Hartlepool and Swansea Flog It!

It's water, water everywhere today

as we drop anchor at two ports on opposite sides of the country.

We're visiting Swansea, where I discover something out of the ordinary going cheap.

You've gotta go out and buy more stuff from car boot sales and markets now. You've got a good eye.

And Hartlepool, where I spot an old favourite of the show that wasn't so cheap!

-OK. How much did you pay for it?

-£2,000.

But how well do I do with my valuations?

Well, we'll soon find out on today's "Flog It!"

Later in the show, we'll be travelling to Hartlepool

where there's a proud history of shipbuilding, and where I decide

to stick my neck out with some predictions.

In my experience, musical instruments always do well in auction rooms.

They hardly crop up and when they do, they fetch good money - violins, guitars, saxophones.

-Fingers crossed we get the top end.

-I hope you're right!

But we're starting today's show in Swansea, Wales' second city,

and the gateway to the beautiful coastline of the Gower Penisula.

It's a busy, modern port that attracts both industry and leisure visitors,

but watersports aren't the only local attraction.

Later on in the show, I'll be finding out how two sisters

made canny investments that brought international art to South Wales.

Let's be honest, they were buying these paintings cheaply.

-Relatively cheaply.

-Compared to some of the other pictures.

That's the idea with antiques, isn't it? Get in before they're fashionable.

They were certainly getting bargains to a certain extent.

It's a fascinating story, but first, there's people waiting.

What a fantastic queue we've got outside the Liberty Stadium

and I'm sure when this lot get inside,

we're gonna hear more intriguing stories because, look!

They're laden full of goodies for auction and that's where our experts come in handy.

We've got local boy Mark Stacey and the ever-inquisitive Kate Bliss to help us at the "Flog It!" tables.

Well, it's now 9.30. I think it's time to get this massive queue inside and get the show on the road.

-Shall we do it, shall we go in?

-CROWD: Yeah!

-Hello, Leighton.

-How are you?

-Well. How are you?

-Excellent, thank you.

-Lovely to be here in Swansea.

You've brought a very intriguing item in. Tell us what you've found out about it.

Well, actually I took it to Swansea Museum, I knew the curator,

and they found out that it was an 1875 box lock pistol.

-Am I right in assuming that this would have been a lady's pistol?

-I believe so.

This would be for someone who was travelling in a coach, the lady would have kept this in her little muff,

and then of course if there was any impending danger,

this would have been her secret weapon

and she could have helped defend herself or the coach, of course.

-So how has it come into your possession?

-It was handed down in the family

and after my uncle died and my parents died, I've had it myself.

OK, so it might have gone back to new. You never know.

You never know, but I've kept it handy rather... It's not a toy,

-I appreciate that.

-Absolutely.

What I always like about this type of thing is for a very practical thing,

it's almost like a little work of art, isn't it?

We've got lovely little scroll decoration on here,

a lovely steel barrel there.

We've got a lovely little fruitwood handle here,

with this cross-hatch decoration obviously to hold it, for the grip,

and of course underneath you think, "Where do I pull it?"

You cock this back and then you've got the little firing piece there,

and altogether a nice, lovely balance.

It's got a nice feel in your hand.

And why have you decided to flog it today?

Well, the thing is, it's upstairs in the drawer, and what do you do with it?

I would sooner somebody enjoy it who collects it

rather than hide it away.

There is so much nice work on it

that I would dread it being pinched or thrown away.

Now have you ever thought about the value of it?

I thought about £200-ish, within...

Within that sort of region? Well, I'm gonna take a bit of a gamble on it.

I'm not an expert in this type of thing but there's a market there.

I would probably suggest a slightly more cautious estimate of maybe £100 to £200...

a wide estimate, with a £100 reserve, so we don't give it away.

-Who knows?

-On the day...

We'll keep our fingers crossed. Are you happy to put it in?

-Yes, thank you.

-I look forward to seeing you at the auction.

And thank you for bringing an intriguing item in.

Kim, what a charming little cruet set,

salt and pepper dogs! Tell me their story.

-How did you acquire them?

-Well, I bought them at a local auction,

just because I liked them, really.

-How much did you pay for them?

-£22.

And how long ago was that?

Um, last November, so eight or nine months ago.

-I think you got a bargain there!

-Do you think?

-Yes, I do!

-I really think you have. You've obviously got a good eye.

-Well...

Why have you brought them in, if you've only recently acquired them?

Well, I've got to move house so I'm having a bit of a clear out

-and I bought too many things, so these are two things...

-You can get carried away at auctions,

but that's the beauty of them, that's why we keep doing this show,

you never know what you're going to find and look what you found!

I got quite excited because looking at these two little fellows,

they're quite cheeky looking,

and I love dogs and I'm sure there's lots of dog lovers out there that will go, "Wow! I want to own those."

What are they? I think they're bull mastiffs.

Could be, couldn't they?

Yes. They're definitely the larger variety of dog, I think,

the size of their faces, their heads.

They're continental.

I've looked for silver hallmarks or to see if they're silver-plated.

There's absolutely nothing on the bottom or on associated parts

and also, typically of the continental fashion,

their heads will unscrew and you can see that screw thread on the head.

Put his little head on and screw it on,

and by virtue of those little holes, that's what you can pepper your food with.

I think they're so charming.

I've never seen little salt and pepper dogs before in my life.

-I've seen the owls and little pigs, but I've never seen dogs.

-With hats and cloaks.

Yeah, little bow ties as well.

I think that they're a white metal.

They feel hard, they don't feel soft like a silver would be,

and I suspect they are a white metal.

