Twickenham Flog It!

Welcome to the greatest rugby stadium in the world,

Home to the world champions, England, this is Twickenham, and this is Flog It.

The stadium is home to the English Rugby Union, and when the redevelopment on the south stand

over there is finished in 2007, the arena will hold 82,500 people.

And the two stars of our Flog It team today are experts David Barby and Philip Serrell.

Let's see if they can spot any record deals on the blue tables.

Hopefully, David will be scoring a few points for Flog It with his first item.

Well, Deirdre, I think you and I are of the same opinion. We don't like this, do we?

Not very much.

I can understand why you want to sell it as well.

Yes, it's not quite my...my style.

-Not your cup of tea.

-No, no.

-Erm...

It's set firmly in sort of the middle of the rather prudish Victorian period.

-Mm-hm.

-I say prudish, because this is an inkwell,

and to cover up anything so utilitarian,

they had to put this rather over-decorated top on the surface.

-Date of it...about 1860, 1865, that sort of period.

-Gosh.

-It's in hard-paste porcelain, and this was produced in old Bohemia.

-Yeah.

This is intriguing, because they loved to look back to the past,

and here we have an 18th-century scene of two fairly young people, one painting on an easel.

What is so remarkable is the condition of it, there's no damage.

-No.

-There's nothing missing, nothing chipped off.

Has it always been protected in your home?

Yes, yes, it's been in the cabinet.

It's been in the cabinet. So you must have treasured it somewhere along the line.

Well, it came from my uncle, so it had a sentimental value, but it wasn't quite my cup of tea.

Right, well, I think there's going to be a market.

There are collectors of inkwells, and I think what is so nice about this...we take the top off,

and there we have the two inkwells that can be removed to wash out.

It's rather nice, and it smacks of the social history of the middle middle-classes.

-Yeah.

-Price?

I would say probably around about £45-60.

Oh, that's not bad... Yeah.

-It surprises me, actually.

-Really?

-Mmm.

-I should have said 20, shouldn't I?

-No!

No? Well, let's hope we get that sort of price range.

-I'm sure somebody's going to love it as part of their collection.

-Yeah.

-Deirdre, thank you very much for coming along.

-Thank you.

Well, Jenny,

neither you nor I need to be told what this is, do we?

-No!

-I reckon that this stuff makes more appearances on Flog It than anything else.

-It's a piece of Troika, isn't it?

-Yes.

-How did you come by it?

About 30 years ago in Bridport Market I was looking

-for a modern vase, cos I'd recently started flower-arranging...

-Yeah.

..and, erm...bought it for £10.

10 quid.

If we turn it over, we can see the mark, "Troika, England,"

and there's nothing I can add to that. We've all seen it so many times -

from Cornwall. A painter's mark here, which I can't recognise.

I think it's RSB or RGB, erm...

Date, I would think probably 1965 to about 1972.

I mean, some of it's quite sweet, isn't it? I mean, that is quite

-Beatles guitar-shaped, isn't it, you know?

-Yes, yeah.

-And that looks like it's just come out of Doctor Who, really.

-That's right.

It's either Doctor Who or it's a train coming at you, isn't it? I can't quite work out which.

Troika's really collectible.

Whether it's gonna be collectible or not in ten years' time, I'm not sure.

These things tend to come and go in fashions and fads.

I think this is worth today...£200-300,

and I think we put a reserve on it of...£200 with 10% discretion.

So that would be my idea. I'm sure the auction house can identify the artist for us,

but, you know, I think it'll sell and sell well.

What I find really strange about this business - and I find it really, really strange -

we've got here a piece of...

-mid-20th-century art pottery that's worth £200-300.

-Yeah.

I'm a bit biased, cos I come from Worcester.

You can go and buy a piece of 18th-century Worcester porcelain that was made in the first 25

-years of the factory, you know, when English porcelain making was really at its birth, you know?

-Yes.

Right up at the cutting edge, and you can go and buy a tea bowl or a saucer for well under £100.

And it's 1765, 1775.

Yeah, yeah, that much older.

-Now, this, you know, which is 200 years later...I just don't understand that.

-No.

-But it doesn't matter what I think, does it?

-No, not really.

-Shall we get it sold?

-Yes, please.

So what are you gonna spend your £200 plus on?

-A visit to the dentist.

-Oh, that sounds painful! Really?

-Yeah.

I'm not sure whether I hope it sells or not for you,

-cos you've got a lot of grief coming if it does sell.

