Harlow Flog It!

Today Flog It is in Harlow, a town made to house

some of the post-war population moving from London.

Harlow's design was the vision of chief architect and town planner Sir Frederick Gibberd.

In 1951 he was responsible for this building, The Lawn.

That is so iconic because it is Britain's first-ever tower block.

But this isn't where today's action is happening.

It's here, across town at the Latton Bush Centre.

We've got a massive turnout here with their antiques.

Mark Stacey and Charlie Ross are raring to go, so let's get this huge crowd inside.

-Hello, Anthony.

-Good afternoon.

Thank you so much for waiting and bringing this lovely coffee set.

We all know what it is,

but before we examine it, give us the family history.

-Well, we know it's been in our family since 1939.

-Right.

I would think it was a wedding present for our parents.

They were difficult times and it's not a thing you would buy with war coming on.

-You've always used it as a coffee set?

-The last time, and I can only remember using it once,

-I think I drank tea out of these.

-The cups would take tea, but it is a coffee set.

This is known as the Bonjour set.

This is definitely a coffee pot in the long oval pattern.

The teapot is much shorter and circular. I would say it is a little bit earlier than 1939.

So it was probably second-hand, which often happened generations ago.

I would have thought it tends to date to mid-1930s.

The best period for Clarice Cliff is from the end of the 1920s

up to 1935, 1936.

After that, the patterns went a little bit...less quality.

Less dynamic. I'm not absolutely sure of the pattern.

I'm calling it pomegranate.

These look like pomegranates. But what we will do is look out for the pattern

and I'll let the auctioneers know.

What I like is this lovely, open, triangular handle,

which is so 1930s.

I think there will be quite a lot of interest, even though it's not very bright and bold.

It's complete and, more importantly, perfect, which is the nice thing.

In terms of value, I would say, if we put it into auction,

I would keep it slightly on the conservative side so that we tempt people.

-But I would have thought £500-£800.

-Really?

-How do you feel about that?

-All right.

-And we'll put a reserve of 500.

-Fine.

-I suspect it will make the high end on a good day.

-Thank you.

It's so nice to see a complete set in such good condition.

Thank you for being patient with us and I'll see you at the auction.

-Let's hope for a top price.

-Thanks.

-Right. Henry and Mark here, whose are the candlesticks?

-Mine.

-He's giving moral support?

-My son.

-So who's getting the money if we flog them?

-We all are!

-How many is all?

-Two, four.

-Four of you?

They'll need to make some money!

-Where did they come from?

-A friend left them to me.

-And what do you know about them?

-Nothing. Nothing at all.

-Do you know they're candlesticks?

-Oh, yes!

-Good!

-What are they made of?

-Silver.

-Correct!

-Top of the class. Have they got a hallmark?

-Yes.

I think it's a lion on it.

The great thing about a bit of silver is you can tell who made it, where it was made and when.

The lion you were talking about is the lion passant.

The moment you see the lion, you know they're silver. Next to the lion is an anchor.

It is an assay mark, so they were made in Birmingham.

If they had a leopard's head, they were made in London. A crown was Sheffield, et cetera.

There's a letter N.

Now the letter N on there tells you that they were made in 1912.

So they're post-Victorian. Corinthian column candlesticks.

Probably the most popular design.

And they are dwarf candlesticks. Sometimes they make 10 or 11-inch ones.

And these are sort of seven inches. I quite like the squat format.

-They would clean up beautifully. You haven't cleaned them?

-No.

A lot of people don't clean silver. If you rub them too much, you rub through the silver.

B) You'll destroy the decoration.

C) Worst of all, you can clean off the hallmark.

-What are they worth?

-A couple of hundred?

-What do you reckon?

-Two, three hundred?

-You should be doing my job!

Know what I think they're worth? 200-300!

-It's not as if they're the rarest things in the world.

-No, no.

But of all silver objects, candlesticks are the most popular.

I think 200-300 is spot on.

-We'll put a reserve of 175 on them. Happy with that?

-Yeah.

-Thank you for bringing them along. That's 50 quid each. Or will you get most of it?

-I like that!

Chris and Jean, thank you so much for struggling in on this hot day with a great lump of furniture.

