Warrington Flog It!

Today, we're in Parr Hall in Warrington,

a place steeped in history.

It was once a courthouse, playing host to many an unsavoury character.

Today, it's astate-of-the-art centre for the arts

and it's playing host to Flog It.

And our savoury characters today are our experts, Charlie Ross and Nigel Smith.

So, without further ado, let's see which antiques they wish

to steal away and make a stash of cash for our owners.

-Merhaba.

-Merhaba.

-Did I get that right?

-That's right.

-And you are from where?

-I'm from Turkey.

So you're all the way here in Warrington from Turkey.

Why have you come to Flog It today?

I work for St Anne's Hospice as a shop manager

and this item has been donated to the hospice.

It's been brought to my attention and I wanted to bring it here.

And you thought, "Blimey, this is too good to put in the window.

-"We'd better take it along and get a valuation on it."

-Exactly.

What is it you've brought along?

I thought this was a three-diamond brooch.

-Do you think they're diamonds?

-I have no idea.

-You hope they are.

-I hope so.

And it arrived in this box, did it?

It didn't come with the box.

I put it in the box.

You've dressed it up especially for today, have you?

-That's right.

-Let's take it out of the box and have a look.

Yes, it is a brooch.

It wasn't a brooch originally.

-OK.

-These are buttons,

but they're beautifully modelled

and they have got blue enamel backgrounds to them

and small diamond chips around the outside of the central diamonds

which are probably 0.2-0.3 of a carat each.

So, yes, they're real diamonds.

Yes, it's a pretty brooch.

I think you've done the right thing by bringing it along to Flog It.

The only thing is we need to ascertain some sort of value.

Any ideas?

I just presumed it looks very old.

I don't know what it's worth.

I don't know its history.

So I'm just hoping that it will make a lot of money for the hospice.

I think it's mid-19th century so it's maybe 150 years old.

When it was made into a brooch, it's difficult to tell.

I suspect some considerable time ago.

-I think the value should be between £200-£300.

-Wow!

Which is better than putting it in the window with a fiver on it.

Bearing in mind that it's been donated to the hospice,

when it's up for auction,

we should protect it with a reserve price.

But not too high. We don't want to put people off.

My view would be for an auctioneer

to put an estimate of £200-£300 on it with a reserve of 150.

OK. I'm just hoping that it will go to someone

who loves the item.

-I think so. Thank you very much.

-My pleasure.

Peter, thanks for bringing these two George Best annuals along.

Before we talk about these,

you're gonna do something nice with the money.

I'd like to donate the proceeds to charity.

-Lovely.

-While George sadly passed away a few months ago,

I thought if it helped anyone else who was in the same situation...

That's a lovely idea. These, you had, when you were a lad in 1968-69.

I'm a Manchester lad, you know.

-Yeah?

-Me and my brother used to watch George Best on the black-and-white telly.

-And Old Trafford.

-And Old Trafford, yeah.

The nice thing about these is that you got George to sign them.

Now, these are not as old as 1968 and 69, are they, the signatures?

-No.

-Tell me how you got them signed.

-George signed them in 1999 at a sportsman's dinner.

-Right.

He was so courteous, I just asked him if he'd sign them

and he signed them straight to me.

Really nice guy, so easy.

So easy to talk to.

And he signed them, "Best wishes to Pete, George Best."

-Yeah.

-Marvellous.

-It was lovely to meet him.

There are a lot of people in the football-collecting fraternity

that'll want George Best's signature.

And I think that makes these special.

-The books themselves are not particularly rare or wonderful.

-No.

These are fantastic photographs as well, of George in full flow.

Don't think they're worth a fortune, but they're rather nice.

The fact George Best's signed them makes them interesting.

I don't know if you've got an idea of value,

but I think these are gonna be worth around about £50-£60,

something like that.

I didn't think they'd be that much.

-They're gonna make that and more, probably.

-Yeah?

-For the two.

-That'd be great.

And you're happy to go in and get what we can for them?

Well, the money can go to the charity and help someone else.

Great. That's a really nice idea.

-We'll get as much as we can for you.

-Thank you very much.

Dennis, I've got one question for you.

-Does it work?

-Yes.

And you've played with it lots of times, presumably?

Well, the sons played with it, but I had a go with it.

Did you buy it, originally, for your son?