-Yeah.

Kim, this looks so striking, it really does.

It's sort of big and bold, and it says everything about

Austin, a lovely little pressed-steel pedal car. Now, is this yours?

-Yes, it is.

-So did you have this as a young girl, then?

Yes, I had it from the age of two.

-And who bought this for you?

-My mum and dad.

-Did secretly they want a son, do you think?

-I don't know!

Why did they buy you, a little girl, a pedal car?

Yeah, my dad just come home one day from work with it and...

-I think he fell in love with it, don't you?

-Probably, yeah, yeah.

It is a fantastic pressed-steel pedal car, a little Austin car.

It's a J40, a little joy car.

They also made a Pathfinder, which is extremely popular.

And there should be a serial number in the boot, just down there,

which is punched in with a stamp, which is 30009.

So that is a lovely little...J40.

This was the Rolls-Royce in pressed-steel cars in its day.

-This would have cost a lot of money in the '50s.

-Right.

So you've got lots of memories of pedalling this around the garden?

-Yes, and in the park and...

-Have you got kids yourself?

-Yes, I have.

-And did they use this?

-No, they didn't.

-They never did?

-No.

-So what did you do, then, when...

Obviously, as an adult, you put it in the garage or in the loft?

It was in the shed, in the garden shed, all covered up with blankets,

-so it kept it away from the rain and the damp.

-For the last 30-odd years.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Well, it hasn't started to rust, but you have had it resprayed, haven't you?

-Yes, we have, yeah.

So obviously you realised its worth

-to look after it like that.

-Yeah.

And I've noticed...its front grille, its back bumper and its front bumper

-are missing, so you've taken them off to be re-chromed.

-Yes, we have.

-And you've got them here.

It looks like brand-new, doesn't it?

The chroming is very good quality.

So this just needs reassembling, cos it's all here.

-Yes.

-Good for you, looking after it and not chucking it away.

-Thanks. Are you sure you want to sell this?

Yes, I do, I want it to go to a good home

and someone else get some fun out of it, as I did when I was a child.

I would like to think this will get

the sort of £1,200 mark in an auction, on a good day, fingers crossed...

-Yep

-..with two people bidding against each other.

But I'd like to put it into auction with a valuation of £700-1,000.

-OK.

-Would that suit you?

-Yes, that would, that would be great.

-Are you sure?

-Yep.

-Well, shall we flog it, then?

-Yes, I think we should.

Well, this is the first time I've met two peas in a pod.

-Oh, right.

-We've got Pete and Pat.

-Indeed.

-So who does this belong to? Does it belong to you, Pat?

No, it belongs to me.

-It belongs to you.

-Yeah.

-So how did you acquire this?

Well, my brother got it from his mother in-law and...

He gave it to you?

-Well, he didn't, he sold it to me.

-Well, I never!

-He said, "If you can restore it, we'll split the difference."

-So you brought it along to Flog It.

So I thought, "No, I don't want to know,"

-so I've brought it along here, yeah.

-Oh, good, good. So in fact you are a professional antique restorer.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Do you have your house full of antiques, Pat?

I wish!

-Just one or two, yes.

-Untouched!

And beautiful furniture that Peter has made, actually.

Ah, right, that's where the skill is.

-Absolutely.

-So this was a piece of furniture which...

gentlemen of quality had in their office or their study,

and the two doors retained everything relating to the office.

And also...

at one stage, there would have been a calendar here

in this little compartment, which moves out, so foolscap or A4 paper could have gone in the back there.

Nice little piece. I notice that you've done some restoration on the hinges here,

-but you didn't go as far as to put the divisions in. Why was that?

-I ran out of wood.

-You ran out of wood.

-Yeah, I couldn't get the walnut.

Right. Now, there are other things that are missing on this,

in particular, inkwells,

although you can buy replacement inkwells today.

And what I like is this section here, which pushes up,

so if you had any pens there, you could easily retrieve them.

And also it has a secret compartment, cos when I move this...

oops, that shoots out underneath.

So what would you put in there?

Stamps, seals, postal orders, anything of that ilk.

Now, how much is this going to realise at auction?

What are you expecting?

Well, I paid 150 for it.

-I think you'd be fortunate if you recovered that amount...

-Mm-hm.

..so I'm going to place...probably around about 160-180.

-Yeah.

-If we make any more, I should be delighted for you.

-Wonderful!

It's time to see if we can get some early points on the scoreboard.