I'm very proud of you. Give me a bit about your background. You're both involved with a charity.

That's right. Rainbow Services.

And it is a charity to fill unmet need of one sort or another, and one of the projects we run

is to take furniture and donate it to people on low income

-or on benefits.

-To furnish their bedsits or flats?

-Absolutely.

This was donated by someone who said, "I'm not sure if it's any good,

"but if not, please sell it."

-And this isn't what people want? They want beds and wardrobes?

-That's right.

Things we get a quick turnover with, to go in a house in Harlow.

We don't get much call for these desks!

-Writing desks!

-We need practical things for people.

They need wardrobes, beds, sofas. We pick up good quality furniture.

Well, carry on the good work. Let's hope this adds to the kitty.

-Do you like it? Would you fancy buying it?

-Not in my house, no!

It wouldn't necessarily go. I can see its charm.

As a writing desk, it is very usable.

It's quite small.

This would fit into a large Victorian house or a small cottage.

It's not got a great deal of age. It looks like an 18th-century piece,

-but in fact it's early 20th century.

-Oh, right?

-Yeah.

I'd put this around 1930s and it's Dutch.

-Oh, is it?

-Yes. If you start at the floor,

it's on lovely flattened ball feet, so typical of the Dutch craftsman.

It's well-made, handmade.

It's not machine-made, which is really nice.

The colour of the oak is very good. If I take one drawer out,

you can see the whole construction, even the drawer linings, it's all made of oak.

They've taken pride in it because all the drawer faces are veneered in oak

and reversed to make a chevron. They didn't need to do that, but it's nice and adds value.

Those little architectural details make it a little bit more expensive than it would normally be.

Right. I expect you want to know roughly what it's worth.

If this was an 18th-century piece, it would be £1,600-£2,000,

for a continental writing desk.

But it's early 20th century.

I think it's got a value of around £200-£300.

I'd like to see it get to £300, but we need two people. That's all.

Hopefully, we'll have half a dozen fighting for it! But...

I think if we put this into auction we've got to put it on with a valuation of £100-£200

and a reserve at £100. Great.

It's lovely to know about, to get the history.

-Hello, Linda.

-Hello, Mark.

-Thank you for being so patient.

-It's OK.

You've brought in a lovely object that proves size isn't everything.

-Good.

-This charming little figure. Where did you get it from?

An antiques fair. I like going round them.

-I thought it was sweet.

-I love it. Can you remember what you paid?

-No, can't remember. It wasn't much.

-I've got a feeling that you're a bit of a hoarder.

You like antiques fairs.

-My house is like... Steptoe and Son!

-Oh, really?

-You don't wash in the sink, do you?

-No, I don't!

Not that far.

Let's have a little look. I think it's wonderful.

Quite an interesting potter. Nobody knows who he is. Or she.

It's very much in the style of the early 20th century, naive school, the London school.

The main exponent of this was Charles Vyse, who used to be based in Chelsea

and produced these wonderful figures of cherubs and satyrs and bacchanalian figures

doing things on the back of snails and with frogs,

in the most wonderful colours. At that time there were a lot of other small potters around

who produced similar figures. Your little figure is simply marked underneath, and on the back,

JSB, dated 1932, and Dulwich.

So obviously this potter was based in Dulwich.

I adore it, I love this. It's a little bacchanalian figure. You thought it was a cherub.

-Yeah, a cherub.

-It's not.

If you look closely, it's got little horns.

-Oh, yes.

-And little grapes, vines, which represents a bacchanalian-type subject.

The god of wine.

And he's just caught a male pheasant and is grabbing it.

You look at the pheasant which is desperate to get away,

but the colours and the quality of the painting... Look at his face.

-It's so sweet. I love faces.

-He's blushing, with a really wicked look on his face. Actually...

I'm glad I've not got a tail!

It's absolutely wonderful. I see why you fell in love with it.

-Beautiful.

-A lot of people will be interested in it, but we've got to keep the estimate sensible.

-Maybe £100-£150.

-Yeah, lovely.

-With discretion on the reserve.

-Let's hope we have a rip-roaring time!

-Wonderful.

