Stoke-on-Trent Flog It!

Hundreds of these structures that you can see behind me

once dominated the landscape around here.

They're bottle kilns and they were used to make some of the world's finest ceramics.

Today, Flog It comes from Stoke-on-Trent.

The modern Stoke-on-Trent is made up of six towns,

which were brought together in 1910 to form a city,

and collectively they're known the world over as the...

ALL: Potteries!

Now, are we gonna find some ceramic gems here today?

Well, we're in the right place, but it is the right time?

That is down to our two experts, Mr David Barby and James Lewis.

-Well, no pressure, guys!

-Smile, you're on Candid Camera.

And that's not the only camera here today!

Well, I think it's time to get this massive crowd inside

and see what they've brought along.

And James has already turned up two cheeky-looking chaps.

Keith, these are fantastic.

I love them.

I saw you unpacking them a while ago and I have to say,

as soon as I saw them, I loved them.

They're brilliant fun,

and what we're looking at, of course, are table lighters... A pair of them.

This one, the hinge is fine.

This one, a little bit of damage on the hinge,

but still a really interesting pair of lighters,

and to have a pair as well

makes them a little bit more sought-after, I would imagine.

They're made from spelter and then they've been silvered

on the top of the spelter, but they're great fun. I suppose...

What do you think they're supposed to represent?

Is it "Alas, poor Yorick"?

Do you know, I think it's probably got to be allegorical of evolution,

and what we have is a pair of apes sitting on textbooks...

-So, knowledge.

-That makes sense, yes.

-..looking at a human skull

and thinking, "Goodness me, surely I can't be related to that!"

And I think it's a comment and a bit of a joke

on the times because it's only...

These were made probably in the 1920s, '30s,

and we're not that far after Darwin,

and it was still quite a controversial subject then,

so I think this monkey is looking at a human and thinking,

"Oh, no, please don't tell me I'm related to one of those!"

But they're great fun, aren't they?

-I think so.

-And the key word is "novelty".

Whenever we've got something that's useful, something that's decorative

and the novelty all combined, that's what people are looking for.

-A bit of a problem, they've been damaged at some point.

-One has, yeah.

-How did that happen?

My son used them as bookends in his bedroom for his school books

and the shelf collapsed!

-OK.

-Zoop, straight to the floor.

-We've lost an arm.

I repaired the arm. I was going to repair the hinge...

-They've been out in my workshop for three years.

-Really?

I do it out there. They've been left out there because the wife didn't want them in the house.

It was taboo. I gave up many, many years ago.

I have to say, I think they're great, I really like them.

-Oh, good.

-And I think they're great fun as well.

What are they worth?

I mean, this one being damaged, I suppose, is just a few pounds.

That one has got to be worth £80 to £100, I should think.

-So if we put an estimate of £80 to £120 on the two?

-They'll have a reserve.

-Do you want a reserve?

-Please.

-What would you like?

-Up to you.

-80?

-Lovely.

-You'll take them at that?

-So they don't give them away!

Absolutely, no, I agree. It's Adam Partridge who will be selling them.

He knows what he's doing.

Well, I think a collector would really go for them, wouldn't they?

I love them, I do, I really love them, but as I say...

It kind of looks like Adam Partridge, doesn't it?

-Oh, ooh! Don't tell him that!

-Well, that will be me, then!

MUSIC: "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" by Arcade Fire

Betty, obviously you can't remember the abdication of Edward VIII...

-No.

-Where did this come from?

Has it always been in the family?

Yeah. It's been in the family for as long as I can remember.

Was there a great sort of devotion to King Edward?

-I don't think so!

-Don't think so?

But somebody acquired rather an expensive example

of souvenir-ware for the coronation, because this was made by Fieldings -

that's the Crown Devon Company -

who have been producing pottery from about 1897 in Stoke-on-Trent,

and they've always been known for making good-quality pottery,

often sort of copying more expensive designs from the Worcester factory,

and then they started producing these novelty musical movement

tankards, commemorative ones.

I remember buying...

many years ago a tankard for a friend of mine who used to sing "Sally".

-Gracie Fields.

-Showing your age!

Thank you!

But this is in the same tradition

of giving a little bit of interest,

a little bit of excitement, so when you lifted the mug,

to drink, it would play a musical tune,

and here we have "God Save The King".