No, it was... It was the nephew's and he had it about 1960.

Do you think that he bought it new?

He bought it new, definitely. My sister bought it. I do know that.

I think, looking at it, it's 1960s.

I've looked at the front, it's made in Japan.

Having said that, it's well made. It's tin plate, it isn't plastic.

-It's a quality toy. It's a huge shame that the box isn't there.

-I know.

Well, when they gave it to us,

the box was nearly falling in

and in them days, nobody bothered about that.

It's only that you learn, lately...

So important in things like that,

because it is the rarity value, you know?

There might be a few thousand of these, I dare say there are few about with their boxes.

It's been well-kept, obviously, because the old batteries...

I always take batteries out of anything in case the...

Number one thing for people to remember.

-I know.

-Take the batteries out or they corrode.

That's right and they spoil them.

Absolutely, yeah. Would you set it going for me, Dennis?

I'm gonna be intrigued. Does he talk?

-No, he doesn't talk.

-He just walks?

What a novel way of starting it.

-It is, isn't it?

-In with the antennae and off we go!

Oh, I think he's splendid. What's going in the front there?

It's the universe going round and round.

I must look at that. Can you turn him round so he can walk towards me?

-I'll put the glasses on.

-Oh, he's turned!

Steady!

Oh, I say. That's rather exciting.

Star Wars!

Oh, I've seen more than enough of that. I think it's great.

What made you bring him along today?

Well, I thought with it being one of those in the '60s and that

and I've seen on the telly before.

What do you think it's worth?

Around 100.

I think that that toy, with its box, is £200-£300.

I think, without its box, it's between one and two.

I think you should be safe at your £100 mark.

Yeah, I thought about that.

And frankly, I think, you know, if we put it in at 100 to 200, reserve at £100, perhaps,

with a little bit of discretion.

My view is it's not worth selling without reserve

because if it isn't worth £100 now, it will be in five years' time

because things like this are becoming more and more collectible, especially in this condition.

So I think we will bang it in the auction, 100-200,

and with a decent auctioneer and a decent bidder or two,

I think it will walk along nicely.

You never know what you're gonna find at one of our valuation days,

that's the beauty of it.

I've just had some memories of my schoolboy days which have come flooding back to me

because, as I used to walk home from school, first thing you do when you get in is put the telly on.

I used to watch Sooty and Sweep and here they are.

Look at that, lovely glove puppets made by Chad Valley in the 1960s.

Sweep seems to be enjoying himself,

but Sooty, he's telling me one of our experts has just found something very interesting.

Brenda, now, there are teapots and there are teapots,

but this is a smashing teapot.

-It is, yes.

-How did you get this?

It's handed down from my great-great-grandparents.

-So it's an inheritance?

-Yes.

The unusual thing about this is most young sailors have got two legs,

but half of them are legless most of the time, aren't they?

We turn him round... And look! Lo and behold, he's got a third leg.

This was made for a china retailer in Douglas, Isle of Man.

-He's a very collectible model of teapot.

-Right.

He was made, probably, in the 1880s, 1890s, I would think.

If we take his top off and look at the bottom...

That was the retailer, really.

-This was, I think, was made in Staffordshire for that retailer, William Broughton.

-Yes.

It's a well known model and teapot collectors like the unusual.

-This is unusual, isn't it?

-Yes.

-I've sold several models of this in the past.

-Have you?

-Yes.

It's made of majolica, which is an English type of pottery, and it is a lead-glazed earthenware.

-Yes.

-And you get these lovely soft coloured glazes.

And the important thing is he's in nice condition.

-He's all there, isn't he?

-Yes. No chips.

-No chips yet, no.

Well, I think we would go in with an estimate of maybe £250 to £350.

-Right.

-That's an attractive estimate.

I think we're playing it safe with that.

-I can see it pipping that price.

-Yes.

It's going in a good sale. Marshall's of Knutsford do well with ceramics.

-We'll put a fixed reserve of 250.

-OK.

-Doesn't make that, you don't wanna sell it.

-That's fine.

I think he will go on a bit, you know.

I think he'll sell really well. We've had good money for this model before.

Thank you very much.

It's a real mixed bag for our first set of lots,

from footy to teapots and diamonds to robots.

Let's see how they all do at auction,

which today is at Frank Marshall and Co in Knutsford.

