Stoke-on-Trent Flog It!

We're in the home of some Flog It! favourites today.

Moorcroft, Wedgwood, Spode and of course, good old Royal Doulton.

You've guessed it. We've come to the Potteries.

Welcome to Flog It! from Stoke-on-Trent.

Now, the reason this area developed as a world leader in ceramics

is due to what lies beneath my feet.

Underneath all these cobbled stones around here,

and indeed the whole of the local area, lies good, thick, rich clay -

ideal for throwing all sorts of vessels, like pots and vases.

There's also an abundance of lead and salt, which is used in the glazes to decorate the vessels.

And with all the local coal mines, it's no wonder that

when the potteries first opened up, those kilns were kept hot.

Now, that sounds like a fantastic use of local resources.

Well, we've got our own Flog It! resources with us today,

in the shape of experts David Barby and James Lewis.

They're keen to get their hands on some local pottery, and I think they could be lucky.

Well, we've got a great queue here today, loaded with bags and boxes full of treasures,

and if they agree with David and James's valuation, then it's off to the auction room to...

ALL: Flog it!

David's the first expert to the table with a local find.

Elaine, you were telling me a few moments ago that your family

has got some involvement with the Stoke-on-Trent pottery industry.

-Yes, that's right.

-And this refers to this particular tile, doesn't it?

Yes. My late husband's father was an engraver.

-Right.

-And we presume that's where this came from,

-but he said it was a Minton tile, but no mark.

-Did he work for Minton?

No, he was an individual engraver.

He'd got a workshop of his own.

So he would engrave this design...

-I would imagine so, yes.

-..for replication on Minton blanks.

-Yes, yes.

-That's quite interesting.

What I do find interesting is the whole development of tile industry at Stoke-on-Trent.

It was so important, the industry, in the 19th century.

-Yes.

-And Mintons was at the head of it.

-This is an engraving on the top?

-Yes.

It's a transfer design, and I note when I look at this, there's a sort of mark all the way round.

-Yes.

-Why is that?

It was in a frame,

a wooden frame, which absolutely disintegrated. It was so...

-Woodworm?

-I've no idea.

-It just fell apart.

-Yes, yes. It was so old, apparently.

This belonged to your father-in-law?

-Yes.

-He had it hanging on the wall?

-I don't know. I never knew him.

That's interesting. If he'd have done something which he was very proud of,

he would bring an example home

and hang it on the wall and say, "This is my work."

That's right. Yes, that's right. Could well have been.

-I think so.

-Could've been.

-This type of tile,

the elongated tile, would be put into a fireplace.

-There would be two of them either side of the grate.

-Yes.

Then you'd have simple tiles either side of them, so I think

-this is where it came from, or was intended originally as a fireplace tile.

-Yes.

The design itself is of a sort of classical inspiration,

rather whimsical, rather fey and not exactly in today's fashion, is it?

-Not at all. Not at all.

-It is slightly over the top.

It is, yes.

So the market will be for somebody like ourselves, in that age group...

-Right.

-..who would want it as a decorative object on the wall.

-Yes, yes.

-Or it will sell to a tile collector.

Now, Elaine, I'm going to suggest that when we put this up for sale

-at the auction house, we're not going to have a reserve.

-No.

I think the value is somewhere between £40 and £60, but I think

it's got to run in the sale room,

and hopefully there's going to be somebody there that collects tiles

and wants a tile from the beginning of the 20th century, when this was produced...

-Yes.

-..to fill in a blank that he might have in his collection.

-You're happy with that?

-Yes, I am.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Tell me, are you a nosologist?

No. I don't know anything about snuff at all.

-A nosologist is a snuff-taker.

-Yes.

The early name for a snuff-taker.

And of course, what we've got here is a little Georgian snuff shoe.

These were carried by ladies and gentlemen.

But more often, the shoes were table snuff boxes

-because of course, the lids are quite loose and you wouldn't want a pocket full of snuff.

-No.

But snuff-taking really has been in fashion in England from the late 1500s,

when snuff-taking started,

and throughout the 1600s and 1700s, very, very popular.

It really died out in the 1920s, but having said that,

snuff-taking is coming back into fashion.

-Aah.

-Imagine you're in a pub, and what do you have?

-You have nicotine and a pint in a pub?

-Yes.

That's what most people used to have, but you're not allowed any cigarettes.

-Have to go outside.

-You wouldn't with this.

You can have your fix of nicotine with a snort of snuff

and a pint of beer, and you don't have to leave the pub.

-Yeah.

-So there are still snuff mills around the country,

-and they are showing signs of renewed interest in snuff-taking.

-Yes.

This, I suppose, was made around 1780, 1800.

All decorative.

And I suppose this is copying the stitching off the shoe.

You can pretty much date the shoe by the fashion and the design on it.

Also, of course, ladies took them, and ladies had these snuff shoes.

It was as much a lady's habit as it was a gentleman's habit.

George III's wife, Charlotte - Snuffy Charlotte, as she was known - was a great snuff-taker,

and almost 100 years before that,

-Queen Anne was patron of the British snuff-taking society.

-Oh, right.

It's always been a controversial subject, but always been something

that has been enjoyed by the working class and the upper class.

-Perhaps I should start the habit again, then.

-Have a go!

Where has it been? Where do you keep it?

We've had it for about 15 years now, just in the cupboard.

It was in a skip that my husband was working on the house at the time,

and he brought it home.

-It really wants cleaning now, but it was even dirtier then.

-My goodness!

We just wiped it over and just kept it in the cupboard.

-It's amazing what people throw away.

-Yeah.

But it's a good thing. I really like it.

And I suppose the value, £50 to £80, something like that, and it'll do well.