-You paid £22 for them.

-I did.

You got a bargain because I want to put these into auction

-with a value of £60 to £80.

-That's wonderful!

And I'm pretty sure they'll sell.

I hope so! I'm sure someone will like them as much as I did.

They've had a short life with you and it's time to let them go.

It's time to go off walkies and let somebody else look after and love them.

I'll see you at the auction then, and we'll put a reserve

of £60 on them and let the auctioneer use his discretion.

-That's just wonderful.

-They won't go for anything less than £50.

-Sure?

-Yeah.

-SQUEAK!

-Oh!

-Hello, Darryl.

-Hello Mark.

-It's lovely to be back here in my home country of Wales,

and you've brought a real bit of quality in to show us?

-Thank you.

-Tell me about it.

It comes from my mother-in-law's side,

from her grandparents, as far as we can gather,

and it's just been handed down and since my mother-in-law has had it, it's been in the drawer.

-Hidden away?

-Hidden away in a drawer.

-And did you know it was there?

-First time I saw it was this morning!

No! And what did you think of it?

It's nice.

-It's nice!

-But it's not me.

-Not you? Bit flowery for you, is it?

It's wonderful quality. Shall I tell you a bit about it?

-Yes, please.

-We've got this sort of oval platter,

it's got a little pedestal foot on it.

We've got this wonderful border here which is sort of entwined decoration

which has got some solid gilding and then some leaf gilding

and then we've got an interior border which is this lovely claret ground,

with this wonderful raised gilding on it,

and then these series of floral vignettes

and then that all leads us into a central design of these flowers,

tulips, roses, and they're painted in wonderful quality,

and the whole thing, to put all that gilding and decoration on,

shows you a sign of a very expensive piece of porcelain.

When we look underneath we've got this lovely paper label here

for the firm Brown-Westhead-Moore,

and it's very unusual to find a paper label like that still on something

because obviously over the years it would have been washed.

-I don't think this has been used very often?

-I don't think so.

-It certainly hasn't been used by your family for many a year?

-No.

We're looking really at a piece that was made around about 1860 or so.

-You want to flog it, of course?

-Yep.

I want to be relatively cautious on it to encourage the bid again

and I would suggest we put £200 to £300 on it. What do you think about that?

-Fabulous!

-And we'll put a reserve of £200.

Right, well...found it in a drawer!

-Would that please you, do you think?

-Yeah.

-And your mother-in-law?

It will, yeah. Get me on her right side.

-Thank you for bringing it in.

-Thank you very much.

And Clive has brought in a real Flog It! favourite.

-Do you like Moorcroft Pottery?

-Yes, and no.

Yes, and no! What does that mean?

It's all right as a present, but it doesn't go with the decor of the new house at the moment.

-I see. So is that why you want to sell it?

-Yes...and the money!

We'll come to the money in a minute. So how did you come to own this?

Well, before my first marriage, my mother bought it and it was given to me for a wedding present.

That was 49 years ago.

Is this the only piece of Moorcroft you have?

Myself. My brother got this one and two other pieces as well.

Right. So you're quite familiar with the patterns then, of the factory?

This is called hibiscus pattern obviously with hibiscus flowers

around the outside and the palette is fairly usual for Moorcroft,

with a dark green background.

They used a dark blue as well, and these lovely pinks and reds

and yellows and purples are typical of the factory as I'm sure you know.

Nice baluster shape with this lovely, what's called tube lining, where the decoration here, the flowers,

are picked out and you can feel with your finger the high relief there

where the pottery has been trailed to outline the shape of the flowers

and if we look at the bottom we can see we've got

the paper mark there

for the Royal warrant stamp, which is rather nice.

So this is dating from between really

when the art pottery started at the beginning of the 20th century

through to the 1950s really, or the late 40s. So, what about value?

I would say £400 to £500?

£400 to £500?

I think for a piece like this, which isn't unusual from the factory, we've got to come down a bit

and I would be in fact quite cautious,

but I would put an estimate of just £100 to £150.

I would hope that you might get £200 on a good day,

but I wouldn't like to say your high figure in today's market.

So sorry to be a little bit disappointing,

but are you still happy to try and sell it at that?

Yes, definitely.

And here are the items we'll be taking off to auction in a little while.

Leighton doesn't have much call for a lady's pistol, so he's decided it's time to go.

Kim's dog cruets are very quirky, so I'm sure they will catch someone's eye in the sale room,

and if the plate sells, Darryl's mother-in-law could be making a tidy sum.

Clive seemed disappointed with Kate's estimate,

but let's hope he leaves the auction with a smile on his face!

When you think of great art exhibitions, you probably conjure up images of galleries in London

and Paris and New York, but if you live in South Wales,

you don't have to travel too far afield to see a truly exceptional collection.

In the early-20th century, two spinster sisters, Gwendoline and Margaret Davies,

from Mid Wales, began collecting art.

Today their collection is seen as one of the largest and most important

of French impressionist and post-impressionist works in the world.

The 260 works of art were bequeathed to the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff

and I've come here to talk to Dr Ann Sumner, Head of Fine Art,

to take a look at this incredible collection,

but also find out a little bit more about these remarkable women

and the role they played in Welsh history.

And the star of their collection is undoubtedly

La Parisienne by Renoir...

one of the most famous French impressionist paintings in the UK.

This is absolutely stunning! Look at this French ultramarine blue.

That shouts out at you and it's quite bold, the brush stroke. Tell me about it.

