Twickenham Flog It!

We're 20 minutes from the bustle of Central London in Richmond-upon-Thames.

Welcome to Flog It!

This area's jam-packed with public houses.

It must be to do with today's venue -

the world-famous Twickenham stadium which dominates the skyline.

Casting their eyes over all the unwanted antiques in these bags

are the elite squad of experts, David Barby and Philip Serrell.

There's no time to waste and Philip is already watching the clock!

-Look at my hair.

-That is brilliant.

Your hair is magnificent! It's all different colours.

-It's dyed henna.

-Why do you do that?

-I want my hair to look goldy.

Like Goldilocks. Or Whoopi Goldberg.

Whoopi. There's a likeness.

Yeah, I won a lookalike competition.

-How much did you win?

-£100 and some peanut butter!

-Where did you get this from?

-This belonged to my late father-in-law.

Somebody gave it to him after the Second World War.

This person used to run an antiques shop in Twickenham.

After the war, he packed up and wanted to go back to France.

-Do you like it?

-Yes, I like it,

but it just sits and collects dust.

It's a bit ritzy for me.

Originally it would have sat underneath a large glass dome.

It's emblematic of the sciences. We've got dividers here, the globe,

we've got Galileo, Newton.

It's really decorative, isn't it?

Yes, that's why I liked it. But as you say, the glass dome is missing.

You can buy replacements.

Oh, really? I didn't know that.

-You can buy brand new glass domes.

-Yeah.

It isn't the best clock in the world. There's damage to it.

In terms of date, you're looking at the back end of the 19th century.

I'm assuming there's no maker's marks on the back?

-No...

-No dates?

Not that I know of.

It could be on the bottom.

We'd have to take the dial off and see if there's any maker's mark.

-The auction room will do that for us.

-Yes.

If it's by a really good maker, which I doubt it is,

but if it's by a good maker they'll put that in the catalogue and adjust the estimate.

The thing about it is that it's actually a big piece.

You don't realise this, sitting in this big hall.

You put that on a mantelpiece or table,

-and it's a really imposing thing.

-Yes, it is.

That might just hold it back in terms of value.

Cos not everyone can accommodate it.

A lot of people have big houses and high ceilings.

-Yes.

-That would look nice in the hallway.

-They'll need to.

-Yes.

In terms of value, I think at auction it'll make £150 to £250.

That'll be my shot for it.

I'd like to put a reserve on it of about £125. A fixed reserve.

I think that someone will buy it. It's a good-looking lot.

-Yes, it is.

-It's a decorative lot.

-It's quite nice.

-Happy with that?

Yes, fine. I'm happy with it.

So what will the £200 do? More hair extensions?

I think if I get the money, I've got a place in Spain.

So I'll use it to do the place up with.

Good. Let's hope it does well.

Thank you very much. I hope so too.

Sylvia, I'm quite intrigued by this painting.

-Where did it come from? Were you born in the north?

-I was born in London.

You were born in London?

-Where did you get the painting?

-My aunt gave it to me 50 years ago.

-Right. Did she come from the north?

-No, she was born local.

-So you're both London girls.

-Yes, we were.

The reason I ask is because Ernest Dade is a well-known northern artist.

So a lot of the subject matter, like this sailing boat,

is of the north - Scarborough, Whitby, Robin Hood Bay,

that sort of area.

But he spent some time in Chelsea. So where did your aunt live?

-She lived at Battersea.

-Ah, well there we are.

She probably bought this, or acquired it,

when his estate was sold. I think he died in Chelsea.

It may have been acquired then.

I think it will sell well anywhere because of the quality.

This is a watercolour on paper.

It's beautifully done.

They say there's a greater skill in watercolourists than in oil painters.

If you make a mistake on a watercolour, you can't obliterate it.

You can with an oil painting.

This is high quality. I love the sky detail.

It's almost impressionistic.

The most important thing as far as I'm concerned

is where it originated from.

You told me your aunt acquired it possibly from the estate of Dade

when he died in Chelsea. But if we turn it round...

..there's a very important piece here.

"Henry Whitley. Scarborough."

So he was the retailer that it was originally acquired from.

This scribble here, "863",

means that it had been up for auction.

-Oh, I see.

-So your aunt acquired it from an auction

maybe at the time that Dade had died.

It's this Chelsea connection and your aunt at Battersea

which is so intriguing.

Why on earth are you selling it?