-Just like he is.

Martin, HMS Ganges Association? You must be a naval man.

-Ex-naval man.

-Ex?

-I joined when I was 15.

-Good time?

Very tough time. Very strict.

-Is that where you found the pot?

-No.

-Where's it from?

-When I came out of the navy, I lived in Chelsea.

-Right.

-And the lady above me said, "Could you clean my windows?" So I said, "Certainly I will."

-She said, "I'll pay you." I said no.

-A gentleman.

In 1966, just after the World Cup, she called me up and said, "I'm moving."

She said, "I'd like you to have that." I used to pick it off the windowsill very carefully,

-put it on the chest of drawers.

-And you never dropped it.

-No.

-And?

-It's been in the cupboard ever since!

-So you don't actually like it?

-No, I...

-No use for it?

-No use for it at all.

-Know anything about it?

-Nothing.

-Wonderful, isn't it?

-I will now appear to be wildly knowledgeable about it! I've looked at the bottom!

-You have!

I think I can tell it was Doulton, Doulton Lambeth. That factory started in the 19th century,

-making drains.

-Oh, right?

-Pottery drains.

Then they got a bit more refined and started making jardinieres and all sorts of pots

-and went on to become the Royal Doulton company.

-Right.

-In about 1920.

What I think is most interesting is the decoration of it.

-A lot of Doulton Lambeth wares weren't glazed.

-They weren't?

No. And this is glazed and, across the middle, looks just like a piece of Wedgwood

-and yet it's Doulton. As if they were influenced by Wedgwood.

-I'm with you.

Looking at the bottom, it's stamped 1881.

-That is 130 years old.

-My God.

-Of moving it backwards and forwards. Not by you for 130 years!

-No!

In that windowsill.

And all the rosettes, the glazing, is in perfect condition.

-And it's got a value.

-Has it?

-Any ideas?

-30 quid?

-You could certainly double that.

And add a bit more, hopefully. It's certainly £50-£100.

-Right.

-I would want to put a reserve of £50 on it.

-That's fair enough. Absolutely, yeah.

On a really good day, if somebody likes the way it's glazed,

it might well trickle on to £100. Thank you very much for bringing it along.

My pleasure.

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

and here's what's coming with us.

This 1930s Clarice Cliff coffee set has languished in the sideboard. Could it be a hidden gem?

They're small, but are these silver candlesticks beautiful enough to attract an admirer?

Will the bidders turn out for this Dutch desk? It's all in the aid of charity.

Because Linda's bacchanalian figure is unusual and fun, it should do very well in the sale room.

Finally, can this gift for Martin's window-cleaning skills sparkle and shine today?

All our lots will be going under the hammer here at Reeman Dansie Auctions in Colchester.

The man on the rostrum is James Grinter.

This pair of silver candlesticks should light up the saleroom. We're looking for £200-£300.

They belong to Henry and Mark here. This could be your inheritance!

-Dad's not passing them on?

-No!

-And you don't want them.

So, £200-£300. I love the Corinthian columns. Little mini columns.

-Lovely.

-They'll always sell well.

-Yes. They'll dress any dinner table.

-You should have had a dinner party before the valuation day!

-Take a bit of cleaning, though.

-They do.

-Have Flog It in for dinner.

-Nothing wrong in that!

-No, true.

Let's find out what the bidders think. This is it.

Lot 219 is a pair of George V silver candlesticks. A handsome pair of sticks here.

Start me at 150? 150 to start me?

140? 140 is bid there. At 140. At 140.

Do I hear 150? 150. 160.

170. 170 is bid down here now. At 170.

180? At £170, I'm going to sell them.

All done now at 170.

You've got £170. We had a reserve at 175, so he's used a little bit of discretion.

-I'm sure he'll make the money up. We didn't light the room up!

-They weren't expensive.

No. That's auctions for you. They've gone!

Now it's the Clarice Cliff! It wouldn't be Flog It without Clarice.

Fingers crossed we get top money today. Now, Mark, you said it was pomegranate at the valuation day.

-Well, it looks like them.

-I had a chat to James. He thinks it might be passion fruit.

I'm happy for it to be whatever fruit makes the most money!