Well, this painting was one of the most famous pictures

at the first Impressionist Exhibition in 1874

and it really made Renoir's name

and Gwendoline Davies purchased this in 1913

and they didn't start collecting impressionist paintings until 1912

so this is only the second year of collecting impressionist paintings.

Tell me about the ladies. They must be so remarkable.

They were. The Davies sisters were the granddaughters

-of David Davies of Llandinum who was a self-made industrialist.

-In coal?

In coal, in railways and actually developing Barry Docks as well,

so they were to inherit an enormous amount of money

when they both became 25, and they both drew.

Margaret painted throughout her life

and in fact they had this extraordinary exposure

to the salon in Paris, to the Royal Academy in London

because that's what interested Jane Blaker, their governess,

and when they went to London she would turn up and take them off to the Royal Academy

to see the latest British paintings and then when they went to France,

which was primarily for shopping, and to see the theatre and to go to the opera,

she also made sure they went to the salon and they saw the best exhibitions.

Why were the sisters exceptional as collectors?

Well, first of all they were women, but also they were really unusual

in buying impressionist paintings - that was exceptional at that time.

-It was considered avant garde, it wasn't the thing to invest in?

-No,

I mean, let's be honest, they were buying these paintings cheaply...

-Relatively cheaply...

-And some of the other pictures, yes.

That's it with antiques and collectables, isn't it? Get in before they're fashionable.

They were certainly getting bargains to a certain extent

with some of the pictures they were buying.

Did they collect mainly impressionistic works?

Well, as you can see from the gallery that we have here,

they started off collecting in a slightly different vein.

They bought works by Corot, works by Millet, by Daumier,

so they bought French paintings, but not initially French impressionist paintings

and then, of course, Turner.

Turner is the artist who they were really, really interested in

and they started off buying some of these wonderful works here

and you can see in a way they were drawn to this impressionistic style

of painting by Turner and it's not such a huge leap

-to then be appreciating impressionist painting.

-I was going to say, there's a correlation.

-You can see how it's evolved. It's not random, is it?

-Not at all.

Every single wall vies for your attention, doesn't it?

Because there's so much.

This is a Manet, a lovely Manet,

painted during the Franco-Prussian War actually

when Manet was serving in the guard.

He was actually a soldier at this time and this was a wasteland...

-It is a barren landscape.

-Yes, it's covered in snow.

-You get that heavy feeling...

-Of not wanting to be there!

Yes, absolutely, and it was painted in about an hour and a half

so we know it's one of Manet's first impressionist paintings,

so it's a remarkable work.

Now this was purchased for just over £200 in 1912, so it's a real bargain.

But I think the sisters' most favourite artist to be Monet.

They purchased nine of his works,

three of which are paintings of his beloved Venice.

Here we are, look!

So typically Monet. Lovely pastel colours.

These are wonderful Monets. The San Giorgio Maggiore By Twilight

is probably one of the most famous paintings in our collections.

Monet himself came late to Venice and he wished that he'd gone earlier

and he was incredibly inspired by the buildings and by the light.

He actually painted in a gondola.

-You sound very passionate about Monet?

-I love Monet!

He's my favourite artist in this collection by far,

and the Davies Sisters bought so well.

Oh, wow! Look at that!

Paul Cezanne.

One of his best known works actually, Midday L'Estaque.

There must be so many interesting stories with every single piece of art in here?

I think what was interesting for the sisters was that their gilded lifestyle,

this wonderful lifestyle they had before the First World War

when they were holidaying all over Europe and also went to Egypt, this completely changed.

They volunteered for the Red Cross Canteens

and despite being in France and being so much involved in the war effort,

they were still buying paintings.

-Talk about confidence of brush stroke! Look at this!

-Wonderful Provencal landscape!

Actually painted on Cezanne's own family estate, but it is an interesting situation

because they were concerned about these paintings. Paris was under bombardment from the Germans

and so as quickly as possible they got these pictures out of France, over to Britain

and this was really cutting-edge collecting because these pictures

were not appreciated in Britain at the time.

When they tried to lend them to the Tate a few years later, they were initially turned down.

After a rumpus in the papers, lots of letters to the Times, they were put on loan.

You see, the girls had an incredible foresight!

They did! They absolutely did!

This is truly an incredible exhibition.

Thanks to two remarkable women, works by Turner, Monet and Cezanne have found a home here in Wales.

This is collecting at its best, and what a legacy to leave for us to all to enjoy.

What a treat to see those wonderful paintings,

but now we've got to see whether we've made any wise investments

with our collection going off to auction.

We've got Darryl and his mum-in-law's oval dish,

and Kim's looking for a profit on her cruet set

in the shape of dogs.

Also in the firing line, the lady's pistol.

And something we can't get enough of on the show,

a Moorcroft vase.

We've headed to Cardiff for today's sale and I think I've headed into more hustle and bustle.

What an atmosphere here! The room's packed.

Plenty of potential bidders and today's auctioneer, the man with all the local knowledge, is Ryan Beech.

I've just been joined by Darryl who's on an errand for mother-in-law, aren't you?

-Yeah.

-We're flogging her botanical-style plate with a little foot underneath.

£200 to £300 put on my our expert, Mark, yeah...

-So, what's mother-in-law like?

-She's very good!

She's a gem, isn't she? You've got to love her!

-Yeah, she is good.

-She's the wife's mum!

She's one of the better ones!

-That's the right answer!

-Oh, she is! One of the better ones!

Very diplomatic! Let's hope we get the top end of the estimate.

-Can you see that there?

-I love it!

I love it! It screams quality.

