0:00:05 > 0:00:11Today we've headed out to the stunning Yorkshire coastline famous for its fishing heritage.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13Welcome to Flog It from Whitby.
0:00:36 > 0:00:41Whitby is split into two by a swing bridge dividing the town into east and west.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45All over the town are dotted fishermen's cottages,
0:00:45 > 0:00:49narrow cobbled streets and lanes which date back to medieval days.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Boasting a beautiful harbour, it's a great place to visit.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Explorer and navigator Captain James Cook
0:00:59 > 0:01:03began his training as a seaman here in Whitby
0:01:03 > 0:01:07and it was also here that his famous ship HM Endeavour was built.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12Cook made three major voyages to the Pacific and en route accurately charted coastlines
0:01:12 > 0:01:17and several islands for the very first time on European maps.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Later in the show, it's full steam ahead as I take a trip
0:01:23 > 0:01:27on this magnificent railway across the North Yorkshire Moors.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29TOOTS HORN
0:01:32 > 0:01:38And on their own voyage of discovery today are our two experts, Mr Philip Serrell and Kate Bateman.
0:01:38 > 0:01:44They'll look at all items brought along, picking out the best and selling them in auction later on.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Hopefully, there's going to be one or two big surprises.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52We've got a healthy crowd outside Whitby Pavilion.
0:01:52 > 0:01:58It's time to get them inside because they've got to ask that important question, "What's it worth?"
0:01:58 > 0:02:01What will you do when you find out? Flog it!
0:02:15 > 0:02:19With everyone inside, it's time to start our valuations
0:02:19 > 0:02:24and it looks like Kate has found a rather nice jug with a nautical interest.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Trevor, you've brought a bit of maritime history.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Not that I know anything about maritime history, but yeah.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Right. What do you know about it?
0:02:33 > 0:02:39It originally belonged to my grandparents and it was passed down to my father
0:02:39 > 0:02:43and it was just stuck in a wall unit for a long time.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48My mother wanted to get rid of it, but my father wouldn't let her.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50He was a wise man, but you got it?
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Yeah, cos she doesn't want it. My father's passed away now.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58- She's booted it out of the house and you've got it?- I've got it, yeah.
0:02:58 > 0:03:04What have we got? It's basically an English Pearlware transfer-printed jug.
0:03:04 > 0:03:10And it's made to commemorate, as we see on here, Horatio Lord Nelson, Vice-Admiral of the White,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14and basically it's all his naval victories, really.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17He was at Copenhagen and Trafalgar.
0:03:17 > 0:03:24And it's got, "England expects every man to do his duty", which is his sort of catchphrase.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26And this is probably about 1810,
0:03:26 > 0:03:32so just made to commemorate after his famous battle, I presume, at Trafalgar.
0:03:32 > 0:03:38So it's quite rare and the condition, surprisingly for something that old, is pretty good.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42There's a little hairline crack here.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46This is an irregularity in the glaze, rather than actual damage.
0:03:46 > 0:03:52And a few little nibbles on the rim, but actually it's really good.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54So what do you think it's worth?
0:03:54 > 0:03:58A few years ago, I did have somebody give me a rough estimate on it
0:03:58 > 0:04:04and said that it might be worth between £300 and £400. What it's worth now, I'm not sure.
0:04:04 > 0:04:09- Your mum would disagree, I suspect. - It's worth about two and six to her probably!
0:04:09 > 0:04:12It's probably about the right kind of figure.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16I'm happy to put an estimate for an auction at 300 to 400.
0:04:16 > 0:04:23I'd probably put a reserve a little bit lower, maybe at 250, to reflect those little bits of nibbles,
0:04:23 > 0:04:29but it's becoming rarer and rarer to find one in good condition, so it might do even better.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33We'll put a 300 to 400 estimate, 250 reserve, and fingers crossed.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36- England expects it will sell. - I hope so.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45- Mandy, how are you?- Fine, thank you.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48This is clearly an Archibald Thorburn.
0:04:48 > 0:04:54If this was an original Thorburn oil painting, we'd be looking at tens of thousands of pounds.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59An original Thorburn watercolour might be anywhere between £5,000 and £15,000.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03And we can see that this is dated "1930",
0:05:03 > 0:05:08and a Thorburn print from the '30s signed in pencil by him down here,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12that in itself can be worth anywhere between £200 and £400,
0:05:12 > 0:05:16- but you and I both know this is not of the period, is it?- No.
0:05:16 > 0:05:22This has been produced by a gallery who specialise in selling sporting works by artists like Thorburn
0:05:22 > 0:05:27and this would have been produced probably in the mid-1970s.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31One of the reasons why I love it is that I love the Yorkshire Dales,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35I love the Yorkshire Moors, you've got this grouse scene.
0:05:35 > 0:05:41For anybody who has not been up on the moors and seen and heard the grouse, it's really captivating.
0:05:41 > 0:05:47So I love it for that reason. Why did you buy this? What sparked off that Thorburn interest for you?
0:05:47 > 0:05:52When I was at school, the art teacher had a book on Thorburn's animals
0:05:52 > 0:05:55and I was fascinated by the pictures in that.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00I saw this in a saleroom a lot of years later and it caught my attention.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- Captivated from schooldays?- Yes.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08I think that you should estimate this at sort of £50 to £80,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11that sort of region, and...
0:06:11 > 0:06:17If the saleroom get this online, on the internet, it could well do very well.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20But I think it's £50 to £80.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25- And I'd put a fixed reserve on it of £40.- Right.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28- You bought it how long ago, two years ago?- Yeah.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Here's the acid test. What did you pay for it?
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- About £48.- You paid about £48?
0:06:34 > 0:06:38I can't remember if that was plus or including the commission.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41I think we can put at least 50 to 80 on it.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46My only doubt, and I do have a doubt,
0:06:46 > 0:06:52my only doubt about it is that it's really almost just a photographic reproduction.
0:06:52 > 0:06:58It's very, very late. It's mid-1970s and those things are going to hang against it.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02- Are you happy with that? - Yes, I'm fine with that, thank you.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12How's that for scary? Guy, it's absolutely lovely. How did you come by this?
0:07:13 > 0:07:16It had been sitting in the porch
0:07:16 > 0:07:21of my 15th century cottage for many generations.
0:07:21 > 0:07:27- When I sold the cottage... - It came with you.- It came with me. I couldn't bear to leave him.
0:07:27 > 0:07:33- Do you know much about it? - Very little. It's just been part of the family.- It's made of oak.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38It's not 15th or 16th century. It's Victorian. It's Gothic Revival.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40This was always meant to be inside.
0:07:40 > 0:07:46I'm pleased that it's survived the weathering from your porch for a long time,
0:07:46 > 0:07:51- because the elements could have got at it, so it was under a bit of cover.- Oh, yes.
0:07:51 > 0:07:57And I think the gargoyles would have looked down on you just like this one would have done.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59This is more like a wall boss
0:07:59 > 0:08:03and it would have been mounted to the wall this way on,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07- looking down on you as you passed under.- That's it.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Isn't that wonderful? It's chip-carved.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15It's very much like the carving you see on a lot of Black Forest work.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20It's quite crudely done, but at the same time, it's that crudeness that gives it its texture.