OK! Well, we've got £500-£800 riding on this. Let's hope for Anthony's sake we get the top end.

Good luck.

Now the 1930s Clarice Cliff passion fruit pattern coffee set.

£400 to start me? 400 I have.

At £400 now. 420. 420.

440. 460. 480.

-At 480 in the corner now.

-Come on!

500 anywhere? At £480.

It's going to be sold. Are you all done?

-480.

-480.

-We were just above the reserve.

-Just.

-That's how these things happen.

-It is. We needed two more people to push that bid.

-Disappointing slightly.

-But I did say on the day that the pattern isn't the most exuberant.

If it had been the melons or something a bit more exotic, we might have got a bit more,

-but there you go.

-Watch out for your patterns.

-Watch out for your fruit!

Martin saw some wonderful things window cleaning in Chelsea! One was the Doulton jardiniere!

-What a spot that was! And you've brought your wife, Mary, for moral support.

-Yeah.

-Do you like the jardiniere?

-It's all right. I'm not...

-No.

-Not really my thing.

-We'll flog it anyway. We hope for £50-£100 put on by Charlie.

I want to know more about this window cleaning!

-I used to live in Flood Street.

-Where Margaret Thatcher lived.

-She lived at the top of the road.

-I never cleaned her windows.

-Well, a security risk!

She wouldn't pay me my money!

Number 100 now is the Doulton Lambeth jardiniere with applied frieze.

Say for it 50? £50? 40?

40 I have. 40. At £40.

Do I have 45? 45. At 45. 50.

-We're selling it.

-At 50. 55?

At £50 bid.

Are you all done?

-Bang on the lower end. £50. That's OK, isn't it?

-Yes.

-It's been in the wardrobe!

-I've earned a bit of interest on it!

Yes!

Right. My turn to be the expert. Remember that lovely Dutch desk? It's a bit of quality.

We've got £100-£200 on it. It belongs to Rainbow Services,

who help furnish houses for underprivileged people.

-We're not here with Chris today, but we do have Jean. And?

-Jacquie, the director of Rainbow Services.

-Pleased to meet you. What a lovely charity.

-Wonderful.

-It's a really good idea. Things we don't need can furnish people's houses.

-Absolutely.

It's a cracking piece of furniture.

We're going to turn it into cash. It's not a period piece, or it would be worth a lot more,

-but hopefully, you never know, we'll get more than £200.

-Lovely.

-We've got everything crossed.

-Here we go. This is it.

Number 732 is a 1920s oak desk.

-£100 to start me? 100?

-Come on.

£100 I have. At £100.

Do 110? At £100 bid...

110. 120. 130.

-140.

-This is more like it.

160. At 160 on my right. All done now at 160? All done.

That wasn't bad, was it? I got very worried for a second!

We got stuck on £100. In auctions, you need two people on something to push the bid.

-That's going to Rainbow Services.

-Fantastic.

Are you all done?

I love this next item! That little bacchanalian figure. It belongs to Linda.

-Not for much longer, Mark.

-No.

-You'd love to buy this.

If he was allowed, he'd buy that.

-It's so Charles Vyse.

-Yes.

-And it's so small.

Puts a smile on your face and that's worth investing in. Let's hope this lot invest.

-Good luck!

-Unusual 1930s Dulwich pottery bacchanalian figure.

I have two commissions with me. I start at £140.

-140 straight in.

-Straight in.

Do I hear 150? 150.

160. With me at 160. 170.

180. At 180, still with me. On the book at £180.

Are you all done? 190. 190 in the corner. I'm out.

At 190 in the corner. All done?

-Hammer's gone down. £190.

-Amazing. Well done!

That has got to be a good result. It's put a big grin on your face.

-I'll have to go and find something else.

-What's on your shopping list?

-Something here today.

-What have you spotted?

That china lady over there. The thing that everybody hates!

Late Victorian. She's a big girl!

-Good luck!

-After me!

Welcome to painter's paradise.

We're in the garden of Paycocke's House.

just outside of Coggeshall in Essex.

Now if this scene looks familiar to some of you,

that's because it's the choice spot

for many amateur artists.

