Belfast Flog It!

Belfast's City Hall is an architectural delight.

It was opened 100 years ago in 1906 and it dominates Donegal Square.

But it could be outshone here today by our massive Flog It! queue.

Belfast's history is everywhere, from the political murals,

icons of the Troubles, to the new bars and restaurants.

The signs of prosperity and peace.

And just look at the City Hall's magnificent marble entrance hall.

Right above me, up there right now is a copper dome.

It is exquisitely adorned and it is 53 metres above ground level.

That second tier up there is a whispering gallery.

The whisper out today is Anita Manning and David Barbie are our two experts.

Not only do we have an interesting building, it looks like we may have some interesting stuff today.

Anita is already captivated by a bit of local history.

Dolores, I know these are not in good condition, but they have got a lot of history.

Now tell me about this album.

This album belonged to my mother-in-law's aunt

who went to America to look after four children whose mother had died.

And subsequently the father died.

So she was their main carer.

-So she married the guy.

-Yes.

-And then came back to Ireland.

After he had died.

-After he had died.

-Yes. I've no idea who the people in the pictures are. I can't even...

Can you see any family resemblances?

I do in some of them, yes. I do.

But I never met this lady.

So when she died, the house was derelict for a long time.

We had to clear it out for it to be demolished.

So I thought, right, they'll go in a bin.

I never saw such rubbish in all my life.

And then my husband's sister said she thought they may be of interest to someone.

-So he we are.

-So he we are.

So, of course we know that many Irish went across to America, as did many Scots.

-Absolutely. We think this...

-We think this might be her.

-Yes.

-Most of the photographs in here are of American origin.

That's right.

Here we have an American soldier.

It's about the period 1880s.

And all the photographs had been taken in Louisiana

-and New York.

-Yes.

-This is the lady concerned.

Right.

It's a fascinating record of Irish emigration really.

-Travels, that's right.

-Fascinating subject.

If we look at the postcards here,

it reflects the age they were made in and it's a piece of social history.

We have lots of fun ones there.

Typical Irish old granny with her spinning wheel.

-And the old clay pipe will be down there somewhere.

-And the donkey.

A wee bit of romance here.

"Ah, Bridget, hold me tight."

He's not a bad-looking man either. Dolores,

they're not going to get a lot of money.

-No, I wouldn't expect it.

-Because of the condition.

If the condition of this had been better, it could have been £80-100.

But what we're really doing is an exercise in giving somebody the interest of the photographs.

-That's right.

-So I think if we put it in £20-30 and see what's happens.

-Would you be happy with that?

-Absolutely.

It would leave room in the bin.

It will leave room in the bin. Don't do that, Dolores.

-I'll see you on the day. We'll have some fun.

-Thank you very much.

Karen, was this yours as a child?

No, I don't think I'm quite that old!

Well, this is a christening present, isn't it?

Given to a child in the 1930s.

Gosh, I remember having one of these.

This is a food shoveller, a food pusher.

And a spoon.

And nice grips so the child can get their fingers or hands through it.

It's quite nice. Unfortunately not sought after now because they have

these ergonomic-type things, plastic handles with wavy grips.

So this is more of a novelty than anything else. But it is silver, which is rather nice.

I'm more interested in this, honestly, because this is a piece of Irish silver.

The mark is badly rubbed but it is Dublin,

-probably around 1790.

-OK.

The crest, which is a heron...

-Yes.

-Is that a family crest?

I have no idea at all. No idea.

-Where did it come from?

-I haven't seen anything else with that on.

It came from my mother's attic. Actually we've been helping her clear out her attic.

-It just appeared and you didn't know it was there.

-With a pile of silver.

I remember having to clean these as a child. But most of them got put up in the attic for that reason.

-Was it a labour of love?

-No, I think it was a labour in need of some pocket money.

This is intriguing.

This is a Scottish piece

by a silversmith called Wilkie.

Date-wise, it's the earlier part of the 19th century, around 1836.