-OK.

-Definitely want to sell it?

-Yes, yes.

-Why not keep it in a little drawer and enjoy it.

-No, no.

We'll sell it and put the money towards a holiday.

It doesn't take up much space.

-I'm not convincing you, am I?

-I'm sure. I'm sure.

Lorraine, I think this is absolutely fantastic. I love it.

It caught my eye from across the room.

It really is. For me, it's a piece of sculpture now. It's got everything going for it.

It's really tactile and it's incredibly naive. It's a hobby horse in the form of a tricycle.

Late-Victorian, circa 1890, and it's definitely continental.

Where did you get this from?

-I bought it in France.

-You did.

Bought it in Lamont, in an antique shop.

How long ago?

About seven years ago.

And I just loved it. I still do.

It's got the look... If this had been restored, it would have lost its naive charm for me.

There's something here that says "heart and soul".

It's got an essence to it, which, well, if you look...

Half its head is missing on this side.

-Yes.

-It's had an awful lot of abuse, because this is a chain-driven tricycle.

The chain's round there on the back axle, and it's driven by the handlebars up there.

That's taken a lot of abuse. That's why the horse's neck has fallen off, and that's cast metal.

But for me,

that whole side of the horse looks Picasso-esque.

-Yes.

-If you can imagine a Picasso picture or a sculpture,

you start to see something in it, and it just is quite incredible.

I can see beauty in this, and I'm thinking people

could be thinking, "He's gone mad." But there's something here.

If this was in perfect condition, something like this hobby horse,

a Victorian hobby horse like this,

would fetch around £800 to £1,200, but it would have to be in very, very good condition.

For me, this is going to go to a decorator, an interior designer,

and he's going to use it as a prop on the floor in a magazine shot.

Why do you want to sell this?

Because it's so raw.

You haven't had it that long.

It exudes beauty, to me.

I do love it, but it hasn't...

I've got nowhere to actually put it,

and it was actually living out in the barn, which is sacrilege, really.

That's terrible. And I do love it.

I really, really love it, but...

Do you mind me asking how much you paid for it?

-I paid 200.

-You paid £200.

-So I really liked it.

I think we'll get you your money back.

-OK.

-I'm pretty sure we will.

I think we should put this in to auction with a value of £200 to £300.

-You paid £200, so we're going to put a £200 reserve on this.

-Right. OK.

-That's got personality and that's what's going to sell it.

-Right.

He said!

Rosemary, people at home, looking at this, would not be criticised

for thinking these were pretty modern, because they are so fashionable, aren't they?

They are so contemporary. You can imagine any young lady in the street today wearing something like that.

I love them. They really are good things. But they're not modern.

They're 100 years old, approximately.

They're Art Nouveau in style.

They're in blue, green and yellow, and they're enamelled onto silver.

-Yes.

-So 1900 to 1910. Little suspension chains there,

with another silver chain link support there.

They are really very, very nice things.

How did you come to have them?

-I bought them at an antiques fair.

-Did you? How long ago?

-About 10 or 12 years.

-Do you remember what you paid?

-I can't, I'm afraid.

That lets me off the hook, then.

The artist and the silversmith that is most well-known for this sort of work is Charles Horner.

He was working in the Midlands and in London around that sort of time.

But these aren't marked. There isn't a lion, there is no English hallmark on them at all.

I think they are English, although they're not hallmarked.

-So legally, we have to call them silver-coloured metal.

-Yes.

But really, there's no value in the silver content of these.

It's purely in how pretty they are as a necklace.

-I see.

-Even though they are greatly fashionable things, they don't make a fortune.

-No.

-But if we were to put £100 to £150 on the two, would that be OK for you?

-That would be fine.

-Lovely, because I think they are super.

Having bought them 12 years ago, why do you want to sell them?

-Well, I've got better jewellery. I like Arts and Crafts.

-Oh, do you?

It's a little bit earlier.

Yes. I started by buying a big dresser and went on from there.

-So not just the jewellery, it's the whole...

-The whole lot.

With these, they might not be Arts and Crafts,

but if they're not going to be Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau is the next best thing.

-Yes.

-And they're going to do very, very well.

-Lovely.

Well, I don't know about you, but I think we've just seen some real gems.

And now it's time to put those valuations to the test.

And our experts normally get it right, don't they?

-ALL: Yes!

-But things could go wrong, that's why we go off to auction.

So while we make our way over there, here's a quick rundown of the items we're taking with us.

Elaine's Minton tile is a nice local item made by a family member.

With no reserve on it, it could be a bargain buy.

This snuff box was a lucky find in a skip, so let's hope the bidders sniff it out in the sale room.

I really love the naive look of this hobby horse.

It's just the sort of decorative item I would love to own.

Rosemary prefers Arts and Crafts jewellery to Art Nouveau, so it's time for her pendants to go.

They don't have a hallmark, which may just put the bidders off.

Today our auction comes from Knutsford at Frank Marshalls,

and on the rostrum we've got Flog It! favourite Adam Partridge

hopefully doing us proud and selling all our lots.

Are you a fan of contemporary sculpture?

Why do you ask me that?

Because you're looking at a wonderful piece for only £200.

You're trying to sell it to me?

Do you know, when this came in, I had no trouble

telling who had valued it and who had been attracted to it.

I fell in love with this. I just think it's so naive.

When you look at it, it's so Picasso-esque.

You know, there's something quite raw about it.

It belongs to Lorraine, and she paid £200 for this in an antique shop in France. It is French.

Mid-Victorian, and I think it's...

I think it's got the look and it's worth £200, Adam.

-OK.

-OK.

-Keep telling yourself that, Paul.

