Stoke-on-Trent Flog It!

One of the greatest popstars in the world

was born right here in Stoke-on-Trent in 1974. Who was he?

ALL: Robbie Williams!

Yes, but I don't suppose we'll find him here in the crowd today.

But we do have an enthusiastic bunch that can't wait to get involved with the show.

In the immortal words of Robbie Williams, "Let Me Entertain You!"

MUSIC: "Let Me Entertain You" by Robbie Williams

Robbie might not be here today, but plenty of other people are. Just look at this crowd.

With experts James Lewis and David Barby on hand, I'm pretty sure

if there's anything exciting, it's not gonna go unnoticed.

And it's not long before David spots something special.

Cyril and Gwen, you're going to Cyprus for a special reason, aren't you?

-Yes.

-What's that?

-Our 43rd wedding anniversary.

-43rd wedding anniversary.

Are you hoping that these will finance that particular holiday?

-Yes.

-I hope so.

Well, let's talk about them first of all.

I like these immensely because they reflect, first of all,

the pottery industry in the 1920s and '30s in Stoke-on-Trent.

These date from the 1930s.

These were decorated and designed by one of the important

artists during the 1930s and that's Charlotte Rhead.

She was on par with Clarice Cliff.

These, in a context, are exceptionally well made.

When I look at these pots I can actually feel,

as I pull my hands up, how it's been worked on a wheel.

You can feel the ribs.

Charlotte Rhead specialised in these flower productions.

They remind me very much of a pair of curtains

at the Granada cinema in Rugby.

The Granada cinema was from the 1930s

and these bright, orange-coloured curtains used to close to after the film had finished.

They had these stylised flowers on them as well.

They are part and parcel of that art deco period where floor subjects

or gannet subjects were taken down to basic shapes to great effect.

I love the flower heads and the leaves.

-Who owned them originally?

-An aunt of mine.

-Right.

-So what happened, she died...?

-She died and I inherited them.

You inherited these. What happened...

-There's some damage, isn't there, on the edge here?

-Yes.

-What happened there?

-I don't know, that was before I had them.

-So she used these for flowers?

-Very much so.

The pair of them, if they were perfect, would be close on 200.

-But that little bit of damage there, it's gonna cost somebody to have repaired.

-Yeah.

So effectively we're just selling one perfect vase.

-So we're looking in the region of 80 to 120.

-Yeah.

It won't finance your holiday in Cyprus.

-No.

-It may be the pocket money.

-Yeah.

If you're not too extravagant!

-Super, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

David, something I really love is sculpture.

We don't see much of it on Flog It.

But anything that is inspired by an earlier time,

in its form, I love. And what we have here

are a pair of late 19th, mid-to-late 19th century French sculptures,

-where did they come from?

-They were my mum's aunt's.

Do you know that they're spelter and not bronze?

I'd heard the word but I don't know the difference.

-OK, if we have a look here, we've got a signature...

-Yeah.

Rancoulet. Rancoulet was a French sculptor, and he would have done the originals in bronze.

Bronze, of course, is quite expensive to mass-produce, so he'd have made

a pair, probably bigger than these, in bronze, originally.

Rancoulet will then have said, "OK, we've made a couple of bronze, we might even make 100 of those,

"or 1,000, we're going to make 10,000 in spelter."

And spelter is a zinc alloy, it has an addition of lead to it.

And it has to have a finish on it to stop it reacting in the atmosphere.

So, it was either cold-painted, or it was bronzed,

and in this situation, we have a pair of

bronzed spelter figures, because they're made to look like bronze.

Can you see this white flecking?

-I noticed that when I got them out.

-This is a reaction

that's coming through from under the bronzed finish,

where it's reacting with the damp and the atmosphere,

-and it's oxidising.

-Right.

So, a pair like this, made in France

around the time when the originals were made, sought after,

but not as sought after as bronzes.

-OK.

-Also have look at the base here.

A pair of bronzes would have had a fantastic, maybe marble base,

and the God of antiques, Arthur Negus, always used to say,

"Beware of a white line."

If you see a white line on furniture, you know it's just stained.

Here we see the white line at the base.

-It's a soft wood, probably pine, that's been ebonised to make it look better than it is.