Even though it's not to David's taste,

I'm sure someone will be charmed by Deirdre's Victorian inkwell.

Love it or hate it, there's usually money to be made with Troika.

And has my heart ruled my head with this beautifully restored Austin pedal car?

David hopes the time and energy Peter put in to restore the wooden office box will pay off.

For today's sale, we've travelled down the road to the Chiswick Auction Rooms, and, as you can see,

the room is absolutely jam-packed, full of potential bidders hoping to pay top prices.

Fingers crossed for our owners' items.

And the man in charge of the day's proceedings is auctioneer Tom Keane.

Tom, I'm feeling slightly nervous at this point - this is one of my valuations.

As you know, it's an Austin J40, it's a lovely pedal car.

It belongs to Kim. We've come to an agreement between the two of us.

She won't go any lower than £700, so we've gotta get £700 for this. That is the threshold.

I think it's lovely and I think it's undervalued,

even at £700, but...the research we've done, they're not really making £700 - sort of 650, 600.

I'm just bubbling over the top, aren't I?

This has been resprayed - she spent a lot of money on it.

And I think she wants to get her money back, otherwise she's going to keep it for the rest of her life.

I think she devalued it by getting it so over-restored, if you like.

She'd have been better off not spending the money,

putting it into auction as it was and probably getting £400-500 for it - for someone else to restore it.

-But she's, em...

-But she's proud of it, you see?

She should be, it's nice. I used to make mine out of prams - this is fantastic, isn't it?

But they're undervalued just because...

they're on the internet making £650, £600 at the moment,

so I can't see someone coming to auction paying £700 plus a buyer's premium,

which makes it over eight, and then go somewhere else and buy it a bit cheaper.

So that's where my reasoning comes from, but I hope I'm wrong.

We can't say any more. It's down to the bidders of the Chiswick

-Auction Room to decide if this is gonna go under the hammer and sell.

-We'll see.

For those of you who are short on office space, this is definitely the lot for you.

It's a little tiny stationery cabinet.

It's so compact, and it belongs to Peter and Pat here.

We're looking for a valuation of hopefully around £180-200.

I'm pretty sure we'll get it, it's a lovely little item. It's been restored, hasn't it?

Have you sort of got your hands over it and sort put some magic on it?

-A little bit, yeah.

-A little bit.

What is it about wood that fascinates you?

Well, I've been doing it all my life, and it's alive, isn't it?

-I love passing my hands over wood and things like that.

-So do I.

-You get such a thrill, don't you?

Yeah, you do. And you just realise the life and the energy

that's there, you know, and what it's been used for, and it tells a story.

-Well, that's right, it's got a story, that's right.

-Well, we've been bigging this up.

Let's hope we do get the top end, cos it's going under the hammer right now.

Victorian walnut table-top stationery cabinet, with the fitted interior there.

Number 224, it's also got a secret frieze drawer.

It's a good lot, start me at £100, please, no less. £100 for it?

Thank you, I'm bid £100...

We're in, 100.

..Give me 110 for it and take it along. 110 I'm bid, at 110.

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

-We've sold it.

-..160 is bid.

The bid's there at 160, at 160 are you saying no? Are you out?

£160, then. Selling. All done? Are you sure? £160 and going.

So what are you going to do with £160?

Well, we've got a little granddaughter, Tilly.

-Aw, that's a sweet name.

-She's only ten weeks old. So we're going to buy her something.

-Oh, she is an absolute joy.

-Is that the first grandchild?

No, I'm a great granddad.

You're a great granddad?! Aw...!

Well, enjoy it, won't you? Thanks you so much for coming.

-Thank you, David.

-Well done, David.

-Thank you.

Jenny and myself are flying the flag for Cornwall right now.

Kernow, in fact, because we've got some Troika just about to go under the hammer.

It's a gorgeous vase. £200-300 our expert Philip has put on this.

This has really surprised us on Flog It. Over the last two years,

it has become the collectible to get your hands on, and it's just escalating out of proportion.

It has got to stop one day, but hopefully not today.

I think the rough thing about antiques, Paul, is if anything goes like that, it goes like that.

And what you really want is a nice steady appreciation.

But while there are people out there collecting Troika, it's going to make its money.

-Exactly. We're going to turn 10 quid into £200-300.

-We hope.

-That's not bad, is it?

-No.

Lot number 257 now.

A good Troika square-section blue glaze vase. Troika.