What I find interesting about this

is that it has on the back the legend,

"Abdicated December 10th 1936".

Now, that was an interesting move for the pottery company, wasn't it?

First of all they produced this for the coronation, which didn't take

place, and then, to make certain their sales still went on for these

implements, they put an abdication clause on the back,

so they had one for the coronation and then they sold this as a souvenir

of the abdication, so they covered both sides, didn't they?

I like this. The musical movement is contained halfway down,

and the actual decoration and the cameo portrait, in high relief,

is in such excellent condition.

The handle is decorated with all the symbols of Great Britain.

We have the rose for England,

thistle for Scotland, daffodil for Wales,

and there, the shamrock for Ireland.

It's interesting that people do collect commemorative mugs,

particularly with the musical movement underneath, and I think

if this goes up for auction we should look at around about £60 to £80,

and I think we should put a reserve of £50 on it.

-Would that be agreeable?

-Yeah, cool.

-I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

-Good!

Shall we just have a little bit of a play before you say goodbye to it?

MUG PLAYS "God Save The King"

Phil, looking at all these used ticket stubs,

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

Look, Dr Feelgood, Joe Walsh...

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

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

I guess these would have been used

in shop windows, local stores

around the venue to promote the gig.

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

the Seventies with that sort of purple haze.

-Psychedelia.

-Yeah, exactly.

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

-I think it's 1970.

And he was playing in Oklahoma.

You've got an American accent,

-I guess you grew up in Oklahoma.

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

-So what brought you over to the UK then?

-My wife.

-Your wife?

-You married an English lass?

-Yeah.

-Aaah!

Did you get to see Led Zeppelin?

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

I was gonna say, you look a bit young.

I love that. That is fantastic,

and Led Zeppelin has reformed this year.

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

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

-The question is, were you any good?

-No, I was rubbish!

Again, no date.

I think that's also 1970.

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

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

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

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

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

So that's not bad, is it?

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

is the fact that you've looked after them,

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

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

so good for you, because condition is so important.

MUSIC: "Haiti" by Arcade Fire

Pat, I love this period of art.

We're looking at the end of the sort of 19th century, and a period that

we call the "aesthetic movement",

and I associate this with the pre-Raphaelites.

I look at these and I think in terms of slightly, dare I say,

camp Victorian melodramas or Wagnerian operas,

because all the costumes are of that sort of twilight era,

rather like Excalibur,

-and, of course, the subject matter is Arthurian, is it not?

-Yes.

-What fascinated you to collect these?

-I didn't collect them,

they were my grandmother's.

-They were passed down to me.

-She was a collector?

Well, she bought them from a second-hand shop and they were

originally in a wash stand. She must have bought them in the early 1900s.

It would have been a very, very expensive bedroom suite

to have had a wash stand with these Minton tiles installed in the back.

These were all decorated

by one of the leading artists at the Minton factory called Moir Smith,

and each tile would either have its initials or his full name there.

There's Moir Smith there.

So they are recognised, they're sought after, and hopefully

there's going to be tile collectors up at the auction we're going to.

I'm separating these from the subject matter at the back,

because you can understand why.

These are all Arthurian,

and the colour tones are in this sort of beige and dark brown.

-Sepia colours, aren't they?

-Sepia-tone colours, yes,

and they're very much in vogue now for collectors.

There are tile collectors.

These are different, these are Shakespearean subjects,

so we have Macbeth and we have Romeo and Juliet - beautiful -

and then we have these Walter Scott tiles at the back.

These would not have come from a wash stand.

These might have come from a piece of furniture, probably insert

into the back of a chair or insert into a wardrobe or maybe a fireplace.

-It's a lovely collection. Why are you selling them?

-We don't use them.

We've always been intending to do something with it and never done it.

Right. There was a fabulous sale in Stourbridge, a couple of weeks ago,

where a lot of these came up for sale.

On average, the estimates were around about

£20 each for the Arthurian ones,

and also the Shakespeare ones, and then a little bit more,

probably around about £40 to £60, for the larger tiles, so I think we ought

to put an estimate at between £200 and £300. Would that be agreeable?

-That would be very agreeable.