They love to capture the very essence of this beautiful place.

But behind that romantic facade,

I know it's hard to believe

but there was once a bustling factory

and a rather glitzy showroom

for one of the wealthiest businesses in the area.

When this house was built in 1509, at the time of Henry VIII,

the village of Coggeshall

was one of East Anglia's principal clothing-making centres.

Although from a family of butchers,

its owner, Thomas Paycocke,

wanted to lead the field in wool and cloth.

He needed a prime location for his new venture

to attract passing trade

so where better than right on the edge of the M1?

The Roman M1, that is, otherwise known as Stane Street,

which ran from Colchester to St Albans.

It would have thronged with pedestrians

and horse-borne traffic.

BOLT CLATTERS

Thomas constructed Paycocke's as a nest for himself

and his new wife, Margaret.

This room is beautifully adorned with

the most wonderful ornamentation.

Thomas would have displayed all his goods here,

all his cloth and tapestries,

to be marvelled at.

How do we know that? Well, unlike the rest of the house,

the walls here are devoid of any panelling.

This is quite austere and flat

but it was Thomas' canvas to display

his wonderful tapestries.

To advertise his trade further,

he used this exquisite linenfold panelling

on the walls and doors, inside and out.

I'm going to meet Orlando Visotsky,

who's the custodian of this rather wonderful building

and find out a bit more about its history.

-Hi, Orlando.

-Hello.

What a great job you've got. Smashing place, isn't it?

Tell me a bit about how the house was constructed.

The house has evolved over the centuries.

The Paycockes were already living in a house on this site,

of which this is the only part that still remains.

-That dates back to...

-Dates back to 1420.

As they got richer and richer,

they decided they need a flashy front elevation

on the street.

-They added!

-That's right.

Was the house very different to any other house in the road?

Oh, gosh. Very much so.

Paycocke would have done a lot of trading

with Flanders and France, the Lowlands.

He brought back some architectural ideas to use on this house.

-So he was a real visionary?

-Very much so.

This house makes use of something radical called storeys,

which were unknown for a chap like Paycocke at that time.

But it's really stood the test of its time.

It's got a wonderful feel this house.

-Beautiful.

-That's right.

It does feel very very homely.

Sometimes you walk into stately homes

and you feel distant from it.

-There's a connection here.

-That's right.

Thomas Paycocke is an ordinary man.

He's one of us.

Thomas was a self-made man

who wanted to give something back.

When he died, he bequeathed much of his great wealth

to his workers.

In the 16th century this was most unusual.

Then, it was customary for rich people

to leave all of their wealth to the Church.

What of Paycocke's today?

The woollen trade is no longer here and the workers have gone.

In the last century, it's become more of a peaceful, tranquil haven.

Today, as we've seen, the house has become a shrine

to East Anglia's woollen industry

and to one visionary entrepreneur

and the workers and tradesmen that have served with him.

Back to the valuation day in Harlow, there's, well, magic in the air.

-Hello, Michael. Hello, Sarah.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-We know what's inside the box,

but give us a bit of the history first.

I've had this for about 34 years.

I used to do table-top magic shows and my aunt in Aberdeen bought it in an auction.

-I think she paid £20 for it.

-Gosh!

-34 years ago, you must have been quite young.

-Thank you very much.

I was about 14 at the time.

-Have you continued that?

-It fell by the wayside when I was about 20.

-Sarah, where has it been for the last 20 years?

-In various lofts.

-You haven't magicked it out of the loft until today?

-No.

Let's have a look at it. It's in a nice, leather fitted case.

Oh, it's in nice condition, isn't it?

Not a lot of damage at all. Normally, you get the odd bit of scuffing.

I'm always tempted to go like that because a lot of them are opera top hats

where you fold them and you flick them and they open when you want to wear them, but this isn't like that.

We've got a nice London maker, Christys' of London,

and then the Edinburgh retailer.

Then we've got a nice mark, "Imperial Quality", as well.

Back when these were popular, in the late Victorian, Edwardian period, heads were a lot smaller.

Most of the time, they sit on the top of your head, but this is quite a good size. It's too big for me.

I think it's quite a good size.