It's mid-Victorian, it's beautifully painted, that's why I called it "botanical"

because normally they're floral, aren't they, borders?

You can't identify them. With these you can see the tulips and the pansies. They are wonderful!

-It stands well?

-It really does.

That's going under the hammer. We can't say any more, can we?

It's now down to the bidders of Cardiff. Here it is.

The TC Brown-Westhead-Moore & Co oval low tazza,

£150 I have to start.

£150. £160, 170. At £170.

-Oh, come on! It can't be!

-£170.

At £170. £180 is there anywhere?

At £170. Back with me at £170.

At £170. Are we all done then at £170?

The hammer went down at £170.

We needed £10 more. Darryl, it looks like that's going back home

-with you and mother-in-law.

-Oh, well! Back into the drawer.

Back into the drawer!

Right, now it's my turn to be the expert

and next up it's a pair of figures

and they're wearing caps and capes.

No! It's not Batman and Robin!

It's the cruet set which belongs to Kim.

They're little dogs, the salt and pepper pots.

-So cute, which you got for, how much?

-£22.

-£22! Last year!

Well, we're bound to make a profit!

We've got £60 to £80 on these.

Fingers crossed we're gonna get that top end.

So what have you been doing since the last time we saw you?

-Preparing to move house.

-Are you?

-Yes.

-Packing everything up in boxes?

-Very busy!

Ah, well! Fingers crossed we're gonna get the top end of the estimate right here, OK,

take pressure off you and treat you to a nice supper or something. This is it.

-It's going under the hammer. Good luck.

-OK, thanks.

Lot 185. A pair of cruets in the form of a dog in a cap and a cape.

£30 I have start. £30. At £30.

Do I see £5, 40, 5, 50, 5.

Takes me to £55. Lady standing at £55.

-£60, 65, 70, 75...

-More like it!

-...lady standing at £75.

Now it's £75. The lady standing at £75.

Are we all done then at £75?

Not bad! That's a good result, isn't it?

-£75!

-I'm pleased with that!

You've gotta go out and buy more stuff from car boot sales and markets now. You've got a good eye.

Well, I'm not so sure about that!

In the firing line right now we've got Leighton and Mr Mark Stacey, our expert.

It's this gorgeous little lady's pistol. Going under the hammer.

Hopefully we'll get the £100 that Mark's put on it.

-Had a chat to the auctioneer. He liked it.

-Oh, good!

-A lot of tooling there, it's a nice percussion instrument.

-It is.

-It's rare.

-Specialist market.

-Exactly!

There's other arms in the sale, so it would have attracted the collectors and dealers.

We're gonna find out right now, because it's time to flog it!

-Excellent!

-Ready? Here we are.

19th-century box lock pocket pistol, lot number 765.

Numerous commission bids here. Start me straight in at...£180.

Oh...£180 straight in!

At £180, maiden bid of £180.

Are we all done then? At £180.

My word! Straight in and straight out!

Blink and you will miss that one!

We like stuff like that, don't we!

-Went off with a bang, Paul!

-Went off with a bang! It certainly did, Leighton.

-What are you going to do with the £180?

-Well, I think it will be a weekend away somewhere.

It's Moorcroft, it's a vase, it belongs to Clive, and we've got £100 to £150 on this.

Fingers crossed that we're gonna get that top end.

Clive, why are you flogging this, because it was a present to you 50-odd years ago, wasn't it?

Yes. It was for my first wife and I lost my first wife.

I saw your programme and thought, "Let's have a go." That was it.

That's it? Well, let's hope you do get that top end.

It's under the hammer right now.

Lot 465 is the Moorcroft hibiscus-pattern baluster vase

with a green ground, lot 465.

£75 I have to start.

£80, 5, 90, 5, 100, and 10, 120,

-130, 140, 150, 160...

-They love it, Clive!

-Good.

-£170, 180, 190, 200,

and 10, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260,

270. £270. At £270.

At £270. Are we all done at £270?

-Yes! £270!

-That's great.

Phew!

What are you gonna do with that?

-That's my walk to passion day, that is. In August.

-Oh, right.

-So, I plan to spend it that way.

-Good for you! Good for you!

-Thank you both.

-Thank you so much for coming in as well.

-Made our day.

-That's a good price!

I always worry. There were some good pieces of Moorcroft in this sale,

and I worry if it's the only piece in a sale, I wonder if buyers will find it.

-Attracted the dealers.

-I think the other pieces helped. What a result!

-Thank you very much indeed.

-That's what it's all about. Job done.

We've had a great day.

Not the biggest sales for our antiques, but some wonderful people.

Now can we do any better in our second port of call?

Let's get over to Hartlepool to find out.

This town on the North East coast

had one of the country's busiest ports in the 19th century,

and was once a stronghold of British ship building.

But in more recent times, the industries died away

and Hartlepool's port took a turn for the worst but, however,

in the last 20 years, there has been a definite resurgence. Look at this.

The results speak for themselves.

And here at the Borough Hall, everything looks shipshape.

It's 9.30, it's time to get this massive queue inside and meet up with our two experts,

David Barby and Philip Serrell, who'll be hunting out the best treasures to take off to auction.

-Ready, chaps?

-Absolutely.

Come on, old love.

Well, the doors are now open and already something special has caught David's eye.

Anthony, you've got a fascinating story to tell me about this particular mirror frame.

I have, yeah.

How did it come into your possession?

In 1993, I was out of work through a triple heart bypass.

I had to have something to do so I went around the skip sites.

That was one of the bits and pieces I picked up.

How much did you pay for it?