What is it worth, for the Troika? £200 for it?

£100 for it. I'm bid £100. 110 I'm bid. 120, 130, 140, 150.

There's an opening. 150, 160, 170, 180.

180, 190? 180. I'm bid at 180. He says no. 180, we're done at 180.

190 again? 200 there...

-Bit more!

-Bit more!

..220, 230,

240, 250,

260, 270, 280, 290. 300?

290? Standing at 290.

Anyone else want to come in at 290? £290 and going.

Yes! £290.

-It never fails, does it?

-Excellent.

Right now, Kim and I need some pedal power for this lovely little Austin car.

-And there's lots of memories?

-Yes.

I did have a chat with the auctioneer earlier.

You know this, but YOU don't, Kim.

And he said... I think I've overvalued it.

That is what he said, "I think you have, Paul."

He would have put, probably, 650 on it.

We have a reserve at seven, but probably with a bit of discretion.

So, hopefully, my lower end would be his top end.

-Right.

-So we will sell it.

-OK. Let's hope.

The postbox-red Austin J40 car.

Who's there? Old tin-plate car there, original '50s one in very good condition, recently restored.

Nice thing. £500 for it?

Who will bid £500 to start me?

Where's a bid at £500?

I'm bid £500.

550 now, £500. 550 or not? At £500.

No further bids at £500? Starting bid and finishing bid at £500.

Have another look. If you change your mind, come and see us. It's worth more.

-I'm so sorry.

-It's all right. We saw one on the internet for £1,200,

-so we'll go back to that idea.

-Yep.

Unfortunately our next owner, Deirdre, cannot be with us today.

She's got work commitments. So good luck, Deirdre, we're flying the flag for you.

David Barby's here, your valuer. And we have that inkwell just about to go under the hammer.

-Excellent.

-Here we go.

360 is a late-19th-century glazed ceramic double inkwell.

What shall we bid for this? £50?

£50? £30?

£30, 32, 35, 38,

40, 42, 45, 48, 50. 5?

-60...

-Oh!

This is good.

-..£60, you've got it, all done.

-Yes! £60.

-Oh, that's good. Well done, Deirdre.

-I hope she's pleased with that.

-So do I. So am I.

Now, what could be a more logical choice for an international rugby

museum than here in Twickenham, the home of English rugby?

If you love rugby, this is definitely the place to come and visit, because it houses the best collection

of rugby memorabilia in the world and it takes you on a journey

through the history of the sport - its origins in an English public school, right up to the present day.

Now, one man who's a walking almanac on rugby is the curator here, Jed Smith.

Jed, this has got to be a dream job for you, because you absolutely adore rugby.

What is it about the sport that's so addictive?

The game is just a wonderful coming-together of people.

It's got a wonderful spirit, friendship, camaraderie. If you come to the Twickenham Stadium

on a match day, you've got 80,000 people all cheering for their team, but they're sitting all together.

There's no hint of aggression or violence, it's a wonderful day out, and it's just a lovely culture.

Why was Twickenham the home of international rugby?

Why did they build a stadium here?

Well, for many years, England didn't have their own home stadium.

They used to rent club grounds around the country.

So they played in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, wherever they could get a good pitch.

But then they found they weren't making a profit.

They were spending more money each time than they were making income.

And about 100 years ago, the All Blacks came over for the first time, the New Zealand side.

-A cracking team!

-A wonderful side, they just revolutionised the game.

We played in the Crystal Palace and the had to hire the ground and it cost us more money than we took in

in revenue, and we thought, "No, we need to have our own ground."

So they looked around for a pitch and they bought this plot of land here in 1907.

-Just to the west of London, which is ideal really, isn't it?

-Absolutely.

Tell me a little bit more about the history of the game.

Where did it start and who invented it?

It started at Rugby School in Warwickshire, hence the name "rugby football".

It gradually evolved over about 20, 30 years. 1820s, 1830s.

And it slowly developed, piecemeal, as the boys at Rugby School added more to it and took more away

from it, until eventually, in the 1840s, you had a set of rules written for the first time,

and those set of rules were then spread around the country, taking the game with them.

So tell me how it's changed, then. How's it developed? I mean, were there 20 players in a team?

Well, at Rugby School, you'd have had hundreds, and the game could officially have lasted three days.

And they used to have a set of rules that said if the game was drawn after three days,

you could call it quits.

There were laws which allowed you to throttle, to hack the shins.

There was all sorts of laws.