And the auctioneer is our very own Adam Partridge.

Brenda's novelty Isle of Man majolica teapot.

Nigel's put £250 to £300 on him.

Will he run away with his three legs at that figure?

I think we'll beat the estimate, probably.

-The major word is the majolica, isn't it?

-Yeah, that's where the collectors are.

Majolica suffers a lot of damage. This is in good condition.

Superb for its age.

It's not my personal taste, but I can appreciate it because it's quirky,

it's a novelty teapot, it's majolica, it's gonna do well.

I think we're gonna be 300 to 500, shall we say?

-Do you think he will do the five?

-It's not out of the question.

And I haven't looked at my bids or anything.

Have you seen one of these in your sale room before?

-I've not had one through these rooms, but I have seen one somewhere before.

-Oh, well, fingers crossed.

This could do £500, that's what we're hoping for.

-Could do.

-Could do.

We'll see how the three-legged teapot does a bit later,

but first up, it's our two-legged robot.

At 100 to 200, I think this robot's certainly gonna go out of orbit,

that's for sure.

These are so collectible.

We've seen it on telly before.

If it was a 1950s one, you're looking at 800-1200.

I think we'll do a bit more than Charlie's estimate.

It's in good condition, it's a bit of fun.

I think all the sci-fi and all the Star Trekkies will love this.

It's a boy's toy, isn't it?

-And it works well.

-It does.

But I'm not the world's expert on Japanese toys.

-Shame it's been hidden away for 30 odd years, up in the back room.

-But it isn't a shame, is it?

No, that's a virtue,

-because if you'd been playing with it, it wouldn't work any more.

-No.

-It wouldn't be worth anything.

-No.

Let's see what it does right now because this is it.

207, the Japanese robot.

There we are. At £100 for this.

30's bid. Five? 40, five? 50?

£50 I have. Five, 60? Five, 70?

Five, 80, five?

80 bid. £80, any more?

£80. At £80, any more for this one?

£80, surely?

Five, 90. Five, 100. Five?

That was close, wasn't it?

At £100 we sell, at £100.

We got it. We just did it.

-Just about made it.

-We just did it.

-Scraped in.

-There's no modern-day collectors here, are there?

-They need their boxes.

-Yes.

-Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-That's true.

Most, well, a third of the value is in the box, isn't it?

-Never mind.

-Most of the ones that sell do have good boxes.

-What are you gonna put the 100 quid towards?

-Well, the son...

We'll split it with the son. He gets £50 for a holiday, ours is for our golden wedding.

Enjoy it.

50 years. Thank you.

Coming up now, two signed George Best annuals belonging to Peter.

We're looking for £40-£50, a good cause, the money's going to what?

-The British Liver Trust.

-Fantastic.

When I was growing up, I wanted to be George Best.

I watched him play not for Manchester United but for Fulham,

-when he played a little while at Fulham.

-With Rodney Marsh, yes.

With Rodney Marsh and Bobby Moore and he scored a goal.

Everybody wanted to be George Best and what a great-looking man.

Will we get the top end?

You should do, erm...

They sold a pair of his boots at auction last week, signed boots,

and they made over 4,000.

-Gosh... Gosh, football memorabilia is big business.

-But I don't know.

We're in the right place.

We're just outside Manchester.

Let's see if we can hit the back of the net.

Two hardback copies of George Best's Soccer Annual and Annual Number Two.

They're both signed and inscribed to Pete.

Handy if your name's Pete, this lot.

£50.

30! 30 bid, five now? 35, is there 40?

At £35, £35, 40, 45, 50...

55. 60?

65. 70?

75. 80?

-There's some bidding, this is good.

-Great.

85 here, 85, all done £85?

We'll sell these at £85.

-Yes, that's a good result, £85. Brilliant.

-That's what we like.

Yeah, double tops.

We have a real Turkish delight for you right now on the show,

because I introduce to you Fatima,

and this is a gorgeous little blue enamel diamond brooch

which was donated to the hospice you work for, St Anne's.

I work for St Anne's Hospice, so it came to my attention and here I am.

So you brought it along to Flog It wanting a valuation,

which you duly got from Charlie Ross here, £200-300, were you surprised?

I was, actually. I wasn't expecting that much price.

I knew they were diamonds, but I didn't know anything about it.

-It's a gorgeous-looking thing, Charlie.