-OK.

But the overall impression is still good.

-I'd love to have these in my home, they're really smart things.

-Right.

Now, value. Bronzes, we'd be talking £3,000-£5,000 for the pair.

Spelter, what do you think they're worth?

I have no idea, they've sat in the cupboard for 14 years.

14 years, really?!

-Yeah, at least.

-Gosh.

-Well, I think we ought to put a figure of £120-£180 on them...

-OK.

And I think somebody will really love with them.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yeah!

-Let's see if they gallop off at auction.

-And why not?

Rebecca, I'm overwhelmed by this selection of medals. Are they family?

No, they were my late husband's father's best friend's,

and he passed them on to my husband, and of course I've got them since.

So why are you parting, is it because there is no family connection?

No family connection whatsoever, so I thought I'd bring them along.

I think they're brilliant. Those are First World War.

-Yes.

-And they were awarded to Private Bertram Betteridge Hicks.

-That's right.

-What a wonderful name!

-Fantastic!

-BB Hicks.

Don't hear those names now, do you?

I like the name Betteridge, that's good.

But what is extraordinary, you've got the Military Medal there, awarded to a private.

That's fantastic, isn't it?

Somebody going to buy these at auction will be able to write to a museum, in London,

and get all the information relating to that particular action,

and why that gentleman was awarded the Military Medal.

I'd love to have known that. My husband tried to go into a few things, but he got stumped.

-The Imperial War Museum will have a complete record.

-Really? How lovely.

That is a fascinating collection.

-Absolutely.

-But it's these which are so fascinating.

-Really?

Now, that little group is separate from this group here.

Yes, my husband used to like to go to car boot sales...

-Good for him!

-Junk shops, anything like that.

Here, we've got standard First World War medals, and miniatures.

The other medal which I found fascinating was this one.

I've often wondered about that.

-It's South African.

-What war was that, then?

That would be the Boer War.

-Oh, really?

-You've got the Zulu War, the Boer War.

-Yeah?

-So that's the medal that would cover the South Africa campaigns.

-Right.

As a whole, I would reckon that they should realise

somewhere between £400-£500...

-Really?

-I think we'll put the reserve at £350.

That would be lovely, that would be very fine.

I would hate to see it go below that figure.

-You think of what people have been through to...

-Absolutely.

-You've got to think of the sacrifice and the heroism of this particular guy, BB Hicks.

-I know, I know.

From a military historian's point of view, they will be fascinating,

-and thank you very much for entrusting them to us.

-Thank you.

Glade, many people say that late 19th century Britain

was the height of good taste and good design,

and what we have here is a classic example

of late 19th century British jewellery.

-You're a designer yourself.

-Yes, I am.

-Do you do jewellery or...?

I do fashion interior design, mainly, yes, soft furnishing.

Fantastic, brilliant. Well, as a work of design, that's fabulous, isn't it?

-Yes, beautiful.

-It mixes so many different mediums and styles.

We're looking at a piece of English jewellery,

made almost certainly by the Minton porcelain factory,

-so made fairly locally to where we are today...

-Yes.

The central panel is in porcelain, and this is signed "Boullemier".

And the central reserve there, as we would call it,

is the head of Mercury.

And it's painted en grisaille, which is made to look like stone, like marble.

It's interesting cos it has lots of symbolism.

Mercury was the Roman god of messaging.

So this was possibly given to somebody as a message of love or something like that.

-OK, yes.

-Around the border we've got the gilding, then we've got the turquoise jewelling.

And that is classic Minton porcelain.

Jewellery, vases, cabinet plates,

-all around this sort of period.

-How old would it be, this...?

This would have been made 1880-1890.

Boullemier was born in 1874.

And the painter is French?

I don't know where he was from originally.

A lot of French came over to work for Minton

at that time, so he could have been one of them.

-The mount is very plain, isn't it?

-Yes, but it's got a nice

little detail on the side, what do you call this?

Rope twist border, and if you look on the back,

it's hallmarked as well, nine carat.

The fact that it's nine carat tells us it's not any earlier than around 1885-1890.

The earlier golds tended to be of a higher grade.

-Interesting.

-So, pretty thing.

It's not the most fashionable of things today, is it?