We think the game's rough now, but if you played at Rugby School, you would die. It was horrific!

To demonstrate how the game has changed, we've got a couple of artefacts here.

The heavy cotton England jersey.

Very heavy, very strong, very hard-wearing.

And of course, when it gets wet, it's twice as heavy.

It sticks to you, and it's easy for opposition players to grasp, hold onto, pull you back.

And this was the England jersey for over 100 years. It didn't really alter.

But then over the last few years, the jersey has been revolutionised.

-This is a modern jersey. Feel how lightweight it is in comparison.

-Yes, and very quick-drying.

Very tight to the skin, so there's less chance of being caught hold of.

You've got these sort of textured lumps here, so you can hold onto a colleague in the scrum.

Also, if you're holding the ball close to you, there's less chance of it slipping off you.

Not as strong, but it doesn't need to be.

These jerseys were made when you needed to have a jersey for two or three years.

Now the England team, you know, they swap a half-time and have a new jersey at half-time!

Here's two other items which again show how the game has changed.

This is a replica of how a rugby ball would have appeared in the 1850s.

-Absolutely massive.

-It's enormous. You can feel it's got some weight to it. And that's when it is dry.

-If that was soaking wet... And that's going to have some power behind it.

-And that's a modern ball?

This is an absolute genuine, up-to-date ball.

But this is more than a ball. This is the ball that was used in the Rugby World Cup final

-when Jonny Wilkinson kicked that goal to win England the competition.

-That famous kick?

-That famous kick.

'And it's coming back for Jonny Wilkinson!

'He drops for World Cup glory!

'It's over!

'He's done it!

'Jonny Wilkinson is England's hero, yet again!

'And there's no time for Australia to come back!

'England have just won the World Cup!'

Well, from a modern-day superstar to something that reminds us how the game used to be played.

-Who wore this shirt, cos it's absolutely tiny?

-It is tiny.

It's a guy called Clayton, who played in Liverpool at the time.

-The rose has faded, hasn't it?

-It has, yes.

It would have been red originally, but the colours have died off.

-A lot more foliage?

-A lot more foliage, absolutely, yes.

The jerseys would have been purchased by the player, the wives would have put the embroidery on it,

and all the roses were different.

So you can usually tell a player by their jersey, because the sign of the rose was quite unique.

So he came from Liverpool, his name was Clayton, it's an England jersey. Who were they playing?

They were playing against Scotland, in Edinburgh.

The very first international match, 1871.

They went up on third-class carriages, on wooden boards, overnight.

This was very, very much an amateur sport. And we lost.

So it was a Scotland victory, first international, and we've held it against them ever since.

And did Scotland then win the Calcutta Cup for that?

-The Calcutta Cup wasn't introduced until about six years later.

-Right, OK.

-And that was the first home international?

-Absolutely.

-Well, let's look at that cup.

Let's look at the Calcutta Cup.

Well, there is so much to see here, Jed.

Where does the core of the collection come from? Has it been donated?

Yes, absolutely. We rely on donations, like any museum.

But also former players and their families are very kind and they let us have items of interest.

That's quite nice, ex-professional letting go.

-But it's our social history.

-Absolutely, and it's a place for

the memorabilia to go. It will be here forever for the public to see.

Well, here it is, the Calcutta Cup.

-Yes and no.

-Why? What's wrong with it?

This isn't the original, cos the original's in Edinburgh.

-Why's that?

-Because Scotland beat England.

-Of course they did!

-So whoever wins the trophy gets to keep it for a year, and it's up in Edinburgh.

-Hopefully only for a year!

-So we win next year, the original comes back.

-Does the replica go up to Scotland?

-This replica will go into storage.

Hopefully for a long time, but you can't guarantee these things.

It's very impressive looking and I know it was made from melted-down silver rupees.

Absolutely, hence the name Calcutta Cup.

There was a club in India who played the game. They went into liquidation

They took their coins out the bank, melted them down, had them made into a trophy,

presented it to the RFU and said, "Our club might be going, but we'd like the name to survive."

-And it has - everyone knows Calcutta Cup.

-Why England-Scotland?

-What's wrong with Wales and Ireland?

-At the time, Wales weren't playing international rugby.

There was only three nations - England, Scotland and Ireland.

Ireland had played six matches, had not scored a point.

So they thought, "Forget that. Let's just call it England-Scotland."

So it by default became the England-Scotland Trophy.

-Jed, thank you for taking time out to show me around.