I want to do a bit of downsizing. It doesn't go with my decor now.

Is it the large gilt frame that doesn't go?

-Yes, I think so. And I'm downsizing.

-It is big when people downsize.

-It is a big picture to go on the wall.

-Yes.

I like it and I think at auction there'll be a lot of interest.

I think it'll be over £500.

I'd like to see it go for something like 1,200.

Oh, lovely.

But the auctioneer may say, "Let's put an estimate of £800 to £1,200."

-Yes.

-I think we should put the reserve at about 750.

-Lovely.

-Is that agreeable?

-Very agreeable!

I shall look forward to seeing this at auction.

-I hope you make the higher figure. About 1,200.

-Thank you very much!

Maureen, thank you for bringing an item of furniture with you.

-It's made my day. You know, I love wood.

-Yes.

-What can you tell me about it?

-Well, it's my sewing box.

How long have you had it?

It was my grandmother's, and my mother and then to me.

It's been in the family three generations, used as a sewing box.

It's not a sewing box. We've seen only one other on the show before.

It's a tea poy. You're probably wondering what a tea poy is.

-Yes, I am!

-It's like a very large tea caddy on a stand.

-It dates to the 1830s.

-Good God!

-It's not what you thought.

-It's much older than I thought.

Let's look inside. How did you keep all your sewing implements in there?

I didn't know what to do with it. It always had sewing stuff in it,

-with my mother, and I just carried on.

-Yeah.

-This section would be for a glass mixing bowl.

-Yes.

So you could blend different fusions of tea.

Each compartment,

if I lift one out...

This is a Cuban mahogany, which was very fashionable in the mid-1700s.

And this is a rosewood, also imported from the West Indies,

which became very fashionable in the early 1800s.

All this is a veneer. It's stuck on to the mahogany.

-Look, you can see a little two millimetres there.

-Yes.

That's rosewood. Isn't it decorative?

It's got that striking grain of blacks, oranges and yellows.

If you open up one of those sections,

it would have been lined with tin foil. Can you see traces of it?

-Yes. And you can see it in there.

-In there.

That kept all the tea fresh.

So you'd have black tea in there as one blend.

Possibly you'd have green tea in this one

and you could mix your own blend

and have another compartment for your mixture.

-Very interesting.

-Absolutely stunning.

Even though it's in appalling condition. Was it always like this?

Ever since I can... Well, this piece at the side that came off...

-The veneer. You've got the section.

-I've got it. It's always been kept.

-That can be put back on easily by a restorer.

-We thought about it,

-then remembered somebody said, "Don't do it!"

-Leave it.

Leave it alone. Look at the striking architectural proportions!

It's got lovely curvetto sides. See this waisted side?

-Yes.

-It just softens the look, doesn't it?

-Oh, yes.

The whole box is supported by this column, the pedestal base which tapers at the top

-and is rocking down by the acanthus leaves.

-Yes.

One thing that someone's done is put this on. I don't know where it's from.

That is a flower motif from a panel or something.

That shouldn't be there.

-Who did that, if it's been in your family all your life?

-I've no idea!

-No?

-It's always been like that.

Have you any idea of its value?

-Not a clue!

-If I said £300 to £400, would that surprise you?

Um... No, not really.

-I mean, it is old and it's nice.

-Yeah.

Happy to flog it? £300 to £400

and let's hope it does the 450 mark.

We'll put a fixed reserve of 300, cos we don't want to give it away.

-No.

-Bearing in mind it generally needs a bit of TLC.

-Yes.

-That'll cost a couple of hundred pounds.

-I realise that.

-Yeah? Let's do it, then. Let's flog it.

-Right!

Patrick,

this is a really nice bit of Doulton. How did you come by it?

I started collecting about 30 years ago. I lived in Edinburgh then,

just above an auction room, probably where I bought this.

-So you bought this 30 years ago.

-Yes.

-How much for?

About... Can't have been more than 75 quid, I would think.

It's Doulton. The impress mark's here.

It's quite early. About 1872, 1875, something like that.

It's salt-glazed stoneware which gives it this orange-peel effect.

This is sgraffito decoration -

a wooden spatula would be scratched into the clay when it was green,

or not quite set, and you get this incised decoration.

The name that springs to mind is...

-Hannah Barlow?

-Hannah Barlow.

I'm not sure that's quite good enough for Hannah Barlow.