-It's very pretty.

Although it's a gorgeous item to look at, it might well be converted into something else.

It might get broken up for the stones,

two earrings and a nose stud, perhaps.

-Or a belly button.

-Yeah!

Turkish, yes, absolutely.

Oh, what a great cause, though. What is St Anne's Hospice? Who do they really collect for?

Erm... They look after people who have life-threatening illnesses.

OK, cancers, leukaemia...

That's right and we have to raise £16,000 a day.

£16,000 a day! Well, let's hope we can add £300-400 to it, shall we?

-We need a few more brooches!

-Right, let's get to work. We have business to do.

Good luck, Fatima, this is it.

A Victorian diamond-set brooch,

a couple of hundred, a couple of hundred. 100, then.

£100 for this little brooch.

£100 anywhere?

100 bid, 10, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150.

150 in the room, then, 150, we sell at 150.

Oh, come on, a bit more.

At £150...

-E57.

-The hammer's gone down, £150.

-That's about my reserve.

-Squeaked in, just squeaked in.

A little bit disappointing.

But nevertheless, a good find for the hospice, wasn't it?

-Exactly.

-Somebody was very generous to donate that.

Absolutely, and I'm quite glad,

and on behalf of the St Anne Hospice, I'd like to thank both of you as well.

-Thank you very much.

-It's a pleasure.

How much would you have asked for it if you'd put it in the shop?

Well, we'd probably put it at half of the price.

-£60 or £70.

-It is an extra £60, so I am quite glad.

-Thank you very much.

-Oh, thank you.

-Great to see you again. Who's this, your husband?

-Jack.

Hello. Jack's come to witness the moment.

We're just about to flog the majolica Isle of Man teapot, the Manx man.

Now, we're looking at 250, hopefully 350 for this.

I had a chat with the auctioneer earlier, Nigel doesn't know this,

but he seems to think it will probably do twice that.

So it's majolica, fantastic condition,

and it's rare, isn't it?

Is majolica selling well at the moment?

It's a little bit flat. It sort of goes up and down a bit, really.

Is that a bullish estimate by Adam?

-You're quite confident.

-He's bullish, but there we are.

We're gonna find out, because it's going under the hammer right now. Good luck, this is it.

A novelty teapot in the form of a three-legged sailor

seated upon a coil of rope, the one leg forms the spout.

There we go, a lovely description, if I may say so. Lot 273, erm...

A range of interest again.

I'll start with interest at 220 bid, 220. Any more now?

230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, and 10? 320, 330?

330 yours, 330, any more on this one?

£330! At 330...

Are you all finished, then, at 330, the bid's in the room at 330...

Yes, the hammer's gone down, you were right.

I'm sorry, I built that up too much, didn't I?

All this 3-5, 5-7 stuff, but it's gone now.

-Yes, that's good.

-That was a good result.

What will you put the money towards?

-We're going to have a painting restored.

-Oh, really?

A portrait, the teapot belonged to the lady, actually.

Oh, that's nice, isn't it? That's really nice.

Good luck and thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Nigel...

-Ye of little faith! I had it right all along.

He knows his onions, doesn't he?

About 150 years ago, this whole area pulsed with the heartbeat

of the Industrial Revolution, which was pounding away at full throttle.

The coal, the clay and the salt industries

were the lifeblood of the societies which lived around here,

sculpting the landscape and driving the country into an era full of promise.

The canals of northern England became an important method of transporting goods.

Travelling by boat was quick and easy compared with the older methods,

such as horse and cart,

and there was less chance of pottery getting damaged during the trip.

But sometimes the lie of the land wasn't always the way the canal builders wanted it to be.

For example, the Trent and Mersey Canal is 50 feet higher than the River Weaver.

So how did those ingenious Victorian canal builders solve the problem

of getting one boat from one level to another?

Simple - they just built a huge lift.

The Anderton Boat Lift has been described as the cathedral of the canals.

It was the world's first boat lift.

Originally built in 1875, it would transport 150 boats a day,

going up and down every three minutes.

With the advent of the railway systems

and a decline in industry in the 20th century,

the boat lift became primarily a tourist attraction,

but even that wasn't enough to keep it open

and sadly in 1983 it was closed down.

What followed is one of the most remarkable restoration projects British Waterways has ever seen

and I'm meeting up with lift manager Andy Whitehouse to learn a bit more.

