Cambridge Flog It!

Today I've graduated to Cambridge University,

and when you're here, the only way you can get about properly is on your bike!

BELL RINGS

I know what you're thinking, "Go on, get on your bike, Paul!"

What a fantastic queue we've got here today!

And looking cool on their bicycle made for two, our experts, Elizabeth Talbot and James Lewis.

Now it's time to shift up a gear, as they have their work cut out,

sorting through all the antiques and collectibles

brought here to the University Arms Hotel by this enormous crowd.

Now, Violet, tell me, these figures, are these things that you've had since a child?

Oh, no! I bought them in a very smart china shop about 40 years ago,

I think, and I know it's Worcester,

-and it was...is a collection of six figures.

-Yeah, absolutely.

-I think there were six.

-Freda Doughty was one artist.

-That's right.

-Yeah, she's the designer.

She worked at Worcester from 1930, and she was one of the most prolific decorators

and designer's modellers that work at Worcester,

and she's a fantastic craftsman.

-And just look at the modelling here on the face.

-Yes.

-The figure just comes to life.

-Yeah.

And Royal Worcester was going through difficult times when she joined,

and she was one of the artists who saved the Royal Worcester factory from financial destruction.

So she was an important figure, and she did days of the week, months of the year, all these

different series, and this one is called - if we turn it over, there we are - "Modelled by F Doughty,"

Worcester mark, and inscribed, "Woodland Dance."

And this figure was produced from right early on in her time,

from 1934 right the way through until the 1960s.

And you would think that that was the same, wouldn't you?

-Yeah.

-But not only is it not by Freda Doughty, it's not even Royal Worcester.

-No, I know.

Paragon, but again it's a good figure, but I have never

-seen a Paragon figure like that, so we're gonna be on a learning curve together with this one.

-Oh, well.

-This one we see a lot of.

-Do you?

-They make at auction something like £70-100.

-That's right.

-So on this one, 70-100 is an estimate, and I would put a reserve of £70 on her.

-Yeah?

I think we ought to put them as consecutive lots, and put maybe... What do you think?

-An estimate of £60-100 on this little chap?

-Yes, yeah, yeah.

You've had them for a long time, why do you want to sell them now?

For the simple reason, I have quite a lot of bits and pieces of china, and I've been going to

antique fairs for years, and I begin to think,

"Well, at my age, what's the good of me keeping all this

"blessed stuff in the place? I might as well get rid of some."

Certain things, I've given away... You know what I mean, you get a bit cluttered up.

-So let's take them to the auction and see how we do.

-Yes,

it's ever so nice of you, very nice. Nice to see you. Thanks ever so much.

What a wonderfully vibrant picture, June.

What can you tell me about this?

Erm... Well, yes, it certainly does have a wow factor,

and every time I look at it, it does take my breath away.

I can only go back about 12 years on this one.

It stood in my mother-in-law's home over the mantelpiece,

and when I first was introduced to my husband to be,

I just looked at the picture, and I just fell in love with it because of

the colour, the vibrancy, it's just so beautiful.

Unfortunately, Mother-in-law died,

and we didn't get married until after she'd died, so basically I was given

the picture as a wedding present, because he knew how much I loved it.

And that was about eight years ago.

You can trace it back 12 years.

I think it dates from the 1950s, possibly from the late 1940s,

but stylistically it borrows heavily from the works of Degas, and also from Dame Laura Knight.

Now, I see there's a signature here, it is actually signed.

Now, I can't discern whether that says "Moz Kay..."?

My first impression is that it probably was "Mozlay"...

then looking at it again I thought it was "Mozkay".

I think the best thing to do would be to ask the auctioneers

to do some research and see if they can come up with anything.

I would love to know who actually painted it, yes, I would.

But I think almost one would say, irrespective

of that, it has a worth of its own because it is such a lovely picture.

It's actually watercolour mixed with pastels, so you get a very

-sort of thick impasto build-up of layers almost.

-Impasto.

Very three-dimensional, which adds to the sort of depth of the picture.

It's also very sketchy, some parts of the paper are left totally blank,

which is quite exciting.

And I think it will appeal to ballet lovers, but also it fits

nicely into the post-war artistic era that is so popular at the moment.

But it was your mother-in-law's. Was she a ballet dancer or interested in ballet?

No, I don't think she quite had the stature to be a ballet dancer, not at any time.