-You know it is.

-Yeah. ADAM LAUGHS

-Well, yeah. It's not quite all there, is it?

-No.

But it is decorative in a rustic, charming sort of way.

It's got a chance, hasn't it, Paul?

-Because it's got interiors appeal to it.

-Yes.

If you're dressing a room with a horse theme - there you go.

But is it two hundred quid's worth, is it?

-Two to three hundred. Yeah!

-Yes, OK.

-You're happy with that?

-I am.

OK. Well, I hope it proves right.

Something for the ladies right now.

A bit of Art Nouveau jewellery, It's stunning.

Belongs to Rosemary, possibly for not much longer, with a valuation of £100 to £150.

-Who've you brought along?

-Richard.

Richard, pleased to meet you.

-What do you think of this piece of jewellery?

-Beautiful.

-Stunning, isn't it?

It caught James's eye.

-You like that sort of Deco period.

-It's got a real style to it.

It appeals to the youth of today too.

Why are you getting rid of them?

They're so fashionable.

Well, I wanted a Flog It! experience.

Ooh, you're getting that, aren't you, in the sale room today?

You've been well looked after, anyway. This is it, we're going under the hammer now.

601 - Art Nouveau Charles Horner-style enamel pendants

and another smaller example. Lot 601.

Lovely things, these, lot 601.

Start me at £100, please.

£100... I need £80, then.

£80 on the Art Nouveau jewellery there. 80 bid. £80, take 5. At 80.

Any more now at 80? All done... 5.

90. 5 now. 95.

Is there 100? At £95, any more?

At 95... 100 online, £100.

110's on the phone. Any more on this lot at 110?

-Yes! £110.

-Great!

-It was short and sweet, the Flog It! experience, wasn't it?

-Yes!

Blink and you'll miss that one!

MUSIC PLAYS

Next up, Elaine's tile. There's no marks, there's no maker's name, but we do know it's Minton, don't we?

-Yes, we do.

-Yes, we do.

-Yes.

-And it's catalogued at £40 to £60.

-That's right.

-Hopefully you get the top end,

we will get the top end of that estimate.

I hope so. What I like about it, it came from Stoke-on-Trent,

this part of this wonderful industry, late 19th, early 20th century, of tile manufacturing.

-Yes, that's right.

-And your husband's grandfather was an engraver.

-Was an engraver.

-He was a lithographer. He drew onto stone.

-Yes.

-That's right.

-And then he took the image from the stone.

-Yes, yes.

-Great little story. It's a wonderful package, really.

-I think it's excellent.

-Yes.

-Fingers crossed, OK?

-Yes.

-Let's hope we get £60-plus.

-Well, I hope so.

-You never know, do you?

-No, no.

Next lot, 295, is a pressed dust rectangular tile.

Girl holding flowers. £40.

40.

£40. Start me £40. £30 for the tile.

£30 for the pressed dust tile. Anybody?

£20 for the tile. Don't be surprised.

20 bid. 5 now? 30. £25.

£25. Any further at £25.

Sold it.

-£25.

-It's OK.

-That'll buy my after-dinner coffees in Menorca.

-Is that where you're off to?

-In May, end of May, yes.

-Oh, lovely.

-That'll just pay for those.

MUSIC PLAYS

I've been looking forward to this.

I'm feeling slightly nervous because I had a chat to Adam before the sale

and he said, "When this arrived in my sale room,

"I knew who valued it."

He said, "You!" I said, "I know, I'm a big fan of sort of sculpture and that is so Picasso-esque."

-He doesn't rate it.

-I don't care, because I still like it.

-I know you do, I know, I know.

-It won't make any difference.

You won't be cycling it home - it's too precious.

It's going in the boot of the car. It's going under the hammer now.

Next lot is 171.

Late-Victorian hobby horse.

What a lovely rustic bygone that is.

Lot 171. Who'll start me at a couple of hundred pounds. 200?

£200.

-£100?

-My poor horse!

£100 bid. Take 10. At £100 - not all bad, you know.

£100 all bid, all done. Take 10.

-110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160.

-It's going up.

160 in the room now.

160. Any more now? 170. 180...

No... 170. Any more now at 170? At 170.

-Any more at 170.

-Come on... Close.

-Yeah.

-A couple of bids more.

Well, I'm afraid we can't sell it.

I've got firm instruction not to go any less than 200.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

-Do you know what...

-I don't mind.

-It's going back to a loving home.

-Yes.

-Enjoy it.

-Yes.

MUSIC PLAYS

That is a cracking tan you've got. Have you just got home from holiday?

-Yes, last Wednesday.

-Where from?

-Cape Verde.

-Oh, the Canaries.

Look at that tan, James.

-Only sunbathed.

-Just sunbathed... I can see that.

Well, at a pinch, at 50 to 80, coming up next is that lovely little snuff shoe. I like the valuation.

It's priced right.

It's not the best we've ever seen, but it's a lovely little item and he is our snuff expert.

He can't resist. Every time. He just can't resist.

Lot 32. The Georgian tree novelty snuff box in the form of a shoe.

What a sweet little item there. I can start with a bid of £45 and take 50.

£45. 50 now.

55, 60, 5, 70, 5, 80, 5, 85 here...

Any more now. £85, you're all done, then.

90? And 5. 100?

I've got 105. 110? 110's on the phone. 120 comes next.

£110 on the phone. Any more on this lot at 110?

All done. 110 on the Georgian snuff shoe, at 110.

-Great.

-£110.

-It's a good result, isn't it? Holiday fund?

-Yes, definitely.

Top up the tan.

That's right.

This pineapple I'm holding costs a couple of quid today.