-It's been in various lofts. Your aunt bought it for 20 quid. What is it worth today?

-I don't know.

We've sold them before on the show. They're not very rare items.

It's nice that it's got the fitted box, but we must be realistic.

I'm going to say that auctioneer's cliche. I think it is probably worth £80 to £100.

-OK.

-And hopefully on the day, we'll get 100, maybe even 120.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yeah.

-So we'll put a reserve of £80 on it.

-OK.

Thanks for coming in. I look forward to meeting you both at the auction.

-Let's hope we pull a magic price out of the hat on the day.

-Excellent.

-Roger and Brenda, I think this is more Roger than Brenda.

-You're right!

-It's my collection.

-Tell me about it.

-They're autographs I collected when I was at school,

-writing to people, watching games, mostly late '40s and '50s.

-Yeah.

Cricket, golf, tennis, anything.

-Do you play golf?

-I used to. As a child I was given a putter instead of a rattle.

So I had an eye for a ball. Anything with a ball I could do.

If there was no ball, I couldn't!

I'm going to have a quick peep. I recognise the first one!

The Brylcreem boy! That's Denis Compton, isn't it?

He was a bit of a wastrel. He would appear at midnight in his bow tie and go straight to a match,

borrow somebody else's kit, score 100 and go to another party.

-He didn't always appear at midnight.

-Really?

-When he was told to be in by 11,

he thought it meant 11am and so he'd be out all night and then turn up for the match.

-He was a one with the girls.

-Oh, yes. He was the first sort of glamour sportsman.

-Great fun.

You've got all sorts of teams here.

-Henry Cooper. First man to knock down Muhammad Ali.

-He was.

And we go from Henry Cooper to Margaret Lockwood!

-How bizarre can you get?

-Another glamorous figure.

-Fascinating.

-Stanley Holloway.

-Who played the original Doolittle in My Fair Lady, didn't he?

About the first thing I saw in the West End.

Sadly, although this is without doubt my favourite item,

-it's of interest to somebody probably in the £30-£50 range.

-Right, OK. These things are worth...

-The great thing is for it to go to someone who loves it.

-Exactly.

-So I'm going to suggest that we sell it without reserve.

-OK.

If they catalogue it properly, and put as many names in as possible,

-so it appeals to as many different people as possible, it helps.

-Some may not be worth keeping.

This letter from Sandy McPherson of the BBC, not worth a great deal.

-I've probably now lost my job!

-But to the connoisseur!

-We'll put it in and see how we go.

-You must keep your job.

-Thank you.

-John, you've brought a complete history of a man's record in the army.

-Looks like it.

-Who was he?

-He was my grandfather on my mum's side.

He fought in the Second World War.

He was a rifleman in the Scottish Cameronians, in the First Battalion.

-There he is.

-Yeah.

-Weren't they smart in their kilts?

-He was.

-Wonderfully smart.

-Did he get through the war?

-Yeah, he died when I was about seven.

He must have seen a huge amount.

-He travelled a bit as well?

-He certainly did, yeah.

What I really love is that he's written here, chronologically, everything he's done with the army.

So he was in the beginning of the war. In 1939, he was in Calcutta, then he was in France.

And then subsequently sent to Africa and then Italy, Palestine, Lebanon,

and finished the war in Egypt.

-That's right.

-Just that tells you all about the war,

how the war moved, and that guy saw it all.

-Yeah.

-Not many of them would have been able to do that.

-Moving on through here, we've got some very early aeroplanes here, some biplanes...

-That's right.

..which he caught in flight. There's a wonderful page of recreation.

And there's a game of polo going on here.

Keeping fit - look at that for a bit of gymnastics! Extraordinary.

We haven't got time to go through all these pages,

but this, I think, is my favourite page.

-There's a wonderful picture of Gandhi.

-Yeah, that's Gandhi.

He looks very thoughtful, a man of principles.

-Now, why are you going to sell it? Your children aren't interested in this?

-Not really, no.

If you're not keeping them and your children won't use them, what better than to put them into auction?

If somebody is going to pay money for this,

-they are not going to throw it away.

-It's going to be looked after.

The medals are worth £30 to £50, £40 to £60.