-Pleasure.

Well, it looks like sport is the theme today.

Back at the valuation, Philip has been bowled over.

Do you know what I love about this programme, Diana? You meet different people with different things.

And I've been doing this job now for 30 years.

I've never seen one of these before.

It's brilliant. How long have you had it?

Well, I've had it quite some time.

My grandmother used to keep it in a cupboard.

But I think, originally, my aunt,

who used to work for a doctor in Gloucestershire,

and I think he gave it to her and then,

obviously, my grandmother kept it.

Then when I started teaching,

my grandmother gave it to me, cos she thought it would

be useful for me to use it at school,

that the children would be interested in seeing it.

Do you know what the great thing is?

All we've done is talk about "it", and no one who's

watching this at home knows what "it" is! Shall we show them?

The easiest thing to do... You've got basically three wheels.

And they flick round like that.

And they effectively, all these little still photographs...

On each of these little pages there's a still photograph.

And if you move them very, very quickly on a wheel so that they spin round and round like that,

-you almost get the appearance of a movie.

-Yes.

So now we've got the "Kinora", which is a make of a viewer.

And we prop it up like that.

That goes there like that.

And I can see that's a nice touch.

We've got this oak base. Hamley's.

Hamley's, Regent Street, London.

They're the best toy retailer there was. That's brilliant.

This is, like, I suppose, the Gameboy of about 1910,

-something like that?

-Yes, probably.

And how it works is you peer down here and you just turn this round and round, and this is brilliant.

And there's two cricketers here, any idea who they are?

Well, I have been told that it's probably CB Fry

-and Prince Ranjitsinhji.

-CB Fry.

-Probably in 1901.

-A great man, CB Fry.

-Yes.

-He went to Repton School.

I knew he'd captained England, that's all I know.

This is going to be really sad, now. Do you remember...

-Well, you wouldn't remember, a boys' comic called The Hornet?

-No. Was that before my time?

Well, just a bit. And there was The Great Wilson and he was brilliant at every sport there was.

And they reckoned The Great Wilson was modelled on CB Fry.

-Really?

-He went to Repton School, he played cricket for England,

played rugby for England, he played in goal in the FA Cup final,

he held the Olympic long-jump record,

and I think he was offered the kingdom of some minor European country.

And he was a war hero, and eventually ended up teaching children.

A great, great man.

-This one's a ballet scene, isn't it?

-Yes, it's The White Dove.

-And this one here is...

-That's supposed to be three children of the Duke of York,

who was later George V, at Marlborough House, I think it is.

So what we need to make sure is that when they catalogue this, they get that in,

-they get in the Ranjitsinhji and CB Fry on the cricket reel...

-Yes.

And this is then going to appeal to two people.

And we want the auction room to perhaps notify cricket collectors,

of which there are many, and also collectors of this type of viewer.

I think, in auction, we can put an estimate on this of £150 to £300.

-And I think we'll put a reserve on it of £150 with a little bit of discretion.

-Yes.

But I think it's brilliant. I'm just going to take a bit of time to watch the perfect off-drive.

This has gotta be one of the nicest guitars I've ever held. Do you play?

-I do a bit, yeah.

-Go on, play a bit for us.

Lovely.

OK, tell me - I'm quite excited to hear, does this have pride of place in your home?

Well, it's on my bathroom wall.

-On your bathroom wall?

-On my bathroom wall, yes.

Where did you get it from?

It belonged to my mother-in-law.

She was in service.

Um, the person she worked for

emigrated to New Zealand and allowed her to have it.

-And she's no longer with us?

-She's no longer with us, not for long since.

This is an extraordinary piece, why are you contemplating selling it?

Well, I'm moving soon and I don't think it'll have a place in my new home cos it's a much smaller house

and lots of bits and bobs have to go and this is one of them.

Right, cos what you have in front of you,

in front of US,

is one of the finest examples of Minton coloured glaze

called Majolica wares that I've ever seen.

The design was based on a Palissy ware,

which is 17th-century French.

And he produced these huge platters which were used for serving exotic food.

Oh, not to hang on a wall?

That came later, that's a Victorian concept.

As you ate your meal, you gradually reveal this design underneath.

One of his most famous designs was a fairly large platter with Venus in a bath.

-Wow.

-That would have had seafood all around.

So here we have this wonderful example, this is Minton,

dating from, I would say, 1867-70, that sort of period.

And it's very finely worked.