But back in the 1700s, this would have set you back the equivalent of £5,000. Yup!

A lot of money, wasn't it? Certainly a rare and expensive commodity.

Brought back on very large sailing vessels

from the Tropics, and they certainly were a status symbol for the rich.

They had large estates and they would employ

teams of gardeners to cultivate things like this under glass.

Pineapples were just one of many plants grown here at Tatton Park Estate.

It's been the home of the Egerton family since 1598,

and as the family fortunes flourished, so did their gardens.

Sam Wood, the gardens manager, is going to tell me more

about the plants and the fruit that were grown here in the expensive glasshouses.

Sam, what a great glasshouse.

It looks and feels brand new. Is it a reconstruction of the original?

It is. It's rebuilt on the original foundations.

And we've taken great care to try and make sure it's authentic.

I can see what you're growing - pineapples.

Yeah. Well, of course, this is what the house was built for

and the plants are planted in pots

and you have to remember that pineapples only fruit every third year.

-Ah, I never knew that. So what year are you looking at?

-Year two now.

Obviously, I mean to the family and the growers -

very fashionable and exotic, but what do the outsiders think?

Nobody actually knew what to do with them. They were a bit wary of them.

Some people thought they might be poison.

Other people thought that they were a great status symbol, because if you grow pineapples,

you're obviously somebody who could afford... It's a full-time job growing pineapples.

So they would also take them to dinner parties just as exhibits.

-Never use it, just taking it around, showing it off.

-Right.

And there were records of servants being murdered for the pineapple.

And of course, pineapple growers don't have any fingerprints.

-It removes your fingerprints.

-That could be very useful, couldn't it?

Because it eats your flesh away. So they are flesh-eating pineapples.

You have to remember that's why we keep them here enclosed.

You've got a tray with a pineapple behind you.

-Are you going to show me something?

-Yes. So we can propagate pineapples

-today and they're pretty tough to cut.

-Can we do this at home?

Yes, you could.

-So all you do is you'll take the top off your pineapple.

-Which you would do anyway.

As you would anyway, and then to trim off all of this stuff around the edge here.

So we've got like a little plug here, and then the next thing is

-you really want to try and get some of these leaves off.

-Why?

Because this is where the thing is going to root from, eventually.

-You take it off, strip all this off, and get to the bottom of it.

-Is that about...?

-That's about right.

And then you finish off by just trimming that down a little bit more.

Yes? And then that will probably do it, you know?

And then all we need to do is get a pot

-and crock it up, and then simply stick it in like that.

-Is that compost?

Some compost which is fairly well drained

and it needs to be watered and then just kept moist

and then it will grow. They make a good foliage plant, as well.

-Yes, it's very decorative, isn't it?

-Yes.

It wasn't only pineapples that the Egertons liked to show off to their guests.

Orchids were an incredibly popular trend of the time.

Here at Tatton, we had 25 houses just of orchids. I mean, that was the...

But what did they do with them, the family here?

Well, they simply just kept them. They used them to decorate the house.

They used them to impress people. They put them in a show house.

And they were just so popular and I suppose the flower of the aristocracy.

Yes.

One last glasshouse for me to visit is the biggest on the estate.

It was built in 1860 and designed by Joseph Paxton, famous for the Crystal Palace.

It's a very impressive home for an exotic collection of ferns.

Oh, this is spectacular, Sam.

I think you saved the best for last on my list.

So many different shades of green.

There's ferns everywhere. There's a lot of them. Ferns were so popular, weren't they?

They were around that time, yes. A lot of ferneries in the big houses.

Made to impress people.

This is a fantastic piece that was built originally to house

these tree ferns that one of the Egerton family was bringing back.

Randall Egerton was a Royal Naval guy and he brought these ferns back when he was in Australia and New Zealand.

They were only about nine inches high.

And you know, the great visionary as all these people were,

they would never have seen them grow to the height they are now.

And these are still the original plants

and the great thing about tree ferns is that when they grow to the roof,

you simply decide what size you want the next one and saw it off, and put it in the ground and it grows again.

Cos most of the root's on the outside of the stem, so some of these have been to the roof twice.

-Already.

-Cut back down, and you've got to remember

that the last Lord Egerton used the space for other things as well.

He was a great collector, so he collected things like tree frogs in here. Poison tree frogs.

And snakes, just wild in here, so it was kind of a real adventure place.

It was an adventure playground, really, for the aristocracy.

What a remarkable achievement.

-And this is your office.

-Yes.

-So to speak!

-I think you're a lucky man, Sam.

-So do I.

I thoroughly enjoyed my little visit to Tatton Park.

And it's inspired me to go out and buy a pineapple and start growing one at home.

Right now, it's straight back to the valuation day.

It's still very busy at the Kings Hall in Stoke-on-Trent, and David has found something he really loves.

Sheila, these are absolutely fabulous.

You think so?

-Yes. Where on earth did you get them from?

-Bingley Hall.

Was that an antique fair?

-Yes.

-Do you remember how much you paid for them?

-I can't remember.

It's a good while ago.

They are beautiful. Why were you first attracted to them?

Because I like pink and green.

-Interesting colour combination.

-They're lovely.

They are lovely. What I like about them is the sheer quality.

-And they are Worcester porcelain.

-Yes.

When you consider that Worcester, along with Derby, is probably the only factory

that is still in production from when it started in the 18th century, right through to now.

Consistent, consistent quality.

It's the decoration, the pink and green in the form of roses

against that hedgerow background which is absolutely unbelievable.

All painted by hand.

It's like...having a painting

in your house. A still life.

Instead of a thing on a canvas, this is on a porcelain object.

-Yes.

-Why on earth are you parting with it?

Because I'm moving home.