What I would say is that there were ballerina pictures everywhere.

-Well, I'm sure that crowned her collection probably.

-Oh, yes, yes.

-So you're thinking of selling it.

-I am indeed.

So why have you got to that stage now?

Well, when I first got married, the first thing I wanted to do was hang it on the wall.

It stood there for some time, and then I took it down because

I changed the decor in the house, so it didn't fit.

And it had come from a big house to a small semi-detached, and it just...

It was incongruous, it didn't fit in, and it stayed

in the spare room with a blanket over it, which is such a shame.

-It is a shame, it is a shame.

-It should be shown.

Bearing in mind it has very many areas of appeal, I think it would

do well to sell for somewhere between £400 and £600. I think that would be

realistic and a good price for it.

-Good.

-You'd be happy?

I would be happy with that, yes. And we'll place a reserve of 400.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Sue, when I saw you carry this in, I thought, "Mmm,

"could it be...

"a letterbox, or could it be...

"let me think now, something like a knife box?"

But when we open this up, there's a big surprise in here.

-There is, yes.

-Da-da, da-da...

It's an early radio.

-It's got a lovely mahogany case.

-It has.

-How did you come by this?

It belonged to my partner's grandfather.

-Right.

-And it's been in their house since he was a small child.

And why have you brought it in?

Well...we're going to get married in the summer,

and we decided we'd try and sell some of our grandparents' antiques,

things that we've got cluttering up our house,

-to put towards the wedding.

-Right.

And it's a bit big, and it doesn't quite fit at home.

-It's an odd thing, isn't it?

-It is.

It does look like a knife box, you expect to open it up and see lots of silver fruit knives or something

like that or sections to put letters, a nice piece of Victoriana.

But it is in fact 1920s to 1930s,

and it's a crystal radio, and I think it's absolutely superb.

And we've even got another surprise in here - that's a little drawer,

and there's a set of headphones, and these, I bet, are in working order, because they look pretty good to me.

We've never actually tried to have it working but...

I wouldn't like to either!

You've got to attach the headphones to these two terminals here.

Obviously, this is the tuner,

and it says here, "Type approved by the Postmaster-General for BBC,"

so how about that for a seal of approval? You can't get any better.

But isn't it lovely? And the crystal would go in here.

You'd have a tiny box that went in there with some replacement crystal,

like a little ball, which you obviously need to replace.

Obviously here this terminal would allow you to attach an aerial, which you'd probably

have to drape around the room, which might be six or seven feet long to pick up a good reception.

-Oh, right, OK, we haven't got that.

-Value? Crikey...

With the headphones, because people do buy

the headphones separately, they might be worth around about £10-15.

OK, it's good job we've got those.

I think this is possibly worth about £40-60, but if we combine the two,

obviously they belong together, and we'd put a value of £50-90 on.

OK, that all sounds good.

Do we put a fixed reserve of 50, or do you want to just let it go?

I don't really mind.

OK, let's keep a fixed reserve on it, and if it doesn't sell, I think you've got to keep it.

I don't know what you're gonna do with it.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, I'm happy with that, thank you, Paul.

-Should we flog it?

-Flog it, please.

Now, Ian, when you unpacked these onto the Flog It tables, I got so excited.

They're just fantastic.

When you're talking about history, about objects, antiquities...

Well, you go for it, you know about it, tell us about it.

This is a Roman pot that my father dug up

with a JCB in 1965.

We took it to the Fitzwilliam Museum, where they dated it to...100 AD.

And the scuff marks on it is actually where the back axle of the digger hit the jug, and that's

when my father realised that there was something there, so he stopped, got out and then dug it up by hand.

What a wonderful thing.

-You know, it's amazing that these things survive in such relatively good order.

-Yes.

Now, the thing that I couldn't work out were these three holes in the side.

I mean, obviously it's a storage jar, but what are these holes for?

Right, the museum said that they changed the use of it

by putting these three holes in, and they used it as a hanging basket.

-How amazing.

-The first hanging basket.

-We do think hanging baskets are a modern thing, don't we?

-Let's move on from this.

-Certainly.

Now tell me about that one as well.

This, same scenario, really, my father dug it up with a JCB

at Shelford, which is a little village just down the road, and brought it home because he

thought it was quite nice, and it's just sat in the cupboard ever since.

With early bottles, the most important thing is condition.

-Yes.