So an interesting piece of silver.

And peculiar to that sort of provincial Scottish school

is this elongated grip on the sugar tongs.

-These are almost a thing of the past.

-Yes.

Nobody has sugar lumps these days.

So if we put this altogether, I think there's a potential price of £120-150.

-OK, right.

-Would that be interesting to you?

-I think so.

-You just want them sold.

They've been in the attic for generations, generations of different attics.

I'd love to know if there's anything else up there.

-I think I've cleared it all out now.

-OK.

-It took me a fair while.

-We might put a reserve around £100, would that be suitable?

-That would be great.

Pamela, it's great to see you.

I absolutely love this.

-Tell me about it.

-I got it given to me a couple of years ago.

And I've had it in my hall since, and it gets in the road now!

Belfast has such a history of shipbuilding, Harland and Wolff,

it's part of your social history. This is maritime memorabilia of a slightly different ilk.

It's slightly more romantic, slightly down-sized.

-Nevertheless it's quite a weight.

-Yes.

-When you feel that, it's very difficult to pick up.

It is a tiller wheel, or ship's wheel. It would have been mounted on a post

at the aft of the vessel to change the direction of the rudder.

Very much like a tiller would do.

It is late Victorian, very early Edwardian.

And of course it's made of mahogany, a lovely tight grain on that.

It's completely impervious to the salt water so it's not going to rot.

And it is stunning.

I like the inlay in brass as well.

-This is the face side.

-Yes.

-This side here has a metal plate on it. This would be attached to the post.

-Yes.

And then this nut would unscrew.

You'd screw this and tighten it back up, bolt it back onto the tiller post, onto this locking plate.

-It's such a shame we don't know the vessel it's come from.

-Yes.

I would say, judging from the size of this tiller wheel, it would have been a tea clipper, a sloop,

that would be possibly about 100-150ft long, quite a big vessel.

It's been varnished. You can see it's been varnished.

It's just starting to peel away, so you can see the natural patina of the wheel.

I like that. This shouldn't be revarnished.

-I didn't want to clean it. I thought it would ruin it.

-You did right.

Don't clean the brass inlay.

All this coopering here,

you shouldn't clean it at all.

It looks really nice when it's been oxidised.

-It's going slightly green, that verdigris look.

-Natural looking.

I love it.

What do you think this is worth?

I have no idea.

Well, in the right place at the right time, ships' wheels like this will sell for around £300-400.

Oh, very good.

Whether we're in the right place at the right time, I'm not sure.

-But I'd like to think this would do £200-300.

-Lovely.

Shall we put it into auction with a value of £200-300?

-Yes.

-With a reserve of £200.

-Lovely.

-OK.

Phil, it's lovely to be in Belfast and see a lovely tea set like that.

After this, we'll have a nice wee cup of tea.

Now...this tea set was made in the 1930s.

Can you tell me, where did you get it?

Well, it's been handed down the family. From my mum's mum.

-It's been in the attic for years now.

-So they gave it to you.

It was given to me just to see what I can get.

Ah, right. You've never had all your big pals and sat down with these delicate little tea cups?

I don't think they would be here.

-You would look a bit daft with a wee cup of tea like that.

-Indeed.

We have 12 cups, 12 plates, 12 saucers.

We have our two big plates and sugar and cream.

Shelley was a Staffordshire factory.

And they were known for

this lovely white body of the china.

This is transfer printed.

And then hand enamelled after that.

You can see that in these little flowers.

If we look at the back, we can see the back stamp which tells us that it is Shelley.

And this porcelain is very popular at this time.

So that's good.

They were well known for their Art Deco porcelain.

And this shows that type of style,

with this rather stylised handle and the fluted shape around here.

So, price, Philip,

-what do you think, yourself?

-As much as possible.

That's what I want for you as well.

But we have to be realistic.

Unfortunately we have some damage in the sugar bowl.