Could be her sister Florence Barlow.

So what we'll say is, it's a Royal Doulton salt-glazed stoneware flagon

decorated with rabbits or hares, attributed to Barlow,

and we'll leave it at Barlow.

If the auction room want to put Hannah or Florence Barlow,

that's up to them. It wants an illustration in the catalogue.

Whether it might have had a silver collar at some time is debatable.

It makes you wonder. Stylistically you have the hares here

and at the back is this foliage.

I just wonder whether they're both by the same hand.

-Yes.

-They may be by different hands.

The other thing that's interesting is the decoration on the base

which is sort of browns and blues almost.

And I wonder whether this is perhaps an early experimental piece

because this is not uniform all the way round here.

-You clearly don't collect Doulton any more.

-I don't.

Have you moved on to other collecting spheres?

-Lloyd Loom.

-Lloyd Loom?

-Sad, isn't it?

You need to get out more!

How the hell have you gone from this to Lloyd Loom?

I don't know. I've got more modern.

The thing we associate with Lloyd Loom are the corner linen baskets.

-Linen baskets, chairs...

-Ottomans.

-Ottomans and chairs.

-Will this be a star bit of Lloyd Loom if it sells?

-No,

it's my 35th wedding anniversary coming up

so I'm collecting for that.

That's normally jewellery, I think.

Sounds like you've got problems!

Let's get straight to the auction action

and see if we can find a bidder for Etha's clock.

Whoever buys it will need a large mantelpiece!

Sylvia's maritime masterpiece should sail away.

Maureen's tea poy needs TLC but it's still a quality item

and Patrick's Royal Doulton jug - I hope it sells well

so he and his wife can celebrate in style.

Today we've nipped down to the Chiswick auction rooms.

The man in charge of the gavel, who'll give us the hammer action,

is auctioneer Tom Keane.

Right. Lot number 136.

This lot has the lot -

quality, condition and a great maker's name, Royal Doulton.

It belongs to Patrick and we've got a valuation of £200 to £300.

-Fixed reserve at 180.

-Should be fine.

-It should bust it.

-It should do. It's almost Hannah Barlow.

It's stylish enough, got everything going for it.

-I think it'll go a bit better.

-So do I.

-Hopefully,

-300, 350, that sort of mark.

-Yes, it's a nice tall vessel as well.

It's decorative. It stands well by itself.

So I'm hoping for 380 on that. I've seen them do that before.

-It's got every chance.

-Fingers crossed!

Sylvia, I've been waiting for this moment.

Let's hope that lovely watercolour sails away. It's by Dade,

there's a valuation of £800 to £1,200 put on by our favourite Mr B.

Looking at it on the wall, it does look absolutely stunning.

It's a nice barge, a ketch, and it's got energy and movement.

Cloud detail is good. Dutch influence. It's good.

-Fingers crossed.

-We need movement right now!

This is it. Good luck!

Lot 61, a gilt-framed watercolour.

On The Morning Tide by Ernest Dade.

Signed, with a label on the back. Start me with £1,000 for it.

£500 for it. Start me at £500.

-Come on!

-Give me £500. Start me. At £500 I'm bid.

Take 50. At £500. Who'll give me 550?

-600. And 50.

-They're climbing.

-650. 700.

750? £700 your bid is £700.

Who'll give me 50? £700. 750 or not?

The bid's at £700. All done at £700. All out at £700?

See me after. I'll see what I can do. Close.

No! The hammer's gone down on 700 which means it didn't sell.

It didn't sail away, did it? No, it didn't.

-Oh, Sylvia...

-We need to try another sale room.

-We do, don't we?

Do you definitely want to see this sold?

-I do.

-You don't want to take it home.

-Not really.

Unfortunately you have to today, or they'll charge you storage.

Take it with you today to save a trip back to the sale room.

But there are other auction rooms and I suggest maybe a maritime sale

or a fine art sale, because we're in a general sale here.

-It didn't find the bidders, did it?

-No.

Time is ticking away for Etha, for her French clock, that is,

and because you're leaving the country.

Etha's flying off to Spain for a new life. Tell us about that.

I'm going to Almeria. I'm going to use it for bed and breakfast.

I used to run a restaurant here in England

but it's too much work and very stressful.

So I'm hoping to be much more relaxed.

You're flying out in a few days to check it out?

-Yes.

-Coming back, sorting out the business,

-then leaving for good.