-But they require

a reserve just tucked under, so I would say we put the reserve at £180.

Would that be agreeable?

That would be very agreeable!

-I hope we're gonna get it after all of that!

-Yes, I do, too!

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

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

It's time for our first visit to the auction rooms,

so while we nip up the motorway to Marshall's,

here's a quick recap of all the items that are going to go under the hammer.

It's time for this pair of cheeky monkeys to come out of the garage

and charm their way into a new home.

Royal memorabilia always attracts the bidders. Betty's Edward VIII

singing mug has it, with bells on.

Every tile tells a story, and I'm sure it will be a happy ending

for this fine collection of Minton.

Our auction today is in Knutsford at Frank Marshall's.

Now, on the rostrum we've got Flog It favourite Adam Partridge,

hopefully doing us proud, but before the sale gets under way,

I'm going to catch up with him and have a quick natter about one of our items.

Now these are a bit of fun. Bookends, really, if you like.

but they're table lighters, they belong to Keith.

I think his son has damaged one of them and they've been using them as bookends.

£80 to £120 was put on these by James.

I like the contemplative look they have while they're

looking at the skulls and I notice that the...

"With compliments of S Murphy." So they're a gift, aren't they?

It's a strange thing to have, isn't it?

-Yeah. They've got the look, though.

-They're good fun.

I mean, this one has had his arm off as well on the front there.

-Oh, yes, yes.

-So condition isn't brilliant.

80 to 120 should see them sold,

but table lighters, you know, smoking is so popular these days...

-Adam is not going ape about these!

-No, I'm not, no!

Well, they're first up in the auction,

so let's see what the bidders think!

-Thank you very much.

-We've got £80 to £120 put on by our expert, James.

I had a chat to Adam, just before the sale started.

We kind of agreed, a bit of fun, the damage won't hold them back,

and that's the right price. Why do you want to flog them, though?

Well, we are emigrating to Australia.

Oh, are you? That is a major, major decision.

-How long have you been thinking about doing that?

-A year.

-A year? Brave man!

-We've got the eldest children out there, established.

So you're going to retire out there?

That's true. They've been out there for years and they've got good jobs.

What a great country to go to. Been there are few times myself.

-I think they should just do a little bit more than 120.

-I hope so.

It's just that hinge at the back.

-It can be sorted out, though.

-Yeah, it can be.

Let's find out what the bidders in Knutsford think.

-It's going under the hammer now.

-Lot 99, a pair of cast-metal novelty

table lighters in the form of an ape contemplating a skull. There we are.

Rather nice, aren't they?

Cheeky little monkeys there, lot 99, £80 the pair.

£80. £50 then.

-50 bid.

-We're in.

60, 5, 70, 5, 80, 5, 90, 5, 100.

95 at the back of the room, 95. Is there 100?

-Good.

-110, 120, 120, 130, 140.

-It's only money, sir!

-It's only money!

130, any more now, 130 and we sell.

All done at £130?

Selling. The hammer's gone down, just above the top end

-of the estimate. We did it, though. Good result.

-Very good.

Bit of commission to pay on that,

but it's something towards the trip, isn't it? Congratulations.

-Thank you very much.

-Nice move.

Right, now we've got 11 Minton tiles from the 19th century

up for grabs, £200 to £300.

They belong to Pat, and I think these will fly away.

I would hope so, I'd hope so. Very good designer, again,

Arts And Crafts very much in vogue.

These have been wrapped up in the garden shed,

-haven't they, for a long time?

-They have, probably 60 years.

We've changed the newspaper now and again!

We're gonna find out what they're worth, right now. This is it.

423 is 11 Minton tiles, designed by John Moir Smith, lot 423.

11 of these, £200 start me, please.

100 then to get on.

100 bid, 10 now, at £100, 110 are you?

110, 120, 130, 140, 50, 160, 70, 180, in the room 180.

-Any more now? Any further on these?

-Come on, come on...

At 180, 11 of them at 180.

Let's have a bit more, shall we? At 180. Are you all done at 180?

180, and we sell.

So, 180. Just got them away.

-That was the reserve, so can't grumble.

-Can't grumble at that.

-No, no.

-What are you gonna do with the money?

We're going to use it for a holiday, towards a holiday, and we're also

going to probably a buy a few things, little extras.