So this is going to pull the price down a wee bitty.

I would like to put it in with an estimate of £100-150,

which would be an encouraging estimate.

-It would bring them into the bidding.

-Right.

-Would you feel happy with that?

-Yes.

-Let's put it into the sale,

and I think, to protect it, a reserve of £100.

Let's hope it does above the higher estimate.

So let's have another run through of what we're taking off to auction.

First up are the fascinating photo and postcard albums.

I think local historians will love these.

Then we've got the intriguing silver whose recent history has been in the attic.

Next up, the tiller wheel, a romantic reminder of the sea-going past.

And finally, the Shelley tea set.

And this one's quite simple - Phil just wants as much money as possible!

This is where all the action starts.

Just up the road from the City Hall is Ross and Son's auctioneers

and the man with the gavel today is Daniel Clarke.

First going under the gavel... are those fascinating albums.

Dolores, we're just about to sell your family photograph album which your aunt collected.

There's lots of social history there of bygone times.

Well, yes, yes. Maybe somebody else will get pleasure from them.

They are really collectible. So fingers crossed.

They might end up in a little museum or at least get divided up and sorted out and may be sold singly.

They aren't in great condition so that is why I kept the estimate low.

-They are such fun to browse through.

-Good luck.

We might have to wave goodbye. I think you will in fact. This is it.

Lot number 541. Photograph album and a postcard album.

£30 for the two albums?

£20, 20 with the porter, 20. 30.

40, 50, 60.

At £60 with porter.

At £60.

With the porter at £60, we're selling now. At £60.

Hammer's gone down. Short and sweet.

-£60.

-I can't believe it.

Told you they were worth something. What will you do with 60 quid?

What could you do with 60 quid?

Have a good single malt whisky, buy a bottle.

-Possibly a nice dinner.

-Yes, or a nice dinner.

-Something like that.

Thank you very much indeed.

Karen's silver spoon, pusher and tongs are just about to go under the hammer.

Retrieved from the attic and they'd been up there for generations.

What made you go into the attic and look?

We were clearing out the attic because my mother is moving house.

-They are your mum's then.

-Yes, my mother is moving and she didn't know what they were.

-So you discovered lots of new treasures.

-Absolutely.

-All forgotten about.

-Totally.

It was a mixed lot, but you've withdrawn some things from it.

A little ladled which nobody was...

-David hasn't noticed yet, but it will affect the valuation.

-Of course it will.

We had a job lot virtually and we were looking for £100 to £150.

But that lovely Georgian ladle would just the price straight up and you've withdrawn it.

-Yes.

-Ah, to die for!

-I love it now, but I wasn't interested until you pointed out how beautiful it was.

Once the virtues are pointed out, a lot of people think, yes,

I'd really like to keep it, and they don't mind if it doesn't sell.

-Absolutely.

-I am going to curb my enthusiasm in future.

-OK.

Sugar tongs, silver spoon and pusher

in a case. £50 please.

40.

30 anywhere? 20 I'm bid. At £20 I am bid.

30, thank you, on my right at £30.

At £30. 40 behind you.

At £40. Lady in a headscarf at 40.

50, at £50.

That's good, it's moving.

I have now £50. At £50.

One more bid. Please, please, please.

All done at 50?

-Well, I'm afraid I can't sell.

-He hasn't sold them.

I think he hasn't reduced the value, like we talked about.

Never mind, I kind of like those tongs anyway!

I tell you what we'll do. I'll have a word with the auctioneer and if we can find the bidder

that was prepared to pay £50 and you want to sell, we'll flog them.

-Yes.

-OK, but otherwise you'll be happy to take them home still?

-Absolutely, yes.

-OK.

Well, it's not all that bad, is it?

My turn to be the expert now.

We got that lovely mahogany, late-Victorian ship's wheel, or tiller's wheel.

It was brought in by Pamela Martin. A good surname that.

Do you buy and sell here at all?

-No.

-Only when Flog It is in town.