-The JCB may well have knocked its top off, but it's a good early 18th-century glass bottle.

It's known as the mallet shape, and you can tell it's been

in the ground for an awful long time, but on the whole it's not bad.

-Now, we need to come to some sort of idea of value.

-Certainly.

Even with their wonderful history, they won't be worth a lot of money.

And selling them together, I think we ought to put

an auction estimate of £60-100 on them, put a reserve of 60 on them, make sure they don't go below that.

And isn't it a crazy world where a Beswick hunting set makes £1,000,

£1,200, and a bit of Roman pottery and a bit of 18th-century glass make £60-100?

But let's hope the people of Cambridge dig deep in their pockets, you might make a bit more.

And it's a real mixed bag for our first set of lots.

There are woodland pixies and beautiful ballerinas,

a crystal radio and a Roman pot,

a lucky survivor considering it was unearthed by a JCB.

For our auctions today, we've come down the road to Cheffins and the auctioneer

has been doing his research on an item which I think will have the bidders doing pirouettes.

My word, I think this is going to fly away at 400-600.

It is lovely, it's a watercolour with a bit of pastel mixed in.

-It belongs to June.

-It's a pretty picture, a good subject, nice, pretty colours, well executed.

Elizabeth didn't know much about the artist on the day.

She couldn't find anything on him.

Well, I looked up Mozley, and the only Mozley we could find was Charles Mozley.

Now, he was born in 1914, Sheffield,

and he was a very prolific sort of post-war artist, both commercially

illustrating, graphic design, and there are some sort of similarities

between his work and this.

There's so much movement in it, the sort of

sweeping and the flowingness of it. I love the colours.

I'm confident we're gonna sell this, I think it'll appeal

to a wide audience, the subject matter, the colours.

Will it do any more than the 600?

His work itself, Mozley, he does oils as well as prints.

About four to six is about the right pitch, yeah, so I think confident we'll get five, maybe 550.

Well, we'll see how the painting does later.

The sale is under way, and first up it's a pair of pixies.

Violet, nearly the moment of truth.

We're gonna find out if James's estimates are spot-on.

We've got the Royal Worcester first, £70-100,

followed by the Paragon, £60-100.

They look like a pair, but they're not. That's why they're split up.

And you bought these how long ago?

Well, as I said, the other piece...one was about 40 years ago,

but the other one is not as long, I can't remember, probably ten years ago, I'm not sure.

Will you be sad to see them go? No...

-Not really.

-Flog 'em!

-I want to get rid of a lot of stuff, in any case.

-You're de-cluttering, aren't you?

I'm getting too old to want to be bothered with all this stuff.

Were you happy with James's valuation?

-Well, yes, I think so.

-"Well, yes, I think so."

I don't really know, I suppose...

That makes two of us!

You're not going to ask me, "What are you going to spend the money on?"

-I'm saving that till afterwards.

-I thought you were.

-That's my big moment.

The Royal Worcester figure there, being shown by Jen, thank you.

The Royal Worcester figure, starting here, any interest at 35, 45?

-I'm bid 50 here, at £50 I'm bid now...

-I'm not worried.

At 50 bid, the bid's here at 50 now.

At 60 here, I've been left five, sir. 70 if you like, £70 the nod.

Left-handed now at £70 now, five elsewhere, yes or no?

I shall sell, then, at £70...

-Just! Just got that one away.

-Just, just, just.

Now, lot 375 is the Paragon figure, there we are, of the pixie.

When you see that, will you start me at what? £60 for that surely, 60.

Well, £30 surely, half price here today.

At £30 bid, at £30 I'm bid, thank you now. At 35, 40, 5, 50...

No, at £50, right-handed at £50, one more might do it, sir.

At £50, shakes head, that won't buy it at £50.

At £50, are you bidding, sir?

I'll take five, all right. At 55 in front, 60, thank you.

At £60 now, you're both out.

It's £60 now, it's right-handed, are you sure, then? At £60...

-Just!

-You must have been clever.

He is clever, he does know his onions, doesn't he?

Well, I've never seen a Paragon figure,

but I said on the valuation day, "I haven't got a clue!"

But it doesn't have the same following as Worcester, but it made just under that, so I mean

-130 for the two, that's fine.

-That's not bad, is it, 130?

No, no, no.

What's that going to be put towards?

Oh...a bag of fish and chips.