The album must be worth £100 of anybody's money, £150, I think.

-That's fine.

-So, 150 to 250, with a reserve of £150. Happy with that?

-That's great.

-Jolly good.

Thank you very much for bringing it along. This is a real history lesson in one album.

It certainly is. Thank you very much.

-Hi, Chris.

-Hi.

-As soon as I saw you holding this, I thought, "I've got to film this."

It's a wacky, bizarre item. Where on earth did you get it from?

I inherited this from my grandfather

via my aunt who has sadly passed away

and it's resting itself in my house,

trying to avoid damage from the assorted kids and pets that we have.

I'm just interested in finding out about it and if it's worth anything.

A lot of people will be interested in it. I think it's Austrian.

And late 19th century, so any time between 1880 and 1900. And she's made of pottery.

These were produced in large numbers, normally figures.

Or busts. I've never quite seen one so elegant as this.

Have you always known it like this or has it had other pieces with it?

-There was a stool.

-A little china stool?

-Yeah.

But that, I believe, got broken. And it's been sitting on a wooden chair that my grandad made.

-Originally, these would have been made in pairs.

-I did wonder if it was staring at somebody else?

There would've been a gentleman with her.

It's just so ridiculously camp.

You've got a wonderful plumed hat. The quality is very good. Lovely, delicate expressions on her face.

And she's holding this wonderful, oversized fan. It's a fantastically outrageous item really.

Chris, we come now to the crucial point of how much is she worth.

If we were putting it into auction, we've got to bear in mind some minor damage, the odd chip here and there.

But with something as complicated and as old as this, you have to expect that.

I would suggest £300 to £400. Would you be happy with that?

-Yeah, that's fine.

-And we'll put a reserve of 300 with 10% discretion on that.

-That's fine.

On the day, it might be a surprise and fly away.

-Hopefully, not off the shelf until they've paid for it!

-Yeah.

-Thank you for bringing such a memorable item in.

-Thank you very much for giving me the information.

Can the auctioneer magic up some interest in this top hat, complete with fitted box?

I'm sure Roger's autograph book will excite great interest amongst the sports collectors.

These wartime photos and medals are a picture book of social history,

but can it win a place in someone's heart?

And can this lady turn enough heads to win a suitor?

Auctioneer James Grinter thinks she's got potential.

I don't know what to say. Mass-produced Victoriana. Massive, great big pottery figure.

This belongs to Chris. It was his grandfather's.

And I think it's time to go. We've got £300 to £400 on her.

-You get a lot for your money.

-It's the largest figure I've ever seen.

-And me.

-In 27 years, I haven't seen another one like it.

-It was one of a pair originally.

-There'd be a gentleman.

-A dandy.

-Courting her.

-Exactly.

-Where would you have displayed it?

-I don't know.

-Perhaps on top of a Victorian upright piano?

-One either side.

-Or a purpose-made piece of furniture.

A small chair or little settee made for the two of them to sit together.

-It's quite fascinating.

-It is.

The condition is absolutely remarkable. It's perfect.

It's High Victorian taste, but I think it will appeal to people.

It's a very decorative thing.

Not necessarily in fashion today, but I still think it'll do quite well.

-I'm glad it's the lady. A single gentleman won't sell so well.

-True.

-£300 to £400?

-It stands a chance.

-How much more?

-I've never seen one before, so it's difficult to gauge.

-So we could get more.

-Yes.

-A lot more.

Brenda and Roger, hello. Your autograph book is up for grabs. Hopefully, we have eager bidders.

-Hopefully.

-From the 1940s and '50s.

-Yes, my schooldays, really.

-When I started collecting.

-Who's your biggest hero in the book?

-Well, I would say Denis Compton.

-Charlie, you've put £30-£40.

-There's no Bradman or WG Grace.

-That's where the big money is.

-These won't have serious value for another 50, 60 years.

We'll be gone then. Somebody else will see Denis Compton and think, "Finest cricketer ever!"

They'll be back up for sale!

But you've got to be right here to buy them. This is it.

The school of art sketchbook.

-£160 I'm bid.

-What?!

-I beg your pardon?

-160!

At £160. Are you all done?