0:08:20 > 0:08:26- There's a little bit of damage to the ears.- There is. - But you can live with that.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30And there's a tiny bit of woodworm on the breast.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Have you any idea of value?
0:08:32 > 0:08:38Not really. I would imagine it's quite a hard thing to value, but I really don't know.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Well...
0:08:40 > 0:08:47Let's put it into auction with a guide of around £120 to £200 and see what happens.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51- Let's put a fixed reserve at £120 if you're happy with that.- Yeah.
0:08:51 > 0:08:57I'd like to see it do around the 250 mark, but we've got to try and tempt people in,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01to give them the incentive that they're picking up a bargain.
0:09:01 > 0:09:07- Let them get caught bidding against other rivals and, all of a sudden, you've got £250. Happy?- Very happy.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09- OK, let's sell it.- That's fine.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Oh, yes.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24And my mother wouldn't tell me anything about it.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- I'm not surprised.- She said one day when you're old enough,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29I'll tell you what it's all about.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34- Gordon, do you know what it's called? - No, I know nothing about it at all.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Right. Clearly it's a walking cane, and that's a Stanhope, OK?
0:09:37 > 0:09:42- Right.- And a Stanhope is like a really small lens
0:09:42 > 0:09:45that's fitted into there.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50And I think Stanhope was a manufacturer of lenses.
0:09:50 > 0:09:56They're normally in little ivory pens, pencils, knives...
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Not seen one in a walking cane before.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02Normally you'd have a view of Whitby, or a view of Scarborough.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05In this instance... I'm just going to check this out.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Well, for the benefit of the viewers at home,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14- she's about, what, 5'8"? - That's about right.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- Long, cascading brunette hair.- Yes.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Erm...
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- Basically, she's got nothing on. - That's right.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26And she's... Actually, I'm just going to check this out again.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28She's a very shapely girl, isn't she?
0:10:28 > 0:10:31No wonder your grandmother wouldn't let you see this.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- I think it's a real good bit of fun. - It is.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39I should think it's probably...1890-1900?
0:10:39 > 0:10:41- Yes.- I think it's interesting actually,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45because there we've got a cane that's, like, worth a fiver.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50- Yes.- And then we put a Stanhope in there, and if the Stanhope has got a view of Whitby
0:10:50 > 0:10:55or a view of Scarborough, it might be worth £20.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00But, you know, it's a sad indictment of us old blokes, really.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04Put a naked girl in there and all of a sudden everybody wants to buy it.
0:11:04 > 0:11:09- I think at auction, you can put a very conservative estimate on it of £40-£60.- Right.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Fixed reserve of £40, and I think if you have a real good result,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15- it could go and make £100-£150.- Fine.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- Are you happy? - I'm certainly happy.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Purely for research, I just need to check it out one more time.
0:11:22 > 0:11:23Hellfire!
0:11:31 > 0:11:36Lilian, welcome to Flog It. You've got two different bits of pottery.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38What can you tell me about them?
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Well, I had them both given 28 year ago.
0:11:41 > 0:11:47- Right.- They've been on top of the wardrobe, never been used.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51- So you're not a big fan?- No.- Do you know about the makers of them?- Yes.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- Moorcroft.- Yeah.- Clarice Cliff.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57You know your stuff. You just don't like 'em.
0:11:57 > 0:12:03- I wouldn't say I don't like them, but I have things I like better. - Right, OK.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08This is a really nice one. This is the one I like best of the two.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Again Moorcroft marks on the bottom, "WM" initials.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16It's really quite unusual, like a deep red flambe kind of glaze,
0:12:16 > 0:12:20and sort of autumn leaves and berries on that one.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- The condition is really good.- Yes.
0:12:23 > 0:12:29This one is Clarice Cliff. We've got the mark on the bottom, Bizarre, and the shape number.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33It's not one of her most funky ones. I think the design is called Rodanthe.
0:12:33 > 0:12:39This is in the blue and green. They do it in other colours as well like brown and pink.
0:12:39 > 0:12:46It's not the coolest of designs with little houses or interesting stuff, so it's quite a late piece.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51The ribbed pieces do less well than the others, but the condition is really good.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56You've brought them both in. Usually, I'd split them up into two separate lots.
0:12:56 > 0:13:02But because you want to get rid of them both, you might as well put them together in one lot.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06It's a classic dealer's lot. Both of them are really saleable pieces.
0:13:06 > 0:13:12- Any idea what you want to get for it? If I said £50, would you sell them?- No.- No?- No, no, no.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15OK. What about 150?
0:13:16 > 0:13:22- Doubtful.- OK.- Maybe, maybe. - I think they're worth probably about £100 each.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25This one maybe a bit more, this one maybe a bit less,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29so if you put the two together and put a £200 to £250 estimate on it,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32but maybe a reserve of 150 or 180...
0:13:32 > 0:13:37- 180, I should say.- So just below low estimate. That's got a good chance.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42If they don't sell, you could maybe ask the auctioneer at a second sale to split them up.
0:13:42 > 0:13:48- But I think they've got a good chance together. Are you ready to try them in the sale?- Yes.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50- Thanks very much.- Thank you.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Who's the older?
0:13:58 > 0:14:01So that's our first batch of valuations.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05The crowds are still coming in and there's plenty more to come later on.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15In Victorian times, the remote fishing port of Whitby came to be known
0:14:15 > 0:14:20as the photographer's Mecca and this was due to one man, Frank Meadow Sutcliffe.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22He was born in Yorkshire in 1853,
0:14:22 > 0:14:27just 14 years after the advent of photography, and as a young man
0:14:27 > 0:14:32he embraced this new art form to become one of the most prolific photographers of his time.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36It was here in his beloved Whitby and the surrounding areas
0:14:36 > 0:14:40that Sutcliffe used his skill to document a way of life,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44which was changing rapidly under the pace of industrialisation,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48and the subjects of his study were local farmhands and fisherman.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Strangely enough, Whitby today hasn't really changed that much
0:14:52 > 0:14:56from the time Sutcliffe was looking through his lens.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10I've come to meet Mike Shaw from the Sutcliffe Gallery,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14who's talking to me about Sutcliffe's photographs, methods
0:15:14 > 0:15:18and the place he carved himself in the history of photography.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23Mike, thank you for meeting up with me and showing me around Whitby on such a beautiful day.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25You're welcome. It's fantastic, it couldn't be better.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28What brought Sutcliffe to Whitby in the first place?
0:15:28 > 0:15:34Well, Frank Sutcliffe was born near Leeds from an artistic background.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38- Frank Sutcliffe's father was a talented watercolour artist.- Yes.
0:15:38 > 0:15:44And the Sutcliffe family holidayed in Whitby when Frank was young, for quite a number of years,
0:15:44 > 0:15:46and they moved to Whitby when Frank was 17.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50- So they all loved it here, it was a calling anyway.- That's right.
