Folkestone Flog It!

Flog It! has come to the seaside, described by Charles Dickens as

one of the prettiest watering places on the South Coast - Folkestone.

What a stunning view that is. It is so invigorating.

This was once one of the most

prosperous and fashionable resorts in the country.

It was the place to be seen in.

Edward VII and his royal entourage came here. So did Charles Dickens,

Noel Coward, Agatha Christie and, of course, Princess Margaret.

They all came to the Leas to take in the sea air

and the stunning architecture. And our venue for today's show?

It is a stunning place, as well. It's the Leas Cliff Hall

and it's just along the coastline.

Let's hope we've got a massive turnout.

Joining that illustrious list of names, we bring you our very own royalty,

experts Mark Stacey and Nick Hall.

Let's hope they're in the best of health and ready for the task ahead,

in the spectacularly-located Leas Cliff Hall.

It looks like there's going to be plenty to choose from.

Mark is first at the tables.

-Pearl.

-Yes.

-You've buzzed in to see us today.

You have this wonderful little honey jar, here.

Where did you get it from?

I was helping a lady clean out her cupboards

and she was going to throw it away.

I said, "It's lovely", so she said, "Would you like it?"

I said, "Yes, please" and I've had it all these years.

When was that?

Oh, about 20 years ago.

Did you like it? Has it been out on display?

-I thought it was lovely.

-It is a lovely thing.

What we have got is this little honey pot, or honey jar

or preserve pot - whatever you want to use it for -

in the form of a bee.

We have this lovely silver-plated head and these lovely feet, which

are textured on the end, as well, to show a sign of good decoration.

The wings lift up and you keep it in there.

You have a little gap, where a little spoon would have gone.

We've got various marks underneath.

It's got Mappin & Webb,

It's princes plate, so it was made and retailed through Mappin & Webb.

A good sign of quality and a really funky, collectible thing.

We are looking at it being made, I guess, around the 1920s.

In terms of value, it's a difficult one to call.

My personal feeling is we should put 200-300 on it,

with a 200 fixed reserve, so we don't sell it a penny below 200.

But, I think it's going to fly. If you excuse the pun.

Yeah!

Hi, Sue. Thanks for bringing these two lovely Royal Worcester vases.

I only saw one of these, first of all, in the queue, and then

you told me you had a second one and my eyes lit up!

Tell me about them, have you had them long?

-They were my mother's.

-They've been in the family a while.

-Yes.

-Passed to you.

-When she died.

A little bit of an heirloom there.

What made you bring them to Flog It!?

My son's getting married this summer, so the funds will go towards that.

As much as we can possibly get for these.

The money will help pay for the wedding. This summer, is it?

-It is, August.

-Lovely.

OK. As I said, they are made by Royal Worcester,

lovely hand-painted designs here.

We have fruits and leaves, and I've noticed as well, they are actually

signed by the artist, Blake.

Quite a good noted artist, not one of the top Worcester painters, but he is certainly up there.

He has a good pedigree, a good name.

Date-wise, if we pop this upside-down, we have a nice set of Worcester marks,

with all the various model numbers, pattern numbers.

And from that we can date them.

They are not early, they are not Victorian period,

they are very much into the 20th century.

Once we come to catalogue them for auction,

we will look that little mark up and it will be somewhere between 1920-1950, that sort of era.

They are in excellent condition, which is important. No damage.

The money will go to a good cause, your son's wedding.

-I suppose we had better talk about what they are worth.

-Please.

Being a pair, in good order, they ought to make £300-400,

possibly more. They are both signed, in good condition,

and you're keen to get a reserve on that, aren't you?

-Yes.

-Are you happy if we use the 300 as a firm reserve and not a penny under that?

-That'd be lovely.

-They should make that. They certainly warrant it.

The more it fetches, the more champagne will flow at the wedding!

What a nice little globe

you have brought in to show us today.

-Where did you get it from?

-It has been in the family,

as far as I know, for 60-70 years.

I don't know exactly where it came from, originally.

It has just been sitting in the top of a pot, basically.

-You inherited it?

-I inherited it, yes.

And it has stayed in the pot?

In the top of the pot. I thought it's a good thing to bring along,

-cos it is nice and small.

-Wonderful. The only shame is, I have looked

-and I can't find a maker's name.

-Right.

Which is a bit of a shame,

because the maker's name can make a big difference to the value.