What sort of condition was it in when it was first shut down?

The lift itself was in poor condition.

British Waterways had to close it immediately.

It needed a lot of money spending on it.

It had not a lot of maintenance work done over a number of years

and it was basically deemed as unsafe in some respects

so it was closed down immediately.

It's a monstrous thing, isn't it?!

How much money did it cost to restore?

-In total, it was around about £7 million.

-Gosh!

There was a number of bodies -

British Waterways, Heritage Lottery and the local community,

they put a tremendous effort in to get the money required.

-They raised £1 million themselves?

-£1 million from local community.

That's people power, pulling together and restoring your favourite monument.

Look after your heritage, because it is YOUR heritage. That's what's so important.

I can't wait to see how this works.

How long will the whole operation take from start to finish?

We're at the first stage, we're in the aqueduct.

This is almost like the first stage of the lift itself.

We're waiting for the gates to be lifted up to allow us to sail into the tanks.

The gates'll close behind us and we'll have a slow journey to the lower level.

We're now embraced by great lumps of steel in the hub of this lift.

What happens next?

Right, we're actually in the lift now.

What's happening now is the guy at the top is emptying the interspace

so it separates this tank from the rest of the lift

and then we'll go into the lower sequence.

The caisson on the other side will counterbalance it and bring the other one back up

-so that we're lowered down.

-One goes down, one comes up.

CLANKING AND RUMBLING

We're on the move, I can feel it.

We're just now ebbing our way down to the lower level.

We're not now part of either the river or the canal.

We've separated the tank from the canal.

We're now no longer part of either.

-We're in no man's land.

-As soon as we hit the bottom, the gates are open,

and then we'll be able to sail out in whichever direction we want to go.

Stoke's that way, where all the potteries are.

-We've got Cheshire and the salt mines.

-Correct.

You can get on the Manchester Ship Canal.

Yeah, eventually you can make your way to the Manchester Ship Canal.

These vessels carried a lot of cargo,

whether it was salt, china, clay, whatever.

Were they allowed to travel on the lift with a full load?

It doesn't matter about the weight.

The tanks themselves hold 250 tons of water,

so you've got the Archimedes theory of water displacement

so you could stick as much weight in there as you want.

It'll displace its own weight in water and take you down through the lift.

The caisson has just passed us so that's on its way up.

That will be taking those boaters up to the top level.

We're making our way to the lower area.

This tank will park down onto the lower river.

So the gate'll lift up and we can sail out and get on with our journey.

A nice smooth passage.

It really does sum up the Industrial Revolution, doesn't it,

-in all its sort of grinding and jangling glory.

-Fantastic.

It's magnificent, it's glorious.

Right, the gates are up and all locked in position,

so we can now sail out into the river and off we go.

-We're gonna get wet!

-We're getting wet!

-Isn't that fantastic?

-You can see the lift itself is leaning to the left because of the caissons.

Wow!

What a super structure.

The Anderton Boat Lift is a unique part of our heritage

and it's so easy to see why they nicknamed that the cathedral of the canals.

It's a symbol of Victorian ingenuity

and it also shows that when enough people get together

with the willpower to restore an ancient monument,

the sky really is the limit.

Edwina, every now and again we get something on Flog It

which has wonderful quality and is unusual

and this is one of those things.

-Right.

-I think it's marvellous. I'm intrigued to know where it came from.

-Well, it came from my mother's side of the family.

-Right.

Because her grandfather is a sea captain.

-Was a sea captain?

-Yes.

Now, I don't know whether that was given to him or presented to him.

I don't really know.

Was he in the Royal Navy or the Merchant Navy?

I don't really know that.

I've got a feeling this has got more of a Merchant Navy look about it

and it's got to be a one-off, I think.

-Yes.

-This sort of quality was not just issued to everybody.

-No.

It's silver, it's in the form of a capstan,

and it is a buckle, which no doubt you know.

-Yes.

-And it's got this wonderful enamelwork on the front here

with this Scottish lion on a shield,

and I suppose we're hoping it's going to be made in Scotland,

which it isn't.

Made in Birmingham, which you can tell from the hallmark on it.

The anchor tells you it was made in Birmingham.

-My son told me that.

-Oh, right!

-It's got a letter marked there for 1894, so it's Victorian.

-Victorian.