0:15:50 > 0:15:56Sadly the year after they moved here, Sutcliffe's father died on the cliffs with pneumonia, painting.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59So Frank was thrust to the head of the family as breadwinner,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01and he chose photography as his career.
0:16:01 > 0:16:07He opened a portrait studio in a disused jet workshop, actually, and never looked back.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11He was probably one of the only photographers in Whitby,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13taking photographs for the tourists.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17- Yes.- The well-off people, he made his living from that,
0:16:17 > 0:16:23- but his passion was documenting the people of Whitby and the real town. - The social history side.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28That's right, which in those days was very unusual, it set him apart from other photographers.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Real characters, real expressions.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35I guess maybe he got that from his father being an artist, did he?
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Yeah, and probably his sense of composition as well,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41which is something that you can't necessarily learn, it's in you.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46So were they staged or were they spontaneous?
0:16:46 > 0:16:48They have a spontaneous look to them,
0:16:48 > 0:16:52- but they didn't have that luxury that we have of taking a candid photograph.- Yes.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57So he had to get people to pose, arrange them, and get them in general
0:16:57 > 0:17:02not to look at the camera, which again was an unusual technique really because Victorian photography
0:17:02 > 0:17:04is people looking straight at the camera.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09Almost ghostlike, never smiling or anything, it's straight there, isn't it?
0:17:09 > 0:17:10That's right, yes.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16It's a sign really that he had a good rapport with his subjects.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20He must have got to know them quite well for busy working people
0:17:20 > 0:17:25to stop what they're doing and be arranged maybe a quarter of an hour, half an hour, into a group.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31The exposures were for maybe a second or two seconds,
0:17:31 > 0:17:36so that it wasn't a massive exposure time but still long enough that if anybody moved, they blurred.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41Photography was a very different world compared to nowadays.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45Very basic equipment, and yet technically very complex
0:17:45 > 0:17:49- to accomplish a perfect photograph, really.- Yes.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52You had to be a technician, a chemist, almost.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54He would be working on a tripod,
0:17:54 > 0:17:56whereas now we just hold a camera.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00- It's just point and shoot, isn't it, really?- That's right.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03In his early days, he would take out the darkroom with him
0:18:03 > 0:18:08to process his glass negatives as soon as he'd taken the photograph, so it's just a different world.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13- It is, isn't it? He certainly earned his money.- Yes.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Was he well off at that stage?
0:18:17 > 0:18:20With his becoming famous with his exhibition work,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23he made a name for himself and people who were holidaying would flock
0:18:23 > 0:18:26to have their photograph to have their photograph taken by him.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30- So he would be the David Bailey of the day?- That's right, exactly.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Incredible. So what were the social conditions like back then for a working person?
0:18:34 > 0:18:39When you take a look at Frank Sutcliffe's photographs, you can tell that it was a physically hard life.
0:18:39 > 0:18:45Lots of work, but probably compared to nowadays it was a more contented life, more neighbourly,
0:18:45 > 0:18:50- and you could go out and not lock your door and things like that.- Yes. - A nicer place to live, probably.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54Yes. You're painting a nice picture. I wish we could all go back in time,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57- don't you?- Probably not, not knowing what we know now, no.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Let's talk about some of his other subject matter.
0:19:00 > 0:19:05He was really busy in the summer, so the majority of his photographs are actually taken in winter.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09So there's some lovely snow scenes as well, rough seas,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12ones of boats with children, and also when he goes out
0:19:12 > 0:19:14into the country, farming scenes,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18ploughing, and just some lovely rural landscapes that he's taken.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22There are so many facets to his work, it's not just like a one-trick pony.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26No. It's documenting social history, which is the brilliant thing.
0:19:26 > 0:19:32- Yes. Even in their own day when they were contemporary photographs, they were acknowledged as fantastic.- Yes.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36- Nowadays they've got that added bonus of being social documents as well. - Exactly, historical.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40- That's right.- He was a true artist and a pioneer in his day -
0:19:40 > 0:19:44how does he fit into the history of photography moving forward?
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Well, he did see a lot of changes in photography.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Obviously when he first started, he was coating his negatives
0:19:50 > 0:19:55with the wet chemicals first of all and then moved on to dry plates.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Then really when he was thinking about retiring from photography,
0:19:59 > 0:20:04Kodak brought out the Box Brownie, which was a hand-held camera,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06and Kodak asked a few prominent photographers
0:20:06 > 0:20:10of the day to endorse their new camera and gave Frank Sutcliffe
0:20:10 > 0:20:13a camera and some film to try out.
0:20:13 > 0:20:19The results from those, which we have, are OK but they don't quite have the same quality
0:20:19 > 0:20:26from his glass plate work where I think he had to think more about the results that he was producing.
0:20:26 > 0:20:32- But he certainly earned his place in history.- Absolutely. He was well respected in photographic history
0:20:32 > 0:20:35and just general history of this country, really.
0:21:02 > 0:21:08We're making our way to auction. Here's a reminder of all the items coming with us.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13This Pearlware Nelson commemorative jug once belonged to Trevor's grandfather,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17but no-one in the family has liked it.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21My mother wanted to get rid of it, but my father wouldn't let her.
0:21:21 > 0:21:28A great fan of the artist Archibald Thorburn, Mandy has decided to sell her grouse print,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31hoping someone will hunt it out in the saleroom.
0:21:31 > 0:21:37Will Guy's Victorian wooden carving, found in the porch of his old cottage,
0:21:37 > 0:21:39carve out a good price at auction?
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Gordon's Stanhope has a saucy secret.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47She's about, what, 5'8", long, cascading brunette hair.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49- Yes.- Basically she's got nothing on.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51That's right.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Let's hope she will also attract the bidders.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59And two classic Flog It favourites - Moorcroft and Clarice Cliff.
0:21:59 > 0:22:05They've sat on Lillian's wardrobe for nearly 30 years, but she's decided to let them go.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10I wouldn't say I don't like them, but I have things I like better.
0:22:12 > 0:22:18This is where it gets exciting. We're going to put our experts' valuations to the test.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Somebody today will go home with a lot of money.
0:22:21 > 0:22:26That's all down to Thomas Watson Auctioneers here in Darlington, County Durham,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29so let's get inside and find out.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34And in a packed auction house today,
0:22:34 > 0:22:39the all-important man wielding the gavel is auctioneer Peter Robinson.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43First up is Mandy with her Archibald Thorburn print.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48- I hope we get the top end for this Thorburn print. - It would be very nice.- It's lovely.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52- All the money is going towards...? - Camera equipment.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- You're a bit of an amateur photographer?- I am.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00- I've managed to win third prize in a national magazine.- Have you?- Yes.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02- Fantastic.- Last year.
0:23:02 > 0:23:08- Do you do landscapes and portraits or just anything?- Landscape, wildlife and macro-photography.
0:23:08 > 0:23:14- Is that why you've got the Thorburn, is it, because it's wildlife? - Yes, wildlife, yes.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19- Great book illustrator. What have we got, £50 to £80 on this?- Fixed reserve, 40.- OK.