I can't imagine you wearing this.

-I did wear it once.

-A while ago?

-Quite a while ago. Many years ago.

Today, not so fashionable, but this is the sort of thing

that a Minton porcelain collector would buy, but also a jewellery collector.

So it's going to have its appeals.

Value, I would put an estimate of £100-£150 on it.

-OK.

-It should make the top end of that.

-We should protect it at £100.

-Yes, I would like to do that.

-Are you happy with that?

Yes, I am very happy with it.

And I'm detecting this is not a Stoke-on-Trent accent, is it?

No, this is from Brazil.

-How long have you been in Stoke?

-24 years.

-Oh, you haven't lost the accent!

-No, I haven't.

-Still the Brazilian style!

-Completely, yes!

-Fantastic.

-I think this will do really well.

-Thank you.

-Let's see how it goes.

Well, how about that lot? You've just seen some cracking items,

but now it's time to put our experts' valuations to the test.

It's time for our first visit to the auction room.

So while we nip up the motorway to Marshalls, here's a quick run-down

of all the items we're taking with us.

Gwen and Cyril's vases really are a great example of the art deco style,

but the chip might just put the buyers off.

This Minton porcelain brooch might not look that fashionable these days

but it's a classic and jewellery enthusiasts should be very keen.

And the collectors are bound to love this selection of medals.

Let's hope they achieve a heroic figure at today's auction.

I love these handsome spelter sculptures, and after 14 years

tucked away in a cupboard, hopefully today they'll find a new home.

Today's auctioneer is our very own Adam Partridge,

and he's not all that convinced by the spelter sculptures.

They're big and they're showy, and they're French, a bit of spelter.

Yeah, the sound of quality, listen to that, hey?!

HOLLOW METALLIC CLANG

They belong to David and they've been in his cupboard for about 14 years.

He thinks they're too big to display.

But I mean, that's the beauty of them, because they're in your face,

and at £120-£180, I think they've got to sell at that.

I don't suppose it sounds that expensive but they're just...

They belong in a cupboard, for me. Just look at the casting, it's just not there at all.

And spelter, you know, it's poor man's bronze, a cheap alloy.

It's a trash metal, isn't it?

Yes. At the risk of sounding snobby, we don't usually have spelter here!

Don't you? But surely, looking at those,

you stand back, and you've got £120-worth of kit there...

They'll look better on the screen than they do in real life.

We've got some lovely bronzes upstairs and when you put them

on the same table with all the others, they look awful.

Surely, these will sell at £120...?

I couldn't guarantee it, actually. I couldn't.

Because people would rather spend £600-£800 plus on a bronze pair

that are nice than £150 on...

They're showy, that's all they are.

They miss the mark for me.

Will they sell? Couldn't say.

Glade's gorgeous pendent from the Minton factory with a value of £100-£150, it's very stylish.

-Thank you.

-Why are you selling this? I know you like it.

-I do, but I don't wear it.

-You don't wear it.

-No, it's far too big for me.

-It's just put in the drawer.

-I just leave it in the drawer, yes.

-I think it's lovely.

It's going to do well. It's got everything, a little bit of ceramics

for the porcelain collectors, it's got the jewellery, it's got the look.

It's got the lot and it's got the look. Good luck, both of you.

Here we go, it's going under the hammer.

The hand-painted Minton porcelain pendant, by Antoine Boullemier,

one of the top painters, a lovely pendent, some interest here,

I can start with a bid of £110, take 120.

120, 130, 140... 130 still here...

140. 150. 150, any more? 150, 160, 170, 180...

-Brilliant.

-That's good, isn't it?

190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240...

Any more now at £240?

All done, then, 240...

-Well done, very good.

-That's better than 150!

That's a surprise, wasn't it?

-Yes, it was very good.

-How long had you had that?

About ten years. Probably longer than that.

-How much did you pay for it?

-I haven't paid, it was a present.

-What will you put the money towards?

-I'm going to buy a sewing machine.

-Are you?

-Another one.

-You're expanding the business!

-That's right.

I've been joined by Cyril and Gwen, the two Charlotte Rhead vases.

Well, £80-£120, David has put on them, a little bit of damage on one.