Well, I know June's feeling so nervous, aren't you?

Your lot is just about to go under the hammer.

There's no need to be scared, because at £400-600 this is gonna sell.

It's absolutely beautiful.

We had a chat to the auctioneer earlier, and Elizabeth doesn't know this,

but he completely agreed with your valuation, 400-600.

-Excellent, that's a good start.

-It's so beautiful, I love this.

It's got a lot about it, so much movement, the colours are very interesting, and I think up in

Cambridge, where the arts are to the fore, it will be well appreciated.

It reminds me of Dame Laura Knight, and I think this is gonna fly.

Why are you parting with it?

Because I don't think the house that I live in does the painting justice.

Oh, you could find a wall for that.

-I did find a wall, but the wall nearly fell down under the weight.

-Well, it's too late now, isn't it?

Because it's just about to go under the hammer,

it's over there, and young Will Axon is gonna flog it for you.

The Charles Mozley for you there, ballerinas, mixed media.

There we are, Charles Mozley, make no mistake, 235 we're selling you, and I've got interest here at 200...

220, 40, 260, I'm bid at 260 here...

-It's rising!

-The bid's here at 260 now, at 260 now, I can't tempt you?

280, 300, 320, 340?

340, try me again at 340 bid, no?

At 340 bid, at 340, are you bidding?

At £340 I'm bid, one more, yes or no?

At 340, can't tempt you, are you sure?

At 340, 360, give me a nod.

At £340, all it's gonna be, yes or no at 340...

Didn't sell it. I don't believe it.

I built this up, "We're gonna flog this, there's no need to be nervous, there's no need to panic,"

-and we got it wrong.

Right... Next stop, London, I think.

-Another sale on another day.

-Yes.

Yeah, you definitely don't want that on the wall, do you?

Erm... I love it, actually, to be quite honest with you.

Why don't you keep it, then?

Well, for the moment I'll have to, won't I?

-Ian, good luck with this next lot.

-Thank you very much.

Now, your father dug up this, so you could say it's a bit of sort of dug-up treasure, couldn't you?

-Yes, indeed.

-A Roman storage jar...

-Yes.

-18th-century wine bottle...

-Yes.

-Not a lot of value, though, is there? £60-100 for something that is so old.

-That's right, yes.

-Just see what happens.

-These were dug up with a JCB, though...

-They was, yes

-..so it's a bit of luck they didn't get flattened, really, isn't it?

It's the sort of thing that you'll only get one or two people after,

and 99.9% of the population just won't be interested at all.

So we need that 1% here right now.

-We do, we need a historian, don't we?

-Fingers crossed.

Well, we've got a packed room, let's see how it does, shall we? This is your lot, good luck.

Being shown the early 18th-century green glass wine bottle

together with the Roman terracotta pot.

I've got interest here starting at 20, 5, 30 and 5, I'm bid at 35 here.

Interesting lot now at 35, 40, 5, 50, 60... No?

£60, the gentlemen's bid at 60, are you bidding? No.

At 60 in front, gentlemen's bid, are you coming back?

At £60 right in front, then, all done? Are you sure elsewhere at £60?

The hammer's gone down right on the lower end.

-They're not highly sought after, are they? Things that are so old, antiquities, so cheap.

-Yes.

What else has he dug up with a JCB?

Some, erm... A...

A Napoleon coin he dug up with the JCB, and some old...like little

bottles and things like that, nothing as exciting as those two.

-Is he still digging?

-No, he's retired now.

-He's doing a steam engine up now.

-Oh, right, good for him!

Sue, your early crystal radio, now are we tuned into the right frequency at £50-90?

-I think we are, don't you? We're on the right wavelength.

-I hope so.

Well, we've got to, only the money's going towards the wedding, isn't it?

-Yes.

-The pressure's on.

-Yes, it was Jeff's great-grandfather's,

so it'd be nice to have a gift from Grandfather for the wedding.

Well, let's see if it sends out the right waves in the saleroom. Good luck.

The crystal radio set. Interest starts here already at 50, 60, 70...

-Oh, yes... Oh, yes!

-Wow!

-95, 100...

-Wow!

And 10, you're in, sir, now. At 110, both my bidders are out at 110 and 20, 30, 140...

-Oh, gosh.

-150, 160, 170, 180, 190.

You can't leave it like that, sir, at 190, 200. 220...