Yes! £160. Straight in, straight out.

A great effort. More than I'd expected, but what I'd hoped.

There was one name, probably, that somebody really wanted.

Cricket's supposed to be my specialist subject!

-Sarah, Michael, good to see you again. Can you do any magic tricks?

-I'm not prepared, sorry.

Hopefully, your last one will be turning this top hat, valued at £20 35 years ago,

into £100 right now in the next couple of minutes.

-We've got a value of £80 to £100.

-It's in good condition.

-It is.

It's in a nice leather box and top hat size is important.

-A lot of them are very small.

-They don't fit your head.

This one does fit, so hopefully we'll be able to get £80 to £100.

Before that, Michael has one last little magic trick.

Yeah!

Hang on.

-No, there's nothing there.

-You know that already.

No.415 is the Edwardian, black, silk top hat by Scott. Original box.

£60 to start me? 60 I have down here. At 60.

65. 70. 75.

-80. 85...

-We're getting there.

-We are.

100. £100.

Down here at £100. Are you all done?

We did it. We got that magical £100. Well done.

There's a bit of commission to pay, but it's a nice meal out.

Lots of memories for you have gone.

-Yes, but I've had a good time with it.

-Has he still got the cape at home and the wand?

-He's got the wand.

-I like the wand.

-Yeah.

This next lot is a cracking item. Not a lot of monetary value, but there's a lot of history here.

It belongs to John. And all this social history is the contents

-of your grandfather's campaign throughout the Second World War.

-That's right.

-Have you got other things that he left you?

-There are photographs that I'm definitely keeping.

No.504 is a group of five Second World War medals.

And the photograph album. £100 to start me?

-Fingers crossed.

-£100 I'm bid.

At £100. 110? At £100.

-110 anywhere? At £100. Any advance?

-There's no bidding.

Are you all done...?

-Grandad's looking down, giving you a bit of a ticking off.

-Yeah.

-John, please hang on to them.

-Definitely.

Next, that wonderful Austrian pottery figure. She's big, blousy and beautiful.

She's late Victorian and very rare.

We talked to the auctioneer about it. We don't have the owner Chris.

-But we do have his son Robert. Hello. Is Dad on holiday?

-Yeah, but I don't really know where he is.

-And you don't care.

-No, party time!

-Which means it's party time!

Yeah, why not?

-Seriously, if we do really well on this, you will get on the phone to Dad and let him know.

-Sure.

We're looking for £400-plus. James agreed with your valuation.

It's lovely. It's very televisual.

-And as you say, she's blousy, a lot there for £300 to £400.

-Yeah.

-I think this lot will agree with your valuation. We've got the nod of approval.

-And a wink!

Good luck, everybody.

No.63 is the very large, 19th century German ceramic figure of a lady.

Very unusual. I have two commissions and I start the bidding at £280.

300 with Ian. At £300. 320.

340. 360. 380.

400. 420. 440.

At 440. The lady's bid now at 440.

-We're happy with that.

-460.

480. 500. 520.

-540.

-This is great!

560. 580. 600.

620. 640.

-660.

-Gosh!

-680. 700.

-720. 740. 760.

-That's unbelievable!

-780.

800. 820. 840. 860.

-880. 900.

-We might get £1,000!

920. 940. 960.

980. 1,000. 1,100.

-1,100?!

-1,200. 1,300...

-What have we missed, Mark?

-I don't know!

1,500. At £1,500.

On my right now at £1,500...

Are you all done...?

-£1,500!

-I do believe they're going to be extremely happy with that!

They've got to be happy with that. I'm tingling all over!

What do you think of her? You've seen her around the house.

-I really don't like her.

-But you like the £1,500.

-I like the 1,500 quid!

You should phone Dad. That'll make his holiday!

-He'll probably stay away for another two weeks, so it's more partying!

-Definitely.

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you.

-I'm amazed.

-That's incredible.

I thought 300 to 400 was a little on the conservative side, but it is best to tease the bidders in.

-But 1,500, you can't beat it!

-What a fine lady! She had a fine figure and she achieved a fine figure.

We've had great fun here, so until the next time, there's plenty more surprises to come on Flog It!