At the valuation day, we asked if we got top money for this, what were you going to put the money towards?

You said a holiday, didn't you, to Cyprus?

You've been on that holiday, so the pressure's on, we've got to sell.

We need to get some money back to pay the credit card!

-But what happened when you were on holiday in Cyprus?

-I broke my ankle.

Yes, you've come back a bit early, haven't you?

Oh, dear, how did you do that?

Slipped on wet marble.

I bet that was painful, wasn't it?

It was before she had a drink!

Was it the beginning or the end of the holiday?

Halfway through. Five days...

At least you had a period to enjoy, and a period to reflect!

We shouldn't be laughing, because that is so painful.

-It was very painful, yes.

-Are you on the mend now?

I'm getting there, yes.

Good luck, both of you, hopefully we can cheer you up and get top money.

..Charlotte Rhead-designed in the Byzantine pattern.

One's damaged, therefore start me at £80.

£80 a pair... Surely, 50, then... 50 bid.

Take five, at £50, five, 60, five, 70, five, 80...

Any more, now? 75, any more now?

-Sold.

-75.

Just sold them, great bit of studio pottery, great name.

That's a good investment. Someone's got a bargain there.

-Yeah, but one's damaged, Paul.

-Yes...

One's damaged, that is the problem.

Nevertheless, they're gone.

They've gone. They're not standing on the wardrobe.

No, you're gonna treat yourself now.

A pair of spongy trainers or something!

£120-£180 we've got riding on this. James, your valuation, had a chat to the auctioneer

before the sale started, and Adam really did not like them.

He said they will struggle and he would put them at the lower end,

hopefully they'll just get away at £120,

but I think they're a decorator's piece.

They're big and over the top, too big for your house, weren't they?

But you can imagine them in a reception area of a hotel on a baronial sideboard.

And I think you've got the look, and what else can you furnish a reception area with for 120 quid?

-Nobody's saying they're great quality. They're big and...

-Mixed metal.

They're decorative, so they've got to be worth that.

You've tried using them in different parts of the house and they...

They're just too big to display.

You've kept them in the cupboard out of harm's way and the condition is very good,

there's no damage, so hopefully they're gonna sell.

They're going under the hammer now.

113, Rancoulet, a pair of large spelter

figures of warriors on horseback, lot 113, who will start me at 150?

£100, then?

-£100, spelter warriors...

-Come on. All sitting on their hands!

£80 of spelter... £80?

80 quid at the back, five, 90, 5...

100, 110, 120, 130... 120 at the back of the room.

Any more at 120?

All done now, £120...?

Adam was right, £120.

Just got them away, nevertheless they're sold.

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

-It's fine.

-Bit of commission to pay, but there's a bit of spending money.

-That'll go to my mum.

-Your mum?

-Yeah.

-Bless. What's her name?

-Sylvia.

Ah, Sylvia, I hope you're watching, and enjoying this moment, he's a good lad, isn't he?

Right now, it's Rebecca's turn. The miniatures and the medals from World War I and II,

with a valuation put on by David here,

a nice, good, punchy £400-£500, we could be in for a big surprise.

This is the unknown quantity, isn't it, really?

Absolutely. I hope we're going to get a good price. I look at these not just as medals

but the very fact that they represent so many young people's lives...

-Social history.

-Social history, going through the war.

If anybody does the research, they'll get all the information,

why they were awarded, and there's one South African medal as well, which I think is good money.

-It's a big collection, they've come out of the wardrobe.

-They certainly have!

This is it, good luck!

A very good medal collection,

World War I medal group to Private Hicks, a Queen's South African medal,

some McCormick medals, Private White, a good collection of medals,

and bidding starts at 360 bid, is it?

380... Is there 380? 420, 440, 460, 480 still here.

480, any more now? 520, 540...

580, 620, 620 in the room, take 40 now... Are you all done at 620?

Any more? At 620, and we sell...

640, 660, 640's on line now. £640.

And we sell away, all done at 640...

Great! £640!

-That's fantastic!

-That's a victory.

What are you gonna put that towards?

-What are you gonna spend your money on?

-I need a new driveway, it'll go towards that.

OK, a new gravel drive or tarmac?

No, gravel. And some garden as well.