-That sounds very nice.

-Yes, very peripatetic!

MUSIC: "Red Alert" by Basement Jaxx

Well, we heard it play God Save The King earlier.

Let's hope Betty's little musical tankard reaches the top end

of the estimate and gets that £80... PLUS in fact. That's what we want.

It is a bit of fun, isn't it?

It's a lovely little piece, yes. Of course, it's the association.

It's King Edward, who abdicated, and how many of these were made?

-How many survived?

-We don't know.

And how many that survived are still playing?

Here it is, it's coming under the hammer now.

Crown Devon Edward VIII musical commemorative mug. There we are.

How often do we see Edward VIII items brought to us as rarities?

But this is a nice one, lot 353, and I can start with a bid of £50.

-We're in.

-Take five. At £50. £50, 5, 60, 5, 70, 5, 80, 5, 90, 5, 100.

-We're up there.

-110 here, 110, anymore?

120, 130, 140, 150, 160.

160, who's going on? 170...

Fantastic! That's fantastic, Betty!

200, 210.

-I'm shaking!

-200 in the room. £200.

All done at £200. Selling then.

-Yes!

-A whopping £200, Betty!

-That must be a record!

-Crikey!

-Yeah, really good.

-Condition, condition, condition,

that's what it's all about. Oh, well, a bit of commission to pay on

that, but plenty of money to spend!

-What are you gonna do with that?

-Phew!

-You haven't got a clue, have you?

-New fence.

-You haven't thought about it. New fence.

-A bit of gardening?

-Oh, well done!

-That was good, wasn't it?

-Wow, wow, wow, wow, yes!

Now, cast your mind back a few hundred years.

The year is approximately 1610.

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

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

Little Moreton Hall is one of the finest examples of Elizabethan

timber-framed manor houses in England.

Work on the house started in the early 16th century

and extended over future generations.

It's a stunning display of medieval craftsmanship.

It's a half-timber-framed house,

built on a stone foundation, and each storey was built

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

Now, originally this, in Elizabethan times,

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

It was the Victorians that painted everything black and white.

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

It really is fantastic.

The more wood, the more money you had.

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

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

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

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

Here is a typical example of the pegs, look,

that hold the whole thing together.

They're known as "trenails". Treenails.

And when you get into the cobbled internal courtyard,

you get greeted with a 360-degree

panoramic view of architectural delight. Just look at it!

You get wonderful ornamentation all around the doors and windows.

It's so typical of a Cheshire build.

I love the quatrefoils, with hand-carved balustrades.

It's another detail that just catches your eye.

Moving right up, you've got the leaded windows

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

It's another way of showing off extreme wealth,

and that takes you up to the eaves, where you

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

Wonderful!

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

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

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

They really did know their trade.

The house was acquired by the National Trust in 1938,

and David Watts is the property manager.

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

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

-Hello.

-Hi, Paul.

-Pleased to meet you.

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

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

Well, the Moretons were wealthy landowners

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

The family itself had wealth through corn mills,

ironworks, timberworks, and primarily the land itself,

and they wanted to show their wealth to everybody else,

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

Fantastic bay windows, magnificent ranges of glass.

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

It's a beautiful house.

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

OK, after you.

Take a look at this, Paul.

Gosh, look at that? Tudor wallpaper.

-It's fantastic, isn't it?

-Yeah!

It was fashionable in the 1570s

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

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

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

get travelling craftsmen who would come round and paint the stories

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

Incredible! Have you depicted what the stories are telling?

Is there enough there?

It's the story of Susannah And The Elders.

So, come on, tell me about that.

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

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

and they went into her garden

and she refused their advances.

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

but our hero, who is Daniel,

-who was actually in the far corner...

-The chap up there?

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

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

-Wow!

-Look at that!

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

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

That's the Moreton coat of arms.

Now, interestingly, of course, the fashions change.

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

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

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

-Of course.

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

but, overall, the house is in remarkable condition.

It's a very solid structure.

-It's a wonderful house.

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

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

It makes you appreciate the architecture.

In many ways, our collection is the building itself.

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

-It is, it's wonderful.

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

is a masterclass in Tudor woodwork and carpentry,

a perfectly preserved piece of medieval history.