Only when Flog It is in town.

-The good news is that I had a word with the auctioneer earlier.

-Right.

He agrees with the valuation, it is quality. Fingers crossed we are going to get the top end,

-but I'm pretty sure we'll sell this, OK?

-Grand.

-Full steam ahead?

-Yes, full steam ahead.

Late Victorian mahogany ship's tiller wheel.

It looks so good in the window, silhouetted.

Very nice condition. Can we say £200 please for the ship's wheel?

I'll take £100. 100 I am bid.

At £100.

120. 120 I am bid.

At 120. A new bidder at 40.

At 140. Any more? At 160, thank you.

At 160.

At 170.

-180.

-It's good, come on.

-£180, the ship's wheel at 180.

-We've goy a bit of discretion, haven't we?

-Yes.

-At £180.

At £180 for the ship's wheel. £180.

Thank goodness for discretion.

But that is definitely worth £200 to £300. Somebody's got a bargain.

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

-Yes, very pleased.

What I you going to spend the money on?

-Saving it.

-Saving it, for a rainy day?

-To live in Lanzarote.

-Sorry?

-To go and live in Lanzarote.

-Are you really?

-Yes.

-What's wrong with Belfast?

-It's not warm enough.

-Oh.

That's a real life-changing move.

Yes. It's more for my husband.

Why? Because he needs warm weather?

-Yes. Asthma.

-Asthma.

Ah, that's a really brave move.

-Good luck and I hope you have a lovely life out there.

-Me too.

It's got the quality and the name. It's a Shelley tea set, but does it have the right value?

Phil, good to see you again.

You've got something to tell us cos Anita, our expert, doesn't know this.

We had a fixed reserve of £100, a value £100 to £150.

What's changed?

Well, I've put the value up £100.

Why was that? Were you unhappy with the original value?

I would not like to sell at that price.

OK, so we've got a fixed reserve of £200 now.

Puts a bit of pressure on Anita.

Well, the reason that I kept the estimate down was because we had some damage on the sugar bowl.

If everything was absolutely right it could have flown.

-It still might and I hope it does.

-At least the auctioneer agreed with you

otherwise he would have said, no, we've got to keep it at that.

We are going to find out right here right now. Good luck, both of you. This is it.

Lot 241. Shelley tea set.

There we have it. What can we say? 30, 300, 200 say. £100 anywhere?

-Come on, get in there.

-£100 for the Shelley.

100 at the back. £100 I am bid.

At 120. 150. At £150.

180. At £180, I'm bid now at £180.

At £180, the bid is here at 180.

180.

You, sir, at £180.

Are you all finished at £180?

He's used a bit of discretion there.

He didn't have a fixed £200 reserve, it's gone at 180.

Happy man? Big smile?

-Fair enough.

-That was close.

Yes, I think it was the damage again.

If the item isn't perfect, you have to use a little discretion on it.

If it had been perfect, 200, perhaps in excess of that because it was very, very pretty.

Nevertheless we got the £180, Phil. What is that going towards?

-Christmas for the children.

-Thank you so much for coming in.

On the shore of Strangford Loch, 15 miles from Belfast,

there is an estate where the same family have lived for over 300 years.

Alexander Stewart, a wealthy merchant,

built a small country house here in 1770, and it grew over the years with the family's good fortune.

This included a peerage. So Mount Stewart became the home of the Marquesses of Londonderry.

It developed, as you would expect, into a rather grand and formal house...

until the 1920s when someone arrived who shook things up.

And here she is, Edith, Lady Londonderry, wife of Charles, the 7th Marquess.

His political career had based them in central London

where she excelled as a hostess, entertaining everyone from Winston Churchill to the Prince of Wales.

She looks very proper here but she was wildly popular for her sense of fun.

She set up the Ark Club as a light-hearted escape from the pressures of the First World War,

and all the members of the club were given names of birds and beasts and mythical figures.

And she even had all these statues commissioned for the garden.