-£20.

-£20?

-£20, yeah.

This is absolutely extraordinary. It's a beautiful piece of what we know commonly as Art Nouveau.

It's a Continental design and this was made by a factory, abbreviated initials, WMF.

They specialised in pewter and silver-plated metals in this particular style.

I find this interesting because we have this Art Nouveau element here

of the classical diaphanous-clad female.

Here we have this style of decoration which we associate with the next art movement

which is called the Vienna Secessionists.

That was a group of artists that broke away from the mainstream Art Nouveau

and then formulated a new style.

When you acquired this, did it have a mirror?

There was half a mirror inside. It broke off here.

Right, when you saw it, did you immediately think, "Ah, there's profit there"?

No, I just liked the look of it.

It was gonna be for a dressing table for the children.

Did the girls appreciate their father's choice for them?

-No.

-No!

Although at the time you acquired it,

Art Nouveau was a very, very popular art form.

-It's gone slightly down because you've now got the Art Deco...

-Yeah.

..1920s, '30s and more recently 1950s has come into vogue.

This still has a demand.

At auction, I still think it'll command a price, without the mirror, of about £180 to £250.

I hope it'll make more but it is not complete.

Somebody's got to spend money putting a new glass.

They're gonna look at it and say this is sheer quality and the one element I love, if I turn it round,

we've got this back support here, which is slightly bent.

It's adjustable by this nut here.

So either you can have it hanging on the wall or you can have it freestanding on the dressing table.

So it's a very nice commercial piece that was made for the masses

who could afford to buy something like this.

So a very nice piece

and all I can say is well spotted and why wasn't I there?

Cricket fan?

I don't follow sport really.

Why have you got two little cricket bats?

A friend bought them from a charity shop

and they've been in their cupboard.

-How much did they pay for those?

-20p.

-Each or for the two?

-For the two.

-Do you want to double your money?

-Yeah.

-40p.

Yes, well, she said go on "Flog It!"...

Go on "Flog It!" and flog it.

I think these are great.

This is the 1956 Ashes series, Australia against England.

And this is a Nicolls cricket bat

who were the forerunners of Gray Nicolls.

This is the Crusader five-star Extra Special.

This is the Keith Miller autographed bat.

Keith Miller was the great Australian all-rounder

who would come and bowl fast off 30 paces

and walk back three paces and bowl just as fast off three.

You've some great names on here. You've got Richie Benaud, "Good morning everybody."

Great names on there. What I love about this one, this England side...

We talk about Freddie Flintoff and the Ashes-winning side.

Here we've got Peter May, Trevor Bailey, Godfrey Evans, Colin Cowdrey, Tom Graveney.

Tom Graveney used to play for Worcestershire.

I saw him three weeks ago at the Worcestershire Cricket chairman's lunch.

These aren't the real signatures.

If these were the real signatures these bats would be worth hundreds of pounds each. They're facsimiles.

I can see some cricket nut paying between

£10 and £15 each for these.

I think we'll put them as a pair because it's England versus Australia in 1956.

We'll estimate them at £15 to £30 for the two.

We'll fix a reserve at £10 the two.

That doesn't seem a great deal of profit really but if you work out percentage terms on 20p, it would do.

Oh, yeah.

-Will your friend be pleased?

-She'll be pleased.

-Good enough.

I keep saying it wouldn't be "Flog It!" without Clarice Cliff,

but I must show you this little bit.

-It belongs to June. Why are you getting rid of this?

-Because I started off with just small bits

and then sold it to get a better bit

and sold that to get a better bit.

So you are going to sell this...

-To buy better.

-We could make a programme, couldn't we, really?

-Oh, yes, yes.

-Trading up with June.

-That would be lovely.

Did you ever lose though, at all?

I haven't actually. I started...

Oh, don't speak too soon!

I haven't yet and me whole family say, "Don't pay that much."

I've paid like 170 for me first piece.

The piece before this was a blue firs plate.

OK, we've had those.

I paid £500 for it.

I sold that after about two years.

-How much for?

-780.

-This is good, always trade up.

-So I'll sell that to move up to Blue Lugano.

-OK.

The Bizarre range is a very collectible range.

It's Clarice Cliff's own range. The Bizarre range came around in 1927.

-This was only made, this particular piece, for one year, from 1933 to 1934.

-That's interesting.

This double tube vase.

Hopefully, there weren't many made

and it's gonna be very, very rare.

When I bought it, I was told there was only three of that one.

Now, how long ago did you buy this?

-About 20 months, 18 months.

-Not long then.

This is recent trading?

-It is. Oh, yes.

-OK, how much did you pay for it?

-£2,000.

-Where from?

An auction room or a shop?

No, I bought another piece off a lady on eBay.

-Right, OK.

-And I asked her if she had anything that was special.

She said, "What do you think of that?"

I said, "I love it."

She said, "Middle of the road price - £2,000,"

-and I overdrew about 1,200 to pay for it.

-Did you?

I did.

We've all done it! If you find something you love...

-And it took me five or six months to pay it off.

-Yeah, I think you've paid the right money.

-Yes.

-I do, actually. You haven't paid too much, put it that way.

If we can give it a wider audience, hopefully two people

will be prepared to pay £2,000 and they might just push it up.

-One will push the other one up and we might get £2,400.

-Might.

-We might.

-It'll go towards me next one.

I'd like a Red Roof or Blue Lugano or something like that.

-You're getting to the top end of the range then.

-Smaller piece, but, you know...

-More desirable.

-Yes.

We'll put it into the sale with a valuation of £1,800 to £2,200.