-You're downsizing.

-Yes.

-I've just gone through that.

-It's very, very difficult knowing what to keep and what to part with.

-It is, yes. It is.

-The date.

The date's 1910.

-I was looking for a signature on these, because it's most important to have a signature.

-Yes.

And I found one.

The signature here is not a name that I recognise.

From here, it looks very much like it could be either a G or an S.

T-A-U-N-T.

S or G Taunt.

-The very fact that it's signed puts it into a different category.

-I see.

So I think we're looking at round about £240 to £300.

-All right.

-How does that sound?

That sounds very good.

-I hope you get that price.

-Yes.

The auction house will want to tuck the reserve and we ought to put a reserve on these...

-Right.

-..under the estimates.

So I think we should put a reserve of £200.

-Right.

-Would that be acceptable?

-Yes, thank you.

-I hope the Worcester collectors are looking at them.

I hope so as well.

Liz, Yvonne. Wow, what a thing to find.

They really are great. Tell me about them.

They were my dad's. My dad's passed away.

I have two brothers who both want them and causing a bit of

friction in the family and so my mum decided to put them to auction.

Best way, because if they want them, they can buy them.

-Exactly, yes.

-Well, what do you know about the pistols themselves.

-Very much?

-Absolutely nothing.

Of course, handguns today are such a controversial subject, but I don't see these as weapons.

I see these as pieces of history.

These go back right to the times of the Napoleonic Wars.

The early 19th century. But these weren't military issue.

These would have been owned by a gentleman of title, somebody of quite important status

because the maker, I don't know if you know anything about him, but if we have a look here,

Franz Ulrich.

He was probably the best gun-maker in Switzerland of the 19th century.

-He was known as the Forgotten Master.

-Right.

-Fantastic.

What you would have to do to actually fire this pistol

is prime that little pan there, the gold pan, with powder.

And then you would close that down,

you would bring the hammer back and that contains the flint.

The flint, as you pull the trigger, fires,

the steel pan lifts, the spark of the flint hitting the steel pan goes into the air with the gunpowder.

So that's fires and it ignites the gunpowder in there and fires.

And you have to do that every time you fire.

-You could be dead.

-You could be dead by then!

-What do you think they're worth?

-Haven't got a clue.

-What do you think?

-400?

-No idea.

-I think we ought to put £1,500 to £2,000.

-You're joking!

Lovely. Yes, that's fine.

-That should stop them fighting, shouldn't it?

-It will do, yeah.

Now, I think it's important that we protect them with a reserve.

Weapons are quite a specialist market.

With a lot of other things, they'll find their own market.

With these, they're fantastic, so we must protect them.

Just in case the right buyers aren't there on the day.

So let's put a reserve of £1,200, put that firm, and if they don't make that, then have them back.

-Right. That's great. It could be pistols at dawn.

-It could be.

Phil, looking at all these used ticket stubs,

you're obviously a big music fan and so am I.

Look, Dr Feelgood, Joe Walsh...

Gosh, everybody's in here, but what has caught my eye

are these two little posters, they're like flyers really.

I guess these would have been used

in shop windows, local stores

around the venue to promote the gig.

Jimi Hendrix, and it says it all because that sums up

the Seventies with that sort of purple haze.

-Psychedelia.

-Yeah, exactly.

-There's no date on it. Do you know what date it was?

-I think it's 1970.

And he was playing in Oklahoma.

You've got an American accent,

-I guess you grew up in Oklahoma.

-That's where I'm from, yeah!

-So what brought you over to the UK then?

-My wife.

-Your wife?

-You married an English lass?

-Yeah.

-Aaah!

Did you get to see Led Zeppelin?

-No, I didn't. I was a bit young at the time.

-You look a bit young.

I grew up playing the drums and I still listen to John Bonham

and try and copy all his sort of licks and his moves and his sound.

-The question is, were you any good?

-No, I was rubbish!

Again, no date.

I think that's also 1970.

Right. Great band, but I don't think our auction is the right one for you.

It's a general antique auction. I think what you've got here, rock

and pop memorabilia, needs to go to a specialist musical memorabilia

sale, where you'll find a bigger audience, and I'm pretty sure

this one is worth around £80 to £150, and so is that one.

So that's not bad, is it?

For flyers that were just sellotaped to the shop window, and what I like

is the fact that you've looked after them,

you've put them behind perspex on a clip frame,

so it's kept them from being bent and screwed up and ripped and torn,

so good for you, because condition is so important.

MUSIC: "Haiti" by Arcade Fire

Bill, Lillian, we've come all the way to Staffordshire,

the heart of the Potteries in England,

and what do we find? Worcester! Anyway, there we go.

A bit of Worcester for us, and, obviously, out of its area,

but one of the most famous factories of all time.

-Indeed.

-Are they family pieces?

-They were my father's, actually.

My father was a pottery manufacturer and he used to work

as a chief chemist for Wedgwood before the war, and he formed his own collection

of Wedgwood pieces, and also from other companies,

but as I think things have moved on, these tend to not be on display,

and it seems a terrible shame, really.

Worcester is so well known for its fruit-painted porcelain,

and here we've got three very good examples.

Albert Shuck is the artist for these two, and this one, you don't see as

much of this - this is by Bagnall but all around the same sort of period.

Worcester is very easy to date, and if you look at this mark here,

you see three purple circles,

or puce circles, and on either side of that there are a series of dots.

The three interlinked circles were 1932,

and then you add a dot for each year.

You've got nine dots, that's 1941.

That's quite unusual, really, because you wouldn't see British

people buying porcelain in the middle of World War Two,

but we've got a little telltale giveaway here - Buenos Aires.