Churchill was Winston the Warlock. Nancy Astor was Nancy the Gnat,

and Edith herself presided over the Order of the Rainbow - Circe the Sorceress.

A formidable character, she had been a powerful force

in the women's suffragette movement, founding the Women's Legion in the First World War.

The Legion enabled women to help the war effort.

Everything from agricultural work to ambulance driving. For this,

Edith was made one of the first military Dames of the British Empire.

So when Charles's political career brought the family back to Northern Ireland, Edith set about

putting her stamp on the house, introducing bright, vivid, colours, style and opulence, making it

suitable for a family home, but also making it a place where she could carry on her lavish entertainings

which she was used to doing whilst living in London.

She installed electric light and central heating in the house, and created the most amazing gardens.

Her ensuing parties became legendary.

The guest list read like a Who's Who of the day, filled with artists, politicians and royalty.

Definitely the focal point of the Stone Hall is a painting by Stubbs, which dominate the staircase.

Edith brought it back from her London home.

It shows Hambletonian, one of the finest of a string of racehorses owned by the family.

But if you look closely, you can see Stubbs has painted the horse standing on two left legs.

Technically that's not correct because the horse would fall over.

Nevertheless it is regarded as one of his finest pieces.

People from all over the world come to look at it.

And it is truly magnificent.

The family were mad about horse racing and Edith's racing colours were bright pink,

which inspired her to create a pink theme throughout the house.

The drawing room is perhaps the best example of Edith's transformation of Mount Stewart.

She got rid of most of the Edwardian fussiness.

Gone are the groups of seats, antimacassars, screens and palms,

replaced with antique furniture in informal groups.

Her soft, warm peach and cream colour scheme was gently lit by the then modern electric lamps.

What sums it up for me, the whole quirkiness, is this piece because look what Edith's done.

She's taken a very simple tin tea caddy, quite a large one, and she's adapted it into a lamp base.

She's added a shade and had it wired up to take a bulb and I think that looks great.

You could say it is illuminating, isn't it?

But it shows that she is so hands on.

She's cut a section of the shade out, added a picture from a book, and stuck it on with parcel tape.

It shows there's an interior designer in her just bursting out.

That's just the sort of chandelier you'd expect to see in a room like this,

in a house so grand and elegant. But this chandelier has caught my eye.

It's an extraordinary shaped one in the form of a sailing galleon.

The view from these windows, which we can't see - the shutters are closed for conservation purposes,

you can't let too much daylight into this room -

but if you could imagine the view, it would appear that this chandelier, the ship,

would be sailing on the loch, glittering at night time,

creating a wonderful sense of illusion.

Now owned by the National Trust, Mount Stewart is still lived in

by her youngest daughter, Mary, now in her 80s.

Look at this, this is a really nice touch.

Lady Edith has marked out all the heights of her children, and nieces and nephews, over the years.

The growing stages. If I can just pick a couple out here.

We've got Mairi Stewart,

April 1st, five years old in 1926.

She is that high, a little toddler.

And here she is again being measured in June 1933.

She is now 12 years old and she is that tall. Isn't that lovely?

It really is little touches like this that bring the house to life.

Despite its grandeur and massive size, Edith really did make this into a family home.

The house is so intriguing, full of personal treasures and social history

and it definitely is a window into a bygone era.

But time to catch up with the present.

It's straight back to the valuation.

I am going to go this way.

-Linda, who was Fanny?

-I have no idea.

I don't know where she was, I'm afraid.

Because the name is there and the name is contemporary with the box.

-Right.

-It is that type of engraving that you'd expect.

-It is not a name you'd hear today.

-No.

It is such a lovely box. The date is probably about 1840, that period.

How did you get it, if you don't know where it came from?

I think it was... My mother had five sisters and three of those sisters worked as nurses.

I think they worked in a large home around Warren Point and may have got it from there.

This is such a quality piece.