Phyllis, Ben, I think you might have the award for the youngest person here today.

-How old are you?

-11.

11? Are you a collector?

-No.

-Why?

-I dunno!

Well, you've brought along this fantastic bowl for us, and is this

-something you found yourself, or is it a family piece?

-Family.

Is it? Who does it belong to?

My great, great, grandma...two.

-Something you like eating your cereal out of it?

-No!

Well, it's actually one of the most famous people ever from the Potteries

has designed this... a chap called Frederick Rhead.

Have you heard of Charlotte Rhead?

-Yeah.

-Charlotte Rhead, no? I'll tell you about her.

Charlotte Rhead, in the 1930s, was one of the most famous designers,

but this is a bowl by her father, Frederick,

and he worked in the Potteries, he worked in various factories really.

He worked for Wedgwood, and he also worked for Foley Intarsio.

They had wonderful Art Nouveau designs and that's reflected really in this,

and this is what Frederick Rhead is most famous for.

This is known as tube-lining. Have you ever piped icing on a cake?

Had a go? Well, this is basically the same principle.

Big bag of clay, and you squirt it onto the side of the bowl,

and that's what this is - so it's basically known as tube-lining,

and Frederick Rhead was well-known for reviving the fashion for it.

What is the pattern called?

The actual name, I don't know, but the range is Elers Ware.

Wood & Sons is the factory,

and I know you've done some research?

-Yeah.

-Tell me what you found out.

I think it was in about 1907

that it was Wood & Son, and then it came to "Sons"

-after 1907, and then "Limited" about 1912, something like that...

-Absolutely.

-so it's got to be in that range, so it could be 100 years old.

-It is.

-That's what we're thinking.

Spot on. Whenever we're looking at Art Nouveau, it's in the first

15 years really of the 20th century, sort of 1900 to 1915,

and that ties in perfectly with the mark we have on the base.

OK. Well, having said all that, it's time for a value. What do you think?

-£50.

-Yeah.

-Would you sell it to me for 50?

-No!

-Why?

Because I want money!

I don't blame you! OK, well, I think it's gonna be worth more than that.

I'd put an estimate of £60 to £100

-on it, hoping it would make around mid estimate.

-Yeah, that's fine.

-Is that all right?

-Yep.

-Let's take it to auction and see how we do. Can you come?

-Maybe.

-Maybe. Gotta find out if you can have a day off school.

-But you're definitely gonna come, yes?

-Definitely.

-Super. See you. Fingers crossed we'll see you.

-Yep.

-Lovely.

MUSIC: "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" by Arcade Fire

Isn't this absolutely fascinating, Cath?

-Yes, it is.

-It really is.

It's a map of Paris, dated 1780, nine years before the French Revolution.

I can imagine English tourists having this and going to Paris, looking out

the sort of fashionable watering places, going to the shops, seeing

the sights, and at the same time the Scarlet Pimpernel would have needed

-one of these, wouldn't he?

-Yes!

-During the French Revolution.

This is extraordinary! Where did it come from?

Well, my father left it to me with one or two books.

-Did you have an interest in maps?

-Yes.

-Right.

Well, this is a beautiful map. It's steel engraving

and then all of this is hand-tinted, and obviously it was never taken out

during the rain because it hasn't got any runs or stains on it.

What I do find absolutely extraordinary is this wonderful

plate here, which is so decorative.

It explains the routes of Paris, and then you've got these

two emblematic figures either side, and the Royal Coat of Arms here.

Lovely, lovely piece, but the item you've brought along, which I find

absolutely fascinating, is the one that this is concealing underneath.

This one here is Bradshaw's Map of Canals.

Now, what do we associate Bradshaw with?

Well, the canals and things like that, surely!

Yes, but also he became famous with his railway maps and timetables.

Oh, yes, of course he did, yes.

That dominated the whole of the 19th century. You could rely on Bradshaw's.

This is fascinating, because where is Stoke?

Oh, there's Stoke, here. Now, this dates back to about 1825,

which is a very, very early map of the area.

What I'm surprised about is I always thought Stoke and all the villages

and the towns would have been crowded out with workers, and yet the number

of houses you see are very few.

-Yes, yeah.