Oh, they absolutely love it, don't they?

-I can't believe it.

-At 220, are you all done, then? Are you sure, then?

In front at £220...

Bang, the hammer's gone down, what a result!

Do you know, I'm so pleased! I would never have thought.

No, I wouldn't.

I'm so pleased I've got it wrong!

I think because it was complete and the condition was perfect.

Thank you so much for selling, I'm amazed that it got that much money.

I'm thrilled, really pleased.

Thank you.

Somewhere among Cambridge's lofty corridors of learning is a place of peace and tranquillity.

It's somewhere to escape the stresses and strains of studying.

A place that will lift your spirits and put a smile on your face,

and it's on the other side of this door, so let's go and have a look.

BELL RINGS

This is Kettle's Yard, founded in 1957 by a former curator

of the Tate Gallery, Jim Ede, and he was so driven by his passion for art and beautiful objects that he turned

his home into a space where people could enjoy art in a peaceful and uncluttered domestic setting.

During his career at the Tate Gallery in the '20s and '30s, Ede befriended and met many

of the leading artists of the day, and he was an early champion

of the contemporary artist Ben Nicholson and of the naive artist Alfred Wallis.

But perhaps his greatest achievement as a collector was the acquisition

in 1926 of almost the entire contents of a studio

of French sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska,

who sadly died in action in 1915.

And it's the works of these three artists which form the core

of the collection here at Kettle's Yard.

To tell me more about Jim Ede and his unique vision,

we have the director of the museum, Michael Harrison.

Michael, thanks for talking to us and taking time out.

What was Jim's vision?

Why did he set Kettle's Yard up? What was it all about?

Jim had a very strong sense that art was not to be separated

off from the rest of life, and this was something that he wanted to communicate to other people.

Then he conceived what he thought was his quixotic scheme, which was to come to Cambridge,

where there would be a lot of students,

to find a house where he and his wife Helen could live and where they could hold open house from the beginning.

So each afternoon the house would be open, and Jim would take people around and talk to them about art.

Art for him was far more important than food and drink.

They took a very low place on his agenda.

Well, he probably spent all his money on art.

Well, there wasn't much money to spend, and you realise that,

right from the beginning, his collecting was on a very low economy,

And he was collecting during the '20s and '30s, he formed great friendships

with artists, like Ben Nicholson, and he was buying work from them

at a time when they were not selling.

And if there was spare money around, then it would be spent on art.

And what Jim can't quite have realised at the time that he was

collecting was that he was forming a collection which gathers together

not only Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth,

but also Christopher Wood and Alfred Wallis, the great

primitive artist who was discovered by Ben Nicholson when he went to St Ives for the first time in 1928.

We know he had a fantastic eye just by the choice of objects - they're stunning.

But what sort of person was he?

Well, Jim had started wanting to be a painter.

He was essentially an artist,

and from those very early days when he was working at the Tate

in the 1920s, you find him becoming quite obsessed with the business of arranging rooms.

This was what he brought to bear in Kettle's Yard.

This becomes a masterpiece in a way.

One of the great qualities of Kettle's Yard is its daylight.

Of course, daylight is physical illumination, but it's also spiritual illumination.

When you walk in here to Kettle's Yard, something touches your soul,

and I think it's the space around the object which gives it a vitality and a dynamic and an energy.

I particularly like this corner of the gallery, Michael.

Composition is perfect here between this lovely inverted dresser base, and the objects on it.

Yes, this is a wonderful mixture of 20th-century art and...

18th-century furniture.

..18th-century furniture - Islamic rug on the floor.

It's this mixture which is so particular to the place.

And then the other end is counterbalanced by

a little composition with a shell, a pomander and a pebble.

This is what's happening today.

This is so fashionable now. People are buying 20th-century modern,

good design, and they're putting it on 18th-century furniture.

The two really do have a dynamic together.

There's no discrimination amongst the objects.

Everything is loved for its quality, whether it's a natural object, sculpture or a piece of furniture.

Then over here, you've got a huge great section of tree.

-Where did that come from?

-Yes, this is a different kind of furniture.

This is rustic at its best.

This was Jim on holiday in the Scillies, and he found

-this on the beach and thought he had to get it here.

-A bit of driftwood.

Quite a hefty bit of driftwood.

Eventually it got here, and it provided the base for

Gaudier-Brzeska's the Bird Swallowing Fish,

one of his most famous works, which is just before the outbreak of war.