-In November.

-November.

-Hopefully, if everything goes right.

Time is ticking away. We need top dollar for this clock.

-Philip's put a value of 150 to 250.

-It should sell, Paul.

If it does well, we've got somewhere to go for our holidays!

Yes! Do we get an invite?

Yes, of course, you're welcome!

-It'll be a place to chill out!

-Exactly!

-After the stressful job you do.

-Hard work.

-I hope it sells really well!

A gilt metal and alabaster sculptural clock.

£100, £100 I'm bid. Give me 110.

£100. 110 I'm bid. At 110.

120. 130.

140. 150? 140 you bid. Take 150.

Still no money at £140. Who's gonna bid 140?

150, anyone? 150.

160?

It's now at £150. A new bid at £150. Selling at 150.

Done at 150. Last chance and going.

Hammer's down at 150. We got it away at the lower end, but it's gone.

That'll buy me a few summer lights for the garden.

-It's lightened the load for Spain, that's for sure.

-Yep. Mm-hmm.

-I reckon that got us one night's B&B.

-I think so.

-Just one night B&B.

-And muchas gracias!

-Muchas gracias!

Maureen and I have pulled a seat up

cos it's getting hot and the tension's getting to us.

It's very exciting with lots of highs and lows.

I'm hoping the next lot will be the high because it's my valuation.

It's the tea poy and we need £300 to £400.

Condition's against it but it should just do it.

It's a good restoration project.

-Let's hope.

-I'm sure whoever buys it won't keep their sewing stuff in it!

I've got all my cottons in a plastic box now!

-A Tupperware box or something?

-Yeah!

A 19th-century rosewood tea poy.

Fitted interior. Needs a polish.

I've got two bids. £180 for it and I'm bid £200 with commissions.

I'll take 210 on it.

-Come on!

-I'll take 210 at £200.

Who'll give me 210? At £200, that's what the market says.

No further bids. The bids will be at £200, then. If you change your mind, come and see us. Not sold.

He's put the hammer down at £200.

I was a bit out there. Oh, dear.

I'm so sorry.

-That's life.

-I'm sorry.

Do you want to re-enter it in another sale in a month's time

or take it home?

-I don't really want it.

-We'll have a word with the auctioneer

and put it in a sale next month here.

We'll reduce the value to £200 to £300 instead of £300 to £400.

-OK.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, fine.

-Thank you so much for coming in.

-That's all right.

If you want to invest in antiques, invest in quality,

a good maker's name, in good condition.

This lot has got the lot. It's Royal Doulton and belongs to Patrick.

Why are you flogging this, then?

Um, I've sort of lost interest in it

and I need to get some money for something else.

Right, OK. The money is £200 to £300, our expert has put on this.

It's got the look. It's a nice vessel. It's got the height.

It should do well. It's decorative. It's the thing of the moment.

You've got to keep your fingers crossed that one or two people that want it are here today.

I think they just might be. We had a chat to the auctioneer earlier.

You don't know this, nor does Philip.

He loves it. He says it's got the look, got the touch.

Condition, everything is going for it, even the rabbits on it!

He thinks it could do the £300 to £400

so we're looking at the top end.

A good Doulton Lambeth stoneware tankard. Pottery by Hannah Barlow.

£100 to start me, please. £100?

Thank you. £100 I'm bid. I'll take 110. Who want to take it on at 110?

120. 130. 140. 150.

-They like it!

-160, 170.

180. 190.

200. And 10.

220. 230?

-This is good.

-220's bid.

Give me 230. Who else wants to bid at £220? The bid's at £220.

Are we finished at 220? 230, new bidder. 240.

250. 260.

-This is great.

-270. 280.

290? No, £280.

To the original bidder at £280. Got it. All done.

At £280 and going, then. All done!

-£280. That's a sold sound.

-Brilliant.

That'll do the business for you!

-Fantastic.

-Thank you for coming in.

-Philip, great estimate.

-I'm very pleased with that.

This is Syon House, nestling on the River Thames,

the London home of the Percy family,

Earls and Dukes of Northumberland for the last 400 years.

All of those generations

have contributed to the house we see today.

A culmination of a series of conversions

to the original Tudor mansion.

But Sir Hugh Smithson, the first Duke of Northumberland,

possibly had the greatest impact on the house.

Inheriting the estate in 1750,

he commissioned the Scottish architect Robert Adam to redesign the interiors,

instructing him to create an opulent palace

of Greco-Roman splendour.