We've got a Buenos Aires retailer, so this was made in Worcester,

has gone over to Argentina, has been sold in Argentina...

-And come back again!

-Back to Stoke!

Well, there we are, so that's got a bit of interesting history about that one.

You do get factories who are transfer-printing these pieces

and then hand-painting little bits over the top,

but these are all hand-painted, so these are very, very sought after.

This one is the best.

The softness of the painting of those wonderful grapes, you could almost

eat them, a real feel to them.

Now, values. Any ideas?

Not really. We've never had them professionally valued.

OK. I'm gonna put them as a group.

-OK.

-And that will give the auction room that ability to

split them up if they want to, it depends on their own client base.

We'll say £80 on this one.

The larger one, I think, is worth around £120.

This one, £200 to £300.

-Right.

-So, if we say an estimate of £400 to £500 on them, as a three?

That sounds very good.

-Could we put a reserve on them?

-Absolutely.

As a group, let's put 400 on them. So what are you gonna do?

Buy a great big piece of fantastic Wedgwood to replace them with?

Oh, I don't think so, actually,

because I'm a model railway enthusiast, so I may very well buy

-something for the collection.

-Fantastic.

Well, Worcester is something that we just can't get enough of.

-Yes.

-That's good news.

-Lovely.

Let's take them along and see how we do.

-Yes, thanks.

-Thank you.

-Pam.

-Yes.

I can't say I like dolls.

I'm not fascinated by them, but what appeals to me is the way that they're dressed.

If I see a doll that's in the original costume,

then I think it's obviously a great deal more interesting.

-Now, this one dates from the end of the 19th, just turning into the 20th century.

-Oh.

Does it have a family history?

Just a little bit.

We actually got this from my mother who was given it by a great auntie, a good many years ago, and as much

as we understand, she was actually given this by the Jessop family that she used to work for.

-The Jessop family is who?

-Well, they sort of own

the Jessop stores in Nottingham and my aunt worked for the old Miss Jessop

as a cook and housekeeper for a good many years

and on her retirement, she actually acquired this lovely gift.

It is a beautiful little object.

It's in its original box here, and this label, which says "The Grand Toy Shop"

is an original box, which is very good. Always toys in original boxes is a bonus.

I'm just going to take...

you don't mind...this little girl out so we can have a look at it.

Not only is it the original costume, but when we look at it, also the hair at the back,

which is natural hair

is also dressed in the manner of a young girl round about 1890, 1900.

The costume is decorated with this machine lace

and then we have these little buttons added to the front.

I would imagine her feet were also embellished with the same

-buttons, because there's one there, but it's lost its colour.

-Yes.

So that's all she had on her feet.

-Little buttons.

-That's all we've ever seen on her feet, yes.

The other detail I like, lovely little glass eyes,

painted feature, typical of a French doll of the late 19th century.

This would have been used possibly as a...

-doll's house occupant.

-I was wondering that.

-It's the right size to go inside.

-A doll's house. Yes.

-So she would have had miniature furniture, drinking vessels, and she would have been quite at home.

-Yes.

But obviously she never got that far, because she was always kept in this little box here.

Lovely element of social history.

First of all, how it was acquired by the Jessop family and then passed on to your great aunt.

-Why are you selling it?

-It's just stuck in a drawer.

It is a shame and Mum, before she died last year,

she was actually looking at selling it, so I know that's what she wanted us to do anyway.

-We'd like it to go to somebody who can actually really appreciate it.

-And collect dolls.

And who collects dolls, yes.

I think there's going to be a good market for it. Let me think in terms of price.

A minimum of 40. Between £40 and £60, I think,

but you might get a surprise, coming on close to £100,

-so let's just keep our fingers crossed.

-Lovely. Thank you.

Now, cast your mind back a few hundred years.

The year is approximately 1610.

James I is on the throne and Sir Walter Raleigh is in the Tower of London,

but here, in Cheshire, work has just finished on the home of one William Moreton III.

Little Moreton Hall is one of the finest examples of Elizabethan

timber-framed manor houses in England.

Work on the house started in the early 16th century

and extended over future generations.

It's a stunning display of medieval craftsmanship.

It's a half-timber-framed house,

built on a stone foundation, and each storey was built

at different stages. The infill of the wood is plaster and lath.

Now, originally this, in Elizabethan times,

would have been a lovely golden ochre colour, quite vibrant.

It was the Victorians that painted everything black and white.

They even painted all the oak beams black! But look at it!

It really is fantastic.

The more wood, the more money you had.

It was something to show off, and all of this is held together

with wooden pegs, massive great big wooden pegs, driven into the mortice

to hold it tight when the wood was still green, in its fresh

state, because all this would have been felled from the local forest.

Here is a typical example of the pegs, look,

that hold the whole thing together.

They're known as "trenails". Treenails.

And when you get into the cobbled internal courtyard,

you get greeted with a 360-degree

panoramic view of architectural delight. Just look at it!

You get wonderful ornamentation all around the doors and windows.

It's so typical of a Cheshire build.

I love the quatrefoils, with hand-carved balustrades.

It's another detail that just catches your eye.

Moving right up, you've got the leaded windows

and these windows must have been so expensive in their day.

It's another way of showing off extreme wealth,

and that takes you up to the eaves, where you

see these great big bulbous drop pendants, all hand-carved again.

Wonderful!

And here, look, the carpenter has even put his name,

"Rycharde Dale, carpeder, made thies windovs by the grac of God,"

and the date was 1559, and it's still standing!

They really did know their trade.

The house was acquired by the National Trust in 1938,

and David Watts is the property manager.

He's the chap we need to find to have a quick chat to

about the history of this magnificent house and its lucky owner.