-Yes.

-That sort of margin.

I think it'll do £2,400 to £2,600.

That would be lovely, wouldn't it?

-Yes.

-Right, we're gonna flog it!

-I'll see you in the auction room.

-Thank you.

I find this absolutely fascinating

because you've got a collection of dolls right from the middle of the 19th century

through to just before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Was it your intention to collect them like that?

It wasn't, actually, I got them as a gift, really.

I exchanged them for something.

We have a shop and I actually exchanged the dolls for something this lady wanted.

What sort of shop do you have, a toy shop?

-We actually have a jewellery shop.

-A jewellery shop.

-Yeah.

So I hope it wasn't a diamond ring you exchanged it for.

No, it wasn't, no.

Did the lady who exchanged these for whatever she bought from you, did she tell you where she got them from?

-She'd collected them over the years. She did actually have twins, one was a boy and one was a girl.

-Right.

She bought everything in twos. She told me that, yeah.

Oh, that's interesting because this little pair here are twins.

These Kewpie dolls in the front are twins.

Then we have another here, the two of them are twins.

These little peg dolls.

Those are quite nice. This one here is probably the oldest that you have.

This one is a porcelain head,

porcelain arms and feet with a fabric stuffed body.

That's rather nice.

This is a lovely set here because I call these doll's house occupants.

They're small enough to be put into a doll's house.

Here we have a doll's house occupant with her doll in turn with her doll.

So we've got this graduated form of dolls. Absolutely charming.

These googly-eyed dolls are very typical

sort of 1920s, 1930s but a very, very nice little collection.

Do you never have them out on display?

No, I keep them in a box.

-There's obviously no sentiment attached to them?

-Not really, no, no.

Individually, there's no great market.

-Right.

-If sold as a collection,

-we're looking at around £80 to £100, if not a little bit more.

-Right.

So what was the price of the debt?

I can't really remember.

But I've always loved them, I do really like them.

As the years have gone on, I thought someone else can enjoy them.

If you tuck them in a box, nobody sees them.

-There's no point having them.

-That's right.

Now, what's Philip about to uncover in Amanda's intriguing case?

1170963 Corporal Milsom. RAF. Those were the days.

That's one of the joys of "Flog It!"

You see a case like this

and you haven't got the first idea what's in there.

-But you've got the contents in your hand.

-Right here.

Are you an accomplished saxophonist?

Not really. I can get a tune out of it sometimes.

But just sometimes.

-I this going to be a sometimes?

-Sometimes I make it squeak.

Go on, girl. Go for it!

MUSIC: "Congratulations"

That's a bit of Harry Roger Webb, isn't it?

That's the one. Yeah.

-Was that Congratulations?

-It was.

I'll name that tune in one.

Absolutely. Did you buy this?

-I did.

-And did you save up?

No, I have to sell my bike.

You sold your bike! That's sad.

I sold my bike and bought the saxophone.

So, you've had it all this time and now you want to get rid of it?

-Was it a phase that passed?

-It's not passed. It's still there.

I just need the right saxophone so I can play it properly.

The fingering is different.

-They improved it.

-They improved it to make it easier to play.

Which now means somebody who's used to teaching a new instrument

finds it very difficult to teach you to play the old one.

I didn't realise when I bought it.

Not that it would have made a difference because it's beautiful to look at.

Corporal Milsom.

-What happened to him? Who was he?

-He's who I bought it off.

-You bought it off him?

-I bought it off him, yes.

He got rid of it because his neighbours used to complain.

He had retired and was living in a bungalow,

an old pensioner's bungalow.

His neighbours were complaining so he decided to get rid of it.

-Was he in the war?

-Yeah.

-Second World War?

-He played in a band.

You can build up these great stories that Corporal Milsom

was a Spitfire pilot and he entertained everybody in the mess.

Or he was somebody who worked in the NAAFI and I'm sure as it was...

that, in a way, if that had got famous history

like Douglas Bader or whatever, owned this and played it, this would be an awful lot of money.

Clearly it hasn't. Having seen the size of the case you can see

why everybody wants to be a bass player when the boat went down.

What would a bike cost you now?

-About £100?

-Yeah, probably.

I think you could probably convert this back to another bike.

I think an auction estimate for this is about £80 to £120.

We'll put a fixed reserve on it of £60 but I'm sure it'll do three figures

if Giles does his job and he will do, because he's a good auctioneer.

I think it'll go well for you.

So, reckon you can play us up with Congratulations or is that too much to ask?

I can have a go.

-Go on then.

-Might get more squeaks.

More squeaks. I can put up with a squeak.

MUSIC: "CONGRATULATIONS"

SQUEAKING

Oh, that's a bad sign! We're doomed!

And now we've got five items to take to the auction.

Anthony's pretty frame may not have the mirror it's supposed to

but he's bound to get a good return on the £20 he paid for it.

The miniature cricket bats were bought for just 20p.

As long as they sell, John should be happy with the profit.

June loves Clarice Cliff so I hope this one sells

so she can continue trading up.

Eileen is keen to see her unusual doll collection loved by a new owner.

And finally, let's hope Congratulations is the tune

we'll be hearing when Amanda's saxophone goes under the hammer.

MUSIC: "Nimrod"

At first glance, you may be forgiven for thinking this church looks like any other church.

But on closer inspection, its uniqueness starts to unfold.

At the turn of the 20th century,

a new movement in the arts was very much in vogue.

Arts and Crafts was a backlash against industrialisation

and a move back to the traditions and honest work of craftsmen.