Presumably, money was no object because the resulting designs

are some of the most striking neo-classical designs

you'll find anywhere else in the country.

Just look at this. Your eyes gravitate up towards the heavens.

It's marvellous, it's splendid. It's so hard to take it all in.

Your eyes vying for attention, every surface is covered.

Just back from his grand tour of Italy,

Robert Adam's head was full of all the Greek and Roman statues

he'd seen on his travels.

Borrowing all these classical symbols of wealth, power and antiquity,

he repackaged the whole lot for his client.

Joining me to take a look at Robert Adam's work here

is architectural historian, Christopher Woodward.

-Thanks for joining us.

-Hello.

-Good to see you.

This has the "wow" factor, this entrance hall.

What's amazing is you walk up to this Jacobean facade, this English exterior,

and you step through that door - Ancient Rome! Wow!

It's quite austere outside,

but inside, it's just true theatre.

Tell me about the owners of the house.

It's the first Duke of Northumberland, but his wife's house and her money.

She had a brother who died on the grand tour. This is the Percy family.

So there were no men left. She married a young baronet, Sir Hugh Smithson,

and they spent lavishly, they lived lavishly.

They lived and spent more grandly than King George III and his family.

How did Robert Adam get the commission?

Robert Adam is a genius, a brilliant Scottish architect.

He goes to Rome and he writes home, "I'll be wasted on Scotland."

He decides to conquer London. So he comes back

and he opens an office in Mayfair

with a team of Italian artists who work for him that he brought back.

There's sculpture and paintings on the walls and he has his sketches of Rome.

-On that journey.

-He persuades you that he, better than anyone else,

can conjure up for you the true spirit of Roman antiquity.

Here their British architect, James Payne, has never been to Rome.

-And they kick him off and give Adam the job.

-Adam had a vision.

-Yes.

-Shall we go on a tour of Adam's work throughout the house?

-This is the anteroom.

-Wow! Gosh, it's a kaleidoscope of colour.

What was this room used for?

The Duke is a statesman, a man of power.

This is where you waited to see him.

Shuffling around, making you feel very insecure!

It does show off his wealth.

-Was Ancient Rome as bright as this?

-That's what Robert Adam believed.

He's saying this is how Roman architecture was. This is how they lived.

He created this gaudy, brilliant interior.

The statues of Roman gods and goddesses are modern replicas.

They're plaster covered in gilding.

What I love, what's real, is the columns.

Because Romans loved marble.

They were connoisseurs of different colours and patterns of marble.

These are single pieces of marble quarried in Egypt,

floated down the Nile across the sea to Rome where the boat sank.

They were buried in the mud of the Tiber for 2,000 years.

Someone found them and they were brought to Syon House.

So this is not just a house imitating Rome,

these columns are real Roman architecture.

True Roman artefacts.

Why was the family trying to copy the Roman way of life? What was it about the Romans?

Britain saw itself as the new Rome.

The 1760s is when Britain has beaten the French in the Seven Years War.

-There's a feel-good factor.

-Yes, very confident. We have an empire, the richest country in the world.

If you were at school in the 1760s, your books would tell you,

"You are the Romans of old, the heirs of Ancient Rome. London is the new Rome."

It really is splendid. Shall we see some more?

Next is the quieter dining room,

another demonstration of Adam's skill

in expanding a small space to create a larger one

by means of niches, screens and perspective.

Gosh. Now this looks altogether a lot more feminine.

Yes. This is for the women to withdraw to after dinner.

Look at the ceiling!

It's one of Adam's greatest ceilings. It cost over £1,000.

It's stucco and gilt and paint. It's the decade after they discovered Pompeii and Herculaneum.

They'd dug up Roman houses with ancient wall paintings.

The Duke has a book of wall paintings from these discoveries.

He chooses scenes he wants copied and they're painted on paper

in more than 200 little scenes by an Italian, Cipriani,

who Adam had brought back from Italy.

What a talented artist!

I absolutely love the woven silk on the walls. I love that faded look.

In its day, it would have been a very bright red. Was that imported from France?

The Duke wanted to, but because of the war with the French,

he wanted the most fashionable silk hangings

so he had weavers in Spitalfields copy it for him.

Gosh, really? Well, they've done a fine job, haven't they?

You have to imagine this room without the pictures

and also imagine it by candlelight.