I like the sound as you pull up into the gravel drive.

-More ecological, isn't it?

-Yes. Thank you very much indeed.

Thank you.

This idyllic spot in the countryside has witnessed some extraordinary, unearthly events.

You see, from here, scientists are busy exploring the outer limits of the universe.

At the centre of activities here at the Jodrell Bank in Cheshire

is the famous Lovell Telescope, an engineering marvel.

Built in 1957 and named after its designer,

the pioneering radio astronomer Sir Bernard Lovell,

its bowl, or dish, is an astronomical 250ft in diameter.

Here in the control room, I've come to find out a bit more about the secrets of the universe and talk to

-astronomer Professor Ian Morris. Hello.

-Hello, welcome.

Thank you very much for talking to us.

-It's a pleasure.

-Look at the view...

-Doesn't it look amazing?

It's over 50 years old but it's still the third largest radio telescope

in the world and I don't think any bigger than that will ever be built, so it's great to have it here.

The Lovell Telescope, it's a radio telescope, what does that mean?

Instead of picking up light waves, which we all see, we actually pick up

radio waves, which we can't see, similar to those used by mobile phones and satellite TV.

So, these waves sort of hit that massive great big dish.

Do they bounce till they get to that point?

They bounce just once, straight up to the focus, and that's where we collect them

and amplify them, bring them down, a big tunnel comes from the telescope

underneath the ground into our receiver rooms where we analyse them.

As the telescope can move, it's got motors that drive it round, and at the top of the towers...

In fact, the actual gears and racks that drive it are second-hand,

they came from some battleships.

They were gun turret mountings, so by going up and down and around,

one way and the other, we can track radio sources across the sky.

The great thing about radio waves, because they're so long,

they can travel through dust. We can look at the heart of galaxies

you could never see with optical telescopes.

It's a great scientific instruments but just looking at it,

it's an architectural gem, isn't it?

It really is. It's a Grade 1 listing building, and there's some thought,

-before too long, the site here might become a world heritage site.

-Oh, that'll be good.

It's become an icon of British science and technology.

It's still doing things that we never even thought could be done when it was first built.

During the war years, Dr Bernard Lovell had been involved in the development of radar.

He had the idea that sporadic echoes sometimes received by military radars

might be the result of cosmic rays entering the atmosphere.

After the war, he wanted to research the subject further,

but it soon became clear that a very sensitive radio telescope

would be required and he set about creating one.

Ten years later, his dream became a reality.

But in the early days, to some, the telescope resembled a rather large

white elephant and its future looked uncertain.

We were very much in debt. It cost a lot more than it should have done

and it was Sputnik that saved us.

You might remember in '57, when the Russians launched Sputnik 1.

The military were keen to know if you could detect these rockets

because they were designed to carry nuclear bombs, and we were able to track the rocket

that put Sputnik in orbit as it went over the Lake District.

The press realised that here in the UK we had something that was unique.

And so everyone looked after us and the money was found.

So, in fact for a while, secret until recently,

this was Britain's early warning radar

from about 1960 until 1963 and that included the Cuban missile crisis.

Wow.

This enabled the telescope to continue its pioneering work

and we have it to thank for many other scientific firsts.

It really has had a magnificent time.

It's made some great discoveries.

What are its discoveries?

Very early on, it actually picked up signals from the most distant objects that we knew in the universe.

The universe actually has a radius of about 14,000 million light years,

and we picked up objects halfway towards the edge of the universe,

and these were the most distant objects known at that time.

-They were called quasars because they looked like stars, they appeared so small.

-OK.

-It's had a great role in the discovery of pulsars.

-Yeah.

When a massive star comes to the end of its life, the core collapses down

under gravity till it's the size of Manchester, 20 kilometres across.

Now something big going around slowly, if you're making it smaller,

spins up like an ice skater bringing her arms in.

And there's an incredibly powerful magnetic field that sends out beams

of light and radio waves that sweep across the sky.

Just like a lighthouse.

Now each time the beam crosses our telescope, there's a little pulse of energy.

If you apply that pulse to a loudspeaker, you can hear the clicks.

Listen to the first one...

-As in pulses.

-Absolutely, that's why they called it.