Even forgetting the little section, just looking at the border,

these grotesque heads and seraphim are reminiscent of the Renaissance period.

The sort of things you'd find on Della Robbia pottery of the Renaissance.

It's got so much in this piece that would attract me.

Now this is a very sought-after market at the moment.

It became fashionable about ten years ago and I think it is still

there, it hasn't peaked.

And the price this will achieve at auction is somewhere between £1,500 and £2,000.

-Wow!

-Does that shock you rather?

-Yeah.

-Oh, dear - I hope I'm right!

Yeah, that's fantastic.

I hope it makes that sort of level.

My heart's going, bang, bang, bang.

I never usually have that effect on people!

-You know what you've brought?

-We do indeed.

Clarice Cliff, Newport pottery, crocus pattern, 1930s,

-nothing much more to be said, is there?

-Not a lot.

Well, I want to talk to you about the history behind it,

cos there's a bit more history than usual with this.

Well me husband and me new family all came from Stoke on Trent and the family story goes that

Granny Mould, my mother-in-law, was a personal friend of Clarice Cliff

and we had loads of it in the '50s and '60s and I've

watched it being broken over the years and I feel now it's time to...

-Stop breaking it!

-..part with it before I watch any more go.

So your family has this connection with Clarice Cliff?

Yes - the girls who painted it used to say they could do the crocus pattern in their sleep.

They said it was literally just a case of blobbing their paintbrushes on.

It's just a brushstroke, a brushstroke, with a final brushstroke down the middle.

-That's right.

-Just four little strokes and that's the crocus pattern.

-That's almost mass production, isn't it?

-Yes!

Some interesting bits here - we've got the cruet, the mustard

-the teapot has got a bit of a dink out of it.

-It has indeed.

The little pot, there's a bit of a dink out of it.

That was in the garden with a pot plant in at one time.

-Was it a crocus?

-Don't think so.

-I'm gonna propose that we offer it all as one lot.

-OK.

I'm gonna propose that we put an estimate on it of...

-£200 to £400. We'll put a reserve on it of £200 and give the auctioneer 10% discretion.

-OK.

Can I ask you,

it's gonna be quite a whisper this...

(do you like Clarice Cliff?) You've got to be honest here.

-Not terribly, no.

-Not terribly?

No, I can't say as I'm overkeen.

-(I don't like Clarice Cliff either.)

-I know - you've said before.

But it doesn't matter what you and I think, the whole point is there's a market out there for collectors.

-So you're happy with that?

-(I'll say my prayers.)

Well, let's say a quick prayer for all our items going under the hammer.

Our resident sportsman, Philip, fell in love with the unusual Kinora mutoscope.

David is just as excited by Kay's Minton plate, but will his high valuation stand up to scrutiny?

And it's normally a winner on Flog It!

but will the family connection help this Clarice Cliff keep up the trend?

Tom, what do you think of this? A bit of Victorian Minton - has it got it for you?

Unexcited.

He's not excited. I can tell you David was over the moon, our expert.

I belongs to Kay and he's put a valuation of £1,500 to £2,000.

-I think we'll struggle.

-Why's that?

I don't think it's got enough going.

Minton, to make big money, it has to be figurines, and very impressive and "look at me".

And this hasn't got it.

They do do well at auction, but I'd have said more like £600 to £800 on that, to get it away.

Really? That low? Surely this is the kind of thing though, it's got a

great name, the condition is superb, it's got the look -

this is the sort of thing the Americans might buy, on the internet?

That'll help, but what would help even more is a more reasonable estimate in the first place

and I think it's been a touch overestimated, but I've been wrong before.

A touch over at 6 to 8 - I think we're well over.

Hopefully there's a happy medium, but I know there's a reserve of 1,500.

Well, we'll try our best and if there's a chance...

This one could be a struggle, but don't go away, watch this space, cos we need to get this away for Kay.

We'll try.

This next item is a cracking lot, it's a Kinora mutoscope and it belongs to Diana.

I've got to say, I would not be selling this.

It's been in your family a long time, it was at your grandma's house?

She must have had some fun with that?

Cos that was really inventive - back then, that was almost as good as TV.

Yes, it was.

Without the licence fee!

I know you love the Doves, but Philip, our expert,

fell in love with the cricket and I think, like you,

this could be a little sleeper, if two people want this.

Yeah, it's not mentioned in the catalogue that

there's a cricket connection and that might be CB Fry.

It could be, couldn't it?