0:23:19 > 0:23:25- A reprint of an early original, but we're in the right country to sell it.- Exactly.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28- Let's hope we get the top end. - It would be nice.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30390, showing here,
0:23:30 > 0:23:35the Archibald Thorburn, very nice limited edition print
0:23:35 > 0:23:37from a London Tryon Gallery.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Lot number 390. £50?
0:23:40 > 0:23:4230 bid. At £30.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45At £30 for the Thorburn print. At £30.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48At £30. 40 bid. At £40.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Are we all finished then at £40?
0:23:51 > 0:23:56Being sold at £40. Here to be sold at £40. All finished then at £40...?
0:23:57 > 0:24:01- It's gone. £40, Mandy, that's OK. - It saves me carrying it home.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06- It's a few pounds less than you paid for it.- Yeah.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11- That's a gamble you take. - It is, yeah. Good luck with the photography.- Thank you.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Something for the boys! It's a walking cane
0:24:20 > 0:24:25and it has a cheeky little picture, a Stanhope, of a lady inside.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Gordon's had lots of fun with this, I would imagine!
0:24:28 > 0:24:32- Yes.- £40-£60, it's a snip at that sort of price.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33It keeps a dinner party going!
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Why are you selling? It's such a good laugh.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38I'm downsizing, and I have that much rubbish.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42- This came over from Canada? - Yes, and my mother never would show me it.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47I was nearly 20 when she said, "One of these days I will actually show you what it is."
0:24:47 > 0:24:50But unfortunately she died, and it was only by chance
0:24:50 > 0:24:53- that I actually saw the pinhole and I looked through it.- And?
0:24:53 > 0:24:55And I looked through it again.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57- And?- I looked through it again and again!
0:24:57 > 0:25:01I couldn't believe my eyes. It was only by accident I found it.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Lovely talking point, get any dinner party going.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08- Here we go.- Stanhope cane, this time a wooden cane with a small
0:25:08 > 0:25:13peephole photographic image, at £30 to start. At £30, 40.
0:25:13 > 0:25:1750, 60. At £60 bid, at £60.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21All done at £60, 70 anywhere?
0:25:21 > 0:25:24At £60, it's near me, gentleman's bid at £60.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27- Oh, come on, a bit more. - Selling now at £60.- It's gone.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32You'll note it was a gentleman's bid and not a lady's bid!
0:25:32 > 0:25:36- Who bought it?!- Shout his name out. THEY LAUGH
0:25:36 > 0:25:38# We know what you're doing! #
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Next under the hammer we've got some Moorcroft and Clarice Cliff.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Should the lots have been split? I don't know.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58They belong to Lilian, but she can't be here today. We do have Kate, our expert.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03The auctioneer didn't split them, so I think he agrees with you.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06Stick them in as one lot, a "come and buy me" maybe?
0:26:06 > 0:26:12You don't often get people collecting both. It's a risky strategy, but it might work.
0:26:12 > 0:26:18- If you're starting a collection of good ceramics, it's a great place to start. £100 each?- That's not bad.
0:26:18 > 0:26:24- The Moorcroft is yummy.- I think the Moorcroft is good.- It's lovely, mellow colours. It's beautiful.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27150 is the... Two lots in the lot here,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30the Moorcroft and the Clarice Cliff,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33two good examples of the two respective factories,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36but being sold together for a collector.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41Opening at £100. At £100 for the two together.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44- 120. 140. 160.- This is good.- 180.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47200. 220. 240?
0:26:47 > 0:26:50- No sweat!- 240. 260. 280?
0:26:50 > 0:26:54260 in the balcony. 280.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57300? 280 downstairs on my left now. 300.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00320. 340. 360.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04380. 400. 420. 440?
0:27:04 > 0:27:07- 420!- At £420.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11The bid's in the balcony at £420. Being sold now at £420.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Are we all finished at 420?
0:27:13 > 0:27:19Fantastic! That's what you get when you put two good names together.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23- "Should they have been split? I don't know."- We'll never know.
0:27:23 > 0:27:29- I'm very happy with that and Lilian will be as well.- She'll be thrilled. - Well done.- Thank you.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Next up, Guy's wooden carving.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41It's been viewed, it's been handled, caressed.
0:27:41 > 0:27:47And enjoyed. I think it's going to find a new home today. That's for sure.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49- I would hope so.- So do I.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Lot number 345, unusual lot,
0:27:53 > 0:27:58the lion carving, obviously 18th century or early 19th century.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01But a nice carving. Lot 345.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03At £70.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06At £70. 80 bid.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09At £80. At £80. 90. 100.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14120. 140? At 120 on my right, the bid. At £120.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Come on, a bit more!
0:28:17 > 0:28:20The bid's on my right, gentleman's bid of £120.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Being sold at 120...
0:28:23 > 0:28:27It's gone right on the bottom end of the estimate, but it's gone.
0:28:27 > 0:28:34I don't think there was anybody here to bid against him, but nevertheless, I'm happy with that.
0:28:41 > 0:28:46It is a cracking lot, Trevor, and it's about to go under the hammer.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50We're talking about the Pearlware jug. You're not a big fan of it?
0:28:50 > 0:28:54It was stuck in a wall cabinet for years and my mother hated it
0:28:54 > 0:28:58and said, "Can we put it in a boot sale or dump it?"
0:28:58 > 0:29:01It's got to go in a fine art antiques sale.
0:29:01 > 0:29:07My father for years said, "Just hang on to it. It's Nelson, it could be worth something."
0:29:07 > 0:29:11And it is. If it hadn't got the crack, what would it be worth?
0:29:11 > 0:29:17Condition is really important, so it would add a couple of hundred pounds on to whatever it makes today.
0:29:17 > 0:29:22- Yeah.- But they are rare survivors, so it's in pretty good condition for what it is.
0:29:22 > 0:29:27- Not many people would have kept them. Your dad was clever.- He was.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31- Let's hope we get the top end of the valuation.- I hope so.- This is it.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35Lot 120, the Pearlware Nelson, blue-and-white printed jug.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38In nice order, this lot. Lot number 120.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41At 150. At 150.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45At 150. At 150. 180 I'm bid.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47180. 200. 220.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50250. 280. 300?
0:29:50 > 0:29:54280 in the balcony. At 280 I'm bid in the balcony.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57- At £280. Being sold here at £280... - Spot-on.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00300. 320. 350.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04- This is good.- 350. 380. 400?
0:30:04 > 0:30:06380. Still in the balcony at £380.
0:30:06 > 0:30:11Being sold now at £380. Are we all finished at £380?
0:30:11 > 0:30:13All done?
0:30:13 > 0:30:16That was brilliant, the last flurry just there!
0:30:16 > 0:30:20- I thought it was stopping at 250. - So did I.- It was good.- £380!
0:30:20 > 0:30:26- That's good.- All credit to you for hanging on to that.- My mother's got to take the credit for that.
0:30:26 > 0:30:31- It's a really nice item. - A "Victory"!- It's a victory. - Sorry, couldn't resist.