-Hello.

-Hi, Paul.

-Pleased to meet you.

I've gotta say, absolutely mind-blowing, isn't it?

And I know it sounds corny, but who would live in a house like this?

Well, the Moretons were wealthy landowners

who came into the area, we think, around the 13th century.

The family itself had wealth through corn mills,

ironworks, timberworks, and primarily the land itself,

and they wanted to show their wealth to everybody else,

and each generation wanted to add their special part to the hall.

Fantastic bay windows, magnificent ranges of glass.

It's one of the best examples I think I've ever seen.

It's a beautiful house.

I want to show you another room, with fantastic decoration.

OK, after you.

Take a look at this, Paul.

Gosh, look at that? Tudor wallpaper.

-It's fantastic, isn't it?

-Yeah!

It was fashionable in the 1570s

to about 1600 to use painted panels, and here we've got the Moretons, who

really are into fashion and wealth and wanted to express that wealth,

and John Moreton got the panels painted. We think that you'd probably

get travelling craftsmen who would come round and paint the stories

onto the paper, and then, of course, it's pasted onto the wall itself.

Incredible! Have you depicted what the stories are telling?

Is there enough there?

It's the story of Susannah And The Elders.

So, come on, tell me about that.

Susannah was the beautiful wife of a businessman and she was admired,

shall we say, by a couple of elders in the town,

and they went into her garden

and she refused their advances.

She is then actually put on trial and is about to be stoned to death for adultery,

but our hero, who is Daniel,

-who was actually in the far corner...

-The chap up there?

That's the chap - steps in and asks them to look again at the evidence,

-and, in fact, it's the two elders who are then put to death.

-Wow!

-Look at that!

-But it's a fantastic piece of historic wallpaper,

and you get little details, like the wolf's head on the frieze.

That's the Moreton coat of arms.

Now, interestingly, of course, the fashions change.

The fashion becomes, let's put wooden panelling on instead.

And what do the Moretons do? They replace it with that.

By virtue of putting the panelling over that, it has protected it.

-Of course.

-Obviously, the condition of that, it's been saved by the panelling,

but, overall, the house is in remarkable condition.

It's a very solid structure.

-It's a wonderful house.

-And I like the fact that you've kept it

quite sparse inside because the space has the beauty as well.

It makes you appreciate the architecture.

In many ways, our collection is the building itself.

-Yeah, it's one big antique, isn't it?

-It is, it's wonderful.

Well, not only is it a delight to look at, but Little Moreton Hall

is a masterclass in Tudor woodwork and carpentry,

a perfectly preserved piece of medieval history.

It's now that time in the show where we head off to the sale room

and here's what's coming with us.

David loved this pair of Worcester vases.

The fine quality and the pretty hand-painting is bound to catch the eye of a discerning bidder.

Liz is hoping the bidders will stand and deliver a good price when her pistols go up for sale.

This doll has been left in a drawer for years and now it's finally out in the light of day.

I think it could do well for owner, Pam.

And, finally, there's something for everyone with Bill and Lillian's

collection of Worcester. Let's hope the collectors are out in force!

I've been joined by Bill and Lillian.

Now, we've got three lots, haven't we? The first lot,

the smallest one, is £80, the second lot is about £120 and £200.

-£200 to £300 for the pedestal cup.

-That's right.

And we've got a total valuation of about £400 to £500 here.

We are selling them separately, but all the money, I just read in

my notes, is going towards the model railway, is it?

-Well, not...

-I think he's had second thoughts about that.

Second thoughts!

-You mean you have?

-I had a subtle

reminder that it is our 25th wedding anniversary this year.

That's more important than a model railway!

-I think so.

-Cracking items these, James?

Yeah, great.

When we took them in on the valuation day we talked about splitting them up

-or putting them together.

-We did.

And I thought Adam would split them up.

It's the right thing to do, I think, but, you know, there are

-lots of people here today and they're gonna do very, very well.

-Good.

Well, fingers crossed and here's the first going under the hammer.

367 is Royal Worcester bowl painted

with fruits, by Albert Shuck, lot 367, little footed bowl there. £80.

£80. 50, 50 bid, 5 now.

At £50, 5, 60, 5, 65 bid.

Any more now? 65.

70, 5, 80 now, 80 bid. 85.

85 online. Any more on this lot?

85. Any further? The bid's online this time at £85 on the first.

£85. That's good, that's good.

First one down. Here's the next.

Worcester bowl painted by Albert Shuck again.

Lovely bowl, 368. Start me at £100.

80 bid, 5, 90, 5, £95, any more?

£95, 100 bid, 10, 110, take 120 now.

120, online at 120, any more? 130?

-140. At 140.

-It's good.

-It is.

Are you all done at 140? 150.

Any more at 150? All done?

160, 160, keep going, 160, any more now at 160?

Hammer's up then at 160, we'll sell at 160. 170...

Gosh, that was late in!

-170 bid.

-We like it, though!

-We do!

-Any more now at 170? 180?

At 180. Last chance. It's now at 180, we're gonna sell...

190. At 190.

Any more at 190?

At 190, 200. 200, any more now?

-Good heavens!

-At 200. 210.

LAUGHTER

-210. Are we done at 210?

-I think so.

I think we're done at 210. All done at 210 and we sell this one at £210.

How super! Second one down.

That's good news. Here's the last one.

This is the third one, 369, by William Bagnall, painted

with fruits. I'm bid 110. Take 20.

110 only, 120 now, 120.

130, 140, 140.

150, 160, 170. 170 bid.

Any more now? 180.

180 now, 180. 190... We've got the same thing happening again. 190?

-Got a bid.

-200?