And... Now, there is some other writing on there

and that's the retailer, Stewart of Glasgow.

-Oh, right.

-It's quite chunky, isn't it?

-It is, really.

Fabulous quality.

But do you know anything about this emblem?

Not at all, no, I don't know any...

My mother's never told me.

And why are you thinking of selling it?

Well, it stayed in a drawer at my mother's for many, many years

and now I've inherited it.

At the minute, it's in a bag in the bottom of my wardrobe.

Value...

-Any ideas?

-Not at all.

-Not a clue?

-Not a clue.

No, it's not an easy thing to value.

-I'm gonna put a value on it of between £100-200.

-Oh, right.

Yeah...

-Pleasantly surprised?

-I certainly am.

£100 or £200, a reserve of £100 on it.

-It's certainly not worth selling for any less.

-No.

So if we can turn it into 100 or 200, what's that going to go towards?

At the moment, er...

I'm thinking of having my grandmother's grave redone.

-Right.

-That's where it came from, the buckle.

I look forward to that doing well at the sale.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-Right, thank you.

Mike, this is fantastic!

This is boys' art, this is a collage for men.

I can see this on my wall, but I wouldn't be allowed to buy it.

But I think it's stunning. Tell me how you came across this.

It's been in the family for a long time, at least two generations.

It's been on my office wall for 20 years.

I think it's time to get rid of it.

-It's time to get rid of it.

-I've seen enough of it.

I think it's great, it's a work of art, it's absolutely brilliant.

Do you know much about the firm at all?

It's M and W, which is Moore and Wright, Sheffield steel,

the best steel in the world.

Very well respected engineering company making tools.

-That's still going, isn't it?

-They're still trading now.

How did you come by this?

I think the family business used to sell these tools.

So this was on display in the shop

and you could order up number 66

and you got yourself a pair of callipers.

-That's right, yes.

-Precision instruments, beautifully made.

We've got callipers, dividers, compasses, feeler gauges.

All sorts of assortments of screw drivers, different nail punches,

set squares, chuck keys.

Oh, my word!

-That's every schoolboy's dream.

-Yes.

If you broke these down individually,

there's probably about, what, £10 per tool in there?

But I just like the way they are displayed.

I think that's incredible.

I like the marketing.

It's nice to see marketing done this way.

It is, yes. It belongs in a Design Museum,

or a museum of a bygone era,

like a heritage museum, something like that.

It'll be interesting to see what the market is on this one.

It'll definitely suit an old engineer, an old tool-maker,

somebody like that.

-Have you any idea of value?

-I've none at all.

I don't really know either. I've not come across anything like this before. It is unusual.

But I'd like to think it's worth £200-£300 of anybody's money,

especially in the American market,

if they could see something like that. They go potty for tools.

We should get in touch with Moore and Wright to see if they're interested.

-I've already e-mailed them.

-You have?

-What did they say?

-They said, "Put it on eBay."

So we came to see you today.

Well, I'm so pleased you brought that in.

I've not seen anything like that for a long time

and I think we're going to sell that.

£200-£300, fixed reserve at 200.

-Happy?

-Yes, very. Yep. Excellent.

-Let's do it.

Well, we go from a piece of Gothic Victorian design

to a piece of 1930s kitsch, really.

Do you like these?

I do like them, yes, yes.

Of their type, they're very good examples.

-And you've had a peek underneath?

-Yes, we have.

-And we know they're Carlton.

-Carltonware is a trade name

used by Wiltshaw and Robinson in Stoke-on-Trent.

You can see the black printed mark,

quite a small mark there, Carltonware.

The other marks are pattern numbers, design numbers and so on.

The particular mark on the bottom of these would date them post-1925

so I think they're probably into the '30s, these.

It's a type of Carltonware that sells well.

They made a whole host of different things, but these are nicely decorated in lustre.

You've got this sort of pseudo Chinese-inspired design

which was popular in the '20s and '30s on these lustre-decorated wares.

Quite vibrant, aren't they?

They're quite vibrant, quite wacky. I love that lime-green, don't you?

-It's a lovely colour.

-And they've got this lovely lustrous glaze,

which was very popular then.

And you think about Wedgwood in the '20s making fairyland lustre

which was the Rolls-Royce of this type of stuff.

Other factories came in and copied that style.

-It was fashionable at the time.