Basically, this is a pocket-sized globe,

something you would have carried around with you.

It would have had either a little, hard leather case

or a shagreen case - sharkskin case, originally.

Looking round it, we've got all the countries. But the fascinating

thing about it is a lot of the countries have changed name since.

The biggest one we have got here is New Holland.

-Which, of course, is now Australia.

-That is why I brought it along

because I wasn't sure when it changed from New Holland to Australia.

I thought it must be a reasonable age, I suppose.

Oh, it is. I am not 100% sure,

but I am pretty sure that Australia has celebrated its bicentenary...

Yes?

..10 or 20 years ago.

I think this is probably towards the end of the 18th century, just before

-it became a British protectorate, if you like.

-Yes.

These are now very collectible.

Are they? Who would have had something like that?

I immediately think of a seaman. Something like that.

No, I think this would have been a part of the middle classes.

You have to remember that the mid-18th century was almost the enlightenment. People wanted to

learn about sciences and the arts

and somebody would have had this to show their interest.

You think of the Royal Society, formed in the late 18th century,

it was all part of this education movement, I suppose.

I would probably advise you to put,

how should we say this,

a "come and get me" estimate?

I know what you mean.

Put a tempting estimate on it. I would probably put 200-300 on it.

-Good heavens. Blimey!

-Really? Does that please you?

That is amazing, that is!

It really is, yeah. I would never have thought that.

If we put 200-300 on it, I would hope it would go past that.

I think it probably will. If we put a reserve of 200, to protect it.

-We shouldn't give it away for less than that.

-No.

I can see two specialist collectors really wanting it.

-I think it is a fascinating object.

-That is really pleasing, thank you.

Janet, hello. Welcome to Flog It! and thanks for bringing in this nice little object.

-Is it something you have had for a long time?

-Yes, well, it has been in my family.

My grandmother, my mum and now me.

I have had it about 20 years.

About 20 years. Why have you brought it in today?

Because...I'm more into cut glass

and I've got a granddaughter now

and I can see this is going to be broken!

It would be a crying shame because it's in this immaculate condition.

It is quite a fragile bit of porcelain.

My mum was good at keeping things. I'm not quite so good!

What do you know about it, before I tell you about its history?

Nothing, other than that I realise it's lustreware.

-That's all.

-That is a generic term for all this ceramic and pottery

which has this lovely, lustrous sheen within the glaze.

If we dismantle it and look at the stand and we see...

it has the factory mark. It is Carlton Ware.

Carlton Ware were making a different number of ranges of this lustreware

back in the 1930s. Very collectible today.

The prices haven't quite reached the heights of the Wedgewood,

but still make a lot of money.

A lot of the price depends on the quality of the gilding

and the condition of the gilding.

Once this lovely giltware gets worn, or rubbed, or washed,

and it starts to lose that sheen,

you can't replicate it. You can't reproduce it.

The various materials used were toxic, to produce this colour, so you can't make that now.

Once that has gone, it has gone for life.

-The price drops and never comes back up again.

-Right.

Although there is one or two areas of wear here and there,

overall, beautiful condition.

-That's good.

-Fascinating patterns, as well.

We have these big, gory, horrible spider's webs

and you have these frightening, big tarantula looking ones, as well.

Not small, little house-spiders.

You have a wonderful array of all these moths and butterflies.

You've got a lot of foliage there, blossoming trees.

-Yeah.

-A wonderful thing. Wonderful.

Have you ever wondered what it might be worth?

I haven't got any idea.

I would think it should make

a good £300 or £400.

Safeguard it with a reserve,

I would suggest £250. Are you happy with that?

-Yes, that's...

-OK, we will put it to auction

and see where we go from there. Thank you for bringing it in.

It has brightened up my day and everyone's day.

How lovely! Thank you.

Before we take our rich booty of items to auction,

I've come up the coast to Ramsgate, to find out more

about the great 19th-Century architect, Edward Pugin.

Throughout the 17th and 18th century,

classical themes reigned supreme among the fashion-conscious world

of architecture and design.

And rows of terraced houses, very much like these ones in Ramsgate,

were a common sight in cities and towns, all over Britain.

But, fashions come and go and the first half of the 19th century

saw a definite change in people's styles, taste and attitude.

By the early to mid-Victorian period, the so-called Gothic revival

reflected this new fashion in many areas of art and culture.