First of all it is rosewood veneer,

and then it has an inlay so intricate and cut by hand, of all this mother-of-pearl.

And what is extraordinary, I'm running my hands over the surface and there is none missing.

This is perfect. Lovely, lovely condition.

The shape of it, what does it remind you of?

-A bit like a coffin.

-You've hit the nail on the head.

It's like a coffin, but we would call it a sarcophagus.

-Right.

-But it is a sewing box.

And this is a lovely fitted interior, complete with all its compartments.

The only thing we are missing possibly are all the cotton reels,

which are mother-of-pearl and carved flower heads.

It is all quality.

Behind these little compartments, you would have put silks, ribbons, tapes.

Here would have fitted sewing requisites, like scissors, bobbin hooks and things like that.

This is interesting. This little thing here is the actual name plate of the manufacturer.

So we have "George Austin, cabinet maker, 7 St Andrew Street."

Look at the bottom here, it's quite intriguing, "Military canteens and plate chests."

-Uh-huh.

-So they supplied for the military.

Military boxes, tuck boxes, anything like that.

-That is fascinating to have an original plate, that's very good. Up goes the value.

-Good.

So...the cabinet once belonging to Fanny,

-is now going to find a new home.

-It is.

-What d'you think it's worth?

I didn't realise all you were saying about the inlay, so I hadn't thought it was worth that much.

I was thinking around £50 or something.

The fact that it's a nice box.

Because of its condition I would think we're looking at a price range, I would hope,

around 125, 150.

That sort of price range. We might put an auction estimate in that region, with a reserve of £100.

Right. That would be nice.

-It's been doing nothing.

-It's been in the bottom of the wardrobe.

-Sell it and do something with the money.

-Yes, it's going.

Malachy, thank you for bringing this lovely watercolour

by Joseph William Carey along to Flog It today.

Not at all. Thank you for having me.

I am just enjoying it so much.

This work is very typical of this artist.

Gentle muted colours,

expressing the softness, the beauty, of the Irish landscape.

He was a member of the Royal Ulster Academy and he travelled about

in Ireland a lot, to different places, painting the scenery.

And this one is the Pass of Kylemore in Connemara.

Where did you get it?

I bought it in an antique shop.

-How long ago?

-Roughly about 40 years.

Did you pay a lot of money for it at that time?

-I never like to pay much for anything, so I don't think I would have.

-You sound like a Scot!

I can't remember offhand, but we didn't consider it expensive at the time.

We fancied that view and bought it for that reason.

So you'd obviously been on a trip to Connemara around that time.

We had, and we'd been to the Pass of Kylemore

and we just went into the antique shop and saw this.

It was a great reminder of it then.

-Was it your honeymoon?

-No, it wasn't. I'm longer married than that.

Yes, well I find it absolutely charming and the colours are wonderful.

Sweeping round these wonderful muted greens and browns,

going into rusts here. Has it been on the wall?

-Not since we moved about 10 years ago.

-Malachy, I love pictures

and I feel that if they're on the wall and you are enjoying them, you keep them.

But to keep a picture

in an attic or in a loft, for me, is the biggest sin of all.

I think that's really what drew our attention to it.

Now, on price, this artist is doing well at this point.

I would like to estimate it in the region of £600 to £800.

-Yes.

-Would you be happy to sell it at that?

-Well, I'd been hoping maybe you would say half-a-million or something like that!

-Oh, well...

I could have bought a couple of houses, but now it's only going to be window-box.

I wish I could have said half a million as well.

I really am surprised to find it's that price.

You bought a good picture and it should give you a very good return.

We'll put it to the auction, I'll be there and hopefully it will do very well.

We'll protect it with a reserve of £600.

-We'll feel happy with that.

-Thank you again for bringing it along.

It's been lovely having a wee blether with you. Thank you.

Family heirlooms, Pat. Why are you disposing of them?

Because we don't demonstrate these any longer, putting them on our sideboards.