-Very fashionable.

Lovely shapes,

slightly asymmetrical shapes which I think are good fun.

We sell these things very well at the moment.

We put them into specialist sales and that sort of thing.

-They're popular, are they?

-Very commercial.

When I started doing this job 30 years ago, nobody wanted it.

But now, young people collect Carltonware.

So, I would think in terms of value, we're looking at about £150-£250.

For the two?

For the two. I would see them making somewhere around a couple of hundred.

-Right.

-Would you be happy to sell them for that?

-Yes. Yes.

Why have you decided to sell them now? What's spurred you on?

I've got quite a lot of pottery and I do watch Flog It a lot.

So I had a little sort-out

and I decided that these two would be OK to bring along.

Have you owned them a long time?

I've had them for about 30 years.

-Have you? Right.

-Yes.

They were Grandma's.

Apparently, Grandma said that my sister and I were to have one each.

But we'd prefer it if Mum treated herself to something

and enjoyed it now.

-I don't want to see them split up.

-Would Grandma have bought them new?

-No. They were passed down.

-They were passed down to her, were they?

Well, we'll put them in with a fixed reserve of 150

if you're happy with that.

-Yes. That's fine.

-I think they'll make a bit more.

-Good.

-Have you got the money earmarked for something?

-I'll treat myself to something.

-Handbags are her favourite.

-Handbags?

£200 will buy you a smart handbag.

It will, won't it? I've got my eye on one.

We've got some kitsch Carltonware,

some handsome hand tools and a super silver buckle.

But which one will be the high-flyer at auction? Let's find out.

Adam, I know what you're thinking, what has Paul picked now?

This is one of mine and you know it is!

I'm not surprised it's yours.

It's got the look and for me, when I see something like that,

it just makes me smile so much. It really does.

Puts a big grin on my face.

Belongs to Mike. It's part of his family's social history.

They had an ironmongers shop. They sold tools.

This is one of the display cabinets in the shop.

So, it's from his bygone era, really. I love it.

It's a real man's piece. £200-£300.

That has got to be a bargain!

It's a great display, but what would you do with it?

-Put it on the wall and appreciate it!

-Would you? At home?

-You've got to have the right...

-In the shed!

No, not in the shed!

If it was in the shed, you'd probably start using some of the punches and screwdrivers.

No, in a hallway.

I know you're going to laugh,

-but in a loo, somewhere like that.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

Yeah, you're right.

I suppose so.

It's been very well admired, more than I expected.

-It is a bit of a boy's lot.

-Exactly. Boys' toys.

It's got the look.

And it's got the price as well. So, get on the rostrum and get flogging.

OK.

Wandering around an auction house just before a sale,

you can stumble across all sorts of things

that can tell us so much about our history.

The Great Fire of London brought devastation and loss

to all the City's finest craftsmen.

They lost their workshops, their wood stocks and their tools.

They just couldn't work. Now, there was a great need to rebuild.

The rich and the wealthy had to furnish their homes.

So they went shopping abroad

and this is the sort of thing they would buy.

It's a walnut-veneered chest on stand.

It's from Holland, but look at the veneering.

It's totally different to how the English would have veneered.

This is known as oyster veneering. It's a lovely walnut chest.

If you can see here,

these little oyster shapes are literally branches sawn through,

then glued like a veneer onto an oak carcass.

Now, look at the work that's gone into that.

It's known as oyster veneering

because they look relatively like oyster shells.

Look at the annual rings here.

That is typical of the Dutch craftsmen.

That must have taken ages.

Now, something like that in auction is going to set you back £2,000-£3,000.

Edwina, you've had this buckle a long time.

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

You're not going to own it for much longer.

It's absolutely gorgeous.

You've got a picture of the buckle's owner, a sea captain.

Can we have a look?

There he is. What was his name?

-George.

-And you've had the buckle for the last 20 years?

-Yes.

-Were you happy with John's valuation?

-I was. I was amazed.

Charlie was happy to value it for you.

It's his favourite item of the day.

It's a beautiful thing. A bit of real quality.

It really is. It's delightful.

The way the capstan is modelled is splendid.

And there's a fair bit of silver here,

we know the silver dealers are here cos Charlie spotted them earlier.

So, fingers crossed.

When I was talking to them about it, they wouldn't say anything at all.