Very, very regular... TICKING

-It's like a metronome.

-Exactly.

In fact, when these were first picked up,

they couldn't believe natural phenomena could give rise to them.

They thought it might be ET phoning home. Jocelyn Bell, who discovered it

-called it LGM1, Little Green Men 1.

-Gosh.

We've had some wonderful times with this telescope.

It's been a wonderful 40-odd years.

How fascinating was that?

Now that we've sorted out our quasars from our pulsars,

I think it's time to beam straight back to the valuation day.

Lorraine, these two miniature tankards are divine.

The work involved in these is incredible.

Have these been in a display cabinet at home?

No, they're actually in my bedroom just placed on the dressing table.

That's OK, so you're enjoying them.

I was really enjoying them.

Tell me their history, where did you get them?

I bought them when I was at art college.

I went past this antique shop and I saw them, and I just thought they were really nice.

-How long ago?

-Oh...

-10 years?

-10 years!

-They are stunning, aren't they?

-They are beautiful.

-They're continental.

-You know that don't you?

-Yes.

-Austrian or Swiss.

The enamel work tells me that.

What attracted you, was it just the art work, these are hand painted?

-Yes, it was the art work.

-It's typical of looking back in the past.

It's like the French artist, that Watteau-esque sort of thing.

-I was trying to think of his name, yes.

-Romantic scenes.

-That's more classical.

That's very classical and this one's typical 18th century.

I'd put these about

1870, 1880.

There's no hallmarks on the silver.

They are absolutely stunning, aren't they?

-And they don't always mark it, anyway, do they?

-No.

-They are absolutely stunning. The condition is very, very good.

-Yeah.

Are you sure you want to sell these?

Er...

I don't really, but, erm...

I've had so many things disappear all through my life.

I've travelled quite a lot so I don't know, I hid them. That's terrible.

-How much did you pay for them?

-I can't remember, not very much.

Well, I think two collectors could get carried away and pay quite a bit for them.

I'd be inclined to put these into auction

-with a value of around about £300-£500.

-OK.

-Would you let me put them into the sale?

-Erm...yes.

-With a fixed reserve of £300.

-Yes, OK.

If they don't get £300, you take them home.

Yes, which would be quite nice.

So it's a no-lose situation really, isn't it?

-Yes.

-If they sell you're happy, we get top money hopefully around the £500 mark.

-Yeah.

-If they don't, they're going home and you're gonna enjoy them.

-Yes.

Of all the things that have been brought in today, Sheila,

this is one that I wish to take home with me.

-Is that right?

-Absolutely!

It's in such lovely condition and beautifully polished

as though you only did it this morning.

-I bet you did, didn't you?

-Yes!

-It was brown.

-Was it brown?

-Not stuck in the attic?

-Yes.

-Really?

-Yes, till last night.

So you've never used it?

Yes, I used to use it, it used to be on a sideboard, but I'd got

a big place then, and since I've moved, it's been up the loft.

Right, what do you use it for?

Nothing really, just decoration.

-Just decoration?

-Yes.

-It did have a purpose when it was made in 1806.

It's solid silver and this would have come from a very affluent home.

-Oh...

-If you read books by Mrs Gaskell...

-Yes.

North And South, Cranford...

This fits into that sort of society.

-Really?

-Yes.

It really is quite an interesting piece.

The design, if you look at it,

it has a classical appearance because it's a pedestal form.

-Yes, a nice shape.

-It is a nice shape.

-It is.

And you've got this decoration inside which we call fluting,

and you've got similar decoration all the way round here.

-What I love is this swing handle.

-It is nice.

It is beautiful and either side here you've got this classical leaf,

an extended acanthus leaf design.

Yes, it is nice.

Now, what would it have been used for?

Well, let's think in terms of a Regency dining table

and we'd have fresh cut chunks of bread in there.

-Lovely.

-That would be passed round.

Or maybe if it was a very posh tea,

you could have had whacking great slabs of fruit cake.

-That would be nice.

-To pass round. And it would have been passed round by the servant or the butler.

-I see.

-So this is the sort of social implications...

-Yes.

..of this piece. Where did YOU get it from?

My husband bought it me from an auction.