Consecrated in 1907, St Andrew's Roker is often referred to

as the Arts and Crafts cathedral of the north-east.

Once you're inside, it's not hard to understand why, is it?

And to find out more about this incredible church,

I've come to talk with Dr Ian Stockton. How do you do?

He's Team Rector of Monkwearmouth. That's some job title.

Yes, it means team leader of this parish which is three churches,

St Andrew's Roker is one of them, Monkwearmouth - the monks, the River Wear and the mouth of the river.

Where do you start? I guess your eyes gravitate towards the heavens and this spectacular ceiling.

Yes, it's a wonderful ceiling.

It speaks of the beauty and generosity of God in creation

and there's every sort of creature up there from penguins to Adam and Eve

and you could spend endless time looking at the ceiling.

And working downwards, the stained-glass windows.

Yes, the window at the east end is by Payne.

And it still has its beautiful colours.

In the centre there's Mary and John, the beloved disciple,

and to the right there's Peter with his red cloak

and symbolism of the keys of the kingdom and the cockerel.

And you can't ignore the tapestry. That's William Morris.

Yes and that's beautiful and it's about human response to God's love and creativity.

This is William Morris as well.

Yes, many people will be familiar with the peacock design but probably not on an altar frontal.

This altar frontal dates from 1907 from the consecration of the church.

Which leads us to the carpet we're standing on.

I feel very privileged to be standing on this.

It's William Morris.

It's in very good condition. The colours are vibrant,

use of vegetable dyes, and we walk on this carpet week by week.

-That's what it's meant for.

-Exactly.

If you're an Arts and Crafts fan, you really have to come and visit St Andrew's.

Yes and we're always pleased to see visitors from any part of the world.

Let's talk about the history of the church, let's go through here.

So tell me about the history of the church.

The church was built at the beginning of the 20th century in 1907.

This was after a period of rapid suburban expansion in Sunderland, north of the river.

There was a need for a large church to be built, not enough money came from the public

and John Priestman, a local self-made man and shipbuilder,

he stepped in and provided the basic wherewithal for this building to be built within a year.

A man of taste. Obviously loved the Arts and Crafts movement.

It's such a long way away from its home in the Cotswolds.

-It's strange to find this here.

-Yes, strange connections.

The Bishop of Durham put Priestman in touch with this Arts and Crafts architect, Prior.

He's done a splendid job because there are no central supporting columns.

The walls are actually holding the roof up.

To some people this church looks ancient

but it was using the most modern contemporary methods of the day

and constructed with reinforced concrete with iron support.

And then clad and faced in this stone.

Yes, with its natural rugged appearance.

It reminds me of an inverted hull of a boat, seeing these ribs as stations.

Yes, and many people say that.

We're standing in the nave, the ship.

It's so in keeping with the area and the seafaring people who have lived and worked here.

Now that's a very impressive double-sided lectern.

Yes, it's wonderful.

Such a beautiful piece of work.

It's by Ernest Gimson and it's used Sunday by Sunday for the reading of scripture.

Every face side is ornately decorated.

Mother of pearl, silver inlay and looking at that tiger stripe in the grain, that's brown ebony.

Why did they make double-sided?

Originally it was meant that the Old Testament was read and once the Hebrew scriptures had been read,

then it was turned around for the reading of the New.

Isn't that lovely?

St Andrew's is a truly breathtaking example of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Who would have thought there would have been such a wealth of riches

behind this rather unassuming facade?

And now it's time to take our riches off to the sale room.

Will the bidders look twice at the mirror frame?

Can we make a century with the miniature cricket bats?

Maybe it's the Clarice Cliff vase that will create a clamour among the collectors.

Or will it be the dolls that attract the most attention?

Perhaps we'll see the saxophone soar. I can't wait to find out.

For our sale today, we've travelled up the coastline to the Boldon Auction Galleries.

On the rostrum, the man wielding the gavel is Giles Hodges.

Fingers crossed our experts have got it right.

First up, it's the mirror frame.

Well, Tony, we've got a value of £180 to £250.

Is that the true reflection, Mr Barby?

Well, since there's no glass in it, it could be.

I think it should do more, actually, it's a very nice piece.

It's an iconic piece, isn't it?

You've got the female on it but it's got that decoration on the top which is Vienna Secessionist.

It's a nice combination.

It's got the look. It certainly had you looking at the right price.

A long time back, you paid what?

£20 for it, yeah.

That's a good buy, isn't it?

Did it always not have a mirror?

Not half the mirror.

I put it in the loft out of the way and that was it.

At least it's been in the loft and protected.

Now it's going under the hammer.

This is stunning, isn't it?

..silver easel frame.

I'm bid on commission at £90.

At 90, 100, 110.

At 110, 120?

120.

130. 140. At 140.

145. 150.

-We're getting there.

-150.

Still reasonable. At 155. 160.

It's cheap. It is cheap.

-Front row at £160...

-Come on!

He sold it.

-160.

-£160. It's gone.

-Someone'll get some enjoyment out of it.

That's good.

-What are you putting the money towards?

-The kids will use it.

-How many kids have you got?

-Two.

-What are their names?

-Tony and Jo.

Tony and Jo, Dad's promised you the dosh.

Yeah, they'll spend that.

Do you know what we're knocking to you right now?

It's two souvenir cricket bats. It's a shame they're not the real thing.

They're the miniature souvenirs from the 1956 Ashes.

John, you paid 20p for these?

-In a charity shop.

-So, we're bound to make a profit.

Philip, you put £15-£20 on them.

It's a shame we can't add a couple of noughts.