Oh? They kept shtoom, didn't they?

Good luck. Well, all the talking's over with.

Let's belt up, let's flog the buckle. This is it.

Silver and enamel belt buckle, there it is there, lot 518, £100 for it?

£100, 100 bid.

10 now, and £100 take 10.

£100, £100. 10. £120.

130? Yes, 130. 140?

130 on my left, 130. Any more now?

-A bit more, a bit more. We need a bit more.

-£130. All done, 130...

-130.

-That's very good, really.

-It's gone, isn't it?

-It has, but I was only after £20 for that.

Oh, so you're very happy. You look disappointed.

Who offered you £20 for that?

A lady who came to me to look through my mother's things.

-My son said don't let her have it.

-The rotter.

I have to say, I am afraid, a trifle disappointed.

I thought it was so lovely. But it's quite a limited thing, isn't it?

-How many people collect buckles?

-That's right.

The two Carltonware pots, they belong to Alice.

-You brought them in with your daughter Linda, didn't you?

-I did.

Linda can't be here today,

but we've got Diana, your other daughter,

who has a villa in Florida.

-That's where you're off on holiday, isn't it?

-Yes.

Ooh, that's nice!

I wish we could come.

Will we get the top end for these two Carltonware pots?

-I think we will.

-Yeah?

-Yes.

Hot on the market at the moment. I'm confident.

Good luck. Let's hope we get you some spending money

because your little Carltonware pots are going under the hammer now.

A pair of Carltonware vases,

brightly enamelled in the heron and magical tree pattern.

There we go, we looked it all up and did our research.

-As a result, we've got loads of bids.

-Loads of bids, Alice.

310 to start.

-Oh, that's a good start.

-20 next, please.

20 somewhere? At 310.

320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370,

380, 390, 410, 420, 430.

430. Is there any more?

430. All done?

Yeah, Peter? 430.

At 430 we sell these. The commission bid then at 430...

All done?

-430.

-We're all going, aren't we?

That's very good, isn't it?

-That's brilliant.

-Happy with that, I bet! Ohh, what a result!

Thank you very much for coming and do have a lovely holiday.

Thank you, thank you very much.

I've been looking forward to this one.

It's my favourite one of the show.

Despite what auctioneer Adam Partridge thinks,

this stuff's put a smile on my face

and hopefully a smile on the bidders' faces because this'll go at the top end.

£200-£300 for this lovely collage of tools which really is stunning.

It's my favourite thing.

What have you been doing over the last few weeks?

I've decided to go sailing, long-distance sailing,

and the money from this is going to help buy the safety equipment we need to do that.

What a fantastic voyage!

Hopefully, the money will go towards a life raft or flares

in case you get in distress.

Let's hope you don't need that.

-Right now, this is your lot, good luck.

-Next up is 52.

Oh, here it is, look, showing there!

There we go, a nice glazed case of...

Oh, go on Mike, say goodbye to it in style.

I've carried it so many times.

..tools there.

-Mike is now the porter.

-Moore and Wright of Sheffield.

What a lovely lot.

Lot 52. Some interest on commission.

I can start straight in at £200.

Take 10. At £200. Who's going on 10?

220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270,

280, 290, 300, 310. Who's going on?

At £300. 310, 320, 330, 340, 350,

360, 370, 380, 390,

400, 410, 420, 430.

430 on the phone, is there 440?

At 430, 440, 450.

460, 470. 480.

470 on the phone. 480, 490.

500. 490 on the phone.

£490, all finished now. At 490...

Hammer's gone down. £490.

Thank you very much, porters. Wow!

Wave goodbye to that, Mike.

And say hello to 490 quid.

That's lovely. That's great!

-That will definitely go towards the voyage.

-Definitely.

-Sad moment seeing that go?

-Er, no.

Can't make up his mind, really.

-You must have a few more bits at home?

-That's right.

-And lots of memories which you can't take away.

-That's right.

-I've got a picture of it.

-Thanks.

More often than not Adam Partridge, who's up there on the rostrum,

is here on the saleroom floor with me.

True to form, he's done remarkably well today for us.

We've got some cracking prices.

My favourite item had to be Mike's lovely display of tools.

What a lovely ending to the day!

£490. Cracking result.

He's now off on his maiden voyage.

I hope you enjoyed the show. See you next time for lots more on Flog It!

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