0:30:32 > 0:30:37We're doing pretty well so far. Coming up later, all will be revealed.
0:30:37 > 0:30:42- Can I have a look inside? - Yes, you may.- I was hoping that might be the case!
0:30:48 > 0:30:51We'll be selling more items later on in the show,
0:30:51 > 0:30:55but now I'm heading out on my travels to Whitby railway station.
0:30:58 > 0:31:04The station here in Whitby is the end of the line for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08It's a 24-mile stretch of track which runs from here to Pickering
0:31:08 > 0:31:14and it's one of the most beautiful railways in the country as it cuts right through the national park.
0:31:14 > 0:31:20It's a wonderful way to see the moorland, so today I'll let the train take the strain.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41The people of Whitby needed a railway
0:31:41 > 0:31:47to transport goods like coal and timber from the harbour out to towns inland
0:31:47 > 0:31:50and bring produce back to the ships at port.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55The Whitby to Pickering railway took more than five years to build
0:31:55 > 0:31:59and was opened with great celebration on May 26th 1836,
0:31:59 > 0:32:04although for nearly ten years, the trains back then used to be pulled by horses.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08The railway has seen many changes over the years.
0:32:08 > 0:32:14Now this is a fully operational heritage railway with big, powerful steam engines, charming carriages
0:32:14 > 0:32:16and delightful period stations.
0:32:16 > 0:32:21And, of course, ever-changing scenery. But it hasn't always been like that.
0:32:21 > 0:32:26'Joining me in the Western Saloon carriage is Philip Benham,
0:32:26 > 0:32:28'manager of the railway.'
0:32:28 > 0:32:32So tell me a little bit more about this incredible line.
0:32:32 > 0:32:37One of the first railways built in Britain, it started up in 1835 and it was horse-drawn.
0:32:37 > 0:32:42It was designed by George Stephenson who is known as the "Father of Railways".
0:32:42 > 0:32:48- It was a horse-drawn railway from Whitby to Pickering through the North York Moors.- How long did that take?
0:32:48 > 0:32:54A long time. It also involved going up a rope-hauled incline through the village of Goathland,
0:32:54 > 0:32:56so it was quite rough and ready.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00- How did it progress? - It became a very important railway.
0:33:00 > 0:33:07You could get trains from London to Whitby up to the 1960s and it helped develop Whitby as a holiday resort.
0:33:07 > 0:33:12The Beeching Plan came along. Tell me more about that and Dr Beeching.
0:33:12 > 0:33:17Dr Richard Beeching was appointed Chairman of British Railways in the early 1960s
0:33:17 > 0:33:20and his remit was to make the railways pay.
0:33:20 > 0:33:25He came up with this reshaping plan that would close large parts of the network,
0:33:25 > 0:33:29mainly branch lines, but also busier routes, including the line to Whitby.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34- What happened after the Beeching Plan? - The closure was very controversial.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38Within a couple of years, a group formed to try to re-open the railway.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42The founder Tom Salmon is still a supporter of the railway to this day
0:33:42 > 0:33:49and he and a number of people in the community started a society to see if they could get the railway re-opened,
0:33:49 > 0:33:53initially just between Grosmont and Goathland, about three miles,
0:33:53 > 0:33:59but in the end, through the help of North Riding County Council and the new national park in the Moors,
0:33:59 > 0:34:04the line was opened through to Pickering in one go by the Duchess of Kent.
0:34:04 > 0:34:101st of May 1973 was the official re-opening train and it's gone from strength to strength since then.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14- It's wonderful and extremely popular.- It's very popular.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18We carry over 300,000 passengers a year which is a lot of people.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22It's run largely by volunteers. A few people like me get paid.
0:34:22 > 0:34:27But it was started by volunteers and that's the unique essence of a line like this.
0:34:27 > 0:34:34It's the people who own it who run it and they have great love for the railway and everything on it.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44The stations along the line are themed from different periods.
0:34:44 > 0:34:49Pulling into Grosmont station is like stepping back into the 1950s.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52I'm here to catch up with the driver.
0:35:03 > 0:35:09- Jerry, how long have you been driving trains? - About ten years on this railway.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11And about...
0:35:11 > 0:35:14about eight or nine years on BR.
0:35:14 > 0:35:19- How old is the engine? - About 1925. They worked on the Somerset and Dorset.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21They were built for that railway.
0:35:21 > 0:35:26They were built at Darlington and they worked on the Somerset and Dorset.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28What speed can she do?
0:35:28 > 0:35:31We can do about 35 flat out,
0:35:31 > 0:35:34maybe 40, but up here, 25.
0:35:34 > 0:35:39Do you want to push the regulator a bit more? Push it up a little bit more.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42That's it, that's it. That's it.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45- Do you want to put a bit on? - I'll put a bit on.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Don't throw my shovel in! LAUGHTER
0:35:48 > 0:35:50A little bit more.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01Cor, that's so hot! That's really, really hot, isn't it?
0:36:01 > 0:36:033,000 degrees.
0:36:03 > 0:36:053,000 degrees?
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Does it get through a lot of coal?
0:36:10 > 0:36:12About a ton, a ton and a half.
0:36:12 > 0:36:19- Just from Pickering to Whitby, a ton and a half?- Grosmont to Pickering and back here again.
0:36:19 > 0:36:24- I think this has got to be the best scenery in the world. - I were born up here.
0:36:24 > 0:36:29- You were born here?- Esk Valley, yes. I'm back home.- You're back home.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44TOOTS HORN
0:36:46 > 0:36:49The next stop on the journey is Goathland.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53This is the most recent station on the railway
0:36:53 > 0:36:57and was built as accommodation for the stationmaster and his family.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01This charming station has somewhat of a celebrity status.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04It's also been known as Aidensfield in ITV's Heartbeat
0:37:04 > 0:37:09and as the spectacular Hogsmeade in the first Harry Potter film.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Sadly, this is where my trip ends.
0:37:19 > 0:37:24The train is going onward now to Pickering, but I've got to get back to Whitby.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27It's been an incredible day out.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32If you're ever up here on holiday, climb aboard and experience the golden age of steam!
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!
0:37:35 > 0:37:37Big step!
0:37:48 > 0:37:54Back now to our valuation day in Whitby and it looks like someone has beamed Philip into space!
0:37:58 > 0:38:01- Doreen, how are you? - All right, thank you.
0:38:01 > 0:38:06- Aren't you a bit old for this sort of thing?- Yes, I am.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09- Second childhood.- I haven't got out of my first yet!
0:38:09 > 0:38:15Let's have a look at it. On the front we've got a "non-fall moon rocket".
0:38:15 > 0:38:17- "Made in Japan."- Mm-hm.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20What can you tell me about it?
0:38:20 > 0:38:24I bought it in about 1960.
0:38:24 > 0:38:29And I had my son with us then. He was only six.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33- He'll be pleased. You've just told everybody how old he is!- I know.
0:38:33 > 0:38:39He will be, yes. So I asked him if he liked it and he said yes, so I went in and I bought it.