-But this, again, is steel engraving, and it's all hand-tinted,

in beautiful condition.

Lovely, lovely maps.

Now, how much are we going to get for these? This is huge.

This is a quarter of a whacking great map.

I could see this framed and glazed in an office, or a study. It would look

terrific on the wall, wouldn't it? Likewise with the Parisian map.

I'd like to see this do certainly over £100, let's say £150.

I think we've got to box very clever.

We've got to put a figure that's going to attract people to bid,

so I'm going to suggest £80 to £120 as the estimate.

-Would you be happy?

-Yes, quite happy, yes.

-What are you going to do?

-Are you going to invest in more modern maps?

-I don't know!

-Or a sat nav?

-Oh, no!

-Thank you very much for bringing them along.

-Thank you.

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

the heart of the Potteries in England,

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

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

but one of the most famous factories of all time.

-Indeed.

-Are they family pieces?

-They were my father's, actually.

My father was a pottery manufacturer and he used to work

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

of Wedgwood pieces, and also from other companies,

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

and it seems a terrible shame, really.

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

and here we've got three very good examples.

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

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

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

you see three purple circles,

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

The three interlinked circles were 1932,

and then you add a dot for each year.

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

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

people buying porcelain in the middle of World War Two,

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

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

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

-And come back again!

-Back to Stoke!

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

You do get factories who are transfer-printing these pieces

and then hand-painting little bits over the top,

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

This one is the best.

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

eat them, a real feel to them.

Now, values. Any ideas?

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

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

-OK.

-And that will give the auction room that ability to

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

We'll say £80 on this one.

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

This one, £200 to £300.

-Right.

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

That sounds very good.

-Could we put a reserve on them?

-Absolutely.

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

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

Oh, I don't think so, actually,

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

-something for the collection.

-Fantastic.

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

-Yes.

-That's good news.

-Lovely.

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

-Yes, thanks.

-Thank you.

But first, let's have a quick recap of all the items we're taking to the auction room.

I can see why this Frederick Rhead bowl caught James's eye.

It's a classic piece and it's in mint condition.

These extraordinary maps tell a tale of two countries.

Their tip-top condition should guarantee good interest.

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

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

When you talk about studio pottery, Charlotte Rhead is a name to be

reckoned with, but this one is by Frederick Rhead, her father.

It's a lovely little vessel and it belongs to Phyllis and Ben.

I gather...

What's Grandma been up to? She's sort of organised a sweepstake, hasn't she, Ben?

-Yeah.

-No, actually, I think it was Ben's idea!

Do you? Was this your idea?!

It was his cunning plan.

Born to gamble!

So what have you come up with, then?

What do you think this is worth?

£70.

£70, OK. And what about Grandma?

-75.

-75. And James?

-Ever the optimist, 80.

-£80.

-Well, why do you want to sell this, just a bit of fun?

-Yeah.

Ben likes to watch the programme, and we thought it was educational,

so the headmaster has put it down as an educational day for him.

-Great!

-Because it is, isn't it?

-It is so educational because you're always learning.

If you keep watching Flog It, you're gonna learn loads, and knowledge is money in this business, isn't it?

-Absolutely.

-Cos you get to spot those bargains.

Well, we're gonna find out exactly what we three think right now.

I expect you've made your own minds up at home,

but it's going under the hammer, right now.

Next one, 325, is the Elers Ware bowl designed by Frederick Rhead,

and I've got 45, 50 and 55 bid.

Is there 60?

At £55.

At this rate, you're all wrong!

£55. Any more at 55?

Well, I was told it had to be

fixed at 60, so I'm afraid I can't sell it, even though I'm bid 55.

No!

Didn't sell!

Would you like to change your mind and take 55,

or do you want to take it out?

-Take it.

-Yeah.

-Take it.

-Take it.

-Take the offer? That doesn't happen in Christie's, you know!

LAUGHTER

There's a little deal going on.

He's just asked if we will reduce it.

You've got a sweepstake on it as well, haven't you?!

So maybe James will make up the fiver difference!

-Yeah, I will!

-£55. All done now.

£55, and we sell then. 55.

-Yes.

-Well done.

Cor! Well done, Adam, as well.

It's gone. £55.

-That's great.

-That's OK, isn't it?