I think it was Bingley Hall, I'm not sure. I think it was.

How much did he pay for it?

-I don't know. No, he didn't tell me.

-He kept that to himself.

-Oh, well, I don't suppose you should disclose prices for presents.

-No!

-The value of it at auction.

-Yeah.

-Silver, as a whole, is not popular at the moment.

-No.

Because it has to be polished.

-That's right.

-I think between £350 and £500.

-Yes.

-That sort of price range.

But it's very nice. I hope there's somebody who will

fall in love with it as much as I have because it's beautiful.

Thank you very much, indeed.

Thank you.

Barry and Janet, of all the things that we were gonna find in Stoke

-it was gonna be a bit of Beswick, wasn't it?

-Yes.

One of the most famous factories from here in the Staffordshire area is Beswick.

This doesn't have a great deal of age to it,

but it is a fantastic quality piece of porcelain.

One of the best that Beswick made.

Is it something you've bought new or had in the family?

My late wife used to work for Beswick and she had a 10% discount.

-Right.

-So we went into the shop and I saw that and I said I'd love that. I would love it.

Money was tight then, and I paid for it and thought, "It's a good investment."

-I think it is a good investment.

-Do you remember what you paid for it?

-£95.

-95, yes. When was that?

-1989.

'89, OK. This model was produced between 1987 and 1989.

It was a series of connoisseur ranges

and this one didn't sell as well as some of the others.

It's more unusual than a lot,

-but the quality of paintwork is fantastic.

-Yeah.

The designer was a chap called Graham Tongue and he became head of design in 1973.

He loved these very fine, very well detailed models.

This is a classic example of it.

Just look at the way the face is painted on there.

The eyes in the white background, dark pupils

and a little white dot in the centre.

Beautifully painted. Better than a lot of the major factories

that we associate with good painting today.

So, OK... Well, we've all known about Beswick.

We've had it here so many times, but not often a connoisseur model,

not often a piece that is relatively modern.

So what do you think it's worth?

A couple of hundred?

I think if it made a couple of hundred it wouldn't be enough.

I would hope it would make somewhere between £300 and £500.

Mmm, that's all right.

Not bad for a £95 investment.

Hasn't done as well as houses, but not many things have doubled in that sort of time!

Trebled even. So I think you've done very well.

To buy modern at £95 and within 20 years,

it's worth three times as much, I think is really well done.

So you loved it when you first saw it.

-Yes.

-I presume you still love it today.

-I still love it.

-Why is it here?

Well we do a lot of travelling in our motorhome and I think

the price of this will fill the tank a few times and we're going abroad.

I hope so... It depends where you fill the tank!

-We want to go to Denmark and see my daughter.

-Oh, really?

I don't know whether it'll get you enough fuel to get you to Denmark, but I hope it will!

David didn't want to let this solid silver basket go but Sheila

wrestled it out of his hands and is hoping to get a good price for it.

I instantly fell for these stunning miniature tankards and with such

romantic scenes, someone is bound to fall in love with them today.

Barry was hoping this Beswick figure would make a good investment.

It still may only be a few years old,

but let's see if it'll end up with a good return on it.

Next up we've got the solid silver basket with a London hallmark, 1806.

It belongs to Sheila and we've got £350-£500 on this.

-There's a lot of silver, David.

-It's a beautiful piece.

I had a chat to Adam just before the sale.

He pointed out that the foot may be slightly wrong

and it might be an addition, I don't know.

I don't know my silver really.

Fingers crossed. he says it'll still sell because the weight's there.

The whole thing hangs together beautifully, so well balanced.

-Yes.

-It's a lovely piece.

I wish I was allowed to bid. We can't buy anything.

-But that is one of the pieces I would love to own.

-I know.

-And use, and use...

I saw him walking about with it.

That was a handbag!

Oh, Sheila... Let's hope we get that £500.

-Here we go, Sheila.

-479, what a lovely George III silver basket.

Good weight there of 39 ounces, London 1806.

No maker's mark but I'm bid...

well, I've got four bids.

Shall we just cut to the chase and say we've got 460. Is there 480?

460 bid, is there 480 now? At 460, conflicting bids start us at 460.

If you're all done, we'll sell it. At £460 short and sweet, at 460.