This was an evening room. The Duchess was famous for the candles she burned.

The Duke was very proud of those two pier glasses.

They were made in Paris. They cost more than £400.

They were two of the biggest mirrored glasses anyone had seen in Britain.

And you had to get it from France.

They are big!

Robert Adam's ability is to design a room

knowing it will be lit by candlelight.

What you see in this room is just how much expense they'd go to to get every detail right.

When you come to the doorway,

you have these gilt and ormolu details

-set against panels of ivory.

-The attention to detail is spot-on.

Now, this is typical of a Tudor long gallery

where people took their exercise on a rainy day.

But he's taken it and remodelled the whole thing.

He's created a new classical interior in the existing space.

What I think it shows you about Adam

is that he designs everything down to the doorknobs.

He is one of the first architects to do the house, interior and furniture.

-You get the whole package with him.

-Yes, and he showed here that

when you think about Roman interiors, don't think temples and monuments.

He'd looked at these baths and private houses they'd dug up

-with this light, gentle...

-Easy-going ornamentation.

-Exactly.

What you also get with Adam is a team.

-So one artist he'd brought from Italy painted the portraits.

-I see.

-These are all family portraits?

-Yes, the ancestry of the Percy family.

A second artist painted scenes of Ancient Rome -

landscapes, architecture.

And a third artist, Michelangelo Pergolesi painted the walls

with these delicate arabesque patterns he so liked.

The Duke was so pleased with his work, he gave him a £20 tip!

Gosh, that was a lot of money in those days!

Thank you very much for showing me around.

If anybody wants any tips

on how to make their house look like Robert Adam's, they should visit Syon Park. Thank you.

It's time to get back to the valuation day

and see what items our experts have set their sights on.

David has certainly got something brewing!

Carol, who was the Irish member of your family?

-All my family.

-All your family's Irish?

-Yes.

-You haven't got an Irish accent.

-I was born over here.

But all my family are Irish and that's where this came from.

That's interesting because this is Belleek porcelain

which was produced in Northern Ireland in Fermanagh.

How did you acquire it? Has it been passed down?

It belonged to my aunt and she left it to me.

She was a single lady so had no children of her own.

Um... The story is that it was given to her when she was a young girl.

This is what we term "first period Belleek".

The factory was established by David McBirney and Robert Armstrong,

who was the administrator.

The factory was established about 1857,

so the first period is before 1890.

I'm going to put this around 1875, 1880.

-Really?

-Now, what I like about this

is the Northern Ireland association with the sea.

So here is this wonderful teapot which is in the form of an urchin.

So we've got this lovely sort of bulbous shape

with the markings of an urchin shell.

Then the actual handle is the fall of coral.

Even the spout has coral decoration on it.

Now, when you look at Belleek,

because it's such a fine porcelain, you look for damage.

Inevitably, pieces get damaged.

-They're quite famous for those delicate baskets.

-Yes.

It's difficult lifting that out because of the smooth glaze.

Looking at this little finial, in the form of a shell,

it's slightly damaged there.

I don't think that will go against it too much.

but when we price it, we'll take that into account.

I'll leave that there and turn it upside-down to look at the mark.

The mark is somewhat rubbed.

See that? With "Belleek" underneath.

That's the mark for early Belleek.

"Count of Fermanagh" would be later.

-Right.

-This is a black trademark so it's quite an early piece.

-So, Carol, why are you selling it?

-No-one in the family wants it.

I've got two sons, but they're not interested in having it.

So if somebody would like it who collects and would appreciate it,

I'd like it to go somewhere like that.

Well, this is a nice collector's piece

but it's so very fine and susceptible to damage.

Bearing that in mind and that element of damage,

we've got to fix a price.

I think the auctioneer will probably say

somewhere between 240 and 300, that sort of price range.

Allowing for the damage, we've got to tuck in under that figure

so I think we'll be seeking a reserve of about 225.

-Right.

-How does that sound?

-Yes,

I'll be quite happy with that. Yes.

-There's a slight hesitation.

-We all like to think it'll be more valuable.

-That's true!

Peter, what can you tell me?

Not much. I found it in my mother's house when I was clearing it out.

Till then, I didn't even know it existed.

Let's look at the obvious things first.

It's got recessed handles either side which pull out.

When they're recessed, it makes you think it's a travelling case

as opposed to a box that would sit on a side table.