At 200. Any further now at 200?

Are you all done now? £200, we sell this one...

-210.

-210.

All done and selling at 210?

Last chance at £210.

-Yes!

-Yes, very good, very good.

-Fantastic! That's all three

-sold, that's £505.

-Yes, very good, very good.

Well, they were spot on, really, with the £400 to £500, weren't they?

Got the top end of the estimate.

-Yeah.

-Very good, James.

-And it just shows you, doesn't it,

by varying how people can bid, there's bidding in the room,

there's bidding on the phone andbidding against each other on the internet - fantastic!

-You were dead right, dead right.

-Absolutely spot on.

Congratulations to James, and enjoy the wedding anniversary.

-Yes, yes.

-I'm sure we will, sure we will.

Well, Sheila is downsizing so they've got to go.

These two Worcester Edwardian vases valued at £240 to £300 are up for sale right now.

David, you did the valuation, you like these.

Yes. They're glamorous, blowsy pieces. I think they're good.

They're the epitome of the Edwardian period.

-Yes, they're very pretty.

-Rather beautiful.

Let's hope we get you the top end, because I know you're moving to a smaller place.

It just sort of haemorrhages money, moving. It really does, doesn't it?

-Yes.

-Oh, I've just moved. Yes. We downsized.

I might say we've got 40 packing cases still to unpack after a year.

Yes. I've got some boxes from six years ago.

Living in mayhem, I don't know.

Fingers crossed. Let's hope we get 300.

Pair of Royal Worcester quarter length vases.

Painted with roses by Gertie Taunt.

What a lovely name. Gertie Taunt.

I can start with interest at a 200 and 210 bid. Is there 220?

210 is bid. 210 bid. 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, no...

270. Any more now? 270. Any more now?

270. Are you all done?

280, 290. 300.

At 290, 290. Any more now?

At £290.

We're going to settle for that.

Very nice.

-That'll come in very handy.

-Lovely, thank you.

-Oh, bless.

-What about Paul?

-Aw.

We're in for an interesting duel right now,

because it's the pair of little hand pistols belonging to Liz. You brought your mum along.

Hello, Betty, are you OK? You've been looking forward to this?

-Yeah.

-Let's hope we can get the top end of James's estimate.

You've got £1,500 to £2,500 riding on this.

This is going to solve the problem, isn't it? With the two boys. Yeah?

-What did you say, Betty?

-I'll be glad to get rid of them.

You'll be glad to get rid of them. Do your sons keep saying, "Can I have them, Mum, can I have them?"

-Badgering you.

-Lots of banter.

-Is there? Are they all happy, though, it's going into auction?

-Yes.

-Well, let's hope we get the best price. Shall we?

Fingers crossed. Here we go.

204. Fine pair of pistols

by Ulrich in Bern. Swiss pistols here.

Lot 204. They're lovely.

Who'll start with £1,500?

I'm bid 1,000 and I'll take 50.

£1,000, take 50.

All done then at £1,050. 1,150. 1,250. 1,350.

£1,350, now. 1,450. 1,550.

Your bid of 1,550. I'll take 1,600.

At 1,550 the bid. 1,550.

1,600 and 50?

1,600 in the room now. £1,600 - any more on these?

Any advance now on £1,600?

-Gone. Wow.

-Just got away, didn't we? Just over the bottom end.

-Brilliant, thank you.

-You're pleased with that?

-Yeah. They're gone.

Betty, you've got to treat yourself to a bit of lunch.

-We're going on the Orient Express.

-Are you?

-Yes.

-Oh, that's brilliant!

-Just for a day.

-Oh, how lovely.

Next up, we've got a cute little doll with original box and original clothes.

We're looking for around £50 to £60.

It belongs to Pam. Never been played with.

-No. Absolutely not.

-The condition is superb.

-It was a gift, wasn't it?

-It was.

-Why do you want to sell this?

-She's sitting in a box, doing nothing.

The box is actually getting crumpled so we thought it was time to sell.

That's what caught David's eye. Is the condition of the box, the original clothes. It sets it apart.

Even down to the hat. Immaculate condition, and the way the hair is dressed is all original.

That'll boost the price. I've confident that the price should exceed what we put on it.

Let's hope we're in for a surprise. Good luck.

155. The French bisque-headed doll with blonde hair.

A small one there.

All bisque in original box.

Let's start with a bid of £50, shall we? £50 is bid. Take 5.

Are you all done at £50?

5, 60, 5, 70, 5, 80. 5.

90. 5, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150,

160, 170, 180, 170... Who's going on?

-170!

-180, 190, 200, 210, 220,

230, 240.

Ooh, this was a "come and buy me", David.

260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 320, 340,

360, 380,

400, 420, 440, 460.

460 on this phone. Is there 480 now?

-Goodness me!

-480, 500, 520.

What is so special about this? It's not just the condition.

-French doll, perfect condition.

-560, 580,

600, 620.

600 on this phone...any further now?

At £600. At 600...any more?

Are you all done then? At £600.

-I feel like applauding.

-Fantastic.

£600. What a wonderful surprise!

-Cute little doll we thought would go for 60.

-Yes, that's right.

Condition, condition, condition, that's what it's all about.

Bit of commission to pay, but what will you put nearly £600 on.

Well, the doll belonged to my great auntie and she needs

a new memorial stone now, so we always said we'd put the money towards a new one,

so we're very, very pleased at that amount of money.

-Oh, bless you Pam. David, what a special day.

-It really is.

Tears in Pam's eyes! She's obviously so happy. That's all for today's show.

We've thoroughly enjoyed being here in Knutsford.

So, until the next time, it's cheerio.

Subtitling by Red Bee Media Ltd