Yes, blink and you'll miss that one, £460.

Well done, David. Good valuation.

Marvellous, thank you very much, David.

-What are you putting it towards?

-Something for my new home.

-What are you gonna buy?

-Well, we used to go to the antique sales

-and we used to buy cranberry glass.

-Oh, that's great,

-putting money back into the trade.

-Yes.

-Good.

Because everyone says, we're going on holiday or something.

-Yes.

-Reinvest in the trade, visit the antique shops.

-Yes.

-And the antique arcades.

-Yes.

-And the auction rooms.

-Hopefully.

-Good hunting.

-Thank you very much.

Janet and Barry, good luck, it sounds like we're swapping

horsepower for diesel power, aren't we? The mobile home...

We've got a Beswick horse to go under the hammer.

£300-£500 is put on this.

They've never let us down before these Beswick horses.

-They're hot to trot.

-This one's rare.

Oh...will it do more than £500?

I don't want to say. I don't know.

-Oh, is this a tease?

-No.

-No.

Why do you say that? I don't know.

Cad!

-Right, we're gonna find out anyway, aren't we?

-Of course.

-This is it.

-OK, 412, is the Beswick model, Blues And Royals.

Lot 412 from the connoisseur series. Lot 412. Start me at £300, please.

Two then, two bid... I'll take ten.

210, 220, 230,

240, 250,

260, 270, 280, 290,

300 now.

300, 320,

340, 360, 380...go on!

400...

It's two full tanks.

380 on this phone, is there 400 now?

£380 on Ian's phone, any further now, any advance on £380?

If you're all done at 380...

That's it, mid estimate.

Jolly good show. That was very good, wasn't it?

A couple of full tanks, then?

-Yes.

-You're gonna fill it full of gas and just...

-To Europe.

-To Europe, oh, wonderful.

What a trip.

-Have fun, won't you?

-We shall.

Next up, two miniature tankards belonging to Lorraine.

We've put £300 to £500 on. They were a must-have for you when you were at art college?

-Yes.

-You said, "I want them!"

And I'm just hoping there's a lot of people thinking exactly like you did.

But I know if they don't sell...

-No, I don't mind.

-You want to take them home?

-Yes. I do like them.

-Do you regret now bringing them in?

A little bit. A little bit.

You haven't had sleepless nights thinking about this?

No, probably only about one.

-Oh, good luck, good luck...

-Thank you.

Let's hope it makes lots of money so it doesn't bother you at all.

-Here we go.

-446, lovely little pair of continental majolica,

coloured, enamelled, silver miniature tankards.

-He likes them.

-Yeah.

Aren't they sweet? Where are they? There.

Lot 446, and who'll start me at £300 for these? 300... two then. Two bid.

-Oh dear.

-At £200, 10...

210 bid. 220 now. At 210.

220, 230, 240...

250, 260,

-270, 280, 290, 300, 320...

-Sold.

Mmm. Yeah, but now we want that 500.

380, 400, 420,

440, 460,

480, 500,

520, 540,

560, 580, 600?

580 on the phone.

It's still good. Wow!

640... 660.

680.

-660 on this phone.

-Wow!

660 on this phone.

At 660, anymore now? At 660, if you're all done, we'll sell.

That's really good.

-That's great, isn't it?

-Really, really good.

-Top end and a little bit more.

-I don't regret it now.

-Not quite as much.

-You can't regret that, can you?

-Money's gonna come in handy?

-Yes.

What are you planning on doing?

-I would love to buy a house in Morocco.

-Would you?

-Yes.

Why are you drawn to Morocco? The colours, the...

I'm studying French at Keele University and it's warm out there,

but I love the architecture, the buildings and fairs are absolutely beautiful.

That's where I'd like to buy a house.

-That's where you're destined now?

-I hope.

-Good luck, it's a brave move.

-Thank you.

-I hope you achieve it.

Right, thank you very much.

Well, that's it for our owners. The auction's still going on but it's all over for them.

We've had some great results, and it's fair to say everyone's gone home happy.

They've enjoyed themselves and so have we.

I hope you've enjoyed watching today's show.

Sadly, that's all the time we have.

So until the next time, it's cheerio.

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