It provides this extraordinary premonition

-because the bird being swallowed is amazingly bomb like.

-It is, isn't it?

-That is quite symbolic. I thought it was a torpedo or a bomb.

-Yes.

It's absolutely stunning, isn't it?

I recommend that this is certainly worth a visit.

In fact, this is worth several visits.

It gives you inspiration in how to display your antiques at home too.

A lot of people start rearranging their houses once they've been to Kettle's Yard.

Well, I'm certainly going to!

In 1966, Jimmy handed over Kettle's Yard to Cambridge University,

and he stayed on for a few years as a curator.

In 1973 he moved to Edinburgh, where he spent the last few years of his life.

It speaks volumes about this special man, that he was able

just to walk away from all of his materialistic possessions - all these items of art and virtue

that he collected all his life for the pleasure of future generations.

People like you and me, to come here and appreciate and soak up.

It's absolutely marvellous.

Back at the valuation day, the people of Cambridge continue

to offer up their collectibles for the delight of our experts.

Well, when I saw these figures, they really made me smile.

I feel very happy to see them, Trevor. Do you like these?

Yeah, they're very nice, but I think they ought to go to somewhere where

they're probably appreciated more.

In their 100-year or so history, they've already

travelled a long way because I believe that these are German porcelain figures.

Do you know anything about their history?

I know nothing about their history, except in that

when I first moved to Cambridge and I was adopted, about six years old,

these were with my adoptive parents.

They sat on their mantelpiece. They had travelled with them from London,

and they were blitzed there twice in London during the Second World War.

-Really? So these have seen two blitzes?

-Yes.

They're in such lovely, lovely condition.

Regardless of that little hiccup in their time, they are German

porcelain figures from about 1900, give or take a year or two.

They are hollow slip-moulded figures, which are then hand-painted.

As a genre of figure, they're not very rare,

but what I do like about them is they're a decent size,

because some of them can be quite small, but it's the subject which is just so wonderful, to my mind.

It's very much of the time - very much late Victorian in the dress,

in sentimentality, but the snowballing scene is just lovely.

Also, it's very much full of action.

-A lot of these figures can be very static.

-Statues, yes.

There's no factory attributable - you can't pinpoint where they came from,

but the quality of them suggests that they should sell at auction for...

Would you like to have a guess?

No, I really don't know.

I'll be honest, I am really in the dark with them.

-I'd have thought realistically, they should be in the region of £120 to £200.

-That much?

They may go a little bit more, but I think that's a realistic figure.

-Shall we put a reserve on of £100, just to protect them?

-Yes.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

-But I think they should do well.

-Thank you very much.

Steve, aren't these brilliant? Every boy's dream. A pair of Schuco cars.

Were these yours when you were younger?

I wasn't allowed to play with them. They were my father's.

They were his pride and joy.

So tell me, were they your father's when he was a boy?

I think... He died last year, and I think he acquired them in 1930s.

He was 88 when he died and he had them as a young man, yes.

Schuco is the name for clockwork cars. Do you know much about them?

Not a lot really, no.

Well, the Schuco factory started in 1912, and they started making these little velvet and plush toys.

The factory then went on to making these tinplate cars in the 1930s.

It doesn't take a genius - it says so underneath.

Schuco Kommando Anno 2000.

Now, it says here patents applied for France, England, USA, Sweden,

Austria, and it goes on - Belgium, Spain, Poland, Japan...

So they were exporting these absolutely everywhere.

Let's have a look at this one... There we go. Schuco Examico 4001.

Again, patents applied for - made in Germany.

There we are.

If you open the bonnet, we've even got little details

of the engine inside. You've got the key. Do you want to wind it up?

-This one, you blow on it to make it go and stop.

-Go on, have a go.

Don't overwind it!

Brilliant!

Quick!

-Isn't that brilliant?

-It also goes in reverse.

Look at that!

Brilliant. What fun.

-Have you got the key for this one?

-It's the same key.

-Brilliant.

OK. Go for it. Oh, it's off.

Brilliant. OK, well, there are loads of collectors for these.

I've never had a Schuco car in an auction that hasn't sold.

Have you got their original boxes?

-No, sorry. It's just the cars.

-That does make a huge difference.

On average, a little car like that will be worth between £60 and £100.

We can either put them together, or separately in consecutive lots.