-And Ben won the sweepstake!

-Exactly.

-We've got to buy teas.

-You were closest.

Yeah, the teas are on you!

Teas and coffees on them. No?

-On James.

-On James, OK.

He's got all the money, hasn't he?

David and I have just been joined by Cath in the nick of time.

The auction room is jam-packed! It's hard to get through

that door right now. We've got the two maps

in that beautiful little folder you brought in.

One 18th-century of Paris and the other one is Bradshaw's maps of the

canals in Britain and I think it's a lovely little lot, I really do.

£80 to £120.

-I can see this going for a little bit more.

-Well, we hope so!

I say double, actually.

-Yes, so would I.

-Because they're beautifully presented.

They've hardly been used, and if you look at that map of Paris, you'll go

-to Paris now and probably still see it around.

-You probably could, yeah.

It's the one with the canals that fascinates me, though.

I've not seen one before, so...

Well done, I'm kind of partial to that!

Look, this is it. Good luck, both of you.

-Let's hope it gets £150.

-We hope so.

The map and the plan of Paris, two in the lot there,

a nice lot.

-We've got some interest here, and I can start at £200.

-How lovely!

And I'll take 20... 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300,

-320, 340, 360, 380, 400...

-No, no.

380 bid. Any more now? 380 bid.

Any more now? 400, 420, 440...

-This is very good!

-420 now. £420.

Are you all done then? 420.

Finished at 420.

-That's good!

-Gosh, I never expected that!

-Neither was I, and I don't think you were, either!

-I said double!

-You did, you did.

-I said double.

-Gosh, that's wonderful!

-A little bit of commission to pay, but what will you spend all that money on?

We've got our first grandchild on the way at the end of August.

-Aah!

-It's going to be Grandma's indulgence, isn't it?

-Oh, rather!

-It is, isn't it!

Remember the hand-painted Worcester porcelain? It's just about to sell,

and I've been joined by Bill and Lillian.

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

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

-£200 to £300 for the pedestal cup.

-That's right.

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

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

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

-Well, not...

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

Second thoughts!

-You mean you have?

-I had a subtle

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

That's more important than a model railway!

-I think so.

-Cracking items these, James?

Yeah, great.

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

-or putting them together.

-We did.

And I thought Adam would split them up.

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

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

-Good.

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

367 is Royal Worcester bowl painted

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

£80. 50, 50 bid, 5 now.

At £50, 5, 60, 5, 65 bid.

Any more now? 65.

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

85 online. Any more on this lot?

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

£85. That's good, that's good.

First one down. Here's the next.

Worcester bowl painted by Albert Shuck again.

Lovely bowl, 368. Start me at £100.

80 bid, 5, 90, 5, £95, any more?

£95, 100 bid, 10, 110, take 120 now.

120, online at 120, any more? 130?

-140. At 140.

-It's good.

-It is.

Are you all done at 140? 150.

Any more at 150? All done?

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

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

Gosh, that was late in!

-170 bid.

-We like it, though!

-We do!

-Any more now at 170? 180?

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

190. At 190.

Any more at 190?

At 190, 200. 200, any more now?

-Good heavens!

-At 200. 210.

LAUGHTER

-210. Are we done at 210?

-I think so.

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

How super! Second one down.

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

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

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

110 only, 120 now, 120.

130, 140, 140.

150, 160, 170. 170 bid.

Any more now? 180.

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

-Got a bid.

-200?

At 200. Any further now at 200?

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

-210.

-210.

All done and selling at 210?

Last chance at £210.

-Yes!

-Yes, very good, very good.

-Fantastic! That's all three

-sold, that's £505.

-Yes, very good, very good.

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

Got the top end of the estimate.

-Yeah.

-Very good, James.

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

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

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

-You were dead right, dead right.

-Absolutely spot on.

Congratulations to James, and enjoy the wedding anniversary.

-Yes, yes.

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

Well, that's it, it's all over, and all I can say is what a mixed day, but a thoroughly enjoyable one.

I hope you've enjoyed watching the show. Sadly,

we've run out of time here from Marshall's Auctions in Knutsford,

so until the next time, it's cheerio!

For more information about Flog It,

including how the programme was made,

visit the website at bbc.co.uk/lifestyle

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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