is going under the hammer - £50-£80.

It's so small and so tiny and so beautiful.

What I want to know is - why are you flogging this?

It's been stuck in a cupboard for over 50 years and nobody's bothered.

-Didn't even know it was there.

-You'd forgotten about it?

I knew it was there but my family swear they've never seen it before.

"Haven't seen it for a long time - might as well flog it." I hope we get the top end.

I absolutely adore it. The papier-mache is 100% right, the hinges are right.

-The cockerel on the front says it all for me.

-Great, isn't it?

I'd like to see this do £100, £120. That's what I'm hoping in my Paul world.

-You don't see these things coming up at auction.

-Never.

In my short time in the auction business - eight, nine years - things...

-Of that quality.

-They don't appear any more of that quality. It's a collector's piece.

Nice little lot now.

Little papier-mache snuffbox. £30, I'm bid.

Thank you. £30. £30. £35... £40.

5. £50. 5. £60.

5. £70. 5. £80.

5. £90. 5. £100.

£100 there. £105.

-£110. £115.

-Yes!

-£120.

-It's worth it, every single penny.

-£130.

5. £140.

5. £150.

5... £155.

£155. Missed anybody? At £155 it goes...

-Yes, hammer's gone down!

-Well I never!

-We got the top end.

-Well done!

-It was worth every single penny.

-That's really good. Really good.

Perhaps I was cautious with the estimate but it encourages the buyers.

Took it right up there.

I loved that motto - "Does your mother know you're out?" It's great. Just had loads going for it.

We have a lovely scene of County Wicklow - gorgeous watercolour. It belongs to Jo.

A value of £250-£350.

-Let's see the top end, I say.

-Yes, hopefully the luck of the Irish will be with us.

-It is an Irish watercolour.

-Irish buyers are very strong in the art market.

-Oh, really. The prices have pumped right up for Irish art.

-Good!

Let's hope we get a little bit more than Philip expects.

-That'd be nice.

-It would, wouldn't it? Why are you flogging this, anyway?

-I've got a son that's wanting to go through his HGV driving licence...

-OK.

..so anything I get will go towards that.

264, rather better. Malcolm Crosse.

A watercolour. What shall we say for that one? £100. 10...

20. £130.

£140. £150. £160. £160 in front of me.

£160. £170, is there?

£170's on the phone. £180.

£190. £200.

£210. £220.

£230. £240.

£250. £260.

£270.

5?

£275. £280.

Another 5? £280. £280's there.

Another £280. Finished at £280.

-Hammer's gone down.

-I think that's lovely.

-It was a good result. £280.

-Yes.

-Happy with that?

-Very happy.

-Bang on, Philip.

-Yes.

-Bang on.

-Yes, thank you very much.

-Whoever has bought that...

-it'll give them hours of pleasure. That's what it's all about.

-Yes.

It's meant to be looked at.

Or it could be bought by an Irish dealer who might move it on and make a bit more money!

-It'll give him hours of pleasure.

-Give him hours of pleasure!

-And it'll give your son hours of pleasure because now he can get his HGV licence.

-Well, hopefully.

It'll go towards it, cos it's quite expensive to do.

-Then he'll be saving up for his own truck.

-Well, Mummy won't be buying it, that's for sure!

I've been joined by Marilyn. We're selling a family heirloom, aren't we?

-Grandma's little Pilkington snuff bottle.

-Yes.

-I didn't know it was Pilkington until...

-Kate, our expert, told you!

-And did you know what it was worth until you were told?

-No, not a clue.

-Were you happy?

-Yes I was, yes.

Happy with the top end. Yes, we all want a little more than what we normally have...

-Kate, will we get that top end?

-I'm not sure. I hope we get the £150.

It has got a lot going for it.

It's a very unusual size. Pilkington's, there isn't a lot of it about.

So a little snuff bottle is quite fun. I think people are going to like this.

-Hope so.

-We're going to find out right now. Good luck.

-OK.

305 - another nice little lot. Miniature studio pottery vase.

The Pilkington one. £150. Thank you.

£175, £200.

-£225.

-£300.

-£300.

£325. £325. £350.

£375.

£400. £425.

-£425!

-£425. £425.

I can't believe this!

£425 is here at £425...

That gavel has gone down. That is a sold sound.

-Wow - result!

-At £425.

-That's brilliant.

-Thank you.

-I'm tingling! That was special!

-OK, there's a little bit of commission but what are we going to put that money towards?

-"We"?

-What are you going to put it towards?

-We could do with a holiday and we've got friends in Holland,

so we'll put it towards that and go out for a really nice meal as well and celebrate.

Great. What a result! They loved it.

I knew I hadn't seen many of those so it just goes to show that the rarity...

-Small is good.

-And quality.

You can't beat quality. I suggest you see what else you've got and bring it to one of our valuations.

Tel me when and I'll be there!

The sale's over and all the lucky bidders are queuing up and paying for their lots.

We've had a cracking day. We've sold all our items,

thanks to auctioneer Anthony Parry here.

We have proved that small is beautiful.

We got terrific results with the Pilkington vase and the papier-mache snuffbox.

Sadly, that's it. Join me from another location next time on Flog It!

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

visit the website at bbc.co.uk/lifestyle