-The auctioneer, I think, should make that decision for us.

-Yes.

I think an estimate of £120 to £180 on the two, and I think they'll do jolly well.

They will cause a lot of interest.

-They're great fun.

-Lovely.

-Thanks for bringing them in.

-Thank you.

We see Moorcroft from time to time on Flog It!

but Beryl, this is a particularly nice example.

What can you tell me about it?

My parents had it as a wedding present in 1929.

It's been around all my life.

I think you don't really appreciate things that you've lived with for

that time, but on the other hand, you do have an affection for them.

It's been used for dropping keys, and all sorts of things in.

-Has it really?

-Oh, yes!

It was never considered to be anything special.

-That's the trouble. Now it's a bit special and I'm scared of breaking it.

-For any particular reason?

-Yes, I've got cats.

-Oh right, I can understand.

It's sitting on something, and one of them might come along and...

It's not that you don't like it, but you care for its well-being.

I like as well.

Of all the Moorcroft designs, I like it better than any other ones I've seen.

It's a very distinctive and quite a rare pattern by Moorcroft.

I have to say I can't remember the name of the pattern.

But Moorcroft collectors will know exactly what they're looking at.

But it is one of the rarer patterns,

which in this instance suits the shape beautifully.

I think some of their designs suit the shape of the item.

Some of them don't sit quite so happily, but this is a beautiful

marriage between colour, design and actually a silhouette of the piece.

Despite its hard existence with keys etc, the only imperfection I've found

of any note is slight wear to the inside of the neck.

But also underneath is a tiny, tiny crack which actually

is a firing crack, which was done in the kiln at the time of production.

There is the factory mark of William Moorcroft

from the early 20th century - the 1920s.

-Now, it's from the nice early period, as you say. Your parents received it in 1929?

-Yes.

That's in the heyday of the Moorcroft factory and their production.

To a collector, I think it's a very choice piece to find.

What do you think it might be worth offered to the market?

Well, I would have thought it had to be at least on the 150-200,

but I think it might be more than that.

Well, it might be, yes. You'd be disappointed if it wasn't a bit more?

Yes. It might go home.

I would like to see this sell for between £700 and £1,000.

-Does that please you?

-Yes.

I think a reserve of £700 would be appropriate.

It even more has to go then!

Know any other cats?

Assuming that that's a nice surprise, is it too early to say,

how would you spend the money?

Maybe I'd go on the Austrian holiday that I have been looking at.

-Oh, how lovely.

-One of these train journey ones.

-Yes.

That would be superb.

Well, we'll take it to auction and we will see how exciting the day will be for you.

OK, thank you.

Well, I think Beryl got a bit of a surprise there, don't you?

Let's hope Elizabeth is on the mark with her valuation as we head off to the saleroom again.

Joining the Moorcroft, a pair of porcelain figures that survived

the London Blitz, and a couple of German toy cars from the 1930s.

Let's see if Will can tell us any more about Beryl's Moorcroft vase.

-This has got quality written all over it.

-Yes.

A good maker's name. I mean, it is a stunning piece.

It's one of the nicest pieces of Moorcroft I've seen ever on Flog It!

It belongs to Beryl, with an estimate of £700 to £1,000

put on by Elizabeth, who I don't think

-knew what the pattern was.

-You can value them to a certain

degree on the more general patterns by size and shape.

-OK.

-But yes, I suspect that if she had known the name of the pattern, which is Moonlit Blue,

I mean, £700 to £1,000, they'd be queuing up with the chequebooks

-at that sort of estimate.

-I would.

-Yes.

We recently sold a smaller version in the same pattern for £1500.

Wow! So we are looking at £2,000.

I'd like to think so. It's been well viewed.

We've worked it into clients that we know are interested.

Having a piece a few weeks ago, we have got a list of bidders,

condition reports, telephone bidders - we can just contact them again.

This is definitely the one to watch. Sit back and watch this.

What's been going through your mind, Trevor, since the valuation day?

-Are you looking forward to this?

-Absolutely.

With nervous disposition, I think.

-I've never been before.

-Well, I'd like to see you get the top end.

I think they're lovely.

I know Elizabeth wants you to get the top end. The low end is what?

120. Which I think it's realistic.

Fingers crossed. A lovely subject.

I think they're great, they're lovely.

We need two bidders to fight each other out here and push this one up.

-Good luck.