Although Victorian Gothic Architecture is a familiar

and well loved feature on a British cityscape, it wasn't always the architects that were responsible.

Some of the prime movers and shakers were philosophers and social commentators.

Men, like John Ruskin, who believed the Middle Ages were the defining moment in human achievement

and that Gothic design represented the ideal marriage

between spiritual and artistic values.

An early proponent of this new style was Augustus Pugin, the son of a French emigre.

At the age of 17, Pugin had already set up his own business,

designing furniture and fittings for houses throughout Britain.

He is most famous for his magnificent interiors

in the Houses of Parliament.

Pugin absolutely hated the neo-classical style and form,

so strongly associated with the Georgian period.

But his vitriol went well beyond pure design considerations.

He was a committed Christian, but converted to Catholicism in 1835,

and he considered neo-classicism to be a form of paganism,

drawing, as it did, on all its influences

from ancient Rome and Athens.

So Pugin decided to design and build his own house,

according to those Gothic principles.

He acquired some land, here in Ramsgate,

where he spent many a happy childhood holiday.

And work began on The Grange there in 1843.

The house, now owned and lovingly restored by the Landmark Trust,

was a radical departure from the conventions of the day.

It became a prototype for what we now consider

a typical Victorian middle-class home.

The Grange is asymmetrical.

It is designed from the inside out.

This represented a brand-new approach, while, seemingly, it evolved naturally

over the centuries and everything in here articulates so beautifully.

The floor tiles which I'm standing on, in the entrance hall,

the staircase, with this magnificent balustrade. In fact, every bit of architectural detail in here,

is of the medieval style which Pugin was so in love with.

Since his conversion to Catholicism, Pugin had harboured a desire

to build a church, next door to The Grange.

Ramsgate was the ideal location for his church,

as it was where St Augustine brought Christianity to southern England.

Everything in here, the windows, the pointed arches, the cluster columns,

they are all of Gothic design.

With his ideas about faith and conduct in life and in building, that form follows function,

Pugin can be seen as the pre-cursor to the Arts and Crafts movement.

The Grange and St Augustine's are fine excess examples

of Victorian Gothic architecture. But Pugin's greatest legacy

has to be that he revolutionised architectural thinking,

in Britain and beyond.

For our auction, we've left Folkestone and travelled inland

to the historic city of Canterbury. Here is today's venue, the Canterbury Auction Galleries.

Let's go in and catch up with today's auctioneer, Tony Pratt, the man with the local knowledge.

See what he's got to say about some of our owners' items.

Pearl is hoping her honey pot won't leave a sting in the tail, at auction.

Sue's pair of Royal Worcester vases are magnificent.

I'm sure champagne will be flowing, at the wedding.

It's another one of those Flog It! pieces of pottery, Carlton Ware.

Our experts have lots of experience in this area

and I think Nick is right on the money.

Finally, Rob may be surprised at the high valuation

on his tiny globe, but it is very collectible.

Auctioneer Tony Pratt has a good feeling about it.

The world is your oyster, but this is a pretty little world, isn't it?

It's not a big world! This belongs to Rob.

19th-Century pocket globe.

I think very late 19th...could possibly be early 20th century.

We have a valuation put on it by Mark Stacey of £200-300.

I like it. It is missing its case.

It stands a chance of doing well.

One of those collectors markets that is still buoyant at the moment.

It is an academics' toy and something for them to muse over.

It is a scientific object, really.

It is probably from a schoolboy's collection, because it is not very detailed.

-Regrettably, it is not dated.

-No, that's a shame.

Will it get the top end or the lower end?

I think it stands a good chance of hitting top end.

I'm quite confident of that.

I've been joined by Alan and Susan. We have two Royal Worcester vases.

Ivory Blush, going under the hammer. Signed "Blake", £300-400.

They've got to do that, haven't they?

They should do. In good condition, nicely painted, the signature.

It has all the ingredients for collectors.

A great name, great condition, everything is there to invest in.

We always say, "When you invest in antiques,

"invest in the top, a good maker's name and good quality."

43, a pair of Royal Worcester, Blush Ivory porcelain vases.

Decorated by K Blake.

Who will start me at £200?

Even better, we have several commission bids. £440. 460?

460 on the phone. Who is 460? 460 where?

460 in the room. 480, 500?

And 20, 540...