They're lovely things. We could do with some of those guys playing for us now.

Yes. Top names.

We very much came second in the Ashes over in Oz this time round.

What's happened to Freddie Flintoff, that's what I want to know.

Anyway, you had the right man doing the valuation.

Philip is a big cricket fan.

Of Worcester.

-Is there any other county?

-No, there's not!

We're going to find out what these are worth right now.

Let's hope we hit the top end for John's sake. Good luck.

Two miniature cricket bats from the Ashes series 1956.

I've got two commissioned bids. I must start it at £28.

Sporting memorabilia!

30. 32. 35.

On the stairs at 35. 38.

40. 5.

50. 5. 60. 5. 70. 5.

80. £80 on the stairs.

Great.

-Hit for six!

-Are we all done at 80?

-£80.

-How much did you give for those?

-20p!

Get in there.

That's fantastic.

I can get more than two pints now.

I said to John, we're expecting £15 to £20.

I said to John, I won't ask what you're going to put £15 or £20 towards.

He said, "I'm going to go to the pub next door for a few pints."

£80, that's a dinner out for you and the other half.

More importantly you can take us to the pub!

Right, it's my turn to be the expert.

I'm not looking forward to this moment. June...

..let's stand united on this.

It's that Clarice Cliff double tube vase.

You bought this on eBay and paid quite a bit of money for it.

-Yes, I did.

-We got a value of 1,800 to 2,200.

I had a chat with Giles earlier. You know this because your daughter knows him and she rang him up.

He said if you had brought that into his saleroom,

he'd put £1,200-1,500 on it.

I said we have to get June her money back. He's got to work hard.

You don't know what's going to happen.

This is why it's so exciting.

If you've never been to an auction before, please go to your local auction room and have a fun day out.

-Here we go. This is it.

-Lot number 60.

The Clarice Cliff Bizarre blue patterned double spill vase.

I'm bid 800 to start it.

850. 900. 950. 1,000.

At £1,000. And 50. 1,100. 1,150. 1,200.

So far, so good.

1,250. 1,300.

1,350. 1,400.

1,450. 1,500.

1,550. 1,600.

He's out. £1,600 still with me.

£1,600 and we're away at 1,600.

-Not sold.

-Didn't sell.

-No, that's OK.

-It nearly got up there.

I know, yes.

That's lovely. I'm quite happy.

-Are you sure?

-Yes, I am.

Eileen is pegging all her hopes on David's top estimate.

£80-100 for the 13 peg dolls.

Could that 13 be unlucky?

Ooh, causing a bit of jeopardy! Why are you selling these?

They really are nice.

Well, they're just in a drawer.

The children don't want them so I'll get rid of them and let someone else have the pleasure.

Remind us of the story because they were exchanged in a jeweller's shop.

It was a lady who had a repair done and it was so expensive, I didn't like to ask for the money

so she gave me the dolls instead.

Right, OK. You've had them for how long?

About 15 years, I think.

You got them out of the drawer, brought them along to "Flog It!"

and David said, "Yes, let's do it."

-They need a home.

-They do need a home. They need fostering.

-They're lonely.

-Need loving.

Let's find out it somebody here is going to give them all the TLC they need.

It's going under the hammer now.

The collection of 19th century and onwards

porcelain and wood peg dolls.

I'm bid 40 to start me. At £40. 45.

50. 55. 60. 65. 70. 75.

At 75. 80.

£85 to my left. 90.

95. 100.

105.

110. 115. 120. 125.

130.

130 bid. Anybody else I've missed?

At 130 and all done...

Yes! Well done. 130.

You were so right. Hard one to value cos it's not an academic piece.

It's more folk art. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Tough call. What are you going to put the money towards?

I have a son getting married in two weeks.

-Congratulations.

-A new hat.

-Yes!

-A new hat!

I've been joined by Amanda and Philip who have a gorgeous saxophone

about to go under the hammer with a value of £80 to £120.

In my experience I know musical instruments always do well in auction rooms.

They hardly crop up and when they do they fetch good money, violins, guitars, saxophones.

Fingers crossed we get the top end.

It's going under the hammer now.

Lot 450. The saxophone.

I'm bid 40 to start. At 40. 5.

50. 5. 60. 5.

70. 5. 80. 5. 90. 5. 100.

He means to have it. Look at him.

This is good.

170. 180.

190. 200. 220. 240. 260. 280.

They love this. This is fantastic.

We're hitting all the high notes.

440. 460. 480. £500.

To my left, £500. Are we all done?

Yes! Hammer has gone down. £500.

What was I saying? You can't buy one cheaper than 100 quid anywhere else.

-Got that wrong, didn't I?

-You did!

They always go well. What are you putting the £500 towards?

-I'll probably get another saxophone, a tenor saxophone and lessons to play it.

-Fantastic.

Get the CDs, it's easier.

Not as much fun though!

Amanda can't believe her luck, and I do love to say, "I told you so!"

Well, we've come to the end of our double-barrelled show.

We had a great time in Swansea earlier, especially with the pistol.

£180.

Ooh... 180 straight in!

And the Moorcroft vase.

Yes! 270 quid!

But it's definitely Hartlepool that's come out on top in the battle of the ports this time.

The auction is still going on.

It's all over for our owners and we've had a fabulous time at the Boldon Auction Galleries.

We certainly made some sweet music today with Amanda's saxophone selling for a staggering £500.

That's what you call hitting the high notes.

Until the next time, it's cheerio.

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

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

Subtitling by Red Bee Media Ltd

Email [email protected]