So it's a travelling box. It's Victorian.

Coromandel, or Calamander, wood.

It's got cut brass inlay here.

And here's a name-plate for Lady Dickenson.

-When we open it up, what do we find?

-Open it up.

Wow, look at that. Isn't that lovely?

So this then falls forward. There's a stationery pouch behind that.

You can see here where the stationery drops in.

We'll take one of these out.

It's a little glass, perhaps soap, container there.

You can see there are hallmarks on the inside of the lid.

They date to 1852.

Victoria came to the throne in 1837

so she'd been around for what,

15, 20 years by the time this was made.

If we now drop the flap down,

you can see again recessed hinges.

One might be a jewellery drawer.

One might have a writing slope in it. Let's have a look.

So there we are.

A little jewellery box, or jewellery drawer.

And another one with a lift-out tray.

I think it's a lovely thing.

Push that down. Value. What do you think it's worth?

-I honestly have no idea.

-Well...

..there are minor problems.

There are some scratches here

which a good cabinet-maker can sort out.

But you have got a fairly healthy split along the top.

But it's a good quality box.

I would estimate that at auction at £200 to £400.

-As much as that?

-Yeah.

I'd put a reserve on it of about 160, 180. I think it'll do well.

What will you do with the funds?

As I say, my mother died about five weeks ago

and I want to get a memorial to put at the crematorium for her.

That's going to go to a really good cause. I hope it does really well.

-Thanks for bringing it.

-No problem.

-Babs, how many years ago did you buy this?

-30 years ago.

-30 years.

-You've been married 30 years?

-33 years, yes.

-Was it a wedding present?

-A late one.

-Sort of one. Treated ourselves. Yes.

-Very nice.

-Did you actually go to the Troika shop?

-Yes.

-At St Ives?

-Yes, St Ives. Down the little street.

-And what was it like?

Oh, I remember there was a window

and a lot of glass and other things, shelves and things around.

So very arts and crafts!

This is quite an interesting pot because this is later in design

than the major impact which was late '50s into the '60s.

The major inspiration for Troika pottery

was the artists that gathered at St Ives.

People like Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson.

They gave a sort of impact to the early designs

that Benny Sirota, who started the factory, produced.

This is later.

To a certain extent, this is a contrived design

to look modern, whereas the other ones were almost accidental.

-Oh!

-Even the glazes are more controlled on this one

than the earlier.

So this is an object that I don't think was intended to hold flowers.

This was always intended as an object to admire,

-handle, but not necessarily in a utilitarian manner.

-Right.

It's very nice. How much did you pay?

-I think it was about eight pounds.

-About eight pounds?

Well, that was a good investment, actually.

If this goes up for auction we're looking at round about £60, £80.

-Oh!

-Maybe a little bit more.

-Really?

-So quite a good investment.

So it's the impact design. When you look at this you think '60s, '70s.

-My era!

-Your era! What else can you associate with that era?

-Music!

-What was the music of the time?

Lively. Much better than it is today!

-I think you're right. I'm of the same generation anyway.

-Yeah.

-So we can put this up for sale, can we?

-Yes, certainly.

-No regrets?

-No, not now.

-Husband agreed to it?

-Oh, yeah!

-OK.

I hope we'll get that sort of money. Any ideas what to replace it with?

I don't know. We haven't thought about it yet.

-Just spend it on something else?

-Maybe towards a TV. A hi-tech one.

-To hang on the wall? Get it before this programme goes out!

-Yes!

A familiar mix of lots for our final section of today's auction.

Carol's Belleek teapot is a fine example but there's some damage.

Peter's vanity box is a bit tired. They used to make great money.

And finally, Barbara's brought in an old friend, Troika,

but there are no guarantees at auction.

It's time for tea, but don't go and put the kettle on.

We have a teapot up for grabs. It belongs to Carol.

This is lovely, an urchin teapot which David put a valuation on.

We're looking for 250, hopefully £350.

It's got the quality, it's got the look.

-It's so early.

-The early stamp.

-I love the way they feature the sea.

-Yes.

-All the creatures. The urchin is a very early shape.

-Gorgeous.

Something for Belleek collectors and for teapot collectors.

You heard what David said. I think it'll do its money. I'm with David.

I chatted with the auctioneer earlier. He said it might struggle.

-Well...

-It might just get the bottom end.

Fingers crossed, though. We're here to prove him wrong.