-It's just a great thing - I'd love to own it.

-Anyway, all the talking's over with,

it's just about to go under the hammer. This is it.

Lot 120, I'm selling an oak-and-metal mounted

Kinora moving picture machine.

With three reels and retailed by Hamley's, a good little lot.

Is that worth £100? Start me please, at £100.

Who's in for £100?

I'm bid £100, thank you. 110, I'm bid, at 110. 120, 130, 140.

Still cheap.

140, 150. 160, 170.

180, 190. 200?

190 is bid, standing bid of 190. Selling for 190, all done at 190?

You've got it at 190, thank you.

We've done it, we've sold it mid-estimate, not bad going.

No, that's not bad...

-I'm probably quite sorry.

-Oh! That's the problem, isn't it?

When you're selling things that you've seen as a child, lots of memories, it evokes lots of passions.

-Oh, you're not upset, are you?

-No, no!

Kay, your gorgeous Minton plate.

We've got a valuation of £1,500 to £2,000.

I had a chat to the auctioneer earlier,

he thinks it might struggle.

He said he'd put something around 800 on this to get it away, so we've got to prove him wrong.

346 now, a scarce Minton Majolica over wall charger, lot 346.

Nicely described and catalogued, what's it worth?

1,000 - who'll start me at £1,000?

Starting at £800.

Or I'll pass along.

Do I hear £500 then?

Looking for a bid of £500 to start me.

-No bid at all?

-Nobody.

-£500.

Who'll give me 550? 600. And fifty.

£600, 650, 700. 650 over here.

Are you all out at 650?

-That's where the bidding stops.

-They're petering out now.

Last chance at 650, no other bids?

If you change your mind, come and see us, the owners want more.

It's a packed room, but nobody here to buy that, that's for sure.

Kay, I'm very, very sorry.

Put this into a specialist ceramics sale, I think.

It's quality all the way through.

When people buy antiques, they look for makers name, quality and conditions, it's got the lot.

I agree with David's valuation, he is our ceramics expert. David does know his onions, so stick with him.

-So be it.

-It's the wrong room.

Thanks for trying anyway.

-Wrong room. Wrong time.

-That's all we can say!

Yeah. I'm so sorry about that.

It's a very interesting day anyway.

This is auctions for you - it's not an exact science, it's all about

getting the bidders here on the day or on the phone.

It wouldn't be Flog It! without Clarice Cliff, would it?

We couldn't let you down, we've got some on right now, it's a tea set and it belongs to Iris.

There's a connection between your family and Clarice Cliff?

Yes, my husband came from Stoke-on-Trent

and Granny Mould was a personal friend of Clarice Cliff.

-Let's hope that's a lucky omen. Were you happy with the valuation, two to four?

-I was.

-Will we get that top end?

-We should do - Clarice Cliff perhaps not as popular as it was,

but still hordes of people out there collecting.

And Americans still love it.

This is it, it's gonna be under the hammer now.

I've been waiting for this, this is a great moment. Here we go, Iris.

A collection of seven Clarice Cliff crocus pattern tableware, lot 316.

£200, who'll start me at £200?

£100? I'm bid £100 in about four places.

110. 120, 130. 140, 150.

I do see you, I'll come back to you. 160, 170?

170, would you like? 170, 180.

190. 190, 200?

Against you, the bid's at 190, gimme 200. 210, 220.

230.

Against you. 230. 240. 250, 260.

270?

260 bid, 270 now.

280, 290. 300.

320.

-Slowly but surely.

-320, new bidder.

340. 360, 380?

380 or not? 370, would you like?

370.

380? 370, are you all done at 370?

Selling at £370. 370 and gone.

-Yes!

-Lovely.

-That was a great result!

It was her friends.

£370!

Iris, what are you going to do with £370?

Less a bit of commission, but what will you do with it?

I've recently moved house and I need lots for the garden.

Are you planting up?

-Yeah.

-Lots of borders?

-There's going to be a few crocus bulbs.

-Oh, good.

Watch it grow, water it and think of Flog It!

In memory of Clarice.

That's lovely. Enjoy it, won't you?

-And it keeps you fit and healthy, being out in the garden.

-Absolutely.

Sadly, we're coming to the end of our day here at the Chiswick Auction Rooms and we've had our work cut out,

but bailing us out at the end, our dear old friend, Clarice Cliff, does the business once again.

I hope you've enjoyed the show. See you next time for lots more.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd - 2006

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