I myself never used them, and they are going back at least five generations,

and we were clearing out my loft because I am moving house, and decided we'd get rid of these.

These were just in the loft, unused and unloved.

-Well, possibly, yes.

-Judging from the unpolished state.

-Exactly.

This is interesting because we've got a complete tea and coffee service.

So teapot, sugar basin, milk/cream jug, and then the coffee pot.

That's rather nice.

You say you've had this in the family five generations and you work back a generation.

Is it 20 years a generation or 30?

-30.

-30 years. So that's 150 years.

This was produced in 1847,

hallmarked in Sheffield, and the maker was Wilkinson and Company.

A good make.

What I like about this is the sensible design.

When I say sensible design, if you look here and here,

and repeat it also on the teapot, these objects were intended to have hot water, so we've got ivory inserts

which would act as insulators so the heat would not come through onto the silver and into the grip itself.

So very sensible and these would have been used by the lady of the house, and the last thing she would want,

-sitting at table serving her friends, was scolded hands.

-Yes.

I'm looking at the coffee pot and we've got a little split down here on the handle,

and also we've got some wear.

Can you see, where it's completely worn through?

That's echoed on all the pieces.

If we go back 15, 20 years ago,

the price on this would have been quite high.

The market has fallen because people do not like having silver in their home.

First of all the fear of burglary,

secondly it's not fashionable. People go in for minimalist style

-and they don't want things they have to clean.

-That's correct.

I think, taking that into account that it's not always in demand,

we will be looking at something in the region of about £400 to £500, that price range.

If it does more, I shall be delighted, but do bear in mind we've got damage on it.

So we go ahead and put this up for auction?

-Yes, please.

-OK, we'll say £400 to £500, with discretion.

-Right.

Thank you very much indeed.

And now a quick reminder of what we are sending off to the sale room.

The tip-top condition of Linda's inlaid sewing box, with its lovely

green, watered silk interior, should catch the eye of someone.

Next, the Irish watercolour, with its delicate view of Connemara.

And we finish on the silver which has been in Patricia's family for well over 150 years.

A sensible design. Let's hope it goes for a sensible price.

Daniel, good to see you again. It's great to be back at Rossi's in Belfast.

Our experts have put £400 to £500 on this.

There's a bit of discretion on the £400.

It's Sheffield silver, dated 1847.

It belongs to Patricia and she's had it in the family for 150 years.

-A long time.

-Well, what it has going for it is it is four pieces.

I'd rather liked to have seen it more embossed than engraved.

Silver is difficult.

-If it were Irish, I'd have no difficulty.

-You'd be jumping up and down?

-I'd be absolutely delighted.

But Sheffield silver might make £400 on a good day.

I would be more comfortable around 350.

OK, we've got the discretion which takes it down to 350 so, fingers crossed.

-We have a chance of getting it away.

-OK.

Up for grabs right now, that lovely rosewood sewing box with the most beautiful inlay.

Value £125 to £150. We've got the sewing box but unfortunately we don't have its owner, Linda.

But we do have Mr David Barbie the expert, who put the valuation on it. I love this.

If it goes within estimate, I think that's quite cheap.

I think so as well. What I like is it's personalised.

-It has the name of the original owner on the top, Fanny.

-Lovely!

-It's sweet.

-It's a gorgeous box.

I think it could do a lot more than that.

Yes, just imagine the price it would realise if it had all the original fitments inside.

-The cotton reels, measures.

-But the fitted interior is all there.

-Yes. This is testing the market in Ireland. I think it'll be a very interesting exercise.

-OK.

Lot number 221.

A 19th century rosewood sewing box.

A nice little box, sarcophagus shape, £100 please for the same box.

50 anywhere? 50 I am bid. 60.

At £60, a new bidder at £70.

80, at 90.

£100 just outside the door at £100.

10, 110 against you sir. 120. 125.

-125.

-Good, good. We are there.

130. At £130.

At £130. Are you all out at 130?