0:38:39 > 0:38:44- How much did you pay for it? Do you remember that? - I think it was about 42 shilling.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47- 42 shilling is...- £2, isn't it?
0:38:47 > 0:38:51£2.10 or... It's £2.10, isn't it?
0:38:51 > 0:38:55- Yes.- This is lovely. Does it work?
0:38:55 > 0:39:01- Yes. It won't drop off the table, but everybody goes like that in case it does.- Does it not?- No.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05- Are you sure?- Yes, yes. - Let's give it a go, shall we?- Right.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09There's the driver. Are you ready for this?
0:39:10 > 0:39:14- Are you sure it won't go off the edge?- No.- Whoa...
0:39:16 > 0:39:20- Are you sure about this?- Yes. - I don't believe you. Doreen!
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Get ready to catch it.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25Oh, my life!
0:39:25 > 0:39:32This is making me... I'm not doing this any more. This is silly. You're giving me ulcers, you are!
0:39:34 > 0:39:37So your son never played it?
0:39:37 > 0:39:41- He did play with it, but not very much.- Not very roughly either.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43No, he took good care of it.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45I think...
0:39:45 > 0:39:49that we can put an estimate on it of £50 to £80.
0:39:49 > 0:39:54- Never?- Yeah.- Can you?- Yeah. Is that all right?- Yeah, fine.
0:39:54 > 0:40:01We'll put an estimate on it of £50 to £80 and we'll put a reserve on it of £50 with 10% discretion,
0:40:01 > 0:40:05so if the auctioneer gets to 40, 45, it'll be all right for it to go.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08- Are you happy with that?- Yes.
0:40:15 > 0:40:20Maureen, it's great to see you. And I wish I lived in this area because just driving
0:40:20 > 0:40:24- from Pickering this morning, it's stunning, isn't it?- Yes.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27- Do you know what you've got here? - Not really, no.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29It's been lying around the house.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33- Was it your parents'? - No, my in-laws'.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36Your in-laws, OK. What do you think it's for?
0:40:36 > 0:40:41- I thought probably it was for wool or string.- I can see
0:40:41 > 0:40:46where you're coming from because you could put a ball of string in there and have the thread coming out,
0:40:46 > 0:40:50and cut it off at the right lengths, but do you know...
0:40:50 > 0:40:52it is in fact a tea caddy.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56- Oh.- It's from the Georgian period, the Hanover period.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00You have to be careful when you say the Georgian period because there were three King Georges.
0:41:00 > 0:41:05This is George III so we're looking at the late 1700s right up to 1820,
0:41:05 > 0:41:10George III period, and it is a pear wood, fruitwood, tea caddy,
0:41:10 > 0:41:13- shaped like a pear.- Oh, I see, yes.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Lots of caddies appeared in different shapes and sizes,
0:41:16 > 0:41:20you could have larger ones, you could have smaller single cube ones.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23Tea was very popular to drink, it became fashionable with royalty and
0:41:23 > 0:41:28the well-to-do in the late 1600s. It was a valuable commodity.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32Poor people couldn't afford to drink tea, hence it was kept under lock and key.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35These caddies had
0:41:35 > 0:41:38little locks on so the servants couldn't pilfer the tea.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Oh, I see, yes.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44This is stunning though, and it basically is a single blend tea.
0:41:44 > 0:41:49You could either have green tea or black tea, and if you look inside you can
0:41:49 > 0:41:51see there are traces of tinfoil.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55- Uh-huh.- That lined this little caddy, it kept the tea fresh.
0:41:55 > 0:42:00And that's really nice, you see, the traces of that just tells me that it's so right.
0:42:00 > 0:42:05That's got its original hinge, its original lock and escutcheon, and
0:42:05 > 0:42:10that's more than likely silver but it's blackened off over the years.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15It would have had a tiny little stalk coming out of there,
0:42:15 > 0:42:17just put in afterwards,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20but it's absolutely stunning, it's a lovely shape.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22The collectors really go for these.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26- Oh, good. - Have you any idea of the value?
0:42:26 > 0:42:30No, not really. £30?
0:42:30 > 0:42:32£30, right, OK.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35Well, the only thing that lets it down, the stalk's missing,
0:42:35 > 0:42:39that can be sorted out, and the colour can be brought back.
0:42:39 > 0:42:40I'm going to say to you...
0:42:40 > 0:42:43You think this is worth £30?
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Well, on a very good day in auction,
0:42:45 > 0:42:47you might get £500.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52- Never.- Yes.- Gosh.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55Yes, even without the work.
0:42:55 > 0:43:00I'd like to put this into auction with a value of £300-£500,
0:43:00 > 0:43:02have the reserve at £300,
0:43:02 > 0:43:07but on a good day in this condition, that's going to do £500.
0:43:07 > 0:43:12- Gosh, that's really... - Better than a string box, isn't it? - Yes, absolutely.
0:43:21 > 0:43:28Barney and Laura, you've brought in this bizarre piece of silver plate. What do you know about it?
0:43:28 > 0:43:33- It's a cocktail shaker, I think. It was my nan's.- She hasn't told you the history of it?
0:43:33 > 0:43:37- She has, but I haven't listened. - Barney doesn't listen.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41- You're boyfriend and girlfriend? - Yeah.- Has she told you?- Yes.
0:43:41 > 0:43:45- There we go.- It was given to her as a present off an old friend.
0:43:45 > 0:43:50She's just had it sat in a cupboard and never used it or anything.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54- Not every weekend making gin slings and stuff?- No.- That's a bit sad.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59- You're more of a lager drinker, I guess?- Yeah. Not cocktails.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03Let's have a look. It's got "A & Co" on the bottom which is a good sign
0:44:03 > 0:44:09because it's Asprey & Co who are royal jewellers and silversmiths and make very good quality items.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13As you say, it's a cocktail shaker, so if we open it up,
0:44:13 > 0:44:18this is where you put your ice and gin and bitter lemon, stick the lid on,
0:44:18 > 0:44:20then this bit unscrews.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24What you've got in here is a cork and that should pull out,
0:44:24 > 0:44:26but this one is a bit stuck.
0:44:26 > 0:44:32You'd give it a shake and there'll be a strainer in here, you'd pour it out and that's your gin sling.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36You're not tempted to keep it and have a bit of a cocktail at home?
0:44:36 > 0:44:42- Not really. I don't think we use it now.- That's why she's getting rid of it. She's never used it.
0:44:42 > 0:44:48They're not very practical. It's a kind of Roaring Twenties... It's very sort of Jeeves and Wooster.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52You can see Bertie Wooster having one of these.
0:44:52 > 0:44:58So there's not a huge market for it and because the cork's stuck, it's a bit difficult to sell.
0:44:58 > 0:45:03Price-wise, even though it's not silver, it's silver plate, it's still quite collectable
0:45:03 > 0:45:07and between £50 and £80 at auction would be about right.
0:45:07 > 0:45:13There are issues of condition, so you'd put a lower estimate, maybe a 40 reserve and a 50 to 80 estimate.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17Is that the sort of thing you'd go for?