-Yes, thank you.

-This is it.

There we are being shown, thank you.

A pair of, make no mistake, start me at what? £100? At £100? 80 then?

Well, £50 is all I'm bid. At £50.

£50 is all I'm bid on the figures. At 50...

£50 I'm bid here. At 50 now...

-Two for the price of one!

-Looks like everybody is sitting on their hands!

No? At £70, it's still my bid then.

At £70, against you all, are you sure then? Wave at me now?

No. At £70...

All these bidders were sitting on their hands.

-I guess they just didn't fancy them.

-Never mind.

Trevor, what's the next plan of action? What are you going to do?

Well, I've got something else here that's coming up later on.

-So hopefully that'll do better.

-Yes.

-Will you put these into another sale on another day?

I think I'll put them in on another day.

He definitely wants to see them go.

-Yes, that's right.

-Never mind, never mind.

Well, we're changing gear right here on Flog It,

but will Steven's Schuco cars go into overdrive at £180 for the pair?

-We hope so.

-A little bit more...

Lovely little things. These have been played with, though.

-Yes.

-Did you play with them?

-On special occasions.

-On Sundays!

-Yes, yes. It wasn't a regular toy.

Why are you flogging these?

My father died last year, and he said if I ever wanted to sell them, go ahead and sell them,

rather than just put them in a box.

-Yes, at least a collector will appreciate them.

-Yes.

-If you play with them any more, you'll just devalue them.

-Yes.

Top end - that's what we want.

-Will it do it?

-I hope so. We had fun with them on the valuation day.

Really good fun.

Well, I don't think it's going to be a pit stop for us. These will certainly do the circuit. Good luck!

The two vintage Schuco tinplate cars there. I've got interest here.

Starting on commission at 70, 80, 90. I'm bid 100 here now.

At £100, I'm bid on commission at £100. 110 if you like.

£100. Are you bidding sir, £110.

120, 130. 130, I'm bid.

You're in now by 10, sir. At 130 in the room...

At £130, with you, left-handed.

At £130? The hammer's up, all done at 130?

The hammer's gone down.

The chequered flag's gone down - 130. That's all right, isn't it?

-Yes, thank you.

-We'll settle for that.

-Yeah, we'll settle for that.

What are you going to do with the money?

It's going towards a concert in Paris in October, Status Quo.

Status Quo!

-Down down, deeper and down.

-Yeah!

# Down, down, deeper and down

# Down down, deeper and down... #

Are you sitting comfortably? Well, you won't be for long

because this next item is going to get you on the edge of your seat.

It's Beryl's Moorcroft vase. The lovely blue and green pattern.

-Yes.

-£700 to £1,000.

-Yes.

The auctioneer fell in love with it.

Elizabeth, I'm going to bring you in on the conversation here.

-How exciting.

-He said he sold one just like it, a lot smaller, for £1,500.

She doesn't believe it. Well, hopefully...

No, the reason that it's going

is because it's too valuable to stay around with the cats.

It is now, with the cats knocking about!

It is absolutely beautiful and it's going under the hammer right now.

The Moonlit Blue vase there.

There you are, you've seen our estimate.

I've got interest already. At 500, 550, 600, 650, 700 I'm bid here.

At 700... 750, 800, 850, 900...

-It's going!

-1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400...

They love it, they absolutely love it.

1450... It all helps. 1500.

And another 50? At 1500 I'm bid here.

Try me again, sir. At £1500, I'm bid.

Here at 1500. Who else is in now?

At 1500 pounds... Are you sure? The hammer is up, make no mistake.

On commission then at £1500...

-Sold!

-Not bad! In between what you said and what Will said.

Absolutely, that's good.

£1500, What are you going to put all that money towards?

Going on a train journey to Austria.

-Oh, are you? Oh, how romantic! Are you going by yourself?

-Yes.

Oh, surely there's somebody.

-Well, maybe.

-Take somebody along.

I'll take you, shall I?

I'd love to!

Well, that's it, the auction's over. One moment the sale room's

jam-packed with bidders, and the next, it's empty.

But we came here to Cheffins in Cambridge, and we hit the right levels.

The crystal radio was well received,

selling for a staggering £220. I just can't believe that.

But once again, it was quality - that always proves to sell well.

The Moorcroft vase, selling for a staggering £1,500.

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

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

visit the website at bbc.co.uk/lifestyle.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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