-We want the top end, don't we?

-Yes, that would be nice.

-Why flog it?

-Well...

-It's been in the family a long time.

-But my sons aren't interested in it.

-I suppose not.

-If somebody that collects likes it...

-It's a family heirloom!

It's a shame.

The Belleek teapot. Start me please for £100. £100 for it?

I'll take 110. £100 I'm bid. I'll take 110. Who'll give me 110?

120 there. 130. 140.

150, 160.

150's bid.

The bid's at 150. Take 160. At 150.

All done and finished at 150.

Should make more than this at £150. No further interest? Anyone 160?

We're gonna finish at 150.

-That's auctions for you.

-I'm not worried.

-Is it going home.

-Definitely.

-I think it's a lucky omen. You've had it a long time.

-I do miss it.

-I miss looking at it.

-There you go.

I'll take it home. I'm not disappointed. It was a day out.

Or try it in a specialist ceramic sale. That's the answer.

-It's a good sale room, but a general sale.

-I think we're keeping it.

-Don't you?

-I might, for a bit longer.

-Go on, a little bit longer!

-OK!

Peter, your mum had a great eye,

because this is a cracking vanity box or vanity case.

It's got the look and it's rich in every way.

Valuation £200 to £400 and I think we should get the top end on that.

-Philip, pressure on you.

-These are yesterday's antique dealers' lots.

They are the cliche lot which everybody loves to hate.

-A bit of table dressing, but are they selling?

-We'll find out.

A 19th-century brass and inlaid wood fitted vanity box. Number 292.

It has a fitted interior, all-singing and all-dancing.

Start me at £100, see where it goes. I'm bid £100.

First bid of £100.

Are you 110? 110 I'm bid. 120. 130.

140. 150. 160.

170? 160 you bid. Take 170. 170. 180.

190. 200.

-It's OK.

-210. 220. 230.

Yes or no, please, at £210.

220. 230. 240. Says no at £230.

It's hard to see where the bids are coming from.

260. 270.

-280. 290.

-Yes!

-300.

At £290. Standard bid at £290.

We're finished and all done at £290, then.

Yes, hammer's gone down. What a whack! £290. Well done, Philip.

-We'll settle for that, won't we?

-Oh, yes!

What will you put the money towards?

-Towards a memorial for my mum who died recently.

-A lovely thought.

That is a lovely thought. Thanks so much for coming in.

Lots of memories there. A bit of a sad moment.

Barbara and I have something to say.

BOTH: We love Cornwall!

-We do, don't we?

-We do indeed, very much!

You bought this Troika in Cornwall. I come from there and my mum lives there.

-Lovely.

-I'm a big, big fan of Troika.

You got this in the Troika shop 30 years ago.

It doesn't exist any more. But what a product. David, you valued this.

You wish you'd bought some at that time.

-I wish I'd bought, ooh, about 50 lots.

-50 lots.

Good for you! Good for you.

We're gonna hopefully turn five or six, seven or eight pounds...

-Eight pounds.

-..into hopefully £100 right now.

-If not more. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

-Another trip to Cornwall?

It could be. I'll get my husband to take me again.

Good for you. It's going under the hammer right now.

It's a Troika disc vase. The last one done well.

Start me at £100.

There's more Troika here. That's a good sign.

I'm bid £100. At £100 I'll take 110.

£100 I'm bid. Give me 110. I'm bid at 110.

120. 130. 140.

150. 160.

-170. 180.

-Classic.

-190.

200. And 10?

£200 I'm bid. A standing bid at £200.

On the back of £200. Give me 210. At £200, then.

Last chance at £200. Your bid, sir.

-£200!

-Good, good, good.

-Thank you very much!

-That will get you down to Cornwall!

-It will, yes!

-Bed and Breakfast.

-I'll stay down there!

-A weekend in St Ives.

-B&B.

-Yeah, lovely. Very true. That's what I might do.

Would you like to go back there?

Especially on a hot day like this after an auction.

You can come with me!

-I want to stroll along the beach.

-Me, too.

Bless you.

The auction's still going on, but we're at the end of our day here.

What a day it's been. I deserve a seat now!

Our experts have had their work cut out but today's winner was the Troika,

once again proving 20th-century modern is the thing to invest in.

Hope you've enjoyed the show. See you next time for lots more!

Subtitles by Moira Diamond Red Bee Media - 2006

E-mail us at [email protected]