I am selling now at £130.

-The hammers gone down. Just in there.

-Sold.

-You were right.

We certainly tested the market.

-Linda will be pleased with that, I'm positive.

-Yes, she wanted 100 clear.

-You get on the phone, give her a ring and say it sold for £130.

-It will be a pleasure.

Lots of interest now. We've got a gorgeous bit of Irish art - a watercolour.

It's by Carey, and the value is £600 to £800 and it belongs to Malachy and not for much longer.

Anita, you're our expert. You loved this when you first saw it.

It's a wonderful, evocative, gentle, sweet watercolour.

-Irish artist, Irish sale room.

-How exciting is this?

I've been waiting for this moment and this is it. Good luck.

Joseph William Carey.

House At Kylemore, Connemara, watercolour drawing.

It's signed and dated, 1915.

Shall we say 800, 700, 600? I'll take £500 to open the bid. 500.

At the back of the room at 500. 520.

550. At £550 for the Carey.

At 550.

At £550, are you all done at £550 for the Carey? At £550.

It's worth more at 550. At 550. Any more?

The bidder is outside at 580.

£580 I have now for the Carey.

At £580.

-One more, one more!

-At £580 for the Carey picture.

Are you all finished at £580? I am letting it go.

He's going to sell. He's going to sell.

Last call at £580.

Yes. We nearly did the £600, but we'll settle for £580.

-You're happy with that?

-Mmm...

-Mmm...

-Yes.

I know, we all want a little bit more, don't we?

Yep. As I said before, when I started, I was hoping for about half a million.

-We weren't going there.

-Make good telly that, wouldn't it?

What will you do with £580, less a bit of commission?

It's very hard to say, but I would imagine... I don't have a decision to make.

My wife and four daughters are going Christmas shopping to some of these cities in Europe.

Oh, lovely. So weekend breaks away.

-This will be a bit of spending money.

-Yes. What a lovely dad. What a lovely dad!

No, it's not voluntary. They're taking it!

We are just about to flog Patricia's family silver.

It's been in the family 150 years. Why do you want to part with it?

Because it's too ostentatious for my small house.

I've just moved into a smaller flat. I never had it on display at all.

I always kept it up in the glory hole, so now I am bringing it out and getting the money for it.

OK, and it is quite valuable.

-We've got a reserve of £400.

-Yes.

-Hopefully we going to touch the £500 mark.

-That would be good.

-I had a chat with the auctioneer earlier. You don't know this, nor do you.

But he agreed with the valuation, spot on, but he thinks it will just sell at the low end.

We just need two bidders to push it slightly higher.

A couple more bids and we've got mid estimate or top estimate. I think it will go for top estimate.

Sheffield silver, it's stamped and great quality.

Lot 281. Four-piece silver tea service, Sheffield, 1847.

Shall we say £400. 300.

Say £200 please for the tea service.

200 I am bid. 220. 250. 280.

300. 320.

350. 380.

-We've sold it.

-£400 on my right.

At £400. 420. 450.

At £450. 480. At £500.

At 520. At 550.

At 580. At £600. At 620.

At 650.

At £650.

660. 670.

At 670.

-Fantastic.

-680.

At £680.

It's right in front here at £680 for the tea service at 680.

All done, all finished? At £680.

Yes. £680. Wasn't that good?

-What will the money go towards?

-Um...da, da, da.

That's the big question.

Just dividing it equally among the family.

-How many members of the family will you divide that into?

-About ten.

Ten? Brothers, sisters, nieces?

-£60 each.

-£60 each.

-They'll all have a good night out.

-Yes, we'll do that.

Well, it's all still going on but what a fantastic show we've had here today.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself, I hope you have watching.

All credit to our experts because it's not an exact science

valuing antiques, and I think they got it right.

So join me next time on Flog It when we put lots more theories to the test.

And I can't wait to come back to Ireland.

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

visit the website at bbc.co.uk/lifestyle