0:45:17 > 0:45:23- Yeah.- That's fine, yeah.- You should listen to your grandma more, see what else she's got in the cupboard!
0:45:23 > 0:45:26- But we'll send it to sell and see how it goes.- Yeah.
0:45:26 > 0:45:32I'm trying to think up a bad pun on cocktails and bells, but I'm going to resist the temptation.
0:45:32 > 0:45:37- So let's send it to sale and see how it goes. Thanks very much.- Thanks.
0:45:44 > 0:45:48- Coleen and Cliff, how are you both? - Fine.- You've brought me an envelope.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52- I have, yes. - Can I have a look inside?- You may.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55Do you know, I was hoping that might be the case.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58I'm a huge Stones fan.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02- This is the original line-up.- It is.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05We've got Charlie Watts in his Star Trek uniform,
0:46:05 > 0:46:11Bill Wyman, who, I have to say, still looks years older than everybody else on that postcard,
0:46:11 > 0:46:17Brian Jones, who sadly died in the late '60s in a swimming pool, didn't he?
0:46:17 > 0:46:20Then the real wild child, Mr Jagger.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24- And then Keith Richards. So have you got this signed?- Yes.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28Look at that. That's brilliant. I just think... They are iconic.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32- When does this date... What's the postmark on here?- 1964, I think.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36The first issue is, how do you know they were genuine?
0:46:36 > 0:46:40Because authenticity is absolutely everything.
0:46:40 > 0:46:45And secondly, The Beatles, for example, were well known
0:46:45 > 0:46:48for their roadie to sign their signatures
0:46:48 > 0:46:52and also for them to sign one another's signatures.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56And I think The Stones signed one another's signatures.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59So the first issue is, are they all genuine?
0:46:59 > 0:47:03And the second issue is, have you got five Rolling Stones on there
0:47:03 > 0:47:06and not Mick Jagger doing three of them?
0:47:06 > 0:47:10- How did you come by it?- I used to work with Charlie Watts's mother.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14- Charlie Watts's mum?- Yes. In 1964.
0:47:14 > 0:47:20That was before they were famous and that's when she gave the pictures to me.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24So, I think, what we've got to do is this.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26We've got to catalogue this.
0:47:26 > 0:47:33We'll ask the auctioneers to check the provenance. Not the provenance, but the authenticity of these.
0:47:33 > 0:47:37But what we'll ask the auctioneers to do is to say in the catalogue
0:47:37 > 0:47:42that it's a signed photograph of The Rolling Stones -
0:47:42 > 0:47:47Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts and Brian Jones,
0:47:47 > 0:47:54and that the photograph was given to you by Charlie Watts' mother.
0:47:54 > 0:47:59It really is important that we put that in the catalogue and on the internet
0:47:59 > 0:48:06because, with this envelope, it will give the buyer more confidence that they are absolutely genuine.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09I'm going to be really mean here.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13I'm going to suggest that you put a £200 to £400 estimate on it.
0:48:13 > 0:48:18I think, if you strike lucky,
0:48:18 > 0:48:22it wouldn't surprise me if they made three to five times that.
0:48:22 > 0:48:27If you're really lucky, they could make £600 to £900,
0:48:27 > 0:48:29perhaps even £1,000.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32But you need to put them at a sensible estimate
0:48:32 > 0:48:38and the fact that it'll be on the internet and properly advertised, that'll flush the buyers out.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41If I was allowed to bid, I'd be one of them.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45So for the final time today,
0:48:45 > 0:48:48let's see what we're taking off to auction.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51Belonging to her son in the 1960s,
0:48:51 > 0:48:56Doreen is taking his Moon Rocket toy to the dizzy heights of the saleroom.
0:48:56 > 0:49:02Coleen and Cliff want her autographs of The Rolling Stones to top the bidding charts.
0:49:02 > 0:49:07And finally my favourite item of the day, Maureen's pear-shaped pearwood tea caddy,
0:49:07 > 0:49:13which I think should do well over my top end of the estimate of £300-£500.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19And finally, Barney's grandmother has let him sell this rather nice cocktail shaker
0:49:19 > 0:49:22as cocktails leave him unshaken.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26- You're more of a lager drinker, I guess?- Yeah. Not cocktails.
0:49:28 > 0:49:35But before the cocktail shaker goes under the hammer, first up on the auction launch pad - Doreen.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39The sky's the limit for this one, Doreen, the little Moon Rocket,
0:49:39 > 0:49:43- bought in the 1960s for only two pounds and ten pence.- Right.
0:49:43 > 0:49:49- We've got a valuation of £50 to £80 put on by Philip, our expert here. - Yes, good.
0:49:49 > 0:49:53- So, lots of fun you had at the valuation day.- Yes, we did.
0:49:53 > 0:49:58It went whizzing round the table and kept coming back. It frightened me to death.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01- You had to keep on your toes.- You had to keep me on my toes all the time!
0:50:01 > 0:50:05Lots of people have been musing over this. It's still got its original box.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08- It's a lot of fun.- It's great.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11It's a nice-looking toy and it is a lot of fun.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15Hopefully, somebody else is going to have a lot of fun with it.
0:50:15 > 0:50:19Yes, it would be nice. I hope somebody enjoys it as much as we did.
0:50:19 > 0:50:24It's ready to go and it's going right now under the hammer.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28Lot number 60, the '60s Moon Rocket this time.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32- Nice lot in its original box. - Let's hope it takes off!
0:50:32 > 0:50:35I have interest here. 40. At £40 to start.
0:50:35 > 0:50:3950 bid. At £50. 60. 70. 80.
0:50:39 > 0:50:4290. 100? At £90 with me, the bid.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45100 now. At the back of the room at £100.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48Not a bad return on 42 shillings!
0:50:48 > 0:50:51All finished now at £100...
0:50:51 > 0:50:55- Spot-on! Well done, Philip. £100!- Good.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59- Unbelievable, isn't it?- It proved to be a really good investment.
0:50:59 > 0:51:05- It is, but it wasn't an investment when you bought it. It was just a toy.- It was just a toy.
0:51:05 > 0:51:11- You had the foresight to keep it and look after it. Well done, you! - I always thought it was special.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21I've just been joined by Barney and Laura.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25This is the silver-plate cocktail shaker in the form of a bell.
0:51:25 > 0:51:30Let's hope it rings in some changes. £50 to £80 we're hoping for. What do you think of it?
0:51:30 > 0:51:34- It's quite different.- You're being polite - "quite different".
0:51:34 > 0:51:40I had a chat to Peter the auctioneer and he said, "I wouldn't want it in my house."
0:51:40 > 0:51:45I wouldn't either, but there's plenty of people out there that would love this.
0:51:45 > 0:51:50It's slightly kitsch, it's a bit over the top, but a great maker's name.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52Asprey. I'd have this in my house.
0:51:52 > 0:51:56If I were allowed to bid, this would be coming home with me.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59- Do you love cocktails? - I don't mind them.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02Here we go. It's going under the hammer.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Lot 180, the cocktail shaker.