-Brilliant. I like this.

-..560, 560 where?

560 where?

Selling at 540. Bid's in the room. All done at £540?

Yes, that is good, isn't it?

That will get the hat.

Next up for grabs, we have that wonderful stylised honey bee, made by Mappin & Webb.

We have a valuation put on by our expert, Mark Stacey, £200-300 and it belongs to Pearl.

Unfortunately she can't be with us today, but her husband can.

He's standing next to me and his name is Ray. Pleased to meet you.

I love this little bee and I hope it will put a sting in the tail today.

I love them. This really shows the invention of those late Victorians.

They started to have this imagination

and combine that lovely amber glass with the silver plating.

Those lovely lift-up wings where you put the spoon. A fantastic object.

269, the plated novelty honey pot in a stylised bee by Mappin & Webb.

269. £100. Unusual item here.

Who will give me £100?

100 I have. 110 where?

110 for someone?

110 I have, on the phone. 120...

-Good. That's a good sign.

-..130, 140, 150,

160, 170.

-We're going to sell this.

-180, 190.

200, 210.

220. 220 where?

Selling at £210, bid's on the phone. £210, then.

That's it, the hammer has gone down. £210. Just in.

I was disappointed. Thought it might make more than that.

I thought it'd do the top end. It's so unique.

You probably won't find another one for sale for a long time.

Nevertheless, Pearl will be happy with that. £210. She didn't like it.

-What's she going to spend the money on, do you know?

-No idea.

-No idea.

Not until she comes back home!

I've just been joined by Janet. We have some Deco china for you.

-Carlton Ware bowl, with butterflies and spider webs all over it.

-Yes.

We have a value of £300-400 put on by our expert, Nick.

You like this kind of thing, don't you?

I do. I have a penchant for the Deco era. But apart from that,

it is a nice jazzy lump of pottery and I think collectors will love it.

And it has the original stand. How often does that happen? Not very.

58 is a Carlton Ware pottery, lustre-bowl and stand.

£100. 100, I have.

-110 where?

-Come on.

-110, I have.

120, 130, 140,

-150...

-Steady climb.

-..160 where?

-160, coming in?

-It's slowing up.

160, 170, 180, 190.

Painful, isn't it?

We've got a phone bidder.

200, 210, 220, 230,

240?

240.

250, 260?

260, 270? Against you. Selling at £260.

On the phone at £260. Are we all done, then?

He has used his discretion. Hammer has gone down. £260.

That is fair enough.

It is OK. You'll take that, won't you?

-I'd have liked a little more, but it's fair enough.

-It was fun.

It wasn't a rare pan, it was a nice big jazzy piece of pottery.

-I understand.

-It has got the look. It has got the look.

They say the world is a big place, but this little world, you can hold in the palm of your hand.

It belongs to Rob. It's going under the hammer and we have £200-300 on this.

-Absolutely.

-It is a lovely little item. Something I'd like to own.

It's a "come and get me". We will find out what happens. Good luck. This is it.

The miniature pocket-globe, the 19th-Century pocket-globe.

Lot 316. Who will start me at £150? Any interest?

160 I am bid, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210?

210. 220, anybody at 220?

220, 230, 240, 250,

260, 270...

-It's good.

-It's getting there.

..280, 290, 300,

320, 340, 360?

Anybody at 360? The bid stands at 340.

360, 380, 400,

420.

It is finding its level now.

-Good heavens.

-460, 480.

I can't believe the grandchildren rolled it around the lounge floor.

500, 520,

540, 560,

580, 600.

This is great.

Heavens!

Anybody at 600?

The bid is standing at £580 and selling at 580, if we are all done?

Back in at 600.

-Yes!

-620, 640?

-Fresh legs.

No? £620, it is, in the room. Are we all done?

Yes. That's more like it.

-Thank you very much.

-Not bad!

That is brilliant! It found its level.

I think you are right, it was 18th century, to command that sort of money.

No name and no case, otherwise it would have pushed over the thousand.

What are you going to put the money towards? Less commission, don't forget.

Towards a winter holiday. Take the kids and the grandkids away.

Fantastic. Anywhere in the world!

Anywhere around the globe that he's just sold!

You are spinning me round already.

Sadly, that is all the time we have on today's show.

I hope you enjoyed it. Until the next time

we'll see you for more surprises on Flog It!, cheerio.