0:52:05 > 0:52:09The Asprey's bell-shaped cocktail shaker here.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12At £30 to start. At £30. At £30.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15- Unusual lot.- Come on! - Asprey's cocktail shaker.
0:52:15 > 0:52:1740 bid. 5. 50.
0:52:17 > 0:52:215? At £50. On my right, the gentleman's bid at £50.
0:52:21 > 0:52:25On my right at £50. 55 anywhere?
0:52:25 > 0:52:29At £50. Being sold at £50 for the lot. Are we all finished?
0:52:29 > 0:52:32The bid's on my right at £50, all done.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36- That's good, £50.- A drinker? - I was getting worried.
0:52:36 > 0:52:42- I thought maybe they all like their pints up here, but a few people like their cocktails.- The odd Mai Tai.
0:52:42 > 0:52:47Well done. Hopefully, you can go home now and tell Nan, can't you?
0:52:47 > 0:52:51- Yes.- She'll be pleased. What will she do with the money?
0:52:51 > 0:52:55- Take us out for a meal, I think. - And have a cocktail, presumably.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58- In the spirit of the whole thing. - In spirit!
0:52:58 > 0:53:00Unintentional pun there.
0:53:09 > 0:53:15Moving on swiftly, as they say, a rolling stone gathers no moss, and there's a clue to what's next.
0:53:15 > 0:53:20We've been joined by Cliff and Coleen with the wonderful signed photograph
0:53:20 > 0:53:24- of my favourite rock band, and Philip's, I think.- Absolutely right.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28- That is just so evocative. They were the bad boys of rock.- Yeah.
0:53:29 > 0:53:34But hopefully, hopefully, this should shoot through the roof.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37- Good.- Do you think so? - Well sought after.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40If people think it's right, it'll just...
0:53:40 > 0:53:42It could stagger you.
0:53:42 > 0:53:47Let's hope it's a big hit here. It's going under the hammer right now.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50The Rolling Stones postcard photograph this time.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53Let's start at £100. At £100.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56At £100. 120 bid.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58At 120 bid. At 120 bid.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01140. 160.
0:54:01 > 0:54:03180. 200.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05220. 240.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08260? 240 in the balcony.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11260. 280. 300.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14320. 340? 340.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17360. 380. 400.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20420. 440.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22460. 480?
0:54:22 > 0:54:24Yeah? 500. 520.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27520 in the balcony.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30At £520. The bid's in the balcony at £520.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33Selling in the balcony at £520...
0:54:33 > 0:54:36£520 - it was a smash hit!
0:54:36 > 0:54:40- £520.- Very good. - That is brilliant, isn't it?
0:54:40 > 0:54:44- That is a Honky Tonk Woman, isn't it?- That's a Honky Tonk... Yeah.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48- I think we got the Satisfaction. - How many more can we do?
0:54:48 > 0:54:51- You've got to be happy with that. - Very happy.
0:54:51 > 0:54:57You've got commission to pay here, that's 15%, but what will you put the money towards?
0:54:57 > 0:55:02- I hadn't thought of this yet. - Put it in the bank, save it for a rainy day.
0:55:02 > 0:55:08- We'll go for a nice meal somewhere to celebrate.- That'll be a very nice meal. I'm really pleased with that.
0:55:08 > 0:55:14It's never too late to go and see The Rolling Stones. I don't think they'll ever give up.
0:55:14 > 0:55:19- No.- They'll be touring well into their 80s.- You might just be able to afford two tickets with that!
0:55:27 > 0:55:32OK, it's my turn to be the expert now, and it's that gorgeous pearwood tea caddy
0:55:32 > 0:55:35and it belongs to Maureen here, and she's brought her husband along.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39- Hi, Tony, is it?- Hello. That's correct.- This was your mum's, wasn't it?- That's right, yes, it was.
0:55:39 > 0:55:44So when Maureen got home from the valuation day, she said, "They've taken in the tea caddy."
0:55:44 > 0:55:48- She actually rang us on the mobile phone before she even got home anyway.- Very excited.
0:55:48 > 0:55:52£300-£500 we're looking at on an average day if this was
0:55:52 > 0:55:59in great condition, it needs a bit of TLC, but it'd be up there in the £800-£1,200 bracket, it's that good.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02- We'll see, with the defects, isn't it?- Have a chat to the auctioneer,
0:56:02 > 0:56:07he agrees with the valuation and he said there's been lots of interest, so that's good.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11- Fingers crossed. Good on your mum, she had a good eye.- Yes. - Excellent, yes.- Here we go.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14300, here we are, the pear-shaped
0:56:14 > 0:56:21tea caddy this time, lot number 300, and open the bidding at £300.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23- Straight in.- At £300...
0:56:23 > 0:56:28350, at £300... 350 bid, £400...
0:56:28 > 0:56:30£450, £500...
0:56:30 > 0:56:34£550, at £550 dead ahead, at 550...
0:56:34 > 0:56:39At 550. 600. 650, 700... 750.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41800...
0:56:41 > 0:56:43850, 900...
0:56:43 > 0:56:47and 50, 1,000...
0:56:47 > 0:56:50and 50, 1,100...
0:56:50 > 0:56:54and 50, 1,200...
0:56:54 > 0:56:56- and 50.- They like it.- 1,300.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58- They like it.- And 50...
0:56:58 > 0:57:02- 1,400.- Two got stuck in, they're bidding against each other.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05And 50, 1,500...
0:57:05 > 0:57:08and 50, 1,600...
0:57:09 > 0:57:13..and 50, 1,700...
0:57:13 > 0:57:16and 50, 1,800...
0:57:18 > 0:57:21..and 50, 1,900...
0:57:21 > 0:57:23You're out?
0:57:23 > 0:57:281,900...and 50, 2,000.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31- That's a lot of money.- 2,100...
0:57:31 > 0:57:362,200, 2,300... 2,400,
0:57:36 > 0:57:442,300 in front of me now, at 2,300. It's in the room at 2,300, all done.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48- £2,300! Put it there.- Amazing.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51- Yes.- Two people really wanted that,
0:57:51 > 0:57:55that's all I can say, and they bid each other right to the bitter end.
0:57:55 > 0:57:57Yes, I never imagined that.
0:57:57 > 0:58:01Oh, gosh. Well, look, there's 15% commission to pay today.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05- But- don't that's a lot of money to be going home with. - Very nice, isn't it?- Absolutely.
0:58:05 > 0:58:09- That's going to come in handy, isn't it?- Yes.- We haven't decided what for yet.
0:58:09 > 0:58:15You're shaking. I think Maureen's had the best day of her life here in the auction room in Darlington.
0:58:15 > 0:58:19- Thank you very much.- Good job she started out on a day out with her sister in Whitby, that's all it was.
0:58:19 > 0:58:22- Yes.- Thank you so much for coming in. - Thank you.
0:58:22 > 0:58:26And thank you for watching. We've had a cracking day, I hope you've enjoyed the show.
0:58:26 > 0:58:29There's plenty more surprises to come next time on Flog It.
0:58:35 > 0:58:39Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd